Thursday 28 February 2013

UK MPS PREPARE FOR HISTORIC DEBATE IN THE UK PARLIAMENT ON THE ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY IN BRAHMIN HINDU INDIA: DR.AWATAR SINGH SEKHON , FOREIGN AFFAIRS ADVISER, DAL KHALSA ALLIANCE (UNITED STATED)


UK MPS PREPARE FOR HISTORIC DEBATE IN THE UK PARLIAMENT ON THE ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY IN BRAHMIN HINDU INDIA: DR.AWATAR SINGH SEKHON , FOREIGN AFFAIRS ADVISER, DAL KHALSA ALLIANCE (UNITED STATED)


The 'breed' of politicians (elected by the British Sikhs and other British electorates) are very peculiar. The Sikh electorates should not think that 'they are electing a British citizen to responsible to the affairs of his/her country and 'not' only for the Sikh affairs only. Indeed, carrying out a lobby for a specific purpose is their right that has been granted to them under the 'Democratic Rights' granted under the Constitution of the British parliament. It is quite understandable that the British Sikh citizens would like convey to their elected representative(s) to convey/ask to another country as to the concerns of their one segment of the British citizens. And under their rights, they will do to convey as to what they feel about for which they have been asked to communicate. These elected representatives can go to a certain areas. The British Sikhs have to realize it as to what extent their elected representatives may go.

On the other hand, the British Sikh brothers and sisters should not forget or overlook the instruction of their 10th Master, Sahib Guru Gobind Singh ji. Guru Sahib had said: "Koi kiss ko Raj Na De hai Jo bhi le hai pane Nij Bal se le hai." If my brothers and sisters believe in the teachings of the 10th Master, it is amply clear how far they can go in the religious and political matters. In the Sikh religion, both religion and politics to concurrently. In Guru Sahib's teachings, it is amply clear what is the powerr of being a 'Sovereign nation and Sovereign entity'. It must not be forgotten that the"Sikhs had been the First Sovereign Nation of South Asia, as the Sikh history taughts us." Being a British citizen or citizen of any other country. In the Brahmins-Hindus-turbaned Brahmins Rats' demoncracy alias Indian demoncracy, the Sikhs and non-Brahmins-Hindus minorities have no democratic rights in reality of the subject under discussion and consideration.

Further, "Kalistan Zindabad", within the four walls of an institution has no meaning unless the voice is taken outside. Does this voice has any meaning where the people like Manmohan Sinh Kohli, Hanera (Prakash) Sinh Badal, the Badal clan, the Badal Akalis (Kaalis) and likewise are in the control of political power and do these people know that the Sikhs' representatives had not signed/accepted/endorsed the Indian Constitution 1950? Do they know that the Hon. Justice (Mr) A Qadri of the Gujarat State High Court had said that "The Article 14A was rendered ineffective during the Genocide of Muslims of Gujarat, the State administered by Narender Modi of the BJP in 2002-2003, and at the New Delhi administration headed by a criminal Prime Minister AB Vajpayee, and his colleagues like LK Advani, Shushma Swaraj and Akalis of the Badal Akali Dal (Bad+Dal) Private Limited, Incorporation."

It is my personal beliefs that when you have murderous, criminal, unethical, morally mentally bankrupt (elected) politicians The Economist 1995, July 15, p. 26), can you expect any thing good to be done under the regime? I would doubt it.

Wednesday 27 February 2013

UK MPS PREPARE FOR HISTORIC DEBATE IN THE UK PARLIAMENT ON THE ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY IN INDIA: JAGTAR SINGH, LONDON


UK MPS PREPARE FOR HISTORIC DEBATE IN THE UK PARLIAMENT ON THE ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY IN INDIA: JAGTAR SINGH, LONDON


26 February 2013

The Sikh Federation (UK) has produced and distributed a 7,500 word briefing to over 100 UK Members of Parliament in the last 24 hours for those who can attend to use during a debate in the UK Parliament on the Abolition of the Death Penalty in India.  The two and a half hour debate is scheduled to take place in the main chamber of the House of Commons on Thursday 28 February 2013.

The briefing begins by stating:

Punishment by death is against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a “premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state.”

To highlight the significance of the issue the Sikh Federation (UK) briefing quotes the Times of India as reporting in February 2013 that ‘India is currently reporting one death penalty sentence every third day.’

The briefing provides general background on the Death Penalty in India and extensive details on the case history and current situation of Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullar that many others misrepresent or are simply unaware of. 

Bhai Amrik Singh, the Chair of the Sikh Federation (UK), said:

‘We expect at least one hour of the debating time to be focused on Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullar alone.  There is much that can be taken from his case history to show the fundamental failings of the Indian judicial system.  If there is any justice in India the Professor should be released without any further delay.’

MPs are also expected to cover the case of Balwant Singh Rajoana and the worldwide protests by Sikhs to stop his hanging last year.  The briefing sets out that Dilawar Singh and Balwant Singh Rajoana witnessed the former Chief Minister of Punjab, Beant Singh, order the mass killing of innocent Sikhs - men, women, and children and goes on to say:

‘During Beant Singh’s tenure it has been widely reported the police and paramilitary forces  were responsible for the killing of more than twenty-five thousand Sikhs who were either disappeared or were killed and their bodies cremated by the police in extrajudicial executions.’

