Recent Appearances...

Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !
Recent Appearances...

India-Pakistan

PDP Criticises Jammu and Kashmir LG for Terminating Employees Over Alleged Terror Links

2024-12-03

November 29, 2024
[OneIndia] Jammu and Kashmir
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there....
's Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha recently dismissed two ~~babus~~ government employees due to alleged terror connections. This decision has sparked criticism from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The terminated individuals are Abdul Rehman Naika, a pharmacist, and Zahir Abbas, a teacher. Officials stated that Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution was used for their dismissal following investigations by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

The PDP leaders have expressed strong disapproval of this action. Waheed Para, a PDP MLA from Pulwama, criticised the silence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on these terminations. "It's shocking how the government acts as judge, jury, and executioner, denying the aggrieved even a proper hearing. Such brazen overreach is unacceptable and must stop. @OmarAbdullah Sahab heads the GAD -- silence on these terminations cannot be justified," Para stated on X.

PDP LEADERS CRITICISE GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
Iltija Mufti, another PDP leader and daughter of PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, also voiced her concerns. She highlighted that the current government remains passive while more employees are dismissed based on mere suspicion. "Only in Kashmir are you guilty until proven otherwise. This criminalisation of livelihoods must stop," she remarked in a post on X.

These dismissals were executed by the General Administration Department (GAD) of Jammu and Kashmir's government, led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Notably, Abdullah is currently on an Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia

...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat Frational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
. The use of Article 311(2)(c) for such terminations has been a recurring practice by the Lieutenant Governor over recent years.

The PDP's objections underline concerns about due process and fairness in these dismissals. They argue that such actions undermine the rights of individuals to a fair hearing before being judged or penalised. The party insists that this approach must be reconsidered to prevent further injustice.

This ongoing issue highlights the tension between maintaining security and ensuring justice for ~~babus~~ government employees in Jammu and Kashmir. The debate continues as stakeholders call for more transparent processes in handling such sensitive matters.

Link

India-Pakistan

Mehbooba Mufti Accuses BJP: Unemployed Youth Targeting Muslims, Says Party Fails On Promised Jobs

2024-04-11

April 2, 2024

Not much is being reported across India of interest to us here at Rantburg. Perhaps, like in Kashmir, things will heat up as the weather warms.

[OneIndia] PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday charged that the BJP has emboldened the unemployed youth in the country to target Moslems for venting their frustration.

She was reacting to a media report that an Imam of a mosque in Uttar Pradesh's Khushinagar was allegedly beaten up by miscreants and the police refused to act against the assailants.

Mehbooba targets BJP over attack on minorities

"BJP claims it has replaced stones with laptops in Kashmir
Kashmir

Link

India-Pakistan

JK: Army Colonel, Major, Dy SP Killed In Gunfight With Terrorists

2023-09-14

[OneIndia] An Army Colonel commanding a battalion, a Major of a unit and a Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir
Kashmir

...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there....
Police were killed in a shootout with Lions of Islam in the higher reaches of Kokorenag area in the south of the valley, officials said here on Wednesday.

Colonel Manpreet Singh, Commanding Officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, Major Ashish Dhonack, and Deputy Superintendent Humayun Bhat were critically injured in the shootout with Lions of Islam that ensued in the Garol area of Anantnag district in the morning hours of Wednesday.

The officers gave up the ghost during the treatment, the officials said. Bhat, father of a two-month-old daughter and son of retired Inspector General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Ghulam Hasan Bhat, died due to heavy blood loss, they added.

The banned Resistance® Front, believed to be a shadow group of Pakistain-based Lashker-e-Taiba, has grabbed credit for the attack. Officials believe that it is the same set of Lions of Islam who had carried out the attack on army personnel on August 4 killing three jawans in the higher reaches of the Halan forest area of Kulgam district. The operation against the Lions of Islam began on Tuesday evening in Garol area but was called off during the night.

This morning, the hunt for the Lions of Islam resumed after information started trickling that they were spotted at a hideout, the officials said. Colonel Singh, leading his team from the front, attacked the terrorists. However,
Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried...
he was critically injured in the bullets fired by the terrorists.

