Brain Drain Hurting Kashmir

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Cover 14 December, 2020 Issue

Brain Drain Hurting Kashmir Rameez Makhdoomi 

Brain Drain since decades is wrecking havoc in the valley of Kashmir.It is worth pointing outhere that Brain drain is a slang term indicating substantial emigration or migration of individuals. A brain drain can result from turmoil within a nation, the existence of favorable professional opportunities in other countries, or from a desire to seek a higher standard of living.
The shifting to better places for employment is not only causing the brain drain meaning leaving of efficient human resources from native land in this case Kashmir bearing the brunt, but also causing pain and emotional trauma to the elders of families . 

Change is the law of nature and Kashmir cannot be exception but since many years faster  exodus to foreign lands is matter of great concern. 

Syed Arshid Hussain Kashani, a writer and scholarly voices who ponders on this subject states :”  Brain Drain is a very serious issue .There is a case of settling abroad in almost every locality now, with rest of family trying to adjust in the situation. We see a little jubilation in the beginning in most of the cases;however, the families with an old history of such development live in a different shade now. I few months back wrote how an uptown old couple wished to donate their entire property as despite huge properties because of well settled kids outside they had no one around when they needed them most. It was painful to note that the owner told the charity group that there was no dearth of money, he pleaded that he will be donating all his wealth provided in turn charity group  will take care of them as long as they continue to live. This case is not exception but such cases and scenarios are now common thing throughout length and breadth  of the Kashmir valley. “

Syed Arshad Hussain Kashani adds that to great worry  settling abroad is now irresistible; parents and kids have almost surrendered on this issue. It has been found that settling abroad is usually one way traffic; you rarely return to attend your moral obligations and this trend is increasing. 
The voices of sanity on ground state  that if this phenomenon remains unchecked and more youngesters began to abandon their homes, the need for setting up old age homes may become a reality.All this will also hurt the overall talent pool of the Kashmir valley .For decades, Kashmir’ s skilled professionals have preferred emigrating to the Gulf or  West in search of better jobs, lucrative salaries and higher standards of living.  All this is causing loss of talented humans to Kashmir and in this regard the Government of Jammu and Kashmir should create widespread opportunities so brain drain of talented humans is stopped .

Positive Figures on JK Unemployment Levels

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Positive figures on JK Unemployment levels 
The problem of unemployment has been plaguing the present and future of Jammu and Kashmir youth since long . High percentage of unemployment among educated youth has been a much severe problem for Jammu and Kashmir.During Covid Pandemic and  past Upheaval situation on this front had gone worse .
Now in a ray of hope ,The rate of unemployment has fallen to 8.6% in the month of November from 16.1% in October in Jammu and Kashmir, as per the data given by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). 

In July, Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) published the recruitment notification for 8575 Class 4 for District/ Divisional / Union Territory (UT) Cadre.
Pertinent to mention here according to  official reports, A total of 1,35,590 registrations took place for the total vacancies of 8575; which depicts the inside picture of the employment crisis in Jammu and Kashmir. As per The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) figures, India’s unemployment rate is 6.7 per cent which means J&K has a higher unemployment rate than the national average. Among the states 
Haryana tops the list with 25.6 per cent of unemployment rate, followed by Rajasthan with 18.6 per cent. 

The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries in its preliminary report suggested that five lakh job losses were recorded in Kashmir region only post abrogation of Article 370 last August which was followed by lockdown to combat Covid-19 pandemic.One hopes we continue to witness positive developments on unemployment front .

