J&K News and Discussion-2011

[somnath]

^^^Precisely..Its unfortunate..Much like an attempt during the Khalistan inurgency to club the punjabi language with the Sikhs..

If Farooq Abdllah really cares about mking a pitch for urdu in PArliament, he should be getting his cabinet colleague PK Bansal as the head of the initiative!

There was a time (before my time ) when Bollywood used to produce some of the most lilting movies (and music) in urdu - Mere Mehboob, Mere Huzoor, Pakeezah - and they required a Rajendra Kumar and a Raj Kumar and (of course) a Lata Mangeshkar...Anyone who says a) urdu is alien to India or b) it is a muslim language is talking utter nonsense....

[abhishek_sharma]

Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus our fault: Farooq

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/exodu ... oq/752635/

[abhishek_sharma]

Geelani stopped from leaving Delhi

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Geela ... lhi/752630

[ManishH]

ManishH wrote:

Sir - it's the brigade that is asking for rights to cultivate zafran in
the valley given a chance, will tuck it's tail.

And what is the basis for your having arrived at such a conclusion?

It was disappointing to find that even during NDA rule in the centre, nothing was done
to repatriate KPs to the valley - that doesen't even need repeal of art. 370. Heck, if a
fraction of all the money these blackguards have collected for the various rath-yatra kar-seva
etc. was given to VDCs, we'd have smothered and overrun the separatists in the valley.

Therefore, my opinion of zafran patti parties is -garajte baadal baraste nahiin. All their
posturing is for benefit of their supporters south of Ravi - they aren't serious about making
any difference in J&K. Even if art 370 is repealed overnight, rest assured, these august
guardians of culture will be MIA if you were to ask for volunteers to pitch log-cabins in the
valley, family samet.

Just contrast these pseudo-nationalists it to how Israeli's are populating west-bank with
kibbutzim (wiki/Kibbutz) who don't make constitutional excuses because they have the
religious zeal. If that zeal is absent in us, the only practical alternative is
enclaves around paramilitary camps.

J&K won't stay Indian by Tiranga yatras, if you don't inhabit land, it's as good as gone.

[abhishek_sharma]

...

Let us not start a political discussion, okay?

[ManishH]

ManishH,

Going off on a tangent still does not answer my query.

On what basis did you conclude 'given a chance, will tuck it's tail'....

The basis is it's past behaviour - NDA had a good chance to set things moving when it ruled. But they didn't - so
I think they lack real will. I thought I wrote that quite directly; not a tangent at all.

[ManishH]

1. What is, according to you, the quantum of money collected for the various rath-yatras etc? Please also back your assertions with references.

2. 'if a fraction of all the money these blackguards have collected for the various rath-yatra kar-seva etc. was given to VDCs, we'd have smothered and overrun the separatists in the valley'.

As easy as that? Really?

Yes as easy as that. A common misunderstanding is - if the Army hasn't been able to zero infiltration, how do you
expect VDCs to. To answer that, you just need to know that various CoAS's have repeatedly told GoI - army is not
the long term solution, you need a political solution to the problem. Now our CoAS's aren't asking GoI to sweet talk
with hurriyat surely sir - they are hinting at a solution where loyalist civilians take it upon themselves to settle in the
valley with GoI help, by arms.

The VDC folks used to get paid about 1,800 per-month for risking their necks. They volunteered
in the hopes of getting permanent jobs in paramilitaries You'd think we owe it to these bravehearts to give them
financial support.

There are no public figures detailing the money collected for rath-yatras but please anyone who has grown up in
north indian towns during '90-'92 knows it's substantially higher than all the VDC members official emoluments
put together. A glimpse of it was shown by messrs. Bangaru Laxman.

A question to those who disagree on this : have you seen Israelis spend their energy trying to raze Al Aqsa
or do they spend their energy building settlements in west bank/east Jerusalem ?

And think about the same situation by replacing the Al Aqsa with Babri and west bank with Kashmir.

[abhishek_sharma]

[
There are no public figures detailing the money collected for rath-yatras but please anyone who has grown up in
north indian towns during '90-'92 knows it's substantially higher than all the VDC members official emoluments
put together.

Now you are another Rahul Mehta. There are "no public figures" but "anyone who has grown up in north India knows".

Please. Please.

[ManishH]

I only wish to propound new thoughts on solving the J&K problem.

I quote Babri only to point out that the energies of our right have been misdirected in past 2 decades. It could have
been spent in mobilizing loyalists in J&K.

