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Saturday, September 10, 2011

[ALOCHONA] Farhad Mazhar's comments on Manmohan's visit [1 Attachment]

[Attachment(s) from Isha Khan included below]

Farhad Mazhar's comments on Manmohan's visit



http://dailynayadiganta.com/2011/09/10/fullnews.asp?News_ID=298359&sec=6

Attachment(s) from Isha Khan

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[ALOCHONA] Ten Years Later: Who Is Osama bin Laden?



Ten Years Later: Who Is Osama bin Laden?

by Prof. Michel Chossudovsky



This article below entitled Who is Osama bin Laden? was drafted on September 11, 2001. It was first  published on the Global Research website on the evening of September 12, 2001.

Since 2001, it has appeared on numerous websites. The original September 12, 2001 posting is one of the most widely read articles on the internet, pertaining to Osama bin laden and Al Qaeda.   

From the outset, the objective was to use 9/11 as a pretext for launching the first phase of the Middle East War, which consisted in the bombing and occupation of Afghanistan.

Within hours of the attacks, Osama bin Laden was identified as the architect of 9/11. On the following day, the "war on terrorism" had been launched. The media disinformation campaign went into full gear. 

Afghanistan was identified as a "state sponsor of terror". The 9/11 attacks were categorized as an act of war, an attack on America by a foreign power.

The right to self-defense was put forth. On September 12, less than 24 hours after the attacks, NATO invoked for the first time in its history "Article 5 of the Washington Treaty - its collective defence clause" declaring the 9/11 attacks on  the World Trade Center (WTC) and the Pentagon "to be an attack against all NATO members." 

What happened subsequently, with the invasions of Afghanistan (October 2001) and Iraq (March 2003) is already part of history. In the wake of the NATO sponsored "Liberation" of Libya (August 20011), Syria and Iran constitute the next phase of the US-NATO military roadmap.

9/11 remains the pretext and justification for waging a war without borders. In a bitter irony, the global war on terrorism (GWOT) is waged not against the terrorists but with "with the terrorists" (WTT), with the full support, as in Libya, of Al Qaeda affiliated paramilitary brigades under US-NATO supervision.


Michel Chossudovsky, September 07, 2011


Excerpts from the Preface of America's "War on Terrorism", Second edition, Global Research, 2005.

At eleven o'clock, on the morning of September 11, the Bush administration had already announced that Al Qaeda was responsible for the attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) and the Pentagon. This assertion was made prior to the conduct of an indepth police investigation.

That same evening at 9.30 pm, a "War Cabinet" was formed integrated by a select number of top intelligence and military advisors.  And at 11.00 pm, at the end of that historic meeting at the White House, the "War on Terrorism" was officially launched.

The decision was announced to wage war against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in retribution for the 9/11 attacks. The following morning on September 12th, the news headlines indelibly pointed to "state sponsorship" of the 9/11 attacks. In chorus, the US media was calling for a military intervention against Afghanistan.

Barely four weeks later, on the 7th of October, Afghanistan was bombed and invaded by US troops. Americans were led to believe that the decison to go to war had been taken on the spur of the moment, on the evening of September 11, in response to the attacks and their tragic consequences.

Little did the public realize that a large scale theater war is never planned and executed in a matter of weeks. The decision to launch a war and send troops to Afghanistan had been taken well in advance of 9/11. The "terrorist, massive, casualty-producing event" as it was later described by CentCom Commander General Tommy Franks, served to galvanize public opinion in support of a war agenda which was already in its final planning stage.

The tragic events of 9/11 provided the required justification to wage a war on "humanitarian grounds", with the full support of World public opinion and the endorsement of the "international community".

Several prominent "progressive" intellectuals made a case for "retaliation against terrorism", on moral and ethical grounds. The "just cause" military doctrine (jus ad bellum) was accepted and upheld at face value as a legitimate response to 9/11, without examining the fact that Washington had not only supported the "Islamic terror network", it was also instrumental in the installation of the Taliban government in 1996.

In the wake of 9/11, the antiwar movement was completely isolated. The trade unions and civil society organizations had swallowed the media lies and government propaganda. They had accepted a war of retribution against Afghanistan, an impoverished country of 30 million people.

I started writing on the evening of September 11, late into the night, going through piles of research notes, which I had previously collected on the history of Al Qaeda. My first text entitled "Who is Osama bin Laden?" was completed and first published on September the 12th. (See full text of 9/12 article below).

From the very outset, I questioned the official story, which described nineteen Al Qaeda sponsored hijackers involved in a highly sophisticated and organized operation. My first objective was to reveal the true nature of this illusive "enemy of America", who was "threatening the Homeland".

The myth of the "outside enemy" and the threat of "Islamic terrorists" was the cornerstone of the Bush adminstration's military doctrine, used as a pretext to invade Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention the repeal of civil liberties and constitutional government in America.

Without an "outside enemy", there could be no "war on terrorism". The entire national security agenda would collapse "like a deck of cards". The war criminals in high office would have no leg to stand on.

It was consequently crucial for the development of a coherent antiwar and civil rights movement, to reveal the nature of Al Qaeda and its evolving relationship to successive US adminstrations. Amply documented but rarely mentioned by the mainstream media, Al Qaeda was a creation of the CIA going back to the Soviet-Afghan war. This was a known fact, corroborated by numerous sources including official documents of the US Congress. The intelligence community had time and again acknowledged that they had indeed supported Osama bin Laden, but that in the wake of the Cold War: "he turned against us".

