[Reader-list] "India can’t afford to fall victim to psywar" - Open Statement

Fri Sep 19 12:00:02 IST 2008

Sanity can scare indeed!!

On Fri, Sep 19, 2008 at 11:22 AM, Lalit Ambardar
<lalitambardar at hotmail.com>wrote:

> Why should saner voices sound scary?
> LA
>
>
>
> > Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:41:17 +0530> From: vivek at sarai.net> To:
> kauladityaraj at gmail.com> CC: reader-list at sarai.net> Subject: Re:
> [Reader-list] "India can't afford to fall victim to psywar" - Open
> Statement> > Hi,> > Because of plain text mangling, the signatories to this
> "either you're > with or you're against us" letter below got a little bit
> squished > together and unclear. I thought I would copy and repost the names
> of > the signatories at the top so we can clearly see who they all are:> >
> (update after having disaggregated this-- my god, it's a scary list!)> >
> Signatories to the open statement:> > 1. Subhash Chandra, chairman, Essel
> Group> > 2. Maj Gen Afsir Karim (retd)> > 3. Ajit Doval, KC, former
> Director, IB> > 4. MJ Akbar, Renowned journalist> > 5. Anil Baijal, former
> Union Home Secretary> > 6. Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) former Navy Chief> >
> 7. Air Marshal S.R. Deshpandey (retd)> > 8. Dhirendra Singh, former Union
> Home Secretary> > 9. G Parthasarthy, IFS (retd) former Indian High
> Commissioner to Pakistan> > 10. Rajiv Sikri IFS (retd) former Secretary,
> Ministry of External Affairs.> > 11. CD Sahay, former Secretary (RAW)> > 12.
> Lt. General R.K. Sawhney (retd), former Dy Chief of Army Staff> > 13. Satish
> Chandra IFS (retd) former Deputy to National Security Advisor > and
> Secretary National Security Counsil> > 14. Lt General Shantanu Chaudhary
> (retd), former Vice Chief of Army Staff> > 15. Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi
> (retd) former Air Chief> > 16. Ved Marwah, former Director General National
> Security Guard and > former Governor, Manipur and Jharkhand> > 17. Vijay
> Kapoor, former Lt. Governor, Delhi> > 18. Vikram Sood, former Secretary
> (RAW)> > 19.Sudhir Agarwal, Director Dainik Bhaskar Group> > 20. K Memani,
> Chairman-Emeritus, Ernst & Young.> > > > > Aditya Raj Kaul wrote:> > India
> can't afford to fall victim to psywar 19 Sep 2008 01:11:00 AM IST Link> > ->
> >
> http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?artid=n3%7CNyKscLu8=&Title=India+can%E2%80%99t+afford+to+fall+victim+to+psywar&SectionID=XVSZ2Fy6Gzo=&MainSectionID=XVSZ2Fy6Gzo=&SEO=KASHMIR&SectionName=m3GntEw72ik=>
> > SOME stray voices in the media have been questioning, with surprising> >
> nonchalance and lack of depth, the wisdom and expediency of retaining> >
> Kashmir as a part of India. This matters not because such voices reflect
> any> > growing view in our country but because they play into the hands of
> enemies> > of the nation. Their suggestions embolden subversive forces both
> within and> > outside the country, and encourage our adversaries to
> entertain the hope> > that with a little more effort, Kashmir will secede
> from India. National> > will is a critical component of state power. In the
> absence of military> > might, psychological warfare is the weapon of choice
> of a devious adversary> > to attempt to break national will, and to also
> confuse and demoralise the> > Indian state. No nation aspiring to become a
> major player in global power> > dynamics can afford to fall victim to such
> psywar. India cannot and must not> > give any signal that could be
> misinterpreted to mean that its national> > resolve to preserve its unity
> and integrity is crumbling. The legal validity> > of Jammu and Kashmir's
> accession to India is unquestionable and was in> > accordance with the
> popular will. There is no basis on which any change in> > the political
> status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir could be considered.> > The UN
> itself has accepted that in the vastly changed circumstances the UN> >
> Resolutions of 1948 and 1949 are no longer relevant. In any case, there is>
> > no provision for holding a referendum only in one part of the undivided> >
> state of Jammu and Kashmir or for holding separate referenda in the three> >
> geographically distinct sections of the state. Like the other states> >
> included in the First Schedule of the Constitution of India, Jammu and> >
> Kashmir is clearly an integral part of India and will remain so. There is
> an> > unanimous resolution of the Indian Parliament of February 22, 1994 to
> the> > effect that "the state of Jammu & Kashmir has been, is and shall be
> an> > integral part of India and any attempts to separate it from the rest
