Monday, 30 May 2011

On Kashmir India acts as a police state, not as a democracy

By Mirza Waheed



Many years ago, I met two journalists from India in London and we found ourselves talking about Kashmir. Mostly, they listened patiently to my impassioned tale of what goes on, but the moment I touched upon the brutal counter-insurgency methods employed by the Indian security apparatus in the disputed territory – among them notorious "catch-and-kill" operations to execute suspected militants – they looked incredulous, made a quick excuse and left. Later, I learned that at least one of them believed that Kashmiris liked to exaggerate the excesses of the Indian armed forces.

In the reaction of those two men, I had witnessed the frightening success of India's policy of denial and misrepresentation on Kashmir. India's decision to censor the Economist last week, following the publication of a map that shows the disputed borders of Kashmir, represents two unsurprising but ominous things: that the country's age-old intransigence over Kashmir still runs deep; and its willingness to curb freedom of speech over what it sees as sensitive matters of national interest. On Kashmir India continues to behave as a police state, not as the champion of democracy and freedom that it intends to be.

There is nothing astonishing or new in this. For decades, India has not only been unwilling to solve one of the world's most tragic conflicts but has scuttled any attempt at meaningful discourse on the issue, both internationally and within the country. The ultimately pointless attempt at censorship by asking the magazine to paste stickers on a representation of areas controlled by India, Pakistan and China is, sadly, in line with its inflexible and deeply flawed Kashmir policy. To come good on its insistence that "Kashmir is an integral part of India" – and it does lash out at any attempt to suggest otherwise – it maintains the world's largest military presence in a single region, to suppress the revolt that erupted against its rule in 1989. An uprising that continues in the form of a civilian resistance.

Last year, in what we now remember as Kashmir's bloody summer, its paramilitaries and police killed more than a hundred protesters, most of them young men and schoolchildren. Among those killed was Sameer Rah, a nine-year-old boy from Srinagar, who was bludgeoned to death and his body dumped by a kerb. The image of his bruised, purple body is now permanently etched in the collective consciousness of Kashmiris at home and across the world, and may haunt India's political and intellectual elites for a long time. In response to this brutalisation of a people – the Kashmir valley remained in virtual siege for weeks – a cogent narrative of what I call "new dissent" began to evolve in Kashmir and India, scripted by Kashmiris themselves and by some of India's bravest public intellectuals, writers and journalists.

However, both the central government and its clients in the state tried everything to suppress this new wave of dissent; they introduced draconian measures to silence the voice of Kashmiris and their supporters in Delhi. TV channels were forced off air, newspapers were not allowed to print for weeks, text messaging was banned, and later on, in India's capital, a lower court even charged Arundhati Roy with sedition. But the urge to report to the world what was unfolding in Kashmir was ultimately unstoppable. Kashmiri youth turned to social media to get the word out.

And it did get out, aided by India's fascinatingly diverse intelligentsia and those sections of the Indian media that have of late started to look at Kashmir with new understanding and empathy, and not through the disingenuous prism of national interest.

The Economist's map on Kashmir – which must have received many more page views than had it not been declared contraband – contains nothing that contests historical facts or misrepresents ground reality. Essentially, the magazine has produced a graphical account of geopolitical status in the region – namely, Kashmir is a disputed territory, with India and Pakistan as the main contestants, but Kashmiris as the central party as it is their future that has been a point of dispute. A dispute that the UN recognises as such in its charter of 1948 – and in its maps. I have found maps produced by the UN to be the most accurate and impartial.

When, and why, do states censor maps? Mostly when the operating principle seems to be denial and obfuscation. For years, the Indian state has attempted to delegitimise people's aspirations in Kashmir, either by raising the bogey of Islamism or lumping together the challenge to its authority in Kashmir with the US-led war on terror. For most of the 1990s and the early years of the new millennium it succeeded. Ironically, as a consequence of the emergence of "new India" and the burgeoning of the country's affluent middle classes, the Economist – a magazine previously considered the preserve of business elites – is now selling more copies in India. It is seen as influential, and capable of altering opinion – hence the kneejerk reaction to the map. The Indian government is doing a huge disservice to its democratic credentials by trying to confiscate the truth about one of the world's most tragic, intractable and dangerous conflicts



Source: The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk)

Sunday, 29 May 2011

MOLESTATION OF WOMANHOOD (NEELOFAR WRITES FROM HER GRAVE)