After 9/11, the campaign of media disinformation served not only to drown the truth but also to kill much of the historical evidence on how this illusive "outside enemy" had been fabricated and transformed into "Enemy Number One".


Michel Chossudovsky, Excerpts from the Preface of America's "War on Terrorism", Montreal, Global Research, 2005.


Who Is Osama Bin Laden?


www.globalresearch.ca
September 12, 2001
 

A few hours after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, the Bush administration concluded without supporting evidence, that "Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda organisation were prime suspects". CIA Director George Tenet stated that bin Laden has the capacity to plan ``multiple attacks with little or no warning.'' Secretary of State Colin Powell called the attacks "an act of war" and President Bush confirmed in an evening televised address to the Nation that he would "make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them". Former CIA Director James Woolsey pointed his finger at "state sponsorship," implying the complicity of one or more foreign governments. In the words of former National Security Adviser, Lawrence Eagleburger, "I think we will show when we get attacked like this, we are terrible in our strength and in our retribution."

Meanwhile, parroting official statements, the Western media mantra has approved the launching of "punitive actions" directed against civilian targets in the Middle East. In the words of William Saffire writing in the New York Times: "When we reasonably determine our attackers' bases and camps, we must pulverize them -- minimizing but accepting the risk of collateral damage" -- and act overtly or covertly to destabilize terror's national hosts".

The following text outlines the history of Osama Bin Laden and the links of the Islamic "Jihad" to the formulation of US foreign policy during the Cold War and its aftermath.

Prime suspect in the New York and Washington terrorists attacks, branded by the FBI as an "international terrorist" for his role in the African US embassy bombings, Saudi born Osama bin Laden was recruited during the Soviet-Afghan war "ironically under the auspices of the CIA, to fight Soviet invaders". 1

In 1979 "the largest covert operation in the history of the CIA" was launched in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in support of the pro-Communist government of Babrak Kamal.2: 

With the active encouragement of the CIA and Pakistan's ISI [Inter Services Intelligence], who wanted to turn the Afghan jihad into a global war waged by all Muslim states against the Soviet Union, some 35,000 Muslim radicals from 40 Islamic countries joined Afghanistan's fight between 1982 and 1992. Tens of thousands more came to study in Pakistani madrasahs. Eventually more than 100,000 foreign Muslim radicals were directly influenced by the Afghan jihad.3

The Islamic "jihad" was supported by the United States and Saudi Arabia with a significant part of the funding generated from the Golden Crescent drug trade:

In March 1985, President Reagan signed National Security Decision Directive 166,...[which] authorize[d] stepped-up covert military aid to the mujahideen, and it made clear that the secret Afghan war had a new goal: to defeat Soviet troops in Afghanistan through covert action and encourage a Soviet withdrawal. The new covert U.S. assistance began with a dramatic increase in arms supplies -- a steady rise to 65,000 tons annually by 1987, ... as well as a "ceaseless stream" of CIA and Pentagon specialists who traveled to the secret headquarters of Pakistan's ISI on the main road near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. There the CIA specialists met with Pakistani intelligence officers to help plan operations for the Afghan rebels.4

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) using Pakistan's military Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) played a key role in training the Mujahideen. In turn, the CIA sponsored guerrilla training was integrated with the teachings of Islam:

"Predominant themes were that Islam was a complete socio-political ideology, that holy Islam was being violated by the atheistic Soviet troops, and that the Islamic people of Afghanistan should reassert their independence by overthrowing the leftist Afghan regime propped up by Moscow."5

Pakistan's Intelligence Apparatus

Pakistan's ISI was used as a "go-between". The CIA covert support to the "jihad" operated indirectly through the Pakistani ISI, --i.e. the CIA did not channel its support directly to the Mujahideen. In other words, for these covert operations to be "successful", Washington was careful not to reveal the ultimate objective of the "jihad", which consisted in destroying the Soviet Union.

In the words of CIA's Milton Beardman "We didn't train Arabs". Yet according to Abdel Monam Saidali, of the Al-aram Center for Strategic Studies in Cairo, bin Laden and the "Afghan Arabs" had been imparted "with very sophisticated types of training that was allowed to them by the CIA" 6

CIA's Beardman confirmed, in this regard, that Osama bin Laden was not aware of the role he was playing on behalf of Washington. In the words of bin Laden (quoted by Beardman): "neither I, nor my brothers saw evidence of American help". 7

Motivated by nationalism and religious fervor, the Islamic warriors were unaware that they were fighting the Soviet Army on behalf of Uncle Sam. While there were contacts at the upper levels of the intelligence hierarchy, Islamic rebel leaders in theatre had no contacts with Washington or the CIA.

With CIA backing and the funneling of massive amounts of US military aid, the Pakistani ISI had developed into a "parallel structure wielding enormous power over all aspects of government". 8 The ISI had a staff composed of military and intelligence officers, bureaucrats, undercover agents and informers, estimated at 150,000. 9

Meanwhile, CIA operations had also reinforced the Pakistani military regime led by General Zia Ul Haq:

'Relations between the CIA and the ISI [Pakistan's military intelligence] had grown increasingly warm following [General] Zia's ouster of Bhutto and the advent of the military regime,'... During most of the Afghan war, Pakistan was more aggressively anti-Soviet than even the United States. Soon after the Soviet military invaded Afghanistan in 1980, Zia [ul Haq] sent his ISI chief to destabilize the Soviet Central Asian states. The CIA only agreed to this plan in October 1984.... `the CIA was more cautious than the Pakistanis.' Both Pakistan and the United States took the line of deception on Afghanistan with a public posture of negotiating a settlement while privately agreeing that military escalation was the best course."10

