News Kashmir Magazine

Title:-  SPEAKING EYES By Monalisa Parida
In the forest, a tree never dies

In a sea, a river never dies In air, a breath never dies 

But I die, For the thoughts of your love. 

Don’t worry, I will not be there tomorrow my love, Know this,

The depth of your eyes speak to me, 

With all the languages of the world

Let me start my journey with you. 

Full of energy, enthusiasm anew. 

About Author Monalisa Parida is from India, Odisha .She  is post  graduate student of English literature and a prolific poetess. She’s very active in social media platforms and her poems have also been published in various e- journals and translated into different languages.

WILL THE US EXIT-STRATEGY FROM AFGHANISTAN WILL SUCCEED OR FALTER.
SUHAIB ASHRAF BHAT.
The US exit strategy without completely eradicating terrorism in the region can be equated with the US pack-up just after the Cold War in 1992. They left their most allied ally- Pakistan- at the mercy of terrorists in the offing- the former Mujahideens against the Soviet Union. These Mujahideens turned into the Taliban later and that cost of the US haste exit strategy was suffered by Pakistan. Death of Osama does not mean the end of terrorism. We would not like to go into the controversy of how and why the war on terror began and how best America could muster its results. But the fact remains that the mess created the US in the post-9/11 haste must not be left for Pakistan again.
In a speech on April 14, President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan. “It is time to end the forever war,” he declared. Set to begin on May 1, the process will be completed by September 11, 2021, the 20th anniversary of 9/11. What are the implications for Afghanistan, the U.S., and the wider region?
The American withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan has left essential questions of peace in Afghanistan in the air. Without human rights as the primary priority when exiting, there is a risk of violence against the most vulnerable members of society and a potential collapse of the government. The violence has continued in Afghanistan following President Biden’s announcement that American troops will be departing Afghanistan. On May 8th, 2021, a horrific bombing outside Sayed Ul-Shuhada high school is a reminder of the deadly conflict that will continue beyond the American departure. The violent attack is the deadliest attack in 2021.
The Afghanistan Papers report by the Washington Post found that the American government and military officials failed to understand the necessary stabilization strategies and programs to tailor to Afghanistan. As a result, the stabilization in Afghanistan rarely lasted longer than where the coalition troops with physically located. While the stabilization efforts have been abysmal, the cost has been astronomical. According to a Brown University Study, the nearly decade-long war has cost the United States a total of 2.26 trillion dollars. It will continue to cost Americans upon their departure from the region.
The Biden administration decision to disengage militarily from Afghanistan by September 11 may seem warranted, perhaps even overdue, after a commitment of two decades. 
After the Soviets bailed out of Afghanistan in 1989, the U.S. decided that it had little stake in what happened in the country and the region. Virtually all government assistance ceased. America decided to let the Afghans sort out their differences and left Pakistan, erstwhile partner in the jihad against communism, to fend for itself in coping with the fallout of the decade-long Afghan conflict. What America got in Afghanistan was a bloody, anarchic, fratricidal civil war, the rise of the Taliban and the settling in of Al-Qaeda.

