J&K News and Discussion-2011

[Anindya]

Amarnath yatra cultural invasion, Geelani says

[eklavya]

Amarnath yatra cultural invasion, Geelani says

This is Shri Geelani's way of advertising the improving facilities for the yatris ...

[vishvak]

Obviously likes of mia Gilani, who receive cash as moral support for bogus azadi from lands where military rule has matched civilian rule in years, would be completely silent on any concerns about vegetarian food available to yatris on pilgrimage to holy Amarnath baba, or number of rest places owned by Hindu minority on the route.

Of course mia Gilani is a very visible host from Kashmir just because he can yell azadi loudly and not because of any other reason such as arbitrary accusations or any genuine concerns for minorities in Kashmir or say in Saudi Arabia.

[eklavya]

Shri Geelani is a very caring person. Shri Geelani expressed his concerns about the quality of food available to fish in the Arabian Sea. He said the fish food had not been prepared in accordance with tradition. He also believes in good relations with neighbours, and expressed his concerns about the security of Pakistan.

Geelani leads prayers for Osama

Addressing a gathering at Batmaloo, Mr. Geelani condemned the United States for burying the slain Osama in sea, and said Islam scholars worldwide denounced this act.

He alleged that a conspiracy was on against Pakistan and that the powers had an eye on nuclear bombs in that country. He prayed for the safety of Pakistan.

[wig]

HC judgment on ‘talaq’ raises eyebrows in Kashmir

Valley’s Grand Mufti calls for a meeting of religious scholars to discuss the verdict
The judgment by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court on the “validity and absoluteness” of talaq (divorce) has sent Islamic clerics and religious scholars in the Kashmir valley into a tizzy. They have now called for a meeting to discuss the judgment threadbare.

The high court while interpreting the Islamic Sharia law had ruled on April 30 that a husband’s power to pronounce talaq was “not absolute”. The court had held that divorce was the last resort and could be administered only after the husband had exhausted other options.

The Grand Mufti (chief cleric) of Kashmir, Mufti Bashir-ud-Din, has decided to convene a meeting of prominent religious scholars to discuss the judgment and its ramifications on Muslim marriages and divorces. The cleric has urged the people to not react over the judgment till a decision is taken by scholars.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121102/j&k.htm#9

[Pranay]

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/ ... ?ref=world

A Conversation With: Lt. Gen. Baljit Singh Jaswal, Former Commander of Kashmir
By BETWA SHARMA
After two decades of militancy, the Kashmir Valley has been relatively calm during the past two years. Tourists from India and around the world flooded into the scenic valley last summer, and the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, has called for troop reductions and a repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.


Betwa Sharma
Lt. Gen.Baljit Singh Jaswal.
But military officials say the peace remains fragile and that the infiltration of militants from Pakistan continues, albeit in smaller numbers. The army has said that Kashmir isn’t ready for any drastic dilution of security.

India Ink recently discussed the situation in Kashmir with Lt. Gen.Baljit Singh Jaswal, who from October 2009 to December 2010 led the Northern Command, which currently controls more than 300,000 troops in the state. General Jaswal was in charge the last time violent protests swept the valley, in 2010.

Decorated five times, General Jaswal has a family history of military service. His father was a British-commissioned officer who fought in North Africa and Burma during World War II. His brother was killed in the 1965 war with Pakistan. His son is currently serving in the Indian Army.

The retired general spent most of his career conducting counterinsurgency operations in Kashmir and the northeast. During a long conversation at the Assam Rifles Mess in Delhi Cantonment on Thursday, he discussed the challenges of guarding the Line of Control, the lingering threat from Pakistan, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and the life of a soldier in Kashmir.

Q.
How much infiltration of militants from Pakistan is happening now?

A.
Infiltration has come down a hell of a lot. This year, it has come down to just about 50-odd people. Earlier, it used to be 700 to 800 people. In 2010, there were 110.

But you see, it’s extremely, extremely difficult to stop. You have to be on ground to see how difficult it is. To say that you can hermetically seal the borders – sorry, you can’t. People sitting in Delhi say, “Why can’t the army stop this?” You go and sit there, night after night, and see the psyche of a soldier. I mean, he is doing his best. But the strain is there. There is so much pressure on him. He will not like even the wind to go past him. It is very, very difficult.

We have now improved the fences, but you see what happens in the Gulmarg sector. There is 30 feet of snow. The fence gets covered. How do you then protect?

So the first thing we do is aerial rekkies [reconnaissance], or we see from the post if there are any footprints. We know that if someone has crossed at night, the travel time would have been this much, so we carry out an assessment that he will be in an area. So we cordon off that area and take appropriate action. It’s very difficult.

If you want to feel the heat, be in it. Then you will realize.

Q.
What threat do these militants still pose in Kashmir?

A.
Even if there are five terrorists, well, they can do something — kill the chief minister, kill a cabinet minister. That itself is hell of a lot.

They have the potential. There are about 450 to 500 terrorists in the whole of Jammu and Kashmir, and a group of five, they can do anything. A fedayeen [militant] attack can take place anywhere. It could be a fedayeen attack on the Jammu and Kashmir assembly.

Q.
What is your assessment of the recent murders of the sarpanches, or village heads, in Kashmir?

A.
The assembly elections were held in 2007 and about 56 percent of voters turned out. In the 2008 general elections, 66 percent turned out. And now the Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to empower the panchayats [village councils] so that people have more power. In 2011 elections, 73 percent of people voted.

Now this does not auger well to Pakistan. For Pakistan, if governance is coming back again, well, their whole aim has been defeated. The sarpanches who were trying to once again to revamp the state and make it surge forward, the best way to stop this is to go and kill them or threaten them so that the Panchayati Raj endeavor of the state is totally decimated. That’s why the killings took place.

There are about 30,000 sarpanches in the whole of Jammu and Kashmir. You can’t provide security to everyone. So the answer is that we should have village defense committees, which have been formed in a number of villages, and arm them.

There are ex-servicemen all over in Jammu and Kashmir. Otherwise, there are villagers – train them. They will provide protection to the sarpanches.

Q.
When you say Pakistan — do you mean the government or the Inter Services Intelligence, the I.S.I.?

A.
If I’m a general and something goes wrong in the Northern Command, I’m responsible. Similarly, if something is wrong in Pakistan, the government is to be blamed.

Its tools are the I.S.I. Whether they are all-pervasive over the Pakistan government or otherwise – they call the shots, we all know it. But the ultimate responsibility is that of the Pakistan government.

Why are they not being able to rein in the I.S.I? Why are they so scared of the army? Democracies don’t get scared of the army. Why are they so scared? It’s a democratic country. You can’t have the army dictating terms to the government.

Q.
What do you see happening after the U.S. troops withdraw from Afghanistan? Will Pakistan turn its attention to Kashmir again?

