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  • State has no funds to rebuild 37 burnt schools: Minister

    Srinagar: More than a year has passed, but the 37 schools that were set afire by miscreants during the unrest last year are yet to be built as the government has no funds.A total of 5,000 students studying in these government schools were affected. Most of the schools were burnt in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, the epicentre of the 2016 unrest.”The state government has no funds to rebuild the schools. We have prepared a proposal and submitted it to the Central government. We are awaiting release of funds to rebuild the schools and if the funds are not released then we will look for an alternative. But right now, there is no progress on rebuilding,” Minister of Education Syed Altaf Bukhari said. “Till now I have not succeeded in reconstructing the schools,” he said.The minister admitted that the students who studied in these schools were suffering academically and said the reconstruction takes time. “We have shifted the students to rented accommodations and nearby schools till some permanent arrangement is done,” Bukhari said.A senior official of the Department of Education said no serious efforts were being taken to rebuild the schools. “That (burning of schools) was a major setback to education. People have forgotten about these schools. I am not even sure whether they will be rebuilt any time soon. Most of the schools are in rural Kashmir where it takes decades to even establish a school,” the official said.The burning of schools became the focal point of unrest last year after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani’s killing.Around 37 schools were either partially or fully damaged in the fire incidents and the education sector suffered an infrastructural damage of Rs 10 crore during the unrest last year.

    5,000 students affected

    Most of the schools were burnt in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, the epicentre of the 2016 unrest. A total of 5,000 students were affected* Around 37 schools were either partially or fully damaged in the fire incidents and the education sector suffered an infrastructural damage of Rs 10 crore during the unrest last year (TNS)

  • Muzaffar Baig praises Geelani, says NIA arrests won’t help India

    Srinagar: Referring to the arrests of seven Hurriyat leaders by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), PDP Vice President Muzaffar Hussain Baig said at the party rally on Saturday that the Narendra Modi-led government should not punish some Hurriyat leaders for just sitting in the office of Syed Ali Geelani.
    “I am sure the Modi-led government will take a justified view of the arrest of seven Hurriyat leaders by the NIA,” Baig said in his address to PDP workers. “How can people be kept behind bars for just sitting inside Geelani’s office? The arrests won’t help the government. Sheikh Abdullah was arrested and then let go. What happened afterwards?”
    He said action should be taken against those who embezzled money for murdering children and burning schools. “One leader on TV confessed he will take 70 crore rupees for enforcing a strike for six months. And that he will burn schools. Action should be taken against such people,” Baig said.
    Indicating that China was extending its influence in South Asia through the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the PDP parliamentarian said that Syed Geelani should realize the changes in geopolitics of the region and know that China was controlling roughly 50 percent of Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PaK).
    “The position today is that even if Pakistan wants to talk to India it cannot do so without China’s permission,” Baig said. “There is practically an occupation of PaK by China. We should know that in its Muslim-dominated areas, China has stopped people from offering prayers, observing fasts, and has even asked them to not christen their children with Muslim names. Geelani sahib should understand the fast-changing situation in the region.”
    Referring to the history of Kashmir, Baig said it was due to the folly of Kashmiri leaders and central leadership in the year 1943 that Kashmir was divided.
    “Otherwise, Kashmir would have been the gateway to the biggest trade routes in the region,” Baig said.
    He appealed to Geelani to ask militants to renounce guns.
    Baig said it was due to the PDP-BJP government that Muslims in India were saved from a major tragedy. “The killing of seven Amarnath pilgrims would have triggered a murderous assault on Muslims in India and in Jammu,” he said. “By visiting the yatris, Mehbooba gave a message to India that Kashmiris do not believe in killing on communal lines.”
    He also praised Geelani for playing a constructive role by condemning the killing of Hindu pilgrims.
    “He might have a different politics from us. But he was to the point when he condemned the killings,” Baig said.
    When Baig asked those who had come from south Kashmir to raise their hands, only a few hands were raised. At this, Baig said, “I believe that after the recent turmoil, the south Kashmir will bring in a revolution of peace. We know that workers have complaints with the PDP. The complaints are justified. We will uphold the dignity of the workers. I promise you that,” he said.
    “The centre gave us Rs 1900 crore for development projects. But due to the turmoil in Kashmir we could not do it, even in the relatively peaceful areas of north and central Kashmir. Some blame lies with us as well,” Baig said.

  • Gunmen Storm Houses of Policemen in South Kashmir

    Kulgam: A day after government forces targeted the family members of a Hizbul Mujahideen militant Tawseef Ahmed in Rampura village of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, suspected militants barged into the houses of at least seven cops, including two officers and ransacked their properties while one of the police officers ran for his life in the middle of the night on seeing the militants. The suspected militants also set the house of a government gunman on fire.