The Golden Crescent Drug Triangle

The history of the drug trade in Central Asia is intimately related to the CIA's covert operations. Prior to the Soviet-Afghan war, opium production in Afghanistan and Pakistan was directed to small regional markets. There was no local production of heroin. 11 In this regard, Alfred McCoy's study confirms that within two years of the onslaught of the CIA operation in Afghanistan, "the Pakistan-Afghanistan borderlands became the world's top heroin producer, supplying 60 percent of U.S. demand. In Pakistan, the heroin-addict population went from near zero in 1979... to 1.2 million by 1985 -- a much steeper rise than in any other nation":12

CIA assets again controlled this heroin trade. As the Mujahideen guerrillas seized territory inside Afghanistan, they ordered peasants to plant opium as a revolutionary tax. Across the border in Pakistan, Afghan leaders and local syndicates under the protection of Pakistan Intelligence operated hundreds of heroin laboratories. During this decade of wide-open drug-dealing, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in Islamabad failed to instigate major seizures or arrests ... U.S. officials had refused to investigate charges of heroin dealing by its Afghan allies `because U.S. narcotics policy in Afghanistan has been subordinated to the war against Soviet influence there.' In 1995, the former CIA director of the Afghan operation, Charles Cogan, admitted the CIA had indeed sacrificed the drug war to fight the Cold War. `Our main mission was to do as much damage as possible to the Soviets. We didn't really have the resources or the time to devote to an investigation of the drug trade,'... `I don't think that we need to apologize for this. Every situation has its fallout.... There was fallout in terms of drugs, yes. But the main objective was accomplished. The Soviets left Afghanistan.'13

In the Wake of the Cold War

In the wake of the Cold War, the Central Asian region is not only strategic for its extensive oil reserves, it also produces three quarters of the World's opium representing multibillion dollar revenues to business syndicates, financial institutions, intelligence agencies and organized crime. The annual proceeds of the Golden Crescent drug trade (between 100 and 200 billion dollars) represents approximately one third of the Worldwide annual turnover of narcotics, estimated by the United Nations to be of the order of $500 billion.14

With the disintegration of the Soviet Union, a new surge in opium production has unfolded. (According to UN estimates, the production of opium in Afghanistan in 1998-99 -- coinciding with the build up of armed insurgencies in the former Soviet republics-- reached a record high of 4600 metric tons.15 Powerful business syndicates in the former Soviet Union allied with organized crime are competing for the strategic control over the heroin routes.

The ISI's extensive intelligence military-network was not dismantled in the wake of the Cold War. The CIA continued to support the Islamic "jihad" out of Pakistan. New undercover initiatives were set in motion in Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Balkans. Pakistan's military and intelligence apparatus essentially "served as a catalyst for the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the emergence of six new Muslim republics in Central Asia." 16.

Meanwhile, Islamic missionaries of the Wahhabi sect from Saudi Arabia had established themselves in the Muslim republics as well as within the Russian federation encroaching upon the institutions of the secular State. Despite its anti-American ideology, Islamic fundamentalism was largely serving Washington's strategic interests in the former Soviet Union.

Following the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1989, the civil war in Afghanistan continued unabated. The Taliban were being supported by the Pakistani Deobandis and their political party the Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Islam (JUI). In 1993, JUI entered the government coalition of Prime Minister Benazzir Bhutto. Ties between JUI, the Army and ISI were established. In 1995, with the downfall of the Hezb-I-Islami Hektmatyar government in Kabul, the Taliban not only instated a hardline Islamic government, they also "handed control of training camps in Afghanistan over to JUI factions..." 17

And the JUI with the support of the Saudi Wahhabi movements played a key role in recruiting volunteers to fight in the Balkans and the former Soviet Union.

Jane Defense Weekly confirms in this regard that "half of Taliban manpower and equipment originate[d] in Pakistan under the ISI" 18

In fact, it would appear that following the Soviet withdrawal both sides in the Afghan civil war continued to receive covert support through Pakistan's ISI. 19

In other words, backed by Pakistan's military intelligence (ISI) which in turn was controlled by the CIA, the Taliban Islamic State was largely serving American geopolitical interests. The Golden Crescent drug trade was also being used to finance and equip the Bosnian Muslim Army (starting in the early 1990s) and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). In last few months there is evidence that Mujahideen mercenaries are fighting in the ranks of KLA-NLA terrorists in their assaults into Macedonia.

No doubt, this explains why Washington has closed its eyes on the reign of terror imposed by the Taliban including the blatant derogation of women's rights, the closing down of schools for girls, the dismissal of women employees from government offices and the enforcement of "the Sharia laws of punishment".20

The War in Chechnya

With regard to Chechnya, the main rebel leaders Shamil Basayev and Al Khattab were trained and indoctrinated in CIA sponsored camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan. According to Yossef Bodansky, director of the U.S. Congress's Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare, the war in Chechnya had been planned during a secret summit of HizbAllah International held in 1996 in Mogadishu, Somalia. 21 The summit, was attended by Osama bin Laden and high-ranking Iranian and Pakistani intelligence officers. In this regard, the involvement of Pakistan's ISI in Chechnya "goes far beyond supplying the Chechens with weapons and expertise: the ISI and its radical Islamic proxies are actually calling the shots in this war". 22

Russia's main pipeline route transits through Chechnya and Dagestan. Despite Washington's perfunctory condemnation of Islamic terrorism, the indirect beneficiaries of the Chechen war are the Anglo-American oil conglomerates which are vying for control over oil resources and pipeline corridors out of the Caspian Sea basin.

