This day, that year: 11 June 11 photos (Photo Feature)

A pictorial depiction of Srinagar's old city on June 11, 2010, the day Tufail Mattoo was killed.

Shaheed Tufail Ahmed Matto lying in the pool of blood

Protests intensified after news of Tufail's killing spread in the Old City.

A youth snatches gun of a policeman near Rajouri Kadal.

A protester hurls a stone near Bohri Kadal

A protester and a policeman throw stones at each other during a protest in the vicinity of Jamia Masjid.

Clashes were witnessed between protesters and government forces soon after the congregational Friday prayers ended

People pray during Friday prayers inside 500-year-old Jamia Masjid

A boy arrives at Jamia Masjid for Friday prayers.

Protesters hurl stones at Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers during a protest in Old City.

A girl leans against a pillar during Friday prayers inside 500-year-old Jamia Masjid in Srinagar.

Tear gas billows during clashes between demonstrators and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers near Rajouri Kadal.

Kashmir upsurge and social networking

By: Zahoor Bhat

The last three years have seen an upsurge in protests against Indian rule in Kashmir. We saw mostly teenage boys and young men in their 20s, have been killed. From an armed rebellion in 1989, the opposition to Indian rule in this restive state is morphing into an “ammunition-free” struggle, on where youth make use of both traditional and more sophisticated methods of protest such as Facebook, Youtube and Twitter.

The Issue

Kashmir has got its own language, its own natural resources which provided self-sustainment

and autonomy, and its own rich, ancient and distinct culture completely different from rest of the subcontinent. Before the British Raj officially came into being in 1858, the British colonizers already had vast amounts of soldiers occupying several parts of the South-eastern Asia subcontinent including Kashmir, which they wanted to strip of its history and absorb into their growing Indian empire. The Britishers sold Kashmir to a monarch in 1846, making the Dogra dynasty the undisputed rulers of the Valley. The Dogras committed a century of atrocities against

the Kashmiris.

When a student of history scans through the events that led to Maharaja of Kashmir Hari Singh to sign the Instrument of Accession and sending it to Lord Mountbatten, the then Governor General for acceptance, one finds that while accepting the Instrument of Accession Lord Mountb

atten wrote a letter to Maharaja Hari Singh, in reply to his letter which had accompanied the Instrument of Accession, wrote “my Government have decided to accept the Accession of Kashmir State to the Dominion of India. In consistence with their policy that in the case of any State where the issue of accession has been the subject of dispute, the question of accession should be decided in accordance with the wishes of the people of the State, it is my Government’s wish tha

t as soon as law and order have been restored in Kashmir and its soil cleared of the invader, the question of State’s accession should be settled by a reference to the people”.

A lot has been written and said about Kashmir problem yet it defies resolution. The dispute has led both the nations to war at more than once occasions. Several options have been proposed for solution of Kashmir dispute but this problem has remained unsolved so far.

Social Networking

By social networking, internet users use networks of online friends and group memberships to keep in touch with friends, reconnect with old friends or create real–life friendships. Some social networking sites help members find a job or establish business contacts. In addition to blogs and forums, members can express themselves by designing their profile page to reflect their personality. The most popular extra features include music and video sections. Members can read bios of their favorite music artists from the artist’s profile page as well as listen to their favorite songs and watch music videos.

Users are making decisions and getting information from conversations taking place on social networking sites, online tools that help people connect with others who share similar interests, or with those who are interested in exploring new interests and activities. Social networking sites can help organizations to increase awareness about an issue, find signatures for a petition, and encourage supporters to take action. Maintaining social networking profile is like maintaining a mini website.

Tool in the times of crisis

Social networking sites are being used as a tool in times of crisis. A college student backpacking in Southeast Asia started a Facebook group called Support the Monks Protest in Burma to draw attention to the pro-democracy protests led by the country’s revered Buddhist monks. The group found more than 400,000 supporters from around the world and helped attract attention to the monks cause.

Social networking in Kashmir

The streets of Kashmir Valley during unrest of 2008, 2009 and 2010 were not the only places burning with angry protests over the civilian killings. Youngsters were using their personal or community internet pages in the Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Orkut, Youtube etc to express their anger. Restrictions like curfews may have prevented youth to vent their anger on streets in shape of protests but it certainly could not stop them from expressing their anger on social networking websites including Facebook, Twitter, Orkut and Youtube.

At some time the state government banned local News Channels and sms-service in realizing that it was the medium through which people were communicating and spreading information across. But youths started social networking sites as alternative source. With student discussion group banned and thousands of security operatives believed to be snooping on protesters, the youth of Kashmir were using Internet as a virtual meeting place.

Social networking sites, though presumably under Indian surveillance, have proven to be more effective than any previous form of political communication in Kashmir. The protesters were using Facebook to debate the weekly calendar of protests, discuss ways to hold Kashmiri leaders accountable and trade daily news updates as we saw last year. Marketing and information technology experts estimated last year that at least 40,000 Kashmir residents are on Facebook.

Social networking sites provided a platform to the people of valley to have their say. The social networking sites have tens of thousands of users from valley. Ironically, hundreds of communities active on issues like culture and entertainment have also engaged in political debates and been busy breaking news about unrest in the valley. Users were regularly reading the status through the posts for latest happenings across the valley the times reeling under curfews.

Cutting across the barriers and borders, users from almost every part of the world are also connected to Kashmir conflict through these social networking sites.

Social Scientist’s Speak

Social scientists argue that social networking sites can help cool tempers and make masses less tense because people to vent their anger and stay connected which in turn helps in lowering of tensions and anxiety, as people get to know well-being of relatives.