    Reports said that suspected militant raided the houses of at least seven policemen in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. They not only threatened the family members but also warned them of dire consequences in case they (cops) target the family members of militants in future.

    Witnesses told news agency CNS that the house of a Superintendent of Police was ransacked in Khudwani area. This is the fourth attack on the house of the said police officer.

    In Nawbal Khudwani, the house of an Inspector was ransacked by unknown gunmen. Locals said that police officer managed to flee from the spot when militants entered into his house.

    Reports from Desan village of the district said that militants barged into the house of one Sanaullah Wagay whose three sons are reportedly working in Jammu Kashmir Police Department. The unknown gunmen reportedly warned Wagay of dire consequences in case his sons take part in any anti-militancy operation.

    At Marhama Kulgam, unknown gunmen attacked the house of cop. Reports said that gunmen ransacked the house, but didn’t touch any family members of the cop.

    The house of a cop was also attacked at Sempora Behibagh in the same district.

    Police sources said that a group of six militants led by Hizb district commander Saddam Paddar raided the houses of five policemen and a CRPF constable in Trichal, Naira and Tamlahal villages of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

    Sources added that the house of a CRPF 182 Battalion constable was raided by militants; however, the constable (name withheld) was not present there. Militants also barged into the houses of 3 SPO’s in Trichal village forcing an SPO to announce his resignation before people at Jamia Masjid of the village.

    Reports from Tral town of Pulwama district said that unknown persons pelted stones on the house of a Head Constable at Arigam. The cop is posted at police station Qazigund. Reports said that due to stone-hurling some window panes of the house were damaged. The unknown persons also set a fire cracker in air outside the house.

    Director General of Police Dr SP Vaid said that such attacks depict the sheer frustration of the militants. “We have inflicted heavy losses on them. We have destroyed their infrastructure and to show their presence they are resorting to such tactics,” Dr Vaid said. (CNS)

  • Congress needs a new slogan and India needs a new opposition, writes Barkha Dutt

    Not only is the Congress, with its present set of weapons and ammunition, not battle-ready to take on the BJP; it isn’t even equipped any longer to lead the opposition.

    It took less than 15 hours for Nitish Kumar to resign and return as Chief Minister of Bihar with his old partners as his new allies. It took less than two hours for the BJP – which slotted a parliamentary board meeting timed to the exact moment of Nitish Kumar’s resignation — to welcome him back to the home team. That both sides were playing to a script that had been written well in advance is obvious. But when Rahul Gandhi declares that he knew about this “three-four months ago”, you’ve got to hold your head and ask: So, what did do you do about it? Was it denial, defeatism or complacency that kept the Congress from creating an incentive for Nitish Kumar to stay? And what stopped you from taking a more public position, as a coalition partner, against the continuation of Tejashwi Yadav amid pretty serious charges of financial corruption?

    Yes, no one really thinks that Nitish Kumar’s exit was driven by principled opposition to corruption – after all, when he joined hands with Lalu Yadav in 2015, he was already convicted of corruption. It wasn’t about secularism back then, as the Congress claimed and it isn’t about graft now; it is quite simply politics — and yes, politics is the singular, often brazen, pursuit of power.

    As the Modi juggernaut storms its ways across the finishing line to almost reach its destination of a ‘Congress Mukt Bharat’, the challenger, left straggling, now seems to be asleep at the wheel.

    The truth — as India enters a phase of BJP hegemony — is this: Not only is the Congress, with its present set of weapons and ammunition, not battle-ready to take on the BJP; it isn’t even equipped any longer to lead the opposition. The exit of Nitish Kumar proves that the Gandhi family is no longer the pivot around which the non-BJP, non-Congress parties will organise themselves.

    Even confronted with an existential crisis the Congress has been laggard; instead of fighting for its life it has betrayed a peculiar and elite smugness. Letting Goa slip when it could have formed the government there; letting Shankersinh Vaghela walk when he was the only candidate with some fight in him in Gujarat, waiting too long to announce Meira Kumar as the Presidential nominee instead of beating the BJP to it, vacationing abroad during key moments of political turmoil and of course the refusal to cede a leadership role to other political leaders — Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar or Naveen Patnaik — all of whom the Congress today needs more than they need it.