The two main Chechen rebel armies (respectively led by Commander Shamil Basayev and Emir Khattab) estimated at 35,000 strong were supported by Pakistan's ISI, which also played a key role in organizing and training the Chechen rebel army:

"[In 1994] the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence arranged for Basayev and his trusted lieutenants to undergo intensive Islamic indoctrination and training in guerrilla warfare in the Khost province of Afghanistan at Amir Muawia camp, set up in the early 1980s by the CIA and ISI and run by famous Afghani warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. In July 1994, upon graduating from Amir Muawia, Basayev was transferred to Markaz-i-Dawar camp in Pakistan to undergo training in advanced guerrilla tactics. In Pakistan, Basayev met the highest ranking Pakistani military and intelligence officers: Minister of Defense General Aftab Shahban Mirani, Minister of Interior General Naserullah Babar, and the head of the ISI branch in charge of supporting Islamic causes, General Javed Ashraf, (all now retired). High-level connections soon proved very useful to Basayev."23

Following his training and indoctrination stint, Basayev was assigned to lead the assault against Russian federal troops in the first Chechen war in 1995. His organization had also developed extensive links to criminal syndicates in Moscow as well as ties to Albanian organized crime and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). In 1997-98, according to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) "Chechen warlords started buying up real estate in Kosovo... through several real estate firms registered as a cover in Yugoslavia" 24

Basayev's organisation has also been involved in a number of rackets including narcotics, illegal tapping and sabotage of Russia's oil pipelines, kidnapping, prostitution, trade in counterfeit dollars and the smuggling of nuclear materials (See Mafia linked to Albania's collapsed pyramids, 25 Alongside the extensive laundering of drug money, the proceeds of various illicit activities have been funneled towards the recruitment of mercenaries and the purchase of weapons.

During his training in Afghanistan, Shamil Basayev linked up with Saudi born veteran Mujahideen Commander "Al Khattab" who had fought as a volunteer in Afghanistan. Barely a few months after Basayev's return to Grozny, Khattab was invited (early 1995) to set up an army base in Chechnya for the training of Mujahideen fighters. According to the BBC, Khattab's posting to Chechnya had been "arranged through the Saudi-Arabian based [International] Islamic Relief Organisation, a militant religious organisation, funded by mosques and rich individuals which channeled funds into Chechnya".26

Concluding Remarks

Since the Cold War era, Washington has consciously supported Osama bin Laden, while at same time placing him on the FBI's "most wanted list" as the World's foremost terrorist.

While the Mujahideen are busy fighting America's war in the Balkans and the former Soviet Union, the FBI --operating as a US based Police Force- is waging a domestic war against terrorism, operating in some respects independently of the CIA which has --since the Soviet-Afghan war-- supported international terrorism through its covert operations.

In a cruel irony, while the Islamic jihad --featured by the Bush Adminstration as "a threat to America"-- is blamed for the terrorist assaults on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, these same Islamic organisations constitute a key instrument of US military-intelligence operations in the Balkans and the former Soviet Union.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, the truth must prevail to prevent the Bush Adminstration together with its NATO partners from embarking upon a military adventure which threatens the future of humanity.

Related article: Where was Osama on September 11, 2001?  by Michel Chossudovsky, 9 September 2006

Notes

    1. Hugh Davies, International: `Informers' point the finger at bin Laden; Washington on alert for suicide bombers, The Daily Telegraph, London, 24 August 1998.
    2.  See Fred Halliday, "The Un-great game: the Country that lost the Cold War, Afghanistan, New Republic, 25 March 1996):
    3. Ahmed Rashid, The Taliban: Exporting Extremism, Foreign Affairs, November-December 1999.
    4. Steve Coll, Washington Post, July 19, 1992.
    5. Dilip Hiro, Fallout from the Afghan Jihad, Inter Press Services, 21 November 1995.
    6. Weekend Sunday (NPR); Eric Weiner, Ted Clark; 16 August 1998.
    7. Ibid.
    8. Dipankar Banerjee; Possible Connection of ISI With Drug Industry, India Abroad, 2 December 1994.
    9. Ibid
    10. See Diego Cordovez and Selig Harrison, Out of Afghanistan: The Inside Story of the Soviet Withdrawal, Oxford university Press, New York, 1995. See also the review of Cordovez and Harrison in International Press Services, 22 August 1995.
    11. Alfred McCoy, Drug fallout: the CIA's Forty Year Complicity in the Narcotics Trade. The Progressive; 1 August 1997.
    12. Ibid
    13. Ibid.
    14. Douglas Keh, Drug Money in a changing World, Technical document no 4, 1998, Vienna UNDCP, p. 4. See also Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 1999, E/INCB/1999/1 United Nations Publication, Vienna 1999, p 49-51, And Richard Lapper, UN Fears Growth of Heroin Trade, Financial Times, 24 February 2000.
    15. Report of the International Narcotics Control Board, op cit, p 49-51, see also Richard Lapper, op. cit.
    16. International Press Services, 22 August 1995.
    17. Ahmed Rashid, The Taliban: Exporting Extremism, Foreign Affairs, November- December, 1999, p. 22.
    18. Quoted in the Christian Science Monitor, 3 September 1998)
    19. Tim McGirk, Kabul learns to live with its bearded conquerors, The Independent, London, 6 November1996.
    20. See K. Subrahmanyam, Pakistan is Pursuing Asian Goals, India Abroad, 3 November 1995.
    21. Levon Sevunts, Who's calling the shots?: Chechen conflict finds Islamic roots in Afghanistan and Pakistan, The Gazette, Montreal, 26 October 1999..
    22. Ibid
    23. Ibid.
    24. See Vitaly Romanov and Viktor Yadukha, Chechen Front Moves To Kosovo Segodnia, Moscow, 23 Feb 2000.
    25. The European, 13 February 1997, See also Itar-Tass, 4-5 January 2000.
    26. BBC, 29 September 1999.
    http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=26444


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    [ALOCHONA] Bangladesh lost land to India



    India has got double of what Bangladesh got in Assam

    The India-Bangladesh land border agreement, concluded recently by prime minister Manmohan Singh during Dhaka trip, has sparked protests and allegations of a sell off in the north-east.

