Chaos Afflicts Hindu Pilgrims In Kashmir Hills‏

Chaos Afflicts Hindu Pilgrims In Kashmir Hills‏

Beijing’s Date With Organization Of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) – Analysis

Beijing’s Date With Organization Of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) – Analysis

ادب نامہ ۔۔۔ پریس کالونی کا کتّا ۔۔۔ تحریر: یوسف جمیل ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ ٹیٹوال کے کتّے کی کہانی تو آپ نے سنی ہوگی ۔آج سرینگر کے فیشن ایبل ریذیڈنسی روڈ کی بغل میں واقع پریس کالونی کا کتّا منتظر شنوائی نظر آرہاہے ۔ اُس کی کہانی بھی سن لیجئے اور فیصلہ کیجئے کہ اس کا حشر کیا ہونا چاہئے ۔آخرکتّوں کی قسمت کا فیصلہ ہم انسان ہی تو کریں گے ۔ اُسے زندہ رہنے دیا جائے یا وہ یہ حق کھوچکاہے ۔آخری حکم ہم ہی جاری کرسکتے ہیں ۔ پریس کالونی کے اس کتے نے کب ، کہاں اور کن حالات میں جنم لیا۔ ہمیں اس کی بالکل خبر نہیں۔ ہمارے لئے اس کی کہانی 2008ء کے موسم گرما سے شروع ہوتی ہے ۔ امرناتھ شرائن بورڈ پر صوبائی حکومت کچھ اس قدر مہربان ہوگئی کہ رعایا کے ایک بڑے حصے کا خون کھول اُٹھا جوایک بڑی ایجی ٹیشن کا سبب بنا جوکشت وخون اور تباہی پر منتج ہوئی ۔وادیٔ کشمیر میں نفسانفسی کا عالم تھا۔ کئی ماہ پر محیط شورش کے دورن مسلسل کرفیو اور دیگر حفاظتی پابندیوں ، پکڑ دھکڑ اور حکومت اور اس کے قانون نافذ کرنے والے اداروں کی طرف سے طاقت کے بے دریغ استعمال کے نتیجے میں ایک ایسا ماحول پیدا ہوگیا تھاکہ ہرایک کو جان کے لالے پڑ گئے تھے۔اشیائے خوردونوش نایاب تھیں یابالکل غائب ہوگئیں ۔اس میں جموں میں بعض عناصر کی طرف سے چلائی جارہی اقتصادی ناکہ بندی مہم کا بھی عمل دخل تھا ۔بالخصوص سرینگر شہر میں لوگ اپنے شب وروز بھوکے پیٹ گزارنے پرمجبور ہوگئے تھے ۔جب انسانوں کے لئے کھانے پینے کی کوئی چیز میسر نہیں تھی تو جانوروں کو کیا کھلاتے ، وہ کیا کھاتے اور کہاں سے کھاتے۔ ہمارے ساتھی فوٹوگرافر حبیب اللہ نقاش کے والد اچانک بیمار ہو گئے۔کسی طرح سے انہیں اسپتال پہنچایا گیا ۔ وہاں ان کی دیکھ بھال کے لئے حبیب اللہ کوبھی رُکنا پڑا ۔ بیٹا فرض نبھانے سے کیسے چوک سکتا تھا۔حبیب اللہ کی عدم موجودگی میں اس کے ایک ہم پیشہ ساتھی توصیف مصطفی نے پریس کالونی میں واقع اس کے فلیٹ کو اپنا عارضی مسکن اور اپنی پیشہ وارانہ سرگرمیوں مرکز بنالیا۔ غیرمعمولی پابندیوں اور انتہائی پُرخطر صورتحال میں کیا اپنی پیشہ وارنہ سرگرمیاں جاری رکھتا۔ بس ایک شوق ، ایک جنوں اور اپنے پیشے سے عقیدت نے اس عکاس کو اپنا گھربار چھوڑنے پر مجبورکیا تھا ۔ پریس کالونی میں کھڑی ایک عمارت کے فلیٹ نمبر2میں توصیف بالکل قید ہوکر رہ گیا ۔ایسا ہی یا اس سے بھی بدتر حال اُس کے ساتھی فوٹوگرافروں اور دوسرے صحافیوں کا تھا۔ اشیائے خوردنی کا اسٹاک ختم ہوچکاتھا۔ بازار مسلسل کرفیوں ، ہڑتال کے لئے کی گئی اپیلوں اور دھونس دبائو اور دھمکیوں کے طفیل بند پڑے تھے اور شہر سے باہر جانا ناممکن تھا کیونکہ انتظامیہ نے پہلے سے جاری کئے گئے کرفیو پاس منسوخ کئے تھے اور نئے کرفیو پاس جاری کرنے سے انکاری تھی ۔ کسمپرسی کی اس حالت میں جب توصیف نے اپنی عارضی رہائش گاہ کی عقبی کھڑکی سے باہر کی طرف دیکھاتو اُسکی جان میں جان آگئی ۔ایک ڈربے نُما پولیس گاڑی پریس کالونی میں آکر رُکی اور اس میں سوار کانگریس پارٹی کا ایک مقامی سرگرم رکن محمد سلطان منڈوعرف سلہ منڈو باہرآگیا اور پھرمسلح پولیس محافظوں کی معیت میں انگریزی روزنامہ ’’گریٹر کشمیر‘‘ کے دفتر کی جانب چلنے لگا ۔ غالباً اُسے وہاںکوئی پریس نوٹ اشاعت کی غرض سے سونپنا تھا۔توصیف دوڑ کر نیچے آگیا اور شناسا سے یوں مخاطب ہوا۔ ’’ہم بھوک سے بلک رہے ہیں ۔بڑی مہربانی ہوگی اگر ہمیں کہیں سے کچھ لا کے دے دو‘‘۔ توصیف نے اپنی جیب سے پانچ سو روپے کا نوٹ نکالا اور اسے محمدسلطان کو تھمانے لگا۔ اُس نے لینے سے انکار کیا لیکن یہ وعدہ کرکے وہاں سے چلا گیا ۔ ’’فکر نہ کرو ۔میں کچھ نہ کچھ انتظام کرلوں گا ‘‘۔ سہ پہر کو محمدسلطان ایک ذبح شدہ مرغ کو لے کردوبارہ پریس کالونی میں وارد ہوا۔ توصیف کو اُس وقت کسی فرشتے سے کم نظر نہیں آرہاتھا۔ اُس نے محمد سلطان کا شکریہ اداکیا اور فوراً کچن کی راہ لی ۔ مرغ کے خوردنی گوشت کا سالن تیار ہوا تو توصیف نے قریبی فلیٹس میں رہائش پذیر دوتین ساتھیوں کے ساتھ اسے نوش کیا ۔ سب اللہ کے حضور میں سربسجود ہوگئے پھر انہیں اُس نحیف کتّے کا خیال آگیا جوکئی دن سے پریس کالونی میں لڑکھڑاتے لڑکھڑاتے گھوم رہا تھا۔ اُس کی حالت سے یہ اندازہ لگانا مشکل نہیں تھاکہ وہ بھی کئی دنوں کا بھوکا ہے ۔ توصیف نے تناول کئے گئے مرغ کی بچی ہڈیاں ایک برتن میں جمع کیں اور پھر انہیں باہر لے جاکراُس کتے کے آگے ڈال دیں۔ کتّے کی جان میں جان آگئی ہے یہ صاف نظر آرہا تھا۔ وہ دن اور آج کا دن ۔ یہ کتّا حبیب اللہ کا دَر چھوڑنے کے لئے بالکل تیار نظرنہیں آرہا ہے۔کئی بار اُسے پیٹا گیا ،لتاڑا گیا۔ اُس پر پتھر برسائے گئے ،ڈنڈے بھی چلائے گئے لیکن لگتا ہے کہ اس نے بھی وہاں سے نہ جانے کی قسم کھائی ہے ۔ کتّے نے حبیب اللہ کے فلیٹ تک جانے والے زینے کی بالائی سطح کے چبوترے کو اپنا دائمی مسکن بنا لیاہے ۔ لاکھ کوششوں کے باوجود بھی وہ اسے چھوڑنے کے لئے تیار نہیں ہواہے۔حبیب اللہ کو حال حال ہی میں مرغ اور بلیاں پالنے کا شوق چرایا ہے ۔یہ کتّا اُن سے بھی گھل مل گیا ہے مجال ہے کہ اس نے کبھی انہیں گزند پہنچانے کی کوشش کی ہو ۔ چاہے اُسے کئی دن تک بھوکا ہی کیوں نہ رکھا جائے۔ عمارت کی بالائی منزل میں دوروزناموں کے دفاتر واقع ہیں ۔جب ان کے ہاں کوئی انجان مہمان آتاہے تو کتّے کو چبوترے پر براجمان دیکھ کر الٹے پائوں لوٹنے میں ہی اپنی عافیت سمجھتاہے حالانکہ کتّے نے کبھی کسی شخص ،چھوٹے یا بڑے، کونقصان پہنچانے کی کوشش نہیں کی ہے۔ یہاں تک کہ وہ کسی پر بھونکتابھی نہیں ہے ۔ یہ اُن کتوں سے بالکل مختلف نظر آرہاہے جن پر انسانوں کے خلاف بغاوت کا الزام ہے ۔اپنے ایک صحافی دوست نے جو ان میں سے ایک روزنامے کا مدیر ہے ،مذاقاً یہ استفسار کیا ’’بھئی کہیں اس کتّے کو یہاں بٹھاکر کسی نے ہمارے اخبار کے خلاف سازش تو نہیں رچی ہے ؟‘‘وفاداری کتّے کے خمیر کا اہم جز ہے ۔ ہمیں تو یہ کتا خاندانی بھی لگتاہے ۔ اب جب میونسپلٹی والے شہریوں کے اصرار پر کتوں کی جان کے دشمن بن بیٹھے ہیں ہمیں اس کتے کی فکر ستارہی ہے۔ کہیں اسے ناکردہ گناہوں کی سزا نہ بھگتنا پڑے۔کتّے ،کتّے ہیں ،انسانوں کے ساتھ ان کا کیا مقابلہ۔ لیکن اسی سڑک پر ،اسی گلی میں ،اسی بستی میں ، ان ہی اقامت گاہوں میں ،اسی زینے پر انسانوں نے انسانوں کا خون بہانے میں کوئی عار محسوس نہیں کیا ۔ وہ تو انسان تھے اور یہ کتّا ہے ۔