    It’s possible that Nitish would have left them anyway; there were tell-tale signs that he was hedging his bets — qualified support for demonetisation, endorsing the BJP’s choice for President —but did the Congress pay any attention to the JD (U) statement, when Pavan Verma was authorised to demand a cogent “opposition narrative”, warning that Modi’s domination could not be fought in an “ad hoc, confused and reactive” manner? Yes, people close to Nitish Kumar say what really swung his decision was not so much a calculation that he would never be able to beat Modi and become Prime Minister; but that there was a real danger of losing Bihar in the next election. Apparently, the BJP’s win in Uttar Pradesh where the opposition banked on Muslim-Yadav consolidation, but saw forward castes, other backward castes and Dalits join hands to defeat it, was a scenario Nitish feared in Bihar as well if he remained with Lalu Yadav. But whatever were the arithmetical calculations of the chief minister, what deftness or quick thinking did the Congress or Lalu Yadav display? For instance, Rahul Gandhi could have made a public statement demanding the sacking of Tejashwi Yadav or his father could have asked him to step down. That would have at least forced Nitish Kumar to construct an alternative reason for his exit, instead of allowing him to claim the higher moral ground and handing over the state – and the general election of 2019 — on a platter to Narendra Modi. Then they could have more effectively taken on Nitish’s glaring flip-flops and U-turns on the BJP.

    The Congress needs to wake up from its slumber: falling back on the jaded tropes of secularism and betrayal is no longer going to work as a political idea. Taking shield on corruption allegations behind the cloak of inauthentic secularism is cynical politics and its time is up. Especially because that secularism is bent at will and abandoned when necessary. The Congress needs a new slogan and India needs a new opposition.

    Barkha Dutt is an award­-winning journalist and author

    The views expressed are personal

  • No One Will Hold Tricolour in Kashmir If Art-370 Tampered With: Mehbooba Mufti

    Without explicitly saying so, the Chief Minister conveyed her difference with BJP on three key issues — on holding dialogue with people in Kashmir, on arrests of separatists, and on Kashmir’s special status.

    New Delhi— Rift between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and BJP became starkly visible Friday when Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti launched a veiled attack on her alliance partner in the state on host of key issues.

    Without explicitly saying so, the Chief Minister conveyed her difference with BJP on three key issues — on holding dialogue with Pakistan, on arrests of Hurriyat leaders, and on Kashmir’s special status.

    Speaking at an event, Understanding Kashmir, in the capital organised by the Bureau of Research on Industry and Economic Fundamentals, Mehbooba Mufti warned that, “If special rights and privileges to the people of Jammu and Kashmir are tinkered with, then there would be no one in the state to hold the (Indian) tricolour”.  

    She said, on the one hand, “we talk about resolving the Kashmir issue under the framework of the Constitution and on the other hand we flog it”.    

    “Who is doing it? Why are they doing it? (challenging the Article 35A). Let me tell you that my party and other parties who carry the national flag there (in Jammu and Kashmir) despite all risks… I have no doubt in saying that there will be no one to hold it.   

    “Any tinkering with the article won`t be acceptable. I won`t hesitate in saying that nobody will even carry the corpse of the National Flag in Kashmir (if the article is scrapped). Let me make it very clear,” she said at an event here on Kashmir.

    The Chief Minister said that by employing such tactics, “you are not targeting separatists

    Mehbooba went on to add, “Let me be very clear. By doing all this (challenging Article 35A), you are not targeting the separatists who have an agenda to secede but you are weakening the forces who have accepted India, participated in elections. They make efforts to integrate Jammu and Kashmir with India with respect and dignity. You are weakening them.”

    The Article 35(A) is being challenged in the Supreme Court by NGO `We The Citizens` on its legal basis because the article was never presented before the Parliament and executed on the orders of President of India.

    The provision was implemented in 1954 when then President Rajendra Prasad used the powers conferred on him by Article 370 to introduce the “Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order 1954”.

    Under the article, citizens from other parts of the country cannot acquire immovable property in Jammu and Kashmir or take up employment with the state government.

    The Supreme Court has now referred the case to a three-judge bench for a larger debate over it.

    “There have been special provisions in the Constitution of India for the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Unfortunately, with the passage of time something happened somewhere that both sides started doing dishonesty,” Mehbooba said.    

    Both the sides, she said while indicating towards the Centre and the state, may be became more greedy and the state had to suffer for the last 70 years.    

    On Arrest Of Hurriyat Leaders

    “Rather than addressing the problem, we took administrative measures like dismissal of government or making charges of conspiracy, sedition…we had all these things against separatists which at times led to their hangings, weapons exclusive to Kashmir and more security measures and increasing number of security people.    

    “These administrative measures have not helped us to address the idea of Kashmir…,” Mufti said.

    Replacing Azadi

    “We need to find what exactly is going on in the mind of a teenager, what is compelling him to do it (throw stones). We need to replace the idea of Azadi with another idea, a better idea, but are we ready to do that? We may be able to contain the present situation but there still is so much distrust,”

    She then drew attention to the 2005 working groups constituted to address the internal dimensions of the Kashmir issue.

