J & K news and discussion

[abhishek_sharma]

Cong tells K-panel to tone down activism

http://www.dailypioneer.com/293003/Cong ... ivism.html

The Kashmir interlocutors on Thursday came under attack both from the Opposition BJP as well as the ruling Congress. The Congress advised them to “talk less” to avoid inviting criticism and the BJP sought to know from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh if any terms of reference were set for them or they were enlarging their own mandate on a daily basis.

Feeling “rattled” with the constant embarrassment being caused by the statements issued by two of the three interlocutors, Dileep Padgaonkar and Radha Kumar, senior Congress leaders, on condition of anonymity, said the interlocutors should avoid interacting directly with the media. “If at all they wished to talk to the media, they should talk less. The interlocutors should maintain that ‘talks are in progress’,” they maintained. The message would be sent across to them, they pointed out.

...

Advocating appointment of a spokesperson for the interlocutors, sources said they might not have been able to articulate properly. “Their intent would have been that the Indian Constitution has scope for accommodation for certain amount of aspirations as was the case of the Bodos,” they said.

On its part, the principal opposition BJP sought to know from the Government if what the interlocutors were voicing was part of New Delhi’s brief or if they were enlarging their own mandate almost on a daily basis.

“Home Minister P Chidambaram has been for the past one year a votary of quiet dialogue. Perhaps, he needs quieter interlocutors,” BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters.

...

“The Constitution is an important instrument both for Indian democracy as also for national integration. It can never be allowed to become a charter for incorporating the sentiments of azadi,” Sitharaman added.

...

[abhishek_sharma]

Misquoted, cries disoriented Radha

http://www.dailypioneer.com/293000/Misq ... Radha.html

A day after triggering controversy over her reported remarks that the Indian Constitution could be amended to accommodate a solution to the Kashmir crisis, Central interlocutor Radha Kumar on Thursday denied the statement as a “fabrication”, and said she had only praised the Constitution’s flexibility.

“As a matter of fact, that was a fabrication”, she claimed while seeking to dispel the impression that she had at any time suggested the amendment to accommodate the demands of a section of the people in Jammu and Kashmir.

Her remarks came on the heels of a similar controversial statement by Dileep Padgaonkar, who is leading the three-member team of Kashmir interlocutors that the Kashmir issue needed to be resolved through discussions with Pakistan. He had faced criticism, as Radha Kumar does now, for “exceeding” the brief the Centre would have given them.

“What I did say was that the Indian Constitution is a very beautiful Constitution which I am extremely fond of. It has demonstrated its flexibility time and again and if there is some agreement by all parties on some new solution, I am sure Indian Parliament would be happy to consider it”, Radha Kumar said.

Pointing out that she never considered herself to be in the exalted position to recommend changes to the Constitution, Radha Kumar stated, “I am not arrogant enough to believe that I am going to make recommendations on a document that took five years to prepare. You know the history of our Constitution.

Five years of debate all over this country and if you read those constitutional debates, I just tell you as an Indian you will be so proud”.

Less than twenty-four hours ago, she had reportedly told the media that the “Indian Constitution is a beautiful document. It has been amended 100 times to accommodate even language issues. There is room for amendments. We can recommend amendments to accommodate discussions on Kashmir issue to find the solution in line with the aspirations of the Kashmiris”.

...

[abhishek_sharma]

Is Radha voicing govt line on azadi, asks BJP

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 831255.cms

The BJP's reaction came even as government officials tried to downplay the whole issue saying the statement should be read in "broader perspective" specifically when the interlocutors have to first establish their credibility among the stakeholders.

Referring to Radha Kumar's "azadi" remarks, a senior official said: "Azadi' means different things to different people. There is no harm in talking about `azadi' if it means freedom from overbearing presence of security forces in civilian areas."

[Pratyush]

can some ask why the presence is required in the first place.

[jamwal]

Misquoted, cries disoriented Radha

http://www.dailypioneer.com/293000/Misq ... Radha.html

“As a matter of fact, that was a fabrication”, she claimed while seeking to dispel the impression that she had at any time suggested the amendment to accommodate the demands of a section of the people in Jammu and Kashmir.


...

[/quote]

Different sections of people support dowry, sharia, wife beating, polygamy and so on. Please suggest some way to accommodate these sections too.

[abhishek_sharma]

She is prevaricating. She took the pro-Paki view.

[Lalmohan]

nothing much on SuAR(ni) in the press today, looks like she's already been dropped from the newsworthy list. guardian tried yesterday with a bit of shock tactics, but apart from the usual islamofascist loonies, didn;t attract much attention

[Sanku]

Perhaps this is the reason why the GOi is not persuing her to the fullest extent possible.

Or she is like van-guard of the interlocuters that MMS has appointed, SuAR being the scout, Padgaonkar and Radha Kumar being the advance guard, and Omar-Rahul being the main body.

All working towards the same agenda.

Considering that ALL these are saying same things albeit in different degrees of dilution and are running about with sanction from GoI, that is the only possible alternative.

Ocam's razor.

------------

Imagine with the SuAR ni did not oink about on her oinks, imagine the mud that Padgaonkar would have had thrown at him.

Think how much trouble she saved the others.

------------

Always look for motives of crime.

[Rahul Mehta]

Given that people want to do nothing but AR-bashing, and are not interested in focusing on the REAL problems (Rajmata SG, Mahatma MMS, Pak, US, UK, Saud money, Chinese weapons coming to Pak etc) it seems pointless to me to ask following relevant questions. But sake of records, let me ask the questions :

1. what Govt Notifications (or Legislation) do you propose to solve JK mess?
2. Pls provide DRAFTS of above
3. what political steps should I (and my fellow commons) take so that your DRAFTS in (2) get signed?

Thanks.

[Sanku]

Yes Saar it is pointless arguing with us. Please let us be.

Thanks in advance.

[rsharma]

Upon reading the article entitled - " Pity The Nation That Has To Silence Its Writers", I was left wondering who exactly are these writers that Ms. Roy is referring to ???? For surely, I cannot come to think of this particular person as a "Writer" of any worth, having read the so-called "Best-Work-Till-Date" that unbelievably fetched her, a prestigious literary award.