Singh, who belonged to 12th Sikh LI, was a recipient of Sena medal. Dhonack belonged to 15th Sikh LI. Dhonack and Bhat were also hit by bullets resulting in critical injuries, the officials said. Senior army and coppers, GoC 15 Corps Lt General Rajiv Ghai and including DGP Dilbag Singh rushed to the spot to assess the situation.

Earlier Jammu and Kashmir Police had posted on social media handle that an "encounter has started in #Kokernag area of #Anantnag. Officers from Army and JKP injured. Details shall follow". Kashmir-based XV corps also gave details that "based on specific intelligence on presence of Lions of Islam a Joint Operation was launched by #IndianArmy & @JmuKmrPolice on the intervening night of 12-13 Sep in Area Garol, Anantnag.

"Contact established and firefight ensued. Two Army personnel and one J&K Police personnel injured. Operation in progress." In the evening, Director General of Police Dilbag Singh, Additional Director General of Police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar along with other senior officers paid floral tributes to the slain DySP. The attack comes a day after an Army personnel and Kent, a six-year-old female Labrador of the Army's dog unit, were killed and three security personnel injured in the shootout in South of Pir Panjal at Rajouri in Jammu region.

Two bad boyz were potted in an encounter in the remote Narla village. Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah offered his condolences. "Terrible terrible news from J&K. An army colonel, a major and a J&K Police DYSP gave the ultimate sacrifice in an encounter in Kokernag area of South Kashmir today. DySP Humayan Bhat, Major Ashish Dhonack, and Colonel Manpreet Singh laid down their lives in an encounter with terrorists. May their souls rest in peace & may their loved ones find strength at this difficult time," he posted on X. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti while offering condolences to the bereaved families said there was no place for such acts of violence. People's Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone also condoled the death of the bravehearts. Paying tributes to the three fallen officers, BJP leader Altaf Thakur said the security forces are committee to root out terror from Jammu and Kashmir.

Link

India-Pakistan

Calls for probe into Indian soldiers allegedly forcing villagers to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in occupied Kashmir mosque

2023-06-27

[Dawn] Two former chief ministers of India-held Kashmir
Kashmir

...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there....
have demanded an investigation into an alleged incident of Indian soldiers forcing Moslem worshippers in a mosque in the valley’s Pulwama area to chant Hindu slogans, the Indian media has reported.

"Shocked to hear about army troops from 50 RR (Rashtriya Rifles) storming into a mosque at Pulwama and forcing Moslems inside to chant ’Jai Shree Ram’. Such a move when [Home Minister] Amit Shah is here and that too ahead of yatra (a Hindu pilgrimage) is simply an act of provocation," said former CM Mehbooba Mufti in reaction to the reports.

She requested Indian Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, who recently took command of India’s Chinar Corps in the area, to "immediately set up a probe" into the reported incident.

Similarly, former CM Omar Abdullah termed the reports "deeply distressing".

"It’s bad enough they entered but then forcing people to chant slogans like ’Jai Shree Ram’ as reported by the locals there, is unacceptable," he said, referring to a Hindu religious slogan.

He expressed hope that Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh would issue instructions for the reports to be investigated in a "timely and transparent manner".

THE INCIDENT
According to Indian news website The Wire, the residents of Zadoora — a village in occupied Kashmir’s Pulwama area — said the alleged incident took place on June 24 around 1:30am when soldiers of Rashtriya Rifles, a counter-insurgency force, arrived at the village, reportedly along with an unidentified officer.

"While the officer was sitting on the bonnet of one of the vehicles, the soldiers asked me to come out," Mohammad Altaf Bhat, a Zadoora local and chairman of the Zadoora Civil Society group, told The Wire.

"I thought that they were looking for some suspects in the village," he said, adding that the soldiers told him that a new team was being posted in the area and it was conducting a mock drill in the village to teach recruits how to carry out counter-insurgency operations.

"I told them that the operation could have been carried out during the day also and it was wrong to disturb villagers in the middle of the night," the report quoted Bhat as saying, who said the villagers were kept awake till dawn.

