koshurpinta Blog

Rethinking Religious Conversions in Kashmir | Views from Within

2011-11-25T17:49:00.001+05:30

Kashmir has been a Muslim majority region since manycenturies now. Islam was spread in Kashmir by peaceful Preachings of Sufis andRishism. In the words of eminent historian Prem Nath Bazaz “Politics had dehumanized the kashmiris, Islammade them men again. Just as the Muslim rule was established in Kashmir withoutmuch bloodshed, so was Islam spread throughout the length and breadth of thevalley by Peaceful preaching and lucid persuasions of Mir Sayyid Ali andhundreds of the Sayyid missionaries who came from Hamadan and other parts ofPersia”.

Thus the Islam in Kashmir has its own indigenouscharacter. The majority of Muslims deeply revere and love their faith, at timesquite fanatically. There had been attempts to reconvert Muslims of Kashmir tosome other faith, as they had been Hindus and Buddhists at various times, evenby Maharaja Gulab Singh, the founder of the present State of Jammu & Kashmirand Dogra dynasty, who tried to reconvert the inhabitants of valley to Hinduism,but the Brahmans abhorred him from any such practice. The ChristianMissionaries used to visit and work in Kashmir where they established variouseducational institutions and hospitals during the Dogra rule. The name of DrKnowles, C.E Tyndale Biscoe, author of Kashmirin Sunlight and Shade, Miss Muriel P. Mallinson and many others are worthmentioning, for their contribution towards educational upliftment andhumanitarian welfare for the inhabitants of Kashmir. Even if they weremissionaries, but they didn’t indulge in proselytizing activity on a mass scaleor either the Kashmiris weren’t willing to convert to some other religion? Thisquestion needs to be answered by historians!

The recent debate on religious conversion and thecontroversy following it has brought many ugly facts to the fore, with a cleartinge of Fascism lurking around the corner. A video was circulated on a socialnetworking website, depicting a Bishop baptizing ten youth, who renounced Islamto accept Christianity as their new faith. This video prompted a hue and cry,and the Bishop C.M Khanna was summoned by the Head Mufti of Kashmir, MuftiBashir Uddin to his Sharia court,which has no enforcing agency or authority, but C.M Khanna alongwith some otherpriests did present themselves before the court. They accepted that the youthhad converted at their hands. It has also been alleged that hundreds of youthhave renounced Islam and converted to Christianity at the hands of C.M Khannaand other Christian missionaries. It has even come to the fore that the youthwere lured with money for conversion(See Kashmir Monitor, 23^rdNovember, 2011). It has also been alleged that Christian missionaries haveintervened in the 2005 quake devastated areas of Uri and Tangdar, in the nameof carrying out relief and rebuilding activities in the area, but behind theveil of humanitarian aid they are facilitating and carrying out conversions inthese areas.

Genesisof the Problem

The armed insurgency which initiated during theearly 1990s brought in its wake, numerous miseries and misfortunes for thepeople of Kashmir. The innocent, blind and spontaneous killings devastatedhundreds of families and the number of suffering groups have reached tomillions. The Political economy of the conflict is yet to be studied academically,but what is manifest and can be witnessed with one’s own eyes is the bizarrefact that a section of the society has been driven into the dark dungeons of abjectpoverty, while the other section has become immensely rich, at the cost of thepoor. These Neo-Rich include many separatist leaders also, who never get tiredfrom professing Aazadi to the masses,making them cannon fodder in their utopian zeal for Aazadi. At the same time these ‘leaders’ never relent in fillingtheir coffers with ill gotten money. When the victims of conflict reach out tothem for compensation, they are shown the door. Thus they are left utterlydisgusted by those whom they considered as their ‘saviors’. “For a hungrystomach, bread is God” goes a Sanskrit saying.

Thevoluntary sector in Kashmir comprises either those organizations which existonly on paper or those few dedicated ones whose resources are so meager thatthey can’t cater to the needs of all, the destitute and downtrodden. Islam envisagesa system of Zakah, which is obligatory on every Muslim who possesses a certainamount of property and money more than his needs. He is ordered to pay 2.5% ofhis savings as the Zakah, which according to Quran can be given under eightbroad categories which include poor, destitute, prisoners, orphans, ill andothers. But in Kashmir no system of Zakah is prevalent on mass level, but otherunislamic practices are going on in the name of Zakah(For more detail see myPaper, Charity Practices in Kashmir, WhyKashmiris don’t Pay Zakah). Even if a miniscule minority does pay Zakah,but it isn’t distributed accordingly, hence Zakah its essence, spirit and itsfruits don’t reach those for whom it is meant.

Zakahthus tries to inculcate a spirit of fellow feeling, empathy for the poor andwashes away the love of money from one’s heart and is necessary for one’sspiritual development. This Spirit is absent from Kashmiri Muslims, whosemajority indulges in hedonist extravagance and feels pride while boasting aboutit, a practice seriously shunned by Quranic Injunctions. The ill gotten wealthaccumulated either through bribes or black marketing has to be spent onbuilding big mansions and on the wedding of one’s children, in the form ofgluttonous Wazwans(traditional feastsprepared on marriages which consists scores of dishes prepared from meat), andnow crackers too. The poor are left to fend for themselves, driven by theabject poverty many women and young girls have adopted flesh trade, as a meansof dosing the omnipresent hearth of the body. In situations, like these whenthere is despair from political leaders, little hope from voluntary sector andgross darkness from Muslim religious leaders, conversion to Christianity isbetter than adoption of flesh trade, as Christians are our cousins also.

ReligiousConversion: Shifting Paradigms

The debate about conversions has been going on sincemany decades in India. The fascist Hindutva organizations have been braying forthe Blood of Missionaries. Many a times their threats haven’t gone in vain e.g. the torching of Graham Stains, and his two young sons ,attacks on Christian minority in Kandhamal, Orissa, and numerous other attackson churches, missionaries and nuns. The Hindutva cadres and leaders despitecomprising the majority in India suffer from siege and fear mentality. It canbe labeled as “Indomitable Minority Fear”. It is this fear complex whichmanifests itself in the form of persecution of minorities during Communalriots. The fascist, communal Hindutva organizations use this fear complex toarouse the masses against the minorities.

Bajrang Dal, openly boasts that it carries outattacks against the Christians and their symbols in a last attempt to stop theforceful conversion, as the conversions are allegedly carried out undercoercion.(See Karnataka, The Violence of Religion, Tehelka, Vol 5, Issue 39,P-26). Rebutting this claim of forceful conversions Archbishop of bengaluru,Reverend Bernard Moras said, The Christian community has been running schoolsand educational institutions for hundreds of years. Have we converted all thosewho arrive at our doorsteps seeking education and medical attention? Why are somany people flocking to our schools and colleges?(Ibid, Tehelka, P-36-37). Thesame applies for Kashmir too, where thousands of parents use overt and covertmeans for securing the admission of their wards in schools run by Christianmissionaries. But I have never encountered any convert from these schools!!

Similar allegations have been leveled against Muslimmissionaries too. An allegation of “Love Jihad” was also propounded against Muslimsand given much hype by the mainstream media, but the matter of the fact is thatnothing like Love Jihad ever existed.

In Kashmir the conversions have never been gory orviolent after 1947, except on one occasion when the world renowned painter of KashmirGhulam Rasool Santosh , married a Hindu(Pandit) girl, who converted to Islamand changed her name from Parmeshwari to Parveen Jan. The subsequent agitationfollowing this conversion and marriage prompted the then veteran Urdujournalist Shameem Ahmad Shameem to severely criticize the agitation and many‘Progressive’, ‘Secular’ and ‘Educated’ Pandits who were leading it. ThePandits, then suffered from the fear of annihilation and assimilation at thehands of Muslim majority, a fear which now hunts the Muslims.

Islamversus Conversions

Islam is not a religion like Hinduism, in which yourbirth destines your status in the varna hierarchynor like Judaism where you inherit religion by hereditary. The bounty of Islamisn’t shared by birth, but Islam has to be strived, discovered, realized, acceptedand then adopted to lead one’s life according to its pristine, human, pluraland universal principles.

In the sense of discovery and with full conscienceand commitment majority of Kashmiri Muslims haven’t accepted Islam, but it is ahereditary lineage which they attain by the fate of their birth. Majority ofKashmiri Muslims have brought shame to the name of Islam. What we have got isthe second biggest corrupt State in India according to the Transparency InternationalStandards, whereas Islam deeply abhors corruption. Despite being a Muslimmajority region the sale of liquor and drugs alongwith suicides is increasingwith each passing day.

Most of the Kashmiri students, who have gone tostudy abroad as well as to other states of India, have added insult to injuryby indulging in pre-marital sex, drugs and became a prey to many other vices.What have we to boast claiming to be the ‘vanguards’ of Islamic Principles? Thehue and cry over the conversion speaks about our superficiality and mediocritytowards Islam, when we ignore the real threat and raise furore over the false ones.If certain people have found other faiths better suited than Islam, let themconvert to those, as there is no compulsion in religion. Also it is better toconvert than being hypocrites and suspicious about the immortal teachings ofIslam.

Many people are converting to Islam and Muslimperiodicals and journals are regularly carrying out their illuminating storiesof their journeys to Islam. In a similar manner the process can go vice-versa.It must also be acknowledged that our Ulema, Muftis and Maulvis have failed tobecome role models for our youth and influence their course of life. Thereligious authorities, most of them have their own axe to grind in expanding thesectarian battles. They couldn’t resist the evil of material temptation, ormost of them live quite luxurious lives aloof from masses, and most of theirearnings emanate from exploitation of religious sentiments of masses on one orother pretext and banner. The dichotomy between their words and deeds, havemade them utterly unreliable. These all factors and many more have reducedtheir status in the eyes of Muslim youth, who look elsewhere for role models.In the search for role models other than Islamic they fall prey to a host ofvices.

Here the fact needs to be acknowledged that when theBritish were ruling whole sub-continent and their paramountcy and suzeraintyeven engulfed the Princely State of Kashmir. The masses were downtrodden,humiliated and oppressed, Christian missionaries couldn’t succeed in any massproselytizing activity, how come they would be successful now in changing thedemographic character of Kashmiri Muslims, when the Muslims of Kashmir areexcelling in Education, Politics, Economy and other different fields??

Abrahamic Faiths, which include Christianity as wellas Islam, do believe in conversions and this process among them will continuetill eternity. There is no need to panic. A few dozen conversions doesn’tdepict that something is seriously wrong. Islam doesn’t believe in numbers butquality. Only a few better Muslims are sufficient who would live upto itsPrinciples, rather than millions whose activities bring a bad name to it, andwhose actions and deeds, repel and impede the conversion of others to the wayof Salvation.

FascismLurking Round the Corner

Kashmir valley has the history of Communal harmonyand unlike Northern States; no fascist Hindutva organization operates in thevalley, though Jammu has its share of Hindutva fascists. The tolerant, humaneand plural nature of Kashmiris, made it possible that no violent step was takenby masses, against Christian missionaries, unlike in other parts of India, butI have been experiencing a change in the mood of some faceless people. Inkeeping verve with the golden words Martin Niemoller

First they came for Socialists, andI did not speak out because I was not a socialist

Then they came for the TradeUnionists, and I did not speak out because, I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews, and Idid not speak out, because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me, and therewas no one left to speak for me.

Ifeel obliged to aware my people and speak up for the minorities. A certaingroup on the Social Networking website has been inflicting choicest abuses onthe new converts to Christianity and calling for their blood. Some others havebeen calling for the burning of Christian missionary schools, where thousandsof Muslim students are studying. Someothers have been calling for the ban on religious conversion in Kashmir, in a similarfashion as Vishwa Hindu Parishad(VHP) demanded in February 2006. Later on inJune 2008, VHP urged that religious conversion be decreed as a ‘heinous crime’across India. As if it wasn’t enough many others demanded that Christianmissionaries quit Kashmir.

These all demands are fascist in nature, and thosewho demand such fascist Hindutva measures are either ignorant about UniversalTeachings of Islam or about the times they are living in. We are not living inDark Ages, where the new converts would be burnt at stake. Every democraticNation has accepted, conversion, belief and way of practicing one’s religion asone of the fundamental rights. An individual is free to profess, believe andspread whatever faith he belongs to. If killing or braying for blood of newconverts is professed, then new converts to Islam all over the world would haveto run amok for their lives.

The burning of schools is an Anti-Human andAnti-Islamic activity, and those calling for any such action can no way beMuslims! In recent days news is circulating on the internet about the persecutionof a Muslim student, because of his beard in a Delhi based school, operating inKashmir. The said student has been suspended for a particular period of timefrom the school because he is sporting a beard. He has been ordered to shave itoff, in order to be reinstated. This act of secular fascism needs to beresisted, as it accounts to the interference with one’s faith, which isanti-constitutional, undemocratic and fascist in nature.

The ban on conversion as espoused by many Muslimzealots, would have severe ramifications for converts to Islam too, because theytoo would be denied a right to convert to Islam, which many fascist Hindutvaorganizations want, because people are converting to Islam in order to escapethe caste and brahmanical tyranny and experience human dignity and socialjustice.

Others, who press for the ban on Christian missionaries’presence in Kashmir, are oblivious of the fact, that a similar ban in otherNations on activities of Muslim missionaries like Tablighi Jamaat would have severe ramifications on Muslim andMuslim minorities living in the Christian world, where Islam is spreading at animmense pace.

Those who are demanding such fascist measures mustunderstand that Islam wasn’t born in Kashmir or distinction of Kashmir only orKashmiris are the only Muslims in the world. Islam is Universal, omnipresentand belongs to all, whether Muslim or non Muslim. Any fascist action inKashmir, will fuel a similar fascist reaction in other Non Muslim lands whereMuslim minorities would have to suffer immensely for our non sense action.

Islam doesn’t dwarf from a few conversions, neitheris it afraid of them. It is but the Muslims who are ignorant and shaky in theirfaith about the teachings of Islam, which makes them fearful of the Christian missionariesand their proselytizing activities. They seem ignorant about their religioustruth and its universal message. Islam if compared with the other religions andtheir scriptures, overpowers, dwarfs and conquers them all, not by force but byits Peaceful, Powerful arguments. Its universal, humane and pluralisticteachings are the only way for salvation of whole mankind.

Conclusion

The conversion controversy has made it clear thatthere is a presence of those Muslims among Kashmiris who are ready to selltheir faith for a paltry amount of money. The act of paying money forconversion by Christian missionaries is indeed condemnable, as faith isn’tsomething you offer on sale. It must equally be condemned that Christianmissionaries are taking advantage of the vulnerable section of the society andluring them towards Christianity by offering them monetary compensation. It canbe well inferred from this practice that there has been no change of heart inmost of these conversions and the new converts can be won back to the fold ofIslam by taking care of their monetary needs.

Equally repelling is the act of C.M Khanna in whichhe has named certain university professors who had participated alongwith himin various seminars in their capacity of being agents of change, dialogue andreconciliation. Many Mullahs and Maulvis have started spreading rumors aboutthese men of learning and even about some reputed social activists that theyhave been facilitating conversions, which is altogether wrong and stands disproved.The Social and academic work which these distinguished men have undertaken inthe conflict ridden Kashmir, have earned them many permanent enemies who wantto sabotage their work, hence are churning the rumor mill.

Overall the fact needs to be acknowledged andcondemned that we as a society have failed in our duties towards poor anddestitute. We are devoid of empathy towards our fellow suffering human beings.This apathy has taken many forms and conversion seems to be one. It is betterthat we become conscious of our duties towards the vulnerable section of oursociety, instead of braying loudly about Islam being under threat. Islam wasnever under threat nor can it be as Allah has taken the guarantee of its protection,but we have to remove misconceptions, hurdles, and obstacles which impede itsUniversal Teachings from reaching to the masses of the world.

Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activistbased in Srinagar, kashmir and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com

What it is to own an Apple Product | koshurpinta Style

2011-11-21T22:36:00.001+05:30

Enable java script and click on the image to zoom and comfortable viewing :-)

Believe it or Not! India is Shining

2011-11-13T11:57:00.001+05:30

Indian Swiss Bank Accounts Exposed for the First Time a Koshurpinta Exclusive :P

Eid Mubarak | Haj Mubarak

2011-11-06T11:54:00.000+05:30


Eid ul Adha Mubarak

Steve Jobs and the Seven Rules of Success

2011-10-14T23:00:00.000+05:30

Steve Jobs and the Seven Rules of Success Steve Jobs' impact on your life cannot be underestimated. His innovations have likely touched nearly every aspect -- computers, movies, music and mobile. As a communications coach, I learned from Jobs that a presentation can, indeed, inspire. For entrepreneurs, Jobs' greatest legacy is the set of principles that drove his success.

Over the years, I've become a student of sorts of Jobs' career and life. Here's my take on the rules and values underpinning his success. Any of us can adopt them to unleash our "inner Steve Jobs."

1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, "People with passion can change the world for the better." Asked about the advice he would offer would-be entrepreneurs, he said, "I'd get a job as a busboy or something until I figured out what I was really passionate about." That's how much it meant to him. Passion is everything.

2. Put a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in the power of vision. He once asked then Pepsi President, John Sculley, "Do you want to spend your life selling sugar water or do you want to change the world?" Don't lose sight of the big vision.

3. Make connections. Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. He took calligraphy classes that didn't have any practical use in his life -- until he built the Macintosh. Jobs travelled to India and Asia. He studied design and hospitality. Don't live in a bubble. Connect ideas from different fields.

4. Say no to 1,000 things. Jobs was as proud of what Apple chose not to do as he was of what Apple did. When he returned in Apple in 1997, he took a company with 350 products and reduced them to 10 products in a two-year period. Why? So he could put the "A-Team" on each product. What are you saying "no" to?

5. Create insanely different experiences. Jobs also sought innovation in the customer-service experience. When he first came up with the concept for the Apple Stores, he said they would be different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives. Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand. What are you doing to enrich the lives of your customers?

6. Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can't communicate your ideas, it doesn't matter. Jobs was the world's greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation.

7. Sell dreams, not products. Jobs captured our imagination because he really understood his customer. He knew that tablets would not capture our imaginations if they were too complicated. The result? One button on the front of an iPad. It's so simple, a 2-year-old can use it. Your customers don't care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you'll win them over.

There's one story that I think sums up Jobs' career at Apple. An executive who had the job of reinventing the Disney Store once called up Jobs and asked for advice. His counsel? Dream bigger. I think that's the best advice he could leave us with. See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas.

source:http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220515

Start as an Intern, Finish with that Job

2011-09-30T09:34:00.001+05:30

The job market is now tougher and more competitive then ever before. And companies are trying to hire fewer employees, and hire employees who will deliver for sure. As an intern, this gives you the oppotunity to prove your worth to your company; and who knows, at the end of your internship, you might just get an offer letter to a permanent job!

However, turning an intership to a full-time job requires quite some hard work. Sounds obvious? But then, that's what most interns irk from doing. As a non-paid intern, you might take your work casually, and leave behind half your work incomplete with a hundrer loose ends for the company to tie up once you have left. That is not going to help if you hope to get hired or get future recommendation. Taking you in as an intern was an act of trust, and it is your "job" not to break it!

A good way to get started would be have a talk with your Manager or immediate superior. Ask them what they expect you to do. Let them know about your skills, abilities and technical knowledge, so that they might be able to assign you tasks that would suit you better and keep you challenged

Putting in a bit of extra effort never hurts your rep. Reach office before your boss, and try to stay back late. If you feel that the job is not challenging enough, inform your boss. Most companies would appreciate your earnest attitude and will assign you productive tasks that will help you learn something new. Talk to your seniors and brief them on your progress and ask for suggestions to improve.

Keep a cordial relationship with the other employees. You might share the office with them someday. Moreover an employee can tell you more about the office, and whether it's worth working there, than anyone else. Be professionally curious. Discuss topics related to your job and they new stuff you learnt at office. Ask them to help you out if you get stuck in a project.

And when you are about to leave, make sure that you can keep in touch with most of them. Talk to your boss about the career you are looking forward to. Send in Thank You notes to your colleagues for the little things they did which made the office an easier place to be. Ask them to add you in their professional network on Linkedin.

So when you step out after your internship, even if you do not have an offer letter in hand, you do know that there would be people around who might be able to find you a good offer when it comes!

RAMADHAN RUMINATIONS

2011-09-11T09:30:00.000+05:30

The month of Ramadhan is one which brings in its wake abundant blessings and shower of mercies from the Almighty Allah.Every Muslim awaits desperately for this Holy Month so that he can purify his soul(Tazkiya-e-Nafs),repent from his past sins, form a more closer acquaintance with his Creator, thus start his life afresh having attained the angelic innocence of a new born baby.

Every Ramadhan is a new refreshing experience for me. I being a deviant from the norms of my generation and society am a regular visitor to the local masjid were I offer my prayers. This ramadhan too like previous experiences during ramadhan the masjid was full and I could get my place only in the last row. Also there was an undying vigor and zest to proclaim Daroods and Dua's more loudly among the Namazees. This routine continued but with each passing day there started verbal Tu-Tu-Mey-Mey(Mutual Bickering)among the Namazees. On one occasion a Namazee like an interrogator started to demand accountability from the Masjid Welfare Society as to why there are not proper water and washing mug arrangements despite the fact that the people were paying well for the Masjid Welfare. The Namazee unaware of the fact that municipality at various times sans water supply unveiling the fact that he was a Ramadhan Namazee(One who offers his prayers during the Holy Month of Ramadhan Only).

A young boy in his early teens was ordered to move to the back row by the members of the masjid welfare society as the first row was reserved only for them, may be certified by the Holy decree? When I enquired from the boy why he had moved to the front row, he answered that he had read that offering prayer in the front row earns more Thawab(virtues) and blessings in contrast to other rows. I then thought that yes this row was earning more 'Thawab' as the welfare society only comprised of retired individuals who have a dubious character, earned money by illegal means elevated their status by this black money and now started dictating terms to others. Some of them are even now fighting the accusations for hoarding more assets than their capacity in government jobs, and have to present themselves in courts to defend and clear the accusations against them.

During Ramadhan one gets to know different people inheriting varied shades of opinion. The self-proclaimed opinionative scrutinize every movement of the Imam(The Leader of the Prayer).After the prayer is over they start polemical discussions with the Imam on a varied range of topics from the amount of beard an Imam should ply on his face to the holding of staff in his respective hand. The opinionative gather from his right and left teaching him their form of worship and are satisfied only when the Imam starts implementing their respective reverent opinions. In this process he loses his indigenous character and a unique position he is supposed to enjoy, he as a result becomes a ship without a rudder, following the whims of the organizing or welfare committee who pays for his services. If in any case, he wishes to fight against the committee Imperialism so as to free himself from the committee ordained shackles and retain his original independent status he used to enjoy during the Islamic Caliphate, he is fired off and other one is hired on the condition that he will follow like a "Dumb-Cow".

The position of Imam is in contrast to what the term Imam suggests or supposes as he has been reduced to a position of financial wreck where always the threat of losing his job looms like a naked sword over his head and pangs of poverty always send shivers down his spine. What a constructive part can he play in building of our society on healthy terms, I thought?

During Ramadhan the number of Welfare Organisations, Darul-Ulooms(Religious Seminaries),orphanages also sprung up in numbers and everyday a new orphanage would knock at my door and ask for the orphans, destitute and needy. Encountering these enormous orphanages made me believe that all Kashmiris are orphans. Neither the government nor we people are bothered to look whether they are authentic ones or not? All we are concerned with is only to pay our Zakat which even proves a burden upon some of us as a Levy-Tax? One day when I went for prayers a man stood up, introduced himself as emissary of some Darul-Uloom situated at Poonch and appealed to people for monetary help. Meanwhile one member of the committee order him to stop his speech and remain outside the mosque for collecting the funds. Experiencing this behavior was a shock to me but I maintained my reticence. The Islamic history with which I am acquainted a bit from my teenage became live in my mind when the masjids were the central pivot in a muslim society. It was used as a hospital, as a guest house, as an arsenal, as a library and overall as an institution were all issues pertaining to Muslims individually and as a Society collectively were solved. But now even the religious class is being debarred from the masjids. I thought where would the person go to meet the expenses of Darul-Ulooms? Will he demand it as a beggar from government or Non-Muslims? When will he teach and learn when majority of his time is spent procuring money to keep the smooth running of Darul-Uloom?Isn't it our religious duty that we should ourselves visit these Darul-Ulooms, and pay the money for there survival and not the vice-versa? Is this a reason that our Darul-Ulooms aren't able to lead and enlighten our community?Is this the very obstacle that why in the past Darul-Ulooms were able to produce personalities like Imam Ghazzali, Imam Ibn Taimiyyah and Anwar Shah Kashmiri while now we are producing a breed of Maulvis every year with no original thinker or luminary scholar?

Moving on in Ramadhan I had to visit a government department being a norm in all these departments one has to grease the palms of the "civil servants" to have public work done. I thought that in this pious month it will be exceptional but to my dismay it was just opposite. The officer demanded bribe as "Khazre-Ponse"(Dates Money) as fasting is usually broken by Dates and told me to hand them over to his subordinate. His subordinate told me that his Sahib would not touch the money during the day but after Iftaar he will demand it and get the full days earning. Thus Allah as well as his Banda(slave) is happy!!.