Long Long time back I had the misfortune of being presented with a copy of Ms Roy's - "God of Small Things", on my B'day , by a friend. Not only did I find Ms. Roy's story and literary style to be uncouthly, mediocre and at times - unintelligible and as such utterly incapable of eliciting any aesthetic, ideological or literary fulfillment.. but i also found it at most places to be a deliberate and a devious ploy by Ms. Roy, to bore the reader to death.. ( in this case the reader being me, to the point of contemplating to murder the friend who actually "presented" it to me).

In "Pity The Nation That Has To Silence Its Writers", Ms. Roy tries hard to portray herself as a "Martyr" being sacrificed at the altar of "Free Speech" and "Rationalism",while the truth is, the entire piece is a disappointment given the expectation one has from the literary prowess the author is professed to possess.

Its actually quite amusing following the news daily and observing " The Great Vaudeville of Pseudo-Intellectuals in India ", and "The Great Vaudevillian" herself - Ms. Arundhati Roy - the self-proclaimed "World Citizen", the "Beacon of Hope and Rationalism " as declared by her zealot lot of supporters, and the so-called "Prophet of Anarchy", a title given to her by her critics.
On second thoughts.. I guess both the words Vaudeville and Vaudevillian suffer from being too polite having their etymological origins in the French Language,and, the appropriate words to use in their stead would be their "Desi" translations -"Nautanki" & "Nautanki-baaj"..

[nachiket]

Cong tells K-panel to tone down activism

http://www.dailypioneer.com/293003/Cong ... ivism.html

The Kashmir interlocutors on Thursday came under attack both from the Opposition BJP as well as the ruling Congress. The Congress advised them to “talk less” to avoid inviting criticism and the BJP sought to know from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh if any terms of reference were set for them or they were enlarging their own mandate on a daily basis.

Feeling “rattled” with the constant embarrassment being caused by the statements issued by two of the three interlocutors, Dileep Padgaonkar and Radha Kumar, senior Congress leaders, on condition of anonymity, said the interlocutors should avoid interacting directly with the media. “If at all they wished to talk to the media, they should talk less. The interlocutors should maintain that ‘talks are in progress’,” they maintained. The message would be sent across to them, they pointed out.

So basically, the Congress' takleef is with the interlocutors airing their views in public, not with the (appalling) content of their views.

[Pranav]

A small tid-bit about the offensive actions to take kargil and Leh in 1948 - General Cariappa, then COAS, went against the directives of Nehru to not launch 'offensive' operations. He authorized the Operation Bison to take Zoji La and then other territories. The nation owes this man a real debt.

x-post from India-US thread:

Lt. Gen. Cariappa

After getting freedom, a meeting was organized to select
the first General of the Indian Army.
Jawahar Lal Nehru was heading that meeting.
Leaders and Army officers were discussing to whom
this responsibility should be given.

In between the discussion Nehru said,
"I think we should appoint a British officer
as a General of Indian Army
as we don't have enough experience to lead the same."

Everybody supported Nehru because if the
PM was suggesting something,
how could they not agree?

But one of the army officers abruptly said,
"I have a point, sir."

Nehru said, "Yes, gentleman. You are free to speak."

He said ,"You see, sir, we don't have enough experience to lead a nation too,
so shouldn't we appoint a British person as first PM of India?"

The meeting hall suddenly went quiet.

Then, Nehru said,
"Are you ready to be the first General of the Indian Army ?"

He got a golden chance to accept the offer
but he refused the same and said,
"Sir, we have a very talented army officer,
my senior, Lt. Gen. Cariappa,
who is the most deserving among us."

The army officer who raised his voice against the PM was
Lt. General Nathu Singh Rathore,the 1st Lt. General of the Indian Army.

That is the professionalism and character the military was once made of .................

[jamwal]

^^
Awesome

[CRamS]

To make MMS's game plan palatable and easily sold to the Indian gullible middle class, expect TSP (through US coaching of course) to come out with some conciliatory satement on terror or something, which Indian media will latch on to and will start advocating tri-partite love making in Srinagar (which essentially means KM secession under a different garb).

[CRamS]

That is the professionalism and character the military was once made of .................

You mean not anymore?

[Sudip]

Imagine with the SuAR

Isnt her name in the right order ASuR?

[chetak]

That is the professionalism and character the military was once made of .................

You mean not anymore?

Unfortunately no.

In the higher echelons we have carefully selected and pliable gents known more for their extreme flexibility due to the absence of a spine.

They can easily sense faint air currents to better align themselves to the direction in which the political wind is blowing.

When the government of the day is in a position to hand out ambassadorships as well as governorships, we effectively have a bunch of defanged, deballed, decocked and debrained yes men leading the forces.

Look at what happened during kargil. It was the questionable quality of the leadership that basically precipitated the crisis and the excellent quality of the juniors that pulled us through.

[ramana]

Chetak, Indian political leaders who appear highly evolved suddenly go back on the evolution ladder to jellyfish once in office.

From spine to spineless.

They dont understand its the other way around in nature.

[Avik]

Ramana, Chetak: You guys are being a tad too harsh on the Indian military leadership. This is a universal phenomenon, irrespective of whether it is Peter Pace or Richard Myers in the US or Jock Stirrup in the UK. Richard Danatt, in the UK, who is lionized by the Brit media for being a "tiger" facing down Gordon Brown achieved very little, and all he did was appear in a couple of interviews seeking better vehicles for the British Army. He achieved very little, appeared totally holier than thou, and was negotiating with David Cameron to be some kind of a special advisor to the new Conservative Govt. Of course, he got shafted when Liam Fox heard about it. These then are the examples that are held up as exemplars to the whole world!!

In comparison in India, officers like Pradeep Naik, Barbora, Nirmal Verma, VK Singh, GOC- 15 Corps, GOC Northern Army etc regularly get their message across through the press and various other media and generally, their advice is accepted and counsel taken seriously. Now, of course, there has to be flexibility and needless rigidity achieves nothing.

Further compared to our civilian leadership, in both private sector and the public sector,not to mention the civil and police service leadership, the quality of military leadership is far superior notwithstanding a couple of aberrations...I mean in the corporate sector, we have a veritable revolving door wher CEOs screwing PSUs like NTPC, ONGC, SAIL etc, find immediate post retirement employment in JSW, R-Infra and R-Power!!

So, compared to paper tigers in the West and the our own less than stellar corporate leadership, the Indian military leadership is doing fine. Of course there are aberrations, but lets not hold self flagellate needlessly!!

