India Must change its petrified mindset!

"Indian leaders and their military plotters have enjoyed for decades of genocide of innocent Kashmiris demanding freedom. Undoubtedly and significantly, the popular movement by the Kashmiri people has the further strengthened the hands of the freedom leaders to advance their sovereignty goals and correspondingly weakened the Indian fictional case for Jammu Kashmir."

by Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

(October 17, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) At the outset, the Kashmiri people desrve the most sincere apprciations for their united uprisng that has now forced the arrogant India to abandon Indian polls in Jammu Kahsmir, al least for now. Needless to state it is a major moral vicotry for freedom seeking Kashmiris and their selfless leaders.

ONE

Beating about the bush, a usual Indian strategy to avoid the crucial sovereignty issue’s final settlement by way of letting Kashmiris have their sovereignty back, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan, perhaps in a fresh attempt to reach out to Freedom leaders in Jammu Kashmir, during a visit to Jammu and Kashmir recently, called upon the freedom leaders to inform him about their “problems”. His fresh offer to “ hold talks” with “separatists” in Kashmir drew a cold response from the Hurriyat Conference on 12 Oct which claimed there was "nothing new" in the proposal and harped on its demand for tripartite dialogue. There should be no talks unless India accepts Kashmir as a dispute and withdraws its troops. "There is nothing new in it (offer of talks). Kashmir is a dispute and needs settlement as per the wishes and aspirations of the people," Syed Ali Shah Geelani said, "some of our colleagues held talks with New Delhi in the past but those proved futile. Bilateral and trilateral talks have yielded no results.

The prime minister had, on Oct 10, offered to hold talks with all sections of people including those who have stayed out of the political process. Chairman of the moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said “Kashmir is disputed and has to be resolved through tripartite talks only and not through bilateral dialogue," he disagreed with the Prime Minister that Kashmir is an integral part of India and talks with freedom leaders can be held bilaterally and not through tripartite process by involving Pakistan " into such an exercise. Geelani, however, was quick to add that he was not opposed to the talks to resolve the issue. "If India accepts Kashmir as a dispute, withdraws troops from the state, revokes black laws, releases all détentes and announce its readiness for trilateral talks, we are ready for talks," Geelani said.

Unfortunately, Indian leaders including Manmohan have not quite understood the fact that those who have been waging a long struggle for independence form the occupying India are not separatists but claimants of their lands form the terrorist India.

Manmohan must concede the fact that Jammu Kashmir is essentially an alien nation tactfully annexed by terror India and illegally militarized for decades in order to kill the innocent Kashmiris reeling under Indian brute military custody. However, the decision of Indian leaders to abandon, at least for now, its poll plans in Jammu Kashmir against the wishes of the anti-Kashmiri sections of Indian strategists and media lords who advocate the polls as a remedy to sidetrack the current freedom struggle in Jammu Kashmir. It is a welcome step, because generally India is known for its arrogance and aggressiveness in ferocious steps.

Two

Chairman Hurriyat (G) Syed Ali Shah Geelani lamented that India is continuing with its policy of cultural aggression in Kashmir and changing the names of our roads and railway stations is a part of it”

Kashmiri pundits have shown their real face during the recent Kashmiri struggle when these Hindu Kashmiris have identified openly with Indian Hindus and shamelessly slammed the Kashmir Muslims with whom they lived for years.

Under guidance from the Indian and Jammu Hindu leaders these pundits have floated a political outfit to demand their share in every thing, though Hindus who have given these ideas don’t say the same in India. Jammu and Kashmir National Union Front refers to India political platform. Since Kashmir Muslims demand their sovereignty back, these pundits are advised to seek their own place in India. They demand equal distribution of funds and Kashmiri Hindu Shrine and Temples bill, among other things. But Babri Mosque Bill was not included in India, or equal distribution of funds and resources for Muslims in India. The party is of firm opinion that any democratic set up which does not take care of minorities is meaningless. But who can tell the same to the Hindus in India who deny any little opportunity for Muslims?

Kashmiri Muslims should see through the Hindu designs: Pundits and non-pundits, but the Hindus want every thing every where. They know the art of articulations and arguments.

Three

The World Human Rights Organizations including Amnesty International and Asia Watch have been documenting accounts of killings, disappearances and molestation of women. Kashmir, the graph of human rights violations has gone up with no sign of improvement on this account. Even the survey conducted by the US and other Western Countries has confirmed that Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed the worst type of human rights violations. There are scores of such instances, which have shaken human conscience, but the day has come when saner elements should rise to the occasion and cry halt to barbaric acts.

If the Government fails to promote and protect the human rights and their lives then the custodians lose the right to rule the State. It was way back June 26, 1945 when most of the countries of the world signed the UN Charter at San Francisco and promised to protect human rights besides maintain international peace and security to solve the international problems of social, economic, cultural and humanitarian character. But it is amply clear that the Forum has utterly failed to discharge its obligations and human rights are being trampled without any let-up.

