KASHMIRentinelS

Vol. 15, No: 8 August, 2010 Pages 20 Price Rs. 20/-

JKENG 00333/26/AL/TC/94 JK No: 1213/18 Regd. JK-219/2009-2011

website:www.panunkashmir.org email: kashmirsentineljk@yahoo.co.in

Let Truth Prevail

INSIDEEDITORIAL.....................................Page 3

GUEST COLUMNPakikstan's underhandtactics will never pay......Page 4

FOCUSRe-defining trust Deficit...Page 5

ANALYSISIslamabad Conference.....Page 6

PERSPECTIVEEcospirituality andplace..............................Page 7

CYBER SPACEKashmiri Pandit presencein cyber space................Page 9

BOOK REVIEWEvangelical Intrusions..Page 10

MEDIA SCANPharaohs should knowKashmiris......................Page 12

REJOINDER.....................................Page 13

PHILOSOPHYThe need for a Lalla DedLexicon-III....................Page 15

THE DIVINE CALLGod is Calling...............Page 16

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS......................................Page 18

THE separatists’ shrillsand yells that were till

a few weeks ago confined toa few pockets in the Valleyhave now definitelydescended onDelhi. Thanks to the IndianState and to some over-enthusiastic members ofthe capital’s ubiquitous“civil society”! To be on theside of the ‘poor’ Kashmiri,is perhaps a fashionstatement. Leading thefashion show are the oldfamiliar faces that did theirbest and even doctoreddocuments to save S.A.R.Geelani from sure gallowsin the wake of hisinvolvement in the attackon the Indian Parliament.

The same Geelani wasseen on Aug. 7, leading aprotest demonstration, anight long sit-in, to protestIndia’s crimes againsthumanity inKashmir. Geelani was ablyassisted by someprofessors of Kashmiridescent from USuniversities who throngedDelhi at the nod of hiddenthough readily discerniblepuppeteers.

Some naive Kashmiris,having been banished fromKashmir, thought this

upon: Making sense ofwhat is happening inKashmir. Giving thepresidential address, theoctogenarian politicalscientist Mohan KrishanTeng opined that Muslimseparatism is destructive ofthe unity of India and of thesecular character of its socialand political organization.He warned that whichevervariant of this ideologyconfronts the polity, whetherthe demand for secession ofJammu and Kashmir fromIndia, or the creation of aseparate Muslim sphere ofpower through demands ofGreater Autonomy or Self-Rule, it aims to destroyIndian Unity and to wreakIndian sovereignty.

Dr. Teng asserted, “Anycompromise which placesJammu and Kashmir halfway from India will leadstraight to another partitionof India. It is time we all

realized that concessionsto Muslim separatism willlead to balkanization ofIndia.”

The Panunseminarians did not fail toempathize with those whosuffered Nature’s tragicfury in Leh (the toll at thetime of writing was 150dead, 500 injured and 300missing). The participantspledged all possible help tothe victims of thecloudburst; they alsoregretted the current lossof lives in Kashmir andprayed for restoration ofnormalcy in the Valley.

Mr. M.M. Khajuria, ex-Director General of J&KPolice, averred that thepresent rioting in Kashmirappeared to be yet anotherattempt by Pakistan andits stooges in the Valley todemoralise the IndianState. He said the

By Shailendra Aima

protest a great opportunityto find the lost sibling. Theydecided to revisit theKashmiri Kumbh at JantarMantar in the heart ofDelhi. To their credit, theyrealised soon that they weresharing the dais withpersons who had noinhibitions even in thecapital city to flaunt Jihadiand anti-national colours.They did not loose nerve andquickly asserted their pro-India commitment, only tobe quickly shunted off to thenearby police station byDelhi’s securityestablishment that stoodguard to protect thef r e e d o m - c h a n t i n gKashmiris!!! Little wonderthat Jantar Mantar keptreverberating with yells ofAzadi and Nizam-e Mustafa.

On Sunday, Aug. 8, inJammu, at the invitation ofPanun Kashmir, concernedcitizens met to deliberate

PANUN KASHMIR SEMINAR

Kashmir comes to Delhi

Jammu makes sense of happenings

We wish our esteemed readers a very happy Independence Anniversary and a blessfull Shravan Purnima. --Editor

(Contd. on Page 8)

Dr. M.K. Teng delivering lecture during the Seminar.

KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

August2010 22222

Kashmir Sentinel and Panun Kashmir Foundation mourn their sad demise and pray for the peace to the departed souls

1. Smt. Kmala Dhar W/o Late Sh. M.N. Dhar ofBagdaji Rainawari Sgr; presently residing at32, Rashi Appt. Sector-9, Rohini Delhi. 2/12/2009

3. Sh. Vinod Kumar Khuda S/o Late Sh. SomNath Khuda of Karan Nagar, Sgr; presentlyresidentof Nagrota Camp Jammu. 3/12/2009

3. Sh. O.N. Dhar originally resident of 402-Jawahar Nagar Sgr; presently resident of B-1,Kashmir Appart Pitampura New Delhi. 4/12/2009

4. Sh. Janki Prasad Dhar originally resident ofKhan-Kai Sokhta Saffakadal Sgr; presentlyresident of 75-Amar Colony Gole Gujral Road,Talab Tillo, Jammu. 5/12/2009

5. Sh. Maharaj Krishen Koul S/o Sh. Janki NathKoul of Malmoh Magam Kmr; presently resi-dent of Lane-5, Ajeet Colony Gole Gujral TalabTillo, Jammu. 5/12/2009

6. Sh. Bansi Lal Razdan S/o Pt. Amar NathRazdan resident of Razdan Mohalla AlikadalSgr; presently resident of Bhopal. 5/12/2009

7. Sh. Krishen Lal Ticku S/o Pt. Maheshwar NathTicku of Shalal Kadal Sgr; presently residingat Bangalore. 5/12/2009

8. Sh. Gokal Nath Mawa S/o Late Sh. Amar NathMawa R/o H.No: 124, Om Nagar UdheywallaBohri Jammu. 5/12/2009

9. Smt. Kamlwati Rain W/o Late Sh. Shyam Sun-der Raina resident of Rajpur Road Dehradun.5/12/2009

10. Smt. Somavati Trisal W/o Late Sh. SrikanthTrisal of Trisal, Pulwama; presently residentof H.No: 124/A, Basant Nagar,JanipurJammu. 6/12/2009

11. Miss Kritika Dhar D/o Smt. Anita and Sh.Vinod Dhar of Lal Chowk Anantnag Kmr; pres-ently resident of Ambala Cantt. 6/12/2009

12. Sh. Mohan Lal Sopori S/o Late Sh. MahadevRam Sopori of Mantapora, Gusani GundAnantnag Kmr; presently resident of TrilokiNath Mandir Jawahar Nagar, Udhampur. 6/12/2009

13. Sh. P.N. Duda S/o Pt. Ram Chand Duda erst-while resident of Chinkral Mohalla,Habbakadal Sgr; presently resident of G-24,Regent House DLF, Phase-IV, Gurgoan. 6/12/2009

14. Smt. Shamrani Wangnoo W/o Sh. Nath JiWangnoo of H.No: 99, Lane No: 4, ShastriNagar, Jammu. 7/12/2009

15. Smt. Shobawati Bhan W/o Late Sh. Arjan NathBhan R/o Batapora Sopore; presently residingat H.No: 199, Ambica Vihar Talab Tillo,Jammu. 7/12/2009

16. Smt. Somawati Raina W/o Late Pt. NiranjanNath Raina formerly resident of 54, PurshiyarHabbakadal Sgr; presently of H.No: 175, Sec-tor-4, Pamposh Colony Janipur, Jammu. 8/12/2009

17. Smt. Raj Dulari Fotedar W/o Late Sh.Shivnandan Fotedar of Sgr; presently at 89 A/D, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu. 9/12/2009

18. Smt. Jaya Bhat W/o Sh. Moti Lal Bhat origi-nally resident of Wanpoh Anantnag Kmr; pres-ently resident of Qtr. No: 695, Phase-IIIrd,Purkhoo Camp, Jammu. 9/12/2009

19. Smt. Somawati Bhat W/o Late Sh. Ram ChandBhat R/o Bonegond Verinag, Kmr; presentlyresiding at Qtr. No: 210, Mishriwalla CampJammu. 12/12/2009

20. Sh. Lassa Bhat of Tral/Sagam Kmr; presentlyresident of H.No: 09, Lane-01, Saraswati ViharBohri, Jammu. 12/12/2009

21. Smt. Chand Rani Dhar W/o Pt. Prem Nath Dharoriginally resident of Lal Chowk AnantnagKmr; presently residing at C-7, Rail ViharAmbala Cant, Haryana. 13/12/2009

22. Smt. Parameshwari Raina W/o Late Sh. Gopi

THOSE WHO LEFT USTHOSE WHO LEFT USTHOSE WHO LEFT USTHOSE WHO LEFT USTHOSE WHO LEFT US

(Contd. on Pagfe 19)

Nath Raina, originally resident of Syed AliAkbar Fatehkadal Sgr; presently residing atH.No: 131, Lane-6, Udhaiwalla, Bohri Jammu.13/12/2009

23. Smt. Uma Kaul W/o Late Sh. Moti Lal Kaul R/o 77, Bagh Rainawari, Sgr; presently residentof H.No: 375, Sector-7, Channi Himmat Jammu.13/12/2009

24. Radhika Aima D/o Sh. Naresh Aima residentB-48, G-3, Shalimar Garden Ext-II, Delhi. 13/12/2009

25. Smt. Satyawati Zadoo W/o Late Sh. K.C. Zadoopresently resident of Delhi. 10/12/2009.

26. Smt. Santosh Kichloo W/o Sh. Shadi Lal Kichloooriginally resident of Martand, Mattan Kmr;presently resident of H.No: 702/3, VinayakNagar Muthi, Jammu. 11/12/2009

27. Sh. Ram Ji Koul presently putting up atFaridabad Haryana. 11/12/2009

28. Sh. Kanaya Lal Bhan S/o Late Sh. Tika LalBhan originally resident of BabaporaHabbakadal Sgr presently putting up B-167,JMC Jawahar Nagar, Talab Tillo, Jammu. 11/12/2009

29. Smt. Shanta Sher W/o Sh. Chaman Lal Sheroriginally resident of 290, Jawahar Nagar, Sgr;presently putting up at Lane: 2, H.No: 68, PatoliMangotra Jammu. 14/12/2009

30. Mrs Asha Bagati W/o Late Sh. M.L. Bagati resi-dent of H.No: 46, Sector-7, Trikuta NagarJammu and erstwhile resident of 366, JawaharNagar, Sgr. 14/12/2009

31. Sh. Ganesh Lal Goja (Dassi) R/o H.No: 40,Krishna Vihar Vinayak Nagar, Upper MuthiJammu. 14/12/2009

32. Smt. Radika Rani Sazawal W/o Late Sh. RadhaKrishen Sazawal of Wazir Bagh Sgr; presentlyresident of 202, Laleshwar Vatikar GH-12,Sector: 21/D Faridabad. 14/12/2009

33. Sh. Laxmi Narayan Bhan S/o Late Sh. AftabJoo Bhan R/o H.No: 237, Bharat Nagar, RehariColony, Laxmi Nagar Sarwal, Jammu. 15/12/2009

34. Sh. Shadi Lal Razdan S/o Late Sh. Tara ChandRazdan of Mattan, Anantnag, Kmr; presentlyresident of Qtr. No: 10-J, Buta Nagar, Jammu.15/12/2009

35. Sh. Soom Nath Koul (Daftari) S/o Late Sh.Sarwanand Koul R/o Malik Anagan FatehKadal Sgr; presently resident of H.No: 146,Shanti Vihar, Patta Paloura, Jammu. 15/12/2009

36. Sh. Sunil Koul S/o Sh. C.L. Koul R/o H.No: 18,Lane-8, Block-B, Roop Nagar, Jammu origi-nally resident of Nai Sarak Sgr. 15/12/2009

37. Sh. Mohan Lal Wali S/o Pt. Raghunath Wali ofNai Sarak Sgr; presently resident of H.No: 76-B, Lane-1A, Roop Nagar Jammu. 15/12/2009

38. Sh. Niranjan Nath Raina originally resident ofLevdora Qazigund Kmr; presently resident ofH.No: 152 Ext. Janipura Housing ColonyJammu. 15/12/2009

39. Sh. Soom Nath Kher of Kalwal MohallaRainawari Sgr; preently resident of H.No: 24-A, Durga Nagar, Sector-1, Jammu. 15/12/2009

40. Sh. Sham Lal Bhat S/o Late Sh. RaghunathBhat of Danow Bogund Kulgam Kmr; presentlyresident of H.No: 316/JMC 1041, JawaharNagar, Talab Tillo, Jammu. 15/12/2009

41. Sh. Roop Krishen Raina (Guzerwan) S/o LateSh. Kashi Nath Raina (Bagwan) of AnantnagKmr; presently resident of H.No: 4, Church LaneMuthi Jammu. 16/12/2009

42. Smt. Rupa Dulloo W/o Late Sh. P.N. Dulloooriginally resident of 440 Jawahar Nagar, Sgr;presently residing at Delhi. 16/12/2009

43. Sh. Prathivi Nath Handoo originally residentof Motiyar Rainawari Sgr; presently residingat H.No: 1/10, Lane-14 Swaran Vihar Police

Colony Durga Nagar, Jammu. 17/12/200944. Smt. Sheela Ji W/o Sh. Beshambar Nath Koul

of Peeth Kanihama Magam Kmr; presently resi-dent of H.No: 37, Subash Nagar, Sector-A,Jammu. 17/12/2009

45. Sh. Ashok Zutshi S/o Late Sh. J.N. Zutshi resi-dent of Dehradoon. 17/12/2009

46. Smt. Rani Koul W/o Sh. Beshambar Nath Koulof Maisuma Sgr; presently resident of H.No:27, Rajpora Mangotrian Jammu. 17/12/2009

47. Sh. Gopi Nath Dhar S/o Late Sh. Sahaz RamDhar R/o Palhalan Pattan Kmr; presently resi-dent of F-9/A, Bharat Nagar, Talab Tillo,Jammu. 18/12/2009

48. Smt. Leelawati Ganjoo W/o Late Sh. R.K.Ganjoo of Pinglena Pulwama Kmr; presentlyreswident of 85-F, Vivek Vihar Durga Nagar,Jammu. 18/12/2009

49. Sh. M.L. Koul S/o Late Sh. S.L. Koul of 107Karan Nagar Sgr; presently resident of 71-Adarsh Enclave, Trikuta Nagar Jammu. 18/12/2009

50. Sh. Chaman Lal Suri S/o Late Tara Chand Suriorignially resident of Lal Mandi JawaharNagar, Sgr; presently resident of Qtr. No: 62,ORT, Migrant Camp Nagrota Jammu. 18/12/2009

51. Sh. Jatinder Pandit S/o Sh. Som Nath Panditof Levdora Anantnag Kmr; presently residingNoida Delhi. 18/12/2009

52. Sh. Manmohan Dhar S/o Late Sh. Janki NathDhar of Janglat Mandi Anantnag Kmr; pres-ently resident of H.No: 57, Lane-2, AdarshNagar Bantalab Jammu. 19/12/2009

53. Smt. Nirja Padroo W/o Mr. T.K. Padroo origi-nally resident of Bohri Kadal Sgr; presentlyresident of 411-Chatania Bloc, IndrapuramGaziabad. 19/12/2009

54. Smt. Roopawati Bhat W/o Late Sh. MaheshwarNath Bhat of Sogam Kupwara Kmr; presentlyresident of Sharda Colony Patoli BrahmanaAkhnoor Road, H.No: 34, Lane-3, Jammu. 19/12/2009

55. Sh. Kanaya Lal Gulla S/o Late Sh. Tara ChandGulla of Cheeni Chowk Anantnag Kmr; pres-ently resident of H.No: 113, Doordarshan Lane,Old Janipur, Jammu. 19/12/2009

56. Sh. Manohar Lal Khah of Late Sh. SudarshanKhah of Mattan, Anantnag Kmr; presently re-siding at Paloura Jammu. 20/12/2009

57. Smt. Sheela Razdan W/o Sh. M.L. Razdan origi-nally resident of Malyar Nai Sarak Sgr; pres-ently residing Jammu. 20/12/2009

58. Mohan Pyari Raina W/o M.L. Raina previooslyresident of Keni Mohalla Rainawari Sgr; pres-ently residing at 8-Hari Vihar Vijay Park,Dehradoon. 20/12/2009

59. Sh. Om Prakash Koul S/o Late Shamboo NathKoulof Kharyar Sgr; presently resident of ORTNo: 83, Nagrota Camp, Jammu. 20/12/2009

60. Sh. Radha Krishen Sapru S/o Late Sh. MukundRam Sapru originally resident of 118-KarfaliMohalla Sgr; presently resident of 8/1-VivekVihar Paloura, Jammu. 21/12/2009

61. Sh. Jawahar Lal Chrangoo S/o Late Sh. KashiNath Chrangoo R/o of Jawahar Nagar, Sgr; pres-ently resident of 246-C, Lane-4, Sector-1, DurgaNagar, Jammu. 21/12/2009

62. Sh. Gopi Nath Bhat S/o Late Dev Bhat ofTengapora Pulwama, Kmr; presently residentof H.No: 11, Netar Kothian Barnai Jmamu. 21/12/2009

63. Smt. Pinky Dhar W/o Sh. Surinder Dhar origi-nally resident of Lar-Ganderbal Kmr; presentlyresiding at H.No: 238, S-2, Lane-1,Anuradhapuram Barnai Jammu. 21/12/2009

64. Pt. Dnia Nath Zutshi of Shallayar HabbakdalSgr; presently resident of Dehradoon. 22/12/2009

33333

Standing Firm and not Faking it

KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

August2010

Editorial

Dear Sir,For the last two years some

of the self-styled leaders of ourCommunity have beenadvocating for the return of themembers of the KashmiriPandit Baradari back toKashmir. These self-styledleaders at the behest of theirhandlers have been selling somany dreams to the baradarimembers, without applyingtheir mind to the growingadverse circumstances in theValley. From time to time theseSelf-styled leaders were told bysome right thinking persons toshow caution but they continueto harp on their tune.