The Dog in the hallway

The Dog in the hallway The story of a stray dog who refuses to walk out on his redeemer, leave his doorstep REALITY BITE YUSUF JAMEEL You must have heard the story of the dog from Tetwal, be familiar with the plight of the ‘Tetwal Ka Kutta’ a victim of the Partition frenzy. Much water has flown down the Kishanganga and the Jhelum since, and Sadat Hasan Manto has not heard yet he could be born again. Or has this land turned infertile to produce another Manto and the comparable? That apart, today, another dog, an ordinary creature, I presume, wants to be heard. We, the humans must give him a patient hearing and then decide his fate. After all, it is we, the humans who can decide if he has a right to live or he has ceased it. We alone can pass judgement on him. The dog lives in a backstreet of Srinagar’s fashionable Residency Road; precisely on the upstairs hallway of one of the buildings in Mushtaq Press Enclave (MPE). When, where and in what circumstances did he open his eyes in this world, we don’t really know. For us, his story begins in Summer 2008. The Jammu and Kashmir government had in what was seen by many people as an act of excessive ‘benevolence’ surrendered a plot of forest land to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) which a vast majority of the Valley’s population openly and sturdily objected to. Instead of coping with the sensitive issue with utmost care, those at the helm of affairs tried to silence the dissent and hold back the situation and rule with iron fist. Soon tens of thousands of people were out on the streets actually to give vent to their old and unheard grievances and primarily the political sentiment, innate demand of azadi. The government forces responded with imposing round-the-clock curfews, making random arrests and even targeting the protesters with gunfire. On the other hand, pro-freedom parties and supportive groups seized the situation, and did all they could, to further their agenda. Entire Vale of Kashmir was pushed into an anarchic state of affairs wherein hardly anyone would feel safe. An ‘each one for himself’ kind of condition was also thrown up. The curfews, shutdowns, violence and economic blockade of the Valley by Hindu chauvinists in the planes led to scarcity of foodstuffs. And then a day came when there was hardly anything available to eat particularly for majority of the Srinagar residents, the worst hit by unrest. With almost nothing on hand, how could they feed the animals around, what would the mammals particularly the stray dogs eat and where? The poorest couldn’t be expected to give a hand to the poor. The father of a colleague, photographer Habibullah Naqash fell seriously ill. Somehow, he was taken to hospital and soon Naqash also relocated there to look after him. In his absence, his friend and equal Tauseef Mustafa made the flat in MPE Naqash lives in as his temporary abode- to reside and operate from there as well. In the face of unprecedented restrictions, the curfews and somewhat perilous circumstance in which our tribe like other fellow citizens had been caught, it was hardly practical to discharge our professional responsibility yet the yearning to toil, the passion, the dedication and love for the pursuit forced Tauseef to leave his home and the family behind and stay at a place which plausibly was suitable for people like him to operate from. The infamous MPE! But he soon discovered he in no way was any better than millions of fellow citizens and like them had been virtually reduced into a prisoner inside Flat No. 2 of the middle block at MPE. The condition of his counterparts and other journalists was not any different either. Some were caught even in worst situation. They, as most Srinagar residents, had run short of rations and essential commodities. In many cases, there was hardly anything left to eat or drink except the tap water. Marketplaces were shut and even the vendors from Aabi Guzar in spite of being at a stone’s throw could not make it to MPE as gun-wielding policemen had blocked all entry and exit points. The curfew passes issued to media persons had been cancelled and the concerned authorities were refusing to issue the fresh ones. In this helpless situation, Tauseef felt elated when he through a rare window of the flat saw a local Congress leader Muhammad Sultan Mandoo alighting from a white police Gypsy and flanked by his security guards began walking down the back alley towards the Greater Kashmir office presumably to deliver a party statement for publication. Tauseef quickly came downstairs and pushed himself in his course to plea “I’m hungry. Do me a favour. Kindly, get me something to eat.” He took out a Rs. 500 note from his wallet but before he could give it to Sultan, the latter reacted saying “Come on dear. I won’t take it but I assure you I will do something.” When Sultan returned in the afternoon, he had brought with him a dressed chicken for Tauseef who hurriedly went to the kitchen to cook it. Soon he and a couple of photographer friends also stuck in the neighbourhood sat around dastarkhwan, the table-cloth, to cherish the feast. As they were preparing to pray and adore before the Sustainer to thank Him for what had turned out to be for them nim’nat-e-ghair mutaraqqabah, the real windfall, Tauseef abruptly began to think about a lean stray dog he had seen roaming around in MPE the other day. He took the chicken bones and leftover meals in a serving dish, luckily found the dog sitting downstairs and put these before him. Thus begins the saga of fidelity and devotion by an animal towards its redeemer. The dog reciprocated by choosing the doorway of Naqash as his permanent home. Four years gone by, he refuses to leave it. That in spite of being hit a number of times. Even bamboo sticks were swung to make sure he flees the area and never returns but to no avail. More often than not, the dog can be seen resting in a corner of the upstairs hallway. Occasionally, he goes down to take a quick walk around and then returns to his domicile. Lately, Naqash has begun to rare a few poultry birds and kitten which are often seen having joined by a group of pigeons from a building perch. Strangely, the dog who appears to be khandani, from a special high caste breed, has never interfered in Naqash’s leisure pursuit and, in fact, shares the meals served to him with these species. He has not on a single occasion tried to harm them even if he had to beat his hunger. The top floor of the building has the offices of two newspapers. Seeking to put satirical flair in it, the editor of one of these recently asked if the dog has been assigned the task of scaring visitors to the publication office away. But to be fair to the animal he never, ever tries to threaten anybody. Betraying his instinct, he does not even bark at strangers. Yet on seeing him positioned in the upstairs hallway, many unfamiliar visitors, thinking to remain out of harm’s way, better like beat a quick retreat. At a time when the Srinagar Municipal Corporation has launched a massive drive to get the citizens rid of increasing number of stray dogs, the canines, one is really worried about our unusual neighbour. It would be totally unfair if he is punished for the others’ fault. Some of those from the species may have revolted against ‘Ashraf-ul-Makhlooqat’ with or without reason, this dog in the facing building is undisruptive and, it seems, peace-loving too and hence does not deserve to be given a bad name and hanged. Anyways, dogs are dogs. They can’t compete with humans. But history stands witness to the fact that humans did not hesitate in shedding the blood of other humans along these alleys, in these lodgings and on this stairway only. Regardless, they belonged to the human race which ought to be a kind, compassionate species. Dogs are dogs. Yusuf Jameel is a veteran journalist of Kashmir. Feedback at yusufjameel@gmail.com