In Short

Social networking sites have emerged as a fast means for circulating news for beleaguered residents of Kashmir. The social networking sites are providing a chance to arrange virtual get-together for friends and relatives who have not been able to see each other due to the turmoil. The ‘Social Networking revolution of 2010’ in Kashmir if didn’t achieved the desired goal but it certainly made the over 10 million Indian online community aware that the people in Kashmir want justice. It also led to increased international media interest in the Kashmir agitation.

Police Filed Case Against Naeema Ahmad Mehjoor

Police have filed a case against a London-based BBC journalist of Kashmiri origin on the charges of spreading “disaffection”, following the death of a businessman at Lal Chowk here earlier this week.

Addressing a press conference here, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir range, S M Sahai said, “A case has been registered against foreign-based journalist of Kashmiri origin Naeema Ahmad Mehjoor for spreading disaffection as she had claimed that the shooting at Lal chowk on June 6 was carried out by the police.”

Mehjoor has been booked under Section 66 of the Information Technology Act; using the IT for spreading dissatisfaction against the state.

Sahai also said it was wrong to link the shooting at the Lal Chowk as revival of militancy in the summer capital.

“It is not a militancy related case. It was a criminal conspiracy arising out of a land dispute in which a released militant was involved," the IGP said.

He said involvement of released militants in criminal activities was worrisome.

“It is leading to criminalization in the society which needs to be stopped,” Sahai said.

Talking to KNS over phone from London, Mehjoor rejected police claims. “I didn’t blame police on Facebook, but quoted some media reports as why police will kill the businessman. Police should have looked into what I had written on the Facebook and then reacted.”

“As a journalist, I am working for peace,” she claimed.

Meanwhile, three persons Farooq Ahmad Dar, Parvaiz Ahmad Tantray and Shabir Ahmad Parray have been arrested by the Police in the case so far. “Weapon of offence (Pistol) has also been recovered at their instance. Search of other persons involved in the conspiracy is on,” the IGP claimed.

GM Stadium: Tufail’s last journey

The stadium in the heart of Old City is no longer just a playing ground. Now it is remembered as a place where Tufail was shot at last year. Aalia Shaikh revisits the stadium a year after the teen's death.

By: Aalia Sheikh

The word stadium evokes vision of a vast ground encircled by stands, and young boys playing. But the Gani Memorial Stadium in Rajouri Kadal of old city is not just another playing field. For Kashmiris, the circular ground has become a testimony to the blood of Tufail Matoo spilled on its field last year.

An angled fligh of steps leads to the ground from the Rajouri Kadal road. The gate walls left behind give a sense of enclosure from the streets outside. But it’s an uncomfortable enclosure - like a shroud cocooning a body. It’s claustrophobic.

Boys play cricket between the goal posts at two ends of the stadium. Among the players are cattle grazing in the field. But one corner of the ground is devoid of any life. No one goes near it. Even vegetation has deserted it. This desolate spot is where Tufail Ashraf Mattoo, 17, was killed in government forces' action on June 11, last year.

Gazing at the death spot is Shafiq, a local. In his late-twenties, he was a regular here, and would spend hours with his friends playing here. “It has been a year since I entered this stadium, although it is right outside my house,” he says. Like him, many other boys have abandoned playing in the stadium. They have seen Tufail dying here.

Leading the way to his home, Shafiq informs that his mother, Arifa, is the sole 'official eye-witness' in the case. A wall, a short walkway, is all that separates the house from the Stadium. The living room on the ground floor, however, is like an extension of the ground itself. The same claustrophobia engulfs it.

Arifa enters the room with an air of uncertainty. Over fifty-year old, she appears haggard and tiredness emanates from her eyes. Despite a hot summer day, the windows that open towards the Stadium are shut tight. “It was 11th June, a Friday. There was a loud bang,” Arifa recalls, imitating the loud sound.

The boom, that many people in the vicinity thought to be of a grenade explosion, 'was actually the sound of a tear gas shell being fired'. The firing was preceded by hooting sounds coming from the street outside. Young boys were jeering at the police and paramilitary forces deployed at Rajouri Kadal, echoing protests happening in many other parts of the old city.

Moments before hearing the explosion, Arifa saw three young boys running towards the stadium from the Saeed Sahab shrine side. “Two of them entered the grounds and shut the gate behind them. But the third one was still left outside,” she recalls.

As the two boys saw another boy running towards them, followed by 'two Jammu & Kashmir Police (JKP) officers', they opened the gate and beckoned for him to enter. However, they did not wait for him to join them and ran away as fast as they could. The third boy who was closely being chased by the men in uniform was Tufail.

“Tufail entered the gate but couldn’t go too far as he slipped on the mud. Two JKP officers came out of the Gypsy and followed him to the ground,” recalls Arifa. They were hurling abuses at him in Kashmiri, saying ‘We will not leave you.’

"The officers aimed at Tufail from a close range and fired a tear gas shell straight at him. The shell hit him in the back of his head. He fell, face forward, on the ground. The officers went near the prostrate body," she claims. But the loud bang brought out people from their home

s and 'they ran away'.

“The fired shell shattered Tufail’s skull and killed him instantly,” Arifa says, ch oking back tears. Tufail, who was returning from the tuition class, had a school bag strapped on. His le ft hand had grass clutched from the mud beneath, which he had uprooted in his death throes. In his right hand a five rupee coin was found - it was the fare to travel back home.

Pieces of his brain were found scattered around him. Locals picked them up and buried them in a corner, which has now become a memorial for the slain boy.

What she witnessed that day moved Arifa to act in a way she would never have imagined. In her words, she managed to catch hold of the right arm of the officer who had fired at the boy and started slapping his face. Another officer, who had ordered the former to shoot, pushed her to the ground and freed his sub-ordinate from her grip, she says. They escaped in the same white Gypsy they had arrived in.

