Taslima Nasrin seeks support to remain in India

Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin has informed her Indian publishers that the Government of India has decided not to extend her residence permit and requested that they petition the government to allow her to remain in the country.

In an e-mail message to Krishna Das (greenbooks@rediffmail.com), which he has forwarded to friends, she says:

Hi Krishnaji,

How are you?

Is everything fine?

I am in Delhi.

The government decided not to extend my residence permit anymore. As I do not have any political party in my side, I can only depend on writers and intellectuals who support freedom of expression. Would you please ask some prominent intellectuals for their signs in a petition for my stay in India? Please do so. I badly need your help.

My Bengali publisher and Hindi publisher prepared an appeal. I forwarded this.

Thank you so much.

Warm regards

Taslima


Draft of appeal to be sent to Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi

The following is the text of the appeal drafted by her publishers:

Subject: An Appeal to the Prime Minister of India Mr. Manmohan Singh and the President of Indian National Congress Ms Sonia Gandhi to Accord Residential Permit to the Exiled Bangladeshi Writer Taslima Nasrin.

You are perhaps aware that Ms Taslima Nasrin the Bangladeshi writer of international repute has been living in exile since 1994, when she was banished from her homeland Bangladesh. Immediately after her banishment she started living in the West, particularly in Europe and carried on her literary activities. But at heart an out and out Bengali, she began to feel that the environment in the alien lands of the West had been gradually sapping her capabilities as a writer and thereafter she became intent on living in India, her neighbouring country. She came to realize that apart from her own country Bangladesh, it was only India where life for her would be most comfortable and the milieu most favourable to continue as a writer, for this is the country that shares a common cultural and literary heritage with Bangladesh and also this is the country where she would find innumerable friends, readers, and admirers who with their support and encouragement would inspire her to develop her literary faculties.

In 2005 to her great pleasure your Government granted her a Residential Permit. All of us are grateful to you for this. Very recently we came to know that your government has once again asked her to apply for a fresh Residential Permit and the matter is now under
your consideration

Under the circumstances, we the undersigned appeal to you to grant her permission to live in India until she is allowed to live in her own country. It will be quite proper for our country that in a world ravaged by political strife, wars, conflicts and various oppressions
against humanity we extend our support to a writer who for her entire life fought for peace, progress and social justice. India is a great champion of secularism, human rights and freedom of women. These are the very themes that Taslima Nasrin with her powerful pen propagates throughout the world. Besides, if an author acclaimed through the globe lives with us in our country, it would be a matter of great glory for us. We therefore hope that quite in conformity with our tradition you will accord this extra-ordinary personality permission to live in India and make us as well as Ms Taslima Nasrin ever grateful to you.

With regards