A.
The first thing for Pakistan is to be able to have a major role to play in Afghanistan and that’s the reason they are not keen for India to come in, except for commercial ventures. And that too they object.

At one point in time, people were saying that Pakistan will turn Al Qaeda and some of these people from that area towards Kashmir. There were views that Al Qaeda people were operating in Srinagar and the valley. To my knowledge, there are none.

Initially, a lot of Afghans came in to Kashmir. The majority were Pakistanis who were trained in Afghanistan and they used to call themselves Afghans. That has died down for the time being.

But should Pakistan, in the long term, be able to have a hold on Afghanistan, they’re going to ready a kitty of insurgents available to them who can come down to Kashmir and carry on the job of fifth columnist in times of war.

Q.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is calling for a phased withdrawal of troops from Kashmir as well as the repealing the A.F.S.P.A. [the Armed Forces Special Powers Act]. But the army says it’s too early. Is Kashmir ready for these changes?

A.
I’m the first proponent of saying that A.F.S.P.A. should not be removed. Firstly, why are the terrorists not being able to operate? Because we’ve been able to provide ideal troop-to-ground density and restricted their space of operations.

Why did A.F.S.P.A. come in? It was because of the intent of Pakistan. Has the intent of Pakistan changed? If it has not changed, why change the provision?

Let the military realize where the situation is slightly improving, we could thin out troops from there, but a certain amount of troops will be there. The demonstration of the troops on the roads, that can be reduced and can be taken over slowly by the police and the paramilitary forces.

If you repeal A.F.S.P.A., for it to come back…you know, it’s an act of Parliament. You know the kind of difficulty which is there to pass in Parliament.

I have a lot of respect for Mr. Omar. He is a personal friend and we have a lot of professional respect for each other. I mean in his wisdom he has to make political statements, but I do hope he sees the ramifications.

Q.
The state government has made its position quite clear about the removal of A.F.S.P.A. and reduction in troops. Are the central government and the army divided on this?

A.
No way. The Ministry of Defense is totally with us.

I remember a discussion with Mr. Chidambaram [the former home minister]. I said that if you remove troops from here, you are creating voids. It will provide space for terrorists to be able to regroup once again.

And wisdom did prevail. And the Ministry of Defense just put its foot down.

Q.
Can militancy be eliminated entirely?

A.
We are confusing the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. My wisdom as an army commander is to always say the situation in J. and K. is due to the non-resolution of the Kashmir issue. If the Kashmir issue is resolved at the diplomatic level and political level, insurgency will automatically come down.

Like I said, even if five terrorists are operating, well, they can create any strife anywhere. It happened in Bombay [Mumbai, in 2008]. The nation almost went to war. So the intent of Pakistan has to be decimated. And that can only be decimated when the Kashmir resolution takes place.

It has to be at the government level. We are just tools. We are controlling the situation, we are managing the situation, but to ultimately decimate the situation it has to be dealt with at the government level.

Q.
Has the number of troops in Kashmir decreased?

A.
I wouldn’t like to give the figure because they are outside the public domain. Some troops have moved out. It is not a continuous process.

Q.
In Srinagar, a lot of people express resentment when they see security forces posted on almost every street corner. How do you think the army has done in terms of winning the hearts and minds of the people?

A.
We have an operation called Sadbhavna, and the Americans have copied us in Afghanistan. They are doing the same. It is empowerment of the women, providing education, integration of the population with India, providing goodwill schools.

I, in Northern Command, started a new venture providing free Service Selection Board coaching to anyone and everyone who wanted to join the army. In the first packet, 23 people got through. It’s a great achievement. In the valley some girls also wanted to come. There is a girl from Ladakh who is becoming an officer. So we are integrating them.

We have 51 goodwill schools there, providing free education. You go and ask any parents of these students, they will swear by the Indian Army.

Q.
Is it easier for a soldier to serve in Kashmir now that the situation is relatively peaceful?

A.
No, the operations are still on. He still goes for his ambushes. He still goes for his convoys. He still guards the fence. Operationally, he actually in a week gets two nights to sleep on his bed. He still gets two nights of full sleep. And he has to go out with patrols.

You’re patrolling not just for the sake of measuring the length and breadth of the ground but you should be expecting an encounter. So the whole drill is the same.

[wig]

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121105/j&k.htm#5

Religious leaders term HC verdict on talaq as ‘interference’

an assembly of Kashmir’s religious scholars, leaders and legal experts has said the Jammu & Kashmir High Court’s verdict on the “validity and absoluteness” of ‘talaq’ cannot be tolerated by Muslims as it is an interference in their religion.

It has agreed to set up a board on the pattern of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, comprising legal experts and religious scholars, to decide and implement decisions arising out of matrimonial disputes and divorces in Kashmir.

The meeting was organised by a hardline and an ‘influential’ religious organisation, Jamiat Al-hadees, in Srinagar today.

“During the meeting, it was strongly felt that the verdict will have grave consequences. The high court verdict is an interference in the religion, which cannot be tolerated,” a joint statement issued at the end of the meeting said.

The single Bench of Justice Hasnain Massodi while interpreting the Islamic Sharia law had ruled on April 30 that a husband’s power to pronounce ‘talaq’ was “not absolute”. The high court had held that divorce was the last resort and could be administered only after the husband had exhausted other options.

During the meeting held on Sunday, it was decided to set up a separate committee comprising legal experts and religious scholars to study and analyse the high court judgment in the light of Quranic injunctions and the Sharia law and to come up with a detailed report on the issue.

“A board comprising prominent legal experts and Islamic scholars will be set up to decide and implement matrimonial disputes and talaq (divorce) in Kashmir. The board will have also sub-committees at the village and block levels to create a social pressure for implementing its decisions,” the statement said.

The high court judgment has come under criticism from several quarters, including religious and political leaders. On Saturday, Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Geelani had said that rulings made by “non-Islamic” courts were not binding on the Muslims. He had asked religious scholars to look into the judgment so as to “clear the confusion” created by it.

The court verdict

The high court in its judgment on April 30 had ruled that a husband’s power to pronounce ‘talaq’ (divorce) was “not absolute”, observing that it was the last resort which could be administered only after he had exhausted other options
0The judgment was delivered in a divorce case involving Mohammad Naseem Bhat and Bilquees Akhter
The court had held that it was only after the husband had proved that he had exhausted all the options of reconciliation that ‘talaq’ would become valid and marriage between the parties would stand dissolved
The court said the husband should have a valid reason and a genuine cause to pronounce ‘talaq’ on his wife in the presence of two witnesses

[wig]

the news on the J&K High Court judgemnt in a divorce case grows gloomier for women

Verdict based on misinterpreted Quranic verse: Jamaat-e-Islami

Srinagar, November 9
Kashmir’s politico-religious group Jamaat-e-Islami has criticised the recent high court judgment on divorce, or ‘talaq’, saying the “honourable judge has failed to understand” the concept of law relating to the subject and has also misinterpreted the Quranic verse on divorce.