    However, India has got double of what Bangladesh got in Assam, from the land border agreement the two nations signed, sources said. Available details from the agreement show India got 714 acres (all in boundary demarcation), and Bangladesh about 357 acres.

    "There are accusations that India gave away 665 acres in Assam. That's not true. We got almost double of what has been given to Bangladesh. And most of the areas given to Bangladesh were the ones that had been in their possession since Independence, and were only pending a settlement," sources said. Also, sources added, the deal will only be implemented after it is ratified by parliament.

    Sources said the agreement has been balanced in terms of the areas exchanged.

    "The agreement had been signed by all four north-eastern states with stakes in the agreement. And they are all happy with it," sources said.

    Sources explained, in Assam, the boundary issue had 3 adverse possessions and 1 case of demarcation of boundary. In the first case of adverse possession in Nayagaon area Bangladesh wanted "145 acres". "We gave them none," sources said.

    In Palakhal area India gave "74.5 acres," and in Boraibari "193 acres".

    "area had been in their possession since independence. In case of adverse possessions, they had asked for 793 acres, but we only gave them about 267 acres," a source said. India got its share of the deal, 714 acres, in boundary demarcation.

    http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_advantage-india-in-bangladesh-land-swap_1585462

    http://amardeshonline.com/pages/details/2011/09/11/104661

    http://amardeshonline.com/pages/details/2011/09/11/104669


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    [ALOCHONA] Bangladesh-India: Conflicts over land and maritime boundaries



    Bangladesh-India: Conflicts over land and maritime boundaries

    SYEED AHAMED revisits the lessons learnt from two exceptional boundary disputes to highlight some policy priorities.

    The Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's official visit to Dhaka is expected to address some of the long-standing multi-faceted disputes between Bangladesh and India. The dispute over land and maritime boundaries remains one such unsettled issue that the officials of both the countries are trying hard to work out during this visit. More than six decades after the partition and four decades after the independence of Bangladesh, the two countries have finally signed the border maps to officially recognise their international boundary and end a lingering dispute over the issue.

    The countries even intend to address the much more complicated issues regarding enclave-exchange and maritime boundaries. This is not the first time the two countries came close to solving such problems, but regrettably, at least twice it was India that failed to implement bilateral agreements on border issues.

    As the two prime ministers address these issues, this article revisits the lessons learnt from two exceptional boundary disputes to highlight some policy priorities.

    Disputes over enclaves/exclaves
    An enclave is a territory within or surrounded by another territory. When an enclave belongs to another sovereign country, it's called an exclave of that sovereign country. In this part of the world, we call it a 'chitmahal'. These are the scattered pieces of lands -- some of them belong to Bangladesh but are within Indian territory; and others belong to India, but are inside Bangladesh's territorial boundaries.

    Some of the boundaries of these enclaves are very complicated (see Figure 1). There are counter-enclaves which belong to Bangladesh, but are within an Indian territory that is also surrounded by Bangladesh, and vice versa. Interestingly, there is also a counter-counter-enclave, a piece of land, which belongs to India that is within Bangladesh within India within Bangladesh.

    Confusing, right?

    Figure 1: Enclaves and Counter-enclaves within Bangladesh and India

    As Figure 1 illustrates, part of Indian and Bangladeshi land are not only inside each-other's territory, there are small pockets within those adversely situated lands that belong to other country.

    There are alternative hypotheses that tried to explain the origin of these sheer bizarreness that otherwise defy any reasonable explanation.

    Whyte (2002) offered a detailed history that tells how these enclaves originated during the pre-colonial era when Mughal expansion faced pockets of resistance by the chieftains of Cooch Bihar and resulted in enclaves (that belonged to Cooch Bihar) within Mughal controlled Rangpur region. Alternative hypothesis suggests that the Maharaja of Cooch Bihar and Foujdar of Rangpur used to gamble or play chess wagering villages on the win. As they won and lost villages to each other, many enclaves emerged in their territories. Another unlikely hypothesis suggests that Cyril Radcliffe -- who drew the India-Pakistan border in 1947 -- was in a hurry (and drunk too, in some telling of the story) and he accidentally dropped some ink dots on the map, creating these enclaves.

    However, there is no denying the fact that Radcliffe had no knowledge in geographical map setting and had only few days to complete the demarcation process on the basis of the now-discredited two-nation doctrine. During the British rule, Cooch Bihar remained as a Princely state. An exchange of these enclaves, initiated by the British rulers during the 1930s, was abandoned when the residents of the enclaves wished to retain their status quo. During partition, Radcliffe ultimately drew the boundaries without exchanging these enclaves between Cooch Bihar and Rangpur. The demarcation decision was kept as a top secret until two days after the separation. When Cooch Bihar and Rangpur became part of India and East Pakistan respectively, the enclaves became a permanent problem.