It's perfectly understandable if my critique disturbs your views of those who have occupied the nationalist
vaccuum

[abhishek_sharma]

So you don't have reliable numbers, right? This trolling is not going to help anyone.

[abhishek_sharma]

It's perfectly understandable if my critique disturbs your views of those who have occupied the nationalist
vaccuum

No. Your "critique" does not really disturb me. We hear far worse comments from Digvijay Singh et al in the newspapers. After every 1-2 months, a Paki starts a new thread. So our tolerance level is pretty high.

[sum]

There are no public figures detailing the money collected for rath-yatras but please anyone who has grown up in north indian towns during '90-'92 knows it's substantially higher than all the VDC members official emoluments put together.

Boss, how in gods name is raising of VDCs in J&K( which is a stae gov + GoI subject) related to money collected for some political purposes by a political party which is in non-entity in the state in question?

If BJP announces giving Rs 1000000 crore for raising VDCs in J&K, do you think Abdullah Jr will take up that offer and raise more VDCs ( as if J&K govt has any fund shortage to fund XYZ militias if required )

By that logic, if the INC and DMK had not spent their energies in eating 1,76,000 crore, entire J&K population( and not just the VDCs) could have been equipped with 155 mm howitzers+ apache gunships to battle the Poaks.

Just when you think the depth of Lahori logic has been reached, a new depth is found...

[Mahendra]

Huh! instead of buying equipment for VDC, I would have bought aircraft carriers for each major town in J&K, that way we can deal with Paqui infiltrators even when there are floods. This idea is a bit too complex for the minds of those who aren't PhDs

And the only vacuum that I can see is between our friend's ears

[ramana]

Secularism kills the right brain.
In India pseudo-secularism kills all the brain.

[svinayak]

Who is this "saffron brigade". Can you explain.

Sir - it's the brigade that is asking for rights to cultivate zafran in
the valley given a chance, will tuck it's tail. Anyway, I have a
feeling that's controversial, so I suggest we just drop
it like gentlemen; and discuss constructive ways of diluting the
separatist population in the valley and increase the number of
loyalists ...

Do not use such terms which are basically cooked up by the sociologists.
India is not some new nation created yesterday. The people and the culture/history are owned by themselves and they will do all the things to protect it.

So if you think India is one country then all people belong to that and there is no difference between this "brigade" and that "brigade". You are not a sociologists commenting on which group is more nationalist or not. You are just repeating some useless low life who had coined such term in the news report. Just refrain from doing any social engineering in your posts.

J&K won't stay Indian by Tiranga yatras, if you don't inhabit land, it's as good as gone.

Why dont you talk about the party which is trying to solve the Kashmir problem for 60 years
It had all the chance to inhabit the land in 60 years

[Venkarl]

Why dont you talk about the party which is trying to solve the Kashmir problem for 60 years
It had all the chance to inhabit the land in 60 years

Yes, Congress ruled India for solid 50 yrs...what did they do about J&K? To say something as conclusive as "Brigade wont do anything either", you'll have to wait for 44 yrs of "Brigade's" rule to complete....equal opportunities you see....

[brihaspati]

ManishH wrote
Just contrast these pseudo-nationalists it to how Israeli's are populating west-bank with
kibbutzim (wiki/Kibbutz) who don't make constitutional excuses because they have the
religious zeal. If that zeal is absent in us, the only practical alternative is
enclaves around paramilitary camps.

The kibbutz movement was the foundational movement of the re-taking of the land by the Israeli's from even before 1948. So it was part of a nationalist lore also. But over the last two decades that fervour has gone down quite a lot. If you have Israeli contacts and friends you will know this.

Having said that, I have always tried to popularize the kibbutz model as an example of a possible method for the future. But we have to learn from examples and not necessarily copy them. The kibbutz were initially - in the pre state-formation phase were started off by buying land in the Levant. There were militant "secular" Jews - working class movements as well as militant Leftists - who however more or less all agreed on the need to form a "nation" based on "cultural/ethnic/religious" identity. The kibbutz came under attack almost immediately by the Muslims, and needed militant defence. This was therefore a twin aspect struggle by which possession of land combbined with the formation of the militia and future army - all of which was determined completely to form a nation based on their "identity".

None of this is currently available [and was not available for a longt time] within India about "disputed territories". Don't use the "kibbutz" example, if you fail to realize that the lesson to be learnt from the Israeli experience is that the major forces within the society clearly acknowledge the need to form the nation based on their "cultural/ethnic/religious" identity. Moreover, and crucially, which at the same time has also no confusion as to what that "identity" should be, or what aspects of that identity cannot be compromised on. You cannot form such a core by harping on diversity as a cover for accepting anything and everything, and even completely contradictory claims as part of the same national identity.

