Need for a political dialogue to end the impasse

Now almost a month is about to end in the fresh uprising which started from the fake death of three young men by Army in border area of Kupwara District. This menace of death and destruction followed to Srinagar then to Sopore then to Islamabad and finally it is again Srinagar which witnessed it (which includes death a young lady and a nine years old boy). Excepting last Sunday all of these days’ people have observed complete shut down and traffic has been off the road and peaceful protests besides incidents of stone pelting are also going on. There seems no end to this current impasse as Government seems not ready to read the writing on the wall.

Though oflate Mr. Omar Abdullah had just given a hint that it is efforts on the political front by the Government of India that will make a difference, however, he has failed on all fronts to protect the life and property of the people of Kashmir, as he is not able to rein in the security forces. Government is building castles in air by going to the areas of mourning and meeting some of their mainstream political workers outside the towns in dakbangalows. These mainstream political workers have little or no influence over the common people whose loved ones have been killed in cold blood for a justified cause. In this situation if someone had some leverage are the separatist camp but irony of the fact is rather trying to find out a solution with these people, almost all barring few among the separatists have been put in jail, making any headway impossible.

As per Greater Kashmir daily’s report Rs.15.00 crores were encashed on Sunday by the people when last time deal was given but on Saturday it rost upto 20.00 crores People were seen busy buying edible items in large caches. As Government of India is continuing with its old policy of wait,wait and wait, people feel that this time this uprising will be there for a long time and God knows better how many of us have to face the fatal bullets and teargas shells of the arrogant security people in absence of any political dialogue which not less than Army Chief of India too has sought for recently.

The only way out is for the Government of India to end its waiting policy and come out with some concrete political map to offer. It is clear now that Government of India has not been able to calm the sentiments of Kashmiri people for last more than sixty years, experiencing both carrot and stick methods. Government should release Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and others so that they too will be able to offer a political road map or demands. Government should leave its stubbornness on the pre-condition of within constitution talks so that some headway could be achieved in the talks. Pakistan with whom talks have just started should also be involved in this process. People especially younger generation has been desperate to see some development on the political front of the Kashmir problem. Without waiting for anything more gruesome to watch in the coming days Government of India should prove its sincerity by revoking AFSPA and other black laws, they should release prisoners, punish the erring security personnel atleast involved in the recent killings before making a meaning offer of dialogue with separatists.

By Hamid Nilnagi
Haamidi2003@yahoo.co.in

Illegal confinement of our boys in kashmir should end

On Friday, 2nd of July, 2010 people at several places tried to defy the curfew imposed by the Government to march on the call of Edd Gah Chalo given by Hurriyat Conference (G). People from almost all the Districts assembled after Friday prayers to march forward but almost at all the places they were stopped by force. Even they were fired at Harai, Handwara in District Kupwara where a number of civilians are reported to have been severely injured. At most of the places State Police alongwith CRPF resorted to severe lath charge and when the people dispersed under immense charge of Canes and teargas several young boys were arrested. Not being able to punish the perpetrators of innocent deaths, Government seems to be irresponsible in the matter and has been carrying out arrest of small boys most of whom are school going, some of them in their teens. Hundreds of boys are reported to have been arrested all over the valley.

It has been reported that many of them have been confined for long term jails under draconian laws like J & K Public Safety Act. Though arrests and torture in Kashmir is not a new thing it has been used as State Policy since 1947 even the standing Prime Minister (Shiekh Abdullah) and the out going Prime Minister (Bakhshi Ghulam Muhammad) was not spared. During nineties it was a rule rather than exception that in a crackdown males were divided into two groups those who supported beards and those who did not support, then most of the bearded men of every age have to face third degree torture besides long term confinements. Thousands of youth were put in jails in and outside Jammu and Kashmir (like Sangroor, Jodhpur, Tihar so on and so forth).

The indiscriminate confinement of young people and their torture rendered many of them futureless and some even disabled. Many of them had to leave their studies half way and many lost their jobs and businesses. One of my friends in jail was denied to even sit in the competitive medical entrance test even after his parents had done all formalities and had got Court Orders also. The families of these young men had to suffer even more, large expenses for visiting their sons various jails at Jammu, Delhi, Punjab and even Rajasthan which they could not bear. I remember one of our neighbors had not enough money to visit their son in Kotbhalwal Jail at Jammu and finally succeeded only when his other young siblings provided him the pocket money which they had collected for years together. The pain and agony of these families did not end here. These boys could not apply for the Government Jobs because Police will never provide them Character Antecedent Certificate a pre-requisite. They cannot go to Indian mainland because Police there always haunts for them. They cannot even leave for the foreign soil because they cannot be issued Passports. A perpetual punishment for being a kashmiri muslaman. Many of these families are now living hand to mouth and some of them who could put brave face are on the forefront of the Kashmiri Resistance Movement.

We may need hundreds / thousands of pages to put down the sufferings of those who were subjected to illegal confinement and torture for all of these years. However, what we wish is that this vicious circle of confinements and torture should not start again even when the so called elected Government projects to have heart for the people. We demand that these boys should be released immediately without any delay as they have committed no crime except some of them have shown their dislike for the perpetual killing of their brothers and a few more are peacefully demanding to be given right to self determination which India has promised them. Hope the policy of perpetual punishment to the Kashmiri Nation is not continued.