Breaking Ice On Kashmir‏ – OpEd

Breaking Ice On Kashmir‏ – OpEd Yusuf Jameel SRINAGAR (Kashmir): India-appointed interlocutors on Kashmir, it seems, were sailing in several boats at once and wished to uphold preconceived notions than addressing the crucial questions which outwardly had prompted New Delhi to assign them the task. That why does the scenic Himalayan region often burst into flames, where even a normal crime or a civic issue brings people out on the streets to chant pro-freedom slogans and sporadically try hands at their own version of Intifada, how to overcome mistrust existing between its Muslim majority population and the successive governments which has taken its toll over the years and ease sub- regional and ethnic tensions as well? However, the inconsistency with which the mediators from day one articulated themselves publicly on issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir as the official name of the Indian controlled part of the disputed region goes is also reflected in their 179-page report submitted to the country’s Home (Interior) Minister P. Chidambaram in October last year and made public recently. After dissecting and analysing all the important aspects of the report one finds it only self-contradictory and confusing. At end of the day, the interlocutors have served neither God nor Mammon. The government is apathetic and in all probability may shelve the report. It was disinclined even to make it public. On the other hand, it has already been rejected by key players of Kashmir politics including separatists and some ethnic groups for dissimilar reasons though. India’s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced to launch a nationwide ‘Save Kashmir’ campaign in the belief the panel recommendations are detrimental to the security and integrity of the country. The state’s ruling coalition partners-National Conference (NC) and Congress too are dragging their feet. Chief local opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) insists its own ‘self-rule’ formula is sacrosanct and doable although it sees some positive features of self-rule in the report. Moreover, the interlocutors would before penning down the report openly voice divergent views on identical issues and during their assignment even choose to wash their dirty linen in public, a story that strained their credibility. Whatever was left has been only squandered as the report has, so far, failed to find any takers. Local watchers believe ‘Kashmir is the graveyard of many reputations’. The interlocutors-Dileep Padgaonkar, Radha Kumar and M. M. Ansari- seem to be the latest prey. Fallacy or fact In a democratic society, the majority rule and respect for the rights of minorities are of overriding importance. Any attempt to dilute it and, ostensibly, seek to divide people into fragments logically makes the initiators suspicious in the eyes of those already feeling disillusioned and alienated and who perceive themselves as being victims of an inequitable system and a make-believe or real devious game played to impair their distinctive identity. Then any other propositions and considered opinion, how so vital, real and positive they might be, find no takers in the people they are meant for either. That precisely is how the report is being seen back in the Valley. More importantly, in a democratic setup only the decisions taken with consensus can address the issues of vital national importance. In this case, such harmony is missing. BJP has begun to sell the notion that the report, if accepted by the Indian federal government, would "weaken" the country's position on the sensitive border state in dispute with Pakistan and scene of a 23-year-old insurgency by Muslim separatists which New Delhi has largely contained using its military might. The party has objected mainly to the report recommending deletion of the word 'temporary' from the heading of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution and replacing with word 'special' and its saying a broad consensus exists in the state on the point that the state's distinctive status guaranteed by this article must be upheld. BJP has been asking for abrogation of Article 370 as a prelude to the only Muslim majority state’s complete merger with Indian Union as it sees it only solution towards neutralizing overwhelming pro-independence sentiment. Some analysts, however, say the party is dragging on the issue with an eye on the forthcoming elections in Gujarat state. That precisely makes it all the more important for ruling United Progressive Alliance particularly the Congress to discard the report, at least for now. The question thus raised is; has the document its authors claim could address the issues Jammu and Kashmir is faced with lost its sheen before the Indian government mulls over it- and if, at all, it wishes to do. Some local watchers subscribe to the view, essentially that of separatists, that it has been a futile exercise and a waste of time and resources. Average Kashmiri too does not see much in the report that could allure him either, leave alone if, at all, it has any potential of resolving the mess he or the state as such has been caught in. Opinion-makers have in newspaper columns termed the salient component of the report as “not any impressive” and, in fact, something not heard before. Hard-line pro-freedom leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani summarizes it by saying “Old wine in new bottle.” The Confusion Is that really the case and has the panel tasked with ascertaining the views of the people on resolving the Kashmir tangle at a time when the scenic region was witnessing massive protests during the 2010 summer, through its report, thrown up total confusion or made the one that already existed more confounded? It has also been openly accused of acting as an extension of New Delhi’s ‘divide and rule’ policy on Kashmir and its report termed as government trick to buy time. To find the answers, it would need to scrutinize the salient content of the report. The report ridicules the universal majority-rule principle by circuitously seeking to term it as “majoritarian conceits” and “regional chauvinism”. The panel, ignoring the essence of the civilian unrest that the Valley witnessed for three consecutive summers beginning 2008 and decades of separatist campaign, rejects the idea that Kashmir should be autonomous. Instead, the report — which is not legally binding — reaffirmed Kashmir's "dual character" within India. Paradoxically, the report defines “freedom” demanded by the Kashmiri Muslims as “freedom” from a staggering range of afflictions: freedom from religious extremism and “opaque and unaccountable administration;” from “economic structures” to “social structures and policies”; freedom “from harsh laws, or laws harshly applied” to “intimidation and violence that compel people to flee their habitat.” It would be naïve to expect the separatists endure the diktat. Therefore, the principal component of the predicament has been ignored rather provoked. Shakeel Ahmed Bakshi, the face of young dissenters who openly supported stone-pelting pastime of the local youth during the 2008-10 civil unrest openly calling it Kashmiri Intifada, protests “It seeks to “dilute the freedom sentiment.” The Interlocutors seem to have supported many freedoms but the cause of the “freedom” and talk about “deep sense of victimhood” instead being the source of tribulations which has irked even the moderate separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. “Such moves (appointing Interlocutors) are nothing but a waste of time,” he said to ridicule the report. Panun Kashmir, an outfit of displaced Kashmiri Brahmin Hindus, has rejected the report saying it was a crude joke with their geo political aspirations. This report is liable to be out rightly rejected being “totally apathetic” and “unconcerned” about the plight of Kashmiri Pandits and has failure to address the issue of the reversal of the causes of the “hounding out” of almost entire minority community from the Valley. On relation between New Delhi and the state, the report calls for review of all Central (federal) Acts and Articles of the Constitution of India extended to the state after 1952 Delhi agreement between country’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru and Kashmiri legendary leader Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah. But quickly contradicts itself saying “This does not mean a pure and simple return to the pre-1953 situation. The clock cannot be set back.” Restoration of pre-1953 constitutional position has been the principal demand of ruling NC. The report says that granting more autonomy, as the territory had before 1953, "would create a dangerous constitutional vacuum in the Center-state relationship. The clock cannot be set back." Not only has the panel attempted to wind New Delhi’s best bet in Kashmir up but the question it can be asked is; then why did it talk upon the 1952 Delhi agreement at first place and recommend that a Constitutional Committee (CC) be set up to review all central acts and Articles of the Constitution of India extended to the state after the signing of agreement. Though Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has sought time to examine the report, saying “will discuss it with senior colleagues and then react”, his party colleague and Member of Indian Parliament Dr. Mehboob Beg takes a dig. “On one hand, they call for revisiting the Central laws and, on the other, say clock can’t be turned back.” He said, “This is a clear contradiction and the Interlocutors need to explain it.” Beg is also of the opinion that recommendation of forming a committee for revisiting federal laws seems to be “time-buying exercise.” The report apart from disfavouring any change in the state’s present status within Indian union rejects the idea of dividing the state on the basis of region or ethnicity. But then proposes creation of three separate Regional Councils for Jammu, Kashmir Valley and Ladakh regions with equal constitutional status - legislative, executive and financial powers. This is set to revive the touchy ‘trifurcation’ debate in the state and it is where the Mirwaiz sees a deliberate attempt to “split the society into regions, religions, and ethnicities.” Contrary to political sentiment, the report suggested that there should be no change in Article 356 which gives New Delhi authority to impose federal rule if there have been failure of the constitutional machinery in any state of India but in same breath says if the state government is dismissed, elections should be held within three months. Interestingly it also suggests that for internal emergency, prior consultations with the state government is required. “It should be headed by an eminent personality who enjoys the esteem of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and of the people of the India as a whole…It should include as its members Constitutional experts who enjoy confidence of all major stake holders. The CC's conclusions, to be reached within six months, will be binding on "all of them". Simply turning a blind eye to local concerns and sensitivities, the panel seeks to authorize Indian Parliament to make laws applicable to the state that relate to country's “vital economic interests”, especially in the areas of energy and access to water resources. That comes at a stage when the demand by locals that there should be end to the exploitation of the state’s vast water resources is getting momentum. In deference to the sentiment, the Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet recently accepted a report formulated by a cabinet sub-committee seeking return of major power projects from the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC). The NHPC is being openly accused of exploiting the huge water resources of the state to its benefit and critics quote statistics that show 27 percent of the corporation’s earnings are from Jammu and Kashmir. Positive expressions The report, however, contains certain recommendations that merit consideration by even those who have rejected it for other reasons. It talks about a broad consensus existed on a political settlement in the state through a dialogue between all stake-holders including those who are not part of the mainstream. It also recommends that for promotion of the state's economic self-reliance, a fresh financial agreement between the Centre and the state is required. Under the political component, the report deals with Centre-State relations and internal devolution of powers and suggests a road map listing confidence-building measures that includes review of contentious Disturbed Areas Act and re-appraisal of application of controversial AFSPA. The report also says that no more central laws and Articles of the Constitution should be extended to the state by Presidential order. The report also listed several recommendations to harmonise relations between people on both the sides of Line of Control including a hassle-free movement of people and goods across the de facto border that divides Kashmir between Indian and Pakistani controlled parts a consultative mechanism where elected representatives from both sides can deliberate on issues of common interests like water, economy, tourism and trade. “This would be especially effective if democratic institutions of self-governance are established in areas of princely state under the de-facto control of Pakistan,” it says adding “The core idea here is to make the LoC irrelevant, a mere line on a map." However, separatists and some analysts say the idea of making LoC irrelevant is a “conspiracy” to divide Jammu and Kashmir on permanent lines and has the blessings of the United States. The thought is likely to whip up a more assertive demand on both sides of the LoC for granting the promised plebiscite. The Mirwaiz knowing surely the Interlocutors have failed to address the “real issues” and that another attempt has been made to divide Jammu and Kashmir on religious and ethnic lines suggests India and Pakistan should take people of the state as the prime party in any dialogue process aiming to solve the Kashmir issue. “Otherwise it would be a futile exercise and the tensions would continue to haunt the South Asian region.” Muhammad Yasin Malik, chairman of the pro-independence Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) who like the Mirwaiz, Geelani and other senior separatist leaders had refused to meet the interlocutors, termed the report as an “intellectual exercise in bankruptcy without any historical background.” Indian Express summed up saying the interlocutors have while seeking a ‘new compact for Jammu and Kashmir’ drawn a roadmap to resolve the Kashmir dispute without acknowledging that it has been the demand for a solution outside the ambit of the Constitution that has fuelled the insurgency since 1990 and have seen the Kashmir problem largely through the prism of Centre-state relations. Hence, they have chosen to put focus on past but the time and situation gave a call for future. Professor of International Relations, Amitabh Mattoo, reacting on the report said, “Initial disappointment confirmed.” ***