[vijayk]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 543397.cms

Two new pro-India political outfits are being launched in J&K, headed by former militants and Ikhwan commanders, with the backing of the Union home ministry and the Indian Army. They are in the process of hiring office space right in front of the headquarters of Hurriyat Conference, an amalgam of pro-Pakistan separatist outfits, in Srinagar's Rajbagh locality.

The move has unnerved strategic planners in Pakistan who think the development may push the already marginalised pro-Pakistan group in the Valley into a corner.

Stories have been planted in Pakistani media calling the new outfits as being launched by "traitors".

Both Imran Rahi and Zubair Islam had earlier faced elections under the umbrella of Awami National Conference of Muzaffar Shah, son of former J&K CM Ghulam Muhammad Shah. The other outfit is to be headed by Liaquat Ali, believed to have the backing of Army. Liaquat had contested last assembly elections from Anantnag.

Captain Tikoo, an Army veteran, was instrumental in raising the band of Ikhwans in the 1990s and later launching them as a political party. He is again involved in helping Zubair Islam and Liaquat in raising the political outfits to counter the pro-freedom movement gaining ground. However, when contacted, Captain Tikoo feigned ignorance of the whole matter.

Meanwhile, the government has taken many other measures to integrate the J&K youths with the mainstream. It has been on a recruitment drive in the state giving jobs to youths in the police and the security forces. The steps have already received huge response and have been a game-changer in shifting attention of youths from pelting stones to getting into formal engagements with the establishment.

The traitors led by Naxals, undie TV types, JNU types and Christo mafia elements such as ARoy will detest this move. The scums will start campaigning about army atrocities soon.

[somnath]

^^^On replication of an Israili kibbutz style settlement in Kashmir, reminds me of a conversation I had with a retired Brig, someone who commanded a brigade in the valley in the '90s...I had asked him why Pandits cannot be relocated in the valley in gated communities protected by the Army..He said that it is a stupid idea, a) it becomes a target for terrorists to go for and more armymen will need to be deployed for static security duties in those communities rather thn on offesiv CI ops and b) the Pndits themselves will not agree to come back in that form...

It was his personal POV, but I think that comparisons wth kibbutz are still odious:

1. The new Israeli settlement are seldom kibbutz anymore..Kibbutz were/are gated largely agricultural communities...The new settlements are fancy apartments where people live and drive down to Haifa/Tel Aviv for work...how would you replicate that in J&K? People settled in gated communities would need to work..In urban centres, even Srinagar, what will they do? There is no industry, minimal services - unless we organise them to be flown down to Delhi everyday for work!

2. In rural areas, what will the settler do? Farming? Is there enough arable land for (say) 1 million new settlers? Above all, how does the govt acquire such large tracts of land?

Most importantly, it will only ignite another variable in the Kashmir imbroglio.....Help the militancy stay alive...

[ManishH]

Somnath: thanks for your comments there. No doubt - the settlements will become targets for terrorists. Anything which strikes at the root of secessionist aims will. But aren't our paramilitary camps already are targets? That
shouldn't stop us from bold action.

About work - yes, cultivation is what I had in mind primarily. Farming is the best way to grow attachment to the land. I didn't have in mind a large figure of 1^6 right away - a beginning can be made with as little as 200-500. KPs have
traditionally been white collar, that's why I wrote about offering the opportunity to landless kin of paramilitary jawans.

About land acquisition - I think it can be done in the guise of expansion of paramilitary camps. If these enclaves
are in the paramilitary camps, the question of security is also solved.

Brihaspati: you are right about national "identity" being a motivation for israeli kibbutzim - and Indians don't have
that kind of homogenous "identity". But reading reports of KPs in refugee camps, I think that's motivation enough for a return-to-the-land movement. I'm sure the idea of kibbutzim sounded just as wacky and impractical in the holocaust stunned jewish society of 1948 as this movement does today.

Such a movement should necessarily be seeded and supported by the political right. I think the J&K question deserves much more energy than is spent on other issues.

Similarily, VDCs are a bulwark against further expansion of separatism. It's a pity we haven't done enough to
strengthen their hands. Why should we even rely on J&K govt to fund the VDCs ? Surely sirs they aren't
waiting for repeal of Art. 370 to give them financial assistance I think there was such a proposal by Vinay
Katiyar who was promptly shouted down by his own partymen.

