India nearly lost Kashmir
Abdur Rahman Khan
People living in the Indian-occupied Kashmir marked “Black Day” on October 27 with an all-out strike in protest against 70 years of military rule by India.
Shops, schools, markets and public transport facilities all shuttered their doors across the region, as they have been doing every year since India took control of Kashmir on Oct. 27, 1947.
The protests were called by the Joint Resistance Leadership, comprised of separatist leaders Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik, in conjunction with other pro-freedom organizations.
Kashmiris will never succumb: Hurriyat
Seventy years ago, when armed tribesmen from Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (now called Khyber-Pakhthunkhwa) invaded the disputed territory, Kashmir’s then-ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh requested assistance from India’s armed forces in return for acceding to the country.
The accession was to be ratified through a referendum, but the vote never took place. Since then, the region has been locked in a struggle spanning seven decades.
Both rebels and ordinary Kashmiris continue to battle the roughly 500,000 Indian soldiers deployed in the region, with some demanding independence while others seek to merge the territory with Pakistan. Nearly 70,000 people – most of them civilians – have so far been killed by members of the Indian security forces in the 70-year conflict.
In anticipation of last Thursday’s protests, authorities imposed a curfew in major areas of the region. Locals were prevented from attending Friday prayers at Srinagar’s grand mosque.
Protests in Kashmir have increased in frequency during the past year in response to ongoing Indian violence. Throwing stones at members of the Indian armed forces has become a de facto weapon in the unrest.
The rebels’ ranks have also grown since July 2016, prompted by the killing of popular rebel leader Burhan Wani, the commander of Hizbul Mujahedeen, in an Indian security crackdown that killed more than 100 civilians.
Meanwhile, Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Geelani accused New Delhi of framing fake charges against the pro-freedom leaders.
“History stands witness that in contrast to every freedom movement, the occupational and tyrant forces have always suffered a defeat. The authorities in Delhi through its military might seem desperate to dampen our spirits, however all the ploys by them will culminate in their defeat. We will never succumb to any pressure and will take the movement to its logical end.” Geelani asserted.
‘Kill one, 10 will stand up’
He said, “Despite unabated killings, plunder, arson, showering bullets and pellets on public gatherings, maiming and blinding innocent children, brute torture of youth, braid chopping and sexual assault on women, the government of India has failed to break the resolve and commitment of people with freedom movement.”
Appealing people for unity, dedication and sincerity, Geelani asked them to stand against “communal regime in Delhi, their stooges, local pro-Indian political parties and make their ploys a failure.”
Geelani also appealed to the international organisations for human rights and UNHRC to take cognizance of “rights violations” being perpetrated by the Indian armed forces in Kashmir.
The young moderate separatist leader and cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on 28 October asserted that killing militants won’t resolve Kashmir problem saying “if you kill one militant, 10 more will stand up”.
“Each day young educated boys are being killed in Kashmir and there is a belief in some that once all of them are killed, the Kashmir problem will be over,” Mirwaiz said while addressing Friday congregational prayers at historic Jamia Masjid in downtown Srinagar.
“As long as there is repression and force as a state response, while you may kill one, ten more will stand up. Aggression and repression can never resolve issues but only aggravate them,” the moderate separatist leader said.
The security forces have launched “All Out” operation against militants and have killed over 130 militants including seven top commanders in the Valley this year so far. 40 security personnel have been killed in militancy violence in Kashmir this year so far. Over 40 civilians have also been killed this year. Most of the civilians were killed in firing by security forces on protestors during clashes near the encounter sites.
‘India nearly lost Kashmir’
Mirwaiz, who was released on August 18 from 57 days house arrest, said killing militants won’t kill the “sentiment” as is evident during funeral prayers of the militants.
Mirwaiz said the agitation and protests by students in colleges and universities across the Valley that force the state government to frequently shut educational institutions also indicates how the youth of Kashmir sees the situation and react to it.
He said for past 70 years, people of Kashmir are born and raised to live and die with the fact that Kashmir is a disputed place waiting final resolution.
Former Union Home Minister and senior congress leader P. Chidambaram recently said that he had a sinking feeling that India has nearly lost Kashmir because New Delhi used brute force to quell dissent there during 2016 uprising triggered by July 8 killing of militant commander Burhan Wani.
