The New Nation - Internet Edition

Development of hill districts

CHIEF Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed has said that various projects would be taken up for the development of the hill districts of south-eastern Bangladesh. In fact, this has become an imperative. While taking up development projects for the hill districts one point should be borne in mind, that the people of the region belong to different ethnic groups. It is now universally accepted that the characteristic features of all ethnic groups of people must be respected and nurtured. The peculiarities of the hill people should piously be taken into consideration.

Bangladeshis are now such a nation of which ethnic groups of hill districts form inseparable parts. All the ethnic groups of the country are now in the larger frame of the Bangladeshi nation. The Chief Adviser, therefore, has focused his attention to a matter which is urgent and important for national cohesion and balanced economic growth of the country. The ethnic identities, languages, ways of life, means of living, history and cultural norms should be upheld and their preferences taken into consideration while taking up and implementing development projects.

Alongside economic, social and cultural developments of the people of the hill region, importance must be attached to the national security concerns. By offering economic, social and cultural development packages to the people of the hill districts they should be attracted to the national mainstream. Simultaneously, they need to be motivated to be sensitive towards the national security concerns. Insurgents and anti-national groups have, most of the time, been active there. So, on the one side, the government should be alert and prepared to face any such repetition and, on the other, bring hill people under the national mainstream by offering them a balanced development and strengthening the bonds of unity and belongingness.

Expatriates' stay in the ME

THE governments of the oil-rich Gulf states are becoming increasingly 'concerned' that the rising number of outsiders, many of whom work as labourers on construction sites, could suffocate the indigenous cultures of the Arab countries. Foreigners reportedly make up about 13 million or 37 per cent of the 35 million populations across the six member-states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. They come mainly from the Asian countries. Pressure is growing for time-limits on the residency of the millions of expatriates seen as posing a demographic threat. An estimated 700,000 Asians mostly from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, work in UAE's construction industry where only around 20 per cent of the population is native.

It is not clear if a time-limit would apply to all foreigners, regardless of the types of job they do. Currently, most expatriate workers can have their residency permits renewed periodically by their local employers or sponsors until they reach retirement at 60. They are very rarely granted citizenship. 'From a Western viewpoint, workers who live here for 30 or 40 years should have rights and their children should become citizens as these are basic things in the West, the AFP news agency reported.

The Bahrain labour minister has said that the number of foreign workers would reach almost 30 million in ten years from now and suggested they should be allowed to remain in Gulf states for a maximum of six years. The Gulf states reportedly agreed that Asian workers are contracted workers, not immigrant workers. They are for ensuring the welfare of the foreign workers who should stay in the Gulf for limited periods. This would preserve the demographic character of the countries of this region, they believe. Bangladesh should keep watch on the developments to best preserve the country's interests.

Narrow perceptions and poor applications marginalising the outcomes

Dr. M. S. Haq

Bangladesh has observed, a few days ago, Independence and National Day - 2008. Interesting though, the 26th day of March and for that matter the month of March comes and goes every year via, among other things, a historical journey through events that took place on above day, in above month and in the year - 1971. The purity of content of history that has so far been presented to Bangladeshis and others through for example, the yearly journey cannot, however, be certified at a level of 100 percent due to a variety of reasons.

Various types of contamination of the history of liberation have taken place so far, in varying degrees though, on account of for example: history preservation related insufficiency - whether deliberate or otherwise; political considerations of government of the day; and an average lack of interest, willingness and motivation - on the part of all concerned including inter alia researchers and administrators - when it comes to facilitating or ensuring or both a proper transfer of the history at intra and inter-generational levels in a sustained manner. The situation is being further complicated by factors such as, the attending time lag. Besides, there exists one of the biggest limitations, that is: every known thing - created by Almighty God - in the apparently relativistic universe falls short, in a deeper sense, of an absolute100 percent mark in terms of any known dimension, per se.

It should be noted here, the day and the month have so far witnessed commitments after commitments - new or renewed - either direct or otherwise, by all concerned. It should also be noted here, people of Bangladesh, political parties of Bangladesh, government of Bangladesh, media of Bangladesh (print, electronic, etc.) and others have not so far been able to observe, in many respects, the day and for that matter the month of March as the day or the month for: one, taking a stock of above commitments, whether realized or not and making an assessment of gains made or losses incurred by the country as a result of those commitments; and two, articulation of future strategies and action plans based on say, realized or unrealized commitments; to mention a few.

