Mohammed boarded the plane... adjusted his seat and fastened his seatbelt, He was an active attractive young man. He wasn't very religious and had drifted away from the Lord Almighty...The Plane took off.. Muhammad started thinking about his trip to the United States of America, He will have the time of his life over there...with all kinds of drinks, pubs, disco's and nightclubs...in addition to finding alot of girls the way he always dreamt about.
As he plans throughout the trip, he totally forgets the one that gave him the strength and youth can also deprive him of them at any moment He Arrived and rented an apartment and put his luggage and started the tours as planned... He stayed up all night and slept all day... He heard the Adhan (prayer calls) more than once at corners where minority Muslims lived,but he never thought that this voice is calling him.A MUSLIM.
He Spent allot of money... He got so drunk he lost track of time and was unaware of what was happening around him. Mohammed said: My life has been this way fo a while until one night I entered a nightclub, full of gorgeous girls, I asked for a drink and began drinking "I know that God has forbidden alcoholic drinks" But, my lust and ego in addition to the clemency (mercy) of my Lord made me forget this fact. I saw a charming young lady with dazzling beauty as she came up to me with looks of lust and desire. She got closer , gave me her hand and threw herself at me.True, I have disobeyed God allot, But my feelings at that moment...were totally different. She had arab features and to my surprise, she spoke to me with broken Arabic.
She Said: Are you an Arab?? I answered: Yes She said: me too... i'm an American citizen... I was born here She asked: What is your name? I said: Mohammed She replied: I do not like this name. I said: Why? She answered: Because I’m.....Christian Suddenly i felt my body repelling her... My heart has felt her animosity to Islam But this does not affect me... from all the desires that filled and covered my heart. I Smiled. and changed the subject I said: Would you like to dance? She Said: Yes. We Danced, The hours passed , I asked her to leave with me... But she refused. I tried more than once... So that she would surrender herself to me, but she refused.
I left that night and her picture would not leave my head, i would see that gorgeous lady wherever i looked, My heart became too weak, because is was far from the Almighty God The second night passed... then the third... Everyday i get more attached to her and desired her more and more... until a disaster happened: I spoke to her one night and told her: I want you to sleep at my place tonight. She Said: I don't mind. But On one condition;......!
Condition ? what ?...!
Put this on and she pulled a chain out of her pocket with a cross in it, I started getting a strange feeling, I know I am a sinner, although I don't pray and haven't seen my parents for months, But i am still a Muslim !! BUT, having her is above everything...I rushed and took the chain... And put it on around my neck like a prisoner, smiling!
She said astonished: Oh... that's beautiful... it's my gift to you, but... you have to wear it whenever you meet me.
Unbelievable..!nights passed with this gorgeous babe, beautiful times... Satan made her even more and more attractive in my eyes. One night she refused to come with me, I needed her so much... I tried to beg her, i even tried to seduce her with money She said: NO... Honestly, I want you to become a Christian.
Oh my God... O God, Her words shocked me... I said: Impossible
She said: so it's impossible for us to continue with this relationship after tonight.
Satan started playing with my mind: "Say yes!! Say OK!! that won't hurt you.. Say you will disbelieve in Islam " it won't harm you... this girl will please you” I left it at that, the night passed ... The second day... I found her more attractive and more beautiful, She got closer... Until her face was so close to mine And said: Oh, you are ruthless... Don’t you feel the love? I melted like a candle by her words and almost fell. I said: of-course i do... why do you think i’m suffering? She Said: What prevents you from being a Christian? I will marry you here if you become a Christian!! I broke down, all my determination and beliefs are being tested, I started forgetting everything; I forgot that my name is "Mohammed" the name of the "Messenger of Allah peace be upon him" I forgot my father who used to wake me up when I was in school for Fajr prayer I forgot my mother who prayed for my guidance everytime i enter the house late at night I forgot myself. I have become a slave to the love and passion of this woman.
I accepted, went with her, shaved my head and thin lined beard , And became a Christian... I Entered the church for the first time, I cried endlessly as i entered through the doors, the tears i cried were "my faith" leaving my body!! O God...After all of this.... How can i do such a thing? And what will my punishment be? Hell!!
O God...Where is my fear and love for God?!? am i that shameless? what has happened to my pride of my religion?! Everything is gone after today... Like a mad man I went back to my apartment...rubbing my bald head.. Shouting: What have you done, O Mohammed!?!? have you left the religion of Mohammed??! I started crying like a baby, closed the door of my apartment and drowned in the my tears. Satan came to me and said: "There is no way back, Mohammed...No way to return you are now a non-muslim a "Kafir" (disbeliever) and you will die as a disbeliever"!!
I remembered my grandfather when he used to call the adhan for prayers... I remembered my Quran that was always in my room.... ooh! I remembered a friend of mine that used to warn and advise me by saying: O Muhammad... Beware of the bad ending...dying on the wrong path.
I started to scream and shouted: Noooooo, Oh God...Nooo.. Oh God! PLEASE do not take my soul now! I will return to Islam! I will get back to the Quran! I will get back to you Allah!
I rushed to the bathroom... threw the cross and had a shower to purify me from all the filth i was in and got ready for prayer. As i came out... I felt that all my sins has been rinsed and a wight has been removed off my back, tears would not stop falling like raindrops and i said:
"Ashadu anna la ilaha illa allah wa ashhadu anna muhammad rasoolu allah "
I certify that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger of God"
O God, how sweet are these words, It is truly the key of happiness, Oh Allah I am returning to you, I am returning to my prayers, I am returning to obeying my parents, I am returning to keeping intact the ties of kinship, I am returning to fasting, I am returning all the good deeds you have asked of us muslims, O Allah. I took the first plane to go back to my country, the first thing I heard the moment i arrived at the airport Is the call for prayer "Adhan" Tears fell uncontrollably..."Will Allah forgive me"? I went to my mother, I threw myself on her shoulder and just cried, Oh Mother... I will never disobey my Lord, O mother forgive my disobedience.