JMT

[abhishek_sharma]

Kashmir interlocutors and Helen of Roy

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.co ... len-of-roy

A slew of statements, well scripted and deliberated upon with due diligence, has hit the headlines, portraying Kashmir as India's Gulag archipelago. Is there anything more to it than meets the eye? The ongoing Track II diplomacy has been, to say the least, at its 'destructive' best as it gains unbridled pace at America's behest, with the Indian government hurriedly getting its act together, on the eve of US president Barrack Obama's visit to New Delhi.

Not least surprisingly, and deservedly so, a sizeable section of India's patriotic hoi polloi feels agitated at prima facie seditious utterances by a woman activist-writer who in a desperate bid to steal the limelight from the Union government-sponsored interlocutors has upped the ante for both her Track II rivals and the Centre. She claims to have only reiterated what her secessionist brethren in Kashmir and comrades-in-arms-and-thought across the socio-political landscape elsewhere in India have been proclaiming ad nauseum, and publicly so.

What has raised the hackles of an 'aam' Indian is that she has stepped on a political minefield with gay abandon, least realizing the repercussions it could have on the very 'daridralok' - the wretched and the meek -- whose cause she seeks to espouse.

...

First, in the recent past, to fire the salvo on the Kashmir front was no less a person than Omar Abdullah, who reneged on his oath of allegiance to the Indian constitution when sworn in as chief minister of J&K state, questioning on the floor of the legislature the state's accession to the Indian Union. And, such a heinous act of commission, committed in total breach of constitutional propriety, followed close on the heels of the "pat of encouragement" he got a day or two earlier from all-powerful Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, saying Omar was young and needed support to tide over the crisis. Rahul must have known that his "great grandfather" Jawaharlal Nehru put Omar's grandfather Sheikh Mohd Abdullah behind bars for exactly the same (t)reason.

Two, the covert insistence by the United States in official as well as back-channel parleys in New Delhi and Washington -- and elsewhere on the sidelines of international confabulations -- that India fast work out an arrangement, howsoever ragtag, to gratify, if not satisfy, Pakistan -- America's "ally-in-war on terrorism" -- is becoming more evident than ever before. What India initially thought to be a US nudge on Kashmir is now proving to be a troublesome needle that pricks it at pressure points.

Three, noted US journalist Bob Woodwards' disclosure of a quid pro quo on Kashmir in his book "Obama's Wars' springs no surprise on the informed but a studied silence by the Indian government on such a sensitive issue smacks of the rot the ruling elite has put the nation into. Will the government of the day care to inform the "aam aadmi" on the floor of Parliament, where in not too distant a past a resolution was passed reiterating India's territorial claim on the part of Jammu and Kashmir under Pakistan's illegal occupation (PoK) since 1947, that no "murky dealings" are on to barter away any part of the J&K state?

Arundhati Roy may be a joker in the pack but the Indian government, which has vested with authority and resources a threesome team of "distinguished actors" to mediate on behalf of the duly elected government at the Centre - and by inference on the nation's behalf - with militants and secessionists who have blood of innocent Indians on their hands, will have to come clean on the goings-on. For, in a knee-jerk response to Arundhati, the interlocutors have raised the bar, saying "Indian constitution is a beautiful thing and it can be amended" the umpteenth time.

[Pratyush]

Brilliant from HT

[chetak]

Chetak, Indian political leaders who appear highly evolved suddenly go back on the evolution ladder to jellyfish once in office.

From spine to spineless.

They dont understand its the other way around in nature.

All the more reason to miss PVN or even IG, for that matter.

[Airavat]

Hundreds of Ladakhi students today gathered at Ladakh Sarai and highlighted that Ladakh region was neglected in educational sectors by the Central and State Governments, here this morning. Various other speakers also highlighted the other issues including educational infrastructure in degree colleges of Ladakh region, inclusion of Ladakhi language in 8th Schedule, opening of Chadhar Road, Zojila tunnel and said that Ladakhi has always abided by the Constitution of India.

They also alleged that only Kashmir gets due attention and share from the Central Government aid but both Jammu and Ladakh region have remained neglected always.

[Nihat]

True that, Jammu and Laddakh Need development whereas Kashmir needs a demographich change. People living in huddle and closed clusters often develop a seige mentality and see conspiracy in everything. Look no furthur than TSP for an example.

[Luit]

Vision of India and Kashmir's place in that vision

By Jagmohan

WHAT is our vision of India and what is Kashmir's place in that vision? This isJagmohan the fundamental question that every Indian, genuinely concerned about the future of the country, should be asking himself or herself, but which practically no one is asking. Therein lies the tragedy of India. The Republic that came into being on January 26, 1950, has shown little aptitude or willingness to define clearly, its true vision and its true destiny and to pledge itself to the realization of that vision and that destiny.

The great question that should have been faced by us was one our civilisational and cultural identity and its rejuvenation and regeneration so as to enable us to provide an inspirational and ideological base for building a strong and well-knit India with fundamental values and a design and life-style of its own. But we ignored this great question and acted like a blind man with a lantern in his hand, assuming that the outer light was a substitute for the inner one. No wonder, we now find ourselves in a snake-pit-a pit of frightening darkness and dimension, a pit that has exposed us to grave dangers not only in Kashmir but also in other parts of the country.

The fundamental challenge that confronts us today is how to extricate ourselves from this snake-pit and come out of the atmosphere of chaos and confusion and move into one of stability, and orderliness with lights of true vision and motivation of true destiny guiding us.

What, we must ask ourselves in all earnestness, is India?? Is it a mere collection of States. and territories or something more than that? Is it a new political reality only or also an expression of a common heritage and history, a common culture, a common set of values that have nursed and nurtured the same way of life for ages in diverse circumstances and in different regions.

The answer to these questions is clear. The new Republic is a new constitutional entity. But it is not merely that. It is also a historical and cultural continuity-a continuity that is unique, a continuity that mocks at the ravages of time and has remained unperturbed by the scars and stains left by the upheaval and uproars of history. And all parts of the country, including Kashmir, are a part of continuity.