Bangladeshis and others (to whom it may concern) have so far treated the day or the month more as opportunities for say, spending a holiday - whether in conjunction with other holiday(s) or not and whether with families, friends and others or not, merry-making, delivering juicy or fiery (or both) speeches, and writing stereotype editorials -- than as opportunities for consolidating or reconsolidating, energizing or re-energizing, and engineering or re-engineering intentions, efforts and resources, as appropriate, at individual, collective and other levels, whether institutionalized or not, with a view to taking Bangladesh to new heights on a continuous basis in the comity of nations and for course correction purposes - as required, to mention a few.

One of the underlying assumptions here is, more constructive efforts of for example, above nature could be instrumental in inter alia: strengthening further, sustaining further and promoting further the spirit, the motivation and the goal of independence including inter alia that of the language movement plus the war of liberation; and enhancing further the country's capacity and capability when it comes to say, meeting or fulfillment of or both - in an increasingly meaningful, impact-laden and advancing manner and to the satisfaction of all concerned, as practicable - obligations arising out of the country's constitution, commitments made by the country at different forums, and visions, as well as missions of Bangladeshis and others - in the ever competitive and continually uncertain universe.

Taking into cognizance of what has been said in above paragraphs, one could perhaps argue: there exist for example, specified time zones and specific opportunities, as well as institutions for carrying out stock taking and other relevant activities via: existing processes namely, planning and budgeting; articulation of agendas by political parties during election times; and so and so forth. It is fine. But I believe the creation of a stronger electromagnetic field (used in an engineering sense) around the day and the month could bring about additional choices for people of Bangladesh and others when it comes to harnessing and sustaining popular support for supplementing and complementing above processes (per se) through the foreseeable future. My belief, in that respect, has been reinforced further by for example: the present day need for strengthening further and promoting further the demand and the supply in areas of post independence ramifications - used in a positive sense - for transforming the dream of Bangladeshis into a more solid reality and within the shortest possible time, per se.

Let me put it in this way: given the contemporary demand and supply status of plurality, people's ownership, result-orientation and accountability associated with the country's governance, growth, development, politics and effort towards global reintegration, it is being increasingly clear, a more conscious, substantive and goal directed capitalization, harmonization and harnessing of emotions, motivations and sentiments attached to the day and to the month could be instrumental in inter alia providing Bangladesh, Bangladeshis, friends of Bangladesh - including inter alia the US, neighbors of Bangladesh - including inter alia India, and others - including inter alia the media (print, electronic, etc.) a more competitive edge in the fights - at individual, collective and other levels and as appropriate - against hunger; poverty; starvation; under development; insecurity (used in a wider sense, including inter alia water and energy security at affordable prices); unemployment; inequality; inequity, distribution related disparity; corruption; human rights violation; loss of people's per capita share of welfare; loss of people's per capita share of human development choices (education, health care, etc.); injustice; terrorism; degrading ethical and moral values (as applicable) - including inter alia the present day ramifications of hypocrisy, falsehood, self centered opportunism and ungratefulness; naïve realism; poor entrepreneurial skills; a less than desired democracy, as well as diplomacy; and a less than required investment environment conducive to the country's accelerated economic growth; to mention a few.

Bangladesh, Bangladeshis and others have not yet been able to, among other things, attract, process, harness and recycle consciousness, thinking, determinations, commitments and gene related exposures plus sensitivities (used in both biological and non-biological senses) associated with the independence and the liberation in pursuits of facilitating and promoting local, national, regional and global developments in a more meaningful, sustained and result-generative manner and to the satisfaction of more and more people of Bangladesh, as well as more and more people of other countries - than those at the present time. It is apparent, government of Bangladesh, development partners of Bangladesh - including inter alia the World Bank, and concerned others have been missing annual peak hours - associated with the independence and the liberation, per se - year after year. A concerted and goal directed use of those peak hours could inter alia be instrumental in maximizing opportunities for repositioning the country's developmental constituencies on a more productive and sustainable platform, for example.

In light of above, it now appears: people of Bangladesh and others will need to: re-explore the critical mass of independence and liberation; re-establish the missing link between the people and the critical mass; re-internalize the critical mass at conceptual, operation and other levels for transformation of challenges into opportunities and vice versa in pursuits of sustained excellence in the continually competitive universe; reactivate the catalytic role of the critical mass in the effort towards say, peace, security, stability, progress and prosperity at national and other levels; re-intensify and re-institutionalize the use of critical mass as a shield against social, political, institutional, economic, territorial and other injustices and as a shield against anti-people and anti-state elements, as well as activities - including inter alia corruption, extremism and terrorism; to mention a few. In such an event, one of the key challenges will be: how best and quickest, the people of Bangladesh and others could - as applicable - mainstream lessons, successes and best practices associated with the country's independence and liberation in their day-to-day efforts towards survival, living and continuity in pursuits of enlarging their choices, enhancing their competitiveness, scaling up their excellence, multiplying their breakthroughs, strengthening their unity, understanding and peaceful co-existence during peace times and in emergencies - and transforming post independent and post liberation challenges plus failures into opportunities for rising to the occasion, to mention a few.