She hugged me tight and said: "My dear boy... Be good to Allah and obey Him... He is merciful...and accepts repentance. Days passed and Mohammed's life is moving from good to better and his soul is filled with happiness, He only suffers whenever he remembers that trip. Everyday his mother would come to his room at night and hear him crying, reading the Quran or seeking forgiveness "istighfar and duaa" .
One day his mother went to his room to wake him for Fajr (Morning) prayer, Opened the door,she inhaled a beautiful scent that she had never known. She put her hands on the bed trying to feel her son, bur he wasn't in his bed, She looked across the room with her weak sight and saw him in a "sujood"(prostration) knelt position on the prayer rug.
She stood staring at him and waiting.... she waited too long She Called: Mohammed.. my son. He did not raise his head.
His mother Approached him... Reached out and moved him..he fell on his side... She couldn't believe it or bear this situation.Could it be? could her son have died knelling in his prayer?! She couldn't bear watching this spectacular and difficult scene... Heavy tears came out of her eyes She called:: Hey boys girls !! O people of the house ... O People of the house Look at your brother "Mohammed" move him, shake him!!! O Mother!!! said his younger brother: My brother Mohammed has died... He died kneeling! She knew that the scent she had smelt of a pure soul brought by the angels of mercy that took his pure spirit to his lord and master whom was proud to have this clean soul returned to its creator... And Allah gave him a good ending. He loved Allah and Allah loved him.
Congratulations, O Mohammed, this is love.. Congratulations for this ending... What do you think brothers and sisters? Let's all pledge: To only love and do what pleases Allah and to hate what the almighty hates.
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Tuesday, November 30
Monday, October 18
THE JOURNEY FROM PARADISE TO HELL: KASHMIR DISPUTE
The last 63 years have been so painful for the once so called the paradise on earth-Kashmir. The people here are getting crushed now & then because of the self-centered policies of the two estranged neighbors of Asia: India & Pakistan. The dispute is currently the oldest unresolved international conflict in the world. The Indian troops-to-Kashmiri people ratio in the occupied Kashmir is the largest ever soldiers-to-civilians ratio in the world. There are approximately 600,000 Indian military forces including regular army, Para-military troops, border security force and police currently deployed in Kashmir. This has resulted in grave Human rights violation. According to Kashmir Dispatch estimates, the number of persons killed in Occupied Kashmir from January 1989 to August 2010 is 93,340.About 117,345 Civilians were arrested,105,861 structures destroyed, 22,728 women widowed,107,351 Children orphaned & 9,920 women raped/molested in the same period. The queries that frequently strike the mind of every common Kashmiri in general and particularly the wretched new generation of the valley, which has never witnessed peace in their native land, are that why are we being treated as slaves? Why don't they have the right to speak their miseries? And why the basic Human right of freedom is being snatched away from them? This has resulted in frequent uprisings in the valley for freedom and will continue till the Issue is settled amicably.
Kashmir has been hot & ideal subject matter for the writers to gain popularity and earn quick bucks particularly in the last twenty years. But the question, however, is how far the information provided by these authors is authentic & relevant. To understand the complexity of Kashmir dispute, we have to reconstitute and reorganize the coffer of history in order to scrutinize the facts, but being impartial and unbiased. Let's investigate specifically the reasons responsible for the loss of charm and glory of Kashmir and its transformation into a look-alike to hell.
Until 1846, Kashmir was part of the Sikh empire. In that year, under the Treaty of Amritsar between the East India Company and Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu, Kashmir Valley was sold for mere Rs.7.5 million to Raja Gulab Singh who added it to Jammu and Ladakh which were already under his rule. The Maharaja signed a separate treaty with the British which gave him the status of an independent princely ruler of Kashmir. Gulab Singh died in 1857 and was replaced by Rambir Singh (1857-1885). Two other Marajas, Partab Singh (1885-1925) and Hari Singh (1925-1949) ruled in succession. Gulab Singh and his successors ruled Kashmir in a tyrannical and repressive way. The people of Kashmir, nearly 80 per cent of whom were Muslims, rose against Maharaja Hari Singh's rule. He ruthlessly crushed a mass uprising in 1931. In 1932, Sheikh Abdullah formed Kashmir's first political party-the All Jammu & Kashmir Muslim Conference (renamed as National Conference in 1939). The Glancy Commission appointed by the Maharaja published a report in April 1932, confirming the existence of the grievances of the State's subjects and suggested recommendations providing for adequate representation of Muslims in the State's services; Maharaja accepted these recommendations but delayed implementation, leading to another agitation in 1934; Maharaja granted a Constitution providing a Legislative Assembly for the people, but the Assembly turned out to be powerless.