On seeing Tufail dead, she lost her nerves and took out her dupatta, tied it on her hand, and waved it over as a signal for others. And then she repeatedly called out: ‘O people, please come out from your homes. An innocent boy has been martyred...’

While there were many others who witnessed the gory killing, Arifa was the only one who dared to testify in the court. Thus far she has gone for identification parades, identified the

culprits. “Everything is so clear. They are stretching the case for no reason. I just want his family to get justice. I am tired of fighting now,” she says angrily.

She has been living under the shadow of Tufail’s death for the past one year. But the evasive justice has made her skeptical. She has stopped going to the police station. She no longer attends parades.

In the stadium, a small child, all of seven, is cleaning the headstone of the burial place where Tufail’s brain pieces lay buried. On being asked what is in there, he says, “Tufail Mattoo! They shot him in the head.” This is what he knows, and keeps repeating to anyone who visits this quasi-shrine.

Young boys slowly trickle out of the gates as the sun comes down on the Gani Memorial stadium. At approximately the same time, this place was a death scene a year ago, and will remain so forever.

(Names of people have been changed on request)

Indian Army To Deploy Prostitutes As A Women Battalion In Held Kashmir

Report Published in Sept 2009 by Christina Palmer

NEW DELHI, India—The Indian Army is deploying around 200 women prostitutes under the cover of Border Security Force constables in the Indian occupied Kashmir. The new female battalion will be deployed along the Line of Control, the ceasefire line between Pakistan and India, The Daily Mail has learnt through authoritative sources.

According to the sources, the decision on recruiting prostitutes for deployment in the held valley was taken some six months back and Indian Army Chief General Kapoor finally approved it. The Daily Mail has learnt that this decision was taken as a result of discussions and consultancies regarding the alarmingly increasing incidents of suicides and killing colleagues by soldiers of Indian army that are deployed in the Indian occupied Kashmir to fight the Kashmiris.

The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that the factor of rising suicides among Indian soldiers and the random shootouts on colleagues by Indian soldiers in the held valley had become a big problem for the Indian army top brass. When the figures went up earlier this year, the army leadership approached different consultants and analysts. The consultants and analysts reached the conclusion that Indian soldiers deployed in the valley were committing suicides and killing colleagues out of acute frustration and depression. Medical and psychological consultants and analysts were of the view that since majority of the soldiers deployed in the valley were married and were away from their wives for very long periods, they were in the grip of sexual frustrations which ultimately transformed into mental frustration.

These consultants suggested that soldiers posted in Kashmir should be sent back to India on leaves to be with their wives at least once a month.

This came as another dilemma for the Indian Army’s top brass as it was not possible at all to send such a huge number of soldiers on leaves with regular intervals. The Daily Mail’s investigations further reveal that upon this a Major General was sent to Moscow to learn from the best practices of the old Soviet army in a country with a big size.

Mak. Gen. Kumar returned from Moscow with a very interesting solution. Russian military experts told the Indian army that the since the soldiers in the valley were 'women-starved', they should be provided with women to meet their genuine and natural needs.

The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that at this stage, the Indian Army Chief constituted a committee under the command of Lt. General. Raj Kumar Karwal who currently posted as Director General of a training facility of the Indian army while Major General. Sanjeev Loomba, Brigadier Anil Sharma, Colonel N. K. Khunduri and Colonel Sanjay Rai were members of the committee. The committee finally came up with the solution that since it was not possible to provide street whores directly to the soldier thus professional prostitutes should be recruited with the title of sex workers and than they should be given basic military training and should be posted in Kashmir as soldiers so that the male soldiers can establish relations with them. It was also decided that the recruitment should not be made publicly and that RAW’s help should be sought as RAW maintained a huge network of prostitutes in different cities of India. The Daily Mail’s investigations reveal that RAW completed the assignment successfully and provided a batch of some 300, semi educated prostitutes to the committee after proper medical checkup of every individual. The committee then approached the Army Chief and it was decided that these new recruits should not be made part of mainstream army but should be adjusted in Border Security Force (BSF) and from there their services would be made available to the Northern Command of the army. The project was completed by the end of August when the new recruited batch of 300 completed a basic military training and Army Chief was informed that recruits were ready for deployment in Kashmir.

When contacted by this correspondent, Inspector General of BSF Himmat Singh confirmed that a batch of 178 female soldiers was being sent to Northern Command where they would be deployed along with Indo-Pak border to check the border violations by women, working in the field. Mr. Singh further stated that these women were not fully trained for operational military duties however in the next phase, after further training, they would be given the duties of operational Border security. Mr. Singh refused to admit that these female soldiers were actually prostitutes and were being dispatched to the valley as undercover sex workers. When contacted, Rohit Sharma, a senior defense analyst here in New Delhi, said that the move was a creative step by Indian army leadership as it would boost the medical and mental health of the soldiers.

Newly wed youth illegally detained in IHK

Srinagar, June 07 : In occupied Kashmir, Indian police have illegally detained a Kashmiri youth after four days of his wedding.

Family of the 21-year-old groom, Rauf Ahmad Butt of Donipawa area of Islamabad, said that the police was implicating him in false cases.

Mehak Rauf, the newly wed wife of Rouf and her father-in-law, Nazir Ahmad Butt are running from pillar to post to get him released.

Mehak told newsmen that Rauf was arrested on the fourth day of their marriage. “I, Rauf and my mother-in-law, went to the local Janglat Mandi market where policemen detained my husband. My mother-in-law and I resisted but they took Rauf along with them,” she said.

She said that the police had arrested Rauf in 2008 but it could not prove the charges levelled against him, following which the court had ordered his release

Indian Army admits molesting and misbehaving with tourists in occupied Kashmir

Srinagar, June 08 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, a day after an Indian army trooper molested and misbehaved with female Indian tourists and assaulted several others in famous health and tourist spot of Pahalgam in Islamabad district, the Indian army had admitted the involvement of its trooper.