One day while walking through Lal Chowk I encountered a friend whom I couldn't recognize as he had grown a thick beard. Upon inquiry he told me he was feeling wrong to shave his beard during this holy month, but will certainly shave it on Eid he firmly asserted. I could see this kind of change in some of my girl compatriots also who would occasionally cover their heads when there was Azaan(Muslim Call for Prayer) but now were covering their heads for whole day. Though I didn't experience any kind of such activity which depicted that Ramadhan was going on and Kashmir is a Muslim majority only the exception being that the business establishments opened late and closed early. The restaurants, hotels and local dhabas remained open as usual though with a system of Hijaab(Veil) and the gluttons frequented these places as usual.

After the Eid namaz was over I went for the Zuhr prayers and found the masjid inhabited by few Namazees as usual in other days of the year. The Ramadhan Namazees being again hijacked by Shaitaan and his emissaries. I heaved a sigh of relief as the masjid was once again free from Noise Pollution and Non-ending discussions. Now I could pray solitarily without disturbance, this is a real achievement for me, but this is only one face of the coin .It is also an issue of shame and lament for us as a whole nation. Whom are we trying to deceive by the false piety under the grab of which we spent whole of our Ramadhan and hope our past has been erased, now free to scribe the future and next ramadhan will come again to erase our past. We continue this cycle for our whole lives arrogantly claiming our false victory as real triumph, thus as a result fall prey to self-deception only. Thus scores of Ramadhans come in our lives and go, but we remain the reluctant ones, thus remaining deprived of the blessings promised by Allah, which results that Ramadhan never proves to be a turning point in our lives!!!

Mushtaq ul Haq Ahmad Sikander.

S/o: Farooq Ahmad Sikandar.

R/o: Pakeezah House, 13-A extension, Rawalpora Housing Colony, Sanat Nagar, Srinagar, 190005, J&K, INDIA.

Mushtaq ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com

Corruption Free Kashmir | an initiative

2011-08-21T07:18:00.000+05:30

Join the Nationwide Student-Youth Campaign for a Corruption-free-Kashmir.

This summer, hundreds of students and youth will hit the streets throughout Kashmir to unite people against corruption. Strengthen this massive campaign against the neo-liberal policies, corporations and institutions responsible for corruption and loot of resources.

We appeal to you to join this campaign as an active volunteer.

Donate and support for this social cause!

Amount raised through Donations will be spent in organising awareness programmes about corruption! and printing pamphlets, organising debates in colleges, universities etc.

Latest Designer Kurti's starting @ Rs.390 / 9.00 USD

2011-08-20T17:06:00.002+05:30

Get the best deal on Kurti's this summer. All imported apparels all the way from Karachi, Mumbai, Delhi and Dubai. Range starting as low as Rs.150 to Rs.390.

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On-line shopping portal of Gowher Boutique comming soon.

Is Mysticism the Way out? | Mushtaq Ul Haq

2011-08-17T17:04:00.000+05:30

“Religion is community centric, comes to divide and kill people, but Mysticism is universal, unites people and teaches to love everybody”, retorted a professor to my question as to why the mysticism teaches love but the religious scriptures of each religion also contain the stories of punishments of previous nations which have gone astray as well as dire warnings for people not to rebel against God’s commandments, hence be a object of his wrath. Similar deliberations like this were a part of the 13 day Workshop on “Mystic Thought of Kashmir” held from 1-13 August, 2011 at UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Institute of Kashmir Studies(IKS), Kashmir University as a part of its programmes which it holds from time to time and I happened to be one of the participants of this Workshop. It was one of the most vibrant and academic workshops that I have ever encountered on mysticism with the only apparent flaw that the name Mystic Thought Of Kashmir gave an impression that only Kashmiri Mysticism was discussed, whereas the matter of fact is that Mysticism of all leading religions was discussed, which exposed the participants to various rich traditions of mysticism as espoused in different religions, for which the IKS and its Director M.H Zaffar alongwith Prof Gulshan Majeed must be congratulated.

In the present day world of corporate, capitalist, and casino culture, mysticism really is an endangered species as is religion which is fountainhead of mysticism. This fact was decried by various resource persons and speakers who made their presentations on various aspects of Mysticism, though very little was talked about Kashmiri Sufism or Rishism which is wrongly attributed as Kashmiriyat, and our indigenous Sufis and Rishis were least talked of, but surely next time the organizers would be cautious about the fact, because our own Sufis and Rishis like Mir Sayyid Ali Hamdani, Mahbubul Alam, weren’t even touched by the learned scholars and speakers. But the presentations and scholarly deliberations on Hindu, Christian, Jewish and Islamic mysticism were really superb and I learnt a lot about these traditions. Also to add beauty to the workshop most of the speakers were practicing mystics because mysticism is to be least talked and read about, but its essence lies and opens up to the seeker through practice and experience, it makes the seeker more practical than theoretical arm chair thinker.

The story of all religions is same, in the manner that Prophets who brought and preached and to whom religious scriptures were revealed did their job selflessly preaching the core values of every religion i.e. Justice, compassion, human dignity, truth, love for humanity, but after their deaths, a section of their followers developed vested, economic and political interests and exploited the religion for gratification of instincts of lower self and in the process religion became a scapegoat and its teachings got distorted and many a times it became a tool for violence against people, which even prompted many philosophers and men of thinking to rebel against religion and hold it responsible for the miseries afflicting mankind, but a section of people got disassociated with the mainstream distorted version of religions and tried to go back to the pristine, humanistic and genuine teachings of their religion, hence we got Mystic version of every religion, though mystic tendency is present in every religion. These mystics preached love for humanity, fraternity and harmony irrespective of religion, gender, race or color, hence they appealed to people of every hue and faith, who still throng their graves, shrines and other places attributed or related to them in vast numbers. But later on as happened with religion, mysticism too got exploited or distorted at the hands of some vested interests, who used it for attaining more worldly pleasures and materialistic wealth instead of helping people realize and long for the transcendental reality. In the present day, daily news about numerous scandals and money swindling by the babas, yogis and God men bear a testimony to this fact. The ‘mystics’ too haven’t been able to save themselves from the influence of materialism. The Tazkiya e Nafs(self purification) of these ‘upholders’ of mysticism many a times remains incomplete, hence leading people astray and towards doom, because if your heart, soul and spirit hasn’t been purified from the instincts of baser self, you fail to reflect the attributes of Divine. There is a famous story of a Muslim Sufi mystic Sarmad who was contemporary of Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor. He had supported Dara Shikoh who was elder brother of Aurangzeb and inclined towards Sufism, hence Aurangzeb wanted to kill him. He obtained a Fatwa form the ‘ulama on the grounds that he did not recite the Kalimah(profession of Islamic faith) fully. Instead of saying La ilaha illallah(there is no God, except one God), he would only say la ilaha( there is no God).

On the basis of the fatwa Aurangzeb ordered his execution and when the executioner raised his sword, one of Sarmad’s disciples rushed and whispered in his ear: ‘now at least say illallah and save your life!’ To this, Sarmad replied, ‘do you want me to tell a lie to save my life?’ The disciple, surprised at his answer, had said, ‘is it a lie to say illallah?’ “No”, said Sarmad, ‘it is the highest truth. But for me it would be a lie’. “What is that?’ the disciple had questioned. “Because, I have not been able to really deny the many gods of desire still sitting in my heart. How can I then say illallah? I am still worshipping so many idols of desire and not free of them’, was Sarmad’s answer. He was then beheaded. So mysticism is a very difficult path to traverse on.

The mystics who concentrate on esoteric aspect of religion unlike the doctors of divinity and theologians who are entangled with the exoteric aspect of religion and resort to unnecessary hairsplitting have more mass appeal and are real adherents of religious tradition, as they always try to unite people than divide in the name of God. Also the proximity of the theologians to the power centers and exploiting religion at the behest of rulers also rebuffed and alienated them from the masses, whereas the mystics were always accessible to the masses and masses themselves could relate to mystics, who weren’t corrupted by power or materialist ambitions, though this fact can’t be generalized for all because every theologian isn’t materialistic and every soul adopting the garb of mysticism isn’t free of moral corruption.

Mysticism as was emphasized by all the speakers isn’t a route for escapism from the brutal hostile realities of the world, but once you attained the mystical experiences you have to become more involved with the world and help it change towards betterment by inculcating the values of Peace, Love and Brotherhood among the masses, but here the mystics have utterly failed as nowhere in Kashmir or any part of India do we see the mystics grossly involved with the problems of masses or trying to actively intervene against corruption, communalism and terrorism and host of other diseases afflicting our society. In this manner some socially engaged theologians have contributed a lot and still are practically involved in resisting the demons of communalism, capitalism and terrorism.

The practical implementation and relevance of mysticism wasn’t too deliberated in this workshop, though it may be a shortcoming with the mysticism itself because it has to be practically experienced, but even if after practical experience remains individualistic and fails to be fruitful for the humanity at large then what is the need of that mysticism? Mysticism like religion fails to uphold the divine values of peace, justice, compassion and brotherhood when it strikes the political, social and economic realities of life, and our Kashmiri society is the best example of the same, and in broader context partition of sub-continent can be understood in the similar manner, despite the fact that Hindus and Muslims were an inseparable part of the Ganga-Jamuna civilization. The syncretic inclusive and pluralistic culture of Sufism and Rishism is still prevalent in each soul of Kashmir, but time and again politicians and alien invaders have tried to disrupt the same, but some lessons must be learnt from these which are

^1.The pluralistic Sufi culture of inclusiveness fails in the face of economic interests, national interests and rights of any community.

^2.This culture of pluralism and Peace can’t be maintained in absence of equality and justice.

^3.The politics of appeasement can have a negative effect on this culture and can communalize the whole atmosphere.

In Kashmir known as Pir Vare(the Valley of mystics) thousands of mystics are present some genuine and others fake, since the inception of armed insurgency which brought in its wake numerous problems afflicting society, the mystics have gone in hiding and opted for escapism, and in some corner are guiding their disciples, but the fruit of this guidance has still not ripened. The valley and its inhabitants are in deep morass of moral turpitude, immense corruption and scores of social evils have afflicted them. The mystics and mysticism has failed to make Kashmiris a better nation, and it is grossly incorrect and wrong to say that Kashmiris are the best nation, meek and humble, the reality however is that Kashmiris didn’t have means to indulge in moral waywardness and corruption and alien rule and slavery had deprived them of any humane quality, hence when the means of wrong were made available, we are a witness to the fact that Kashmiris are more hedonist and people with beastly instincts than any other nation on the surface of the earth. The Mystic way or method of conflict resolution too needs to be discovered as well as Mystic fundamental principles of all religions to be deliberated which can pave way for dialogue among various religions. Overall if Mysticism can’t help feed an orphan and wipe the tears of a widow then what is the need of the same?

Many speakers and even some participants gave the impression that mysticism in all religions leads to the same Absolute reality and some participants even talked of freelance spiritualism. It is also time and again claimed that all religions lead to same God, hence one can follow any religion, but this thinking has a serious flaw, as those who espouse such statements are never themselves ready to give up their religion and religious identity. If they were truthful towards their statement they would have opted for freelance identity. The better and more realistic way is to honor and tolerate all but follow only one, while following one we can respect and dialogue with others.

Overall the workshop was a humble beginning and the participants benefitted immensely from the same, and the need for organizing more such workshops is the need of the hour, though only a few soul get attracted to it, but it is always a minority which is the harbinger of change, but here I would again differ with the learned Professor who said that Mysticism is universal and religion divides people, with humble request I wish to submit that without religion mysticism is dead but not vice versa. Also don’t try to mix the religion and use of religion by some vested interests, mysticism like religion too has been exploited by various people for their own mean interests. Unlike in mysticism, religious scholars and theologians have been able to articulate alternative interpretation of religions and Liberation Theology is one such example, but Mystics are yet to compartmentalize their teachings and surely they can’t as mystic experience is individualistic for everyone, hence anything can be justified in mysticism, which has its own problems.

The need of the hour and such workshops is that Mysticism should help us in preparing better individuals for our tomorrow.

Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com

The husband’s rights over his wife.

2011-08-08T11:43:00.000+05:30

The rights of the husband over his wife are among the greatest rights; indeed his rights over her are greater than her rights over him, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And they (women) have rights (over their husbands as regards living expenses) similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards obedience and respect) to what is reasonable, but men have a degree (of responsibility) over them [al-Baqarah 2:228]

al-Jassaas said: Allaah tells us in this aayah that each of the spouses has rights over the other, and that the husband has one particular right over his wife which she does not have over him.

Ibn al-‘Arabi said: this text states that he has some preference over her with regard to rights and duties of marriage.

These rights include:

(a) The obligation of obedience. Allaah has made the man a qawwaam (protector and maintainer) of the woman by commanding, directing and taking care of her, just as guardians take care of their charges, by virtue of the physical and mental faculties that Allaah has given only to men and the financial obligations that He has enjoined upon them. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allaah has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to support them) from their means” [al-Nisaa’ 4:34]

‘Ali ibn Abi Talhah said, narrating from Ibn ‘Abbaas: “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women” means, they are in charge of them, i.e., she should obey him in matters of obedience that Allaah has enjoined upon her, and obey him by treating his family well and taking care of his wealth. This was the view of Muqaatil, al-Saddi and al-Dahhaak.(Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/492)

(b) Making herself available to her husband. One of the rights that the husband has over his wife is that he should be able to enjoy her (physically). If he marries a woman and she is able to have intercourse, she is obliged to submit herself to him according to the contract, if he asks her. That is after he gives her the immediate mahr, and gives her some time – two or three days, if she asks for that – to sort herself out, because that is something that she needs, and because that is not too long and is customary.

If a wife refuses to respond to her husband’s request for intercourse, she has done something haraam and has committed a major sin, unless she has a valid shar’i excuse such as menses, obligatory fasting, sickness, etc.

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘When a man calls his wife to his bed and she refuses, and he went to sleep angry with her, the angels will curse her until morning.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3065; Muslim, 1436)

(c) Not admitting anyone whom the husband dislikes. One of the rights that the husband has over his wife is that she should not permit anyone whom he dislikes to enter his house.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “It is not permitted for a woman to fast when her husband is present without his permission, or to admit anyone into his house without his permission. And whatever she spends (in charity) of his wealth without his consent, ….” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4899; Muslim, 1026)

It was narrated from Sulaymaan ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Ahwas: my father told me that he was present at the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hujjat al-Wadaa’) with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He [the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] praised and glorified Allaah, then he preached a sermon and said: “Treat women kindly, for they are prisoners and you have no other power over them than that, if they are guilty of open lewdness, then refuse to share their beds, and hit them, but not severely. But if they return to obedience, (then) do not seek means (of annoyance) against them. You have rights over your women and your women have rights over you. Your rights over your women are that they should not let anyone whom you dislike sit on your bed and they should not let anyone whom you dislike enter your house. Their rights over you are that you should feed and clothe them well.”

(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1163 – he said this is a saheeh hasan hadeeth. Also narrated by Ibn Maajah, 1851)

It was narrated that Jaabir said: [the Prophet] (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Fear Allah concerning women! Verily you have taken them on the security of Allah, and intercourse with them has been made lawful unto you by words of Allah. You too have rights over them, and that they should not allow anyone to sit on your bed [i.e., not let them into the house] whom you do not like. But if they do that, you can chastise them but not severely. Their rights upon you are that you should provide them with food and clothing in a fitting manner” (Narrated by Muslim, 1218)

(d) Not going out of the house except with the husband’s permission. One of the rights of the husband over his wife is that she should not go out of the house except with his permission.

The Shaafa’is and Hanbalis said: she does not have the right to visit (even) her sick father except with the permission of her husband, and he has the right to prevent her from doing that… because obedience to the husband is obligatory, and it is not permitted to neglect an obligatory action for something that is not obligatory.

(e) Discipline. The husband has the right to discipline his wife if she disobeys him in something good, not if she disobeys him in something sinful, because Allaah has enjoined disciplining women by forsaking them in bed and by hitting them, when they do not obey.

The Hanafis mentioned four situations in which a husband is permitted to discipline his wife by hitting her. These are: not adorning herself when he wants her to; not responding when he calls her to bed and she is taahirah (pure, i.e., not menstruating); not praying; and going out of the house without his permission.

The evidence that it is permissible to discipline one's wife includes the aayahs (interpretation of the meaning):

“As to those women on whose part you see ill‑conduct, admonish them (first), (next) refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them (lightly, if it is useful)” [al-Nisaa’ 4:34]

“O you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones” [al-Tahreem 66:6]

Ibn Katheer said:

Qutaadah said: you should command them to obey Allaah, and forbid them to disobey Allaah; you should be in charge of them in accordance with the command of Allaah, and instruct them to follow the commands of Allaah, and help them to do so. If you see any act of disobedience towards Allaah, then stop them from doing it and rebuke them for that.

This was also the view of al-Dahhaak and Muqaatil: that the duty of the Muslim is to teach his family, including his relatives and his slaves, that which Allaah has enjoined upon them and that which He has forbidden them. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 4/392)

(f) The wife serving her husband. There is a great deal of evidence (daleel) for this, some of which has been mentioned above.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:

She is obliged to serve her husband according to what is reasonable among people of similar standing. That varies according to circumstances: the way in which a Bedouin woman serves (her husband) will not be like the way of a town-dweller, and the way of a strong woman will not be like the way of a weak woman. (al-Fataawa al-Kubraa, 4/561)

(g) Submitting herself to him. Once the conditions of the marriage-contract have been fulfilled and it is valid, then the woman is obliged to submit herself to her husband and allow him to enjoy her (physically), because once the contract is completed, he is allowed in return to enjoy her, and the wife is entitled to the compensation which is the mahr.

(h) The wife should treat her husband in a good manner, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And they (women) have rights (over their husbands as regards living expenses) similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards obedience and respect) to what is reasonable” [al-Baqarah 2:228]

Al-Qurtubi said:

It was also narrated from him – i.e., Ibn ‘Abbaas – that this means: they have the right to good companionship and kind and reasonable treatment from their husbands just as they are obliged to obey the commands of their husbands.

And it was said that they have the right that their husbands should not harm them, and their husbands have a similar right over them. This was the view of al-Tabari.

Ibn Zayd said: You should fear Allaah concerning them just as they should fear Allaah concerning you.

The meanings are similar, and the aayah includes all of that in the rights and duties of marriage.(Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 3/123-124)

And Allaah knows best.

Rape of Kashmiri women | Book Review

2011-08-04T21:49:00.005+05:30

Kashmir Mey Khawateen Ki Behurmati (Rape of Kashmiri Women)

Author: Shabnum Qayoom

Publisher: Waqar Publications, Srinagar, Kashmir

Year of Publication: 2010

Price: Rs 300 Pages: 320

Reviewed by Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander

Rape as a weapon of war has always been used by the occupational forces to demean, debase and finally destroy the social rubric of the enemy. In case of the secessionist tendency, the defiant population is tried to inculcate spirit of submissiveness and unconditional obedience by using various strategic tactics, and Rape is one of them. In every conflict rape has been used against the womenfolk of the other or enemy, in order to make them understand how weak and vulnerable they are and make a living testimony of their helplessness before the mighty institutions and a constant reminder not to side with the ‘other’ as the punishment awaits them in the form of rape of their womenfolk.

Women especially in the conservative, traditional, orthodox and Eastern societies are considered to be the repositories of honor; hence to humiliate, deflower, and dishonor them through rape is to humiliate the collective honor, masculinity and strength of the society. Even in the Western countries where the sexual freedom has landed the societies into sexual anarchy, rape is considered as a grave crime, and when its use as a weapon to humiliate an ethnic group, population, a nation or a society is the order of the day, it is considered as a crime against humanity, whose perpetuators must be dealt with a serious punishment.

The present book under review by the seasoned journalist and historian Shabnum Qayoom deals with the Rapes of Kashmiri women by the Indian army since the inception of armed struggle in the early 1990s though no survey has been carried out to determine the exact number of rapes committed. The book was previously published from Pakistan in 1991 and after a span of two decades has again been published with important additions from Srinagar. The reverend author initiates the saga of agonies since the day Jagmohan a fascist and communal minded person was pronounced as the Governor of the Valley. He was the governor when the armed insurgency initiated and National Front coalition was ruling at the centre. Jagmohan first of all drove a wedge between the Pandit minority and Muslim majority of the State by rendering Pandits as refugees, and befooled them that their migration to Jammu was temporary, when the State of affairs would return to normal they would be rehabilitated again in the Valley, but they still are living as refugees in various migrant camps of Jammu. In this book the sinister designs of communal Pandit leaders have been unveiled by a Pandit himself and how the State had vowed to undertake genocide of youth by mass killings and change the demography of the Valley.

Pandits are now realizing their mistake, but now it is too late and they have even burned their boats, as most of them have even disposed off their properties, hence very bleak are their chances of return. RSS, BJP, Shiv Sena and many other Hindutva fascist communal organizations encouraged the exodus of Pandits and genocide of Muslims, and Jagmohan was removed after the massacre at the funeral of Mirwaiz Muhammad Farooq on 21st may, 1990 and replaced by Ex Chief Research and Analysis Wing(RAW) Girish Chander Saxena, who promulgated Disturbed Areas Act(DAA) on 5th July 1990, and in the coming months many more acts like AFSPA,TADA, PSA too were invoked to punish the defiant population.

These Acts gave forces unbridled powers to loot, arson, kill, maim, and rape under the guise of fighting terrorism and secessionism with impunity. Rape was a favorite weapon which these forces used to ‘discipline’ and ‘punish’ the population. This book documents a trail of agony and despair spanning from the initial rapes in the area of Chanapora during a search operation in 1990s to the 2009 Shopian double murder and rape case. Qayoom with his strong documentation and brutally honest analysis lays bare the fact that though India is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Geneva Convention, International Humanitarian Law and scores of other treaties and conventions but in practice Indian State has never bothered even an iota to uphold the strictures of them, while dealing with Kashmir. The Amnesty International and Red Cross were denied permission to enter the Valley, in order to keep them in oblivion about the human rights violations taking place in the Valley at the hands of army with impunity and even now they can’t report about them.

Drawing on scores of cases documented in the book, the reader comes to know how girls were kidnapped, then held hostage in army camps and repeatedly raped, when released they would become crippled or mad or opted for suicide. The age, social status and public standing held no bar for soldiers, who even raped girl childern and pregnant women too.

Various tactics were used by the soldiers to rape women, who on the excuse of searching militants or arms would barge into a house and rape women, during crackdowns a whole area would be sealed with men assembled at a community ground and women and girls left behind in the houses would be gang raped, during nocturnal raids women were raped, women were intimidated that if they wouldn’t comply and resist the gang rape their sons and husbands would be killed, revenge rapes were also perpetuated on innocent victims when an army man would be killed in the militant assault the army would rape women by barging into their homes, in some cases the male members of the family were first killed and then the women were raped.

The free license to raid, search any premise gave army an upperhand to rape, who would even resort to loot, robbery, arson and even rape during the search operations. They would render eatables defunct by mixing them with oil, kerosene in order to starve the household. In many cases the victims reported that the soldiers said that they were given the orders of enjoyment and can’t take any second chances as the Kashmiri girls are too beautiful to resist.

Qayoom doesn’t only hold the army responsible for rapes, but even some criminals within the ranks of militants did resort to the same but they were instantly killed, but Qayoom is aghast at the rapes which were committed by the renegades and they are even involved in the supply of girls to high Police officials, bureaucrats, politicians as was depicted by the exposure of 2006 VIP Sex Scandal, in which scores of girls were sexploited by the officials of State under the pretext of providing them government jobs. Qayoom is of the opinion that under a well planned conspiracy the sexploitation of girls is undertaken by the State in order to suppress the Freedom Struggle in Kashmir and the exploited girls are then used as spies by various security and intelligence agencies. Qayoom holds the Gun Culture responsible for the sexploitation and anarchy.

Qayoom lambasts Indian State which never tires of preaching the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi like Ahimsa which has completely failed in Kashmir, he upholds that India is taking a revenge from Kashmiris for upholding the right of self determination which was promised by India to Kashmiris and the crimes of Indian State against Kashmiris have even put Chengiz Khan, Halaku and Hitler to shame, as the State has made the renegades even to supply their household womenfolk to the officials too and even those girls and women are raped who come to meet their incarcerated brothers, husbands, sons or fathers to army camps, torture centers and transit camps. Indian army even raped some foreign tourists as well as Pandit women. The family members if try to save the chastity and honor of their beloved ones are instantly killed and even some girls committed suicides while saving their chastity.

The aftermath of rape is most agonizing for the victim, and most of the victims suffer from depression and psychological trauma and many victims have even committed suicides. According to a survey conducted by Medicans San Frontiers(Doctors Without Borders) an International NGO in 2006 on “Kashmir: Violence and Health”, 11.6 percent of interviewees said they had been victims of sexual violence since 1989. Almost two thirds of the people interviewed (63.9 percent) by MSF had heard about cases of rape during the same period. The study revealed that Kashmiri women were among the worst sufferers of sexual violence in the world. The figure is much higher than that of Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Chechnya and Ingushetia. Many teenage girls are now going for counseling in order to cope the rising psychological impact of the atrocities on women perpetuated by army and police.

