Sheikh Abdul Aziz Killed - Violence Flares in Kashmir

[Spring Onion]

Pakistan’ returns to the Valley


!
Rashid Ahmad , Hindustan Times
Email Author
Srinagar, August 17, 2008
First Published: 00:03 IST(17/8/2008)
Last Updated: 00:08 IST(17/8/2008)


Over 100,000 people. One show of outrage. No violence. But there was something that hadn’t been there for a long time: pro-Pakistan slogans.

The protestors in Pampore, with green flags in their hands, were first swirling in circles, starting a slow-pitch slogan at the beat of their hand-claps. Then the pitch gradually rose with the hand-clapping becoming quicker.

The flags resembled the Pakistani national flag. Any confusion ended when a young man climbed the telecom tower hoisting a flag shouting pro-Pakistan slogans.

Moments later, separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani, from the podium amplified those utterings: “Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan” The response was a roar. This was followed by another youth clambering up the tower. This time there was no doubt: it was the Pakistani flag. Thundering applause followed.


“More than love for Pakistan, it is anger against India that makes people raise pro-Pakistan slogans,” explains Tahir Mohiuddin, editor of the Urdu weekly Chattan. “Pro-Pakistani slogans are mostly raised near CRPF and army bunkers and positions. That reveals the state of mind of the slogan shouters”.

Speaking at the mammoth Pampore rally, Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq announced that “the march across the LOC” would be undertaken against all odds. “We are holding a joint meeting [of both factions of the Hurriyat] on Sunday where future strategy would be discussed. We will then fix the date for the Muzaffarabad march too,” he added.

The rally ended peacefully. Was Pampore the lull before the storm.

‘Pakistan’ returns to the Valley- Hindustan Times


Thank you Hindu fanatics parties you have made the job much easy

 

[roadrunner]

Such images should tell anyone with an unbiased opinion, that support (even military) for the people of Kashmir is not terrorism, but occupation by Indian troops, is terrorism.

 

[Spring Onion]

Such images should tell anyone with an unbiased opinion, that support (even military) for the people of Kashmir is not terrorism, but occupation by Indian troops, is terrorism.

the news above and here again a day before from the same Indian Newspaper just see the difference between waving of Pakistani flag and hoisting of Indian flag on August 15th



All roads lead to Pampore

PM reviews situation in J&KAugust 16, 2008
Curfew lifted from Kashmir ValleyAugust 15, 2008
25 injured in Srinagar violenceAugust 15, 2008
Amarnath Yatra come to an endAugust 16, 2008
Separatists take out rally...August 16, 2008Rashid Ahmad , Hindustan Times
Srinagar, August 16, 2008

First Published: 18:25 IST(16/8/2008)
Last Updated: 00:39 IST(17/8/2008)



The youngster clambered up a telecommunication tower and hoisted a green flag as onlookers shouted pro-Pakistan slogans during a protest in Pampore on Saturday.
As chairman of hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Geelani shouted ‘Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan’, the crowd responded in unison.

Soon, another youth followed suit, this time with a genuine Pakistani flag.

Pakistan may not be the first choice of many people in Kashmir. But ever since the shrine board land row erupted, pro-Pakistan slogans are being heard in Kashmir more often.

The protesters swirled in circles, shouting slogans in a low-pitched tone, hands clapping in sync. The pitch rose gradually and reached a crescendo as the beat of clapping became rapid, the slogan shouting rising with the tempo.

“More than love for Pakistan, it is anger against India that makes people raise pro-Pakistan slogans,” said Tahir Mohiuddin, editor ‘Chattan” an Urdu weekly.

“You might have observed that pro-Pak slogans are mostly raised near CRPF and army bunkers and positions. That reveals the state of mind of the slogan shouters,” added Mohiuddin.

“No election can resolve the Kashmir issue,” said Chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said on Saturday at a gathering on the fourth day ceremony of slain Hurriyat leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz.

Chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani said, “Our struggle is for the right to self-determination. We will continue it until we achieve our goal.”

On Independence Day on Friday, a crowd of around 20,000 people gathered in Srinagar’s historic Lal Chowk and hoisted green flags atop Ghanta Ghar (Clock Tower).

Earlier in the day, the venue had witnessed the hoisting of the Indian flag. A unit of CRPF deployed in Lal Chowk had hoisted the flag on the tower to mark the Independence Day celebrations.

But the flag had been removed by the unit members immediately after it was hoisted.


All roads lead to Pampore- Hindustan Times

 

[Flintlock]

What a bunch of brainwashed and deluded people!