Kashmir: Peace March For A University‏

Kashmir: Peace March For A University‏

Kashmir: Peace march for a university

YUSUF JAMEEL

Srinagar, the summer capital of restive Indian-administered-Kashmir routinely fashioned into a theatre of politically obsessed displays which often turn violent, witnessed atypical peace protest march on Monday, March 12, 2012.

That in support of the demand of setting up an Islamic university in the predominantly Muslim Himalayan state, the longstanding demand of a socio-religious organisation which appears to have gone haywire.

Hundreds of members and supporters of Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadith, which promotes Wahhabism, a religious movement or a branch within Sunni Islam, and is also involved in social work in what is officially known as Jammu and Kashmir state in extreme north of India, joined the peace march taken along the streets of uptown Srinagar to press its demand for Trans-World Muslim University (TWMU).

The idea is brainchild of Moulana Showhat Ahmed Shah, a prominent Kashmiri cleric and a familiar face in temperate camp of the separatists or pro-freedom activists, who was killed in a remotely detonated bomb outside a mosque in Srinagar in April 2011. Shah, 57, was vocal critic of stone-pelting during the pro-freedom protests and had termed it un-Islamic. He had earlier even won the wrath of hard-line separatists and religious radicals after he and some other senior Jamiat leaders met the then New-Delhi appointed Governor Lt. Gen. (retired) S.K. Sinha during the 2008 blood-spattered agitation over allowing a Hindu consortium called Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) to use forest land for creating facilities for tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims who turn up at the Amarnath cave-shrine in Kashmir hills every summer to seek his help toward establishing the university in Srinagar. 

Nevertheless, Monday’s peace march which culminated into a protest rally held at Srinagar’s Press Enclave was not fully apolitical in nature. The participants were chanting slogans against the regional National Conference and Indian National Congress party coalition government which rules the state under Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister. They were furious over the alleged “disruption” in the execution of the plan and blamed the local chief of the Congress party Prof. Saifuddin Soz and others in the party for it.

Moulana Gulam Rasool Malik, the Jamiat chief, warned that if the ordinance to establish the TWMU was not passed during the ongoing budget session of the State Assembly it would call for protests which will be a "flood".  He said, "If the ordinance is not passed during this session, then this government will be responsible for any break down in law and order." 

Without naming anybody, the Jamiat chief said that some unknown people had "ill-informed" New Delhi that the university would be a breeding ground for terrorists and hardliners. "Our organization's contribution in India's freedom struggle is known to all. We want to tell these people that the doors of this university will be open to everyone irrespective of his religion, region, caste or colour. It would only help towards furthering the standard of education in Jammu and Kashmir and beyond.”

A bills seeking setting up TWMU and Sheikh-ul-Alam Research University after Kashmir’s patron saint Sheikh Noorurddin Wali in the Valley and Guru Nanak Khalsa University after the founder of Sikhism in Jammu, the winter capital of the state, were passed by the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly last year. But the plan hit major roadblock when ruling National Conference-Congress combine strongly opposed it in the Upper House or Legislative Council. The bills were subsequently sent to a joint select committee. Earlier the Hindu rightwing Bharatiya Janata Party members had in the Lower House strongly opposed the setting up of TWMU, citing the varsity would become a launching pad for “Islamic fundamentalism”.

It is believed the lawmakers who opposed the bill actually do not subscribe to the interpretation of Islam by the Jamiat and the school of Islamic thought it professes. They see Wahhabism as an austere, puritanical interpretation of Islam and in clash with the region’s famed Sufi traditions. The lid was lifted by Congress member Bashir Ahmed Magray who was the first to oppose the bill in the Legislative Council by saying “It involves a particular religious community.” But the Jamiat leadership rejects the apprehension as “gratuitous”. It also says deliberate attempts are being made by ‘vested interest’ to divide Muslims by advancing unconvincing arguments. “There is only one Islam there which was introduced by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and it would be naïve on anybody’s part to try to split it by placing tolerant and hard-line labels rather we see it as a deliberate attempt to divide Muslim for other reasons,” said a Jamiat activist.   

But the fact remains that due to the efforts of the Jamiat the brand of Islam it preaches is making deep inroads into Kashmir. Swelling congregations flocking to over 700 mosques it has built across the Vale of Kashmir over the years stands testimony to it. Those who wish to strictly adhere to the Sufi Islam are worried over the growth; hence try to seize every opportunity that comes in their way to run the competitor down.

However, as for establishing TWMU in Kashmir, nothing stands in its way constitutionally. “Hence legislative stalling remains inexplicable,” said columnist Javid Iqbal. He wrote in mass-circulated Greater Kashmir “Education being a fundamental right, the longstanding plea of the Jamiat for setting up the TWMU in Kashmir seems to be a valid plea gone haywire” Referring to a Hindu consortium that runs the affairs of a revered community shrine Mata Vaishnodevi successfully setting up a university, he asked “Impeding the legislative passage (of TWMU) would surely entail a comparison—undesired, unwanted and unwarranted!” He adds, “We may not be drawn into comparison between the relative sailings of the two proposals. That too would be undesirable. All said and done, it ultimately boils down to the fact that there can be no cons in educational progression of any community, only loads of pros. Besides it stands to test the projection that Kashmir is the laboratory of India’s secularism!” 

Srinagar peace march for a university

Srinagar, the summer capital of restive Jammu and Kashmir routinely fashioned into a theatre of politically obsessed displays which often turn violent, witnessed atypical peaceful protest march on Monday (March 12, 2012). That for setting up an Islamic university in the predominantly Muslim Himalayan, the longstanding demand of a socio-religious organisation which appears to have gone haywire.

Hundreds of members and supporters of Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadith, which promotes Wahhabism, a religious movement or a branch within Sunni Islam, and is also involved in social work in Jammu and Kashmir, marched along the streets of uptown Srinagar to press its demand for Trans-World Muslim University (TWMU). It was first proposed by Moulana Showhat Ahmed Shah, a prominent Kashmiri cleric and a familiar face in temperate camp of the separatists, who was killed in a remotely detonated bomb outside a mosque in Srinagar in April 2011. He had earlier even won the wrath of hard-line separatists and religious radicals after he and some other senior Jamiat leaders met the then J&K Governor Lt. Gen. (retired) S.K. Sinha during the Amarnath land row to seek his help toward establishing the university in Srinagar. 

Nevertheless, Monday’s peace march which culminated into a protest rally held at Srinagar’s Press Enclave was not fully apolitical in nature. The participants were chanting slogans against the coalition government headed by Omar Abdullah. They were furious over the alleged “disruption” in the execution of the plan and blamed J&K PCC chief Saifuddin Soz and others in the coalition partner for it. Moulana Gulam Rasool Malik, the Jamiat chief, warned that if the ordinance to establish the TWMU was not passed during the ongoing budget session of the State Assembly it would call for protests which will be a "flood".  he said, "If the ordinance is not passed during this session, then this government will be responsible for any break down in law and order." 