The briefing also provides specific examples of extra-judicial killings of Sikhs by the police in the last two years to demonstrate the Indian authorities have returned to eliminating Sikhs and political opponents through extra-judicial killings without having to take cases to court and secure prosecutions. 

UK MPs are expected to widen the debate and some may go as far as to question the Indian State as a democracy with the widespread criminalisation of politics and a judicial system that has all but failed. 

It is rumoured that many pro-Indian UK politicians are making excuses and will stay away from the debate.  Privately they are believed to be furious a debate is taking place that will inevitably result in criticism of India.  They are saying it will be a one-sided debate as the UK Government will have no choice but to condemn India for retaining the death penalty and other human rights violations.

The Sikh Federation (UK) briefing concludes by asking UK MPs to raise a number of questions and make proposals that will exert pressure on the UK Government to work with EU Member States and other nations across the globe opposed to the death penalty to take the issue up at the United Nations.

Indian Muslims facing injustice: Shariq


Indian Muslims facing injustice: Shariq


Srinagar, Feb 26: The National Conference MP from north Kashmir Shariefudin Shariq Tuesday staged a protest in the Parliament and said that Muslims across India were facing a great injustice and the hanging of Muhammad Afzal Guru was a part of a same treatment.In a statement here Shariq said, “I stood up in the Lok Sabha and shouted that Muslims across India were becoming soft targets of wrong policies of Government of India. Unfortunately, Guru became the target of same injustice.”


http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2013/Feb/27/indian-muslims-facing-injustice-shariq-60.asp

Tuesday 26 February 2013

COMMENTS ON THE RECENT INTERVIEW ON BILATAKALLUF REGARDING MAQBOOZA KASHMIR DEBATE: HABIB YOUSAFZAI


COMMENTS ON THE RECENT INTERVIEW ON BILATAKALLUF REGARDING MAQBOOZA KASHMIR DEBATE: HABIB YOUSAFZAI


ASSLAM-O-ALAIKUM!

Firstly, I am extremely grateful to Mr. Tahir Aslam Gora for arranging an extraordinarily informative interview on the doings and happenings of the Kashmiri Diaspora a Toronto based organization cultivating towards a resolution for Maqbooza Kashmir. Mr. Vidya Bhushan Dhar and Deepak Razdan of the opposing party, were not able to defend against the factual and moral substantiation presented by Dr. Azrab Khan of Azad Kashmir and Mr. Farooq Siddiqui of Maqbooza Kashmir (IDA:JK).

The solution offered by Vidya Bhushandar; that India increase its armed forces to 2 million and change the demographic situation of Maqbooza Kashmir by situating more Hindus in the valley would be socially unjust to say the least and add to the already widespread social injustice in the state. Mr. Farooq Siddiqi, a native of Srinagar asserted that Muslims in Kashmir have been trying to eject occupying forces from the region since 1931.

Dr. Azrab Khan confirmed that there is widespread religious oppression in Kashmir including simple matters such as slaughtering a cow. He also highlighted that because Kashmir is a Muslim majority state, it is a part of Pakistan. It is a historical fact that Hindu majority states regardless if they belonged to the Indian subcontinent or were princely states acceded to India. Why then is the Indian state taking such a hypocritical stance with the state of Jammu and Kashmir?

India has already committed grave human rights violations for over six decades. It is time now for India to immediately withdraw its occupational forces from among others; the Sikh Homeland Punjab (Khalistan), Munwadar, Junaghar, Hyderabad, and 42,000 square miles of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and free 14 million of its inhabitants that it is enslaving.

The fight for the oppressed of Maqbooza Kashmir will never end; ultimately victory is on the side of the oppressed and ultimately it will accede to Pakistan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s9eOt7LGqI&feature=player_embedded


KASHMIRI PANDITS SPEAKING AGAINST ISLAM PHOBIC INDIA


KASHMIRI PANDITS SPEAKING AGAINST ISLAM PHOBIC INDIA



By Azmat A Khan

ASSALAM-O-ALAIKUM!

Kashmiri *PANDITS* speaking *AGAINST* Islamophobic India


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv5-j_AUK1E&feature=player_embedded


 

Sunday 24 February 2013

Hindu & Muslim Kashmiri Argument - Bilatakalluf with Tahir Gora Ep81




MARVELOUS PRESENTATION OF THE KASHMIRI ISSUE BY THE FORERUNNERS OF THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT BY MR. FAROOQ SIDDIQI SAHIB FROM MAQBOOZA KASHMIR (IDA:JK) AND DR. AZRAB SAHIB FROM AZAD KASHMIR AT BILATAKALLUF INTERVIEWED BY TAHIR GORA SAHIB: HABIB YOUSAFZAI, KASHMIR DIASPORA ALLIANCE.

ASSALAM-O-ALAIKUM!