The trooper of 3-Rashtriya Rifles, eyewitnesses said, misbehaved with women and thrashed the male tourists with gun butts in Pahalgam. Several people including women were injured in the assault by the soldier, who was carrying a rifle at the time of the incident.

Lt Gen S.A Hasnain, AVSM, SM, VSM, GOC Chinar Corps, deployed in Srinagar, ordered a fast track enquiry and found the trooper’s involvement, said a statement issued by Indian army’s spokesman in Srinagar.
 
"The Army has taken strict disciplinary action against the erring soldier for misbehaviour with tourists," Indian army spokesperson J S Brar said in a statement.

The statement, however, did not mention what action was taken against the guilty trooper.
 
“The Army man pointed their guns on my chest and tried to shoot me. Had the locals not come to rescue me, I would have been dead by now”, an Indian tourist Sunil Mishra had told media men after the incident. The incident brought scores of taxi drivers, traders and locals on the streets, who staged strong anti-India and anti-Army demonstrations. Chanting slogans, the protesters demanded stern action against the trooper.

Meanwhile, reacting to the enquiry set by the army, civil society groups in Kashmir have said that there was nothing surprising in the move. "The Omar Abdullah regime is hyper-sensitive to tourist need and support. There is nothing surprising in the action against trooper," Khurram Pervez, Coordinator Jammu and Kashmir Civil Society, said.

Source: Kashmir Media Service

KASHMIR - A FIEFDOM IN SEARCH OF THEIR BRAND OF ' PEACE'

Hartal ! This is the emotional topic which many Kashmiris love to discuss. Majority of Kashmiri people think that Hartal is the only weapon available to make their voices heard and get their protests registered. But there are some people who love to call themselves as intellectually wise, upwardly pushing and dashing citizens, who always love to trash every call for the protest strike by calling it a harmful exercise done in vain. There argument against shutdowns is: Economy suffers, Poor get deprived of livelihood, Education suffers, Tourism suffers, People get killed and above all Disturbance of ‘peace’ occurs.

So they come up with the solution: No hartal, no protests and no struggle. Just work, live, eat, reproduce like lizards and keep minds shut for any yearning for dignified life. Cherish the one sided ‘peace’ and carry on with the normal chores of enslaved life. They say, “Enough of bloodshed has taken place. Let us move forward now.” (Towards God knows what).Good attractive emotional sermons and well thought over points of argument by them.

This note of mine is actually addressed to those who oppose the sustenance of struggle by whatever means available with us. Though they criticize every act of defiance by people of Kashmir but they have never come up with a valid, achievable, realistic and sustainable alternative to the shutdowns. But still I want some answers from them.

Where are the answers?

My dear advocates of peace and development,
I respect your sensibilities and am ready to buy your arguments against protest and strikes which are frequently called in reaction to the injustices perpetrated against the innocent people of Kashmir. But, can you please answer my few points before firing your salvos against those who sustain this struggle for Freedom with their own personal Freedom.

If giving peace a chance is the solution of Kashmir issue then who is not giving it that chance. Of course those who call for Strikes do not call for the violence. They just react to a violent act of oppression with a non violent method of protest. It is always the opposite camp which gives reasons to us for these strikes and protests. If you have not deemed it fit to remember, then let me refresh your mind. It was on the 11 of June 2010 when some Policemen blasted the skull of a 17 years old innocent boy Tufail Matoo by aiming directly at his head with a teargas missile without any provocation on part of the victim. After ensuring that the boy has died with his brain parts scattered all around, Policemen kicked the innocent victim a couple of times before leaving the spot. That boy was just heading towards his home after coming back from his tuitions. What was his crime? What should be the reaction of people after witnessing such a brutal dance of death?
Protest or maintain peace?

Let me remind you further. Prior to Tufail Matoo’s murder three other innocent boys were killed by Indian security forces and the local police. A boy named Inayat was mercilessly killed at Lal Chowk by CRPF, Wamiq Farooq was killed by Kashmir Police at the same place where Tufail Mattoo was killed and Zahid Farooq was killed when a BSF party directly fired at him at Nishat locality of Srinagar. All of these boys were killed without any provocation whatsoever.

Prior to all these killings, three young boys from district Kupwara were taken to the forests of Machil and killed in the cold blood by India army. They were labeled as ‘Terrorists’ and the officer in charge of that ‘encounter’ killed them only to get himself decorated for killing ‘dreaded terrorists’. He however planned his action is haste and could not hide the real identity of those whom he killed. This resulted in him getting exposed but not arrested or punished. And prior to these killings someone else somewhere was killed in the same fashion and prior to that someone, somewhere else. This vicious cycle of innocents being killed is not new but an old misery which is not ending at all. Who can break this cycle? Ordinary Kashmiris cannot do anything as those killed are their sons and those who kill are the enemies. Kashmiris can only protest by observing occasional shutdowns as they do not have the liberty of protesting differently. Subjugators simply have deprived them of all other alternative means of protests.

Protest is a natural trait.

If a dog is run over by a speeding vehicle on a highway, other dogs protest by barking and running after all the vehicles which pass by the spot of death of the slain. This way dogs protest for hours all together. These are dogs, which are called as stray animals. Any atrocity on any living being does not go un - protested. Even animals like dogs protest and weep at the killing of their companions. This is all natural.
And we humans too react in the way, in which nature has crafted us. Why should we defy our inner feelings by pretending to be insensitive, since protesting against the killing of brethren is quite natural a trait. If you want us to be silent, then you are not a living being. I cannot even call you an animal as animals too protest in these situations. I would simply like to call you a stone instead.

