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Relations with Pakistan - Human Rights Watch has accused the BJP-led government of complicity in the attacks on Muslims in the state of Gujarat. Do you see a link between India's relations with Pakistan and communal violence in India?
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Dr. Khilnani's Response:
Human Rights Watch has accused the BJP-led government of complicity in
the attacks on Muslims in the state of Gujarat.
Obviously, when India's relations with Pakistan are tense or bad, these
can provide opportunities for communalists in India and Pakistan to try and
inflame passions along religious lines.
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Dr. Kak's Response:
All charges should be investigated and the guilty punished.
Unfortunately, the media did not cover itself with glory either.
Fabricated stories and rumors were passed off as fact.
I definitely see a connection between the policies of Pakistan and
India's communal situation. Journalists tend to trace the recent cycle
of conflict to the Ayodhya agitation of the early 90s. But that is not
quite accurate. One reason that agitation received huge public support
was the resentment about the ethnic cleansing of the 350,000 Kashmiri
Hindus by Pakistan-supported terrorists.
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Dr. Kak's Rebuttal:
No comment.
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Dr. Khilnani's Rebuttal:
In fact the media, especially some of the television channels,
did an extremely brave job of reporting the violence in Gujurat --
despite constant and continuing harrassment and intimidation from the
Gujarat government and police. Mr. Modi's government has tried to stifle
any independent investigation of the role played by himself and his
government in the violence. Dr. Kak is eluding facts -- events in Kashmir did not lead to the Ayodhya
events. Ayodhya and the destruction of the Babri Mosque were part of a
political campaign by the BJP and other groups of Hindu extremists.
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