The debate concerning the future of Kashmir gained impetus particularly from the days of transfer of power and the partition of British India way back in 1947. On 15 August 1947, the Indian subcontinent became independent. Kashmir signed a Standstill Agreement with Pakistan. Rulers of Princely States were encouraged to accede their States to either Dominion - India or Pakistan, taking into account factors such as geographical contiguity and the wishes of their people. The Maharaja of Kashmir delayed his decision in an effort to remain independent. In theory, rulers were allowed to accede their States to either Dominion, irrespective of the wishes of their people; but as a practical matter, they were encouraged to accede to the geographically contiguous Dominion, taking into account the wishes of their people and in cases where a dispute arose, it was decided to settle the question of accession by a plebiscite, a scheme proposed and accepted by India. Being a Muslim majority State and flanking to Pakistan, Kashmir was expected to accede to Pakistan. Since the Hindu Ruler acceded instead to India, a dispute arose in the case of Kashmir. In 1948, India imposed and won a plebiscite in the case of Junagadh, which had a Hindu majority ruled by a Muslim Ruler who acceded to Pakistan; However, in the case of Kashmir, the mirror image of Junagadh, India did not hold a plebiscite; Pakistan applied its own share of double standards by having divergent positions on Kashmir and Junagadh, insisting it get both.
According to historians, the last Viceroy of British India, Sir Lord Mountbatten's rather friendly relationship with Jawaharlal Nehru and the latter's sympathetic attitude towards Sheikh Abdullah and strong affection to what after all was his ancestral home, Kashmir, was the root of all crisis. Around this emotional 'triangle' revolves the history of the Kashmir dispute. Nevertheless, many other famous personalities of the past too played their part, but these three men ultimately were to decide the future of Kashmir and its people. In 1946, majority of the Kashmir people wanted an independent state. The two major political parties at that time, National Conference headed by Sheikh M. Abdullah and the Muslim Conference, however, had kept other options open in case the dream of independent Kashmir was not realized. Sheikh's National Conference had opened its doors for Indian accession (Sheikh Abdullah's decision might have been triggered out of his indifference towards M.A. Jinnah), while Muslim Conference, owing to its links to the Muslim League in British India was ready with accession to Pakistan. One of the prominent writers of the contemporary world, Alastair Lamb writes, “It is to be regretted that during the crucial weeks prior to the Transfer of Power Sheikh Abdullah remained in prison and was unable either to keep in touch with the march of events or to make his own views widely clear".
Sheikh was basically 'worshipped' by the people of the valley. According to historians the key objectives behind Sheikh Abdullah's "Quit Kashmir in 1946" movement was the removal of Dogra rule and its replacement by an independent Kashmir but later on he had developed strong affection towards India or to be more specifically towards Jawaharlal Nehru, who was after all liable for his release from the Maharaja's prison. When Jawaharlal Nehru realized the extraordinary position of Sheikh Abdullah in the state, he for that reason used Sheikh's influence as a tool in his policy of Jammu and Kashmir. This was indeed the reason why Nehru urged the release of Sheikh Abdullah and the latter's radical change from his policy of Independent Kashmir. Nevertheless, If Sheikh Abdullah would not have been in prison at the time of the Transfer of Power, even then there would not have been any change in his stand over the accession to India, since he strongly disliked M.A. Jinnah and his Muslim League.
Anxious Indian leaders in Delhi used all the political policies to make Kashmir a part of India. The policy of India has always been to extricate the anti-India elements in the valley. Pandit Ram Kak, Maharaja's Prime Minister, was expelled in 1947 owing to his policy of non-Indian future for the state. Even the Indian loyalist Sheikh Abdullah was not spared. Sheikh was put behind bars for his constant demand for the 'promised' autonomy. Augmentation of Pro-Indian elements in the administration supplemented the interest of Maharaja Hari Singh to accede to India. However, before he could have realized his ambition, Indian leaders were quick enough to grab the opportunity of 'invading' Kashmir.
In spring 1947, internal upheaval began in the Poonch region against domineering taxation under the recently imposed direct rule by the Maharaja. Poonch was chiefly a Muslim area. Maharaja strengthened the Sikh and Hindu sects in the Muslim areas and ordered the Muslims to hand over arms with the police. In August, Maharaja's tyrannically fired upon demonstrations favoring Kashmir joining Pakistan. Innocent people got killed in that act. The people of Poonch along with their families crossed over to Pakistan and later returned with arms. In the last week of August, a condition of unrest and lopsided violence turned into an organized rebellion. The Poonch rebels declared an independent government of "Azad" Kashmir on 24 October. Barring National Conference other political parties including the Muslim Conference and the Chiefs of Gilgit region, advised the Maharaja against acceding to the Indian Union. While in prison, Sheikh Abdullah wrote a letter to a friend in Jammu, which is published in the Congress press, in favor of accession of Kashmir to India. On 22 October, he explained the apprehension of the Kashmiri Muslims in joining India, keeping in view the massacre of Muslims in Kapurthala and elsewhere in India. On 22 October, thousands of Pathan tribesmen from Pakistan recruited by the Poonch rebels invade Kashmir along with the Poonch rebels, allegedly exasperated by the atrocities against fellow Muslims in Poonch and Jammu. The tribesmen engage in looting and killing along the way. The tribesmen and the Poonch rebels were unofficially supported by various individuals and high ranking officials in Pakistan. India accuses Pakistan of violating the Standstill Agreement with Kashmir by disrupting the supply links and of engaging in aggression by sending in the tribesmen.
On 26 October 1947, the Maharaja of the State of Jammu and Kashmir signed the Instrument of Accession (IOA, acceding the 75% majority Muslim region to the Indian Union following invasion by the tribesmen from Pakistan. According to the 1948 Indian White Paper, India accepted the accession, regarding it provisional until such time as the will of the people can be ascertained by a plebiscite since Kashmir was recognized as a disputed territory. It should be noted that the IOA itself does not specify any provisionality or conditionality of accession, while the White Paper specifies it undoubtedly, thus creating a conflict between strict legal interpretation and repeated official promise made to the people of Kashmir.