The Justice System in Kashmir is in shambles, as Kashmir has become a Police State, where the State tries every tactic to save the culprits of the heinous crimes who happen to be its soldiers. The various acts provide impunity to the army personnel to be tried in civil courts, and even the Police and State machinery is hesitant to file cases against the army as it will affect their morale. Hence not a single soldier has been brought to book and victims are still awaiting Justice which will elude them till eternity, be it the victims of Kunanposhpora or recent Shopian double murder and rape case, plus the police enquiry has never helped the victims who now even don’t bother to report the same.

What will be the effect of illusive Justice System is depicted by the story of one Dilawar Khan reported in the book, who took gun at the age of fifteen and killed scores of army men and renegades to avenge the rape of his sister by the army. The State doesn’t want to resort Peace and normality to Kashmir by establishing a Justice System, hence it will fuel resentment, anger and violence for the days to come.

The book is a saga of a nation which is paying a heavy price for their right of self determination and freedom. “This book is enough to declare India as a Terrorist nation”(P-309-310). Reading this book is destined to make you sad and the tears will trickle more than once from your eyes,

Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com

RISING SUICIDE RATES IN KASHMIR | Ibrahim Wani

2011-06-22T19:58:00.000+05:30

Suicide cases are on the rise in Kashmir with even teenagers as young as 14, attempting suicide. Ibrahim Wani reports on an issue that is emerging as a major problem in the society. (The story appeared in Kashmirlife magazine)

When the two friends met after a long time, they talked about what had made them to leave Kashmir. Both had gone through ordeals in their lives, which were actually not their doings. Both had a profound sense of loss. Shabir had left Kashmir in 2007, and Zuhaib in 2008.

One had gone to Bangalore and the other to Delhi. When they met a week back in Kashmir on the banks of Dal, their thought went to two people, who were no longer in this world. Shabir’s thoughts went to his brother-Mursal, and Zuhaib’s went to his girlfriend, Amina. Both had committed suicide.

“I still see him in my dreams,” says Shabir. Mursal was just 16-years-old when he killed himself. “I sometimes still question myself why this happened? Why did I slap him that day?” says Shabir, with tears in his eyes. Mursal had not been a good student and was not interested in studies. He preferred to spend most of his time at his father’s pharmaceutical shop. This worried his parents.

“I wanted to become an engineer, and my brother wanted to become a salesman,” says Shabir, who is in the final year of his engineering course. On the day Mursal committed suicide, everything had seemed normal to the family. The family had to attend a get-together at a close relative’s house, who had returned from Hajj. Shabir went to meet Mursal at the shop, and told him to study for an approaching exam. He had said that he would not.

“He told me that he did not want to study. And would not appear in the exam,” says shabir. Earlier Mursal had failed in the exam, and he found little sense in continuing. “But I insisted since I thought that it would be important for his future,” says Shabir.

Tempers had built up and in the heat of the moment Shabir slapped him. Mursal ran away from the shop. Mursal did not return till late in the evening. Someone had seen him at a relative’s place, and the family heaved a sigh of relief. But it was just the beginning of worst times for the family.

At around 10 pm, a relative came rushing to their house, and said that Mursal had hanged himself. The mother collapsed and remained unconscious throughout the night. Shabir rushed to the relative’s house.

“How can I forget that day? The scene often replays in mind and gives me pain,” says Shabir. He also cannot forget the expression of his father. “It was the first time that I had seen him cry,” he says. Mursal lay in front of them, with his eyes closed. The cloth he had used as a rope around his neck had been loosened and he was on a mattress as if sleeping.

Later police came and took his body. When the police started questioning they came to know that the Mursal had eaten dinner and then gone to a room. He had bolted the door from inside. When someone had knocked on the door and got no response, they were worried. A little later, his cousin broke the door, and everyone went into an instant shock.

The police wanted a post mortem, but the family was pleading against it. A relative says that they had to bribe the police to get his body. With Mursal’s death a lot changed for the family. “At that time we were renovating our house. The work was stopped and has still not been resumed. We think of starting it this year, but my mother is against it,” he says.

The mother often blames Shabir when she is not able to control her emotions. Shabir too developed a feeling of guilt which still haunts him. “I missed my AIEEE exam as I could no longer concentrate on anything. Everything made me remember him and curse myself,” he says. That was why he decided to leave the place and go to Bangalore. Shabir’s slap had only been the trigger.

People close to the family say that Mursal would often be chastised for not taking his studies seriously. “Once he was kept in a dark room for 2 days,” says a relative adding that Mursal would often be subjected to corporal punishment by his father. Mursal would often run away from home and go to the house of the relatives where he finally committed suicide.

Amina, on the contrary, had been brought up in a very understanding environment. She went to one of the best schools in the valley, had all the facilities, everything she desired.

Amina met Zuhaib first at tuition class during class 11th. The two started helping each other with studies and soon developed a good friendship. They fell in love. “It was the best time of our lives. We would meet in the morning before school, after the school, and in the evening at the tutors’,” he says.

Both of them were very good at their studies, and would secure above 80 percent in exams. Zuhaib gifted her a mobile phone so that they could talk without their parents knowing it.

“We would talk a lot on our mobile phones. We almost planned our lives. She would go to the engineering college, and I would do an MBA. After that we would get married,” says Zuhaib, who is the only son of his parents. “Since both of us were of a similar economic background, we did not forsee any problems,” he says.

But none of these reasons were responsible for Amina taking the extreme step. “She was very mild, and she would not even get angry at me,” he says. Zuhaib is still at a loss to understand what happened. We met on the morning of that day and everything was okay.

After the school, Zuhaib waited for her at the spot outside her school where they would meet every day. But she did not come. Zuhaib kept calling her phone, but it was switched off. He was worried, but he left after waiting for around an hour. He thought that she would turn up at the tutors’ in the evening. But she did not. Zuhaib never saw her again. The next day he learnt that she had committed suicide.

“I was shocked. I fell down. A friend, who was accompanying me, lifted me and took me to a nearby shop. After that I went to the graveyard with my friend where she had been buried,” says Zuhaib recalling everything in detail. The friend who accompanied him was Shabir.

The next few days, went into enquiries. “I did not understand what had happened and why?” he says. The family, he came to know, had stated that she fell accidently from the second story.

But some common friends, who were also Amina’s classmates, told a different story. “They said that the mobile had been recovered from her during an inspection, and her teachers had reprimanded her,” he says. “But one teacher had called her family.”

Everyone had a different tale to narrate. While some classmates said that the teacher had switched on the phone, looked into the gallery and found some personal photos and videos. “The male teacher had then shown it to all the other teachers and also told the same to the family,” says Zuhaib.

When she had reached home, an angry family was waiting for her. She was thrashed, rebuked and cursed. In the evening when she was alone in the room, she hung herself by a rope.

“Living in Kashmir became unbearable without her,” says Zuhaib. He went to Delhi after passing higher secondary, and is studying management in a university there, after completing his graduation. “I had promised that I would do an MBA. That is what I am doing,” he says.

More than 60 percent of those who commit suicides in Kashmir are women. And it is not just teenagers. “Half widows, widows of conflict and those who face domestic violence are in the high risk group of suicide committers here in Kashmir,” says Shams-un-Nisa, who is pursuing her PhD research on the topic, ‘Suicides in Kashmir’ in Kashmir University.

Of the cases she has identified in her research, around 2/3rd are women. Most are in the age group between 15-35 years of age. “In a number of cases the reason was related to conflict. They were suffering from depression due to death of a close family member who had been killed or disappeared, and the women had been left with no source of livelihood,” she says.

“In many other cases the result was domestic violence, dowry demands or in some cases personal reasons,” she adds.

Qaiser was the most jolly and flamboyant in the friend circle, his friends say. Hailing from a respectable family, he read in one of the major missionary schools.

“But he had only one limitation. For him marks were everything,” say his friends. They add that his family put a lot of pressure on him to excel in studies. “He had even consumed harpic (bactericide- toilet cleaner) once when he did not score according to the expectations,” say the friends.

Qaiser would work very hard for the examinations. “He appeared in the class test but his performance was not satisfactory. He was very worried,” say the friends, “but, we didn’t know that he will kill himself,” says one of his friends, Amir.

Qaiser committed suicide just a few days before his 15th birthday. “He (Qaiser) was a boy with huge potential. But, the importance he gave to marks consumed him. He used to say that his parents would often rebuke him for not coming good on the family name and all the facilities being provided to him.”

A lot of students complain of huge pressure from the family to score good marks. This pressure only increases at the time of competitive exams. “My parents reprimand me even when I lose half a mark in the unit tests,” says a 7th standard student. “All my friends including me go to private tuitions in addition the school,” he says, “but I am never allowed to go out for playing. I am not even allowed to watch television.”

The pressure is often witnessed by the teachers also. “Whenever there are parent teacher meetings, some parents start thrashing their wards in front of ourselves. If we try to stop them, they start complaining that the teachers are not giving attention to their students,” says a teacher at a reputed private school of the valley.“The stress levels among students are too high.”

For some the pressure is too much to bear and they take the extreme step. With the declaration of every major result, there are two to three suicide cases.

Sadaket Rehman, a clinical psychologist at Government Psychiatric Hospital Srinagar says that during the examination period stress levels in students are very high. “It is common to come across news headlines about student suicides especially during the exam period.”

“Several reasons are attributed for such negative actions; strong parental pressure – whether about obtaining marks or making career choices; sometimes it is the pressure of performance in other fields,” says Sadaket Rehman.

“Pressure is not delightful for anyone and in fact very few people have the capability to bear it. Parental pressure and academic pressure, by expecting too much from the students by putting them under constant pressure often leads to attempted suicides,” she says.

The parental pressure is cited by most of the school going students for the high stress levels. But parents have a different take on it. “In our times, we studied in government schools. It was a struggle even to get access to books. But parents today spent a large part of their earning on their children’s education. If they do not come up to the mark, it becomes our duty to not let them go astray. We have to keep a check on them,” says Gulzar Ahmad who has a daughter studying in 6th standard. He adds that the competition in today’s world is too high and students cannot be complacent.

“What do we ask them to do? To study for their own future. They can enjoy life after they have made their careers,” he says. His daughter is not allowed to watch television.

“Everyone is stressed these days, but the response to the stress often depends on the coping mechanisms,” says Dr Wakar – a psychiatrist. “The first support a stressed person usually gets is from family,” says Zahoor Akram, a social worker. “But in case of these students the source of stress is the parents itself. Parents today are not supportive, and there is a big void in the support mechanisms.

Students, particularly teenagers, already burdened with many expectations, cannot even talk to their parents, because of the generation and understanding gap.”

But the suicides are not limited to youngsters or students only. Rafiq Shiekh, 30, from Anantnag is undergoing treatment in the hospital. He had attempted suicide by consuming pesticides. He was saved as his family took him to a hospital in time. He says that he tried to commit suicide because of economic reasons.He is the only brother of four sisters, and much is expected of him. His family is in shock, but he is recovering.

Rashid Ahmad, too attempted suicide, but failed. He tried to cut his veins, but again the timely intervention of his family saved him. He was unemployed.

“For every case of suicide there are around eight cases of attempted suicide,” says Dr Wakar. He says that rising incidence of suicides is a major issue in the society that needs immediate attention. Dr Wakar has worked as a medical officer in the police drug de-addiction centre in Srinagar. He says that the suicidal tendency among drug addicts is very high.

“While I was working in the PCR (drug de-addiction centre) I came across five cases, where the addicts who had come for treatment could not cope up with the stress, and committed suicide,” he says. He says that the tendency to inflict self harm is very high among substance abusers which go for volatile addiction particularly correctional fluids. The addiction to this is very high in Kashmir, particularly among teenage boys.“The high drug addiction in Kashmir has a direct bearing on the increasing suicide rates,” he says.

Experts say that the protracted conflict in the valley stands as a major factor. According to them, there is a high level of depression in the society due to the conflict.

The conflict in Kashmir has not had an affect on the local populace only. Among the non-local security forces posted in the area, the rate of suicides is very high too. “There is a sense of melancholy and chronic depression in the people. Some are able to cope with it, and for some it is too much to bear. For the latter, suicide emerges as a way out,” say the experts, adding, “an impulsive event just acts as the trigger to the suicide”.

Most of the cases of suicide are not reported,” says Nisa. While doing her research she has come across around 1000 officially reported cases, but according to her the real figure is much higher.

“If we compare Kashmir to western societies the rate is less, but among Muslim societies the suicides in Kashmir are very high -the highest, she says. The reasons are turmoil, modernization, unemployment, business failures etc,” she says. Suicide is haram-prohibited in Islam.

“Anyone who commits suicide commits a very grave sin, and the Nimaz-e-Jinazah (funeral prayers) is not to be offered for the person,” says Moulvi Adbul Rahsid, an imam at a mosque in Qamarwari. He says that one of the reasons for rise in suicide cases is that people are increasingly moving away from religion, and have no knowledge of religious teachings.

Law also recognizes suicide as a transgression. DIG Central Kashmir, AG Mir, says that under law, a case is investigated under section 174, whenever a suicide is reported. “Normal procedure is followed, a post mortem is undertaken, and if we find that it is a case of suicide, the case is closed,” he says.

“If some abetment or involvement of someone is found then a case against him or her is registered under section 306, 309,”says Mir. According to Doctors at SKIMS, the hospital receives three to four cases of attempted suicide every day making it around 900 cases yearly in just one hospital. “Most of the cases we receive are females,” says Dr Bashir Dar. “Mostly they do not tell us the reasons for attempting suicide.” Dr Shamim, who also works at SKIMS, says that the top most method resorted to is poisoning, followed by hanging and then self injury.

“In most of such cases from rural areas there is use of pesticides, while as from urban areas the major method is overdose of tablets or use of rat poison,” he says. He adds that there is a big need for toxicology centres at district levels, to deal with the growing number of suicide cases. “Most of the cases reach us late, but if they would be treated earlier at district level more lives could be saved,” he says.

(names have been changed on request).

The piece appeared in the KashmirLife magazine.

Kashmir Addicted: On path of Destruction | Ibrahim Wani

2011-05-26T13:12:00.001+05:30

High Way to Destruction

Kashmir is losing a generation to drugs, with medicinal opiates being the most abused substances to get a high. Social stigmatization is keeping many from seeking professional help to overcome the problem. Ibrahim Wani reports in KashmirLife Magazine.(www.kashmirlife.net)

When his parents found out, it was already too late. At 15, Q had been a drug addict for three years already. It came as a pure shock to them. He had everything – education in a top private school, access to every facility, no monetary problem, and yet he had come to this. Both the parents are employed, the father, a gazetted officer and mother, a school teacher. They would not have known at all if Q had not taken 26 tablets of Spasmoproxyvon – an addictive pain killer. The next day he did not wake up in the morning.

Miraculously, he still had a pulse and his parents rushed him to the hospital. The parents came to know of the addiction only at the hospital. The doctors washed his stomach, and when he was stable again, recommended him to the drug de-addiction centre in PCR. When his treatment started, everyone was baffled by what he revealed. “We just could not believe what he was saying,” says a counsellor from an NGO who met him during treatment, “Everything which could have gone wrong had gone wrong and it remained hidden from everyone else. No one in his family knew anything.”

Q had started smoking at 13. “We were a group of 14 friends, of almost the same age except two, who were above 23,” he said. It was these two who had introduced drugs into the group. Smoking was just the beginning.

“First I only smoked,” he said, “then I was lured to other things.”Correctional fluids were the first things he tried. Fumes of Toluene, the diluting agent, commonly called the thinner, would continue being his addiction for a long time, since it was easily available. He would easily get the fluid from the stationer outside his school. He was not the only one in the school using the substance. At that time he was in 7th class. “The stationer would charge big amounts for the eraser fluid. I have even paid 300 rupees for the thinner bottle. Normally, the bottle sells for just 28 rupees along with the white fluid bottle,” says Q. Since it is easily available the use is widespread. Q further reveals that they used to apply the thinner on their neck ties, and kept smelling it during class. “No one knew what we were doing. You must have seen a number of school students at bus stops or outside schools doing the same. All this is done openly and no one has a hint about it,” he adds.

Then a time came when the fluid had no effect on Q. He shifted to codeine-based cough syrups also called corex – an addictive cough syrup. Experts say that codeine addiction is very high in Kashmir, with some estimating that more than 6000 codeine bottles are sold every day in the valley. What started from half a bottle at a time, kept on increasing. “At one time I took seven bottles one after other,” says Q, who was in 8th class by this time.

“But soon I went on to other things,” he adds. He also tried Iodex and boot polish, which too are easily available. “These substances are applied to bread, and then eaten,” he reveals. New people would join the group and then introduce new ideas and ways. “Once we applied Fevicol to polythene, and then burned it. We inhaled the smoke and smoked the urn along with cigarettes,” he says.

Q tried everything he could lay his hands on, and whatever was supplied and taught to him by the group. Soon he graduated to hardcore drugs like cannabis, brown sugar and heroin. “Supply was easy because everyone in our group was part of some other group. It was like a network,” he says. But the supply dried up for Q, because the family shifted to a new residence, where he could not get in contact with the group often. “A friend who lived nearby was my only persistent source then,” he says, “and he mostly had access to medicinal opiods.”

Medicinal opiods are drugs sold through pharmacists, which become addictive in high dosages, even though the function is primarily medical. At one time he even used the fortwin injection (pentazocine lactate) -an injection meant to relieve labour pain. Even though most of these drugs are prescription drugs, they are sold openly in the market and are sold to anyone who is ready to pay. “To pay for the drugs I sold my mobile phones, even stole money,” he says.

In school his grades dropped, and from a student who secured distinctions, he became below average. He just managed to pass. “During all this his parents hardly cared,” says the counsellor from the NGO, “they would be busy with their work, and hardly paid him any attention. He wanted some sort of attention from the parents and not just a private school education.” Once when his uncle had caught him smoking, his parents had come down heavily upon him, so much so that he had received a good thrashing and he had fled home for a day. But next day he had returned and promised not to smoke again. “Even at that time he befooled the parents. They should have tried to talk instead of beating him, and tried to understand and talk to him,” adds the counsellor.

Two months after the beating, Q was in hospital with drug overdose. Now he is undergoing treatment. The parents too have been counselled. “It is then often the behaviour which the addict faces in home which determines what would be his state, would he be okay, or go into a relapse.” The counsellor says that in many cases parents start blaming each other, and this often leads to discord in the family. “This in turn makes life much more difficult for the addict who is trying to become normal again,” he adds. According to Dr Wiqar, who has worked with the drug de-addiction centre in PCR as a medical officer, 60-70 percent of the cases who come to the centre are those who are in the age group of 15 to 25. “Most of them are school or college going students,” he says. Dr Muzaffar, clinical psychologist at the same facility says that a number of cases are from the elite schools in Srinagar. “Some of them are even admitted in the centre,” he says.

Tragic stories of addiction

The story of 22-year-old M is tragic. At 20, he had to leave college after his father died, and left his family no source of livelihood. He was left with no choice but to start earning as he had to care for an ailing mother and a younger brother. Luckily, he found a business partner. Both of them pooled together their savings and headed to Goa to start a business of Kashmiri handicrafts. The business clicked and he started making good money, most of which he sent back to his family. The money paid for the medical expenses of the mother and education of the brother. But for M, away from family, the work was very hectic.

Long working hours started taking its toll on him, and he started falling into depression. His partner took him to a dance club. Here M struck a friendship with a girl. M would come again and again to meet the girl in the club. They became intimate. As the girl would drink, he too started drinking. After trying different liquors, he graduated to drugs as the girl was an addict.

Initially the addiction did not affect him much, but soon it became impossible for him to control the urge. “I started taking alcohol and drugs even during my work hours,” says M. The business started getting affected. Soon he was not in a situation to even be at the shop, and they started turning up losses. The partnership broke, and M did not have any money left. He called home and asked for money saying that the business needed some investment.

His mother, who had no money to send, called a family friend who was also settled in Goa. The friend went to visit M, but found him in a different state. He gave him some money for the journey back to Kashmir, and made sure he would do it. On his return, the family was shocked. “I saw what my addiction did to them. I tried to leave drugs but I could not. It was too difficult,” he says. The withdrawal symptoms were too harsh to bear. He craved for drugs he took in Goa like brown sugar, but the cost was too high. “Instead I started taking medicinal opiods,” says M.

The mother decided to send the other brother to work, even though he had just passed his 12th class exam. He was sent to Delhi to earn. The family had no other option. But this would be more tragic. After he reached Delhi, he went missing. Ten days later they were informed that he had died under mysterious conditions. M went to collect his body. Every one blamed M for the death. He went from bad to worse, and started taking more and more drugs. His condition became very unstable and he had to be admitted to the hospital. From there he was referred to the PCR drug de-addiction centre. Now M is undergoing treatment and the family friend who had helped him to return to the valley, is helping him to stand on his feet again. But the relapse rate is more than 30 percent.

“Most of the patients who come to the centre are able to recover, but in some cases there is a relapse, when stress conditions recur or continue,” says Dr Wiqar. Dr Muzaffar agrees. He remembers three cases where patients relapsed and ultimately died. “The dead body of one of the three was found in an auto (rickshaw). He died of drug overdose. He was just in early twenties,” he says. The addict had run away from the centre without completing the treatment. “In one other case, a person became completely fit, married and even had children,” says the doctor. The patient was in early thirties. “But due to some problem in the family he could not control it, took an overdose and died,” he says. He had once been selected to train with the Indian Hockey team.

Among Girls Too

She was among the toppers in her class. B, a student of an elite missionary school for girls in Srinagar which often tops merit lists in secondary school examinations, started with a cigarette puff.“I was just trying it for fun,” says B who is a daughter to a top notch businessman from Kashmir. The family owns handicrafts showrooms in Srinagar as well as Delhi.

The first time she smoked, she was 14 years of age and a student of 8th standard. “Some of my friends took it secretly, and it became a curiosity for me. So I asked for a cigarette from them and then tried it,” she says. But cigarettes did not catch up much with her. What would follow would leave a lasting effect on her life. “I went to a school friend’s house for a night. We had to prepare some notes,” she says. It was midsummer and the temperature was high. “My friend offered me can of beer, and said that it would refresh me,” she says. Initially she was hesitant, but her friend started taunting her. “I was not able to control it when she said that I was a ‘kiddo’. I took it,” she says.

She liked the taste and the feel it gave her. Soon they started visiting each other’s houses regularly. The friend arranged beer from a contact at Boulevard and a shop in Rajbagh paying much higher than the market rate. But it remained limited to beer for some time. The next step for her came when she visited Delhi along with her parents during winter holidays. Her friend told her about the easy availability of beverages in the metro and suggested her to taste alcohol.

One day when her parents had to go on a party, B took a servant girl into confidence and gave her money to get drinks. She gave her a big reward when she brought bottle. When she took the drink the first time, she passed out and would not wake up for more than 10 hours. She had locked the room from inside. When her parents returned from the party, they thought that she was already asleep and did not disturb her till morning. Over the course of B’s stay in Delhi, the servant girl earned much more than what she would have earned in a year.

When she came back, she teamed up again with her friend. Beer was replaced by ‘more thrilling’ alcoholic drinks arranged by her freind’s ‘contact’. The drinks would reach them in cold drinks bottles. But at the time of exams, when she needed the drinks most, the supply dried up. The friend cited various difficulties in procuring. But B was adamant.

“I would pay anything,” said B but in vain. Instead the friend offered a powder, and said that this would relax her a bit. The powder was brown sugar. When she took the drug, she would remain unconscious for hours. As a result her studies suffered. Her parents thought that she was unwell, and felt that she needs medical attention. But she resisted. When the results of her exams came out she had just scored 60 percent marks, a far cry from the above 90 percent she secured normally. Her teachers were worried, and contacted the parents. But they thought that her marks were low because of her “illness”.

Now in her tenth class, she would try to study, but she found it hard. Her addiction kept growing. One night when the parents thought that she would be studying late, the mother brought her tea after dinner. But she found that she was a bit drowsy. She said that she would take the tea herself and the mother should go to sleep. The mother left. But out of concern the mother visited her again an hour later. What she found shocked her. “I found that she was sleeping on the study table itself, with her head on the book,” she says. The cup of tea was at the same place she had kept, and was still full. But mother saw some powdery substance which had fallen down. Alarmed she called the father. When he saw it, he knew what it was.

B did not gain consciousness till morning. She was taken to the doctor. The next week the family headed to Delhi and took her to a private drug de-addiction centre to avoid social stigmatization. There she remained for around a month. Back in Srinagar, B now was under constant supervision. She would be accompanied by the mother to and from school, and never let alone for two long. Her supply of money too dried up. Now she is in 12th standard, and her grades have improved again. “But she still has mood swings,” says the mother. They contacted the girl who had been B’s friend. After class tenth, B left for Delhi. B was not the only case.

Once a girl was caught peddling drugs in a girls hostel in an institute of higher education. To avoid bad name for the institute and after hectic pleading by the girl she was let off with a warning. What she revealed to one of her friends was more distressing. She had been introduced to drugs some years back. She was not rich like B but just a lower middle class girl. Even though she had not become an addict and had tasted the drug only a few times she found that peddling brought her good money.

The girl who had introduced drugs to her had hung with boys who had supplied her drugs. Many girls, she claimed who were in drug debt, would be exploited by the girl who was the main supplier. They often had to fulfil some other demand. Many times, boys with cars would be waiting outside the educational institute.

