EXTRACTS OF THE ARTICLES OF MR. MOHAMMAD ASHRAF ON POLITICS

COURTSY:KASHMIRFIRST.COM

Excessive Force (Is the Paramilitary ill-trained and undisciplined or under specific instructions to brutalise Kashmiri people, someone needs to answer?)

The newest upsurge all over the valley witnessed hundreds of thousands of protestors on the roads. These were massive crowds of unarmed civilians demanding the basic right of self-determination. In several cases the crowds drastically outnumbered the security forces. For Police and Paramilitary it was an unprecedented task of crowd control. The Paramilitary and Army had been deployed during last two decades in the valley and other places for countering armed militants. It has been acting as a counter insurgency force. They have been trained and mentally prepared to tackle armed militants. During these operations they have been trained to shoot to kill.

It was for the first time after more than a decade that they were facing unusually large unarmed civilian crowds. There were a number of instances during which the security forces used force to either stop the processions or disperse gathering crowds. This crowd control resulted in over 40 dead and hundreds injured. To justify excessive use of force, it was alleged by the security chiefs (without any eye witness confirmation) that in a solitary instance in Narbal someone fired from the crowd. However, in most of the cases there were clashes between unarmed civilian protestors and fully armed paramilitary forces.

Apart from the incidents involving stone throwing which resulted in clashes with police and paramilitary, there were numerous instances of these forces barging into houses of people and thrashing inmates and damaging property. They did not even spare mosques and shrines and there was a gross desecration of the famous shrine of Dastgeer Sahib in Sarai Bala. Thus there are two sides to this excessive use of force. The first one pertains to crowd control. By and large the crowds were peaceful. However, there were some instances of provocation and at times the security forces did exhibit restraint. These provocations came from younger generation in the form of slogans, some against India and some pro-Pakistan, burning of effigies and in many cases incidents of stone throwing.

The crowds did not start stone throwing on their own but resorted to it when the paramilitary forces tried to disperse processions or prevented them from assembling to take out protest marches. In some places after the paramilitary had retreated, their bunkers were dismantled by angry crowds. The main instance of the use of excessive force was against a massive crowd marching towards Muzaffarabad which was stopped ahead of Baramulla after being initially allowed to assemble and proceed ahead. According to press reports the crowd was very large and one correspondent put the procession almost 17 kilometres long! In rest of the cases, it was mostly preventing gatherings and dispersing already gathered people. There has been extensive media coverage of these incidents especially on local TV channels which were subsequently banned for sometime.

One thing which is starkly visible in these visual clips is that the method of crowd control is anything but what is expected of a disciplined and trained force in such incidents involving unarmed civilians. Normally, such crowds are stopped by the use of water canons, tear smoke, and baton charges. Firstly let us take the use of tear smoke. In normal course the tear smoke gun is held at an angle on the shoulder. The shell is to be fired in a parabolic fashion so that it falls on the ground from the sky near the crowd. The shell detonates on impact on a hard surface and releases large amounts of tear smoke. However, in Kashmir the police and paramilitary forces are visible on all TV channels firing these shells directly into the crowds. Secondly for controlling large crowds in open areas simple tear smoke shells which detonate on impact are fired. However, it has been observed that in many instances the police personnel have been using penetrating or piercing shells.

These shells are normally used for enclosed spaces to control groups of people such as militants inside a building. The baton charges have also been excessive and indiscriminate. Even old people and children were not spared. There were many instances were even journalists, and medical staff were beaten mercilessly. As per norms all contingents of forces going for crowd control should normally be accompanied by magistrates who order use of force of different types depending upon the gravity of the situation. This legal requirement has been done away with in Kashmir thanks to Armed Forces Special Powers Act and the Disturbed Areas Act which empower security forces to use unreasonably excessive force without any accountability. This unbridled power gives the forces a psychological advantage and they feel free to give hell to common masses.

The next comes the use of live ammunition. It is the last resort in controlling unarmed civilian crowds only when these turn excessively violent. Normally police use rubber bullets which are supposed to be less lethal. (In one case, a boy was killed by a rubber bullet which must have been fired on vital organs at point blank range!) These were used only towards the end. In all earlier cases live ammunition was used. Here again the drill is to fire below the waist to disable people. However, in most of the cases the casualties had bullets above waist aimed at vital organs. In many cases the bullets had entered in the back which shows running crowds were fired upon from the back. Secondly, even if live ammo is to be used, it has to be of short range so that the bullets lose the lethal power at a distance.

In the instant cases, the forces have been using normal long range ammo which is sure to kill. One may even be prepared to concede without any logical justification the argument that all the above gross deviations from normal procedure of crowd control are due to the inexperience of the forces presently attuned to counter militancy operations but what about the second phase of the use of excessive force? This pertains to barging into homes of people and not only beating them but damaging their property! There have been wide spread complaints on account of this harassment of the common people. Any disciplined force cannot indulge in such activities unless they have tacit approval of their immediate commanders and patronage of the political and administrative bosses. One starkly visible act of indiscipline is the forces sent to control mobs themselves indulging in stone throwing and giving a fresh supply of missiles to the crowd.

It is like a stone throwing match! This is not a deviation by the psychologically tense members of the forces but a deliberate use of brute force to cow down people. The soldiers do not go berserk all the time everywhere unless they are specifically told to do so! There are instances where the uniformed personnel may lose control when their colleagues get hit but they do not lose control all the time without any rhyme or reason. It appears that these troops have been given a green signal to brutalise Kashmiris and bring them to their knees. Unfortunately, the authorities in Delhi have not learnt any lesson from history and are repeating it to the detriment of the real national interest. Government of India has tried every thing available with them to dissuade Kashmiris from the path of Azadi but to no avail. They arrested from time to time all the leaders during last 61 years.

They offered thousands of crores as developmental funds and even bribed the local leadership to toe their line. They used excessive force to suppress common masses. However, after every phase of turmoil and suppression, the people are as they were. They continue to harbour the wish for total freedom. Government of India must be fully aware of the fact that excessive violence against civilian population is a clear violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Humanitarian Laws, and the Geneva Convention. Such violations are bound to attract international attention. Apart from these gross violations, the use of force has never been able to suppress the aspirations of the people anywhere in the world. There is a strange dichotomy in the Indian polity. One section wants to go by the democratic process and welcomes peaceful protests.

They advocate dialogue to address the basic issues. The other section behaves as the worst colonial masters and is pushing the people to the wall by their aggressive and arrogant attitude. This section seems to be ascendant at the moment and is advocating fascist measures. One fails to reconcile the ideals of Rabindra Nath Tagore and Mahatama Gandhi with the actions of this Hindutva brigade which go totally against the image of the largest democracy in the world aspiring to be a super power. Unfortunately, the victims of this dichotomy of internal conflict are the hapless Kashmiris who continue to suffer! There is still time for the saner elements in Indian Polity to assert and arrest the drift to a bottomless abyss. Dialogue is the best bet and is any time better than “Excessive Force”! Sooner one starts it, the better it would be.

The Domestic Hand (For a change the “Foreign Hand” has been replaced!)

It had become a standard drill for all the investigating agencies in India to blame every terrorist act on the ever present “Foreign Hand”. However, the recent blasts in Ahemdabad which according to reports have been solved by the Gujarat Police put all the blame on the indigenous people without any foreign involvement. There are, however, certain inexplicable discrepancies. The bombs in Surat numbering almost 30 did not explode but were “discovered” and defused by Police in time. The whole operation seemed unnatural. Bombs were being discovered one by one in very odd locations as if someone was systematically giving out the locations to local Police.

Moreover, a number of agencies had been earlier making efforts to solve these serial bombings but it was only the Gujarat Police which smashed the entire ring and arrested the master mind and key players. Assuming that the Gujarat Police is one up on the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and has cracked the whole mystery, one thing comes out squarely. All the bombings have been conceived as well as executed by Indian citizens. It is the “Domestic Hand” and not the “Foreign Hand” for a change. As per the investigations made public the main culprit is SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India).

Planners as well as executors are Indian Muslims. As reported the bombers were trained in camps located in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra etc and the explosives were bought in Madhya Pradesh. The whole conspiracy and its execution is 100% indigenous. The impression given earlier at the time of different serial blasts was that these were the handiwork of the intelligence agency of the neighbouring country. It was the easiest escape to see the hand of this agency behind every occurrence.

In fact, some one had claimed that the weather disturbances had also been engineered by that agency. With every one blaming the agency it had become a larger than life invincible and omnipresent organisation behind every untoward incident. Now it is being given out that a majority of these incidents have been caused by the citizens of the country. If this is true then a thorough introspection of the reasons behind such behaviour is urgently called for. What forces the citizens of a country to target fellow citizens?

There must be something terribly wrong and that wrong needs to be identified and remedied. That wrong has already been identified by Justice Rajinder Sachar in his famous report. According to Justice Sachar the condition of the Muslims in India is worse than Dalits, the lowest Hindu caste. Dalits may even be trusted in some sensitive agencies and organisations but the Muslims are not trusted at all. In spite of constituting more than 15% of the population their representation in important state agencies of sensitive nature is nil.

