News Kashmir Magazine

Farzana Mumtaz

Since the deadly  Uri attack on Indian army base, surgical attacks by India on alleged militant launching pads in Pakistan, the borders have been erupting on daily basis. LOC, International Border in Jammu and Kashmir  are the worst hit with the civillian population paying biggest price of continued hostilities.

Scores of civillians have been killed in both countries on account of unabated border shelling .

Pertinently, a number of army men guarding border too have lost their lives due to these continued skirmishes .
On the other hand, majority of families have left the border areas to safer places due to continued  upheaval on borders .

Experts are worried about escalations  of this heightened, deadly nature on Indo-Pak border .
On a single day on Tuesday,  8 civilians were  killed as Pakistan shells landed on villages in Samba, Rajouri, including two children in the age group of four to five,  when Pakistani Rangers resorted to heavy shelling in Ramgarh sector of Samba and Rajouri whereas 22 people have been injured.

Few days back, Pakistan also stated that severeal civillians were killed when shells fired  from India landed in Marriage party in its administered Kashmir.

Mir Imran, a human rights Defender stated – ” The deadly clashes on border on routine basis since past few weeks have destroyed the fragile peace.It is a matter of great misfortune that large number of civillians in both countries especially those belonging to divided state of Jammu and Kashmir have been killed, and a sizeable number have been wounded.All these tough conditions are leading to exodus of common population from the Border areas to safer places.It is high time that voices of sanity, peace and humanity in both countries get their acts together in order to save this region from further destruction.”

Importantly, the academic picture is also taking a hit in border areas . Government recently ordered closure of 174 schools situated along border, LoC in Jammu region.

Borders escalating at dramatic pace, killing spree all signal that India and Pakistan confrontation with every passing moment is getting uglier and dangerous which could burn entire region.

Rameez Makhdoomi

(Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world – Nelson Mandela)
Schools are cradles of civilizations. School education lays the foundation stone in building the personality of a person. The growth and future of any  country highly depends upon health of its Schooling system. The knowledge learned in school plays a major role in peoples’ daily lives. …School is also important for developing important social skills.

Unfortunately in Kashmir on account of political turmoil spanning over past three decades the very schools have had to bear  the worst brunt.

More than 20 mostly Government schools in Kashmir have been burned in a wave of arson attacks over the past four months of unrest and agitation – with the arson incidents being blamed on unknown miscreants.

On the otherhand, according to local media reports Government has reportedly assigned the job of securing schools in Kulgam district to teachers and asked them to spent nights in their respective schools to thwart attacks by miscreants .Pertinently, the move  has however infuriated the teachers who accused the government of making them a soft target of the attacker.

Importantly, these continuous dastardly acts of burning schools in Kashmir are paining one and all. In an official statement, education minister and government spokesman, Naeem Akhtar lamented that the damage to schools is not just burning of an institution but a “colossal loss for the entire society”. “During the last few months Kashmir has gone through a bad phase which has caused pain to everybody,” he said.

Sometime back, Officials of the directorate of school education stated  that 17 government middle, high and higher secondary schools have been burnt mysteriously during the unrest. Of these, seven were reduced to ashes while 10 were damaged partially in the fire.Besides the 17 government schools, two prominent private schools were also been damaged in fires, But since these days more schools have been burnt down.

Most of the schools have been burnt in the dead of the night by unknown ‘miscreants’.

While talking to News Kashmir, Bilal Bashir Bhat, a young activist and Journalist stated – “ Schools are building blocks of every civilized nation of the world. We cannot think of a tolerant, educated, peaceful, civilized world without schools. The burning of schools has a direct negative impact on the right of children to realise their right to basic education. This heinous act clearly undermines the basic right of our children to education. Miscreants burning schools should be identified and handed exemplary punishment.”

Sadly, on Thursday 28 th October, the news of arson attack on two more schools- one at Pattan in North Kashmir, other at Khag area of Budgam in Central Kashmir came, with masses urging on the law enforcement agencies to nab the heinous forces behind burning of schools.

 

Certainly, arson is  the  big  issue which is plaguing the present and  future of education in Kashmir these days.

