Of Frankenstein’s and Kashmir

I too watched today’s debate between U.S President Obama and Mitt Romney as both of the contenders put forth their views on foreign policy. There was nothing new and both of the contenders reiterated that they will support Israel who has been labeled as Enemy no.1 of Muslims. Both of them debated on how they will tackle the growing influence of China.

On Al-Qiada ‘s former supremo, President Bush said,” Bin Laden would have escaped If pakistan’s permission sought”. This shows the level of Trust, U.S.A had on its ally Pakistan. Mitt Romney reminded whole world about the presence of Taliban, Haqqani in unstable Pakistan and their 100 odd nuclear war heads fearing Pakistan may end up to be a failed state. He also reminded about their powerful Spy agency I.S.I and its role.

What if the fear of Mitt Romney turns out to be true? Who will be responsible if Taliban or Haqqani network or any other Islamic terrorist organization turns Pakistan into a failed state? What will happen to those 100 odd nuclear war heads?

We need not remind anyone about the mentality of so called jihadis. 14 year old Malala was shot at head because she was perceived as a threat to Islam by these fundamentalists. Is Islam so shallow that it needs gun, bombs and terrorists to keep itself alive as a Religion! Have sufis become a passé!, has spirituality been held hostage by the devils !

These terrorist organizations who operate from Pakistan’s soil is being fed by the I.S.I, In fact they are the creations of the ISI. Today these monsters have become the greatest factor that can make Pakistan a Failed State. But as of Today, they are like the tentacles of an octopus which has more than 8 tentacles in many of its neighboring countries and that includes India also.

The tentacles of ISI in India goes by may names ,
In Jammu & Kashmir only they had/have 1.J.K.L.F(Jammu Kashmir liberation front) 2.Hiz-ul-Mujahideen 3.Lashkar-e-toiba 4.Hurriyat conference 5.Allah Tigers 6.Jaish-eMohammed 7.Dukhteran-e-Milat 8.AL Badr 9.Harkat-ul-Ansar and many more…..The funding and logistics is being provided by the ISI to all these organizations. Some of these organizations change their faces and names from time to time, but their producer and Director remains the same.

Pakistan has used these organizations effectively from time to time depending upon the situation , they use the policy of carrot and stick in handling and motivating these groups to spread their ideologue. Among the groups mentioned above everyone including the Hurriyat have had their history stained with the blood of innocents. Hurriyat conference’s role has been to propagate Pakistan as a role savior of Islam. The communal leaders of Hurriyat conference have taken forward the ideology of Pakistan to oppose Hindus in every way.

Time and again they have targeted Amarnath Yatra as it is virtually the last remnant of erstwhile glorious past of hindus who once lived there. Let us not forget Kashmiri Pandits, who were driven out of their motherland. Today out of 4lakh Kashmiri Pandits that lived in Kashmir in 1989, only 4000 are left in the Kashmir Valley.

Hurriyat leaders are fanning the sentiments of common man on the name of of Religion. They had met with a tremendous success in 2008 and 2010 and now they are preparing their ground for 2013.Why are they opposing the construction of road to Amarnath cave? How many more people they want to die during the Amarnath yatra?

Their theory of environmental degradation is hard to swallow for me. Why don’t they shift their focus on the dying lakes of Kashmir? Why aren’t they worried about the receding forest line of Kashmir? Was it the love for environment that made these jihadi mindset people to oust Kashmiri Pandits from their Motherland!!!

Like hundreds of terrorist organizations that have been made in the factory of ISI, The kashmiri terrorist organizations too get their paycheck from Pakistan. It was written in the newspapers today that Pakistan has cut their Budget on the terror funding of Kashmir groups. This war on India has already costed Pakistan billions of Dollars and these Dollars have been paid to them by the USA.

In the Nineties there was not much difference between the Indian and Pakistani Rupee, But as of Today, one U.S Dollar=53 INR and One U.S. Dolar=95 PNR, This disparity is also adding to the woes of ISI. The indirect war of Pakistan on India is eating the economic base of Pakistan.

Coming back to today’s debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney, If these two presidential candidates fear so much about the present situation of Afganistan and Pakistan, why don’t they stop funding billions of Dollars as an aid to Pakistan as Pakistan has been misusing this aid to fund terrorists that includes Taliban also.

