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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 000574 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PHUM KISL MASS BEXP PK IN
SUBJECT: DELHI DIARY, FEB 18-22 
 
REF: NEW DELHI 542 
 
¶1.  (U) Below is a compilation of political highlights from 
Embassy New Delhi for February 18-22, 2008 that did not 
feature in our other reporting: 
 
-- Darul Uloom in Deoband says Terrorism is Anti-Islamic 
-- BJP Targets Women's Vote 
-- US Presence Overwhelms DEFEXPO 
-- India and Pakistan Expand Bus Connections 
-- Andhra Pradesh Newsletter Gives Dalit Women a Voice 
 
Darul Uloom in Deoband says Terrorism Anti-Islamic 
------ 
 
¶1.  (SBU) The influential conservative Darul Uloom madrassa 
in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh, viewed by some as the ideological 
home of the Taliban, will host a conference on madrassa 
education on February 25.  Media reports suggest 1,000 to 
6,000 madrassa leaders will attend including Barelvi, Ahle 
Hadith, and Jamaat-i-Islami Hind representatives. 
Predictably Deoband did not invite any Shia Muslims.  While 
the conference will focus on madrassa education broadly, 
Darul Uloom, will for the first time issue a declaration 
stating, "All acts of terrorism are anti-Islamic."  The 
declaration will also ask that, "Muslims stay away from 
terrorists and terrorist organizations."  According to 
Maulana Mahmood Madani, General Secretary of Jamiat 
Ulema-i-Hind, Deoband's political wing, "We have condemned 
terrorism earlier.  But this time we felt that as an 
institution, the Darul Uloom had to take an initiative to 
make it clear that Islam does not sanction terrorism and that 
Deobandis do not believe in this either." 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Comment:  The invitation to other Sunni sects 
signals an important step, but the exclusion of Shias remains 
telling of the deep divide within Islam.  Political Section 
contacts report uncertainty as to whether the Barelvi leaders 
will actually attend.  The importance of the terrorism 
declaration from such a prominent institution cannot be 
underestimated.  The Taliban claim to have been influenced by 
Deobandi teachings, though the madrassa's leaders repeatedly 
disavowed the Taliban during Poloff's November 2007 visit. 
However, when asked by the press whether suicide bombings 
constituted "terror acts," Vice Rector Maulana Abdul Khaleque 
Madrasi responded that Islam prohibits, "all forms of 
violence used to kill innocent individuals."  This leaves the 
door slightly open for interpretation.  Extremists can twist 
their logic through the opening, claiming for example that 
aid workers in Kabul supporting a "crusader" invasion are not 
innocent.  But for the vast majority of Indian Muslims, the 
declaration is clear.  Post will report the full text of the 
declaration when released. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Comment Continued: While the proposed declaration 
is a welcome and overdue symbol, more important will be the 
conference findings on how to incorporate formal education 
subjects such as math and science into the madrassa 
curriculum.  The realization from leading madrassas that they 
must modernize represents a significant first step.  GOI will 
release details of a madrassa modernization program later 
next month.  We hope the program will offer concrete 
solutions rather than an election season Muslim vote bank 
sop.  End Comment. 
 
BJP Targets Women's Vote 
------ 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced it will 
back a 33 percent quota reservation for women in Parliament 
and State Legislative Assemblies. The party made this 
announcement at a rally organized by the BJP Mahila Morcha 
 
NEW DELHI 00000574  002 OF 003 
 
 
(Women's Wing) in New Delhi, which was attended by senior BJP 
leaders including Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani and 
party President Rajnath Singh. The BJP leadership urged the 
ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to 
fulfill its promise outlined in its Common Minimum Program to 
introduce legislation in Parliament during the forthcoming 
budget session next week. Speaking at the rally, Advani 
commented that Prime Minister Singh should not delay bringing 
the bill to the Parliament and pledged BJP's support. Earlier 
this month the BJP had announced 33 percent reservation for 
women within its own organizational structure. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Comment: The Women's Reservation Bill has been in 
limbo since 1997 due to insufficient political support in 
Parliament. The BJP announcement will be welcomed by women's 
groups that have been advocating the bill for over a decade. 
It is noteworthy that the BJP did not push for the 
reservation bill while it was in power from 1999 to 2004. 
With this new-found enthusiasm for political empowerment of 
women, the BJP is no doubt hoping to make inroads into the 
women vote during the coming elections. End comment. 
 