I have dealt with three cases, when girls had become drug addicts,” says Dr Sadaqat Rahman, Clinical Psychologist at Govt Psychiatric Diseases Hospital, Srinagar. All the three were addicts to medicinal opiods. And all belonged to very well to do backgrounds. “I take drugs because there is no taste in life,” a 19-year-old girl had said to Sadaqat. Dr Muzaffar Khan, clinical psychologist at the drug de-addiction centre in PCR says that they too receive telephone enquiries from girls, “but because of the stigma associated with the addiction many girls do not come forward,” he says. After a drug addiction awareness camp at a B.ed college in north Kashmir, in which he spoke, he got calls from girls seeking help.

“A girl called from the college and said she was an addict, and their group had around 10 girls. She had said that she wanted help. So we fixed a time to meet outside the addiction centre. But they never came. The stigma is too high,” he says. Among girls the highest addiction is of freely available sleeping pills.

Causes of the Addiction

Experts say that there are various reasons for the addiction, but the biggest is the high stress among the people. “This is a direct consequence of the conflict,” said an expert who did not wish to be named.

The problem as it is today emerged in the mid-nineties when conflict was at the peak. The biggest toll of the conflict was the psyche of the people. Most of the people here are not addicts for the thrill, but to relieve the stress,” he says. “Midnight knock syndrome and sleep disturbances are high among people here,” says Dr Wiqar. Midnight-knock syndrome causes insomnia and instability. It arose out of pre-dawn raids by security forces and knocks by militants for shelter in the night. Even though the stimulus has decreased now, the problem persists, boosted by the ongoing conditions. Many times it is the doctors who prescribe sleeping pills, but mostly people take them by themselves.

“Sleeping pill addiction is very dangerous,” says Dr Wiqar, and it often leads to other addictions. “Doctors are also responsible since they prescribe medicinal opiods, addictive pain killers etc freely,” he adds. A social worker cites one case wherein a patient became a drug addict after the doctor prescribed him a painkiller. “Whenever the patient would go to the doctor he would be asked to persist with the medicine,” says Zubair Rashid, who runs an NGO by the name of ‘Cause’ and has organised drug de-addiction awareness camps. “Since his pain persisted the patient increased the dose himself, and became an addict,” he says.

“The highest addiction in Kashmir is of medicinal opiods,” says Dr Muzaffar, “because of the free availability. Dr Wiqar adds that the ‘unregulated’ availability is among the highest in the world. “You can get any medicine in Kashmir as every by-lane has a medical shop,” he adds. Free availability of the medicinal opiods is considered a major reason for the increasing addiction. “We have heard of cases where even grocery stores have started selling the drugs,” adds Dr Muzaffar. Zubair adds that the same are freely available outside all educational institutes. In conflict areas throughout the world like Sri Lanka and the northeast India, the addiction to medicinal opiods has become a major problem.

A report published in Tehelka magzine, revealed that due to high opiod addiction, around 20 drug abusers see their limbs surgically removed in Manipur every year. “Opiods addicts run high risk of gangrene and necrosis,” says Dr Wiqar, but fortunately it has not been the case in Kashmir up till now, “but we are sitting on a time bomb here.”

But in addition to conflict and free availability of addictive drugs there are other reasons too. “The rise of nuclear families where in youngsters feel lonely is a cause. They have no one to talk to since both the parents are working,” she says, “this was not the case with joint families where there was adequate social support.” “Then there is also the huge load of expectations. Earlier people had 3-4 children, now it is just one or two. Parents now have too many expectations from their children. They have to be very good in academics, go to school as well as tuitions and get admission in a professional college,” she says. This takes a toll, and adds frustration to the already stressed out minds.

“In some cases it is the exposure to media also. They see a different world on TV, and feel that they should be doing it too. It becomes a fashion and a trend to some,” she adds. Dr Muzaffar adds that peer group pressure, problems in the family and stress in interpersonal relations is also a cause. “In some cases people even take drugs due to ignorance. Just to try it out without knowing the consequences,” he says. Even though the business of drugs is not organised in Kashmir to a great extent like in other parts of the country, people have started realising that it is a business.

“In some degree colleges we came across instances when employees were peddling and promoting drugs,” he says. The drug de-addiction centre, the only scientifically operating de-addiction centre in the valley, opened in March 2008. “Since then we have treated around 4500 patients, out of which 630 have been admitted at various times,” says Dr Muzafer. “But the addicts who reach here only form the tip of the ice berg,” he adds.

Unfortunately, most of the patients reach the hospital at the ‘damage done stage’, when they have already been addicts for a long time. “Most of the patients would be brought to the centre by legal authorities, referred by hospitals, by desperate family members, or occasionally by a social worker,” says Dr Wiqar. But for those who reach the de-addiction centre there are thousands who do not. Estimates by various NGOs put the number of drug addicts in Kashmir anywhere between 70,000 to 200,000 people, but some feel that the number may be much higher. Most of these fall in the age group of 15-35. More than one fourth of the addicts are believed to be females.

The social stigma associated with drug addiction keeps addicts from seeking help for fear of identification. More and more people becoming drug addicts, free availability, and lack of social consciousness is aggravating the problem “In two to three years time, we will be facing a disaster,” says Dr Wiqar. “What is more distressing is the spread of addiction related diseases. More than half of the people who inject drugs using syringes have some sort of disease like HIV, HBV or HCV (hepatitis B or C virus). HIV and HBV are deadly,” he says. “We have only had one HIV patient at the centre up till now,” says Dr Muzaffar, “but what is of deep concern is that the group with whom he shared syringes is still unidentified. The number of infected would have multiplied manifold and would still be increasing.”

None of the schools, colleges or universities in Kashmir has a counsellor, who could deal with psychological problems. Hardly, any educational institution has taken any steps to check sale of drugs in or outside their campuses. “People do not even accept the problem,” says Zubair, from NGO Cause. One of the schools took some steps to clean out drug peddlers, but could only manage to clear the immediate surroundings.

“We can only regulate what happens inside the school and in the immediate vicinity,” says the principal of a leading school, “parents have a role to play. They should keep track of the friend circles their wards have.” Many blame the authorities. “Police and other authorities are not doing their job. It is not an issue for them,” says a school teacher who did not wish to be named. However, Satish Gupta, Controller Drug and Food Organisation, Kashmir says that action is taken whenever there is a complaint or drug inspectors catches any chemist engaging in this practise.

Police, however, say that stopping the menace of drug addiction is a priority with them as it concerns the future of the nation. “We have booked a number of people. Even PSA and NDPS have been slapped on some,” said Deputy Inspector General of Police, Abdul Ghani Mir. “We conducted a meeting with around 400 chemists and druggists, where we made them understand that we must stop this menace.”

Police claimed to have seized thousands of bottles of codeine-based cough syrups, sedative tablets and addictive pain killers. The immediate need of the hour is awareness about drug addiction,” says Dr Muzaffer. “This is a must to prevent people from falling prey (to addiction),” he adds. This can be achieved by community awareness programs in schools, colleges, universities, and through media. An awareness camp held at Batamaalo for drivers and conductors around two months ago, identified 52 addicts out of the 300 who participated.

What Can be Done?

A helpline number 01942450451 has also been set up which primarily deals with stress but is open to drug related issues too. “Many girls have contacted us on the number,” adds the doctor. “There is an immediate need to set up more de-addiction centres,” says Dr Wiqar who has seen a number of Kashmiris in de-addiction centres outside the state. “But centres are not being set up here,” he adds.

In District Hospital Baramulla a building was designated as a de-addiction centre and a doctor assigned to it, but the doctor was re-assigned and the building now serves as a store. “If we do not act now the future will be very bleak,” he says. Drug addiction is not a loss of character. It is a disease,” say the experts. “And people need to realise that it needs medical attention, like other diseases,” says Dr Wiqar

“I have seen cases wherein parents have tried to starve and isolate their wards when they come to know of it. But it only makes the situation worse,” he adds. “Whosoever takes a drug commits a mistake. But then it is compulsion which makes him to do it again,” says Dr Muzafer. “The addict needs treatment and not banishment and isolation.”

(The piece was written for KashmirLife Magazine. The magazine can be accessed online at www.kashmirlife.net)

Towards a bright future Masters in Finance & Control

2011-05-04T20:54:00.000+05:30

Masters in Finance & Control (MFC) has a great prospects ahead Shahnawaz shah writes

This is the time when the new entrants in the University of Kashmir will be feeling delighted as they have got an opportunity to learn in this highest seat of learning. Some might have been admitted to the courses of their choice and with others the case may be different.The university of Kashmir offers an extensive range of courses, be it in the faculty of Science, Social Science, Arts ,Commerce, Management & so on. The choices available are Bio resources, Food technology, Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mass Communication, MSW, MA Linguistics, Business Administration & so on. Still University of Kashmir needs to go a long way, because it has to keep itself abreast with other universities of the country who offer specialized courses like Microbiology, Physiotherapy, Genetic engineering, Peace & Conflict Studies, MBA with various new specializations( like Retail Marketing, International Business, Telecommunications).The list seems to have no end. This is an era of specializations. As is obvious, Industries do require specialized human resources. They search for people with unique skills. Thus, there is a great demand for the people who possess specialised degrees and at the same time a unique set of skills. Gone are the days when people with degrees in pure fields were offered lucrative jobs by the organizations. Now the concept of job specialization has covered the whole industry. There is a ruthless competition among companies in these times. They want to outperform their counterparts. Thus every employer is looking for specialized & better manpower.

The University of Kashmir from the past few years in this regard has taken certain initiatives. It has started some industry-oriented courses."The Department of Business & Financial Studies (DBFS)"; erstwhile department of commerce has been the pioneer in this field. It has started a post graduate programme in finance in the year 2005.This course has been started under the name of "MFC (Masters in Finance and Control)".It is a super-specialized programme in the field of finance. The question here arises why have they started this course? The answer is evident, the financial sector around the globe has tremendously changed and improved, one can see finances making its presence felt in every part of the world. From the past 2-3 decades. India has responded to this change. In the year 1991 it liberalized its economy. The other contributing factors were globalization and privatization. These changes have led to the requirement of the people who are well versed with the knowledge and expertise of Finance. The same is the case with the banking sector like every booming industry or institution require personel, banking and financial institutions is no exception.To meet manpower requirement not only for the state but all around. DBFS introduced this course. This 4-semester programme launched by the DBFS was designed to create new generation "Financial Advisors" or "Financial Engineers”. There is a great demand for the MFCians in financial institutions especially in Banks, Insurance companies, stock exchanges, capital markets and so on. Some of the modules which makes MFC a distinct degree from other management courses are "Funds management in commercial banks”, “Corporate Tax Planning" ,"Risk Management and Derivatives", "Corporate Accounting" "Asset-Liability management”. Besides it also covers modules which are taught in other management programmes like Financial Management, Strategic Management, Organizational Behavior, Financial Accounting, Project Planning and so on. I won't spare any word in stating that this is one of the best courses available for a student with a financial bent of mind not only in the University of Kashmir, but in the universities outside the state also.

Graduates in any discipline with 50 %marks in general category and 45 % marks in reserved categories can apply.The selection in the DBFS takes place through a written examination followed by GD(group discussion) and PI (Personal Interview).

Although this course is not well known professional courses like CA / ICWA/ MBA. The reason for this is that it is of recent origin and is being offered by only a few Universities across the country.To name a few among them are : Aligarh Muslim University Banaras Hindu University, Himachal Pradesh University,Kurukshetra University,University of Lucknow,Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University & University of Delhi The esteemed Department of Business & Financial institution is one such institution that has got this privilege. Though this course (MFC) is in its initial stage (particularly in the state of J&K) but it will surely have a great future ahead provided the University in general and The Department of Business & Financial studies in particular takes some more sincere efforts to develop this program. There is a need to have some guest lecture sessions, Industrial visits, student interaction programmes with other university students which would definitely help to take this course as well as the department to its zenith. Further it is of utmost importance to introduce this course at bachelors level i.e. Bachelors in Finance & Control (BFC) as advised by the think tank earlier as well.

I wish all the new comers a bright future.

In Conversation with Anjum Zamrooda Habib

2011-04-25T20:35:00.001+05:30

Eminent Political, Social, Women Activist and author of Prisoner No. 100 Anjum Zamrooda Habib in conversation with Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander about her life, activism, women, political prisoners and present political scenario

[courtesy: Milli Gazette]

You have been active in Social work since 1980s. What is your experience regarding the participation of women in Social activism, has it declined or progressed further?

Women activism has been on decline since the inception of militancy, as militancy dominated the hearts and minds of the society and social evils like dowry receded into oblivion, but new more serious social problems like widowhood and orphans emerged and nothing substantial was undertaken to address these challenges. In the name of rehabilitation the widows were exploited by the government agencies and others, reinforcing the fear and vulnerabilities of women more, plus life of women are hard hit by the raging conflict and the repercussions of militancy are still felt, and these all factors coupled together are responsible for the decline of women activism.

So you mean to say that Women activism and participation declined with the inception and prolonging of the armed struggle?

No, only the spheres of activism and participation changed, when the armed struggle started whole nation was on streets prominent among them being women, who alongwith men protested and even used to save their men from the brutal hands of occupational forces and police, but when the State opted for an Iron fist policy to suppress the resistance the women occupied the backseat, by looking after their children and family if their husband or any other family member was killed or in detention. Hence women still play an active role at the grassroot level of the society. Women are still the ocean of sacrifice and without her participation no resistance can survive. They are still quite active within the confines of their home but unfortunately their sacrifices aren’t taken into account, which they always offer readily, continuously without any desire for recognition.

Why have you transited from Social to Political Activism?

I was one of the founding members of Women’s Welfare Association, of which women from Pandit community were members too, but after their exodus and the daily killings of innocent civilians, the Politics came to dominate all spheres of life, I too felt compelled to do something for my nation, though I didn’t gave up social activism but yes I became active on political front too.

You were also one of the founding woman members of Hurriyat Conference. How many more were there like you?

There was one more women organization which was a part of this amalgam when it was formed in 1993, but it faded away with time, though my organization Muslim Khawateen Markaz (MKM) is still prominent among the Hurriyat Conference.

Has Hurriyat Confernce a certain quota of women representation in decision making and as members?

No, there is nothing written about women quota as members and in decision making body in the constitution of Hurriyat Conference. The condition there is quite abysmal and pathetic, women voices are ignored and their political participation and representation in the decision making body is minimal.

Is it difficult as a women’s organization (MKM) to survive in male dominated political culture?

Yes it is, but exceptions are always there. Men do politics but women by their nature are tender and loving who wish to end any conflict amicably and offer reconciliation wherever it is applicable readily. It is also difficult to survive as an organization, and when you are solitary frequently your opinions get sidelined as a minority, despite being vocal and progressive in outlook.

Was it then because of you being vocal, progressive and revolutionary that some members of the Hurriyat Conference fixed your arrest and imprisonment?

Many things have now come to the fore and everything has become clear now. Transparency must be present in the working of Hurriyat Conference. Resentment and Revolution go hand in hand.

Does it mean that some anti movement elements or State agencies have penetrated in the ranks of Hurriyat Conference and are deceiving people by posing as Resistance leaders?

Since early 1990s the infiltration of anti movement elements was there, who wish to keep the pot of conflict boiling, and still some people are there. Transparency must be restored and there must be a clear picture before people about the credentials of their leaders. If the leadership is disabled the whole nation must not be disabled, the younger generation must come forward and seek accountability and transparency from their leaders and it is the moral responsibility of leadership to stick to these norms.

Why hasn’t the Hurriyat Conference been able to deliver since its formation?

It has delivered but not to our expectations. India is a mighty powerful nation and to fight against it is a difficult job which Hurriyat Conference has been undertaking since its formation, and it remains still the lone group which represents our sentiments and as a nation our concerns and issues, but surely it must grow more stronger with time.

Why have been the sacrifices of women been undermined and in most cases die unsung in oblivion?

When resistance is amalgamated with politics only power seems to be the concern, plus in the war zone memories are short lived, add to this the fact that the whole world is male dominated who don’t want to acknowledge the sacrifices of women and all these factors add together for this apathy.

What steps have you taken to rectify this apathy?

Women should come forward ignoring the vulnerabilities, fear and patriarchal norms and join hands with me, as MKM is the best platform to raise a collective voice about women issues and concerns.

The Resistance leaders haven’t made any institutions for the victims of conflict and they are left unaccustomed after getting used as cannon fodder?

Armed insurgency wasn’t a well organized or disciplined endeavor and still the anarchy prevails, hence with this anarchy came the politics and politics was done over the dead bodies. The collective effort of the whole nation was missing. Hurriyat Conference broke into two, so did other political and militant organizations too. It was a fight for the supremacy, hegemony and number game. No attention was paid to the institution building but now we are making efforts for the same. Also many dedicated members became disgusted with the splits and counter splits and took recourse to cozy cocoons.

We have time and again witnessed that a spate of resistance gains currency but failure of the leadership to channelize and deliver, results in failure, and we are once again at ground zero. Why this impotency of leadership?

No, we aren’t at ground zero. India is a big mighty State and our resistance movement is a long drawn one. In the movement there are many elements that are always ready to sabotage the resistance and speaking strategically our resistance isn’t strong. Our leadership considers itself above the resistance not subservient to it.

What is needed to rectify this apathy. Change of Leadership or Strategy?

Both are needed.

After your release from Tihar jail, you formed Association of Families of Kashmiri Prisoners (AFKP), why?

In Tihat jail, I was the solitary lady from Kashmir, and I have witnessed the horrors of jail life where you feel unwanted, forgotten and disgusted with life. The same is the case with others too, and witnessing the pathetic conditions of the families of the prisoners I decided that once I would be free I would certainly try to help my fellow prisoners, which became a moving spirit behind the formation of AFKP.

What does AFKP do?

We provide moral support to the families of victims besides documenting their cases and following their trails. As society and Indian legal system is hostile towards Kashmiri Prisoners, when they get released after long detentions they are misfit in the society hence need for counseling is necessary which AKFP has in mind but couldn’t establish a counseling cell due to dearth of funds. Nothing has been done for the prisoner’s rights and we are making people aware about the same.

Any message for women?

Women are the part and parcel of the resistance movement. The new generation of women has been individually carrying the mantle of resistance but they should come forward and join hands with MKM for a collective endeavor.

Anjum Zamrooda Habib can be reached at bhatanjum@rediffmail.com and on her Cell No. +91-09419022891

Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com

The War within Islam | Beyond Politics: Assassination of Maulana Showkat Ahmad Shah

2011-04-12T23:04:00.000+05:30


11 Apr 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com


By Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander
The tragic assassination of Maulana Showkat Ahmad Shah, President of a faction of Jamiat e Ahli Hadees, Kashmir, ahead of Friday prayers, on 8th April, 2011 came as a rude shock to me. Once again the streets of Srinagar turned red with the blood of a religious preacher. I didn’t know Maulana personally, but frequently used to read his statements in Press, as he had jumped into the field of the Pro Freedom politics. My maiden acquaintance with Maulana is still fresh in my memory, though shocking and surprising was my maiden encounter. In the month of Ramadan, 2006 on Sunday 22, October Jamai Ahli Hadees, Gaw Kadal, Srinagar on whose footsteps Maulana was assassinated, hosted a religious congregation where different religious scholars belonging to the Ahli Hadith school of thought were scheduled to deliver sermons, and all were welcome. I too joined as one of the scholars with whom I newly had gained acquaintance but never witnessed him speak was too was on the list of speakers, thus being a reason for me to join the congregation, despite being a born again Salafi those days I rarely went to listen sermons, as I relied more on self study, which later led me to embrace the inclusive Sufi stride of Islam, in contrast to the puritanical Salafism. Maulana Showkat too was scheduled to deliver his Presidential address, but when the Asar Prayer was ready it was announced that Maulana alongwith his close associate has been attacked, while traveling in his personal vehicle, but they have escaped unhurt, and the announcer requested all people to join peaceful protests after prayer to nearby Kralkhud Police Station where Maulana was safe under Police Cover. I too alongwith my newly acquainted scholar went there, least bothered by protests and continuing our scholarly discussion but expressing solidarity with Maulana and demanding the culprits to be brought to book, which they never were. After this shocking but memorable incident, I never had the chance to listen to Maulana, and in the aftermath Maulana was always accompanied by the Personal Security Officers (PSO). During his Presidentship, Jamiat Ahle Hadith was always mired in controversies and it came to be divided in various factions and various allegations were leveled against Maulana from being a dictator to corruption. His predecessor Prof Muhammad Ramzan too was assassinated by unknown men at the doorsteps of the same mosque. Factionalism, accusations over money swindling and controversies were a norm during his tenure. Not many in the party were happy with his Presidentship. Meanwhile Maulana grew more intimate to the Chairman of a faction of Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Yasin Malik who portrays himself as a self styled secularist. This relationship too was witnessed with hostility, as the ideologies of both these men were poles apart with apparently no meeting ground. This relationship also angered many within and outside the Jamiat. Many began to accuse Maulana of compromising the ideals of Jamiat which believes in a strict, exclusivist, puritanical and literalist version of Islam and looks down upon other sects as deviant. The dichotomy of Secularism versus Salafism even today remains a puzzle in the Maulana’s career. In the aftermath of Maulana’s assassination, a friend called up, and recanted that Maulana should have concentrated more on religious, reformatory, educational and social issues as there was no need for him to jump the bandwagon of the political clique, an accusation which his critics used to level on him that he had a desire for fame, wealth and pomp, adorning a Pro Freedom garb can best guarantee it all, though I don’t believe that Maulana did join politics for the same, rest Almighty alone knows Maulana’s real intentions. By the simple chat of my friend, I was reminded of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who during his 1944 visit to the valley advised then Mirwaiz Yusuf Shah, head cleric that he should give up his role in politics and concentrate on religious issues alone, and guaranteed him that Muslims would respect him in a similar manner as Christians respect Archbishop of Canterbury, as has been quoted by Chaoudhary Ghulam Abbas in his autobiography Kashmakash (The Struggle). Similarly Maqbool Sahil in his new book Tanazay e Kashmir Tarikh Key Aaiyeney Mein (The Kashmir Tangle in Historical Perspective) quotes Maulana Anzar Shah Kashmiri advising the present Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to detest from Politics and concentrate on religious issues only, but both the Mirwaiz’s seem to have throw the advise to winds. My friend concluded that when polytheism, Shirk, Christianity, Qadayanism, immorality among youth and liquor is spreading its devilish tentacles in our society Maulana should have concentrated on these, leaving politics for the lesser mortals to indulge as it would have made him less controversial, because in Kashmir Politics none is aware of who works for whom, and many behind the screen activities and clandestine acts of politicians come to fore time and again widening the vicious circle of controversies, I have but to agree with my friend. Maulana Showkat became more prominent during the Amarnath Land Row Agitation, 2008 as he alongwith Yasin Malik used to lead Pro Freedom marches and instill crowds with his Pro Freedom speeches and he was even arrested under Public Safety Act for a brief period during 2008, but released soon afterwards. After his release he echoed the then SSP Srinagar, Afhadul Mujtaba in denouncing the Stone Pelting by youth on Police and Para Military forces as Un Islamic in his Friday sermon, giving his critics and enemies fresh evidence to label him as an Indian agent, who was conspiring against his people and the freedom movement. In the aftermath of this Fatwa, a Pro Freedom Leader Shakeel Ahmad Bakshi, Chairman Islamic Students League (ISL) organized a group discussion on 29th March, 2009 at a local hotel on the title Sang Har Shaksh Ney Haaton Mey Kyou Utha Rakha Hai (Why everybody’s hand is armed with a stone?). I too went out of curiosity of a writer to acquaint myself with the views of the youth of whom I too am a part. Many political, religious and social activists were present and even Maulana Showkat was extended the invitation which he declined due to some urgent work which he needed to attend, and everyone in the hall was aghast at the Fatwa against stone pelting and arms against Maulana. One Youngman said that Maulana gave a written testimony of thirteen points to the Police for his conditional release and this Fatwa was fulfillment of one these conditions. The authenticity of these thirteen point testimony was ‘obviously’ known to that youngman? Others denounced him by stating that he was no religious scholar and possessed no knowledge about Fiqh (jurisprudence) to pronounce a Fatwa, and this claim seemed to hold weight, as Maulana had humble beginnings being son of a tailor, and spent more than thirty years as a shawl dealer, before acquiring Presidentship of Jamiat. Besides a pamphlet was distributed too on this occasion which proved from Quran, Sunnah and Muslim History that stones were used against enemies, hence Stone Pelting isn’t unIslamic. Whether Islamic or Unislamic youth wouldn’t have given it up and Maulana forgot to take lesson from Maulana Abdul Haq Haqqani(d 1831), author of the famed exegesis of the Quran known as Tafsir Haqqani, while issuing Fatwas. During his times British Government replaced the Gold and Silver with Paper currency. These paper notes apparently from the traditional jurisprudence rulings were anti Islamic in nature. Maulana was asked to issue a Fatwa regarding the permissibility or impermissibility of using this Paper Currency from Islamic Perspective? He declined to issue a fatwa and said “Mera Fatwa Nahi Chelega, Note Chaljayega”(My Fatwa will not work and note will). Similar is the case with Stone Pelting. In the aftermath of his assassination many conspiracy theories are in the air, Pro Freedom Parties blame it on Indian Agencies, who wish to divide Kashmiri Nation, and put a halt to the India-Pakistan dialogue which will pave way to the Peaceful Resolution of Kashmir issue. Mainstream politicians and police blame it on militants discreetly and on those who aren’t happy with moderates and Dialogue, and Indian Media too blames it on those elements who don’t want Peace to return, and I humbly surmise the hand of those Elements who wish to repeat 2010 again this summer as Khoon Ka Badla June Mey Leingey (We will avenge the innocent blood in June) is doing rounds in the air. In between these blames and counter blames we have lost another person to the ravaging conflict and as a norm all parties to the conflict would do politics over this assassination, and the real culprits as usual is apprehension would go Scot free, though Yasin Malik has vowed to expose the killers, and time would judge how consistent he would remain in his promise?? This assassination also exposed the bankruptcy of our morals as a Nation, our Writers, Intellectuals, and Activists who used to heap abuse on Maulana when he was alive began to shower blessings and benedictions on him after his death, the adherents of other factions of Ahle Hadith who would never tolerate to pray behind him now describe him as a martyr and for those to whom Maulana was a culprit too are describing him to have secured a place in Jannah. What a sorry state of affairs, instead of weighing a person by his pros and cons we raise their status equal to God, as if they were immortals, though during their lifetime we shower our vilest abuses on them. Keep aside politics, Maulana’s Pros and Cons he can be described in the similar words as Sergy, described his father Nikita Khrushchev, “There were many who loved him, there were many who hated him, but there were very few who would pass by him without looking in his direction”. URL: http://newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamWarWithinIslam_1.aspx?ArticleID=4431

The Flying Carpet to Baghdad | Book Review

2011-04-09T22:15:00.001+05:30

The Flying Carpet to Baghdad

Author= Hala Jaber

Publisher= Pan Macmillan, London

Year of Publication= 2010

Price= $ 7.99 Pages= 298

[courtesy: The Education Today ; Bangalore]

Calamity, destruction, misery and tragedy always follow the War. During and in the aftermath of War, human loss is reduced to mere statistics, usually the mainstream media neglects the human cost of war focusing on other issues. After the Second World War, mankind witnessed numerous wars of varying nature in which millions vanished in thin air without trace, whose life, tragedies, miseries, plight and agony yet remains to be documented. In the tussle for hegemony between the Two Super Powers during Cold War the sufferings of humankind were unaccounted, and after the end of Cold War in 1990s with the breakdown of U.S.S.R, the world turned into a unipolar one, with Uncle Sam reigning supreme, who quite early discovered the New Enemy in Muslims who were in dire need of discipline and democracy, hence the need for undertaking the civilizing mission in the garb of operation democracy was felt, which happened clandestinely before the tragedy of 9/11 and overtly in its aftermath in the form of brutal invasions of Afghanistan and then lately of Iraq.