Then around dawn, Bhat told The Wire, Indian army soldiers followed the muezzin (one who makes call for prayers). "In the middle of the azaan (call to prayer), the soldiers forced him to chant ’Jai Shree Ram’ slogans," he alleged.

According to the report, area residents alleged that Indian army soldiers detained at least 10 villagers during their exercise and five of them were beaten up, including Bhat’s son.

"They (soldiers) forced the detained youngsters to chant ’Jai Shree Ram’ slogans in chorus behind him also," Bhat further claimed.

Moreover, The Wire quoted local sources as alleging that the army also vandalised the Jamia Masjid Zadoora.

Meanwhile,
...back at the Council of Boskone, Helmuth had turned a paler shade of blue. Star-A-Star had struck again...
Indian news website Scroll.in reported that a similar incident reportedly took place in at least one other mosque in the area.

The Wire quoted a senior army officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as saying that the incident had "come into their notice".

"We are ascertaining the facts. Once we have clarity about what has happened, we will share the details," the report quoted the officer as saying.

Meanwhile,
...back at the Council of Boskone, Kinnison began his slow infiltration of the sewer system...
The Telegraph quoted Bhat as saying that high-ranking army officials had apologised to the villagers on Sunday, adding that the officials had said that an army major involved in the incident was also removed.

"We are satisfied with the army’s action but we don’t want a repeat of such incidents," he said.

Link

India-Pakistan

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq released from house arrest

2021-03-06

[DAILYTIMES.PK] The restrictions on Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq were eased after 20 months as claimed by officials in Sri Nagar."The Mirwaiz is not under any detention," a bigwig told the local Indian media.

A Hurriyat front man, however, said the decision of the release has not been officially conveyed to the Mirwaiz so far.

Sources sated that the Mirwaiz is likely to be allowed to deliver Friday sermons at historic Jamia Masjid this week. It would be for the first time since August 4, 2019 that the Mirwaiz may resume his religious duties.

Former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti welcomed Mirwaiz’s release from "arbitrary detention". "Good to hear about Mirwaiz’s release from arbitrary detention. I hope that hundreds of Kashmiri men languishing in jails in and outside J&K will also be released soon. Its time they returned home to their families," said Mufti in a tweet.

Mirwaiz’s release comes on the backdrop of India and Pakistain issuing a joint statement last week to strictly observe all agreements on ceasefire along the LoC and other sectors. The government move also comes ahead of the auspicious Islamic occasion of Mehraj-e-Alam, which falls on March 11.

Several aides and separatist leaders, including former CMs Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah, were put under arrest after the Centre’s August 5 move. Most of them have been released now.

Link

India-Pakistan

500 arrested in occupied Kashmir, clampdown challenged in Indian Supreme Court

2019-08-09

[DAWN] Indian security forces have arrested more than 500 people since New Delhi imposed a communications blackout and security clampdown in occupied Kashmire, where people remained holed up in their homes for a fourth day on Thursday.

The rigorous security measures followed India's decision this week to revoke the special status of occupied Jammu and Kashmire and downgrade the Himalayan region from statehood to a territory. Kashmiri fighters have been fighting against Indian rule in the occupied region for decades.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the nation on Thursday to discuss the issue. His national security adviser, Ajit Doval, visited the region on Wednesday to assess the law and order situation.

A petition was filed in India's top court challenging the lockdown. Opposition Congress party activist Tehseen Poonawalla said he expected the Supreme Court to hear his petition on Thursday seeking immediate lifting of curfew and other restrictions, including blocking of phone lines, internet and news channels in Kashmire.

He also sought the immediate release of Kashmiri leaders who have been detained, including Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.

Link

India-Pakistan

Former IoK chief ministers Mufti, Abdullah placed under house arrest; curfew-like restrictions imposed

2019-08-05

[DAWN] Indian government placed under house arrest the former chief ministers of Indian-Indian Kashmiree (IoK), Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, late Sunday night and imposed curfew-like restrictions in the restive region.

"There shall be no movement of public. All educational institutions shall also remain closed. There will be a complete bar on holding any kind of public meetings or rallies during the period of operation of this order. Identity cards of essential services officials will be treated as movement passes wherever required," reads the Indian government order, but says "there is no curfew in place".

