Rabbani's Killing, A Cause Of Concern To All

New Delhi – It is a big blow to US peace efforts in Afghanistan. The former Afghan President, Burhanuddin Rabbani has been killed in a suicide bomb attack. The attacker had kept explosive concealed in his turban. Four security personnel were also killed in this attack. The killing of Rabbani (71) is a big blow to the peace process in the strife-torn Afghanistan. Following his killing, President Hamid Karzai decided to cut short his US tour and return home. According to the Kabul Police, the attacker had been invited to the Kabul residence of Rabbani on Tuesday evening as he was considered to be a special envoy bringing some special message from Taliban. While embracing Rabbani, the attacker triggered the explosive, kept in his turban.



The gravity of the challenge posed by Taliban after the withdrawal of US-led NATO forces from Afghanistan can be easily gauged from the killing of Rabbani. Rabbani was living in a high security zone area, close to the US Embassy. The Hamid Karzai government had appointed Rabbani as the Chief of its high-level Peace Council and he was continuing on this post for last one year. But now, with his killing, the possibilities of negotiations have weakened. A few months ago, Taliban had executed a plan to kill the half brother of the President Karzai, Wali Karzai, who was also killed deceitfully by one of his colleagues in the same manner as Rabbani was killed this time. Then, the Taliban gunan had killed the former Governor Jan Mohammed Khan. Taliban have been attacking the Karzai government since its establishment with the help of US and Western Countries. Killings one after the others have made it clear that Taliban are not in favour of negotiations. Long back, Taliban were created in the Pak Madrassas and even today a number of Taliban groups are under the influence of Pakistan Army and its intelligence agency ISI. In case of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, Pakistan could get the much-talked strategic depth, in case of a war with India. That is why Pakistan does not want an India-friendly government in Afghanistan. Rabbani was considered to be a friend of India. Taliban would never like a person, who is friendly to America, India and Western Countries.

It is natural for India to be concerned over the killing of Rabbani and also over the instability in the neighbouring country. New Delhi is more concerned over the efforts to dispose off leaders in Afghanistan, who are trying hard for peace and confidence building measures. Dr. Manmohan Singh has called this incident as a big blow and has assured the people of Afghanistan of India’s full support in this hour of crisis. In a letter to Karzai, the Prime Minister has said that the best way to remember Rabbani would be to carry forward the work left unfinished by him.

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In Pakistan The Sword Is Deadlier Than The Pen

A recent report in The New Yorker states that  order to kill Pakistani investigative journalist Saleem Shahzad came from a senior officer on Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's staff. Quoting a Pakistani army officer, The New Yorker reported: "According to the American official, reliable intelligence indicates that the order to kill Shahzad came from a senior officer on General Kayani's staff. The officer made it clear that he was speaking on behalf of Kayani himself." The report said the presence of Islamists in Pakistan navy, and at Mehran naval base, which was attacked by terrorists, was not a secret among Pakistanis but that  Shahzad's article was particularly "incendiary".




May 2011 will go down in Pakistan history as literally a month of mayhem for not only stepped up explosions of gunfire and bombs, but also for exposures of long hidden facts and the shocks they caused to Pakistan’s army, its floundering civilian government and mostly to its people. While the killing of the world’s worst ever terrorist Osama bin Laden on 2 May, in a surprise-attack by US Special forces in the mansion at Abbotababad exposed yet another major deception of Pakistan army, Syed Saleem Shahzad’s book Inside Al-Qaeda and the Taliban: Beyond Bin Laden and 9/11 (Pluto Press/ distributed in India by Pentagon Press, 2011) exposed many more about its various nefarious connections.  The very well planned strike on Pakistan’s leading naval base at Karachi, PNS Mehran, two days after Shahzad’s article "Al-Qaeda had warned of Pakistani strike" appeared online and after the release of his book already containing many embarrassing exposures of Pakistan’s military, may well have egged his killers to expedite his elimination to prevent many more articles elaborating on already exposed linkages.

On 29 May 2011, one week after the release of his book in UK, Shahzad was abducted, days after writing an article suggesting that insiders in the Pakistan navy had colluded with Al-Qaeda in an attack on PNS Mehran. The next day he was brutally murdered and a day later, on 31 May, his battered body was recovered from a canal 60 kms away from Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.

The exposures caused by Osama’s killing and attack on Mehran were just  precursors to the vast range of wheels within wheels and cross -connections elaborated in  Shahzad’s book which are of great significance to India, US, Afghanistan and of course Pakistan.
US President Barack Obama may well have delivered on his campaign promise to kill Osama bin Laden, but during the decade that he remained on the run, he was not really a functional  Al-Qaeda strategist.

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Pakistan Army Seems the Real Ruler of the Country

The all powerful Pakistan army seems to be the real ruler of the country. At least,  the recent granting of 3 year extension by the Yusuf Raza Gilani government to the army chief, Gen. Ashfaqu Parvez Kayani gives the impression that the country’s political leadership can be bullied by the army to carry out the latter’s dictats. Kayani got the extension despite being caught discussing the ouster of President Asif Ali Zardari. Syed Hussaini writes in his column in iNewp.com website, “in the aftermath of WikiLeaks exposure of the world’s governments, Gilani was handed enough material and reason to fire Kayani or even have him and his cohorts arrested and prosecuted; but Gilani did not act and instead stayed on his course of appeasement.”