Jamaat-e-Islami said the Jammu and Kashmir High Court judgment in the case of Muhammad Naseem Bhat versus Bilqees can have a “far-reaching consequences”.

The high court while interpreting the Islamic Sharia law had ruled on April 30 that a husband’s power to pronounce ‘talaq’ was “not absolute”. The court had held that divorce was the last resort and could be administered only after a husband had exhausted other options.

Jamaat-e-Islami in its first reaction to the judgment, which has already created a debate among the religious groups, said Justice Husnain Masoodi, who pronounced the verdict “has given a wrong meaning of a portion of the verse 35 of Surah (chapter) An-Nisa (of Quran)”.

The group said a portion of the meaning attributed to the verse number 35 in the judgment is from verse number 36 of the same Quranic chapter, but is “not related to the subject”.

“In the judgment, appointment of arbitrators has been made mandatory whereas no Islamic jurist from the date of the revelation of this verse has ever said such a thing. So far as triple divorce in one say or sitting is concerned, the Islamic jurists with consensus treat it as a sin but not invalid,” Jamaat-e-Islami spokesman Zahid Ali said.

The group said there was “no doubt” that pronouncing ‘talaq’ not in adherence to the procedure laid in Quran is a “great sin but it does not effect the validity of talaq”.

The group spokesman said Jamaat-e-Islami welcomes the filing of a review petition by retired Justice Bashir Ahmad Kirmani. “(We) hope that the hon’ble judge will re-address the issue in the right perspective keeping in view the far-reaching consequences of his judgment,” the spokesman said.

The judgment has also been criticised by several influential religious groups, which termed the verdict as an “undue interference in Islam”.

and

Petition in J-K High Court on ‘talaq’ ruling

Srinagar, November 9
Even as religious leaders and scholars of Kashmir have termed the Jammu and Kashmir High Court’s verdict on the “validity and absoluteness” of ‘talaq’ as an “interference” in their religion, a former high court judge has approached the court with an application seeking review of the verdict.

The review application has been filed by Justice (retd) Bashir Ahmad Kirmani before the high court, in which he has submitted that judgment on 'talaq' needs a “thorough second look”.

The single Bench of Justice Hasnain Massodi while interpreting the Islamic Sharia law had ruled on April 30 that a husband’s power to pronounce ‘talaq’ was “not absolute”. The high court had held that divorce was the last resort and could be administered only after the husband had exhausted other options.

However, the judgment has raised eyebrows in Kashmir and come under criticism from many quarters, including religious scholars and separatist leaders, who have said “it cannot be tolerated” and termed the verdict as “interference” in religion.

“The judgment touches upon some very crucial questions of the family law applicable to a vast majority of the state’s population. It is likely to operate in a wide area, as such, in its given texture requires thorough second look,” Justice (retd) Bashir Ahmad Kirmani has submitted in the application which seeks review of the April 30 verdict.

“Interpretation of some of the provisions of the source of Muslim Law as contained in the judgment doesn’t fully tally with the intent and import thereof, leaving it to open misinterpretation”, he submitted in the review application, which is likely to come up before the court next week.

Justice Kirmani, who was appointed an additional high court judge in June 2005 retired from the high court in June 2008. He is known for his hard-hitting judgment in infamous 2006 J-K sex scandal case.

THE COURT VERDICT

The high court in its judgment on April 30 had ruled that a husband’s power to pronounce ‘talaq’ (divorce) was “not absolute”

The court had held that it was only after the husband had proved that he had exhausted all the options of reconciliation that ‘talaq’ would become valid

The judgment was delivered in a divorce case involving Mohammad Naseem Bhat and Bilquees Akhter

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121110/j&k.htm#7

[hulaku]

An interesting "Open Letter to the CM" about atrocities being committed on "peace loving" Muslims by the "cruel" Buddhists in Zanskar

http://www.kashmirdispatch.com/sameer-b ... -to-cm.htm

A taste of your own medicine, eh ?

[hulaku]

And in the meanwhile Shabir Shah wishes everyone a Happy Diwali

http://www.kashmirdispatch.com/headline ... diwali.htm

[sunnyP]

Omar Abdullah's uncle Kamal calls India ‘enemy’

SRINAGAR: Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, the younger brother of Union minister Farooq Abdullah and the uncle of J&K CM Omar Abdullah, has sparked off a massive outrage yet again. He has slammed the country saying Kashmiris are closer to Pakistan. Calling India the enemy, Kamal alleged, "Time and again India has backtracked from its no war pact with Pakistan.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 199829.cms

[Anindya]

Army foils infiltration bid in J&K; 2 militants, 3 jawans killed

[jamwal]

Related to that conversion news that hulaku saan posted earlier. :


Zanskar under curfew after rioting over conversions

Authorities imposed curfew restrictions in remote Zansakar in Ladakh as Muslims and Buddhists clashed over conversion for the second time since September 24. Police said three persons including the local Tehsildar, the highest civilian officer who operates from Padam, the centre of the town, was injured and is being flown to Srinagar for treatment.

"Police has taken cognizance of clashes between two communities in Zanaskar," a police spokesman in Srinagar said. "Three persons including the Tehsildar were injured who are being shifted to Srinagar."
Around 26 Buddhist from six families converted to Islam in the local Jamia Masjid on the last Friday of September. Of them five are residents of Padam, the centre of the remote town, and one lived in Zangla. As the local Muslim minority took the converts on their shoulders and moved around in the market, it triggered tensions.

In the immediate reaction, the Buddhist majority, enforced a strike and started social boycott of the converts. Zanskar Buddhist Association that is the main party of the majority community led a campaign against the conversions. Apart from writing letters to the Muslim community leaders, they had threatened of a larger agitation in case it does not stop. They accuse Muslims of luring the families to Islam, an allegation that the local clergy rejects.

During the last fortnight, however, the pressures from the majority community created a situation that the family living in Zangla, returned back to Buddhist fold making Muslims allege that it was done under pressure. This triggered the new tensions in the belt in which three persons were injured and police imposed curfew restrictions.

Zanskar is the Buddhist majority belt of Muslim majority Kargil district. Sending reinforcement to the place becomes increasingly difficult because it is located 332 kms from Kargil
.
.
.
.

The twin district arid desert of Ladakh is witnessing peculiar demographic upheavals especially after it was opened for tourism. In last forty years ending 2001, census analysis suggests the Buddhists have lost 7.96 percent - as their percentage share in the combined population of Leh and Kargil districts. Though Muslims have improved their tally by 1.97 percent, Hindus are the real gainers who witnessed an improvement of 5.57 percent - almost tripling its share since 1981. Right now (2011 census is awaited) Muslims constitute 47.40 percent of Ladakh with Buddhists playing second fiddle with 45.87 percent. Hindus, Sikhs and Christians own desert's 6.22, 0.31 and 0.17 percent slice in the population, respectively.

