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  • Pakistan beat West Indies by 9 wickets in first T20I in Dubai

    Pakistan were given a solid bowling start by Imad Wasim who picked a fifer and that proved enough for a 9-wicket win.

    Pakistan dominated West Indies from start to finish – including the toss – to pick up a 9-wicket win in the opening T20I in Dubai. Imad Wasim was the pick of the lot for Pakistan to pick up five wickets and never leave any chance for the reigning World T20 Champions.

    After winning the toss, Sarfraz Ahmed sent the Windies in to bat and Wasim struck in the very first over and never looked back. By the time he was done, West Indies were not even giving a contest at 48/8. That’s when Dwayne Bravo and Jerome Taylor provided some solidity to take the visitors over the 100-run mark. In the end, West Indies were in it by an inch with a 116 run target for Pakistan.

    Samuel Badreee did give early glimmer of hope but that soon evaporated as Babar Azam and Khalid Latif steadied the ship and never gave West Indies much of a chance. It didn’t help that the Carlos Brathwaite led side made plenty of errors in the field.

    Eventually Pakistan raced over the line with a fifty for Azam and their second consecutive 9-wicket win having done so in the only T20I in England too.

  • Pakistan is Modi’s litmus test: Why some silence may be good

    Barkha Dutt
    If there was any containment of tensions possible after the terror attack on the Indian Army at Uri on September 18, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif shut the door on that with his speech at the United Nations. In perhaps the most inflammatory public comments of his current tenure – especially given the platform – Sharif remained silent on the attack, not even serving up a perfunctory condemnation. Instead, he hailed the Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani as a victim-hero. Given the gun-toting videos of Wani – who has come to represent a dangerous new phase of militancy in the Valley of local, educated boys picking up the gun – the attempts by Sharif to present him as some sort of peaceful protester was laughable.

    In a post 9/11 world haunted by the spectre of the Islamic State (IS) one has only to carefully watch Wani’s videos to know that no global leader could support Sharif’s UN eulogy to him. Surrounded by half a dozen militants all brandishing automatic weapons, Wani calls for Kashmiri youth to join the jihad that will eventually usher in a ‘Caliphate’ – first in Kashmir and then globally. He warns the media to step in line or face the consequences. And he threatens those Kashmiris who join the police with death. In an age before the twin towers were brought down and al-Baghdadi became the world’s most wanted man, Sharif may have had some luck making a martyr out of Wani. But now all that foreign minister Sushma Swaraj needs to do when she speaks in New York next week is to play the Wani tapes. Wani’s choice of words — “Caliphate”, “Jihad” — are too close to the idiom of the IS and other global Islamists for the world to express empathy. Sharif scored a giant self-goal.

     This is not to say – and some of us have been saying it for two months — that India does not have a genuine problem of alienation and rage in Kashmir. But that is our own problem to resolve, not Islamabad’s to lecture us on. The fatal mistake the government made was for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to invest all his political capital and imagination in Islamabad, instead of in Srinagar. One longed to see a domestic version of a flamboyant gesture like Modi’s unannounced visit to Lahore in the Valley with our own people – but that did not happen.

    The government wrongly calculated that the road to peace in Kashmir was via Pakistan. If anything, it’s the other way around. The best way to render Pakistan irrelevant is in fact to reach a settlement at home. Pakistan’s hold over the Kashmiri people has been exaggerated. During the recent unrest, I asked a young street protester who pointed my camera to a Pakistani flag flung over a street lamp, what its relevance was to them. He laughed and said, “None. We put these flags up to irritate you people.” But the crying need for a domestic Kashmir dialogue is a longer conversation for a different time; the Uri attacks have brought home the need for the Centre to find an authentic and consistent Pakistan policy.

    So far there has been confusion and inconsistency in its approach to Islamabad – lurching wildly between romanticised notions of friendship (the hand-in-hand walk in Lahore), untenable red lines that had to be swiftly shifted (no dialogue if the Pakistanis met with the separatist Hurriyat Conference), wild leaps of faith (allowing Pakistani investigators, including the ISI, into the Pathankot air base where its own Deep State had attacked us) and now a clear intent to sever ties in the short term at least. Some of this seeming confusion is understandably the malleability that is required of smart diplomacy. But some of it – a substantive part – reflects political confusion. The missteps betray a conflicted identity: Does the BJP want to be the tough-guy it promised it would be while in Opposition; the ‘Action Hero’ alternative to the Congress’s more chocolate-boy wimpish instincts; or, does it want to be Vajpayee-esque in its optimistic and statesman-like determination to keep looking for solutions while hardening stands when needed.

    The government is right in gauging that Uri is a tipping point. As the single largest such attack on security forces in years it has triggered seething rage among people. It is correct for the security forces to be given a free hand and autonomy in determining the appropriate response – covert, overt, localised at the Line of Control or otherwise.

    But as India determines her next steps here’s what we should all avoid at all costs — loose talk – either of war or cutting off the flow of the Indus water or cross-border raids. This is no time for delusional talk of peace either, please. It’s a moment to hold our nerve and be cold and calculating instead of impetuous and hot-headed. War is too serious to be treated like an X-Box game. Leave it to those who know better – our military – to make their own assessments. In the meantime, a range of other options exist: Postpone the Saarc summit and allow it a NAM-like slow fade into irrelevance; strengthen other regional forums such as Bimstec that keep Pakistan out and yes, while I would never support using water as a weapon, go ahead and scrap the MFN status to Pakistan. If there is no response from Pakistan to the Uri evidence provided by India then think about recalling the Indian envoy or asking the Pakistani envoy to leave. In the meantime, please quit picking on Pakistani actors and artistes in the film industry. Threatening them is shameful. Action is about real ‘targets’, not fall guys.