Chidambaram said, he feared the situation would worsen if the Centre did not take up course correction like what was done by the Cabinet Committee on security in 2010, The Hindu newspaper reported. Addressing a meeting organised by Manthan, a public discourse platform, he said that the graph of violence rapidly declined after that, but it grew at an alarming rate now.
He said seven million people of Kashmir valley felt alienated by the oppressive methods of the Indian government, which was a “terrible” mistake.
“The statement of Chief of Army Staff Bipin Rawat that anyone who interfered with defence operations would be treated as anti-national was the last straw,” Chidambaram said.
Day after Congress leader P. Chidambaram called for “greater autonomy” for Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi came down heavily on the Congress and said such remarks were “unacceptable” and “insult to the brave soldiers of the country.” Addressing a public gathering in Bengaluru on Sunday, Modi asked why the Congress leaders were “lending their voice to those who want Azadi in Kashmir.”
Ansari for tripartite dialogue
Meanwhile, Kashmir Centre for Social and Developmental Studies (KCSDS) on Sunday alleged that conspiracies were being hatched to take away “exclusive ethnic rights” of the people of Jammu and Kashmir “by the dominant fascist state.”
Asking people to remain cautious, the KCSDS Secretary said the political masters were “wrongly thinking that Kashmiris have forgotten the issue of Article 35-A.”
However, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said in Indore that like Hindus, India belongs to others as well. The Shiv Sena chief on October 27 said that ‘Hindustan’ is a country of Hindus, but it does not mean that it does not belong to “others”. The Shiv Sena chief said despite a “pro-Hindutva” government at the Centre, issues like Ram Temple construction in Ayodhya and ‘gharwapsi’ of displaced Kashmiri Pandits are still unresolved.
Former Hurriyat Conference chairman and founder of Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen chief Moulana Abbas Ansari said last week that tripartite dialogue was the only way forward to resolve the Kashmir issue. Ansari made the remarks a day after the Centre appointed former intelligence chief Dineshwar Sharma as its points man for holding “sustained dialogue” on Kashmir issue.
He said people from both sides of divided Kashmir need to be included in the talks to find a solution acceptable to all three parties – India, Pakistan and Kashmiris.
“Kashmir belongs to Kashmiris. It doesn’t belong to India or Pakistan. However, we want better relations with both the countries to end the violence and destruction,” said Ansari.
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Abdur Rahman Khan
People living in the Indian-occupied Kashmir marked “Black Day” on October 27 with an all-out strike in protest against 70 years of military rule by India.
Shops, schools, markets and public transport facilities all shuttered their doors across the region, as they have been doing every year since India took control of Kashmir on Oct. 27, 1947.
The protests were called by the Joint Resistance Leadership, comprised of separatist leaders Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik, in conjunction with other pro-freedom organizations.
Kashmiris will never succumb: Hurriyat
Seventy years ago, when armed tribesmen from Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (now called Khyber-Pakhthunkhwa) invaded the disputed territory, Kashmir’s then-ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh requested assistance from India’s armed forces in return for acceding to the country.
The accession was to be ratified through a referendum, but the vote never took place. Since then, the region has been locked in a struggle spanning seven decades.
Both rebels and ordinary Kashmiris continue to battle the roughly 500,000 Indian soldiers deployed in the region, with some demanding independence while others seek to merge the territory with Pakistan. Nearly 70,000 people – most of them civilians – have so far been killed by members of the Indian security forces in the 70-year conflict.
In anticipation of last Thursday’s protests, authorities imposed a curfew in major areas of the region. Locals were prevented from attending Friday prayers at Srinagar’s grand mosque.
Protests in Kashmir have increased in frequency during the past year in response to ongoing Indian violence. Throwing stones at members of the Indian armed forces has become a de facto weapon in the unrest.
The rebels’ ranks have also grown since July 2016, prompted by the killing of popular rebel leader Burhan Wani, the commander of Hizbul Mujahedeen, in an Indian security crackdown that killed more than 100 civilians.
Meanwhile, Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Geelani accused New Delhi of framing fake charges against the pro-freedom leaders.
“History stands witness that in contrast to every freedom movement, the occupational and tyrant forces have always suffered a defeat. The authorities in Delhi through its military might seem desperate to dampen our spirits, however all the ploys by them will culminate in their defeat. We will never succumb to any pressure and will take the movement to its logical end.” Geelani asserted.
‘Kill one, 10 will stand up’
He said, “Despite unabated killings, plunder, arson, showering bullets and pellets on public gatherings, maiming and blinding innocent children, brute torture of youth, braid chopping and sexual assault on women, the government of India has failed to break the resolve and commitment of people with freedom movement.”
