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November 2012 NL Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai - 400 018. Phone : 2496 4676 Fax : 2497 3827 Newsletter Gram : NEHRUCENTR E-Mail: [email protected] Vol. 13 Issue 11 NOVEMBER 2012 Website: www.nehru-centre.org Price Rs. 10/- Per Copy Annual Subscription Rs. 100 Events At a Glance... Constitutionalism, Democracy and Secularism in South Asia A two-days National Seminar on Musharraf made several far Pt. Nehru Birth Anniversary "Constitutionalism, Democracy and reaching popular and 'democratic' Programmes Secularism in South Asia" was pronouncements and implemented organised on February 27-28, 2012. some of them. Art Gallery Prof. Maneesha Tikekar presented a paper on Pakistan's Search for Musharraf was seen as doing more BAL DISHA than any elected leader has been able Exhibition of Childrens’ Paintings Democracy Troubled Past and Tense Present'. In her presentation she to do. He had popular support. The 13th to 19th November 2012 analysed the nature of democracy in liberal and westernized sections of Nehru Centre Art Gallery Pakistan in two sections. In the first Pakistani elite and activists in the section she focused on the historical NGO movement were vociferous in Discovery of India Exposition b a c k d r o p o f t h e c o l o n i a l their support to him. The military Quiz Competition for Students administration and in the second general who had overthrown a s e c t i o n s h e f o c u s e d o n t h e democratically elected Prime Minister 29th November 2012 developments beginning with Pervez of the country was seen a Pakistan's Discovery of India Exposition Musharraf s takeover of the country in latest saviour. To begin with Musharaf had started: he arrested Planetarium 1999 to the political crisis of early 2012. Excerpts of her presentation in Section opposition leaders, instituted corruption cases, curbed civil liberties SPECIAL ASTROPHYSICS I was covered in the monthly and banned public rallies. Then he LECTURE Newsletter for October 2012. was on the path of controlled By Prof. Smita Mathur Following are the excerpts from her liberalization. The same regime that presentation of Section II: opened the media later started 18th November 2012, 11.00 am chocking it and cracking down of Hall of Culture Musharraf and After journalists. Musharraf'ss downfall came with two SPECIAL SPACE SCIENCE General Pervez Musharrraf seized episodes in 2007 that shook the LECTURE power in a bloodless coup in October country to the core. He had started 1999 dislodging from power the By Dr. Jaydeep Mukherjee messing up with the higher judiciary rightfully elected government of trying to force the Chief Justice Nawaz Shariff. Musharraf took upon 30th November 2012, 5.00 pm Iftikhar Chaudhary to resign. On the himself the title of CEO of Pakistan Hall of Culture firm refusal of the latter to comply but became the self appointed with Musharraf's dictate he was Cultural Wing President before the Agra Summit of suspended but following the July 2001 between India and Pakistan. countrywide protests was reinstated YASHWANT SMRUTI He got himself duly elected as to his office in July 2007. He got (Rendering of Powadas on the life of President in the following year. himself re-elected as the President in late Shri Y. B. Chavan) Musharraf could be described as a October 2007 by the outgoing 'liberal autocrat' who spoke of Time: 11:00 am Parliament along with four provincial 25th November 2012, 6.30 pm 'enlightened moderation' and made Nehru Centre Auditorium Venue: Ground Floor legislatures that constitute the Ataturk Kemal Pasha of Turkey as his Discovery of India Building electoral college. As the Constitution role model. contd. on page 2 Nehru Centre Newsletter - November 2012 1 1 bars the holders of unelected offices Memogate scandal and the NRO international financial assistance was such as army chiefs from contesting issue. The Memogate appears to have hard to come by if the army took over. elections, the Supreme Court stopped cooled down but NRO issue kept the Election Commission from brewing. A partial bench of the Conclusion declaring the result. Musharraf Supreme Court issued a warning to declared emergency, suspended the the government over its continuous Pakistan has had a great tradition of Constitution, sacked the senior judges failure to implement NRO decision active politics but there has not been a who refused to endorse his election and outlined six possible options that process of democratization of politics. and imposed martial law. Only when include permanent disqualification of This distinction between active put under pressure by the US, PM Gilani from getting elected as a politics and 'democracy' is crucial Musharraf removed his uniform, member of Parliament and instituting to understanding the nuances of appointed his successor, General contempt proceedings against him for