 

 

By Farzana Mumtaz

 

In the latest dramatic turnaround of events, The Mehbooba Mufti government in Jammu and Kashmir has sacked 18 officials for their alleged role in fuelling unrest in the state. More than 100 others are being watched closely, and there could be more sackings, sources said. Kashmir has been witnessing a 105 day upheaval since the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani which has lead to killing of more than 90 protesters, thousands injured and arrested.

On the otherhand, scores have been blinded by pellet gun. Now, many are stating that this move of terminating services of employees is brutal assault on freedom of speech and set democratic norms. Both employee leaders and employees have threatened government with massive stir if it does not revoke the termination. Importantly, the government has written to departmental heads to issue termination letters to these employees without any delay even though the latter can approach court to question the sacking ‘without holding mandatory inquiry into the charges leveled again them’.

 

The criminal investigation department (CID) and central intelligence agencies are reportedly said to have prepared a list of more than hundred employees for ‘leading or nudging’ protests in Kashmir.

Pertinently, President Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC) Abdul Qayoom Wani told news agency CNS that the number of sacked employees was more than 12.

“The number of sacked employees exceeds 12 and it is round about 40,” he said, adding that the incumbent government has crossed all the limits of “suppression”.

“All the sacked employees are lower rung employees and we will protect their interests at any cost,” he said.

 

Accusing the government of trampling the rights of people particularly employees, Wani said that EJAC will convene a special session to discuss the future course of action. While as, reacting to the termination of more than dozen employees by the state government in wake of their participation in ongoing Kashmir agitation, Prominent Employee Leader and Government Employees Conference Chairman Ishtiyaq Beigh has castigated the move terming it as murder of Democracy.

” Employees are part and parcel of society, and are bound to participate in their sufferings, happiness, lows and highs .The termination of services of employees on pretext of being part of current protests is a step taken in wrong direction. This move has sent wrong signals to the employee fraternity – spread an environment of disappointment and sadness.”

Ishtiyaq Beigh urged Government to revoke the termination soon as to avoid a large scale protests from employees on the move .

 

 

Ground watchers  say such terminations had occurred in the 1990s when armed militancy and separatism was at its peak in Kashmir. Interestingly, Education minister Naeem Akhtar was among five government employees dismissed from service by the state government in 1990 for his alleged involvement in anti-national activities.

It is worth mentioning here that most of the sacked employees are lower run and employee leadership has maintained  sacking lower rung employees this government has virtually stabbed their families.

What will the future situation lead to remains to be seen.

 

Rameez Makhdoomi

On third day of Eid ul Fitr , July 8 , 2016, when whole Kashmir was busy with festivity the evening came with a news that would go on to alter the entire situational paradigm of Kashmir ; Hizbul Mujahedeen Commander and widely popular militant Burhan Wani was killed along with his associates in an encounter with security forces at picturesque resort of Kokernag in South Kashmir. Since then protests, killings, pellet injuries, blinding and continuous shutdown for over hundred days has defined life in Kashmir and the valley has been turned into war zone.

In between, the pellet blinded people and the dead eye of victims have defined the  tyranny faced by people of Kashmir .The killing of young children in forces action has given rise to enormous outrage. Insha Mushtaq, the 14-year-old who lost her both eyes when she was fired with pellets by state forces at Sedow Shopian emerged as the poster girl for Kashmiris protesting against pellet injuries caused by pellet  firing over the last three months.

Arrests, detentions have been the only response to calm down tempers as Public Safety Act has been profusely used to scuttle dissent. Communication gag has also been implemented over this period.

As a matter of fact, On the other hand, a  day after Wani’s death, former Chief Minister of state Omar Abdullah said that his killing had made him the new icon of the disaffected section of the Kashmiri society and further warned that more Kashmiris will join the militancy after his death as compared to when he was alive.