Without naming anybody, the Jamiat chief said that some unknown people had "ill-informed" New Delhi that the university would be a breeding ground for terrorists and hardliners. "Our organization's contribution in the country's freedom struggle to known to all. We want to tell these people that the doors of this university will be open to everyone irrespective of his religion, region, caste or colour. It would only help towards furthering the standard of education in Jammu and Kashmir and beyond.”

A bills seeking setting up TWMU and Sheikh-ul-Alam Research University after Kashmir’s patron saint Sheikh Noorurddin Wali in the Valley and Guru Nanak Khalsa University in Jammu were passed by the J&K Assembly last year. But the plan hit major roadblock when ruling National Conference-Congress combine strongly opposed it in the Upper House or Legislative Council. The bills were subsequently to a joint select committee. Earlier the BJP members had in the Lower House strongly opposed the setting up of TWMU, citing the varsity would become a launching pad for “Islamic fundamentalism”. Yusuf Jameel/Srinagar 

Full body scanning and Islamic law

Darul Uloom, Deoband, the largest Islamic seminary in India, has issued a fatwa declaring as haram (strictly prohibited) full body scanning by new 'backscatter' introduced at airports in the UK, USA and some other countries recently. “It is haram, rather severely haram…No Muslim is allowed to permit it by his own will,” the decree signed by Mufti Mahmood Hasan says.

The fatwa from the head (Mufti) of seminary’s special branch Darul Ifta, is in response to a query from a Muslim expatriate Mohammed Yaaseen Zaman who lives in the United Kingdom that he and his 9-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son were scanned by the new ‘backscatter’ before boarding a plane at the Manchester airport “without a prior warning or information.”  

The full-body scanner is the millimetre wave scanner and a device that creates an image of a person's nude body through his or her clothing to look for hidden objects without physically removing their clothes or making physical contact. They are increasingly being deployed at airports and train stations in many countries.

Mr. Zaman had asked if the full-body scanner violates Shariah or Islamic law, is it permissible for a Muslim to be screened by it, can the scanned image of a Muslim be viewed by a person of the same sex, should a Muslim refuse to be screened and what should a Muslim do when requested to have a full body scan.


In reply, the Mufti said that taking such pictures, seeing and showing them is “severely haram” and that one should refuse to be screened. “Try to avoid as much as can, rather influential Muslims have a duty to make every possible effort to get Muslims exempted legally for such scanning,” the fatwa adds. An official at the seminary said, “Before the media hype blows this out of proportion and casts aspersion on this honorable seat of Islamic learning, let me say the fatwa clearly emphasizes the concept of ‘against the person’s will’ and ‘avoid it as much as one can’ which is a perfectly balanced and totally understandable for the Muslim community to take up as suggested in it (fatwa).  He added, “It is not branding any Muslims who submit to the scan or putting them in any difficult situation to avoid travel at all costs, no matter what, if they are scanned after all reasonable attempts at refusal and avoidance have failed.”Yusuf Jameel 

Claims of 'apostasy' and 'persecution' of Christians in Kashmir: How false, how true?

 By Yusuf Jameel


It would be making a mountain out of a molehill. Or some people are clearly

lying through their teeth and by doing that they are behaving in an

irresponsible fashion and, undeniably, without actually giving a thought to

probable repercussions.







‘Christians are fleeing Kashmir’, as is being suggested by some, is far

from the truth or, at least, an attempt to present a situation

portentously; a depiction which betrays the ground reality.







Thousands of Kashmiri families relocate to various places in Indian planes,

mainly Jammu, the winter capital of the Himalayan state, and New Delhi,

ahead of peak winter season to escape harsh weather back home. With the

start of winter vacations at schools and other educational institutions in

December and spreading from two to three months, many more people including

students and their parents tag along. Also among the transitory émigré are

native and outsider Christians as majority of them is chiefly connected

with educational institutions. It would be naïve to call it forcible

expulsion or a step taken in distress. Surely, they would be returning to

the Vale of Kashmir in coming days as the weather is improving and the

winter vacations in schools and colleges are in closing stages.







That said, purporting the situation in the scenic region continues to be as

enjoyable for sections of Christians, precisely the evangelical Christian

activists, as before would tantamount a false statement. They may find it

difficult to work among the local Muslims after openly accused of luring

the members of the majority community, mainly the youth, into Christianity

by offering them riches, the charge vehemently denied by the Church. A news

portal supporting the cause of Gospel reported last week “The church is

still there, but at this point, it seems as if Christian activity has been

driven completely underground and has been severely curtailed.”







A Srinagar (Islamic) Shariat court had earlier this year issued a decree

seeking expulsion of a Protestant pastor and a Dutch Catholic missionaryand three other evangelical Christian activists finding

them "guilty of luring Muslims of Kashmir, especially boys and girls, to

Christianity by exploiting their financial conditions.” The move provoked

outrage within India’s religious minority and grabbed newspaper headlines

beyond the boundary walls of the country.







Back in Kashmir, the fatwa does not appear to be a major issue for locals

though. At least, the commoner is somewhat indifferent. Yet Christian

groups fear such diktats could encourage extremist elements to indulge in

violence.







Majority of Kashmiri Muslims is nonchalant, not because Church’s alleged

“repugnant” activity is not gauged by it as being ‘worrisome’ but it is the

poor standing in public of the cleric who heads the court-not the

institution inherited by him itself-which is working towards restraining

excitement. In fact, many Kashmiri Muslims are wary of his moves ostensibly

both because of his wispy religious pursuits and patchy political postures,

publicly termed by his critics as “impelled aerobatics.”







Some people also believe he has made a move haphazardly rather overreacted

on the issue in order to get his own image better. His detractors accuse

the cleric of making attempts to seize the issue also to re-launch his son

as his deputy in the run up to claim the legacy after his return to the

Valley from the Gulf where he spent nearly two decades in comfort to escape

difficult times the Valley was passing through in the aftermath of the

separatist or pro-freedom movement turning violent and India launching a

tough military campaign to suppress it towards the end of 1989. The

criticism is, however, rejected by the cleric’s supporters as being “uncalled-for”

and even “mischievous” and claim the ‘Shariat’ court had had extensive

discussions with the leaders and representatives of various religious and

social groups besides meticulously carrying out investigations into the

repugnant role played by the Christian priests before issuing the decree.

“He took a strong exception whereas many of those who could have turned the

tide preferred to remain silent or were apologetic and inactive,” said an

activist.







Notwithstanding, sections of Muslim clergy including the ‘whistleblowers’

and others who had publicly voiced concern over the reports of pastor Rev.

Chandermani Khanna, Presbyter In-charge, Anglican All Saints’ Church,

Srinagar and few others seeking to induce local Muslim youth and bring them

into the fold of Christianity by allegedly offering them riches and were

railing against what is being termed as “*irtidad*” (apostasy) appear to be

disillusioned now as the issue has been virtually hijacked by the

father-son duo. Or, at least, it is being mishandled by them.







What is more disturbing for them is; not only has the fatwa evoked sharp

reaction from across India and abroad but, as was put by one of them, the

intent behind their raising alarm seems to have been misinterpreted and the

fundamental issue lost in the “unwarranted” outcry being raised by “vested

interest” within and outside the Christian community. “Outside the Valley,

the issue being portrayed now is that of assumed persecution of Christians;

the small Christian community of Kashmir being in danger and victim of

harassment and violence by the Muslim majority than acknowledging the fact

that a few unscrupulous elements within the Christian missionaries are

involved in impelled conversions which is against the law of the land,

unconstitutional and also reportedly Biblically wrong,” he said.







The argument is not misplaced. A report ‘Missionaries bring aid,

controversy to Kashmir’ appeared in The Christian Science Monitor some time

ago had said that Christian missionary groups have been flocking to the

restive Kashmir, bringing medicine, school books, and self-help programmes

but the influx of Christian evangelists may be exacerbating a volatile

situation. It also said local Christians like Pastor Leslie Richards were

increasingly agitated by the presence of the new evangelists, who they

believed were more interested in conversions than social work. Mr. Richards

was quoted in the Indian Express as saying that Muslims receive cash if

they agree to convert and termed these as “Biblically wrong conversion’

which was not good for the local Christians, who for centuries have shared

cordial relations with the local Muslims here.







The report quoted Rev. Khanna as saying "Of course, I believe that there

are some black sheep in the fold - some evangelists who use money as a lure

- but I can tell you that I have been here in Srinagar since July 2002, and

I have only converted one person - so even if there are a few others in new

churches, it is hardly a case of mass conversion." Ironically, Rev. Khanna

today stands trial as the main accused in the case of alleged impelled

conversions. Srinagar Senior Superintendent of Police, Syed Ashiq Hussain

Bukhari said in a recent newspaper interview, “There are cases in which the

missionaries helped the destitute in lieu of their faith which is not

permitted under any law.”