To the other posters - the hopes of nationalists are never upon the centrist INC. The biggest hopes were with BJP. Please don't take my barbs as a cong. v/s BJP thing.

[Prem]

Should not the KPs properties be given to ex servicemen and their families ?

[abhishek_sharma]

To the other posters - the hopes of nationalists are never upon the centrist INC. The biggest hopes were with BJP. Please don't take my barbs as a cong. v/s BJP thing.

There should be no barbs at all if you mean what you have written above.

[abhishek_sharma]

In Jammu, interlocutors review peace process with Vohra, Abdullah

http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/22/stories ... 801100.htm

[ManishH]

Should not the KPs properties be given to ex servicemen and their families ?

I agree with you but this can't be done as a starting action. Because KP properties are in urban
areas where the practical problems of security will arise - those that were pointed out by somnath.

But in principle you are right on the money.

[Sanku]

All this discussion is frankly meaningless, in Kashmir, despite the issues, there is substantial rule of law and most of the state is orderly barring a few ghetto's of wannabe Paki's and other such assorted elements.

The government exists, and it is for the people and by the people (despite know distortions due to Jammu not being given correct representation).

If BJP or any other nationalists were to try and "settle" the land, the very same IA and CRPF ityadi which are keeping the thugs at bay will have the onerous duty of pushing out the settlers. Unlike in the Kibbutz example where all Jewish factions were roughly aligned.

It is much more easier to revoke 370 and free the people from its shackles. The common Indians of all hues will make sure Kibbutz was a picnic in comparison. Heck the corrupt politicians themselves would first hoard acres and then sell it to so many for "development" that the valley would have changed beyond recognition before you could say "Wahab"

Its a simple problem, with a simple solution, and a well understood issue is coming in the way. Lets focus on solving that "core" issue.

[ManishH]

Sanku: I'm glad there's agreement on the "core" issue - dilution of separatism by demographic change.

But I don't follow why you think CRPF and IA will be duty-bound to push the settlers out if the movement is
backed by central leadership.

I'm fully for repealing Art. 370 - but if one were to call it a solution, I'd say that's a fig leaf. Without a movement of willing settlers, it's just going to drive the fence-sitters in the valley to secessionist thought. If the repeal is done after mobilization of settlers, the antagonism of fence sitters will be more than offset by the numbers of these loyalists.

We can't legislate our way to solving the J&K question without having people ready to use that legislation.

[Sanku]

But I don't follow why you think CRPF and IA will be duty-bound to push the settlers out if the movement is
backed by central leadership.

Urr, umm its the law. India is run by the rule of law for all its flaws.

Are you suggesting that GoI breaks its own laws?

================

There is no shortage of people willing to settle in J&K ONCE the Govt actively stops making it not happen.

[somnath]

There is quite a lot of fanciful kibbutz redux thinking around ownership of land in Kashmir..Abolish 370, lots of mainland Indians would buy land there, and bingo, problem solved...But wy exactly would mainland Indians buy land in Kashmir? Do a lot of mainland Indians buy land in Manipur? Or Meghalaya? Or for that matter Bolangir? Or Hazaribagh?

Businesses can already take property on 99 year lease in J&K...they are not exatly coming in droves..

Comparisons with china and Israel are completely misplaced..In China, there was population trasnfer by diktat, which a communist state can do (and have done over the years, many times)...In Israel, the settlements are fancy neighbourhoods with great connectivity to adjacent cities like Haifa/Tel Aviv - hence enough people are attrated by them...What would be the "hook" in J&K's case? At best, a few rich folks would like a holiday home, but that isnt going to solve a "demographic problem", is it?

[Sanku]

There is quite a lot of fanciful kibbutz redux thinking around ownership of land in Kashmir..Abolish 370, lots of mainland Indians would buy land there, and bingo, problem solved...But wy exactly would mainland Indians buy land in Kashmir? Do a lot of mainland Indians buy land in Manipur? Or Meghalaya? Or for that matter Bolangir? Or Hazaribagh?

Hazaribagh? Dear Somnath, do you even know where Hazaribagh is?

Mainland Indians would buy land in Kashmir, because of the same reason they are trying very hard to buy land in HP and Uttarnachal.

Duh....

Businesses can already take property on 99 year lease in J&K...they are not exatly coming in droves..

Irrelevant half baked measure.