Yasir Zargar, a columnist reflecting on the hundred day volatile situation in Kashmir states states – “The current uprising or what we call the2016 intifada has returned to the streets of Kashmir. Its third time since this type of uprising took place on the streets, across villages in Kashmir. The 2016 uprising marks its deep roots in the hearts of Kashmiri’s which somehow makes sense that the people of Kashmir have had been oppressed since along. The current intifada almost completed three months and it may go long. In these days people came out on streets to cull de sac with a slogan that they want freedom from Indian occupation. The Indian state forces who are responsible for gross human rights violation have continued their occupation by maiming a thousand youths by hitting them in their eyes. They killed a hundred young men and women who took part in an agitation by protesting against them. They are curbing down the clamor of slogans but unfortunately that echoes out from the walls and reverberates making the voice clear that the people stand for the freedom which is their basic right and unfortunately not given to them. They stand for those young boys who have had been killed in cold blood, they stand for those young people who lost their eye sight. If India continues to treat the voices of Kashmir as filthy disdain and exploiting the sentiments by giving a name as “Pakistan back sponsored” then the time would come near soon and the ground would witness chaos. It’s clear that they haven’t yet understood that it’s not either Pak sponsored nor Hurriyat sponsored but this agitation has links with the unsettled dispute. This ire among people should make sense that people have always been stood for the cause of freedom. They may call it perversion but honestly speaking that they have to swig it. There is a renewed spirit among Kashmiris. We now believe more than ever that Azadi is our destiny.”

 

In nutshell, killings, shutdowns, curfew, internet gag, mobile gag, pellet victims, funerals, arrests, detentions have defined the life in Kashmir in past 100 days in Kashmir.

News Kashmir Analysis

India – Pakistan relations are on the verge of total collapse. Pertinently, the nearly three month long Kashmir agitation which has killed 88, 13000 injured and hundreds blinded coupled with URI attacks resulting in death of 19 Indian soldiers had plummeted relations between India and Pakistan.

With now India claiming that it has carried surgical strikes on militant camps killing scores the relations between India and Pakistan has collapsed.”Significant casualties have been caused to terrorists and those trying to shield them. We don’t have a plan to further conduct such strikes. India has spoken to Pakistan,” DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said.

 

On the otherhand, many countries have expressed serious concern over the growing tension between India and Pakistan in the wake of Uri militant  attack.

Recently, Pakistan Prime Minister Mr.  Nawaz Sharif devoted much of his 20-minute speech at the U.N. General Assembly session to Kashmir and the current situation in the Valley and said Pakistan “fully supports the demand of the Kashmiri people for self-determination.”

He demanded an “independent inquiry into the extra-judicial killings” and a U.N. fact-finding mission to Kashmir “so that those guilty of these atrocities are punished.” He further glorified slain Hizbul commander Burhan Wani as a “young leader”.

India after few days hit back at Pakistan. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asked the world community to hold countries that “nurture, peddle and export” terrorism to account, taking forward India’s campaign to diplomatically isolate Pakistan. A unified global strategy can defeat terrorism, “and if any nation refuses to join this global strategy, then we must isolate it,” she said, speaking in Hindi.

Countering Mr. Sharif, who had accused India of human rights violations, at the UN last week, Ms. Swaraj sought to turn the table on Islamabad. “The brutality against the Baloch people represents the worst form of State oppression,” she said, referring to the ethnic minority in Pakistan.

Bilal Bashir Bhat, a Journalist and Political Analyst stated – “The Indian – Pakistan relations have taken a worrying downslide and nothing seems to be going right for both the countries in terms of envisaging cordial relationship between the two arch rivals . Be it agitation going on in Kashmir, Uri attacks and the claims of Surgical attacks by India in Pakistan administered Kashmir the tensions seem to be spiraling out of control. The saner heads should prevail and ease the situation and try to find out some sort of headway amid these gloomy times.”

While on the otherhand of the spectrum, Trade ties, cultural ties, humanitarian relations have suffered a setback . The fears especially among the populace living in border areas are growing in wake of these escalating tensions among India and Pakistan.

Pertinently, the India and Pakistan relations are collapsing and the times ahead would be full of curiosity and tension.