Local watchers say some unscrupulous elements may have exploited the

situation seemingly in an iniquitous way but it also is a fact that the

Christian missionaries have been working hard where the Muslim headship,

the pro-freedom as well as pro-Indian political parties, social groups and

even charity organizations and numerous NGOs have failed: lending a helping

hand to the destitute including victims of violence.







The issue of alleged “*irtidad*” could have been handled differently, in a

way acceptable to all by seeking to isolate the evangelists found involved

in forced or impelled conversions from the legitimate missionaries, invoke

law and constitutional guarantees that proscribe such activity and more

importantly go in for in retrospection as to what went wrong and try to

address the issues and problems that have provided the basis for the

incidence of apostasy. In fact, the Valley’s Chief Muslim cleric and

chairman of his faction of Hurriyat Conference (an amalgam of pro-freedom

political parties) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had just embarked on this mission

whereas Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the octogenarian pro-freedom leader, had

asked for tackling the issue “with utmost care” after he and others watched

a video showing more than half a dozen persons including a woman-all but

one local Muslim youth-being baptized by Rev. Khanna at Srinagar’s All

Saints’ Church and the pastor imploring to see the Kashmir Valley turned

into a Christian-majority place soon. This video has been presented as main

piece of evidence against the pastor besides statements recorded at the

‘Shariat’ court by various people including a youth on whose mobile it was

found. As is being claimed the pastor confessed to his “guilt” before the

court and even apologised.







The Church “deeply disturbed” at the fatwa issued against pastor Khanna and

others reacted saying such decrees could encourage extremist elements to

indulge in violence. “This is totally unacceptable,” Samuel Jayakumar, a

spokesperson for the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), said. He

added, “India is a secular country and the personal law of a community

should be confined to itself.” Shariat courts have no secular legal

standing in India and one functioning in Srinagar has been termed as an

extra-constitutional authority, with no legal sanction.







Back in the Kashmiri capital, the law enforcing authorities including

police which had arrested pastor Khanna after initiating proceedings

against him on charge of disturbing communal harmony is now more or less on

back foot whereas the state government is feeling embarrassed. However, Mufti

Muhammad Nasir-ul-Islam, son of Kashmir’s Grand Mufti Bashiruddin, who

announced the Shariat court’s decision seeking expulsion of Christian

priests at a press conference, claimed that the local administration has

agreed to enforce the “verdict.”







Mufti Jr. strongly denied the decree was against Christian’s living or the

institutions they run in the Valley. “We’ve found that three priests and

some others are involved in the unethical activities in Valley. We carried

a thorough investigation into the case and found out later, all the three

were involved in the scandal. The records of their involvement are with the

court and their expulsion from the state is an apt judgment,” he said.







The government-backed Shariat court headed by Mufti Sr. claims to have

found the conversion took place through alluring the youth by means of

monetary benefits and that in order to maintain the communal harmony

between different faiths living in Kashmir it had to come up with the

“facts.” The court imposed a “complete ban” on pastor Khanna, his

accomplices Ghayoor Messiah and Chanderkanta Chandra and Dutch national,

Jim Borst “for their involvement in luring Muslims of Kashmir to

Christianity by exploiting their financial conditions and promoting

immorality.”







The court has existed in Jammu and Kashmir since the early 1960s. Mufti

Bashiruddin is the judge of the court and the appeal against this court

lies in the civil court. It, however, has no enforcing agency like police

to implement its judgments.







Earlier the Srinagar police had while keeping in view the sensitivity of

the issue, registered an FIR under sections 153-A, 295-C and 186 of the

Ranbir Penal Code, the Jammu and Kashmir equivalent of the Indian Penal

Code. The decision was taken at the highest level to avoid possible unrest

in the Valley. Unlike states like Gujarat, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, Jammu

and Kashmir does not have a law against conversions. Section 153A pertains

to “promoting enmity between different groups... and doing acts prejudicial

to maintenance of harmony.” Section 295A has to do with “deliberate and

malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by

insulting its religion or religious beliefs.” Around same time, police

detained five youth who had recently converted to Christianity and were

entering a Srinagar Church reportedly to receive financial assistance.







However, since no charges were filed against him, the state's High Court on

February 11 halted proceedings in the police complaint of "promotion of

religious enmity by conversions" against Pastor Khanna. It asked the

government to file its response by March 14, and then it will set the date

for the next hearing. He can now travel because the order binding him to

the Vale of Kashmir was lifted, as well. But reports suggest the “stress”

has silenced the pastor and he has retired officially from the All Saint's

Church in Srinagar.







The issue of Christian missionaries’ encouraging conversions in the Valley

allegedly by way of allurement surfaced a few years ago with

‘whistleblower’ Moulana Muhammad Rehmatuallh, who runs Dar-ul-Aloom

Rahimiya, the Valley’s largest seminary located in northern town of

Bandipore, raising it with various religious leaders, social activists and

select journalists of the Valley and seeking their help to “nip the evil in

the bud.” But he was almost overruled and his “disquiet” did not find any

committed takers.







The contentious issue resurfaced in October 2011 when the Moulana during a

visit to a mosque in Srinagar was introduced to a local youth who had

converted to Christianity but repented the decision and wanted to return to

Islam’s fold. The cleric took him along and during his ‘debriefing’ found a

video clipping recorded on his mobile phone which revealed more than half a

dozen persons including a woman-all but one local Muslim youth-being

baptized by Rev. Khanna at Srinagar’s All Saints’ Church near Sonawar. The

youth reportedly told the cleric that he had agreed to convert after the

Church of which Khanna is a pastor offered him money and also promised

other profits.







It is learnt that the same youth was sometime back produced before Mirwaiz

Umar Farooq by the Christian priest amidst reports purporting he and other

missionaries were using money power and offering lucrative jobs and

admissions in professional institutions outside Jammu and Kashmir in order

to encourage conversions. But at that time he had strongly denied being

lured in such a way. The Mirwaiz had a cordial relationship with Rev.

Khanna and other pastors of the All Saints’ Church as he had his schooling

at Srinagar’s Burn Hall School run by it. However, he too felt hurt as Rev.

Khanna implores at the baptism ceremony to see the Kashmir Valley turned

into a Christian-majority place. Police official Mr. Bukhari and several

ulema, imams and other religious leaders from both Sunni and Shiite Muslim

sects too were shown the video and were reported enraged at the

development.







Mufti Bashiruddin chose to issue summons to Rev. Khanna and asked him to

present himself before his ‘Dar al-Fatwa’ or Islamic Shariat court to

explain his conduct. The pastor initially denied the charge of

impelled conversions. Meanwhile, the Church issued a statement that

Kashmiri youth are showing considerable interest in their religion as it

apparently offers them a road to redemption. Rev. Khanna added, “There is

no forced conversion and there is nothing which can be called allurement.

We do not offer any job or any money. We tell them ‘If you come it is your

responsibility to contribute and support the church’.” However, when shown

the video clipping he admitted to his “guilt” and apologised before the

court.







The Christian missionaries were believed to be active in the Valley mainly

on the educational front. There are about half a dozen major schools, some

of these as old as 125 years, besides a few hospitals run by the Christian

missionaries in the Valley for decades and are equally very popular among

the local Muslims for these impart comparatively better education to its

young boys and girls. Besides head Muslim priest Mirwaiz Umar, Chief

Minister Omar Abdullah, his father and Indian federal minister Dr. Farooq

Abdullah [his wife Molly Abdullah is an English Catholic and one of his

daughters is married to a South African Christian), separatist leaders

Sajad Gani Lone and even ‘father’ of the insurgency Ashfaq Majeed Wani are alumni

of these schools. Presently, the children of almost all pro-Indian or

mainstream and pro-freedom political leaders and other prominent faces of

the Vale of Kashmir are enrolled at these schools.







However, the state government had in 2010 sealed two private English medium

schools in the frontier district of Kupwara following complaints that these

were being used as a front by Christian missionaries as part of their

conversion plan. Also in September 2010, two Christian missionary schools

in the Valley were attacked during mob violence over the reported burning

of Koran in the US.



Earlier in 2005, the Christian missionaries were openly accused of seizing

the conditions thrown up by the devastating earthquake for their conversion

drive. In April 2011, a Dutch missionary, Jaap Borst, was ordered to leave

Kashmir after the state authorities revoked his visa, accusing him of

trying to convert local Muslims to Christianity. Police had detained some

Christian missionaries also in February 2006 who were allegedly trying to

convert earthquake-affected people of Uri district in north Kashmir. The

missionaries affiliated with the Bible Society of India were forced to stop

their work in quake-hit areas of Uri following complaints from locals that

they were luring people to Christianity by offering monetary incentives.