    Both Pakistan and India tried to exchange the enclaves and signed a treaty in 1958. However, India never implemented the treaty. After liberation, Bangladesh also signed a treaty with India in 1974, but India never ratified this treaty either. Furthermore, Bangladesh offered its Berubari exclave within India in exchange for a narrow tin-bigha corridor to get connected with its own exclave of Dahogram-Angorpota. Instead of handing over the corridor, India came up with all sorts of alternative approaches, including hourly opening of the corridor or even building a flyover to the exclave!

    And yet, Mr Singh had to hypothesise Bangladesh's so-called anti-India sentiment with some pro-Pakistan conspiracy theories (Sobhan, 2011)!

    Now that the Indian Prime Minister's visit is due, both the countries are working hard to solve the enclave issue once and for all. The Joint Boundary Working Group (JBWG) conducted series of meetings and carried out surveys to exchange the exclaves. However, based on our historical experience with these enclaves, we need to address some technical dilemmas first.

    The first and foremost issue is the access to information. Remember, it is this absolute secrecy of Radcliff's partition process that prevented an early solution in the first place. The governments should publish the results of the survey conducted by the JBWG, before signing the treaty. It has been reported that there are 111 Indian exclaves within Bangladesh, while 51 Bangladesh's exclaves are in India (Daily Star, 2011). However, previous reports suggested that there are 106 Indian enclaves occupying some 20,000 acres within Bangladesh, while 92 Bangladeshi enclaves occupying about 12,000 acres within Indian territory (Times of India, 2011). It is to be mentioned that, some Bangladeshi enclaves are within Bangladeshi territory and vice-versa. But however these enclaves are defined and exchanged, people also have the right to know as to how these enclaves are being exchanged.

    The second concern is to ensure that India does not pull back after signing the treaty, as it did twice in the past. India probably assumes that they are in a weaker position on this bargain as Bangladesh will gain some land if all the enclaves are merged into their respective host countries. This is one reason that's presumably stopped India from solving the issue. As the Indian media reported, India will end up losing some 8,000 acres after both the countries exchange each other's enclaves. However, India fails to understand that most of these Indian exclaves are inaccessible by them and will remain within Bangladesh's sovereign territory. Moreover, Bangladesh has already handed over a very significant piece of its exclaves (Berubari), though in return India failed to hand over a tiny corridor to Bangladesh.

    Keeping in mind India's previous failures in implementing bilateral treaties, Bangladesh should insist on legally binding treaties and if necessary, special clauses in the treaty whereby both sides will have to
    hand over the promised exclaves to enjoy their sovereignty over the enclaves they receive. Besides, this time it's only fair that Bangladesh waits for India to ratify the treaty first. Also, to legally strengthen the deal, the enclaves should be treated as 'exchanged' not 'handed over'.

    Finally, given the fact that these enclaves are not individual sovereign entities, rather a part of a larger sovereign state; can the international law accept the decisions taken by the states over their respective enclaves? Otherwise, if people of the enclaves are allowed to have their say in the re-demarcation process, what will happen if they want to maintain their status quo? Nonetheless, the residents should be allowed to remain where they are or migrate to other country. Any chance of forced migration by the opportunists of both sides must be prevented at any cost.

    Disputes over maritime boundaries
    The disputes over the territorial boundaries amongst Bangladesh-India-Myanmar are based on two fundamental disagreements among the three countries on the methods of delineating these maritime boundaries.

    According to international law, the first 12 nautical miles from the sea baseline is called the 'territorial sea' where a country has its absolute sovereignty. The next 200 nautical miles are called the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) where a country has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources.

    But, from which baseline and to which direction do they measure these distances? Well, Bangladesh, India and Myanmar beg to differ on that question.

    India and Myanmar prefer a 'low water' sea baseline -- that closely follows the curves of the vertical coastlines for their maritime boundaries (see Figure 2). But Bangladesh prefers a 'straight baseline' anchored in different coastal landmarks (e.g. islands, low-water points, etc.) since it has a very uneven coastline, and it's difficult to measure 'low-water sea baseline' where so many rivers unite with the sea. India and Myanmar, however, insist that Bangladesh should not follow a straight baseline

    Figure 2: Territorial Sea Baselines

    Source: Nahar, 2009

    On the other hand, India and Myanmar have delineated their maritime boundaries based on 'equal distance' from their respective coastlines at West and East shore of the Bay of Bengal. Given the triangular shape of the Bay of Bengal, such demarcation not only deprives Bangladesh from sea resources, it also makes it a 'zone-locked' country (see Figure 3). Following international examples, Bangladesh proposed 'equity' method to delineate the boundaries for just and equitable shares of the deep-sea territory.

    Figure 3: Zone-locked Bangladesh

    Source: Nahar, 2009

    Myanmar has further complicated the conflict by re-demarcating its maritime boundary using 'straight' baseline, though its geological nature does not permit such delineation.

    Without solving the boundary dispute, India and Myanmar then announced their offshore blocks for exploration and extraction of oil and gas in the deep sea. Their deep-sea blocks overlapped with Bangladesh's deep-sea territory. In 2008, Bangladesh even had to show up its naval force to stop Myanmar from exploring natural resources inside Bangladesh's deep sea block. Meanwhile, India also began exploration of gas close to the disputed territory. In response, Bangladesh hurriedly appointed ConocoPhillips to explore gas in that disputed block. Both the countries however agreed not to carry out exploration in the disputed part of the overlapping blocks. But the dispute continued.

    In the end, Bangladesh had to request an UN intervention. Bangladesh has already lodged a complaint against Myanmar at the UN, and in response, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) has initiated the arbitration process.