Successful and Healthy Marriage

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Successful and Healthy Marriage 
Suhaib Ashraf Bhat 
 Abu’d-Darda’ (may Allah swt be pleased with him) said to his wife: “If you see me angry, try to calm me down, and if I see you angry I shall try to calm you down, otherwise we cannot live together.
Love is a decision to be committed to another person. It is far more than a fleeting emotion as portrayed on television, the big screen, and romance novels. Feelings come and go, but a true decision to be committed lasts forever—and that is what defines healthy marriages.
What you have to do is treat your wife kindly. Part of kind treatment is listening properly to what she is saying and responding properly. Being right is not limited to men; it may be your wife’s view that is correct and her suggestions and advice may be good. What is preventing you from letting her express her views and discussing them with her in a friendly manner? 
Marriage is a decision to be committed through the ups and the downs, the good and the bad. When things are going well, commitment is easy. But true love is displayed by remaining committed even through the trials of life. Honesty and trust become the foundation for everything in a successful marriage. But unlike most of the other essentials on this list, trust takes time. You can become selfless, committed, or patient in a moment, but trust always takes time. Trust is only built after weeks, months, and years of being  who you say you are and doing what you say you’ll do. It takes time, so start now—and if you need to rebuild trust in your relationship, you’ll need to work even harder. Although it will never show up on any survey, more marriages are broken up by selfishness than any other reason. Surveys blame it on finances, lack of commitment, infidelity, or incompatibility, but the root cause for most of these reasons is selfishness. A selfish person is committed only to himself or herself, shows little patience, and never learns how to be a successful spouse. Give your hopes, dreams, and life to your partner. And begin to live life together.
This is a simple call to value our marriages, treat them with great care, and invest in them daily.
Remember how the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah swt be upon him) listened to the advice of his wife Umm Salamah (may Allah swt be pleased with her) and adopted it in a matter of great importance. That was during the well-known Treaty of al-Hudaybiyah, when she suggested to him that he should go out and not speak to anyone among his Companions until he had slaughtered his hadiy (sacrificial animal) and shaved his head. Our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah swt be upon him) did as his wife (may Allah swt be pleased with her) suggested and there was a great deal of good in that.On the other hand ,Remember that the consequences of harsh  attitude towards your wife may backfire on you; she may refuse to give you any advice so long as you do not accept what she offers you and is forced to agree with you even if you are wrong. Thus you will be depriving yourself of a great deal of good and beneficial advice. It suffices us to say to you: This attitude, in which you insist on your opinion, do not admit your mistakes and do not acknowledge that your wife could be right is the very essence of arrogance, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah swt be upon him) defined it. 
It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah swt be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah swt be upon him) said: “No one will enter Paradise who has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart.” 
A man said: What if a man likes his garment to look nice and his shoes to look nice? 
He said: “Allah swt is Beautiful and loves beauty. Arrogance is rejecting truth and looking down on people.” Narrated by Muslim, no. 91 
What is meant by rejecting truth is denying it out of arrogance and pride. 
Looking down on people means scorning them and thinking little of them. 
Don’t you see that this is the essence of what you are doing with your wife? 
Are you content to have this attitude and hence this fate may be yours? 
Do not forget that she is your life partner and the one who is helping you to raise your children and organise your household. So it is not appropriate to close the doors of discussion to her. You should not be too proud of your opinion and or feel that you do not need to discuss with her and hear her opinion. Do not neglect the words of your Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah swt be upon him): “The best of you is the one who is best to his wife.” Narrated by at-Tirmidhi, 3895; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami‘, 3314. Over and above that, do not forget the words of Allah swt (interpretation of the meaning): “And live with them honourably” [an-Nisa’ 4:19]. Discussion between the spouses increases the love between them and strengthens the bond between them; it also helps to reach the right decision in matters of married life and household and family affairs.
We all have weaknesses and relationships always reveal these faults quicker than anything else on earth. An essential building block of a healthy marriage is the ability to admit that you are not perfect, that you will make mistakes, and that you will need forgiveness. Holding an attitude of superiority over your partner will bring about resentment and will prevent your relationship from moving forward.
It is not the attribute of the wise and mature man to insist when he is in the wrong that his wife should be the one to apologise. Rather he is the one who should hasten to admit his mistake, apologise for it and ask his wife to forgive him. And her duty is to apologize to her husband if she is the one who is in the wrong. It is in this way that married life takes a correct course and lasting love and compassion are strengthened between the spouses. Abu’d-Darda’ (may Allah swt be pleased with him) said to his wife: “If you see me angry, try to calm me down, and if I see you angry I shall try to calm you down, otherwise we cannot live together.”  
May Allah swt bless you all and make your married life full of blessings.