But, this all powerful army is also scared of the Taliban who are growing from strength to strength every day. Only the other day in June this year, there was a terrorist attack on the Karachi Naval Base.  The attack on this joint establishment of the Pakistan Navy, Air Force and Army has sharply brought out how the Pakistani military establishment has failed to tackle threats from terrorist groups who can spring a surprise and attack even such a highly protected place.

Salmaan Taseer, the Punjab Governor who took a courageous stand by opposing the nation's antiquated blasphemy laws and supporting a Catholic woman, Aasia Bibi who was accused of blasphemy, had to sacrifice his life. Taseer was killed by his own security guard Malik Hussein Mumtaz Qadri. Sadly, his brutal assassination was never condemned by Pakistan’s Parliament. Even Gen Kayani did not have the guts to condemn the incident. The country’s only Roman catholic Minister Shahbaz Bhatti was also killed by terrorists for his vocal opposition to blasphemy laws Needless to say that no body in Pakistan, not even the army chief uttered a word of condemnation.



Taseer was, however, killed not just for opposing the blasphemy laws. He was killed for blaming the "Tehrik-i-Taliban Punjab" who are sometimes called the “Punjabi Taliban” of carrying out attacks on mosques, bazaars and police stations in Punjab and killing innocent citizens there. The Punjabi Taliban are a motley group of sectarian militant organizations such as  Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) Harkat-ul Mujahideen (HUM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP), all inspired by an intolerant brand of Sunni Islam called Deobandism. In June last year, the leading English daily, Dawn reported under the headline “Punjabi Taliban are a reality : Taseer”, quoting the Governor that the militants of these groups, the natives of  towns such as Bahawalpur and Raheem Yar Khan had been attacking places of worship and spilling innocent blood. Since that point of time Taseer was on the hit list of terrorist’s.

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The Tricky Business Politics In Kashmir

New Delhi - There are gentle winds of change in Kashmir amidst this year’s tourist boom to the satisfaction of peace-loving common men in the valley. Tourism, in fact, holds the key to the prosperity and happiness of average Kashmiris. In a given time and in a given situation, it shapes their attitudes and responses to political leaders as well as to separatists who have turned their trouble-making strategy into a fine art of money-oriented political business. Of all the persons, even Yasin Malik, has reportedly confessed that “Kashmir politics is no longer about ideology. It’s all a money game”.





I have known about this money business right from the time I first visited Srinagar during the highly explosive days of the ISI-sponsored militancy in the nineties. I had a first-hand glimpse of prosperity levels of some of the separatist leaders in contrast to the agony and sufferings of ordinary Kashmiris who have had no choice but to join the sponsored anti-India chorus. What then saddened me was New Delhi’s failure to properly grasp the ground realities and evolve an integrated strategy for intelligent political-cum-security-cum humane management of men, matters and issues.

No single one-track policy can work in Kashmir. It requires a wider multi-dimensional understanding of historical landmarks, rich tradition of Sufism, psychological aura of Kashmiriat, Kashmiri Muslims, invisible silken bonds with the Kashmiri pundits, PoK’s under-currents, Pak military-cum-political factors, sponsored Taliban creed of fundamentalism, American, Western and West Asian interests and the Islamabad-Beijing axis aimed at checkmating New Delhi’s moves on the Asian chessboard, especially vis-à-vis neighbouring countries.

What has been particularly regrettable is that the policy-makers in the South Block have neither learnt from history nor from past mistakes and blunders. The policies towards Pakistan generally move on a one-point slot with the result they hop from one position to another.

This is the problem with the present Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh. This exactly was the problem with most PMs earlier, though I would look at Atal Behari Vajpayee somewhat differently. He had better understanding of Pakistan and Kashmir affairs. No wonder, many knowledgeable persons in Pakistan believe that the Kashmir issue could have been solved during his Prime-Ministership. Perhaps, he would have given result had he got a second stint in the 2004 elections.

Be that as it may, we don’t have to go by cables of whistle-blower website Wikileaks to know about the vested interests of “stakeholders” in keeping the Kashmir pot boiling. Nor have we to go by February 2006 diplomatic cables of David Mulford who was American Ambassador to India.

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India’s Claim To PoK Upheld By ADB

The Asian Development Bank appears to have finally woken to nefarious attempts to change the status  of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by giving Pakistan locus standi in waterworks intended to undercut Indian claims to the whole of Jammu and Kashmir under the Instrument of Accession. It has asked Pakistan to get a No Objection Certificate from India before it can release any funds for the  construction of the Diamer-Bhasha dam.



The government is contemplating a plan-B to arrange funding for the $12 billion Diamer-Bhasha dam project through bilateral institutions after declining an Asian Development Bank suggestion that Pakistan should secure a no-objection certificate from India to seek multilateral funding for the project, reported DAWN.

The decision in principle was taken at a meeting presided over by Minister for Water and Power Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar and attended by representatives of the ministries of finance, water and power, and economic affairs, Wapda and the Planning Commission, an official told Dawn.

Wapda was asked to submit a status report along with details of its plan-B  so that it could be discussed with the finance minister and the deputy chairman of Planning Commission in a meeting slated to review the overall financing problems being faced by water sector projects.

Wapda Chairman Shakil Durrani told the meeting that ADB had been supportive of the dam project all along in doing the paper work in line with its safeguard guidelines and on at least three occasions had committed to providing up to $4 billion.

Of late, however, it had started to show reluctance and desired that Pakistan should get an NoC from India for the project because it was located in a disputed territory. Mr Durrani told the meeting that the ADB’s request had been rejected.

