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.

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

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

Indian imperialism in Jammu & Kashmir - Some Facts

1) 30% of the present Indian Hydroelectricity is produced in Kashmir.


2) 7 out of the 11 hydroelectric Projects announced by NHPC are located in Kashmir accounting to 60% of the total electricity production .


3) NHPC in rest of the Indian States works on 50:50 sharing basis i.e. 50% of the electricity goes to the state and 50% is given to NHPC for the investment they put, But in Kashmir the equation changes.Only 12% is given to Kashmir as a Royalty and 88% is taken away by NHPC & supplied to the northern grid of INDIA via Punjab to DELHI HARYANA etc.


4) Incidentally, Peak hour requirement of Electricity in Kashmir is 2000 Megawatts. Not able to fulfill it, the Puppet Government of J&K has to buy Electricity worth 3600 crores annually from the same northern grid to which it supplies its produced electricity.


5) NHPC succeeds in producing the cheapest possible electricity in Kashmir i.e. 25 paisa per unit, but to fulfill its peak hour requirement, Kashmir has to buy the same Electricity at 10 Rupees a unit from the Northern grid. What is the profit??


6) Indus water treaty which was signed between India & Pakistan lays down the sharing pattern of the water bodies originating in Kashmir.As per that treaty, 3 rivers are shared by India to fulfill its water deficiency and the rest of the 3 are shared by Pakistan.What Kashmir gets in return is 12 % royalty from India


7) Punjab owes 1000s of crores to Kashmir but the problem is that instead of raising a voice no bodycares.


8) As per the figures given by Puppet Chief Minister OMAR ABDULLAH in May 2010, Kashmir suffers an Annual loss of 50000 crores when it’s water is used by India and Pakistan. Keeping the
share 50%, Kashmir is suffering a loss of whooping 25000 crores annually because of INDIA.Incidentally, in the year 2009-10, Kashmir received an annual central assistance of 13952 crores from India.


9) Out of these 13952 crores, 3600 crores was spent on buying its own electricity from the northern grid which was stolen by India. 5500 crores was used for the defense purpose just because 900000 Indian troops are present to guard Kashmir from 1500 militants (Government figure 2010) allegedly present over here. Rest of the money is being used for development purpose.

And still it says that we won't be able to withstand ourselves after we achieve freedom from India's illegal occupation. By the Grace of Almighty, Freedom is coming soon, Insha'allah

A struggle to speak and be heard

By : Dilzan Boga | Dawn.com


Roushan Illahi isn’t like any youth in Indian-administered Kashmir Valley. He’s special. He’s a rapper. A poet. His rhymes are as much about him as they are about the countless youth who live in Kashmir — the world’s highest militarised zone, which also has the highest suicide rate in the world.

“I’ve seen and shivered in crackdowns, cried at funerals, inhaled tear gas too many times, got used to gun shots and blasts and you can picture the rest,” says Roushan Illahi aka MC Kash.

Born in 1990, at the peak of the armed insurgency, Roushan, who calls himself MC Kash, and hails from a middle-class family says he has seen “no fancy stuff in all the little time I’ve been alive.” At 20, Roushan is a man on a mission. He sees himself “as a storyteller who walks the graveyards”. He laughs, “I am a student who’s in love with truth. See, my father taught me three H’s – honesty, humility and hard work. That’s all I get reminded of whenever I do something.”

Roushan shot to fame in 2010 — the year where 123 people were shot in the Valley during pro-freedom demonstrations — with I Protest (Remembrance), dedicated to Kashmiris. The mellow beat peppered with gunshots betrays the angst felt by not only those who have lived to see atrocities by the Indian security forces over two decades, but also the future generations grapple with brutal state violence marred to a culture of impunity.

In this song, Roushan makes a reference to the “sponsored media who hide this genocide”. There is also a line about the mass rape of the Kashmiri women of Kunanposhpora village in the northern district of Kupwara by a battalion of the Indian army in the early nineties. The song ends with Roushan chanting the names of “all those martyred” in the summer of 2010.

Mostly all of Roushan’s songs depict the perils of living in a militarised society, under “occupation”. One of them goes like this, “They told me I’ll lose my dreams if I blink/Walk with my head down and get shot before I think/Kiss the soil of Kashmir and get stabbed in the back/Talk in simplicity like Gandhi and still get clapped.”

Also ‘Truth’ is a central theme in Roushan’s rhymes. In Bow to the Ground, he chants, “When truth is your weapon, you don’t have a shield. But Allah protects you and faith is all you need.”

Finally, the world can put a face to the voice and the words. Roushan’s latest video Beneath This Sky was released a couple of weeks ago. It got many hits on Facebook’s MC Kash (Official) page. Despite the recognition, Roushan remains firmly attached to his past and is able to trace its influences in his work.

About his life, Roushan reveals that he has “grown up and spent my first six years in an area where the ‘Kashmiri sentiments’ run deeper than blood… where a number of mujahideen came from, where the martyrs have special graveyards (that’s the same with every locality out here in Kashmir). I’ve seen and shivered in crackdowns, cried at funerals, inhaled tear gas too many times, got used to gun shots and blasts and you can picture the rest,” he says like one of the thousands of children who have never known peace.