 

 

Rameez Makhdoomi

Recently,  noted human rights activist, Khurram Parvez  has been booked  under the infamous Public Safety Act (PSA).Sessions court in Srinagar had ordered the release of human rights activist Khurram Parvez, who was taken into preventive detention for allegedly posing an imminent threat of breach of peace, but he was later allegedly booked under the Public Safety Act.

While the state government has resorted to arrest spree, and profuse use of PSA to crush dissent and protest in wake of massive civil agitation 2016 in Kashmir  , invoking PSA on world known human rights defender Khurram Parvez has come as shock for one and all.

Pertinently, Khurram is the Chairperson of Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) and Program Coordinator of Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS). Khurram is a recipient of the prestigious 2006 Reebok Human Rights Award.

From Activists to Political voices all are aghast over slapping of PSA on Khurram Parvez.

While commenting on Public Safety Act being applied  on Khurram Parvez; Sarah Hayat Shah , Additional Spokesperson of Jammu & Kashmir National Conference  stated : ” The detaining of Khurram Parvaiz, globally acclaimed human rights defender is unfortunate . On the one hand the present government talks about “Digital India”, “Mann Ki baat” and on the other they are caging people who dare to speak. The same people once bragged about “Battle of Ideas” and “Agenda for Alliance”, and today they are chopping the wings of those who have an ideology of their own. This is so unfortunate. Democracy and denial to “Freedom of expression” can’t go together.”

Co-coordinating Ambassador (OYW) for Kashmir on Peace and Human Rights and eminent activist Shahzad Hamdani stated ,  “Slapping of PSA on Khurram Parvez has indeed highlighted the real face on Indian system  which on one side highlight themselves as preachers of democracy  and human rights but cannot digest those voices which are raised against the brutality unleashed by their forces in the valley. India should understand that slapping PSA   on a Human Rights defender has brought shame to democratic credentials of Indian state  which is now turning frustrated.”

Earlier, Fifty two top world academics, activists, lawyers and writers have issued an open letter appealing for immediate release of human rights activist Khurram Parvez .

Voices of sanity in unison are condemning detention of Khurram Parvez under PSA. Mushtaq ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, activist and writer stated – “ The slapping of PSA on noted human rights activist Khurram Parvez, is the worst form of state terrorism and a clear manifestation that state is turning totalitarian with least tolerance for dissent. The order of detaining Khurram under the draconian law makes it clear  that state wants to make an example out of him to deter others from raising their voices against human rights violations. We all need to condemn and start a movement for promotion of dissent. The local feudalist political party People’s Democratic Party along-with Hindutva BJP have now decided to have no tolerance about dissent, freedom of speech, political opposition and human rights activism.”

PSA being used as a weapon to scuttle dissent is drawing sharp criticism from rights organizations to human rights defenders and masses.

 

Farzana Mumtaz

The downslide  in ruling party People’s Democratic Party is evident, with the resigning of PDP Member Parliament Tariq Hamid Karra both from Parliament and basic membership of party , political watchers are   seeing it as severe blow to PDP.

The grassroots of PDP with the unrest emerging post Militant Commander Burhan Wani killing are showing enough fissures .Bastion of PDP South Kashmir is on fire and anger ,rage against party is at all time high. Many analysts had predicted Waterloo for PDP once it decided to have an alliance with the BJP. Since past few months  with every killing and every pellet blindness, injury caused has eroded the PDP support base .

 

Gulzar Ahmad, a commoner stated , ” PDP has committed immense blunder by first bagging votes in the name of keeping BJP away from Jammu and Kashmir and then breaking the promise by forming government with the BJP. What has transpired in the past two months of agitation in Kashmir has been gross mishandling of situation, highhandedness by government forces and callous response to people struggle and all this has hit hard the image of PDP among masses.”

 

The words used by Tariq Karra while resigning aptly define the plight of PDP .Tariq Hameed Karra says:

“Today, in the present tragic circumstances, when the people of my homeland are being subjugated to the highest degree of brutalities by a party which was floated to safeguard the life, property, honour, dignity, self-respect and their political aspirations—made a turn around and treated its subjects much worse than the Nazi forces—I feel still continuing with them would be equally subscribing to their administratively inhuman and politically unethical blunders.”