> of the> > country will be resisted by all necessary means." It further adds
> that,> > "Pakistan must vacate the areas of the Indian state of Jammu and
> Kashmir,> > which they have occupied through aggression." Section 3 of the
> Constitution> > of Jammu and Kashmir also plainly asserts that "the state of
> Jammu and> > Kashmir is and shall be an integral part of the Union of
> India." Section 147> > of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution prohibits any
> amendment of Section 3> > by the state legislature. Kashmir is an
> inalienable element of India's> > civilisational identity and symbolises the
> fundamental principles on which> > the modern Indian state has been built.
> We take pride that India is a> > prospering economy, but the pursuit of
> wealth should not make us forget the> > values that keep our nation one.
> India has successfully overcome all> > secessionist threats faced by it. No
> responsible government can ever> > compromise India's territorial integrity
> by even contemplating the secession> > of Kashmir. This is not a trifling
> issue. If the Indian state is seen as> > weak enough to let Kashmir go,
> other states and disaffected groups within> > India will only get
> emboldened, leading to the unraveling of India. Secondly,> > as borders in
> the plains of northern India are not defensible, Kashmir is> > vital for
> India's security. Finally, communal harmony could be seriously> >
> compromised. Detractors of secular, democratic India tend to forget that
> the> > overwhelming majority of Indian Muslims, who constitute over 15 per
> cent of> > the population, has absolutely no sympathy for the partisan few
> who still> > fan a tired idea called secession. It is distressing, indeed
> alarming, that> > these seditious views, which question India's unity and
> integrity, are being> > freely aired by a section of the intelligentsia. It
> is regrettable that the> > print and electronic media are giving undue space
> and prominence to these> > views. India is a free and democratic country
> with a vibrant media and we> > are proud of it. But freedom of expression
> does not mean unbridled licence> > to flout the law of the land by airing or
> fanning seditious views. Such> > views also do a disservice to the people of
> Kashmir.We call upon the> > intelligentsia that has the power to shape
> public opinion to use their power> > with wisdom and maturity. Irresponsible
> slogans do immense damage in open> > and democratic polities and can mislead
> people to take partisan positions> > without understanding the grave
> implications. We also urge the media to> > exercise restraint and show
> responsibility in the larger national interest. As> > proud and patriotic
> Indians who strongly believe that the unity and secular> > democratic fabric
> of our republic must be preserved at all costs, we call> > upon the
> Government of India to make it unequivocally clear at the highest> > level
> that under no circumstances will the government and people of India> >
> countenance any compromise with the integrity of the nation. We also call> >
> upon the people of India and all political parties to raise their voices
> and> > come out unambiguously against secessionism in any form whatsoever.
> Signatories> > to the open statement: 1. Subhash Chandra, chairman, Essel
> Group 2. Maj Gen> > Afsir Karim (retd) 3. Ajit Doval, KC, former Director,
> IB 4. MJ Akbar,> > Renowned journalist 5. Anil Baijal, former Union Home
> Secretary 6. Admiral> > Arun Prakash (retd) former Navy Chief 7. Air Marshal
> S.R. Deshpandey (retd) 8.> > Dhirendra Singh, former Union Home Secretary 9.
> G Parthasarthy, IFS (retd)> > former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan
> 10. Rajiv Sikri IFS (retd)> > former Secretary, Ministry of External
> Affairs. 11. CD Sahay, former> > Secretary (RAW) 12. Lt. General R.K.
> Sawhney (retd), former Dy Chief of Army> > Staff 13. Satish Chandra IFS
> (retd) former Deputy to National Security> > Advisor and Secretary National
> Security Counsil 14. Lt General Shantanu> > Chaudhary (retd), former Vice
> Chief of Army Staff 15. Air Chief Marshal SP> > Tyagi (retd) former Air
> Chief 16. Ved Marwah, former Director General> > National Security Guard and
> former Governor, Manipur and Jharkhand 17. Vijay> > Kapoor, former Lt.
> Governor, Delhi 18. Vikram Sood, former Secretary (RAW) 19.> > Sudhir
> Agarwal, Director Dainik Bhaskar Group20. K Memani,> > Chairman-Emeritus,
> Ernst & Young.> > _________________________________________> > reader-list:
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