The environment was not conducive and Roushan’s family decided to move out. “We shifted to another place where we practically had a house and a more ‘calm’ neighbourhood. I mean nothing happened out here. No protests. We had army all around us. It’s like one of the biggest camps here in Srinagar. In a way, I got a chance to breathe in an air that never smelled of tear gas.” Recalling the past, Roushan reflects, “I’m blessed to have been brought up by such beautiful parents. They always gave me that freedom to be what I wanted to be… to do what I wanted to do. They did their best to keep me and my brother safe”.

Inspired by the slain American rapper Tupac Shakur, Roushan was never motivated to rap. Shakur was shot when Roushan was only six years old.

For Roushan, rap happened as a way of blowing steam – a mode of expression. “I would say some pretty ugly personal experiences had me contemplating, like I needed to ‘express’ myself and the way I felt about different stuff. Then I started to rhyme. Nothing happens in one day. I was a shy guy at school, never took part in nothing, you know what I’m saying? All I know is that I needed to speak out and hip-hop was the best platform I knew.”

Roushan likes to read. He also loves to write. He elaborates, “I like to learn, most importantly.” Roushan also smokes cigars and hangs around with his friends. “Manchester United. I mean, I’m 20. I got all that you see in a twenty year old. I’m nothing different, just one thing that I stood up for my people and I know how beloved truth is to me ‘cause I have seen it inspire people,” he plainly states.

But unlike any 20-year-old, Roushan has more than one icon he motivates him and that resonates in his lyrics. “See all the Holy Prophets, they are an inspiration for me. I mean you will hear the names of Moses and John the Baptist too. I derive a lot of motivation from their stories. How, they would fight for the truth. How they believed and got through.”

Roushan wants his music to play a role – educate and inspire. He adds, “Probably all I want is to make people ‘think’. Hey! I’ve just sowed a seed. People need to sit back and watch it flourish. Insha’Allah.”

This articulate and bright youngster has his own take on the several decades-old conflict that plagues his beautiful land. The resolution, he says, is simple. “Let the Kashmiris decide. It’s our land. Our soil. No Pakistan. No India. It’s we who die. It’s we who suffer. I don’t know why everybody else is blind to this basic fact. This ‘conflict’ is fought on our soil, so let us decide how to end it.”

This singer and songwriter had a couple of offers of touring from Delhi and Mumbai but nothing formulated. “I guess nobody wants riots. Don’t know what future will hold for me, all I can do is work hard and stay true. But I would love to be at places and express myself.”

Roushan has also faced flack from the security agencies for his anti-India lyrics. But that has not deterred him off track, “It’s funny the way my studio got raided by the police. I mean what did the studio people do? Nonetheless, because of it, I’ve been without a recording space for three to four months now. Every other studio just doesn’t want me to be around, you know what I’m saying? Lord keeps me strong though and my mother’s blessings have kept me safe.”

The writer is an Indian journalist and the recipient of Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize for her work in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Octogenarian’s custodial killing: SHRC indicts army for cover up

The Army subjected an 80 year old man to torture and when he died in custody, a story was concocted. To cover up its crime, the Army lodged a false report claiming that the octogenarian had died in a blast after “disclosing about” hiding arms and ammunition.

This has been revealed in a J&K State Human Rights Commission (JKSHRC) judgement announced by its member (retd. IGP) Abdul Rashid Khan on May 20.

On March 8 last year, the JKSHRC received a complaint from Bashir Ahmad Mir regarding the custodial killing of his father Ghulam Mohammad Mir of Lakdipora, Damhal Hanjipora, Kulgam.

Taking cognizance of the matter, the JKSHRC then issued notices to then DGP J&K and Deputy Commissioner Kulgam for furnishing the factual report. In the report received from the police, it was stated that a report had been lodged by the son of the deceased octogenarian at Damhal Hanjipora police station where he said his village was cordoned by the Army Camp DH Pora in March 1997 and during the crackdown some villagers had been apprehended.

Later, the octogenarian’s body was “found lying” at the concerned police station on March 7, 1997 and case FIR No. 09/1997 lodged.

However, the DGP’s report further stated that one more complaint was received from Major Adjt. 2-RR Camp DH Pora that said Ghulam Mohammad Mir was “apprehended for questioning” where he “disclosed about hiding of some arms/ ammunition. While the said subject was taken for enquiry, a blast took place which caused the death of the subject.”

Surprisingly, the Army had even reported that one of its jawan had sustained injuries during the incident.

However, the DGP’s report was refuted by the complainant, Mir, who said: “Major dipped his father in ice-cold water and later tortured him to death.” He also managed to produce three witnesses whose statements were recorded.

After examining the statements, the JKSHRC judgement said: “On the examination of the eyewitness namely Syed Shaida Hussain it is established beyond any doubt that Gh. Mohammad Mir who was 80 years old and Nambardar of the area, was lifted by the Army 2 RR Camp D.H.

Pora and subjected to torture which resulted into his death. To cover up their crime and unwarranted action, the Army lodged a false report with the P/S DH Pora. The facts of the case unravel the cause of the death of Gh. Mohammad as a custodial torturous death.”

The JKSHRC has also recommended ex-gratia relief of one lac rupees and benefits under SRO-43 to one eligible NOKs of the deceased if not already sanctioned