War on streets of Kash

 Published in Daily Rising kashmir

http://www.risingkashmir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24661&Itemid=44

Like weather in Kashmir, situation too seems unpredictable in Kashmir. It may be raining heavily followed by hot sun breeze and then roaring of air gushing in. Though weather has gained some what semblance of stability from past few days situation continues to be erratic, uncertain and whimsical.

Like the pack of cards one by one youth fall to iron from the barrel of gun. Anger churns out it is “war” on streets but of defenseless and powerful. Protests seethe in bringing uneasy calm of military jackboots. Curfewed people, curfewed streets, curfewed air, caging humans to their nests, perhaps sparrows and cuckoos too silent presenting ghostly silence, vicious turn of Sopore and Islamabad after Srinagar with rest writhing in pang and pain.

With gloomy faces and crossed hands starring and gazing at flashing pictures it is foreign secretaries of Indo-Pak shaking hands and smiling faces besides home ministers as well, discussing agony of Kashmiris; no way. Then what; covering their political hotchpotches and hodgepodges leaving the issue of core to gore.

Kashmir a cause celebre and simmering cauldron then how come devoid of mediating diligence, perhaps a result of our helmers disarrayed political wisdom guided by ego and materialistic lust. Tumult and confusion, division and disseverance compounding the destiny to make it look blur. 

What can be the result when sybarites and sycophants are left to govern the nation, a sorrow tale and woeful vale, making of our own, bedamn for our own, our navigators ceased to see the warning leaving us to grieve at the hands of pirates and collaborators of Delhi durbar with pawned and smudged consciousness, you can’t ask for benevolence from these who extract their pound of flesh from the bruised nation.

Time to play the innings with purpose and reason with courage and determination without wimpishness and weakness to regain the lost ground not only to outsmart the opposition but to defeat him on his own turf. A complete proclivity towards the sacred sentiment with devotion and sincerity then we say hail to the martyrs!

Denial of treatment to Shabir Shah

The arrests and detentions can’t dampen spirit of those who are committed to the cause. He has all along fought peacefully for the right which has been recognized by international community under the auspicious of UN’s Security Council 

This refers to the denial of proper treatment to senior pro-freedom leader Shabir Shah which is condemnable to say the least. Shabir Shah has spend more than half of his life in torture chambers, interrogation centers and various jails of India for espousing the cause of unfettered right of self determination of people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The denial of medicare to Shabir Shah which has created heavy impact on his health is sheer vendetta on the part of authorities which want to stifle and muzzle the voice of dissent. The arrests and detentions can’t dampen spirit of those who are committed to the cause. He has all along fought peacefully for the right which has been recognized by international community under the auspicious of UN’s Security Council and according to international conventions and norms for political rights.

Denial of proper treatment amounts to criminal negligence and a malicious intent to harm him physically after failing to browbeat his sentiments, which doesn’t suit the advocates of ‘peace and democracy’.

Human Rights & Self Determination

Kashmir is an internationally recognized dispute and there are as many as eighteen resolutions which have been passed by UN’s Security Council favoring Kashmiri people’s inalienable and unfettered right of self determination. According to International Court of Justice the principle of self-determination has the legal status of “erga omnes” which means “flowing to all”. Accordingly state owes an obligation to the international community to respect this basic right of people under their jurisdiction or administration in all circumstances. But after six decades this basic and fundamental right is yet to be respected in Kashmir and Kashmiris continues to remain oppressed, victimized, humiliated and enslaved. The denial has led to massive human rights violation, brutal killings, arrests, detentions, rapes and molestations enforced disappearances and custodial killings, these the tools used by the state to muzzle and stifle the voice of Kashmiris.

Since only from January this year eight young souls have fallen prey to the tyranny of troops and police forcing people to come on streets and government to bring back the ghost of undeclared curfew’s to suppress the protests against human rights violations. Despite government calling for probes to give ‘exemplary punishment to the culprits’ nothing has been done so far, as troops continue to indulge in massive human rights violations with lack of accountability and the availability of impunity.

There are many cases where the perpetrators of have been identified yet they have got away because of the presence of the draconian laws which are empowered to them. Indian Prime Minister’s assurance on the soil of Kashmir about ‘Zero tolerance’ to human rights violation proves a mere political gimmick. And will prove so in future as long as the draconian laws which are implemented in the state are not withdrawn, which will also make atmosphere conducive for the resolution of Kashmir dispute.

It was India who took Kashmir dispute to U.N and promised plebiscite to Kashmiris before the whole world. In his historic address broadcasted by All India radio on 2^nd November, 1947 then Indian P.M Pandit Nehru Said “We have declared that the fate of Kashmir is ultimately to be decided by its people. This pledge we have given, while the Maharaja has supported it, not only to the people of Kashmir but also to the world at large. We are prepared when peace and law and order has been restored to have referendum held under the auspices of UNO.”