If they fear China, as China has become a hub for manufacturing for whole world ,and it is eating the job of Americans ,USA should also fear Pakistan as it has become the hub for producing terrorists and those terrorists have become the greatest threat to whole world including the USA.

The jihadis are no longer in control of Pakistan. Pakistan is no longer in U.S.A’s control as was evident from president Obama’s Statement. If Taliban, Haqqani and other Jihadis are Pakistan’s Frankenstein ,Isn’t Pakistan itself a Frankenstein in the making for the U.S.A……A failed state in process…

Why Geelani realized late to call pundits back to their villages and towns”

It was news for Kashmir watchers who have an observant eye as well as to KP Community to see a Fundamental change in the mind set of Hurriyat leaders’ like Ali Shah Geelani and others. There was a necessity to understand the reason behind their utterances, calling and appealing Kashmiri pundits to return to their birth places located in villages and towns of Kashmir valley to live together with Muslim brethren. After slumber they have realized that they were in sleep. We Kashmiri pandits have been knowing since long the Hurriyat chief Ali Shah Geelani was an MLA of J&K Assembly for four consecutive terms wearing the semblance of loyalty towards the constitution of India. After a long time of twenty three years they broke their silence appealing Kashmiri Pandits to return their home valley. We understand that the talk of political parties, separatists, hardliners inviting them back is hogwash. We wonder at a change of their policy of shedding crocodile tears at the happening of brutal Killings, terrorizing Kashmiri pundits of which they were the architect. There surprising behavioral change is all temporary, moonshine, politically motivated and can also be temporary effect of magnanimity shown by some individuals of KP community and group of Kashmiri pundits who met, hand-shaked and embraced them at some religious and other occasions in the valley and also demonstrated their solidatory and sympathy towards the muslim victim families of shopian Kashmir who’s daughters were raped and killed, while fully knowing that not a single word of sympathy and condemnation was uttered as and when KP daughters like Shaheed Girja was raped and chopped for having no fault of her.

We K.Ps still remember their vitriolic speeches, intimidating the minorities, sowing seed of dissension in the otherwise peace loving society, starting campaign of vilification speak in volume of their negative tactics of destruction. We fully understand their duplicity which is the hallmark of their personality. Their lack luster policy of giving vent to their communal ideology and provocative incidents held during the times of Amar Nath land Issue, forcible vacation of non-Kashmiri and pro Indian workers, Laborers and Traders after branding Indian Mukhbirs and agents, were asked to leave the valley within 24 or to face the consequences is an open secrets. All sanner souls, policy maker, icons in the KP community cannot be fooled again and again. We KP’s still recount their provocating speeches which were loaded with hate india virus infused in the blood of Muslim youth, which culminated in the blood bath of innocents and destruction of Kashmir. The saner elements among Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs hold firm opinions that this massacre of humanity was engineered by their favourite country Pakistan on active support of these leaders and their gun yielding youths whose mission was looting, killing and terror. They levy a serious allegation of annihilation of humanity. They are trying to hide their malice mind, but this ostrich like state of denial is no longer sustainable. Kashmiri terrorists to whom they support, shield and proclaim hero’s and jihadis are infact enaged in a Fasaad” which is in Arabic language implies that they are saboteurs of peace. The actual Jihad has special significance and message in Holy “Quran” which finally terminates at the welfare and protection of humanity, and mankind.

In fact at present Kashmiri Muslim community lack recognized broad –visioned wise leadership, who could act as role model for their youth to follow and emulate. Those who are worth are discouraged by leveling false allegations. Those who deserve credit are being harassed and dubbed as Indian agents. Their Indoctrinated youth spread venoms and the moderates among Muslims bear with the offensive language silently. Their silence should not be considered confirmation to the ideology of these leaders. There are also trouble creators among their followers who are bent up on to keep Kashmir cauldron boiling for their vested interest and their acts and utterances have been instrumental in bringing devastation, destruction and bloodshed of innocent people. Their policy of Balkanisation, vivesect the state raising pre-posterous and unviable demands have brought discredit to the Muslim community and also made them doubtful and distanced from peace loving and progressive Indian nation. Therefore, their reputation is on the wane. The peacefull Muslim in general in valley have chosen the path of following silence as they do not digest their policy of poisoning the mind and follow double speak politicians and have also well understood the policy and patience of Kashmiri Pandits who are the main victim of the acts, preaching’s and propaganda of these leaders.