Even the defence services have a very miniscule representation. People belonging to some other minority groups can head some very vital organisations but not Muslims. They are always suspect. This mistrust has been starkly visible after the demolition of Babri Masjid and the Mumbai riots. The suspicion has gone so far that even the most progressive Muslims are being discriminated. In a recent TV interview the famous actress Shabana Azmi stated that she and Saif Ali could not buy a flat in Mumbai simply because they are Muslims.

No one is prepared to take them in! The Hindutva organisations have mounted a systematic campaign for decimating Muslims economically. Governments both at the centre and states especially in the north have been virtually giving tacit approval for such campaigns. South did not have this infection but recently the Hindutva parties have succeeded in infecting some of the southern states also. Most of the riots in last few years have been at the places where the Muslims had been economically quite well off.

The Gujarat Pogrom was the proverbial last straw and the resistance by the Muslims started from that tragic event. For a pretty long time this community had been taking all the beating lying down but Kashmir showed them the way to resist oppression and take it head on. These people must have observed how Kashmiris in spite of unprecedented brutal oppression have risen off and on not only to resist the oppressor but to strike back. Resistance is infectious and it spreads like an epidemic. This extremist Hindutva attitude had traditionally been visible in northern states only.

This is because of the fact that the brunt of Muslim invasions of India has been faced by the north. South has more or less remained unmolested. One of the major factors for partition has been this attitude. The rightist Hindutva parties are still not reconciled to the creation of Pakistan. They still harbour the feeling that Muslims came from outside, plundered India, and finally ended up by taking half the country. They still dream about undoing the partition and restoring Akhand Bharat as the Hindu Rashtra! For them all Muslims are suspect.

The fault also lies with Pakistan leadership which instead of coming closer to the mainland left behind after the division of the sub-continent, preferred to align themselves with the West and the Middle East. They consider themselves as an extension of the Muslim belt of Middle East and Iran rather than a part of the sub-continent. No doubt partition created a sharp cleavage between the two major religions of the sub-continent, yet the mother country India now called Bharat tried to pursue a secular agenda through the stalwarts of the freedom movement. However, after the passing away of those leaders in both countries, it was the communal divide which came to the fore. Still the Hindutva proponents were hesitant in the face of the western democracies and remained subdued.

But the 9/11 episode which made USA start a global war on Muslims and Islam to contain terrorism completely changed Indian attitude. They could get away with anything by labelling it as “Islamic Terrorism”. No one from the west would question them and no Muslim country would dare challenge them for anti-Muslim activities fearing a backlash from Uncle Sam! This encouraged Hindutva brigade to take on Muslims and persecute them at their sweet will without fear of any outside interference. This treatment of minorities pushed them to a wall and they became desperate and started retaliating.

The same story is being repeated with Christian minority in Orissa. However, they have the Pope who has condemned this behaviour making the Indian Government go all out to take immediate remedial measures. The Muslims in that regard are orphans! Additionally there are two other sources of internal strife. These are the Dalits and the Naxalites. The poor and downtrodden waking up to take on the oppressive rich. Thus there are many “Domestic Hands” within the country ready to strike at the Indian State. No doubt foreign powers can exploit the situation to their advantage but the weakness is within and it has to be remedied.

If the sincere and really patriotic Indians want to safeguard the integrity of the country, they have to take two urgent measures. The first is to recognise the existence of the “Domestic Hand”. This has now been proven beyond any doubt and the usual refrain of “Foreign Hand” seems to have been given up at least for the present. The other is to remove the grievances which in the first instance force the citizens of a country to strike both at the State and its other citizens. Unless this is done, the very existence of the State is at stake. The foreigners do not have to disintegrate it, it will disintegrate itself! The Government of India has been worried about 600 odd militants in Kashmir but they seem to have forgotten that their attitude is going to make another 170 million militants all over the country! Will someone wake them up?

BJP plans Kashmir’s Secession (Getting rid of Muslim Kashmir may be more useful for India than keeping it at a huge cost in the long run!)

There is a common feeling that what Pakistan could not achieve in 61 years, the BJP has done in just 6 weeks! Right from 1947 Pakistan Government had been trying to motivate Kashmiris to accept the two nation theory. Pakistanis had been claiming India to be a Hindu Rashtra and not a “Secular” State. However, the popular Kashmiri leadership at the time of partition had rejected the two nation theory and supported the erstwhile Maharaja’s accession to India. They had felt that their aspirations as Kashmiris irrespective of religion would be realisable in “Secular” India instead of Muslim Pakistan. Kashmiris throughout their period of subjugation under foreign rule had equally suffered under Muslims and non-Muslims. They were more assured by the attitude of the Indian leaders like Gandhi and Nehru. These leaders had guaranteed them the preservation of the special status granted to Kashmir under the Indian constitution. However, even at that time the precursor of BJP, the Parija Parishad had agitated against this special status and asked for total merger of the state with the Indian Union.

This agitation had turned Kashmiri leaders against India and they had demanded holding of plebiscite to decide the future of Kashmir as envisaged in UN Resolutions. Government of India had agreed to it in principle. However, they subsequently changed their stand and claimed that Kashmir is an integral part of India. BJP had gone a step ahead and demanded liberation of the other part of Kashmir under the administrative control of Pakistan also known as Azad Kashmir. During all these years Indian Government tried every means at its disposal to win over Kashmiris. Both carrot and stick were used liberally. It is claimed that Indian Government must have pumped in more than a hundred thousand crores for economic development of the State. There were many uprisings during the same period which were put down with an iron hand. Hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris have been killed and injured. Thousands have been incarcerated. In spite of this the urge of Kashmiris for freedom has refused to die down. Having known all this and the fact that any agitation in Jammu is counter productive in Kashmir, the BJP has gone all out for fuelling the movement for separation of Jammu.

It appears somewhat incomprehensible that the BJP would do that unless they have some other plans. For past sometime the true nationalist Indians have been realising that Kashmir has become a mill stone in the neck of the developing India. India would have by now become a super-power like China but for Kashmir. In fact, some years back Mr.Thakur, an RSS ideologue wrote an article in Economic Times titled, “Disinvest Kashmir”. He outlined the efforts made by Government of India in keeping Kashmiris on its side. Thousands of crores had been invested in Kashmir. All measures both repressive and conciliatory had been taken by every Government in Delhi but to no avail. The ever lingering problem of Kashmir had adversely affected Indian plans for development and modernisation. Thousands of Non-Resident Indians were willing to invest billions of rupees in the development of infrastructure in their home country but were scared to do so because of the uncertainty caused by Kashmir problem. Kashmir had become Asia’s hot spot and a probable “Nuclear Flashpoint”. There was no guarantee for the safety of investments.

A nuclear exchange between the two warring neighbours of the sub-continent could make everything go up in smoke in a flash. It was because of the pressure exerted by the Non-Resident Indian lobby that Vajpayee started the famous peace process by extending a hand of friendship to Pakistan from Kashmir itself. The idea was to sort out this vexed problem which was holding the whole sub-continent hostage. The process would have reached its logical conclusion had BJP continued to be in power in Delhi. Congress frittered away all that had been gained in improving relations between two neighbours. Foreign Christian lady at the top and a minority Prime Minister were totally paralysed and failed to move forward due to the scare of BJP using any of their initiatives against them. Now that BJP is once again looking at gaining power they seem to have devised a plan to get rid of Kashmir but in a very intelligent way. Having fully known that any agitation in Jammu would automatically start a counter agitation for separation in the valley, they went all out to mount a massive upsurge in Jammu for its separation.

The excuse was the land controversy of Amarnath on which Hindu sentiment was inflamed. Starting with this controversy the agitator’s demands went beyond Amarnath. They started claiming of having been discriminated against by the valley dwellers for last 60 years. They would not settle for anything less than a separate state of Jammu. Thus indirectly if Hindu Jammu and Buddhist Ladakh is separated, the valley would be left with Muslim Kashmir. They would not give a damn to what happens to the Muslim Kashmir. It is immaterial whether it goes to Pakistan or remains Independent. India would be rid of an unnecessary burden for all times to come. If this secession materialises during congress rule, the blame for losing Kashmir would be on them. BJP would be a winner both ways. The former Governor General Sinha seems to have been an important link in the entire project.

The plan seems to have been conceived with his posting here as Governor during BJP rule in Delhi. Immediately on his arrival he started the Amarnath controversy by extending the Yatra period against the reports of Dr.Nittish Sengupta and General Mukharjee. In fact, he took cudgels with Mufti Sayed the then Chief Minister on this subject. Congress had been changing all BJP Governors but General Sinha created such a sympathetic Hindutva wave that it became impossible for Congress to change him. Right from the start he started looking for a connection between the ancient Hindu Kashmir and present Hindu India. It did not matter to him that Kashmir was now an absolute Muslim majority area and moreover Kashmiris did not join India for their ancient Hindu past but for India’s declared policy of being a so called “Secular” state. By his Hindutva agenda he inflicted maximum damage on Indo-Kashmir relationship. He must have surely known that highlighting of connection between ancient Hindu Kashmir and Hindu India would scare the present Muslim population. This is precisely what happened. In spite of this he pursued his Hindutva agenda vigorously. This must have been part of the plan to push Kashmiris to the wall and make them demand secession.