The media reported the invasion during its initial stages, and featured it regularly till the American forces conquered Kabul and Baghdad ousting the governments of Taliban as well of Saddam Hussein. The invasion and war later on could not provide sensational news stories; hence on the Media front it grew cold but occasionally it blew hot too. During the whole phase of coverage, media was supposed to be objective which mainstream corporate media could hardly be as it scarcely reported about the human loss and cost of war, by raising brutally honest and disturbing questions to the perpetuators of the Invasion. Journalists and reporters adhered to the editorial and corporate policies of their Publishing or Media Houses adamantly, but certainly there were exceptional cases like that of Hala Jaber, author of the book under review, a Professional journalist covering the war on Iraq, who pushed the boundaries of journalism beyond objectivity to human empathy.

Hala emotionally describes the story of two orphans and her struggle to save them, mired with her desire for motherhood for which she longs desperately but fate is unjust to her biologically but covering the war in Iraq offers her a unique opportunity to save Zahra who is burnt and injured in an explosion which kills her whole family except her infant sister. Watching her lying emotionless on bed, Hala undertakes an uphill task of saving Zahra from the clutches of death, but ultimately the cruel hands of death snatch her away which Hala comes to know quite late, but doesn’t give up and tries to locate the dead body of Zahra with the help of Marla, a U.S relief worker, whom she describes as an exceptionally brave and adventurous young girl who is trying to rectify the wrongs of war that her Nation imposed on Iraq and in her strenuous efforts to provide a healing touch to the victims of war, she too becomes a victim of the War. The twin tragedy is written in such an empathic prose that the reader finds no escape but to salute the courage of Marla and mourn the loss of both Zahra and Marla.

Despite suffering the personal tragedy once again in the death of her helping friend Marla and would be daughter Zahra, Hala once again traverses Iraq which makes her desperately nostalgic, but she holds on to her conviction to bring change to one of the orphans, now Zahra’s younger sister Hawra. In her search to adopt her, she describes the havoc perpetuated by the war on the common Iraqis like Hawra’s family, environmental destruction and the sectarian divide which has transformed Iraq into a Nation within a Nation, where the boundaries and borders have been erected segregating Shias from Sunis and usually these sects clash violently against each other, all these are the brazen brutal, bitter fruits of Invasion.

Hala even describes her tryst with the resistance forces with whom she travels, being a witness to their convictions, fears, hopes, desires, ideology, sharing with them their vulnerabilities and witnessing them fight against the occupational forces from whom they wish to free their Nation. She vividly describes the siege of Fallujah and Sadr City and how she had a first hand account of the resistance there, and how the talk of the Balkanization of Iraq was doing rounds in elite Political circles.

Overall the book is gripping and spine rendering read, which makes you cry more than once, and inspires you to offer a helping hand to the victims of War and encourage you to stand up and speak against the Neo Imperial Ambitions of Uncle Sam whose price the common masses have to pay quite tragically.

Flying Carpet to Baghdad depicts how much more is needed and expected from those covering a War as humans rather than mere professionals and this story will remain immortal even if the War is forgotten.

Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist and presently student of Masters Program of Political Science at Kashmir University and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com

Jobs In Airtel

2011-03-25T10:41:00.000+05:30

Jobs in Airtel 2011
Send in your resumes soon last date 31st March 2011. Mail your updated CV's to jobs@airtel.in

Demystifying Kashmir | By Sahar Habib Ghazi | DAWN.COM

2011-03-12T01:09:00.000+05:30

STANFORD: “This may be charged, it may be difficult; this is a controversial and emotional issue for many people, but our intention is to have a civil discussion. I hope you will all approach it with that amount of civility,” said Thomas Blom Hansen, Director of the Center for South Asia as he opened a two-day symposium that attempted to demystify the most militarised place in the world; “Grounding Kashmir” brought South Asian scholars from around the globe to Stanford University.

“Our aim is to go beyond the narrow confines of (Indian and Pakistani) nationalistic discourse,” said Nosheen Ali one of the organisers of the event. “There is a physical line of control, but there is also an intellectual line of control.”

The panel of speakers was dominated by Indian academics, who collectively portrayed a scathing critique of “fraudulent uneasy peace,” “humanitarianism used to subjugate,” and, “heavy militarisation” by the Indian state in Jammu and Kashmir.

Author of Hindu Rulers, Muslim Subjects: Islam, Rights and the History of Kashmir, Dr. Mridu Rai’s paper on “Folding Kashmir into Indian Imagination” attempted to take on the prevalence of “one narrative” in Indian society, a narrative dominated by the state line. Rai argued, “Kashmir should not be claimed through maps.”

Pakistani Historian Ayesha Jalal also echoed Rai’s assertion. “It is not about religion, it has been made about religion by Pakistan and India.” Dr Jalal, who is currently a visiting professor at Tufts University, outlined her fascinating research that traces back the Kashmir and Punjab nexus, from 1931 to present-day. She showed how opinions have transformed in Punjab from wanting Kashmir to be a part of Pakistan, to wanting Kashmiris to decide their own fate.

Ironically, tensions that were foreseen in the opening speech did not breakout between Pakistanis and Indians on the stage or in the crowd, but between members of the audience from the Hindu-Pundit Diaspora who seemed very upset by the work of the speakers. After Dr. Suvir Kaul, from the University of Pennsylvania, finished answering a question about his paper– which outlined what he called, “fraudulent, uneasy peace” and how the Indian state continues to colonise the Kashmiri people – one man shouted from the back, “300 rupees they pay those boys to throw stones.” The speakers were accused of being “separatists” and under-representing the cause of the Hindu-Pundits. “I myself am a Pundit!” replied Kaul. “You want a tolerant India, I want a tolerant India; a search for that tolerant Indian space will begin and end in Kashmir”

The temperature of the room cooled down when Kashmiri journalist Basharat Peer took centre stage. “By acknowledging people’s pain, we are not erasing our own pain, we are not competing here; human tragedy can co-exist. Everyone’s pain should be acknowledged.” Peer read haunting tales of anguish and torture from his book, Curfewed Nights, a front-line account of life and love in war-torn Kashmir.

In the Q and A, Peer spoke about two specific laws that the Kashmiri people were trying to overturn, both laws enabled Indian soldiers and policemen to operate with impunity in their region. “Last summer, Sameer Rah, an eight-year-old protestor was beaten to death by Indian soldiers.” Peer argued that Rah could not get justice under the current laws in the region.

“This summers’ protests was completely a youth movement,” said Peer talking about the intifada-style demonstrations that left over a hundred unarmed protesters dead. “The Hurriyat is doing nothing. The biggest mistake the Indian government made was that they set up the Hurriyat, then they knocked them down.”

Filmmaker Sanjay Kak showed us a rare documented glimpse into the life of the Kashmiri people, in Jashn-e-Azadi- How we celebrate Freedom.

“For someone who really follows events in Kashmir I was shocked at what I saw when I went there,” said Kak whose family once lived in Srinagar. “A personal humiliation got me started on this film, how ignorant, how ridiculous I felt.”

Jashn-e-Azadi starts with the camera taking the audience to Dal Lake in Srinagar; from the point of view of someone sitting on a boat you see iconic shots of the misty Kashmir valley artistically interspersed with a montage of war images.

“Any conversation about Kashmir is about Pakistan, Islamic Jihad and Pundits,” said the Indian filmmaker. But Jashn-e-Azadi jumped over these charged topics and went straight into what it is like for the Kashmiri people to be living under the barrel of a gun for the last two decades. Kak takes us to the “Martyrs Graveyard,” where hundreds of local fighters are buried; and to a village where a local theatre group put up a colourful play depicting how foreign forces have subjugated the Kashmiri people for centuries. Kak also showed how throughout the violence in the valley, the Indian state continues to promote the area as the ultimate tourism destination, building hotels and an extravagant golf course. Jashn-e-Azadi was released in 2007 and Kak has shown the film across India and at some international Film Festivals; he also hopes to show it in Pakistan one day.

The conference wrapped with an eloquent young and female panel from both sides of the line of control. Dr Mona Bhan, an anthropologist from Srinagar presented her latest research, which documents how the “Save Dal Lake” campaign around her hometown has become a way to subjugate the local population. Bhan argued that while Indian conservationists target lake dwellers around Dal, evidence suggests most of the pollution comes from the dozens of new hotels that dump their sewage into the lake. “Besides tourism, environmentalism has become a counterinsurgency strategy in Kashmir,” said Dr Bhan who currently teaches at DePauw University in Indiana, “in fact the US is looking to India, because it has led the charge in counterinsurgency strategy for years.”

Bhan also talked about some of her earlier post-conflict field work in Kargil, Ladakh. Her study of the trials and tribulations of the Ladakhis, who live on the Indian side of the line of control, was reflected in Dr. Nosheen Ali’s research about the people living on the Pakistani side of the line of control. “It is not grotesque violence, but suspicion that haunts the people of Gilgit-Baltistan.” Ali who received her PhD from Cornell University in Sociology and did her research in Gilgit-Baltistan, argues that the area may be miles away from the Kashmir conflict, but its people live under heavy militarisation and are ruled by the Pakistani state through emotional regulation by producing suspicion and loyalty. “Every third person there is a potential spy,” asserted Ali. “Despite the colonial treatment by the Pakistan state, most people in Gilgit-Baltistan remain intensely patriotic. The region is the only territory in Pakistan that actually fought a war to become part of Pakistan, and hundreds of soldiers from the region have since sacrificed their lives while serving in the Pakistani Army.”

Both Bhan and Ali’s research focused on the affects the conflict has had on the lives of communities within and around the Kashmir valley. As the two read out excerpts from interviews they conducted in Indian and Pakistani Kashmir respectively, it became clear that this very under-studied area desperately needs to be bought to the fore-front, because in the words of Sanjay Kak, “domination does not mean victory.”

Sahar Habib Ghazi blogs at www.outsideislamabad.com and has been selected as a 2010-2011 Journalism Knight Fellow at Stanford University.

Kashmir Budget 2011 Highlights

2011-03-08T20:44:00.000+05:30

Srinagar: Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather presented the third budget of the NC-Congress coalition government for the financial year 2011-2012 in the state legislative assembly on Monday. Here are the main highlights of the budget.

HIGHLIGHTS

*Employees and Pensioners to get 10% DA of July 2010 alongwith salary/pension for April next.

*Senior pensioners, who attain the age of 90 years and those between 80-90 years as on 01.04.2011 to get 50% of their pension revision arrears in one and two installments respectively.

*Daily Wage’ rate hiked from 110 per day to 125 per day w.e.f. 01.04.2011.

*8 crore set apart for subsidizing migrants’ Health Insurance.

*40 crore set apart for Employment & Welfare Programme for Youths.

*A provision of 55 crore for meeting cost of VRS/GHS in PSUs.

*Investment of 316 crore under Skill Development Mission.

*50 crore state share to access ` 500 crore under MG-NAREGS.

*50 crore for restoration of damaged infrastructure in Leh and Kargil.

*Subsidy of 6 crore for 1000 Sheep Units in private sector.

*ICDS Centres in remote and backward areas mandated to buy local produce to encourage local production and marketing of the same.

*'Beti Anmol’ rolled out for arresting dropout rate of girl students in schools and enhancing their employment prospects. 5000 fixed deposit for girl students belonging to BPL families in all 97 educationally backward blocks on enrollment in 11th class to be encashed on passing 12th class examination.

*Rs 22 crore to support empowerment of women in the State.

*Toll exempted on Jute to promote ‘Green Packaging’ through Women’s Development Corporation.

*GST (10.5%) exempted for Green Houses to promote agriculture, horticulture and floriculture business.

*100% subsidy of VAT component on micro irrigation systems i.e. Drip and Sprinkler systems.

*VAT exemption on food grains for another one year.

*VAT exempted on pesticides, insecticides and weedicides.

*Toll exempted on Milch animals to promote dairy industry.

*Toll exempted on animal and poultry field to encourage local production of poultry and sheep.

*Toll exempted on beehives and colonies.

*Massive effort to increase the Seed Replacement Rate from 10% to 25% through research based extension programme.

*Central project of ` 372 crore for rejuvenation of Saffron cultivation.

*1500 more habitations to get potable drinking water in 2011-12.

*332 crore investment in irrigation sector in 2011-12.

*Investment of ` 1757 crore for improving health infrastructure.

*150 crore under JNNURM for completion of ongoing projects.

*326 crore investment in Housing & Urban Development Sector.

*148 crore for maintenance of assets under non-plan.

*VAT remission for industry extended for another year (implication around 500 crore).

*Annual verification of raw material consumption statement to replace existing quarterly verification presently.

TRANSPORT SECTOR PROMOTION:

*Passenger tax on ordinary buses, excluding Luxury and Video Coaches, reduced from ` 300 per seat to ` 250 per seat per annum.

SPECIAL INITIATIVE FOR BAD POCKETS:

*100 crore earmarked for new and unique initiatives which are special to these remote areas.

INITIATIVES IN EDUCATION SECTOR:

*11 lakh children to be covered under Mid Day Meals.

*19 Model Schools and 19 Girls’ Hostels under Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan in 2011-12.

*Central Assistance of ` 30 crore under Saakshar Bharat Mission – 2012.

*18 new Polytechnic Colleges being established in uncovered districts of State.

INITIATIVES IN POWER SECTOR:

*Open Access Power Scheme’ launched to benefit bulk consumers i.e. industries and other commercial ventures.

*'Bijli Adalats’ to be started for settlement of disputes and early realization of electricity dues.

Laila forces me to Lie! hmm...

2011-02-28T22:50:00.001+05:30

Marriage is a great institution. I mean, really. I have huge respect for it. While I got to agree that the driving institute where I learnt my driving does give a tight fight…the institution of marriage comes a definite first.
I will do anything to keep my wife’s and people’s faith in this institution called marriage.
Even lie to my wife.
You perhaps just let out a gasp: “Lie to wife?” If you did…you are probably a woman. Or an unmarried man. If you just let out a smirk, and uttered: “Don’t we all?,” you are the scheming, plotting husband who doesn’t need a lesson in safe-guarding the institution of marriage.
But you know…really, I am not to be blamed. What is a self-respecting, handsome, 24-year-old man expected to do when he is surprised at 11.30 pm with a question such as: “If I die, will you re-marry?”
Let me break it up for you.
Last Sunday….after trying our best for an hour, we finally managed to make our discussion compelete and sleep at 10.30 pm.
From 10.30 pm to 10.45 pm, we lay in bed, in a dark room, facing the ceiling… It was a battle of the sexes. Finally, I had to speak up. I asked: “”Slept?
“Nope!” Laila said. My wife doesn’t generally speak loudly….but when its night, and the room is dark…her voice can sometimes ring in the ears for up to 90 seconds.
After 90 seconds, I uttered: “Hmmm…”
“What hmmm…?” That was Laila again.
Can somebody tell me…why is it that only the man should initiate? Why not the woman?
Since now the onus of replying to Laila’s question “What hmmm…?” was on me,
I replied: “Simply hmmm…”
Laila quickly responded: “Better be simply hmmm…”
Another 5 minutes of silence followed. If you thought waiting outside a public toilet to take a dump, when somebody was inside is torture….let me tell you, waiting for the right moment when you are lying down in bed with your wife is a bigger torture. In the former you know the guy inside is going to come out sometime or the other….but in my case…there was this good chance that Laila would sleep off.
After five minutes, I said: “Very silent huh?”
“Obviously. Its 10.15 pm and everybody is trying to sleep.”
“You are also trying to sleep?” I expressed my shock.
“Obviously. Tomorrow is Monday, and we need to start early.”
“Hmm…I was thinking, maybe we can play some golf?” I don’t know if I have told you earlier, but we Ashai's are very persistent. We don’t give up till we get what we want.
“shakeeb, I am too tired. BTW, what do you plan to do with your iPhone once you buy HTC Desire HD?”
“Well, I was planning to give it to my mother. She has been wanting to change her mobile.”
Considering the situation, it was the wrong answer. I should have said: “You can use it if you want.” But I had already spoken to my mother and told her that I would be passing on the iPhone to her.
“iPhone for a 45 year old lady? What if I take it and we give the mobile I am using to you mother?”
I wasn’t new to this. Many a times, just before tee-off time Laila had asked for what she wanted and got it. This was no different.
“Sure, Laila.”
I knew I couldn’t live without Golf, but my mother could manage without an iPhone.
“So, Golf now?” I asked confidently.
“One more thing…if I die, will you marry somebody else?”
In the dark, I could see Laila turning towards me…trying to catch my expressions. I tried to hold back a smile…but couldn’t….so turned the other way.
“No Laila. How can I even think of sharing my life with another woman?”

I don’t know if Laila knows that these are all lies, and a lot will depend on the circumstances. I don’t know if she actually saw me smile, and ignored it for good. I don’t know why she even asks such questions. But the fact is, she forces me to lie, while lying down.
I wouldn’t go into the details of the excellent Golfing session. But at about 12 midnight, while staring at the ceiling in a dark room, I said: “Actually Laila…I have been thinking. I don’t really know what I will do if you are no longer there. A lot will depend on the circumstances.”
There was no response. It has been a week now, and there have been no repercussions…so I would guess, she had slept by the time I decided to tell her the truth.

Tribute to Maqbool Bhat

2011-02-10T22:26:00.001+05:30

Roshni Ka Shaheed e Awwal (First Martyr for the Light) Father of Kashmiri Nation Shaheed Mohammad Maqbool Bhat From Birth To Gallows

Compiled by Mohammad Hussain Altaf

Publisher= Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, Maqbool Manzil, Srinagar Kashmir.

Year of Publication= Not Mentioned

Price= Rs 120 Pages= 260 urdu+65 english+11 coloured

Kashmiris have been fighting for their basic rights for many centuries now, and during all these centuries of struggle countless people have dedicated and sacrificed their lives for keeping the resistance aflame but most of these resistance forces have died as unsung heroes and their sacrifices for the cause are still in oblivion. The writers, intellectuals(if any) and historians of Kashmir are the culprits of this gross negligence as they have not done justice to their profession by documenting nothing about these great sons of soil. Even in the contemporary times none has tried to research, locate and document about their lives and work. Even the big stalwarts among them like Mohammad Maqbool Bhat who was hanged in Tihar Jail on 11 February, 1984 is a victim of this apathy as nothing substantial is available on his life, thought, ideology and political activities.

Mohammad Hussain Altaf, a Political Activist of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) rather than any historian or political analyst has tried to fill this void by compiling the letters, press statements, interviews, writings, press conferences and speeches of Mohammad Maqbool Bhat in a book titled Roshni Ka Shaheed e Awwal, before him another political activist and leader of JKLF(R) Tahir Mir penned down a small booklet on the life of Maqbool Bhat entitled as Maqbool Bhat Trehgam Sey Tihar Tak (Maqbool Bhat from Trehgam to Tihar), but that wasn’t so comprehensive as the present book under review is. Mohammad Hussain Altaf in his Preface to the collection writes that “The reality and facts about the lives and works of the genuine leaders and torch bearers of any nation are either distorted or hidden. This job is undertaken so that the nation would be kept away from its struggle and goal and to keep its people in perpetual sense of inferiority complex”.

The book at first documents the biographical sketch of Maqbool Bhat from his birth to gallows, his political activities as a student, his migration to Azad Kashmir, his student days at Peshawar University, his journalistic stint, his return to valley and setting clandestine and underground cells for subversive activities, his arrest, sentencing to death in the court of Neel Kanth Ganjoo, his adventurous escape from Srinagar Central jail which is described in detail by his own writing, which is filled with adventure, threat of re-arrest, surviving in hostile conditions and infiltrating back to Azad Kashmir and his re-arrest there on charges of being a spy and his brutal torture in Muzzfarabad, his release and his joining politics again, return back to valley, his arrest, haste trail and subsequent hanging all are depicted lucidly.

About his escape Maqbool Bhat enthusiastically pens down how on every step he and his friends were helped by the common people, when they came to know that their anonymous guests were the freedom fighters on run and they helped them by providing shelter, food and guiding them to escape routes, hence this attitude of the common people clearly depicted how much longing and enthusiastic Kashmiris were for Aazadi. Bhat was among the pioneers of armed struggle in Kashmir as he believed that only negotiations at the political table weren’t enough for the freedom to be delivered but the occupation forces must be confused and tired through the armed struggle, but unlike others he was for self sustainability and indigenous character of the struggle, whose command, orders and outcome all must be in the hands of Kashmiris. He wanted his own people to resist instead of taking cue on others to help them.

For the cause of Kashmir’s Freedom Maqbool Bhat endured every calamity, deception by comrades, economic hardship and social apathy with a smiling face and bold conviction and never expressed any such hardship or obstacle which could become a source of repulsion for the cadres of resistance. Maqbool Bhat never complained about the hardships that he went in torture centers and then in jails, both in Azad Kashmir and India. Maqbool alongwith his comrades were incarcerated in the infamous Shahi Fort, Lahore and the brutal torture they all suffered at the hands of Pakistan army is documented by G.M Lone in his book, Aatish e Chinar, but Maqbool never spoke about it as can be witnessed from his interviews, speeches and letters and whenever any such topic was raised Bhat would sideline the same and take the conversation in some other direction.

His letters twenty nine in number provide a real glimpse into the life of this great son of the soil who took a stand to defend his principles till death. In his letter to Azra Mir daughter of G.M Mir, Bhat writes about the tussle between the oppressors and oppressed, “The children of oppressors see the oppression around them but remain indifferent, whereas the children of Mujahids (freedom fighters) do not tolerate oppression. They feel the pain and wish to fight against oppression. The children of oppressors are provided with all the luxuries and comfort of the world, they have plenty to eat, wear expensive clothes and live in luxury houses but the children of Mujahids are not attracted to these kinds of luxuries and comfort. The get satisfaction in struggling against the system of oppression. That gratification and satisfaction cannot be experienced with worldly wealth, expensive clothes or luxurious houses. That is why Mujahideen children prefer a day of freedom to a life of luxuries without any freedom”.

Similarly writing to Ikraam Ullah Jaswaal, a Plebiscite Front activist Bhat describes his efforts as those of history making as “The goal of history making requires a different approach. For history is made by the kind of people who direct their theories and practices towards a fresh approach. They challenge and rebel against the established official people and values. Here are some examples of this breed of people. Did Socrates not have to drink poison? Did the messenger of Allah (Ibrahim) in his time jump into the fire of Nimrod? Did Jesus Christ not have to kiss the gallows (the cross), which was erected by the rulers of the time? Did our Prophet (pbuh) show signs of desperation and anxiety when he was tortured and stoned in the markets of Taief? Did Gautam Buddha ever compromise with Brahmanic exploitations? Take a look at the rights movement of Martin Luther King, the ideologies of Marx and Engels and the rise of anti-colonial movements for National liberation. Did any of these people compromise with the established values in their times? There are several examples in history which suggest that those who laid foundations for the (revolutionary) movements did not physically survive beyond the initial stage of maturity of their ideas, but that does not under estimate their role in the success of struggles in the light of their ideas. As for their historical role they remain the founding fathers of such struggles”.