Friday 22 February 2013

RAMPANT HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS ARE BEING COMMITTED IN MAQBOOZA KASHMIR [INTERNATIONALLY DISPUTED AREAS OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR (IDA: JK)] BY THE “WORLD’S LARGEST DEMOCRACY” INDIA: HABIB YOUSAFZAI, KASHMIR DIASPORA ALLIANCE


RAMPANT HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS ARE BEING COMMITTED IN MAQBOOZA KASHMIR [INTERNATIONALLY DISPUTED AREAS OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR (IDA: JK)] BY THE “WORLD’S LARGEST DEMOCRACY” INDIA:
 HABIB YOUSAFZAI, KASHMIR DIASPORA ALLIANCE


PRESS RELEASE

FEBRUARY 22,2013

Chairman Islamic Political Party( JK) Mr. Mohammad Yousuf Naqash  has said that in a bid to  imperil and weaken the ongoing freedom movement, imperious Indian government has converted whole Kashmir into a large concentration camp and continues with its oppressive policies of hanging, killing, torturing, detaining and sentencing imprisonments till death…Kashmiri people in general and pro-freedom leaders and activists in particular and has completely squeezed their political space. By resorting to such extreme oppressive policies Indian colonial rulers and its local puppets can never succeed in curbing the ongoing freedom movement which will continue in perpetuity till it reaches its logical conclusion despite all odds with the strong resolve and determination of dominant majority of Kashmir that is equipped with the sentiment of freedom embedded deep in their blood and soul. Indian government knows it well that its seven hundred thousand forces, large numbers of its local police and hundreds of Intelligence Agencies besides its local paid puppets and governments have utterly failed in killing this sentiment in spite of increasing brutalities with every passing day. Mr. Naqash further said that people of Kashmir should not misconstrue only condemnations against Human Rights Violations is the commitment towards the cause and should follow and standby only those who are clearly, transparently and sincerely committed to the principled stand of freedom. Mr.Naqash strongly condemned the arrest torture and detention of hundreds of Kashmiri under age, boys and youth.

Press Secretary



Malik Shabir


ISLAMIC POLITICAL PARTY (JK)
ALL PARTIES HURRIYAT CONFERENCE

KURSU RAJBAGH SRINAGAR, JAMMU AND KASHMIR

(ILLEGALLY OCCUPIED)

THE PEOPLE OF AZAD KASHMIR SHOULD OPENLY DEMAND PROVINCIAL STATUS AS WELL: HABIB YOUSAFZAI, KASHMIR DIASPORA ALLIANCE


THE PEOPLE OF AZAD KASHMIR SHOULD OPENLY DEMAND PROVINCIAL STATUS AS WELL: HABIB YOUSAFZAI, KASHMIR DIASPORA ALLIANCE


Azad Kashmir, a territory consisting of only 4200 square miles, was created as a separate entity for the purpose of convincing India and the world that it will eventually liberate the occupied portion of the state of Jammu and Kashmir from the Indian government (also known as Internationally Disputed Areas of Jammu and Kashmir IDA: JK by the United Nations). There are several United Nations resolutions still pending  which grant the right of self-determination to the citizens of IDA: JK; but it seems as if the world nations are following the code of ‘might is right’, and no sanctions are laid upon India for the numerous human rights violations committed against innocence.

The Azad Kashmir government being a small separate entity could not convince United Nations or anybody else. Unfortunately, that scenario did not prove beneficial. Instead, it is creating confusion in the minds of children born in Azad Kashmir and the children born abroad as if their attachment with Pakistan is transitory; and that once the fate of Kashmir is decided they will form an independent state parallel to India and Pakistan. There is no need to incur extra expenditure by running the Azad Kashmir government and same elected member can run the province and the money saved can also be utilized for the betterment of the people. It is time that instead of living in an illusion the people of Azad Kashmir should also demand provincial status in the same way as it has been adopted by the people of Gilgit Baltistan.  

For instance, India captured 53000 square miles area of the state of Jammu and Kashmir on October 27, 1947 and from this, 11000 square miles was snatched by China in the 1962 war (also known as Aksai Chin). The Indian Parliament already endorsed the resolution passed by Sheikh Abdullah’s government in the State of Jammu and Kashmir (IDA: JK) making it an integral part of India. Consequently, India received a passport to force her own will in the occupied territories; and it has deployed more than 700,000 Indian forces who commit all kinds of atrocities against the Kashmiri people. The IDA: JK is virtually devoid of human rights. To this day, the Indian regime and its armed forces have murdered more than 202,802 citizens, made 215,994 arrests, 110,117 have disappeared, 115,782 homes have been demolished, leaving 122,792 widows and 207,335 orphans to say the very least.

We the Kashmiris have only two options;( i) to keep protesting peacefully for the ejection of the Indian armed and civil personnel from the IDA: JK, (ii) to pursue the United Nations to take necessary action against the severe crimes occurring against innocent human beings in IDA: JK. The UN has a mandate to give priority to the humanity security/rights and it must solve the issue of Kashmir just as it has solved the dispute of East Timor and South Sudan. 

KASHMIRIS YEARN FOR AZADI: NC MP, REPORTED BY ABID BASHIR


KASHMIRIS YEARN FOR AZADI: NC MP, REPORTED BY ABID BASHIR



‘Feel Sorry For Omar’s Helplessness’


Srinagar, Feb 21: In a significant development, National Conference MP from South Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Rattanpuri Thursday handed over a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that states “if Kashmiris would be given a chance to decide their fate, they would opt for Azadi (Freedom).”Rattanpuri met Prime Minister during the joint session of Parliament in New Delhi addressed by President Pranab Mukherjee. He was carrying placards displaying slogans like ‘remains of Muhammad Maqbool Bhat and Muhammad Afzal Guru should be returned to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for proper burial.’