By Koshur Mazloom

Just two years have passed by. It was 29 of May 2009. My body has not yet turned into the dust in the grave. My bones are still aching. Blood on my face has not yet dried up. My beloved Aasiya is still having those tears in her stony eyes. I still remember how beasts tore apart our chaste bodies. I still remember how those savages pounced upon our modesty and trampled upon our honour. They were filled with lust and hate. I still remember how they were enjoying and were deriving sadistic pleasure out of our helplessness. Our weakness was our Womanhood. We struggled till our last bit of energy. Our fatigue from the struggle became their strength. I still remember how frightening it was. I could hear angels screaming in agony, with us. I could hear my voice had gone hoarse and I was only waiting for my end. No one came to our rescue. Aasiya was calling me for help but I myself was helpless. I was crying, “Ha Myanii Khodayoo(O! My beloved God) and she was screaming, “Katuoo Chukhh Myanii Babboo” (Where are you? my father). But savages were relentlessly obliterating our chaste bodies with their savage lust.

I was already pregnant by two months and was so happy for becoming a second time mother. My toddler son Suzanne was waiting for me at home. My husband Shakeel had called me up just few minutes back and was worried for us. I had told him, not to worry as we had already walked halfway towards our home from our orchard where we had gone for the work. I did not know the cruel fate is awaiting us in the shape of some beasts wearing Indian uniform. As we passed by their camp, they stopped us and took us forcibly inside the vehicle which was parked in front of their camp. They pounced upon us like hyenas, tearing apart our flesh. Our helplessness was our only companion. Our faith was our crime and our womanhood was our punishment. Even Satan would have wept at our plight but those beasts did not show any mercy. They were establishing their supremacy over our possessed bodies. They were plundering us like barbarians used to plunder the conquered lands. After they satisfied their wild lust, they delivered some humanity on us. They just killed us and set our souls free. They saved us from living the lives of humiliation and burden. Had they left us alive, we would have cursed them for letting us to live.



Then they threw our mauled bodies into the pristine waters of a nearby stream only to get rid of their own crime. Waters in that stream were not enough to touch our molested flesh. Stream was too shallow to drown our bodies. We were left there in the stream in dead of the night. That night was too long and too dark. And when the chirping of birds started and skies above us started to become blue for those looking for us, Shakeel along with my brother found us lying dead on those lifeless boulders. Aasiya was lying some distance away from me and she was left there with an uncovered body. Shakeel, covered her body with his shirt and we were lifted from there. That day sky did not look like the way it used to look to me. It had turned red and every human face around looked black. We were placed on a stretcher and taken to a nearby hospital for conducting what they say an 'autopsy'. They wanted to determine whether we were raped or not? How pathetic. We were again subjected to shame. They dissected the un- dissected parts of our bodies, took out the samples of our molested flesh and confirmed our rape. But then the henchmen of molesters in the uniform came with an order for those who were doing the autopsy. They told them to change their verdict and call our death, a case of simple drowning in shallow knee deep waters. How shameful. Doctors complied with the orders from the above and declared, whatever was dictated to them. This exasperated our shame. Our blood drenched faces were not enough for them, so they stabbed us again in the heart. How can power and lust be so cruel? How can those who have come into the existence from the wombs of women like me, be so unremorseful. And some of them even worship women in temples and consider them goddesses. I wonder after tormenting our souls with misery and dread, those beasts must have visited the temples of Durga or Vaishno Devi with donations and thankfulness for saving them from getting exposed. Some of them even might have taken a dip in the waters of river Ganga to purify their sinful souls from the burden of crime. Crime which they had left to drown in another stream which also eventually culminates into the same sea which the waters of Ganges also end up into. I wonder how our blood shall forgive their crime. No wonder why rivers of Kashmir do not pass through their lands.

After wrapping the outrage of our chastity in the package of lies, a hell broke loose all around. People were agitated in flash anger and chanted high pitched false slogans of revenge. One shame was that our honour was trampled on with Jackboots of suppression and the other one was that we were raped again after our death. If only dead could speak, I would have yelled at their faces, "how dare you molest us again and again". That day they did not molest me only, they also molested my unborn child living in my womb. We were taken in a procession towards our graves after someone from the puppet administration pacified the restive public with a promise of usual 'impartial' probe. We were buried in the soil which gave our bodies a soothing relief. But that was not enough; they exhumed us from our graves after few days again to conduct another 'autopsy' under the supervision of some doctors from Delhi which they claimed were ‘impartial’. They raped us again that day. Result was a usual pack of lies only to shield those vultures who represent the Indian state in our gloomy nation. Our death was again confirmed as a natural case of drowning. Not so strange anymore.

