Widespread protests against destruction of statues

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH. 3. Protests against the destruction of the ancient Buddhist statues in Afghanistan continued in various parts of the country. The Bhartiya Janata Party fielded its former Minister, Mr. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who, in a statement, called for an appropriate reply to the Taliban and termed the desecration `un- Islamic and satanic.'

The Taliban was following an anti-human policy for the last several years under the garb of Islamisation of the Central Asian nation besides spreading the ideology of `jehad' to neighbouring countries. Mr. Naqvi called upon the world community, particularly the Muslims, to strongly protest such incidents.

Another BJP Leader, Mr. J. P. Mathur, denied a link between the destruction of Babri Masjid and the barraging of the Bamiyan statues. ``They are saying this to mislead world opinion,'' he said, referring to a Taliban statement claiming that ancient Buddha statues were destroyed to avenge the demolition.

Dalit leaders, Ms. Mayawati of the BSP, and Mr. Ram Raj, a Central Government officer, separately criticised the Taliban and asked the Government to move beyond press statements and take concrete action. The BSP leader asked the Government to raise the issue at international fora and appealed to the Taliban to stop further damage to the statues. Mr. Raj said the action had shocked the world and many countries, including those with a Muslim majority, had condemned it.

A personal letter to the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, was reportedly dispatched by the Council for Indian Policy, which counts former diplomats, experts on strategic issues and industrialists among its members, asking him to call back the militia.

All-India Muslim Conference appeal:

The Hyderabad-based Moulana Ghousavi Shah, president, All-India Muslim Conference, also appealed to Taliban to declare Bamiyan province ``historical'' or permit India to re-locate the statues in the country.

``Taliban should remember that many famed and powerful Muslim kings had ruled Afghanistan but they never pulled down or removed the statues. Let Taliban not listen to anyone but it has to obey the Holy Quran,'' he said.

A protest march in Sarnath, near Varanasi, by monks and Buddhist students condemned the act of destroying antiques and temples.

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