He must be getting sadistic pleasure for having set the entire state on fire and on way to disintegration. It’s a catch 22 situation. Two parallel agitations pulling in opposite directions and feeding on each other. There seems to be no middle ground! There is only one catch. The Russian example is fresh in our minds. Once disintegration of a federation starts from any corner it has a tendency to spread like a raging fire all over. It did not take more than 24 hours for the mighty Soviet Union to disintegrate. India is more prone because of its diversity. There is no homogeneous Indian nation. Neither is the Indian Union a true federation. It is a unitary set up with everything concentrated in Delhi. At the present moment 22 states are facing naxalism. Then there is the up coming caste war. There is still time for the saner elements in the Indian Society to wake up and arrest the drift initiated by BJP. The neighbouring country is already on the verge of disintegration. If the process starts in this side also, then the entire sub-continent is going to pieces and we may once again see our western “Friends” step in starting with our neighbour! Have the ideologues of BJP thought about it?

Lal Chowk Hijacked! (Extreme anti-climax to Nehru’s historical promise!)

Exactly 60 years back Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru embraced Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah at this historical spot named after the Red Square of Moscow by BPL Bedi, the architect of Naya Kashmir Manifesto. Sheikh Abdullah recited a Persian verse, “Man Tan Shudi, Tan Man Shudi”, I am the body, and you are the soul. Nehru gave a pledge to a mammoth gathering of Kashmiris that they would be free to decide their future. Incidentally, the official website of J & K Government carries photographs of this gathering and reproduces Pandit Nehru’s words, “India will never let down Kashmiris!” Now for the first time in the entire history of Kashmir’s Freedom Movement since 1931 this historical spot has been hijacked and put under siege. All roads leading to the spot have been blocked by iron sheets and razor sharp concertina wire rolls. In regard to all the political movements in Kashmir Lal Chowk is the emotional and sentimental heart of the valley. Thanks to Indian security forces, it is getting converted from the Moscow’s Red Square which was the pride of Russian Revolution into China’s Tiananmen Square, the global symbol of suppression of human rights and peoples’ resistance to this suppression.

During the peak of militancy it had become probably the most violent town centre in the world but was never closed to public. The Indian Government appears to have been unnerved by the massive marches for “Azadi” (Independence) witnessed during last couple of weeks. Having a similar gathering at this spot where India’s greatest leader had given a promise to Kashmiris may have been a huge embarrassment. A total reversal of history. Lal Chowk is an inalienable part of Kashmir’s recent history. Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah must have addressed dozens of rallies at this spot. All the national and international dignitaries who have visited Kashmir from time to time have been taken to this spot. It has the same importance for Kashmir as the Red Square has for Russia. It figures in every historical epoch connected with Kashmir since 1947. By stealing it from the people and putting it under a siege, the sentiments and emotions of the people cannot be suppressed. On the contrary by preventing people from assembling there for emotional reasons they have been given a hurt which will deepen the alienation that has reached the breaking point. This could very well be the proverbial last straw!

During the present agitation there were two major assaults on the psyche of Kashmiris. The first was the perceived notion of land being transferred to outsiders. It was after almost 400 years that Kashmiris had got the ownership of the land they had been tilling without owning. This was the result of the momentous decision of Sheikh Abdullah known as the “Land to the tiller”. The sensitivity of a Kashmiri regarding a threat to the ownership of his land was the main cause of the recent unprecedented upsurge. The second trigger was the economic blockade which made him apprehensive not only about losing the apple crop worth millions of rupees but also started a panic about his very survival in the absence of the supplies of daily necessities of life. His very lifeline was under threat and that too under a manmade threat. He had survived many earlier blockades caused by nature’s vagaries. The man had helped him in overcoming these. But this time, it was the man himself who was threatening him with a blockade! The third emotional blow has been the “Siege of Lal Chowk”. One utterly fails to understand the logic behind the present crack down in Kashmir. There had been a paradigm shift in Kashmir’s Popular Movement since 1990. The upheaval of nineties was a result of the violence which had been triggered by the rigging of 1987 elections. Kashmiris have been aspiring for “Azadi” or “Freedom” for centuries. They made many attempts to attain it even during earlier rule of foreigners right from the Mughal times but could not succeed. The latest attempt was made in 1931 during the Dogra rule. However, the cataclysmic changes of 1947 in the sub-continent thrust Kashmiris in a logjam out of which they are unable to come out.

For last 61 years they have been trying to reach the goal of total emancipation from time to time. In 1987 they had made an attempt to reach the goal through democratic means but the rigging of elections followed by a massive crackdown forced the youth to take up arms. Two decades of violence did not take them anywhere and they had now switched back to a peaceful movement thinking that after 9/11 all violent movements were bound to fail because of the menace of global terrorism. One would have thought that all the concerned authorities would welcome this paradigm shift and encourage the peaceful movement which would ultimately end in a dialogue. Instead of taking a lesson from the history, the authorities are condemned to repeat it. One would have thought that the present upsurge would have made all concerned wiser about the basic political problem in Kashmir and attempts should have been made vigorously to address it through dialogue with the genuine representatives of the people. On the contrary a clamp down worse than the one resorted to in nineties has been put in force. This is probably the strictest curfew in history. Even the scribes, medical personnel, ambulance drivers, and patients have not been spared. Security forces have been barging into the houses of people in different localities and thrashing inmates and damaging property. Schools, Offices, Shops, Banks are closed and roads are completely deserted. The only presence is of dozens of armed troopers moving round to ensure no one dares to come out of his house. Every house has been converted into a prison cell. Not to talk of democracies, one does not see such a siege in totalitarian regimes. It seems the government policy is to give a tough dose of brute force to the people to cow them down. Again the authorities seem to be ignorant of Kashmiri psyche. Force does not make a Kashmiri give up his aspirations.

He is a great survivor. Apparently he may seem to compromise with the brutal authority but inside he continues to harbour strong anger and resentment which simmers on till he gets another opportunity to strike back! Government of India may have won the battle by bringing a Kashmiri to his knees by excessive oppression but they have lost the war to win the hearts and minds of the people. During very brief relaxations in curfew people rushed out of their homes like prisoners being let out of their cells. One could see from their expressions that they were very angry. They seemed to be beaten by the might of the “Potholed Super-Power” but not down. In fact they appeared to be more determined than before in their resolve which may be faced by the authorities sometime in future. In earlier times Lal Chowk used to have a flag post on a small podium. The State flag used to flutter on this post. However, sometime back it was dismantled and the centre of activity shifted to a clock tower at the other end of the open space. This clock tower has been the main centre of activity now and the paramilitary forces hoist the Indian national flag here on Independence Day. During the recent protests the youth put up green flags on top of the tower in a symbolic way to contrast the hoisting of national tricolour. This shows how much Kashmiris cherish the idea of hoisting a flag of freedom in the historical Lal Chowk. A Kashmiri will continue to harbour this wish of one day hoisting his own national flag in this world famous town centre of Srinagar. He has desired this for last so many centuries and a few more years won’t make a difference! Kashmir’s famous historian Kalhana has said that Kashmir can be conquered by the charms of pure love but never by the force of arms! One wonders why the present Indian rulers so fond of Kashmir’s Hindu past have forgotten this historical saying.


 

Birth of a Revolution (A Revolution is not made but it happens!)

It is said that if 5 to 10% people in a State follow some idea which is against the generally held official belief of the State, it is a rebellion or insurgency. However, if more than 90% of the people follow the idea, it is a Revolution. This is precisely what has happened in Kashmir recently. Revolutions are not created by leaders but revolutions throw up new leaders.

In the case of Kashmir, the present revolution has in fact been triggered by a lack of leadership as the existing one had failed to deliver and now instead of leading, it is being led! Kashmir has seen many revolutions during last 71 years starting from 1931. Each upsurge gave birth to a new leadership but unfortunately every time the leadership failed the people and left them in the lurch. The main problem has been the refusal of the leadership to pass on the baton by grooming their successors from the younger generations. Moreover, instead of going all the way they have been looking for some middle ground to reap the fruits of struggle themselves! They prefer to carry the baton in their own aging hands till they reach the middle ground in their own lifetime.

This gives rise to a personality cult where the ideals are replaced by persons and after the persons cease to exist, people are confused. The major chunk of the leaders of 1931 frittered away the gains of the first revolution for their own personal ends leaving Kashmiris in a logjam. Again there was a revolution in 1963 in the form of the Holy Relic agitation. This revolution too had thrown up a totally new leadership but it was scuttled by the “Old Guards” as they felt threatened. The Students and Youth League comprised of a galaxy of intellectuals and dynamic activists from all walks of life. It had doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers, and representation from all other sections of the society.