    Meanwhile, it was assumed that Bangladesh will take the Indian case to ITLOS as well. Hence, no bilateral agreement was pursued during the Bangladeshi Prime Minister's visit to India in 2010.

    In a similar case in 1969, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rejected Denmark and Netherland's claims for equidistance territory, considering Germany's special location. Also, after the 1951 Anglo-Norwegian Fisheries Case, demarcation of straight baseline for countries with especial coastlines has become a lawful practice. While Bangladesh awaits a legal verdict on the matter by the first quarter of 2012, experts suggested that Bangladesh has a better chance of winning the case against Myanmar.

    At this point, Bangladesh should not hurry to reach any unfavourable agreement with India. When the arbitration was initiated, Myanmar suddenly became enthusiastic about carrying on bilateral talks with Bangladesh. Myanmar has already toned down its previously-inflexible position after 36 years and has finally admitted to consider a combination of equity and equal distance approach.

    At this moment, India might insist that Bangladesh solves the maritime boundary dispute in bilateral talks, instead of seeking ITLOS intervention. If that happens, Bangladesh should use Myanmar's changing position as leverage in its negotiation with India. Unless India agrees to some legally binding decisions on equity and straight baseline demarcations, Bangladesh should keep the ITLOS option open.

    ***

    If Bangladesh and India are to address the long list of disputed issues in this meeting, solving the boundary dispute should be a priority. While Robert Frost is right in arguing that -- 'something there is that doesn't love a wall', in case of sovereign states, 'good fences do make good neighbours'.


    Nahar, S. 2009. "UN to arbitrate maritime boundary disputes among Bangladesh, India and Myanmar: The last but not the least alternative". Paper submitted to the Department of International Relations, La Trobe University. Melbourne: La Trobe University.

    Sobhan, Z. 2011. What does 'anti-Indian' mean?. The Sunday Guardian. http://www.sunday-guardian.com/analysis/what-does-anti-indian-mean

    The Daily Star. 2011 (20 July) Census in all enclaves done. URL: http://bit.ly/mSuBUF
    Times of India. 2011 (29 July). Border issue to top Chidambaram's Dhaka agenda. URL: http://bit.ly/qWYOdQ

    Whyte, B. R. 2002. Waiting for the Esquimo: An historical and documentary study of the Cooch Behar enclaves of India and Bangladesh. Research Paper 8. Melbourne: School of Anthropology, Geography and Environmental Studies. University of Melbourne.


    Syeed Ahamed is the CEO of Institute of Informatics and Development and a member of Drishtipat Writers' Collective. He can be reached at ahamed.syeed@gmail.com.

    http://thedailystar.net/forum/2011/September/conflict.htm

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    [ALOCHONA] Famine 1974....



    Famine 1974....




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    [ALOCHONA] Banana, Banana



    Banana, Banana



    Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. 

    Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. 

    But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
     
    Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier. 

    PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood. 

    Anemia : High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia. 

    Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
     

    Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school (  England  ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert. 

    Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives. 

    Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey.. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system. 
    Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

     Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness. 

    Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation. 

    Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

    Overweight and at work? Studies at the  Institute  of Psychology  in  Austria  found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady. 

    Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach. 

    Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. InThailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

    Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood Enhancer tryptophan. 

    Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal. 

    Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack. 

    Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%! 

    Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!
    So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe it's time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, 'A banana a day keeps the doctor away!' 

    PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy and joyful all the time! I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth.

     Amazing fruit !!!

    (internet)


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    [ALOCHONA] Farooq Maudoodi (Son of Maulana Maudoodi) on Jamaat-e-Islami



    Farooq Maudoodi (Son of Maulana Maudoodi) on Jamaat-e-Islami:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9EEAX7ubYo&feature=youtu.be

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    [mukto-mona] A short analysis of present western civilization and Islamic teachings and system ¨ : Shah Abdul Hannan



    http://sonarbangladesh.com/article.php?ID=6818

     

    পাশ্চাত্য ইসলামি ব্যবস্খার তুলনা

    শাহ আবদুল হান্নান

    

    ইসলামি জীবনধারা পাশ্চাত্য জীবনধারার তুলনামূলক আলোচনাই এই নিবন্ধের উদ্দেশ্য। কারণ আমার অনেক বন্ধু পাশ্চাত্যের ভক্ত। পাশ্চাত্যের উন্নয়ন, তাদের বিরাট বিরাট বিল্ডিং, তাদের যোগাযোগব্যবস্খা, তাদের গণতন্ত্র আমার বন্ধুদেরকে খুবই আকৃষ্ট করে। পাশ্চাত্যের ভালোকে মন্দ বলা লেখার উদ্দেশ্য নয়। তবে তাদের জীবনধারা এবং সিস্টেমগুলোর অসম্পূর্ণতা তুলে ধরা লেখার উদ্দেশ্য। শেষের দিকে ইসলাম বা মুসলিম সিস্টেমের ব্যাপারেও কিছু উল্লেখ করব।