For the first time in two decades, the United States says it will have no troops and contractors in Afghanistan and the CIA and Special Forces teams that have led the search for Al Qaeda’s remaining operatives will no longer work from bases in the eastern part of the country.In recent days, the Pentagon began a “retrograde” of its forces in the country, which include what it says are some 2,500 service members, a few hundred special operations troops and some 18,000 contractors. NATO is conducting its own drawdown. The withdrawal could be complete as early as July. President Biden placed a Sept. 11 deadline for the pullout, 20 years after the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks in the U.S.Biden administration officials say that the threat from Al Qaeda has been sharply reduced since the U.S. invasion in 2001 and that it will be possible to keep tabs on the militant groups in Afghanistan from outside the country. Even before Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s killing in 2011 in Pakistan, the group’s ranks were decimated and much of its leadership killed or captured.
If a threat of a terrorist attack on the United States or its interests is detected, the Biden administration officials insist, the Pentagon or CIA could strike inside landlocked Afghanistan — with air attacks from faraway bases or Special Forces teams inserted on so-called “capture or kill missions.”
“We will maintain an over-the-horizon capability to suppress future threats to the homeland,” Biden said in an address to Congress. He added that Afghanistan is no longer the only location from which militants threaten the U.S and its allies, naming Yemen, Syria, Somalia and “other places.”
Fighter planes flying from aircraft carriers and longer-range bombers from air bases in the Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean and even the United States could strike insurgent fighters whose locations are fixed by surveillance drones, communications intercepts and informant networks.
But many uncertainties remain about that strategy, including whether any of Afghanistan’s neighbours will agree to let the U.S. base forces or surveillance drones on their territory. If not, the U.S. will have to rely on forces operating from American bases in the Persian Gulf.
Al Qaeda of 2021 is a far smaller organization with less reach, while the United States has built a counter-terrorism capability and familiarity with Afghanistan far exceeding anything it had before 2001.
“There will be some degradation in terms of our ability to know exactly what’s going on,” Zalmay Khalilzad, the administration’s negotiator on Afghanistan, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “But we believe, given the nature of the threat right now that we would get adequate warning.”
Al Qaeda has fewer than 200 members in south Asia, most of them in Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, the head of the Defence Intelligence Agency, said. The group’s second-ranking leader, Ayman Zawahiri, though suffering severe health problems, is still believed to be alive, hiding possibly in Afghanistan, while other leaders are said to be in Iran, according to the agency.
“There was little discernible activity out of the group” last year and “throughout 2021, [Al Qaeda] very likely will be unable to conduct terrorist attacks,” Berrier added, in written testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee. Instead, the group will “bolster its relationship with the Taliban.” That relationship is the core U.S. concern.Under the terms of a 2020 withdrawal agreement with the Trump administration, the Taliban vowed to prevent Afghan territory under its control from being used by terrorist groups to launch attacks on the U.S. and its allies. U.S. officials insist that the deal requires the Taliban to sever its ties with Al Qaeda, but U.S. intelligence officials do not expect that to occur. 
What happens to that deal after Biden delayed Trump’s May 1 withdrawal date is unclear. Despite publicly distancing themselves from Al Qaeda in private talks with U.S. officials, the Taliban “very likely maintains close ties with the militants at the local level, often through family ties due to years of intermarriage” in Afghanistan and Pakistan, said a senior U.S. official familiar with intelligence assessments about the relationship. A statement posted on the “Voice of Jihad” Taliban website in October said the group had no obligation to sever ties with Al- Qaeda under the U.S.-Taliban deal, the official noted.
Taliban representatives, however, insist they can contain any extremists on Afghan soil. “Al Qaeda was in Afghanistan before Taliban. All those countries now complaining about them supported them at the time of the Soviet invasion, and we now inherited them,” said Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban representative in Qatar.

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                Endangered species are our companions 

 We as a whole have obligation to secure endangered species 

Dar Showkat 

Endangered Species Day 2021: This year sixteenth yearly Endangered Species Day is observed. Allow us to view the set of experiences behind this day, how could it be praised, and about endangered species.  Endangered Species can be perceived as the creatures that are on high danger of annihilation. There are numerous endangered types of plants and creatures worldwide that are in harm’s way. There are different reasons that cause the elimination of these species like the limitation of living space, abuse of these species for business purposes, illnesses, unfriendly climatic conditions, and so forth The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) is the specialists that keeps a nearby watch on various species and figures out what species care lose to termination. IUCN assess different components to decide endangered species like decrease, size of the populace, space of geographic conveyance, and so on there are a ton of endeavors going on across the world to save endangered species. There could be numerous purposes behind the termination of jeopardized species however one of the significant reasons is loss of living space. Concurred or not yet the deficiency of natural surroundings has been brought about by people for advancement. This gigantic improvement has upset the natural life biological system seriously. Whatever is the explanation yet the truth of the matter is that now the security of these imperiled species is one of the need issues across the globe. A significant number of us may imagine that why securing endangered species is significant. Indeed, there are numerous advantages to saving these imperiled species. The contention is going on around the world “why securing endangered species are significant”. One basic goal of securing endangered species is the delight of people in the future. It is a ton of joy and amusing to observe such superb creatures. Sadly, the species that are going to be terminated won’t be accessible for people in the future. They won’t interface with these species. The lone wellspring of getting data about these endangered species will be through the web or books.

Endangered Species Day 2021: Because of COVID-19, it is praised through online occasions, computerized activities and individual exercises. The day furnishes us with a chance for all periods of individuals to notice and find out about the imperiled species and the approaches to secure them. The day spread mindfulness about the significance of securing imperiled species, their natural surroundings and to make moves important to ensure them. Consequently, Endangered Species Day perceives the public preservation endeavors to ensure our country’s jeopardized species and their natural surroundings. A few occasions and youth challenge are held at different natural life shelters, zoos, parks, public venues, aquariums, greenhouses, libraries, schools and universities and so on.  In 1960s and 1970s worry over the prosperity of creatures with climate and preservation came out. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 was endorsed into law on 28 December to raise the significance of untamed life preservation and rebuilding endeavours for all risked species. It is said that the Endangered Species Day was first made by U.S. Senate in 2006.

How has climate change affected human life?

