Archive of South Asia Citizens Wire

  • Bangladesh: I condemn all violence

    by hanashams, 3 March 2013

    I condemn the violence carried out by West Pakistanis over Bengalis who were fighting to establish their right to speak their language. . . .I know that if I shout ‘fashi chai’ today it dehumanizes me. If today I ask my son to shout ‘fashi chai’, 10 years from now if he does anything violent, I will be responsible for it. I will be responsible for planting the seed of violence into his mind.

  • India: Delhi University Four Year Programme - A Critique by teachers

    by Dilip Simeon’s Blog, 3 March 2013

    We are deeply shocked and disturbed by the unacademic and anti student structure of the proposed 4 year Undergraduate Programme that the University seeks to introduce from July 2013. It is not in consonance with the National Policy of 10+2+3 on education. Further, there is no democratic representation of College teachers in syllabus making.

  • Deb Mukharji: Bangladesh and the recovery of history

    by Dilip Simeon’s Blog, 3 March 2013

    The author is former Indian ambassador to Nepal and Bangladesh Bangladesh is presently witnessing widespread upsurge of student power focused on the war-crimes trial of some of those accused of crimes against their fellow citizens in 1971. The faultlines in the history of Bangladesh lie exposed after 41 years. Verdicts on the trial of the first two of those charged with heinous crimes against the people in 1971 evoked widespread protests and strikes by the Jamaat-e-Islami, whose leading (…)

  • Murder of a Tamil child

    by Praful Bidwai, 2 March 2013

    India has failed to fashion a coherent, balanced and self-confident response to its turbulent neighbourhood. Leave aside Pakistan, India’s policy towards Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar and Nepal looks confused, indecisive or inept. This has eroded India’s influence and legitimacy in these ‘Gujral Doctrine’ countries, with whom it pledged to “go the extra mile” to improve relations without demanding reciprocity.

  • Bangladesh: Instead of the death penalty, the protesters at Shahbag should be demanding fair trials

    2 March 2013

    Instead of the death penalty, the protesters at Shahbag should be demanding fair trials for those accused of war crimes in 1971. A peaceful mass secular protest involving people from all walks of life, spearheaded by a tech savvy young generation, apparently independent from political parties, seeking accountability for war crimes committed in 1971. This has been Shahbag, a square in the centre of Dhaka, Bangladesh, an (almost) non-stop protest since February 5.

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