According to sources, the United States had also discussed a lot of things and taken away data with an initial commitment to provide up to $1 billion in annual instalments of $200 million, but this had remained short of becoming a reality.

Dilating upon the plan-B, Mr Durrani said an option was to persuade the ADB to provide funding only for the civil works that would not relate to environmental and resettlement issues and meet the need for the remaining part of the project through local financing and other friendly sources.

The options included pledging some of the remaining water sector projects to raise Islamic and conventional bonds for the dam but most of these assets had already been pledged against international loans, an official said.

He said the Islamic Development Bank and China were ready to provide partial funding and support to the project but none of them was ready to fund the entire project.

The Economic Affairs Division told the meeting that a Middle Eastern group was also interested in the project because it offered more than 18 per cent rate of return on equity that meant 100 per cent recovery of investment in five years.

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Do Not Let Insurgents Fracture J&K Peace

Kashmir has gone through a spell of peace and stability. Pilgrimages and tourism picked up to make Kashmiri traders happy. But that should not be any cause for the State Administration and security forces to be too complacent. It is well known that whenever peace and stability start returning to the Valley specially, terrorist infiltrators and militants planted within J&K by proxy warriors organizations from across the border get ready to fracture it. It is incumbent on the civil administration, the security forces and the people of the state to ensure that outfits like LeT and fidayeen do not destroy the stability of their beloved state.




Reports in newspapers like Kashmir Times, Daily Excelcior, Greater Kashmir, Asian Age and the Pioneer, quoting reliable sources, have suggested that era of militancy is not over yet and fidayeen are planning attacks on Kashmir from their bases in PoK.

Frustrated by the relative peace and stability brought to the state that dented the numerical and offensive strength of the outfit the LeT was reported to be launching a drive for recruiting youth in the Valley. The drive of course was facing difficulties as more and more Kashmiris, specially the younger generation, were getting wise to the nefarious designs of false messiahs.

All these reasons necessitated that firm steps be taken to check that very special lobby which starts crowing for removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act when terrorism and militancy get rejective responses from the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

None can deny that security forces have brought relative peace and its social, economical development consequences to all regions of Jammu and Kashmir. But these benefits to the common man always hit hard the political and vested interests whose trade marks are violence, disruption and destruction. That is where money and power is for them. Choice is between peace for the people and power and wealth for the protestors and promoters of terrorism and militancy.

Some times back, in his first formal interaction with the media persons in Srinagar, after taking over as the GoC Chinar Corps, Lt Gen Om Prakash pointed out that 550 to 600 militants were waiting in their launching pads across the LoC to infiltrate into Kashmir. He put the number of militants presently active within Kashmir at between 280 and 300. The militants were now trying to increase their activities in South Kashmir.

The GOC stated that level of militancy is higher in north Kashmir than south Kashmir. “In north Kashmir we have LoC, forests and support base for infiltrators. The number of militants is lesser in south Kashmir. But off late the militants have started increasing their activities in south Kashmir also. This may be because we had slowed down our operations in view of normalcy. The militants are trying to fill the vacated space. They targeted police, army and even threatened panches and sarpanches,” he said.

Lt Gen Prakash stated that intelligence inputs by different agencies indicate that militants want “fidayeen attacks” in Kashmir. He said a close watch is being kept by the security forces on the situation.

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Some Attractions Of Leh

Leh is at an altitude of 3524 metres (11,562 ft), and connects via National Highway 1D connects it to Srinagar in the southwest and to Manali in the south via Leh-Manali Highway.

Several trade routes have traditionally converged on Leh, from all four directions. The most direct route was the one the modern highway follows from the Punjab via Mandi, the Kulu valley, over the Rohtang Pass, through Lahaul and on to the Indus Valley, and then down river to Leh. The route from Srinigar was roughly the same as the road that today crosses the Zoji La (pass) to Kargil, and then up the Indus Valley to Leh.

Shanti Stupa.Shanti Stupa is a Buddhist white-domed stupa (chorten) on a hilltop in Chanspa, Leh district, Ladakh, in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.  It was built in 1991 by Japanese Buddhist Bhikshu Gyomyo Nakamura . The Shanti Stupa holds the relics of the Buddha at its base, enshrined by the 14th Dalai Lama himself. The stupa has become a tourist attraction not only due to its religious significance but also due to its location which provides panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.

The Victory Tower. Situated at a height of 4,267 metres (13,999 ft), the stupa is located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Leh - the former capital of Ladakh - on a steep hill facing the Leh Palace. The stupa can be reached by a drivable road or on foot using a series of 500 steep steps to the hilltop.

Jama Masjid.Right in the heart of the city of Leh, is the Jama Masjid - a Muslim place of daily worship. Built to accommodate 500 worshippers at a time, this mosque is a favourite of Sunni Muslims of Leh and its surrounding villages.

Chamba Temple. Amongst the market-scape of the city of Leh enroute to the Leh Palace, stands the White Chamba Temple which is dedicated to Maitreya in Sanskrit, also known as Jampa in Tibetan – the ‘future Buddha’ or ‘the Buddha to come’. The temple houses a 14 metres high statue of Maitreya.

Zorawar Fort.Above the Leh Palace and the Namgyal Tsemo Gompa stands the imposing Zorawar Fort overlooking the valley of Leh and the snow-capped mountains beyond. The Zorawar Fort also known as the Riasi Fort and the Leh Fort was named after Zorawar Singh – a General of Maharaja Ranjit Singh – the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.