According to Greater Kashmire and Indian media, authorities also suspended internet services on cellphones, a common tactic to prevent anti-India demonstrations from being organised and stop dissemination of news.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to chair a national security meeting today [Monday].

Link

India-Pakistan

Panic grips Kashmir following troop mobilization reports

2019-07-29

[ARABNEWS] India’s decision to send an additional 10,000 paramilitaries to the Kashmire Valley on Saturday has drawn sharp reaction from the troubled region.

There are fears the deployment foreshadows possible violence in the event that article 35A of the constitution, that gives special privileges to the people of Kashmire, is scrapped.

The decision to send additional troops comes days after the visit of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to the region.

The Home Ministry said on Saturday that additional troops were being sent for "counter insurgency" operations and to maintain "law and order."

Media reports suggest there are now around 700,000 troops, including the Indian Army personnel, paramilitary forces and state police, stationed in Kashmire.

"The decision to deploy an additional 10,000 troops has created fear," said Mehbooba Mufti, a former chief minister and the leader of the People’s Democratic Party.

"There is no shortage of security forces in Kashmire. Jammu and Kashmire is a political problem which won’t be solved by military means. The Indian government needs to rethink and overhaul its policy," he added.

"The additional deployment is not a good sign ‐ people are in panic, fearing the scrapping of articles 370 and 35A," said Ali Mohammad Sagar of the National Conference party. "Time and again we have said that dialogue is the only way to solve the problem. The Indian government should listen."

Local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dr. Hina Bhat said: "The deployment of the troops does not indicate that special provisions of the constitution are going to be scrapped. I don’t think you need special forces to contain the reaction, the existing armed forces have enough heft to handle any eventuality.

An Nahar adds:

The region has seen a resurgence of hostilities in recent years, while locals are fearful about the loss of special privileges after India's Supreme Court last year began hearing a case challenging a constitutional provision.

Officials said the movement of troops -- set to rise to 20,000 -- was to relieve exhausted personnel deployed since local civic polls last year and now monitoring an annual Hindu pilgrimage.

"Troops have been working constantly for seven months. Some have to go on leave and some for training outside," Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh told AFP.

"We have requisitioned for 200 companies (20,000 troops), more might arrive."

Link

India-Pakistan

FO condemns alleged rape of 3-year-old girl in occupied Kashmir

2019-05-14

[DAWN] The Foreign Office on Monday condemned the alleged rape of a three-year-old in Indian-Indian Kashmiree on May 8, which lead to widespread protests across the Valley on Sunday.

"Reported horrific rape of 3-year-old Kashmiri girl in Bandipora, in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmire, another brutal reminder of humanitarian nightmare in IoK," FO Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said on Twitter on Monday.

"Fresh reports of pellet gun firing on protesters, yet another reflection of continued Indian atrocities," he added.

According to the Indian Express, the girl was allegedly raped on Wednesday before iftar in the Sumbal area of Bandipora district, following which widespread protests broke out across the Valley on Sunday.

As per the complaint filed by the girl's family, the accused lured the child with candy before abducting her and then raping her. "We found her in a nearby area and informed the local police," a family member was quoted as saying.

Soon after the incident was reported, coppers said that the girl was referred to a Srinagar-based hospital while the accused, who hails from a village in the area, was tossed in the slammer
Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
"A case was registered, and the accused was produced before the court which sent him on police remand," SSP Bandipora Rahul Malik told the Indian Express.

"The heinous crime of rape of a minor in Bandipora is under investigation. We assure that [the] perpetrator of the crime will be brought to justice. We appeal to the public to stay calm and not heed to any rumours," Bandipora Deputy Commissioner Shahbaz Mirza was quoted as saying, after protests were recorded in as many as 12 locations on Sunday.

Hurriyat Conference Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani termed such incidents "a black stain on our social fabric and rich culture".

Former IOK chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah tweeted" "The rape of a child in Tirgaam is a travesty. [Jammu and Kashmire Police] must ensure a speedy investigation with only one consideration and that is to identify the guilty, prepare a watertight case & ensure exemplary punishment to those responsible."

Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti also expressed her shock at the incident in a tweet, writing: "Mortified to hear about the rape of a 3 yr old girl in Sumbal. What kind of a sick pervert would do this? Society often blames women for inviting unwanted attention but what was this child’s fault?"

Link

India-Pakistan

India detains Kashmir separatists, issues new warning to Pakistan

2019-02-24

[PULSE.NG] As international concern grows over India-Pakistain sabre-rattling, residents of Kashmire, at the centre of a decades-old struggle between the nuclear-armed neighbours, reported heightened military activity.

The region has been on edge since the February 14 attack on an Indian convoy which killed 40 soldiers and was claimed by Pakistain-based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

India has accused Pakistain of supporting the attack -- a claim rejected by the Islamabad government -- and there have been widespread calls for nationalist leader Modi to order a reprisal strike.

About 10,000 paramilitaries started arriving in Kashmire on Saturday, a day after India ordered the reinforcements.

Modi told a rally in Rajasthan state that the country was "angry" about the attack in the Pulwama district of Indian-held Kashmire.

"After the Pulwama attack, you must have seen how Pakistain is being brought to account one step at a time. They are in a state of panic because of our government's decisions," Modi said, speaking in Hindi.

"We will not sit quietly after taking this pain. We know how to crush terrorism," he added. "We have given full freedom to the military."

Among those taken into custody in the crackdown in Kashmire were senior figures in Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
, the region's biggest religious organization, and the Hurriyat Conference, a coalition of local political parties.

Jamaat and Hurriyat Conference both strongly support Moslem Kashmire's right to choose whether it wants to be part of India or Pakistain, which have been fighting over the region since independence in 1947.

"Police and other agencies launched a mass arrest drive and raided many houses in the valley with dozens of... central and district-level leaders locked away
Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try!
," Jamaat said in a statement, adding that those detained included central leader Abdul Hamid Fayaz.

'ARBITRARY MOVE'
Police linked the arrests to security preparations for upcoming elections in India and a Supreme Court hearing on Monday on a challenge to a constitutional provision that gives Kashmiris special rights to property and jobs in the territory.

But the arrests drew widespread criticism from Kashmire politicians.

"Fail to understand such an arbitrary move which will only precipitate matters," Mehbooba Mufti, a pro-India former chief minister said on Twitter. "You can imprison a person but not his ideas."

"Such illegal and coercive measures against Kashmiris are futile and will not change realities on ground," wrote Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, an influential separatist leader, on Twitter.

Businesses across Kashmire were shut on Saturday, some in protest at the arrests and with others fearing conflict between India and Pakistain.

Many in Kashmire are wary of a military strike over the suicide bomb and residents in several areas reported unusual military air activity on Friday night.

Authorities did not comment on the reported fighter aircraft and helicopters flying over the territory.

Pakistain's Prime Minister Imran Khan

... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the brightest knife in the national drawer...
has vowed retaliation if his country is attacked. In a letter to the UN Security Council released Saturday, Pak Foreign Minister Shah

Mehmood Wormtongue Qureshi accused India of "warmongering".

More than 100 separatists detained in Kashmir raids in pre-election crackdown

[AlAhram] More than 100 separatists in Kashmire were detained in overnight raids, police officials said on Saturday, as part of a crackdown on groups that might cause trouble ahead of nationwide elections set to be held by May.

The overnight arrests in the state included those of many senior members of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), an Islamic organization that wants Kashmire to be independent from India.

The arrests led to violent scenes in parts of Kashmire, with stone-throwing protestors met by police firing tear gas.

JeI’s leader, Dr Abdul Hamid Fayaz and Yasin Malik
...

chairman of one of the two factions of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front. JKLF is a Kashmiri nationalist organization founded in Birmingham, UK in 1977. Branches weren't actually established in Kashmir for another ten years. It has the usual demands for separation of J&K from secular India so it can become an independent Islamic rathole. It seems to have no interest in Pak Kashmir breaking away to join it. In 1994 Malik renounced violence after he was released from jail and from that point he and his organization pursued peaceful means to impose their will on the region...
, the head of Jammu Kashmire Liberation Front (JKLF) that wants independence from both India and Pakistain, were among those detained.

