Treaty of Amritsar-1846

Treaty of Amritsar March 16, 1846

The treaty between the British Government on the one part and Maharajah Gulab Singh of Jammu on the other concluded on the part of the British Government by Frederick Currie, Esq. and Brevet-Major Henry Montgomery Lawrence, acting under the orders of the Rt. Hon. Sir Henry Hardinge, G.C.B., one of her Britannic Majesty’s most Honorable Privy Council, Governor-General of the possessions of the East India Company, to direct and control all the affairs in the East Indies and by Maharajah Gulab Singh in person – 1846.

Article 1 The British Government transfers and makes over for ever in independent possession to Maharajah Gulab Singh and the heirs male of his body all the hilly or mountainous country with its dependencies situated to the eastward of the River Indus and the westward of the River Ravi including Chamba and excluding Lahol, being part of the territories ceded to the British Government by the Lahore State according to the provisions of Article IV of the Treaty of Lahore, dated 9 March 1846.

Article 2 The eastern boundary of the tract transferred by the foregoing article to Maharajah Gulab Singh shall be laid down by the Commissioners appointed by the British Government and Maharajah Gulab Singh respectively for that purpose and shall be defined in a separate engagement after survey.

Article 3 In consideration of the transfer made to him and his heirs by the provisions of the foregoing article Maharajah Gulab Singh will pay to the British Government the sum of seventy-five lakhs of rupees (Nanukshahee), fifty lakhs to be paid on or before the 1st October of the current year, A.D., 1846.

Article 4 The limits of territories of Maharajah Gulab Singh shall not be at any time changed without concurrence of the British Government.

Article 5 Maharajah Gulab Singh will refer to the arbitration of the British Government any disputes or question that may arise between himself and the Government of Lahore or any other neighboring State, and will abide by the decision of the British Government.

Article 6 Maharajah Gulab Singh engages for himself and heirs to join, with the whole of his Military Forces, the British troops when employed within the hills or in the territories adjoining his possessions.

Article 7 Maharajah Gulab Singh engages never to take to retain in his service any British subject nor the subject of any European or American State without the consent of the British Governnent.

Article 8 Maharajah Gulab Singh engages to respect in regard to the territory transferred to him, the provisions of Articles V, VI and VII of the separate Engagement between the British Government and the Lahore Durbar, dated 11 March 1846.

Article 9 The British Government will give its aid to Maharajah Gulab Singh in protecting his territories from external enemies.

Article 10 Maharajah Gulab Singh acknowledges the supremacy of the British Government and will in token of such supremacy present annually to the British Government one horse, twelve shawl goats of approved breed (six male and six female) and three pairs of Cashmere shawls.

This Treaty of ten articles has been this day settled by Frederick Currie, Esq. and Brever-Major Henry Montgomery Lawrence, acting under directions of the Rt. Hon. Sir Henry Hardinge, Governor-General, on the part of the British Government and by Maharajah Gulab Singh in person, and the said Treaty has been this day ratified by the seal of the Rt. Hon. Sir Henry Hardinge, Governor-General. Done at Amritsar the sixteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-six, corresponding with the seventeenth day of Rubee-ul-Awal (1262 Hijri).

(Signed) H. Hardinge (Seal) (Signed) F. Currie (Signed) H. M. Lawrence

An Open Letter to Mr.Omar Abdullah

To
The Honorable Chief Minister of J&k
Mr.Omar Abdullah
Respected Sir,
My name is Sandeep Kaul.I used to live in the valley before terrorism and armed militancy wrapped its Blanket on whole of the valley. The sufferings of my community in exile is well known to you. During the last 23 years, the valley of Kashmir witnessed many ups and downs. Violence, terrorism, bloodshed and what not!

Though the peace of the yore is still far, but it is gradually limping back into the hearts of people of Kashmir. I pray to almighty to restore the lost glory back to Kashmir and I pray for the prosperity of my motherland.

I and many of my likes welcome your announcement wherein you have wished to designate the summer capital to Jammu and winter Capital to Kashmir. I think this should had been done years back. Better late than never. The people of Jammu will feel some relief from the horrid summers as will the people of Kashmir who have to face the bone freezing cold.

I admire the way you handled the summer unrest of 2010 ,It must had been very tough to tackle the situation, But I must confess you thwarted the attempts of anti-nationals adroitly. The Job packages for Kashmiri Pandits was equally applaudable ,though it may not reverse the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits. I also appreciate your efforts in recommending the center to raise the dole of Kashmiri Pandits from 5k Rupees to 10k rupees.

Sir, however there are a couple of points which need your immediate attention.

1.The process for getting a state-subject of J&k has become more cumbersome. I was told to submit at least 12 different documents for getting my state subject, including revenue record of my land in Kashmir as well as the voter list of 1988.I believe these steps to be deterrent in getting a State subject. I have been deprived by these draconian steps to call myself a legal subject of state. Empirically, believing the govt. machinery against me and my likes won’t be a misnomer.

May I request you to simplify this process.

2.Recently , it has been notified that Aadhar card is a must for any financial transaction including getting the monthly relief of Kashmiri Migrants. Though it might be a good decision but I beg to differ here being as a Kashmiri Pandit Refugee.

I and my likes still in the heart of our hearts feel the only Home for us is in Kashmir. Unfortunately, either our homes have been occupied illegally in Kashmir or we had been forced to sell our homes at throwaway prices under duress. Though there are some depilated vacant houses also. In either case, we are bereft to call our homes as our own.

I have a serious doubt that in the grab of Aadhar card, I may be permanently labeled as a non-state subject, I may be called as a Delihite, U.P Wallah,Haryanvi but a Kashmiri. I doubt in the grab of Aadhar card the journey to my motherland will not see its day.

May I request you to let all the displaced Kashmiri Pandits use their respective Kashmir addresses(prior to 1990) and thereby help them preserve their last identity in Kashmir or else exempt all the Kashmiri Pandits from using/recognizing Aadhar card as their residence of proof.

Your’s sincerely
Sandeep Kaul

Hang Afzal Guru!!!!

Today it marks yet another anniversary of Parliament attack.11 years back on this day, the temple of Indian constitution was attacked by the Lashkar-e-Toiba/Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists.12 people died including 5 terrorists in that Gun Battle. Investigations revealed the hand of Afzal Mohammed AKA Afzal Guru behind the attack and after a long trial, he was sentenced to death by the High court as well as Supreme court. His mercy petition is pending with the President of India.

Should he be hanged to death is a topic that has been discussed over and over again, with one section demanding vociferously his death, and other section opting for lifelong incarceration. There is a third section which alleged that the trial for Afzal guru has not been just. The politicians of Kashmir belong to the second section as Afzal Guru is a Kashmiri and kashmiri muslims empathize with Afzal. A large section of people in Kashmir believe that he has been framed.

Earlier it was Kasab, that needed to be hanged to death, now that Ajmal Kasab is dead, many politicians in the lok sabha, want the head of Guru.

Is there any guarantee that after the death of Kasab, there will be no terrorist attack on India?And suppose if Afzal Guru is Hanged to death, will it guarantee that the terrorist activities will cease to exist. The Politicians opine that the death of Guru will be a victory of justice especially the justice mentioned in the law of the land!

May I toss a question to all these intellectuals, law makers and politicians?