    And finally, a little silence won’t hurt any of us. The gladiatorial thirst and thrust is good for studios and social media warriors. Not for those who actually have to go to battle.

    Barkha Dutt is consulting editor, NDTV, and founding member, Ideas Collective

    The views expressed are personal

  • An open letter to Geelani Sahib from a Kashmiri mother

    “Kashmiri Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits have faced political agendas with ignited minds, they have long understood the world of letters – the world of education.”

    Dear Geelani sahib,

    This is a letter from a Kashmiri who bears no agenda up her sleeves except, yes, the agenda for her children! Agenda to see a better and a promising tomorrow for her children. And ‘MY’ children include all the children of Kashmir whether living in or outside the valley. I am sure ‘my’ also assumes a broader meaning with you.

    Sir, I am proud of my Kashmiri lineage, and this makes me ‘feel’ the pain of my brethren-whether Muslims or our better halves Pandits. I have felt the pain of leaving my home in 90’s and grew up with our ‘other half’ community; witnessed the pain of trying to survive without roots! Cramped in tents and one-room apartments trying to beat the furious summers. However, the ferocity with struggle made this half wriggle through.

    I saw and unfortunately still see blood oozing out like extended rivers across our Valley. Losing young precious lives of our brethren doesn’t do any good, only brings pain and grief. Grudges keep on adding and piling making our hearts heavy with agony.

    I grew up with this mindless pain I always felt as a Kashmiri — which now has become numb with the monotony of hollowness.

    But what makes us resurrect is surely the DNA of our race which makes us bright and reasonable. Kashmiri Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits have faced political agendas with ignited minds, they have long understood the world of letters – the world of education.

    I know this makes us alive and kicking. Our only golden pass to survive! But what do I see: three months and no schools! The calendar by you, which is just updated and which your people have to adhere to, doesn’t mention opening up of schools!

    That makes me question: Is that so because you don’t want a common man to break this regimen he is trapped into? Unless they get a whiff of normal life!!!

    So, very conveniently the future has been dropped into the hot boiling pot of political agendas… how lovely. So, now we aim to attain azaadi by making a dwelling in a nation gripped with ignorance-future which would be unlettered? Generations which would rather take up stones than a pen! Geelani sahib I wonder whether you would want that for your grandchild.

    Our prophet (PBUH) emphasized jihad with the pen and asked us to take to ‘Ilim’ whatever risks or hurdles we might have to face. But to understand our deen we need the aid of letters and somebody wants to take this away from us — our only solace. They want to unshield us, make us vulnerable or maybe make our entire generation blind! Then everything will be sorted. AFSPA can stay since we might need forces anytime of day or night to read letters or drafts for us. And also men who sneak in from across the border too would be handy in the unlettered land!
    This is a humble plea rather the apprehensions of a mother who doesn’t want the lifeless body of her child but a soulful life instead!

    Sabeen is a freelancer with Kashmir Times. The piece first appeared on her Facebook page.

  • J&K Bank CSR initiatives in 2015-16

    AS an institution that is defined by people, J&K bank has been, since decades, voluntarily – and not out of any compulsion committed to Corporate Social Responsibility. The bank adopted CSR as a considered means for sustainable growth. The bank believes that for an organization to succeed in long term it is imperative to keep the inclusive welfare of the society at the core of its values and purpose. At J&K Bank, Corporate Social Responsibility is not mere obligations but is a vital pillar of its continual success for present and future. The CSR policy of the bank is driven by the social empathy.

    The bank’s approach to CSR seeks to recognize obligations towards society and aims to integrate its ideals into bank’s mission for optimizing both business and social performance, says Mushtaq Ahmad,chairman and chief executive officer of the bank. “Rather than using it as a ploy for publicity, our CSR is aligned with the bank’s strategic vision of ‘catalyzing empowerment through economic transformation’ by making innovative and strategic interventions in almost all spheres of life ranging from health to heritage, education to entrepreneurship, culture & community welfare to ecology & environment, and everything that can be conceived as a social cause demanding our attention,” said the chairman.

    The chairman further said: “It is precisely in this context that J&K Bank considers contributions to CSR as an asset rather than an expenditure.The approaches adopted in covering, handling and implementing CSR initiatives are plain yet professional, massive yet methodical and simple but scientific. However, there is a constant urge to further streamline our CSR by adopting out-of-box, creative, innovative and scientifically advanced procedures.”

    Meanwhile, major focus areas of J&K Bank CSR programmes/activities include

    a)         Promotion of education

    b)         Preventive Healthcare & Improving Public Health Delivery system under Project RAAHAT

    c)          Environmental & Ecological Concerns

    d)         Swach initiatives

    e)         Vocational Skills

    f)           Revival of art

    Overview of activities

    ü Under Project “MUSKAAN” Bank adopted around 200 differently abled children through registered professional NGOs to provide them with special education like toilet training, meal time, behavior modification etc. At the same time, in the year under report, bank took first of its kind CSR initiative in upgrading NGOs working for girl children (orphan) and abandoned old age people. These NGOs included prominent organizations in the Jammu region like Vridh Asharm, Samaj Kalyan Kendra and Ved Mandir Committee.