Few in our country-practically none amongst the ruling elites who have dominated the political scene in the post-independence period, realize that Kashmir's relationship with the rest of India is based not merely on the Instrument of Accession and Articles 1 and 370 of the Constitution of India; it is rooted is far more potent and enduring forces whom neither the turbulence and tornadoes of the past nor the negativism and nihilism of the present-day politics can really destroy. It is a relationship of mind and soul that has existed from the time immemorial and found amble expression in common avenues of intellect and emotions, poetry, and literature, philosophy and outlook. Every green pasture that you walk around in Kashmir, every silvery peak that you watch from pleasurable distance, every stream that sings its song by your side, every enchanting lake that you come across now and then and every little town and city that visit, has some signpost or the other of this deep and abiding relationship. Kalhana was not off the mark when he observed in Rajatarangani that there was hardly any place in Kashmir that was not a tirtha. And Vincent Smith rightly pointed out that ancient India had nothing more worthy of its early civilization than the grand ruins of Kashmir.

To understand in depth Kashmir's relationship with the rest of India, it is necessary to address ourselves to a few basic questions.

What were the forces that brought into existence, about 4,000 years ago, a quiet little temple on what is now known as the Sankaracharya Hill? What made the great Kashmiri King Lalitaditya (721-761) to build the glorious temple in honour of Surya, the Sun God, at Martanda, and Avanti Verman (855-883) to construct equally splendid temples at Avantipura? What inner urges did these constructions symbolize? What philosophy, what temper of mind, did they represent? Were these inner urges, these tempers of mind, not products of the same cultural forces that prevailed in other pans of India?

How is it that for thousands of years, the learned Brahmins of South India have been, on getting up from bed, folded their hands, looked northward and prayed: Namaste; Saradadevi: Kashmira Mandala Vasini (I salute the Goddess of Sarada who resides in Kashmir). Why is it that even now parents tell their children to seek the blessings of this Goddess of Learning who has her abode in North Kashmir in the valley of Kishanganga?

What made Sankara, when he wanted to rejuvenate the spirit of India, to travel from a small hut of Kaladi in Kerala all the way to the distant hills in Kashmir? And what made him to stay there for quite some time and compose his famous poem, Soundarya Lahari, propounding his philosophy of Shakti and Shiva? Why is it that Abihava Gupta, the great savant of Kashmir Sahivism, is also called 'Sankaracharya of Kashmir', and how is it that he draws his philosophic thought from the same cultural spring as that of Sankara?

What were the forces that attracted Swami Vivekananda from Calcutta to Kanyakumari and then to Kashmir? What made him standing before the holy cave of Amarnath, experience one of the highest stages of spiritual ecstasy Why was he so captivated by the sight in the cave that for days, to use the words of Sister Nivedita, he could speak of nothing else but the image of Shiva and proclaim that he had never been so greatly inspired as then?

What do the various landmarks on the route from Pahalgam to the cave of Amarnath-Chandanwani,Pishu Ghati, Seshnag, Panchtarni- stand for? Are they not some of the most important symbols of Indian culture and, beliefs?

How is it that Kashmir had always an innate attraction for Indian saints and sages, poets and philosophers, and provided them with perennial, inspiration? What, in moments. of poetic intensity, made Kalidasa see the 'laughter of Shiva' in the Himalayas and Subramania Bharati think of Kashmir as the Crown of Mother India?

The answer to all these questions is one and only one: Kashmir, for thousands of years, has been a part of the Indian vision-a silent and serene, yet solid and strong part; an integral and inseparable part.

Even when Islam came to Kashmir, it did not alter the ethos of the common folk. Most of the Islamic teachings were just grafted on Vedantic beliefs and thoughts. The central message of Kashmir's patron saint and founder of the Rishi order, Sheikh Nooruddin Noorani was: There is one God, But with a hundred names. There is not a single blade of grass, which doe not worship Him.

Sheikh Nooruddin himself was deeply influenced by Lal Ded who "saw Shiva and Shakti sealed in one" and whose outlook was permeated with some of the finest components of Indian thought and tradition.

Both Sheikh Nooruddin and Lal Ded were endowed "with vision which increases the power of speech and with inspired speech that makes vision penetrating". It was their inspired speech and their penetrating vision coupled with earthy sense and rub of life, that kept the Kashmiri ethos within the over-all cultural mainstream of India even after a very large part of the Valley's population had been brought under the fold of Islam. The followers of the Rishi Order abhorred killings. Like the Jains, they were careful not to cause harm even to insects. Sheikh Nooruddin went to the extent of refusing to walk on grass lest it should be damaged. Poet Mohammad lqbal, who was a Kashmiri by descent, also noted in one of his Persian couplets, the habit of Kashmiri Muslims to carve out moortiseven from the stones of graves.

The list of the living symbols and signposts of Kashmir's relationship with the rest of India is long and virtually unending. But for our policy-makers,. whether they sit in North Block or South Block or Shastri Bhavan it does not exist. No mention of its is ever made either inside or outside the country. No child is taught a word about it. No pressman writes a line on the subject. All that is spoken of or written about, almost ad nauseam, is the special relationship, the need to continue and strengthen Article 370, and of giving more and more autonomy-'anything short of azadi'-promoting thereby separatist psyche and according to tacit approval to the 'two-nations' or 'three-nations' theory.

It is strange that Jawaharlal Nehru, who had a strong sense of history, spoke or wrote, after August 1947, very little about Kashmir's underlying bonds with the rest of India and hardly took them into consideration while framing his Kashmir policy instead, he showed a marked disposition to rely on personally-oriented relations and that too, with very few individuals like Sheikh Abdullah and Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed. Though himself a Kashmiri by descent, he took practically no step to fertilize the commonality of the mindscape and to bring home to all concerned Kashmir's inerasable place in the Indian vision. The partition of the country badly stabbed this vision. In extenuation of Nehru's and other Indian leaders' inability to prevent this partition, it could, perhaps, be said they had to reckon with British manipulations. But in free India not to reinvigorate centuries-old vision with its deep roots in culture, tradition and other gambits of life, was nothing short of committing a lapse of a vast historic proportion.

The Indian decision-makers went astray at every turning point of Kashmir's contemporary history as they had neither any clear idea about the true vision of India nor of Kashmir's place in that vision. They had no fundamental ideological or inspirational base from which a coherent consistent and constructive pattern of thoughts and deeds could emerge. Their approach was spurious, superficial and personally-oriented, giving no attention to the forces that shaped the mindscape. Consequently, they have brought Kashmir and the rest of India to the brink of spiritual and cultural divorce. They have created an atmosphere in which we have virtually "nothing to look backward with pride and nothing to look forward with hope".