Thousands of Kashmiri Muslim lives stand lost, habitations destroyed and thousands maimed. The killings of civilians continue at times by those whose identity remains shrouded in mystery. With no militant organization claiming responsibility for such killings raises questions as to who are such assassins who remain usually untraced and unidentified. This calls for intervention by pro-movement leaders and government agencies to put their heads together to locate such killers so that bloodshed of innocent people is put to an end.

Four

Upon finalizing the Indo-US nuclearism, India immediately rushed to Jammu Kashmir for showcasing its renewed strength with US in its imaginary pocket to mock its arch foe Pakistan, currently reeling under US terrorist attacks. Indian premier declared open a hydropower station contested by neighbor Pakistan for genuine problems.

India inaugurated on Oct 10 the first phase the controversial Baglihar hydro-electric dam project in Indian-occupied Kashmir that would eventually generate a total of 900 megawatts of power, openly ignoring protests from Pakistan. Pakistan has said the dam would deprive its agricultural regions of irrigation. Pakistan President Asif Zardari said relations with India could be harmed over a water sharing dispute in the disputed Kashmir region. “Pakistan would be paying a very high price for India 's move to block Pakistan 's water supply from the Chenab River ," India says the project is crucial for meeting its power needs.

With the latest nuclearism deal struck with USA, an already arrogant India is emboldened further to pursue the dam project vociferously. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan had assured Zardari in their meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September that his country is seriously committed to mutual water sharing treaty and expects India to stand by his commitment. Zardari warned that any violation of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty by India "would damage the bilateral ties the two countries had built over the years.

The recent US terrorism in Pakistan has sent wrong message to New Delhi that has understood red in the episode and decided that Pakistan-US relations have begun to crumple. The project has been mired in controversy. Work started on it in 2000 and it was due to be completed by June 2006. But after Pakistan raised objections, the work was delayed. USA could not help Pakistan secure its legitimate water share. Islamabad argued that the dam violated the World Bank-brokered 1960 Indus Water treaty which divided the rights of water from six rivers between India and Pakistan.

In May 2005, the World Bank appointed an arbitrator to settle the dispute. The committee report was never made public, but both India and Pakistan said it backed their stand. In February 2007, the World Bank overruled most of Pakistan’s objections. At the same time, it told India to lower the height of the dam by 1.5m (five feet). Some geologists too have expressed concern over the safety of the Baglihar project. They say it is built over an active fault in an area prone to earthquakes. India cleverly utilized the turmoil scenario in Pakistan for the last couple of years to pursue its dam goals also, along side the US nuclearism. Intense power struggle in Islamabad favored Indian side to clinch issues in its favor by bribing and influencing world leaders, especially Americans.

FIVE

Indian leaders and their military plotters have enjoyed for decades of genocide of innocent Kashmiris demanding freedom. Undoubtedly and significantly, the popular movement by the Kashmiri people has the further strengthened the hands of the freedom leaders to advance their sovereignty goals and correspondingly weakened the Indian fictional case for Jammu Kashmir. "India has been morally defeated for mass uprising in Kashmir remained entirely peaceful and even no not a single government building or vehicle was set to fire in last three months," Yasin Malik, a member of Coordination Committee and chief of pro-freedom Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front. Stating that there was no need of referendum in Jammu and Kashmir now, Coordination Committee, spearheading the current movement in valley, Monday called for complete strike on October 27, the day when 'troops entered Kashmir valley' in 1947.

Coordination Committee has resolved to observe a complete shutdown on October 27 like has been since 1947. It was the day when Indian troops entered valley with a pledge that they will facilitate right of people to decide their future. Apart from the strike on 27 October, the members of Coordination Committee will form a human chain from sadder court to high court at 11 am while people have been asked to put placards reading "go India go" on their houses. There will be peaceful protests after Friday prayers as has been held past while a condolence meeting will be held on November 6 at Jamia Masjid to pay homage to the martyrs of Jammu.

The UN secretary General is expected to visit India on October 24. On visit of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to India, a three hundred member group of people to be headed by members of Coordination Committee, an amalgam of both factions of Hurriyat, JKLF, Kashmir Bar Association, social and religious groups. The group will stage a sit-in and also try to meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to highlight the issue of Kashmiris regarding their right.

It is high time the UN declared India illegally occupying Jammu Kashmir and killing the defenseless Kashmiris a terrorist state. UN must quickly initiate steps to get declaration of Kashmir independence made by occupying India. Indian leaders since Pundit Nehru ought to be tried by special tribunals for genocides committed by Indian terror forces since 1947 and guilty adequately punished as mercilessly as they killed the innocent Kashmiris demanding freedom from India. - Sri Lanka Guardian