B Media 4 Sarvajan Hithaya Sarvajan Sukhaya
Online edition of India’s National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 02, 2008
Religious and political leaders seek an unbiased initiative to contain terrorism
| Indiaโs religious tolerance can be a role model for the rest of the world: Dalai Lama |
Condemn all forms of terrorism, says Shahi Imam
Sibal against using terrorism as political weapon
Together against terror: Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari, SGPC president Jathedar Avtar Singh, Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama, Archbishop of Delhi Vincent Michael Concessao and JMUF president Syed Yahya Bukhari at the international conference on terrorism in New Delhi on Sunday. At right, Mohammed Haneef, the Indian doctor jailed in Australia last year in a bungled counter-terrorism case, at the venue.
New Delhi: Political and religious leaders from various countries, including Sri Lanka and Pakistan, have condemned terrorism in all its manifestations and demanded an โunbiased initiativeโ to contain it while denouncing sinister campaigns to malign any particular community.
At a conference on โAnti Terrorism,โ on Sunday, which was also attended by the Dalai Lama and a galaxy of leaders from India and abroad, the leaders called upon governments to generate awareness about the problem cutting across all sections to overcome the โgreatest threatโ to humanity.
โIt is vital to consistently, unequivocally and strongly condemn terrorism in all forms and manifestations, committed by whomever and for whatever purposes. We condemn all forms of terrorism,โ president of Jama Masjid United Forum Syed Yahya Bukhari said addressing the gathering.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said Indiaโs โreligious toleranceโ can be a โrole modelโ for the rest of the world. โMajor religions of the world like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated in India and it provided shelter to followers of religions like Zoroastrianism. These can be a model for the rest of the world,โ he said.
No borders
Union Science Minister Kapil Sibal said terrorism should not be used as a political weapon. โMaking it an electoral issue will encourage terrorists,โ he said.
Comparing terrorism with HIV, Mr. Sibal said, โThe disease knows no boundary. We need global cooperation and understanding to check it. The nations indulging in arms supply and financing terrorists for political gains must stop such activities.โ
Addressing the gathering, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said there were some countries which sponsored violence to bleed another nation and this tendency should be checked through innovative strategy.
The participants from Indonesia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Maldives, Jordan, Libya, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan in their discussion opined that there was an urgent need for in-depth study of the complex characteristics of terrorism and its root causes.
Pakistanโs Awami National Party leader Md Hussain Babar said madrasas were breeding militancy in Pakistan and international community should initiate efforts to establish modern educational institutions in the country.
Countering madrasas
โThe madrasas are breeding ground for terrorism in Pakistanโs tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. We must establish moderate schools to counter these madrasas,โ he said.
Participating in the discussion, social activist Teesta Setalvad while denouncing a โsinister campaign to malign a particular community in fighting terrorism,โ demanded action against those who indulge in โhate speechโ to fuel communal passions for political gain.
โHate speech is not prosecuted in India which should be a criminal offence,โ she said.
Criticising the Centre for deporting Pakistani human rights activist Ansar Burney, she demanded that a resolution be passed in the conference condemning the government action. Mr. Burney, who was deported on Friday night upon his arrival, was scheduled to address the conference.
The conference unanimously adopted a resolution after daylong deliberations which said non-violent methods should be utilised to change the psyche of terrorists.
The resolution also condemned all acts of racial profiling and abuse of human rights, especially those of women and children.
All for dialogue
โWe resolve to encourage dialogue and thereby exchange of ideas as diverse as possible and not to equate knowingly or unknowingly any act of terrorist or his identity with that of his community or his origin,โ the resolution said. โ PTI
Mayawati transfers police officials
Atiq Khan
LUCKNOW: Within hours of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) beginning the probe into the Noida double murder case on Sunday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati removed the IG, Meerut Zone, Gurdarshan Singh, the DIG, Meerut Range, P.C. Meena and the Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar) SSP, A. Satish Ganesh.
Gyan Singh has been named the new IG, Meerut, P.V. Ramashastry as DIG, Meerut Range and R.K. Chaturvedi the SSP of Noida. Mr. Satish Ganesh has been shifted to Mathura in the same capacity, Mr. Gurdarshan Singh and Mr. Meena have been transferred as IG Railways, Allahabad, and DIG, Railways, Allahabad. Of the three, Mr. Ganesh was associated with the police probe in the double murder.
According to the Chief Minister, the decision to transfer these officials was taken to rule out the possibility of allegations that the policemen associated with the case would try to influence the probe. The State government wanted the truth to prevail and also to ward off the possibility of being blamed that it was trying to create obstacles for the CBI, Ms. Mayawati told a news conference here. She directed Principal Secretary, Home, Kunwar Fateh Bahadur and DGP Vikram Singh to render all assistance to the Central investigating agency. She said the police had gathered important evidence. But, as the Talwar family had cast doubts on the probe by the State police the case had been referred to the CBI with the letter recommending the probe being sent to the Centre the same day, the CM added.