 

[dr.umer]

Indian Press has now started to admit Kashmiri Freedom Struggle.

In Kashmir, there's azadi in air
17 Aug 2008, 0247 hrs IST, Avijit Ghosh,TNN
Times of India

PAMPORE: About 8km south of Srinagar, the road seems to end. Hundreds of trucks, cars and motorbikes block the path. The men shout "azadi" and "Allah-u-Akbar" (God is great) in collective frenzy. They are all heading to Pampore, about 15 km from Srinagar, for the Hurriyat leader Shiekh Abdul Aziz's memorial service.

There's no way you can proceed on the highway; so we take a detour through a dirty makeshift road past the stone quarries, the brick kilns and the shanty tenements of the Bihari labourers. There's Jhelum on one side with thick groves lining the embankment; the other side is lush with paddy fields. On the side, women sing songs saluting the 'martyrs' and kids offer free soft drinks to protestors.

But it's only when one steps into Pampore, famous for its saffron fields, that the real magnitude of the gathering becomes evident. It looks like most of Kashmir has turned up. The political mobilisation seems to have worked. Crowd estimates are always dicey — but some estimate the Pampore gathering at perhaps 5 lakh. There's a sea of heads on the streets, rooftops, lanes, walls, even on telephone towers.

A youth draws loud cheers when he hoists the green Islamic flag atop a tower, nearly 10 storeys tall. Another braveheart soon steals his thunder climbing the taller adjoining tower as "azadi" slogans fill the air.

There are only two colours of flag on display. The black flag as a mark of protest and the green flag with Allah-o-Akbar printed on it. Women are relatively fewer but those present, including a bunch in burqa, chant slogans with gusto.

"Do you think the massive, peaceful turnout will have any positive effect on the Indian government?" asks Mohammed Ashraf, a poultry farmer from Budgam. Ashraf is illiterate but listens to Gandhi Katha on Radio.

"You know, Gandhiji did not use arms against the British. He used non-violence to mobilize people. Is non-violence more effective than violence in getting azadi?" he asks. Unlike Ashraf, Mukhtiar Ahmed is bitter. He doesn't like anything about India. Last year he traveled to Gorakhpur in UP.

"I stayed with a Bihari labourer who also works for us. But two people were killed near by and police picked me for questioning. The labourer kept pleading them to let me off but they didn't listen to him. As a Kashmiri, you are always under suspicion," says Ashraf.

That's how it's. Lakhs of people, with their own reasons to believe that "azadi" is the best choice for them. Few would have heard what the Hurriyat leaders had to say.

 

[Flintlock]

Such images should tell anyone with an unbiased opinion, that support (even military) for the people of Kashmir is not terrorism, but occupation by Indian troops, is terrorism.

Anyone with an unbiased opinion will realize that its utter foolishness to demand integration with Pakistan, a country which is facing existential threats on multiple levels, and is wracked by an Islamic insurgency.

These guys have been deluded by Islamist propaganda. I really feel sorry for them....their leaders have truly failed them.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Why aren't the Indian Muslims protesting?? Why only Kashmiris?? This is something worth looking into.. Why only Pakistani and Kashmiri Muslims crying hoarse, whereas most of the Islamic world is not bothered!!

Why should Indian muslims protest? Its absurd.

Kashmir is one of the oldest front lines on the battle between Radical Islam and modernity. It will be a huge mistake to leave it to its own devices.

I woudl agree with Stealth that there is no reason for Indian Muslims to protest.

Pakistan's claim to Kashmir goes beyond religion - it is a claim based in legality through the UN (as is India's), historical ties and an incomplete partition of the colony of British India.

Pakistan's claim is now increasingly a nationalistic one, though its roots remain grounded in the basis for the creation of the State of Pakistan.

Anyone with an unbiased opinion will realize that its utter foolishness to demand integration with Pakistan, a country which is facing existential threats on multiple levels, and is wracked by an Islamic insurgency.

These guys have been deluded by Islamist propaganda. I really feel sorry for them....their leaders have truly failed them.

I disagree - the ideological underpinnings are nationalistic, not Islamist. Islam however plays a strong role in that nationalism, since it drove the ideology behind Pakistan's creation. These sentiments are bolstered by the UN resolutions, that legitimize their demand for having the choice to not remain with India.

Whether someone makes a poor choice or a good one, it is their choice to make.

 

[Flintlock]

Whether someone makes a poor choice or a good one, it is their choice to make.

Some choices affect far more people than those who made them. This choice is one of them. The stakes are too high.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Some choices affect far more people than those who made them. This choice is one of them. The stakes are too high.