The Indian army entered the state on 27 October 1947. Pakistan argued that the accession is illegal & Maharaja has no right to sign an agreement with India when the standstill agreement with Pakistan is still in force. Jawaharlal Nehru played a rather controversial part in the Pathan invasion in 1947. The purpose of sending the forces to Kashmir, as Nehru himself declared in the telegram to British Prime Minister, Attlee on 25th October, was only to defend the advancing Pathan forces and not something designed to influence the state to accede to India. Although Nehru and Mountbatten had declared that the decision of accession must be decided according to the wishes of the people, but reasonably that was not to be the case. There is no evading the fact that the decision of accession to India was taken against the will and wishes of the majority of the population of the state. Kashmir was provisionally accepted into the Indian Union pending a free and impartial plebiscite. This was spelled out in a letter from the Governor General of India, Lord Mountbatten, to the Maharaja on 27 October 1947. In the letter, accepting the accession, Mountbatten made it clear that the State would only be incorporated into the Indian Union after a orientation had been made to the people of Kashmir. Having acknowledged the principle of a plebiscite, India has obstructed all attempts at holding a plebiscite.
On 5 January 1949, UNCIP (United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan) resolution states that the question of the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India or Pakistan will be determined through a free and unbiased plebiscite. As per the 1948 and 1949 UNCIP resolutions, both countries established the principle that the withdrawal of Pakistani and Indian forces, as a basis for the formulation of a Truce agreement & it would be followed by a plebiscite. However, both countries failed to arrive at a Truce agreement due to differences in whether the Azad Kashmiri army is to be disbanded during the truce stage or the plebiscite stage. On 17 October, the Indian Constituent Assembly adopted Article 370 of the Constitution, ensuring a special status and internal autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir with Indian jurisdiction in Kashmir limited to the three areas as decided in the IOA, namely, defense, foreign affairs and communications only. In 1952 Jawaharlal Nehru in the Lok Sabha on August 7 said, "...Ultimately - I say this with all deference to this Parliament - the decision will be made in the hearts and minds of the men and women of Kashmir; neither in this Parliament, nor in the United Nations nor by anybody else".
On 30 October 1956, the state Constituent Assembly adopted a constitution for the state declaring it an integral part of the Indian Union. On 24 January 1957, UN passed another resolution stating that such actions would not constitute a final disposition of the State. India's Home Minister, Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant, during his visit to Srinagar, stated that the State of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and there can be no question of a plebiscite. In 1962 India and China had a war on account of a border dispute in the Ladakh region. At the end of war, China occupied 37,555 sq. kms from Indian held Kashmir at Aksai-chin and Demochok in Ladakh. In December, 5180 sq. kms are conditionally taken over by China at Shaksgam in Northern Areas of Kashmir under Pakistan control. After the release of Sheikh Abdullah, the ailing Prime Minister Nehru sent him to Pakistan on 25 May, in an effort to resolve the Kashmir problem, taking into account the wishes of Kashmiris. Nehru passed away on 27 May and the talks got stranded. In Aug 1965, Pakistan undertook Operation Gibraltar and sent in a few thousand armed infiltrators across the cease-fire line. Incidents of violence increased in Kashmir valley. A full Indo-Pakistani war broke out. In January 1966, Tashkent Declaration was signed by both countries agreeing to revert to pre-1965 position, under Russian mediation. India and Pakistan signed yet another agreement, the Simla Agreement in July 1972, which had a clause that the final settlement of Kashmir will be decided bilaterally in the future and that both the sides shall respect the LOC. In November, 1974 Kashmir Accord was signed by G.Parthasarathy for Indira Gandhi and Mirza Afzal Beg for Sheikh Abdullah, who was out of power at that time. The Accord retained Kashmir's special status, but the state was termed as a 'constituent unit of the Union of India'. Opposition parties and Pakistan condemned the Accord. In 1987 Farooq Abdullah won the elections. The Muslim United Front (MUF) accused that the elections were rigged. The MUF candidate Mohammad Yousuf Shah got imprisoned who later became Syed Salahuddin, chief of militant outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahedin. His election aides (known as the HAJY group) - Abdul Hamid Shaikh, Ashfaq Majid Wani, Javed Ahmed Mir and Mohammed Yasin Malik - joined the JKLF. In 1989 Militancy increases with bomb blasts. Kashmiri Pandits Jia Lal Taploo and Neel Kanth Ganjoo were killed by militants for sentencing Maqbool Butt to death in 1984.
In the Indian Defence Review of July 1989, one of India's top defence specialists, K.Subrahmanyam, cited the existence of a secret Pakistani plan to start a Kashmiri uprising, code-named 'Operation Topac'. However, this plan later proved false and concocted by Indian analysts as a hypothetical exercise, a fact Subramanian later acknowledged. Indian politicians have always been effective at spreading rumors and taking benefit of it (at least in case of Kashmir). They very skillfully held Pakistan responsible for whatever was happening in Kashmir. Indian leaders and media have absolutely attested the exactness in Joseph Goebel's sayings, “frequently repeated lies have the potential of being acknowledged as the truth". Even the Governor-General, Mountbatten appeared to have acknowledged without question every rumor antagonistic to Pakistan.
On 20 January 1990, an anticipated 100 people got killed when a large crowd of unarmed protesters were fired upon by the Indian troops at the Gawakadal Bridge. With this episode, it becomes an insurgency of the entire population. Lassa Kaul, director of Srinagar Doordarshan was killed by the militants for pro-India media policy. In the end of February, an estimated 400,000 Kashmiris take to the streets of Srinagar, demanding a plebiscite. On March 1, an estimated one million took to the streets and more than 40 people got killed in police firing. Massive protest by unarmed civilians rocked the Srinagar streets. In the last decade of 20th Century an officially estimated 10,000 desperate Kashmiri youth cross-over to Pakistan for training and procurement of arms. Gradually the militant insurgency declined by the end of year 2001.