    “The working group reports (on Kashmir) have been thrown in the waste basket. We are not doing anything about that,” she said.

    On Talks With Pakistan

    “The PDP-BJP alliance has been on the belief and hope that we will be able to revive the magic of (former Prime Minister Atal Bihari) Vajpayee ji’s time… Vajpayee ji did it,” she said.

    Citing the Lahore declaration in which Pakistan had assured that it will not allow its land to be used against anti-India activities, Mehbooba said, “We have to revive that… in spite of Kargil and attack on the Parliament house… We have had some setbacks but we need to revive it, if we want that the closed roads in Jammu and Kashmir open, then Pakistan’s positive contribution is very necessary,” she said.

    On National Media    

    The chief minister was critical of some television news channel anchors saying that they were trying to project Kashmir in a bad light. “I am sorry to say that this India, that the anchors are trying to project, is not what India is about and that is not the India I know,” she said as she stated that few channels were showing Kashmiris in a “bad light.”

    She said when she sees the retired ‘beard-wallahs’ from the other side (Pakistan) and ‘mooch-wallahs’ from this side screaming at the top of their lungs on television news channels, she feels they are taking out their “frustrations” about so many wars that the two countries saw.

    “I see that their eyes are bulging out, so much anger and some time they sweat too. I don’t want to be associated with this type of India or Pakistan…,” she said.

    Mehbooba said she wants to see an India which feels the pain of Kashmir. “I want to see that India which accepted us on our conditions.

  • How to spend days without Internet ?

    By Javeed Ali

    Internet has become an important part of our lives. It has made inroads in every sphere of our daily schedule.  It has made the world a “Global Village” where everyone is connected to each other just a click away.  It is a storehouse of information on all subjects and events. It has made information access easier and user friendly. Volumes of information is imbibed in few KBs of databank and is made available to all information seekers through Internet all over the globe. Internet has made our chores comfortable and streamlined the functioning of all existing processes. Anything of everything can be found on Internet in a flash. Business and trade have also made its dependence on Internet owing to its innovative and well connected system with the customers.  

    The most widely used part of Internet is Social Networking sites like Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and so on which are used by almost every soul on this earth. In present times, Social Media have occupied the special place in all aspects of daily routine of all human beings belonging to different thoughts and ideologies. We do spend most of our time on Social Media for different purposes and requirements. Some use it in a productive way and achieve best results which help them to sustain their life in an immaculate way. On the other side, some use it in a negative way which spoils their life and future endeavours.

    With all the good things comes the bad things as well and same is the case with Internet. Despite the fact it has brought many handy things in our life, it has also snatched the basic morals and ethics of our life. Netizens spend a larger part of their time on Internet thereby preventing them from performing the traditional and religious activities which are of paramount importance to attain the salvation and cheerfulness in our lives. Positive aspect of Internet cannot be ignored and in the same way negative segment cannot be sidelined.  There are two important parameters of every human soul with which life is spent i.e., Cultural values and religious beliefs. Both need time and which in most cases is lost on Internet/Social Media. Our religion along with our family needs our time which we unfortunately waste on unnecessary things on Social Media Networks and Internet. We get too much engrossed in virtual world (Internet) that we forget about our real life which craves for our attention.

    In Islam, there is a concept known as “Silah Rehmi” which means to visit our nears and dears frequently and to enquire about their wellbeing. Lot of emphasis have been laid over it. Also, there is a Hadith which says  that even if it takes two years journey to visit a relative staying at far away place we should embark on that journey.  Visiting our relatives and friends makes us fresh, thrilled and we get a much needed relief from our daily anxieties. With the advent of Internet, we have confined ourselves to Smartphones, Tablets and other gadgets which have harmed our social life to a large extent. In past, people used to spend their time with elders, peers and younger ones and used to exchange pleasantries followed by useful conversations which have always proved beneficial for the betterment of the society in general and for individuals in particular. It’s a proven fact that visiting our relatives and friends have a lot of religious and natural benefits which we normally waste on digital world. Its tragic that we lose these benefits due to undue usage of Internet facility which can be avoided to optimize our life as per our religious beliefs and traditional customs. Internet is a boon but when it’s used injudiciously then it becomes a bane. It can make or mar one’s life depending upon how its utilized. We do stay online on Social Networking Sites for excessive time which also hampers the process of nurturing our talent as we don’t give a sufficient time on improving our skills.