US Presence Overwhelms at DEFEXPO 
------ 
 
¶6.  (SBU) India hosted DEFEXPO 08, the largest land-and 
naval-focused defense exposition in South Asia, in New Delhi 
February 15-19.  The US presence was the largest in the show, 
with 46 defense companies present in all, winning the most TV 
and print news coverage, from what we have seen.  Both Boeing 
and Lockheed Martin, who had huge exhibits, had full cockpit 
video simulators for their F-18 and F-16 fighters to give 
India a small taste of what it stands to gain in the 
Multi-Role Combat Aircraft competition (MRCA). Russia, 
another MRCA competitor, had no simulator for its MIG-29 at 
all, and the Swedish had one very small Gripen flight 
simulator, comprised of simply a few computer screens 
fastened to the wall.  The French took second prize for 
volume (43 companies) and the Israelis perhaps second prize 
for quality of display booths at DEFEXPO.  The Israelis 
exhibited an impressive panoply of UAVs, small-arms, optical 
and sighting systems, advanced air-to-air missile systems and 
a full-cockpit attack helicopter simulator. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Compared to the US, French and Israelis, The 
Russian presence at DEFEXPO was modest, with the entire 
ROSOBORONEXPORT booth only taking up as much space as the two 
Lockheed Martin and Boeing booths.  Russia was otherwise only 
represented by a handful of mini-booths featuring small arms. 
 Italy,s FinnMeccanica had a much glitzier and impressive 
booth than the Russians, rivaling the best of the US 
exhibitors, with multiple displays of advanced radar systems 
(including a self-called AESA), missile systems, torpedoes 
and 3-D helicopter models.  Saab, though with a smaller 
booth, dazzled with the wide range and sophisticated static 
displays of underwater UAVs, and sighting systems for armored 
vehicles. 
 
India and Pakistan Expand Bus Connections 
------ 
 
¶8.  (SBU) MEA Deputy Secretary G. Balasubramanian (Pakistan) 
confirmed to PolOff February 15 that New Delhi would host 
technical-level bilateral discussions on expanding passenger 
bus connections between Indian and Pakistani cities such as 
New Delhi and Lahore, and between Amritsar and Nankana Sahib 
(reftel). Indian media reported on February 22 that it was 
decided at the meeting to increase the frequency of the 
Delhi-Lahore connection from two trips per week to three. 
This builds on the announced expansion of air links reported 
earlier. 
 
 
NEW DELHI 00000574  003 OF 003 
 
 
Andhra Pradesh Newsletter Gives Dalit Women a Voice 
------ 
 
¶9.  (U) For the past seven years, a group of six 
semi-educated Dalit women in Andhra Pradesh (AP) diligently 
published an independent monthly newsletter, Navodayam. What 
began as quarterly newsletter of the Indira Kranti Pratha, a 
state-run program to empower rural women in AP has become a 
monthly publication with nearly 30,000 copies printed and 
sold. Navodayam now covers the entire Chitoor district with 
12 working reporters. While the project is sponsored by the 
GOI, the reporters claim they have been able to retain their 
independence. However they have not gained support from 
fellow media and other critics:  the Andhra Pradesh Union of 
Working Journalists has denied the group,s membership 
because Navodayam is government-sponsored.  Further, the 
magazine editor and core group of six women also have 
received death threats from men and opposition from the 
liquor lobby for exposing issues and problems of local women, 
including taboo and controversial issues such as alcoholism, 
HIV/AIDS, child marriages, child labor and domestic violence 
throughout the district. Despite the lack of electronic media 
outreach to rural populations, Navodayam has trained two 
workers in video documentation and has shown videos to 
villagers. 
 
¶10.  (U) The magazine has four aims: to amplify the voice of 
the rural poor; to put rural women in charge of news 
coverage; to place information within the reach of the rural 
poor; and to adapt journalism as a tool for empowerment of 
women. 
 
¶11.  (U) Comment: India,s vibrant media continues to lead 
the charge on raising awareness of social responsibility. 
With government support, a small town rag has become an 
instrument of change.  A decade ago, Dalit women pursuing 
education, receiving training in language and writing and 
advocating their issues was unthinkable.  And while the 
changing tides are threatening the establishment, it is 
heartening that the little newspaper that shouldn,t or 
couldnt, is beginning to thrive.  With accusations that the 
state's Congress Party government is engaged in unprecedented 
levels of corruption, the next test is whether or not the 
writers will feel free enough to spill on its government 
benefactors.  End of comment. 
MULFORD