Every member of theBaradari has a right to thinkindividually as to what thereality is and decide if it is theright time to return toKashmir?

We are in the Vortex ofgrave historical events in whichdifference between right andfalse move will mean the

difference between survival anddisaster. God saved us in 1989-90. He might not give us asecond chance because He is notours only.

We must think as to withwhom we have to deal with. Thenew growing civil society ofKashmir comprise those boysand girls who were between theage of 5 to 10 in 1989-90followed by those who were bornafter 1990, are now in twentiesand thirties. Born and bred onthe philosophy of hate for theNon- Muslims, how can theygive political space for the K.P’swho is prompted to return bythese self-styled leaders?

Within next ten years thepresent leaders of NationalConference, PDP and even theSeparatist groups will cease toexist or become absolutelyirrelevant.

Recently some Psychologistsadvocating amnesty on thestone throwing children havejustified their action by statingthat they were born and bred instrife for the last twenty years.This is only a half truth. Thewhole truth is that right from

their breast feeding; they havebeen indoctrinated with thephilosophy of hate which has ledto the present situation.

Stone throwing is a part ofthe Semitic culture. Some of usmust be remembering whenChrist said the first stone shallbe thrown by the person whohas not committed any Sin. Sothe present stone throwing isnothing new.

The boys and girls born after

1989-90 have became a goodfodders for the ISI in Pakistanand their agent in theSeparatist groups in Kashmirto instigate the presentagitation in a manner that itmay look an internaldisturbance.

Pakistan has beensuccessful in achieving this endbut what is surprising is thenon application of mind andvisible absence of will in theIndian leadership and the localsatraps to make a counter moveagainst the Pakistan’sinstigated trouble in Kashmir.

One would not hesitate tosay that this move is assuccessful as the MumbaiCarnage. It is high time forthe baradari members tointrospect and come to rightconclusions and not bemisled or waylaid by the self-

styled leaders of the K.Pcommunity. This is only anappeal. Kashmir Panditsshould not be misled owingto their cuddling by theiradversaries.

The Separatists mustunderstand clearly that theK.P’s have a share in theGeography of Kashmir, theyare part of the history ofKashmir. They have a sharein the Politics andadministration of Kashmir.What we want is that ourshare should be identified,whatever the percentage,and codified as well. Nosettlement of the Kashmirproblem can be possibleeven within the parametersof the Indian Constitutionwithout addressing to ourclaims. This is what the lawsays and the natural justicedemands.

--P.L. AaimaSubash Nagar, Jammu

Time is not ripe to return

LETTERLETTERLETTERLETTERLETTER

faking firmness then it is seen weaker than its actual weakness.Government of India over the years has many times given signalswhich undermined and even put to ridicule the firm steps it took tosalvage the situation on the ground.

We all know very well that when Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah was re-moved from power for the first time and Bakshi Ghulam Mohammadput in the saddle, the firmness and the clarity of vision of GoI wasput to ridicule because it lost no time in sending emissaries to thearrested leader for reconciliation. It was only the threat of resigna-tion from none other than Bakshi himself which put a halt to themove. His government stood firm and we had almost a decade ofstable rule in the state.

So many of such incidents could be quoted which underminedthe resoluteness of Government of India at times when it was re-quired to be seen as well as felt. This time also, sending emissar-ies like Radha Kumar, Amitabh Mattoo or Wajahat Habibullah whohave a pronounced position of granting concessions to the separa-tist politics in the state will jeopardise the entire positive and af-firmative thrust of Government of India on Jammu and Kashmirwhich the Prime Minister underlined in his speech.

Also leaving rabble rousers and religious bigots like Ali ShahGeelani or Asiya Andrabi free to mobilise public by striking dealswith them will eventually undermine the sanctity and the authority ofthe government at the helms in the state. Government will have tore-evaluate its policy formulations with regard to mass mobilisationdrives. Allowing public demonstrations on the assurances that theywill remain peaceful, or on the premise that they may serve thecause of public catharsis, will be self defeating.

AMONGST the simmering rumours in Jammu that Governmentof India may wilt under the pressures exerted by the sustained

'Intifada' in Kashmir Valley, the Prime Minister's address to the na-tion on 15th August was a pleasant surprise. The portion of the speechaddressed to the present problem in Kashmir Valley, demonstrateda graceful firmness. The speech resolutely communicated that theseparatists machinations may lead them no-where and bring themnothing. It reiterated Government of India's willingness and flexibilityto talk to anybody and everybody on issues which are concernedwith the betterment and welfare of the people of the state but onlywithin the boundaries of Constitution of India. For the first time in therecent past ambiguous, misleading phrases like 'autonomy', solu-tion within the confines of 'insaniyat' , 'sky is the limit', 'stake hold-ers' or 'rendering 'borders irrelevant' were not mentioned in the PrimeMinister's speech with regards to the Kashmir issue.

More than that, Prime Minister left no body in doubt that when headdressed the problems of the state, he had every region, and sec-tion of the peoples comprising the state of Jammu and Kashmir inmind and not merely Kashmiri Muslims. Last but not the least hestated clearly that Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of theIndian nation. Those who thought that Government of India had al-ready conceded that the state of Jammu and Kashmir was a dis-puted legacy and change of status quo, political and constitutional,was in the offing, have been forced to re-examine their conclusions.This statesmanly clearity was required at this juncture when sepa-ratists in the Valley are unleashing cycles of public frenzy.

But standing firm and merely appearing to be firm are two oppo-site positions. When the state gives an impression that it is only

44444GUEST COLUMNKKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

August2010

JKENG 00333/26/AL/TC/94JK No: 1213/18Regd. JK-219/2009-2011Printer Publisher B.N. Kaul for and on behalf ofPanun Kashmir Foundation.Editor: SHAILENDRA AIMAComputer Graphic:S.K. BabbuPrinted at : The Kashmir Times Press, Gangyal, JammuOwned by:PANUN KASHMIR FOUNDATIONPublished from PANUN KASHMIR FOUNDATION,172, Sector-3, E.W.S Colony, Lower Roop Nagar,Jammu-180013 (INDIA)Tele/Fax: 0191-2593166emal: kashmirsentineljk@yahoo.co.inwebsite: panunkashmir.org

By J N Raina

GIVEN theeffervescence ofP a k i s t a n i

Foreign Minister ShahMahmood Qureshi, it isdoubtful whetherIslamabad is keen forresumption of harmoniousrelations with India.

The ongoingacrimonious peaceprocess, which was setabout after a lot ofpreparedness, hasreceived a serious setback.It is in shreds because ofthe unbecoming andfastidious attitude ofQureshi. He exhibitedblatant ‘misconduct’ in anample measure duringIndia-Pakistan peaceconclave in Islamabadrecently. In a sudden jerkof events, Qureshi lashedout at Indian ForeignMinister S M Krishna,accusing him he was not‘fully prepared’, and was‘selective’ in dealing withissues of concern. Qureshihad the gumption to castaspersions on Krishnathat he lacked the‘mandate’ to holddiscussions and was being‘tutored’ by New Delhi onphone all through thenegotiations. WhenKrishna was on way toNew Delhi, he was accusedof being a ‘marionette’without a mandate tonegotiate. It is mind-boggling.

Certainly, thePakistan Army, which hasno stake in peace talks,and is the epicenter ofpower, seems to haveplayed fraud at thebuzzer. Rawalpindi, theheadquarters of PakistanArmy Chief GeneralAshfaq Kiyani, knowsthat India is serious inpromoting democracy inPakistan. Peace isillusory, because of thePakistan Army’s covertintervention to torpedotalks.

On the eve of the slateddialogue on July 16, bothsides had maintainedthat terror is the mostsignificant issue whichshould get priority. In factit should be the core issue,because it is the bane ofPakistan. Qureshi hadeven promised thatPakistan would take

Pakistan’s underhand tactics will never payaction on the perpetratorsof Mumbai carnage. Indiatoo had reciprocated thatit would share moreintelligence with thatcountry. Everything wentalmost hazel-free, tillabruptly somethingmysterious happenedduring the middle ofdiscussions.

Pakistan changed itstactics just after GeneralKiyani’s impromptumeeting with PresidentAsif Ali Zardari andPrime Minister YousafRaza Gilani. Obviously,the instructions musthave come to Qureshi tosidetrack the issue ofterrorism and raise theKashmir bogey. Whattranspired at Qureshi’s

press conference just afterthe failed talks,tantamount to vulgardiplomacy. Qureshi’sbellicosity became morepungent when he said hewas not going to NewDelhi ‘for a pleasure trip’.He has been invited byKrishna for a visit therefor further exploratorytalks. He wanted a‘sustained dialogue’ onKashmir. Naturally, hemust have been tutored tochange brass tacks.

Qureshi’s diatribeagainst Krishna isscornful. There was araucous and pains-takingtalks were eclipsed whenPakistan insisted thattalks on Kashmir, peace,Siachin and securityshould happensimultaneously. Nomagician can do it. It isnigh impossible. No doubtour pliable Prime

Minister ManmohanSingh had earlier assuredPakistan that ‘all issueswould be discussed’, butthat does not mean in onego. Pakistan wantsKashmir first as a coreissue.

Can Pakistan act onevidence provided by Indiarelating to 26\11, giventhe fact that ISI isinvolved neck-deep inMumbai attack? Theneedle of suspicion hasbeen pointed towards it byLeT operative DavidColeman Headley. Withashes in his mouth,Qureshi at the mediabriefing equated terrormaster mind LeT chiefHafeez Saeed with India’sHome Secretary G K

Pillai. It is preposterous.What is the comparison?That denotes to whatextent he can go. This isthe height of indecency. Infact, what Pillai had saidabout ISI’s nefariousactivities as revealed byHeadley, had beencommunicated toPakistan by HomeMinister PChidambaram. The onlydifference is that now a‘much clearer picture’ hasemerged on the‘infrastructure’ ofterrorism and the‘ecosystem that supportsterrorism’. It has beenconfirmed by India’sNational Security AdviserShiv Shanker Menon.ISI’s activities have globalramifications.

Both the Congress andthe BJP have takenserious exception toQureshi’s ‘misconduct’

and have condemned hisloquaciousness. Butsurprisingly, Krishna didnot react to Qureshi’sremarks. Rather hechided Pillai for makinganti-ISI statement.Krishna should haverefrained. Pakistanconsiders its intelligenceagencies, put togetherwith terrorist outfits as‘non-state actors’.

Home Secretary’soutburst on ISI was justan excuse for Qureshi toraise hackles. If Pakistanwas interested inmeaningful dialogue, itshould have desistedfrom sending infiltratorsinto Kashmir to fomentfresh violence. Qureshiwas obviously tutored to

keep Kashmir alive,because Pakistan Armyis not interested in peace,and what for? Pakistanhopes that once the USand NATO forces pull outfrom Afghanistan by nextyear, it will pave way forreturn of Taliban rule inKabul, and help Pakistanin regaining ‘strategicdepth’ in Afghanistan.Intrinsically, jihadigroups created byPakistan will getemboldened. It will thenbe easier for Pakistan totake on India, as it didafter the withdrawal oferstwhile Soviet forcesfrom Afghanistan,leading to terroristviolence in Kashmir .Thescene will just bereplicated. That is whythere is a nexus betweenPakistan Army andTaliban, in conjunctionwith LeT and Al Qaida.

In search of this ‘strategicdepth’, Pakistan Armyhas loosened its control ofanti-jihadi groups as isevident from the fact thatthere is large-scaleinfiltration in the valley.Pakistan firmly believes ithas now more ‘leeway’ inAfghanistan and a ‘terror-centric ‘dialogue withIndia will not suitPakistan’s militaryestablishment.

Pakistan has beenusing non-state actors infomenting trouble inKashmir for over twodecades. The sametechniques are used inAfghanistan. Pakistan isusing underhand tacticsto deal with India and itsBig Brother in

Afghanistan. ISI hascreated Haqqani terroristnetwork in Afghanistanagainst US interests.These groups are actingas Pakistan’s ‘militaryproxies’. US has beenasking Pakistan toliquidate Haqqai

network but former armychief Mirza Aslam Beginsists that Siraj-ud-DinHaqqani group should notbe touched. Similarly,there is a nexus betweenPakistan Army and LeTand JeM .

Pakistan’s non-stateactors in Kabul will beused to its full advantageonce US forces pull out. Itwill lead to anarchy. It isfor the internationalcommunity to disallowPakistan from raisingsuch non-state actors. Ifthe U N Security Councilblinks, Pakistan will beencouraged to create moresuch terrorist groups tograb its neighbouringcountries..

US Secretary of StateHillary Clinton haswarned Pakistan againstkeeping a ‘poisonous’snake in its backyard. Shewas obviously referring toAl Qaida fugitive Osamabin Laden, who shebelieves, has been kepthidden in Pakistan. Sherebuked Qureshi when heat a joint press conferenceraised the Kashmir issue:“sustained dialogue” withIndia and finding a justsolution of Kashmir‘dispute’ was part of the‘convergent interests’ ofthe US and Pakistan. Hewanted to placate U S asif Clinton is ignorant of hercountry’s interests. Theseare just bullying tactics.

Pakistan gave a freehand to terror groups tolaunch anti-India tirade.ISI directed them toprovoke Kashmiris tostreet violence. Are thesenon-state actors? Can weexpect Pakistan to actagainst them? It will beself-whipping.

What kind ofmeaningful dialogue canbe held under this viciousatmosphere generated byISI? Pakistan has beenfully exposed for its covertoperations worldwide.END

*(The author is asenior journalist based atPune).

SPLIT-SCREEN: India's External Affairs Minister Sh. S.M. Krishna & Pakistan's Foreign Minister Sh.Shah Mohammad Qureshi (R) turn away from each other after their joint conference in Islamabad onJuly 15.

55555FOCUSKKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

August2010

By Shailendra Aima

IN an IndpendenceDay-eve bonanza,Jammu and

Kashmir Chief MinisterOmar Abdullahannounced that hisgovernment will recruit50,000 youths in the nextfew months and pitchedfor restoration ofautonomy to the state tobridge the “trust deficit”between the people andthe Centre.

The Chief Ministerproclaimed that people inJammu and Kashmirhave cynicism about thepromises made by theCentre in the past andthere is a need for thecentral government toinitiate action to removeall doubts from the mindsof the people and bridgethe gap that has emergedover the last six decades.

"I think by restoring theautonomy, this trustdeficit will be removed. Irequest the government ofIndia to take urgentmeasures in this regard,”he said. In his address tothe people on the eve of theIndependence Day, Omarsaid no economic oremployment packages canheal the wounds.

It was also widely beingdiscussed in the Valleythat the Prime MinisterManmohan Singh, duringhis Independence DayAddress to the Nation,would make somepronouncement to thiseffect. Some Kashmirobservers also believedthat it would assuage theAzaadi-wallas, and thatincluded all shades - NC’sAutonomy, PDP’s Self-Rule, Omar Farooq’sReferendum and Geelani’sSelf-determination. Infact some lobbyists inDelhi had exercised lot ofpressure on him. But thenwhat stopped him?