    Its said that excess to everything is bad and same applies for Internet and Social Media. The time which could have been used for fruitful purposes is wasted on useless gossips and discussions on Social Media. The time which could have been used for reading informative and religious books is wasted on rebuking and cursing our opponents on Internet. The time which could have been spent performing our religious obligations is destroyed on watching obscene and abominable videos on YouTube.

    There are some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) which provide free Internet facility but we fail to understand that they snatch our precious time and solace which is more worthy and priceless. Our parents crave for our presence and words but we never bother to spent our time with them despite knowing that spending time with them is “Ibadah” (worship).

    On the cultural part, we are completely lost. For instance, modern day Kashmiri girl can’t sing a Kashmiri wedding folk song “Wanwun” as she finds more comfort in Western music which is easily accessed on Smartphones via Internet. The time will come when “Wanwun” will be only in the History books of Kashmir.  

    We have got too much dependent on Internet which has made us lethargic and we badly fail in our religious and cultural facets of our life. The toll of obese people are increasing day by day as they don’t spare time for exercises and outings as a result they become physically weak and lazy. Staying online for late night hours have made us insomniac which has made us unable to get a proper sleep. Staying glued to digital gadgets also damages the eyesight and leads to a disease know as Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) which also puts strain and pain in eyes. Working adults aren’t the only ones affected. Kids who stare at tablets or use computers also face the same issues.   

    At times the establishment in Kashmir snaps the internet facility which according to them is to prevent rumour mongers from spreading rumours and to keep situation under control in order to maintain law & order. We do get miffed with frequent breakdown of Internet facility and it also hobbles the economic growth as much of the business is dependent on it. Losses worth billions are incurred and people do suffer on economic front. Economic losses due to Internet blockage cannot be neglected but I want people to use this in a positive way. This should not be construed that I support the Internet breakdown by the authorities but I aspire that we should achieve positive benefits out of it. We can try to achieve back the lost cultural and religious values in times of no Internet and get back to our real life. In Quran, its mentioned that we should stay away from those things which takes us away from the creator. if disproportionate Internet usage becomes a hurdle in achieving our religious and social goals we should give it a break and Internet ban can play a vital role in that direction.

    Generally students and aspirants who are preparing for various competitive exams waste their time on Internet and Social Media which shatters their preparations and they fail to excel in their respective exams. One of the toppers of Kashmir once said that she topped in her exams as she stayed aloof from Social Media and that paved the way for her brilliant success in her exams. When Internet is banned owing to security reasons by Govt, the same time period could be utilized aptly to outshine in various tests including competitive exams.   

    Life is beautiful and sometimes it should be spent in nature to enjoy the real beauty of our existence away from artificial world (Internet). There is no doubt that we suffer economically due to frequent Internet blockades but at the same time it can be used in a positive note with which we can get back to our real life and generate and promote creativity in us.

    Former President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam once said, “Sometimes, it’s better to bunk a class and enjoy with friends”. We can apply the same trend vis-à-vis Internet in which we can get off from the Internet sometimes to enjoy the real elegance and charm of nature. Momentarily Internet stoppage provides us an opportune moment to accomplish the same.

    The  Writer Can Be Reached At [email protected]

     

       

  • Salman Nizami dares Bhandarkar; Make movie on Mob Lynching, Godhra riots

    NEW DELHI: In an open letter to Film Maker Madhur Bhandarkar, Congress leader Salman Nizami challenged him to make a movie on Mob Lynchings and Godhra riots. Nizami in his letter wrote ” Before deriding a martyr of the distinction of revered Indira Gandhi ji, ostensibly to please the vainglorious people in power, those who scream nationalism without doing anything worthwhile for the nation’s progress, you should have once listened to your inner voice which must have at least once tried to stop you from this heinous attack on a nation builder, camouflaged as cinema. During your childhood, when you were struggling to compete with the rich in an unequal world, Indira ji was making your way easier by eroding the many discriminations deep embedded in society. One such heroic step aimed at bridging inequality and fighting unemployment was bank privatisation. It catapulted a population of Indians from outright deprivation to the comfort of well to do middle classes. Green Revolution rescued the poor who slept hungry. Abolition of Privy Purse strengthened democracy and our sovereignty. She endured bullets so that terrorism was eradicated and you slept in peace. Last but nit the least, instead of bromancing the prime minister of a hostile foreign power on Christmas day, she tore them into two pieces. Don’t defame this brilliant woman to appease worms from the BJP who are tearing our own nation’s glorious reputation internationally, by unleashing barbaric practices such as mob lynching of the minorities. She & her son Rajiv also sacrificed their lives to uphold India’s integrity. I can understand you want to attract the attention of the ruling party,but defaming martyrs for the sake of movie promotion is abhorable. So be careful before you show rubbish about nation builders. And, by the way, do remember that the ones you are trying to impress have never done anything for the country, except spreading hate and fanaticism. By the way, I dare you. Make one movie on mob lynching by Gou Rakshaks and 2002 Godhra riots.

