Moral Bankruptcy

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News Kashmir Analysis

Moral values are the core component of a healthy society and more stronger the moral fabric the more vibrant is a society. Unfortunately with the turmoil stretching for over three decades now in Kashmir the morality has taken a hit.

Moral Bankruptcy, Moral Degradation have achieved peak as a result crime rate has gone up and the crimes previously unheard in the valley of Kashmir are taking place with regularity. All this has left the voices of sanity rattled .

In the recent times, Newborns  left over by parents is another gruesome  crime defining our moral decay as very recently a new born was left  to dogs in Lal Ded Hospital garbage dumping site.

In a heart-wrenching incident recently , a newborn baby wrapped in a plastic bag was dumped at a garbage site at Srinagar’s Lal Ded Hospital. This was the third baby abandoned in the recent times in the valley of Kashmir .

Drug menace has been growing at an alarming pace in the valley of Kashmir. Increasing drug addiction among youth, browsing the  cyber world for negative things is another height of immorality that Kashmir is moving towards. On the other hand , the instances of domestic violence against women have increased and sexual crimes against children are also on rise.

 

Sheikh Sameer, a research scholar said –“ Moral Bankruptcy can have disastrous consequences on a society. The moral decay of the Kashmiri society is evident. Heinous crimes taking place on regular basis and surfacing of rancorous scams and scandals has come to define what one call the speedy moral decay of the society. We cannot just talk conflict and conflict or politics and ignore the burning issues hampering our society. Moral decay on overall paradigms is a very serious issue and concern that should be fought before it destroys the entire fabric of our society.”

One thing linked with the moral bankruptcy is the intellectual bankruptcy of the Kashmir .  The growing pulse among many  a common Kashmiris is that our intellectuals write and ponder over burning  issues not out of genuine concern, but to remain in limelight and collect awards and in realistic terms do in reality  nothing to address the burning issues.

 

Commenting on serious issues in cozy chambers under all the facilities  has become a habit of our intellectuals and no ground work on same is compounding matters .

The need of the hour is to weed out the vices and take it priority number one as society to fix moral bankruptcy.

Women on The Edge

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Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander

Recently I was invited to a two day national conference (16-17 February, 2018) titled, Interdisciplinary National Conference on Economics, Banking Finance and Social Sciences(INCEBS). It was organized by KES Shroff College of Arts and Commerce, Mumbai, run by Kandivili Education society. My paper titled Muslim Women in India: From Fatwas to Feminism was selected for presentation during the two day conference. I was also a panelist in a panel discussion themed Women on the Edge. Women have been on the receiving end and very few efforts have been made to mitigate the multi dimensional problems of women. I as a male cannot claim to have an indigenous experience of being a woman and how it is to feel like a woman. Also I cannot speak about all women because they certainly are not a monolith, thus my statements cannot be generalized. Even if I speak about Muslim women in India still I cannot claim to represent them all despite the fact that they are a miniscule minority as compared to majority Hindu women, as they too are not a monolith or homogenous. There can be varied strands of women even in a small area or section of population based on caste, class, education, income and other factors. But few issues that I deliberated and were general for all included education, economy, politics, modernity and new issues related to women.

Girls are mostly discriminated when it comes to education particularly viz a viz the choice of subjects is concerned. Some subjects and later on jobs too are considered taboo for women. Further the infrastructural problems like availability of schools, washrooms in schools etc do hamper the education process among girls. Many girls drop out of schools because the schools are located at long distances, the journey to schools is full of perils or the militarization of the terrain discourages girls from attending schools. In higher education too, we find very few women and then it is very rare to find women who are present in the positions of power or administration in education sector. Also when it comes to economy, the womenfolk are the discriminated lot. Women contribute most when it comes to domestic and agricultural work particularly in South Asia but this work is unaccounted and disorganized one. Also the money the women earn is mostly snatched from them by their husbands or in laws on different pretexts. They have the least freedom when it comes to spending the amount. Further very few properties are registered in the names of women. In many cases working women are preferred as brides because they serve two purposes one that they bring income to home while on other hand they are supposed to accomplish all the domestic chores. So in a way economic independence has not let the women become empowered entities.