    ü Continuing its novel CSR initiative of Remote Child Sponsorship Programme (RCSP), Bank brought Fifty (50) under-privileged children under its ambit for the sake of seeking primary education through leading concerned NGO CHINAR KASHMIR. At the same time , for the third consecutive year , Bank in alliance with Child Rights & you (CRY) continued its project ‘Koshish’ which is in operation in three (03) Districts like Budgam, Ganderbal and parts of Srinagar catering to the health, educational and nutritional requirement of as many as 9000 children having poor financial background. At the same time, to infuse a new life to the ailing education system at Government level, under the new concept of “Model Schools” J&K Bank as a first pilot Project developed three (03) Government schools in South & North Kashmir to equip them with the state-of-the-art technology and infrastructural facilities. Correspondingly up gradation of Ranbir Higher Secondary School Jammu- established in 1872 & also Karanwara middle school at basoli Kathua were also upgraded to enhance quality education. J&K Bank also, as a pilot project took a mega CSR initiative for the poor students at the university level under the Project “J&K Bank Merit Cum Means Scholarships”. Under the Project 36 PG courses have been covered by the Bank supporting one “eligible” student till the completion of the degree.

    ü Preventive healthcare & improving public health delivery system remained core healthcare activity of the Bank under Project RAAHAT. Reacting to the fatal disease of Hepatitis C catching young & old in large numbers in the valley, Bank adopted 50 youth for complete treatment to make them Hep free. Improving public health system is one of the key clauses of CSR and, considering the wellbeing of general public, Bank provided all sort of support to Government hospitals. Ambulances, Critical care machinery like ultrasound machines, IABP, Coagulation machines, portable x-ray machines were donated to hospitals like SKIMS, Government Medical Jammu & its associated hospitals and District Hospital Leh. Besides, Anti-Cancer drugs and mammogram was provided to Cancer Society of Kashmir to help the NGO in combating the dreaded disease. Also, for the first time, Bank kept impressed money available with GMC Jammu/Kashmir for poor patients failing to buy medicines and to undergo diagnostic tests.  Bank also proved the only organization in reaching out to the little children having facial deformity through a leading NGO MAYA FOUNDATION.

    ü Taking a lead from Prime Ministers Swach Bharat mission that calls for clean India, bank took a major CSR initiative by donating four super sucker machine to Jammu & Srinagar Municipal corporations. This first of its kind swach initiative by the Bank aims to help the twin corporations to set the quality for technology driven cleaning system in municipal areas.

    ü J&K Bank identified a distinctive project of E-learning in remote schools of Rajouri District. As many as 25 Government schools were identified where e-learning technology could be made possible. Things like laptops, Projectors & Interactive screens were installed at the identified schools to start the programme.

    ü Due to conflict situation in the state over the last two decades, performing arts have been badly hit. From among the all performing arts, culturally rich music of the state, particularly valley has been in desolate situation, leaving many artistes to live a miserable life, besides the society losing centuries old rich art. Bank in one of its initiative started a Project in the name “art for All” so that, rich musical and cultural legacy of the State is revived and also the artists related with various arts are benefitted for their survival.

    ü Reaching out to the unemployed but skilled youth of the state, bank through Twelve (12) Rural Self Employment training Institutes, Bank conducted 240 programmes for as many as 6795 candidates for various vocational skill training programmes. The reach and success of these vocational programmes has empowered more than 700 youth to start their own business units/ventures. At the same time, Bank had an MOU with Entrepreneurship development Cell, University of Kashmir for traditional kill developments progarmmes, particularly for women.

    Notably, the bank has spent over Rs.28 crore while taking various initiative under corporate social responsibility banner.

  • How can a celebrated democracy explain sordid state of killing of women and children in Kashmir, asks Devapriya Mukherjee

    I do not consider myself sociopolitically educated enough on Kashmir, to write on the current Kashmir situation. Yet I choose to write this as there’s no other way I can express how brutally torturous it is for me to read about a thirteen year old beaten to death, a five year old succumbing to pellet guns and another fourteen year old losing vision for life. I write, cause I fail to accept the ghastly and deplorable face of human wrath, greed or leadership paranoia. I write because I still hear a human heart pounding inside me, though I am not too sure if that’s a good feeling anymore.

    I have been following the #Kashmirunrest updates online and on news channels for nearly two months now. In detail. Probably with more interest than ever before for I happened to be there a few months back. But that’s not important. What is important is how desperate I am right now to plead for peace and life in the valley.

    How can a celebrated democracy explain this sordid state of killing of women and children? Who is to be blamed for the hundreds or maybe thousands losing their vision for life? Who decides whether pellet guns are less lethal? Whose interest is the government trying to protect – its own, or the one upheld by the kashmiris? And what exactly do some, who call themselves freedom fighters in the valley, aspire to achieve through stone-pelting at the army and police.

    Whose orders are they waiting for, to give this outrage a break? Till they receive orders again. And, how strategic (pardon me if I am over – thinking) is it that the entire Kashmir valley lies paralyzed at a month in which lakhs visit the valley for Amarnath Darshan? And thereby, who is going to take the onus of the unthinkable loss of income suffered by the ponywalas, shikara walas, houseboat owners, tourist guides and umpteen kashmiris dependant on tourism at this time of the year?

    Confident as I am that these questions have plagued the minds of many, I would want them answered. Cause I belong to no one. I belong to no side of the border. I do not justify the use of pellets to stop an unruly wrath-driven mob. As I said, I, as an inhabitant of this earth, demand an immediate step to stop the bloodshed.

    My head hangs in shame when I learn how the army crushes the ribs of a frail old lady with their soles. I am choked as I read that the police stripped a 12 year old girl and laughed as she trembled with fear. And most importantly, I shudder to think of the vengeance brewing in her brother’s mind and how dangerous his nightmares will eventually make him.

    Kashmir, in my eyes, is not just a beautiful piece of land. Kashmir is the people in it. The ones who look after the orchards, the ones who spend their lives farming, the ones who have somehow been, over the years, made to accept that curfews are a way of life, and a few killings here and there, bring them closer to freedom.