But at that time there was a huge Chinar tree towering over everything else and in Kashmir there is a popular saying that nothing grows under a Chinar! The new leadership got totally decimated and the “Old Guard” even accused them of being “Indian Agents”. In 1990 another revolution occurred but it was a violent one. This too gave birth to a totally new kind of leadership from amongst the youth. Because of the violent nature of the struggle a large number of youth had to sacrifice their lives in furthering the goal of freedom. The new leadership refused to look for any middle ground and carried on. It is because of their sacrifices that the movement continued even though in a low key on the surface but with growing alienation and anger underneath. In the meantime, a new generation of Kashmiris has grown up. They have been brought up in the worst conflict Kashmir has ever seen.

One can say they have been steeled by the circumstances and are in the true sense battle hardened. They have seen the ugly face of the mighty super power and are prepared to go to any length. In early nineties the youth would not face the might of the state and would look for an escape route but the present generation is not perturbed at all by any show of force. They defy curfew and come out to face the bullets. However, they are throwing stones and not grenades. Probably they have learnt the lesson that a peaceful mass protest is stronger both physically and morally than any violent means. It is this generation which is leading the new revolution which came about because of the Amarnath land controversy. The agitation on land transfer provided the literal fuse to blow up the seething anger which had been simmering inside for over a decade. The entire upsurge has been spontaneous and un-orchestrated.

People all over the valley especially the young generation came out on all sides. In the east and the west. In the north and the south. The piece of land that initiated the upsurge has been rendered irrelevant and there is only one goal, “Azadi”, or total freedom. There is no middle ground. The traditional leaders may give various achievable goals, different paths, and blue prints but the youth are bent upon treading the path which leads to the final goal. The leaders are being virtually brought out from their homes to lead as per the aspirations of the people. After having experienced the betrayal of leadership, the masses have become their own leaders. The Central leadership in India itself is confused and they do not know whom to talk to? Even if they set up a track-II channel to the traditional separatist leadership, they are not sure whether this leadership will be able to carry along the new generation? This generation is not only a tough one but is also wide awake unlike the dumb driven cattle of the past.

This was evident from the apology which a senior leader had to render immediately after committing a guffaw of self-imposition both of leadership and the goal of the movement in the massive rally of half a million people. The youth did not go along with the twin declaration of “Freedom for Muslims Only” and the pledge to accept him as the “sole” leader. People want “Azadi”, or total freedom and that too for all Kashmiris regardless of being Muslim, Hindu, or Sikh. This is in spite of the fact that it is the Muslims only who are in the line of fire in the valley. Islam is not an isolationist religion. It teaches brotherhood and peace for all humanity. Regarding the leadership, there are no two opinions that if ever there was a leader who did not change his ideology throughout his entire life it is the one who led the mass rally. However, as already mentioned the greatest misfortune of Kashmiris has been the refusal of the senior leadership to hand over the baton to the new generation. The most important task for the seniors should have been to guide the new leadership to the ultimate goal without stopping at the middle ground. The new generation is both bold and intelligent.

The boldness is evident from the fact that the maximum bullet injuries suffered in recent clashes are above the waist and in the front and not in the back. Moreover, a large number of young leaders have been hiding their faces. Talking to TV journalist one of them mentioned that they were doing this to avoid arrest. No body is able to identify the real leaders. In the past the first line of leaders would be arrested and the movement would fizzle out. Not this time. Now everyone is a potential leader. He knows the goal and how to reach it. This is the true attribute of a real revolution. One has a gut feeling that the present revolution is going to reach its logical conclusion as it refuses to die down. Unlike earlier revolutions apparently it does not have any chance of fizzling out. This is due to the extreme polarisation that has taken place between Jammu and Kashmir. Both agitations are going in a complementary manner. One feeds on the other in a vicious circle. On both sides the protests have percolated down to every level right from the senior citizens to school kids. Jammu wants “Azadi” from Kashmir and Kashmir wants “Azadi” from India.

There does not seem to be any middle ground! Time is running out for the rulers in the sub-continent as well as the global watch dogs to realise the gravity of the situation. Revolutions have a habit of sweeping away every thing in their path unless these are channelled towards constructive goals. There is only one way to make it a constructive revolution. The powers that be have to take it as a referendum and accept the peoples’ verdict! Is there any one out there who can do the job? If not, then Alistair Lamb may have to write the second volume of his book about Kashmir, the Birth of a Tragedy!”

The Land and the Apples! (Economic reasons, not sentiments give birth to Revolutions!)  

Karl Marx in his “Das Kapital” had stated that to be free man must first be fed! The most basic freedom for a man is his economic freedom. The sophistication of abstract freedom can be imagined by a person only when he is free of other wants. People can be moved by emotions and sentiments but these movements can be sustained only when a person has the strength to stand up against oppression. In the alternative, a person totally deprived of all worldly things has nothing more to lose and can bring about a revolution! “Workers of the world unite; you have nothing to lose but your chains!” Kashmir’s initial movement started in 1931 was truly a revolution. The oppressed had risen against the oppressors.

However, after 1947 and especially after 1953 the movements have more or less remained confined to emotional and sentimental goals. These did not have any appreciable economic content. Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad unleashed an economic flood for Kashmiris to make them forget the sophisticated emotional and sentimental attributes of freedom. Since that time the Central Governments in Delhi have virtually opened the flood gates of funds for economic development of the State. There has been tremendous development compared to the situation in 1947. It would have been much more but for the turmoil of 1990 which has pushed Kashmir back by almost 50 years in overall development compared to similar areas in different parts of the sub-continent on both sides of the divide.

Kashmiris were in deep slumber after 1975. Two things have happened which have shaken them out of this artificially induced sedation. First was the brazen exposure of the brute and ugly face of the Indian might immediately after the upheaval of nineties. The state terror unleashed to counter the insurgency made Kashmiris wiser about their helplessness in the face of a mighty super power. They could not think of standing against the mighty forces. So they decided to adopt the age old philosophy of survival of the weak against the mighty. But they did not also give in. They continue to harbour their inner sentiments and aspirations and wait for every opportunity to show these. The second wake up call has been given by the controversy surrounding the holy pilgrimage of Amarnath.

The controversy regarding the possession of the land which has been a very sensitive issue for a Kashmiri gave him a jolt and he rose up with vengeance. The proverbial last straw has been the economic blockade. Stoppage of movement of traffic on the National Highway linking Kashmir with Jammu and rest of India sent panic signals throughout Kashmir. There were numerous incidents of attacks on passenger and goods vehicles moving both ways on the highway. One may not call it “economic blockade” in the literal sense of the phrase but there are no two opinions that the valley’s only life line is under threat. Even though the highway was handed over to the Army yet it was impossible to control the hostile population all along the route in different towns and villages both in Jammu and Punjab bent upon disrupting supplies to Kashmir. The BJP Minister in Punjab was also alleged to have taken active part in the blockade. In one case, the railway track between Pathankot and Jammu was also damaged.

These senseless acts created a blockade even for Jammu. Kashmiris have experienced blockades of the only lifeline in the past also. These blockades have been due to vagaries of weather which close the highway during winter for days on end. Due to problems of access in winter there had been a tradition of drying vegetables for use during periods of shortage. However, with the improvement in the access road over the years people had become used to fresh vegetables and all other commodities in winter also. In the psyche of Kashmiris there must be inherent memories of famines suffered in the history due to drought and floods. A number of migrations have taken place in the past during these natural calamities. After getting used to the luxuries of modern times making one totally dependent on outside supplies it is but natural for the people to become panicky and desperate if these supplies are threatened.

This is more so because of a manmade blockade which has very sharply hit the common man making him aware probably for the first time about his total vulnerability on outside supplies from the Indian mainland. Over the years Kashmiris have been slowly giving up their traditional occupation of paddy farmers and large tracts of land have been converted into cash crops of Apples and Vegetables. The other most popular activity has been the real estate. The valley is dotted with orchards, vegetable farms and hundreds upon hundreds of houses, shops, and shopping complexes. The export of items related to cash crops is in hundreds of crores but by nature all these items unlike handicrafts are perishable and have to be exported well in time. The blockade has sent alarming signals among the fruit and vegetable growers whose produce is going waste.

A human being can put up with slights to his sentiments and emotions but it is impossible to suppress a hurt to the means of his basic survival. All these years there have only been attempts at suppressing the aspirations of Kashmiris both emotional and sentimental. There have been no deliberate attempts at strangulating and choking him economically. As stated by one of the local leaders, Kashmiri Movement is going beyond Amarnath now. Kashmiris in addition to political freedom want economic freedom also. The recent events have woken them up from the decades of slumber. The fear of first losing the land and now getting starved by economic blockade has given a totally new dimension to the popular movement. It may be easy for authorities to temporarily suppress the emotions and sentiments of the common people as they continue to live and survive. However, it is virtually impossible to suppress a revolution which comes up because of economic reasons especially as it can find willing adherents among hundreds of thousands of educated unemployed youth.