How grotesque it is on the part of India which claims to be world’s largest democracy to renege and backtrack on its own promise of plebiscite so brazenly and then lay claim for permanent membership of UNSC of whose resolution it is continuously violating. Against the solemn pledges of its founding fathers and relentless struggle of the people of Kashmir India can’t escape from its international obligation of granting Kashmiris their right of self determination by calling U.N resolutions as outdated. Time cannot abrogate moral values and commitments nor invalidate international community’s right to intervene in conflicts arising from denial of freedom. We have the example of East Timor, where a dispute was settled through a reference to the wishes of people under UN supervision, where Indonesia upheld people’s verdict.  

How shameful for India that on one hand it parrots peace to the world and is proud of its peacekeeping efforts in many parts of world as in DRC, MONUC and on another hand dreaded killers and extortionists whose hands are drenched red by the blood of innocent Kashmiris demanding nothing but the life of their own choice are awarded and encouraged to do more and praises are lavished on them for their ‘public services’. 

Kashmir dispute is lingering because of such hippocratic attitude and policies of Indian leadership and with it the peace and security of South Asia, though the recent thaw in Indo-Pak relations is encouraging after India expressed desire to resume talks which may be restarted after Chidambaram’s visit to Pakistan yet the success lies in sincerity and respecting human rights, pledges and resolutions to which both India and Pakistan are signatories as continued stand-off suits neither India nor Pakistan.  

Broken Promises

Published in Kashmir Watch
http://www.kashmirwatch.com/showexclusives.php?subaction=showfull&id=1264332143&archive=&start_from=&ucat=15&var1news=value1news
The increase in human rights violations despite the promise of zero tolerance by none other than Indian Prime Minister himself and step up in militant activities across the valley clearly indicates the failure of ‘peace process’ to produce any concrete result of whose effect would have been felt on ground and would have provided some relief to the victimized and assuaged the bruises of people of Kashmir. This ‘Peace process’ which both India and Pakistan had claimed to be irreversible now has got stalled by one or other reason mainly due to the belligerence and obduracy of India as it continues to be in denial mode and always takes shelter in employing time gaining tactics mainly when it comes to the core dispute of Kashmir.

The recent peace conference in New Delhi and many other such conferences have more or less advocated for phased withdrawal of troops from Jammu and Kashmir and revocation of draconian legislations, which are the main source of human rights violation as they provide unbridled powers to troops and provides them total impunity from any sort of accountability, in Kashmir as valid suggestions for making atmosphere conducive for any meaningful and result oriented talks to happen and succeed.

Indian leadership, which continues to harp on the rhetoric of Mumbai attacks to find an exit route from any meaningful discourse on Kashmir dispute and eventually to put the blame of failure on its neighbor’s shoulders, should take cue from Pakistan as despite facing tremendous problems at their home in shape of cruel and continuous bombings which have taken heavy toll of precious lives there (of which they claim to be even have documented proof of India’s involvement) are still sticking and calling for stalled ‘peace process’ to be resumed rather than pointing fingers at India as they fully know that such exercises are tantamount to be playing on the nefarious designs of terrorists who want to scuttle any such move which will usher an era of peace, prosperity and security in South Asia.

Indian policy makers should kept in mind that Kashmiri nation has never accepted slavery nor they will in future, this nation has given innumerable sacrifices for the sake of complete independence and has continued the heroic resistance which is alive and kicking right from 1585 A.D. The anger and resentment of people over the hackneyed policies of India on Kashmir can anytime snowball into full blown revolution much stronger than witnessed in 2008 which will shake the foundations of imperialistic vampires as the fourth generation of Kashmir’s is fully committed towards the sacred goal of Independent and Sovereign Kashmir and are abreast with the technological know how.

How grotesque it is on the part of India which claims to be world’s largest democracy to renege and backtrack on its own promise of plebiscite so brazenly and then lay claim for permanent membership of UNSC of whose resolution its is continuously violating. If time is the criteria for things to become outdated then so called accession, if any it has happened, has become outdated even more than U.N resolutions calling for unfettered right of self determination to allow Kashmiris to decide their fate freely. Even according to so called instrument of accession which India harps on mentions it to be conditional and temporary, subjected to reference to the will of people for its ratification. So India is bound by both ways to honour its commitment of holding plebiscite to ascertain the wishes of Kashmiri people.

Instead of creating suspicion and dissention among Kashmiri leadership by drumbeating about so called quiet talks to defer the solution of Kashmir dispute which means sowing the seeds of future unrest with colossal dimensions India should shun its outdated policy of subjective rhetoric and polemics and should display sagacity, prudence and magnanimity and a strong will to address the Kashmir dispute as continued logjam will jeopardize the strategic interests of both India and Pakistan. India should initiate meaningful steps to remove deep mistrust in the hearts and minds of Kashmiris which she has creating by her wrong policies and should held tripartite talks involving Pakistan. The sane and seasoned leadership of Kashmir will be there to help both India and Pakistan to come out of this vortex and quagmire honorably.