    এর মধ্যে লেখক হুমায়ূন আহমেদের আত্মজীবনীমূলক বই আপনাকে আমি খুঁজিয়া বেড়াই পড়লাম। তাতে হুমায়ূন আহমেদ আমেরিকার সমাজব্যবস্খাকে পছন্দ করেননি। তিনি লিখছেন যে, একটা সন্তান জন্ম নেয়ার পর থেকেই আলাদা কটে থাকে। শিশুকে ঘড়ি ধরে খাওয়ানো হয়। কাঁদলেও সময়ের আগে খাওয়ানো হয় না। সন্তান দাদা-দাদি, নানা-নানি, চাচা-মামা, ফুফু, খালাদের সঙ্গ পায় না। বয়স হলে আলাদা বাসায় থাকতে হয়। তার চাকরি তাকে জোগাড় করতে হয়। তার বিয়ে তাকে করতে হয় মেয়ে হলে শত শত ছেলের পেছনে ঘুরতে হয়। এর জন্য তাকে অনেক মূল্য দিতে হয়। তা বলার অপেক্ষা রাখে না। মা-বাবার সাথে সম্পর্ক খুব কমই থাকে। ধরনের বিয়ে টেকেও কম। ছাড়াছাড়ি অনেক বেশি হয়। স্ত্রী বা স্বামী বদল অনেক ঘটে। হুমায়ূন আহমেদ আরো অনেক কিছু লিখেছেন। আমার ধারণাও তাই। তাদের সমাজব্যবস্খা ভালো নয়। বৃদ্ধরাও ভালো নেই। শিশুরাও ভালো নেই। উন্নয়ন আর ভালো যোগাযোগব্যবস্খা অনেকটা নিরর্থক। তাদের কালচার দু:খজনক। সবই নোংরামি। মদ নোংরামি তাদের কালচার। শিক্ষাপ্রতিষ্ঠান, সিনেমা, টিভিতে নোংরামি নগ্নতা। সি-বিচ, হোটেল, ভ্রমণ সব কিছুতেই নোংরামি নগ্নতা। হুমায়ূন আহমেদ তার বইয়ের এক জায়গায় লিখেছেন, সেখানে নারীর মর্যাদা বলে তেমন কিছু নেই। পুরুষরা মনে করে, যা কিছু খারাপ সব মেয়েলি কাজ। নারীকে মানুষ হিসেবে দেখা হয় না, কেবল নারী হিসেবে দেখা হয়। হুমায়ূন আহমেদের লেখায় কথা পেয়ে আমি অবাক হয়েছি। নারীকে যে বাস্তবে পণ্য হিসেবে বিবেচনা করা হয় তাও আমরা জানি।

    শত উন্নতি সত্ত্বেও তাদের আর্থিক ব্যবস্খাকে ভালো বলা যায় না। নিজের দেশের নিম্নবিত্তদের পরদেশ শোষণ করে ইউরোপ আমেরিকার বিত্ত গড়ে উঠেছে। পুঁজিপতিরা মূলত শোষক। কিছু করপোরেশনের হাতেই সব বিত্ত। সুদব্যবস্খা সম্পদ কেন্দ্রীভূতকরণে সাহায্য করেছে। সে দেশে গৃহহীন লোকের সংখ্যা অনেক। অনেকের চিকিৎসাসুবিধা নেই। পুঁজিবাদ দারিদ্র্য সমস্যার সমাধান করতে অক্ষম।

    সেসব দেশের ভালো দিক বলা যায় গণতন্ত্রকে। কিন্তু তা- এখন পুঁজিপতিদের নিয়ন্ত্রণে। পুঁজিপতিদের চাঁদায় তারা নির্বাচিত হন এবং পার্টি চালান। ফলে পুঁজির স্বার্থে তাদের দেশীয় নীতি পররাষ্ট্রনীতি পরিচালিত হয়। অবস্খায় গণতন্ত্রের আসল উদ্দেশ্য পূরণ হয় বলে মনে হয় না।
    এর তুলনায় আমাদের ব্যবস্খা তুলনামূলকভাবে ভালো। ইসলামি ব্যবস্খার তো কথাই নেই­ যেখানে পরিবার শক্তিশালী করাই মূল কথা। বাবা-মা এবং শিশুদের স্বার্থরক্ষা করা গুরুত্বপূর্ণ। মুসলিম কালচারে নোংরামি নগ্নতা বলে কিছু নেই। মুসলিম সমাজের নোংরামি পাশ্চাত্য থেকে আমদানিকৃত। ইসলামি অর্থনীতিতে পুঁজিবাদ নেই। বাজার স্বাধীন, তবে তার হিসাবায়ন (হিসবা বা accountability) সরকারকে করতে হয়।

    ইসলামে সরকারের দায়িত্ব সবার কাজের ব্যবস্খা করা, না হয় ভরণপোষণের ব্যবস্খা করা। অবশ্য তা তখনই করা হবে, যখন আত্মীয়স্বজন সে দায়িত্ব নিতে সক্ষম নয়। জাকাতব্যবস্খা দারিদ্র্য লাঘবে সাহায্য করে। ইসলাম উন্নয়ন চায়। ব্যাপারে অবশ্যই আমাদের অনেক ব্যর্থতা আছে। মুসলিম বিশ্বের অনেক জায়গায় এখনো দারিদ্র্য রয়ে গেছে উন্নয়ন না করার কারণে। আমাদের ব্যর্থতায় বাংলাদেশেও দারিদ্র্য ব্যাপক।
    সবাই একমত যে, গণতন্ত্র ইসলামসম্মত, তবে তা আল্লাহর বিধানসাপেক্ষ হবে। ক্ষেত্রেও আমাদের ব্যর্থতা অনেক। আমরা ভালো করে গণতান্ত্রিক ব্যবস্খা গড়ে তুলতে পারিনি। বাংলাদেশের গণতান্ত্রিক ব্যবস্খা দুর্বল।

    লেখক : সাবেক সচিব, বাংলাদেশ সরকার
    [
    সূত্রঃ নয়া দিগন্ত, ১১/০৯/১১]

    http://www.sonarbangladesh.com/articles/ShahAbulHannan



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