    The colossal loss of revenue from tourism. The complete breakdown of e-commerce. The snapping of cellphone networks. The attack on the media and press. The total shutdown. Of what they have been fighting for… freedom.

    No one cares. No one ever cared enough. For Kashmir.

    Why is there no one to shout out and explain to them the myriad possibilities of dialogue? Why is there no one saying ‘Let us talk and find a less hideous course to some political healing’?

    Why is no one venturing to look for the light at the end of the tunnel that Kashmir is in? Has been in?

    The light is there. Let the light come in?        

    Devapriya Mukherjee is a writer from Kolkata. 

  • Deciphering Jamhuriyat, Kashmiriyat and Insaniyat

    Shujaat Bukhari

    For nearly two months now, Kashmir has been embroiled in an unprecedented unrest that refuses to die down despite the iron hand tactics of the government that has given the valley the longest spell of curfew. With the theories that unrest is handiwork of “handful” or “five percent” being parroted, a political intervention remains elusive. It is New Delhi’s responsibility to reach out and spell out how it really wants to bring a solution to the current phase of uprising. Notwithstanding the fact that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that is in coalition with Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) has failed to pursue its “political agenda” as specified in the Agenda of Alliance (AoA), Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajnath Singh have repeatedly talked about addressing and approaching Kashmir within the ambit of “Insaniyat, Jamhuriyat and Kashmiriyat”.

    What do these three expressions mean to an ordinary Kashmiri and why they have failed to strike any chord with them? Repeating them without following their substance have rendered them meaningless and have not created any space for the dialogue. These platitudes were in fact used by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to placate the sentiments of the people who have been craving for a solution to the long pending political dispute. Not many agree that he was sincere but a forward movement on finding a common ground that could help to take us to a solution could be seen with both India and Pakistan committing to a lasting solution. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invoked Vajpayee’s policy based on these three expressions at least seven times since December 2013, five months before he took over as the Prime Minister with a brute majority. It seemed that this “strong” Prime Minister, which Vajpayee was not, would fill all those gaps but he obviously lacked intention. In over two years, Prime Minister has not taken any step that would fit in the paradigm of these tired expressions. For an average Kashmiri, these have been grossly misused rather abused only to silence them when they tried to rise against the injustice and denial of rights.

    JAMHURIYAT

    Common perception is that democracy or Jamhuriyat has never been allowed to move beyond Lakhanpur, the last point bordering the Punjab state. Right from 1947, the rulers, no matter how big or influential, have been thrust on the people. Elections have often been rigged to select the people.  As is the common belief, which many now rebut, 1977 assembly elections were the only fair ones after 1947 and later 2002 and the rest with certain degree of transparency and fairness. But it was the assembly election of 1987 that proved to be the turning point in the history of Kashmir, pushing thousands of youth, who had reposed faith in Indian democracy, to armed rebellion. The way those elections were rigged that proved to be the last nail in the coffin of Indian democracy in Kashmir. They (the youth who were involved in that election process) had seen it as a space that could help find the resolution of the problem besides managing the governance on their own terms. What an average Kashmiri wanted was political empowerment that has eluded them for long time. After the militancy broke out, the elected governments did come back but they too lacked empowerment with strings being pulled directly from Delhi. While the election to Assembly is always projected as an answer to demand of “Azadi”, a resolution (for granting autonomy) passed by the same Assembly in 2000 was disregarded with contempt by Delhi. Not only has been this democracy in Jammu and Kashmir different from rest of India, the way the democratic spaces have been choked in Kashmir have further dented it. There is even the difference between two regions of Kashmir and Jammu when it comes to allowing its practice. For example, Jammu University has a Students Union but in Kashmir University it is denied. Addressing the separatists, former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed would call the fight with them democracy which he would paraphrase as “Battle of Ideas”. But that battle has remained confined to ideas only. Democracy in Kashmir has always been used by the state apparatus. Dialogue has found its way only between 2003 and 2007 when Vajpayee government engaged with separatists, but that derailed as India-Pakistan relations hit the lowest ebb and Delhi could not offer anything to them except that they were discredited among their own people. If that  of Jamhuriyat will be again in practice there are no takers.

    HUMANITY (INSANIYAT)

    ‘Insaniyat’ was actually the only expression Vajpayee used first, in response to a question at a news conference at Technical Airport in Srinagar 2004. He was referring to the ambit when asked that those who challenge India’s rule in Kashmir don’t want to have dialogue within the framework of Indian Constitution. The dialogue did start but it is difficult to say that the framework was of Insaniyat. It is not only about the dialogue as such but the process and the atmosphere that precedes it which has to be within those contours. For Kashmir, Insaniyat would be an end to human rights violations, investigation into 2300 unmarked graves, end to pellet guns and excessive use of force on the protesters. Justice to victims in the cases like Pathribal, Ganderbal and Machil fake encounters as also to those whose loved ones have disappeared in the custody of security forces.  It would also mean end to humiliation that people are subjected to in everyday life. One would not condone violence on any side, but the magnitude is important. When we talk about Insaniyat it has be practiced on the ground. Repeated assertions in public meetings would not make it insaniyat. On ground no such effort has been made that would make us believe that this Daira (circle) of Insaniyat is working so it is limited to speeches and cajoling.