Sprawled over 28 acres of land atop the Namgyal Hill, the Zorawar Fort contains a Natural Spring, a Mosque and a Temple which is dedicated to goddesses Kali and Durga within. The fort is circumferenced by a 5-metre deep moat and the Fort Entrance is over the Moat on a bridge and through a wooden doorway. The Fort was built as a resting place and transit halt holding troops of 300 soldiers and 30 artillery operators. Artillery rooms, Food storage rooms and stables apart from other resting rooms constitute the Fort. Military Parade Ground is central to the Fort.

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Dal Lake, Worth A Visit

Dal Lake is a lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. The urban lake, which is the second largest in the state, is integral to tourism and recreation in Kashmir and is nicknamed the "Jewel in the crown of Kashmir"or "Srinagar's Jewel".The lake is also an important source for commercial operation s in fishing and water plant harvesting.

The shore line of the lake, about 15.5 kilometres (9.6 mi), is encompassed by a boulevard lined with Mughal era gardens, parks, houseboats and hotels. Scenic views of the lake can be witnessed from the shore line Mughal gardens, such as Shalimar Bagh and Nishat Bagh built during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir) and from houseboats cruising along the lake in the colourful shikaras. During the winter season, the temperature sometimes reaches −11 °C (12 °F), freezing the lake.

The lake covers an area of 18 square kilometres (6.9 sq mi) and is part of a natural wetland which covers 21.1 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi), including its floating gardens. The floating gardens, known as "Rad" in Kashmiri, blossom with lotus flowers during July and August. The wetland is divided by causeways into four basins; Gagribal, Lokut Dal, Bod Dal and Nagin (although Nagin is also considered as an independent lake). Lokut-dal and Bod-dal each have an island in the centre, known as Rup Lank (or Char Chinari) and Sona Lank respectively.

History

During the Mughal period, the Mughal rulers of India designated Kashmir, Srinagar in particular, as their summer resort. They developed the precincts of the Dal lake in Srinagar with sprawling Mughal-type gardens and pavilions as pleasure resorts to enjoy the salubrious cool climate. After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, which led to the disintegration of the Mughal Empire, Pashtun tribes in the area around the lake and city increased, and the Durrani Empire ruled the city for several decades.[14] In 1814 a significant part of the Kashmir valley, including Srinagar, was annexed by Raja Ranjit Singh to his kingdom, and the Sikhs grew in influence in the region for 27 years.

During the British Raj, the British also made Srinagar their capital during the summer months, attracted by the cool climate of the Kashmir valley, amidst the back drop of the majestic snow covered Himalayan ranges. The lake precincts experience temperatures in the range of 1–11 °C (34–52 °F) during winter and 12–30 °C (54–86 °F) during the summer season. The lake freezes when temperatures drop to about −11 °C (12 °F) during severe winter. Although the Dogra Maharaja of Kashmir restricted the building of houses in the valley, the British circumvented this rule by commissioning lavish houseboats to be built on the Dal Lake.

After the independence of India, the Kashmiri Hanji people have built, owned and maintained these houseboats, cultivating floating gardens and producing commodities for the market, making them the centre of their livelihoods. The houseboats, closely associated with Dal Lake also provide accommodation in Srinagar. Following the Mughal and British rule, the place has became a haven for tourists and earned the epithet, "Jewel in the tourist crown". The lake is noted in particular for its Nelumbo nucifera (lotus flowers) which bloom in July and August.

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Periscope On Pakistan Kashmir Revisited

The visit of UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon has drawn attention to the Kashmir issue and some old interpretations of the Accession and Pakistan’s illegal occupation have been dusted out and made to look like new. The fact remains that the UN Secretary General could not, and did not, deviate from the UN resolution that mandated that the invaders leave the land before a reference to the “will of the people” could be made. No amount of glorification in the name of Islam and the use of terms like ‘jihad’ and “mujahid” for a bunch of cut-throat thugs involved in something nefarious can change the reality of Kashmir. Pakistanis are beginning to see the futility of raising these rascals to the level of sainthood especially since it is clear that after the first illegal usurpation of a large chunk of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir they could not convince the Kashmiri Muslim to throw in his lot with a degenerate Pakistan. The operative part still remains functional: “…and her soil cleared of the invader” before the choice of being with Pakistan or India (not independent) can be exercised.

Khalid Iqbal in NATION (7/5/12): “Excerpts from the Governor General of India’s letter of October 27, 1947, to the Maharaja of Kashmir make an interesting read: ‘Your Highness’s letter dated October 26 has been delivered to me by Mr V.P. Menon. In the special circumstances mentioned by Your Highness, my government has decided to accept the accession of Kashmir to the Dominion of India. Consistently with their policy that, in case of any state where the issue of accession has been the subject of dispute, the question of accession should be decided in accordance with the wishes of the people of the state, it is my government’s wish that, as soon as the law and order has been restored in Kashmir and her soil cleared of the invader, the question of the state’s accession should be settled by a reference to the people.

‘Meanwhile, in response to Your Highness’s appeal for military aid, action has been taken today to send troops of Indian army to Kashmir to help your own forces to defend your territory and to protect the lives, property and honour of your people...’.