Before calling Pandits back to Kashmir, have Hurriyat Leadership given a thought to the facts whether they are in a commanding position to protect their (KPs) life and property, can they bring back the Hey days of peace, love and tranquility. Can they stop criminal acts of those youths to whom these leaders have infused hate India, hate Hindu virus in their blood. Can they return the land and property to KPs which has been either looted, burnt, encroached, occupied and snatched or sells out under distress sale. Can they restore the confidence, faith and trust of the community which has shattered at the time of mass exodus of KPs and none of their Muslim brethren asked them to stay back or came to their help and rescue. Can they allow KPs to live as per their own will and choice in the valley as free Indian nationalist? Perhaps not but it is sure they would be forced to join their ranks and files, anti Indian movement and other acts which would not be suitable and digestible to the said community.

Every individual has a right to love his country. If anyone dislikes India and prefer Pakistan or any other nation, then why do they suppress their conscious and it would
be to their advantage to shift lock, stock and barrel to their country of choice and not to disturb the peaceful life of common men and disintegrate the nation of peace loving citizens, A wishful thinking is best and a dangerous idea at worst. But at the same time they must also take into the consideration those Muslims who migrated to Pakistan in 1947 are not accepted as Pak citizens and given them Muhajreen status even today. While as Pak born personalities settled in India are running polity of Indian Nation at the top.

K.P’s understand their declaration of inviting Kashmiri pundits to their village and towns is fully loaded with malicious design. They need scape goats to be called as and when needed. They wanted Kashmiri pundits to be used as shield to execute their nefarious designs, the other viable reason for their utterances and invitation is that they have realized the importance of Kashmiri pundits after their mentors in Pakistan have made them understand that their demand for independence or anaxation with Pakistan or self rule or Autonomy can never mature without the participation of Kashmiri Pandits, who practically are a party to so called Kashmir issue. We have been hounded out of our birth land with disrespect and disgrace which is unforgettable, but we have to definitely return to our home valley with all constitutional guarantee and with safety on consolidated piece of “Kashyap land” and have to establish that what they could not achieve with so much loss of life and destruction during twenty three years for which they are themselves responsible.

Kashmiri pundits need not require any body’s sympathy or suggestion for return as they know where lies their interest safety and when is the appropriate time to return to their “Kashyap land”.

We suggest these leaders to apology to all Kashmiri masses for the atrocities inflected to the innocents by the gun yielded youths and goons on the back and support of these leaders, although some people have already shown the magnanimity to forgive and forget them, but majority have not. State and central government have stood behind them by providing concession and healing touches in different ways, forgetting how much nationalist forces suffered as well as destruction and devastation they made. This is an opportune time for them to join national main stream and to show the loyalty towards the nation they live and enjoy. The recent statement of Barrack Obama the president of USA regarding Kashmir is complete message for them.

(This article has been written by Mr. Kundan Kashmiri)