When Omar talked sovehemently about a trustdeficit and the minds ofthe people and of bridgingthe gap, what was in hismind and who were thepeople he was talkingabout. Definitely heneither talked aboutJammu and Ladakh norabout that segment ofKashmiri society whichhas been expelled out of itshomeland. He excludedmore than half of thepopulation and more thantwo thirds of the state’sarea from his perspective.He created mistrust or atrust deficit with all thesepeople, outside his

immediate constituency.And even his trust withinKashmir has becomequite questionable.

In fact, the acts ofomission and commissionof the Kashmirileadership have been soglaringly blatant eversince 1947 andresponsible for buildingmistrust among thepeople of the state at onehand and between Indianpeople and Kashmirileaders on the other. Takefor example the situationin 1953, when SheikhMohd. Abdullah had to bearrested.

In 1978, whenHenderson Papers weremade public, itappeared that inSeptember 1950 theUnited StatesAmbassador to India, LoyHenderson had secretlyvisited Sheikh Abdullah.Sheikh had toldHenderson that majorityof Kashmir leaders

favored Independent stateand even some Pakoccupied Kashmir leaderswere supporting the idea.Then in May 1953, Sheikhhad talked to AmericanDemocratic leaderStevenson in Srinagar onsimilar lines as he hadtalked to Loy Henderson.The Sheikh not onlybetrayed Nehru’s Trust,he created a chasmbetween New Delhi andKashmir.

Even before that whenin 1951, the preparationsfor the elections to theConstituent Assemblybegan the parties andcandidates, seekingelection to the Assemblyin opposition to theofficial candidates of theNational Conference,complained ofintimidation andinterference. They chargedthe National Conference

of using force and pressureto drive them out of theelections and preventingthem from filing theirnomination papers. Forthe forty-one of the forty-three constituencies in theKashmir Province, not asingle nomination paperwas filed by thecandidates in theopposition. In the two,remaining constituenciesof Habbakadal in the cityof Srinagar and ofBaramulla Township,

nomination papers werefiled by Pandit ShivNarayan Fotedar andSardar Sant Singh Tegh,an Akali Sikhs leader ofthe State. However, thetwo leaders did notremain in the fray for longand both withdrew inprotest. Sant Singh Teghcomplained of officialinterference in theelections and alleged thatthe color of his ballotboxes, was changed in hisabsence and his voterswere prevented fromattending his electionmeetings by unfair andfoul means.

In the Jammu province,Praja Parishadnominated candidates fortwenty-seven constit-uencies of the provinces,generally filing nomina-tion papers of more thanone candidate for eachconstituency. Forty-one of

the forty-six nominationsfiled by the Parishad wererejected in twenty-sevenconstituencies, leavingthe Parishad to contestelections in only threeconstituencies in theprovince. On 22September 1951, theWorking Committee of theParishad adopted aresolution condemning therejection of thenomination papers of theParishad candidates andgave an ultimatum to the

Government to reverse therejections, failing whichthe Parishad threatenedto boycott the elections.The President of the PrajaParishad Pandit PremNath Dogra issued a pressstatement in Delhi on 6October 1951 in which healleged that:

· The elections inthe two provinces ofJammu and Kashmirwere scheduled to be heldon different dates toprovide the NationalConference an advantageover the other parties;

· The delimitationof the constituencies wasundertaken in a manner,which usedgerrymandering to turnmany Hindu majorityconstituencies intoMuslim majorityconstituencies;

· Fortune of theforty-six nomination pa-

pers filed by the PrajaParishad candidates wererejected on false andflimsy grounds;

Official interference inthe elections was wide-spread and the entire offi-cial machinery was gearedto help the National Con-ference.

Trust is a containerconcept used in a broadvariety of disciplines.Trust and suspiciousnessare often well-founded. Inpotentially uncertain,dangerous and riskyenvironment we need toknow very well who we canand who we cannot trustand in whichcircumstances we can dowhat. The essence of trustmanagement is not totrust but to decide to whatextent we can trust andhow to develop and createtrust relationships.Building trust has aspecial meaning.

Did the Kashmiri lead-ership ever care to create

and nurture trust whichOmar Abdullah bemoanshas been eroded. OnAmarnath Land Row is-sue, he deliberately cre-ated mistrust when hedescribed the Agitation inthe Valley as anexpression of “KashmiriNationalism”. In theParliament of India, hecategorically asserted,“this was an issue of ourland; and we fought for ourland; and shall fight to thelast”. His communal biaswas at the forefront andthe entire nation stood inshock over hisfulminations.

On October 2, 1988, thebirthday of MahatmaGandhi, his statue was tobe installed in the newhigh court complex inSrinagar and the chiefjustice of India was toinaugurate it. But a fewanti-India lawyers ob-

jected and threatened todisrupt the function. Thechief minister gave in andit was none other than anactive member of the Na-tional Conference, whocreated this trouble. WasGandhi an alien inKashmir or a symbol ofimperialist India? Butwho cared to explain andhence the Trust Deficit.

There are numerousother instances, but let’slook at only a few. Whydid J&K Assembly passthe controversialResettlement Bill whichwas never approved by theCentre? The Bill hadproposed that Muslims ofJ&K who had fled toPakistan or PoK duringPartition be brought backto Indian Kashmir andresettled there withhonour and dignity. Theland they had left behindwas to be restored tothem. At the same timethe State Government didnothing with regard to thesettlement of the HinduRefugees of 1947 fromWest Pakistan who cameto state of J&K.

In 1987, FarooqAbdullah announcedcancellation of DarbarMove to the winter capitalof the state, Jammu. Infact he as the ChiefMinister decided to doaway with the century oldpractice. A month longagitation in Jammu wasrequired to annul the anti-Jammu decision of theCM. Was Farooq aimingto build trust?

After 1996, when Dr.Farooq Abdullahreclaimed power after sixyears of violent operationsand Governor’s Rule, heproclaimed that peace hadreturned. He pronouncedreturn plans for displacedHindus. These proposalswere coercive in nature;and he went even to theextant of threatening ofstopping relief in Jammu.The displaced diasporasand the employees unions,besides staging hartalsand demonstrations, wereforced to seek court’sintervention. FarooqAbdullah’s Governmentopposed the case of exiledKashmiris for grantingIDP status before NHRC.And even after theDisplaced Employees wonthe case againstGovernment for grant ofHouse Rent Allowance inthe High Court and now in

Pt. Prem Nath Dogra Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah

The violent stone throwers.

(Contd. on Page 11)

Re-defining Trust Deficit

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August2010

117102

By M.K. Teng

THE sudden outburst ofanger with which theForeign Minister of Pa-

kistan, Syed MohamoodQureshi, reacted to what hap-pened in the Foreign Ministers'Conference in Islamabad, needsto be considered more seri-ously. The acrimony which per-vaded the conference hasbrought to surface, very widedifferences in the perspectivesof Government, of India and

Pakistan, in respect of SouthAsia as a regional complex ofinter-state relationships andthe future Asian balance ofpower, which is taking shapewith the emergence of China asa major Asian military power.The two countries also differ intheir strategic outlook and seekto achieve diametrically diverseobjectives from the dialoguethey have so eagerly continuedfor many more decade now.

Pakistan has been insistingupon the structurisation of thecomposite dialogue betweenthe two countries in a way thatensures the priority of the is-sues which it considers vital toits interests, within a time-frame, it believes, Pakistanhas a right to lay down. Obvi-ously the Foreign Minister ofPakistan felt uneasy, whenS.M. Krishna stressed upon theneed to tackle the problem ofterrorism on a basis of prior-ity. Perhaps Qureshi did notexpect Krishna to do that. Andhe had good reason to do so.Infact, India never took a firmstand on terrorism, which theJehadi war groups in Pakistanwaged the Jammu and Kash-mir and in the other parts ofthe country. India always re-

Islamabad Conferencesorted to invoke good neigh-bourly relations with Pakistanand sought the cooperation ofthat country to put a curb onthe terrorist regimes operatingfrom its soil.

The Indian Foreign Ministerdid not invite the jibe from hiscounter-part the Foreign Min-ister of Pakistan on account ofthe statement the India HomeSecretary had made. ForQureshi, the comment made bythe Home Secretary was not souncommon a statement andwas a repetition of what theIndian officials of various sta-tions had been telling Paki-stan, right from the time theterrorist violence struckMumbai. Qureshi felt angry, be-cause everyone in Pakistan wasangry on the insistence of Indiaon the urgency todeal with cross-border terrorism.The governmentand the people ofPakistan neverbudged from theirstand that the set-tlement on Jammuand Kashmir couldnot be subjected tothe fulfilment oftheir commitmentsto fight terrorism.Everyone in Paki-stan told the Indi-ans in unmistakable termsthat a settlement on Jammuand Kashmir, which was ac-ceptable to them and the Mus-lims of Jammu and Kashmir,was a precedent condition forthe successful conclusion of thewar on terrorism they werewaging in Afghanistan andtheir own country alongsidetheir allies.

One fundamental aspect ofthe cross-border terrorism, theJehadi war groups have beenincessantly carrying on in In-dia, has received much less at-tention in this country. The ter-rorist violence Pakistan hasbeen exporting out of its bor-ders, right from the time itjoined the Muslim resistanceagainst the Soviet interventionin Afghanistan to the time itcommenced the militarisationof the Muslim separatist move-ment in Jammu and Kashmirin 1989, as well as the war ofsubversion the intelligenceagencies of that country hasbeen waging in the other partsof India, during the last twodecades, is an organised mili-tary campaign committed tothe Islamic Jehad. InAfganistan, the Jehad wasideologically committed to theliberation of the Muslims inAfghanistan from the Sovietarmy of occupation. In Jammuand Kashmir and the otherparts of India, the Jehad is

ideologically committed to thefreedom of the Muslims in aHindu dominicated India,where they are sub-servient tothe law and order of a society,which is not based upon thetheological imperatives ofIslam.

Jehad is not a political strug-gle. It is a more profound andsubtle prescription for socialchange than a political strug-gle is. It is an ideological com-mitment of the whole MuslimUmah to a social and politicalorder, which is based upon thelaw and precept of Islam.

The Jehad in Jammu andKashmir, the leadership andthe people in Pakistan includ-ing the so-called civil societybelieve, cannot be subjected tothe process of a dialogue be-

tween India and Pakistan,which is aimed at the settle-ment of the issues between thetwo countries. For any Islamicstate, including Pakistan,Jehad transcends all limita-tions on national power im-posed internally or externally.

For the Foreign Minister ofPakistan, Shah MohammadQureshi, the priority thereforewas not the end of the cross-border terrorism the IndianForeign Minister sought totake up for consideration. Thepriority was the discussion onKashmir, where the Muslimseparatist mobs were activelyengaged in an anti-India agita-tion. Qureshi sought to send theMuslim separatist mobs amessage. He did that effec-tively. The Muslims in Kash-mir quickly erupted, into awidespread ding dong battlewith the Indian security forcesand left about thirty fiveprotestors dead. S.M. Krishna,who bore the insult hurled onhim by Qureshi with a stoic in-difference, rued the indiscre-tion of the Indian Home Secre-tary unmindful of what hiscounterpart had accomplished.

The intolerance of the For-eign Minister of Pakistan, tothe Indian way of carrying onthe dialogue, manifest in hisanger, reflected his eagernessto pin down India on Jammuand Kashmir. For Pakistan,

the composite dialogue withIndia is aimed to achieve onepolitical objective : secession ofJammu and Kashmir from In-dia and its eventual inclusionin the Islamic Republic of Pa-kistan. Once India is pinneddown to a discussion onJammu and Kashmir, Paki-stan will repeat its star per-formance to coax India tohandover Jammu and Kashmirto that country on account of theMuslim majority compositionof its population, or more con-veniently, handover to thatcountry the Muslim majorityregions of the state situated tothe west of the river Chenab.Infact, all the proposals whichPakistan has agreed to discussas a basis for a settlement ofthe Kashmir dispute so far,

have revolvedround the seces-sion of the Muslimmajority region ofthe state, situatedwest of the riverChenab from India,while Pakistanretained its hold onthe occupied terri-tories of Pakoccupied Kashmir,the Northern Ar-eas, now renamedas Gilgit-Baltistanprovince of Paki-

stan along with the tribalDardic dependencies of thestate, which were annexed byPakistan to its territories in1947.

The much-hypedManmohan Singh-Musharrafplan too underlined the sameproposals of delinking of theMuslim majority regions of thestate from India, under thecover of self-rule, demilitarisa-tion and joint control.Musharraf knew what he hadaccomplished. ManmohanSingh unaware of what he wasasked to give away, groped inthe dark.

Manmohan Singh walkedthe proverbial "extra-mile", butMusharraf was cast aboard bythe so-called civil society in Pa-kistan which was backed by theMuslim fundamentalist flanksin that country as well as itsarmy command. Neither theJehadi war groups nor thearmed forces in Pakistan ap-proved of the Manmohan SinghMusharraf plan. This plan didnot receive the approval ofJehadi war-groups operating in-side Jammu and Kashmir aswell.

The present Government ofPakistan has no need for theMusharraf proposals.Qureshi's demand for a "time-bound" and "result oriented"dialogue" between the two coun-tries, reveals the real inten-

tions of the Government of Pa-kistan to carry the dialogueprocess further. Pakistan seeksto confront India with the ap-parently simplicitic demand ofa settlement on Jammu andKashmir, which is acceptableto the Muslims in there. Fur-ther Pakistan wants India totake the initiative to re-shapethe composite dialogue and putup the Kashmir issue on the topof its agenda.

That is the message,Qureshi actually sent to India,when he told the the IndianForeign Minister that Paki-stan wanted the talks betweenthe two countries to be mean-ingful and effective. In carefullychosen words the Foreign Min-ister of Pakistan told S.M.Krishna to convey to his govern-ment in Delhi that, (a) Paki-stan considered the disputebetween India and Pakistan

over Jammu and Kashmir cen-tral to the composite dialogue;(b) Pakistan would not agree tosubordinate the Kashmir dis-pute to the Indian complaint onterrorism or any other extrane-ous issue, including Siachinand Sir Creek; (c) Pakistanwould accept a settlement onthe Kashmir dispute which isapproved by the Muslims inJammu and Kashmir; and (d)Pakistan would want the dia-logue to be time bound, to en-sure that it is result oriented.

Qureshi left no one in Indiain doubt that in case India re-fused to shape the dialogueprocess the way Pakistanwanted to, the blame for ob-structing purposeful talks,would fall upon India. Qureshidid not tell the Indian peoplethat Pakistan would use therefusal of India to negotiate asettlement on Kashmir, to le-gitimise the Jehad against In-dia. The Indian office missed topick up the signal. The ongoingstrife and violence in the Statecannot be delinked from the ac-rimony in which the Islamabadconference ended.

*(The author headsPanun Kashmir advisory)

Pakistan would usethe refusal of India to

negotiate a settle-ment on Kashmir, tolegitimise the Jehadagainst India. The

Indian office missedto pick up the signal.

The ongoing strifeand violence in the

State cannot bedelinked from theacrimony in which

the Islamabadconference ended.

Jehad is not a politi-cal struggle. It is amore profound andsubtle prescriptionfor social changethan a political

struggle is. It is anideological commit-ment of the wholeMuslim Umah to asocial and political

order, which is basedupon the law andprecept of Islam.

Yusuf Raza GilaniManmohan Singh

77777PERSPECTIVEKKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

July2010

Ecospirituality and PlaceBy Dileep Kumar Kaul

OUR self attainsmeaning in themeaning of a place. It

has a spiritual dimension aswell. The meaning of place andthe meaning of the self are twodifferent entities in thebeginning. As the placeattachment develops andbecomes stronger, the meaningof place and meaning of selfbegin to merge. When aparticular place becomes animportant part of our selfidentity, this merger of self andplace is known as self identity.At this point the places play arole in the personal emotion andself regulation. The experienceand cognitions in places formthe place identity. The intensityof these experiences andcognitions cuts across religiousbarriers which may sometimeslead to a self that may betermed blasphemous in aparticular religious set up.

Kashmir has got such aspiritual energy that spiritualseekers irrespective of castecreed and religion have chosenit a place for their pursuits. Butthose who have lived here havebroken rigid barriers of thefaiths they belonged to andchosen their own paths forspiritual attainment. There isa large number of such saints inKashmir who may be termedSufis to keep them in a Muslimsphere. But their spiritualstrength has been such that theyhave expressed such things intheir poetry which hardlyanybody would dare to express.The famous poet and spiritualWaza Mahmud has condemnedthe restrictions of Islamic lawin very clear terms:

Hali Mansur Chhumbanyomut yath tane.