Talking to Greater Kashmir over phone from New Delhi, Rattanpuri said earlier he had thought of writing a letter to President of India but later he changed his mind and wrote to the Prime Minister. “I did not talk to the Prime Minister. I just handed over my letter to him,” the NC MP said. He said since every Kashmiri can’t become a MP, he “listened to his conscience” and decided to raise his voice in the highest forum of world’s best democracy against the ‘unjustified and undemocratic’ hanging of Guru.“My ultimate aim is that world’s best democracy should show a bigger heart and hand over the mortal remains of Maqbool and Guru,” the NC MP said.

The letter Rattanpuri has written states that the fact can’t be ignored that “given a chance, Kashmiris will opt for Azadi (Freedom).” “A minority believes that our future may be safer in a secular democratic India. This minority strives to motivate the rest of the compatriots to join them in securing our Azadi within the framework of the Constitution of India,” the letter states.

It further states that the majority of people in J&K and many lawyers, human rights activists and ordinary citizens from rest of India have been agitating for the last 11 years over the fact that Guru did not get a fair trial.

“It has also been pointed out that no proper cross examination of the witnesses took place and the judgment was based on circumstantial evidence only,” the letter reads. “Many in the country and majority in J&K perceive that Guru was hanged to appease public opinion in India in a bid to neutralize Moditva.”

The MP has further stated that not only the people of J&K, but many eminent personalities in rest of the world believe that Guru was made a “scapegoat.”
“Government of India denied Guru and his family the opportunity of judicial review of the rejection of mercy petition. The information available to us suggests that Guru was informed about his hanging just a few hours before his death,” reads the letter.“We perceive it (Guru’s hanging) as another instance of differential, callous and insensitive attitude. The killers of late Rajiv Gandhi, and many other convicts who were ahead of Guru in the death row, have received a preferential treatment.”

The MP further states: “How do you expect us to explain to the youth of J&K the denial of judicial review of mercy petition and the least humanitarian courtesies to Guru and his family? I, as a citizen of India, feel that with the hanging of Guru a nation’s head also hangs in shame. I feel sorry for my Chief Minister (Omar Abdullah) who finds no option, but to express his helplessness in securing the basic human rights of his people.”Rattanpuri has also stated that “If I don’t raise this issue with all the commitment and strength, I shall be betraying my people and my party that has been espousing autonomy.”

The MP’s letter further states: “I fail to understand how the Union Home Minister can take decisions on the matters falling entirely under the jurisdiction of the State government and without having any regard for the opinion of the concerned Chief Minister. Is this the special status we boast of?”On the return of Guru’s body, the letter reads that if the government of J&K has no problem in receiving the body of Guru as it has recommended his burial according to the wishes of his family, why should Government of India deny it. “A last glance at the body and a burial at the native place may act as a small gesture and healing touch to the family. That may also assuage the feelings of the agitating public at large,” the letter says.

http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2013/Feb/22/kashmiris-yearn-for-azadi-nc-mp-67.asp


Thursday 21 February 2013

TERROR RETURNS, AGAIN ON CYCLE: 13 KILLED IN HYDERABAD TWIN BLASTS


TERROR RETURNS, AGAIN ON CYCLE: 13 KILLED IN HYDERABAD TWIN BLASTS


HYDERABAD: It proved to a lull before a terrifying storm. Seventeen months after the last deadly bomb blast at the Delhi High court, two powerful bombs fastened to parked bicycles ripped through Hyderabad's bustlingDilsukhnagar area on Thursday, killing at least 13 persons and injuring 84 others. While no individual or group has claimed responsibility so far, intelligence officers insist that the deadly operation bears the stamp of Lashkar proxy,Indian Mujahideen.

Thursday's bombs triggered back-to-back explosions near popular movie theatres, blowing bodies into the air, flattening shops and houses and triggering panic among scores of injured people who were seen scurrying for cover in all directions with blood oozing out of their heads and legs.

The first bomb went off with a deafending blast near the Dilsukhnagar bus stop at 7.05pm, close to Venkatadri theatre and a minute later, another high intensity blast, near a snack shop close by, flung bodies into the air and left a crater on the tarmac, police and witnesses said. TV channels reported that an unexploded bomb was recovered from the area but there was no confirmation from the cops.

Six months ago, there were low-intensity blasts in Pune which fortunately claimed no casualty. Since the last blast in which people died was in September 2011 in Delhi, a perception of ebbing terror threat had grown which Thursday's Hyderabad bomb attacks have blown to smithereens. With finders being pointed at IM, it seems that terror operatives have regrouped now with deadly intent.

Immediately after the blasts at Dilsukhnagar on Thursday, terrified people ran from the blood-splattered area as glass shards and debris flew. They poured out into the narrow streets causing a stampede as people, including women carrying small children in the arms, ran for safety. Locals rushed to the aid of the injured, writhing and wailing with pain on the streets and sidewalks.

"For a second, I got blinded as there was smoke and darkness all around. Later, I heard women and children wailing around me," said Sudhakar Shetty, who survived the terror blasts with severe burns. "I was cooking in the kitchen of Mirchi Point (an eatery), and wanted to run out along with others but soon realized that I could not move as both my arms and legs were burnt," he said.