The discourse that increase in number of women in decision making particularly politics will help improve the lot of womenfolk is flawed one as the experience has proved that women have done little for their compatriots even when they are elevated to the positions of power. We have experienced in the past and also in present that women including Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina have held the reins of power in different countries of South Asia but that has not helped in any way to improve or empower the masses of women. We need gender just men and women, who can formulate gender just policies, instead of including women who are patriarchal and misogynist in their outlook and worldview as that will not help in anyway. Although we have less number of women participation in grassroot institutions. The increase in their number either on merit or reservation will help only when the women are inculcated with gender just values, only then the policies will favor the women. The women’s commission and other legislative measures have not helped improve the conditions of women. Also most women and gender rights activists belong to the elite sections of society who are quite disconnected with the grassroots, hence most of them fail to understand the problems of common women. This phenomenon of elites and creamy layer is again repeated as far as the reservations are concerned.

Another problem with the women of Third World or Global South is that they are caught between the dichotomy of tradition and modernity. This problem is witnessed even among the women who profess feminism. The traditional role of a lady and liberalism that feminism offers has left them in a predicament. The feminism as practiced in first world countries is quite different than the lived experiences of women existing and surviving in the third world. Plus feminism cannot be replicated in toto everywhere as the socio-economic-educational and cultural contexts are variegated. The dichotomy between tradition and modernity can be witnessed in this fact, that most feminist women want their partners, boyfriends and husbands play a traditional patriarchal role where they should pamper, exaggerate, show them green pastures and also take care of their needs whether it is paying off their bills, shouldering responsibilities and establishing a comfort zone where they can feel safe and secure. For this traditional outlook, men expect obedience and subservience but half baked feminist women are not ready for that. Hence the clashes initiate that result in estrangement, separation and even divorces. It sends a wrong message that feminist women are not good marriage material or make nice home makers. This problem needs to be overcome as feminist women need to be empowered in real sense rather than making a halo and wearing the tag of feminism on the sleeve in order to stand out in the crowd.

Gender Justice and feminism does not encompass the fact that men and women stand as antagonistic to each other but it empowers each to be the compatriots and complementary towards each other. Men and women complete each other and that value should be of outmost importance when it comes to the gender relations. Further none needs to prove that they stand better than the other one because the fight against patriarchy needs to be fought by both men and women together. The antonym of patriarchy is matriarchy that again needs to be resisted as justice is traversed there also.

Real gender justice comes through a continuous deep study, lived realities and years of accumulated experience that inculcates in one the values of justice, compassion, mercy, and fellow feeling. If these values are absent then one needs to have a look at the doctrine and stand of his/her feminism.

 

M.H.A.Sikander is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com

 

Revisiting Dialogue

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News Kashmir Analysis

 

Dialogue is an important instrument to solve tough issues. We are very well aware that due to very less dialogue between conflicting ideologies Kashmir dispute has taken its deadly toll on progress of South Asia with Kashmir bearing the worst brunt.

Many have opined that Kashmir is heading to disaster if no dialogue takes place and it seems that the prominent political forces have   realized the need and importance to restore links and path of dialogue to give some relief to the pain hit masses of Kashmir.

PDP Leader and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, has urged dialogue with Pakistan is must. Mufti, who runs  the state government in alliance with the  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), recently said that there was no other option to stop the “bloodshed” in the  region in the wake of a deadly  attack on an army base in Jammu city.

“We have fought three wars (in 1947, 1965 and 1971) and have won all of them, even the [1999] Kargil war. But our basic problem has not been resolved. There is no alternative to talks,” Mufti told the state assembly.

Senior  BJP leader Ashok Koul recently while talking to a daily newspaper once again reaffirmed need for dialogue he was making comments over statement of Public Works Minister Naeem Akther in which he said that China was now a “major factor” in Kashmir issue. The senior BJP leader said, “People should not be taken for a ride by giving such statements.”