    KASHMIRIYAT

    This expression has been worst hit in Kashmir. It has been used, misused and abused to the extent that today’s Kashmiri Muslim has disowned it. Kashmiriyat was coined to define a unique history and cultural identity that encompassed the communal harmony, tolerance and brotherhood. For a long time it was a state endorsed Kashmiri nationalist identity. It essentially defined a composite culture that was unique and had hardly any comparison in South Asia.  A British author explained it as “Kashmiri exceptionalism”. But after 1990, this concept too was divided between Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits and with the state using it as part of its narrative to counter the separatism, its credibility got further eroded and is being seen by many as part of the government project. It was former Governor S K Sinha, the man responsible for Amarnath land row, who tried to reintroduce it with his own colour. So in the contemporary Kashmir, the term Kashmiriyat is contested one and when it is used often by the state, people read it with suspicion. For Kashmiris, the Kashmiriyat is tolerance but it has received a beating not only within Kashmir, but outside as well. So even if the “real” Kashmiriyat as it existed is rediscovered it may still not strike a chord with the people. What is important is to show respect to these expressions by adhering to their core and not merely repeating them. They have been defeated on ground by various forces and if they really bear hope, only practical steps could get them out of the oblivion. Till that time they could be part of the best script that does not hold any promise.

  • ‘My stand on PDP-BJP alliance vindicated’

    Q No 1:- Karra Sb, You were opposed to PDP’s alliance with BJP and now your stand is vindicated by the BJP’s tough posturing on Kashmir. Do you favour the idea to end the Party’s alliance with BJP? If so do you think, will ending alliance with BJP help PDP to regain lost ground in Kashmir?

    REPLY: Again, it is a matter to be understood first as to why I have been opposing PDP’s alliance with BJP. The ethos of Kashmiriyat has never accepted fundamentalism. It has time and again rejected extremism (It had never conceived or thought of being governed by the radical forces). It is because of this, for the last more than 16 months I have been vehemently opposing the alliance of PDP with ideologically RSS driven BJP. It is only by conviction and that too in the historical perspective that on one side I opposed any tie up with the RSS- BJP combine and on the other side I have been warning the dangerous consequences for giving an easy passage to RSS ideology in the State of Jammu and Kashmir, moreso, in the muslim dominated areas of the state i.e Kashmir Valley, Chenab Valley and Pir Panchal. I have been vehemently requesting the Party leadership for the course correction by disassociating itself from RSS-BJP combine. As I had foreseen that having got this lifetime opportunity RSS would not leave any stone unturned for cultural, ideological, administrative and even religious ingression in this muslim dominated state. When Late Mufti Sb was alive I went to the extent of saying that what RSS could not achieve in our State for last 60 years, PDP had facilitated them to achieve that in last 6 months. On the demise of Mufti Sb, I had even requested Mehbooba Ji that she has got a God given opportunity to undo the deep damage to PDP in particular and the people in general by not forming the Government with the right wing Party. On the contrary, I suggested her to explore the formation of a Secular combine alongwith Congress and National Conference or simply write to the Governor that I would like to sit in opposition. Had she chosen any of the aforementioned options, PDP would have got ample opportunity for salvaging its lost ground and situation would not have come to, where it is today. People in general and voters in particular especially the youth, felt betrayed by this alliance and the Psyche of the masses was hurt. But, timely course correction would not have damaged the party to the extent where it is today and the situation would not have reached to this irreparable limit. What all has happened during last 45 days, I can only say “I wish my stand should not have been vindicated”. Last 45 days must have shamed the Natzi’s as well, which has rendered all stake holders irrelevant in today’s situation. God alone knows what all is going to happen in the coming days.

    Q No 2:- How do you react to the Prime Minister’s support to demand for “Azadi” to Baluchistan and claim over Pak Administered Kashmir (PAK), Gilgit and Baltistan?  

    REPLY: In the first instance, Prime Minister’s speech from the rostrum of Red Fort is supposed to be a policy speech thereby enduring his Government’s intent in moving forward for dealing in certain serious sensitive and contentious issues which are paramount for the country’s development and repute. Mr Modi did not leave any opportunity for his party, or his ideologues, or even the masses in general, to praise him for his personal achievements, if at all there were any. It was full of statistics, and blame game rather than Politics. He was at his best for self praising and self projection rather than a visionary. In the later part of 90’s, when the Indian intervention in Baluchistan had caught the attention of the International community which came in way of India’s efforts to earn a slot in certain privileged International forums, the then Prime Minister of India Mr Inder Kumar Gujral lost no time in withdrawing India’s clandestine hand from Baluchistan. Thereafter India did not fiddle in its affairs any more. But Prime Minister Modi’s jingoistic mention about Baluchistan in his speech on 15th August has confirmed India’s involvement in the strife struck state in Pakistan. It has further declared its intent in public to fiddle over there, maybe in retaliation to Pakistan’s involvement in Kashmir matters. What I have come to know that Mr Modi’s speech on Baluchistan was driven more by Politically jingoistic and naïve Politicians rather than certain seasoned, balanced and experienced serving as well as retired bureaucrats, who have served at different levels internationally. Neither these naïve and inexperienced pseudo politicians nor Mr Modi realized that by equating Baluchistan with Kashmir would be endorsing Pakistan’s stated position on Kashmir of being an unfinished agenda. What this jingoistic team did not realize then, they would soon realize that they have not done any good to Baluch struggle rather than bad, in fact very bad. This very statement of India can absolve Pakistan in the International Community from the excesses committed or intending to commit on Baluchis. Till 14th of August it was Pakistan which was ridiculed Internationally for its involvement in Kashmir but on 15th of August. Modi has handed over a handle to Pakistan on a platter for using it against India in the International community. This in my opinion would change the Political dynamics in the South East Asia in the days to come.

    Q No 3:- How would you like to react to the meeting of the Prime Minister with a delegation of opposition leaders from Jammu and Kashmir led by Omar Abdullah. What are your comments on Prime Minister’s statement on Kashmir after the meeting? Also tell us something about the handling of the opposition role by National Conference Working President Omar Abdullah?  