Not really - a far bigger choice was made in 1947, and had it not been for complications whose roots are in Kashmir, and the same sort of thinking and arguments that you display above were made, we would not be in the situation we are in now.

In fact, given how much Kashmir has affected the situation, a continued stalemate and refusal to make that 'choice' or finding a way to resolve the issue, has far greater implications (negative) for the region than allowing the people a 'choice'.

 

[Flintlock]

Not really - a far bigger choice was made in 1947, and had it not been for complications whose roots are in Kashmir, and the same sort of thinking and arguments that you display above were made, we would not be in the situation we are in now.

In fact, given how much Kashmir has affected the situation, a continued stalemate and refusal to make that 'choice' or finding a way to resolve the issue, has far greater implications (negative) for the region than allowing the people a 'choice'.

It is India which had so far fought the battle against political Islam in the valley, and Pakistan had encouraged it all along. We made the sacrifices, and we will continue to do so.

In any case, no country in the world which understands the situation in the region will support the Kashmiri separatist movement. It will further worsen the fragile situation in the subcontinent. It will create a breeding ground of Jehadists which will not only work against India, but against Pakistan and the rest of the world.

These are the countries which are facing Islamist separatists, that I know of.

India
China
Philippines
Thailand
Russia
Serbia

 

[dr.umer]

India minus K-word
Times of India
20 Aug 2008

Is it time the K-word got out of India, and India out of the K-word? Even as Pakistanis in Pakistan celebrated the departure of their erstwhile dictator, Pervez Musharraf, 'Pakistanis' in Kashmir agitated for the long overdue exit of an equally, if not more, oppressive dictator: India.

The Amarnath dispute and the alleged 'economic blockade' have sparked an unprecedented pro-Pakistani sentiment in the Valley, shown by the open display of the crescent flag and the massive anti-India rallies in Srinagar and Pampore. Separatism is no longer driven by fear of militant guns; today separatism is spearheaded by a far more serious threat: that of the popular will.

It would be facile to dismiss this groundswell of protest, which cuts across generational lines, as yet another ISI-sponsored stratagem. Kashmir, or at least Kashmir valley, is no longer a ventriloquist’s dummy speaking for its Pakistani masters; Kashmir seems to be speaking for itself. And what it is saying is unequivocal: India must let go of it.

Is it really, finally, time for India to relinquish Kashmir, and vice versa? Or, as Arundhati Roy has put it, for Kashmir to gain azadi from India, and for India to gain azadi from Kashmir?

Any suggestion that Kashmir should, if it so wants, be allowed to secede from the Indian Union is immediately deemed to be treasonable, and its proponents to be agents of Pakistan’s ISI, who wish to hive off not just Kashmir but to fragment and balkanise India by fomenting insurrection across the country.

It is also argued that Kashmir's secession would diminish India not just geographically but, much worse, it would diminish and fatally wound the very idea of India as a pluralist polity and a multicultural society. More than the possession of any part of its territory, the idea of India is the life-essence of the republic. India can survive without Kashmir, if it has to; it can’t survive without the idea of India, central to which is the right of democratic dissent and the free association of people. (I would better like to call it Forceful Free Association of People)

Is the idea of India big enough to accommodate the obverse right: the free disassociation of people, non-violent secession from the republic? Secessionist attempts — from Punjab to the north-east, and in some 180 Naxal 'liberated zones' (described by the prime minister as the 'biggest national threat') — have been and continue to be combatted by force of arms and, equally importantly, force of political persuasion. But all these anti-state manifestations were, or are, based on violence, which the state can legitimately oppose with necessary counter-violence. What Kashmir is reportedly witnessing today is fundamentally different: a cry for freedom backed not by guns but by the power of dissent — one of the foundation stones of the idea of India.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani, self-proclaimed leader of the separatist movement, is no M K Gandhi. But what if he and his followers were to adopt the strategies of non-cooperation and satyagraha which were used to gain independence, and were the prenatal influences which shaped the idea of India? Could the Indian state use physical force against such a peaceful mass movement — if in fact it did arise, as some say it now has — and still retain its moral idea of itself?

It could — and inevitably will — be argued that drawing a parallel between Gandhi's 'Quit India' movement and contemporary Kashmir's 'Quit, India' upsurge is untenable and unconscionable: the British were an alien occupying force; Kashmir is an integral, constitutionally legitimised part of India. But after more than 60 years of concerted effort — military deployment, repeated elections, the giving of subsidies — India has been unable effectively to counter the demand for azadi.