The independence, the war of liberation and the language movement are, among other things, valuable, invaluable and recyclable intellectual property of Bangladesh. It may be mentioned here: one of the products of the language movement plus the war of liberation is independent Bangladesh; and one of the integrative products of the language movement plus the independence plus the war of liberation has so far been a poor, a democratically starved, and a corrupt Bangladesh. Further, it took about 24 years for East Pakistan to become independent Bangladesh. But it will be difficult to estimate at this point in time - I mean, after 36 years - the amount of additional time Bangladesh will require to become a developed country in the universe.

It has, therefore, become incumbent upon Bangladeshis and others to maximize the use of above mentioned intellectual property - in a timely, productive, diversified and sustained manner - as for example, an engine of transformation and change for the betterment of Bangladesh and other countries. In that respect, it will be essential for Bangladesh and others to ensure, among other things, a drastic reduction in the engine's frequent idling status (used in an engineering sense) and a continuous increase in its performance in terms of efficiency and effectiveness, per se. One of the concerns here is: a further prolongation of the present day engine idling status could increase the wear and tear of the engine - manifolds, and that could weaken further and further the very existence of the property with the passage of time.

The last word: the time is overdue for Bangladesh and others to craft and help craft plus implement and help implement a bunch of strategies and tactics - using the country's constitution, leadership and entrepreneurial skills, institutions, resources (both existing and potential), energies, and comparative, competitive and other advantages as tools - for inspiring, encouraging, and triggering internal motivation of, Bangladeshis, supporters of Bangladesh and others in ultimate pursuits of for example, balancing, modernization and rehabilitation (BMR) of the arts, the sciences, the engineering and the technology of independence, war of liberation and language movement and facilitating a continuous and purposeful application of resultant products (due to BMR activities) to what

I would call the war of transforming Bangladesh into one of the universe's developed nations in the foreseeable future - at an affordable cost though, and to the satisfaction of all concerned, as practicable in a human sense. It is hoped, independence and national day - 2009 will come again to lives of Bangladeshis and others in a more meaningful, matured, substantive and result-oriented manner than the one they have observed just a few days ago on the 26th day of March 2008. Let us work towards that.

Serious HR violations in Indian prisons

Dr.Abdul Ruff

Every nation, including the most oppressive one, has instituted a Human Rights Commission with its own agents as its members and chief because UN and other world bodies insist that such forums are mandatory for every sovereign nation. But all the Human Rights commissions operate within the parameter set for them by the ruling dispensation and the Commissions subscribe to the dictates of the government chiefly because it appoints the members-cum-chief and every body in it seek special favors , privileges and depend too much on the government for the future appointment and upward movement in career. Moreover these "specialists" on Human rights are grateful to the government for choosing them precisely when there are better known "specialists' more suited for the job. This in fact makes a mockery of Human rights watchdogs charged with protecting the lives and dignity of every single human being in the country and report dutifully to the concerned authority for suitable punitive masseurs to curb Human rights evasions.

In the absence of any proper code of conduct with heavy human responsibilities by the HR watchdogs, the human rights record is weak everywhere, to state the least. The worst of Human Rights violations take place in jails where the detainees are tortured more cruelly. They inmates" of the jails have no outlets to pronounce their problems and the criminality and brutality they are subjected to in jails even of the so-called "largest democracy" of the world, India. The loyal media, as usual, shut their eyes conveniently.

Tihar jail in Delhi is notorious for its treatment of "inmates" of jail undergoing harshest possible punishment either convicted by a court or even without any trail. Though the jail is in the capital and in the mainland of the city territory. Many political prisoners spent their parts f life in Tihar, including former premier Indira Gandhi for excesses during the infamous Emergency. The treatment meted out to general category of prisoners varies from case to case and from religion to religion. Currently a great sum of prisons undergoing nasty punishment is the so-called "Muslim terrorists". One can very well imagine the plight in jails of this category of " bad guys' as certified by the governments and media in secular India.