Tali pyath Chhamsharahuchi talwar me.

(my existence has met thefate of Mansur. The sword ofIslamic law is hanging on myhead.).

This is clearly the craving forthe spiritual freedom andIslamic law puts a restrictionthat one cannot go outside itsbarriers.

The greatest name amongsuch spiritual personalities isAbdul Ahad Zargar. He too hadto face strong opposition for hisfearlessness and the expressionof strong sense of freedom. It iscomfortable to put him withinthe sphere of “Sufism”, but hewas not the man to be includedamong some simple head asSufism. His attitude wasecospiritual, which exhibited astrong sense of faith in humanpower. God was not an alienatedentity for him. Like Mansoor hewas one with god and thus trueto the tradition of Kashmirisaints. His poem “Kafir sapdithKorum yakrar” (After being aninfidel I confessed) was termedblasphemous and venomous.But it is a poem thatdismantles all dualisms andchallenges the wholecivilizational paradigm, allrelations, compartmentalizedconceptions of divinity andwhatever separates man fromman. In this poem every wordthat separates humans fromeach other is challenged.Zargar’s oneness with divinityis such that he has the courageto say,

Meiy lod adam meiy dyutusjaan

Meiy zaav Muhammadmeiy von Koran

Mei nish non drav malikuljabar.

Kafar sapdith korumyakrar.

(I made adam and I gave himlife. I gave birth to Muhammadand I uttered the Quran. Withme was revealed consoler thegod. After being an infidel Iconfessed).

See the courage! He says thedivine message of Quran wasuttered by him. In Islamic ethicsharam and halaal are two wordsfor legitimate and illegitimate.Ahad zargar says,

Par Haramas takbeer suidiv niyaaz

Yeti nu aasi kabilay tatipar nemaaz

Sui imam karizyan yastyok tu zunnar

Kafar sapdith Korumyakraar.

(say there is only one god(takbeer) to what isillegitimate(Haram). Wherethere is no kabila say yourprayers there. Make him yourspiritual master who has got adotted forehead and a sacredthread on.

This is ecospiritual outlook.In ecospirituality weunderstand that divine lifeextends to all reality, and thecosmos is an integral part ofGod’s self revelation. Inecospirituality, we explore ourrelationship with the wholecosmos with god in the centeras creator of the cosmos. Thatis the point where there is noharam and halal and no barrierbetween the seeker and thesupreme deity. In other wordswhen somebody attains divinityall the barriers go of for him.This is a totally non dualisticapproach. From here springs theecological outlook. In ecologyeverything in this world isassociated with everything else.With Ahad zargar also we cansay “allaho akbar” with what isharaam. Two utterlyunassociated things are held inthe same breath by him andthat is the level of his spiritualattainment. That is nondualism.

However this ecospiritualoutlook is seen in other poetsalso who too were termedinfidels. One of them is AbdulAhad Azad. Though he was anatheist but his spiritualitycannot be denied. Hisecospiritual attitude isconspicuous in his this verse,

Swarguchi dodu koluzaenith tu maenith vondumyon chchuny mashiravan lo

Sendi, rambi aras vethivernagas gangai tujamunaye.

(after due thought my heartdoes not forget the milk streamsof heaven i.e swarg. These milkstreams are the river Indus,

rambi ara , Vitasta, Verinag,Ganga and Jamuna)

See the ecological unity of allthe rivers and the unity ofcultural streams theyrepresent. And he is not usingthe word jannat for heaven, heis using swarg which is from, ifwe don’t say hindu tradition,from the spiritual tradition ofIndia which is incompletewithout Kashmir. This gives“Azad” his place identity, theidentity of the dweller ofKashmir which belongs toIndian tradition.

Ahad Zargar also exhibitssuch place identity. He is somuch associated with Indianspiritual thought that it caneasily be said that he hadconverted to Hinduism as issaid about Lalded on the basisof some fake verses that she hadconverted to Islam. But versesof Ahad Zargar are not fake. Helived in our times and many ofus may have seen him. Butsaying about him as he hadaccepted Hinduism will be tobelittle him as a spiritualpersonality. He is deeply rootedin the tradition of Kashmirisaints who accepted any schoolof thought for their spiritualattainment. Like any othersaint his ethics was his ownwhich had deep influence ofHindu spirituality. See one ofhis poems,

Dame sutyi gati gav gashisbbat.

Pamposhi manzu gayipaedu kaaynaath.

According to the Puranas,Brahma is self born from lotusflower which grew from the navelof Vishnu at the beginning ofthe universe. Ahad Zargar turnsto this puranic allusion toexplain the creation and saysthat this universe was born outof a lotus.

This puranic allusion is madeclear in another verse,

Samah Saru manzu PholNeelofur.

Brahmah tami manzudrav johar

Jamah adu aav zaatosifaat

Pamposhi manzu gayipaedu kaaynaath.

( In the ocean of ether the bluelotus blossomed. From that wasborn Brahma the self created.Then pure God came into being)

His extent of puritytranscends all dualisms. Alldualisms are impure to him. Hesays,

Safri mahmudas dovnustan

Kufru islamu nish shruchgav me man.

Vuchch ahad zargaran

don kuni zaath.Pamposhi manzu gayi

paedu kaaynaath.( I was made to go on the

spiritual journey. My self wasmade pure of kufr and Islam.Ahad zargar saw both of themas same. The universe was bornout of a lotus.)

For him infidelity and Islamare of the same creed becauseboth of them are conflictingelements. So he says he isneither a kafir nor a muslim.When the seeker merges withthe creator what is the need forthese compartmentalizations!This expression is really daringbut usual for a saint like himwho had transcended theseworldly elements. But the powerof man and his association withthe tradition of the place hebelongs to is best expressed inhis poetry. If we put him underSufism and other such thingshis real existence as a rebelagainst all spiritual restrictionsand an important exponent ofthe spirituality of Kashmir ishampered. Ahad Zargar and thesaints like him give meaning toKashmir and if we forget themwe are not doing justice to ourplace Kashmir.

These days Kashmir is beingidentified with stone throwingHartals, and deaths. If suchthings identify a place it isbound to be a politicalplayground where personalitieslike Ahad Zargar have norelevance. There will be nobodyto own him because nobody willlike to own an infidel. AhadZargar is not a person but aphenomenon that gives meaningto Kashmir and takes forwardkashmiri spiritual tradition.Past twenty years have seen allout attempts to eradicate thistradition. At least we canremember this tradition.

*(The author is a poet anda proflic writer).

An artist's impression of what Martand Sun Temple musthave looked like in its hey day.

Abdul Ahad Zargar

88888CONTINUATIONKKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

August2010

“Quit Jammu & Kashmir”call

(From Page 1)given by Tehrik-e-Hurriyatchief Syed Ali ShahGeelani amidst the ongoingdisturbances in the Valleyexposed the politicaldimension of the conspiracyhatched by Islamabad and itslocal collaborators. Mr.Khajuria said this viciousslogan could be dismissed as agimmick or prank but for thefact that the extremist fringewas holding a sizable sectionof the population in the Valleyto ransom and causing severedislocation of the economic,social and political life. This,as intended, was attractinginternational attention andproviding grist to Pakistanipropaganda mills.

Mr. Khajuria urged thegovernments in Delhi andSrinagar to take allnecessary measures toeffectively deal with thedisturbances and challenges tonational integrity. There wasan urgent need to reviewpolitical and strategicformulations to break the cycleof violence and isolate themischief mongers. He said the“anti-national elements havefor long got away with makingsuch pernicious demands andindulged in rank adventurismunchallenged which gave theirfulminations disproportionateimportance. In such affairs, thenation’s silence can bemisconstrued. Challenges tointegrity of the country andunity of the nation have to befaced openly, boldly andsquarely. We, therefore,reiterate that Jammu &Kashmir is not only anintegral part of India, it is

India. The option to quitrests with those who feelotherwise”.

One wonders why thereappears a total disconnectbetween Delhi and Jammu onissues concerning nationalunity? Delhi allows anti-Indiaprotests and goes all out to savethose charged with waging awar against the nation. Itsupports ideas and influencesinimical to the nation’s unityand works in tandem withthose who supportbalkanization. Conversely,Jammu, forsaken andforgotten, denied and drained,pushed with its back to thewall, frets and fumes, frownsBUT fights. It persists despitethe gravest provocations topreserve its plural yet valiantcharacter.

Eminent social scientist ProfHari Om explained the aboveand exposed the destructivenature of Delhi’s self-inflictingethos. He asserted, “In fact,besides the involvement ofPakistan, it is the outlook of theIndian establishment which issustaining the current strife inthe Kashmir Valley”. Prof.Hari Om pointed out that the“statement of Union HomeMinister P Chidambaram onAug. 6 in the Rajya Sabha, isnothing but a blend ofcontradictions; instead ofassuring the House of Eldersthat New Delhi would changeits strategy in the changedcircumstances to controvert thepernicious influence ofPakistan and defeat its evildesigns on Kashmir, ShriChidambaram raised the issueof the Armed Forces SpecialPowers Act and reduction ofsecurity personnel in the state”.

Prof. Hari Om felt that the

Union Home Minister had beeninfluenced by “the decision ofthe Omar Abdullah-ledcoalition government toabdicate its authority in favourof Geelani, as also by the PDPpresident and Leader of theOpposition Mehbooba Mufti’ssuggestion to Omar Abdullahthat the state governmentshould use the good offices ofGeelani in order to douse thefire in Kashmir”. The situationhas climaxed to the point wherethe Indian establishmentprefers to silence persons likeUnion Home Secretary GKPillai and Army Chief Gen. V.K.Singh who had put things inperspective by exposing thoseresponsible for the current anti-India strife in Kashmir. The“Indian state seems pittedagainst its own people andcivilization and is in a self-destructive mode”, he said,adding, “Jammu is the focus, itis the battlefront for saving

India and the very thought ofIndianness.”

Dr. Ajay Chrungoo,Chairman, Panun Kashmir,said it was the time the nationrecognised the “extremelyregressive content of themovement which is holdingwhole of the Kashmir Valley inits grip. It is time the wholenation delegitimised the publicmobilizations in the Valley byemphatically stating that thestrife in Kashmir is basicallydriven by an ideological contentwhich negates the freedom ofmankind, breeds hatred andaims to destroy pluralismbased on right to equality. It istime all of us reiterated ourcommitment to the indivisibleunity of India and proclaim thatnobody, even the brutemajority, has a right to negateit. It is time the message goesloud and clear that nobody hasthe right to change or seek

exceptions on the basicstructure of the Constitution ofIndia”.

Dr. Chrungoo said the“forces which are ruling theroost in the Valley have alreadybrought about the genocide ofan entire community ofKashmiri Hindus. These forceshave to be defeated ideologicallyand denied the respectabilityof a legitimate politicalmovement. Government ofIndia has to correct its policyformulations and realize thatconcessions to communalismand separatism have been selfdefeating. The situation inKashmir cannot be salvagedthrough flirtations withvariants of separatism andcommunalism there”.

He warned that, “a diseasecannot be cured by nourishingit. We are witnessing asituation where sovereignty isbeing used to wreaksovereignty.”

And with prophetic doom,even as Dr. Chrungoo urged theState and CentralGovernments to provide fullsecurity of the minorities livingin the Kashmir Valley, themedia reported a fresh bout ofdisplacement of Hindus fromthe Valley!!!

The seminarians werespecific and unanimous onthree issues - there is a basicstructure of Indian constitutionwhich nobody has the mandateto dilute even marginally; theideology of the separatistmovement needs to becountered and delegitimised;and the Government of Indiashould abandon forthwith allthose policy formulations whichserve as a psychological fuel tocommunal separatism in theValley and elsewhere.

Jammu makes sense of happenings

Sh. M.M. Khajuria speaking during the Seminar and a view of the audience. --K.S. Photo

A view of the speakers on the dias while Sh. Shailendra Aima is conducting theproceedings. --K.S. Photo

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AUGUST2010

Kashmiri Pandit Presence in CyberspaceA Journey to Virtual Sharda Peeth

CYBER SPACE

Oh Goddess Sharada (Sarasvati), resident of Kashmir, I bowdown to thee.I pray to you to give me the gift of knowledge.

By Sunil Fotedar

IN 1990, terrorism and sectarian violence caused nearly 300,000Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) to flee the land of their ancestors, the fabledvalley of Kashmir in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).These victims of terrorism, refugees in their own country, left behindvirtually all of their worldly possessions, as they had to flee underthreat to life and honor. The refugee camps in J&K state house hundredsof thousands of Kashmiri Pandits displaced from their homes as adirect result of the militancy in the valley. Since mid 1990s, advent of

internet has provided us with a unique opportunity to bind our community living in severalDiasporas around the world.

A. Kashmir News Network (KNN)On the political front, pro-Pakistani and fundamentalist Kashmiri Muslims

seeking separation from India have used the Internet and the web formisinformation and disinformation on the Kashmir issue. To counter this campaignlaunched against the minuscule KP community, I have also created several KashmiriPandit-specific websites as well as community forums since mid 1990s on avoluntary basis, but my work is not done yet. There’s so much to share and in fact,I have barely scratched the surface. KNN website at http://iKashmir.net carriesinformation about the ongoing struggle of the KPs as refugees in their own country,the conditions that prevailed in the Valley before their exodus, their history ofsurvival through centuries of persecution at the hands of cruel Muslim rulers inthe Valley, the detailed case analyses of various KP individuals killed by the Pakistansponsored militants and several massacres of them which have taken place aftertheir exodus. This web site is also a repository describing the ethnic cleansing ofthe KPs from the Valley. KNN is recognized internationally as the top web siterepresenting KP political viewpoints and is ranked at or near the top among allKashmir-related web sites by several web “search engines”. A list of KP websitesis provided at:

http://sunilfotedar.com/sites.htmlnamely,KP Websites· Koshur: An Introduction to Spoken Kashmiri: An Introduction to Spoken Kashmiri

at http://koshur.org - A site that carries language lessons in Audio clips· Kashmiri Music Site at http://RadioKashmir.org - First site to carry a mix of Kashmiri

Music and Bhajans in Audio and Video Clips.· Kashmir Information Network at http://kashmir-information.com - First ever website

on KPs developed in 1996, now maintained by KOA.· Kashmir Shaivism at http://shaivism.netPublications· Milchar at http://iKashmir.net/milchar - A KPA, Mumbai publication· Vitasta at http://vitasta.org - Kashmiri Pandit Sabha, Kolkata publication· Patrika at http://iKashmir.net/patrika - Publication by Bhagwaan Gopinath ji Ashram· Sh. M. K. Raina ay http://mkraina.com· Kashmir Sentinel at http://PanunKashmir.org/blog - A Panun Kashmir publication· Panchtarni at http://iKashmir.net/panchtarni - Publication of Kashmiri Pandit Sabha,

Panchkula, Haryana· Neel Naag at http://iKashmir.net/neelnaag - A quarterly publication of Kashyap

Kashmir Sabha, GurgoanOrganizations· Panun Kashmir at http://PanunKashmir.org· Indian Institute of Language Studies at http://iils.org· Project ZAAN at http://iKashmir.net/zaan - A KPA, Mumbai effort· Kashmiri Overseas Association at http://koausa.org· Satisar Foundation at http://satisar.org· Gopikrishna’s Kundalini Site at http://gopikrishna.usMiscellaneous· Create your own Family Tree at http://iKashmir.net/tree· KP Wiki Site at http://iKashmir.net/wiki· An extensive KPlink Image Gallery at http://iKashmir.net/gallery· KP Blog at http://iKashmir.net/blogB. KOSHUR e-Forum:We offer KOSHUR e-Forum, a private e-mail based information exchange for Kashmiri

Pandits, as a forum to share news and views on social, religious, cultural and political issueswith other Kashmiri Pandit (KP) subscribers. This is a free e-mail service to any KP worldwidebut one has to register with the Koshur Administrator for this service. People have used thisservice to seek information, locate friends, express opinions, share news and exchangegreetings. Our goal is to create our own KPcyberspace where we may share informationprovide support system and walk together holding hands.

How is KOSHUR e-Forum Different?There is no dearth of e-Forums and mailing lists that are run by several community members.

So, how is KOSHUR e-FORUM different from the rest of these discussion groups? The KOSHUR e-Forum, in existence since January 15, 2005, is not a discussion

forum. This e-Forum is meant for dissemination of information to our communitymembers living in several Diasporas around the world. This will be a moderated e-Forum. I believe that in these 20-odd years since our exodus, we have spentenough time in discussions that have at times unfortunately lead to bickeringamongst the community members. It is high time we take action to create an e-Forum that highlights positives in our community by projecting individuals andtheir contributions that benefit our community as a whole, so that we once againfeel good and be proud of ourselves. Time is running out and we must strive hard

to preserve what we have not lost yet. Let me assure that you will not be inundated withe-mails, you will perhaps receive 1 to 2 e-mails a week.

