South Asia Citizens Web

Dawn, December 1, 2008
“When I send my child to the market with Rs10 to buy something, I demand an account of the money when he returns home. Similarly, when the government spends my money, I have the right to ask for an accounting of these expenditures.” — Susheela Devi
A GHOST project is like a ghost school. It consumes money and resources, benefits a small group of delinquents and does nothing for its intended beneficiaries. With 30,000 ghost schools already under its belt, Pakistan (…)

Herald, 28 November 2008
The fiasco at IFFI over a film by M F Husain highlights the extent to which the state is in the thrall of obscurantist forces, says VIDYADHAR GADGIL
The ’ban’ on the screening of the short film ’Through the Eyes of a Painter’ by M F Husain at the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI) has finally been withdrawn. After four days of what can only be described as theatre of the absurd, the film was finally screened during IFFI on 27 November. All’s well (…)

As the smoke lifts from Mumbai, skepticism must prevail over those conjectures which support the official state narrative. It is crucial to increase the pressure for transparency and accountability at this moment to ensure that India doesn’t slide into the same state as post-9/11 USA.

New Age, December 1, 2008
Balaka Statues Dodge A Bullet
Unlike the Baul statue circus a month ago, the group that came to smash Balaka Chattar/Biman Office statues (storks, also by Mrinal Haque) came near midnight. This time, no government officials, no advance "protest" in media, no advance anything. They worked quickly, with hammers. Other reports said "ramda", but I tend to think that’s fear shorthand.
Then the police arrived. According to BdNews24, for the first fifteen minutes (…)

The pattern is all too familiar. Every time India and Pakistan head towards dialogue and detente, something explosive happens that pushes peace to the backburner and drags them back to the familiar old tense relationship, worsened by sabre-rattling war cries from both sides.