Ms. Roy and Her love For Kashmiri Pandits

I am not a expert in International affairs nor am I a member of some esoteric groups of intelligentsia. I am not even affiliated to any political or religious groups who can talk for hours on Kashmir based on their vicarious knowledge, But as a Kashmiri I supersede the above mentioned groups as the existing problem is directly centered around me and my place of birth…..Kashmir.
The last six months have brought Kashmir back on the center stage and I am sure the policy makers of India and Pakistan must be burning many mid night lamps in order to device new tactics and strategies to settle this issue and thus score a point over each other.
Indian democracy is the largest democracy in the world and thus there is a lot of freedom for raising different voices irrespective of their nationalist views or anti-national diatribes. The role of Chinese and ISI cannot be ruled out in funding those groups whose only aim is to Balkanize India. We all know 7 lakh Kashmiri Hindus were forced to leave their hearth and homes in wake of the terrorist activities by a section of Kashmiri Muslims who killed tens of hundreds of Kashmiri Hindus. We are also aware of carnages carried out by Naxalites and Maoists who killed with impunity and without compunction. section of Bodos,Nagas,Tamils and some Khalistanis have also beeen known to use more voilent ways  in order to prove their point.
But things are changing. With majority of people disapproving the violent ways , a new breed of Terrorists have mushroomed, who advocate openly to Balkanization of India. Recently I also attended one such function in new Delhi. The name of the function was” Azaadi-the only way”. It was organized by anti-Indians and this was my first experience of modern terrorists. It consisted of Ex-Khalistanis,Kashmir’s Hurriyat,A splinter group of Tamils, Maoists, Naxalites, Nagas and more..It was intellectual terrorism at its best. The high point of the whole function was when someone from the crowd flew his slippers towards syed Ali Shah Geelani. Those slippers became a huge “hit” with the Media and everything else got shadowed by those slippers.
Noted writer Ms. Arurdathi roy had also come though she came 2 hours late. She has won a “Booker prize” for her book ”the god of small things” in 1997.However it is noteworthy that she could not make any ripples in the literary world or media again after this book, which makes it look highly suspicious that even the above mentioned book may be a classical act of plagiarism. Only, God of small things know…..Meanwhile, She also spew hatred against India.
All this happened in the capital of India in the police protection provided by Government of India. Those who opposed their devious act were swiftly rounded by the Police and packed to Jail at Parliament street, New Delhi. This convocation raised many eyebrows, and a justification was sought from the government. As usual, nothing happened…
Though Ms. Roy gave her justification from Kashmir some days later wherein she reiterated her support to Geelani’s Hurriyat who want to merge Kashmir with Pakistan.

What surprised many was her remark on Kashmiri Pandits as she said,” for Kashmiri Pandits who live out the tragedy of having been driven out of their homeland”

 

It hit me like a Boxer’s Punch .It is well known that she has no affinity for Kashmiri Pandits because we are contrary to what she supports in Kashmir..”Azaadi”.She should understand that under UN Resolution Kashmir has only two choices, to be with India or to be with Pakistan. there is no provision for Azaadi and Syed Ali Shah Geelani knows it very well. She advocated Geelani’s plebiscite, which is not possible in present times as Pakistan has changed the entire population ratio in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, just like China did in Tibet. The indigenous population of POK has been marginalized. The other communities in J&K do not want to be Pakistan. She must understand that Dogras, Gujjars, dards, Shias,Sikhs and Ladhakis are more than happy with India. She should also understand that Kashmir valley constitutes only 8-10% of the total area of Jammu and Kashmir.
The remark was also a crass because she shares the common dais with those who are prime responsible for the genocide and exodus of Kashmiri Hindus. Her remark was lacking genuine sincerity and were just words, a mere lip service for beleaguered community who are living like refugees in their own country…..
If her heart feels the pain of Kashmiri Hindus, she should raise her voice for our cause also. Let me remind her that we want “Panun Kashmir”.. our Homeland. Panun Kashmir is a cherished dream of 7 lakh Kashmiri Hindus who want homeland within Kashmir, with a union territory status, no article 370 and full flow of Indian constitution. The homeland is also a necessity because we have seen 7 exoduses during last 5-6 hundred years due to stringent Islamic sharia…Till then, Ms. Roy, Kindly spare us, because we are not “Bookhe” or “Nangey”(Hungry and stark, without clothes), we are not even Maoists or Naxalites,or ex-Khalistanis or Nagas and above everything else “our hearts still beat for India”…..

scapegoats,stone pelters, and Omar Abdullah

Another year in exile for Indigenous inhabitants of Kashmir. For the sake of statstics, This is my 21st year in Exile.There is a mixed response when Kashmir is discussed among Kashmiri Pandits.” I would like to live the rest of my life in Kashmir” says a relative of mine who is a septuagenarian. On the other hand, a teenager son of a friend of mine, who was born and raised in Delhi says, ”I will settle abroad, once I finish my studies”. I guess, this is what is known as generation Gap.