He said that role of Pakistan in Kashmir has been established time and again. “Talks with Pakistan are the only option and China should not be made another party,” Koul added.

Mushtaq ul Haq Sikandar, a political analyst states –

“Dialogue is the civilized away to solve the issues. We have seen worst times and often painful episodes due to absence of structured dialogue. The institution of dialogue is the only way to settle the vexed issue of Kashmir. Renewed call for dialogue from different quarters is a step in right direction and we hope it is given practical shape soon.”

 

 

 

 

Avoid Extravagance

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Spending money in a very extravagant way or any vital resources is logically a very dangerous trait. This is bad virtue from both religious as well as moral angle. A spendthrift. Is normally an individual who does not think about tomorrow? Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you may die. But it is this lethargic approach which has harmed  us as most solidly  as a society and is among one of the primary reasons behind our worrying collapse as a society.

Kashmir is among the  society wherein we have such great level of spendthrift and extravagant approach.

It is known fact that  our tradition cuisine world famous Wazwan  is nothing but the representation of our spendthrift nature. As a matter of fact, Kashmiri cuisine  has evolved over hundreds of years. Subsequently, it has been strongly influenced by the cuisines of Central Asian, Persia, and the North Indian plains.

The most notable ingredient in Kashmir cuisine is mutton, of which there are over 30 varieties served during a single meal  in our marriages commonly known as “Wazwan”. But nowhere in the world except Kashmir one sees such number of dishes served and hundred tonnes of food and mutton is wasted on a given day in Kashmir.

Even our social functions like celebrations, marriages   are true representations of not only overspending, but something more than overspending. We need to take a collective pledge as a nation  to avoid extravagance so that we can achieve the desired progress.

Extravagance should be avoided if we want to move ahead.

Hilal War Calls for Shutdown in Kunanposhpora on February 23

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SRINAGAR, Feb 22, 2018: People’s Political Party (PPP), Chairman and senior leader, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Engineer Hilal Ahmad War has expressed deep sorrow and pain on the 27 Th anniversary of Kunan- Poshpora mass rape. Mr. War stated that “It gives me immense pain to state that about 27 years ago, our wounded paradise the valley of Kashmir witnessed one of the worst ever human rights violations in the human history committed by the Indian army known as the infamous Kunan-Poshpora mass rape. The honor of large number of women of this village on 23 February 1991 was chastised and molested by the occupying forces.”

Hilal Ahmad War has asked State Government to reopen the Kunanposhpora mass rape case so that the perpetrators’ of this heinous crime are punished in order to meet the ends of justice. He appealed the people and Tradesmen of Kunanposhpora to observe complete shutdown onFebruary 23 in the adjoining areas of Kunanposhpora, Kupwara as a mark of protest against this inhuman and heinous crime.

It is pertinent to mention here that on the intervening night of February 23 and 24, 1991, An Army Battalion of the 4th Rajasthan Rifles, 68th Brigade of Indian Army cordoned off the village, the men were taken to a field for an overnight interrogation and the women were gang-raped in their homes without any consideration for their age and marital status. The age of the victims ranged from 13 to 80.

Engineer Hilal also deplored the lack of justice and condemned the Indian State for failing to nail the demons behind this gravest crime and called for the international community intervention into this grave matter. This heinous crime should have been taken up by International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the criminals should have been tried and punished according to the International humanitarian law.

PPP Chief also urged upon the world human rights defenders to wake up from their deep slumber and highlight these tragic episodes. He said that we can show our solidarity and sympathy towards to victims of Kunan-Poshpora in form of unified voice by forging unity among all the Human Rights Organizations of South-Asia in particular in order to punish the culprits of Kunan-Poshpora Mass Rape.

PNB Fraud

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National Bank (PNB) fraud  is a matter of great worry for one and all. PNB told the stock exchange that $ 1.8 billion or over Rs. 11,000 crore had been illegally transferred abroad to select customers from a single branch in Mumbai. “Fraudulent and unauthorized transactions” amounting to around Rs. 11,360 crore benefited “a few select account holders”.