The situation is more dangerous and desperate as the traditional leaders on all sides have become irrelevant. It is the common people who are moving on their own. The leaders have no choice but to follow the common masses which are totally worked up. Unfortunately the highest authorities all over seem to be lacking the political will and continue to dither. The situation demands certain drastic ground level actions. It may be advisable to formally postpone the election as it has been the vote bank politics which has been the main motivation for creating this mess. The present lifeline for Kashmir has to be fully restored at all costs. The alternate access across LOC for trade and commerce as already agreed to by both the countries needs to be expedited to end the psychological siege of the valley. To avoid excessive use of force, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act needs to be immediately revoked and all Paramilitary Forces that had been deployed in civilian areas to counter militant threat which according to official statements has been greatly reduced, need to be relocated.

To restore confidence among the populations of two regions, interactions between the Civil Society both at intellectual and grass roots level need to be arranged at the earliest. It is the politicians who have initially created the mess and fuelled it. They have to be sent on a holiday for the time being. Kashmir has once again become a “Flashpoint” after a couple of decades. This is evident from the massive global coverage events in Kashmir are receiving as also the reactions in our neighbourhood. There is urgent need to defuse the situation before it spirals totally out of control and engulfs the entire South Asia.


 

Pushing Kashmiris to the Wall (Pushing a man unreasonably turns him desperate and a desperate person can be extremely dangerous!)  

Never in the recent history of Kashmir beginning from 1947 have Kashmiris been subjected to such a systematic and concerted campaign to bring them to their knees and that too by their fellow State subjects. There have been many episodes involving confrontation between the Kashmiri people and the Government of India. However, every time the things somehow cooled down even though these did not get completely sorted out.

It is for the first time that the common people in Kashmir feel being pushed against a wall by some of their own fellow State subjects from Jammu. There was only one other occasion in last 60 years when the same group of the Jammu people by their similar attitude forced Sheikh Abdullah, the tallest leader of Kashmir to turn against India. After the erstwhile Maharaja of Kashmir had acceded to the Union of India in very unusual circumstances, it was the endorsement of this action by Sheikh Abdullah the charismatic leader of Kashmiris that gave some superficial legitimacy to the deed. He had endorsed the action in the mistaken belief that his friend Pandit Nehru will be able to guarantee him the realisation of making Kashmir a fully autonomous region with virtual independence. However, his dreams were shattered by the Parija Parishad agitation of early fifties. He was pushed to the wall and had no alternative but to turn against India. Had Sheikh Abdullah been left undisturbed and allowed to maintain the autonomy which the accession deed of the Maharaja had envisaged, there may not have been any Kashmir problem at all! But there was a big IF. Some of the Jammu dwellers were never comfortable with the limited accession. There was a psychological problem.

The Dogras of Jammu had ruled over Kashmiris for a century. During this period the Jammu was the home of the rulers and Kashmiris were the wretched subjects. The “Hattus” working as menial labourers. The limited accession had made the valley as the seat of power. It was an anticlimax. People of Jammu even though enjoying equal rights still harboured some sort of an inferiority complex. Since the ouster of Sheikh Abdullah and installation of Bakshi as a puppet ruler in 1953, the Kashmiris were on a downslide. The popular sentiment in Kashmir and Jammu became diametrically opposite. Kashmiris wanted to go out of India by all possible means while as Jammu people wanted to get fully integrated in India. However, in spite of this gross contradiction, the people of the two regions got along exceptionally well. There was a break in 1990 with the eruption of an armed insurrection in Kashmir. The migration of Kashmiri Pandits welcomed with open arms in Jammu could have been the fuse to blow up the bonhomie and the communal amity. However, this did not happen. On the contrary, the Jammu people came forward not only in case of Kashmiri Pandits but even Kashmiri Muslims.

Jammu became a safe haven for the mainstream Muslim politicians who were hunted down all over the valley as well as the common Kashmiris desiring to have a break from the turbulent valley. Extensive trade relations developed between the traders in Kashmir and Jammu. Even tourism which was badly hit by the turmoil in the valley was sustained by Jammu travel agents by organising package tours of pilgrims to Mata Vaishnovdevi from Katra to destinations in Kashmir. To give confidence to outside tourists, Hindu taxi drivers of Jammu carried them to Gulmarg and Pahalgam at the risk of their own lives. In earlier times, only the Durbar Move employees constituted the clientele for Jammu traders in winter. However, during last two decades common Kashmiris became the major chunk of the clientele and their number was manifold compared to the employees.

In spite of political differences there was great bonhomie at the grass roots level. On many occasions Kashmiris felt unsafe in other parts of India but they considered themselves completely safe in Jammu which they considered as their second home. There were many untoward incidents which could have flared up the communal violence but nothing of the sort happened. Jammu people maintained communal peace and harmony in spite of grave provocations. The sudden change in the scene brought about by a virtual non-issue seems beyond comprehension. It seems totally unnatural. The question of land transfer should not have arisen at all. Yatra was being organised for decades and all facilities were being provided without ever questioning the proprietary of the land. The facilities have been provided on land on both sides which is five times larger than the piece of land in question. Moreover, the land is not at all appurtenant to the Shrine at all. It is more than 20 kilometres away from it. The people who asked for the land as well as those who ordered its temporary transfer are both guilty of creating an unnecessary controversy.

They could have just issued a permission to put up various facilities for the use of Yatris as and when required without going into the ownership of the land as had been done in the past. They also do not seem to know that it is not forest land. According to a report major chunk of the land is barren state land. A portion of it is the proprietary land of the villagers of Neel Grad. In any case, the mere administrative matter was no ground to raise such a massive hue and cry. Yatra has not been affected in any manner whatsoever and is going on smoothly. The turmoil in Jammu appears a limited strategic move of vote bank politics having gone out of control. The instigators must not have bargained for the letting out of the genie from the bottle turning into a Frankenstein monster! It has acted as a catalyst for all the pent up feelings bursting out with a bang. The brunt of the outburst is being faced by Kashmiri Muslims who are once again being pushed to the wall. The worst is the economic blockade which no country can allow to any of its proclaimed citizens.

This becomes especially criminal when those citizens are still taken to be inhabitants of a disputed territory under the UN resolutions and where a large contingent of UN Peace Observers is still in place. Kashmiris have no alternative but to ask the World body to intervene and save them from being choked into annihilation. The tragedy of the developing situation is that it has occurred when a Peace Process was moving ahead for the resolution of the decades old problem. After lessening of interest in Kashmir among the new Pakistani rulers one would have expected that the Indians would be going all out to win over Kashmiris. The umpteenth attempt at reclaiming Kashmiris towards India at least for some sort of a dialogue was showing some promise after a number of confidence building measures. There was a feeling that with cross LOC trade and other measures things would look up. On the contrary the reverse has happened. Totally disregarding history’s lessons, Jammu people have been instigated and motivated by external elements to give a coup de grace to Kashmir’s tenuous relationship with India. We are back to square one!

The economic blockade and the behaviour of protestors in Jammu having tacit approval of all the law enforcement authorities starkly visible through the coverage provided by the electronic media must have cleared all the dilemmas if any in the minds of the common people in Kashmir regarding their relationship with India. The perpetrators of the violent protests do not understand that the division of the State of Jammu and Kashmir which was considered a mini “Secular” India may ultimately result in the disintegration of the whole sub-continent. Things are happening too fast but there is still time for saner people to arrest the slide into oblivion. Nature has sometimes very strange ways of writing history. During last few weeks the things have moved with such a speed in Jammu and Kashmir that one may see the main problem getting solved in most unexpected ways sooner than one can imagine! A friend recently remarked that all Kashmiris should pay reverence at the holy cave of Amarnath because the speed at which Lord Shiva is moving ahead for the final solution of the most intractable and vexed problem of Kashmir is unprecedented in the entire history of the dispute!

Kashmir’s New Maharajas
(Last sixty years have produced a new breed of Aristocrats and Maharajas who complement each other at the cost of “Aam Aadmi”!)

During its chequered history of thousands of years Kashmir has been ruled by Kings, Emperors, and Maharajas. Most of the ancient chronicles of Greek, Chinese, and Arabic origin mention Kashmir as a Kingdom famous for the beauty of its land as well as its people. Kashmiris according to these chronicles were also known to have been good foot-walkers. Aristocracy was a part of the ruling elite of Kashmir from the ancient times. Kalhana mentions Damaras as the powerful semi-independent feudal lords who controlled the Royalty of ancient Kashmir. Damaras were land-owners or barons. They mostly lived in the fertile cultivated portions of the valley and their seats formed strong-holds capable of defence. These territorial lords were the true king makers. These aristocrats or nobles of the Hindu period continued to be an influential element even under the Sultans of Kashmir. The advent of Islam in the valley introduced a new element.

These were the Sayyids who had accompanied Shah-I-Hamadan from Iran. They considered themselves to be superior to the local converts to Islam. Their progeny started a new class of aristocracy. Mughals patronised some of these aristocrats who had sided with them during the capture of Kashmir. However, the rule of Afghans and Sikhs was so harsh that nothing of aristocracy or sophistication survived. They were uncouth and ruthless rulers. Dogras created new land barons by importing Rajputs from Jammu as also patronised the erstwhile Damaras. However, in 1947 Sheikh Abdullah reduced almost the entire aristocracy to penury by his revolutionary land reforms. His land to the tiller policy deprived all the landlords of their massive land holdings and the poor tillers got the land without even spending a penny. One would have expected a complete wipe out of all the land barons as well as the traditional Maharajas.