[hulaku]

Militants open fire near Dal Lake, 4 injured

SRINAGAR: Militants today struck in the tourist hub of Dal Lake area by shooting at employees of a liquor shop inside a Government-run hotel on the Boulevard Road here, injuring four persons.

A police spokesman said unidentified militants fired from pistols near a liquor shop at Heemal Hotel on the banks of Dal Lake this evening.

http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/12no ... ate3.htm#1

Targetting one of the three Liquor Shops in Srinagar. Speedy recovery to the injured

I hope the shops stay open though as I have be in Srinagar in a few days and I wouldnt like to drink at the only three hotels that serve good ol Sharaab in Srinagar. I guess I will just carry my own bottles (usually 3).

Anyways not a good development.

[jamwal]

A liquor shop in Jammu was also attacked with grenade

Politicians seeking withdrawal of forces playing ‘cheap’ politics: Azad

Launching a veiled attack on the coalition partner (NC), Union Health and Family Welfare Minister and senior All India Congress Committee leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad today said that the 'politicians' speaking against security forces and demanding their (troops) withdrawal from the State are playing "cheap and dirty politics" just for making their base and secure vote bank.

Addressing a grand function organized by Congress MP, Ch Lal Singh to pay tributes to the martyrs and honour their families here today, the AICC leader launching veiled attack on the coalition partner and also those speaking against AFSPA said," people speaking against security forces defending their borders, protecting them and their families are doing great injustice to them (soldiers) and the country. If they can not give them respect and honour, at least they should not do injustice with them."

"It is unfortunate that some people for their selfish political motives and further strengthening their base and make vote bank, are defaming armed forces and showing disrespect to the thousands of martyrs hailing from various States of the country who laid down their lives in Kashmir while fighting with militants, guarding borders and protecting politicians, their families and others. Some of them even say that security forces do not want to leave the State. It should be well understood by those speaking against forces that a soldier from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu or Maharashtra is going to grab land here or get jobs for their children. He is here just to protect us, ensure safety of the people and to guard borders. But unfortunately, we are so selfish and mean that we can go to any extent to defame our forces for vested interests, cheap politics and vote bank,'' Mr Azad maintained.

Referring to last two decades of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Azad said over 5000 security force personnel, SPOs besides many VDCs lost their lives. Thousands of innocent civilians were also killed during last 20 years due to grenade attacks, explosions and firing incidents. Many mothers lost their sons, wives their husbands and children turned orphan. But the militants have to die because they have adopted this path of bloodshed and violence with their own will. There should not be any mercy for them. But if the security men did something wrong or committed excesses, they were punished severely and strict action was taken against them. There are so many such examples in this State, Mr Azad added.

While commending the sacrifices of the security forces, Mr Azad said when cold wave grips entire northern region and the movement of people is restricted due to extreme cold, the soldiers in -40 to -50 degree temperature at Siachen glacier and other parts of Ladakh region guard our boundaries where even the shelters are made up of snow. They are made to live there for six long months continuously under this temperature. One can imagine the sort of duty they are performing for the country and their sacrifices. They are also sons of some mothers and brothers of their sisters, he maintained.

Mr Azad said it is collective responsibility of the society and the Government to look after and help and families of the martyrs. It is not possible to bring back the 'Shaheeds' but by sharing the grief and problems of their families, we can do a great service to them. Today the meaning of sacrifice has also been diluted by some people. In politics if some one gives 10-15 years to a party and if he is denied some position or ticket, he claims to have sacrificed (Kurwani) for the party. But in real meaning of " Kurwani" is the supreme sacrifice given by these soldiers who served their nation selflessly. He lauded the efforts of Ch Lal Singh for organising this function in the honour of martyrs every year. Later, Mr Azad also honoured nearly 100 families of the martyrs.

[hulaku]

POLICE FOIL MUHARRAM PROCESSIONS

Srinagar, Nov 23: Scores of Shia mourners were injured on Friday while dozens of them arrested in different areas of Srinagar after they clashed with police. Severe restrictions had been put in place in several areas of the summer capital to foil the processions held to mark 8th Muharram and also foil the possible eruption of protests against the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2012 ... ons-58.asp

Their fellow Shia bretheren get butchered day in, day out in PureLand but they are more concerned about Filsatinis being killed by the Juice.

[jamwal]

Kashmiri Shias getting a taste of secular Kashmiriat of Sunni majority

Curfew-like restrictions were imposed in parts of Srinagar city today to prevent Shia mourners from taking out Moharram processions while police arrested over a dozen Shia mourners who tried to carry out processions in restricted areas of the city. Over one dozen protesters were injured in clashes that broke out in parts of Srinagar this afternoon. Authorities imposed curfew like restrictions in the areas around Lal Chowk, Abi Guzar, Regal Chowk and Kahanyar and parts of the downtown area of Srinagar city to prevent Shia mourners to take out Moharram processions in these area. The restrictions were imposed following apprehension that separatists might convert the religious gathering into political assembly. Early in the morning large contingents of police and para-military CRPF were deployed in the sensitive areas of Srinagar to prevent Shia mourners from taking out Moharram processions. The restrictions in these areas were imposed due to apprehensions that separatist groups might attempt to stage anti-national protests during the 10th Moharram processions today.

[hulaku]

And in Jammu thousands march in Moharram procession.

JAMMU, Nov 25: Like other parts of the country a large Muharram procession was taken out here today by the members of Shia community.

The procession started from Pir Mitha and after passing via Lakhdata Bazar, Rajinder Bazar, Shaheedi Chowk, Wazarat road it culminated at Karbala with Sham-e-Gariban.

Thousands of Shia Muslims drawn from different parts of State participated in Muharram procession.

http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/12nov26/state.htm#6

[jamwal]

100s join funeral prayers for Kasab in Kashmir

Hundreds of people today offered funeral-in-absentia or ‘gaibana nimaz-e-jinaza’ for Mumbai terror attack convict Ajmal Kasab who was hanged in Pune’s Yerwada Jail on Wednesday.
Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani had appealed to people to hold his funeral prayers. Kasab’s funeral was offered today afternoon at the city’s Barzulla area. The people also offered funeral-in-absentia for Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza.
A resident of the Barzulla neighbourhood said people from two mosques gathered at the local Eidgah to offer prayers for Palestinians and Kasab.
Kasab’s hanging was largely ignored by the mainstream and separatist leadership in Kashmir who chose to remain silent over the incident.
Through a video message released on Thursday evening, Geelani had appealed to the people to protest against the Israeli air strikes on Gaza after the Friday congregational prayers.
“Funeral prayers should be held for (Palestinian) martyrs and Kasab should also be remembered. Nimaz-e-Jinaza (funeral prayers) should also be offered to him,” Geelani said in the video message.
In May 2011, Geelani had led hundreds of people in the city’s Batamaloo neighbourhood to offer funeral prayers for Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, days after he was killed in a US raid in Pakistan.