Pakistani politics. Some Pakistani Ashfaq Kayani and became the "persistently, obstinately and analysts like Zaidi believe that there is civilian President before lifting the contumaciously resisting" to no real constituency for democracy in emergency. Earlier in the year the Lal implement the NRO verdict judgment Pakistan and therefore he wrote in Masjid episode in the heart of the of 2009. The two episodes together terms of 'the improbable future of capital Islamabad had rung ominous had put the entire nation on trial and democracy in Pakistan'. This sounds bells that adversely affected some even expressed fears if Pakistan rather overtly pessimistic. Musharraf's popularity and his slide was collapsing. became evident. Even before 2007, The crisis in Pakistan raised Musharraf had become unpopular in T h e C i v i l i a n g o v e r n m e n t ' s considerable debate over the Pakistan due to his support on the relationship with the military prospects of democracy in the 'global war on terror' and in the west remained tense after the two sides had country. What might work better for for his duplicity in the anti-terror war. fired several shots at each other. the country a "democratic" model or As is well known his government had Gilani had charged actions of the an "authoritarian" one. The real actually never ended their support to Army Chief and Director General of question is not about democracy militant and violent groups in the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in versus authoritarianism; but Afghanistan, Kashmir and India. t h e M e m o g a t e i s s u e a s whether an "under-developed" state, Musharraf finally stepped down from 'unconstitutional' and the army such as Pakistan, can "develop" as a the office in August 2008. retorted with a warning of very capitalist democracy without going serious ramifications with potentially through a fascist phase. Pakistan has General elections held for the grievous consequences. Despite these no option left now. It either stabilizes National and Provincial Assemblies bellicose/belligerent noises made by as a democracy, or it violently fails. in February 2008 were largely free and both sides the army did not move at all There is no third choice. fair. Benazir Bhutto's killing in in a bid to take over the country. Was December 2007 did cast a shadow on this an indication of growing strength Strengthening of democracy in elections but General Kayani had of democracy in Pakistan? That would Pakistan will be in India's interest. It is decided that army would keep its be too early to assume. But there were necessary to launch a meaningful new hands off the election process. The definite reasons for army's reluctance round of dialogue between the two. coalition led by Pakistan Peoples to do so. The domestic situation in And without the improvement in Party (PPP) with Pakistan Muslim Pakistan had become ungovernable, Indo-Pak relations Indian democracy League -Nawaz (PML-N), Awami economy was far from promising and will not prosper. National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Concluded Qaumi Movement (MOM) came to power and many in Pakistan believed that the coalition augured well for What Nehru said.... democracy. And yet people of Pakistan have been unhappy with the It had always been our policy to have friendly and co-operative relations civilian regime that came to power with Pakistan because this seemed to us essential not only because of after nine long years. The prospects geography, but because of our joint history, culture, language and the many for democracy in Pakistan remain bonds that had arisen between us during the long years. We had always uncertain for a plethora of deep aimed at that and we are sure that this is the only proper relationship that rooted woes of the country that should subsist between two neighbouring countries and people who have democracy alone cannot cure. had such close bonds in the past. ..... The Present Scenario November 30, 1962 The Supreme Court has taken on the government on two fronts - the Nehru Centre Newsletter - November 2012 2 SKY SHOWS : ‘Cosmic Journey and Heavenly Wonders’ Timings 12 noon (Hindi) 1:30 pm (Marathi) 3:00 pm (English) 4:30 pm (Hindi) NEHRU PLANETARIUM MONDAY CLOSED PROF. SUBRAHMANYAN CHANDRASEKHAR scenario, the big bang persists and all known physics just LECTURE SERIES comes to an end there. To overcome this limitation we need an even grander, deeper theory, quantum gravity. a promising candidate which has made very significant advances in cosmology is loop quantum gravity of which Ashtekar is one of the founder. The equations loop quantum gravity does not break down at Big Bang. Prof. Ashtekar said that this is possible because in loop quantum gravity, these are major departures from Einstein's equations near the big bang: unforeseen, brand new physics.
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