Through this medium, we plan to distribute the following information of mutual interest:Articles about our socio-cultural ethos, heritage, history, religion and politics.News/information items related to our KP community, but absolutely no discussions, personalviews and opinions will be allowed.Announcement of meeting of interest to KP community, like press conferences, conventions,etc. Mails from any KP seeking information from the community - responses will not be postedbut should be sent directly to the sender.Announcements with images will be accepted, but no individual congratulatory messageswill be allowed.Birth/death announcements.Appeal for funds/donations.If you agree with what this community e-Forum will provide, please sign up using the

following two steps:Step 1: Send an e-mail tokoshur-subscribe@yahoogroups.comor click on “Join This Group” at:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Koshur/

Step 2: Fill out online application at:http://koshur.org/forum/signup.htmlIt is important that you (prospective members) read and understand the terms and conditionsset forth in the following pages:http://koshur.org/forum/agreement.htmlhttp://koshur.org/forum/privacy.htmlhttp://koshur.org/forum/guidelines.html

Alternatively, to join the KOSHUR e-Forum, please send an e-mail tokoshur-subscribe@yahoogroups.comThis e-mail works better for those who do not have a Yahoo! e-mail id and do

not want to create one. Yahoo Id allows one to browse e-Forum messages online,as opposed to e-mails delivered to your inbox directly.

You are just one click away from missing out on what this e-Forum is going to share withyou in days to come.

C. Social Networking and Facebook Groups and PagesIn addition to the Kashmiri websites and the forums, I have created several KP-specific

Facebook Pages that carry a rich collection of articles, picture albums, music and videos thatshowcase the best our community has to offer to the rest of the world.

Pages Specific to Kashmir RegionKashmiri Pandit Network (group)

http://www.facebook.com//group.php?gid=337749562436Kashmir News Network

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kashmir-News-Network/108817995803265De-Leij: Culinary Art of Kashmir - Authentic Kashmiri recipes being shared with

membershttp://www.facebook.com/pages/De-Leij-Culinary-Art-of-Kashmir/105360389496384

Temples of Kashmirhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Temples-of-Kashmir/104605946248505

Saints of Kashmirhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Saints-of-Kashmir/118275141516177

Kashmir Shaivismhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Kashmir-Shaivism/107643715933074

Koshur Language and Musichttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Koshur-An-Introduction-to-Spoken-Kashmiri-and-Music/105063322867025

Satisar Foundationhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Satisar-Foundation/115006301854632

Kashmir Sentinelhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Kashmir-Sentinel/129150473772198

Panun Kashmirhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Panun-Kashmir/108248355889697Pages Specific to Artistes and Prominent Personalities

Kashmir - Artistes, Playwrights, Writers, Poets, Paintershttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Kashmir-Artistes-Playwrights-Writers-Poets-Painters/108438595859136

Arti Tiku Kaulhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Arti-Tiku-Kaul/101050049936475

Abhay Rustum Soporihttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Abhay-Rustum-Sopori/114241638597904

Neerja Pandithttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Neerja-Pandit/109575095749963

Ashoke Pandithttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Ashoke-Pandit/112209008809458

Raj Pandithttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Raj-Pandit/114244931933565

Girija Pandithttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Girija-Pandit/114955118544083

Umesh Mattoohttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Umesh-Mattoo/125124424191831Please join these Facebook Pages.

Follow us on TwitterKoshur Updates on Twitter

http://twitter.com/koshurupdateMay God bless our community!

*(The author of this write-up is a webster based at Texas, USA. He can be reachedat sunilfotedar@yahoo.com)

1010101010KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

August2010 BOOK REVIEW

‘Evangelical Intrusions by Sandhya Jain’‘Evangelical Intrusions by Sandhya Jain’‘Evangelical Intrusions by Sandhya Jain’‘Evangelical Intrusions by Sandhya Jain’‘Evangelical Intrusions by Sandhya Jain’Dr MK Teng

THE study undertaken bySandhya Jain ,published by Rupa-co,

New Delhi, in an attractivelydesigned volume, titled “Evangelical Intrusions-Tripura, a case study” is thefirst systematic and in-depthinquiry into the evangelicalintervention in the religiouscultures of the tribal societiesand indigenous peoples of Indiato “ coerce the entire tribalpopulace to convert to amillenarian tradition.” Thestudy is a bold attempt toinvestigate into “concertedefforts by several westernevangelical denominations toachieve their objective ofcomplete conversion” of thetribal peoples and the inabilityof the Indian state to supportthe tribal and the indigenouspeople to preserve theirreligious cultural tradition.The state of Tripura, situatedin the north-east of India, wherethe evangelical intrusion hasbeen widespread, forms theuniverse of the field-study.Tripura, the author notes “waschosen as the subject of thestudy because its large tribalpopulation is resistingorganized armed assault uponits native faith and way of life”.

The problem of evangelicalintrusions in India is a part ofthe larger problem ofSemitisation of the IndianSociety, which has a longerhistory in India, and forms animportant aspect of thepolitical sociology of the Indianpeople. The promise ofredemption basic to allreligious expressions of theSemitic civilization, has beenwidely used during last severalhundred years, morespecifically, after the Peace ofWestphiallia in 1648, as aportent instrument of statepolicy for the expansion of thepolitical power and in theconsolidation of imperialauthority over the peoplessubject to colonial dominance.India, a nation of the formercolonial peoples, ruled by theBritish for centuries, was freedfrom the bondage, two yearsafter the end of Second WorldWar, which brought the era ofcolonialism to its close. Theideological commitment of thecolonial powers to spread thepromise of redemptionassumed blatantly crudeexpression in India, where theboundaries of the Sanskritcivilization were remotelyvisible and less resistant toevangelical intervention.

Sandhya Jain makes adeparture from the generally

accepted methodologicalparadigms followed in thestudy of social change in India.Her work makes the beginningof a new academic effort, whichmay in the years to come,provide an alternativemethodological framework,and which may delink the studyof social change in India fromits reformist trappings.Sandhya Jain underlines amethodological format which isnot confined to theinvestigation into the structureand function of a fixed-set,which the Semiticmethodological paradigmsunderline. Her work has anormative dimension. Theframe of reference she hasadopted for evaluation is notlocated in liberal- reformismand its abstract derivatives oflogical positivism. It is locatedin the history of the SanskritCivilization of India. She takespains to relate the evolution oftribal traditions and ritualcultures of the indigenouspeoples of India to thecontinuity of the Indian History.

The work is a bold attemptto unravel data and facts toestablish that theSemitisation, as a part of thepolitical process of the colonialera, continues to be followeduninterruptedly in theindependent India. The survey,Sandhya notes, is “aimed totest the hypothesis that overthe past few years anincreasing number of tribalhamlets and households havebeen directly or indirectly‘invited’ to embrace amonotheistic religion.” Shenotes further: “Thequestionnaires were designedto learn if inducements weremade, if there was any violentincident in the village or itsvicinity, if there was anatmosphere of fear due toincidents in the neighboringareas, if there was nativeresentment against theattempts of proseletisation,and tribal leaders werecontacted to understand ifchange of faith disruptedfamily or community life andculture and the resultantcultural alienation.” Therevelations she has made arestartling. “The conversions donot appear suomoto, but bydeliberate interventions ofother actors, usually organizedgroups, with the objective ofexpanding their influence in thelife of a community, state andnation. Conversions by externalfaiths are inherently political,which is why they are backedby foreign funds, foreignevangelists and politicalsupport from foreign countries.

In the contemporary worldconversions are portentpolitical and emotional issuesas changes in religiousdemography have beenintimately linked tosecessionist movements andpartitions. Besides beingdeeply divisive of natalsocieties, conversions (andpartitions) are usuallyachieved with violence andforeign interventions.”

Sandhya Jain admits thatthe inspiration to undertakethe study came from thepersistent reports of religiouspolitical violence in the north-eastern states of India, in someof which proseletisation andreligious conversion was

accompanied by the growth ofseparatist and secessionistmovements. Her investigationshave yielded facts, whichestablish that the politicalobjectives of the separatistsand secessionist movementsare “linked to an agenda ofreligious conversion which isrupturing the cultural andcivilisational unity of thenative faith and culture”.Evangelical intervention in thetraditional social culture ofIndia, she states, is adeliberately planned politicalcampaign to bring about changein the tribal belief-systems andcultural mores which, “involvesthe rejection of the natal socio-economic tradition andcommunity and transferringallegiance to the faithoriginating outside thenational boundaries.” Theobjectives, She stresses areevident. With foreigngovernments, “ playing a pro-active role in funding

evangelism and promoting itthrough a foreign policy and theintrusive activism of humanrights groups”, proseletisationassumes the form of a religiouscampaign for politicalobjectives- a form of neo-colonial expansion under thecover of religious freedom.

A large part of the study isdevoted to an in-depthinvestigation into the religiouscultures of tribal peoples ofTripura. The inferences she hasdrawn from the facts and data,her investigation has yielded,has demolished many mythssuch as: (a) that the tribalcultures in India are anexpression of a historicaldisconnect in the evolution ofthe Indian civilization andtherefore the religious culturesof the tribal and indigenouspeople of India form a separateuniverse of spiritualexperience; (b) that the tribalpeople follow religiouspractices which form a part ofthe pagan past of India; (c) thatthe tribal communities need tobe insulated from theirenvironment which ispredominantly Hindu topreserve their autochthonousidentity; and (d) the tribalpeople must be assured theright to religious freedom, toaccept the promise ofredemption that theSemitisation offers, to salvagethem from their pagan past.

The study has brought tosurface evidence of interlockingprocesses of social change inIndia, which relate the belief-systems and the ritualstructures of the tribal peoplesto the Sanskrit religiousculture of India. The studyuncovers the Sanskrit sub-stratum of the religious cultureof the tribal people. “In India,”Sandhya notes, “natal faithtraditions are viewed as a partof the civilisational continuum,and tribes are embedded inthis larger civilization.Movement across the spectrumis neither threatening norobjectionable because there isan intrinsic unity of thecivilization as a whole.” Cuttingthrough the conventionalapproaches to theunderstanding of the tribalcultures and the cultures of theindigenous people in India,Sandhya Jain formulates anew set of theoreticalpropositions for a moreobjective inquiry into thetraditions, belief-systems andritual structures of the tribalpeople in India. Sandhya notes,“Tripura’s ancient tribesrepresent the coherence andthe continuity of a livingcivilization, which embraces,

absorbs, exchanges values,with peoples and cultures thathave arisen from the samesocio-geographic matrix”. In hersearch for a frame of reference,she turns to the history of theHindu India and writes,“Hindus appreciate diversityas they accept similarity; andthe absence of homogeneitydoes not inculcate fear, loathingor intolerance, much less thedesire to enforce uniformity byeradicating culturaldistinctiveness A shareduniverse is quickly establishedwith the threads of unity andmultiplicity, and this is themost striking aspect of thedescription above. The religiousbeliefs, traditions and ritualsof Tripura tribes reveal theintegrated matrix upon whichtheir culture and civilization isfounded and a cohesivenessthat embraces their non-tribalneighbors, whose beliefs,prayers and practices havebeen joyously embraced by theregions autochthones.”

The study reveals that thetraditions and rituals of thetribal communities andindigenous people in India arenot pagan practices. TheSanskrit civilization does nothave a pagan past. Paganhistory is a part of the Semiticcivilization. “ Nor can wecountenance academicdistortion of the spiritualbeliefs of vulnerablecommunities through the use ofterminology such as ‘animism’,‘spirit worship’, ‘ghosts’, or‘pagan’, which have no basis inthe idiom of the tradition beingdiscussed, but are a part ofverbal abuse by those seekingto exterminate an ancient wayof life”.

The promise of redemptioncannot salvage people who donot have a pagan past. NoRight to freedom of religion canentitle the tribal communitiesand indigenous people in Indiato opt for salvation by acceptingthe promise of redemption.Sandhya Jain rightly notes,“Dharma is primarily a matterof family, clan, social, religiousand cultural inheritance. Allhuman beings are born into aspiritual tradition andinitiated into beliefs, customs,philosophy, tenants and taboosfrom an early period of life, justas they are provided with afamily name, Jati and Kula atbirth. Ordinarily a human beingdoes not grow without a faithand then choose a dharma onintellectual merit or emotionalappeal on achieving adulthood.The argument that anindividual, born embedded ina faith has the right to

(Contd. on Page 11)

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August2010 CONTINUATION

(From Page 10)arbitrarily uproot himselfand cause hurt and injuryto his natal family, clan,tradition and communityis faulty and subversive ofancient societies.” TheEvangelical Intrusionsexposes the perfidy. Sherecords, “the contentionthat religion is a matterof individual choice is notborne out by theexperience of humansociety anywhere in theworld. This specious pleais in fact a legal subterfugeby those seeking to earnadherents to a particularreligious ideology byatomizing human societyin order to break andundermine traditions”.

Evangelical interv-ention to induce change inthe indigenous socialforms, from outside theirsystemic boundaries,

poses a threat to theexistence of theindigenous peoples andtribal communities inIndia. It poses a greaterthreat to the Sanskritsubstratum of their tribaltraditions and cultures.The fundamental issue,evangelical interventionunderlines, is not whetherIndia recognizes thefreedom of choice of theIndian people to acceptthe promise of redemptionfor their salvation. Thefundamental issue,evangelical intervention inIndia involves, is whetherIndia recognizes thepromise of redemption asthe objective of socialchange. The acceptance ofthe promise of redemptionas an objective of social

change by the Indianpeople, tantamounts tothe abandonment of thecontinuity of the Indianhistory. The recognition ofthe continuity of thehistory of the Indiancivilization forms thebedrock of the unity of theIndian people and theirnational identity.

Sandhya Jain hassounded a warning, “Ourstudy revealed that thereis merit in the convictionof Tripura’s tribalcommunities that thereexists a grandcoordination between theevangelical and insurgentgroups operating in thestate. Equally theirmisgivings that the driveto win converts is poweredby a political agenda, viz,

to carve out a separateChristian state(s) in theNorth-east, cannot bedismissed as utterlybaseless, particularlyafter the carving out of anoil rich Christian EastTimor from MuslimIndonesia in 2002.Evangelism in thesensitive North-East canthus pose a serious threatto India’s territorialintegrity, culturaldiversity andcivilisational unity.”

The study is expectedto be of help to thecommon reader as well asthe researcher. To theformer the study isexpected to help in theunderstanding of theissues involved in thevarious processes of

evangelical intervention inthe tribal cultures andtraditions of theindigenous peoples in theNorth-East of India. Tothe latter, the study isexpected to provide analternate methodologicalmodel for the study ofsocial change in India aswell as furnish himvaluable data and facts inrespect of the “religio-cultural traditions” andd e m o g r a p h i cconfiguration of theindigenous peoples inIndia. To the scholar thestudy is also expected togive an insight into theprocesses of Semitisationof the Indian society,which has been going onthis country, almostunnoticed, throughout the

(From Page 5)the Supreme Court of In-dia, the state governmentis still procrastinatingimpleme-ntation of thesame.

The attrition on exileshas assumed the legalform guided by theperpetrators andcollaborators of genocidewithin the governmentand the politicalestablishment. Thephenomenon is manifestglaringly in the returnpolicy of the government.The policy is being used toforce the victim to conformand submit, or face thespectre of abjectdestitution and perish.The recruitment drive for‘Kashmiri migrants’ isbasically a process tostrip them of their right tolive with dignity andhonour.

What the governmentis doing is brazen. Itsmethods are goebbelion.Joseph Goebbels oncetalked about his methodsin a confidential meetingwith the GermanJournalists, “Up to nowwe have succeeded inleaving the enemy in thedark concerningGermany’s real goals...just 1932 our domesticfoes never saw where wewere going or that our oathof legality was just atrick… we wanted to cometo power legally, but we didnot use power legally…they could havesuppressed us..... Theycould have arrested acouple of us in 1925 andthat would have been that,the end. No they let usthrough the danger

zone…. They let us aloneand let us slip through therisky zone and we wereable to sail around alldangerous reefs.”Kashmiri Hindus arebeing subjected to a newphase of genocidalattrition by an enemy(read J&K Government)who is thinking that it hascrossed the ‘danger zone’and can now wage the warwith more confidence.