The writer can be reached at  Suhaibbhatt85@gmail.com

PEACE AND ITS HISTORY Syed Mustafa Ahmad

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PEACE AND ITS HISTORY
Syed Mustafa Ahmad
The concept of peace has the distinction of always having been relevant, whatever the age and time . It is inseparably entwined with the issue of human existence. Peace basically means harmony. It not only is among nature’s creations but between nature and man as well. With the passage of time, the concept of peace has gone through many changes. The concept of existence has widened to embrace global existence while isolated nationalism was discarded in favor of the independent existence.  In the present circumstances, the need of peace has increased manifold. In the present, we are facing a lot of problems. Global warming, human rights violations, gender disparity, ethnic cleansing etc., are the evils that are looking us into our faces. These problems have the potential to set the ground for a ferocious war. Today’s age is the age of innovation. Nuclear arsenals can be disastrous, if not used properly. So, in this situation, the necessity of every kind of peace can hardly be overlooked. It should be clear that a war is not a sign of a civilized nation. But we will our best to look into this concept through different angles.      In the onward march of civilization, the biggest threat to peace has been an inclination towards aggressive nationalism. Man was pitted against man since progress was linked to a particular regional identity, narrowly defined by physical borders. It is called regionalism. It was only after the two World Wars and the dropping of two atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that it began to dawn on us what lack of peace meant. The destruction left by the “ hot wars” made us to think that it was of no use for the sake of a particular region. The mutual coexistence could be a better option. In the process of things, the “ hot wars “ were replaced by a Cold War. The World was divided between two superpower rival camps. The USA on the one side and the erstwhile USSR on the other side. It lasted for 45 years. This Cold War like the previous two wars, threatened the World peace on a large scale. The concept of deterrence stopped them from engaging in a hot war. The arenas of the Cold War like Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, etc., made it clear that Europe was again heading for a collateral damage. It is only now that we have begun to grasp the fact that peace is not merely lack of war but p positive concept in itself. It is multifaceted and includes political, social, economic components and all other issues involving man. It is a holistic concept that can’t be fragmented and viewed.      The League of Nations was formed to promote the World peace. But it spectacularly failed in achieving this. It must be noted here that both the World Wars we’re fought for the sake of peace. The First World War was fought for “making the World safe” and the Second World war was fought” for implementing President Wilson’s 14 points”. It was after the Second World war that we achieved limited success in managing peace by the setting up of the UNO. Although it has been dominated by the big powers, it has done some commendable work in giving every nation an equal voice. There is one country- one vote principle in the General Assembly. It has also realized its goal in resolving certain conflicts during the Cold War like the Korean War. But overall the UN in the present conditions have failed to resolve many issues. The Palestine issue, the Kashmir issue, the Rohingyas, The Tamils, the Arab Spring, etc., to name few. Some issues among the above-mentioned problems can set the whole World on fire. We are witnessing it with each passing day when a nuclear power country incites another nuclear country for a war. In between, the helpless nations become the soft target. Until and unless, the grass root problems are not addressed, the achievement of global peace is a distant dream. Issues like poverty, global warming, female infanticide, genocide, loot of free market economy, fascism in the garb of democracy, etc., should be addressed on a war footing basis. For this to happen, everyone has to come forward for the sale of beautiful and tendering nature.      If global peace is to be achieved as an objective, we must discard piecemeal measures and go to the root of the problem. It is the world divided into the ‘ haves’ and ‘have nots’. Until a balance is achieved between the two, there will always be disequilibrium and hence, a threat to world peace. The distribution of wealth and power is in favor of the industrially developed nations and until we redress this anomaly, there will continue to be disruptions in peace. The industrially developed Nations must develop their responsibilities towards developing band under developed nations. The under developed nations must also inculcate a culture of self-help rather than expecting anything from the international organisations.  Cultural invasion must be restrained since it breeds a sense of insecurity among minority communities and religions. Fundamentalism of extreme type should be stopped at any cost. It is this mindset that proves very destructive for the global peace. Superpowers must also give the temptation of mistaking their interests for the interests of the world in general.      Regional groupings can play an instrument role in standing up to big power dominance and promoting their own agenda of peace. The Non-Aligned Movement was the best exams let in this regard. It tried to mitigate the rivalry between the two super powers and put forth their own agenda of global peace, however that itself is mired by the paradoxes. SAARC, BRICS, RCEP and OIC can also play a decisive role in establishing to the global peace. Among them, SAARC has a large role to play, particularly in the South Asia. There are two nuclear weapons states in this group. They can act as a deterrence in the wake of any threat to the global peace. The change of mindset and living in a continuous mutual coexistence can help a lot.     World peace and ecological stability are related since only peace can bring the focus back to preserving the earth, rather than destroying it. Both concepts appeal to the natural and stable instincts in man and are the two sides of sustainable development. Only if nations stop viewing each other with suspicion, they can divert resources towards creating a healthier environment, rather than simply defending a system and a way of life, which is no longer sustainable.      Last but not the least, global peace is not a matter of policy. It is about survival. If we choose peace, we choose life and if we reject peace, we reject life. This painful experience has come to us after we have lost innumerable people. It is not too late to act. There is a change in the future. We can pledge that our actions should be in the direction of peace and not vice versa. We are hopeful that after a bloody battle, peace will embrace us. The only need is to be careful whatever we do. Before pointing at other person’s fault, we should look at ourselves. There should be a balanced world order. Inequality should be removed at the earliest. Let us walk hand in hand and make it our concern that we should be equal in the world of inequalities.
Syed Mustafa Ahmad writer is based at Hajibagh near zainakote and can be reached at Syedmustafaahmad9@gmail.com.

