Although this will only add to the hate mail I get from across the border since I started sharing my thoughts on the Mumbai tragedy, I cannot help but express my utter disgust at the way Union Minister A R Antulay has been treated.
If India wants to be accepted as a true democracy rather than the “toot the democratic horn but turn a blind eye” kind of nation it really has to get over its fascination with conspiracy theories right? In a democracy everyone has an opinion so why does it piss off so many people that Antulay has one which is lets just say against the saffroned class of India.
The points this minister of minorities has made cannot really be overlooked as it cannot be but mere coincedence that the three ATS men responsible for discovering “hinduvatas” hand in the samjhota express bombing were killed in terrorist attacks which had no intention or motive for killing them. At a site which was not the center of this tragedy and in conditions which to say the least are suspicious. I think it is time someone answer or atleast try to answer Antulay’s question of “who ordered them to the hospital and why did they chose to all arrive at the same time in one car” when they were obviously needed at perhaps the Taj or Nirman house or Oberoi?
Obviously there is more at work here than just Islamic militancy and Antulays voice which called for a probe into Karkares death has been silenced by him being forced to resign in the midst of the political storm he has arisen.
Is it not strange that he sends in his resignation right after he called for rioters to be treated the same as terrorists under India’s new framework of anti terror laws? Rioters have killed more Indians than militants in the past years, why are they left untouched? Why does not anyone question or raise the same hue and cry over Gujrat as they did over these last ghastly attack?
When will India prove to the rest of the world that it has the same laws for all its citizens? Antulays remarks, his resignation speak of a much more serious problem than militants in India, it dares to ask whether these militants are the homegrown plant who’s seeds are planted in the same hate that India shows its muslim population.
To all those who wonder why the Muslims in India sound so apologetic, and why we bothered to make a seperate homealand in the first place? The answer is right here in our faces.
Pic & story
Faisal, I agree muslims were treated shoddily in Gujarat, but that is not the case all across India. Heard of Kerala? Its a small state in South India (am from there). I can guarantee you there is no such thing as muslim suppression across the country. It happens in pockets, no denying that. Abt Antulay, well he was just trying to get some political mileage of the issue. He is notorious for such “quotes” which are based on zero info. He doesn’t have any proof to go with his statement. He said, the ATS cop was in the wrong place, but that’s not true, he was chasing three gunmen who had created a rampage at Mumbai train terminal, they were running around the city. Well I work in the media herem so know these facts am sure he too has access to the same information.
Keeping this in mind, I am forced to believe he was trying to get political mileage from the scenario.
I agree with ur second point, rioters and terrorists should be treated the same. The only difference is Kasav/Kasab was from a diff country (Pak) then it becomes an international affair. The state of affairs in NW Pakistan made US/EU turn against Pak that didn’t really help either!
Personally, I believe this whole Mumbai fiasco has multiple conspiracies going on. While I can’t outrightly reject the claim that Pakistani involvement was there at some level (wittingly or not); I also see many holes in the picture that has been painted by India so far.
A few of those have already been raised by Antulay – it HAS to be slightly suspicious that the 3 ppl involved in hindu related invetigations were killed so conveniently. In addition to that, those cases which previously had all the coverage in the media seem to have been completely taken off the grid now.
In addition to that, I also find it interesting that it was mainly (or only, I’m not sure) Kasab; whose multiple images were shown on the media during this incident and that it was only him who they managed to catch alive out of the ~10 terrrorists. Its almost as if there was some hindsight involved ahead of time.
When the Mumbai incident started I can say for myself and many Pakistanis that we were genuinely upset about such an attack and internally we were all reminded about our own shoddy condition regarding such elements in our country. However, as soon as the media started blaming Pakistan and ISI within the first hour; and the attitude that they adopted thereafter, caused all this sympathy to disappear. At least complete the investigation before you blame a country.
What India is calling ‘evidence’; we have already seen that term used before in the Samjhota express, Malegaun and similar cases in the past.