On March 8, 2010, a PDPlegislator, Murtaza Khanintroduced a PrivateMember’s Bill in theState Legislative Council,seeking to deprive thedaughters of J&K of theirnatural right to marrypersons of their choiceoutside the state, andthereby snatch their rightto own immovableproperty or inheritancestral property inJ&K, or obtain jobs withthe State Government incase they marry personsother than State Subjects.The Bill sought to restorethe pre-October 7, 2002position that had beenchallenged in J&K HighCourt and reversed on theCourt’s Orders. In fact, thegovernment should nothave allowed introductionof the Bill in view of thestorm that the similarofficial Bill had createdacross the country in 2004.But as it is the Kashmircentric Governmenthardly cared for thealienation of Jammu orelse and hence thesuspicion and lack of

stand together with thehandful Azaadi-wallas.And they have leastregard for the sensitivitiesof Indian public and theirrepresentatives.

When someone askedwhy the Prime Minister ofIndia did not mention aword about Autonomyetcetera in hisIndependence Dayaddress, sharp came thereply that the IndianPrime Minister spokewhat was expected of him.It should be borne clearthat the public opinion inIndia is ready toaccommodate but is notready to either GIVE IN orGIVE AWAY.

It is also true that ashade of public opinion inIndia does empathize withthe Azaadi-wallas inKashmir, but a majorityof Indians don’t supporttheir vision andmisplaced priorities andsentimentality. Indianopinion is strong on J&Kbeing an integral part ofIndia, and can neversupport any fiddling withthe nation’s sovereignty.

It shall be a travesty tobelieve that the Indianmind is naive enough tobelieve that entire J&Kwants to secede, becausesome youth are hurlingstones and are ready to getkilled, there.

Indians widely believethat the movement in thevalley is patentlycommunal and thatbesides public propertiesand the security forces,

the observers recollectwith horror whatAyotollah Khomeini did tohis communistsupporters. It is alsobelieved that Islamicfundamentalism is not abanner of victim people. Itis a banner of thedeclaration of a war on alltypes of freedom.

The observers as wellas the securitye s t a b l i s h m e n tunderstand that terroroperatives will reappearas they are waiting acrossthe border and are a callaway if state government’splea of bringing them backis accepted by Delhi. Theyare being branded asinnocent youth who havebeen misled by wrongpeople, so to say, and haveto be brought back. Whatan appealing argument!The so-called healingtouch policy is now beingmocked at as a bleeding-touch policy. This is thetrust deficit.

Whether Sheikh reallyhad sought any help fromthe United State fortranslating his dream ofIndependent andSovereign Kashmir intoreality is now a matter ofhistory; but what is beingenacted on the streets ofSrinagar has only widenedthe gap between thecommunities and regionswithin Jammu andsKashmir on one hand, andbetween New Delhi andSrinagar on the other. Thenation is watching in thehope that Kashmiriswould realize the futilityof their masters’ designsand come forward tobridge the trust deficit.

years of its freedom. InIndia, the secularization ofgovernment and society istilted in favour of the,“right to freedom of faith”,more than committed tothe secular integration ofthe Indian people on thebasis of the fundamentalright to equality. Both, theright to freedom of faithand the right to equalityare enshrined in theConstitution of India. Thecleavage between theright to freedom of faithand the right to equalityas the basis for thesecular integration of theIndian people, irrespectiveof creed and religion, isbrought to surface by thisstudy. A new beginningneeds to be made toinvestigate into thepolitical ramifications ofthe ideological conflict,evangelical intrusion inIndia underlines.

the Azaadi-wallas havealso targeted andvandalized Hindus andother minorities ofKashmir who are living asexiles outside theirHomeland; and that theymust be rehabilitatedback in Kashmir.

It is also a firm opinionthat Pakistan which isbadly embroiled insectarian strife,international terrorism,poverty, illiteracy andbankruptcy, is theepicenter of terror, anideological state and adying state. By acceding toAzaadi-wallas, neitherthe State and nor thepeople of India would letPakistan get a fillip or abreather.

Isn’t it obvious that theopinion expressed by theKashmiri leaders of allhues on TV channels hasbeen quite supportive ofthe Azaadi-wallas andthat the government inpower as well as othermainstream politicians ofKashmir have abdicatedand left the playfield openfor Hurriat faction lead bySayyad Ali Shah Geelani.Indian public opiniontherefore is antagonizedon the issue. And hencethe trust deficit.

A strong opinion isemerging that Kashmir oftoday is an entry point forTaliban in a big way, andthat Kashmir is fastgetting sucked into anAFPak kind of syndrome;and that the Azaadi-wallas have made amockery of it and pushedtheir beloved land into animpending disaster. Theopinion makers as well as

trust.It shall be too

exhaustive and since iswell known how the StateAssembly passed theGreater Autonomy Bill,we shall spare discussionon the subject in thispaper. But it shall not beout of place to mentionthat the State Legislativerepresentation is skewedand heavily in favour ofKashmiris, and that too aparticular section of theValley due togerrymandering andbiased delimitation.Again, NationalConference through deceitand chicanery obtained ahighly biased JusticeSagir Ahmad Report onCentre-state Relations.The Justice Sagir AhmadCommittee wasconstituted by PrimeMinister ManmohanSingh as part of hisRound-Table initiative. Irefer to these twoinstances since Jammuand Ladakh have timeand again out rightlyrejected these proposalsand want full integrationof J&K with the IndianUnion. Did the Stategovernment care? It wentahead and alienatedthese two regions furtherand hence the trustdeficit.

It is quite clear that thesuccessive Governmentsin Jammu and Kashmirhave cared little about thesensitivities of its people,be that in Jammu andLadakh, or be that thosein Kashmir who don’t

Re-defining Trust Deficit

‘Evangelical Intrusions by Sandhya Jain’

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August2010 MEDIA SCAN

Pharaohs should knowKashmiris are irrepressibleJ&K's noted historian and critic, Mohammad Yusuf Taing calls himself scribe. Taing,awarded by Sahitya Academy for his literary works, has authored over a dozen books inboth Urdu as well as Kashmiri languages. While being passionate about Kashmiri language,Taing describes it " as our mother tongue" but calls Urdu as "our surrogate mother." Hisbooks cover a whole range of topics including history, culture and Kashmir's intrinsicliterature. Moreover, Taing is credited for bringing to fore the forsake Kashmiri poetry ofgiants like GA Mahjoor and Rasool Mir. He is known for his proximity with late SheikhMuhammad Abdullah. Dispelling the common notion that he had ghost-written Sheikh'sfamous autobiography Aatish-e-Chinaar, Taing insists that he was just an amanuensis towhat Sheikh wanted to say in the book. Read on the excerpts of a lively, at times heated,exchanged with MY Tanig held at Rising Kashmir newsroom on June 3, 2010.

Suhail AhmadAs a historian how would

you describe Kashmir?

Well, Kashmir is no lessthan a dynamic civilization. Avariety of cultures have criss-crossed in Kashmir owing to itsgeographical position. Thereforewe (Jammu and Kashmir) are adifferent civilization than whatis now called India or Pakistan.Kashmir has deeper influencesfrom Central Asia; we even findEgyptian and Turk imprints onour existing cultural milieu, andour psychology and our aspira-tions cannot be detached fromour past. Kashmir used to bepart of Iran and we have manywords in our mother tongue thathave root in classic Egyptianculture. The influence of Persianlanguage and culture on Kash-mir is so much that Saidee andHaafiz of Sheeraz appear moreKashmiri than Persian poets.But, it's unfortunate that exceptfor few lines of Gani KashmiriPerisa did not accommodate us;even Ghalib could not impressthem.

Ishfaq ShahIn Kashmir history we see

phases of both resistanceand reconciliation. Where doyou find Kashmir's poets andlitterateurs especially dur-ing past two decades?

When Mughal conqueredKashmir there were many localpoets who chose to side with thepower. We still hear of peoplewho used to eulogize the em-peror and his feats. That wasthen. Come to recent past, wesee giants like Mehjoor plyaingsecond fiddle to GhulamMuhammad Drabu of Rajpore,who had launched a smear cam-paign against Sheikh Abdullah,then the most popular resist-ance leader, Mehjoor has notedin detail in his desires how he

would help Drabu againstSheikh. One cannot deny thatpoets like Mehjoor despite be-ing poetic genius got official pa-tronage. But what pains memore than these two aspects isthe role played by our poets andother literary forces during pasttwenty years. It was for the firsttime in several centuries thatover hundred thousandKashmiris had been killed. It isthe moral duty of a poet to rep-resent the dominant sentiment;sadly none has done it so far. Ifyou talk of poets andlitterateurs we've seen more ofreconciliation than resistance.

Nazir GanaiSome people believe that

the autobiography of SheikhMuhammad Abdullah wasactually written by you. Is ittrue?

No it is not true, The truthis I proposed to Sheikh that heshould pen down his experiencesfor posterity and he agreed. Buthe sought my assistance. Iworked as an amanuensis,which means Sheikh would dic-tate I would take the stuff homeand get back with the tightenedversion. Though a great leader,Sheikh was not a professionalwriter. Yes, he would speakchaste Urdu but he neededsomeone to put together histhoughts.

Fayaz WaniBut you have been claim-

ing for long that you areworking on a book that wouldreveal what has remaineduntold in Aatish-e-Chinaar.What is that? When shouldwe see the book?

Yes, I have certain hair-rais-ing accounts. But this is not thetime to publish. Many peopleare alive and you see theAbdullah dynasty is still in

power. I have deep relationswith that family; I don't want tohurt them. But the details I havepreserved for the posterity willhit the stands at an appropri-ate time. If Abdul Kalam Azadcan leave a will that his diariesshould be published thirty yearsafter his death, I am a small fry,spare me little room.

Faisul YaseenYou have been the Secre-

tary of Jammu and KashmirAcademy for Art, Cultureand Language. WhyKashmiri girls are asked toperform Rouf in front ofguests from New Delhi orabroad? Why not showBhand-e-Pather (Kashmir'sfolk theatre) or Ladi Shah (agenre of satririst poetry sungover a jingle bell)? While I agree that Band-e-

Pather I also believe that Bandh-e-Pather and Ladi Shah areunalienable part of our culture,I don't see any harm in culturalperformances as long as they re-main limited to the portrayal ofour own ethos. We still respectHabba Khatoon and enjoy herpoetry. Who was she? An artist.What brought her to the palaceof Yusuf Shah? Her art?

Hakeem IrfanSheikh Abdullah has

struck so many compro-mises at different stages ofhis political life; do you stillconsider him a toweringleader of state? Sheikh was released on 29

September 1946. That was thetime when India and Pakistanwere a reality, awaiting final an-nouncement. During a publicmeeting Sheikh did not reply thequestion which way he would go;he sought time and said hewanted to study things. Histori-cal details are witness to thecompulsions under which

Sheikh chose India. But somepeople wanted to conventSheikh's compulsion into a con-quest. We too have Pharaohsheading different empires. Ifthese Pharaohs think that theycan crush our identity they aremistaken. They should knowKashmiris are irrepressible. Itis the 4000 year old quest nopower on earth can deny us whatwe want.

Ishfaq MirDid Sheikh hate Pakistan?

What about 1975 accord? I told you about the compul-

sions. Then there is attitude ofJinnah, who had dismissed therevolt against Dogras as a "ruf-fian activity". On the contrary,Nehru and Gandhi accommo-dated Sheikh concerns. In 1971Sheikh saw Pakistan gettingsliced and India assuming mili-tary superiority.

Raashid MaqboolPakistan is once again in a

terrible mess but Geelani de-spite being a staunch pro-Pakistan leader chose to con-front Pakistan over any se-cret compromise on Kash-mir? Yes, Geelani is a hero. He is

actually a romanticist. Certainpolitical leaders appear heroicin conduct when choose to con-front even their friends for theideals they espouse.

Imtiyaz BakhshiWas Sheikh Ahdullah the

only leader who mattered?What about other big namesaround him? Sheikh was a towering

leader. The ones who ralliedaround him remained visible aslong as they were around thisgreat leader, once they partedways with him history renderedthem invisible.

Imtiyaz TeliHow important is Mughal

Road to us? Since Mughal have used this

road it came to be known asMughal Road. Powers that buildor conquer something generallyname it after themselves, hencethe present name. The eleventhcentury poet Khemendar has re-corded the name for the sameroad as a Lona Sarai. Lona forsalt and Sarai for road. Beingan off-coast region, we would notget the routine salt. The rocksalt used to come via Lona Sarai.

Wasim KhalidWhy is it that the Sheikh

remained people's messiahduring his lifetime butturned a villain soon after hisdeath?

This happens with all theleaders of his stature. Gandhiwas killed by the people he stoodfor Nehru too doesn't have thesame stature now what he hadduring his lifetime And do youthink Jinnah died a happydeath? That said, I still believethere are agencies always work-ing in a conflict zone like Kash-mir. These agencies create con-fusion among masses just todetach them from their leaders.

Baba UmarHistorical manuscripts

and excavations of Kashmirhave all along been smuggledto Delhi ever since 1947. Youhad been secretary of state'sCultural Academy for a longtime, why didn't you protest? I was the one who raised the

cry few years back but I didn'tget support. Our Gilgit manu-scripts were discovered in 1931.Pandit Nehru took these manu-scripts in 1947 saying that thosewere not safe in SP College asthere was every possibility ofwar with Pakistan. Recently,when SP Museum caught fire, Isaid that this was a conspiracy.At that time a non-Kashmiriwas heading the Cultural Acad-emy. He didn't have the compre-hension of the rich heritage ofKashmir.

Abdul MohiminYou've recently claimed

to be privy to some importantdocuments to Kashmir's an-cient period, but you want aguarantee that they shouldnot be taken away from thisland. From, whom do youseek a guarantee? You justsaid Nehru took away Gilgitmanuscripts on a false pre-text? If there is no proper guaran-

tee they should lie with us.

Abid BashirYou have been saying that

Sheikh MuhammadAbdullah used to say on hisdeath bed that Kashmirwould one day bounce backto its oppressors. Could youelaborate this? Sheikh Sahib was not happy

when he was close to death. Hekept on saying that though hehad led the people of Kashmirtowards a particular directionbut some people think they arecleverer and would oppressKashmiris. He knew Kashmirhas its unique identity. I thinkthose who claim to be the mas-ters of Kashmir have understoodthis fact given recent state-ments of Prime MinisterManmohan Singh.

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By Prof. M.L. Kaul

Taing, a historianIt is a misnomer to call

M.Y. Taing a historian.Mere trotting out of namesof some countries withwhich he shoddily tries totag the past history ofKashmir does not makehim a historian. The re-porter who posed his cre-dentials as a historianshould have enquired ofhim about the numberand names of volumesthat he has painstakinglyscribed on history of Kash-mir. Some write-ups thathe has written on straysubjects relating the his-tory of Kashmir do notlend credibility to his cre-dentials as a historian. Aman of tremendous educa-tion rooted in the cultureof outstanding eruditionand scholarship, unbi-ased and unprejudicedharbouring a rational ap-proach to the treatment offacts and issues in historycan define a historian.

It is absolutely absurdand erratic to trace thepast of Kashmir to Egyptand Turkey. Civilisationsdo influence one another,but that interactive proc-ess of course, creativedoes not uproot a particu-lar civilisation and its al-lied mores, myths and tra-ditions from its own inher-ent fertilising sources.When Egypt and Turkeyare the reference loci, itcan be asked which Egyptand Turkey, pre-Islamicor post-Islamic, havepointedly imprintedcivilisational discourseand trajectory of Kashmir.Egypt as an ancient civili-sation after the conquestof Islam stands impris-oned in the opaque vaultsof Egyptian museums.Similar is the story of Tur-key which was conqueredby Muslims as a thrivingterrain of a highly flourish-ing civilisation. It is a factof history that a band ofSayyid-sufis from CentralAsian regions, persecutedby their own rulers, pouredinto Kashmir for safetyand refuge and launchedrabid conversionary cam-paigns with the active aidand connivance of theMuslim state power. But,

Mohammad Yusuf Taing as a proverbial case of 'greatness thrust on him' happened to zoominto the newsroom of the 'Rising Kashmir' on 3/6/2010 where he was interviewed by an array

of new breed of reporters, perhaps, affiliated with the paper. Questions that were posed to himranged from past history of Kashmir to Sheikh Abdullah's autobiography to the Sheikh's person-ality to his contempt for Pakistan to Ali Shah Gilani to identity and Gilgit Manuscripts.it can never mean thatKashmir prior to that ca-tastrophe was a bleakdesert in terms of cultureand civilisation andSayyid sufis asproselytisers, benignlyhumanised it, thoughnone of them Plato, an Ar-istotle, an Abhinavguptaor a Kalhan.