[prahaar]

The news posted by Jamwalji is shameful. Even more shameful is the silence of DDM. I have a feeling that many of the elites do not consider J&K as part of India, other possibility is they want to hide the true character of Kashmiri separatists, otherwise public opinion will force them to take corrective steps.

[jamwal]

Old news:

3 Kashmiri Hindus arrested for "insulting Islam" on Facebook

Police have arrested three people, all Hindus, from the Kishtwar district for allegedly running a "campaign" against Islam on the social networking site.

Two of the men are government teachers. Authorities said they had been dismissed from their jobs.

Police were put on alert after Muslim leaders called for a shutdown in the valley on Tuesday.

On Monday Muslim protestors clashed with relatives of the three men who allegedly put up the Facebook posts in Kishtwar, Doda and Bhaderwah districts.

Some protestors pelted a local police station with stones and damaged vehicles.

Authorities have blocked a Facebook page on which the three men had allegedly posted morphed pictures of the Koran and Kaaba. They have also asked the police to charge the men with violating public safety.

Religious tensions erupt occasionally in Kashmir's districts of Kishtwar, Poonch and Kargil, the BBC's Riyaz Masroor in Srinagar says.

[member_23686]

100s join funeral prayers for Kasab in Kashmir

Hundreds of people today offered funeral-in-absentia or ‘gaibana nimaz-e-jinaza’ for Mumbai terror attack convict Ajmal Kasab who was hanged in Pune’s Yerwada Jail on Wednesday.
Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani had appealed to people to hold his funeral prayers. Kasab’s funeral was offered today afternoon at the city’s Barzulla area. The people also offered funeral-in-absentia for Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza.
A resident of the Barzulla neighbourhood said people from two mosques gathered at the local Eidgah to offer prayers for Palestinians and Kasab.
Kasab’s hanging was largely ignored by the mainstream and separatist leadership in Kashmir who chose to remain silent over the incident.
Through a video message released on Thursday evening, Geelani had appealed to the people to protest against the Israeli air strikes on Gaza after the Friday congregational prayers.
“Funeral prayers should be held for (Palestinian) martyrs and Kasab should also be remembered. Nimaz-e-Jinaza (funeral prayers) should also be offered to him,” Geelani said in the video message.
In May 2011, Geelani had led hundreds of people in the city’s Batamaloo neighbourhood to offer funeral prayers for Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, days after he was killed in a US raid in Pakistan.

wt..

[krithivas]

No heartburn on this - This is an engineered news item on a pseudo funeral with an engineered bunch of protesters (100's means maybe under 50 and it was not spontaneous either) just to counter the truth that J&K did not care and that Kasab the Pig led a meaningless and wasted life and died for no one.

100s join funeral prayers for Kasab in Kashmir

Hundreds of people today offered funeral-in-absentia or ‘gaibana nimaz-e-jinaza’ for Mumbai terror attack convict Ajmal Kasab who was hanged in Pune’s Yerwada Jail on Wednesday.
Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani had appealed to people to hold his funeral prayers. Kasab’s funeral was offered today afternoon at the city’s Barzulla area. The people also offered funeral-in-absentia for Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza.
A resident of the Barzulla neighbourhood said people from two mosques gathered at the local Eidgah to offer prayers for Palestinians and Kasab.
Kasab’s hanging was largely ignored by the mainstream and separatist leadership in Kashmir who chose to remain silent over the incident.
Through a video message released on Thursday evening, Geelani had appealed to the people to protest against the Israeli air strikes on Gaza after the Friday congregational prayers.
“Funeral prayers should be held for (Palestinian) martyrs and Kasab should also be remembered. Nimaz-e-Jinaza (funeral prayers) should also be offered to him,” Geelani said in the video message.
In May 2011, Geelani had led hundreds of people in the city’s Batamaloo neighbourhood to offer funeral prayers for Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, days after he was killed in a US raid in Pakistan.

wt..

[sum]

When no Kaffir around, start green on green action:
Parts of Srinagar under curfew after communal violence

An indefinite curfew was imposed in major parts of Srinagar [ Images ] on Wednesday evening.

An official statement said, "The district magistrate of Srinagar has imposed curfew in the police station areas of Nowhatta, M.R Gunj, Safakadal, Khanyar, Rainawari, Nigeen, Lalbazar, Zadibal and Parimpora with immediate effect, till further orders."

A police spokesman said, "Police has taken cognizance of some skirmishes between two communities in Zadibal area. The civil and police administration are monitoring the situation. There are no reports of anybody getting injured. However, sporadic incidents of stone pelting have been reported."

Clashes between members of the Sunni and Shia communities in the old city area of Zadibal on Wednesday afternoon prompted the authorities to impose curfew in areas under nine police stations.

Islam Khatre mein hain!!!

[member_23252]

Economist on Kashmir

Mr Bhat says he has no regrets, though his Muzaffarabad-born wife says she struggles—she is unable to get work and finds Indian-Kashmiris to be a materialistic and closed-minded lot.
One, Jameel Ahmad Mir, admits he was drawn by India’s growing prosperity. He came back this year after 22 years on the Pakistani side because he saw India’s economy growing:

[brihaspati]

The news posted by Jamwalji is shameful. Even more shameful is the silence of DDM. I have a feeling that many of the elites do not consider J&K as part of India, other possibility is they want to hide the true character of Kashmiri separatists, otherwise public opinion will force them to take corrective steps.

The official logic will be
(1) taking it up on mainstream media is to give space to separatists in public imagination
Unofficial :
(2) it might inspire more such gatherings in other parts of India
(3) it might adversely affect public order [a "partcular" community may come out in rioting]
(4) the onlee communalists who can be named so in India - "Saffron" communalists - may use this to incite communal backlash on innocent Muslims
(5) NaMo might get electoral mileage

Real reasons : Cannot allow Jinnah to be proved right, and cannot allow Nehruji to be proved wrong.

[Advait]

Jamwalji, thanks a lot for posting this. We need to spread awareness of these type of incidents.

As for all the seperatist traitors here and everywhere else in India. All this trouble and nonsense could have been avoided with one simple rule - immediate execution of anybody who advocates secession from India, be it peaceful or otherwise. His entire assets are confiscated by the government, even if (esp if) it means his family becomes homeless.

Nuff said!

[Sachin]

As for all the seperatist traitors here and everywhere else in India. All this trouble and nonsense could have been avoided with one simple rule - immediate execution of anybody who advocates secession from India, be it peaceful or otherwise.

This is how the British dealt with the 1921 Moplah rioters. Once the British forces got upperhand (by introducing right type of troops and the police at the right places) the way they cleansed up the place was excellent. The message was clearly given out that rioters chances of surviving this rioting was pretty much none. Fence sitters etc. were some times asked to surrender their weapons. But hard core gang members knew their fate pretty much. A couple of them had no other option other than to commit suicide. The folks who got caught, the british hanged them up a quick trial. If I got it right after the riots were completely quelled, within 6-8 months the last set of criminals also met their ends.