The missionaries had reportedly distributed gas cylinders, water bottles,

audiocassettes, and a copy of the New Testament in Urdu to dozens of

quake-hit families of the village.







In November 2006, suspected militants shot dead a Power Development

Department engineer Bashir Ahmad Tantray of Mamoosa village in north

Kashmir, a practicing Roman Catholic since 1995, who was accused of

arranging conversions in his area. His two daughters and a son live in

Mumbai.



There is no denying of the fact that most of the Christian missionary

groups funded by parent groups in the West, including the United States,

Germany, Britain, South Korea and the Netherlands have stepped up their

activity in Kashmir, the focus of their efforts being on the rural poor and

areas bordering Srinagar, a city of about 1.5 million people. Among

churches and missions working in Kashmir are US-based Assemblies of God,

German Town Baptist Church, and Frontiers. Besides these, there are two

German-based missions, Call of Hope and Overseas Social Service, and the

Campus Crusade for Christ. The Good Way, a Switzerland-based mission and

two Indian missions, National Missionary Intelligencer and Cooperative

Outreach of India too have bases in the Valley.







‘History-Makers’, the official website of the youth division of AsiaLink, a

Christian mission agency connecting churches with ministry among the

unreached peoples of Asia, says that there is considerable interest among

Kashmiris and response has been good to advertisements placed in newspapers

offering correspondence courses and follow up ministries. It also says “The

four million Muslims living in Kashmir are among the most unreached and

unevangelised people groups on earth. Pray for those who have been saved.

This is a huge step for them to take. Pray for grace to persevere”







On record, the missionaries peg the population of Christians in Kashmir

Valley at around 1,000. But, Christianity Today, an Illinois-based magazine

of the Evangelists, puts the number of Kashmiri Muslims “who recently

converted to Christianity” at thousands. ‘‘There are more Christians in

Kashmir than on the record. They have faith in Jesus, but don’t come out.

They are not bold about it. Their number goes into [the] thousands in the

rural areas.” Government statistics including the 2001 Census report put

the Christian population of the Valley as 3,757 including 480 females. This

contradicts the claim of Justice Michael Saldhana, former Bombay and

Karnataka High Court judge, that ten years ago there were 40,000 Christian

families in Kashmir, but in the last 2 years, the number had come down to

around 800. Justice Saldhana had with a few other activists at a recently

held press conference in Bombay or Mumbai alleged that Christians faced

“torture, persecution, en masse massacre and violation of human rights

which forced them to flee from Kashmir Valley.”







Meanwhile, Father P. Samuel, the head of Church of North India, met Geelani

in New Delhi where he is camping for past many weeks to discuss the

controversy triggered by alleged conversions in Kashmir. “I told him the

Muslims of Kashmir are not against minorities as Islam teaches us to

safeguard interests of minorities,” he said. Geelani presented Father

Samuel with a copy of English translation of Islam’s holy book Koran. Will

that help towards building the bridges and be the beginning of an amiable

chapter in the Muslim-Christian relationship in Kashmir or ‘vested

interest’ on either side will spread their net wide and succeed? The

crucial question is wide open. Also, some analysts do not rule out the

possibility of whole issue being seized for securing political gains.

A Closer Look At Claims Of ‘Persecution’ Of Christians In Kashmir – OpEd

A Closer Look At Claims Of ‘Persecution’ Of Christians In Kashmir – OpEd

'Hypocrisy is the best policy'

‘Hypocrisy is the best policy’. This was the title of a cover story written by (Late) Shameen Ahmed Shameen and published in Sunday, several years before I joined the magazine in mid-1980s. The author had talked about the trait existing among the Indian politicians then (and now too). I think many of us, irrespective of the professions we are in or our other pursuit, family backgrounds, the gender, etc., have developed the characteristic rather we tag along the policy religiously. It would not be exaggeration if I say it has made a way into our blood now.  

It was to put across this point that I had yesterday narrated a true story (read it below) as a comment to a photograph posted by a friend on FB. It was quickly deleted after hitting only one like that from Shabir Hussain Buchh. Apparently, it was not to the liking of someone who did it. Let me say here, no offensive was intended or to show malice towards the friend or anyone else. At least, this friend had the courage to post the photograph showing him receiving ‘certificate of merit’ and refer to (then) Governor of Jammu and Kashmir who gave it away at the convocation as “His Excellency”. And now read the story of another friend and which I had recounted with the purpose explained above:     

‘A friend, now a professor at a City college, had arrived at the Kashmir University convocation to receive his ‘degree’ certificate either from then Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah or President of India who were present at the podium. This guy would always blow his own trumpet to be wedded to the azadi cause and would often curse Farooq Abdullah and all others on the other side of the fence for obvious reasons. Apparently feeling out of his depth rather mortified, he pointed to his right hand wrapped with bandage. Asked (as to) what had happed, the poor guy said, “There is nothing like that there. It is absolutely alright. I’m only pretending to have been injured so that my hand (precisely the flesh) does not touch his (Farooq Abdullah’s or that of the President). How can I shake my hand with a traitor (Farooq). I keenly watched him receiving his degree document with both his hands and then shaking his right hand (of course in dressing) with the Chief Minister and smiles on the faces of both and claps from almost everyone present.  I’m sure he would end up becoming a successful politician.’              

No Justice Done For ‘Widows & Half Widows” – Book Review

No Justice Done For ‘Widows & Half Widows” – Book Review

Widows & Half Widows

Saga of extra-judicial arrests & killings in Kashmir

Author: Afsana Rashid

Publishers: Pharos Media, New Delhi

Pages: 192 Price: Indian Rs. 200

More than two decades on, the Kashmiri campaign for separation from India, often referred to as “freedom struggle” by those who espouse it, has lost much of its violent intensity. But while the entrenched political realities may be slowly changing, recent studies have shown that ten million Kashmiris are increasingly heirs to a lineage of suffering that, after years of insurgency and tough counter-insurgency measures initiated by the Indian state, has no end in sight.

One of the most traumatic consequences of the armed conflict is Enforced Involuntary Disappearance (EID). Since 1989, when the separatist campaign burst into a major violence, more than ten thousand people have disappeared after they were seized by security forces and other official agencies as is being claimed by Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), an organisation of the relatives of the EID victims. The government disputes the number and even claims that some of those who went into missing may have joined the militants’ ranks or crossed over to the other side of Line of Control.

But the contradictory statements successive governments and various official agencies under these have come out with every now and then not only betrays reliability of such claims but also shows the triviality and silliness with which those at the helm of affairs perceive an issue which has left indelible scars on thousands of women leaving them as widows, half-widows and destitute as a majority of the victims of EID were married men. Being related to them as daughters, mothers, sisters and wives, it is mainly women who are suffering in the absence of any information about the whereabouts of the disappeared men. Their wives have acquired the title of 'half-widows' most of whom are left without any entitlement to land, homes, inheritance, social assistance and pensions and even face pestering at home and at the hands of the society.

Afsana Rashid, a young woman journalist of the Valley, has tried to mirror the miseries of these women who, she justly says, are “even after years of the disappearance of their husbands, sons and fathers still on a daily search for their loved ones while trying to discover their own identity-are they widows or not widows.” But it appears she has not been wholeheartedly involved in the important subject as it is or to the level it demanded from her; hence she has only botched to do justice with it. After reading her work, the question one is confronted with is; a successful journalist she may be was she in hurry to enrol her name as a book author as well?

It is claimed that it is a ‘book’ that compiles the tragedies of these women to give a voice to the voiceless but it would be incongruous to call it a book. Compilation, of course it is; merely an anthology of something, the most part of which had already been there in print. A recap of official handouts of the APDP, the statements its activists or others connected with the subject made or the interviews of the suffering women that appeared in local or outside newspapers from time to time. Some of these, filed by Afsana Rashid herself, seem to be not any better than wire agency copies.

Paradoxically, she has not even troubled herself by reediting the already published newspaper/ wire reports before slotting them in. That is why one comes across the phrases like “he (she) said here today.” Several APDP statements have been incorporated verbatim, rather reproduced here, and the reader finds himself but at a loss when told about APDP’s past plans such as asking people to observe ‘complete shutdown’ on August 30, 2008. As more than one newspaper reports on same or similar subject matters too have been inserted, again to the letter, the reader loses interest halfway.

While discussing the case of Tasleema Bano, a young widow, two of her statements made on two different occasions, and already appeared in newspapers, have been included which only leaves the reader bemused about her plight. Does she know her husband is dead or she doesn’t even after his corpse together with four other victims of fake encounter killings was exhumed from a cemetery near the town of Ganderbal. Like several other portions, Chapter 1 is nothing but an anthology of borrowed bits and pieces pertaining to the historical background of Kashmir conflict, nothing less or more than usual wire agency copy of a Western reporter. Likewise, Chapter III introducing APDP to the reader but then on Page 41, the author does it again. There are some factual errors there as well or, at least, some facts have been given a perverted dye before putting them in. Was APDP faction head Parveena Ahangar really a Nobel Peace prize nominee? Nominated by whom? Wasn’t it in the wish list of a home-grown organisation which the writer has failed to identify? It tantamount to misinforming the reader, to say the least. Hizb-ul-Mujahedin ‘supreme commander’ is Syed Salahuddin, not Muhammad Salahuddin, Afsana who is covering Kashmir for over a decade now should have known it.

