South Asia Citizens Web

New Age - 12 May 2013
Women call for halt to religion-based politics Staff Correspondent
Women from all walks of life join a rally in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday, demanding protection of rights of all citizens, irrespective of gender, race or faith.
Women from all walks of life join a rally in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday, demanding protection of rights of all citizens, irrespective of gender, race or faith. — Indrajit Ghosh (…)

These two posters are part of a series that have been made over the past year to challenge the undemocratic ways of technocrats imposing their plans on India’s largest university in Delhi. The printed posters are being released on 12 May 2013 at Delhi University.

The perspective offered in our book is frankly different from what Indian and Pakistani leaders (and too many academics writing on the subject) have held. The authors are scientists who believe in a moral universe, where human life is to be valued and its destruction en masse to be abhorred. Nevertheless, while taking a position against nuclear weapons, it is not our intent to needlessly moralize. Facts are stated exactly as they happen to be. This is a responsibility that we owe both to our profession as scientists, and to our own selves, as well, for the facts of the nuclear situation in Pakistan and India are, without exaggeration, frightening, in and beyond the subcontinent.

15 years later, there are no lessons learnt. We still proudly capitlise on nuclear warheads. India has close to 100 nuclear warheads, according to Arms Control Association. But the politicians assure us that we have the no-first use policy. We will only use them if the other nation blows us to smithereens first. This is very comforting; Pakistan between 90-110 warheads and China has total 240 warheads. If a terrorist group lays its hands on nuke weapons first, then glory be!

The BJP’s jingoism has diminished us. It has degraded security, left us defenceless against Big Power coercion and exposed our people to the heat of sanctions