Earlier during the rule of same terriotories, the British had adopted forcible exile of trouble makers to the Andamans. One or two trouble maker Moulavis were given one-way ship tickets to Arabia (with a promise that never to come back ). Only such determination can bring in good results, IMHO.

[Aditya_V]

Jamwalji, thanks a lot for posting this. We need to spread awareness of these type of incidents.

As for all the seperatist traitors here and everywhere else in India. All this trouble and nonsense could have been avoided with one simple rule - immediate execution of anybody who advocates secession from India, be it peaceful or otherwise. His entire assets are confiscated by the government, even if (esp if) it means his family becomes homeless.

Nuff said!

Not soo easy with world powers poking thier nose through NGO's and Amenesty Inetrnationals and these sepretists being one of the reason whoever wins in J&K has no choice but to align with INC. In fact, many times these guys travel freely accross the globe and get away with all kinds of legal violations is because they have the support of Elite at India's top who are again voted to power by India's voters. So you can state thier actions have a stamp of a significant portion of Indians.

[chaanakya]

http://yawn.com/2012/12/01/landslide-ki ... i-kashmir/

Landslide kills 12, including eight soldiers in Pakistani Kashmir

A military rescue operation swung into action after heavy snows on Friday triggered two landslides at a remote outpost in the Kel area of Pakistani-administered Kashmir near the de facto border with India.

“Three bodies of soldiers were recovered yesterday. The dead bodies of five soldiers including a captain and four civilians have been recovered today (Saturday),” said a statement by the military.

Local administration officials said they were searching for more dead bodies as nine people from the rescue party were still missing.

So it has become Pakistani Kashimir....

What happened to Azad Kashmir??

[chaanakya]

Deleted, inappropriate thread

[Uttam]

J&K panchs vote for change, again

Figures may not be the best measure of hope, but as strife-torn Kashmir will tell you, numbers have a way of making themselves heard. On Monday, they again rang loud and clear.

After months of gloom and talk of scared panchs and sarpanchs quitting posts in Kashmir under militant threat, after chatter about a crucial step towards democracy being allowed to fail in the Valley, they silenced the doomsayers by stepping out and doing what they hadn’t done in 40 years: vote for Legislative Council polls.

Ignoring fresh threats from militants groups as well as an appeal by Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani, as many as 97 per cent voted in the polls for the two Council seats in the Kashmir division under the panchayati quota (voting also took place for two falling in Jammu province). In Shopian in south Kashmir, where threats to panchayat representatives first surfaced, the turnout was as high as 92.68 per cent.

As per figures so far, only 567 of the 17,912 eligible panchayat members failed to vote. That immediately puts into doubt estimates of “more than 1,000” panchs, sarpanchs having quit in the wake of threats, a figure collatted by the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference.


...................

[sunnyP]

What the hell?

Row over Kashmir Govt's double standards


Even as Hurriyat leaders prepare to leave for Pakistan for talks there is an outrage over the Govt's double standards on how their passports were fast tracked, and the external affairs ministry has given these prominent anti national leaders permission to leave the country. Have we not learnt any lessons from FAI?

http://www.timesnow.tv/videoshow/4416780.cms

[ramana]

How was this news missed?

The Israeli Connection!

The Israeli connection

Author: Anuradha Dutt

There is enough material to be had in Jammu & Kashmir that suggests a common link between many people A novel conspiracy theory about Kashmir's future as a prospective Jewish state is gaining credence in Pakistan and among separatist leaders in the valley. The pervasive silence on the issue here is surprising in view of the fact that it is The Nation, one of Pakistan's most widely circulated and influential English dailies that on July 10 last year published a report titled ‘US plans Jewish state in IHK'. IHK denotes India-held Kashmir.

The news items referred to an alleged CIA plot in 1994 to assert American and Indian control over Kashmir by creating rifts in the Pakistani Army and among powers that be. Foreign-funded NGOs were engaged in furthering the design of turning Kashmir into another Israel, which would counter Pakistan and China.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of Hurriyat Conference, on July 12 this year stridently opposed Kashmir Tourism Department's move to send a delegation to Israel so as to boost tourist inflow from that country. He claimed that Israeli intelligence operatives would masquerade as tourists, to facilitate the plan outlined above. While giving a religious sermon, he said that Jews from around the world would be resettled not only in “Palestinian territory” but Jammu & Kashmir's tourist areas.

Such stridency may seem to stem from paranoia, but the presence of Jews in Kashmir was a matter of surmise since long. Jesus's possible sojourn in Kashmir has inspired a lucrative book-writing industry. The erudite late Acharya Rajneesh affirmed that Kashmiris were descendants of Jews, who had taken refuge in the valley, and that Jesus survived his crucifixion and escaped to Kashmir. He based his opinion on his travels through the valley. The savant ascribed Jewish ancestry to the Nehrus, a fact that is of particular interest on account of Jawaharlal Nehru's proximity to Lady Edwina Mountbatten, wife of Lord Louis Mountbatten, free India's first Governor General and last Viceroy of British India. Edwina was the granddaughter and co-heiress with her sister, of the Jewish banker Sir Ernest Cassel. She became the richest heiress in Britain.

A 1952 book by Khwaja Nazir Ahmed — Jesus in Heaven on Earth: Journey of Jesus to Kashmir, His Preaching to the Lost Tribes of Israel, and Death and Burial in Srinagar — bolsters the theory about Jewish migration to Kashmir. Speculation was rife since many centuries that most Kashmiris, Hindu or Muslim, were perhaps descended from the lost tribes of Israel, who had come to Kashmir and made it their home. Disappearance of these tribes from religious annals was ascribed to destruction of Israel by the powerful kingdom of Assyria in early 8th century BC.

The argument goes that Kashmiri physiognomy is Semitic, and language Dardic, of the Perso-Arabic group. Pandits in the Kashmir valley are unique, following ethnically distinct marriage and funerary customs; and including meat as a staple in their food. However, they shun pork, and fish without fins, and favour meat that is kosher or halal, like Semitic peoples.

Hindus and Muslims alike avoid beef too, suggestive of a shared Hindu past at some stage. Many names of places and tribes sound Hebraic: Heshubon, Pishgah, Sumaryah, Nebudaal, Heshba, Gandarbal, Har Nevo, Biet Peor and the like; and Asheriya, Lavi, Shaul, Kahana, Ahri, Musa and so on.

Historian Al Baruni, who accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni to India in the early 11th century, wrote about the people of Kashmir: “They are particularly anxious about the natural strength of their country and, therefore, take always much care to keep a strong hold upon the entrances and roads leading into it ... in former times they used to allow one or two foreigners to enter their country, particularly the Jews”.