At least 25 people were initially rushed to the Osmania general hospital and 15 to the Yashoda hospital in Malakpet, police said. More were taken to two other hospitals. Two days of strike by nurses and group IV staff caught doctors at the emergency ward off guard and some patients even offered to help. But with the CT scan machine not functioning at the hospital, most of the injured could not be scanned for internal hemorrhage. The 108 ambulance service alone shifted 42 injured to various hospitals, an official said.

"I have counted at least nine bodies and many more are injured and crying for help," said a senior doctor at Osmania. Similar scenes were seen at Yashoda and Omni hospitals, where scores of injured were taken for treatment. Immediately after the blasts, phone lines got jammed and people left offices in a hurry, causing huge traffic jams all around. Many shops and businessestablishments downed their shutters.

Authorities were on high alert since Afzal Guru's hanging on February 9. Apart from Jammu & Kashmir, there were protests against the hanging in Hyderabad. The execution also triggered revenge threats from Pakistan-based militants and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) vowed renewed attacks on Indian cities. Members of the groups at a private gathering organised by the United Jihad Council in Pakistan, while paying tribute to Guru, had also vowed to step up their 'jihad' in Jammu & Kashmir.

It was the third time that Dilsukhnagar has been targeted by terrorists. In 2002, a bomb went off in a scooter parked near Sai Baba temple in the area, killing two people, while another bomb was defused near a foot overbridge in 2007, extremely close to the spot where Thursday's bombs were placed.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh dispatched a National Security Guard team to the Hyderabad on a BSF aircraft to probe into the blast and immediately sanctioned Rs 2 lakh each to next of kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 each to those seriously injured. A National Investigation Agency, stationed in Hyderabad also joined the probe.

Hyderabad is not new to terror attacks as three previous blasts killed scores of people. The first in May 18 2007, killed 14 people, including five in police firing at Mecca Masjid and in the second attack, which were twin blasts in Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat on August 25 2007, 42 people had died.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Terror-returns-again-on-cycle-13-killed-in-Hyderabad-twin-blasts/articleshow/18618090.cms?

A SETBACK FOR PEACE IN VALLEY


A SETBACK FOR PEACE IN VALLEY



Yeh to bahut badi himakat hai (This is a huge blunder)" was the first reaction of a mainstreamed Kashmiri to the execution of Mohd Afzal Guru on February 9. This was followed by a volley of questions: whose decision was this; whose agenda would it serve; why now when not all these years; has anyone bothered to consider what the repercussions might be on the always fragile peace in Kashmir; does anyone care about Kashmir in Delhi?

Or as Khalida Shah put it subsequently, Afzal Guru's hanging at a most inopportune time had delivered a huge setback to the painstaking process of normalisation. More philosophically, the Kashmiri might say that such is their luck that something always goes wrong when things look the best.



Fallout.Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has had to bear the brunt of the Kashmiri ire over the hanging. It makes his position extremely vulnerable if not untenable. He had consistently argued against Guru's execution because of its ramifications and the difficult position he would be placed in. Which reminded one of what Prof Abdul Ghani Butt had once said: Kashmiris are descended from Nagas-Not quite straight but leave them alone and they will never bother you; but unnecessarily provoke them or cross their path and they sting hard. Had their path been violated again?

Omar Abdullah's angry reaction within a day of the execution would suggest so. Dr Farooq Abdullah has remained stubbornly loyal to the UPA, however much he may be troubled within but National Conference leaders in the valley have found it impossible to conceal their disapproval. As MP and senior leader Mehboob Beg put it, the NC had been rendered virtually politically impotent. Whatever the long term implications for the party that Omar Abdullah alluded to in reference to Kashmir, the next election is not going to be as easy for the National Conference as 2008.

For the PDP, the hanging has provided a political lifeline. And it has grasped it with both hands; directly attacking the Chief Minister and accusing him of being a party to the conspiracy to execute Guru. Allegations that the National Conference will find hard to live down in the immediate aftermath of the hanging.

Kashmir has been in mourning for over a week. Anger is palpable but more than that is the hurt and disappointment over what is perceived as grave injustice to Kashmir. Nothing is more dangerous than the despair and sullenness in the valley. The take it or lump it attitude just does not work in Kashmir. If it did, we would never have a problem.

How this will play out in the long term only time will tell. Between the worst and best case scenarios there are always grey areas which provide opportunities for peace and reconciliation in Kashmir. It is a difficult situation which needs sensitive and skillful handling. More than 800 years ago the sage and historian, Kalhana in his immortal work Rajtarangini had observed that "Kashmir could be conquered not through arms but through virtuous deeds." It was virtuous deeds that earned us respect in Kashmir in the mid 1990s once militancy had been contained by the security forces. Somewhere, somehow we seem to have lost the script.

Pakistan.The security forces have again demonstrated admirable restraint in containing the situation thus far. What shape militancy might take in the summer or in time to come is anybody's guess. Kashmiris want peace more than anything else but peace with honour and dignity. Pakistani 'niyat' always plays a role. Of late for whatever reasons Pakistan has been holding back in Kashmir but it has its tentacles widely spread in the valley, not only among the separatists but increasingly the mainstream as well-in a subtler less conspicuous manner than Yasin Malik caught on camera with Hafiz Mohd Saeed. And can the Kashmiri be blamed for looking west when he feels all avenues denied to him within? In Lahore, Yasin Malik is the 'Jawai Babu'; here we are threatening to lock him up even though he could not have gone across without an Indian brief. Something just doesn't gel. Why the 'insecurity'?