“The pro-India parties, including Congress, Peoples Democratic Party and Communist Party of India (Marxist), have also welcomed the statement. The Chairman of United Jihad Council (JUC), Syed Salahuddin, said that peace and stability in South Asia hinges on a just and equitable settlement of the Kashmir dispute. ‘The UN Secretary General’s statement on the issue of Kashmir is quite optimistic, however, there is dire need that the world body should take practical measures to settle this long-pending issue in accordance with the aspirations of Kashmiris’, he said.”

A R Siddiqi’s View in DAILY TIMES (7/5/12) titled “Siachen and the Jihadi Lore”: “Print media is resonant once again with the passionate jihadi lore reminiscent of the 1965 war. As against the single PTV channel in 1965, however, there is now a cluster of channels, each projecting more or less the same jihadi image of a soldier, a mujahid, a holy warrior at the dizzy Siachen heights.

“What one sorely misses is the vibrant voice of the late Shakeel Ahmed — the doyen of Radio Pakistan newscasters. The sheer force of his voice made his listeners hope for the best, even when the war had lost its edge after the failure of our tank infantry thrust to Amritsar via Khemkaran. For his avid listeners throughout the country, Ahmed’s vibrant newscasts could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Albeit too real for his listeners, his crusading and jihadi pronouncements bore little relevance to the actual state of the war, getting darker by the day.

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Survey Reports On Kashmir Reveal Azadi To Be Myth

The Pak newspaper Dawn had recently reported the findings of a survey done by a UK-based think-tank which has found a higher percentage of discontented people in occupied territory (POK) than in Azad Kashmir (Indian held side).This surely must bring a smile to all Indian policy makers as it’s a pat on their backs and a slap on the POK establishment.

Among all the surveys conducted so far, the one conducted by ‘The Institute for Research on India and International Studies’ (IRIIS) revealed the most diverse definitions of ‘Azadi’. The Jammu and Kashmir division of the Ministry of Home Affairs had commissioned IRIIS to carry out ‘A Perception Survey of Media Impact on the Kashmiri Youth’ in June 2010. The survey was finally administered in Jan 2011, in six districts of the Kashmir Valley-Srinagar and Budgam in Central Kashmir; Anantnag and Kulgam in South Kashmir; Baramulla and Bandipora in North Kashmir.

As per the IRIIS findings, 54% of youth identified `Azadi’ as the preferred final status of Jammu and Kashmir. That implies 46% don’t believe in Azadi. It is worthy to note that the definition of Azadi varies among those 54%. For 56% of these 54% youth, Azadi means rights of Kashmiris ie political rights, civil rights and economic rights. Those whose idea of Azadi is based on ‘territorially separate Kashmir’ include 8% who see a sovereign and independent state of Jammu & Kashmir, 11% wanting ‘freedom from India’ and 10% who said Azadi means a separate Kashmir without giving any further details.

Also, 67% of Kashmiri youth, under the age group of 15-35 years, rank `corruption’ among the three top most problems, 48% put `human rights violation’ (by security forces) at the top, while 34 % gave top priority to ‘employment’ nd 28% to `education’.

Among past surveys,, the most widely accepted is the one done in 2009 by Chatham House (a London-based International affairs think-tank).Conducted by Dr Robert Bradnock, at the behest of Dr Saif-al -Gaddafi, son of the slain Libyan leader Mohd Gaddafi, as part of research for his PhD degree from Kings College London. This comprehensive survey was conducted on both sides of the Line of Control, with the target population being Kashmiri Muslims (3700 individuals). In its findings, only 2% of people in J&K favoured whole of Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan and most such views were limited to Srinagar and Badgam districts. Also, 43% in J&K voted for ‘independence’ of whole of Kashmir, implying 57% not in favour of ‘independence’. It is important to note that 87% people in J&K considered unemployment as most significant problem followed by 68% for corruption, 45% blaming poor economic development, and 43% saying human rights abuses were the cause. By the way, Dr Saif had been advocating ‘independence’ for Kashmir, uptill now.

In 2002, another survey by MORI, an independent market research company based in UK, had revealed that on the issue of citizenship, overall, 61% Kashmiris said they felt they would be better off politically and economically as an Indian citizen and only 6% as a Pakistani citizens, and 33% said they did not know. Again, economic development of the region (job opportunities and reduction of poverty) was proposed by 93% of the respondents.

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Talk To Islamabad, But Don’t Igmore Rawalpindi

The Pakistani Army has not reacted negatively to last Sunday’s visit by Asif Ali Zardari. The two countries can perhaps take that as a positive signal and move forward.

Caution was the keynote of the talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari at New Delhi on April 8. At the invitation of the Prime Minister, Mr Zardari had stopped over briefly in New Delhi for talks followed by lunch with Mr Singh while on his way to Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan for prayers.

Being a Sindhi, Mr Zardari will have difficulty in ensuring that any initiative that he might take for better relations with India will have the endorsement of the Punjabi-dominated Army. While he has been able to consolidate his position as the President and fend off possible challenges from the Army to the Pakistan People’s Party-led Government in Islamabad, he cannot yet be confident that the Army will totally back any initiative that he might take for a qualitative improvement in Pakistan’s relations with India.

In India’s point of view, a qualitative improvement in the bilateral relations will be possible only if Pakistan gives up its policy of using terrorism as a weapon against India for its strategic objective of changing the status quo in Jammu and Kashmir and takes action against the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba for its involvement in the 26/11 terrorist strikes in Mumbai.