Billionaire jewellery designer Nirav Modi had left the country on January 1 much before the CBI received a complaint from Punjab National Bank on January 29 about a Rs 280 crore fraud, officials said.

His brother Nishal, a Belgian citizen, also left the country on January 1, while wife Ami, a US citizen, and business partner Mehul Choksi, the Indian promoter of Gitanjali jewellery chain, departed on January 6, the officials said.

It is further learnt that  at least three more Indian banks – two from the public sector and one private – are likely to have been caught in the Rs 11,000-crore fraud that hit the Punjab National Bank (PNB) on Wednesday. Union Bank of India, Allahabad Bank and Axis Bank are said to have offered credit based on letters of understanding issued by PNB.

With already many voices stating that Banking sector is in trouble the latest PNB Fraud is a matter of great concern.

 

Throttling Kashmir

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Farzana Mumtaz

With the closure of strategic Jammu- Srinagar National Highway it has been a trend that airfares escalate and currently also due to closed highway due to snow fall and landslides we are  witnessing huge increase in airfare giving much trouble to commuters. A few years back, with the ease of airfare the travel to and from Kashmir for travelers had become affordable. But now since sometime, especially during the tourist season, closed road connectivity  the airfare skyrockets and as a result the different sectors of Kashmir especially tourism are hit hard

Kashmir is known globally as an acclaimed tourist destination. People from all over the world crave to have a glimpse of the natural beauty of Kashmir. The connectivity of Kashmir on account of tough geographical terrain gets in winters marred by the often road disruptions on account of bad weather which causes landslides and road blocks.   With train connectivity to Kashmir from Jammu still incomplete, air travel assumes that extra importance with reference to the tourists visiting Kashmir and also for travelers from Kashmir wishing to visit outside Kashmir for varied reasons.

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Bilal Bashir Bhat, Journalist states – “To boost the tourism where we see many significant decisions by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism department like conducting of winter festival at summer destination Pahalgam, the state seems unaware of the fact that the air ticket prizes are becoming a major cause for the tourists to choose another place for outing.

The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism department which is conducting several road shows, symposiums and seminars in different states of India aimed to boost the tourism sector in Kashmir which lost its sheen particularly after 2014 devastating floods following by the 2016 public uprising has yet failed to address the major issue of the unprecedented airfares particularly at a time of long intervals of road closing due to snowing which is considered main attraction of the tourists.”

Pertinently, all the voices are outraged at abnormal spike in airfare that takes place when highway gets closed. Junaid Azam Mattu, youth leader of National Conference tweeted to Civil Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha – “Fare from Delhi to Srinagar more expensive than round-trip tickets to Dubai from Delhi. I thought @jayantsinha said it’s cheaper to fly than to take an auto rickshaw? Airlines can’t fleece people because we had two inches of snow in the Valley. Highway robbery as usual.”

Without doubt the pulse is that the huge spike in airfare every time national highway gets closed is throttling Kashmir and it needs to be checked .

 

News Kashmir Magazine condoles demise of Mother of Zahoor Ahmed Mir, Joint Director Information

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News Kashmir Magazine family expresses deep condolence over the demise of Mother of Zahoor Ahmed Mir, Joint Director Information Kashmir Division.

News Kashmir team expresses its complete sympathies with Zahoor Ahmed Mir, Joint Director Information Kashmir Division over the sad demise of his mother. We pray Almighty Allah to grant the peace to the departed soul and forbearance to the bereaved family.

Troubled, Terrorised Kashmir Students

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News Kashmir

 

The attacks on the students of Jammu and Kashmir outside the state are continuing unabated without any headway seen in this regard. Even the year 2018 has started with attacks on students from the state especially the Kashmir valley in different parts of India .

 

Just few days back a student hailing from North  Kashmir’s Sopore area was allegedly beaten up by some fellow students near the campus of a private university in Haryana’s Ambala district, police stated . The latest unfortunate incident came close on the heels of a similar incident in which two university students, residents of Jammu and Kashmir, were allegedly beaten up by some people in Haryana’s Mahendragarh.