A physician in Aurangzeb's court, S Manouchi, averred in his Memoirs: “There is an old tradition that these Jews who were led captives by Shalmaneser settled in Kashmir and that the people of that country are the descendants of these Jews. It is certain, though we find no remains in Kashmir of the Jewish religion, the people there being all either Guntus (Hindus) or Mohammadans, that there are several vestiges of a race descendant from the Israelites. The air of the face and the looks of their present inhabitants have something of what is peculiar to the Jews, which distinguishes them from all other people”.

Such testimonies by British and European travellers abound, even linking the Pashtuns of Afghanistan to the lost tribes as Bene Afghan. Practising Jews in India are called Bene Israel, children of Israel.

It may be recalled that Swami Vivekanand stated at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893: “I am proud to belong to a Nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth.”

He cited the demolition of the holy shrine of the Jews by the Romans when they laid siege to Jerusalem about 70 CE, and India giving refuge to many persecuted Jews.This shared past and India's ties with Israel are now seen to clinch the theory.

No Comment.

[sum]

3 militants killed in Kashmir encounter

Three militants were killed while four Army personnel were injured in two separate encounters in north Kashmir’s Sopore area 65 km from here in the early hours of Thursday.

“On specific information, Special Operations Group of the Jammu and Kashmir Police along with 27 personnel from Kilo Force, the counter insurgency wing of the Rashtriya Rifles and 9 personnel from the Para Regiment of the Army launched a search operation in the forest area of Cherhare, Bomia on Thursday morning.{ I think he means personnel from 9 PARA and not 9 personnel from PARA}

“Militants hiding in the forest fired upon the joint search team triggering an encounter in which one unidentified militant was killed,” police sources said. They said four Army personnel were also injured in the encounter.

Sopore SP Imtiyaz Hussain told Deccan Herald that one AK-47 Rifle was recovered from the encounter site. He said later in the evening that in a separate encounter at Mundaji, Batengo, Sopore, 60 km from here, two unidentified militants were killed in an orchid by a joint party of the police and 22 Rashtriya Rifles.

“On a tip-off we launched an operation in Mundaji village. Two militants hiding in the orchid fired on the search part and in retaliatory action both of them were killed,” he said.

Hussain said the slain militants belonged to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and most probably were not Indian nationals. “We are ascertaining their identity and it will take some time,” he said, adding that the killing of these militants will further improve the security situation in Sopore and its adjoining areas.

Meanwhile, sources said LeT chief commander Kashmir Fahadullah gave a slip to the security forces in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Wednesday after the police and the Army had launched a massive operation to nab him.

Expect one more 72 in coming days since Fahadullah will be hunted down like a game animal

[D Roy]

Kashmir is the land of Abhinavgupta and his magnificent obsessions. It is one of the ancient homes of Tantra in India along with Bengal, Assam and Kerala.

And that is why meat was eaten by the Brahmins there as part of Panchamakara. And btw Kosher food is not limited to not eating fish with scales. Kosher laws are quite extensive. Tantric shaivism on the other hand seeks to go to the light through darkness (like other tantric philosophies). Its forms of worship are not what one would call kosher.

To understand what really resonates in the Kashmiri heart deep down just think of one thing - while abdul invaders went around destroying lingams with a vengeance, in Kashmir a muslim shepherd found Amarnath.
And Tantric shaivism is not monotheistic. it is pretty much monist. As monist as advait vedanta. Gaudiya Vaishnavism is also monist.

The unity of hindu philosophies was established a long time ago.

[nawabs]

Caste, religion and Untouchability

http://www.kashmirtimes.com/newsdet.aspx?q=9372

Ashaq Ali Wattal hails from a community which has the sole 'right' to clean the toilets in Jammu and Kashmir. Hailing from Doda, Wattal moans at the continuous negligence by the state government and its authorities towards the community of manual scavengers in Jammu and Kashmir. His father was a manual scavenger working with municipality but now has left the work and does bamboo work. Ashaq has passed 10th standard and does electric work in his town. He was in Delhi to speak about his people and the discrimination they face in their daily life. According to Wattal, nobody wants to keep relations with them though there is no discrimination in the mosque during the Namaz. Despite, living in a Muslim dominated Kashmir it is strange that those who talk about nondiscrimination in Islam never ever thought that this issue needs immediate attention. Why has there been no movement among the Muslims to fight for the rights of the Muslim Dalits. A continuous denial will not work in this regard.

Wattal says that his father used to work part time in the municipality and could not get Rs 1,000 a month when he retired from his job. He says his maternal aunt Misha Begum worked with a government hospital for over 40 years and her daily routine is from early morning till afternoon yet at the moment she gets just Rs 700/- per month. The problem with most of the Wattals is that they are forced to this work as there is no other opportunity available for them. The payments are below the norm at the maximum for part time work as sweeper you still get Rs 200/- per month in the government as well as about Rs 300-Rs 500 per month in private.

It is strange that the Jammu and Kashmir government has no policy for these people. After much persuasion they are placed among the Scheduled Caste category and in the sixth place yet when the question of reservation comes, they never get any opportunity in the government. And therefore despite a huge population of about several lakhs, it would be a rare site to see Wattal community person outside their traditional occupation.

Ashaq has three sons and he is determined to educate them. In fact two of them are in the University. The fight for social justice and dignity continues. Shahid Hussain had difficult time. He used to work as sweeper but never accepted his defeat. He passed his 10th standard and got a job in a Nationalized Bank. With his determination he completed his graduation and is now working as an office assistant in the bank. For him, it was difficult but he was able to get it. There is no reservation for us he says, the pain reflects in his eyes as he narrates the story of struggle of his family.

According to a report submitted to the Supreme Court by Safai Karmchari Andolan, there are 7.94 lakhs open latrines in the country and apart from Uttar-Pradesh and Tamilnadu, Jammu & Kashmir is one of the biggest violators in this regard where 1,78,330 households needs manual scavenging but the latest figures from J& K government suggest that out of total 1,60,804 Households in the rural areas over 1,49,492 depend on manual scavenging which shows the status of 'development' in Kashmir. Out of total 5,17,168 urban households, 17,768 houses are depended on manual scavenging.

According to reports, Shopian, Kupwara, Bandipur, Srinagar, Kulgaum, Anantnag, Ganderbal and Pulwama have very large number of dry latrines which need manual scavengers to clean them. And as Ashaq Wattal says, all of them who are engaged in the manual scavenging task are Muslims. This exposes the hypocrisy of those so called Jehadis who talk so much about fighting against others and place an 'Islamic state' but never really bothered about the conditions of the Muslims Dalits. Why has such a large population not got any legal right from the government of India?