It appears, Afsana has not bothered to learn the basics of writing a book, if she still claims, ‘Widows & Half Widows’ is one, before seeking to become an author. These may not be as complicated as some may think. Having said that, ‘Widows & Half Widows’ would have been a better piece of writing (or reading) had Afsana opted to do a self-assessment by reading her own work or even submitting it to excerpt (s) who would have gone for critique it for an honest assessment. I’m sure neither has been done. Evaluations are very important because they help towards determining where one needs to concentrate to make his or her story the best that it can be. At best, ‘Widows & Half Widows’ can be described on the whole as a collection of records which were already in print but strewn and have now been put before us as a paperback. Yusuf Jameel

Omar Abdullah In A Fix Again – Analysis

Omar Abdullah In A Fix Again – Analysis

Yusuf Jameel

Srinagar, Kashmir (India): The Chief Minister of restive Indian Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, it seems, is in a fix again. The State Accountability Commission (SAC) has directed him and eight other senior government functionaries to appear before it with replies to a petition against appointment of political favourites as heads of autonomous bodies and advisors with ministerial ranks on March 5.

The notices were issued Friday after the Commission initiated a formal inquisition into a complaint that the Omar government has picked up an army of political favourites and some ‘blue eyed boys’ and appointed them as advisors and heads of various government-sponsored autonomous bodies, some of them holding the rank and status of Cabinet minister and drawing hefty salaries besides enjoying other perks at the cost of state exchequer.

SAC, constituted under Jammu and Kashmir Accountability Commission Act, 2002, is authorised to inquire into grievances and allegations against public functionaries and for matter connected therewith.  The Commission consists of a Chairperson and two Members. As per Section 4 of the Act, the Chairperson and the Members are to be appointed by the Governor after obtaining the recommendations of a Committee consisting of the Chief Minister, the Speaker of Legislative Assembly, the Chief Justice of the State High Court, the Law Minister and the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly.

[Government recently decided to implement the recommendations of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission of India given in its Fourth Report on ‘Ethics in Governance’ where under, among other things, the Commission has recommended that the jurisdiction of the Accountability Commissions be restricted to investigate the cases of corruption against Ministers and Members of Legislature only so that its remains focused on checking the menace of corruption in high public offices. For this purpose, the Jammu and Kashmir Accountability Commission Act has been amended to restrict its operation mainly to cases of corruption by political executive like the Chief Minister, the Presiding Officers of the State Legislature, Ministers, Advisors including Advisors to the Chief Minister, the Members of the State Legislature and persons holding the status of a Minister]

The SAC has in its February 17 order in particular described the appointment of two senior advisors to the Chief Ministers with the status of a Cabinet Minister and Minister of State (junior minister) and their entitlement to the amenities attached to the office of such government functionaries seemingly to be without any authority of law.

[Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Sagar, however, claims the appointments are within the parameters of Constitution and law of the State and as such absolutely legal as per the Constitution of the State. He told reporters, “We’re examining the SAC notice and will reply to it in accordance with the rules. The appointments are legal and in accordance with the constitution of the state”. Asked whether Advisors and Vice-Chairmen should step down in the backdrop of SAC notice, the Minister said, “There are no corruption charges against them that they will resign. The appointments are constitutional and legal, so there arises no question of their stepping down”. He further said that it is not for the first time that such appointments have been made by a government and that the practice has been in vogue with various regimes and administrative setups in the State in the past also]

The bolt from the blue as the SAC move is being seen by many in Jammu and Kashmir as the official name of the Himalayan state goes-listed as the second most corrupt states in India (the first being Bihar) in a survey done a few years ago- and beyond has come at a stage when the Opposition has stepped up its tirade against the Omar Abdullah government openly accusing it of shielding corrupt within. The recent bizarre episode of a senior minister Peerzada Muhammad Sayeed being allowed to continue in the Council of Ministers even after he had quit in the backdrop of an official probe corroborating the charge that his foster son had, conniving with the concerned officials who were working under him, cheated in a senior secondary examination is being presented as a glaring example of the Chief Minister’s leniency.

Some outspoken faces in Omar’s National Conference (NC) party including his uncle and former minister Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal have explicitly blamed the Congress leadership in New Delhi for “robbing” the coalition government of much of its credibility [Kamaal was recently sacked as the chief spokesperson of the ruling party as his similar outbursts in public had angered ally Congress party]. For it was Congress president Sonia Gandhi who reportedly rejected Peerzada’s resignation submitted directly to her instead of the Chief Minister to follow the precedence. Peerzada’s act not only showed the contempt he had for the Chief Minister but the rejection of his resignation by the Congress president put on parade Omar’s weak standing within the coalition he heads. At least, it was a conspicuous grim reminder of the compulsions of coalition he has been working under, say the Kashmir watchers.

Sadly, the chink in Omar’s armour appears to have sent a wrong message across the bureaucracy and rest of the state administration which in all probability will leave an adverse impact on its performance. “The institution of Chief Minister itself has been undermined,” alleged a former chief minister and patron of Opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party Mufti Muhammad Sayeed. However, it is still open to question where the fault lies.

Facts of the case and possible fallout 

Against the backdrop of Omar’s dependability being questioned openly, the SAC’s move is seen as being loaded with far reaching consequences for him. The notices issued to the Chief Minister, his Advisors and Vice-Chairmen and Chairpersons of various advisory boards seek their appearance in person or through their counsel for filing statement of defence before the Commission on March 5. The direction was passed in a complaint against former minister and senior Congress leader Khem Lata Wakhloo in capacity of chairperson of J&K Social Welfare Board. The main charge against her is that she enjoys the salary, perks and other amenities admissible to a Minister of State without being legally entitled to. Consequently, the appointment of Advisors to the Chief Minister and chairmen of all the Advisory Boards came under the ambit of the complaint.

Hence, the notices have been served on the Chief Minister and his Advisors Devinder Singh Rana and Mubarak Gul besides half a dozen hand-picked heads of various state-sponsored advisory bodies including Board for Development of Pahari Speaking People, Advisory Board for Development of Gujjars and Bakerwals, Advisory Board for Development of Kissans, Advisory Board for Welfare and Development of Other Backward Classes, Advisory Board for Development of Scheduled Castes and State Commission for Women. The beneficiaries are prominent faces in NC and Congress.

They have been directed by the SAC through the notices to show cause as to why interim recommendation in terms of Section 16 of the Act may not be made. The Commission comprising its Chairperson Justice Y. P. Nargotra and Justice Hakim Imtiyaz Hussain has also directed that the copy of the order be also sent to the Governor as per the requirement of Section 13 of the Act. “The posts of Advisor and Political Advisor to the Chief Minister have not been shown to be the creation of any Statute or the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir", the Commission observed while raising a legal question.

Responding to the government’s claim that the posts were created and filled up by in exercise of its administrative and executive discretion, the SAC referred the Constitutional mandate and observed “under the Scheme of the Constitution, the executive power of the State is vested in the Governor to be exercised by him directly or through a person or authority as he may direct. No order issued by the Governor delegating any such power in favour of the Government or any authority has been brought to our notice as yet”.

However, assuming that the government has been delegated with the power of creation of such posts for smooth running of the affairs of the State, it said that still the power to regulate the recruitments and conditions of service of persons appointed to public services and posts in connection with the affairs of the State under the Constitution lies with the Legislature, who may by law regulate the same and in case legislature has not made any such law, then the power lies with the Governor to regulate the same either directly or through a person he may direct.”

The SAC further said, “In the present case neither any statute of the legislature nor any order of the Governor whereby the Government has been specifically vested with the authority to appoint Advisors to the Chief Minister and confer upon the Constitutional status of a Cabinet Minister/ Minister of State for dealing with the affairs of the State and enjoying the amenities attached there to, has been brought to our notice by the Government while furnishing the information.” It observed that no person unless appointed in accordance with law under the State can legally be entitled to deal with the affairs of the State and the payment of any remuneration. “Any appointment made and any remuneration paid without authority of law by the Government would be nothing but a political favour at the cost of public exchequer”, it added.

The Commission also said that in the case the appointment of Rana and Gul as Political Advisor and Advisor, respectively to the Chief Minister with the status of a Minister of state and Cabinet Minister and their entitlement to the amenities attached to the office of a Cabinet Minister/ Minister of State “appear to be without any authority of law”.