This did happen temporarily. The Maharaja was exiled never to return and he died in Mumbai. The landlords also disappeared and Kashmir’s ancient aristocracy slowly faded out. However, last sixty years gave rise to a new breed of aristocracy and a new line of Maharajas. These sixty years have been years of turmoil. Kashmir got entangled in a conflict which refuses to go away and has rather engulfed the entire sub-continent. In fact, it has become a nuclear flash point for the entire South Asia. While as the common people have suffered miserably over these years, certain elements have abnormally grown by reaping the benefits of the situation of conflict. These are the people that have sided with India against the popular sentiment on one hand and on the other are those that have exploited the popular sentiment to their own personal advantage by making collections from all over the world. These are both the “Beneficiaries of Conflict”.

The leaders professing to represent the popular sentiment are also of two types. On one hand are the genuine ones who have faced tremendous suffering. A large number have been liquidated and thousands have disappeared without a trace. These are the buds that have been cut in the prime of life. Others have been incarcerated in different prisons without any trial for decades. On the other hand are those who have made global collections in the name of Kashmiri freedom fighters and pocketed these. Some of these can also be included in the new breed of “Aristocrats”! As regards the pro-establishment elements professing loyalty to India, they are the real beneficiaries. From the mainstream side, the Indian government could never get the upright and the honest people to support their view point and had to depend upon those who would sell their conscience for a price! This gave rise to the most corrupt political system which fattened on the funds provided for the development and upliftment of the common masses. Massive amounts of money made available by the Central Government for the development of the state was siphoned off to a great extent.

The overall growth of Kashmir’s economy was not only stunted but became negative thereby rendering the state economically dependent on outside assistance. The situation came to such a pass that even the pay of an unwieldy establishment could not be met out of the state resources. Major chunk of the plan funds would be utilised to meet the salary bill of a huge army of government employees. The trend of creating more and more government jobs continues ceaselessly. The job which should normally be accomplished by a couple of hands has more than ten trying to do it and that too in a totally messy manner. We have more parasites than the real workers everywhere! Corruption both in the government and the private sector in all spheres of the society has created a new breed of “aristocrats” with plenty of easy money. These are the new “Damaras” who in the tradition of ancient Kashmir continue to act as the King makers. The “New Kings or Maharajas” come from a few select families some of whom have a multi-national origin and who keep on swapping places off and on! Some of these new “Royal” families are also linked to each other by marriage.

They have a lavish life style and move about in true royal fashion. The perks and facilities enjoyed by them would be the envy of the heads of state of some of the smaller countries of the world. There are special planes, and helicopters for the travel of the rulers. The motorcade of the ruler has a couple of dozen vehicles with escorts, remote jammers, ambulance, and bullet-proof spare cars. Even after demitting the office, they get similar treatment of escorts, jammers, and so on. Their official residences are virtual palaces and in some case the actual palaces of the erstwhile Maharajas! During last few years millions of rupees have been spent on renovating, remodelling, refurbishing, and securing these residences. In fact, the Gupkar Road can be termed as the Maharaja’s Road as the residences of the erstwhile Maharajas and the present rulers are situated on it.

The budget of the department of hospitality and protocol which looks after the day to day living of the “New Maharajas” runs into millions of rupees. While our “New Maharajas” and the “New Aristocrats” enjoy a lavish life style, the common man (Aam Aadmi) suffers and faces the brunt of all calamities both natural and man made. In spite of a so called popular and democratic set up we have to suffer these “New Maharajas”. One is reminded of the observations of Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution. The Royal Palace had been surrounded by thousands of revolutionaries who were raising slogans. On hearing the noise, the French Queen asked the courtiers what the people were shouting about. On being told that they had no bread, she said, “Why don’t they eat cakes?” On being told that they had no water, she said, “Why don’t they drink Champagne?” However, when the revolutionaries imprisoned the Queen in Bastille, her hair turned all white in a single night! One hopes our “New Maharajas” also do not suffer the same fate and attend to the genuine grievances of the common folk by descending out of their Palaces before it is too late!

Unfinished Tasks (Each change of rulers usually shelves predecessors’ unfinished tasks!)

Kashmir itself is an “Unfinished” Task hanging fire for decades and people are sceptical whether this task will ever be finished? However, they continue to live on a very strong hope that one day the “Task” will get completed. In the meantime, when one talks of development, the most common observance over last 60 years or so is that with each change of rulers, the developmental tasks started by predecessors are quite often left unfinished unless these fit into the agenda of the new ones! Usually the new rulers try to take all the credit for various projects or schemes if these get finished in their tenure.

If the projects seem impossible to complete or do not appear remunerative or worthwhile according to their mindset, these are totally given up and forgotten. No remorse is felt for vast sums of money already expended or even the impact which the abandoning of the projects may have on common people or even overall physical and psychological environment of the state. Some of the instances I remember vividly pertain to my college days during the reign of late G M Sadiq. He was said to be the most honest and upright Chief Minister who integrated Kashmir fully into the Indian Union.

He was an Indian by conviction. During his lifetime he had started the excavation of Burzahom Neolithic dwelling pits. He was keen to have a Museum to house the Stone Age implements recovered from the sites but unfortunately he died before the project he had conceived could fructify into a Museum. Now there are only pits filled with rain water and all the implements discovered there have been taken to Kolkatta Museum or somewhere else! One hopes the new Museum being built in Lal Mandi does not suffer the same fate? Another of his “Foundation Stones” which he had laid near the present Lal Ded Hospital for a most modern cold storage as part of the fruit market which used to be there, was stolen after his death and the storage never came up! The Bemina Bridge which was completed this year after almost 17 years is another example of an unfinished task passed on from one ruler to another for an awfully long time!

A living example of another unfinished or rather totally abandoned task is the Tourist Reception Centre. It was destroyed in April 2005 due to collateral damage suffered during the starting of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad Bus Service. The Foundation Stone laid by late Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad in early fifties as the Prime Minister of Kashmir sits ominously on the foundation of the burnt out centre. Due to wrangling between politicians about the location of the centre and the proposal of creating instead a five star hotel, the site has remained symbolic of all the unfinished tasks. There are umpteen projects going on in different parts of the state and it is not known if the implementation of these has maintained the pace or these have already slowed down after the fall of the government. These include the up gradation of Kishtwar-Kashmir Road link across Simthan Pass and the long pending Mughal Road.

The City of Srinagar had been totally neglected during the tenure of the last rulers most of whom came from the rural areas of Kashmir. It was alleged to be a revenge of the rural dwellers against the city inhabitants. There was also a political divide between the Srinagar inhabitants and others, which was alleged to be one of the reasons for the neglect of the historic “City of the Sun”. One of the most important tasks which was nearing completion and was expected to be commissioned towards the end of July as per the statement of the former Chief Minister is the International Airport at Srinagar. It had been repeatedly announced that this year direct flights would start from Srinagar in August to destinations in the Gulf such as Dubai, Jeddah, and Bahrain.

A number of articles and editorials had appeared about the illusive international takes off from the Sheikh-ul-Alam International Airport of Srinagar. The date for starting these flights had been postponed at least half a dozen times. Even the Union Minister for Water Resources had announced twice definite dates for the take off. These never materialised and one is not so sure now whether any International Flight will take off from here? The starkly visible unfinished task of past few decades is the restoration of the Dal Lake. Some movement seems to have taken place recently. It is hoped that even if the task is not finished soon, it will at least be ensured that its further deterioration is somehow arrested! Usually the break in governance caused by elections or a disruption like the fall of a government puts most of the projects on hold.

There may not be total stoppage but there is surely a slow down till the new dispensation comes into place. This is due to absence of a well defined developmental policy which should normally not be dependent on the rulers. Unfortunately in our set up everything is subservient to the whims and fancies of the political bosses. They are very fond of laying foundation stones and inaugurating projects. Sometimes same projects have been inaugurated twice by different politicians. The fault also lies with some of the bureaucrats who know how to exploit the weaknesses of the politicians. Sycophancy is not considered bad at all in this society but is rather taken to be an asset! Depending upon the Chief Executive, the single authority governance like the governor’s rule may sometimes prove to be better than the democratically elected political governors.

At the present moment after delegation of powers for decentralising the authority, the things should normally move faster. One would not only expect speeding up of projects but even quality completion as there is no political interference to stall the process for extraneous interests. Administrative Secretaries have been given virtually the powers of the Ministers and the Chief Secretary is as good as the Deputy Chief Minister. Only two things need to be done to improve the overall governance. One is the accountability of the bureaucrats delegated with such vast powers as also continuous monitoring of the projects. The second is the accessibility of the common man to the concerned authorities. A democratically elected political set up is supposed to have unlimited accessibility to the public at large.