  • ‘People May Reject Me, Hate Me, But Can’t Ignore Me’

    To understand the mind behind this maverick politician Kashmir Observer correspondent Nidhi Suresh met Engineer Rasheed for a conversation.

    Srinagar: Engineer Sheikh Abdul Rasheed, aka Er Rasheed, a firebrand politician and an independent legislator, is hogging headlines these days.

    A little known political figure from frontier Langate constituency in North Kashmir not long time back, is now a star attraction on almost every other news channel debating Kashmir. He is a must watch politician, unlike his peers in the mainstream politics.

    His admirers call him ‘brutally honest’ person who calls spade a spade. He is watched as he gives vent to the Kashmiri peoples’ frustrations on national media, where partisan anchors often mute his voice. His detractors call him a hypocrite who has taken oath of allegiance to India in the Assembly but terms same country as an occupier. 

    How does it feel to be on a national television where you’re constantly shut down? 

    Humiliated. It makes me feel like I’m a citizen of a colonial power called India, where even journalists have lost their ethics and morality. The main problem is that information is not allowed to flow from this part of the earth to India. My aim is to put some iota of truth on record and hope that somebody will listen to it. 

    How do you think national media is narrativizing Kashmir? 

    If I answer this question, it will only help India. I think, every Kashmiri should be thankful to the so called ‘National Media’ because it gives us a reason to hate India. It strengthens our commitment and exposes the dirty ultra-nationalistic ideologies of India. Such media should in fact be a great cause of concern for the real patriots of India because national media is doing what ISI can’t do to India. 

    You have taken an oath of allegiance to India, yet you speak against it. In that regard, is it not hypocritical that you constantly accuse India to be an occupying force? 

    This is a very simple question. Unfortunately, the narrative behind this question has been created by the Hurriyat who boycotted elections and named everybody else standing for election as traitor. Also, I have not taken oath under Indian constitution; I have taken oath under constitution of Jammu and Kashmir. UN resolutions categorically have identified that by no means, any law passed, can supersede UN resolutions. So, is GoI a bigger institution than UN? I wonder, Hindustani’s dhoka kisko derehe hai (who are Hindustani’s actually cheating?). 

    Also, where in the constitution does it say that I must lie? The oath is all about speaking the truth. If the constitution allows me to fight for our fundamental rights, then the UN charter clearly states that self-determination is my right. 

    India passed a resolution which calls J&K an integral part of India. The real question is, has the Indian State been able to honestly implement this resolution? If so, then why has it not stopped the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Gilgit, which is a part of disputed territory of your ‘integral part’? Clearly, Indians are the biggest hypocrites, befooling their own people and eroding their own credibility. 

    So you call Indian government a hypocrite? 

    If Pakistan says something, India rushes into a surgical strike. I am not advocating Pakistan’s ideologies but when Chinese do something worst, India doesn’t dare open its mouth. Why are you not having a surgical strike on China? That says enough, doesn’t it? 

    So where do Kashmiris stand in all this? 

    British were such nice people but they gave freedom to two fools – India and Pakistan. Two fools, who are not able to hold their countries together. We, Kashmiris were free long before India. But India’s struggle for freedom, took away ours. So now we are left with a very harsh, radical, unrealistic, illogical enemy called India. 

    How seriously are you taken by the mainstream politicians? 

    It is quite interesting; when they talk in assembly I am labelled as an IB agent. They also know that without Pakistani sentiment, they cannot survive here. So these politicians try to plant an impression that I have been planted here. And when people like Mehbooba Mufti visit New Delhi, they say “Oh this bloody Engineer Rasheed is a Pakistani. He will destroy all of us.” I have decided that I am doing all of this for myself, for my conscience. 

    Many people think you are an agent of the Indian army because you speak so harshly, yet you remain untouched. 

    Why are you putting my life at risk by asking this? You know that we’re living in a conflict zone. 

    Am I not the man who is fighting 22 cases against the army in the State Human Rights Commission? Army has used me as forced labour for 15 long years. One night when an encounter took place, they dragged my wife by her hair from my house for about 50 feet. My father has been tortured, and I have lost 6 people from my family. 

    If you speak for your people, your enemies will also respect you. 

    Yet not many people follow you?