Give an alternative please

Then the argument is, “Shutdowns are counterproductive and hence should not be used as tools of the protest”.My counter question is, If not shutdowns, then what? Is there any other tool to express your anger against injustices? Kashmir is not New Delhi nor is it Egypt or Tunisia. You cannot come out on the roads and protest in big numbers. You will be beaten, arrested and subsequently fired upon. You too can become a figure in the statistics of death count register. We have seen massacres in the past.
Recalling a few of them: Gawkadal massacre, Zakura massacre, Bijbehara massacre, Hawal massacre, Pathribal massacre, Handwara massacre, Sopore massacre and so on.

Giving peace a chance


Argument is, “why protest in the first place. Let there be peace and things will improve automatically.”
Who can say that peace is not good? Peace is after all what we all strive for. But our perception of peace is altogether different from their perception of peace. We want peace through the achievement of our freedom and they want freedom to enforce ‘peace’ through subjugation. We have seen their ‘peace’ blown up into pieces in the past. Kashmir has had a relatively ‘peaceful’ atmosphere for more than 40 years from 1947 to 1989. Did it improve anything? No, it did not. Killings and atrocities happened then as well. Infrastructure did not get developed; Economy, Healthcare and Education did not get any boost either. Tourism too did not shine.

In return, our Ecology suffered, Dal lake shrunk to the half, Aanchar lake vanished, Wular lake started to shrink, our other water bodies became extinct, our forests became subjects of loot and plunder, our glaciers started to melt, our rivers turned into streams. All of this happened during ‘peace’. Kashmir issue too did not find any solution during that ‘peace’.

What fuelled rebellion of 1989 in Kashmir?


Peaceful democratic activity called elections fuelled the tumult. So is their brand of ‘peace’ in Kashmir any solution to all the miseries. Kashmiris were killed while protesting against the hike in power tariffs during 80s or protesting against “Satanic Verses” or protesting against the theft of the holy relic. Is all this ‘fragile peace’ a blessing? Yes, it is a blessing for those who treat Kashmir as their fiefdom. Those who have constructed majestic palaces and golf courses on the banks of Dal lake need this peace to enjoy their comfortable five star luxuries. Those who have slaughtered forests of Kashmir to fill their coffers need peace to flaunt their wealth around. Those who behave like Arab royals riding in highly expensive SUVs and treating whole of Kashmir as their oil field, need this peace to dig for more wealth. As Arab royals have sold their oil wells to their benefactors in the west, same has been done by our own breed of Sheikhs. Whatever is left has been sold to Indians without any objection. We are asked to maintain peace and wait for the development to come but at the same time our institutions are being destroyed. One of our self made, self sufficient institutions named J & K Bank too was not spared. It too has been gifted to our subjugators. Our main catalyst of economical development is also under their control now. Our educational institutions have been politicized and centralized. Our healthcare infrastructure is still in pre – historic infancy; our Industrial sector is ailing, our ecology and water bodies are dying which will result in the death of our much talked about tourism industry in the long run. These all things are happening not because of the struggle but because of reasons for which we struggle.

Who is the sufferer?

Those who have lost their children, their only bread earners never complain about the emptiness of their bellies. But those who feed their dogs with imported dog biscuits and mutton complain the most.
Why those who are least affected by protests, shout more? Why those who do not offer a penny from their wealth as charity or alms to the poor, all of the sudden become so concerned about the poor?
Those who normally treat ordinary Kashmiris like cattle, start to show concern for the people.

These people do all this because they fear. They fear that the subjugated may succeed in their struggle for freedom and their castles of loot may eventually become bonfires of victory. They do not want to lose their oilfields. That is why they strive so hard to sabotage the just struggle of masses by their hoax concern and hypocritical activism.

Tail-piece:

Our children are shining in the field of education despite the struggle. During the peaceful days of pre – nineties, securing more than 80 % marks was considered as an achievement but not anymore. Our students are securing more than 90 % marks in exams; our folks are passing competitive exams with flying colors, our boys and girls qualify for IAS, IFS and KAS exams in good numbers now. We could hardly find anyone during Pre - nineties who had qualified in these exams.

What does this suggest? This suggests, education is not subservient to their brand of ‘peace’. It is only subservient to the urge and hard work. Longer agitations can affect schooling but not the education.Fighting for your rights and freedom requires countless sacrifices, hardships and a strong commitment towards the cause. If you are not ready to offer any of these, then you better stop dreaming about a free life. And if you do not have any urge for living a dignified life in the first place, then no one can force you to suffer in this struggle. But you cannot raise your voice against the struggle either, because living a life of subjugation does not allow you to protest against anything whatsoever. Why do you then protest this? Are you speaking in this tone because you have been coerced to speak or do you belong to the class of our home grown Sheikhs who do not want to lose their oil fields? These are the questions to which we need some honest answers.

Koshur Mazloom © 2011

Protect children in Jammu and Kashmir-Sign The Petition

It’s not much fun being a teenage boy in Kashmir

Despite an obligation under international law to treat anyone below 18 as a child, police in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) continue to jail 16- and 17-year old boys as adults!

17-year old Murtaza Manzoor was detained without charge by the police in January 2011. He was held for nearly four months in a prison that had no special facilities for children.

Although India has amended its national juvenile justice law to make it consistent with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the law in the state of J&K has not yet been updated.

Murtaza is not alone. Many other boys aged between 16 and 18 years are falling through the cracks in J&K’s juvenile justice laws and being treated as adults.

The Chief Minister of J&K, Omar Abdullah, has recognised the need for reform in this area. To make sure these reforms happen, we need you to urge the Chief Minister to begin by amending the Jammu and Kashmir Juvenile Justice Act (JKJJA) in the 2011 Monsoon session of the J&K Assembly.

Your signature can make a difference!

