South Asia Citizens Web

Your visit to India was recently preceded by a tour to Algeria. If you recall in 1962 Simone de Beauvoir coauthored with Gisele Halimi a very powerful book ’Djamila Boupacha: The Story of the Torture of a Young Algerian Girl’. This had shocked and shaken liberal opinion in France of the early sixties. Her very fine intervention for citizen’s internationalism and for women’s rights everywhere came to symbolise a progressive image of France.

During his visit to India this week, French President Francois Hollande is likely to urge the government to conclude a questionable deal to purchase six nuclear European Pressurised Reactors (EPRs) from the French company Areva for Jaitapur (Maharashtra). Though marketed as "the most advanced"
reactor, the EPR is commercially immature; not a single reactor has been commissioned anywhere in the world. Moreover at the construction sites at Olkiluoto (Finland) and Flamanville (France) costs and time have escalated dramatically from the initial projected figures, suggesting that each reactor will cost about Rs. 60,000 crore. So six could cost in excess of Rs. 3.5 lakh crore.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called upon the government to immediately intervene to help five Pakistani crew members stuck on their ship at anchorage in India who have not been paid their salaries for months and only have food left for a few more days.

Press statement by People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE)

Arshed Bhatti presents ’Paisay Ki Game’; featuring Saad Sultan & Beyghairat Brigade; directed by Farhan Adeel!