South Asia Citizens Web

The proposed amendment to India’s Citizenship Act, 1955 has raised grave concern among democratic circles in Assam and in other parts of the country.

In February this year the authorities in Bangladesh took Shamsuzzoha Manik, a 73-year-old publisher, into custody for publishing a book titled “Islam Bitorko” (“Debate on Islam”). His arrest and the shutting down of his stall marked a sour moment in the nation’s largest book fair, Ekushey Boi Mela, held annually at Bangla Academy in honor of the International Mother Language Day. While the book, deemed to be offensive to Islam, has been taken out of circulation, seven months later the publisher remains behind bars.

We, the members of the creative community of India, belonging to various languages, regions and religions, feel deeply moved and anguished by the suffering our Kashmiri brothers, sisters, children are undergoing. It is most unfortunate, undeserved and uncalled for. We are confident that if Kashmir bleeds, it amounts to the whole of India bleeding; the Kashmiri suffering and pain, hurt and indignity are all that of India in equal measure. We wish to emphasise that India is much larger than its governments, both of State and the Centre, its security forces and its political outfits. The Kashmiri people are Indian people and we are all struggling together for making freedom, equality and justice real for everyone.

PIPFPD expresses its concern over the growing tensions between India and Pakistan following militants’ attack on strategically important army base in Uri, Jammu & Kashmir.

After hearing the reference to UN resolutions vis-a-vis Kashmir and demilitarization in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s speech in the United Nations General Assembly earlier today, I thought I’d write a little something about the resolution adopted by the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP), which underscores that demilitarization is a prerequisite for Pakistan as well before an impartial plebiscite could even be considered.