Thanks to Pakistan sponsored terrorism, which they have successfully painted with the color of “Holy Jihad”. They have made sure that for Kashmiri Pundits, there is no return route to Kashmir. Times change, so does man , and so has Kashmir. Stone pelting has become the new “in” thing. The emotionally charged, misguided miscreants and paid agents , who are backed ,groomed and guided by Pakistan are using their time and energy to find the best stones of Kashmir. The puppets of ISI viz “The hurriyat conference” have successfully staged the Drama and have held at Ransom Whole of Kashmir.

Time and again, amid these protests one thing has been made clear to one and all that, “this is a Islamic war”, whether one likes it or not. Another thing which has come up time and again from Pakistan backed separatists is that there is no room for “secularism” in Kashmir. Long time back, I used to hear that Kashmir is a land of Rishis and Sufis and the life force of Kashmir is “Kashmiriyat”. Unfortunately, “Kashmiriyat” died long ago ,with the genocide and mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits. May be, It is still left with some people in Kashmir who adhere their daily life and routine to Universal spirituality and not only to religion. Personally, I don’t think that religions must have been designed to kill fellow Human beings.

With the arrest of Shabir Ahmed Wani, It has become crystal clear now that the protests and agitations, were staged by the Pakistan Backed separatists and terrorists, in order to create unrest in civil society .These idiosyncratic misanthropists earnestly yearned and prayed to Almighty for the deaths of civilians. For them somehow the pot should keep boiling, Their bread and butter is directly linked to unrest and deaths of civilians .After all this is their profession and they are handsomely paid by their Masters in Islamabad.

Stone pelting is a barbaric act and I was told that even Islam considers this to be unholy, but who cares!!! After all, isn’t Religion also a commodity to be exploited for selfish reasons? And who knows this fact better than “Kashmiri Pandits” who have seen the practical face of Islam. Islamic Scholars may argue endlessly in order to prove that Islam means “Peace”. With due regards to them,they should have taught the actual meaning to those who killed my friends and relatives. Somebody has to remind them “actions speaks louder than words”.

Sufism, which I believe, is an integral part of Islam, has in the recent times lost its sheen and is held hostage by the more stringent Wahabis. Sufism cannot help and motivate anyone to take up gun and kill fellow human beings ,as Sufism has a different way of looking to nature and life.One of the beliefs of the sufi’s is that Allah has made man almost perfect, and other living and non living beings try to emulate Humans, so that they can also become or transform into Humans. I have read a particular sufi arguing that a rock or stone at the river bed of a River or Stream earnestly years to become Human, he also insists to look more closely to a pebble in a stream, and just look at how even a pebble struggles hard to get into the shape and try to resemble that of a Human Face. However, This school of thought will never appeal to stone pelters of Kashmir, who according to sources are paid Rs 50 to Rs 150 per day for engaging the JK Police and CRPF. Isn’t it Irony that stone wants to become Human being, and in Kashmir, some humans have become as cold as a stone….

Separatists who have distorted their religion for the sake of their Selfish cause can twist anything at anytime according to time and Situation. Some of these so called Pseudo-Scholars have targeted the Chief Minister of J&K for a reason which is purely natural.I am talking about ageing. We all know ageing is a natural process, but not with ISI backed separatists. They are arguing that the Chief Minister’s hair has suddenly turned grey because of his unholy acts. Had It been pre-1990’s, When there was euphoria about National conference and when the masses idolized Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah , the similar situation would have been interpreted differently. They would have argued differently and may be compared Chief Minister Omar Abdullah with The great “Moses”, who had also turned grey within a short span of some 40 days when ten commandments were revealed to him at Mount sinai. They would have further sealed this argument as ultimate truth, by comparing the respective ages of Moses and Omar Abdullah. At the age of 40 , Moses was revealed ten commandments, and the present age of Omar Abdullah is also 40 Years…