Has the time then come to re-look and rethink the Kashmir issue? By letting Kashmir go peacefully would the idea of India be subverted? Or would it be enlarged and further endorsed? That is the real import of the so-called Kashmir question: it has become the question of the idea of India, and what that idea means to us.

secondopinion@timesgroup.com

 

[dr.umer]

It is India which had so far fought the battle against political Islam in the valley, and Pakistan had encouraged it all along. We made the sacrifices, and we will continue to do so.

India is not fighting so called political Islamic war in Kashmir. There are dozens of other freedom movements going on in India mostly non-islamic movements. What about them? India has a choice, either to keep on sacrificing all over India or re-evaluate the stretagies implemented to crush these freedom movements. Unless until it is realized that bullet is not always a solution, peace can not be achieved in troubled parts of India.

In any case, no country in the world which understands the situation in the region will support the Kashmiri separatist movement. It will further worsen the fragile situation in the subcontinent. It will create a breeding ground of Jehadists which will not only work against India, but against Pakistan and the rest of the world.

Again we find ourselves thinking about us only. Is it the last excuse left to convince the Kashmiris to stay with India otherwise their land will become breeding ground of Jehadist? I don't think so it will be enough to convince them.

These are the countries which are facing Islamist separatists, that I know of.

India
China
Philippines
Thailand
Russia
Serbia

I think that when more then a dozen freedom movements are going on in a country, its time to stop blaming religion & start seriously thinking what went wrong & how things can be settled. There are more hindu separatist movements in India then islamic separatist movements.

 

[Spring Onion]

Valley prepares for another show of strength

Jammu, August 22, 2008
First Published: 00:16 IST(22/8/2008)
Last Updated: 00:21 IST(22/8/2008)



Kashmir is bracing up for another march to Idgah on Friday - the fourth in less than two weeks.

Meanwhile, efforts are on to find an amicable solution to the crisis, resulting from the state government's decision to revoke an order to transfer land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board.

The outcome of the Idgah rally on Friday and Jammu's reaction to it - a seemingly unending cycle of agitations and counter-agitations - will mark the mood in the Valley and Jammu for some days to come.

The focus in Jammu will be more on the Idgah rally than on talks between Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti and the Governor's panel. Samiti convenor Leela Karan Sharma does not expect much out of it. "We are sending a team to the talk, as we don't want to be accused of shying away from resolving the issue," Sharma said.

National Security Advisor MK Narayanan, during his discussions with Governor N.N. Vohra and officials on Wednesday, devoted more than half his time to the Idgah march. He did not want a repeat of 1990 in the Valley.

The popular wisdom is: if the Jammu agitation subsides, the pro-freedom marches in Kashmir will also cool off. The popular belief is: it was the alleged "economic blockade" that had re-triggered protests and marches in the Valley.

The second phase of protests began with the "Muzaffarabad Chalo" march on August 11, in which five, including senior Hurriyat leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz, were killed. The next two days saw 18 more dead.

For separatists, the issue of the piece of land at Baltal, which brought them back to limelight in June, is not in the picture now. Hard-line leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani is saying, "It is needless to talk about the land now. There are larger issues at stake."

Meanwhile, the mood on Jammu’s streets is defined by volatile crowds, who are running the ‘Jail Bharo’ show. In Srinagar too, the piece looks fragile on the eve of another Idgah march.

"There is no guarantee of peace, when mobs are huge. Our response will be calibrated," said police chief SM Sahai. Kashmir is on edge again.


Valley prepares for another show of strength- Hindustan Times

 

[Spring Onion]

Kashmir faces shortage of life-saving drugs


Sarwar Kashani, Indo-Asian News Service
Srinagar, August 22, 2008
First Published: 10:37 IST(22/8/2008)
Last Updated: 10:39 IST(22/8/2008)

Print


Shakeel Ahmed Mir had to return disappointed from a chemist shop in Srinagar as he couldn't get an insulin injection for his diabetic mother. This was the 12th pharmacist's shop from which he had returned empty-handed.

"I don't know what to do," a distressed Mir said, as his mother was fast running out of the stock at home. He has now asked a friend in Delhi to send the drug.

Mir's predicament is shared by thousands of patients and their relatives in the Kashmir valley in the wake of shortage of life-saving drugs.

"We are currently facing shortage of many life-saving drugs, as supply is disrupted due to protests at many places on the (Jammu-Srinagar) National Highway," said Mohammed Saleem, a chemist in city centre Lal Chowk.