There is only one way to salvage the position. And that lies in the emergence of new political, social and cultural forces that could discover the true vision of India and outline its true destiny and assign Kashmir its rightful place in that vision and that destiny.

[shiv]

^^
Link please

[Luit]

http://ikashmir.net/jagmohan/index.html

sorry.

[Luit]

http://ikashmir.net/jagmohan/article2.html

More from the Great Jagmohan,

Kashmir - Illusion and Reality

By Jagmohan

Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it." This observation comes to my mind every time the Government brings a resolution for extension of the President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir. The last such resolution was brought to Parliament on August 9, 1994. The Home Minister's speech, introducing the resolution and the Governor's report, had practically the same contents as on the previous occasions. All these speeches and reports reflect the same state of mind - the mind which prefers to live with illusions rather than with reality.

During the period intervening between two extensions, the Government has always been claiming improvement in the situation and singing the same song about the political process and elections But what are the facts?

From the data collected by me from the replies to starred and unstarred questions during the just concluded session of Parliament, it emerged that the casualty figures had been going up. In 1990, 1,177 persons were killed; in 1991, 1,393; in 1992, 1,909; and from January 1, 1993 to June 30, 1994, 3,964. If the figures of abduction, kidnapping, attacks on security forces and other incidents related to terrorism are tabulated, the same trend would be visible.

During the last six months alone, 102 security personnel and 526 civilians were killed, 145 persons were kidnapped and the security forces were subjected to heavy firing and grenade attacks 1,275 times. In this period, Doda, too, came under the vicious grip of terrorism.

Encounter
As in last year, rockets were fired at this year's Independence Day function at Srinagar. On August 13, the militants, in the heart of the capital, engaged the security forces in a pitched encounter for practically the whole day. In this gun battle, the BSF lost a commanding officer and five jawans.

The murder of Dr Qazi Nissar on June 20 and the virtual refusal of the Government servants posted in the Valley to do any work connected witb the Amarnath Yatra (August 13-21) also show the way the wind is blowing. The bomb explosion in a Jammu bus on August 25, which resulted in the death of ten persons, including eight children, points to the same direction.

At the time of every extension, I have been raising a few basic questions. Why has terrorism been increasing both in scale and ferocity? Why are persons like Qazi Nissar still being murdered? Why do people respond to the calls for general setrikes by militant outfits? Why is not the Government tackling forces of subversion which are being continuously fuelled by the ISI to continue internal disorder and incipient aggression?

Loyalty
The answer to these and allied questions, which the Government has always side-tracked, is that the truth has never been and is still oot being, faced in Kashmir. The truth is that the loyalty of a large number of public servants has been subverted; the truth is that no one is trying to rebuild the collapsed structure of civil administration; the truth is that the initiative is being allowed to rest with the militants and the Government is persisting with its permissive attitude.

Take, for instance, the Hazratbal incident of October/November, 1993. In this case the Government first surrendered its option, at the time of cordon, by providing food to the militants; then it surrendered its laws by releasing 62 persons who had been waging a "war against the State", in conspiracy with a foreign power- and now it has surrendered its prestige by removing the 'bunkers' for the retention of which it had been insisting for the last ten months. Clearly, such a weak response would add to the belligerency of the militants and would have the same impact as was caused by the simultaneous release of 70 hard-core militants in September/December, 1989, by Dr Farooq Abdullah's Government.

The extent to which the Government has been trapped in its own confused web would be evident from the way it has been dealing with Yasin Malik who is a principal accused not only in the kidnapping (December 8, 1989) of Rubaiya Sayeed but also in the killing of four innocent Indian Air Force officers (January 24, 1994). Is it not in itself a tragedy of monumental proportion that the Indian State, whom Jawaharlal Nehru vowed to make "mighty in thoughts, mighty in deeds, mighty in culture, and mighty in service of humanity", is today looking to persons like Yasin Malik in resolving the Kashmir problem, instead of setting right its own mooring?

Is it not paradoxical that whereas 134 personnel of the security forces have been punished for "excesses", not even a single militant involved in serious crimes has been convicted, and the "designated court" set up by me in early 1990 at Jammu for speedy and effective prosecution, was made dysfunctional under political pressures of petty interests? Is it not a naivety of its own kind to talk of elections in the Valley, when practically every functionary of the State is afraid of raising his head above the parapet wall and when pro-Pakistan and pro-independence elements are being allowed to inject, through media and subversive literature heavy doses of militancy in the social environment of the Valley?

Too late
When on August 15, 1994, I heard the Prime Minister teUing Pakistan, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, "With you, without you, in spite of you, Kashmir is an integral part of India, and this will not change," I was reminded of the following words of General Douglas MacArthur: "The history of failure in war can be summed up in two words: Too late, too late in comprehending the deadly purpose of a potential enemy; too late in realising the mortal danger; too late in preparedness; too late in uniting all possible forces for resistance."

If Government had adopted a firm line in 1988-89, when the present game of subversion, terrorism and low-intensity war was started by Pakistan, it would not have been in the sorry mess in which it finds itself today and the people of Kashmir and the rest of India would not have paid such a heavy price both in human and financial terms. Even now it is doubtful whether the Prime Minister's words would be matched by deeds. The Government has been, and is still, sending conflicting signals. Even the three main functionaries - the Home Minister, the Minister of State for Home Affairs and the Governor, J&K - have been speaking with different voices.

Performance
What is needed is a clear, consistent and comprehensive policy which not only malces up for the deficiency of late response but also demonstrates that promises would be followed by performance. This policy should, as I have been emphasising since 1990, include putting sustained pressure on pro-Pakistani militants, concentrating on rebuilding the civil administration; dealing effectively with subversive elements within the services; eliminating indirect help to militants by way of civil works and "appeasement-recruitment", prosecuting the disinformers in specific cases; activising the 'designated court' at Jammu fur speedy trial of the accused involved in killing and kidnapping; taking initiative to unearth arms and ammunition; organising counter-guerrilla groups; keeping all the while an honourable line of retreat open for new leadership not involved in heinous crimes; and, finally bringing home to all concerned that, if fair gestures are not responded to, Article 370, which is being currently misused to cause internal subversion and facaitate external intervention, would be abrogated.