Approximately 200 million muslims live in my country out of which 5 million muslims live in Kashmir. The only difference between 200 million and 5 million is that the former constitutes minority of India(except J&k)and the latter constitutes majority of J&k. The minorities of India viz Muslims and Christians are mostly at peace with India ,except at some occasions when political parties try to divide the masses of India either on the basis of caste, creed or Religion. But never in the History of India, the situation of any ethnic group has been so deplorable as that of Kashmiri Pandits. In other parts of India, after political turmoil or riots, Occasionally minorities or weaker sections/groups move out of their native places and come back again to their Homes , once Riots subside.However in case of K.P’s, things are different as Kashmir Pandits do not form any vote bank and hence politically unwanted and can only be used as Scapegoats. It is easy for the politicians to blame Kashmiri Hindus for anything and everything. Government is not able to generate enough jobs or livelihood, because either they are inefficient or corrupt, but they are answerable to public,particularly their vote bank.To cover their shortcomings, somebody has to be made a scapegoat,In case of J&k, It his your’s truly” kashmiri pandit”.For the sake of votes, politicians furnish arbitrary evidence and twist the statistics in such a way which somehow makes it evident that Kashmiri pandit is a real culprit.Can’t blame them as there are serious loopholes in Indian vote bank politics and Indian way of Democracy. Kashmiri Hindu is also a culprit because he is well educated, he is non-violent, he is law-abiding, he is hard working, he is still a survivor and above all his heart beats for India. You must have heard of “Kumbah ka Mela” and “ Lord Rama”. Kumbh Mela comes after 12 years, and the Vanvas(exile) of Lord Rama who had to move out of Ayodhya lasted for 14 years. But Hello!!! we are not talking about mythology,we are talking about K.P’s-the hindu minorities of J&K,who don’t have a legal and constitutional voice.Excuse me for reminding you once again that I am a Kashmiri Pandit, uprooted from Kashmir,at the brink of cultural extinction,Victim of politics,still in exile,longing to go back to Kashmir and this is my 21st year in Exile…..

Stone pelters of Srinagar and the walnut tree

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indus-calling/entry/stone-pelters-of-srinagar-and

Stone pelters of Srinagar and the walnut tree

Tarun Vijay, 01 July 2010, 08:40 PM IST

Rafiq was a small-time wage earner in Srinagar. He worked in a suburban bag factory as a semi-skilled labourer. His cousin had been found dead in police custody a day before and hence he took leave to join the jenaja — last journey of his dear cousin the week we were in Srinagar to organize a seminar in memory of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, who laid his life for the full and irreversible integration of Kashmir with the rest of India. Suddenly stone pelting began by some of those who were part of the jenaja, as anger mounted to see police personnel in the way, resulting in a shootout.

Next moment, Rafiq, who had come to share the grief of the loss of his brother, was dead. A stray bullet had pierced through him.

I felt disturbed hearing the news. What was Rafiq’s crime? How can one explain to the mother and sister of the poor fellow the reason of his jeneja at the age of 28? Couldn’t the police have acted with some restraint and let the anger pass with looking the other side or just keeping away from the jenaja route? Can all the Muslims in Srinagar or the valley be dubbed anti-nationals and terrorists? If we say the valley belongs to us, then those who people the valley must also be owned up and made to feel our warmth of belongingness.

Kashmir is us. Then surely the people too are our own.

And so was Colonel Neeraj Sood, who died fighting the terrorists. He laid down his life courageously serving the motherland. While we empathized with the family of Rafiq and felt strongly about how police can be further restrained, I found no one, in Srinagar publicly mourning the martyrdom of Colonel Sood.

No politician went to salute his body at the airport, no media organization wrote about his death with a sense of sorrow.

On the contrary, there was a provocative glee on the front pages of the Kashmir dailies describing the colonel’s death.

Why?

The security forces are in Kashmir on the orders of the constitutional powers and they are simply obeying the democratically elected governors. The same people are happily accepted as personal security guards by even the separatist leaders of the valley, but are often mocked at, almost lynched and brutalized when found lonely and vulnerable. I can understand the anger among Delhi or Murshidabad people against the rough and rude behaviour of a police force run under a colonized framework, but if a soldier in khaki is beaten up in Srinagar, it’s not because he is wearing khaki. It’s India he represents. His motherland, India, which is beaten up.

Why?

If the Srinagar youth are us and we feel an affinity with them, it’s not because they are pro-Pakistan or demand separatism, but because we feel they are Indians and we must show our camaraderie to them as fellow citizens living under the grace of the tricolour. Hence, we must share their agonies and pains and dreams and ambitions to rise like Shah Faisal, who topped the Indian Civil Services exam and wants to be a role model for the Kashmiri youth — not the stone pelters.