Why are the killers of Kashmiri Hindus roaming free and enjoying the security cover given to them by Government of India? why are the conspirators of killing and mass-exodus of Kashmiri Hindus sharing the dais of Indian politicians, law makers, Human Right activists as well as intelligentsia. Shouldn’t they be sentenced to death on the same lines as Afzal Guru?

I am sorry to say, this rhetoric is nothing short of melodramatic acts performed by maudlin stage actors. Remember Balwant singh Rajaona! His death sentence was not carried out by the Govt. of Punjab even though he openly confessed of conspiring to kill Beant singh-former Chief minister of Punjab.On the other hand the mass killer of Kashmiri Pandit-Bitta Karate is roaming free like a bird although he had also openly confessed of his crime, or for that matter Yasin malik.

The List is long , the message clear, the perpetrators of genocide of Kashmiri pundits will remain free and rule the land.

Is there some personal vendetta between the politicians and Afzal Guru!

Is the life of Indian politician more valuable than an ordinary man of India! definitely yes, that is why they want Afzal Guru to be dead. They want to send a clear message to terrorists-Don’t mess with politicians, because there are two tacit laws operating in our country-one for them and one for us….

Killing of Afzal will have livid repercussion in the Kashmir valley. Militancy will get the much needed impetus and there will be more damage to the lives of common kashmiri. The hurriyat, the mercenaries and the Pakistan will be praying for the death of Guru ,the macabre dance will give another bloodline to the precarious predators such as the Hurriyat and its coterie.

Personally, I don’t think hanging Afzal guru will serve any purpose, Afzal jailed for life will also give the message to the world, I hope that President Pranab Mukherjee will save the life of Guru although he may stay in jail for life for the crime.

Let the justice follow a chronological path …

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)

Petition to UN Secretary General..

DIVERSITY-USA
A National Democratic Think Tank on Minority Issues
3145 Gilbert Ave., Roseburg , OR , USA
Fax & Tel: 541-9578414

Mr. Ban Ki-moon
Secretary General
United Nations Organization Date: April 12, 2012
UN HQ NY , NY

Sub: United Nations betrayal of the people of Jammu & Kashmir , India

Ref: UN demand that India repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act
(AFSPA) from militant and terrorist infested areas.

Dear Secretary General,

In a recent public statement Mr. Christof Heyns, a U.N Special Rapporteur, has demanded that India repeal its security related law, “The Armed Forces Special Powers Act” (AFSPA), from militant and terrorist infested areas in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) State and in its other States in the North Eastern Region since such laws had no role in a democracy. Like scores of other UN officials who previously visited Kashmir from the West Mr. Heyns also ignored the existing ground realities and favored Jihadists and terrorists as against the people craving for peace and normalcy. Here we would like to deal with J&K since the UN has been debating and dealing with the Kashmir issue ever since the formation of India and Pakistan . To state briefly, the role of the world body relevant to this issue during the past 63 years has been disgustingly poor, irrational and hugely guided by the wishes and desires of the cold war antagonists. In its latest initiative asking India to repeal AFSPA, which in actuality means restoring the freedom of terrorists, Islamists and militants, the UN has betrayed the peace loving people of Kashmir who have waited for more than six decades for the removal of occupation of their territory by the external aggressors that include Pakistan and China and for unification of the State. The patriotic people of Kashmir have suffered enormous losses of lives and properties at the hands of terrorists yet the UN wants India to restore their freedom. It is clear from this policy that the UN does not hesitate to support terrorists, Islamists, murderers and plunderers if its manipulators ask it to do so. The history of UN betrayals in Kashmir runs deep but here we produce some noteworthy examples:

The UN betrayed Kashmiris by not recognizing the accession of J&K State to the Republic of India legally and constitutionally executed by Maharaja Hari Singh, the ruler of the state, on Oct. 26, 1947. The accession enjoyed over whelming support of the people and their leader Sheikh Abdullah. The instrument of accession was executed in accordance with the provisions and processes of the Independence of India Act duly adopted by the British Parliament.

The UN betrayed Kashmiris by not removing the illegal occupation of J&K territories by Pakistan and China . Both of these countries in collusion like land grabbers and expansionists had committed unprovoked aggression against the J&K State and occupied nearly half of the State;

The UN betrayed Kashmiris by not acting against the aggressors for radically altering the status quo in the occupied territories. The maintenance of status quo was a binding requirement under the provisions of the Security Council Resolution passed on March 30, 1951;

The UN betrayed Kashmiris by not demanding Pakistan, the epicenter of Islamic Jihad, first demolish and destroy the terrorist training camps, Jihad factories and militant organs set up throughout the PoK and Pak frontiers for destroying peace and tranquility in J&K. Osama bin Laden who resided in Pakistan was the number one enemy of the United States and was one of the front line generals of this civilizational war;

The UN betrayed Kashmiris by not stopping and punishing Pakistan for merging Kashmir’s northern territories with Pakistan and placing that entire area directly under Islamabad administration. By doing so Pakistan had seriously violated the directive of the Security Council;

The UN betrayed Kashmiris by not wiping out Pakistan led Mujahideen, Taliban, Al Qaeda, locally built Huriyat and other Islamist organizations for infiltrating in to J&K, launching Islamic crusade, ethnic cleansing, genocide, expelling more than a million ethnic minorities, becoming instrumental for killing more 100,000 Kashmiris with terrorist, Jihadi and militant attacks;

The UN betrayed Kashmiris when it did not stop Pakistan led Islamists from taking forcible control of all movable and immovable properties, businesses, institutions, jobs and professions belonging to ethnic minorities in the Indian part of Kashmir . The world body did not give a damn when the Islamists destroyed and looted hundreds of temples and places of worship belonging to non-Muslim minorities and took control of their estates and institutions;

The UN betrayed Kashmiris when it did not recognize the ousted non-Muslim minorities of Kashmir as refugees and/or internally displaced persons. It did not provide them necessary aid and relief as it had done in other places nor did it take any action towards restoring their human rights, civil, property, religious and political rights. Even now a large number of them survive as homeless wanderers around India and the globe. Countless appeals, petitions and representations to various organs of the UN including your office and the Human Rights Commission brought no relief;

The UN betrayed Kashmiris when in 1998/99, Mr. Feodar Starcevic, Director UN Information Center stationed at New Delhi, India, declined to take action on an appeal by a delegation of the victims of terrorism and Islamic Jihad for UN Secretary General’s intervention and for recognizing them as IDPs on the pretext that such action would amount to meddling into the internal affairs of India. But now like a hypocrite Mr. Christof Heyns, the special UN Rapporteur, in asking India to repeal its security law did exactly the same.

The UN betrayed Kashmiris when it completely disregarded and violated the emphatic declaration of Mr. Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary General, to the effect that UN resolutions on Kashmir had lost their force and that the issue of plebiscite was redundant. Clearly a junior official of the UN seriously violated and contradicted the public statement of the Ex-Secretary General yet he was neither disciplined nor was he corrected.