It is sad that the elimination of manual scavenging practices bill has not yet come in the parliament. The political parties can get consensus on everything which they want to get through but when the question of dignity of the manual scavenging communities comes, they remain suspect as they never cared for that. Today, if the bill is passed and makes the rehabilitation part of the process including alternative job reservation for them, how are the Muslim manual scavengers going to be benefitted from that. Secondly, whether the act would be implemented in Kashmir or not as it is always a problem that all central acts have to be separately developed in Kashmir. What will the J & K government propose to eliminate this crime against humanity? Will it rehabilitate the people and provide them alternative employment? Most importantly, what do the 'thekedars' of Islam say on this issue? All those who suggest we have a better alternative in religion must answer these questions.

Dalits remained Dalits in most of the religions though unlike Brahmanical system, the other religions opened a little window for them in terms of their worshipping pattern. They can go to mosque without being discriminated but the same is not true about Christian Dalits who face discrimination from the upper caste Christians even in the churches. If the Centre is making a law against elimination of manual scavenging practices or even if a law is enacted for reservation in Promotion, the Muslim and Christian dalits would not be able to get any benefit of the reservation. It violates the basic principle of equality without any religious prejudices therefore it is important that benefits of reservation or rehabilitation must incorporate all the Dalits in diverse communities. The issue of Dalit identity and their discrimination became the tool for religious propagandists too who wish to fight it on the basis of their 'religious' beliefs and provide 'liberation' theology for it.

The fact is the brahmanical practices of discrimination have penetrated deeply into the other religions and beliefs also and made them more ruthless in their attitude towards the Dalits. The conditions of Dalit in the Muslim dominated areas remain a matter of great shame and concern today as the movements for their 'azadi' has not reached inside the closed quarters where the Islamic zealots are ready to fight for everything in the name of their identity but have found little time to wage a war against untouchability and caste system inside their four walls even when arguments were pushed forward by many people who felt that religious conversion is the best bet to escape caste discrimination.
The manual scavenging communities must be rehabilitated without being discriminated on the basis of their religious identities as they do not merely exists in Jammu and Kashmir but elsewhere also including Uttar-Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana and Tamilnadu too. It is also important that the fight for the Pasmanda Muslims and their rights must begin at home too. It is easier to suggest that there is liberation of Dalits in religion but at the end if we investigate their socio-cultural conditions, it is open secret that caste virus continues there too and the discrimination level remain the same. Just being proud because your religion allowed them in mosque and churches will not be sufficed for their survival and dignity. War against untouchability transcends nation, state, caste and religious boundaries. It is time we all join hands against this crime against humanity to eliminate it completely from the planet. Jammu and Kashmir government must come clean on it and take the issue of untouchability and manual scavenging on a wider scale so that all of them are rehabilitated. It is important that to eliminate manual scavenging the government must provide the eligible youths employment in the non-sanitary work and rehabilitate them completely. Why have the Jehadis of Islam kept quiet on these issues even when it is a routine to see the Wattals in Kashmir work? They are always worried about Islam in danger; let them raise a Jehad against untouchability and manual scavenging in Kashmir. We will be with them in their fight for dignity of manual scavengers in Jammu and Kashmir. We cannot leave our Kashmiri friends isolated and hence will definitely join their struggle for dignity and self-respect.

[svinayak]

How was this news missed?

The Israeli Connection!

The Israeli connection

Author: Anuradha Dutt

There is enough material to be had in Jammu & Kashmir that suggests a common link between many people A novel conspiracy theory about Kashmir's future as a prospective Jewish state is gaining credence in Pakistan and among separatist leaders in the valley. The pervasive silence on the issue here is surprising in view of the fact that it is The Nation, one of Pakistan's most widely circulated and influential English dailies that on July 10 last year published a report titled ‘US plans Jewish state in IHK'. IHK denotes India-held Kashmir.

The news items referred to an alleged CIA plot in 1994 to assert American and Indian control over Kashmir by creating rifts in the Pakistani Army and among powers that be. Foreign-funded NGOs were engaged in furthering the design of turning Kashmir into another Israel, which would counter Pakistan and China.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of Hurriyat Conference, on July 12 this year stridently opposed Kashmir Tourism Department's move to send a delegation to Israel so as to boost tourist inflow from that country. He claimed that Israeli intelligence operatives would masquerade as tourists, to facilitate the plan outlined above. While giving a religious sermon, he said that Jews from around the world would be resettled not only in “Palestinian territory” but Jammu & Kashmir's tourist areas.

Such stridency may seem to stem from paranoia, but the presence of Jews in Kashmir was a matter of surmise since long. Jesus's possible sojourn in Kashmir has inspired a lucrative book-writing industry. The erudite late Acharya Rajneesh affirmed that Kashmiris were descendants of Jews, who had taken refuge in the valley, and that Jesus survived his crucifixion and escaped to Kashmir. He based his opinion on his travels through the valley. The savant ascribed Jewish ancestry to the Nehrus, a fact that is of particular interest on account of Jawaharlal Nehru's proximity to Lady Edwina Mountbatten, wife of Lord Louis Mountbatten, free India's first Governor General and last Viceroy of British India. Edwina was the granddaughter and co-heiress with her sister, of the Jewish banker Sir Ernest Cassel. She became the richest heiress in Britain.

No Comment.

This gives some clues to how Pakistan state in 1947 was connected to the formation of the Jewish state in 1948.

The hope is that similar global powers and their geo political needs will facilitates the 'freedom' for Kashmir. This hope is based on past history and agreements which the Indian muslims (Pak Faction) have done with the west.

These legal agreements which the Pak/Indian muslims did under the cover with the British and the Bankers need to be understood and how they think that similar agreements still hold for the future.

That may explain how they view the Hindus as an entity, as a social group and also a 'nation'

[anupmisra]

For Kashmiris Indo-Pak cricket isn’t just a sport

Don't bother reading the full vomiticle. This sums it up pretty much how the cashmeris love their paki birathers.

Cricket matches involving Pakistan and India — arguably the fiercest arch-rivals after Australia and England in the game’s history — have often been described as “mother of all encounters”. In Indian-administered Kashmir, many see cricket contests between these two nations as “war minus the shooting”.

With teary-eyes many elderly women and men in the Kashmir Valley could be seen sitting, anxious and worried, on their prayer mats, some also holding rosary beads in one of their hands; seeking divine intervention to rescue Pakistan from scary situations.

[JE Menon]

>> The erudite late Acharya Rajneesh affirmed that Kashmiris were descendants of Jews, who had taken refuge in the valley, and that Jesus survived his crucifixion and escaped to Kashmir. He based his opinion on his travels through the valley

This is no run of the mill speculation, and not just by Rajneesh ... Below is a long and detailed GoI documentary on the same subject. And everyone knows Edwinas jewish ancestry, although her grandpa converted to Roman Catholicism to marry her grandma...

http://www.amaonline.org/video/D9w-xJfSOyc

Taking it a bit further, we see the link between the cassel patriarch and the rothschild family. Both family patriarchs regularly invited Churchill to their homes - see the book Churchill and the Jews (google will tell you who wrote it, I don't remember). Who knows what they discussed?