NEW DELHI, Sep 25 (UNI): The disfiguring of two girls in acid attacks in Kashmir for not covering their faces with a veil and the terror attacks in the United States are not different types of incidents, and should equally provoke governments into action.
Attempts to force a particular dress code on women in Kashmir, and also in some other parts of the country have nothing to do with the real essence of any religion but are in fact various forms of exploitation of women and an attack on the secular polity of India under the resurgent fascist forces looking back to a mythic past.
This is how majority of speakers felt at a seminar on Women, Purdah and dress code organised by five voluntary organisations: Guild of Service, Justice Sunanda Bhandar Foundation, Muslim Womens Forum, National Federation of Indian Women and Sur Nirman Education and Cultural Society here last eveing.
They noted that besides the dictat by a Muslim militant outfit in Kashmir, rightist forces in other parts of the country like Manipur, Hyderabad and Uttar Pradesh have also attempted to force women to dress in a particular way conforming to what they thought was their tradition.
Eminent Gandhian Nirmala Deshpandey said forcing women to dress in a particular manner was part of the greater designs against a democratic way of life.
Writer and social activist Sonia Jabbar, who hails from Kashmir, said there had never been a tradition of wearing Burqa among common Kashmiri women, and the present emphasis on it has more to do with politics than with religion.
If the Shariah does not require Muslim women to cover their faces during the Haj in Kaaba (the most sacred place of Muslims), then why in Kashmir? , was the poser of eminent social activist and founder of the Aurat Foundation of Pakistan, Ms Nigar Ahmad.
She felt womens movement needed allies in men and government and doors should be kept open for dialogue.
Sociologist Prof Imtiaz Ahmad of the JNU said the Quran addresses individual believer and respecting its prescription regarding any Purdah should bot be dictated by any organisation but left to the individual.
Ms Syeda Hameed of the Muslim Womens Forum in her paper quoted relevant verses from Quran to clarify that the holy book was not specific on covering of the face.
It insisted on modesty in attire and behaviour both for men and women.
Social activist and a lawywer from Chennai Ms Badar Sayeed urged the government not to be a silent spectator to the emotional violence to women.
What is happening to women in Kashmir is brutal, for the Quran does not permit coercion in anything.
Social activist from Manipur and founder of the North-Eastern Network Dr Manish Bahl narrated how the Meiti Movement in Manipur had degenerated into a fascist force.
However, the Meiti women had sucessfully resisted the a dictat by a militant outfit to dress in their traditional way.
Ms Sahba Farooqui of the NFIW called for strengthening democratic values against the reassertion of the rightist forces.
A resolution passed at the seminar urged the government of India and of Jammu and Kashmir, and manipur to check the violation of the human rights of women by springing into action against the forces who were forcing Purdah on women.
I have no vested interest in Tehelka issue: film expert NEW DELHI, Sep 25 (UNI): A film expert, deposing before the Venkataswami Commission probing the Tehelka expose on corruption in defence deals, today stated that he was independent witness despite being presented by counsel for former Samata Party president Jaya Jaitly.
Confronted with a question by the Commissions counsel as to why he chose only the portions showing politicians for alleged doctoring of tapes, Mr Milind Kapoor, Haryana-based maker of ad films, said the 22-minute sequence of Ms Jaya Jaitly was chosen as it had greater impact.
"Jaya Jaitly episode was most talked about and the defence minister had to resign," he said in reply to a question why he did not pick up the sequences relating to army officers despite being the son of a former army officer.
In his affidavit to the Commission, 2B, Kapoor had stated his family background as one of the reasons for his interest in the Sting operation.
Mr Kapoor also stated that members of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Commission had visited his office after he filed the affidavit to "know the techniques of doctoring".
Earlier, during a sustained cross-examination by Tehelkas counsel Siddharth Luthra, Kapoor was confronted with the screening of some portions of unedited tapes by the portal.
In the sequence involving Ms Jaitly, the expert had pointed out three dissolves saying it could be part of manipulation.
Referring to Kapoors screening during which he said that the words "CD West End" (page 105 ) had a different pitch and indicated at possible manipulation, the portals counsel showed the relevant portions of the tapes from the unedited tapes.
"The words clearly are "Have you explained" and not "CD West End" as mentioned by the expert," Mr Luthra said after the tapes were run several times.
Burning of PMs effigy Opposition walk out in Pondy assembly PONDICHERRY, Sep 25 (UNI): The entire opposition, led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), walked out of the Pondicherry assembly here today in protest against the alleged burning of prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees effigy during a demonstration staged by the All India Anna DMK (AIADMK) workers.
The oppositions protest in the assembly for the second consecutive day was against the AIADMKs rally regarding the unseating of party supremo Ms Jayalalithaa from the chief ministership of Tamil Nadu.
Raising the issue during zero hour, Mr S P Sivakumar of the DMK and lone Bharatiya Janata Party MLA AM Krishnamurthy disputed the governments claim regarding the effigy and displayed photographs which had appeared in a section of the press to support its version.
The opposition members wanted to know what action the government had taken on the issue.
DMKs AMH Nazim asked whether any complaint was filed against social welfare minister A Kasilingam, who had spearheaded the agitation.
Interrupting, Mr A Anbazhagan of AIADMK stated that no effigy was burnt.
Speaker MDR Ramachandran pointed out to the opposition that there were also photographs in a section of the press which stated that the effigy had been taken away by the police and not burnt.
When the speaker said there had been instances of burning of effigies in the past, Janakiraman of AIADMK said, "We are speaking about the prime minister.
It has caused insult to the prime minister.
I do not agree with the speakers view", he added.
In the prevailing chaos, chief minister P Shanmugham, said the police had prevented the burning of effigies to which Mr Krishnamurthy retorted by asking if reports in this regard in the press were false.
The chief minister said the police had intervened at the right time and prevented the burning of the effigy.
What was burnt was only a only a bunch of haystack, Mr Shanmugham clarified.
Decision to run for Mayors post left to Stalin: Karunanidhi CHENNAI, Sep 25 (UNI): DMK president M Karunanidhi today said that his party was yet to take a decision on the issue of incumbent Chennai mayor MK Stalin contesting for the mayoral post again in the local body elections in the state to be held on October 16 and 18.
Talking to newsmen after the partys meeting of district secretaries and zonal coordinators on issues like the polling list at the DMK headquarters here, Mr Karunanidhi, however, averred that any DMK candidate stood a good chance of winning the Chennai Mayorship.
"The decision to contest for the post again has been left to Stalin himself to decide", he said.
"No comments", Mr Karunanidhi retorted, when a reporter referred to the ruling AIADMKs charge that Mr Stalin was backing out from the contest because of corruption charges against him.
He said the seat-sharing negotiations with the DMKs alliance partners were based on the respective parties chances of winning.
The percentage could be worked out after the allocation of seats, he added.
Mr Karunanidhi said the DMK would release its first list of candidates on September 28.
Asked whether the Dalit Panthers of India (DPI) had conveyed to the DMK that it would remain in the DMK Front following the re-entry of the PMK into the Front, Mr Karunanidhi said DPI leader Thirumavalavan would meet him this evening.
PMK leader Dr S Ramdoss had also expressed the view that the DPI should remain in the DMK front, Mr Karunanidhi pointed out.
Asked if Pudhiya Tamizhagam (PT) leader Dr K Krishnaswamy had met him, the DMK chief said the PT was yet to get in touch with him.
To another question, Mr Karunanidhi said he would be able to tour only a few cities and towns in the state for the poll campaign.
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