The UN betrayed Kashmiris when it did not direct Pakistan to stop ethnic cleansing in PoK where the population of non-Muslims (Pandits, Sikhs, Dogras, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and others) used to be 20 to 25%. Today there is not a single member of these communities left there. In characteristic Islamist method they were killed, driven out of the country or forcibly converted to Islam;

The UN betrayed Kashmiris by not taking stern action against Pakistan when in 1963 it concluded an illegal boundary agreement with China and bartered away more than 5180 square kilometers forming Kashmir territory to gain Chinese support against India . Islamabad ignored the fact that Kashmir, presently under its illegal occupation, was well within the sovereign domain of India and it had no right to hand over its control to yet another expansionist country. This act of Pakistan constituted a serious breach of the UNCIP resolutions of 13th August, 1948 and Jan. 5, 1949. These serious violations did not bother the lords of the Security Council who deliberately remained hibernating;

The UN betrayed Kashmiris when it did not punish and extract a heavy price from Pakistan nor clipped its wings after it launched one after the other unprovoked wars against India in1948, 1965, 1971, and 1999 to take forcible control of Kashmir . The single ground for Pakistan’s claim upon Kashmir is the Muslim religion of its people yet Islamabad showed no hesitation or reluctance in handing over to China more than 5180 square kilometers of Kashmir’s land without bothering to ascertaining the views of Kashmiris;

The UN betrayed Kashmiris when it did not condemn, intervene and punish
Pakistan for transferring de facto control of Gilgit, Baltistan, Hunza and Nagar regions, (72,971 Km) parts of J&K State within the Indian sovereignty but under the illegal occupation of Pakistan , to China for crushing a strong autonomy movement by Shiia Muslims. These non-Sunni Muslims had launched a popular rebellion against Pakistani iron fisted Sunni rule. To oblige its partner in crime, according to the available reports, China has detailed an estimated 20,000 members of its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) not only to bring rebellious Shiias under control and through brutal means bring them to their knees but also to build a fast rail link, Old Silk Road and Karakoram Highway . These roads will enable China to extend its grip on the region and speed up its tankers from China to the Persian Gulf in 48 hours as against 25 days it takes now. Pakistan has condemned this portion of the Kashmiri Muslim population to be ruled by Chinese PLA (military rule) and democracy, freedom, government of the people and Islamic rule all have been bid good-bye. Furthermore, the Chinese are building some 22 huge tunnels on these roads without disclosing their dimensions and purpose. It is believed that they would be big enough to house missiles and other modern weaponry. For maintaining the occupation uninterruptedly the PLA personnel are building permanent enclaves for housing the occupation authority and administration;

The UN betrayed Kashmiris by tricking India in to accepting its nuclear disciplinary regime thus prohibiting New Delhi from producing and or deploying nuclear weapons for its defense. On the other hand China and Pakistan both possess nuclear weapons and are free from the nuclear disciplinary regime of the UN. Therefore, they can move their weapons freely on the newly built Old Silk Road and Karakoram Highway from Tibet to Baluchistan, very close to the boundaries of J&K State . The presence and close proximity of these deadly weapons to Kashmir and India ’s volatile region seriously jeopardizes the security of the rest of J&K state and India . Clearly the world body has acted absolutely irresponsibly by allowing the Sino-Pak partners to militarize and nuclearise this region.

The UN betrayed Kashmiris by ignoring these extremely important factors and asking India to repeal AFSPA without realizing its consequences in the region. The Islamists, separatists, Pak-agents and militants who welcomed and celebrated the UN announcement are already enjoying freedom to function without any restrictions as long as they remain peaceful and non-violent. Accepting the UN demand would mean allowing them to convert the Kashmir Valley into yet another Islamabad, Kabul and Kandahar. That should not be unacceptable to freedom loving and anti-terrorist people any where in the world.

The above stated instances establish that the UN has done nothing to render any type of support, assistance or action which could provide any kind of aid, relief or support to the peace loving Kashmiri and victims of Islamic Jihad. And in its initiative under discussion the UN has also disregarded and trampled upon its own aims and objectives and provided support and legitimacy to the very people who have set Kashmir on fire and who are committed to building an Islamic world order in a “world Caliphate”.

We demand that the UN should be supporting the victims of Jihad, militancy, terrorism and those who genuinely aspire for a durable peace and tranquility in the region. If the goal of the UN is to crush and defeat terrorism then despite the short sighted ideas of its keepers and the temptation of petro-dollars the world body’s present policy must be turned upside down.

One of the major steps forward in defeating terrorism in Kashmir would be to resettle the victims of Islamic Jihad back in their traditional habitat, in a territory carved out for their homeland under their own authority and away from militant Wahabi fundamentalism which has been the root cause of communal upheaval and genocide. The creation of such a territory among other things will most certainly serve as a front line fortress for combating Islamic Jihad and terrorism. For the realization of this noble goal the United Nations should stand by the patriotic Kashmiris who are determined to defeat and bury Wahabbism and its Jihadi arms.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely yours
Dr. Jagan N Kaul, Chair

1947 Refugees of J&k Protest….

A speaker at the gathering...

without Motherland!!!!!

Justice denied since 1947...

An appeal....

a morbid picture....

Black present...black picture....

NO-one's responsibility...

victims of religion!!!!!

one day they will be Indians.......on papers also...

The crisis of Kashmiri Pandit Identity

19 January 2012 will complete 22 years in exile for Kashmiri Pandits(KP).This minority community of Kashmir were forced to leave their hearth and Homes 22 years back as there was total anarchy and oglocracy in Kashmir. some rabid , religious fundamental zealots were on rampage and Target shooting of KP’s had become their Hobby.In this whole chaos KP homes were plundered and some pyromaniacs set many KP houses on fire. All this happened on the name of Jihad.

At least 4 lakh KP’s left their homeland in the chilling nights of jan 1990 to safeguard their lives, honor and dignity. Today this beleaguered community is scattered all over world-Thanks to Govt. Apathy-with majority of Kp’s dwelling in India particularly Jammu and Delhi Region.

Even after 22 years GOI has no blue print to bring back KP’s to their Homeland-Kashmir. GOI has negated the fact that KP’s are refugees in their own country, they better call KP’s Internally Displaced. Technically or terminologically they may be right but this terminology is more of a Hogwash, a misnomer as “Internally displaced” tag of KP’s misleads one to think that Govt. is going to reverse the migration of KP’s from Kashmir. Till today-even after 22 years nothing has happened.

Post 1990,The successive governments led by either National conference or PDP, came to power in J&K with the support of congress(i), have been pre-occupied with other things and most of their activities are executed with one thing in mind-to increase the vote bank-Unfortunately KP’s do not form any sizeable vote bank and thus the Rights of KP’s have been depredated from time to time, especially since Jan 1990.

Jammu region has a majority of Hindu population and overall in J&K, Hindus constitute around 30% of the total population. Being a Muslim majority state most of the policies are majority centric. Hindus of J& K have felt disadvantageous at many times, particularly in Govt. employments, they also don’t get the subsidies which their counterparts enjoy in Kashmir. Till today there has not been a single Hindu who has made it to become the chief Minister of J&K.

Religion and Culture are the bipods of healthy community, Jammu being a Hindu majority Region has given ample scope to everyone to practice their religion and Culture unlike Kashmir where KP’s faced the brunt of religious apartheid.
Today, K.P’s stand at crossroads, their homeland is so near still so far, their culture and religion is at the brink of extinction, their identity is being erased slowly by the polity of that Nation for which they were killed, raped, hounded and exiled. The need of the Hour is to preserve the unique culture and identity of KP’s, the unique identity that was soul of Kashmir, all that can happen only when KP’s come back to Kashmir-Their motherland .