    REPLY: Though, the efforts by the United Opposition in J&K are based on sincerity to provide first hand information on anarchical situation in the hands of both Government of India and the State Government. I have very little hopes that anything positive would come out, which would act as a healing touch for the Kashmiris. The very official statement issued by PMO can be termed as equivalent to rubbing salt on their wounds. Not surprisingly after brutally killing around 70 people, maiming thousands and blinding hundreds, Mr Modi has woken up to realize  that development alone is no solution to the current unrest. The actions of last 45 days by both Central Government and the State Government testify about their intentions. For the past fifty days, it has been Oppression, Repression and Suppression. Prime Minister Modi’s intentions can be gauged by the very fact that he has desired to talk on the conditionally. He knows by doing so, he could beat the drum about it World over and in the Country as well. Instead, firstly sense of security, civil liberties, human rights and self respect is needed to be restored, which can only be done by repealing draconian laws, booking the guilty for brutalizing, killing, maiming, blinding and disrespecting the people. In a single liner, I would sum up the Prime Minister’s statement as “TOO LITTLE TOO LATE”.

    Q No 4:- What you have to say about Rajnath Singh’s second visit to Srinagar?  

    Reply: In this matter, I had already cleared my stand about such visits. I had said that it is in exercise in futility and the same opinion holds good for his second visit. The problem is that Government of India is lacking clarity as to what actually was its Political strategy to deal with Kashmir. Before throwing rhetorical and wild invitations for talks one should understand first that who will talk to whom and what is a common meeting ground as would India always mention regarding talks with Pakistan, “that aggression and talks cannot go side by side” should hold good for talks with the stakeholders with regard to Kashmir problem, as well. I maintain that setting pre conditions is willfully inviting rejection. Moreover, meeting same set of people who have no role on the ground to normalize situation is to make mockery of a visit. One fails to understand what role can JD(U) or Panthers Party or any insignificant individual/organization, who can least influence the ground situation could do to turnaround the present unrest. Let BJP leadership show guts to follow footprints of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, when he initiated one on one dialogue with the majority of Hurriyat leadership and L K Advani also talked one on one with top brass militant commanders. It is in such situations only when I get forced to say, the Government of India has always applied different yard sticks in any or every respect. May it be Political, Developmental, Infrastructural or Financial. When Government of India could talk to the militant commander’s or the Separatist leaders of Mizoram, Nagaland, Assam, Jharkhand, Naxals and Maoists unconditionally. Why its nationalism does get converted to hyper nationalism when it comes to Kashmir.

    Q No 5: Joint separatist leadership has asked legislators to quit. Will you as an elected representative in Parliament- the highest law making body of the country set the trend of quitting in protest against the recent killings and disproportionate use of force in Kashmir?  

    REPLY: I am very closely watching the situation and even protesting and agitating on it within available means. As and when I would feel that all other available means have failed in restorating peace and tranquility in the state and normalizing the situation, I would not hesitate to do so. But it would be my personal decision, not driven by any convenience or compulsion.

    Q No 6:- The government has put in command a new Divisional Commissioner in Kashmir and transferred most of district SPs in valley? Do you think the better administrative talents have been put in command to deal with the law and order situation? The recent transfers of the bureaucrats at the top have generated a feeling that the present government has neutralized local bureaucracy,  What are your views on this issue?  

    REPLY: Basically administration is supposed to be subservient to the Political command which thereof represents the Government’s intent in dealing with certain serious and sensitive issues. There is an old English saying, “Fish starts rotting at the head”, that is what has happened in the present dispensation. It is true that there could be discontentment and a sense of insecurity and disrespect amongst the local cadres of Civil and Police administration of being not preferred for running the administration. This feeling might not have been there earlier, but after PDP publically announced its policy of preferential treatment/ postings over the non locals during the elections and now finding it totally opposite to the declared policy, has resulted in such feelings.

    Q No 7:- You are vocal outside the Parliament but not raising any Kashmir centric issue inside the Parliament. Any specific reasons for that?  

    REPLY: After PDP’s alliance with the BJP and subsequent formation of Government, the BJP’s denial in response to my questions raised in the Parliament for returning the Power Projects and repealing of AFSPA already enshrined in the Agenda of Alliance, PDP chose to remain silent on BJP’s response. Though the Opposition Leader Mr Omar Abdullah questioned the Government while the Assembly in the state was sitting about the contradiction between Agenda of Alliance and the BJP’s stated position in t