    I don’t care. I am speaking for myself. I am not in a politician by conviction. I casted my first vote for myself. I never dreamt of winning elections but when it happened I decided to use it for the best. I am not India’s enemy or Pakistan’s puppet. Some people link me to Hurriyat but that is not the case. I respect them even though we have many differences that I can’t talk about, as it will harm our movement. Right now, I am only giving back to the dirty system which forced me to sell my land in 2006. I am still not sure if I should have made a party or not because it needs money, it needs muscle power and it needs you to be a liar. But I have not given up hope. I’m going to continue trying. People may reject me, they may hate me but you can’t ignore me. I will call a spade a spade. 

    What solution do you have in mind for Kashmir problem? 

    There are only five ways to solve the issue of J&K:

    1) Good sense should prevail with the Government of India and they should move forward and declare that they don’t care about Kashmir. 

    2) Pakistan should be strong enough to force India but that is not a possibility. 

    3) Militancy should be strong enough to drive out the seven lakh Indian soldiers. 

    4) International community should recognise and register the sufferings of Kashmiris and compel India and Pakistan to solve the issue 

    5) Hurriyat or main stream politicians should have the guts, the credibility and the vision to carry out a movement in a direction that India and Pakistan would feel compelled to sit and resolve it. 

    Unfortunately, all these five options have been exhausted. I do hope that Hurriyat can convince MLA’s within assemblies because the world only listens to them. Or if Hurriyat contests elections they will surely win and then they can make their stand clearer. 

    While the Hurriyat asks for negotiated settlement, JKLF demands independence, what is Engineer Rasheed’s roadmap for Kashmir? 

    Mine is a one point agenda: Plebiscite 

    India claims to be a so called ‘largest democracy’ and UN promised us a plebiscite. Now, there is no other way out. 

    But realistically do you think the Plebiscite will ever happen?

    When India started asking for freedom from British did anybody ever think it will actually ever happen? 

    What stops you from joining Hurriyat? 

    I am doing what I can do in my own way. Both, Mirwaiz and Geelani have declared that we are all sailing in the same boat. We all have the same ideology but we work differently.

    Do you want to be Chief Minister? 

    Who would not want to be a Chief Minister? But I know my worth; I will not get enough support. Kashmir has become a place of conspiracies. People tell me that today I speak against India just like what Mehbooba Mufti or Sheikh Abdullah used to when they were out of power. This is an unfair judgement. I always tell such people, “just because they betrayed you, doesn’t mean that I am not speaking the truth.”

    Courtesy: Kashmir Observer

  • ‘Kashmir will become Syria if US, China intervene’

    Srinagar: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday dismissed suggestions that the US, China or any other country should mediate in Kashmir issue and said India and Pakistan have to resolve the issue bilaterally.

    “Be it America or China, they should mind their own business. Wherever America intervened, you see (the situation in) Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.”

    “China has its own vexing issue in Tibet. So, I think we have a map here which is that we, India and Pakistan, have to talk even after war. We have to talk bilaterally and what can America, Turkey or England do with us?” Mehbooba said at Anantnag in south Kashmir.

    The chief minister was responding to a question on opposition National Conference (NC) president and Member of Parliament Farooq Abdullah’s suggestion of a third party mediation to resolve the Kashmir issue.

    Abdullah on Friday said India should take the help of “friends” to resolve the issue.

    Mehbooba asked Abdullah whether he wanted the situation in Kashmir to be similar to what it was in countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq where the US had intervened.

    “They have played spoilsport in major issues of the world. See what they have made up of Syria, see the situation of Afghanistan and Iraq. God forbid, does Farooq (Abdullah) want our situation similar to them? Or he wants our state to prosper?” the chief minister asked.

    She said both India and Pakistan have to respect the agreements between the two countries to end the hostilities. “We should take forward Shimla and Lahore agreements the way our elder leaders like (former PM) Indira Gandhi and (former PM Atal Bihari) Vajpayee did.

    “Everyday our soldiers and people die on border and the same happens (in Pakistan) as well. Some solution should come out for (ending) this and the solution will come only then when we, both the countries, respect these agreements,” she said.

    The CM said that dialogue is imperative as the two countries face pressing development issues.

    “We have to sit together and end poverty, provide our people with electricity, water and employment. India and Pakistan have to talk to each other,” she said.