The million dollar question arises,” can they come back to Kashmir and live as they used to?” the answer is a big “NO”. Most of the houses belonging to KP’s have been either sold out in distress, or they have been burnt down or they have been illegally captured by nefarious elements backed either by Govt. Machinery or Pakistan backed terrorists. The fact is they have nowhere to go if they come back to Kashmir.

Government knows this important point, they have in fact built some ghettos for KP’s where some Kp’s are residing, particularly those who were given jobs in Kashmir, Some of these KP’s have alleged that 4-5 people share a common room in these Ghettos and many basic facilities are missing in these government flats. These temporary ghettos are not a answer for reverse migration of KP’s. This way religious freedom and cultural identity of KP’s cannot be preserved. Anyways Ghettos give a feeling of being a alien.

The other viable solution is a separate homeland which is most popularly known as “Panun Kashmir”. This Homeland can preserve the religion, culture and identity of KP’s for generations. Panun Kashmir is a Homeland demand of KP’s that will enjoy a union territory status like Chandigarh and all those will be welcomed here who believe in India and Indian constitution.

For some reasons the present Govt. is opposing this demand also. Some of the govt. agencies have twisted the concept of Homeland of KP’s as sacrilegious and projected this demand akin to accession of Kashmir with Pakistan.

In either ways the Govt’s apathy is driving KP’s to oblivion. Govt at State or at center should make it a point that KP’s are brought back to Kashmir.22 years has passed and nothing concrete has been done to preserve the identity of Kashmiri Pandits. These 22 years have made me believe slowly but steadily that in future also Govt. will not do anything except wait and watch.

Tibetans have been given infrastructure, environment and everything else by the Indian Govt. just to protect their identity whereas KP’s have been deprived everything that can preserve their religion and culture. I have come to this conclusion that Govt. should now do one last favor to KP’s- Declare KP’s as Refugees and let KP’s reach out to other countries who have laws to protect the religious freedom and culture. At least that way cohesiveness of KP’s will prevail and their culture and religion will be saved.

I will be more than happy if my conclusion will be proven wrong by Govt’s deeds in coming 365 days.

Revealed:How ‘ISI spy’ Fai pushed anti-India agenda in US

In the first such known case in United States’s history, an American citizen — Srinagar-born, Kashmiri separatist leader Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai — has admitted that he acted as an operative of the Inter Services Intelligence.

Fai, 62, admitted to acting on the Pakistani spy agency’s specific instructions and funneling thousands of dollars to try and influence US policy — particularly through illegal lobbying in the US Congress — towards Kashmir. He simultaneously urged US lawmakers, who were the beneficiaries of these contributions, to malign India for its alleged draconian policies in the Valley.
 
Fai was undisputedly one of the most influential Kashmiri Americans in the country. He was the founder and the executive director of the Kashmiri American Council, headquartered in Washington, DC, that espoused independence for Jammu and Kashmir.

Fai pleaded guilty Wednesday in the US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia to one count of conspiracy of receiving at least $3.5 million from the ISI between 1990 and 2011 and to one count of impeding the Internal Revenue Service to collect revenues of $200,000 to $400,000.
 
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Fai admitted that he would submit his strategy plans and budgets to his ISI supervisors, specifically to a point man named Javeed Aziz Khan, who also was known as ‘Brigadier Abdullah’. Khan would then review these plans, revealed Fai, and send back suggested topics to be used at the Capitol Hill conferences the KAC would host to secure Congressional support to influence administration policy toward independence for Kashmir.
 
Following Fai’s arrest on July 19, after which he was put under house arrest in his Fairfax, VA home in the suburbs of DC, his defence team initially claimed that he was not an agent of the ISI and all the lobbying he did as the head of the KAC was his own. They claimed that the funds received by the KAC were from donors who were Kashmiri Americans and supporters of the separatist cause.

But, facing an iron-clad case, which the prosecutors presented with ample evidence of funds received for his illegal lobbying from the ISI and the unraveling of the network of straw donors through which this money was funneled, his defence team saw the writing on the wall and agreed to a guilty plea agreement. This could necessarily lead to a lighter sentence on March 9, where the judge is expected to also take his ill-health into consideration. Two years ago, Fai had suffered a serious stroke.
 
Law enforcement sources told rediff.com that if Fai had not entered into a plea agreement and the case had gone to trial, the prosecution with its iron-clad evidence and several affidavits by witnesses could have asked for a maximum sentence of five years in prison if convicted.
 
The sources said it is likely that Fai, now free on bond, would now get off with a considerably lighter sentence. He may be put under a kind of house arrest in a half-way house with a couple of years probation time.
 
When Fai was arrested in July, Zaheer Ahmad, 63, a US citizen and resident of Pakistan, was charged along with him.
 
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which arrested Fai when he returned from one of his many overseas trips, said in an affidavit that he received approximately $500,000 to $700,000 per year from the government of Pakistan.
 
As part of the plea agreement, where he pleaded guilty, he admitted to only a generic count of conspiracy and impeding the revenue collection of the IRS, but there was no mention of the violation of Foreign Agents Registration Act.
 
Fai’s attorney Nina Ginsberg argued that all the lobbying Fai did was of his own volition and not under the specific instructions of the ISI.
 
She also issued a statement by Fai after his guilty plea sating that “the Kashmiri American Council and I have always tried to represent the sentiments of the people of Kashmir, irrespective of the religious background and cultural affiliations.”
 
The KAC also issued a statement welcoming the court’s decision to not prosecute Fai for the violation of FARA and maintaining that it was independent of the ISI. It also pointed out that the KAC had issued op-ed articles that had strongly criticised Pakistan’s policies on Kashmir as much as it did India’s.

But US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil MacBride, dismissing these arguments, said that it was a no-brainer that Fai was “a paid operative” of the ISI and that his links to the ISI were extensive.
 
“For the last 20 years,” he asserted, “Mr Fai secretly took millions of dollars from Pakistani intelligence and lied about it to the US government.”
 
McBride said, “As a paid operative of ISI, he did the bidding of his handlers in Pakistan while he met with US elected officials, funded high-profile conferences, and promoted the Kahsmiri cause to decision-makers in Washington.”
 
Assistant Attorney General for National Security Lisa Monaco, echoing McBride’s sentiments, said, “Syed Fai admitted his role in a decades-long scheme to conceal the fact that the government of Pakistan was secretly funding his efforts to influence US policy on Kashmir.”
 
Earlier, McBride had said that Fai’s decades-long scheme had only “one purpose — to hide Pakistan’s involvement behind his efforts to influence the US government’s position on Kashmir.”
 
The KAC, established in 1990, regularly held press briefings at the National Press Club and hosted conferences, including a major annual conference on Capitol Hill, which was attended by influential US lawmakers, including members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee like Congressman Dan Burton, Indiana Republican and a longtime bete noire of New Delhi, Congressman Joe Pitts, Pennsylvania Republican and Jim Moran, Virginia Democrat who would bemoan the situation in the Valley and the human rights abuses perpetrated by Indian security forces and paramilitary groups.
 
These conferences would also always be attended by the Pakistan ambassador to the US, and senior Pakistan government officials as well as legislators. Till he was fired a month ago for his role in the Memogate issue, Pakistani ambassador Husain Haqqani was  a conspicuous presence at Fai’s Capitol Hill conferences, as were earlier ambassadors like Maleeha Lodhi.
 
These conferences have also been able to draw some leading South Asian experts and former diplomats like Howard Schaffer, a 36-year veteran of the US Foreign Service and the author of the recently published seminal book on American diplomacy and intervention in Kashmir, The Limits of Influence: America’s Role in Kashmir, published by the Brookings Institution.
 
