Urdu press roundup
By IndianMuslims.info Staff

Discussion on the Justice Sachar Committee Report is going on. Political parties and organisations as well as individuals – Muslim and Non-Muslim, secular and ultranationalists – are expressing their views on the alarming social, educational and economic backwardness of Muslims. Some of them are urging the government to take effective measures to remove this backwardness preferably by declaring reservation for Muslims in educational institutions as well as job opportunities. Some others think that Muslims can empower themselves by their own efforts alone. Yet some others apprehend government usual inaction on the recommendations of the committee. But Hindutva outfits like the RSS and BJP are hell bent upon criticising the report and even attacking the person of Justice (retd.) Rajender Sachar, who headed the 7-member high level government panel.

In an edit-page article on “Muslim backwardness and reservation� in the Hindustan Express (November 19), A.N. Shibli holds the anti-Muslim government policies and Muslims themselves responsible for the present pitiable condition of Muslims, and discusses the question whether reservation is the only solution to Muslims woes.

“Some people say that the condition of Muslims will not improve unless they themselves turn sincere about it. There are also a number of people who opine that reservation is the only means to better the condition of Muslims. But making reservation possible for Muslims is not that easy. The distinguished personalities who have talked about reservation for Muslims include senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda. They are of the view that Muslims’ backwardness cannot be overcome without the provision of reservation for them. Moily has gone to the extent of saying that Muslims should be included in the category of other backward sections so that they may be given the facility of reservation if reservation for Muslims is not possible for the time being.�

Shibli then raises the most vital questions: Is reservation the only means to remove the backwardness of Muslims? And even if this is the only means, is it easy to implement reservation for Muslims?

The writer also questions the sincerity of the government at the centre about the betterment of Muslims. “Gathering information about the condition of Muslims and talking about reservation for them may be a well planned drama. We must keep in mind that the party which is talking about improving the condition of Muslims has ruled over the country for a long period. Why didn’t it care for Muslims earlier?�

In his article “The pitiable condition of Muslims in independent India� published in the Etemaad (November 23), Syed Waseem Ahmed also believes that the government will not be able to implement the Sachar Committee recommendations.

The Express (November 19) carries another article “What can Muslims do?� by Dr M. Ejaz Ali, president All India United Muslim Morcha. Ali dishes out an entirely new idea, which deserves consideration. On the worse-than-Dalit backwardness of Muslims, he says, “Sometimes it seems the entire scenario has been created under a definite planning... With the partition on the basis of religion, where communal forces made Muslims leave the country, the secular forces objected to this move, thinking that there were some benefits of letting the Muslims stay in the country. For example, in the days to come they might be exploited as vote bank by creating fear psychosis in them, and the seats rendered vacant by Dalits (as a result of their progress and advancement) might be filled by Muslims. The effect of this planning can be seen now.�

Ali then raises a billion dollar question: “During the 60 years of independent India when every section of society is marching towards progress, why are Muslims compelled to do the jobs left out by Dalits and live a worst than Dalit life?�

Ali avers that the religious restriction on Section 341 of the Constitution has played the most vital role in implementing this plan. “Along with minority status Muslims were given right to equality and freedom of religion as well as other facilities. But they were excluded from the reservation guaranteed in Section 341 of the Constitution. After all, why?�

He traces the reply in the pre-partition history of Muslims in India: “Most of the Muslims belong to the Dalit ancestors and even today are known with the titles showing their professions. Owing to co-professional and co-titleholders, when provision for scheduled castes reservation was created in 1935 these professional Muslims were very much included in it. About 85% of Muslim population was thus entitled to reservation. In the beginning Muslims belonging to about 13 low castes in Maharashtra did benefit from it…. Muslim Dalits fell victim to injustice when it was included in paragraph 3 of the Presidential Declaration 1950 that the beneficiaries of reservation for Scheduled Caste must be a Hindu. This condition was inserted only to exclude backward Muslims from this category. For, Indian Christians were already excluded from it right from the beginning, the population of Buddhists was almost nil, and despite the condition of being Hindu the Dalit Sikhs continued to benefit from Scheduled Caste reservation. It was under the pressure built by Master Tara Singh that Sikhs were also formally included in 1956…. The irony is that with the issuance of a government order in 1959 another condition of converting to Hinduism in order to avail the reservation was imposed on already excluded backward Muslims. This condition is still continuing. The Presidential Declaration 1950 and the government order 1959 both stand in sharp contrast with the secular spirit of the Constitution of India. But when the planning is anti-Muslim then what can secularism, democracy or constitution do?�

Ali further reveals: “The matter of concern is that such a big conspiracy was hatched but the then Muslim leaders did not make it an issue while the Father of Constitution Dr (BR) Ambedkar raised his voice against this violation of right, and considering such an order ultra vires got a resolution adopted in a meeting of the Constitution Drafting Committee held on 23.04.1949 to remove paragraph 3 from the draft of Presidential Declaration 1950. But when on 26.01.1950 the Constitution was finally presented to the nation this paragraph 3 was found there in Section 341(2) of the Constitution. And no one knows how it could be included in the Constitution.�

The writer urges the Muslims to realise this deep conspiracy continuing right from 1950 and to get united on demanding an amendment in Section 341 leaving other issues aside so that the anti-Muslim forces may not achieve the ultimate end of this conspiracy.

In his article “Even our backwardness doesn’t suit (them)?� published in the Inquilab on November 23 and reproduced in the Express the very next day, Maulana Muhammad Asrarul Haque Qasmi presents how after the presentation of Sachar Committee Report, Justice Rajender Sachar has become a thorn in the flesh of Hindutva, contrasts the ill mentality of the Rashtrawadis with the patience and serenity Muslims have displayed even in the face of very unpleasant situations, and knocks at the conscience of the authorities concerned to make concerted efforts to uplift Muslims by giving them what is long overdue instead of shedding mere crocodile tears.

“Communal writers have relinquished even the Indian culture and civilization. They are calling Justice Sachar a favourite of Sonia Gandhi, the Jinnah of modern India, etc… this is a dangerous trend which can cause irreparable damage to the country. This is also tantamount to defamation of justice. Justice Sachar is a retired judge but his status and standing (in society) and his past services summon due respect to him in stead of having differences on his report, and his defamation should be taken as the defamation of justice itself,� Maulana Qasmi writes.

In an article in the RSS organ Panchjanya weekly, says the Maulana, Ishwaran Namboodri uses a very foul language while analysing the Sachar Committee Report: “Have some separatists prepared it (the report) or is it the manifesto of pre-partition Muslim League or the propaganda material of Pakistan television?�

The Maulana adds: “Calling the report baseless, dangerous and anti-nation, the writer says that the committee has exaggerated the mere stray cases.…�

Maulana Qasmi says “it is the responsibility of the government that it make the Sachar Committee Report public and then implement the recommendations of the committee without any waste of time.�

In a letter in the Rashtriya Sahara (November 24) Yusuf Rampuri raises apprehensions about the implementation of Sachar committee recommendations. He says: “After the revelations of Sachar Committee Report the question ‘what to do to bail out the Muslims from the present condition’ is being discussed. There is no way-out other than chalking out a comprehensive strategy and special schemes for Muslims and giving them reservation. But will all this be done easily? Will the government start working on war footing to emancipate Muslims? Will effective plans be devised for them? Will they be given reservation?�

Speaking on the Sachar Committee report, former chairman National Commission for Minorities Professor Tahir Mahmood said the real problem is that of “social insensitivity and government inaction� so far as Muslim problems are concerned, reports the Akhbar-e-Mashriq of November 19.

The Mashriq of the same date editorially challenges the government saying it is the real test for the government. “The Congress should get rid of exploiting Muslims as vote bank. It is undoubtedly a hard time for Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Let us see how well they do in this test.�

November 26, 2006

[photo: Justice Rajindar presented the Report of the High Level Committee on Status of Muslims to the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on 17 November 2006. Between them can be seen Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood, OSD and Joint Secretary to the Government of India]