"While truth", says Emile Zola, "is buried underground, it grows, it chokes, it gathers such an explosive force that one day it bursts out, it blows everything up with it." Since the Government and Parliament have not been facing the truth in Kashmir it has been hitting them in the face after every six months. And, if the present attitude persists, it would continue to hit them in the coming months also. Every extension means not merely constitutional extension of the President's rule; it also means extension of India's wishful thinking.

[Luit]

And

http://ikashmir.net/jagmohan/nutsbolts.html

AUTONOMY: Nuts and bolts of operational reality

By Jagmohan

Those who demand pre-1952/53 status or advocate maximum autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir take care not to address themselves to concrete questions. They remain conveniently vague and show little respect to the practical implications of their stand. For instance, they suppress the fact that, in the absence of full financial integration with the Union, Jammu and Kashmir would have no resource at all for development. It is the Union finances that provide the entire funds for the State's five-year Plans and also for a substantial part of the non-Plan expenditure. According to the Reserve Bank bulletin (December, 199S; Appendix I & II), per capita Central assistance for 1994-95 was Rs. 3,010 for J&K, as against Rs. 190 for Bihar, Rs. 305 for Rajasthan and Rs. 341 for UP. In case of J&K, 90 per cent of this assistance is in the shape of grants and 10 per cent as loans; while for the four States mentioned above, it is 30 per cent grants and 70 per cent loans. Likewise, per capita non-Plan grants for J&K in the same year comes to Rs. 720 while it is Rs. 72 for Bihar, Rs. 23 for Tamil Nadu, Rs. 81 for Rajasthan and Rs. 23 for UP. All this shows the tremendous gains that have flowed to the J&K State from the financial link with the Union. What will happen if this link is now ended? Who will fill in the gap? Will it not be the United States and the other Western powers? And will it not place Kashmir virtually in their hands?

Take, likewise, another example - extension of Article 356 of the Indian Constitution which enables the President of India to bring the State under his rule. It is often said that this extension constitutes an encroachment on the State's autonomy. But no one asks a connected question: If there is a breakdown of the constitutional machinery in the State or if the State refuses to comply with any direction concerning Defence, Foreign Affairs or Communications, what will happen in the absence of President's powers under Article 356? Suppose the Governor has the corresponding powers; then does it not mean that the President would have to submit to the decision of the Governor, his own appointee? Again, suppose the Governor is made Sadar-e-Riyasat, who is elected by the State Assembly, then, would not granting the final say to the Sadar-e-Riyasat amount to subordinating the Union to the State? And if the President withdraws his recognition of the Sadar-e-Riyasat but the State Assembly once again elects the same person as Sadar-e-Riyasat, will it not cause a constitutional deadlock?

If funds continue to flow to Kashmir from the Union, as at present, and it is allowed, as is being advocated in certain quarters, to have an exclusive say on subjects other than Defence, External Affairs and Communications, it could enact Islamic civil and criminal laws and even set up Shariat courts, on the same lines as has been done in Pakistan, and make it virtually a theocratic entity. Would not such a scenario do violence to the very preamble of our Constitution and also amount to secularism financing theocracy and that, too, propelled by forces of bigotry and fundamentalism?

The problem of Jammu and Kashmir has not been insufficiency but surfeit of powers. During 1977- 82, for example, Sheikh Abdullah established a sort of elective dictatorship in the State. He practically acted like a monarch of all that he surveyed. No one even checked him from doing what was, on the face of it, wrong. His recruitment of the erstwhile die- hard workers of the Plebiscite Front, the Al-Fatah and such other subversive organisations, in sensitive departments like police, was, obviously, fraught with grave risks to the security and stability of the State. And yet, he could go ahead unhindered either by the Governor of the State or by the Union Government. The Resettlement Act,1982, legislated during Sheikh Abdullah's regime and formally enacted during Dr. Farooq Abdullah's time, showed what a vast area of power was available to the State Government.

It is not in the erosion of autonomy but in the erosion of earnestness and sincerity that the seeds of numerous troubles of Kashmir are embedded. There are a great many instruments of power that are available to the State leaders but they have been used less in the service of the State than in the service of the self.

The crucial questions that need to be asked of the singers of the autonomy ode are: Do they want more autonomy to enact a legislation like the one referred to above? In what way is any welfare work or work of development held up for want of powers? Where is any law or executive order or judicial pronouncement that has undermined the personality or identity of Kashmir or altered its sculpture or spiritual landscape? What will happen in the absence of flow of Union funds? If such funds continue to flow, how will it be ensured that a secular entity does not feed and prop up a theocratic one? And how will the challenge of fundamentalist forces from within be met?

If one shakes off the impact of what is dished out to the Press and published in abundance, one would discover that the advocates of more autonomy or of pre-1952/53 position are misleading the people, planting untenable and unworkable notions on their minds and arousing false and dangerous hopes. They are, wittingly or unwittingly, strengthening those forces which have been working, both beneath and above the surface from 1948 onwards, for securing secession and establishing 'Sheikhdom' in Kashmir in one form or the other. For what is implied by 'more autonomy' today will meln 'independence' tomorrow. Such a development would have serious repercussions and ultimately lead to Balkanisation of India with all its bloody and tumultuous consequences.

It is, indeed, tragic that to serve their ends of power quite a few of our leaders are confusing the people, dividing them and indirectly facilitating the task of those who want to see a torn and tormented India, an India that is continuously at war with itself.

[James B]

Posters in Srinagar ask Hurriyat to review its agitation

Posters appeared in the commercial hub of Lal Chowk and Residency Road in Srinagar city carrying a two-day ultimatum to hardline Hurriyat Conference to review its decision on continuing protest bandhs indefinitely. Hundreds of posters issued in the name of hitherto unknown Jammu and Kashmir Islami Ittehad outfit appeared on the walls and shutters of shops in the city.

"The Hurriyat Conference should announce by October 31 as to who is calling the shots in Kashmir. Who should we listen to -- Hurriyat or stone-pelters?" the outfit asked.

"The benefits derived out of strikes and protests over the past four months are unemployment, destruction and bleak future for Kashmiri nation," it said.

The outfit urged the Hurriyat to consider the economic condition of the people before giving calls for strikes.