We will deliver your signatures in the form of a letter to the Chief Minister of the state as well as other key parliamentarians.

Take Action:

I call upon the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Juvenile Justice Act, to bring it in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child...

Click this link to sign the petition:

http://www.amnesty.org/en/protect-children-jammu-kashmir

WikiLeaks: Indian army and Siachen

BY: Yousaf Alamgirian

Amid the WikiLeaks disclosure of the fact that Indian army was engaged in extra judicial killings in Indian held Kashmir the Pak-India talks on Siachen couldn’t achieve success due to Indian army’s resistance. Ironically when Pakistan was interested to reach some point of conciliation the Indian army came in the way of little chance to have peace in the region. It is unfortunate that India’s so-called democratic government is hostage in the hands of its army which is said to be an apolitical. That is how Indian army has shown its apolitical role during the recent talks on Siachen not to sign any of the pact to demilitarize the world’s most frozen and the costly front which has taken many lives of the both sides’ soldiers. Ironically when the talks were undergoing Pakistan’s electronic channels were flashing tickers of Indian air chief that before proceeding further there is a need to have proper line of control there in Siachen. This was, however, a prerogative of Indian democratic government officials to say anything pertaining to the talks. So Indian army’s fresh stance taken on the Siachen issue has supported the WikiLeaks cable of 2006 which stated that every time India and Pakistan came “very close” to an agreement on the Siachen issue, the prime minister of the day would be forced to back out by the Indian defence establishment, the Congress Party hard-line and opposition leaders. In another cable, Ambassador David Mulford citing various obstacles to an agreement on Siachen wrote about the first obstacle “Army Chief JJ Singh appears on the front page of the “Indian Express” seemingly fortnightly to tell readers the Army cannot support a withdrawal from Siachen. Given India’s high degree of civilian control over the armed forces, it is improbable that Gen. Singh could repeatedly make such statements without MoD civilians giving at least tacit approval. Whether or not this is the case, a Siachen deal is improbable while his — and the Army’s — opposition continues to circulate publicly”.WikiLeaks cables depicts that it was nor Pakistan neither its army but it was Indian army not interested to have any peace deal. Indian government which claims of being the biggest democracy of the world doesn’t enjoy the freedom to have its decisions with the consensus of parliament and the political faction but time and again it has to look towards its forces to take permission to go ahead on any of the deal. It reminds of Indian government’s resolve to cut short the number of the troops in held Kashmir but army’s local area commander and obviously the military high command bluntly refused to do the same so Indian government had to retreat from its resolve to decrease the number of troops there. It is heartening to note that due to hardened stance of Indian Army during recently held Defence Secretary level talks between India and Pakistan on the Siachen dispute the issue could not be resolved. During talks which were held in New Delhi, Pakistan delegation suggested immediate disengagement as a forward move for resolving the dispute. The Indian side, however, hardened their stance and did not agree reportedly due to pressure and intransigence of their Army, which was not willing to resolve the Siachen dispute to vacate the conflict zone and go back to previously held position. It depicts vested interest of the Indian army to remain engaged in Kashmir and in Siachen as well. In fact Siachen is bread and butter of Indian army as it includes huge funds and fringe benefits. Many of the fraudulent initiatives have been reported in the past that how Indian army justified its bravery and its stay in the Siachen heights by showering the encounters and its resolve to get the medals. Not only the army deputed in Siachen but in other parts of the country there have been reports of bogus efficiency to claim awards out of the ‘brave’ acts. An Indian Army Colonel H.S. Kohli, has been dismissed and a major suspended for faking killings by splashing tomato ketchup on civilians and passing them off as dead separatists – in the hope of being awarded. Colonel H.S. Kohli, commanding an artillery regiment in Assam, had faked the killing of some separatists last year by making some civilians pose in photographs as enemy casualties after splashing their bodies with tomato sauce. The “daring” colonel in fact tried to use the photographs to back his claim for a gallantry award and was subsequently tried and found guilty in a court martial.The colonel apparently took photographs of some civilians in an isolated place in southern Assam’s Cachar district after pouring tomato sauce on their bodies and making the pictures look like an encounter, with blood splattered over the bodies. The fraud came to light when the colonel’s claims for a gallantry award were processed. It was indeed bizarre to find him claiming a bravery award for the kills, which in fact, did not took place at all.The saucy scandal was not unique of its kind to rock the Indian Army as they had already proved their skills in Siachen scandal in which a Major was accused of inventing enemy killings for the sake of gallantry awards. According to new norms, Indian Army officials are being graded and awarded promotions and bravery awards on the basis of the number of terrorists they capture and kill. So this is how they try to capture the awards and the respect. Why Indian army denies the fact that awards, medals and dignity can only be earned with fervour and can never be achieved with malicious efforts....

Source: Frontier Post

Illegal detentions in Kashmir unheard in Nazi Germany

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and eminent Supreme Court lawyer, Ram Jethmalani, Monday hauled up the state government for detaining people without any charge or trial for years, saying the practice was 'unheard of even in Nazi Germany'.

Addressing a press conference here, Jethmalani, who is leading a four-member panel of Kashmir Committee currently on a visit here, said he was “shocked” to know that people in Kashmir were languishing in jails “without any trial or charge for years.”

Referring to incarnated Hurriyat Conference (G) leader, ‘General’ Moosa , Jethmalani said it was “disgraceful” that a man could be detained for 18 years without trial.

“It was shocking to hear from his family that Moosa was being detained for the last 18 years without any trial. I mean this is something we haven’t heard of even in Nazi Germany,”

Jethmalani said.

He said it was distressing that under a democratically elected government, human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests of “innocent people”, continued unabated .

Jethmalani warned that things could take an ugly turn if the state government continued to “mishandle” the situation.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah must personally go through the cases of those detained under the Public safety Act (PSA), Jethamalani said.