Maqbool Bhat was hanged in haste and as an act of revenge against the murder of Indian diplomat Ravinder Mhartre in Britain by an unknown group known as Kashmir Liberation Army, who demanded release of Maqbool Bhat besides others in exchange to Mhartre but ultimately killed him on 5 February, 1984 and Bhat reacted “I am being hanged immediately after Mhatre’s murder as a result of politics of revenge. I have no knowledge of this murder which has been carried out at Birmingham, a place thousand miles away from my prison cell”. The book doesn’t depict the last days of Bhat which have been documented by another disciple and comrade of Bhat, Muhammad Azam Inqulabi in his book Payaam e Hurriyat in which he describes his meeting with a prisoner Rashid in 1984 when he was incarcerated in Srinagar central jail, who used to sweep the cells and he used to sweep Bhat’s cell daily at Tihar Jail and he described that during his last three days Bhat used to recite Quran and weep bitterly and when Rashid questioned him whether he was afraid of death, Bhat answered “Son, the concern is different, I am not afraid of death, but I think that I couldn’t do something great for the liberation(Azadi) of my nation”.

Overall the complier deserves our appreciation, kudos and encouragement for bringing to fore the life and works of Bhat and he should also be an inspiration for all those fat salaried academics and writers who still couldn’t pen anything substantial on Kashmir and Freedom fighters. Altaf through his compilation has shown that despite hectic schedule and little expertise for research and writing the motivation and inspiration for doing something substantial can make one overcome all these impediments. The book is a must read for anyone who wants to know about one of icons of freedom struggle who in his life was decried as double agent but now is accepted and hailed by all as the Martyr for Freedom. The price of the book is cheap which makes it affordable to all and its jacket makes it attractive and printing is also to a large extent mistake free.

Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist and presently student of Masters Program of Political Science at Kashmir University and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com

eMail conversation between Me n Laila

2011-01-19T22:11:00.003+05:30

Before going through this post consider that this is year 2022, i am married from last 5 years, we have a daughter of 3 years ...

Here is an actual conversation that happened between my wife laila and me. Please understand that to make it an interesting read I have included a few fight scenes, a few romance scenes and a few song and dance sequences.

Date: 7 January, 2022
Time: 7.00 pm IST
From: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]
To: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Late?

Are you going to be late today too?

Regards,
Laila

———X——–X———

Date: 7 January, 2022
Time: 7.09 pm IST
From: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]
To: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Re: Late?

Yes sweetheart. What about you? You too…late today? ;-)

Cheers,
shakeeb

———X——–X———

Date: 7 January, 2022
Time: 7.15 pm IST
From: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]
To: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Re: Re: Late?

Yes sweetheart.

BTW, hope you have dropped the cheque, sorted out the heater, and taken the DD in my father’s name?

*Didn’t like the sarcasm in your mail.

Regards,
Laila

———X——–X———

Date: 7 January, 2022
Time: 7.29 pm IST
From: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]
To: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Late?

I was not at all sarcastic. Was just enquiring…for our daughter pari will be home alone till we reach.

*Yes, taken a DD for your father.

Cheers,
shakeeb

———X——–X———

Date: 7 January, 2022
Time: 7.15 pm IST
From: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]
To: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Late?

I didn’t like the way you reduced the DD for my father to a mere footnote.

BTW, I wanted to know what time you will be reaching coz I want you to have a word with our 3-year-old daughter tonight.

Regards,
Laila

———X——–X———

Date: 7 January, 2022
Time: 7.34 pm IST
From: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]
To: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Late?

A word with our three-year-old daughter? What? She has come home with a tattoo? Or did somebody in leather jackets and a Harley drop her home last evening? What happened?

*Nope! I didn’t reduce the DD for your father to a mere footnote. Trust me, I didn’t swear when I was withdrawing the Rs 20,000 for the DD.

Cheers,
shakeeb

———X——–X———

Date: 7 January, 2022
Time: 7.45 pm IST
From: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]
To: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Late?

Your daughter has changed her boy friend again – for the third time in the last five months. I want her to behave like a good family girl – not be some tapori like her father.

I will be late today, but can you catch her attention before she hits the bed today and have a word with her?

Regards,
Laila

———X——–X———

Date: 7 January, 2022
Time: 7.34 pm IST
From: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]
To: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Late?

Will do. But what do I tell her…I have no idea how a woman decides on her boyfriends. If I couldn’t read you in 10 years, how do you expect to read my daughter in 3 years?

*Will try anyway. Will update later.

Cheers,
shakeeb

———X——–X———

Date: 8 January, 2022
Time: 5.25 pm IST
From: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]
To: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Thought I might as well change the subject

Any updates? Sorry was tied up…couldn’t check on your talk with the daughter earlier.

*What time did you come in last night? And when did you leave?

Regards,
Laila

———X——–X———

Date: 8 January, 2022
Time: 6.03 pm IST
From: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]
To: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject

The talk went well. She argued back – said something that meant…blubber blubber clutter putter…..whatever she said made sense.

*Came in at 1 am and left home again at 6.30 a.m. BTW, noticed somebody well-built sleeping with you in our Queen-sized bed. Who was it?

Cheers,
shakeeb

———X——–X———

Date: 8 January, 2022
Time: 5.37 pm IST
From: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]
To: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Re: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject

That’s somebody I love, but you have no idea about it. In fact, you think otherwise.

Regards,
Laila

———X——–X———

Date: 8 January, 2022
Time: 6.14 pm IST
From: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]
To: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject

What? When do you plan to break the news to me? What about our daughter – I would definitely like to keep custody of her.

Where does he work anyway? Does he make more money than I do?

*Remember, DDs for your father won’t be part of the alimony

Cheers,
shakeeb

———X——–X———

Date: 8 January, 2022
Time: 5.37 pm IST
From: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]
To: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject

Stupid! That was your mother, and my mother-in-law. And how easily the divorce-talk came to you. Are you seeing anybody? Is it that secretary girl in your office?

*And yes, thanks to the DDs we send your mother, she is well built.

Regards,
Laila
———X——–X———

Date: 8 January, 2022
Time: 6.14 pm IST
From: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]
To: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject

Ohh! That was my mother?! When did she land up?

And I agree, we now-a-days only speak thro’ emails. How about a call?

*that secretary quit. new one named saima has joined in her place.

Cheers,
shakeeb

———X——–X———

Date: 8 January, 2022
Time: 6.45 pm IST
From: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]
To: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject

Yeah…call is good. How about 9 p.m.? Will be in my car, on my way back then.

*And is this saima also pretty?

Regards,
Laila

———X——–X———

Date: 8 January, 2022
Time: 7.04 pm IST
From: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]
To: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject

9 pm works for me too. Will be in my car heading for a dinner with folks from lifeclickz.

Sending you a meeting invite & the conference call details now.

*secretary is pretty. But she is married and has a kid as well.

Cheers,
shakeeb

———X——–X———

Date: 8 January, 2022
Time: 7.45 pm IST
From: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]
To: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject

Marriage and Kids have never stopped you from flirting before. Why do I have this feeling that you might upload this conversation on your blog?

*Been ages since I visited your blog. Stopped being a regular visitor since the quality of your writing started going down.

Regards,
Laila

———X——–X———

Date: 8 January, 2022
Time: 8.16 pm IST
From: shakeeb [shakeeb@lifeclickz.in]
To: Laila [Laila@lifeclickz.in]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject

Please accept the meeting invite I just sent. You could be right about the blog bit. Don’t visit it till I tell you that a good post has been uploaded.

Now-a-days, we don’t talk often…so lets be punctual at the call…and also be good to each other.

*Darn! This saima wears such revealing clothes!

Cheers,
shakeeb

P.S

Laila and me are planning to have another baby *if we get a chance to meet up at home :-)

Can i talk to Some One

2010-12-14T20:32:00.000+05:30

Caller : Hello, can I speak to Annie Wan?

Operator : Yes, you can speak to me.

Caller : No, I want to speak to Annie Wan !

Operator : Yes I understand you want to speak to anyone. You can speak to me. Who is this?

Caller : I'm Sam Wan . And I need to talk to Annie Wan! It's urgent.

Operator : I know you are someone and you want to talk to anyone ! But what's this urgent matter about?

Caller : Well... just tell my sister Annie Wan that our brother Noe Wan was involved in an accident. Noe Wan got injured and now Noe Wan is being sent to the hospital..

Operator : Look, if no one was injured and no one was sent to the hospital, then the accident isn't an urgent matter! You may find this hilarious but I don't have time for this!

Caller : You are so rude! Who are you?

Operator : I'm Saw Ree .

Caller : Yes! You should be sorry .. Now give me your name!!

Operator : That's what I said. I'm Saw Ree .

Caller : Oh.....God.......

Eid Ul Adha Mubarak

2010-11-16T20:13:00.000+05:30

Koshurpinta wishes all ummah a happy and prosperous Eid...

Alec Smart Said: Its the time when animals do slaughter humans.. Tsk Tsk.. The Two Legged Animals I mean...

An Eid For Everyone
Fasting and Dates: A Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr Story (Festival Time)

why i have never had a girl friend | owais wani

2010-10-25T00:07:00.000+05:30

First things first , I don’t have a girl friend primarily because girls don’t like me. Now after shrugging off the responsibility of stating the obvious . I , for the benefit of my readers would like to go into the lesser known , lesser obvious and more intellectual reasons( which naturally makes them less acceptable)

I have always been devoid of fascinations and deams. When I was in kindergarten I didn’t want toys . when I was in primary classes I didn’t want video games. When I grew little older I didn’t want a bike . when I got into the “10+2” stage I didn’t want good grades. And , as expected by now , all throughout these years I didn’t think about having a girlfriend.

Modern day wisdom and hence pre-planning is not something associated with me. As such I could never hope of getting into a relation with the notion of leaving it with the it-didn’t-work-out excuse. This ,to my mind , is another strong reason of my failure on this front.

My friends when trying to play agony aunts tell me that one needs to impress a girl. Impress her with ones chivalry , knowledge , charming manners , fascinate her by building an air of secrecy round you. All these skills are alien to me .

For example , I would be the last guy to enter into a brawl with the guy who sends my "girl" greeting cards with teddies printed on them , or the one who follows her to and from her tuition classes , or the guy who “gives” her “blank-calls”.

Then comes the knowledge part . I , to the best of my knowledge , have never had any knowledge that would befit a girl. And I have never felt inclined enough to talk in front of a girl.which led to my being classified with the “silent” and “reserved” genus in girlie lingua franca . The primary reason for the lack of verbosity being the fade demarcation between what a girl would call “interesting” and “philosophizing”.

Charming manners- I wont say I lack manners . but I lack what might be called charming mnners by a girl. For example , I would pay her bus fare but I wont carry her shopping bags. I would call her daily but I wont wait in long queues to pay her telephone bills , in case she happens to have a BSNL to BSNL unlimited “plan” mobile connection. I would sneeze into my left hand rather than my handkerchief , because I never carry one.

More importantly I could never master the sophisticated verbal Urdu.

So popularized and so accepted by the gender in question.

Air of secrecy – I quite simply fail to understand how one can maintain that in spite of having a facebook profile . How ?

The street-smart reader would be quick enough to pounce on my jugular and ask- so hasn’t any girl come to like you per chance? To that a mono syllabic reply would suffice – NO.

Last but not the least , I must admit the sadist way by which I have learned from my friends’ mistakes making guinea pigs out of them ( which incidentally isn’t a pig neither does it come from guinea)

apocalypse of 2010 | owais wani

2010-10-15T11:28:00.000+05:30

Inspired by the The legend of the apocalypse (bible, revelation 6:1-8:1) and our very apocalypse of 2010.

The first seal has been opened.
The apocalypse is in the offing.
The pestilence of tear gas shells,
A bow, nay! Just a catapult .
A catapult that would.
Put Thanatus to shame..
The second seal has been opened,
The swords have changed form.
They work from a distance now .
They kill much faster now .
The third seal has been opened,
The scales tilted in their favor .
The fourth seal has been opened,
The rider is still death.
The rider of pale green ‘gypsies’
Given the control to kill.
The fifth seal has been opened.
Martyrdom is still common .
They killed us then, they kill us now .
The sixth seal has been opened,
Programmed Disturbances , Normal disturbances .
The seventh seal awaits .
Or does it unfurl every day ??
The angels with trumpets blowing over the bodies of our children..

The legend of of Zeteshta Devi | owais wani

2010-10-05T14:29:00.000+05:30

“Helloo”
“Helloo’

‘Wani get ready you are coming with me to zeeth yaar’
“Zeeth yaar , where the hell is that? . cze ma karnawakh me encounter”
“Cze @@#$$%^&*(**&^^ .lagu palaw jaldi . its in the lap of zabarwan hills , grand palace se thoda aage. you will enjoy it”
“Ok. Report here in half an hour.’

So half an hour later I found myself with Faheem driving through our busy but slow city. Secretariat , fly over , lal chowk , ma road , trc ,gupkar , grand palace. Every bodys mind is programmed to tunr left near grand palace towards boulevard.
I askd, cze kot pakan seudi ?
That’s where we have to go . climb that hill.

For the first time in my life I didn’t turn left near grand palace but continued straight on. We zoomed past the hotel gate. Just a few hundered yards down the hotel mgate we were stopped at a check point.
“Where to ?”
“Mandir”
“Mandir?? Enquired the police guy looking at my beard.”
“Not actually mandir , we have to meet Bansi lal”
“Ah , you can go.”
“Ye bansi saeb kusu, Faheema?”
“The care taker of the mandir and our customer”

A ten minutes drive up the serpentine road brought us to a large iron gate.my friend stopped the car , pushed up the hand brake as if to strangulate the tyres. And we got down.the iron gate was loked like an elaborate hood wink . it was locked and insurmountable. But my driend took me to one side and opened a small wicket gate and we stepped in.
My eyes began surveying the scenery around.in front of me stood an immense expanse of one part of the hill. This part was stabilized by a retaining wall. The only structures visible were a small house and a stair case.
We began climbing the stairs . stairway to heaven I remarked.
All this was giving me a strong sense of déjà-vu. Faheema yi ha Makhdoom Saebun hui.
Ahnu barabar.
I hope there are not as many stairs , said i

The gain in altitude with every step gave a clearer view. Solitude reigned all around . I turned around led ny some deep instinct and saw the dal lake far far away small and motion less as if stuck to the ground paralysed.
Near the top end of the stair my friend stopped and turned left to enter the house.
Adab arz
Adab
Walsa beta
After a small business talk. I heard the man coming towards me. Beta ji waliw andar kun.
He was wearing a pheran ( quite unusual for September)
“no uncleji its too good here . we will sit here”
wala darshan karith ha yemo ,said i
and we climbed the remaining stairs

We stepped into the temple compound the sun began setting.the left side of the temple was engaged by a smaller temple and a book shop. I leaned greedily over the books scanning them ,but they were either in hindi or tourist guides.we took off our shoes here and moved towards the sanctum sanctorium . the sanctum was built over a pool of water and the sitting place stood a few feet away from it surrounded by a iron grill. On the right of the platform there was a tree with sacred threads around it. Te tree shade idols of Ganesha etc.
I read the aarti pasted on a sheet of paper on one of the pillars. It was in pure and pristine kashmiri. A dialect of the sort not used today.
We came out and sat cross legged on the stair case.

Uncleji came out from his house andjoined us. As if to compensate for our not coming in.
“ tueh wentaw me yeth mandiras kya history” said i
“ manthan chewa tohi pai “
“ yes , it is the legend of the tug of war between devtas and asurs in churning the sea. Didn’t the amrit kalash originate from there?”
“ aa bilkul”
The legend of zeteshta devi is said to be as old as the manthan”
It is said that the devi was held captive from the time of manthan by an asur in a cave. The cave was called gufa-dari. It existed near the foothills of shankracharaya. Now the name has been disfigured to gupkar.
“ shiv Shankar in his was urged to free the deve , and it is said that he freed her from the clutch of the asur”
“ tami pati ker shiv shankaran ye devi parwati roopas manz graham , ti Karin yeth baalas peth wirajman”
“ shiv ti shakti kati gaczan juda” I spoke
Bilkul said uncle with an appreciative glance.

Since it was the zeth and panchum , as per the calendar.
The devi came to be known as zetestha
Zeth also means elder.after this . she remained unknown for a long time. Until she appeared in someones dream and said ,
“I am zeteshta . seven thursdays and an offering of chopped liver is what pleases me”

And thus the temple came to be known by people. So hari singh removed all inhabitation from here( I was surprised to hear there ever was any inhabitation here). He kept just our household as care takers.
I was surprised at their dedication. That they have looked after this temple amid the worst political situation and never even changed their residence . even if that meant living on top of a hill kilometers away from any inhabitation.
We still need to get this on our tourist map tough.’

It was late evening or early night when we began descending the steps.
Faheem : mazai awa?
Me: I learnt a lot about our culture.
He : like ?
Me: like. Why do you think kashmiri people visit sufi shrines of five or seven Thursdays and why do you think aes che kali-maz ti krehan-maz tehar karan?
He: why?
Me: “I am zeteshta . seven thursdays and an offering of chopped liver is what pleases me”

Dawat e Fikr o Amal | Book Review by Mushtaq Ul Haq

2010-10-04T08:13:00.002+05:30

Dawat e Fikr o Amal

Author= Waris Mazhari

Publisher= Foundation for Islamic Studies, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi

Year of Publication= 2009

Price= Not Mentioned Pages= 176

The 9/11 incidents proved to be watershed in the Muslim-West Relations. The West on offensive and hostile towards the Muslim World and the Clash of Civilizations just round the corner. The aftermath of 9/11 was a period of hostility of West towards Muslims and anything Islamic, every notion, connotation, ideology and relation with the Muslim World was challenged, probed and delved into by the West in order to remedy as to what went wrong with the Muslims and why they ‘hate us’? These radical changes and different atmosphere even led some conscious Muslims to introspect about their shortcomings and identify the loopholes so as to plug the same.

One of the oldest institution of Muslim learning which even helped the Muslims to preserve their distinct identity, culture and religion even during the dark gloomy days of colonialism and alien rule i.e Madrasa became a bone of contention between the Muslims and West, as the latter alleged them to be the Bastions of Terrorists.

The direct target of this ridicule were the Madrasas of the sub-continent as they were alleged to harp, train and depute the terrorists to be Angels of Death. These Madrasas became a target because thousands of their cadres have fought and became cannon fodder in the U.S led Cold War against USSR which ultimately led to the demise of the Soviet Union. The West led by Uncle Sam was factual in describing these Madrasas as Terrorist factories, but it forgot that these Madrasas were only present in Pakistan and groomed by the same Uncle Sam to fight its war and its curriculum was formulated and published by the University of Nebraska which consisted of a heavy diet of Violently exclusive interpretation of Islam which taught, inculcated and believed in Jamaat, Jihad, Jannat and Shahaadat, but after the death of Soviet Union a new enemy was needed hence the Madrasas became a butt of ridicule and a cause to go for unjust and pre emptive war killing millions of innocents.

The argument of Uncle Sam was adopted by all enemies, fascist and Right wing to settle the old scores and put down every genuine demand of Muslims as appeasement leading towards Terrorism. Hence in India too where already the Muslims are marginalized and driven to wall with frequent riots making them understand that they are second class citizens and still their loyalties are under suspicion and the majority has not forgiven them for the Partition of the sub continent, these arguments were selling like hot dogs.

The present book under review is a collection of various articles and papers written to address the above burning issues of Indian Madrasas and Indian Muslims as well as the debates that took/are taking place at Global Level regarding Muslims, by the well known scholar and authority on Indian Muslim issues Waris Mazhari. In his Foreword to this collection Prof Akhtar Ul Wasey states that “During the period of colonialism and slavery Muslims were at their lowest ebb, but still contributed to the freedom struggle, but after independence the Muslims were baffling with new challenges and different conditions Muslim Ulama especially couldn’t tackle as they couldn’t make it out from the shadow of slavery”. It was this shadow of slavery which made them reluctant of imbibing any new change or idea, hence resulting in further marginalization and downfall.

In his Preface Waris Mazhari calls for Self Introspection among Muslims, radical reformation in the two fields i.e Educational and Social and this theme of introspection and reformation runs through the whole book. Less than first half portion of the articles deal with the madrasas, changes they are desperately in need of and how they can be more contributive. Mazhari regards the cause of Muslim Ulama crises which renders them non contributive, uninspiring and non seriousness of masses towards them to

Unshaken faith in exaggerated glorification of the past.
Insecurity or feeling of danger looming over their heads. (P-19)

These two serious flaws make them suspicious of any new move towards reform which makes them happy and content with status quo.

Mazhari is against the similar division like of Church and State in the field of Education where knowledge it is divided between religious and worldly(secular).

(P-23). He states that Madrasas are in dire need to introduce English language in their curriculum, and if it is not done further marginalization will take place for Muslims.

Mazhari dedicates a separate chapter expounding the progressive views of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi regarding the changes in Madrasa education, whom all hold in reverence but his views and opinions are in oblivion as he was for a change in curriculum, introduction of new disciplines and believed in complete Functional Specialization of different Madrasa students according to their abilities.

Mazhari decries the inadequacy of teaching skills among the Madrasa Teachers which hamper the whole process of Madrasas education as well as the State of research in madrasas which is in doldrums and quite ill equipped to deal with the present day scholarly challenges, though he states some remedial measures to fill these voids. Though Mazhari is for the end of exploitation and nepotism which is a norm among Madrasas but he is not in full favour for the Central Madrasa Boards to take over the administration of Madrasas and judges their pros and cons.

Though Mazhari calls the Ulama for a Positive role and wants them to be Socially engaged but he is also aware of the fact that South Asia is emerging as a new field of Muslim Studies and Muslim Ulema must be prepared scholarly to met these challenges as well as to react to the Bad Media Image of Muslims though they need to build an alternative indigenous Muslim Media to rectify the same, Islamphobia and Muslim Bashing, Cartoon Issue and the same, though he is aware of the fact that when it comes to the Muslims all have double standards and strands of hypocrisy lay bare.

The Positive effect of 9/11 has been the promotion of a Culture of Dialogue instead of Clash, though the Dialogue hasn’t percolated to the common masses and is only prevalent as Inter-Faith but Mazhari calls for an Inter-Maslak Dialogue too between Shia-Sunni and various other sects.

A number of articles also deal with the challenges baffling Indian Muslims and how the majority of Muslim Organizations who boast about their work towards empowerment and upliftment of Muslim masses and community work are only confined to paper work and a big board with no or little real grassroot work done on the field.

Thus this collection is an invitation towards Introspection, as it identifies the flaws and inspires to contribute something positive. The young scholar deserves our appreciation and encouragement to carryout such endeavors in future too so that Muslims too become contributing and progressive, inclusive and introspective voices like that of Mazhari are heard, understood and acted upon. In the coming decades Mazhari is going to be one of the leading voices of Indian Muslims.

Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist and presently student of Masters Program of Political Science at Kashmir University and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com

Kashmir Burns Again | Mushtaq Ul Haq

2010-10-03T19:44:00.001+05:30

The inception of the year 2010 was marked with killing of Inayat Khan by CRPF personnel & these killings continued with the death of teenagers like Zahid Farooq & Wamiq Farooq at the hands of paramilitary troopers & Kashmir police. On June 11 Tufail Ahmad Mattoo was murdered in cold blood by police by aiming a tear gas shell at his head which alongwith the Fake Encounter killings of three innocent youth at Machil, Kupwara in May proved to be the last straw on the camel’s back and whole kashmir erupted as never before, with youth taking a lead in the indigenous protests and separatist leadership forced to chalk out some strategy which they did with the announcement of “Quit Kashmir Movement” on 24 June, 2010. With that initiated a never ending vicious circle of death, maim, torture and killing spree by the armed forces and kashmir police. The separatists began to issue unique calendars of Hartals and protests which people follow in letter and spirit with the result whole life and governance in kashmir being crippled for the past three months with death toll crossing hundred, there is no indication of the protests being abated or the killings being stopped with the people ready to offer even more sacrifices for what they perceive as Aazadi from Indian occupation.

With a life coming to impasse and people being fed up with the Status quo of the centre and negligence of the State government they give vent to the resentment through protests and social networking sites. Omar Javed a student in an elite valley school says “I think that the movement is now on its peak and its do or die time. It will be a shame if we leave this movement now, after so many killings. Does any government have the right to snatch away peoples' rights with military force??”
Fahad Nazir seconds him as he states that “The present phase of kashmir movement has been triggered by the ongoing killings in kashmir, and the brutal suppression of more than 60 years has taken a form of 'protest'. The people of kashmir are not protesting for construction of roads, neither employment nor any economic packages. The protest of kashmiri's is against human rights violation, innocent killings, against AFSPA in kashmir. The oppressions has led the kashmiri's to think that they have no future with India”

The education has been hit the worst with the hartals called by the separatists & the subsequent curfews clamped by the authorities resulting School and college work coming to a halt, but Adil Ayoub an engineering student at National Institute of Technology has something different to share when I question him about education “Everybody is equally suffering in one way or the other. When we are not sure whether we will be alive the next moment, how can we even think of our careers? Let our right to life be secure first and the right to education comes next”. He shots a volley of queries at me “Even if the hartals are not announced, do you think everything is going to change in kashmir. Still we have to go through the daily humiliation, showing your ID cards to alien soldiers, arrests, tortures and getting killed for no reason will continue”.