In 2009, there were violent protests particularly in Shopian town and in Kashmir at large against the alleged rape and murder of two women. The protesters accused the security personnel of raping and murdering Neelofar Jan (22) and Asiya Jan (17). They also accused the State government and the police of hiding the facts. These protests were followed by the strike call by the sovereigntist–secessionist leaders. The Demands for justice, self-determination and removal of the Indian forces started. As soon as the protests started police and Indian armed forces in order to halt the protests batten charged the protesters and fired repeated tear gas canisters. Hundreds of people were injured and one person died due to an injury caused by a tear smoke shell. From May 30 to July 13 there were approximately 897 civilian injuries due to police. Many pro-freedom leaders were put under house arrest or jailed. Amidst public outcry, the state government, on 3 June 2009, appointed a commission headed by Justice Muzaffar Ahmad Jan to investigate the case. The panel submitted a 400-page report to the government. Jan commission report was considered a mere eye wash as no conclusion was drawn out of it. The CBI investigation further added to the people’s anger which erupted in 2010 with a yet another Uprising against the atrocities on Kashmiris.
June 2010 Uprising commenced with the assassination of three youths in a fake encounter in Matsel, Bandipora by Indian Army. All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) called it ‘The Quit Jammu Kashmir Movement’. The call for this campaign, led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was given for absolute demilitarization of Jammu and Kashmir. The Hurriyat accused Indian Forces of various human rights abuses including fake encounters, killings of dozens of innocent youth, sexual violence against women, destruction of property and exploitation of the region’s natural resources, and claimed that “oppression has reached the extreme’’. The movement by APHC was aimed to reiterate the call for the right to self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir as was promised by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947, the then Prime Minister of India, under the auspices of the United Nations. Subsequently, the movement resulted in the continued street protests. Stone pelting by protesters and police firing were the routine of each day. An estimated 111Kashmiris mostly youngsters got killed from June-October 2010 where as more than 2,000 civilians got injured. The grave human rights violation can be ascertained by the fact that 70 injured persons in Government dental college hospital had to undergo maxillofacial surgeries & whose one or other part of the face got paralyzed by bullets and teargas shells. There were also number of cases of paraplegia & quadriplegia whose limbs and arms got permanently paralyzed for life. According to one estimate about 80% of Kashmiris were suffering from disturbed circadian rhythm (biological clock) syndrome since June 11.Surprisingly only one security personnel got killed and that too due to the negligence of his own driver. Due to the deaths of several teenagers during the 2010 protests, the year 2010 has been marked by analysts as the year of teenage killing in Kashmir.
The uprising of 2010 has been distinct in that it was purely led by youngsters both on street and off-street on internet. Marketing and information technology experts estimate at least 40,000 Kashmir residents were on Facebook and most of them being e-protesters. The facebook page for ‘Bekaar Jamaath’ or the Idle Group, amassed about 12,000 members in three months before being hacked, removed, re-established and renamed as ‘aalaw-the call’ in august 2010. Video song of intense stone throwing by protesters, Stone in My Hand, became a hit with the demonstrators. Eid-ul-Fitr in Kashmir was altogether different from any other Eid celebrated in Kashmir. There were no festivities. Mood was somber and gloomy. Social sharing was modest. For the first time in my living memory, there were no toys being sold. No children with fancy dresses going to parks. For the first time ever, there were no crackers being burst. Kashmir looked united in grief.
Kashmir has been hot & ideal subject matter for the writers to gain popularity and earn quick bucks particularly in the last twenty years. But the question, however, is how far the information provided by these authors is authentic & relevant. To understand the complexity of Kashmir dispute, we have to reconstitute and reorganize the coffer of history in order to scrutinize the facts, but being impartial and unbiased. Let's investigate specifically the reasons responsible for the loss of charm and glory of Kashmir and its transformation into a look-alike to hell.
Until 1846, Kashmir was part of the Sikh empire. In that year, under the Treaty of Amritsar between the East India Company and Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu, Kashmir Valley was sold for mere Rs.7.5 million to Raja Gulab Singh who added it to Jammu and Ladakh which were already under his rule. The Maharaja signed a separate treaty with the British which gave him the status of an independent princely ruler of Kashmir. Gulab Singh died in 1857 and was replaced by Rambir Singh (1857-1885). Two other Marajas, Partab Singh (1885-1925) and Hari Singh (1925-1949) ruled in succession. Gulab Singh and his successors ruled Kashmir in a tyrannical and repressive way. The people of Kashmir, nearly 80 per cent of whom were Muslims, rose against Maharaja Hari Singh's rule. He ruthlessly crushed a mass uprising in 1931. In 1932, Sheikh Abdullah formed Kashmir's first political party-the All Jammu & Kashmir Muslim Conference (renamed as National Conference in 1939). The Glancy Commission appointed by the Maharaja published a report in April 1932, confirming the existence of the grievances of the State's subjects and suggested recommendations providing for adequate representation of Muslims in the State's services; Maharaja accepted these recommendations but delayed implementation, leading to another agitation in 1934; Maharaja granted a Constitution providing a Legislative Assembly for the people, but the Assembly turned out to be powerless.