A front man for India’s home ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the arrests or troop deployments.

Next week India’s Supreme Court is also expected to hear a petition attempting to remove an article in the country’s constitution that prevents non-residents from moving to Jammu and Kashmire, the Indian state that contains Moslem-majority Kashmire. If passed it could further escalate tensions in the region.

Link

India-Pakistan

More attacks in IHK

2018-02-14

[DAWN] TWO attacks in India-held Kashmire have sent tensions in the region soaring and prompted an extraordinary verbal attack by Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, against Pakistain. Before Ms Sitharaman’s bellicose statement, the Pakistain Foreign Office had already issued a statement suggesting that India should not presumptively blame Pakistain for violence in IHK, as in the past such accusations have been created as an excuse for India to attack across the LoC and Working Boundary. The attack on an army camp in Jammu on Saturday and another on a Central Reserve Police Force camp in Srinagar yesterday have so ratcheted up tensions between the two countries that IHK Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, has been forced to speak out. Ms Mufti has said on Twitter, "Dialogue with Pakistain is necessary if we are to end bloodshed. I know I will be labelled anti-national by news anchors tonight but that doesn’t matter. The people of J&K are suffering. We have to talk because war is not an option."

Her words should be heeded by the Indian government. The strident response of Ms Sitharaman may satisfy anti-Pakistain hawks in India, but such sentiments can only pave the way to greater conflict, not less. The events of September 2016 should serve as a reminder of unrestrained rhetoric leading to unmanageable consequences. An attack on a military brigade headquarters in Uri that India blamed on Jaish-e-Mohammad
...literally Army of Mohammad, a Pak-based Deobandi terror group founded by Maulana Masood Azhar in 2000, after he split with the Harkat-ul-Mujaheddin. In 2002 the government of Pervez Musharraf banned the group, which changed its name to Khaddam ul-Islam and continued doing what it had been doing before without missing a beat...
led to a clamour for action against Pakistain. Less than two weeks later, the Modi government, which itself appeared to fan the flames of war, launched so-called surgical strikes across the LoC. While the details have been disputed by Pakistain, the propaganda unleashed by India dangerously increased the possibility of conflict between the two states. The claim of surgical strikes was clearly meant to placate the Indian public, which had been whipped up into a nationalist frenzy, but it also threatened a cycle of violence, propaganda and counter-propaganda that could have spun out of control.

Interventions by IHK politicians such as Ms Mufti may help calm tensions in the short term, but the chief minister’s advice squarely addresses the underlying problem. Dialogue is essential between India and Pakistain because in its absence, hardliners will hijack the discourse and push agendas of self-interest that could have disastrous consequences for the people of both countries. The past five years have proven that waiting for the right time to attempt dialogue is futile. Elections in one country or the other, change of governments and the ebb and flow of violence will always be an excuse to delay dialogue when neither side is sincere. But without dialogue, the threat of violence can only grow. The Indian and Pak states owe it to their people to find peaceful solutions to seemingly intractable disputes.

Link

India-Pakistan

Head of Jammu Kashmir calls for peace talks

2017-07-18

[AA.TR] The chief minister of Jammu Kashmire has said dialogue with pro-independence leaders is the only way to resolve the regional dispute.

In an interview with the Indian newspaper, The Hindu, Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said she had not yet given up on the possibility of talks.

"I have not given up. What is the other option for us? Even if we go to war, what will change? I hope some part of the government may be reaching out to them [resistance leadership]," Mufti said.

She said there is a need to open Kashmire to the whole world.

"Why can’t we have, for example, an advisory council between the two Kashmires, who meet once or twice a year and discuss trade, tourism and environmental issues? I know it sounds unrealistic, but I don’t see a better solution."

Mufti also blamed the media for confusing dialogue with appeasement.

"Unfortunately dialogue or engagement is confused with appeasement. As soon as one says the word dialogue, electronic media and others say you are appeasing the separatists [resistance leadership], appeasing the other side. Dialogue is engagement for reconciliation," she said.

Link

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-12 More