“Every single day Kashmiris are being butchered, fathers carrying coffins of their young loved ones, hundreds being blinded, and thousands being injured. The number of injured is out numbering hospital capacities and the number of arrested is outnumbering lockups.”

“Kashmiri blood is being spilled on walls, lanes and drains of Kashmir. For the first time in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, people of Kashmir were forced not to offer Eid prayers.”

“My apprehension that by PDP’s facilitation, (the) RSS-backed BJP would even impose religious ingression, stands unfortunately vindicated today. Though I was all along feeling suffocated due to PDP’s alliance with RSS-backed BJP, my conscience was shaken during the last two months, especially due to PDP’s newly-acquired avatar during the present upheaval by the treatment meted out in the hands of Central and State Government, especially by PDP.”

“My conscience cannot take it any longer. My heart is bleeding and my soul is crying for the people of my homeland. Hence taking a call of my conscience and as a mark of protest on moral grounds against the brutal policies of BJP at Centre and State Government’s complete sell-out and surrender before them, I have decided to disassociate myself from the primary membership of Peoples Democratic Party and from the membership of Parliament to which I was elected from Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency in 2014 on PDP ticket.”

“In this regard, I shall be forwarding my resignation letter to the Hon’ble Speaker of the Parliament as well. Today the Central and State Governments’ policies of unabated genocide in the worst form of inhuman brutality, continued denial mode towards the dangerous ground realities, their insensitive and adhocist approach towards Kashmir issue and for their continued blatant and open policy of dealing with Kashmiris by way of Oppressive, Repressive and Suppressive majors are other reasons for registering my protest.”

“I am leaving it to the conscience of all other Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, to decide whether they would like to side with their helpless people or let this bloodshed continue (to be) perpetrated by RSS-driven BJP and facilitated by PDP. Furthermore, I would hand-foldedly request the aforementioned public representatives that we are placed at a very critical juncture and remaining silent would be equivalent to facilitate the fascist forces for more death and destruction and decimation of our distinct identity.”

“Whatever was agreed, to be done, was not done. And whatever was agreed not to be done, was done. Be it contesting validity of Article 370 and challenging Article 35A of Constitution of India, issue of State Flag, issue regarding banning beef, burning of two innocent Kashmiri truckers at Udhampur, harassing and lynching of Kashmiri students studying in different States, Dadri lynching of Akhlaq Khan, Himachal episode on beef, Haryana CM’s inflammatory statement against Muslims, rabid statements of Sakshi Maharaj, Sadhvi Niranjana Jyoti, Sadhvi Prachi, Giriraj Singh, raking up of alleged forced Hindu migration from Muslim dominated Kariana town in UP, forced feeding of Muslim Manager of Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi, while he was fasting, beating of MLA Langate, Er Rasheed, open refusal of our State’s BJP Minister to accept a Muslim as a District SP.”

Tariq Karra used other strong words while resigning. Many feel that if the situation continues to remain gloomy more prominent faces might quit PDP. Undoubtedly , the ruling PDP is witnessing a downslide

Farzana Mumtaz

Eid al-Adha (, “Festival of the Sacrifice”), also called the “Sacrifice Feast” or “Bakr-Eid”, is the second of two Muslim holidays celebrated worldwide each year, and considered the holier of the two. On this eid, pain and gloom have engulfed Kashmir as on every nook and corner suffering is visible. Protesters shot dead by Government forces and above all those blinded by pellet guns represent the tyranny faced by Kashmir . Kashmir valley has been turned into valley of blind via brutal use of pellets .

The SMHS hospital that receives only critical patients from 10 districts and caters to the city patients, is overwhelmed with cases of pellet injuries since July 9, a day after Hizb-ul-Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani was killed.

More than  15 per cent of those injured by pellets since July 9 are below the age of 15 and face complicated surgeries.

More than three  hundred protesters have been partially or completely blinded  in Kashmir due to use of  lead-pellet guns by security forces to quell the worst violence in the region for six years.