Weak IT Sector Hurting Kashmir News Kashmir Technology Bureau

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Cover story 7 December,2020

Weak IT Sector Hurting Kashmir News Kashmir Technology Bureau 

Information Technology is considered among the major sectors  of world  today generating a sizeable revenues  and considerable  proportions of employment throughout the world  .
Over the past few decades the  IT Sector has taken center-stage in the progress of global economies and played a very important  role in the  development of Indian economy too. 
Pertinently, India, one of the most technologically forward moving countries in the globe; the IT sector plays a major  role in economy and as a matter of fact sometime back it employed more than 3  million people and accounts for over five percent of the country’s gross domestic product and export earnings. 
 It was stated that India’s outsourcing industry is expected to hit 225 billion dollars by in 2020.
 But unfortunate part is that in Kashmir not much attention has been paid to the development of Information Technology sector and despite producing huge number of IT professionals we do not have  job opportunities for them. 

Most importantly despite being announced several years back the dream of having Mega IT Park in Kashmir has remained an elusive dream. Now with Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir coming into being many voices are hopeful that IT sector of Kashmir gets due attention. 

 Experts from time to time have made it clear that there are a wide variety of career opportunities available for capable and experienced IT professionals. 
Experts are urging upon the government to take all the necessary steps for the promotion of IT Sector in the valley of Kashmir.
 Dvelopment of IT sector in Kashmir holds the key towards the path of peace and progress . The Information Technology sector outhere lacks quality IT Parks and a large number of IT Professionals are thus jobless in the valley of Kashmir.We have been witness to the negative fact that  IT Parks have been promised but no pragmatic effort made to build the same.
Javaid Ahmad  ,an Information Technology  professional said, “ Information Technology is big  sectors of today’s world and no country or place can progress swiftly  without it.We in Kashmir as a  matter of worrisome facets  lack quality IT Parks in Kashmir .The majority of IT Professionals in the valley of Kashmir are facing a host of issues and problems on account of lack of job avenues in this all important sector in the entire state especially  kashmir valley. We are hopeful that major steps would be taken to promote IT Sector of Kashmir.’
One hopes IT Sector of Kashmir sees brighter tomorrow soon.

Begum zaffar Ali

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Begum zaffar Ali

By Sufaya Yousuf 
Begum zaffar Ali was born in 1901 to Khan Bahar Agha Syed Hussain Thakur, the Judicial Minister during Maharaja Hari Singh’s rule. She begun her career as a teacher in 1925 at the Girls MissionHighSchool (present day Mallinson Girls School). A staunch believer of women’srights, she went door to door to raise awareness regarding girls’ education in the valley and empower them through.Her speeches at public events inspired women who started sending their girls to schools.Begum zaffar Ali was the first woman matriculate of kashmir who went on to become Inspector of schools in kashmir. She was an educationist,women
liberation activist, Deputy Director ofEducation and later a legislator in the Indian state of jammu and kashmir. She was associated with the activities of the All India women’s conference and was its Secretary before partition, but a chance meeting with Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his sister,Fatima Jinnah in kashmir, who would later visit the family for banquets, influenced her and she left the conference to concentrate her efforts in women’s liberation movement in the pre-independantIndia.Begum zaffar Ali was married to Agha zaffar Ali Qizilbash, a scion of an aristocratic Afghan family settled in kashmir. The couple had three sons, Agha Nasir Ali, a civil servant who retired as Labour Secretary of Indiain1977, Agha shaukat
Ali, who joined civil services of Pakistanduring the partition of India in 1947 and Agha Ashraf Ali, an academician who retired as the Commissioner of higher education in Jammu andKashmir.As a chief inspector, she also introduced midday meals in school. Before her retirement, she was also appointed as the Deputy Director Education Kashmir for the relentlessness efforts in the matter of empowerment. She was also a member of the social welfare Advisory Board, Jammu and Kashmir.Begum Zaffar Ali also established a technical training centre for women of limited means in the valley, in the capacity of Deputy chairman of the advisory board. Between1977-82, she became a member
of the legislative Assembly and tried tobring out various reforms for education and women’s emancipation along with other social issues. The policies she endorsed were by and large progressive and directed towards the uplifting ofwomen.Begum zaffar Ali died in 1999 at the age of 99 at the residence of her son Agha Shaukat Ali in the United States of America. Her grandson Agha Shahi Ali an award- winning kashmiri American  poet, wrote a poem in memory of her which was included in the collection “ The Veiled Suite: the Collected Poems”. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of Padma shri in1987.However, renounced the award due to what she termed the undemocratic policies of the IndianGovernment in Jammu and Kashmir.
Begum Zaffar Ali will be remembered forever for her efforts in the enlightenment of women. Such kind of people are difficult to find. Jammu and Kashmir is lucky in producing such kind of personalities who live for others.
The writer  SUFAYA YOUSUF is Currently pursuing bachelor’s degree atsrinager