Fai has also, over the years, hosted some Indian journalists and Indian American academics.
 
Indian embassy officials, including the Indian Ambassador to the US, have also over the years been religiously invited by Fai to attend and speak at these annual conferences. But as far as this correspondent can remember, not a single embassy official has attended these conferences, let alone speak at these two-day parleys.

These Capitol Hill conferences have almost always been attended by the prime minister and former prime ministers and senior officials of Pakistani Occupied Kashmir.

Whenever Kashmiri leaders like Mirwaiz Farooq, former Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front leader Yasin Malik or others from the Hurriyat Conference visit Washington, they usually stay with Fai at his Fairfax home. He arranges meetings between them and  US lawmakers, administration officials and organises seminars and forums for them at Washington, DC think-tanks.
 
Fai also constantly traveled around the world, delivering speeches, and regularly visited Vienna and Geneva to appear before the UN Human Rights Council to make a case on behalf of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the constant violation of their human and civil rights by the government and the troops in the Valley. Over the years, he has also been a regular speaker at universities and colleges across the US.
 
The government’s affidavit submitted with Fai’s arrest in July alleged that although the KAC held itself out to be a Kashmiri organisation run by Kashmiris and financed by Americans, the KAC is one of three “Kashmir Centres” that are actually run by elements of the Pakistani government, including the ISI. The two other Kashmir Centres are in London and Brussels.

According to the affidavit, a confidential witness told investigators that he participated in a scheme to obscure the origin of money transferred by Pakistan’s ISI to Fai for his work as a lobbyist for the KAC in furtherance of Pakistani government interests.  The witness explained that the money was transferred to Fai through Ahmad, an American living in Pakistan. 

A second confidential witness told investigators that the ISI created the KAC to propagandise on behalf of the government of Pakistan with the goal of uniting Kashmir.  This witness said ISI’s sponsorship and control of KAC was a secret and that ISI had been directing Fai’s activities for the past 25 years.
 
When questioned by the FBI about these relationships in March 2007, Fai allegedly stated that he had never met anyone who identified himself as being affiliated with the ISI. 

In March 2010, the Justice Department sent Fai a letter notifying him of his possible obligation to register as a foreign agent with the Justice Department.  In his written response to the Justice Department, Fai asserted that neither he nor KAC had ever engaged in any activities for or provided any services to Pakistan or any foreign entity.  In a March 2011 interview with the FBI, Fai again denied having any relationship with anyone in the Pakistani government.
The affidavit alleges that Fai has acted at the direction of and with the financial support of the Pakistani government for more than 20 years. The affidavit alleges that four Pakistani government handlers have directed Fai’s US activities and he has been in touch with his handlers more than 4,000 times since June 2008.  Fai’s handlers have also allegedly communicated with Ahmad regularly.
 
For example, the affidavit alleges that Fai repeatedly submitted annual KAC strategy reports and budgetary requirements to his Pakistani government handlers for approval.

One document entitled “Plan of Action of KAC / Kashmir Centre for Fiscal Year 2009” laid out Fai’s intended strategy to secure US Congressional support in order to encourage the executive branch to support self-determination in Kashmir; his strategy to build new alliances in the State Department, the National Security Council, the Congress and the Pentagon, and to expand KAC’s media efforts.
 
According to the affidavit, Fai also set forth KAC’s projected budgetary requirements from the Pakistani government for 2009, including $100,000 for contributions to members of Congress. There is no evidence that any elected official who received financial contributions from Fai or the KAC was aware that the money originated from any part of the Pakistani government.
 
The affidavit further said that Fai and the KAC have received at least $4 million from the Pakistani government since the mid-1990s through Ahmad and his funding network.  The money is allegedly routed to Fai through Ahmad and a network of other individuals connected to Ahmad. Ahmad allegedly arranges for his contacts in the United States to provide money to Fai in return for repayment of those amounts in Pakistan.

 When Fai was arrested, Schaffer told rediff.com, “If the Inter-Services Directorate or some other organ of the Pakistan government has been footing the Kashmir American Council’s bills,  as seems so obvious, it is hard to conclude that they have been getting their money’s worth.”

Schaffer, who was the lead panelist on the session on India-Pakistan Relations: Breaking the Deadlock over Kashmir at the last International Kashmir Peace Conference in August 2010 on Capitol Hill, said, “For all its efforts, the council’s lobbying has had minimal success in persuading the Clinton, George W Bush, and Obama administrations to change their basically hands-off diplomacy on the Kashmir dispute.”

However, Schaffer said, “It is regrettable that the charges against Fai have been raised at a point when US-Pakistan relations face a host of problems far more consequential than alleged wrongdoings by Pakistan’s lobbyists in Washington.”

He recalled that at these Capitol Hill conferences, “Members of Congress play bit-parts. Some of them, such as Representative Dan Burton, Indiana Republican, are familiar with the Kashmir issue, or at least Pakistan’s interpretation of it, and apparently feel strongly about it. But many others appear to have come to the sessions with scant awareness of the nature of the dispute. They customarily appear briefly, read prepared scripts, and hastily depart.”

At the annual Capitol Hill Conference on August 10, Pitts called on President Barack Obama to keep his campaign pledge to help resolve this dispute between India and Pakistan.

Pitts recalled that “during his campaign, President Obama suggested that the US should help resolve the Kashmir crisis. I heard one suggestion that they have a special envoy for Kashmir. And we need to develop that kind of expertise in our own government — in our own State Department. I wholeheartedly agree and hope this administration will engage productively on this critical issue.”
 
At the same conference, Pitts recalled his several visits to Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir and Pakistan and said he had founded the Kashmir Forum “and we support the idea of self-determination for the people in the area.”
 
Both Burton and Pitts later claimed that they had absolutely no idea that the funds they received from Fai were sent by the ISI.
 
Subsequently, they said they had donated these funds to charities, including the Boy Scouts of America.
 
Burton told the New York Times that he was “deeply shocked” because he had known Fai for 20 years and “in that time I had no inkling of his involvement with any foreign intelligence operation and had presumed our correspondence was legitimate.”

Source: http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-how-isi-spy-fai-pushed-anti-india-agenda-in-us/20111208.htm

Islamization of Kashmir through Media Manipulation

 On August 15, 2008, on India’s Independence Day, Kashmir valley witnessed an unprecedented event as Pakistani flag was hoisted in Lal Chowk in the heart of Srinagar while Indian security forces stood by as moot and passive spectators. Following this, on August 18, 2008, separatists organized a huge rally attended by over 100,000 Kashmiri Muslims denouncingIndiaand demanding Azadi and the imposition of Islamic rule inKashmir. The demonstration was led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani an ex-government school teacher and Congress supported former Member of J&K Legislative Assembly. He was accompanied by other Kashmiri Muslim leaders such as Mirwaiz Omar a religious leader, former terrorists Shabir Shah, Yasin Malik and invited guests such as leftist writer Arundhati Roy and other fellow travelers for maximum propaganda effect.