This is not a shame for only those who shredded our modesty to smithereens to satisfy their lunatic lust, but this is even a bigger shame for those who shielded the criminals in uniform. This is a shame for those who claim to be the vanguards of Indian democracy and justice. Omar Abdullah, the Indian ruler of this land tried his best to convert our rape and murder into an ordinary case of death. He manipulated with medical findings, bullied those who were speaking the truth, fudged the autopsy reports, and arrested those who were protesting against this rape of justice. These thugs left no stone unturned to shield their henchmen. Indian democracy again raised its ugly head in Kashmir and the person heading that farce in Kashmir revealed his real dreadful identity. He showed his scornful indifference and reminded us that, Slaves should not yearn for justice. He became a compatriot of molesters all willfully only to satiate and safeguard his lust for power.

Since this case has been closed down now by those who themselves committed the crime of compliance with the crime, I do not want you to agitate and beg them to open it again. I know justice cannot be delivered as long as you are dead in the slumber of life. I just want you not to spectate anymore again, when some other Neelofar and Aasiya would become the objects of vengeful assertiveness of hegemonic brutality. Oppressors always would want you to be remindful of your inferiority of being possessed by a frenzied army of brutal occupation. Do not become collaborators of their crime by behaving like a herd of sheep in the slaughterhouse of a butcher. Today it was us; tomorrow your turn will also come to experience the sharpness of the butcher’s knife on your throats. If you want to live a life of dignity, then do not forget our pain. I know, you all are too much preoccupied with your lives. You are in slumber of your meaningless lives. You cannot change anything. I wish if dead could come out of their graves to fight for the freedom of their living companions. But dead cannot come alive. But I still wish to see a change as I have left my innocent lad Suzanne there to suffer with you. I hope he will not live a meaningless life of shame.

Koshur Mazloom © 2011

Mass Grave of Sikhs Killed in November 1984 Discovered in Jammu


A Mass Grave has been discovered in District Reasi, Jammu & Kashmir where 16 Sikhs were mercilessly murdered by crushing their heads on November 1, 1984. The victims were inside Gurudwara Singh Sabha Talwara colony when the attackers came for them on November 1, 1984, dragged them out and murdered them by crushing their heads with stones and rocks.

According to the 26 years old FIR and other official documents excavated by AISSF and SFJ, 16 Sikhs who were attacked and killed on November 1, 1984 in Talwara Colony, Reasi, Jammu & Kashmir were mostly employees working at nearby Salar Dam. On November 1, 1984 , a group of attackers came to the Gurudwara Singh Sabha Talwara Colony where the victims had taken shelter. The attackers got hold of the victims and then tortured to death 16 of them by crushing and grinding their heads with rocks and stones.

AISSF & SFJ announced that they will file a writ petition before Jammu and Kashmir High Court against the Government’s inaction against killing of 16 deaths. It is a matter of grave concern that “despite the evidence and filing of FIR, the killing and murder of 16 Sikhs in Reasi Jammu was not even investigated let alone prosecuted”, stated attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun Legal Advisor to Sikhs For Justice

According to Karnail Singh Peermohammad President AISSF, not only the killing of Sikhs in Reasi was brutal and ruthless but the continuous denial of justice is also equally ruthless. Just like the case of Hondh-Chillar Mass Grave, AISSF and SFJ will also take action in the case of Reasi killing by approaching the High Court and by seeking justice for the Sikh victims, added Peermohammad.

AISSF and SFJ released the copies of F.I.R filed 26 years ago and the copies of other documents along with the list of the 16 Sikhs who were killed on November 1984 at Reasi, Jammu & Kashmir


List of Sikhs Killed:

(1) Ratan Singh Son Of Chetan Singh Foremen,Village Mastuana Post Of Badala Bangar,Gurdaspur, Punjab

(2) Mukhtyar Singh Son Of Preetam Singh Post Office Rosi Kehla Badala Bangar,Gurdaspur, Punjab

(3) Heera Singh Son Of Mukhtar Singh Jwala Flour Mil Bhai Gurnampura Street Shekhwa Wali Amritsar(Punjab)

(4) Ranjit Singh Son Of Sadu Singh Foreman.Village Bartiya Postoffice Raowal
agarh,Nagar Solan Himachal Pardesh

(5) Manjit Singh Son Of Sohan Singh Electricians Village Lidopur Post Office Kahnowal Gurdaspur(Punjab)

(6) Satnam Singh S/O Bachan Singh Telephone Inspector,Village Nawan,Post Office Babehali Gurdaspur(Punjab)