“We want peace with dignity. We want our human capital to work freely in any part of the world and trade t o be carried out without any impediments and obstacles”, opines Shahid Ali a businessman.

Stone Pelting has assumed epidemic proportions throughout the whole Valley and is proving the worst nightmare for the state and paramilitary troopers to be dealt with, though they have arrested till now more than 2000 youth related to the incidents of stone pelting and instigating violence though the majority among them claim that they have been implicated innocently, Arsalan Sidiq a Stone Pelter(name changed) deplore that “Present freedom movement in kashmir is a reflection of how are the human spirit can guide its material body for the achievement of its aspirations beyond the fears of physical loses & mental torture. I can't understand what moral or legal right India has to hold 10 million people against their will, why can’t they honour their promises. We the kashmiris have been left with nothing but stones, and we shall throw them on our occupiers as long as aspirations are not respected & the promises made to us r not fulfilled. We as a nation have shown our resolve, now the ball is in Indian court if they want peace in South Asia they will have to solve this problem politically according to aspirations of kashmiri people.
We shall fight with stones till we break the imperial castles of India"

Souzeina Mushtaq giving vent to her anger says “Each day turns out to be a bloody day- with mayhem, chaos, wails and cries marking its end. Do people deserve such response for raising voice against tyranny?

A mother has been robbed of her beloved son; a heart broken father is shouldering the coffin of his 8 year old son. The so called ‘security forces’ are not tackling terrorists but the young Kashmiri’s. Each one of us has been pushed in the dark alleys of injustice.

In the name of counter insurgency, innocents are killed mercilessly and in cold blood. The stones in those little hands can only poke the men in uniform, what compels them to shower the volley of bullets on those poor young souls? The people on roads want no jobs, roads or anything- the only demand is Freedom”.

Geer Muhammad Ishaq who teaches at Kashmir regards the present phase of Kashmir crisis as a fall out of New Delhi's inaction over resolution of the vexed issue of Kashmir in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of all sects of Kashmiri society. “The complacence after holding previous assembly elections and installing a local government probably made Centre believe that no issue is pending anymore and it went into a state of hibernation over the main territorial dispute. Deep-seated roots of conflict and injustice led the new generation that was born and grown up during the period of turmoil to despondency and they resorted to stone pelting as a means of achieving their ends. The anger and frustration brewed up as never before, that was further fuelled by the ruthless use of force and firepower by the paramilitary forces particularly CRPF. The feeling that all forms of peaceful protests have not borne any fruit in terms of any concrete action on the main issue drew the youth to pent up anger forcing them to seek refuge in stone pelting in order to get their voices heard both nationally and internationally. This in turn spurred up a never-ending vicious cycle of protests and killings that continues unabated till date”.

Despite the innocent killings the Centre as well as the State Government isn’t showing any desire or willingness to reach to the aggrieved masses which has further alienated them from the mainstream, Mujtaba Waris MBBS says “Till now kashmiris have made relentless sacrifices for their basic right of self determination, but the so called civilised and democratic India is hell bent on pushing us towards the wall so that they can tag even this peaceful and non violent movement as extremism”. General Secretary JKLF(R) Wajahat Qureshi is angry at the International & Indian Human Rights Organisations who are tight lipped on the situation in Kashmir, “These organisations work for their own vested interests and these interests blur their vision for Justice and Dignity, otherwise how can they keep mum on these worst massacres happening in Kashmir. If Maneka Gandhi can feel the pain of animals and ban the trade of Shatoos shawls why she is not speaking against the innocent killings of kashmris? Instead the Indian Civil Society by remaining silent on human rights violations in kashmir is unintentionally supporting the killings”. It must be remembered that JKLF(R) leader Showkat Ahmad Mir was killed in Budgam during protests in Police Firing.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani the face of the movement in a Press Conference on 31 August set the ball in Delhi’s court when he laid down Five Points as minimum conditions for reviewing agitation and till date Delhi has shown no seriousness regarding the same, which demand

1. J&K to be declared as a disputed territory by India.

2. Demilitarization and Revocation of AFSPA(Armed Forces Special Powers Act)

3. Guarantee from PM to stop killings in Kashmir

4. Action against the troopers involved in killings of innocents

5. Release of political prisoners and youth

Javaid Ahmad Hajam says that “After withdrawal of AFSPA and Troopers the core issue should be solved sincerely with Pakistan and with people of kashmir. India should accept the fact that they have promised people of kashmir the right of self determination in U.N”. Farooq Ahmed from Narkara is of the same opinion that “People of kashmir should be given opportunity to decide their own future. As we all know that UN has passed resolution that people should be given opportunity to decide their own future but unfortunately that resolution has not been enforced yet. International community should come forward pressing for its implementation”.

Adnan Majeed Qureshi too sounds similar as he says “The present situation in Kashmir is a result of prolonged denial of the facts by the Indian authorities. The Indian State has been sticking to the age old myth of integral part theory about kashmir. India needs accept kashmir as a dispute. A kashmir centric solution is needed because the people for kashmir are the highest stake holders in the dispute.What seems to be the best solution is the implementation of UN resolution of 1948 and allow the people of kashmir to decide there own future”.

AFSPA and other such draconian laws are infamous in kashmir for their role in human rights violations of kashmiris and their abuse by the paramilitary forces who go walk free because these laws provide them impunity to commit violations unabated without the threat of ever being caught. When there was a debate about its revocation or dilution Lt General B.S Jaswal reminded all that AFSPA is a ‘Pious Holy Book’ for Army, drawing flak from all sections of the society.

Women have on the forefront during these protests and have suffered though more passively than actively though some have been killed and other crippled for life during the present agitation. Anjum Zamrooda Habib Chairperson Muslim Khawateen Markaz(MKM) says that “Women have been suffering passively throughout the whole period of insurgency as they have been raped, molested, turned to half widows or rendered destitute as their fathers, brothers or husbands were killed by the army. They have offered numerous sacrifices by giving their beloved sons for the resistance but the nation isn’t well aware of their tremendous sacrifices and contribution. They are not given the Political Space in decision making that they deserve”.

The role of Indian Media has too been questioned for its stereotyping and bias viz a viz kashmir, with the fact that Kashmiri Media time and again has been gagged during past three months. “What becomes more important to address is that whenever we demand aazadi Indian media colors it as a word that is vague and its debated as to what does azadi really mean? They try to portray it as Terrorism” sounds an angry H. Kirmani. Meraj Ibn Firdous too sounds similar views “I am very much shocked by watching the reactions of all the politicians of India as in their eyes there is no worth for the life of a kashmiri. I think there are no second thoughts about this that Indians have never accepted us as their own, we are a witness to this step motherly treatment through all these years. How they defame us at each and every moment with media playing a dubious role in their hands”.

The strategy of the Separatist leadership has been questioned by some people who criticise them for not taking the ground realities into consideration. “The career of students is at stake and the business too. There should be a way in which these two could be carried on. But some Kashmiris say that these are small things after azadi we will manage these things in days, but it is not possible”, sounds grave looking Yasir Muslim

Shakeel Ahmad Bakshi, Chairman Islamic Students League(ISL) and a resistance leader deliberates that the present “Youth's movement is answer to Indian mindset which wants to curb people through the barrel of gun.” Though he acknowledges the fact that the “leadership is not in the line of fire”, but further adds that “Every resistance movement needs stage wise programme, next step is to accelerate its pace”.

Only God knows how long this bloody ordeal will continue though the masses are not tired and wish to end the violations and the bruises of conflict once for all, and it is now in the interests of the State how quickly it reacts to the crises on the war footing unless it is too late to remedy the woes.

Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist and presently student of Masters Program of Political Science at Kashmir University and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com

Anecdote | by Owais Wani

2010-10-01T18:02:00.002+05:30

To the general population he is the Sikh. No, that is not only his religion that is his name. A name that has served him better than any proper noun can. Nobody (almost) knows what his real name is. i myself had to ask him his name personally when my curiosity overtook me. when the thought of writing this came to my mind i asked my mother

"Mummy yi sikh kari pethi chu batmaelni?".

"amis gai waens akh yeth. yeli bi yor ayes yi ose tami wezi ti yeth", she replied with a distant gaze.

the sikh(with enormous respect) worked as a surgical assistant in one of the valley hospitals and is a RMP ( registered medical practitioner). he runs a small medical store from- God knows which year. Every afternoon he comes riding his bicycle. his bicycle being as austere as him. the handdle of the bicycle supports a basket made of light cast iron. the cycle frame is old but healthy and the torn seat is covered by a shiny "seat cover" to improve the aesthetics.

The most important thing about the bicycle is the fact that it was never replaced by a scooter.

Our sikh’s shop competes with his bicycle in austerity. It is a small room like thing with wooden shutters of the old type. the wall behind the counter is burdened with ill shaped shelves. shelves which hold up small boxes of medicine. He never keeps more than the bare minimum. A cursory look reveals he only keeps the routine over-the-counter stuff in his store. Add to that routine blood pressure controller-talmisartan , some botles of vitamin B complex an some antibiotcs. The highest i have ever seen or heard him prescribe is serratiopeptidase.

Sikh has got an uncanny ability to cure common disorders. More than once have i heard the prefix 'luqman' ascribed to him , this combined with his minute knowledge of the people of our locality , their family problems, and medical history has made him a panacea.

The trust which people especially old aunts place on sikh is immense. Sikh too has mastered the art of treating such patients. For example, his experience has taught him that most ladies complaining of 'blood pressure' only require a few soothing words. Hence he checks their blood pressure without using a stethoscope and sends them off with a placebo.

Legends galore of sikh's dedication . It was the time of the gulf war and Kashmir was hit by a flu epidemic. Sikh took it upon himself to immunize the locality. He would go to each house on his bicycle and vaccinate every family member at no extra cost. my dad has always been scared of hypodermic needles. As sikh tried to inject my dad he started fidgeting around. After a few unsuccessful tries. Sikh turned the needle skyward and emptied the contents of the syringe with the these words,

" cze karnawakh shothas athi fail".

My day rejoiced in the heart of his hearts, but not even twenty minutes had passed when sikh was back at our doorstep.

"sikha cze kiho aakh wapas",said my dad (people of our locality talk with sikh with informality that might be put down as crude manners by an outsider).

" agar yeti kaensi infection go bi kya jawab dimi khodayas? ", was sikhs reply.

And thus it happened that my dad agreed to get vaccinated, surrendering to sikh’s benevolence.

Sikh’s life is so intimately entangled with the people of our locality that no marriage passes without Sikh being an invitee. When sikh’s brother -in -law died in a road mishap i saw special buses plying from our locality for people, especially women folk, to visit sikh’s house.

i remember as a child my grandmother once sent me with the orders ," tala sikh wuchun aamut cha, agar aamut aasi depzes yuer yun '.

i went out half scared , half confused . Will he come on the request of a small kid ? Even if he agrees to come who would i tell him is calling him ? sure he doesnt know who i am?. As i stepped into the shop ,

" dadi chew dapan toer yun ". he got hold of his kit and came out.

"cze chukh na waanew manzi? " .

“ahnaaz aa, tohi keth kaen chew pai ?”

“gobrya me che pai yeti kath garas kecz kokri che , ti mares kaper chukh darwazi"

"i know which house possesses how many hens and which direction their coops open from"

i was too amused to consider this a lesson in eloquence then.

Talking of more recent times . i with my uncle was trying to get out of the curfew. Our car was stopped and just in front stood a bulwark of barbed wire. My uncle showed his essential services card.

" sorry sirji hum apko nahi jane de sakte".

As we stood there i saw the sea of security men parting and through them came our sikh , pedaling his way towards us.

i turned towards my uncle and said jokingly

"uncleji i thought you were the third most important person in this city's municipal council , see they allowed sikh but not us'

" I may be , but when it comes to serving people Sikh has been second to none"

"beyi cha yi sikh ye ha chu musalman!! "

Need to know more about sikh :
The Sikh Religion (Forgotten Books)
The Sikhs of the Punjab (The New Cambridge History of India)
Sikh Spiritual Practice: The Sound Way to God
Sweatshirt Black " Sikh Attitude " Religion Large Lions of the Punjab: An Introduction to the Sikh Religion (The Los Horizon Series)

Kashmir Feeds India | Amir Ashai Writes

2010-09-26T21:29:00.000+05:30

To all those, who think INDIA FEEDS KASHMIRIS!

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 projects. ...

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) Incidently, Peak hour requirement of Electricity in Kashmir is 2000 Megawatts.... Not able to fulfill it, the 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 succeds in producing the cheapest possible electricity in Kashmir i.e 25 paise 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 profits man...

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...... Wat 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 nobody cares....

8) As per the figures given by OMAR ABDULLAH in May, Kashmir sufferes an annual loss of 50000 crores wen its water is used by India and Pakistan....Keeping the share 50%, Kashmir is suffering a loss of whopping 25000 crores annually because of INDIA.....Incidentally, in the year 2009-10, Kashmir received an annual central assistance of 13952 crores from India.....they still take more than 11000 crores from us.

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 troops are present to guard kashmir from 500-1500 militants (Government figure) present over here..... Rest of the money is being used for development purpose....
And still they say that we wont be able to withstand ourselves after we achieve freedom from their illegal occupation by the grace of Allah inshallah soon.

Apart from water resources, Kashmir has. . .

1. Spot tourism visa vis gardens and other spots

2. A huge potential in trekking and hiking

3. Fruit industry

4. Precious stones

5. Bauxite and other minerals

6. Herbs and medicinal plants

7.Shawls and carpets

8. Handicrafts

Above all, kashmir people are not just mere population, they are skilled people who are so talented that they are placed world over and that too in top positions and not like people of other countries who work in foreign countries as drivers and labourers & etc etc. . .

Conflict renders money useless in Kashmir | Bilal Hussain

2010-09-26T21:23:00.001+05:30

The unending unrest in Kashmir has rendered the currency worthless as it couldn’t serve the very purpose of money. The currency here during these tough times couldn’t be used to procure essential commodities, medical services, transportation and many other vitals for survival as there are no takers for it at this point of time due to continuing curfew and protests. Baring few days market places in the valley remained closed for over three months now.

The currency, a tool used for means of exchange, a standard unity to measure value and a means to store wealth, officially coined or stamped metal currency; a form or denomination of coin or paper money. However, factually during conflict times like the one Kashmir at present is witnessing since past three months, it serves almost none of these purposes. All it can do here is to make lockers, purses and pockets heavier.

The imposition of stringent curfew since September 12, 2010 in the valley has not only halted every segment of life but has virtually made survival hardest. Practically, what has happened in the past three months is that there has been negligible [if at all] free flow of money which has left it standstill. Although, there have been reports that people at large withdrew bulk of currency notes, tens of millions of rupees, from banks and their ATMs across the valley, however, the same is not circulated due to the unrest.

In a situation like this what takes place is that the money is transformed nonfunctional; people here prefer barter system, in which goods are exchanged for good, over currency. There seems to have been a deadlock in money supply, the total amount of money available in an economy at a particular point in time, which has currently supplemented demonetization in Kashmir. Wroth while to mention here that the trade across the line of control between divided Kashmir takes place through barter system only.

All this has affected the monetary system —secures the proper functioning of money by regulating economic agents, transaction types, and money supply— of Kashmir. Though there is no formal system of calculation of weekly food inflation here, but it is of sure that it would be all time high. While the real estate prices have gone down to a greater extent, brokers find it difficult to trace buyer of immovable properties.

Though, there are people however, small in number in the valley who still have capacities to purchase essentials of life but alas! their money too could no more fetch them all that money could but for them. Closure of markets, cut off supply and low productions [Agriculture and horticulture] and ever increasing demand of essentials particularly food items has further devalued money here.

Scores of people who have lots of money to burn shared how money no longer buys them goods and services here in the present situation. An elite friend of mine few days back told me that he withdrew pretty good cash from his saving bank account fearing the prolonging of unrest. However, regardless of his money it could fetch him nothing but wastage of time while waiting in a long queue for taking out some bucks from a private bank. He lamented how his money couldn’t even buy a pain killer medicine leave aside other non essential products for him. “I was ready to pay any amount for a single tablet of medicine as I was unable to bear tooth ache any further,” he rued. There are many more stories alike that remained untold but essence remains same ‘money has become useless’.

In the prevailing situation in the valley the money is unable to purchase goods, so it becomes worthless. This is not something specific to Kashmir but in particular countries, wars have produced this effect, notably in the revolutionary wars in both the United States and France, when the currency became of no value.

In a lighter vein, for others [love birds] the currency no longer could get them recharge coupons for ‘telephonic romance’ because of which they are quite unhappy with the curfews, which enforces them to stay indoors without any connections to each other. Some have resorted to internet wherein they can exchange mails, messages, wall postings and chats on social networking sites like facebook, orkut and others. There are some internet service providers who have not snapped internet connections despite non payments of bills. “I am planning to divorce mobile connection and get an internet connection which seems a viable options during these troubled times,” one of know person to me mentions. All they could hope is some respite in curfews so that their money could gather some sellable and services for them to ease their ‘love connections’. Is it time to seek real value beyond money?

Kashmir Conflict | Genesis n Interpretation

2010-09-25T15:08:00.000+05:30

Violence in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has resulted in the loss of many lives and the displacement of many families. The ‘Kashmir Issue‘ is always seen as a major issue between India and Pakistan. But the political situation in the State has many dimensions. Jammu and Kashmir comprises three social and political regions: Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

The heart of the Kashmir region is the Kashmir valley; the people are Kashmiri speaking and mostly Muslim with a small Kashmiri speaking Hindu minority. Jammu region is a mix of foothills and plains, of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs and speakers of various languages. The Ladakh region is mountainous, has very little population which is equally divided between Buddhists and Muslims. The “Kashmir Problem” is not just a dispute between India and Pakistan. This issue has external and internal dimensions. It involves the issue of Kashmiri identity known as Kashmiriyat and the aspirations of the people of J&K for political autonomy.

Root Causes of the problem

Before 1947, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) was a Princely State. Its Hindu ruler, Hari Singh, did not want to merge with India and tried to negotiate with India and Pakistan to have an independent status for his state. The Pakistani leaders thought the Kashmir region belonged to Pakistan, since majority population of the State was Muslim. But, this is not how people themselves saw it, they thought themselves as Kashmiris above all. The popular movement in the State, led by Sheikh Abdullah of the National Conference, wanted to get rid of the Maharaja, but was against joining Pakistan. The National Conference was a secular organisation and had a long association with the Congress. Sheikh Abdullah was a personal friend of some of the leading nationalist leaders including Nehru. In October 1947, Pakistan sent tribal infiltrators from its side to capture Kashmir.

This forced the Maharaja to ask for Indian military help. India extended the military support and drove back the infiltrators from Kashmir valley, but only after the Maharaja had signed an Instrument of Accession with the Government of India. It was also agreed that once the situation normalised, the views of the people of J&K will be ascertained about their future. Sheikh Abdullah took over as the Prime Minister of the State of J&K (the head of the government in the State was then called Prime Minister) in March 1948. India agreed to maintain the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir.

External and internal disputes

Since then, the politics of Jammu and Kashmir always remained controversial and conflict ridden both for external and internal reasons. Externally, Pakistan has always claimed that Kashmir valley should be part of Pakistan. As we noted above, Pakistan sponsored a tribal invasion of the State in 1947, as a consequence of which one part of the State came under Pakistani control. India claims that this area is under illegal occupation. Pakistan describes this area as Azad Kashmir. Ever since 1947, Kashmir has remained a major issue of conflict between India and Pakistan.

Internally, there is a dispute about the status of Kashmir within the Indian union. Kashmir was given a special status by Article 370 in the Constitution of India. Article 370 gives greater autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir compared to other States of India. The State has its own Constitution.

All provisions of the Indian Constitution are not applicable to the State. Laws passed by the Parliament apply to J&K only if the State agrees. This special status has provoked two opposite reactions. There is a section of people outside of J&K that believes that the special status of the State conferred by Article 370 does not allow full integration of the State with India. This section feels that Article 370 should therefore be revoked and J&K should be like any other State in India. Another section, mostly Kashmiris, believe that the autonomy conferred by Article 370 is not enough. A section of Kashmiris have expressed at least three major grievances. First, the promise that Accession would be referred to the people of the State after the situation created by tribal invasion was normalised, has not been fulfilled. This has generated the demand for a Plebiscite. Secondly, there is a feeling that the special federal status guaranteed by Article 370, has been eroded in practice. This has led to the demand for restoration of autonomy or Greater State Autonomy. Thirdly, it is felt that democracy which is practiced in the rest of India has not been similarly institutionalised in the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

Politics since 1948

After taking over as the Prime Minister, Sheikh Abdullah initiated major land reforms and other policies which benefited ordinary people. But there was a growing difference between him and the central government about his position on Kashmir’s status. He was dismissed in 1953 and kept in detention for a number of years. The leadership that succeeded him did not enjoy as much popular support and was able to rule the State mainly due to the support of the Centre. There were serious allegations of malpractices and rigging in various elections.

During most of the period between 1953 and 1974, the Congress party exercised a lot of influence on the politics of the State. A truncated National Conference (minus Sheikh Abdullah) remained in power with the active support of Congress for some time but later it merged with the Congress. Thus the Congress gained direct control over the government in the State. In the meanwhile, there were several attempts to reach an agreement between Sheikh Abdullah and the Government of India. Finally, in 1974 Indira Gandhi reached an agreement with Sheikh Abdullah and he became the Chief Minister of the State. He revived the National Conference which was elected with a majority in the assembly elections held in 1977.

Sheikh Abdullah died in 1982 and the leadership of the National Conference went to his son, Farooq Abdullah, who became the Chief Minister. But he was soon dismissed by the Governor and a breakaway faction of the National Conference came to power for a brief period.The dismissal of Farooq Abdullah’s government due to the intervention of the Centre generated a feeling of resentment in Kashmir. The confidence that Kashmiris had developed in the democratic processes after the accord between Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Abdullah, received a set-back. The feeling that the Centre was intervening in politics of the State was further strengthened when the National Conference in 1986 agreed to have an electoral alliance with the Congress, the ruling party in the Centre.

Insurgency and aftermath

It was in this environment that the 1987 Assembly election took place. The official results showed a massive victory for the National congress – congress alliance and Farooq Abdullah returned as Chief Minister. But it was widely believed that the results did not reflect popular choice, and that the entire election process was rigged. A popular resentment had already been brewing in the State against the inefficient administration since early 1980s. This was now augmented by the commonly prevailing feeling that democratic processes were being undermined at the behest of the Centre. This generated a political crisis in Kashmir which became severe with the rise of insurgency.

By 1989, the State had come in the grip of a militant movement mobilised around the cause of a separate Kashmiri nation. The insurgents got moral, material and military support from Pakistan. For a number of years the State was under President’s rule and effectively under the control of the armed forces. Throughout the period from 1990, Jammu and Kashmir experienced violence at the hands of the insurgents and through army action. Assembly elections in the State were held only in 1996 in which the National Conference led by Farooq Abdullah came to power with a demand for regional autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir. J&K experienced a very fair election in 2002. The National Conference failed to win a majority and was replaced by People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Congress coalition government.

Separatism and beyond

Separatist politics which surfaced in Kashmir from 1989 has taken different forms and is made up of various strands. There is one strand of separatists who want a separate Kashmiri nation, independent of India and Pakistan. Then there are groups that want Kashmir to merge with Pakistan. Besides these, there is a third strand which wants greater autonomy for the people of the State within the Indian union. The idea of autonomy attracts the people of Jammu and Ladakh regions in a different way. They often complain of neglect and backwardness. Therefore, the demand for intra-State autonomy is as strong as the demand for the State autonomy.

The initial period of popular support to militancy has now given way to the urge for peace. The Centre has started negotiations with various separatist groups. Instead of demanding a separate nation, most of the separatists in dialogue are trying to re-negotiate a relationship of the State with India. Jammu and Kashmir is one of the living examples of plural society and politics. Not only are there diversities of all kind (religious, cultural, linguistic, ethnic, tribal) but there are also divergent political aspirations.

However, despite all these diversities and divergence on the one hand, and the continued situation of conflict on the other, the plural and secular culture of the State has remained largely intact.

further readings: Kashmir in Conflict: India, Pakistan and the Unending War

In the Valley of Mist: Kashmir: One Family In A Changing World

Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace

Azadi slogans greet APD in kashmir | Exclusive Video of SMHS

2010-09-22T18:06:00.001+05:30

On 21 sep 2010..Indian All parties delegation(APD) visited the SMHS hospital srinager.
Where people of Jammu & Kashmir raised slogans against Indian illegal occuption on Jammu & Kashmir....
They patients are staff and doctors protest against the innocent killings of Kashmiri people by Indian Terrorist force..
They call for azadi of Jammu & Kashmir from Indian terrorism.....