Over last few years it had been observed that the accessibility had grown beyond reasonable limits except of the Chief Executive who was thought by many to be the least accessible person (at least for the citizens of Srinagar and Jammu) in the recent history of governance! He was fond of holding Village Durbars! The first assignment can easily be undertaken by a small task force of upright young and dynamic officers continuously on the move and reporting regularly to the Chief Executive. The accessibility requirement is inherent in normal single line administrative set up. All district heads are supposed to attend to the grievances of the public on regular basis. An ideal solution is to have a top level “Grievance Cell” for monitoring public grievances as well as subsequent redressal of the same in all districts on a weekly basis.

One hopes the single authority arrangement is transitory and normal governance resumes sooner than later. However, the events in the Parliament during the trust vote make one ponder whether it would be better to have autocratic type but upright governance in the form of Governor’s or President’s Rule for sometime than a rotten and corrupt “democratic” set up the likes of which were televised live all over the world! There appears a silver lining that the things here may not be as bad as these are in Delhi where the peoples’ representatives seem to be part of a Bazaar.

Political Loot in the Largest Democracy (Does “Democracy” really suit the conditions in the sub-continent?)

India prides itself on being the largest democracy in the world. However, the events of last few days have put everyone to shame. Is it a democracy or a corporate mafia and a gathering of dons? The ways Congress as well as some opposition parties are trying to cobble together numbers for the trust vote has put the very concept of democracy as practised here in question. It appears the word democracy is used only to fool the common people while in real life it is the dons and the corporates who run the show. It has been observed all over the sub-continent that any political party in power always carries a false notion of being the only patriotic party. They consider themselves to be the only guardians of whatever is termed by them to be the “National Interest”. They feel that they alone know how to run the affairs of the country in the larger interests of the people. No one is prepared to leave the office unless they are dragged down either physically in an upheaval or through some elections. The concept of democracy may not be inherently bad but the way it is put into practice and managed here is shocking. Firstly the upright, right thinking people especially from the new generation hardly get into the management cadre of the political apparatus. The guys who run the show are of vintage order and should have retired long back. The number of young, honest, and really knowledgeable people is minuscule in most of the parties. Why is it necessary for the Congress party only to clinch the nuclear deal? If they do not have the backing of the right number of members in the parliament, they should resign and go to the people to regain the trust and then sign the deal. How does it matter if the deal does not go through now? A new government here as well as in USA can re-negotiate it. Buying members through corporate houses on one hand and the worst blackmail being indulged in by various politicians appearing as dons is truly shameful. There is talk that some members have been offered Rs.25 to Rs.30 crores for their vote. Some are reported to have been offered cabinet berths. From their side some members are putting really humiliating conditions for the ruling party. Some are demanding nationalisation of mines while others want change in the portfolios of some ministers.

There is truly what a TV channel has called the great MP Bazaar! One of the members putting tough conditions had even been convicted for murder. He has offer of a cabinet berth from the ruling side and the Chief Minister’s post from the opposition. Politicians are changing parties like a set of clothes. There is nothing like ideology, convictions, morality, and patriotism. The whole show seems like a one day cricket match. Full of excitement and drama. Almost all TV channels are continuously glued to the topic. Moreover, there is massive betting going on about the outcome. Every politician seems to have forgotten about the uncontrollable inflation and the consequent price rise which is breaking the backs of poorer sections of the society. Somehow there seems to be a perennial tussle between the so called progressive and secular forces on one hand and the communally nationalist forces on the other. The Communist Party of India is pursuing a brand of Communism which has already been given up by its originators in Russia and China! They are trying to revive a dead horse. That brand of Communism may still exist in some form in Cuba, North Korea, and a few Latin American countries. Rest of the World is moving more and more towards liberalisation and globalisation.

The situation is no better on the other side of the border. Their brand of democracy has the most notorious don as its chief. Controversial Chateau in U.K. and the convictions in Geneva did not make any difference to him. There is an interesting love and hate triangle in place. On one hand all of the ruling party and its supporters want to get rid of the President. They have repeatedly claimed him to be an unconstitutional head. However, they cannot summon the courage or forge the unity to remove him. They have to keep in mind Uncle SAM (rather Bush!) who is too keen to get in. It is again a combination of Rajas, Sardars, Mians, and Chowdhrys. Common man there too continues to be crushed by an uncontrollable price rise. They have another headache. Here only the money and materials change hands but across the border guns also boom. Money, of course is always part of the deal. It is reported that the son of the newly appointed Prime Minister had gone to Dubai with few million dollars to buy real estate just after swearing in of his father as the new Prime Minister! The violence has become so wide spread and common place that the very stability of the country as a single unit is doubtful. There is a virtual war going on the borders with Afghanistan. US missiles are hitting left, right, and centre. One cannot predict when Bush or even Obama as per his recent statement will land troops to take over the country in the interests of the “World Peace”.

The western style democracy seems unsuitable for both the countries. The basic requirement is education and not literacy of the people. We may have millions of literate people but unless they are really educated about the value of their vote and the working of a real democracy, it is of no use. The net result is that after every election it is one mafia taking over from another. Their first priority is to make good in the shortest possible time the investment they have made in getting elected and for the rest of the time they are earning profit only. Some of the autocracies may be better off. At least their developmental plans proceed without any hitch. Yes, there is lot of corruption there also but may be at the top level. In any case, there is need to assess whether it may be more useful and functional to have a Presidential system of democracy. No doubt in USA where the Presidential system has been working for ages, there also is lot of money involved in elections and it is not easy to become a Presidential candidate, yet the system works better. A good President with the choice of picking the best possible team may be a better option. It is said that with the change of each President in USA almost 5,000 people change jobs. He gets the best people from the various think tanks in American universities. It may be because of our psyche where we have the inherent feeling of being ruled by Kings and Queens deemed to be divine representatives on Earth.

The present crisis may be over one way or other soon but in the long term there is need to think over the whole system. It is better to have a dual party system with a President on top than a motley multi-party crowd pulling in all directions!

Confidence “Shaking” Measures
(Breach in Sub-Continent’s Berlin Wall could not become a flood!)

In April 2005, the most important confidence building measure between India and Pakistan was the start of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad Bus Service. It was for the first time since the establishment of a ceasefire line in 1947 (present LOC or the line of control) that people were allowed to cross from both the sides. Even though the Buses did not actually cross because of the narrow bridge on Jhelum and the travel was through transhipment, yet the event received worldwide coverage. It was hailed as a breach in the Sub-continents Berlin Wall. The Bus was started on a fortnightly basis with 30 odd passengers travelling from either side. The travel of the first Bus was telecast live. The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flagged it off from Srinagar. Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, the then Chief Minister had himself gone to LOC to receive the first batch of visitors from the Pakistan Administered Kashmir. There was euphoria all round and people expected that the decades old problem was on way to resolution. Some of the relations on two sides of the divide travelling by the Bus had met after 60 years or so. The measure was the beginning of détente between India and Pakistan which had been initiated by Atal Behari Vajpayee by extending a hand of friendship to Pakistani leadership from Kashmir. I was in Dubai at the time of the said event. In fact, I wrote an article on the subject for Khaleej Times which was prominently published on its International page. The event was hailed every where as a major achievement. One had hoped that the frequency of the Bus would be increased with the passage of time and it would become a daily phenomenon. In three years not more than 3,000 people have been able to utilise the facility. Normally, people should have been by now travelling in their own transport as happens in many countries of the Middle East or Europe. However, nothing of the sort has happened and the Bus has now been almost forgotten by the common people. On the contrary, the procedure for getting on to the bus and the travel on it has been rather a confidence “shaking” measure for the “lucky” ones! Recently some friends of our relations in Islamabad, Pakistan, travelled on the Bus. It had taken them six months to get clearance for travelling. In some cases, the wait has been as long as two years or so. Incidentally, only relations on either side are allowed to travel by the Bus. Common Kashmiris on two sides of the divide not related to each other are not allowed. The procedure to get on the Bus is very lengthy. After applying to the Passport Office, the application is sent to different intelligence agencies for verification of antecedents. In addition to checking the records, field verification is also carried out. Once the clearance is given, the application is sent across the line of control for a similar verification on that side. As soon as green signal is given for travel then the applicant comes on a waiting list for travel.

The actual travel itself is tiring and quite long. The friends who recently came on the Bus had started at 6 am in Muzaffarabad. They reached Chakoti at 8 am. Till 12 noon, the Pakistani authorities completed their verification procedures at the line of control and they crossed the line at 12.30 pm. On this side the Indian authorities completed their procedures by 3 pm when they finally left for Srinagar. They reached Srinagar at 7.30 pm. A normal drive of three and a half hours took them thirteen and a half hours and they were really tired when they reached their destination! These people told me that in the past they would travel through Wagah border. Those days they would start from Lahore at around 7 am and would be in Amritsar by 11 am. They would take a direct flight from Amritsar to Srinagar and would reach their destination by 2.30 pm or so without any problem. Incidentally, the Amritsar flight has since been discontinued.