(7) Giyan Singh S/O Amar Singh Vill.Hargowala, Postoffice And Distt.Hoshairpur(Punjab)

(8) Rashpal Singh Vill.Mansak Distt Hoshairpur Punjab

(9) Tersaim Singh S/O Charan Singh Atwal,Vill And Distt Thahto Chak,Teh-Tarntarn,Distt Amritsar(Punjab)

(10) Beer Singh S/O Suriya Vill And Postoffice Galgalri,Distt Gurdaspur(Punjab)

(11) Resham Singh S/O Mohan Singh Vill And Teh-Nusapanna Dist- Hoshairpur(Punjab)

(12) Ratan Singh S/O Lal Singh Dyanpura Poatoffice Narula Gurdaspur

(13) Amar Singh S/O Ranjit Singh Vill And Post Office Raipur Madan,Tahal Bansal ,Dist-Himachal Pradesh

(14) Surinder Singh S/O Preetam Singh Matrala,Post Office Bahat Dist-Gurdaspur

(15) Bhupinder Singh S/O Jaswant Singh,Vill-Singhpura Baramulla(Kashmir)

(16) Janak Singh Poni Shayad Parakh Jammu

Saturday, 28 May 2011

FIGHTING ELEPHANTS AND THE GRASS

By Koshur Mazloom


When West talks about instability in the South Asia, they attribute all of it to the Islamic ‘terrorism’ unleashed by ‘Fanatic Jihadists’ who harp hatreds against the so called ‘civilized world’. They show concern about ‘Islamic insurgencies’ going on in Afghanistan and its side effects on Pakistan. They talk about the brutal aggression of Afghan Taliban on US and NATO forces. Taliban’s open harboring of Alqaida and its cohorts is being considered as Taliban’s Pan- Islamic ambitions and a source of violence prevalent in this region. Pakistan’s tacit support to Western forces is always a less acknowledged feat but its Army’s role in ‘supporting’ the anti – Western forces is the most talked about sin. Whatever is happening in this region is being attributed to Pakistan’s inability or unwillingness to fight the enemies of West openly. Every day mayhem and man slaughter in Pakistan has found no sympathizers in those whose wars Pakistan is fighting. Pakistan is being considered as the key ally by the West in the fight against ‘terrorism and extremism’. At the same time it is being considered as a suspicious ally. What a paradox.

No one is trying to dig into the past and find out what has fuelled this strife in the region and what is the reason of inhibitions of Pakistani public vis viz the West.

HISTORY OF DECIET


Partition of Indian subcontinent gave birth to India and Pakistan in 1947. Socialist India chose to ally with USSR and Pakistan was forced to fall into the lap of the US. This was a compulsion for Pakistan as it was engaged in a dispute with India over Kashmir. Territorial dispute over Kashmir saw India and Pakistan drifting away from each other . Animosity between India and Pakistan over Kashmir made this region a battleground in which future wars between the two blocks (Soviet block and Western block) would be fought. Who gained from keeping the pot boiling in this region? This is not a difficult question to answer. And who was instrumental in the creation of this dispute is as equally not so difficult to guess as well. West by its deceit and double standards deprived this region of having a tangible peace.

Many wars were fought between Indian and Pakistan over Kashmir and these wars have benefitted none but only those powers who were instrumental in the creation of the conflict. India was sustained and supported by the Soviet block and Pakistan was supported by the Western block although support to Pakistan was always merely a lip service.During 1971 war between these two nations which gave birth to Bangladesh, US pledged Pakistan of its unconditional support and promised to send its 7th fleet to support the Pakistani army in its war against India. But that promised was never honored. 7th fleet of US armed forces never reached the battlefield. Pakistan lost the battle, primary reason for which was the animosity over the region of Kashmir. Cold war between the West and Communist block was the reason behind the Kashmir dispute which served as a tool to have the battleground of future wars between Communists and the West shifted from Europe to South Asia. In 1971 Pakistan actually fought the war for West without any support from the West. What a paradox. Pakistan’s loss in that war was not the actual loss for the West. In the fight between two elephants, it is always the grass which suffers. So Pakistan became the grass.