“This lawlessness must end, innocent people must be freed, only then will the anger of people subside,” he said, “It will also help create an atmosphere for a solution of Kashmir issue.”

He also slammed police officers for summoning “innocents” to police stations without any written orders several times in a week.

Jethmalani also condemned the government crack down on press, saying he was informed that media organizations or persons who do not toe the official line were being “harassed.”

Jethamalani also called for scrapping of AFSPA, terming it as an “evil law which must go.”

He also termed the army’s presence in residential and urban areas as “unnecessary”.

Pamphlet released by Syed Ali Shah Geelani for tourists and pilgrims

Syed Ali Shah Geelani urged the Kashmiri youth to behave well with the tourists and pilgrims visiting Jammu & Kashmir and to make them aware about the Kashmir dispute, Miseries and Suppression Kashmiris are facing since past 64 year at the hand of Indian occupational forces. He released a pamphlet, written in English, Urdu, Hindi and Kashmiri which is to be distributed among the tourists as a part of awareness campaign. This step of Syed Ali Geelani has been admired and appreciated by the masses.


"WELCOME TO KASHMIR


My dear tourist and pilgrim,


I welcome, welcome you to sylvan and salubrious Kashmir valley. Whatever your faith, whatever language you speak and to whatever region you belong to, we are bound by a common bond, the bond of humanity. You are our honoured guest, respecting and protecting guests is not only our moral obligation but article of faith.


Would you like to know something about your host? Can you spare some minutes to know about the Kashmir dispute? We have full faith; you will spare some minutes to know about this problem that has brought the entire region to the precipice of a nuclear war.


Dear Brother, your hosts are not terrorists or extremists. I and my fellow countrymen are not up in arms against any faith, belief, caste or creed. We nurse no grouse against people of India or for that matter any other country. Live and let live, is the cardinal principle to our philosophy of brotherhood. And on this rationale we want to strengthen our relations with others. You must know that we have been coerced into servitude, same way as British had enslaved people of India.


Dear Brothers, you must know Jammu and Kashmir is not a part of India. It was never a part of India. Till 1947, this country had a distinct position in the comity of nations. On 27th of October 1947, sorties after sorties of Indian army landed on this land and occupied it. And on the strength of share military power it snatched freedom of the people and has perpetuated its occupation till date. The people of this land of great tradition of religious tolerance and humanism are suffering for past sixty three years.


Dear Brother, It is not a fable, an imaginary story; I am just sharing history with you. To this day comity of nations recognizes Kashmir as a dispute. The United Nations Security Council has passed as many as eighteen resolutions guaranteeing right to self determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. These resolutions explicitly state providing of an opportunity to the people of the state to decide their future and holding of a plebiscite under the aegis of the United Nations.


My dear Brother, The first Prime Minister of Independent India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, has pledged to the people of the state in Indian Parliament and at Lal Chowk, Srinagar that they would be given an opportunity to decide their future. His words, “we do not believe in forced marriages. If people of Kashmir don't want to remain with us, we cannot force them and after holding of plebiscite whatever is people's decision, we will happily accept”are a part of proceedings of Indian Parliament.


Dear Brother India betrayed its own pledges and forgot its own commitments. It continues to occupy our land forcibly. For past sixty three years people of Jammu and Kashmir have been struggling against this forcible occupation same way as Gandhi, Subash Chander Bose, Baghat Singh and Sukh Dev fought the British imperialists.


Dear Brother, India claims to be a largest democracy. As a democratic country it should have upheld rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. But instead it has been using state power to suppress people of the state and trample down their just and genuine rights under heavy military boots. Since 1947, half a million people have been killed and during past twenty years over a hundred thousand have been done to death, ten thousand have got disappeared in custody, seven thousand women have been dishonored and molested. In North Kashmir 2700 mass graves have been discovered. Fifty thousand children have been orphaned, thirty five thousand women widowed and fifteen hundred women forced to live lives of half-widows. Confinements, detentions without trial under draconian laws like Public Safety Act are order of the day. Thousands have been jailed and subjected to third degree tortures in interogation centers. And as on date 1465 Kashmiris are languishing in different jails within and outside the state. Hair raising agonizing stories inside hundreds of tortures centers across the state melt even the stone hearted but it is yet to prick the conscience of Indian establishment and leadership. I am confident that my woeful story must have touched your heart and stirred your soul. It is my trust, my unflinching belief that from now on you will become my ambassador in people of India and, raise your voice against suppression of about ten million people. And I am equally confident that you will garner support of all justice loving people for my just cause.


Thank You
With Regards
Syed Ali Geelani
Chairman APHC

Mutualism: bedrock of coexistence

Mutualism: bedrock of coexistence

By: Azam Inqilabi

USA, the supremacist power with narcissistic megalomania, is still enthusiastically and assiduously doting on its global hegemonic preponderance and overlordship, notwithstanding its unenviable debt-cum-deficit economy and stiff snubbing resistance of the freedom zealots of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Nasty NATO, the military alliance of the Occidental desperadoes, is literally acting as a recusant hatchet man who perpetually seeks prominence through rowdyism and headhunting. Ruthless and reckless NATO forces are engaged in an aggressive military campaign to decimate and snuff out the daring, darting and chivalrous forces of resistance in Asia and Africa. They still underestimate the invincibility and indefatigability of the highly indoctrinated and self-opinionated freedom votaries of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Conscious and conscientious adherents and devotees of freedom and integrity show no signs of laxity, vacillation or swerve. They do not budge; they are determined not to cringe to the intoxicated bourgeois imperialists. Their resilient resistance is, in fact, enviably viable and tenable. So the protagonists of the cause of freedom and self-respect will under no circumstances relinqui

sh the objective of resistance. Obdurate NATO forces— through blitz blockbusters and precision missiles— ideally smashed the mansions and fortifications of these hapless countries into smithereens. They reduced the beautiful hamlets to pulp. Their bombs are now shuffling the rubble in the completely battered and pulverized Afghanistan. And NATO hawks do not feel like shuffling the cards. They relish the ghastly look of this war-ravaged country. NATO, thro

ugh its bulldozing onslaught— carnage, rampage and brash dash, has created an atmosphere of horror and terror in Afghanistan. Thus the state-terrorism is inadvertently grooming swarms of uncompromising ultras wedded to the cause of resistance. Of late, NATO cannibals massacred hundreds of innocent civilians in Afghanistan and Libya; and without remorse and compunction.