Two years back, I too had to travel in an emergency from Srinagar to Islamabad. My sister in Islamabad had to undergo emergency brain surgery. Luckily I had a valid Pakistani visa. I took Sahara flight from Srinagar at 1.30 pm and around 4 pm I reached the IGI International Airport wherefrom I took 6’o clock Indian Airlines flight to Lahore. From there I got a connecting PIA flight to Islamabad. After changing three flights, I reached there at 9.30 pm and the total journey took me only 8 hours. Had the Jhelum Valley Road been open, I could have driven from Srinagar to Islamabad in less than five hours. In any case, it is better to travel via Delhi than through the cross LOC Bus. Many people have opted for this alternative after getting frustrated by the wait for their turn on the Bus. In this digital age one feels pathetic after seeing the travel in European Union Countries. There are no borders at all! While driving on a motorway, one never notices the change in the jurisdiction of various countries as there is no immigration or custom among these. Only there are large overhead hoardings welcoming people from one country to the other. Even in the sub-continent itself, the things are more relaxed in other parts of the Indo-Pak border. The Delhi-Lahore Bus, the Samjhuta Express, and the flights between the two countries are more smooth than the cross LOC Bus.

Next comes the voice communication CBM. One can directly dial any spot on this planet and with some connections one can even talk to astronauts in the space station. However, it is not possible to dial any number across the LOC or in any part of Pakistan from Kashmir. In contrast, the people from across can easily call anyone in any part of the State. The recent concession is the availability of a Delhi based operator with whom one can book calls for numbers on the other side. It takes sometimes pretty long time for these calls to mature.

The most widely publicised CBM which is still to fructify is the cross LOC Trade. For almost three years one has been fed on the statements from various quarters including some Central Ministers that the cross LOC trade is round the corner. One has been waiting for a long time to see convoys of goods trucks crossing with merchandise. It is very nostalgic to recall the historical transport company, Allied Chirag Din which used to operate Bus and Truck services from Lal Chowk in Srinagar to Rawalpindi before 1947. The recent blockade of the National Highway in Jammu has made all Kashmiris to pine for those good old days. In fact, there had been a demand to open this Road for getting essential supplies. The closure of this Road has made all Kashmiris very claustrophobic and they feel not only a physical siege but a psychological one also! There are many more people centric CBMs especially those related to human rights, which were never implemented. In fact, during all these years the attitude of both the countries has shaken the confidence of the people instead of building the same. The main reason has been the trust deficit between the two countries the brunt of which has been faced by the unfortunate people of this State. The first requirement is to restore trust between the two countries and their trust on the people of Kashmir on both sides. This has to be left to the political leaders of the two sides instead of their intelligence apparatuses which are inherently prejudiced against each other. The breach in the sub-continent’s Berlin Wall has failed to become a flood. In fact it could not even develop into a trickle. The widely touted measures instead of building confidence seem to have shaken it especially in the sincerity of the two countries in solving the vexed Kashmir problem!

Dormant, but not dead!
(Whenever leaders dither, the people dare!) 

A British explorer in his book on Kashmir has remarked that no outsider is able to know what is in the heart of a Kashmiri. Outwardly he may be calm and quiet and may even appear perfectly docile but then suddenly one fine morning he is all fire! Centuries of oppression by outsiders have taught him a special kind of technique for survival in the worst conditions. He behaves like a born Guerrilla. He patiently bears all the tyrannies and faces torture stoically. Outsiders get completely taken in by his calm and unruffled poise. However, when he feels that enough is enough and it is the question of basic survival, he strikes with a vengeance without any fear.

Any outsider visiting Kashmir at present may get the impression that a Kashmiri has now reconciled to his fate and his movement is dead. Even the leaders of the popular movement sometimes get confused and fatigued over a period of time. But then suddenly the common Kashmiri takes the hold of the movement and shows to the world that he has been dormant and not dead! This leaves even the leaders in the lurch and they get themselves led instead of leading. A Kashmiri is very deeply attached to his valley. He cannot imagine leaving it voluntarily. Even going to a place like Kargil, hardly two hundred kilometres away means exile for him! He gets alarmed and panicky if any thing happens to his beloved valley. He can go to any length to save his land from outside usurpers. His only misfortune has been a perennial betrayal by his leaders.

During the recent history right from 1931 when Kashmiris started their present movement, they have been left in the lurch by their leaders. For this Kashmiris are themselves to blame to some extent. This is because of the personality cult, which persists even now! Instead of a collective leadership there has always been a tendency for nepotism and family leadership. The present upsurge is a rejection of all traditional leaders. The upheaval of 1990 had forced the so called mainstream leaders of all hues and shades to completely vanish from the scene. They had in fact given in writing in early nineties that they had nothing to do with politics. Every day one would see dozens of advertisements on the subject in local newspapers. However, they slowly emerged again from hibernation and started their business of selling and reselling Kashmiris.

This year they were all set for another round at capturing the power. For this they had been trying all gimmicks and coining all sorts of slogans many times contradictory. On one hand they had been trying to side with peoples’ suffering while on the other they were showing their loyalty to the mainstream. They had been presuming that as usual people could be taken for a ride. However, once the people sensed that the gravity of the situation had become critical, they came out on the roads en masse. Their resentment and alienation which had been slowly growing over the years had become totally unbearable. The Amarnath land controversy acted as a fuse to blow up the pent up emotions and the fuse was lit up by the arrogant declarations of the Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board. It is ironic that the parties which had initiated and propped up the Board and ensured transfer of the land were crying hoarse and trying to douse the flames. The dithering by Congress because of its vote bank politics has blown the controversy out of proportions and they have set not only the State but entire India on fire. The very voting process seems to have become a casualty. By their attitude they may have burnt their boats on both sides of Pir Panjal. Omar Abdullah in a recent interview to a local TV channel frankly admitted that it will be very difficult for them to get back into the election mode. According to him peoples’ emotions and sentiments have been badly hurt and they will have to work hard to bring people back into the election process.

On the contrary the sudden upheaval of emotions and sentiments may have made the task of Hurriyat easier in ensuring the implementation of their call for an election boycott. The recent outburst is also an answer to the new Pakistani leadership which had been rather too keen to put Kashmir on the back burner. Kashmiris are virtually saying that Pakistan or no Pakistan, we have our own movement and we know how to take it forward. Pakistanis must be feeling embarrassed as they have been playing down the happenings here compared to their earlier massive worldwide coverage of Kashmir’s Freedom Movement. Kashmiris’ association and weakness for Pakistan has not been because of the two nation theory but due to the whole hearted and unconditional support which Pakistan had been extending to the movement in Kashmir in the past. The present leaders of that country have come down appreciably from the historical declaration of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto swearing to wage a thousand year war for the liberation of Kashmiris. At one time there was no compromise on UN resolutions and the right of self-determination.

Then it diluted to self-governance and joint control, and recently it had come down to leaving the resolution of the problem to the future generations. The Indian leadership seems to have realised the gravity of situation better than Pakistanis as they removed the cause of action even at the risk of alienating the entire Hindu majority population of India. They must have assessed that the dispute about the ownership of a piece of land is driving the Muslim majority back to 1990 and the movement for “Azadi” is getting fully rejuvenated. Even though the revocation of the order of land transfer has cooled down tempers, it has also given a sense of victory to the people. In a way it may be a good beginning. People at large have realised that a peaceful mass movement is more effective than a violent one against a mighty super power! Security forces can always isolate, cordon, and eliminate a few armed men but they cannot wipe out an entire protesting nation. Even the infamous holocaust of Hitler could not wipe out the Jewish race completely. The concerned authorities need to realise that the massive disinformation campaign attempting to turn common Kashmiris totally pessimistic about the goal of Azadi has miserably failed.

Kashmiris have been lying low but have never given up. Moreover, the vehemence of the protests demonstrated that the youth which constitutes the new generation in Kashmir are bolder and more determined than their predecessors. After all they have been brought up in the raging fire of the last two decades which has hardened and virtually steeled them. An interesting aftermath of the recent upsurge has been the anti-climax of the prevailing situation in Kashmir and Jammu as well as in rest of India. While all the Indian Hindutva organisations are up in arms against Kashmiris, Kashmir itself is calm and quiet. This itself demonstrates the contrast which exists between the too. Omar Abdullah may have spoken the truth while admitting the fact that the prevalent hostile sentiment generated by the recent upheaval has made the restarting of the election process quite difficult. Delhi needs to see the “Bold” writing on the wall. It may be worthwhile for them to close their puppet show for a while and send their mainstream Johnnies on a break. A short spell of direct rule from Delhi may help clear the mess created by the six year rule of the rag-tag coalition which had been pulling in all directions. The first task is to initiate some genuine people centric CBMs including the relocating of security forces from civilian areas, repealing of draconian legislations, and halting the human rights violations. The new Governor who has been acting as an interlocutor on Kashmir is capable of undertaking the task. He may also have a chance to open up communication channels to the genuine representative of Kashmiris to initiate an eventual tri-partite dialogue for the ultimate resolution of the vexed problem of Kashmir. Food for thought for the honest peace brokers of the sub-continent!

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