    he Parliament in reply to its own MP’s questions. PDP again chose to remain silent on that. I had even been vociferously raising the issue of ill treatment meted out to the students studying in different states in terms of harassment and even backing out of commitment for the scholarships promised to them under the Prime Ministers programme. It was a matter of great surprise when the BJP backed out of the assurances made on the floor of House after my speech on budget where the Union Finance Minister had appreciated as well as assured to fulfill my demands of two Smart Cities, two AIIMS, two IIMS, one each for Jammu and Srinagar and one IIT for Srinagar as Jammu already has one and the same issues lateron snowballed into a big controversy, still PDP chose to remain silent on it. So this in itself shows that I have always been raking up all sensitive and contentious issues confronted by the State in general and Kashmir in particular. As far as not raising up the issue of present unrest in Parliament is concerned, it all happened on technical grounds. For that one needs to understand the Parliamentary practices for raising issues/ questions or participation in debates. It is totally different from what we see in our own State Assembly. For instance 60 minutes Zero hour is a dedicated hour for raising issues of emergent nature for an assembly strength of 87 members. Here in assembly we do not need to give a prior notice for raising these emergent issues. With the start of Zero hour, a member is supposed to raise his/her hand for seeking the Speaker’s approval to speak on the issue. Even if half the strength of the assembly raises their hand for seeking such approval, the Speaker can still manage to accommodate all of them by allotting a minute or so to such members out of sixty allotted minutes to conduct the business of raising issues of emergent nature. While as in Lok Sabha, where the strength of members is 545 and the number of minutes allotted for Zero hour is the same that is sixty minutes. Moreover, you are supposed to give a prior notice with the nature of issue to be raised and it is only by draw of lots, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha decides who can speak or who cannot, in the zero hour in those allotted sixty minutes. Furthermore, it is the prerogative of the Speaker after going through the cited subject on which a member is seeking approval to speak, whether to put that particular subject for draw of lots or not. As far as participating in the debate is concerned one needs to understand that the total number of time allotted for that particular debate is divided by number of members of Lok Sabha, that way time allocated for each Member of Parliament is around one minute. So each party gets time to participate in the debate according to the strength of the party in Lok Sabha. That way BJP gets 282 minutes, Congress gets 45 minutes, TMC gets 39 minutes, AIADMK gets 34 minutes and PDP gets 2 minutes. But it is upto the Leader of the party or Deputy Leader of the party, in absence of the Leader, to decide who can participate in the debate and who cannot and in advance these names have to be communicated in writing to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha a day before the commencement of the debate. In the case of PDP in absence of Ms Mehbooba Mufti as the Leader of the party in Parliament (Who has already resigned), Mr Muzaffar Hussain Beig had to do it, who became the Leader of the party by default, Which he did and chose to speak himself. It is a different matter that PDP by way of its strength could have spoken only for two minutes. Mr Beig was allowed by the Speaker and facilitated by BJP to speak for 40 minutes. These very technical grounds were the reasons where I could not participate in the debate.
    Kns/Kashmir Today

  • Upward trend in neurological disorders in Kashmir

    Dr. Parvaiz Ahmad Shah is the head of the postgraduate department of Medicine and allied superspecialities at Government Medical College, Srinagar, Kashmir since February 2012.He has done his M.B.B.S, and M.D (Medicine) from Govt. Medical college, Srinagar. He has done his D.M (Neurology), from prestigious PGIMER, Chandigarh. He is life member of eight medical bodies which include   American Academy of neurology, European neurological society, Indian academy of neurology, Indian medical association, Association of Physicians of India and Indian stroke association. His editorial assignments include Editor-in-chief of Kashmir Medical Journal, editorial board member of JK Practitioner, peer reviewer of American journal of clinical neurology, Clinical Medicine Reviews in Patient Care (Libertas Academica) and JK Sciences. He has been a member of Medical council of India in recent past. He has been external assessor for faculty appointments of staff service committee, management services division of International Islamic university of Malaysia. He has been postgraduate (M.D) examiner to five universities of India. Moreover, he has been guest faculty to department of pharmaceutical sciences of university of Kashmir. He has delivered 22 lectures in various national, regional and international conferences. He has presented scientific papers regarding neurological disorders in Kashmir valley in U.S.A and Turkey. He has more than 100 scientific publications in various national and international journals.

    Dr. Shah, please brief us about working of your department?  

    Postgraduate department of medicine in Govt. medical college Srinagar, has been one of the oldest and renowned departments. The department, besides offering patient care to ailing people from nook and corner of the valley and Ladakh division, also caters to undergraduate and postgraduate (M.D) teaching in the discipline of medicine. Besides internal medicine, the department offers superspeciality services in the disciplines of cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, nephrology, endocrinology and medical oncology. The department has the distinction of having a separate medical intensive care unit and high dependency triage ward.

    Which neurological disorders are common in this part of the world?  

    The spectrum of neurological disorders in our state is more or less the same as in other parts of the world. However, a few medical disorders are more commonly encountered here than other parts of Asia. These neurological disorders include headache syndromes, epilepsy, strokes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s dementia just to name a few.

    How does pattern of neurological disorders in this valley differ from rest of the country?  

    Hemorrhagic strokes tend to be more common here than other parts of the world.

    What is the likely cause of hemorrhagic stroke being common here?  

    Presumed causes include hypertension, excessive salt consumption and genetic predisposition. Nonetheless, these parameters need to be authenticated by a futuristic study.

    Which, neurological disorder, in your experience, is showing an increasing trend during last one decade?  

    Alzheimer’s dementia and minimal cognitive impairment is depicting an upward trend during last couple of decades. This may be attributed to increase in life expectancy and awareness about disease among doctors and caregivers

    What is the impact of prevailing turmoil on the neuropsychological behavior of the masses?  

    Post-traumatic stress disorder is an established disorder which has shown an upward trend during last two decades. This has affected people from all age groups.

    Is there an increase in the incidence of attempted suicides in our valley?  

    Definitely yes. The reasons include academic stress besides living in a conflict zone.