Jawans of the security forces, which include the police too, are as much children of Mother India as are the Indian Kashmiri youth of the valley.

I visited various parts of Kashmir and know for sure the trouble that hogs the limelight in Delhi and elsewhere is simply limited to a few urban centres crowded by a lazy and almost semiliterate on Kashmir, national and international media. The whole exercise of the stone pelters and their “abbas” is to attract attention and show that not everything is fine in Srinagar. The local people, be those shikarawallas (boat owners in Dal Lake) or small shopkeepers want their business to run, see their children grow in a happy atmosphere, have them study in good schools and colleges and rise in life. For them, business means attracting more tourists. They feel aghast that if these stone-age separatists are so devoted to Kashmiri welfare, why do they spoil their business in the peak tourist season? They don’t want to shut their shops and businesses almost every other day, sometimes for weeks at a stretch, but the fear of getting killed by the anti-national elements and having no corner to take shelter, they yield to the bandh calls of the terrorist groups. It’s the separatists who are using the common Kashmiri as cannon fodder to their lunatic agitational approach, funded and guided by Islamabad. They have a vested interest in keeping the common people poor, backward and indulging in stone pelting, because a happy, prosperous and peaceful Kashmir would delegitimize their claims and demands.

So what happens when a Shiva temple is burnt on the outskirts of Srinagar during a bandh call? Or an Amarnath Yatra is sought to be shrunk to just 15 days in the name of environment protection by those who were responsible to kill the Dal lake with pollutants and have nothing to say about that? When the falsehood overpowers the stark naked truth and the media laps up the make-believe stories strengthening a notion that all Kashmiris support separatism? Nothing.
Half a million Hindus were coerced to leave their homes and nothing happened. Temples were destroyed and nothing happened. Not even a feeble series by a chivalrous mediaperson to document the destruction of places of Hindu worship. The president of the Bar Association of Srinagar gave a statement to the press that said: “I am not Indian.” It was front-paged by many newspapers. Nothing happened. An advocate, who declares that he is not an Indian, is practising in the courts and the authorities are keeping a silence on his mouthful of anti-India statements. Being an Indian has become a matter of loss in Kashmir with the Centre’s Nehruvian policies and provincial politicians using separatist emotions for votes.

No stories on Hindus who still remain in Srinagar and Anantnag. They seem to have been categorized as expendable.

Kashmir is full of good, noble-hearted and intelligent people. It’s only the small coterie of separatists fed on New Delhi’s appeasement and American support (like Hurriyat — no base except a Washington-Islamabad helpline). A scholarly politician, a Muslim leader, was in tears while describing the pathetic condition of Hindus in the valley. And he narrated a true story of an abandoned Hindu home that turned my eyes moist.

In a village near Srinagar, abandoned by Kashmiri Hindus, he saw a walnut tree peeping out of a window. It was a strange sight. Walnut trees are grown in an orchard and not in drawing rooms. He went close and found the tree had taken roots inside a room and since the windows were broken, it grew to the side where the light of the sun came from. The plants always grow like that, towards the sun. How was it possible that a walnut tree was planted inside a room? No, perhaps, and he used his imagination, when the Hindus were on a run, in a hurry a member of the household might have left some walnuts inside the room. Years of moisture and a dilapidated condition of the house, which used to reverberate with sounds of laughter and tears of joy or mourning, made the left-over walnuts take root and grow.

Take root and grow?
A house was turned into a jungle.
And nobody would like to speak about it.
A walnut tree grew from inside a house.

Usually, and quite naturally houses grow under a tree shadow. Trees never grow from within a living house.

The walnut tree growing from inside a baithak, a living room of a family must be telling a tale. Where were the samovars, children, the kahwa and the songs when the walnut took a root?

And the slogans of the Hindu Muslim unity, the sufi tradition, the message of brotherhood emanating from Charar -i-Shareef and Hazrat Bal?

No one answered.