Cold Season can rapidly spread Coronavirus : DR.Shikha Panwar

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Cold Season can rapidly spread Coronavirus : DR.Shikha Panwar 
DR. SHIKHA PANWAR,M.B.B.S, M.D. (Anesthesiology), IDCCM (Indian Diploma in Critical Care Medicine), Associate Director & HOD Sarvodaya Hospital  is leading Intensivist of India with over 15 years of experience .
In an exclusive interview with the News Kashmir , she talks to Rameez Makhdoomi.
Why has Delhi Covid Picture gone worse suddenly?
Delhi picture has got worse sudden as people were not following Social Distance norms .Many people three Diwali Party without following any Standard Operating Procedures SOPs ,and this callous attitude gave rise to number of Coronavirus cases. The Increase in Pollution level, decrease in temperature , Increase in activity of people and above all people not masking properly has lead to increase in cases in Delhi .
What Precautions should people take in winters ?The people due to winters need to take extra precautions and this virus survives in lower temperature .Once the virus survives in lower temperature it can remain on surfaces for longer time .This is airborne opportunistic infection also so if it is a crowded place any one being Covid positive outhere can transmit it through coughing and virus will remain suspended for sometime . In hot and dry temperature virus gets killed soon ,but in cold virus does not loose moisture so virus spreads soon.So due to these realities cold season can result in more cases.  The people need to clean and sterilise high touch surfaces often and wear clean ,sterlized mask daily . If it is a cotton mask you should not use it beyond ten to fifteen uses .What is proper way of wearing masks ?Proper way of wearing masks is that most of people know how to wear it properly .It should be a three layer cotton mask ,front and back should be cotton and Central of mask should be silk layer .It should be adequately covering your nose and below your chin .The sterilisation of mask is must especially if it is cotton mask  .High risk patients especially those who are old and have Comorbidity should wear surgical masks . One surgical mask can be used only for eight hours and so change it daily ,but it should be thrown in proper sterilisation  method .Air drying masks for 62 hours especially N95 can help you to reuse them .N95 Masks should be mostly used by those who are in close contact with Covid patients .Latest research shows Mouthwash can be effective in fighting Coronavirus,your take on it ?We have some research that shows Mouthwash can be effective in fighting Coronavirus ,but once the virus enters the cells it multiplies and it takes over the machinery of the body and at that time mouthwash won’t help . Mouthwashing can be effective only in intial stages when Coronavirus is lodged in throat and later on it can’t help. We must do mouthwash but relying only on Mouthwash can’t help us in fighting Coronavirus Kashmir is known for harsh  cold winters ,what extra precautions should people take ?Kashmir is a place known for very cold temperatures in winters . You have to avoid cold temperatures and avoid congestion and heavy population of people. Kashmir has one advantage it has less population and physical distance maintaing is easy. People in indoor places should try not to flood their places with people . Please open often a door and ensure room ventilation.Role of antibody testing in fighting Coronavirus Pandemic ?The role of antibody testing in fighting Coronavirus Pandemic can be understood by the fact that Coronavirus Pandemic is a huge challenge for us and antibody testing has got a limited role in this fight . The strain of Coronavirus is changing that makes immunity unsure facet .Some research shows antibody lasts for six to 12 months but based on that immunity passport can’t be given . Although reinfection cases won’t be much but some people will get reinfected as their bodies won’t handle the change in strain. Even if you have developed antibody still maintain social distance and good hand hygiene. What is your message ?My message is simple and clear .I don’t want people to get infected and I want people to be sensitive to others and not to spread the infection to others. If we take responsibility of own we won’t spread it to society.As soon people get Covid symptoms they should start isolating and shun isolation only after going Covid negative. Young people can be asymptomatic but carry it to home to Elders and harm them .People should be conscious of their own actions .When do you see effective vaccine coming in India ?I don’t see India getting Covid vaccine in 2021 .Only if WHO intervenes health care professional might get it in mid 2021 . India’s covaxin is still in third stage trails and even with 70 percent efficacy it won’t be better bet .We need something like  Pfizer which has 90 percent efficacy but they  will give it first to rich nations .