Engagement.Omar Abdullah has suggested that Delhi should revisit the political process in Kashmir. Engagement is the key. Our standard response is that Kashmiris are not prepared to talk or not sincere about dialogue. Not so long ago the moderates among the separatists were engaged in what they thought was a serious dialogue with GOI, so much so that they came to be branded as 'Advani Hurriyat' in the valley. For the present it may be easier to revive the political and democratic process by seriously involving Dr Farooq Abdullah, still the most solid bridge between Srinagar and Delhi and the former Union Home Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed. Whatever their prejudices they know each other and Kashmir better than anyone else. In course of time separatists of all hues need to be included in dialogue. It seems unlikely, but it is not inconceivable that the separatists may even contemplate participating in the 2014 elections if they could be assured a level political playing field and no repeat of 1987. Pakistan too needs to be in the loop.

According to the electoral calendar, general elections will be due before elections in Kashmir in 2014. However, it may be prudent to hold elections in Kashmir before the national elections-because who knows by then the devil may have taken the hindmost. And there could still be something to retrieve from the elections in Kashmir in 2014.
The writer is a former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/afzal-guru-hanging-kashmir-peace-process-omar-abdullah-a-s-dulat/1/251070.html

OF YASIN MALIK & COLLECTIVE CONSCIENCE BY DR.JAVID IQBAL


OF YASIN MALIK & COLLECTIVE CONSCIENCE BY DR.JAVID IQBAL



It is surfacing and surfacing fast that collective conscience is working up an argument against Yasin Malik. There is already a questionnaire in ‘Indian Today’ in an effort to build up the case…it reads: 

5 REASONS TO CONFISCATE YASIN MALIK'S PASSPORT:
• 1. Sharing stage with India’s most wanted terrorist Hafiz Saeed
• 2. Going on hunger strike over Afzal Guru's hanging, that too in Pakistan
• 3. Making anti-national statements, that too in Pakistan
• 4. Visa violation since visa was issued for private visit
• 5. Killed 4 IAF personnel and Doordarshan director in cold blood  & it asks: What do you think the Government should do? Tell us what you think? There are two propositions put forward by India Today: Impound passport or Impound passport and punish under relevant law.

Question number one: Yasin stated in an answer to Arnab Goswami—the ring master of collective conscience, that he had invited none as he went on a hunger strike in protest against Afzal Guru’s hanging. Yasin did not share the stage with Hafiz Saeed. On the contrary, Hafiz Saeed on his own joined the stage held by Yasin. The boot is on the other foot. The manner in which the question has been put exhibits how malicious is the intent.

Yasin asked a counter question—why no objection was raised when he met Hafiz Saeed in 2006, a meeting that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was apprised of? An answer is implicit in what Yasin asks. Peace birds were flying across the divide to tame down the militancy and provide peace a chance. Pertinently didn’t GOI attempt peace parleys with militants—Majid Dar group of HM to mention one that was overt. That it aborted does not rule out the proposition that parleys overt and covert have been held from time to time, in an effort to work out a peaceful end to the armed conflict.

There is no denying the fact that Yasin was an armed militant--the commander of armed wing of JKLF. He might have carried out militant attacks in which lives could have been lost.  Question number five that he killed 4 IAF personnel and Doordarshan director in cold blood is a clear demonstration of handing over a verdict before holding the jury. Even if it is presumed to be a fact, why was Yasin let off for two decades. And if he was willfully let off, why book him now. Indian State has a lot to answer…it stands to answer, rather than ask questions.

Sumntra Bose notes in his book [Kashmir Roots of Conflict, Path to Peace, page: 130] “in mid 1994, Yasin Malik freed after four years in prison, declared an indefinite JKLF ceasefire, partly what remained of JKLF cadre. He was not particularly successful in that goal....The middle of 1994 was nonetheless a political turning point in the Azadi movement, as pioneer militant organization laid down its arms."  The turning point was capitalized by the Indian State. Yasin Malik interacted with Prime Ministers—Atal Behari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh. Why was he allowed such an exalted intercourse, if charges were as grave as made out in the questionnaire?

Question number two and three: Going on hunger strike over Afzal Guru's hanging and making anti-national statements--that too in Pakistan. Yasin Malik has done nothing new. On countless visits in the past, he has put forth the Kashmir narrative and Kashmir is the main party in a recognized dispute. It may not be taken as anti-Indian or Pro-Pak stance. If the Indian state officials can go and discuss Kashmir in Pakistan with Pakistani officials, what is wrong in Yasin Malik talking about Kashmir in Pakistan? If Kashmir issue is off the Indian agenda, what makes her Home Minister state on the floor of Lok Sabha that Kashmir is a unique problem needing a unique solution? Hasn’t P Chidambaram said that? Or have not the Kashmir resistance leaders held parleys with Indian leadership, as well as Pakistani leadership on countless occasions, stating from Sheikh Abdullah’s parleys in 1964. Question four—visa violation as visa was issued for a private visit—Yasin Malik has to be answerable to Pakistan if asked, as that state has issued the visa.

Over the last few months, I interacted with Yasin a couple of times, as I wanted answers regarding his views on Hurriyat [M] visit to Pakistan. Before putting in a column or two, apart from Yasin, I interacted with Geelani and Prof. Bhat. He expressed grave concern that Indian civil society did not live up to the promises they made, as JKLF laid down arms in 1994.