In the backdrop of this gruesome scenario of holocaust one really feels aggrieved, agonized and traumatized when hypocrites fetishize the Occidental imperialistic demigods and, through sycophantic applause and encore, add to their inflated arrogance and unilateralism. These brazen-faced toadies and lackeys take pleasure in dancing attendance upon the bourgeois capitalists of the West. They do not feel moved or worried when so-called champions of western democracy (read machiavelliansim) facilitate ruination a

nd devastation of Third World countries through carpet bombing. They play the role of mute spectators when western haughty imperialists clutch and claw the poor “wretched people” of war-torn countries. It is, indeed, deplorable that some of the global toadies, the demons of sadism, want to stereotype the imperialistic, chauvinistic and barbarian role of the co-belligerent forces of onslaught and expansionism.

We express complete solidarity with the suffering but heroic people of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya where the pastures and roads are paved and stewed with corpses of the innocent people who were busy either in grazing their cattle or purchasing commodities of daily use. We eulogize the iconic ideologues of resistance, viz. Syed Qutub (of Egypt), Maqbool Bhat (of Kashmir), Bhagat Singh (of India), Martin Luther (of America) — the gallant altruists who died for a cause, the cause c�lèbre— right to self-determination and justice. It is imperative for Muslim Ummah to revive and resuscitate its position of prestige and honour through comprehensive dawah and resistance; and it can through sustained purgatory and edifying efforts of transfiguration attain the position of prominence reminiscent of and analogous to its glorious past. It is time to assert not to skulk, funk or flit in the present situation so challenging and exacting. The lurking disdainful propensity for skedaddle, which is tantamount to escapism and defeatism, cannot be brooked and condoned. So heroic deterrence is the most sought-after modus operandi which will eventually and inevitably elevate you to the pinnacle of honour and prestige that suits the ideological Ummah. You can soar high only through self-assertion. This is what pragmatistic pacifism and humanism demands of you.

Kashmiris will continue to grumble against the peremptory and authoritarian rule of India in Kashmir. Your stratocracy in Kashmir muzzles, muffles, stifles and gags every voice of peaceful and democratic dissent here. You have to fulfil your Kashmir-related pledge and promise bequeathed by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the icon of Indian freedom movement. And we will continue to emphasize our inalienable right to self-determination come what may. The track record of human rights abuse and violations is a blemish on your much trumpeted “democracy”. Assassins of advocate Jaleel Andrabi, Nelofar and Asiya of Shopian are still at large insinuating guaranteed immunity and impunity. You failed in bringing the culprits to book. Your dereliction and dilatory desultoriness on human rights front portends, foreshadows and presages something ominous— perhaps a volcanic eruption here which will have a domino effect on your internal order there. Your Chanakiyan policy to disparage and scandalize the resistance movement of Kashmir and impute and ascribe everything obnoxious and detestable to its proponent and benefactor, Pakistan, is now redundant and outdated. Our resistance movement is irrefragably indigenous and endogenous. Well, Kashmiris do ingratiate with Pakistan which is magnanimous in extending exogenous moral and diplomatic support to our resistance movement.

Dr. A.Q. Khan, the proud nuclear scientist of Pakistan, recently explained in an article that FIVE nuclear bombs of India and TEN nuclear bombs of Pakistan were sufficient for ensuring the complete annihilation of the Indo-Pak subcontinent. So India and Pakistan, instead of adopting the suicidal course of mutually-assured destruction, should hold back for soul-searching and introspection. Divest yourselves of perennial antagonistic mindset which denudes South Asia of tranquility and peace. Mutualism— the bedrock doctrine of coexistence, amity and entente— should be adopted as an ideal savior and Messiah. This is what your prudent tack, finesse and leadership flair and savoir faire demands of you. So shun and abandon the repugnant and abhorrent course of belligerency and “compulsive hostility”. Stop looking askance at and casting aspersions on each other. Let the chapter of polemics, recrimination, imprecation and shenanigans be consigned to archives for good if durable peace and prosperity of South Asia is the cherished objective of ambitious progressive march to the goal of glory. Your prescient stoicism and prudentialism should necessarily coax and cajole you to knuckle down to brass tacks: peaceful, amicable and honourable settlement of Kashmir issue.

Dichotomic political dualism of Asian nations has again failed and frustrated the humanists. Internal bickering and myopic politics of Asian giants again proved instrumental in emboldening NATO which does not relent in Libya. Humanists felt mortified and petrified when pertinacious, recalcitrant and intractable NATO hawks with dictatorial fixation decided to continue treading the path of intrusion in Libya. Audacious NATO has declared that it would venture on aggressive blitz in Libya to completely batter the towns and cities of that country. Optimism of humanists and pacifists flickered out when Asian nations, instead of asking the western imperialists to atone for and expiate the wrongdoings and redress the grievances of Libyan people through amende honorable, blatantly ducked out and dodged the proponents of peace and added to their disillusionment. And UN Security Council, the corporate body, obsequiously plays the second fiddle thereby creating global power imbalance and rendering the weaker nations vulnerable.