Around then a few endeavours were made to save species and because of it around many species from elimination were saved like the bald eagle. As per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in the previous twenty years, the rundown of imperiled species has dramatically increased.  “Endangered species are our companions.” – (Yao Ming)

What qualifies animal types as Endangered?

Distinctive government and neighborhood associations have their own measures of choosing for species that it is imperiled or not. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) keeps up the most far reaching rundown of imperiled species all throughout the planet. The Red List of Threatened Species passes judgment on every species on five unique guidelines.

Regular factors that lead to elimination are:

1.      Human intercession

2.      Loss of territory

3.      Introduction of unfamiliar species into the climate.

4.      Overhunting

5.      Pollution

6.      Disease

7.      Loss of hereditary variety

8.      Deforestation- 

9.      Climate Change etc.

“Conservation of any endangered species must begin with stringent efforts to protect its natural habitat by the enforcement of rigid legislation against human encroachment into parks and other game sanctuaries.”- Dian Fossey

Biodiversity is produced with two words specifically “organic” and “variety”. It alludes to all the assortment of life that can be found on Earth might be plants, creatures, growths and miniature life forms. Just as to the networks that they structure and the natural surroundings in which they live.  Show on Biological Diversity characterizes biodiversity as the inconstancy among living organic entities from all sources including entomb alia, earthly, marine and other amphibian environments and the natural edifices of which they are part; this incorporates variety inside species, among species and of biological systems. Biodiversity isn’t just the amount, everything being equal, species and hereditary material yet in addition it addresses the fluctuation inside and among them. Thus, this is an ideal opportunity to be ready and we should together pursue producing mindfulness among the general population about the significance of untamed life, jeopardized species, biodiversity and protection. Why jeopardized species are at the skirt of elimination? What are the explanations for it? It is important to get it. Most likely elimination is a characteristic wonder of nature however because of some different reasons; termination is expanding a very long time in many years. One day can come when we won’t see tigers, elephants, falcons and so on.

 “We all have a responsibility to protect endangered species, both for their sake and for the sake of our own future generations.” The writer is research scholar from Handwara 

What is the true meaning of liberty?

Syed Mustafa Ahmad 

You may called it freedom or liberty but the fact is that everyone wants to do whatever he or she wants. No body wants to be bound by laws, whether natural or man-made. But the most important thing is that are we ready free to do, whatever we want to do or not. In my opinion, looking at the creation of the universe, it is impossible to do, without rules and regulations. Let us look at this through different angles.       First is God’s creation. The Sun, the Moon, the planets and all other celestial bodies are bound by some fixed laws. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The Earth is at appropriate distance from the Sun and other stars and planets. Seasons come and go without a slight mistake. Everything follows some rules that allow peace reign in. No inanimate thing makes a slight effort to go against the Creator who has kept it where It is. So, the natural things are a testimony that freedom is here but in limited sense, which the Creator has given them according to the divine plan.        Second is diversity. As we are aware of this fact that this world is fight between good and evil. The main motive of goodness is that every living organism remains where it is. Any deviation from that path, can prove disastrous. Human beings have been made in such a way that he always tries to throw the chains in  which he is bound. But the experience shows that whenever it  happens, it brings misery in the world. Evil wherever reigns, there are cent percent chances that the natural order is thrown to winds. We have examples of genetic mutations, nuclear experiments, worship others other than Almighty, trying to build another world of their choice, etc., has brought untold misery to the world. The First World War, the Second World War, the Syrian Civil War, etc., are glaring examples that can bring us closer to the fact that life is suitable when it is bound by rules and regulations.       Third is Almighty also wants us to follow Him. He is our Creator. He knows our creation. So, it makes us no sense that creation goes against the wishes of the Creator. The machine is bound to follow his master. Whenever machine goes against the plan of the master, the machine is either repaired or it is discarded forever. This applies to human beings as well. The grand design of the universe says that the Creator has created or made us as machines. Until, we work according to His plan, nothing awkward happens. The very moment we try to put away the yoke of Allah’s rules and regulations,, we are bound to fail. Moreover, He has sent many chosen-messengers to repair human beings so that they may come back to the original path. If this does not happen, then Almighty discards us in the most brutal manner.       Fourth and last is what is the motive behind living. If a person knows why he or she has taken birth, many issues are automatically solved. A meaningful life means that it is sinful to harm anything, whether living or nonliving deliberately. It means not to sacrifice permanent things for temporary things. Permanency means that it is better to remain in limited for long term gains than to break the laws, which have been imposed by the Almighty. So, meaning in life means that we are forced to obey laws for the mass gain.       In short, that life is worthy of living, which is full of rules and regulations. Now, the ball is in our court to decide whether to be a law-abiding or lawbreaking person. Let us ponder over it!