The peace birds of Indian civil society carried promises from the Indian State. Promises that the state would deliver, in case resistance assumes a peaceful path, however deed did not match the word. The soft face of the Indian state has had ample demonstrations. As Sheikh Abdullah was incarcerated, Mirdula Sarabhai assumed the role of soft face of the Indian state. There is a long line of Kuldeep Nayar’s, Rajinder Sachar’s. And there are witnesses to attest that their ventures had official blessings.

Questions galore, it might be high time to sit across and provide answers—the answer cannot but be a lasting sustainable solution of ‘K’ issue.

Yaar Zinda, Sohbat Baqi [Reunion is subordinate to survival] (Feedback on: iqbal.javid46@gmail.com)


Wednesday 20 February 2013

BILATAKALLUF WITH TAHIR GORA EP29 - HABIB YOUSAFZAI DEFENDS KASHMIR JIHAD


BILATAKALLUF WITH TAHIR GORA EP29 - HABIB YOUSAFZAI 
DEFENDS KASHMIR JIHAD



Bilatakalluf with Tahir Gora Ep29 - Habib Yousafzai defends Kashmir Jihad


IN ORDER TO FURTHER THE CAUSE OF MAQBOOZA KASHMIR (IDA: JK), ALL THOSE THAT STAND FOR JUSTICE AND THE OPPRESSED MUST FIRST BAND UNDER THE ONLY LEGITIMATE POLITICAL BANNER OF PAKISTAN: HABIB YOUSAFZAI, KASHMIR DIASPORA ALLIANCE


IN ORDER TO FURTHER THE CAUSE OF MAQBOOZA KASHMIR (IDA: JK), ALL THOSE THAT STAND FOR JUSTICE AND THE OPPRESSED MUST FIRST BAND UNDER THE ONLY LEGITIMATE POLITICAL BANNER OF PAKISTAN: 
HABIB YOUSAFZAI, KASHMIR DIASPORA ALLIANCE


ASSALAM-O-ALAIKUM!

Hinduism is neither a religion nor a culture as stated by Sir V. T Rajshekar, Editor in Charge, Dalit Voice, Bangalore, India. There are many different nations which are living within India, and yet due to mass propaganda, the Indian state has been able to unify them under the doctrine of expansion (Mahabharata) of India. Since August 15, 1947, the date India received its freedom from the British government, it has merged the Sikh Homeland Punjab (Khalistan), Junagarah, Manwader, Gova, Hyderabad, and 42,000 square miles of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. It has also taken informal control over Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, and Bangladesh. Recently, it has asserted its hegemony in Afghanistan as a submissive neighbor.

There is no doubt that (Allah) Almighty God asserts that Islam is the one and only true religion and that Muslims are one nation. Still, some individuals seem motivated in fulfilling the enemy’s agenda by wrongfully claiming that people of Kashmir and Pakistan are two different nations. These individuals are trying to deter Pakistan from reclaiming the territory and fourteen million inhabitants under Hindu slavery which legally belong to it, and which was acceded to it based on common religious affiliation. It should be noted that Pakistan is the only sovereign state that is helping the liberation of Maqbooza Kashmir [Internationally Disputed Areas of Jammu And Kashmir (IDA: JK)], and thus the only legitimate international voice. Many individuals are posing the question of whether Jammu and Kashmir is a separate entity from that of Pakistan. This question has not only been answered time and time again by Kashmir’s designation in international law which clearly assigns it as a state of Pakistan, but is far removed from reality. Conceiving of Kashmir as a separate state is inconceivable. However, even if it did receive this designation, given that it is a neighbor of a regional hegemon and rising international and expansionist power namely India, how long would the State of Jammu and Kashmir stay intact once it receives freedom?  India claims to be the world’s largest democracy so to speak whereas in actuality 80% of the population of 1.2 billion go to bed hungry every night.

Everyone is aware of the sacrifices rendered in the liberation of Azad Kashmir, Gilgit and Baltistan. Muslims such as Kashmiris, Pathans (Qabilies), and the Pakistan army fought as one for it. Nationalists may be right in their claim that Jammu and Kashmir was at one time a separate entity; but it is also true that there were eight different jurisdictions, i.e Jammu, Kashmir Valley, Ladakh, Mirpure, Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Gilgit and Baltistan, each of them at one time separately governed by a different ruler or Maharaja. How far should the Kashmiri state be divided? Should the Muslims throw away all unity and revert back to a tribal system?  It is also essential to highlight that some are trying to falsely assert claims that like the mass oppression of Kashmiris in IDA: JK, occupied by India, that Pakistanis are also committing atrocities. These claims have been proven false and mere false propaganda in order to delegitimize Pakistan’s claim by illustrating fake dead bodies. It appears that they wish to get closer to the New Delhi Administration by constructing bogus accusations against the Pakistani army and the ISI; the only legitimate fighting force that stands any chance against the occupying Indian army.
Ultimately, it falls to us to decide if we desire to unite and assist our brothers in Maqbooza Kashmir by supporting Pakistan in their fight against India. Otherwise, we can stand by idly, disunited, and continue to watch as further judicial murders take place such as the martyrdom of Shaheed Maqbool Butt and more recently, Shaheed Afzal Guru.