Since the policy of using terrorism and Lashkar-e-Tayyeba against India was initiated by the Army and the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba acts under the sponsorship of the Inter-Services Intelligence, Mr Zardari, despite all his goodwill for India, will not be in a position to satisfy the Indian demands on the terrorism issue.

Mr Singh has been equally cautious because he realises that he will not be able to sell any agreement to the Indian public opinion unless Pakistan acts satisfactorily on the question of terrorism. Any toning down of past Indian demands on terrorism will not be acceptable to Indian public opinion.
Thus, what we face is an Indian public mindset influenced by the terrorism issue that is as rigid as the Pakistani Army mindset influenced by the Kashmir question. These two rigid mindsets will make it difficult for the two leaders to find a workable way forward, despite any determination they may have to find a solution to the traditional bones of contention.

Any exercise to find a solution to the two substantive issues between the two countries — Kashmir and terrorism — is bound to hit barriers that will hinder forward movement. That is why the suggestions made from time to time to focus on other issues which will promote goodwill even while trying for ways of solving these difficult issues.

Trade is one such issue. We have successfully used trade as a confidence and goodwill building measure between India and China. Despite the lack of progress in finding a solution to our border dispute with China, we have succeeded in creating a steadily expanding comfort level between the two countries by focusing on trade and other contacts even while working towards a border solution.

It is gratifying that Pakistan, which was resistant to the idea of delinking trade from the Kashmir issue, is now inclined not to make trade a hostage to the Kashmir issue. We have to think of other ways too of building goodwill and creating a greater comfort level that could ultimately facilitate a solution to the substantive issues.

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NSCN Takes Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal And New Delhi For Long Ride

On 10 January 2012, NSCN-IM chairman Isak Chisi Swu and general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah were on their way from their camp at Hebron to Swu's home town, Zunheboto in a large convoy of about 70 vehicles, when they were stopped and prevented to go any further by Assam Rifles personnel.

Expressing anger over the development, former 'military chief' of NSCN-IM, VS Atem, in a press conference few days later in Dimapur such a restriction by Ministry of Home Affairs amounted to violation the ground rules of the ceasefire.

The Government of India wants to solve the Naga political problem. The Nagas want the solution. However, if we don't meet our people for consultation how can we move forward in solving the problem ? fumed Atem.

Meanwhile, Wati Aier, convener of Forum for Naga Reconciliation conveyed this news to John Sundquist, member of UK based Naga Conciliation Group and Quakers Friends Society and complained about “massive deployment of Indian Army near Hebron Camp….. created difficulties for movement of NSCN-IM cadres to and from the Orthodox Theological Seminary (OTS)” and about him being frisked by the Indian Army twice, on his way to and from OTS every day.

Aier further requested Sundquist to issue a statement widely to media in the name of a groups such as ‘Friends of the Nagas’ or  ‘Naga Solidarity Group’, on the present situation in Nagaland. Interestingly, he specifically requested not to involve the Baptist community while issuing the statement . The suggested draft of the statement was: “The world community has followed the ‘Peace Process’ between the Government of India and the Naga people under the leadership of the NSCN with hope. While we (Friends of the Nagas / Naga Solidarity Group) still remain hopeful of dawning of a new era, the restriction imposed upon the NSCN leadership from traveling to Zunheboto, is ‘undemocratic and contrary to the Cease Fire agreement’…. we urge the concerned government to act favorably”.

While the Centre’s indulgence of NSCN (IM) leaders resulted in over three months blockades in Manipur in 2010 and 2011, not only has the group been trigger happy, but is also very ‘trigger hungry’, so to speak. One of the orders the outfit is pursuing is of 800 wpns worth USD 1.2 million, a deal struck by Anthony Shimray with the Chinese company TCL. The outfit enlisted Frans Welman, Secretary, Naga International Support Centre (NISC), Netherlands to negotiate with TCL on its behalf and has reportedly visited China for the same. This not only makes an utter mockery not only of the peace process and ground-rules of the cease fire, but also of NSCN (IM)’s talk of “honour”, exposes its duality and deviousness of NSCN(IM) and also tantamount to letting down the Naga people.

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Kashmiris Are No Longer Influenced By Vicious Propaganda

Notwithstanding all the peace and tranquillity that nature has gifted to Kashmir, its saga remains peppered with frequent episodes of violence. In fact, violence has become so much a part of the psyche of the common Kashmiri that talking about it, witnessing it, experiencing it and even extolling it are things that he has begun to take in his stride. One may argue that this attitude is perhaps essential to survival in the extenuating circumstances that the Kashmiris have been dwelling in during the last two decades of their life but, at the same time, one must realise that being inured to violence is not a good sign. It is indicative of a retreat into barbaric times when the values of modern day civilization held no meaning. Such an attitude brings to naught all the progress that our society has made. Doubtless, such a state of affairs needs to be soundly put down.

This state of violence is sustained by an aura and a feeling that has been created in the minds of the people of Kashmir. The tendency of some people to constantly harp on the unrest that is supposedly prevailing in the valley of Kashmir, issue controversial statements that add to this unrest and then use the opportunity to grind their own political axe adds to the idea of violence. Such acts result in building and propagating a mental image of violence in the valley that, in actual, may be more hype than reality.