During the current Assembly session the issue of beating up of Kashmiri students has taken centerstage in the discussions.

Raising the issue in a strong tone,  Senior National Conference leader and MLA Khanyar Ali Mohammad Sagar has expressed deep concern over the continuous attacks on Kashmiris especially  students at places outside the state.

Ali Mohammad Sagar stated – “We have made it clear to the government that continuous attacks on Kashmiri students the recent example being attack at Ambala is having negative impacts on the overall situation and further vitiating the atmosphere and alienating the youth. Despite repeated assurances by the government that we are taking up the matter of security of Kashmiri students with home ministry and concerned Chief Ministers nothing concrete has happened as attacks are continuing”

Ali Mohammad Sagar also made it clear that a statement by Parliament member of BJP asking Muslims to go to Pakistan is of serious concern and we wanted debate on it but speaker disallowed so we walked out.

Syed Tajamul Imran, founder AJKSU and a youth activist stated – “ The series of constant attacks on the Kashmiri students outside the state has been a burning issue since many years now with students from Kashmir always at the receiving end. It is high time for the state and central governments to match their lofty words with some concrete actions in this regard. Assurances have been given every time without any follow up on them. Time has come to devise a concrete strategy to solve this serious issue hampering our youth . “

The saner pulse on the ground is that hooligan elements harming the Kashmiri students should be curbed and a clear cut vision displayed by the respective governments to solve this issue once for all.

Simmering South

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News Kashmir Exclusive

South Kashmir has become synonym of suffering, pain due to continued violence and protests. Daily killings , funerals, encounters, shelling on the protesters has become symbol  of life in South Kashmir.

Over the past four years, Kashmir watchers have trained their gaze and analytical prism on four southern districts of the Valley – Pulwama, Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam. Since 2014, there has been a tremendous rise in the number of local youth taking up arms in these areas of South Kashmir.

Encounters between militants and armed forces are frequent and the local population resenting often when the encounter starts without fearing for their life  have been vehemently expressing support for the rebels. In the local as well as the national media, a consensus has emerged: a new wave of local militancy is gathering strength in South Kashmir despite death of so many militants in encounters .

Estimates state that more than  100  militants have been killed in south Kashmir in the year 2017  and around 115 rebels  are still active in the region.

 

The area of South Kashmir emerged as epicenter in the year 2016 post the historic agitation and  unrest in Kashmir, also known as the Burhan aftermath, which refers to a series of violent protests in the Kashmir Valley of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. It started with the killing of Burhan Wani, a popular commander of the Kashmir-based Islamic militant organisation Hizbul Mujahideen, by the  security forces  .

“The situation in south Kashmir is challenging. The militancy is on the rise there and many locals are joining the militants. It is a cause for concern. Keeping that in view, the intensity of (anti-militancy) operations has increased in that area,” Inspector General, CRPF, Srinagar, Ravideep Sahi had told reporters more than a year ago.   .He was speaking to reporters at a talent hunt sporting event organised by the CRPF.

From Shopian to Kulgam, Pulwama to Anantnag South Kashmir is simmering. On 1 February, 2018 a  10-year-old Musharaf Fayaz of Datmudoor village who had suffered major injuries after a shell went off at the site of a gunfight on January 25 in Chaigund village of Shopian succumbs to his injuries at SKIMS Soura . With his death, the number of civilians killed in Shopian since January 25 has reached five. A civilian Shakir Ahmad Mir was killed near the site of gunfight in Chaigund on January 25 while three civilians were killed after army opened fire on protesters in Ganowpora village on Saturday, 27 January.

“South Kashmir is burning with violence, protests and anger. The government is failing to douse the flaring situation in south Kashmir as bloodbath continues .We need a policy, vision to heal the pain of south Kashmir then only situation would ease out .Reaching out to the angry, pain hit youth of South Kashmir should be top priority to save our youngsters ,” stated a political analyst while pleading anonymity.