Appealing people for unity, dedication and sincerity, Geelani asked them to stand against “communal regime in Delhi, their stooges, local pro-Indian political parties and make their ploys a failure.”
Geelani also appealed to the international organisations for human rights and UNHRC to take cognizance of “rights violations” being perpetrated by the Indian armed forces in Kashmir.
The young moderate separatist leader and cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on 28 October asserted that killing militants won’t resolve Kashmir problem saying “if you kill one militant, 10 more will stand up”.
“Each day young educated boys are being killed in Kashmir and there is a belief in some that once all of them are killed, the Kashmir problem will be over,” Mirwaiz said while addressing Friday congregational prayers at historic Jamia Masjid in downtown Srinagar.
“As long as there is repression and force as a state response, while you may kill one, ten more will stand up. Aggression and repression can never resolve issues but only aggravate them,” the moderate separatist leader said.
The security forces have launched “All Out” operation against militants and have killed over 130 militants including seven top commanders in the Valley this year so far. 40 security personnel have been killed in militancy violence in Kashmir this year so far. Over 40 civilians have also been killed this year. Most of the civilians were killed in firing by security forces on protestors during clashes near the encounter sites.
‘India nearly lost Kashmir’
Mirwaiz, who was released on August 18 from 57 days house arrest, said killing militants won’t kill the “sentiment” as is evident during funeral prayers of the militants.
Mirwaiz said the agitation and protests by students in colleges and universities across the Valley that force the state government to frequently shut educational institutions also indicates how the youth of Kashmir sees the situation and react to it.
He said for past 70 years, people of Kashmir are born and raised to live and die with the fact that Kashmir is a disputed place waiting final resolution.
Former Union Home Minister and senior congress leader P. Chidambaram recently said that he had a sinking feeling that India has nearly lost Kashmir because New Delhi used brute force to quell dissent there during 2016 uprising triggered by July 8 killing of militant commander Burhan Wani.
Chidambaram said, he feared the situation would worsen if the Centre did not take up course correction like what was done by the Cabinet Committee on security in 2010, The Hindu newspaper reported. Addressing a meeting organised by Manthan, a public discourse platform, he said that the graph of violence rapidly declined after that, but it grew at an alarming rate now.
He said seven million people of Kashmir valley felt alienated by the oppressive methods of the Indian government, which was a “terrible” mistake.
“The statement of Chief of Army Staff Bipin Rawat that anyone who interfered with defence operations would be treated as anti-national was the last straw,” Chidambaram said.
Day after Congress leader P. Chidambaram called for “greater autonomy” for Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi came down heavily on the Congress and said such remarks were “unacceptable” and “insult to the brave soldiers of the country.” Addressing a public gathering in Bengaluru on Sunday, Modi asked why the Congress leaders were “lending their voice to those who want Azadi in Kashmir.”
Ansari for tripartite dialogue
Meanwhile, Kashmir Centre for Social and Developmental Studies (KCSDS) on Sunday alleged that conspiracies were being hatched to take away “exclusive ethnic rights” of the people of Jammu and Kashmir “by the dominant fascist state.”
Asking people to remain cautious, the KCSDS Secretary said the political masters were “wrongly thinking that Kashmiris have forgotten the issue of Article 35-A.”
However, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said in Indore that like Hindus, India belongs to others as well. The Shiv Sena chief on October 27 said that ‘Hindustan’ is a country of Hindus, but it does not mean that it does not belong to “others”. The Shiv Sena chief said despite a “pro-Hindutva” government at the Centre, issues like Ram Temple construction in Ayodhya and ‘gharwapsi’ of displaced Kashmiri Pandits are still unresolved.
Former Hurriyat Conference chairman and founder of Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen chief Moulana Abbas Ansari said last week that tripartite dialogue was the only way forward to resolve the Kashmir issue. Ansari made the remarks a day after the Centre appointed former intelligence chief Dineshwar Sharma as its points man for holding “sustained dialogue” on Kashmir issue.
He said people from both sides of divided Kashmir need to be included in the talks to find a solution acceptable to all three parties – India, Pakistan and Kashmiris.
“Kashmir belongs to Kashmiris. It doesn’t belong to India or Pakistan. However, we want better relations with both the countries to end the violence and destruction,” said Ansari.
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