A recent example of such behaviour is the statements being issued by Syed Sallahudin whose only claim to fame is being a self-styled leader of Jehad in Kashmir. He boasts of a large number of Mujahideen ready to move into the streets of Kashmir to liberate the valley. He has given an assurance that the infrastructure to create violence and mayhem in Kashmir is in place. He gives the example of Iraq and Afghanistan to drive home his point that success is simply round the corner. No doubt, Sallahudin dwells in a world of his own, he is completely divorced from reality and has no inkling of the severe beating that totalitarian and radical regimes the world over have taken. Or else he takes the people of the valley for a set of absolute nincompoops who will lap up all the venom he is spouting purely because it is anti-India.

In his this nefarious design of his he is, of course, assisted by political personages like Syed Ali Shah Geelani and some others. It goes without saying that even these so called leaders who surreptitiously or at times openly support secessionists like Sallahudin have their own narrow agendas to achieve. These could range from something as simplistic as playing to the gallery to win public favour to something as convoluted as extracting financial aid from the Central Government by holding unrest in this region like a stick on their head. What these people do not realise is that the common Kashmiri is sick of violence and is in no mood to be taken in by this empty rhetoric. He has realised that the way forward lies in peace and development. He has also realised that staying integrated with India is the best option for Kashmir.

In fact, there is no dearth of men from Jammu and Kashmir who have laid down their lives for the sake of integrity of Jammu and Kashmir with the Union of India. Naib Subedar Chuni Lal from 8 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAK LI) is the best example of such sons of the soil. A resident of Doda District, he is the most highly decorated soldier having been conferred with the Ashok Chakra (Posthumous), Vir Chakra and Sena Medal for separate acts of gallantry. The Ashok Chakra came while he was involved in foiling an infiltration bid at Kupwara in Kashmir. The operation was successful due to the sacrifice of his life. JAK LI is one amongst many other infantry regiments which draw their manpower exclusively from Jammu and Kashmir and whose history is replete with such acts of bravery for the cause of the Nation. Chuni Lal comes from the same battalion as Naib Subedar Bana Singh who has been awarded with the Param Vir Chakra, the highest gallantry award in India. Very recently, another brave Policeman of the State, Special Police Officer Barkat Ali, has been awarded the Shaurya Chakra for having killed two dreaded terrorists of Lashkar-e-Toiba despite having sustained grievous injuries on his own person. Such is the mettle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir whom the likes of Sallahudin are trying to influence through vicious propaganda.

“India colonising Kashmir” and “Kashmiris versus the rest of India” have no longer got any mass appeal for the people in Kashmir. Politicians who are looking towards contentious issues to garner votes should now realise that this particular cow can no longer be milked. On the contrary, the possibility is that people who keep raking up such issues would be labelled as being on the pay roll of foreign masters.

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MUHAJIR PROVINCE: PPP, MQM PAID IN OWN COIN

KARACHI: After Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s trenchant support for a  separate Saraiki province carved out of south Punjab came the wave of  posters demanding a Muhajir (refugee) province in Sindh – a clear tit for  tat by the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) which rules Punjab.

Terming the display of posters demanding Muhajir province a conspiracy  against democracy, both major coalition partners of the Sindh government,  the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)  vowed to foil every attempt aimed at dividing the province, as reported by  DAILY TIMES (13/3/12)

Unity was witnessed on the issue among leaders of both parties, when it was  discussed in the Sindh Assembly (SA) again by a Pakistan Muslim  League-Functional lawmaker, Nusrat Saher Abbasi. Speaking on a point of  order, she claimed that she and other female members of the house, who had  jointly moved a resolution against the demand for Muhajir province last  Friday, have received threatening messages on their mobile phones.

Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wasan assured the PML-F lawmaker that the matter  pertaining to threats would be investigated. However, he made clear the  allied parties were unanimous against such conspiracies. He said nobody  should worry about the threats, as the present government knows how to deal  with such elements. He said that it was not the present government that took  anti-Sindh decisions like controversial water accord and National Finance  Commission Award. Later, talking to journalists after the house proceedings,  the home minister said that an increase in complaints of extortion by the  business community is being witnessed. “The same elements were trying to  create pre-August situation again in the city. A conspiracy is being hatched  for fueling ethnic riots again”, he added.

Senior Education and Literacy Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, who is also the  parliamentary leader of the ruling PPP in the house, said that the elements  who could not digest reconciliatory political atmosphere in the province and  country, hatch such conspiracies. He said that all the parties, including  the MQM have passed a unanimous resolution against Muhajir province demand.

MQM parliamentary leader Syed Sardar Ahmed complained that a section of  media had wrongly reported that MQM members did not participate in the  resolution. He said that the resolution was passed unanimously with the  support of all members. He also dispelled the impression that no MQM member  had become part of movers of the resolution. According to him, nobody from  the movers of the resolution approached the MQM members for their  participation among the movers.

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Official Records Of The Case Submitted To The CBI

Even as the larger issue of protection provided to the soldiers who had taken part in the encounter under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act comes up for discussion in the Supreme Court, there are other facts pertaining to the investigation process followed by the CBI and some acts of the State government which deserve a closer look.


Official records of the case submitted to the CBI and the Supreme Court including situation reports, initiated by the Army immediately after the operation and much before the controversy broke out, as well as entries in Police records clearly show that the operation was carried out jointly by the Police and Army based on intelligence inputs provided by the Police. However, no police personnel has been named in the charge sheet framed by the CBI despite police documents clearly listing names of police personnel who took part in the operation. The five persons killed in the operation were identified as LeT terrorists by the police who claimed credit for the successful operation. Intercepts of terrorists communication obtained by intelligence agencies also suggested that the killed persons were terrorists who were involved in the killing of the 35 Sikhs in Chittisinghpora; this point has been completely ignored by the CBI.