Inefficient WAQF

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Inefficient WAQF
Rameez Makhdoomi

Kashmir is the famous allover globe as being land of great Saints, Sufis. It is bestowed with religious wealth in the form of abundant shrines and places of worship enjoying reverence and allegiance of people professing different faiths.The valley of Kashmir with the inception of Islam did undergo tremendous  positive changes at all levels and strata of society. Islam in Kashmir wasn’t result of some brutal and bloody conquest but by the efforts and toil of Sufi Saints. The imprints which Islam left on Kashmiris have been rightly observed by the noted historian Prem Nath Bazaz “Politics had dehumanized the Kashmiris; Islam made them men again. Just as the Muslim rule was established in Kashmir without much bloodshed, so was Islam spread throughout the length and breadth of the valley by peaceful preaching and lucid persuasions of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamdani(RA) and hundreds of the Sayyid Missionaries who came from Hamadan and other parts of Persia.As a matter of fact, the sacred shrines in Kashmir belong to both Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims and are visited by lakhs  of devotees. Some of the shrines are the world renowned  such as shrine of Dargah Sharif Hazratbal, Baba-Zain-ud-Din Wali R.A. (Aishmuqam), Baba Hyder Reshi R.A. (Anantnag), the last of the saints of the Rishi order in Kashmir about whose resting place the Alamdar-i-Kashmir (Flag Bearer of Kashmir), Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Rishi R.A. (Charar- e -Sharief) , Baba Dawood Ghoni R.A. (Vailoo), Hazrat Noor Shah Bagdadi R.A. (Kund), Hazrat Sheikh Syed Samnani R.A. (Kulgam), Baba Naseeb-ud-Din Ghazi R.A. (Bijbehara) Hazrat Syed Yaqoob Sarfi R.A.,Hazrat Baba Gulindin Sahib (R.A.),Hazrat Baba Reshi Sahib R.A. Gulmarg, Hazrat Baba Shikur – u –din Sahib R.A. Watlab Sopore, Shrine of Hazrat Peer-e-Dastgeer Sheikh Syed Abdul Qadir Geelani R.A.at Khanyar Srinagar etc.Besides, these Muslim shrines, in J&K there are other sacred religious places like Chatti Padshahi Gurudwara  in Srinagar and Shri Vaishno Devi In Katra managed by Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (GPC) and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi .Muslim WAQf Board is managing these all shrines which has the unique distinction of being second largest asset rich body in Jammu and Kashmir after the  government as it  is the custodian of these 47 holy shrines in the Kashmir Valley. WAKF Board gets tremendous income   from the Nazar o Niyaz (Donations) made by the devotees visiting these sacred shrines with unflinching faith.What is tragic to note is the fact that despite generating tremendous resources, the  corruption and malpractices have marred the functioning of WAQF since decades admitted even by top management.WAQF in Kashmir should have been known for philanthropic activity ,building strong institutes of health and education but it is most of times in news for all the wrong reasons .Recently, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Member, Central Waqf Council and Chairperson, Waqf Development Committee, Ministry of Minority Affairs,  Dr. Darakhshan Andrabi stated  that Waqf Board is corrupt to the core and no place Is left untouched by the corrupt hands of the board in Kashmir.
While speaking  at Balhama, She said, “Since I’ve been a part of the board, I’ve seen a lot of corruption take places. I will make sure that all of those people, who have done corruption, will not get away with it.”
Chairperson of Central Waqf Development Committee said, “The corruption is everywhere, Mosques, graveyards, shrines, etc. no place has been left. I am a part of the board, I request the government of India to create a separate Waqf board for the Shia community.”
Masses are hopeful that WAQF Functioning would improve.