    Kns/Kashmir Today

  • Can’t play any role, Says Burhan’s father

    Unrest triggered by the Killing of top Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani has united and glorified the resistance struggle for the first time in the 28 year old separatist politics across the length and breadth of Jammu & Kashmir state. The cries of “Azadi” are not restricted to streets in Kashmir but are heard loudly all over the world .Curfew, restrictions, shutdowns and street clashes are continuing for the last 65 days and there are no signsof restoration of normalcy in Kashmir. The huge challenge for the police and paramilitary forces in street clashes is the immediate end to continuing cycle of civilian deaths. The cries against the use of deadly lethal weapon “Pellet Gun” have not only reached Parliament the highest law making body of the country but also the Rashtarpati Bhawan (Presidential House) and the Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi. The reasons are the deaths of 71 civilians reported from different parts of the state so for and the treatment of over 8000 blinded and maimed by the excessive use of lethal weapons particularly the Pellet Gun. If the government figures are to be believed some 4000 security men have been also injured in the current phase of unrest in Kashmir. The situation is so grave and alarming that Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Srinagar thrice in the last month to hold discussions with top mainstream leaders over the simmering unrest in Kashmir. A delegation of opposition leaders led by National Conference Working President and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the demands for banning the use of pellet guns and a direct dialogue between New Delhi and relevant stakeholders of the current situation in Kashmir. Amid unrest and speculations over new political engagements of New Delhi with the people in Kashmir Kashmir Magazine  spoke to Muzaffar Wani the father of Burhan Wani whose death in an encounter in Bamdoora Village of Kokernag area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district triggered the current unrest.
    Following are the excerpts of the conversation of Muzaffar Wani

    Q: I have been your student and as such don’t muster the courage to ask you questions but keeping in view my professional compulsions I have no other option but to ask you some questions over the present situation in Kashmir?  

    A: Yes please feel free to ask me any question you like.

    Q: As the Government of India is sending out messages of dialogue over Kashmir, So would you like to advice Hurriyat Conference to join the dialogue process or not?  

    A: To demand your rights you have to come forward. Nothing wrong if you talk about your rights.

    Q: The general feeling among the people in Kashmir is that Jamat-e-Islami has a more pivotal role than what the party had in the years 2008 and 2010. How would like to react to it?  

    A: I don’t see any reality in it. People of all walks of life irrespective of their caste, creed and colour have participated in the ongoing resistance struggle. For the first time people have exhibited unity in the ongoing struggle.

    Q: Do you see any seriousness in Delhi’s fresh dialogue initiatives?  

    A; I don’t think Delhi is showing any seriousness in fresh dialogue initiatives but surely indications of resolving the crisis are coming from Delhi.

    Q; Majority of the people in Kashmir want you to lead the present struggle and even speculations are doing rounds that you have been also asked formally to do so?  

    A; We have accepted leadership of Syed Ali Shah Geelani and other Hurriyat leaders. All of us repose trust in them. I don’t aspire to be a leader. I will follow the resistance leadership as other Kashmiris follow them.

    Q; How would you like to react to the offer of the restoration of 1953 position?  

    A; Whatever the decision is acceptable to India, Pakistan and the leaders of resistance struggle including Syed Ali Shah Geelani is acceptable to all of us.

    Q: Most of the people say that your son Burhan Muzaffar Wani joined armed struggle in the backdrop of the excesses allegedly committed by the security men? How would you like to react to it?  

    A; The excesses of the security men with the commoners in Kashmir but not the excesses of security with him in person was a big reason for Burhan to join the armed struggle.

    Q: All over the world people are saying that gun is no solution to any problem. How would you react to this?  

    A: Gun has played its role and the cries of Kashmir resolution have reached to almost every corner of the world. After Burhan’s death the resistance struggle is quite peaceful. For the last two months guns have fallen silent and if at all gun was visible in Kashmir it was the government’s gun.

    Q; Do you feel that present struggle has brought the Kashmir issue to the present stage the need for which was felt?  

    A; Now the resistance struggle is in its final stage and Insha Allah Kashmir will achieve their birth right. Burhan took the Kashmir struggle to all parts of the world via the social media route and the left over job has ben carried forward. I would like to quote former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who said “Burhan will do from grave whatever he has left undone in his lifetime”.

    Q: You went to Banglore for treatment and you stayed there in a famous “Ashram”. Your stay in the Ashram has sent out some wrong signals. How do you react to it?

    A: I am suffering from many diseases and had planed to go to Sri Sri Ram Ayurvedic Hospital in the holy month of Ramadan but could not get a chance to go to Banglore for treatment in the month of Ramadan. I could not get a chance to go to Banglore for treatment due to the death of Burhan immediately after Eid. I got an opportunity later and I went to Bangalore for treatment.

    Q: You did not stay at the hotel but choose to stay in an “Ashram”. Why you stayed in an “Ashram” but not the hotel?  

    A: I found myself safe in the Ashram and this is the only reason for staying in the Ashram. I met Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in the Ashram and had the opportunity of discussing current Kashmir situation also. I apprised Sri Sri Ravi Shankar about the excesses committed by government forces in Kashmir. I also told him about the negative role of national media in portraying the situation in Kahmir. He said some people accused Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of giving shelter to the “father of a terrorist” and abused him.

    Q; Tell us something about your meeting with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar?  

    A; In fact Sri Sri Ravi Shankar condoled me on the demise of my son Burhan Wani. I told him about the death of my two sons. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a good human being and is considered a highly influential Hindu spiritualist in India. He asked me about the restoration of peace in Kashmir and I regretted to say anything for the reasons of not being a leader but a government employee. When he insisted me to say something then I suggested result oriented dialogue between India, Pakistan, Hurriyat leaders and the representatives of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladhak for restoration of peace in Jammu &Kashmir. I also advised him to use his influence to stop the cycle of excesses in Kashmir and made it a point that “Azadi” is the demand of every Kashmiri.

    Q; Any message you want to convey to the people and leaders of resistance struggle?  

    A: My message is that all of us are Kashmiris and as such all will be benefited by “Azadi”. All those who have committed mistakes should apologize for their sins before Almighty Allah.All of us will live in peace and brotherhood.

    Kns/Kashmir Today

  • Family on Two-wheeler

    When you have a botched public transportation system like the one in Srinagar, you can imagine four people riding a scooty.