The debate concerning the future of Kashmir gained impetus particularly from the days of transfer of power and the partition of British India way back in 1947. On 15 August 1947, the Indian subcontinent became independent. Kashmir signed a Standstill Agreement with Pakistan. Rulers of Princely States were encouraged to accede their States to either Dominion - India or Pakistan, taking into account factors such as geographical contiguity and the wishes of their people. The Maharaja of Kashmir delayed his decision in an effort to remain independent. In theory, rulers were allowed to accede their States to either Dominion, irrespective of the wishes of their people; but as a practical matter, they were encouraged to accede to the geographically contiguous Dominion, taking into account the wishes of their people and in cases where a dispute arose, it was decided to settle the question of accession by a plebiscite, a scheme proposed and accepted by India. Being a Muslim majority State and flanking to Pakistan, Kashmir was expected to accede to Pakistan. Since the Hindu Ruler acceded instead to India, a dispute arose in the case of Kashmir. In 1948, India imposed and won a plebiscite in the case of Junagadh, which had a Hindu majority ruled by a Muslim Ruler who acceded to Pakistan; However, in the case of Kashmir, the mirror image of Junagadh, India did not hold a plebiscite; Pakistan applied its own share of double standards by having divergent positions on Kashmir and Junagadh, insisting it get both.
According to historians, the last Viceroy of British India, Sir Lord Mountbatten's rather friendly relationship with Jawaharlal Nehru and the latter's sympathetic attitude towards Sheikh Abdullah and strong affection to what after all was his ancestral home, Kashmir, was the root of all crisis. Around this emotional 'triangle' revolves the history of the Kashmir dispute. Nevertheless, many other famous personalities of the past too played their part, but these three men ultimately were to decide the future of Kashmir and its people. In 1946, majority of the Kashmir people wanted an independent state. The two major political parties at that time, National Conference headed by Sheikh M. Abdullah and the Muslim Conference, however, had kept other options open in case the dream of independent Kashmir was not realized. Sheikh's National Conference had opened its doors for Indian accession (Sheikh Abdullah's decision might have been triggered out of his indifference towards M.A. Jinnah), while Muslim Conference, owing to its links to the Muslim League in British India was ready with accession to Pakistan. One of the prominent writers of the contemporary world, Alastair Lamb writes, “It is to be regretted that during the crucial weeks prior to the Transfer of Power Sheikh Abdullah remained in prison and was unable either to keep in touch with the march of events or to make his own views widely clear".
Sheikh was basically 'worshipped' by the people of the valley. According to historians the key objectives behind Sheikh Abdullah's "Quit Kashmir in 1946" movement was the removal of Dogra rule and its replacement by an independent Kashmir but later on he had developed strong affection towards India or to be more specifically towards Jawaharlal Nehru, who was after all liable for his release from the Maharaja's prison. When Jawaharlal Nehru realized the extraordinary position of Sheikh Abdullah in the state, he for that reason used Sheikh's influence as a tool in his policy of Jammu and Kashmir. This was indeed the reason why Nehru urged the release of Sheikh Abdullah and the latter's radical change from his policy of Independent Kashmir. Nevertheless, If Sheikh Abdullah would not have been in prison at the time of the Transfer of Power, even then there would not have been any change in his stand over the accession to India, since he strongly disliked M.A. Jinnah and his Muslim League.
Anxious Indian leaders in Delhi used all the political policies to make Kashmir a part of India. The policy of India has always been to extricate the anti-India elements in the valley. Pandit Ram Kak, Maharaja's Prime Minister, was expelled in 1947 owing to his policy of non-Indian future for the state. Even the Indian loyalist Sheikh Abdullah was not spared. Sheikh was put behind bars for his constant demand for the 'promised' autonomy. Augmentation of Pro-Indian elements in the administration supplemented the interest of Maharaja Hari Singh to accede to India. However, before he could have realized his ambition, Indian leaders were quick enough to grab the opportunity of 'invading' Kashmir.
In spring 1947, internal upheaval began in the Poonch region against domineering taxation under the recently imposed direct rule by the Maharaja. Poonch was chiefly a Muslim area. Maharaja strengthened the Sikh and Hindu sects in the Muslim areas and ordered the Muslims to hand over arms with the police. In August, Maharaja's tyrannically fired upon demonstrations favoring Kashmir joining Pakistan. Innocent people got killed in that act. The people of Poonch along with their families crossed over to Pakistan and later returned with arms. In the last week of August, a condition of unrest and lopsided violence turned into an organized rebellion. The Poonch rebels declared an independent government of "Azad" Kashmir on 24 October. Barring National Conference other political parties including the Muslim Conference and the Chiefs of Gilgit region, advised the Maharaja against acceding to the Indian Union. While in prison, Sheikh Abdullah wrote a letter to a friend in Jammu, which is published in the Congress press, in favor of accession of Kashmir to India. On 22 October, he explained the apprehension of the Kashmiri Muslims in joining India, keeping in view the massacre of Muslims in Kapurthala and elsewhere in India. On 22 October, thousands of Pathan tribesmen from Pakistan recruited by the Poonch rebels invade Kashmir along with the Poonch rebels, allegedly exasperated by the atrocities against fellow Muslims in Poonch and Jammu. The tribesmen engage in looting and killing along the way. The tribesmen and the Poonch rebels were unofficially supported by various individuals and high ranking officials in Pakistan. India accuses Pakistan of violating the Standstill Agreement with Kashmir by disrupting the supply links and of engaging in aggression by sending in the tribesmen.
On 26 October 1947, the Maharaja of the State of Jammu and Kashmir signed the Instrument of Accession (IOA, acceding the 75% majority Muslim region to the Indian Union following invasion by the tribesmen from Pakistan. According to the 1948 Indian White Paper, India accepted the accession, regarding it provisional until such time as the will of the people can be ascertained by a plebiscite since Kashmir was recognized as a disputed territory. It should be noted that the IOA itself does not specify any provisionality or conditionality of accession, while the White Paper specifies it undoubtedly, thus creating a conflict between strict legal interpretation and repeated official promise made to the people of Kashmir.