 

According to press reports (Guardian 8/22/08) “there were green flags on every lamp post, every roof, every bus stop, and on the roof of chinar trees. A big one fluttered outside the All India Radio building. Roadsides were painterd over.Rawalpindithey said or simplyPakistan”

 

Everywhere there were Pakistani flags, everywhere the cryPakistanse rishta kya? La illah illah (What is our bond withPakistan? There is no God but Allah.) Azadi ka matlab kya? La illah illah (What does freedom mean? There is no god but Allah). The crowd chanted “crushIndia”, “When Lashkar comesIndiawill be defeated”, “Kashmirki Mandi-Rawalpindi”.

 

Syed Ali Shah Geelani a leader of Pro-Pakistani faction of Hurriyet began his address with a recitation of Qur’an told the crowd that the only way for the struggle to succeed was to turn to Quran for guidance. He said “Pakistanwas created for Islam and must continue to safe guard interests of Islam. Likewise inKashmirnationalism will not work, the American world order will not work, only Islam unites us……….”

 

In an interview (Rediff.com) with Asha Khosa on August 25, 2008, Mr. Geelani expounded on his plans forKashmir. He said “I have a three point target, first to impose Islamic Nizam (jurisprudence) inKashmir. Islam should govern our political thought, socio economic plans, culture and the ongoing movement. The creed of socialism and secularism should not touch our lives and we must totally be governed by Koran and Sunnat (precedents from Prophet Muhammad’s life)”.

 

Watching this scenario unfold in theKashmirValleymust give the rulers inPakistan, the Pakistani Army and ISI great satisfaction. Having failed to annex Kashmir by force in 1947, 1965 and 1971 wars withIndia,Pakistanwas finally achieving Islamization of Kashmir through subversion, intrigue, media manipulation and terrorism.

 

ISLAMIZING KASHMIR VALLEY

 

To achieve the goal of Islamization, Pakistan ISI had been working hard for over 30 years to change the centuries old Kashmiri Muslim outlook of secularism and Kashmiriyet to the ideology of fundamentalist Islam. This was done by implanting seeds of subversion and terrorism in two stages:

 

Stage I began in 1965, with operation “Gibraltar” with heavy infiltration of Pakistani nationals as well as  military training of Kashmiri Muslim youth. These youths were recruited by Jamaat-i-Islami a theo –fascist outfit with connections to Rabita-ul-Islam the international headquarters of the Islamic fundamentalist movement based in Saudi Arabiaand Pakistani Jamat-i-Islami. This organization developed an elaborate infrastructure for propagating Wahabi style Islamic ideology through mosques, study groups and schools in Kashmiri towns and villages with the connivance of civil adminstartion funded by Indian tax payers. Study circles received money directly from Arab countries through the medium of Muslim Welfare Society, ostensibly for promoting Islamic culture. In mid seventies these Study Circles started operating openly in colleges and universities as well as in Government offices. Moulvis were recruited from UP and Bihar in Indiato whip up communal and secessionist passions. These Moulvis have played a critical role in subverting the Kashmiri Sufi-Islamic tradition and whip up passions against secular and liberal Kashmiri Hindus and Muslims. To expand its influence among women Shoba-i-Khowateen was launched. It advocates strict observance of Islamic codes for women. Its impact began to be noticed when Kashmiri women who for centuries never accepted veil now were using Arab style Burqa. Many members of this organization formed Dukhtarain-i-Millat with the goal of supporting Islamic terrorists by engaging in intelligence gathering, ferrying arms, keeping under custody the kidnapped victims as well as raking up false stories of human rights abuse and accuse Indian security forces of committing rapes in order to gain international media attention. Stage I produced Kashmiri leaders such as Yasin Malik of JKLF, Syed Ali Shah Geelani of Jamat, Dr. Ayub Thukar of World Kashmiri Movement, Ghulam Nabi Fai of Kashmir American Council as well as Syed Sallahudin of Hizbul Mujahdeen based in Pakistan. These people have been at the forefront of media manipulation to denigrate India and present Islamic movement in Kashmir as a movement for liberation and freedom to hoodwink Indian and foreign Journalists, Academics and Politicians.

 

 Stage II of Pakistani subversion and terrorism began with operation “TOPAC” in late 70’s after the defeat of Pakistan in 1971 war with India. It was designed as part of a proxy war byPakistanagainstIndiato wrest control ofKashmir. Having established a viable fundamentalist Islamic infrastructure through Jamat controlled schools, colleges and with thousands of trained sympathizers in the police and civilian government, Operation TOPAC aimed to bleedIndiaand make it powerless inKashmir. The goal was to providePakistancomplete deniability of its involvement as the conflict would appear as an indigenous uprising by Kashmiri Muslims fighting for Azadi against “oppressive Hindu Indians”. Operation TOPAC was conceived by Gen. Zia Ul Huq as an Action Plan for incorporation of Kashmir intoPakistanthrough Jihad and creating a grass roots movement of freedom fromIndiausing Islam as the uniting force.

 

 

 

OPERATION “TOPAC”

 

Operation TOPAC had four aims:

1. Train Kashmiri youths in handling of sophisticated arms

2. To destabilize and discourage the state administration

3. To makeKashmirvalley a Hindu-less Muslim area.

4. To prepare Kashmiri Muslims for Jehad.

 

This was to be accomplished in two phases:

 

Phase 1

1. The sentiments of students and farmers be aroused againstIndiaand their cooperation will be sought for anti-government demonstrations and riots.

2. Create chaos and spread terror

3. Impart military training to Mujahdeen for fighting Para-military forces and the army

4. Disrupt communication links between the valley,Jammuand Laddakh.

5. Help of Sikh militants be sought for insurgency activities inJammuregion in order to divert the attention of security forces in the valley and make the governments position awkward and disgraceful

6. Take control of the areas where security forces are camped.South Kashmiris suitable for this action.

 

Phase 2

 

1. Mount pressure on the Indian Army in Siachin, Kargil, Rajouri and Poonch areas in order to bring down the morale

2. Sudden and vigorous attacks be made on the Army depots and Army convoys atSrinagar, Pattan, Kupwara, Bandipoa and Chowkibal.

3. Afghan Mujahdeen would be infiltrated from Azad Kashmir (PakistanoccupiedKashmir) in order to intensify the freedom struggle of Kashmiri Mujahdeen.

4. Mistake in carrying out “Operation Gibraltar” of 1965 should not be repeated.

5. Special task force under the command of retired Pakistani Army Officers, mainly Afghans will be sent to blast the railway stations, Aerodrome, Jawahar Tunnel, Leh Sonamarg road and Army cantonments etc. After successful operations in the valley, parts ofJammuand Laddakh will also be brought under the full fledged armed insurgency operation.

 

OPERATION “TOPAC” IN ACTION

 

The very first evidence of the presence of arms and trained terrorists in the valley came in August 1988 during the riots that occurred inSrinagarafterPakistanPresident General Zia-ul-Huq’s death in an air crash. The entire town ofSrinagarwas in turmoil with wide spread looting and arson. Curfew had to be imposed on several areas of inner-citySrinagarstrong hold of Jamat-i- Islami. During curfew hours mobs attacked the paramilitary police with semi-automatic weapons, a phenomenon which was unknown before this time.

 

After a lull of one year violence started again in September 1989 with the murder of prominent Kashmiri Hindus such as a prominent Lawyer Mr. Tika Lal Taploo, Justice Neel Kanth Ganjoo, famous Kashmiri poet Sarwanand Premi along with thousands of Hindu teachers, engineers, doctors and civil servants.