[brihaspati]

ManishH ji,
the biggest and hardest opposition to a kibbutz style re-possession of land will come from within Indians extermely and utterly concerned about how negatively such an action would be seen by Kashmiri Muslims. Kind of the concerns raised against any retaliation against Paki terror. Log kya kahenge - what will happen to our secular credentials[read Islamophile credentials], what will the INC leadership think of us if we do not vehemently mock such proposals in any forum it is raised etc.

Moreover, if you mention kibbutz, because it raises the image of Israel and the Jews - there are additional panic buttons pressed. What will the Muslims think! There is also a very close tie up in anyone, or any group that needs to lambast the "Hindu" in also having to appear to be anti-"Jew" and anti-Israel. Be it Christian groups, Marxists, Islamists and homegrown Indian-intellects who want to appear all three at the same time.

If you are serious about this, better not discuss it here. The regime and the establishment that has grown up on this issue has certain prejudices - in spite of tall pontifications about international and national politics being solely guided by monetary profits. Those prejudices are essentially about a deep hatred of the Muslim as "alien" which is expressed in an overt pampering and rude Isalmophilia, trying to strengthen the barriers to integration by deliberately encouraging the Islamic identity to be sharpened and preserved at state expense, an even greater fear and disgust at the "Hindu", a complete sense of euphoria with Christian and Marxist memes, and a sense of continuity and identification with the British imperial colonial administrative psyche. The latter is firmly entrenched in how the admin and security setup is controlled from the top.

So the more independent Indian regimes have become, more colinial British in attitudes towards politics, identity, and "Indic" have they become. They are continuing the same essential policies of strengthening identity divides, strengthening as many religious and linguistic minority or exclusivity claims as possible, targetingt the majority community for deconstruction, and preserving and enhancing regional pockets of non-Indic religions. The colonial army was always torn between "oath of loyalty" and "identity", so do not expect the army's attitudes over your proposal in J&K to be much different from what you would have expected from a British army commander. That response will appear "cool" and professional - this army is commanded in such a way that it should never identify with any majoritarian aspirations - exactly as it was required in the colonial times to be detached from popular aspirations and stay "neutral" to preserve the power of a foreign potentate.

Replace westminster with an admin-army-INC entity, and you will see why your proposal has no chances of being carried out under the current rashtryia setup.

[Nihat]

2 pro-India parties floated in J&K with Army, MHA help

Two new pro-India political outfits are being launched in J&K, headed by former militants and Ikhwan commanders, with the backing of the Union home ministry and the Indian Army. They are in the process of hiring office space right in front of the headquarters of Hurriyat Conference, an amalgam of pro-Pakistan separatist outfits, in Srinagar’s Rajbagh locality.

I'm mighty surprised that such news did not make it to this thread sooner

[brihaspati]

Nihat ji,
Revival of the older Ikhwan derivatives. This model was talked of about a lot in the previous version of this thread. But that still does not essentially solve the main exclusivity problem. Needs to be seen.

Ajatshatru ji,
the discussion context was with respect to ManishH's model of kibbutz-style venture in J&K, and his specific mention of the comment from an army officer. The difference between the Isareli situation and current Indian situation should be obvious - the Israeli army will not hesitate to help the gated community planting, because the Israeli army shares the national identity aspirations. Whereas for India that identity itself is "disputed" or is divided between all contradictory claims and obviously the army is not under any pull to identify with any particular claim of national identity. This is the "neutrality" aspect.

The legacy of neutrality was required by the BIA. This meant a kind of detachment from majoritarian aspirations with first loyalty to the "regime" in power. Pre-independence that was the British monarch. Post independence that loyalty would be most easily transferred to whoever was at power in Delhi. There has not been any need to change that basic loyalty to regime/[not to people] in post independence India.

[somnath]

^^^ For all the uber patriots suggesting an Israeli settlement style demograhic solution, it would be interesting to note how many of them would even consider "settling" in the middle of Sopore, or even just outside the Badami Bagh cantonment...If the (rhetorical ?)answer is yes, it would be interesting to note what they would intend to do for a living in J&K - grow apples?!!!!Or run a houseboat!

[Sanku]

^^^ For all the uber patriots suggesting an Israeli settlement style demograhic solution, it would be interesting to note how many of them would even consider "settling" in the middle of Sopore, or even just outside the Badami Bagh cantonment...If the (rhetorical ?)answer is yes, it would be interesting to note what they would intend to do for a living in J&K - grow apples?!!!!Or run a houseboat!

I would buy property to begin with, and send a couple of folks I know (and I know those sort of folks) to grow some stuff there. Later on may be I can join their gardening expedition by building stuff to house some tourists.

