KASHMIR and IDPs

Linked with ‘ … Meetings‘, with Paul Beersmans – Belgium, with of BASJAK, with JAMMU AND KASHMIR, A SMOULDERING CONFLICT … , and with … again Kashmir.

See also every post on this blog, treating intensively the Kashmiri questions.

The Belgian Association for Solidarity with Jammu and Kashmir BASJAK was in Kashmir this January-February 2007.Their report can be seen on their Website. Go to BASJAK,
scoll down to ‘Reports of study tours’ and click on ‘Jammu and Kashmir State January-February 2007‘. You will open a WORD.doc.

Here an excerpt of this 21 pages report. Page 19: … CONCLUSIONS

Following conclusions can be drawn, based on the experiences of this study tour to India and J&K State:

a. According to a survey of a neutral think tank, J&K State belongs, within India, to the states with a high degree of corruption. A change of mentality/mindset is required to be brought in J&K State.

b. Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is appreciated very much, being sincere, hard working, honest, having good contacts with Delhi and bringing a lot of funds for the developmental projects in the State.

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By K.N. Pandita

The Chairman of Hurriyat moderate faction, Mirwaiz Muhammad Farooq has lately expressed his unhappiness with the functioning of the State government. He was critical of its failure to manage the crisis caused by a spell of cold wave followed by heavy rains and snow in the valley last two weeks resulting in the disruption of normal life. Significantly, his ire was directed against the State and not the Union government this time.

Of late, a slight shift has been marked in the tone and tenor of the Hurriyat chief. Its first indication was noticed in his remarks at a press conference in Islamabad where he did some plain speaking. He asked what had the one and a half decade long jihd brought to the Kashmiris except the graveyards? Pakistani authorities, and much less its intelligence agencies, could ever be happy with this rather outlandish question. It must have served nothing less than a shock to the Kashmir Jihad Council in Muzaffarabad always profusely boastful of its military muscle.

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By K.N. Pandita

Dozens of goons and miscreants attacked and vandalised Hotel Le Meridian in uptown Srinagar on Friday afternoon for alleged immoral activities going on inside the four walls of the hotel. It was yet another show of moralist impudence to take law into hand and deliver quick judgement. A society where a handful of upstarts venture to disrupt law and order just because they are unable to exercise control on their whims and fantasies, is faced with the peril of social disintegration.

No segment of a civil society is empowered by any moral or statutory law and convention to lay claim at correcting public moral or to enforcing a particular code of ethics. It is sheer mismanagement on the part of law and order enforcing apparatus to let them vandalise property and privacy of ordinary citizens.

The police authorities have claimed to have arrested six of the miscreants and have even leaked their name to the press.

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By K.N. Pandita

The role of undisclosed but otherwise well-known external actors in two-year old Kashmir talks is more than just facilitating it. To make then agree to a step-by-step movement forward is the real, and of course, the solid contribution of these external actors.

Respective stances have changed considerably. It is no more the core issue for Pakistani leadership and not the rhetorical integral part for the Indian Unionists as well. It is a dispute to be resolved through sustained dialogue.

Some progress has been made along the roadmap. Kashmir dissident leadership has been moving across the LoC to talk to the Pakistani leaders. They may not divulge what they actually talk but one can presume its outlines. They have been talking to the Indian leadership as well. Thus their long-standing demand that the Kashmiris are a party to the dispute has been virtually met. This is good for all sides.

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