 

Mosques became the hotbed of terrorist activity during the winter months of 1989-90 for the recruitment of Kashmiri Muslim boys for the cause of Jihad. Video shows describing terrorist tactics and guerilla warfare began running on a 24 hour basis in the mosques and other public places.Pakistantelevision and radio started creating a sense of hysteria by broadcasting vicious propaganda aimed at arousing the religious feelings among Kashmiri Muslims. Posters started appearing inSrinagarand other towns asking people to observe strict Islamic codes regarding dress, food and entertainment. Video shops and cinema theaters were forced to shut down, drinking of alcohol was banned. Pakistani currency started to appear in circulation and several attempts were made to ban Indian currency. By the end of 1989Kashmirvalley had become a de-facto Pakistani territory with each move of the terrorists legitimized and accepted by the public under duress. Young men wielding guns and pistols began to be accepted as a status symbol inKashmirand being called a Mujhdeen became a real honor for the Muslim boys and their families.

 

HINDU EXODUS

 

On January 4, 1990 Aftab an Urdu daily ofSrinagarpublished a press release from Hizbul Mujahdeen asking Kashmiri Hindus to leaveKashmiror face annihilation. Alsafa another Urdu newspaper repeated these warnings. On January 19, 1990 JKF, Hizbul-Mujahdeen and other terrorist outfits declared the introduction of Nizam-e-Mustafa (Islamic rule) inKashmir.

 

On the night of January 19, 1990 all mosques in the valley began to issue threats and warnings to Kashmiri Hindus with loudspeakers broadcasting taped messages, continuously for 24 hours for three consecutive days creating a psychosis of fear and doom.

 

“Kashmir mein agar rehna hai; Allah-o-Akbar Kehna hai” ( If you want to live inKashmiryou will have to convert and chant Allah-o-Akbar)

 

“Asi gachchiPakistan; Batao roas te Batni san” (We wantPakistanwith Kashmiri Hindu women but without their men folk)

 

“Yhan kya chalega; Nizame Mustafa” ( What kind of law will work here Islamic law)

 

These threats led to the exodus of 350,000 Kashmiri Hindus form the valley ensuring complete Islamization.

 

MANIPULATION OF MEDIA

 

1. Misguided Youths, Militants, Jehadis and Islamic Terrorists

 

The manipulation of Indian media by Kashmiri Muslims began in late sixties after 1965 Indo Pak war with the formation of Jamat-i-Islami affiliated Al-Fatah and Muslim Janbaz Force. These outfits were at the forefront of armed terrorists acts inKashmir.  Their cadres received training inPakistanand funding from Arab countries, eventually morphing into JKLF (Jammu and KashmirLiberation Front) and present day Hurriyet with the active backing ofPakistan. JKLF and Hurriyet touts itself as a secular even though its core ideology is to impose Islamic rule inKashmirand banish Kashmiri Hindus. No one in the media ever questioned why its leaders were only Muslims if it was indeed secular. When some of their activists were arrested and convicted for murder, loot and arson the sympathetic J&K Government Officials would release them by referring to them as Misguided Youths. As reported inIndiaToday, April 30, 1990 “Between July and December 1989, 70 hardcore terrorists were released by Farooq Abdullah government. All detentions had been confirmed by the Advisory Body headed by the Chief Justice of theJammu and KashmirHigh Court”. No one in the media took Farooq Abdullah to task for releasing convicted killers and thus encouraging more terrorism.

 

These misguided youths later became, Militants, Jehadis and now Islamic terrorists

 

2. Migrants, refugees or internally displaced people

 

Kashmiri Hindus forced to flee their homes were dubbed as Migrants by Kashmiri Muslim press. No one in Indian media challenged this terminology. Calling them refugees or internally displaced people would call into question the secular façade ofKashmirvalley and its Muslim Leadership who were in cahoots with the Congress Government.

 

3. Militant religious organizations operating under secular garb

 

InKashmirvalley many organizations espouse to be secular where as their core membership comprises of people with close association with Jamat-i-Islami such as People’s League, People’s Democratic Party, and Hurriyet etc. OutsideIndia, World Kashmir Movement (WKM) inLondonand Kashmir American Council (KAC) inWashingtonDCserve as mouthpiece of Islamists and pro Pakistani elements.  These organizations have hired western lobbyists to project Islamic terrorists as freedom fighters fighting for liberation of J&K fromIndia. These Lobbyists are paid byPakistanand Arab countries.

 

In order to keepIndiaand its security forces on the defensive these organizations employ leftist Indian Journalists, Academics and politicians to espouse and parrot the cause of the secessionist. Kashmir American Council has published pamphlets for distribution to journalists and members of the Congress and Senate in theUSA. These pamphlets have sympathetic reports from Ashok Mitra of Daily Telegraph 5/16/1990, Dr. N. Y. Dole of Rashtra Seva Dal, Syed Shahabudin President Insaf party, reports from All India Revolutionary Students Federation Karnatka, Dipankar Bhattacharya, Secretary General, India’s People Front, Minoo Masani of Dalit Voice and retired Justice V. M Tarkunde. In order to discredit Indian security apparatus inKashmir, Separatists falsely accused Indian Army of rape which was at first accepted at face value and reported as such by the leftist Indian media.

 

In the last 18 years new generations of anti- Indian Mao- Islamists have been recruited to be the mouthpiece of radical Islamists operating under the secular garb. Some of them are Dr. Angana Chaterjee,Arundhati Roy,ASAiyar etc. These pamphlets are used to give legitimacy to the point of view espoused byPakistanfunded secessionists outfits.

 

4. Worldwide Disinformation Campaign through Demonstrations, Symposiums andTours

 

Pakistani ISI and Arab countries have organized and funded the formation of various organizations in Kashmir and around the world to coordinate demonstrations, organize symposiums and lectures to promote disinformation regarding human rights abuses by Indian security forces and project humane face of Islamic insurgency fighting for the liberation ofKashmir. Some of these organizations are: Muslim Welfare Society, Falah-I Am Trust, Dukhtarain-e-Millat in Kashmir and Kashmir American Council in Washington D. C, World Kashmir Movement inLondon, International Institute of Kashmir Studies inLondon,Jammu and KashmirCouncil for Human Rights in London etc.  Amir of Jamat-i-IslamiPakistanQazi Hussein frequently toursSaudi Arabia,Egypt,Sudan,Qatar,Kuwait, UAE in support of Independence of Kashmir and fund raising.

 

One of the earliest examples of disinformation campaign undertaken by Kashmiri Muslims and their secular allies inIndiawas to deny that any atrocity or ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Hindus had happened. All the blame for the exodus of 350,000 Hindus was laid on Governor Jag Mohan who according to them wanted Hindus out so that he could deal with the Islamic terrorists. Indo American Kashmir Forum has worked hard to debunk this canard through symposiums and workshops.

 

Another example of disinformation was the massacre of 35 Sikhs in Chittisingpora nearSrinagaron 3/20/1990 by armed Islamic terrorists dressed in official Indian Army uniforms. Islamists and its allies in Indian media initially blamed Indian Army for the massacre which was proven not to be the case after detailed investigation by Barry Bearak of New York Times.