The  victims like  eight-year-old Asif Rashid and 13-year-old Mir Arafat, both of whom were hit by pellets fired by government forces to disperse protesters in Khanabal area of Anantnag  have represented the tyranny caused by pellets  .

Few weeks back, Hundreds of pellets penetrated Arafat’s body, from his face to the lower abdomen. The pain of pellet victims is immense .“Please, father, do something. I am dying with pain,” shouted Arafat, weeping in the intensive care unit of Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital here in Srinagar.

On the global radar, Insha Mushtaq, young school going girl has represented the sufferings and blinding caused  to people of Kashmir.

She  has lost both her eyes after security forces lobbed a pellet grenade inside her house in south Kashmir’s Shopian district’s Sedow Village.

Insha Mushtaq was admitted to Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) of Shri Maharaj Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital here for several weeks and doctors are battling to remove over hundreds of  pellets which had gone deep into her brain and before few weeks she was shifted to AIMS at Delhi.

Insha’s father Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, while Speaking to News Kashmir from Delhi stated – “We have gone through immense pain since Insha was injured badly due to pellets, even after so many days pellets are being taken out from different organs. On this painful day when she got hit by pellets she had entered her room and just after opening window got hit by volley of pellets fired by Government forces. Her vision has been shattered and our world has come to halt.I had dreamt of making her achieve big in career, we are in deep pain.”

Without an iota of doubt, Eid Fervor this time around is dampened in Kashmir  among killings, sufferings, maiming, blinding and suffocations.

Farzana Mumtaz

It was on September 20, 2010 that a 39-member all-party delegation visited Kashmir to assess the situation in the wake of violence that claimed more than 120 lives  .Pertinently, valley wide protests had broken out in 2010 after killing of teenager Tufail Ahmad Mattoo by security forces .

As a matter of fact, currently after killing of popular militant commander Burhan Wani in an encounter at Kokernag, unrest and agitation has erupted again in 2016 killing so far 70 people, injuring more than eight thousand and blinding scores due to infamous pellet gun.

Now again, an all-party delegation led by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Kashmir on September 4 and September 5.But many a voices are calling to follow up the recommendations of 2010 all party delegation visit to achieve the desired results.

 

From National to Local political voices it is urged that Central Government should walk the talk on Kashmir issue .Pertinently,  AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi recently  stated that  the Narendra Modi government should adopt a consistent approach on Jammu and Kashmir and take follow-up action after the proposed visit of all-party delegation to the border state.

The Hyderabad MP said now that peace is returning to Kashmir, the central government should not give up the efforts to find a solution so that the cycle of violence does not return to kashmir.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also observed that  MPs who want an all-party delegation to visit the Valley, should have ensured implementation of the recommendations of an earlier such deputation. “I wish MPs pushing for another All Party Delegation had been this keen about pushing the implementation of the earlier one’s recommendations,” Omar wrote on Twitter.The NC leader said the MPs should have at least ensured tabling, in Parliament, the report of the three interlocutors appointed by the UPA government in 2010 in the wake of similar street protests in the Valley.At the very least they could have ensured the tabling of the report of the J&K interlocutors in Parliament, Omar said.

Pertinently, The report submitted to the Government by the group of interlocutors, comprising eminent journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, academician Radha Kumar and former Central Information Commissioner M M Ansari, was based on their visit to the state in  the aftermath of 2010 civil agitation and deaths .

Ajaz War, a journalist stated -” All party delegations have visited Kashmir from time to time and mostly on those occasions when Kashmir has been on fire .We witnessed All Party Delegation visiting Kashmir during 2010 unrest which cooled the tempers to large extent  .But, these delegations have never implemented their own recommendations and forgot Kashmir when so called normalcy has been achieved .New Delhi remembers Kashmir only when it burns is a well -known reality, to achieve success it is hoped that this  time around All Party Delegation Visit will prove fruitful and they will make constructive recommendations and follow up actions to solve Kashmir once for all.”

Nutshell Analysis is that All Party Delegation visit to Kashmir has raised what can be safely dubbed as cautious optimism in Kashmir .