Equally questionable is the negligence of the State Government in not ordering a judicial enquiry into the alleged misdeeds of the police and army immediately after the incident. The Inquiry headed by Justice Kuchay was tasked to investigate the circumstances leading to the alleged fudging of DNA samples of the killed persons and not the actions of the Police or the Army. In the matter of the DNA samples, in view of the mishandling of the entire exercise by the State government and the continuing doubts about the matching of the DNA samples with those claiming to be relatives of the deceased, there is a need to carry out fresh DNA examination before the case is progressed.


A major haul of weapons and ammunition was recovered from the five individuals killed in the joint operation. This has been taken over by the police in an official ‘Seizure Memo”. While supporting its allegation of the killed individuals being innocent civilians, the CBI also needs to come up with an explanation about the recovered warlike stores. This query has, of course, been posed upon the CBI by the apex Court.


The CBI has also stated that the Army units were under pressure to produce results in the aftermath of the killing of 35 Sikhs in Chittisinghpora. This statement is fatuous in nature; it was in fact the State government and the Police force who were under pressure to produce results, since law and order was their responsibility and the public outcry was directed towards them and not the Army.


The CBI allegation that the killing of five civilians by the army in a fake encounter was an extra judicial act ‘not in the line of duty’ contradicts all official records which clearly prove that incident took place in a joint operation by police and army carried out with the sanction of the hierarchy of both the establishments. Thus, the Army is not wrong in insisting that the CBI apply for sanction of the Government  of India, as required under the AFSPA, for prosecution of its personnel involved in the said encounter.


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Fresh Winds Are Blowing Across The Kashmir Valley

Fresh winds are blowing across the Kashmir Valley. The winter chill is slowly disappearing and a change is setting in.

The State Government headed by Omar Abdullah has finished half its term and is keen to effect a real change in the state in the remaining period that it is in power. The Central Government, headed by the Congress, also wants to find a ‘solution’ to fix the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Both Srinagar and Delhi have tried in vain to find a ‘political solution’ to the problems facing the state. Just when ‘back channel’ negotiations were seemingly bearing fruit, there was a change of government in Pakistan in 2009. President Musharraf had to hand over power and it seems he will not be able to return.

The ‘dialogue’ that was started with the new rulers in Pakistan, headed by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Geelani, is static and now questions are being asked about their own effectiveness and ability to withstand the pressure from Chief of Army Staff General Asfaq Pervez Kayani. The strategy that would be adopted by the Indian and Jammu and Kashmir governments is to take steps within their power that are largely accepted by the people of the state.

The interlocutors met over 700 delegations, held three Round Table Conferences, and interacted with groups in each of the 22 districts of the state. In spite of their best efforts the interlocutors could not meet the separatists.

The report has also suggested the appointment of developmental councils in all three regions and the devolution of powers to the sub-regions. They have recommended a massive economic and employment package to tackle the unemployment situation in the state and promote infrastructure development to improve connectivity and boost tourism.

The interlocutors have recommended that there should be more people-to-people contact between the two parts of divided Kashmir by opening more cross LoC routes in Kashmir, Ladakh and Jammu. They have also suggested increase in the frequency of cross LoC weekly bus service and the number of days of cross LoC trade on Uri -Muzaffarabad and Poonch- Rawalkote routes.

Importantly, the interlocutors have recommended ‘meaningful autonomy’ for the state, while preserving its distinct regional and ethnic diversities. Meanwhile, the Delhi-based Institute of Research on India and International Studies (IRIIS) has conducted a survey to elicit public opinion in the state, in particular what ails the Kashmiri youth in the age group of 15-35 years. The findings indicated that they were far more concerned over governance issues than separatist politics.

Those interviewed included 1300 youth from six districts of Baramulla, Bandipora, Srinagar, Budgam, Anantnag and Kulgam. Just one percent of the youth said that a merger with Pakistan could be a final solution to Kashmir’s problems. Hardline separatist leader Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani also suggested this. Only one percent voted for ‘merger’ with India, which is the slogan of the BJP. Fifty-four percent voted for ‘Azadi’ with varying meanings 20% ‘Azadi’ meant ‘political rights’.

Interestingly, the survey indicated that local newspapers and local private television (cable) channels had more influence on the Kashmiri youth than the national newspapers and national private television channels. It disclosed that 37 percent of the Kashmiri youth were looking for Kashmir related news in local English papers, 56 percent in local Urdu papers and only 10 per cent in national dailies. As far as credibility is concerned they relied more on local newspapers than on national dailies.

The survey also indicated that most of the youth have rejected the prevailing gun culture, and favoured good governance and a corruption free state. The survey is scheduled to be discussed in Srinagar soon. A massive employment scheme has been undertaken with private sector firms undertaking to train and employ youth from the state. The process is gathering momentum. More recruitment is also taking place to recruit youth from the state to the Jammu and Kashmir Police and into other security forces.

Meanwhile, much of the public debate will be devoted to the lifting of the Armed Forces Special Powers’ Act from some parts of the state and as to whether ‘governance’ was better under the Peoples’ Democratic Party, headed by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed than the one under Omar Abdullah. At least for the next three years, it has been agreed that the Congress will not make an attempt to have a ‘rotational’ chief minister.

One hopes the winter snows will melt and the political climate will be conducive to implement the political changes.

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