Wednesday 3 February 2016

Riots And Elections

                                     Elections are near and so are the usual suspects the "Pseudo-secular" brigade accompanied by there sidekicks the "intolerant gang", the "Communal Sanghis" who rue there country is still secular despite overwhelmingly Hindu majority and then there are third breed of scavengers the "opportunist". The third breed can put Pakistan to shame when it comes to betrayal and sycophancy. This breed justifies the idiom "Running with the hare and hunt with hounds" this group of politicians are Hindus in morning jumping and balancing in between the castes (menacing task of equilibrium among different castes) throughout the day while turning a Haji by night.
                                           Winning elections in India is a tightrope to maintain equilibrium firstly among castes in Hindus then among religious groups. One who can stoke emotions and also seems to align with the cause of larger group after polarizing, wins elections.There's always this distinction of them vs us, rarely one witnesses politicians debating and scuffling over development agenda for common good, rather its repetitive in all elections, development doesn't win elections but is confined to dustbin while caste and bigotry takes center stage .Ironic it maybe but in a poverty stricken country like ours people throng for castes based or religious political parties rather development. Even abject poverty doesn't despise them from shunning there poling behavior that's constant for decades.
                                    Committing a mistake once is annerror of judgment, twice is stupidity but committing it repeatedly is a sin,a sin our electorate is perfected in , it has demolished, bankrupted the thought process of present and next generation that tows the similar dilapidated path of misgovernance , unaccountability for political parties. Lack of basic infrastructure, deplorable economic condition,lack of industries hasn't woken the society to transform itself rather scapegoats are discovered . Caste and religious groups try to thrust themselves while politicians are too happy to oblige depending upon there comfort and leanings.
                                    Recent election results in Delhi and Bihar have indicated the prowess of "Pseudo-Secular" brigade. After being routed at the hands of "Hindu Nationalist" in parliamentary elections the "Pseudo-Secular" parties struck back with vengeance.They successfully created an artificial environment of mistrust ,intolerance & insecurity before elections with some paid media groups and celebrities conniving for personal gains . The so called "Hindu nationalist" party were no match and were at receiving end of this venomous propaganda and were thus decimated in both states. It is achingly sad, and appalling to see gullible and underprivileged falling prey and were again duped to sensationalized viscous atmosphere.
                                                To counter the propaganda of "pseudo's" the "nationalist" seems to have learnt there lesson well and gone in overdrive for upcoming U.P & Bengal elections. "Pseudo" who have drawn the first blood before, are equally aggressive and are leaving no stones unturned to challenge opponents . The recent outburst by Azam Khan (on RSS) should be seen as an attempt to stoke controversy and polarize population yet no steps were taken by state to tame this habitual loudmouth who has a track record of instigating people, while, Kamlesh Tiwari was not only arrested under NSA but processions are organized throughout country some leading to riots(Malda) demanding his death. Pseudo Secular parties conveniently forgot it was an offensive remark of Azam Khan that sparked the offensive retort of Kamlesh Tiwari and thus both should be prosecuted. The supply and offloading of building material for construction of grand Ram Temple also indicates ulterior motives of fomenting trouble by Hindu fundamentalists.
                                   The long standing issue of grand temple at Ayodhya can be and will be resolved through dialogue or submitting to Apex court verdict where does the need to create an environment of acrimony. The pseudo secular parties are equally responsible for vitiating the society as does religious bigots or blasphemous remarks of hotheaded thugs. Non resolution of long standing temple issue has immensely benefited politicians along with paid media for decades by focusing only on such issues deflecting attention from development agenda vital for progress. Although recent excavations have proved beyond doubt temple remains at the disputed site( http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/aug/25ayo1.htm) , but still case is sub judice and provocative elements should be tamed.
                                                There are too many pressing problems in our that need immediate attention. The thought process of bigots is very shallow and should be marginalized for common good. Unfortunately fragile calm is threatened by growing clout of thugs on both sides and if the trend continues then chaos will ruin our nation and people at large will suffer. 