It also claimed that only a handful of stone-pelters were creating law and order problem in the Valley for their petty and personal interests.

"There are only 100 to 125 stone pelters who wait for deterioration of situation so that they can indulge in loot. There has been an incident in Zakura where they snatched jewellery from a woman," the outfit said.

It said unscrupulous elements were using social networking sites like Facebook to spread "lies" and "rumours" about non-existent atrocities committed by security forces.

"A few days back, they spread rumours about rape of a woman in Palhalan, which turned out to be a lie later on. However, it caused disturbances at many places in the Valley," the outfit said.

Eyewitnesses told PTI that the posters were pasted in the city in the wee hours on Saturday but most of these disappeared within hours. Police officials said they were aware about the development but refused to comment on it.

Who could be these?.

[Vikas]

Waiting when first shoe will be thrown at SuAR. I am willing to scout for one in the local dustbin.

[darshhan]

Waiting when first shoe will be thrown at SuAR. I am willing to scout for one in the local dustbin.

Vikas ji , why look inside the bin for the shoe ? Just throw the dustbin itself.

[CRamS]

Jagmohan brilliantly narrates India's emotional inseparable connection with Kashmir. What are the chances MMS/Sonia can articulate that much less even feel the same connection. To MMS's secular stance, is there space for KMs to demand secession? Its the job of the media to ask all these tough questions. Its painful that everybody from SuAR to interlocuters to MMS to USA, its only the interests of TSP and KMs. India has to do all the giving. Do KMs have any responsibility?

[CRamS]

Here is what many are wondering

wrote:
Can some one verify what was Paki PM Gilani's 16th October speech? Rajiv Srinivasn mentioned in his rediff article that Pakistan Prime Minister Gilani declared on October 16 (as reported in The Economic Times) that 'there will be good news about Kashmir soon'.

And here is a potential answer: TSP to present "piss plan" to MMS's interlocuters

You can be rest assured that the so called "piss" plan from TSP will be along the lines of what I speculated a while back:

wrote:
To make MMS's game plan palatable and easily sold to the Indian gullible middle class, expect TSP (through US coaching of course) to come out with some conciliatory satement on terror or something, which Indian media will latch on to and will start advocating tri-partite love making in Srinagar (which essentially means KM secession under a different garb).

Ane here here is the tango from MMS.

Makes sense?

[rohitvats]

<SNIP>

The army officer who raised his voice against the PM was
Lt. General Nathu Singh Rathore,the 1st Lt. General of the Indian Army.

<SNIP>

Well, the story is not that straight forward....he was not asked to be COAS in the said meeting. Lt.General Thakur Nathu Singh was a know fierce nationalist even while in the British Indian Army and came to be thrown out of Service for his veiws more than once. He wanted to leave the BIA and join either State Forces or State Administrative Service - but was asked not to by one of the national leader as independent India would need Soldiers like him. He was a brilliant soldier - his score on Strategy Paper during enterance examination for Staff College holds to this date - and he did not need any coaching for the said enterance examination (which seems to have been a practice).

He was close to lot of freedom fighters and national leaders of the era - was particularly close to Sarojini Naidu. He had been intimated by Sardar Baldev Singh, Defence Minister, that he was the choice for first Indian COAS. But he declined on the ground that Cariappa was senior to him. The second choice was Lt.General Ranjitsinhji - who also declined on the ground of Carriapa being senior.

That is how Cariappa came to become first Indian Cheif - btw, Cariappa and Thakur Nathu Singh were from same Regiment (Rajput Regiment) and were pretty close to each other.

[Jarita]

Have you seen this?
It is from 2008

Tuesday, December 09, 2008
What is Sonia Gandhi doing on FDLAP?



Why is Sonia Gandhi listed as a co-president of an organization that supports secession of Kashmir? Last time we checked, the Indian Government does not officially endorse an Azad Kashmir. India officially considers Kashmir, including the region called Pakistan Occupied Kashmir as integral part of its territory. It also appears that Kashmiris themselves do not particularly want freedom, they participated in the recent assembly election in large numbers.


http://barbarindians.blogspot.com/2008/ ... fdlap.html

[vera_k]

Curious. This FDL-AP site even now has here listed as a member, and the Kashmir Crisis is the only one highlighted on the page.

http://www.nancho.net/fdlap/

[arjunm]

A sensible article written by the Panther Paty Chief Mr,Bhim Sing

Merger and integration of J&K: In the mirror of the Constitution

Bhim Singh

http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisp ... px?id=1474

The Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir failed to conceal the hidden agenda he conceived during a visit to Pakistan in 2007, though he had lot of time on his side to take up the issue.

Omar Abdullah’s utterances on the floor of the Legislative Assembly in Srinagar last month proved counter-productive, though he chose that venue fully conscious that a Legislator enjoys immunity from criminal action for words used inside the House. This immunity is not enjoyed by legislators in SAARC countries, barring Sri Lanka .

The Chief Minister’s statement deserves serious attention from those claiming to be ‘experts’ on J&K affairs. The Chief Minister made several irresponsible and offensive observations in his hate-India speech that day, which challenged the mandate and authority of the Constitution. It invited the wrath of different circles.

To begin with, Omar Abdullah literally shrieked in high decibels that Jammu & Kashmir acceded conditionally to India and was not an integral part of the Union . One part of his speech referred to his intention to revive the ‘Anglo-American Dixon Plan,’ though he did not name this obnoxious and aborted proposal. Abdullah’s reference to the creation of so-called sub-regions of Rajouri-Poonch and Doda districts of Jammu province by granting them regional autonomy deserve careful analysis of his latent intentions, which were originally mooted by his grandfather in 1953.

The proposal was recommended by Justice Owen Dixon in his report to dissect the Muslim-majority districts from Jammu province and establish a so-called Greater Kashmir. Dixon was sent as special UN observer to J&K in 1950, when Pakistan refused to withdraw from the occupied areas of J&K as per UNCIP direction in its resolution dated 13 August 1948. To bail out Pakistan , Dixon recommended the creation of ‘Greater Kashmir’ to divide the State on communal lines, though the people had opposed this in 1947. This proposal was sponsored by the Anglo-American Bloc.

Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, for a change, rejected the Dixon Plan outright in 1950. The grandson of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, at the first opportunity, vomited his family’s hidden agenda out of frustration, little realizing that half a century has elapsed since the Anglo-American Axis tried to sell this plan through Sheikh Abdullah in 1953. Sheikh Abdullah’s support to the Dixon Plan earned the wrath of Mr Nehru, resulting in Abdullah’s dismissal and arrest. Omar Abdullah also declared that J&K was not an integral part of India , which would have caused unbearable embarrassment to the National Conference’s coalition partner, the Congress.

Several noted columnists, writers and journalists have poured thousands of words in the print media in support of Omar Abdullah’s lost-doctrine that J&K is not an integral part of India , and that it had not merged with the Union . Omar has opened a Pandora’s Box not only for himself, but also for the Congress which provides crutches for him to stand with. Experts on J&K affairs are aware that the Ruler of the state was the only competent authority to accede to India , which he did on 26 October 1947. The Governor-General of India accepted the Accession the next day, 27 October 1947. The same day the Indian Army landed at Srinagar Airport and launched a counter-offensive against the enemy to drive them out of the Valley.

The ‘format’ of the Instrument of Accession for all Princely States was exactly the same. All the princes acceded in respect of Defence, Foreign Affairs and Communication at the first stage. After the acceptance of their offers, the States naturally merged with the Union . True, the Maharaja had introduced some conditions at the time of Accession by retaining some municipal powers for himself. On 20 August 1952, the Constituent Assembly under the leadership of Sheikh Abdullah unanimously adopted a resolution piloted by Mr. D.P. Dhar terminating the monarchy in the State. With the abolition of monarchy, all or any conditions attached by the monarch for himself stood discharged, resulting in the constitutional merger of the State the same day. The status of Raj Pramukh (Regent) was switched over to an elected Sadar-e-Riyasat. The Accession was ratified by the Constituent Assembly.

The J&K constitution was launched formally on 26 January 1957. Section 3 unequivocally states that “J&K is integral part and shall remain integral part of India ”. This provision clearly provides in the First Schedule, item no.15 of Article 1 of the Constitution of India, which includes J&K as one of the States of the Union of India. Yet, ignorant of both constitutional reality and morality, several notables have been defending the Chief Minister’s statement that J&K is not integral part of India . Even the Foreign Minister and the Union Home Minister have extended solidarity with this philosophy; such is the abysmal level of the knowledge of constitutional niceties among our political class today.

J&K is as much as integral part of India as the State of Mysore, now renamed Karnataka, or any other state. Yet the Chief Minister seems to be adamant to continue advocacy for his lost cause out of mental frustration. His father is a member of the Council of Ministers in the UPA regime at the Centre, besides being the head of the National Conference. His silence regarding the behaviour of his son and party Chief Minister is intriguing. If Farooq Abdullah does not accept J&K an integral part of India , what right does he have to sit in the Union Cabinet? One wonders how Dr. Farooq Abdullah is still a Cabinet Minister in the Central Government when his son does not believe that the state is integral part of the Union . Mr. Omar Abdullah has himself served as a Minister at the Centre in the government of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. One may ask him how he took the oath of allegiance to the Constitution of India. What was he doing for two years in South Block, simply spying for his hidden masters?

Syed Ali Shah Geelani, a leader of the Jamaat, which does not enjoy more than 6% support among Kashmiri Muslims, has been exploiting the failures, corruption and inefficiency of the ruling National Conference and got an opportunity to rouse the masses. Geelani was elected twice as a Legislator in J&K and has since been drawing full pension as MLA. His recent visit to Delhi on the invitation of various undesirable elements, and his hate speech with other anti-nationals has unfortunately generated a kind of communal tension in the capital and other places.

Mr P. Chidambaram may well be the first Union Minister in the country to describe the J&K situation as a ‘political dispute’ and Accession as ‘unique’. This leads one to believe that Mr. Chidambaram is on the same page as Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Omar Abdullah. The three musketeers dispatched from Delhi as interlocutors may gather the fragrance of Kashmir for the power echelons in Delhi . They have started reciting, parrot-like, that the so-called Kashmir dispute is what Geelani has been insisting, and have crossed the limits of decency by harping on a dialogue with Pakistan . So was this their real agenda?

There is a belief that the interlocutors have been sent with full freedom in order to repeat and justify the irresponsible utterances of the Chief Minister. This is being done to prolong his tenure as Chief Minister.

What has happened to the eight point declaration of the Union Home Secretary, which was meant to rescue the Chief Minister and which the latter described as a ‘trespass’ into his domain? The chief interlocutor surprised his admirers with his statement in Srinagar that the problem or ‘dispute’ as he called it cannot be resolved without taking Pakistan into confidence. Are the three musketeers building new bridges for an entry in to Pakistan ? Shall they represent the Ministry of External Affairs, as well as the Union Home Ministry?

The immediate remedy to restore peace in J&K is to relieve the Chief Minister of his job, which he has miserably failed to perform in accordance with the Constitution. The people are also unhappy at the governance deficit. A short spell of Governor’s Rule can help restore peace and rebuild the confidence of the people. Omar Abdullah has lost all credibility and acceptance. Any delay in his exit may prove a security risk. Fresh Assembly elections may be unavoidable to address the aspirations and wishes of the people, who desire freedom from corrupt, inefficient and biased government. That may open the door of democracy for all, including the angry Kashmir leaders.

This message has to go to every J&K citizen and to every citizen of India , that J&K is as much an integral part of India as Delhi , Punjab or Mysore . Had J&K not merged constitutionally, the Indian Parliament could not have interfered in its affairs by introducing Article 370. Moreover, Sheikh Abdullah, the author of the ‘Quit Kashmir’ movement and principle actor of the abolition of monarchy, himself signed an Accord with Mrs. Indira Gandhi in 1975, accepting the entire constitutional arrangement with the Union.

Today, the National Conference cannot be allowed to question the integration or the mandate of the Constitution. By describing such absurd issues as ‘dispute’ only to maintain power, the NC leaders must not be allowed to exploit innocent people any more. J&K merged through the Accession with the Union and thus forms an integral part of the nation. Any challenge to its status needs to be dealt with severely in accordance with the law of the land. 27 October is for the people of J&K what 15 August is for the people of the entire country.



The author is Chairman, J&K National Panthers Party and senior advocate, Supreme Court

[arjunm]

Thank you, I am still learning. thank you very much