To celebrate Kashmiras an Iranian colony or acolony of any other Cen-tral Asian Country is thereflection of intellectualdisorder' in Kashmir.Taing may pose himselfas a volatile and fractiousexponent of it, but its ori-gins lie in the lurking fearthat Kashmir has a robustpast with a well-en-trenched history of cultureand civilisation that pre-cedes the Rinchens,Shahmiris, Chaks,Mughuls, Afghans, Sikhsand Dogras. Gargantuantemple structures wererazed and burnt and con-tinue to be burnt and pil-laged, books were ruth-lessly burnt and continueto be looted and burnt,those with steely resolverefusing to accept Islameven at pain of death wereforced out of their land ofbirth and continue to be,again, as a result of geno-cide, in permanent exile—all originates from thesame abysmal fear of past.

As a direct consequenceof 'schizophrenic vision'and 'perverted logic'Mohammad Yusuf Taingstands tip-top in the longline of those who projectthe Mughuls, Afghans,Sikhs and Dogras asusurpers of Kashmir. But,what we glean from thepages of Kashmir historyis that Rinchen whoripped open the bellies ofpregnant women ofLadakhis, his foes, was afugitive from Ladakh andwas granted shelter inKashmir. He treacher-ously usurped the throneof Kashmir. Shah Mirhailing from distant Swatbordering Afghanistanwas meted out the cour-tesy of a guest. He treach-erously murdered thechief minister of KotaRani, the then ruler andusurped the throne ofKashmir through fraudand chicanery. The chaksas Shias hailed fromDardistan. Their ancestor

Lanker Chak was allowedentry into Kashmir by thethen ruler, Suha Dev. Hisdescendents, known tohistory as ferocious andbarbarous, usurped thethrone of Kashmir throughpolitical murders and wildintrigues. But, to a packof votaries of so-called in-dependence, the Sultan-ate period stands out asthe dazzling island thatideally symbolises aneldorado Kashmir cravesfor.

It is indisputable thatKashmir has a profuselywritten record of historywhich establishes it aspart and parcel of the cul-tural and civilisationalmosaic of the Indian sub-continent. All vain at-tempts to Arabise andCentral Asianise Kash-mir will not fructify asroots of this civilisationare deeply embedded inthe fertile soil of this coun-try.

Hafiz Shirazee andSheikh Saidee

Taing has made a spe-cial mention of HafizShirazee and SheikhSaidee whom he person-ally admires, celebratesand spots Kashmiri ech-oes in them. It is pertinentto draw his attention towhat Dr. Iqbal, the lastword on Islamic thoughtand wisdom, has to sayabout the Iranian Sufis. Toquote Iqbal, 'there is notleast doubt about it thatSufism is a foreign plan-tation in the soil of Islamwhich has flourished inthe mental atmosphere ofIranians'. 'Ajamic Sufism'is his hateful coinage forthe Iranian sufis as agenre. He detests it asabominable monasticismand labels 'wahdatulwujud' as blatantly un-Is-lamic. He has let loose allthe bitter barbs and rilesfrom his armoury againstHafiz Shirazee in particu-lar and other Iranian sufisin general. He calls HafizShirazee 'the theologian ofthe race of drunkards' and'leader of the helpless'. Healerts Muslims not totouch him even with abarge-pole as he is an 'imp'of 'deadly poison'. As perDr. Iqbal, Hafiz Shirazeewas a 'sheep' belonging tothe race of Persians, whowere brutally trounced bythe 'Arab Tigers'. Sheikh

saidee is no different. Hebelongs to the same raceof Iranians, incorrigibledeviants.

M.Y. Tang would bewell-advised to carefullycultivate and re-form hisproclivities and tastes forcelebration of historicallyevolved tradition of nativeabilities, native imagina-tive faculties and nativeamazing capacities tothink, craft and churnideas. It is always betterto be a part of that cul-tural and civilisationalambience which has beenactively shaped and ar-ticulated by our ancestorssince the primeval incep-tion of our civilisationaltrajectory. That what wasthrust on us by colonisersfrom Iran and Iraq throughQahran Va Jabran,(Baharistan) cannot be anessential of our heritageand identity perpetuatedthrough the continuum oftime and space.

Taing on poets andliterattueres

He laments in highdecibel that most of thepoets and literattueres inKashmir have not beencarried away by a sense offalse consciousness thathas been deliberately gen-erated on a wide scaleabout some historical de-velopments of criticalbench-mark. That a hun-dred thousand Kashmirishave been killed duringinsurgency is nothing butpublic posturing and play-ing to the galleries. Hetrots out with ease thesame, concocted figurewith a delusion of gran-deur that has been manu-factured and orchestratedby the chronic separatistswho are brutally commu-nal to their bonemarrow.As abject stooges of thefailed state of Pakistanthe Muslim separatistsurged the people of Kash-mir to donate their sons,mostly teenagers, to swellthe ranks of MuslimJihad and put a minus-cule minority of KashmiriPandits in the front ranksof their firing line. The on-going proxy war waged byPakistan is designed toannex Kashmir with aview to expanding its bor-ders that are shrivelledand shrunk. The KashmiriMuslim masses havebeen drawn into the

vortext of war against theprevailing constitutionalstatus of Jammu andKashmir state. They mustin their creative introspec-tion cognise the para-mount fact that they havebeen in tight chok-hold ofthe state structures, alllevers of political and eco-nomic power under theirstrangle-hold and as suchare the sole mastes of thestate. The secessionistwar that they support andactively participate is to-tally unjust and uncalledfor. Crying hoarse abouttheir identity, being es-sentially religious in hueis under threat and ero-sion, they must realisethat in pursuit ofmajoritarian politics andperpetuation of their per-manent and unchallengedhold on politics and eco-nomics of the state havestealthily conspired withthe sworn enemies of theIndian state to put theKashmiri Pandits to agenocidal onslaught as aresult of which they havebeen deprived of their na-tive land and as perma-nent refugees are grosslydiscriminated in theirown country. The Hindusand other ethnic groups ofJammu region have beenstarved of developmentfunds with the result theyare poor, backward andbeleaguered. The Bud-dhists of Ladakh openlyrevolted against theKashmiri Muslim rulerswho were seen in leaguewith forces working outthe conversions in theirregion that infringes upontheir essential identity asa distinct cultural minor-ity.

Poets andliterattueres sensitive tothe situation and happen-ings can justify their posi-tion only if they take a ho-listic view based on real-ism and separate thegrain from the chaff. Plu-ralism, accommodationand mutual co-existenceare mantras of the mod-ern civilisation. Noexclusivist and parochialideology tinged religiouscan ever succeed andthrive in its designs andapplication.

Taing on SheikhAbdullah's autobiogra-phy

The authorship of

Sheikh's autobiographyhas been a subject of rag-ing debate. The days whenthe book was supposed tohave been written markedthe declining phase of theSheikh's life, his winterperiod. As per P.N. Bazaz,his close associate turnedhis bete noir, SheikhAbdullah had no love lostfor books. But despitethat, the fact remainsthat Sheikh Abdullah hadan iconic stature and en-joyed tremendous popu-larity with the people ofKashmir. The metamor-phosis of Muslim confer-ence into National Confer-ence, now considered a be-trayal, was a mile-stone inthe political history ofKashmir. All sections andstrata of Kashmiri societyunanimously endorsed hispolitical and economicagenda with the principleof secularism as its mainsheet anchor. The nationaldemand, as a miniaturemanifestos issued out af-ter protracted delibera-tions under the signatureof Sheikh Abdullah hadfive prominent Hindu sig-natories. The Pandit or-ganisation of YuvakSabha unequivocally de-clared National Confer-ence as its frontal politi-cal organisation. Yet,shockingly, SheikhAbdullah without con-necting all dots mali-ciously dubbed KashmiriPandit as 'unpaid agentsof India's and 'fifth column'on the soil of Kashmir.Kashmiri Pandits, a veryvocal minority with tre-mendous educational his-tory and background,called his remarks as sadand unfortunate, but at-tributed the detestableaspersions cast on them tothe Sheikh's instinct of araw Muslim. If Sheikh isthe real author of his au-tobiography, his abso-lutely imprudent and un-savoury remarks aboutPandits, a minuscule mi-nority, bolstered a dismalculture of demonisingsmall communities andmore than most marked afull-length reversal of allthat he had stood forthrough major part of hispolitical life. If M.Y. Taingis its real author and notthe petty scribe as heclaims to be, such

(Contd. on Page 14)

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(Contd. from Page 13)ignominious remarks areexpected of him as he is asmall time operator withhis gaze ever rivetted tothe cushy positions of pelfand power.

Taing on his ownhair-raising account

His revalation of hisown account of what hasremained untold in theaatish-e-chinar, I amsure, will be much adoabout nothing. If he hasanything startling to re-veal and divulge, he mustdo it here and now with-out qualms and withoutwasting much of time.There are people stillbreathing who can scanthe content of each line ofhis that he writes. For thepresent, his statement toreveal all that what hasnot been told is a meregimmick, pure and sim-ple.

Taing on SheikhAbdullah's compro-mises

Sheikh Abdullah as aninstinctive politician haddreams about Kashmir.But, I believe, he had moredreams about his per-sonal ascendancy. Hisdream of independenceupsurged phenomenallywhen he found whole ofKashmir devotedly ador-ing him like a religiousicon. When Pakistan be-came a reality with theabsolute Hindu majorityallowing it to happen,their land being viciouslyvivisected for nothing,Sheikh Abdullah read awhole meaning in the en-tire development. If Hin-dus of India could allowPakistan to take birth asa Muslim state, hethought they might haveno serious objection to al-lowing Kashmir its inde-

pendence at the mere ex-ertion of political pres-sure cock-tailed with re-ligious frenzy. Pakistan inpursuit of two-nationtheory despatched regu-lars and irregulars totrounce Kashmir and an-nex it with Pakistan.Maharaja Hari Singh asthe ruler of the state ac-ceded to India and SheikhAbdullah wholeheartedlysupported it. The Indainarmy threw the raidersout and power was al-ready in the hands ofSheikh Abdullah. Havingkept Pakistan at bay,Sheikh forged and crystal-lised his strategies tomaterialise his far-fetched dream of inde-pendence. Those beingthe dark days of cold warhe was immediately de-posed and imprisoned.

Featuring the periodspanning from 1953 to1975 as 'lost in wilder-ness' Sheikh Abdullah asa hard-eyed realist en-tered into protracted par-leys with the then Govern-ment of India and joinedmain-stream politics.The hiving away of a largechunk of territory fromthe state of Pakistan wasa sufficient signal toSheikh Abdullah that itwas futile to bet for Paki-stan that had enormouslyemasculated and shrunk.It was not a compulsionas Taing calls it. It wascertainly a compromisethat was necessitated bythe prevalent politicalimperatives. SheikhAbdullah made a compro-mise after due apprecia-tion of his own position onKashmir, the positionthat the Indian state hadon Kashmir and the util-ity of Pakistan in further-ance of his own politics on

Kashmir. When critiquedby die-hard Islamists onthe 1975 Accord, SheikhAbdullah resonantly shotback, 'It needs a mightierpower to extract Kashmirout of the prevailing po-litical dispensation'.

Sheikh Abdullah, wehave to admit, was fullytempered in the crucibleof politics and thus hadacquired tremendous fi-nesse as a politician. Hisoutstanding act of joiningmainstream politics hasa slew of lessons for my-opic and skull-cappedmullahs, sadly in stran-gle-hold of present daypolitics in Kashmir whoare narrow in thought andvision and small in evalu-ating the maze of politics.

Taing on GilgitManuscript

Pt. Jawahar LalNehru has numerous crit-ics, real and imaginary,among poilticians, acad-emicians, intellectualsand swarm of plebeians.But, lo, here is a mannamed MohammadYusuf Taing who is extrakeen to rehabilitate him-self in the anarchic poli-tics of Kashmir by rais-ing the issue of the Gilgitmanuscripts that wereretrieved from the cus-tody of those who have ahistory of distorting, de-stroying and burning ofknowledge. What wrongwas there when Nehru, alover of knowledge andbooks, got the GilgitManuscripts removedfrom the custody of a li-brary housed in a build-ing that got engulfed in amysterious fire? Nehruwas an immeasurablytall person who was ex-tremely aware of the his-torical and political im-portance of the Gilgit

Manuscripts. ThoseManuscripts pre-emi-nently show-case the epicbattle that MaharajaHari Singh as the lastruler of Dogra dynasty inKashmir had firmlywaged against theBritishers who were ex-tremely desperate to takeover Gilgit which wouldserve them as a watch-tower to closely monitorthe movement of the Rus-sian troops advancing to-wards the Central Asianregions that were in closeproximity to the bordersof British India. TheGilgit Manuscripts areaway from the hands ofpredators and standsafely deposited in theshelves of ArcheologicalSurvey of India.

Nehru's act of shiftingthe Gilgit Manuscripts tothe shelves of Archeologi-cal Survey of India per-haps dubbed as an atroc-ity has deeply irkedTaing. But, way back in1952 Sheikh Abdullah,his generous mentor, isreported to have got thefamed Ranbhir Library atJammu cruelly denudedof 300 books, tomes,manuscripts and docu-ments and got them de-posited at the Lal Mandilibrary in Srinagar. Againin the year 1975, the sameSheikh as the Chief Min-ister of the state ofJammu and Kashmir isreported to have depletedthe same library atJammu through achaivinistic act of shiftingan ouevre of sensitive andhistorically vital docu-ments and administra-tion reports to a libraryat Srinagar. FidaMohammad Hussain, thethen Director of Researchand Libraries, is said tobe the craven collabora-tor. How is it that M.Y.Taing is tight lipped, nay,deaf and dumb, about it?

The way the RanbirLibrary at Jammu wasvandalised by the powersthat be earned well-de-served media attentionand aroused much of pub-lic wrath. The Govern-ment of MuftiMohammad Sayyid feltforced to appoint a com-mittee headed by an emi-nent historian, Dr HariOm to probe the reasonsthat necessitated the bla-tant chauvinistic act.Though the report of thecommmittee stands longsubmitted, the preciouscollection of documentsand reports are yet to berestored to the recepta-cles of the said-library atJammu.

Taing on Ali ShahGilani

Swayed by his poeticvein M.Y. Taing calls AliShah Gilani a romanti-cist. As a fellow-travellerof competitive commu-nalism he has spiritedaway from drawing hisactual portrait-Gilani isa first-rate Muslim fa-natic who has destroyedKashmir by giving legiti-macy to gun, grenade andviolence. As a blood-thirsty Muslim he hasellusive dreams of trans-forming Kashmir into aMuslim state. As partand parcel of a rabid or-ganisation calledJamaat-e-Islami, AliShah whose ancestorsmigrated from Iran toKashmir for shelter andsustenance has concert-edly propagated MuslimJihad against the Indianstate that for him, despitea secular constitution, isHindustan. As a thoroughIslamist he is an inveter-ate enemy of secularism,mutual co-existence anddemocratic way of life.Hindus of Kashmir al-ready demonised as 'fifthcolumn' he got themlooted, arsoned, torturedand brutally murderedthrough the terrorists be-longing to the HizbulMujahideen, the notori-ous terrorist wing ofJamaat-e-Islami. Notthoroughly splashed inthe media the hair-rais-ing murder of GirijaTickoo was the handiworkof the same brand of ter-rorists. She was ab-ducted, raped for dayson end and finallychopped into twoequal halves on a wood-chopping machine.Gilani's notorious thesisabout Kashmir is that itwill be a mono-chromaticMuslim state and part ofPakistan, though a failedstate.

It is exquisitely ironi-cal that Government ofIndia has reportedlyspent millions on hisheart and urinary ail-ments. Leading the vi-cious militarised waragainst Hindus of Kash-mir and the State of In-dia he is provided a secu-rity cover by the same se-curity forces who hescreams at the top of hisvoice are an occupationforce in Kashmir. Thestate government allowshim to draw his pensionsas an ex-member of theLegislative Assembly.One who wages waragainst the state is to bemeted out the treatmentthat he deserves underthe well-known constitu-tional provisions. Had hedone it in a Muslim coun-try he would have been

mercilessly butchered orput behind the bars fortorture and beatings.

Taing as the secre-tary of State CulturalAcademy

The heinous chargethat writers, intellectualsand literatteurs havelaid at the doors of MYTaing has been thecommunalisation of theentire working of J&KAcademy of art and cul-ture. Moti Lal Saqi whohas made immense con-tributions to the domainof Kashmiri language andliterature has been a vic-tim to the same commu-nal ambience generatedand patronised by MYTaing as its secretary.Saqi is bold enough tomake a mention of thecommunal approach tothe appreciation andevaluation of past ofKashmir. His diligent re-search on the subject of'bronzes of Kashmir' wasnot included in theKashmiri Encyclopaediaissued out by the CulturalAcademy for sheer com-munal reasons.