India annexed Kashmir valley in 1947 very tactfully immediately after it got independence form Great Britiain and through a systematic process of militarisation of the valley India has made Kashmir a dangerous place and kill the freedom fighting Kashmirs in large numbers. Kashmiris, who are now branded as "terrorists" by New Delhi, are being tracked every where both in Kashmir and India, by the state-sponsored terrorist gangs with Indian license. After nabbing and torturing Kashmiri patriots, the police or military authorities just say that they have dutifully caught some "Kashmiri terrorists" who want to destroy non-terrorist India.

The basically anti-Islamic media in India also dutifully flash out the "news" that are clearly concocted to suit the government's anti-Muslim policy supported by some nasty photographs taken from ankles that give the person arrested look like a film villain, or computerised Osama Laden. Many media "patriots" live just on this job of falsifying the facts and projecting Muslims as "terrorists". When Muslim employees or party workers in various parties don't openly support the anti-Islamic propaganda mechanisms, they are coerced to quit the job or post in parties. And when this is the case in the democratic forums, one can imagine the kind of "democracy' prevailing in closed jails where Muslims are locked up only to appease the Hindu fundamentalists.

Kashmiris are ill-treated much worse in Tihar and other jails. Protest demonstrations by students were conducted in Srinagar, in the face of shocking revelations made by a few from militarised Kashmir incarcerated in Delhi's Tihar jail since the last over two and a half years. Mohammad Rafiq Shah, who was arrested in Srinagar in October 2005 in connection with the Delhi serial blasts case more than two years ago was a student of the Kashmir University's Islamic Studies Department, has written a letter from Tihar Jail, alleging that he was physically and sexually abused inside prison and was being subjected to worst kind of torture. The detailed account of his alleged harrowing experience in Tihar reveals how perverts in authority inside jails can make prison experience for some inmates miserable.

World knows that this indeed is not an isolated example. Already, there are widespread allegations of how Kashmiris are ill-treated in various jails both in and outside the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Acquitted from "Tihar punishment" in the parliament blast case, Prof SAR Geelani, had also pointed out after his release how Kashmiris are singled out in the Tihar jail and subjected to worse kinds of torture, revealing that all was not well within this highly fortified prison, despite the tall claims of several prison reforms having been undertaken here. Obviously, the plight of the other jails is much worse. This only adds to the gravity of the situation that in most of the cases the Kashmiri youth picked up and put behind bars for uncertain number of years, with or without trial, are claimed to be innocent. Even in Shah's case, his family members have been pleading since his arrest that he was not connected with the bomb blasts in any way.

Recently a Kashmiri Altaf was arrested in Kerala on fictitious changes and jailed for over a month before he was released officially (Has he come back to Kashmir?)There is countless number of other arrests that take place, in or outside the state, without the slightest of pretext. It has become the wont of the official investigating agencies to create an accused when they are unable to find the real culprits, thanks to the political pressures, necessitated by misplaced vote bank politics. It is not out of context to say that even the government of Jammu and Kashmir has taken up the issue of harassment of Kashmiri youth with the Centre and several other states in the country.

This rare official admission itself is an indication of the magnitude of the problem. There are both subtle forms of humiliation and harassment and adverse forms like arrests and torture. Noted human rights activists, in her capacity as UN rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief, while concluding her visit to India, has noted that there is a confirmed bias amongst security forces against Kashmiris, acknowledging discrimination against them outside Jammu and Kashmir. She has also pointed out that a number of them have been arrested on the ill-founded suspicions of terrorism.

It is high time that the government arrests this trend of handpicking on Kashmiris on the slightest of suspicion or often no suspicion at all. Equally significant is the need to start a probe into all allegations of arrests of innocents and the torture they are subjected to within prison. If Kashmiris indeed are facing the brunt of xenophobia, in and outside the prisons, it should be a matter of grave concern for the country's leaders and all those who love to talk about the glorious ideals of this democratic country's secularism. Such nefarious activities amount to destroying the foundations of the constitution which protects the human beings and their dignity.

Just claiming itself to be the largest democracy is not enough for India which also should try to quell the inhuman trends in the country harming the genuine interests of Muslims in India and Kashmir. New Delhi should decide, hereafter, not to arrest Muslims on false charges and not jail them for torture course just for fun without proper trial.

UN must be serious in enforcing the stipulated laws and rules related to human rights evasions world wide and consider punitive measures leading to suspension of membership to UN and other world bodies of the defaulting demon countries. India has taken its terrorist actions under the cover of democracy for granted. Its anti-Muslim tactics need to be disarmed.

UN must ask India to vacate Kashmir unilaterally! Where are the Human Rights activists and HR Commissions in India? What are doing in their official bungalows and vehicles, apart from drinking alcohol got by using their official vehicles and enjoy life in official lodgings? Shameless criminal guys!