One has to retire sometime, and cheap and large parcels of land in a nice clean place are always welcome.

[brihaspati]

ManishH ji,
I think you have mentioned this, but maybe you should clarify - whom do you want to initially "resettle" the valley in gated ocmmunities, the Pundits onlee or aam Indians? Then you can also specify as to whether you expect the funds currently alotted to J&K as plan/assistance to be also made at least partially available to such re-settlers to start businesses etc.

I am not against your idea, but not supporting the implementation at this stage with the prevailing rashtryia attitudes - some of which you will see reflected in posts on this forum. Which should also alert you to the sources which will oppose and why. Your proposal needs a different regime and nation. On the way you will face much more than hidden agenda driven mocking and sarcasm. Don't think that this rashtra will hesitate to quash such dreams physically if you insist on it [something not to be done without hesitation for Islamist aspirations, Christianist aspirations, or Marxist aspirations unless of course the latter comes from undesirable regions or "ethnic" groups ].

[munna]

Yes I would buy and have tried buying property in J&K. Being a Kirana Store Wala my family has had connections to the state both in terms of ancestors and "interests" in the state. If 370 goes out munna goes in simple only. As far as doing something there? Well I will revive and set up a gurukul that my ancestors received training from and hailed from. I would set up (monetarily) an entirely loss making venture with all associated risks dispersed in my Kirana Store business (I am not a Phinance wizkid ).

Before you ask again, who does that? Well just go for Amarnath Yatra any year that you desire to (no please do not drop stupid names and XYZ who strategized the tent positioning at Baltal base camp) and if you have been to it then great! Whenever at Baltal base camp meet some of the langar/bhnadara operators who distribute free food that includes choicest of declicacies for FREE. These guys take all the assorted security risks and come from far off places from all over India with men and material to run those kitchens day in and day out for entire duration of yatra. A lot of this variety wants to stay there for "longer" durations and will gladly do so.

PS: I have stated a position that is political and social. This is not a stupid market watch report in some emerging market desk for exotic instruments or some academic regurgitation of references. Please expect no citations, no justifications and no defence of position. It is because it is, no matter what you say or do! "Shathey Shathyam Samacharet"

[brihaspati]

Munna ji,
"rome rome harakhila" - reading your post. I have a very distant connection to the state from the maternal side. Have some friends among not-so-keen-to-be-Islamists in and around the valley too. Some day. Some auspicious day in the future.

[RamaY]

Bravo, Munnaji!

My connection to JK state is my ancestors and seers.

[chaanakya]

^^^ For all the uber patriots suggesting an Israeli settlement style demograhic solution, it would be interesting to note how many of them would even consider "settling" in the middle of Sopore, or even just outside the Badami Bagh cantonment...If the (rhetorical ?)answer is yes, it would be interesting to note what they would intend to do for a living in J&K - grow apples?!!!!Or run a houseboat!

I would like to retire peacefully and settle in Srinagar , not sure about sopore, though for reasons other than what one would think. I might start an Institute of Rehabilitation and settlement or Institute of Comparative Religion or Centre for studies in International Interference in Internal Affairs or Advance Institute for studies in Societal Disharmony in Enemy countries.

That apart , it was my dream to marry a kashmiri girl ( had an opportunity at Delhi, no not love but family proposition, but could not proceed, learnt that she would loose all rights in her native state and I wont gain a foothold in the state. I always regret having declined the offer because then my priorities were elsewhere ) and buy property and teach at Jammu and Kashmir University.

[Vikas]

^^^ For all the uber patriots suggesting an Israeli settlement style demograhic solution, it would be interesting to note how many of them would even consider "settling" in the middle of Sopore, or even just outside the Badami Bagh cantonment...If the (rhetorical ?)answer is yes, it would be interesting to note what they would intend to do for a living in J&K - grow apples?!!!!Or run a houseboat!

Ummm! Do what you would have done in B'lore or Caclutta or Commie heaven or Chitoor or Nagpur or Lukhnow.
You could open a hotel and cater to Vaishno Mata / Amarnath pilgrims.
You also could start adventure sports club wich would include para sailing , Kayaking etc..
You could take people on hitch-hiking trails across Pir Panjal Mountain range.
You could open a call center.
You could open a mechanic shop
You could start a blog and get paid for the ads.
You could join Indian railways and work locally
You could teach kids
You could start a city-cab service

Sky is the limit Somnath ji. Pick your choice.

Oh and BTW You also could Grow apples like folks from my maternal side used to do or run a houseboat.