Jammu and Kashmir is battling with crises at many fronts for the last two and a half months, as protests and shutdowns have taken a toll on supply of essential commodities.

The trouble started after the government May 26 allocated 40 hectares of forest land in Kashmir to a Hindu temple trust.

This triggered violent protests in the Muslim dominated valley as Kashmiri leaders, separatist as well as mainstream, alleged that the land was meant to tamper with the demography of Kashmir.

The government was forced to revoke the land transfer orders July 1 which invited counter agitation in Hindu-majority Jammu. At least 40 people have died, mostly in police and paramilitary firing, in the troubled state.

Some protesting Hindu groups blocked the national highway - the only motorable road link to the valley - disrupting supply of essential commodities including medicines.

Muslim protesters, backed mainly by separatist leaders, allege that the Jammu protesters had forced an "economic blockade" on the valley, an allegation denied by the protesters in Jammu.

The supply was resumed to some extent last week though officials admit that it still wasn't normal.

"Around 750 trucks carrying essential commodities entered the valley Wednesday night," an official spokesman told IANS.

The spokesman said before the trouble 1,200 to 1,500 truckloads of essential commodities used to unload in the Kashmir valley every day. "Today it doesn't cross the 800 mark".

General secretary of Kashmir Medical Representatives Association Sheikh Niyaz said: "We have a shortage of about 90 percent of life-saving drugs in the valley because no medicines have come from Jammu."

Nine out of 10 pharmacy depots in the state are in Jammu, Niyaz added. "We have not received any fresh supplies, barring one truckload of generic drugs last week.

"Right now the pharmacies are just about managing by supplying each other but even that can last for not more than a week."

According to doctors here, the most critical shortage was of anti-cancer drugs.

Medical Superintendent of SMHS hospital Waseem Qureshi said he had "adequate quantity of life- saving drugs for 750 indoor patients in the hospital" but expressed worries "over thousands of patients who need the drugs at home".

One of the biggest medical stores in Srinagar, Sajjad Medicare, is also running out of medicines, especially life-saving drugs.

"We are facing shortage of about 40 life-saving drugs. The important items of leading companies that are the fastest running brands are out of stock," shopowner Sajjad Ahmad told IANS.

"We are medical representatives and we receive the medicines first. We have not received any this month. How is the government claiming stocks are adequate?" asked Arshad Ahmed, who works as a medical representative of Menarin Raunaq Pharma.

Kashmir faces shortage of life-saving drugs- Hindustan Times

 

[dr.umer]

200,000 Muslims protest Indian rule in Kashmir

Associated Press
22 Aug 2008

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Muslims gathered in Indian Kashmir's main city Friday for the largest protest against Indian rule in two months of turmoil that have roiled the Himalayan region.

Long lines of people carrying green and black protest flags streamed to a sprawling main square in Srinagar, the region's main city, for the rally called by a coalition of separatist political parties. Schools, businesses and shops were shut across the region and public transportation was halted.

The massive crowd — estimated by police at about 200,000 people — chanted anti-India slogans as they waited for a prayer session and speeches from separatist leaders.

"This is a freedom movement, a people's movement. We are united to fight India until we get freedom," said Salman Ahmed, a 27-year-old protester.

Several thousand police officers in riot gear patrolled the streets ahead of the rally but later pulled back from the site — apparently in a bid to reduce tensions.

The protest followed a three-day hiatus that allowed residents to stock up on supplies after nearly two months of unrest in Indian-administered Kashmir pitting the region's Muslim majority against the Hindu minority. The violence has left at least 34 people dead, most of them protesters shot during clashes with police and soldiers.

The crowds converged on the Eidgah grounds, a large square near the Martyr's Graveyard where hundreds of separatist rebels and civilians who died in the region's 19-year insurgency are buried.

A statement from the organizers said the march was called to honor "martyrs of the movement and pray for Kashmir's freedom from the colonial oppression."

The crisis began in June with a dispute over land for pilgrims visiting a Hindu shrine. Muslims launched protests complaining that a government decision to transfer land to a Hindu trust was actually a settlement plan meant to alter the religious balance in the region. After the plan was rescinded Hindus took to the streets demanding it be restored.

The unrest has unleashed pent-up tensions between Kashmir's Muslims and Hindus and threatened to snap the bonds between India and its only Muslim-majority state.

There is a long history of separatist movements in Kashmir, which has been divided between India and Pakistan since 1948. Most were peaceful until 1989, when a bloody Islamic insurgency began. The insurgents want to see India's part of the region merged with Pakistan or given independence.

At least 68,000 people have been killed in the fighting since 1989