Treated shoddily?? my friend are you referring to the rape, pillage and murder of hundreds of innocent men women and children as shoddy treatment. Do you know how many Muslims died in 2008 in India due to communal violence and hate crimes? Look it up if you do not, which i highly doubt because you work in and have access to info. Compare the number of deaths the mumbai attackers caused and their media coverage to Gujarat vis a vi the death toll there, and you will realize what I am saying.
If antulay has no proof to go with his statement what proof does the ATS have that Kassab is from Pakistan? If they do have irrefutable proof why do they not display it for the entire world to see? Political mileage is achieved from every such tragedy by politicians of all colors and creeds. I certainly do not believe the word of ATS or ISI or CIA or Mossad or Raw, these are intelligence agencies with their own ends to achieve and their own agendas, which are pretty far off from public well being let me assure you. The ATS men were if i am not wrong killed at the hospital not running around the city.
The state of affairs in the North of my land is not causing EU/Us to turn away, it is the direct result of their war on terrorism and they know this, for they too have an end to achieve.
I am now pasting for your info below half of an article regarding the discrimination of Indian muslims “across” India not in pockets…perhaps this will give you more food for thought
”
India’s Muslims in Crisis
By Aryn Baker Thursday, Nov. 27, 2008
The disembodied voice was chilling in its rage. A gunman, holed up in the Oberoi Trident hotel in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), where some 40 people had been taken hostage, told an Indian news channel that the attacks were revenge for the persecution of Muslims in India. “We love this as our country, but when our mothers and sisters were being killed, where was everybody?” he asked via telephone. No answer came. But then he probably wasn’t expecting one.
The roots of Muslim rage run deep in India, nourished by a long-held sense of injustice over what many Indian Muslims believe is institutionalized discrimination against the country’s largest minority group. The disparities between Muslims, who make up 13.4% of the population, and India’s Hindus, who hover at around 80%, are striking. There are exceptions, of course, but generally speaking, Muslim Indians have shorter life spans, worse health, lower literacy levels and lower-paying jobs. Add to that toxic brew the lingering resentment over 2002’s anti-Muslim riots in the state of Gujarat. The riots, instigated by Hindu nationalists, killed some 2,000 people, most of them Muslims. To this day, few of the perpetrators have been convicted. (See pictures of the terrorist shootings in Mumbai.)
The huge gap between Muslims and Hindus will continue to haunt India’s — and neighboring Pakistan’s — progress toward peace and prosperity. But before intercommunal relations can improve, there are even bigger problems that must first be worked out: the schism in subcontinental Islam and the religion’s place and role in modern India and Pakistan. It is a crisis 150 years in the making. ”
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1862650,00.html?cnn=yes
Thanks for that story Failsal, interesting read, meanwhile here is a line which caught my attention
But he believed that the downfall of India’s Muslims was due to their unwillingness to embrace modern ways.
How can you selectively perceive some info and leave others out? I agree Muslims are being killed in Gujart and Orissa, but not in other states. Faisal if you ever visit India, pls I will pleased to be your guide at least in South India =)
Talking of disparities, we do have a reservation system, but the implementation s simply f**ked up, its only the rich muslims who manage to get through jobs/colleges under the scheme.
Also the lines which one of the terrorists spoke, well he said he was an Indian before he said that. Turns out he wasn’t! HE was also a Pakistani punjabi and not an Indian Kashmiri, which is what he claimed to be!
Proof for Kasab, Geo TV footage not evidence enough? Nawaf Sharif’s statement not evidence enough? I mean what do you want as evidence? His testimony?
***OUT OF CONTEXT***
I hope Ind and Pak doesn’t go to war, it will just screw both the economies and lots of people will be killed. After 5 years, we will be at each others throats again
Please explain to me why his is the only face which was being shown while the atrocity was still unfolding??? Then he was the only one caught???? Ok so the others were killed, understood but did the cctv cameras just zoomed in on kassab?
Balu…if nothing else i implore you to never believe Geo tv and Nawaz sharif for the love of god..if i did that i would think your army is already in baluchistan!!
I too hope war never happens.. let us pray for peace
No they had managed to get two people on CCTV images, Kasab was the only one who dared to look into the camera like a maniac!
LOL okay I didn’t know Geo TV was like Aaj Tak/India TV