I share the grief of Rafiq. But not at the cost of forgetting the martyrdom of Colonel Sood.
I must, with thanks, reproduce a poetic tribute by Shiv Om Rana to Colonel Neeraj Sood here as my tribute to a great martyr:

An ode to Late Col Neeraj Sood

(who laid down his life Kashmir while chasing terrorists)
Rest In peace.
O! My brother-in-arms.
For you wished very young,
To be thus destined.
Expect not your countrymen,
Or political masters
To mourn or give a trime.
For them your life is yet another brine.
TV channels will show a flick or two,
So will print media do.
But all will be forgotten
In another day or two.
Only your family will carry the cross
Of missing son, brother
Husband or father
For rest of their life.
Rest In peace.
O! My brother-in-arms.
For you wished very young,
To be thus destined.

shut up….Mr. Geelani….

Some of the separatists leaders of Hurriyat Conference try to bring the name of Amarnath at the drop of the hat.Their fixation about Amarnath yatra has crossed any logical explanations.Now, they want to fix the tenure of yatra to just 15 days. Amarnath or Amreshwar as it was known in the past, has mention in some of the books like nilmata puran and Rajtarangni.Pakistan backed Demagogues are beating their chests, and trying their best to give the false coloring to the History of Amarnath. No surprise, they have met with little success as yet.
clever as fox, they had another trick up in the sleeve, they have come up with other sensitive issue, environmental hazards by the influx of large number of devotees of Shiva. Pressure on environment can not be ruled out. But single out Amarnath is no justification. Blaming Amarnath solely for the degradation of environment smells like a dead rat to me. Separatists new found love towards environment needs some real justification.
Fact is that 10,000 trees were cut and 30,000 wild lives destroyed to construct Mughal Road. Is that not destruction of ecology…should we blame it on Amarnath!!!Why haven’t The so called Islamic zealots turn environmentalists ever raised their voice against the molestation of water bodies of Kashmir viz Dal Lake, Nagin Lake, Wullar Lake, Manasbal Lake and now extinct Anchaar lake.
Has Amarnath encroached The great lakes of Kashmir? Has amaranth created the numerous illegal floating islands of Dal? Lakhs of people, economically poor people, are living illegally on these floating islands and other water bodies. I challenge Hurriyat leaders to raise their voice against them. Show the world that they really are environmentalists to the core..
Is Amarnath responsible for shrinking the sizes of great Kashmir lakes to the half of their size as compared to 50’s or 60’s.Has Amarnath drank all the water of Anchaar lake which has now become a part of history books .Are these Islamic zealots so myopic that they cannot see the Barren Zabarwan or many other mountain ranges, who have been robbed of their precious timber. Has Amarnath Smuggled out all the timber?
What about the environmental hazards which other tourist places like Gulmarg, tangmarg and many other such tourist destinations have to face due to the influx of tourists both Indian and foreign. Has these bigot leaders guts to raise their voices against the influx of tourists to these places? The answer is a big No!!! Fact remains that tourism is the single largest segment which gives livelihood to lakhs of Kashmiris. Every year lakhs of Kashmiris pray to Almighty that more and more tourists should come to Kashmir. Tourists who come to Kashmir spend money like wastrels and don’t mind to loosen their wallets.
Environmental issues are serious to be deliberated upon, whole world is waking up to this long neglected but serious issue. Arctic ice is melting, Antarctica is melting, so are other numerous big and small glaciers, most of them may have witnessed negligible human activities. This is the stark truth of 21st century. Global warming has become a reality and no one can deny the implications of Global warming. Whole world has joined hands to fight the menace of global warming. can we blame Global Warming solely on Amaranth yatra?

now few lines for Mr. Geelani…
Mr Geelani’s, was it your love for the environmental cause, that you and your pakistani masters hounded us out of the valley and killed tens of hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits. the forced exodus of 4 lakh Kashmiri Pandits mave have swelled your chest with pride ,and I am sure your can now shout at the top of your voice, and tell the whole world that it was out of your and Hamid gul’s love and concern for the fragile ecology… Sure some pressure eased by mass exodus of 4lakh pandits..
Mr. Geelani, I urge you not to poke your nose into the religious affairs of Hindus, that is none of your business.Your wicked thoughts have already taken a toll on your health and your body and mind has been diseased and you know that.If you are genuinely concerned about ecology, then you should raise other environmental issues, some of them mentioned above and not single out “AMARNATH YATRA” and confine it to just 15 days…Watch out your vicious thoughts & misanthropic actions, Mr. Geelani. …Wishing you a speedy recovery..