Wednesday 27 January 2016

Iranian Human Rights Violations

                                             While Saudi Arabia Human Rights violations were discussed and condemned world wide specially after its coronation as head of Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) , the Iranian were at the forefront of attacking and mocking Saudi Arabia credentials to head the prestigious panel. The recent bitterness among two neighbors over executions of religious and political figures have soared diplomatic relationship tremendously. Lots has been said and written about archaic laws and brutality of Saudi law enforcement in this article i am shedding some light on Iranian past Human Rights violation records that are no less then genocide on hapless political party workers(Tudeh Party, a secular Marxist party) after 1979 revolution.
                                         In late July 1988, the Islamic Republic of Iran began summarily interrogating, torturing and executing thousands of political prisoners throughout the country(30,000). The massacre continued into the fall. Well planned and deliberately accomplished in secret, the massacre effectively eliminated any remaining political opposition to then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini’s regime. Although the exact number of victims is not known, thousands of prisoners were tortured and executed over the course of only a few months (30,000).
                                        The victims included prisoners who had served their sentences but had refused to recant their political beliefs, prisoners who were serving sentences of imprisonment, people who had been detained for lengthy periods but had not been convicted, and former prisoners who were rearrested. Many had been arrested when they were teenagers for commission of low-level offenses such as distribution of pamphlets. The political views of the victims stretched from support for the Mojahedin-e Khalq (Mojahedin), a Marxist- Islamic Party that had engaged in violence in an effort to overthrow Khomeini, to support for the Tudeh Party, a secular Marxist party that until 1983, supported the regime.
                                       This was not the first time the Islamic Republic had executed thousands of its political opponents or even the first time the regime had executed its opponents en masse. However, the 1988 massacre stands out for the systematic way in which it was planned and carried out, the short time period in which it took place throughout the country.The executions began pursuant to a fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini immediately following Iran’s announcement that it had agreed to a cease-fire in the devastating eight-year Iran-Iraq war.The questioning was brief, not public, there were no appeals, and prisoners were executed the same day or soon thereafter. Many who were not executed immediately were tortured.
                                     The Iranian government has never identified those who were secretly executed and tortured, and has never issued an official explanation for why political prisoners of different beliefs, many of whom had been imprisoned for years, were suddenly executed in the summer of 1988. Tudeh and other leftist parties had basically ceased to exist in Iran. Many of those executed had been convicted of relatively minor offenses—the more serious offenders had been executed in prior purges.The interrogations, killings, torture, and forced disappearances of prisoners violated and continue to violate Iran’s obligations under international human rights law.

Sunday 24 January 2016

Tyrant Regimes Of Middle East

                                        As the reports emerged that Saudi Arabia executed more than 47 people on a single day for alleged terrorist crimes causing outrage across the Middle East, there's some murmurs doing the rounds in western capitals about blatant human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. There has already been a glaring spike in capital punishment in Saudi Arabia last year, with at least 151 executions in 2015,compared with 90 for all of 2014.
                                      After donning the cloak of protector of prestigious human rights body namely Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Saudi Arabia recently preached to the international community about the need to confront “intolerance, extremism and human rights violations.” The funny thing is Saudi Arabia wants Western cartoonists, comedians, and others—people who represent only their individual selves—to stop mocking the religious beliefs and symbols of Islam, even as the Arabian kingdom’s own institutionalized policy is to vilify and discriminate against the religious beliefs and symbols of all other faiths(non muslims). 
                                       In Saudi Arabia almost ten percent of its population is deprived of equal rights because of their race. Any other religious texts or symbols apart from Islam are confiscated and congregation of other religious disciples(non muslims) is forbidden yet Saudi Arabia has the audacity to ask the world to cease “discrimination based on religion.” Truth is Saudi Arabia is notorious for worst kind of human rights violations,repressive theocracy by discussing the open discrimination against women, public execution for petty crimes and harsh sentencing for government critics, yet its candidacy and selection to UNHRC high table is baffling.
                                      The scourge of Islamic terrorism plaguing world today has its roots in toxic radical ideology of Wahhabbism. This ideology was glorified and bankrolled by petro dollars of Saudi Arabia to spread its sphere of influence in Muslim world and to legitimize Saudi role as head of Arab world . This perverted ideology breeds terrorism as it propagates subjugation of women ,non Muslims , extreme hatred towards transgender ,gays, coercion ,intolerance towards freedom of speech or free thinking. There are cases in Saudi Arabia of young bloggers incarcerated for asking educational reforms or veracity of religious diktats when confronted through the prism of science. This toxic ideology has widened and refreshed the sectarian historical fault lines earlier diminished with passage of time. 
                                      The onus of sectarian war engulfing newer countries with each passing day in Middle Eastern region lies on Iran and Saudi Arabia. While Iran is spearheading Shiite onslaught on Sunni monarchies, Saudi Arabia is at the forefront on decimating Shia regimes. The end result being the unending waves of refugees storming shores of west seeking asylum from middle east war zone countries. Take for example the airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has not only butchered innocent civilians (3000 so far) but more then million other people in Yemen have been displaced and the country is now at serious risk of famine. The credentials of Saudi Arabia as the warden of human rights thus lies in tatters and so does the duplicity of Western powers is exposed who support and sell arms to tyrant regimes world wide while preaching tolerance to victims.
                                     The sectarian struggle between Saudi Arab and Iran of one-upmanship has now taken a turn for worse where fundamental human rights of citizens have gone for toss. The recent execution of 47 convicts in Saudi Arabia on flimsy grounds and among them was one prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr has once again startled human rights organizations .The execution of political prisoner is not only condemned by world community but also infuriated Iran and Shia block. Though track record of Iran is equally appalling and condemnatory with reports indicating that Iranian authorities put to death more than 753 people in the first half of 2015 – an average of four executions a day, many among them are Sunni preachers and intellectuals. The deplorable policy of government initiated intolerance towards any opposition needs immediate restitution.
                                       It is high time the world at large should take cognizance of mind numbing mass murders carried out by Middle eastern regimes and through all effective diplomatic tools at hand try to persuade them to honor basic human rights of individuals and minorities by seizing the practice of premeditated, judicially-sanctioned killings on a mass scale.