Black voters gave overwhelming support to Joe Biden Kamla Harris is future of Democratic Party : Analisa Swan, Democratic Delegate

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Black voters gave overwhelming support to Joe Biden Kamla Harris is future of Democratic Party : Analisa Swan, Democratic Delegate 

Analisa Swan is a prominent USA activist . She was  DNC Delegate for Joe Biden CA 28, Attorney at Law at Ford and Wallach ,a grassroots activist who campaigned passionately for American elect President Joe Biden and VP Kamla Harris .over a decade of experience advocating solely on behalf of injured workers for Ford & Wallach, Ms. Swan is a passionate committed advocate for individuals seeking benefits through the California workers’ compensation system.
In an exclusive interview with the News Kashmir, she talks to Rameez Makhdoomi.
How was Joe Biden victory possible which was looking a  distant reality a year back ?
In my opinion, Joe was able to win the primary (1) with a very committed core group of unpaid volunteer supporters that included people like myself. Some were with Joe from the beginning. Others, like myself came to Joe after our candidate in the primary dropped out. My first candidate in the primary was Kamala. When Kamala dropped out, I immediately went to Joe, but continued to advocate for Kamala as VP. Some of the other core volunteers came from Beto O’Rouke’s campaign. Beto ended his primary campaign in 11/19. In early 12/19, Kamala ended her primary campaign. Volunteers like myself phone banked for Joe, text messaged for Joe, canvassed, and even travelled to other states to canvass and support Joe. The canvassing was pre-pandemic. In 2/20 over Presidents’ Day weekend, I travelled from my home in Burbank (Los Angeles), in the state of California, to Las Vegas, in the state of Nevada, to canvass for Joe.The second and considered the biggest reason Joe ended up winning the 2020 primary is the historic endorsement of House of Representative Congressman, James (Jim) Clyburn (Democrat) in South Carolina. Clyburn is a Black leader in Congress and in the Democratic Party. He gave a very powerful and personal endorsement of Joe. Jim is a moral leader in the Democratic Party. His endorsement resonated throughout South Carolina, and especially with Black voters in South Carolina. Black voters are the backbone of the entire Democratic Party. Black voters are the most reliable Democratic voters. Joe overwhelming won South Carolina on 2/29/20. This ignited massive excitement with Democratic voters in the primary. It gave a strong convincing signal to other members of the Democratic Party that Black voters overwhelmingly support Joe Biden. It was a huge amount of momentum that led into “Super Tuesday” on 3/3/20, when the largest number of states hold their Democratic Party primary election. Joe ended up winning Super Tuesday. At that point money and support began heavily flowing in to the Biden campaign. Much if this spurred by the urgency in the Democratic Party to coalesce around a front runner. It was felt that Joe as a very well known leader as Obama’s Vice President, and Joe’s more moderate policy stance than some of than some of the other candidates in the primary such as Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren, would be most likely to win the general election.
What is your take on Kamla Harris as vice president? Joe made a historic choice by selecting Kamala Devi Harris as VP. Kamala is my Senator and was my Attorney General. She is a brilliant attorney, and extremely charismatic. Selecting Kamala represents the diversity of America. Kamala is Black and Indian (South Asian American). She is the 1st woman VP, the 1st VP that is Black, and the 1st VP that is Indian (South Asian American). She is very liberal and a leader. She has led on LGBTQIA+ rights, she helped reform the criminal justice system in California to make it more progressive, even as much reform is still needed in our criminal justice system. California is the 5th largest economy in the world. California has the largest population in America. California has the largest criminal justice system, second only to the federal government. As such, Kamala, brings a lot of experience as VP from her experience in the Senate and as AG from her tome leading the big state of California.

How tough is Covid Challenge for Biden?Joe’s main actions will be to get control of the out of control COVID19 pandemic in America. Joe plans to set up a coronavirus task force . Joe plans to work closely with scientists and the medical community. Joe’s plans also include protecting and restoring Obamacare (healthcare); rejoin the Paris climate accord and fight climate change; overturn the Muslim travel ban; reinstate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows “dreamers” i.e., undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children, to remain in the United States.
Your own political ambitions ?I have no plans to run for any political offices, but I really enjoy grassroots political activism! I believe in fighting for our rights and good policies. Democracy is not a spectator sport. It requires active participation and voting!
How was the mood in democratic party different this time as opposed to 2016?I should also add that unlike in 2016, the Democratic Party was extremely unified around the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden. The candidates and supporters of the candidates that did not win the nomination, quickly and fully supported Joe Biden.Everyone in the Democratic Party recognized the existential threat posed by Donald Trump to democracy and the party united to defeat  Trump.
 Some more views on Kamla Harris and Joe Biden ?Personally, I am so excited for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris! Kamala represents the future of the Democratic Party. Joe sees himself as someone able to help be a bridge to future leadership in America and the Democratic Party.