The Indian army entered the state on 27 October 1947. Pakistan argued that the accession is illegal & Maharaja has no right to sign an agreement with India when the standstill agreement with Pakistan is still in force. Jawaharlal Nehru played a rather controversial part in the Pathan invasion in 1947. The purpose of sending the forces to Kashmir, as Nehru himself declared in the telegram to British Prime Minister, Attlee on 25th October, was only to defend the advancing Pathan forces and not something designed to influence the state to accede to India. Although Nehru and Mountbatten had declared that the decision of accession must be decided according to the wishes of the people, but reasonably that was not to be the case. There is no evading the fact that the decision of accession to India was taken against the will and wishes of the majority of the population of the state. Kashmir was provisionally accepted into the Indian Union pending a free and impartial plebiscite. This was spelled out in a letter from the Governor General of India, Lord Mountbatten, to the Maharaja on 27 October 1947. In the letter, accepting the accession, Mountbatten made it clear that the State would only be incorporated into the Indian Union after a orientation had been made to the people of Kashmir. Having acknowledged the principle of a plebiscite, India has obstructed all attempts at holding a plebiscite.
On 5 January 1949, UNCIP (United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan) resolution states that the question of the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India or Pakistan will be determined through a free and unbiased plebiscite. As per the 1948 and 1949 UNCIP resolutions, both countries established the principle that the withdrawal of Pakistani and Indian forces, as a basis for the formulation of a Truce agreement & it would be followed by a plebiscite. However, both countries failed to arrive at a Truce agreement due to differences in whether the Azad Kashmiri army is to be disbanded during the truce stage or the plebiscite stage. On 17 October, the Indian Constituent Assembly adopted Article 370 of the Constitution, ensuring a special status and internal autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir with Indian jurisdiction in Kashmir limited to the three areas as decided in the IOA, namely, defense, foreign affairs and communications only. In 1952 Jawaharlal Nehru in the Lok Sabha on August 7 said, "...Ultimately - I say this with all deference to this Parliament - the decision will be made in the hearts and minds of the men and women of Kashmir; neither in this Parliament, nor in the United Nations nor by anybody else".
On 30 October 1956, the state Constituent Assembly adopted a constitution for the state declaring it an integral part of the Indian Union. On 24 January 1957, UN passed another resolution stating that such actions would not constitute a final disposition of the State. India's Home Minister, Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant, during his visit to Srinagar, stated that the State of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and there can be no question of a plebiscite. In 1962 India and China had a war on account of a border dispute in the Ladakh region. At the end of war, China occupied 37,555 sq. kms from Indian held Kashmir at Aksai-chin and Demochok in Ladakh. In December, 5180 sq. kms are conditionally taken over by China at Shaksgam in Northern Areas of Kashmir under Pakistan control. After the release of Sheikh Abdullah, the ailing Prime Minister Nehru sent him to Pakistan on 25 May, in an effort to resolve the Kashmir problem, taking into account the wishes of Kashmiris. Nehru passed away on 27 May and the talks got stranded. In Aug 1965, Pakistan undertook Operation Gibraltar and sent in a few thousand armed infiltrators across the cease-fire line. Incidents of violence increased in Kashmir valley. A full Indo-Pakistani war broke out. In January 1966, Tashkent Declaration was signed by both countries agreeing to revert to pre-1965 position, under Russian mediation. India and Pakistan signed yet another agreement, the Simla Agreement in July 1972, which had a clause that the final settlement of Kashmir will be decided bilaterally in the future and that both the sides shall respect the LOC. In November, 1974 Kashmir Accord was signed by G.Parthasarathy for Indira Gandhi and Mirza Afzal Beg for Sheikh Abdullah, who was out of power at that time. The Accord retained Kashmir's special status, but the state was termed as a 'constituent unit of the Union of India'. Opposition parties and Pakistan condemned the Accord. In 1987 Farooq Abdullah won the elections. The Muslim United Front (MUF) accused that the elections were rigged. The MUF candidate Mohammad Yousuf Shah got imprisoned who later became Syed Salahuddin, chief of militant outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahedin. His election aides (known as the HAJY group) - Abdul Hamid Shaikh, Ashfaq Majid Wani, Javed Ahmed Mir and Mohammed Yasin Malik - joined the JKLF. In 1989 Militancy increases with bomb blasts. Kashmiri Pandits Jia Lal Taploo and Neel Kanth Ganjoo were killed by militants for sentencing Maqbool Butt to death in 1984.
In the Indian Defence Review of July 1989, one of India's top defence specialists, K.Subrahmanyam, cited the existence of a secret Pakistani plan to start a Kashmiri uprising, code-named 'Operation Topac'. However, this plan later proved false and concocted by Indian analysts as a hypothetical exercise, a fact Subramanian later acknowledged. Indian politicians have always been effective at spreading rumors and taking benefit of it (at least in case of Kashmir). They very skillfully held Pakistan responsible for whatever was happening in Kashmir. Indian leaders and media have absolutely attested the exactness in Joseph Goebel's sayings, “frequently repeated lies have the potential of being acknowledged as the truth". Even the Governor-General, Mountbatten appeared to have acknowledged without question every rumor antagonistic to Pakistan.
