How Constitutional, Political, Cultural and Economic rights are violated in Gilgit and Baltistan?, Current affairs, NewAgeIslam.com

Current affairs

How Constitutional, Political, Cultural and Economic rights are violated in Gilgit and Baltistan?

By Dr Shabir Choudhry

16 Sep 2009

Text of a Speech given by Dr Shabir Choudhry in a seminar arranged by INTERFAITH INTERNATIONAL in Geneva on 16 September 2009.

Mr Chairman, friends and colleagues Aslamao Alaykoom and afternoon.

A comment was made earlier that we are here to look at ‘legal’ acts of Pakistan in Gilgit Baltistan. Since Gilgit Baltistan is not legally part of Pakistan, and article 257 of Pakistani constitution makes that clear; so any action they take is extra constitutional and illegal. I want to say that we are here to examine ‘illegal’ acts of Pakistan and oppose them, as they are illegal and undemocratic.

It is generally agreed that democracy is a form of government where people can democratically elect their rulers and hold them accountable for their actions. In other words it is a government of people and for the people - a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation in which free and fair elections are held. In all democracies a right of political expression, a right of speech and freedom of press is essential. Furthermore political pluralism, equality before law and respect for human rights of all citizens is must.

But in Pakistan and especially in areas of Jammu and Kashmir occupied by Pakistan, this rule does not apply. Here it is a government of bureaucrats and for the interest of the bureaucrats. Their main aim is to protect and enhance their interest and interest of the establishment they represent. By establishment I mean bureaucrats - civil and military, secret agencies, top army elite, political elite which has always been there in one form another for many decades.

http://newageislam.com/how-constitutional,-political,-cultural-and-economic-rights-are-violated-in-gilgit-and-baltistan?/current-affairs/d/1756

Even God's Arm Is Not Long Enough To Catch The Murderers Of Gujarat!, Current affairs, NewAgeIslam.com

Current affairs

Even God's Arm Is Not Long Enough To Catch The Murderers Of Gujarat!

The curious silence around Modi

Those who feel that the post-Godhra Gujarat riots of 2002 constitute one of the most shameful episodes in the history of independent India might celebrate the Supreme Court's directive to the Special Investigative Team, headed by ex-CBI director R K Raghavan, to inquire into the role of chief minister Narendra Modi, 15 other Gujarat ministers and MLAs, and saffron leaders such as Praveen Togadia in the organised violence and submit its report in three months. Such celebrations would be premature.

In response to the SC order, the widow of former Congress MP Ahasan Jafri who was murdered by a mob during the riots has said "Allah ke haath lambe hain" (God's arm is long). Tragically, long as it might be, even God's arm is not long enough to retrieve the miscarriage of justice from the tortuous labyrinths of what passes for India's legal system. -- Jug Suraiya

The campaign to project Narendra Modi as the BJP’s future prime minister has taken some interesting turns. First, the Supreme Court has ordered a probe into Modi’s role in the Gujarat riots. Second, the Congress has been strangely reluctant to raise this issue or to call for Modi’s head.

Third, the Rajnath Singh camp within the BJP has hit back. It recognises that the subtext of the campaign is to denigrate Rajnath’s own position. And finally, more BJP leaders have signalled their support for Modi suggesting that they regard his ascension as inevitable. -- Vir Sanghvi

The question is relevant because the order against Modi, 11 members of his Cabinet, bureaucrats and policemen has the potential of polarising the electorate in the state where communal peace has been tenuous since the 2002 pogrom. Political pundits are already arguing whether the probe that ended the complainant’s seven-year-long wait for judicial redress, could be a blessing in disguise for the CM? -- Vinod Sharma

http://newageislam.com/even-god-s-arm-is-not-long-enough-to-catch-the-murderers-of-gujarat!--/current-affairs/d/1367