Of course such things are far from the mind of our Honourable EAM as he visits Pakistan…

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/06/asia/AS-GEN-Pakistan-Militant-Chief.php

Pakistan: Militant chief vows to fight on until Kashmir is liberated from India

The Associated Press
Sunday, April 6, 2008
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: An Islamic militant leader vowed Sunday to keep battling India until it grants independence to the Himalayan Kashmir region and urged increased backing for Muslim fighters in conflicts elsewhere in the world.

Syed Salahuddin, chief of the Hezb-ul-Mujahedeen militant group, also said rulers of Muslim nations “have become facilitators of the enemy” ? an apparent reference to collaboration with the United States.

Salahuddin spoke at a gathering of about 500 people who chanted “Our way of life, jihad, jihad!” and “God is great!” Organizers said they included militants from India’s part of divided Kashmir and Afghanistan as well as relatives of those killed in the two conflict zones.

Signs promoting jihad, or holy war, were displayed inside a hall in a mosque in Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad. Video CDs purportedly showing militant operations in Afghanistan, Kashmir, Iraq and Chechnya were on sale.

Hezb-ul-Mujahedeen is the largest of about a dozen rebel groups that have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989, a conflict that has killed more than 68,000 people, mostly civilians. Pakistan has denied that Hezb-ul-Mujaheedeen operates on its territory.

Salahuddin, one of India’s most wanted men, delivered a speech in which he repeatedly branded U.S. President George W. Bush as “satan.”

“Jihad will continue in Kashmir as long as a single Indian soldier is there,” Salahuddin said.

“Muslim nations…are not supporting the mujahedeen in Kashmir, Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq and Chechnya,” he added. “Muslim rulers have become the facilitators of the enemy. Muslims have been labeled as terrorists and handed over to the enemy to receive dollars.”

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, but the territory is claimed by both countries. The two archrivals have fought two of their three wars over the disputed territory since their independence from British rule in 1947.

As a counter, I would like you to consider the following:

I think that a lot of our social mores, values, rigid structures and the blind worship of gray hair have a lot to do with the lack of innovation in modern Indian society .

As a case in point, look at all these bright Indian engineers who left India to work in Silicon Valley, and see the various innovations (albeit, mainly in the technology space) that they have come up with, including the development of the Microprocessor, which has changed the world as we know it. So, I think there is some anecdotal evidence to suggest that it is not the education model in India, but the overarching social system that is probably more to blame for what you call the “clerical society”. As India keeps growing and getting more self confident, my firm belief is that you are going to see a lot more of innovations coming out of India.

Another interesting thing that struck me while I was writing this – Indian English Literature has become a very significant genre now, standing on its own, and very differentiated from the past where NRIs waxed nostalgic and bitter about India.

As far as “way of life” is concerned, how is it not personal? It is your way of life, but may not be mine or anyone else’s. You have every right to lead your way of life as I have to do mine, and we also have every right not to expect any imposition of someone else’s way of life on us, right? As long as we are doing so, without infringing on anyone else, it is a personal thing.

When people start forming collectives and wanting to impose their thoughts and way of life on others, it becomes interference and intolerable.

Cheers

Autonomous Yashwant defies BJP line, calls for ‘complete freedom’ for Tibet, Dalai Lama
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/293857.html

BRAVO, YASHWANT SINHA!

I will have to disagree with you on this – My opinion is that organised religion has always played an adverse role, especially when mixed up with statecraft. It has rarely, if ever, been a positive force. So, I, for one, do not want to see any religion mixed up in state affairs.

Religion should be your personal matter.

I also have to disagree with you about the education system. I think it has done a decent overall job, despite its limitations, in creating a vibrant, modern India. And, I think the key limitation for many Indians today still remains being able to get access to quality institutions.

Since, I never studied under the “ancient” model and since there are inadequate data points to figure out its advantages/disadvantages, any discussion about the modern vs ancient system can, at best, be based only on opinions.

Cheers