Exclusive Video here :: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/video/video.php?v=448208414800

Slogans of Kashmiri nation for the Independence from Indian terrorism..
hum kya chahate azadi
quran wali azadi
iman wali azadi
shairat wali azadi
...zar zoor se boolo azadi
zar mil ke bolo azadi
sharmana chodu azadi
Gadarou sun lou AZADI
Gadarou sun lou AZADI

ye deakho aaye azadi

ye mehaki mehaki azadi

ye aayi aayi azadi

aye mula dede azadi

shuda ke sadke azadi

ye bache mange azadi

ye bodhe mange azadi

ye behane mange azadi

kashmiri mange azadi

hai haq humara azadi

har haalmai lenge azadi

chahey goli maro azadi

cha dande maro azadi

cha jail bejo azadi

geeelani le ga azadi

bhatrat se lega azadi

manmohan sunle azadi

sonia sunle azadi

shivsena sunle azadi

BJP sunle azadi

ye aye aye azadi

Har Dard ka Marham'AZAADI'

Har zakhm ka Malham'AZAADI

Mazloom ki Rahat'AZAADI'

Har Dil Ke Chaht'AZAADI'

Chehe jail Bhejo'AZAADI

Chehe gole Maro'AZAADI

Hum leke Rehenge'AZAADI'

Tumhe Deni Padhegi'AZAADI'

A Morning | Experienced by Kashmiri

2010-09-14T11:00:00.000+05:30

“Don’t you dare take your f~~~~~~ car out through the gate or I’ll shoot you”, shouted the CRPF man through the slit of our gate. It was an ideal morning straight out from the pages of a novel the breeze was cool , the sun was out but it promised warmth instead of heat. The heat had already been surrendered to the advent of September. I had risen early. My feet had taken me straight to the bathroom for a bath that I wouldn’t need. After a breakfast that consisted of nothing but salt tea and leftover pieces of bread from the never-had Eid celebrations. It was a strange combination-this tea, it was rosy and almost shiny when you looked at it but it was salty to taste. How representative of the place it belongs to. The only thing that bothered me on such a beautiful morning was the morning itself , mornings herald days and the last three months had taught me to love the morning but fear the day. As I sat with a china cup in my hand my gaze wandered out of the window towards the skyline. High above the surrounding structures stood a minaret , a minaret of no or inconsequential beauty. No azan was sounded from it. But it was still built. The minaret belongs to the mosque , the mosque built over the resting place of Sheikh Dawood Sahib aka ‘Batamaal Saeb’ . A saint of the highest order whom a poet praised thus:

“ sharaab az khum e maarifat chu qaseed ;

Ba chashm e yaqeen deed zaat illah"

He has drunk so much from the chalice of realization;

That he has witnessed God through the eyes of belief.

I could visualize the scene Batmaal Saeb holding each feet of his oxen and washing them one by one and seeking God’s forgiveness ’ “ My Lord you know I didn’t do it on purpose my oxen ventured into my neighbor’s land by mistake and brought some of his soil that stuck to their feet here I was not trying to usurp his land , forgive me my Lord indeed You are the most forgiving”

Utopian I thought, men don’t think like that now. Neither do nations.

I put my cup down and rushed up to my room. My hands took charge of a book , a neat paperback on economics. Tackling the subtle selfishness of ideas. Thinking over Keynesian economics I felt a little uneasy . How could man be reduced to a fiscal entity? How could you ever determine the correct wages of a labourer ? How could you get people involved in so mean a task - ‘Dig wells and fill them up and dig them again’- just to keep money in circulation , just to keep the money mill grinding. I put it down.

I turned my head to face the wall. The wall built of stones and bricks .

A paper was hanging from the wall. It had been there from long , indeed I had put it there myself. but owing to some strange reason its print appeared magnified . The header read “ Hadith”. And below it stood the text in a beautiful font. I read it , “ The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear but between them there are matters that are doubtful, thus he who remains aloof of what is doubtful clears his belief and religion but he who wanders into the doubtful will wander into the forbidden much like a grazer who rests his sheep on the edge of a forbidden field all but grazing therein. Remember every king has a sanctuary and Allah’s sanctuary is his prohibitions “

“You can’t get near the forbidden fruit without eating it”, I thought.

No surprises I thought , the Arabic word for mind -‘aqal’ comes from ‘iqaal’ and iqaal means a thing that stops something.

The band that the Arabs wear over their headscarves is called iqaal , It stops the headscarf from falling over. But it stopped quite another thing too , that was at the time of Bedouins. The Bedouins would carry a small length of rope with them to tie their camel’s forelegs when they dismounted it to stop it from wandering. They always needed it but didn’t know where to put it they had no pockets. In their simplicity they wound it around their heads , a tradition that continues even today.

The rope exists but the material has changed to fine textiles . then it stopped camels from wandering now it stops headscarves from falling over.

My mind shifted in time . A companion of the Prophet comes in hurriedly into the Masjid al Nabwi.

” Did you tie the camel” , asks the Prophet.

“O prophet of God I didn’t -I trusted God” , he says.

“ Aayqal suma tawaqal”.

Tie your camel’s foot and then trust God.

I stood up an looked out of the window , as my eyes fell on my car. Ah! Why don’t I wash my car today. I picked up the car keys from my study table and rushed down. I opened the car door and stepped in to turn the car around. As I pushed the key in and the ignition took affect. I heard the CRPF mans shout.

Written by : Owais Wani

Mc Kash "i Protest" Exclusive

2010-09-09T06:54:00.000+05:30

I Swear To Speak The TRUTH , An' Nathn' But The TRUTH. "MC KASH"

MC Kash , Represents A Kashmiri Struggle. A Struggle To Speak An' To Get Heard. Straight From The Heart Of Kashmir , Srinagar , MC Kash Has Witnessed 'Nuff To Put It Down In his Rhymes An' Keep Marchin' Forward. Real Name , Roushan Illahi , Born In Da Era Of Massacres An' Armed Struggle (1990) , Has A Hope Of Influencin' Those Who Support Reality An' Truth.
"Flashbacks Seek Redemption If Lies Make Up Yo Personality. Paranoid To The Point Of Seein' Yo Dead Mother Spittin' In Yo Face An' You Call It Sprituality?"

Join A Man On A Mission , A Lyrical Revenge Located Inside The Garrisons Of Tyranny An' Oppression. Join The Ghost Of A Million Unmarked Graves Waitin' To Be Heard. Join To SEEK TRUTH MUTHUFUKHA , JOIN THE REBELLION!!!!

MC KASH , A Kashmiri Hope

Taken from kashmir360.blogspot.com

No Excuse Here | Ibrahim Wani Questions Some Kashmiri Students

2010-09-07T23:09:00.002+05:30

Schools and colleges are shut down for over two months now, but many students say that is no excuse to stop studying. Self study is their mantra. Ibrahim Wani reports.

Initially he was confused. But after the first ten days Sheikh Rahil realized the curfews and shutdowns are going to continue. So he made up his mind.

The only option available was to self study. And so he did.

A student of class 12, Rahil is not alone. His friend Haseeb Ashai too has a similar story to narrate.

“Honestly speaking, the protests have had no effect on my education. Hartal or no hartal, it is finally up to a person himself what he or she wants to do with his time.”

Though they have not been able to go to school, both Rahil and Haseeb, who harbour dreams of becoming engineers, have not let this come in their way. The friends helped each other and at other times sought advice from a tutor living in the vicinity.

They feel that hartal is no reason to give up studies. “You have to open your books. No one is stopping you from doing so. It is not as though your books have been taken away from you.”

But they admit that there have been disturbances. Sometimes no matter how much they tried they could not concentrate.

“We were not even allowed to step out of our houses on curfew days,” says Haseeb. But it does not stop there. “And there were days when no matter how hard you tried you could not study. Like when CRPF is breaking your window panes or firing on the protestors just outside your house,” says Rahil.

The memory of one curfew day is stark. “We were going out to the tutor when we were stopped by the CRPF. They would not let us pass. They demanded we bring all the stone pelters to them,” says Rahil. The situation got worse when on another day they were chased and they had to take shelter in a mosque. “They tag everyone as a stonepelter,” he adds with a sigh.

Have they protested? Yes, they answer. “But we are not stone pelters. Whenever we protest we do it peacefully and out of our own will. You can’t stand mute to whatever happens around you. Can you?”

Nisar Wani (name changed) has similar views. But he makes an important observation. “It is an open kept secret in our society that right from class 10th, students hardly go to school. They spend most of their time either at the tuition centre or home,” he says. According to him these students were not harmed because of the closure of schools but because of the closure of tuitions centres.

“See being dependent on tuitions only is actually an aberration. People have to study themselves, and this the strategy which students now have to adopt. Forget tuitions and consult books. That will lead to development of diligence also,” he says.

Nisar who is preparing for KAS examinations feels that in a way the closure of educational institutions has come as a blessing in disguise for him. “I now get ample time to study and this has hugely aided my preparation for the exams.”

Another student Mushtaq Ahmad Sikander echoes similar views. Mustaq is a student of Political Science in Kashmir University and has consistently topped all his semester examinations. “Even though there was no class work, I was not affected at all and I think the same applies to my batch mates also,” he says.

Mustaq is a book buff, as he puts in his own words. “I read books dealing with politics, religion and literature,” he says adding, “During this period I got ample time to read.” Mushtaq also took out time to help his cousins and neighbours who were facing some difficulties in their studies.

Another student, Rafiq Shah who has recently passed his final semester exams for Civil Engineering feels that it is ultimately upto a student to do what he or she wants. “We sat in our final semester exams in the ongoing situation. Our teachers had given us an option to delay, but we persisted to go ahead. For this we braved curfews and many of us had to put up in the hostel, but all of us wanted to take the exam in time.”

He suggests that to study in the present situation, students have to strategize. “Schedule your day. At least give the same number of hours to study as you used to give in school,” he says.

Zahid Mustaq Mir, a student of 5th semester in NIT, Srinagar, also feels that it is upto the students. But he adds that innovative educational techniques can also be of great help. “Ours is a technical subject. So our teachers give us assignments on the days when the college is open, and we have to submit them on the next working day. Then there is discussion about the assignments in which all doubts are cleared.”

He opines that internet can be of great use. “Whenever I have any doubt about anything, I just Google it. There is loads of information about everything on the net. So it can be used to get quality study material,”

A number of Srinagar based schools have also started giving time bound assignment and home work schedules to students. And this has proved a great aid to keep the students busy in their studies.

Hamza Shabir a class 9 student of Burn Hall School says the school website helps “by updating us constantly about assignments. It somehow keeps you on track,” he says.

The school he say has come up with an online study program. “Here you get a username and password. You have an option to post textual queries or video chat with teachers. Through this it is like you are in a class when you are actually sitting in front of a computer,” he says.

Similar initiatives have been taken by other schools also. Keeping in mind that many students do not have access to internet a number of schools have also published the assignment topics in the local newspapers.

“Surprisingly every students had completed the assignments when we had to submit them in class,” informs Hamza, “even those who would normally be very late to submit homework when the situation was normal.”

Ifra Abid, who topped the CET 2010 says that hartals can not be used as an excuse to not study. She too feels that the only option available is self study. “So what if you are not going to school or tuitions. You have the books, just put them to use.”

story source : http://www.kashmirlife.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=24&Itemid=158

suggested readings : Students' Guide to Colleges: The Definitive Guide to America's Top 100 Schools
Written by the Real Experts--the Students Who Attend Them
Student's Guide to Writing College Papers

POLICE PEOPLE RELATIONS

2010-09-06T06:43:00.001+05:30

The word Police now has become synonymous with Terror, Torture, Corruption, Killings and Intimidation. The once sacred word which upheld the notion of human rights, rule of law and protected life and property is now a much hated word in the Valley. During past they were the enforcers of whims of kings and emperors and now of the State. They were always atrocious on poor kashmiris be it the Dogra soldiers and now the State Police and its various agencies.

Since the partition of the subcontinent and valley’s alignment with India, Police and its agencies always played dubious role which made them infamous and hated in the eyes of masses. From 1947-1953 Police was used to silence and torture the dissent, who wanted either independence or accession to Pakistan. From 1953 the tables turned and yesterday’s rulers were today’s paupers and traitors and police aligned to those at the helm of affairs. Qadir Ganderbali and his Peace Brigade still sends shivers down the spine of dissident Political Activists. After that others from Ganderbali took the reins and continued to torture and heap atrocities especially on political dissidents.

After the inception of armed insurgency, the role of Police became indispensable and we were a witness to induction of renegades(Nabids) in Police which later re-Christianized as Special Task Force(STF) and then Special Operations Group(SOG) which did the job of killing, torture, rape and arson to its fill and whose acts even put Halaku to shame. For this anti-people and Nazi stance, they were heavily awarded by the State and some big guns among them even fought the elections and made it to the assembly like Kuka Parrey while others awarded Padma Shri like Ghulam Muhammad Mir alias Momma Kanna.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won 2002 elections on the agenda of disbanding the notorious SOG which they did, but remnants of the same could not be eradicated. With the National Conference (NC) back in power with full support of Centre, the notorious elements in the Police are back once again.

The dubious role of Police came to limelight once again during the Land Row Agitation of 2008 when numerous allegations of Police Killings and high handedness were reported from everywhere and it continued in the year 2009 when the serious allegations of double rape and murder at Shopian were leveled against the Police, who then were allowed to go Scot free by the CBI.

Now Police is back in its renovated notorious role of picking, killing and torturing the youth thus creating the future dissidents and State enemies. The NC led government must understand that like in the past repression and brute force has failed to kill the aspirations and sentiments of people and the tactics of state have failed to cow and break the spirit of resistance, hence instead of Iron Fist, a policy of dialogue, love and peace must be build among the masses and Police who also comprise kashmiri society, but I am afraid that no positive steps have been taken in this direction, instead the policemen involved in Fake encounters and staged killings of innocents civilian are awarded with Bravery medals and cash prizes thus fuelling the anger more and deepening the gulf between masses and police.

I am apprehensive about the future civil war which may break out in the valley if this stance of Police repression continues because in a bid to prove more loyal than the king, police is indulging in wanton killing spree of innocent youth which is presently triggering the violent protests and turning the people against the same and if the process goes on the initial step as a reaction from masses would be social boycott of these Ponde-Police(A traditional name when policemen used to accept bribe in the form of a small coin called Ponde) and then they may even be killed by the youth who can’t take much from the hands of Police.

Hence it is the duty of the State and Police to put an end to this fratricide, exercise restrain while dealing with unrest and show by their deeds that they mean welfare of people, only then can normalcy, peace and fraternity return to the valley.

Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist and presently student of Masters Program of Political Science at Kashmir University and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com

Facebook n Hartals | Alec Smart "koshurpinta" way

2010-09-02T05:53:00.003+05:30

Ever wonder what Alec Smart "Koshurpinta" has to say about frequent Curfews and Hartals in kashmir. And what would he comment in his own style about the plight of Kashmiri youth using facebook? specially during the days of ongoing turmoil in kashmir. Well to be honest i am not that much good when it comes to Alec Smart as much my dear Friend Mamoon is so i decided to leave it upto him. I am sure he would come up with some stuff from Alec Smart on facebook and Kashmir.

Here's my presentation of Alec Smart saying on Kashmir , Curfews , Hartals n Facebook in form of a pic.

Picture source is facebook.com although the creator who of course will be a kashmiri is too unknown.

click on the pic to see it clearly

Note:

Koshurpinta Is Kashmiri Version Of Alec Smart [refer mamoon]

for people who may want to know more about facebook and kashmir

Facebook For Dummies

Facebook: The Missing Manual

The Facebook Era: Tapping Online Social Networks to Build Better Products, Reach New Audiences, and Sell More Stuff

Text of 1949 UN Resolution Calling for Referendum on Kashmir | Archive Series

2010-08-21T06:51:00.002+05:30

Pakistan was carved out of India in 1947 as the Muslim counterweight to India's Hindu population. Predominantly Muslim Kashmir to the north of both countries was divided between them, with India dominating two-thirds of the region and Pakistan one third. A Muslim-led revolt against the Hindu ruler triggered a build-up of Indian troops and an attempt by India to annex the whole In 1948, India attempted to annex the whole region, provoking a war with Pakistan. The United Nations brokered a cease-fire in 1949, and a five-member commission made up of Argentina, Belgium, Columbia, Czechoslovakia and the United States drew up a resolution calling for a referendum to decide Kashmir's future. The full text of the resolution, which India never allowed to be implemented, follows.

Resolution of the Commission of January 5, 1949

The United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan, Having received from the Governments of India and Pakistan, in communications dated 23 December and 25 December 1948, respectively, their acceptance of the following principles which are supplementary to the Commission's Resolution of 13 August 1948:

1. The question of the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India or Pakistan will be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite;

2. A plebiscite will be held when it shall be found by the Commission that the cease-fire and truce arrangements set forth in Parts I and II of the Commission's resolution of 13 August 1948 have been carried out and arrangements for the plebiscite have been completed;

3.
(a) The Secretary-General of the United Nations will, in agreement with the Commission, nominate a Plebiscite Administrator who shall be a personality of high international standing and commanding general confidence. He will be formally appointed to office by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir.

(b) The Plebiscite Administrator shall derive from the State of Jammu and Kashmir the powers he considers necessary for organizing and conducting the plebiscite and for ensuring the freedom and impartiality of the plebiscite.

(c) The Plebiscite Administrator shall have authority to appoint such staff of assistants and observes as he may require.

4.
(a) After implementation of Parts I and II of the Commission's resolution of 13 August 1948, and when the Commission is satisfied that peaceful conditions have been restored in the State, the Commission and the Plebiscite Administrator will determine, in consultation with the Government of India, the final disposal of Indian and State armed forces, such disposal to be with due regard to the security of the State and the freedom of the plebiscite.

(b) As regards the territory referred to in A.2 of Part II of the resolution of 13 August, final disposal of the armed forces in that territory will be determined by the Commission and the Plebiscite Administrator in consultation with the local authorities.

5. All civil and military authorities within the State and the principal political elements of the State will be required to co-operate with the Plebiscite Administrator in the preparation for the holding of the plebiscite.

6.
(a) All citizens of the State who have left it on account of the disturbances will be invited and be free to return and to exercise all their rights as such citizens. For the purpose of facilitating repatriation there shall be appointed two Commissions, one composed of nominees of India and the other of nominees of Pakistan. The Commission shall operate under the direction of the Plebiscite Administrator. The Governments of India and Pakistan and all authorities within the State of Jammu and Kashmir will collaborate with the Plebiscite Administrator in putting this provision into effect.

(b) All person (other than citizens of the State) who on or since 15 August 1947 have entered it for other than lawful purpose, shall be required to leave the State.

7. All authorities within the State of Jammu and Kashmir will undertake to ensure, in collaboration with the Plebiscite Administrator, that:

(a) There is no threat, coercion or intimidation, bribery or other undue influence on the voters in the plebiscite;

(b) No restrictions are placed on legitimate political activity throughout the State. All subjects of the State, regardless of creed, caste or party, shall be safe and free in expressing their views and in voting on the question of the accession of the State to India or Pakistan. There shall be freedom of the press, speech and assembly and freedom of travel in the State, including freedom of lawful entry and exit;

(d) Minorities in all parts of the State are accorded adequate protection; and

(e) There is no victimization.

8. The Plebiscite Administrator may refer to the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan problems on which he may require assistance, and the Commission may in its discretion call upon the Plebiscite Administrator to carry out on its behalf any of the responsibilities with which it has been entrusted;

9. At the conclusion of the plebiscite, the Plebiscite Administrator shall report the result thereof to the Commission and to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. The Commission shall then certify to the Security Council whether the plebiscite has or has not been free and impartial;

10. Upon the signature of the truce agreement the details of the foregoing proposals will be elaborated in the consultations envisaged in Part III of the Commission's resolution of 13 August 1948. The Plebiscite Administrator will be fully associated in these consultations;

Commends the Governments of India and Pakistan for their prompt action in ordering a cease-fire to take effect from one minute before midnight of 1 January 1949, pursuant to the agreement arrived at as provided for by the Commission's Resolution of 13 August 1948; and

Resolves to return in the immediate future to the Sub-continent to discharge the responsibilities imposed upon it by the Resolution of 13 August 1948 and by the foregoing principles.

Suggested Readings:

India Grabs Kashmir - Archive article from Time Magazine 1957

2010-08-19T20:45:00.001+05:30

Monday, Feb. 04, 1957

KASHMIR: India Grabs It

For the better part of two days last week. India's gaunt, silver-maned V. K. Krishna Menon waved his arms, flashed his eyes and showered the U.N. Security Council with words. When the torrent finally petered out, the exhausted Menon held the alltime U.N. record for a single speech—7 hours 48 minutes. It was a performance worthy of a Southern Senator, and had a purpose familiar to any Southern filibusterer hoping to frustrate the majority will. Menon was out to stall Security Council proceedings while India's moralizing Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru completed India's illegal annexation of most of the strategic state of Kashmir.

Kashmir, a mountainous never-never land that lies jammed in between China, Tibet and Afghanistan, was a prize which both India and Pakistan had been eying greedily ever since the British left India. As a princely state, it was entitled to choose which new nation it would join. Kashmir's Hindu maharaja, panicked by an invasion of tough Pathan Moslem tribesmen from northwest Pakistan, chose India—despite the fact that 77% of his subjects were Moslems.* There followed a 14-month war in which the Indian army badly mauled both the Pathans and the Pakistani regulars who had come in to give the tribesmen a hand. By the time the U.N. succeeded in arranging a cease-fire in January 1949, India held two-thirds of Kashmir.

Four times the U.N. Security Council, by overwhelming vote, demanded a plebiscite in Kashmir. Nehru (whose family originated in the beautiful Vale of Kashmir) was well aware that in a free election the Kashmiris would almost certainly vote for Pakistan.

Nehru paid lip service to the principle of self-determination, but, in fact, steadily tightened India's hold on Kashmir. At first India ruled the state through 6-ft. 4-in. Sheik Mohammed Abdullah, a Kash miri Moslem who had long been a friend of Nehru's. But in 1953. when Abdullah showed signs of objecting to Indian domination, he was thrown into jail, and remains there now without trial. So-called "peace brigades" of Indians rigidly suppressed advocates of Kashmiri independence or union with Pakistan. At Indian behest, a hand-picked Kashmiri Constituent Assembly began to draw up a state constitution whose third article read: "Kashmir is and shall be an integral part of the Union of India."

Two weeks ago, as the target date for adoption of the "Kashmir Constitution" rapidly approached, Pakistani Foreign Minister Malik Firoz Khan Noon appealed to the U.N. to head off Indian annexation of Kashmir. Pakistan, Noon declared, was anxious to see a U.N.-organized plebiscite policed by U.N. troops, but India had repeatedly blocked plebiscite proposals "by insisting on some new condition or raising irrelevant issues." Since 1949, noted Noon, "eleven proposals for settling the differences [have been] put forward. Pakistan accepted each; India rejected every one."

"Sheer Impertinence." In his marathon reply to Noon, stonewalling Krishna Menon tediously led the Security Council through a nine-year maze of military reports, diplomatic exchanges, ministerial conferences, press clippings and gossip. To demonstrate the justice of India's position, he ranged from the status of Texas after the Civil War to Australian constitutional law. Out of it all emerged one clear point: India had no intention of permitting a plebiscite in Kashmir.

At the end of the first five hours of this. Security Council President Carlos Romulo wearily tried to shut Menon off, but the indefatigable Indian insisted that it would take him the better part of another session to finish his case. So far, Menon had kept his hair-trigger temper under control; but the following morning, when he discovered that the U.S. and four other powers were already circulating a resolution which began, "Having heard statements from representatives of the governments of India and Pakistan ..." Menon's control broke. In a fit of irritation he implied that Britain's Sir Pierson Dixon was anti-Indian, later accused Pakistan's Noon of "sheer impertinence," and snapped arrogantly: "We have suffered in the past in this discussion by trusting to the good sense of everybody all around."

Menon's pettishness did nothing to help India's case. "People here," said a Canadian delegate, "are not so much pro-Pakistan or pro-India as they are anti-Menon. Every time he opens his mouth, people want to vote against him." In the roll call that followed Menon's speech, this desire was freely indulged. By a vote of 10-0 (with Russia abstaining), the Security Council for the fifth time called for a plebiscite in Kashmir, and challenged the right of Kashmir's puppet assembly to unite the state with India. Indians were disappointed by Russia's abstention, after Khrushchev had noisily proclaimed India's right to Kashmir—but after all. Russia is currently trying to win Moslem friends in the Middle East.

"I Am Pained." Consoling as the moral victory was to the Pakistanis, it was not likely to have much practical effect. In New Delhi, Prime Minister Nehru, informed of the U.N.'s vote as he saw Red China's Chou En-lai off at the airport, announced: "I am deeply pained by this . . . But may I point out that the Kashmir Constituent Assembly has finished its work, dissolves itself tonight and disappears . . . The position remains as it is now." A few hours later, in the Kashmiri capital of Jammu. Puppet Premier Bakhshi Ghulam Mohammed formally proclaimed adoption of the constitution joining Kashmir to India—and in the process, gave the clearest statement yet of Jawa harlal Nehru's attitude toward the U.N.: "We are not bound by resolutions which are against our country and our interest."

^{*In precisely the opposite circumstances, the Moslem ruler o-f predominantly Hindu Hyderabad was opposed to joining ladia. The Indian army simply moved in and grabbed the place, has held it ever since.

Find this article at:}

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,723783,00.html