  • No policy as child labour goes unchecked in Kashmir

    SRINAGAR: J&K government’s assertion that not a single case of child labour has been detected in Kashmir in 2016-17 has more to do with the lack of proper policy than the absence of such cases.
    Experts say that thousands of child labour cases are found in Kashmir, but the existing anti-child labour laws are full of loopholes. For instance, the Department of Labour considers only those cases as child labour where a child below the 18 years of age is working under an employer.
    In cases where children are working in unorganized sectors like carpet weaving, pashmina shawl making, and traditional family business, or work independently to support their families, are not included in child labour category.
    A huge percentage of child labour cases, experts say, have been reported from unorganized sectors like handicrafts, where children continue to work without receiving any help from government or from any of its agencies.
    “All the children (below 18) who aren’t enrolled at any educational institution amount to child labour because it is the age in which they should have been studying at schools. Though no one wishes to work as labourers at such age, but it is the bleak financial conditions that forces children and parents to do so,” says Sharif Bhat, Programme Manager, Save the Children.
    Sharif said that when the government says that a child working on their own will does not amount to child labour, then the claims of “no child labour” were no surprise.
    Moreover, as per the anti-child labour law, officials say, they can only act against employers where children below 14 are employed. There are no regulations for those who work on their own, or on the insistence of their families. Traditional families work is not covered under the law either.
    Insiders at the department say that if at all any case of child labour is traced, the department doesn’t follow the cases itself but leaves it up to the courts.
    To a request for information from labour department about the cases where trial was completed and prosecution was done in the court, officials said they had no details.
    The dearth of staff to monitor child labour is another challenge faced by the department. The department has 12 labour inspectors for all the ten districts of the valley which, officials say, is very little for “such tiresome work”.
    A labour inspector, wishing anonymity, said that he has been assigned to overlook an entire district. “It is not possible for me to inspect each and every place in a district with other official engagements on my schedule as well. There is probability that we may miss child labour cases somewhere,” the inspector said.
    Experts say, majority of children working as labourers are in sectors like handicrafts, carpet weaving, shawl weaving, agricultural activities, brick kilns and other traditional works of families.
    “Rather than turning blind eye towards the existing and growing menace, government should come up with policies where root cause of the menace of child labour is addressed. Challenging employers or asking children not to work when they struggle to even manage two meals a day is not a solution. There should be a policy where these children would get handsome economic benefits besides training and basic education,” says Bhat of Save the Children.
    In inspections carried out at 90 different locations across the Kashmir in 2016-17, the labour department has said that they have found not a single case of child labour.
    An independent survey ‘Child labour in Jammu and Kashmir-Social, Economical and Ethical dimension’ conducted by a Prof Fayaz Ahmed Nikka, puts the figures of children in labour at a staggering 2.50 lakh in Jammu and Kashmir. The 2001 census report also points out that as many as 1,75,000 children were working as labourers in Jammu and Kashmir.
    Back in 1996, a Government of India (GoI) sponsored scheme – National Child Labour Project (NCLP) – was launched with an aim to control and curb the menace of growing child labour in Jammu & Kashmir.
    Under this scheme, the Labour Department was supposed to provide a monthly stipend of Rs 150 to the children besides giving them basic education and vocational training. Around 11 Child Labour special schools in areas like Parimpora, Foreshore road, Kursoo Rajbagh and Habak of Srinagar were established. Scores of children, who were earlier recovered from different workplaces, are studying in these schools.
    However, the willingness of children to work as labourers limits the impact of the scheme.
    “They don’t work to support their own needs but that of family. They need stipends to get rid of burden of supporting family,” said a department insider.
    How serious are the efforts put in by the labour department to eradicate the menace can be gauged by the fact that not a single holistic survey has been conducted so far to ascertain the quantum of child labour in Kashmir. Moreover, there is no proper data management of cases detected during the inspection or the cases in which the department filed challans in courts.
    Admitting there was a lack of comprehensive anti-child labour policy, assistant labour commissioner Srinagar, Malik Tanveer told Kashmir Reader that there are family compulsions and bleak financial conditions of families that force parents to send their children to work as labourers.
    “In that context, rehabilitating the children from very poor background holds no rational arguments because, they (children) are willingly working at establishments to support their family. Ideally there should have been a mechanism where these special cases could have been identified and a handsome stipend besides education and training would be provided to them. Only then, we could succeed in our objective,” Tanveer said.
    “We don’t consider that as a child labour if someone (below the fourteen years of age) works independently to earn few pennies,” he said. Asked if these cases form a huge percentage in Srinagar and elsewhere in valley, he says there are no provisions for the case like them.
    “There is need to have some provisions where we could address these cases as well but then it lies with policy makers to ponder over it,” he said.
    On many occasions, he says, inspectors of labour department received backlash from the employers as well as from those who employ the children because there are no laid down guidelines that gives us powers to a strong action.
    “Whenever our inspection team visits any establishment where they believe child labourers are employed, to escape government action, the children deny they are working there or if at all, they are caught red handed then they show manipulated birth certificates or manage to bring birth certificates documents signed from doctors to our inspectors. That leaves our inspection teams helpless,” he says.

    Courtesy: Kashmir Reader