On 20 January 1990, an anticipated 100 people got killed when a large crowd of unarmed protesters were fired upon by the Indian troops at the Gawakadal Bridge. With this episode, it becomes an insurgency of the entire population. Lassa Kaul, director of Srinagar Doordarshan was killed by the militants for pro-India media policy. In the end of February, an estimated 400,000 Kashmiris take to the streets of Srinagar, demanding a plebiscite. On March 1, an estimated one million took to the streets and more than 40 people got killed in police firing. Massive protest by unarmed civilians rocked the Srinagar streets. In the last decade of 20th Century an officially estimated 10,000 desperate Kashmiri youth cross-over to Pakistan for training and procurement of arms. Gradually the militant insurgency declined by the end of year 2001.
In 2009, there were violent protests particularly in Shopian town and in Kashmir at large against the alleged rape and murder of two women. The protesters accused the security personnel of raping and murdering Neelofar Jan (22) and Asiya Jan (17). They also accused the State government and the police of hiding the facts. These protests were followed by the strike call by the sovereigntist–secessionist leaders. The Demands for justice, self-determination and removal of the Indian forces started. As soon as the protests started police and Indian armed forces in order to halt the protests batten charged the protesters and fired repeated tear gas canisters. Hundreds of people were injured and one person died due to an injury caused by a tear smoke shell. From May 30 to July 13 there were approximately 897 civilian injuries due to police. Many pro-freedom leaders were put under house arrest or jailed. Amidst public outcry, the state government, on 3 June 2009, appointed a commission headed by Justice Muzaffar Ahmad Jan to investigate the case. The panel submitted a 400-page report to the government. Jan commission report was considered a mere eye wash as no conclusion was drawn out of it. The CBI investigation further added to the people’s anger which erupted in 2010 with a yet another Uprising against the atrocities on Kashmiris.
June 2010 Uprising commenced with the assassination of three youths in a fake encounter in Matsel, Bandipora by Indian Army. All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) called it ‘The Quit Jammu Kashmir Movement’. The call for this campaign, led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was given for absolute demilitarization of Jammu and Kashmir. The Hurriyat accused Indian Forces of various human rights abuses including fake encounters, killings of dozens of innocent youth, sexual violence against women, destruction of property and exploitation of the region’s natural resources, and claimed that “oppression has reached the extreme’’. The movement by APHC was aimed to reiterate the call for the right to self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir as was promised by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947, the then Prime Minister of India, under the auspices of the United Nations. Subsequently, the movement resulted in the continued street protests. Stone pelting by protesters and police firing were the routine of each day. An estimated 111Kashmiris mostly youngsters got killed from June-October 2010 where as more than 2,000 civilians got injured. The grave human rights violation can be ascertained by the fact that 70 injured persons in Government dental college hospital had to undergo maxillofacial surgeries & whose one or other part of the face got paralyzed by bullets and teargas shells. There were also number of cases of paraplegia & quadriplegia whose limbs and arms got permanently paralyzed for life. According to one estimate about 80% of Kashmiris were suffering from disturbed circadian rhythm (biological clock) syndrome since June 11.Surprisingly only one security personnel got killed and that too due to the negligence of his own driver. Due to the deaths of several teenagers during the 2010 protests, the year 2010 has been marked by analysts as the year of teenage killing in Kashmir.
The uprising of 2010 has been distinct in that it was purely led by youngsters both on street and off-street on internet. Marketing and information technology experts estimate at least 40,000 Kashmir residents were on Facebook and most of them being e-protesters. The facebook page for ‘Bekaar Jamaath’ or the Idle Group, amassed about 12,000 members in three months before being hacked, removed, re-established and renamed as ‘aalaw-the call’ in august 2010. Video song of intense stone throwing by protesters, Stone in My Hand, became a hit with the demonstrators. Eid-ul-Fitr in Kashmir was altogether different from any other Eid celebrated in Kashmir. There were no festivities. Mood was somber and gloomy. Social sharing was modest. For the first time in my living memory, there were no toys being sold. No children with fancy dresses going to parks. For the first time ever, there were no crackers being burst. Kashmir looked united in grief.
In conclusion, the problem of Kashmir would only be resolved through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite. But holding of Plebiscite with only two options (union with either Indian or Pakistan) is not now acceptable to the bulk of Kashmiris. They want an independent status for the entire state. Steps like starting a bus service from Srinagar to Muzaffarabad, laying down railway lines, or giving hefty economic packages in no way would solve the problem of Kashmir. Both India and Pakistan should make U.N Resolutions the basis of solving the problem. U.N. resolution, after all, was responsible to ultimately solve the international disputes in South Africa and Angola. India and Pakistan must keep the interest of Kashmiri people paramount and take serious and unwavering initiative in order to make things better for the common mass of Kashmir and settle the Kashmir issue once and for all. Fortunately the stir in the political circles at both regional and International level are favoring for the reconsideration of Kashmir dispute. The United States President Barak Obama recently stated that the dispute should be resolved bilaterally between Pakistan and India amicably. At the same period, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization enlisted Jammu and Kashmir as ‘’Independent entity’’. FAO representative in India Gavin Wall exclaimed the country grouping is based on FAO's Global Administrative Unit Layers (GAUL) and according to which controversial boundaries cannot be ignored. Furthermore, The Chief Minister of J&K Omar Abdullah on 6th October in State Assembly for the first time uttered that Kashmir is an outstanding issue and cannot be addressed through development, employment or good governance only. He added that our accession (to the Union of India) was based on the special status given to us, and not merger. Keeping in view the above facts it seems that the dispute could be resolved in near future if handled carefully with an impartial attitude. Let us pray for the day when the peace in the vale returns back and we could proudly call Kashmir as ‘the paradise of Earth’ to the future generations.
copyright: http://leyakat.blogspot.com
copyright: http://leyakat.blogspot.com
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