CREATIVE DEBATE AND NOISE: WHAT TO CHOOSE?

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CREATIVE DEBATE AND NOISE: WHAT TO CHOOSE?

By Syed Mustafa Ahmad
Debate can be defined as to argue about a particular subject, in a formal way. Debate has been the salient feature of a civilized society. Any innovative thought is thoroughly discussed. The pros and cons of a thing are taken into account. There is no status quo in that society. A solid truth is reinterpreted according to the nature of time. However, it doesn’t mean that truth doesn’t remain the truth at all but the approach, understanding, behavior, etc., found in a particular period, may be different in another period. So, it is creative debate that removes anomalies, if found in a society. But on the other hand, we have noise. Some debates are no debates at all. There only is noise and noise. Nothing good comes out from those debates. The audience feels suffocated. They abhor the word “ debate’ and don’t want to discuss it in their lives.       If this is the case, what is the way to be followed to have a creative debate. In order to remain aloof from noise, what are the salient features that are to be accepted in order to have a creative debate. What is the difference between a creative debate and noise? When we call any discussion a creative debate and when not. Where is the creative debate organized? These are some prerequisites that come in a person’s mind when he wants to differentiate between the two terms. Here, I will try my best to make it clear that what is the creative debate in reality. Moreover, the main focus of my article will be about the conditions required for the creative debate.     First is that with the passage of time, the change is felt in every domain of life. Social life, economic life, political life, moral life, etc., go through a change. The obsolete thoughts give space to new ones. In this transition, there is necessity of changing our outlook. It is here where the need for the creative debate emerges. There is a deliberation about the past and the present. Those things that were true in the past and are relevant to the present, are taken into account. They are preserved and the future course of action is taken accordingly. Those things that are no longer relevant to the present, are discarded. If this is the situation, where the history of any nation is sieved, there are cent percent chances that this society will progress far and wide. But on the other hand, if the past only is the condition for the future, there are cent percent chances that this society will fall headlong into the pit of abyss. Like in case of the Muslims, they have the best Constitution in the world, i.e., the holy Qur’an. Its principles are unalterable. They are compatible with the society. It is for all ages. But the Qur’an itself wants from us is that you should make decisions according to the principles of this book, but the present world should be kept in mind. The ongoing circumstances should be pondered over and accordingly the decisions should be made. But sometimes, the orthodox people are not in a position to accept bit and called it blasphemy. At this point of time, it is difficult to carry out the creative debates.       Second is that we should be in a position to learn from others. When we have this feature, we will have the creative debates. A prejudiced mind never learns anything. He or she won’t be in a position to replace his or her obsolete thoughts with new ones. Hence, it will hamper the smooth functioning of the creative debates. The Muslims learnt philosophy from the Greeks while the world learnt hygiene, equality, Scientific temper, broad mindedness, etc., from the Muslims. It is a give and take method. But the problem starts when a nation exaggerates in many domains, without looking at the world outside. Every event leaves an effect on history. But the essential thing is that good principles from each other should be learnt, discussed and followed.       Third is that we should not judge a book by its cover. On the ground level, a thing looks filthy. But when we remove the layers, the thing comes to the surface with its splendor. This is the biggest fault in the modern times. We see a group of people by its outward appearance and never bother to learn about them deeply.  If we take an example of coal. A piece of coal is black in color. But among the pieces of coal, there lies diamond. Same is the situation in the present world. We have to find reasonable persons among all the communities so that the ground is prepared for effective debates. There are persons who have this capacity but due to many hurdles, they don’t come to the surface. They hate the same noise that has occupied each and every corner of the world. Without these persons, nothing good will availed of. So, this is one of the most important factors in this regard.      Fourth and last is that the common people should be prepared for this. They are not ready. Their minds are barren. They are biased and partial. Their minds are stuffed with some different material. That should be erased. A new initiative has to be started which can lead to new ideas. People generally take noise as a debate. But they should be taught that there is a wide gap between the creative debate and noise. Noise is made by the half intellectuals. They know things superficially. They have no hold over things. Hence, it may provide some boost to the creative debates.      In the light of above discussion,  we should be ready to learn everything that is good according to the divine principles. Take everything that is good for humanity. The principles that bind us together, should be welcomed and the things that disintegrate us, should be abhorred. We have miles to go in order to make this place fit to live. It still is full of challenges. Let intellectualism prevail and the society differentiates between the creative debate and noise.