Then Soviets chose to invade Afghanistan in 1977 for obvious hegemonic reasons. Anatoly Brezhnev (Then USSR head of the state) declared that Soviet Army shall wash their shoes in the Indian Ocean. This sounded alarm bells in the West. They foresaw the monster of Communism knocking at their doors. With India and Afghanistan already in the belly of Soviets, Pakistan was the only wall which was in between them and the Oil fields of the Persian gulf. Oil is a very sentimental asset for the West. They can afford to lose everything but not their oil fields. So the West under the leadership of US came running down towards Pakistan. Millions of Afghan refugees also came running towards Pakistan. Pakistan accommodated all without an iota of reluctance since Afghans were the people of the faith and US was the ally. West again promised unconditional support to Pakistan both in the war against Soviets as well as in the rehabilitation of Afghan refugees. Gen Zia – Ul - Haq the then President of Pakistan, did everything possible to win that war. Afghanis who are called as terrorists today were called Mujahidin then, by the same West. Guns, Mines, Bombs, Stingers and what not were supplied by the West to Afghan Mujahidin without any reluctance. They asked for 100, they were given 1000. Millions of Dollars were pumped into the war without any account. Muslims from all over the world were encouraged by the same West to fight that ‘War against Communists’. Osama Bin Laden and company became poster boys of the West. At that time they were brave Mujahidin. Millions of Afghans and Muslims of other nationalities lost lives in that war of ideologies which was being fought on the alien Muslim lands. Not a single US soldier died. And Afghans emerged victorious. Soviet Union fell apart like pack of cards. West celebrated the victory which was gifted to them by Muslims of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Mission accomplished for them.

Now it was the time to move out of that quagmire. They left quietly leaving behind a ravaged nation and millions of refugees, who were left to fend for themselves only. No promises honored again. Their ally Pakistan, which took the direct brunt of that war, was abandoned again. Who thinks about the trampled upon grass when big Elephants finish their fight? Gen Zia who supervised all the fighting, for his beliefs in the Islamic brotherhood started to question US deceit openly. He had an unfinished agenda in front of him. He wanted to send Afghan refugees back to their country in a dignified way. His fight for the conquest of Kabul was only unfinished when his friends in the West thought to get rid of him. He was killed along with his trusted Generals and a US diplomat also became an unavoidable sacrificial lamb with them. Defaint voice was silenced. Mission accomplished once again.

Afghans did not stop at that. They continued to fight their wars on many fronts. They fought against pro – India Northern Alliance and pro – Russian Najibullah. Afghan Mujahidin who by now had become Taliban ran over their enemies to gain the control of the whole Afghanistan.
To be continued…


Koshur Mazloom © 2011

Police stop Navlakha at Srinagar airport

Noted human rights activist and writer, Gautam Navlakha on Saturday was stopped at the Srinagar International Airport by the police from visiting the Valley.His presence not needed in Kashmir: Police

Navlakha, who arrived this afternoon in the summer capital, on a personal visit was barred from leaving the airport by the police citing law and order problem.

“Police officials handed over a formal order issued by the district magistrate. I have been deported back,” Navlakha Told.

The police officials served a written order issued by the district magistrate, Budgam to Navlakha to return to New Delhi or face detention for violating the prohibitory orders under section 144.

Lashing out at the state authorities he said, “This is outrageous. They are not willing to listen to reason. This shows the level of control they exercise on people.”

Navlakha said that he has been frequently visiting the Valley for over two decades now and this is the first time his entry was restricted. This was for the first time I had not come for work as I was planning to take trekking in Kashmir, he added.

He said police offered to drop him at Jammu in their vehicle. "I refused saying that I am not a criminal," he said.Several close friends, he said were also prevented from meeting him

Superintendent of Police, Security Airports, Abdul Hamid Bhat told that he was not aware of any such development at the airport.

“Honestly, I know nothing about this incident,” he said.

However, Superintendent of police (SP) Budgam, Uttam Chand said that Navlakha’s entry into Budgam district has been restricted following the orders from the civil administration.“We feel that his presence is not needed here,” Chand said.

Friday, 27 May 2011

Launch of 'Until My Freedom Has Come - The New Intifada in Kashmir' | write2kill


Launch of 'Until My Freedom Has Come - The New Intifada in Kashmir'
Official launch of 'Until my freedom has come: The new intifada in Kashmir'. India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. May 25, 2011. Photo: Subir Ghosh
The much-awaited launch of Until My Freedom Has Come - The New Intifada in Kashmir happened. The editor of the compilation, Sanjay Kak, had been warned by the publisher about people walking out of book launches quite early in the evening. That didn't happen on May 25, 2011. The Gulmohar hall at India Habitat Centre remained choc a bloc till the end. And that too with the book being already available in stores. That's what made the evening special.
The recording I have here has been split into two files. For the better part, it is audible and discernible enough.
Part I
 
Part II
 
PS: This report has been slugged under 'People'. That's because I believe the Kashmir "issue" is about people.

By : Subir Ghosh

Original Post : Write2kill