 

5. Task Forces, Petitions and Letter Writing Campaigns.

 

Faroukh Kathwari a prominent U. S based Kashmiri Muslim businessman has financed Kashmir Study Group composed of University Professors and U. S Diplomats to examine the situation in Kashmirand propose solutions. The Islamist Separatists have taken politicians, journalists and diplomats from various countries to visit Kashmirvalley for propaganda purposes to show-case human rights abuses by Indian security forces. The cadres of Jamat-i-Islami along with Dukhtaran-i- Millat are used to spin horror stories with usual drama. Whenever there is a demonstration in the valley KAC, WKM get into action and activate their friends and sympathizers worldwide to write petitions and letters to the United Nations as well as various Government Agencies. Recent case of a petition to U.N by Dr. Angana Chaterjee againstJammu agitation in support of Amarnath Yatra is a good example.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Reacting to the demonstrations inSrinagar, a well known liberal   Indian Columnists Swaminathan A. Aiyar in Times of India dated 8/17/08 wrote: “We promised Kashmiris a plebiscite six decades ago. Let us hold one now and give them three choices: independence, union withPakistanand union withIndia. Almost certainly the Valley will opt for independence.Jammuwill opt to stay withIndiaand probably Laddhakh too. Let Kashmiris decide the outcome not the politicians and armies ofIndiaandPakistan.”

 

On 8/19/08 Arundhati Roy commented to Times of India “Indianeeds Azadi from Kashmir as much as Kashmir needs Azadi fromIndia”

 

It is surprising that these Indian columnists who claim to be liberal, secularist have no problem to propose the dismemberment of Indiato appease and satisfy Islamist demands. It seems after sixty years of partition we Indians have learned nothing from Muslim mechanization of deceit through Taki’ya to createPakistan which resulted in the ethnic cleansing of Hindus from West Punjab, Sindh andEast Bengal. If we do not wake up it is only a matter of time that India will be partitioned into hundreds of small Muslim enclaves governed by Qura’nic Sharia laws, virtually no-go zones for Hindus and Indian security forces from where Indian Mujahdeen will be free to engage in murder and arson to terrorize Indians and demand freedom from the “Oppressive Hindus”.  Recently Gen. (rtd.) S. K. Sinha, former Governor J&K gave an interview with Kallol Bhattacharjee, The Week 31/08/2008, which sums the challenge we face in Indian media. He said:

 

 “There is an environment of religious intolerance inKashmir. There was ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus) from the state but no one talks about them.Kashmirhas been Talibanized by the Separatists. The Secular lobby never condemns the communal politics of Syed Ali Shah Geelani”.

 

 

 This article has been written by Mr. Hira Fotedar

Hira Fotedar is Co-Founder and past President of IAKF (Indo-American Kashmir Forum). This paper was presented at the Sixth Annual Human Empowerment Conference in Chicago in October 2008 as a Case Study in manipulation of Indian media.

 

 

Political empowerment of Kashmiri Pandits!!!!

Some years back, I along with a group of Kashmiri Pandits  got a chance to meet one of the top most politician (name withheld) of J&k and spent good two hours discussing Kashmir and its people. The politician looked keen to involve Kashmiri Pandits in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir. At that time the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir was Mr. Mufti Mohammed sayeed and his government had initiated and build condominiums for the migrant Kashmiri Pandits at Budgam. The senior politician candidly told us that there is a section of Kashmiri Muslims who is opposing the return of Pandits vitriolically as they have illegally captured the properties of Kashmiri Pandits .This politician also told us about the incapability of arresting the culprits by the administration as that can turn into a political Blunder. At that time,T.V and print media were also aggressively promoting the new found bonhomie between the two communities of Kashmir and many pundits even showed interest to go back to Kashmir and live in those flats.

PDP was signaling and conveying through different modes to Pandits to come back to Kashmir as they claimed that normalcy has returned to Kashmir, The other political heavyweight Mr. Faroq Abdullah in the meantime visited Kashmiri Pandits at Misriwala Camp, jammu and warned them not to return to Kashmir as Things were not congenial for the return of Pandits to valley. But sure That time around 2007 things looked more normal ….

During that time ,A KP friend of mine even bought a piece of land in Kashmir and was interested in building a new house, but it proved to be a Bubble waiting to be busted as after a year or two the Amarnath Land row agitation unveiled the curtains of hatred and showed the ugly facet of religious intolerance and rift- which was already present somewhere between Hindus and Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir. The spoilsport was played by Syed ali shah Geelani, a known xenophobiac , who played the role of a Demagogue and claimed that India is Building a colony in Baltal and told his followers that very soon by these tactics the Majority population will be Marginalized by Indian population, PDP also did not left any stone unturned and tacitly and sometimes openly supported Geelani and company.

Then came the Jammu and Kashmir elections and people of Jammu and Kashmir come out in Large numbers for voting which culminated in Mr.Omar Abdullah becoming the youngest Chief Minister of J&k. Many KP’s also tried their luck and jumped into the fray of electoral battle but all had to bite the dust. Not a Single KP won and not only that ,most the KP’s who had contested elections lost their security deposits, Even the traditional Habba Kadal seat was also lost which was otherwise considered to be a KP stronghold.

Now after a long Gap, the politics of Kashmir saw two new K.P entrants, a 52 year old housewife Ashajee, a Kashmiri Pandit , who was elected a Panch from Wussan village in Baramullah, and last week another Kashmiri Pandit ,Shri Makhan lal Zutshi was also elected Panch and that too unopposed from village Tahab,Pulwama. Their victory made Headlines in many newspapers and many congratulated them including me. But their victory also unfolded the untold story of political alienation which the KP’s have been facing since long.one of the reasons for exodus of Kashmiri Pandits was Political marginalization since KP’s do not have any political power in Jand K. lack of political will by the leading political parties of J&K was another reason for not taking any appropriate steps to bring back KP’s in the political fold at least since last two decades .

There are 4130 Sarpanchs(Kashmir-2164, Jammu-1966) 29719 Panchs(Kashmir-15959,Jammu-13760) number of Block Panchayats-143(Kashmir-77, Jammu-66) and 22 District Panchayats. Out of the given figure above two Kashmiri Pandits made it and became Panchs!!! What is this news conveying ? Is it the dawn of the political rebirth of Pandits or the Remnants of political decadence?

2 out of 29719 comes to 0.006%, Is this an achievement or shame!!! I will definitely term it as a big shame,a joke on the part of democracy…It is believed that the population of Kashmiri Pandits is no less than 7 Lakhs !!! though ,no survey has been done regarding the exact population of KP’s since many decades ,However there is a statistics(old) with JK government, but that is questionable and hence not authentic.

it has been reported by a section of Kashmiri Muslims who were architects of the exodus of K.P’s that there has been no Genocide of K.P’s, no one ousted K.P’s from Kashmir, Only Indian Army looted the houses of Kashmiri Pandits who left for safer places, No one destroyed the temples of Hindus of Kashmir but nobody can explain how and why the temples were broken!!!, Kashmiri pundits were lured by Jagmohan to leave Kashmir and leave their palatial Bunglows and Multi-crore properties only to live in tattered camps and get mindboggling Rs 800/family as assistance!!!

Coming back to panchayti elections, a Political section wants to project the news of KP’s winning panchayti elections as news which reflects political empowerment of K.P’s, But that is not. Elsewhere in India, becoming a panch or even a sarpanch does not make any ripples, but we are talking about Kashmir, that Kashmir which had a population of one million K.P’s in early twenth century and today not even 4000 are left , That is why two KP’s becoming Panchs have made Headlines…..But on the other side their victory has also stated without a word the general condition of Pandits and their story of last 21 years……