LAW AND KILLING IN THE MAQBOOZA KASHMIR [INTERNATIONALLY DISPUTED AREAS OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR (IDA: JK)] BY DR ABDUL MAJID SIRAJ


LAW AND KILLING IN THE MAQBOOZA KASHMIR [INTERNATIONALLY DISPUTED AREAS OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR (IDA: JK)] 
BY DR ABDUL MAJID SIRAJ


Laws and killing
‘Hang them to the point of death’. The pronouncement of capital punishment is forceful and   ‘If by any chance they survive the first hanging then hang them again with a stronger rope till they die;  well and truly.   The other end of extreme killing is when some members of law enforcing agencies are hardwired to open fire and kill   in cold blood.   If these deaths are perpetrated by persons less than 18 years old then laws customary in local or constitutional framework derived from legislation or international laws from conventions and treaties will be invoked and punishment of the killing decreed that will not include hanging.  

In this wavelength included are murders committed for political reasons. There are spiritual and ethical sanctions on killing of any individual for whatever reasons that are well known and documented.  The overarching written laws that hold the world together in harmony decree sentences in very strong language for any attempt to kill another human being by an individual or a state.  Indian laws endorse that view. The Supreme Court of India promulgated on Aug. 8, 2011 their concern on this subject, saying ‘Blood thirsty persons who stage fake encounters deserve nothing less than death… for cold blooded murders’.There is a widely held opinion that Afzal Guru was executed in error both in legal and moral terms.  Nevertheless he had a better deal than those killed in fake encounters where no sentence was pronounced and no relatives informed. In fake encounters the modus operando of killing is that they are forced to run and bullets pierce their back until they fall in a pool of their own blood.   These victims have no warning of their fate or even a word of their crime for which they are punished. The dead bodies are then used to provide evidence of success in an engagement with insurgents.By chance or design the Apex Court assigned the Pathribal Kashmir fake encounter murder trial to the military courts, knowing well that the executors of these encounters were a part and parcel of Para-military establishment.       

The first call on all humanity as they make progress in living on this planet is to safeguard the life of all member of the society. Right to life is guaranteed in Article 21 of the Constitution of India.   It follows that if there is the slightest chance of an unlawful killing or   miscarriage of justice, then the responsible agency or the State is culpable.   Military was renamed as defense forces for protection of life and the total corpus of human rights laws were enshrined in the overarching world constitution of the Charter 1945.There is a strong international dimension covering right to life so that if a country defies norms of behavior as chartered under these conventions, the world will not accept their ignorance as excuse to perpetrate abuse on their subjects.  There is a corpus of human rights law that  decrees  safeguards  for life in  the Charter (1945), ICCPR & ICESCR (1966) , Protocol -1 ( 1-14) Geneva Conventions, regional conventions like The African Charter on Human & People’s Rights (1981), American Convention on Human Rights (1969), Canadian Charter of Fundamental Rights.  Europe stood very steadfast ever since the end of World War 11 that witnessed wreckage of human remains in millions.  In a combined voice the convention on the Protection of life was adopted in 1950 in an exemplary manner with emphasis on ensuring a clean rule over people.    

The EU Prison Rules in 1987 and Social Charter in 1961 were adopted to ensure humane treatment of prisoners. In order to pressure member countries to comply with safety and fair-minded treatment of prisoners, United Nations passed a resolution for the Minimum Standards on the Treatment of Prisoners in 1987.  India is a signatory to this convention, therefore it was hoped that    the treatment the prisoners receive and the care they get  in Indian jails will be governed within  these statutes.    The jail manual of Tihar jail will have spelled these regulations.The capital punishment served to Afzal Guru would be a test case to ascertain the rules followed from the inception of the verdict to the time of ending his life.

A pertinent reference is made on the comment published  by Harsh Mander director Centre for Equity Studies in Hindustan Times (Feb. 19, 2013) expressed as a  ‘ scar on democracy’  to kill Afzal Guru  is worth  a scrutiny. It is now well known that Afzal Guru did not get effective legal counsel in the trial court.   That resulted in his committal.   The flaw in the legal process and its ramifications travelled up to the level of the Apex Court. Mander made a reference to Justice Krishna Ayer’s observation that capital punishment has a class bias and color bar.Why are people killed in the name of justice?    It must have something to do with insecurity felt in an administration on the most effective way to administer criminal justice system so that recourse is made to archaic punishments as lex tallionis  (eye for  an  eye) in adversarial justice system.   People are still deprived of their life on the wisdom of deterrence to maintain social order.   There is no evidence that capital punishment has worked and out of the total 190 countries 150 have abandoned  capital punishment and the few that still have this punishment on their statute  are some Islamic states, some American states and India.   Even as days of barbarism have faded away with enlightenment, there are remains of medieval antics and vicious killing for retribution or inflicting pain with lashes on the back still practiced in the world.  

Killing by hanging is not free from last minutes agony, when the odontoid process bone is fractured by the tilt backwards of the neck.  The broken bone then impinges on the brainstem causing death. There are kinder ways to kill and in euthanasia sodium pentothal or similar is injected to induce sleep that at deeper levels becomes lethal.   There is an urgent need for a rethink on the need for capital punishment and at the same time seek remedies for fissures in society that culminate in such tragedies.

Dr Abdul Majid Siraj    WWW.kashmir-caselaw.com  or majidsirajuk@yahoo.com