As he enjoys patron-age from the ruling dy-nasty in Kashmir he hasbeen assiduously workingfor self-promotion at thecost of veterans who haveadded lustre to Kashmirilanguage and literaturethrough their hardworkand creativity.

It could be asked whya comprehensive intro-duction by Prof.Toshkhani and ML Saqiis missing from the newedition of Parmanand, avery great poet ofKashmiri. Dr. PadamNath Ganju was the firstKashmiri who hadworked on Abdul AhadAzad. The old edition of'Kulyat-i-Azad' containedhundred and one pages ofthe said-work. But, now,in the new edition thesepages stand dropped.Why? The latest editionof Nilmatpuran is de-nuded of an introductionby Dr. Karan Singh, anerudite scholar in his ownright. Again, the Academyedition of Krishen JooRazdan had an introduc-tion by Dr. Baljit NathPandit, a renownedscholar of Sanskrit andKashmir Shaivism. It hasbeen dropped in the newedition of Krishen JooRazdan. Abdul AhadAzad's epic work of'Kashmiri Zaban andShairi' has been tam-pered with and many por-tions from the originalmanuscript have beendeleted for reasons per-verse.

Kuldeep Raina, Gen. Secretary Panun Kashmir addressing a publicmeeting at Saraswati Vihar Bohri in connection with a mass awareness

campaign launched by Panun Kashmir

1515151515KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

August2010 PHILOSOPHY

Prof. M.L. Kaul

Laya—The yoga-tattva-upanishad has delineated fourtypes of yoga-mantra-yoga,laya-yoga, hatha-yoga and raj-yoga. Laya-Yoga as a recognisedform of yoga has found a men-tion in almost all works on yoga.Lya-yoga definitionally is con-centration on a deity while oneis actively involved in the dailyroutine of life. The KashmriShaivites equally accept laya-yoga as a means to attain iden-tity with Shiva. In shaktopayaa seeker deems it an achieve-ment if he succeeds in dissolv-ing his mind (man) in chita.Layi-bhava as a lexical termconveys the same dissolution ofmind in chita. But, to a highlyaccomplished seeker layameans immersion of a jiva inshiva as consciousness su-preme.

Jnan and ajnan—Thesetwo terms have been used vari-ously by all manner of Indianphilosophers. Jnan, simplyspeaking, has two meanings,one is intellectual and the otheris spiritual. Intellectual knowl-edge as per the shaivites ofKashmir does expand the un-derstanding horizons of aseeker. It is incumbent on himto learn the use of logic andanalysis to have a thoroughgrasp of the non-dual thesis ofKashmir Shaivism. The said-philosophy has intricacieswhich need be understood forsharpening of human intellect.But, intellectual knowledge isnot the end in itself. It has to betooled to achieve spiritualknowledge which like all Indianthinkers the Shaivite thinkersdesignate as real knowledge.So, Jnan, to them, is spiritualin nature and essence. They callit Shiva-Jnan and atma-jnan.

As Shiva and Jiva are of thesame fibre and weave, a jiva en-trapped by three dirts (malas)of anava-mal, karma-mal andmayiya-mal has to realise hisessential nature (svarup)through Shiva-Jnan and atma-jnan.

The essential thesis ofKashmir Shaivism is thatShiva through his absolute free-dom (svatantrya) forgets hisessential nature to assume theform of a jiva. Under the wrapsof forgetfulness a Jiva takeshis not-self as his real self. It islexically called ajnan . It can besaid that false identity with hu-man body and human ego is aajnan. But, the Shaivites nevercomprehend ajnan as total ab-sence of jnan. To them, ajnan ismita-jnan, little knowledge orlimited knowledge. The conceptof bondage they trace to ajnan,limited knowledge. Bondage(bandhan) is essentially for ajiva. Shiva is beyond any taintsof bondage (bandhan). As per

the shaivites ajnan is non-knowledge of one's own intrin-sic nature (svarup).

Sham & dam—In Patanjaliyoga and other works on yogasham and dam have been ac-cepted as vital parts of yoga-praxes. Sham means to weanone self away from the worldlyactions (karmas). Dam meansto control the breathing process(pran and apan) which other-wise is involuntary. Patanjalidefines yoga as ''yogash chachit vriti nirodah'. The yoga-practices like sham & dam arein concordance with the defini-tion that Patanjali has formu-lated about yoga. yoga, to him,is to suppress (nirodaha) theinnate and inborn urges, tenden-cies and proclivities of a man.But, the Kashmir Shaiviteshave moved away from thePatanjalian explication of yogaand phrased yoga as per theirown conceptual frame. To them,yoga definitionally is yogamektavam icchanti vastunoanyena vastuna (unity of athing (Jiva) with another thing(Shiva). The word suppression,nirodha, is replaced by unity,ektavam. The six-limbed yoga-praxes of the Shaivites calledShadanga yoga retainssham & dam, but stand ori-ented to a new nuance of mean-ing. Sham, therefore, is definedas to stay put in a felt spir-itual experience after pacify-ing the worldly disturbancesthat ravage a human mind,Dam is to sublimate thebreathing processes (pran andpan) with a view to submergethem in madhya-dham wherethe heart (hridai) lies.

In a vakh Lalla-Ded saysthat Shiva if He is to be at-tained does not need sham &dam (self-continence and self-control). It is a clear-cut refer-ence to the suppressive tech-niques as envisaged in thePatanjali yoga. She for one wasgroomed in the Shaiva-tech-niques that are repugnant tosuppression and regression ofwhat lies in the nature of manas a living and existing being.

Chidanand—In KashmirShaivism Chidanand (chit andanand) is the essential natureof Shiva. Sat (being) is pre-sumed when Shiva is formu-lated as Chidanand. As we havein Sankar vedant, sat-chit-anand is the fundamental na-ture (kutasthasvarup) of Brah-man as an absolute. But in theShaivite structure of thoughtShiva's fundamental nature(kutastha svarup) is chidanandonly. Chit (consciousness) andanand (instinctive playfulness)are deemed as two in number,but in actuality are mixed upas milk and water. Lexically,chit and anand are prakash (lu-minosity) and vimarsh (I-con-

sciousness). Shiva as Chita(chitti) is beyond the physicalworld, to put it properly He istranscendental. But Shiva asanand is brimming with a deepsense of I-consciousness. Anandis the creativity of Shiva. Thenuts and bolts of entire cosmosare the expression of Shiva asanand. It is anand that fea-tures Shiva as an absolute freebeing to will, create, know andact. The five acts (panchakretya) that Shiva does is outof anand, His playfulness orsportiveness. In Shaiva texts itis expressed as 'kreeda-vilas'.

Maha-vreties-oum bhur-bhuva-svaha—

The Gayatrimantra be-gins with oum-bhur-bhuva-svaha. Its origins lie in thevedas. As vedas have been char-acterised as 'plexus of ceremo-nies', the mantras like oumbhursvaha, oum bhuvasvaha and oum sva svahaare resonantly pronounced dur-ing the offerings that are madeto the fire-god (agni). Thesethree mantras are known asmaha-vreties. But, the fourthmaha-vrety is the mantra ofoum bhur-bhuva-sva svahawhich is uttered as one mantrain the wake of the first threemantras that are uttered dur-ing the course of a yajna. Hav-ing their origins in the vedas,the Kashmiri Shaivites haveincorporated the four maha-vreties in their thought struc-ture, but have oriented them toa new shade of semantics.Khemraj as an erudite com-mentator on seminal Shaivatexts writes that bhu refers tothe world of objects, bhuva tothe means of knowledge andsvah to the humans, each as asubject. These three maha-vreties refer to the manifestedworld that Shiva creates out ofHis playfulness (anand). InShaiva terminology it is alsocalled vimarsa. The fourthmaha-vrety of oum bhur-bhuva-sva as one singlemantra alludes totranscendetal Shiva in whomthe first three maha-vreties re-main diluted indistinguishably.The first three maha-vretiesexplain the world and can belexically called descent(avaroh) and the fourth one isShiva in which the world getsabsorbed and can be lexicallycalled aroh (ascent).

Vakh—Vakh if translatedinto English means a word thatis said. It belongs to the San-skrit word-hoard. Bhartriharias a reputed scholar of linguis-tics has given us the concept of'shabad-brahma' to which hetraces the genesis of wordsformed with the combination ofletters in Sanskrit. But, theShaviites of Kashmir havegiven us a theory about the gen-esis of word in concordance with

their thought imperatives.Shiva, to them, is the absolute.The word prior to itsconcretisation remains abso-lutely diluted in the ocean ofShiva's consciousness. But, Hisconsciousness has its own dy-namics which is lexically calledvimarsa. The word at this levelis known as para-vakh. As theworld emanates from Shiva'sconsciousness, word also ema-nates from it only. The journeyof the word starts from para-vakh, comes to the level ofpashyanti, then to the level ofmadhyama and finally to thelevel of vaikhuri. It is the de-scent of a word, coming to thelevel of world where communi-cation and contact are estab-lished through it. A word is acombination of letters from ato ksa. The word-hoard from ato ksa as numerous energies ofpara-vakh remain submergedin Shiva's consciousness. Theirconcretisation through the proc-ess of descent is the same asmanifestation of the world fromthe dynamics of Shiva's con-sciousness. SaysA b h i n a v g u p t a - V a k h t iVishvam abhilaptipretyavmarsena iticha vakh

Mala—It is a Sanskrit wordmeanging dirt or impuity. InKashmir Shaivism it is a lexi-cal word having a special mean-ing. Shiva as the highest sub-ject has absolute freedom to act.It is through the instrumental-ity of mala, His own creation,Shiva assumes the form of ajiva, worldling with the limitedpowers to will, know act andcogitate. As per the Shaivitesof Kashmir, mala is the causeof ajnan (malam ajnanamicchanti). A jiva is a bound ani-mal (pasu) because of themalas he is trapped in.

Mala is of three types, anav-mala, karma-mala andmayiya-mala. Anav-mala isthe limitation caused by Shivathrough His wilful act of losingHis absolute freedom and as-suming forgetfulness of His in-nate freedom. Shiva in His in-herent svarup (nature) can per-form any act without any let orhindrance and without any ex-ternal aid-materials. But,through His own divine will, Heloses His absolute freedom andgets embroiled in the worldyacts of mean order. It is calledkarma-mala. Through His ownabsolute freedom Shiva ema-nates the unverse from His owncreative consciousness and is inabsolute harmony with whatHe creates or emanates. But,because of mayiya-mala, Hefinds a dis-connect with whathe has manifested. This iscalled mayiya-mala.

Malas are a limitation, infact a plethora of limitations,which Shiva assumes to takethe form of a jiva. For this, He

has no motiviation, He may doit or may not do it. But, he goeson assuming the limitations tobecome a Jiva out of His ownplayfulness (anand).

Kashmir Shaivism hasmade a mention of sevenpramatas (subjects) who areclassified on the basis of malathey are embroiled in. Sakala,pralayakal and vijnanakalhave all the three impurities inthem. Mantra has two malasonly, mayiya-mala and anav-mala. Mantreshvar andmantra-maheshvar have onlyone mala and that is anav-mala. Shiva as the only subject,despite His act of assumingimpurities, has no tanits orimpurities that can inhibit Hisabsolute freedom. The valuethat Jivas trapped in malaspursue is to remove the malasthrough shaiva-yoga praxes andrecognise their essence asShiva onlyand that is, jnan oratma-jnan.

T a n t r a — K a s h m i rShaivism in essentia hastantric foundations, but is notin any manner repugnant to thevedic stream of though, lore andlearning. In the vedas tantra asa word has been used as a loom(Rig veda and Atharva_ved).The Mimansakas use the wordin the sense of a method formaking or doing something. Aword like tantra-ukhti de-notes 'principles' or 'exposi-tions. The word tantra is alsoused for all types of works onsubjects relating sciences. Thephilosophical meaning that theword tantra assumed refers toa 'scripture that spreads knowl-edge' tanyate vistaryatejnanam iti tantram. At a laterstage tantra got hyphenatedwith mantra and came to berecognised as knowledge real-isable through practices.

Kashmir has a protractedhistory of writing tantras, whichcould be classified as non-dualtantras, dual-non-dual tantrasand dual tantras. With thestrands of theoretical knowl-edge scttered over the whole re-pository of tantras theKashmiri Shaivites wove theirfabric of non-dual philosophyand finessed it as a thought-process through dexterous useof logic, exposition and subtleanalysis. Sixty-four in numberthe non-dual tantras form thefundamental blueprint of thethought-structure that emergedfrom Kashmir the seeds ofwhich were planted in the soilof Kashmir from the samethought, though of a differentvariety, flourishing in South ofIndia.

The principal trantras thatthe Kashmiri Shaivites havecommented upon and usedthem as source-materials are

The need for a Lalla Ded Lexicon-III

(Contd. on Page 17)

1616161616KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

August2010 THE DIVINE CALL

BY VIDHUNANDAN LAL DAR

LOVE IS GOD :

Consciousness of God is lovefor the sake of only love and

not for any particular person ora particular thing or any reason.Love for love only is a stage,which comes through self-reali-zation only and not by any otherway.

When you understand as towho you are and what gives youreal happiness, you go into aconsciousness which is love andwhen you are in this blessedstate your body vibrationchanges into full harmony ofbody and soul. Such a personlives not only a life of happinessbut spreads happiness all aroundhim effortlessly or without doinganything. This is due to the vi-brations emanating out from hisbody and all those who comenear him start experiencing thesevibrations of happiness and, tosome extent or for some time, be-come happy.

Actually the ultimate aim oflife is to attain this stage yet, inspite of all religious, philosophi-cal and human efforts over thou-sands of years, only very fewcould achieve this and they hadbecome immortal. Today we lis-ten to their stories and enjoythese. We are so earth-boundthat we do not aspire and thosewho do this lack determination.Hence we do not reach this stageand, are, therefore, discontented.The reason behind this appearsto be wrong development of ourego or development of ego inwrong direction.

The very statement that weshould try to love all is egoistic.Love is not what you achieve byany or some method. It is a hap-pening and not an achievement.It just happens. You can onlysearch a way and follow it till ithappens to you. Real meaning oflove and happiness is completeabsence of expectation of a re-turn or some reward or even acraving for recognition for whatyou have done or are doing. It issimply deriving pleasure or sat-isfaction just by doing it. For ex-ample, when you play with asmall child or a pet animal or dosomething for him you just startvibrating on that frequencywhich is called Love, and, if youbecome oblivious of time andplace, this becomes bliss. Thereason is that you do not expectanything in return from them.You want to make them happyeven if it gives you a little physi-cal discomfort. Yet when thatchild or pet animal grows up youstart expecting some love fromhim in return for your love, it isthen that you begin to loose theconsciousness of love because,if nothing else, you expect atleast love in return for your love.Your body vibrations changebecause of the fear of the un-

GOD IS CALLING : IIknown. You begin to face theHamletian dilemma ‘will it loveme or not’? You enter into theconsciousness of fear that takesyou further towards the con-sciousness of anger and ulti-mately of hatred.

To understand this we mustknow the basic structure of ourphysical body. We are, as youknow, actually a mass of bodycells or, in terms of physics, at-oms. Each atom, as is a well-known fact of physics, vibrateson a particular frequency and thelast division of an atom has beenhypothetically conceived as col-our and smell. We are, therefore,made of colour and smell con-verted into atoms, which are vi-brating. We look solid becauseall these atoms are vibrating atsuch a speed that it is not allow-ing us to see the separateness ofatoms. It is just as in a movingcinema film we cannot separateone frame of picture from otherbut see it in continuity. We getaffected by the vibration of othermatters. We feel happy if theseare in harmony and unhappy ifnot. It may be music or any sound- wave or electromagnetic waveor anything that exists is all madeup like a living being - the massof vibrating atoms. It is having afixed nucleus while a living be-ing has, as a nucleus, the soulwhich is evolving.

EVOLVING SOUL :Basically a soul is an Ego-

consciousness having a mag-netic field of its own. Vibratingatoms form a mass which isaround this nucleus and this iswhat we call bodies of living be-ings. There are actually two bod-ies of a living being which areintermixed with each other—thephysical body that we see or per-ceive through our senses and theastral body that we do not see.This astral body is invisible be-cause of a very high frequencyor vibrations in its forming at-oms. It is like the blades of a fan,which become invisible becauseof a very high speed of rotation.It may be clearly understood herethat we are three persons at atime. First is Ego- conscious-ness, which is evolving throughmind unconsciously. Second isthe physical body, which is hav-ing, as its command center, thebrain. The brain, in turn, is gov-erned by a conscious mind andthe third, an astral body, whichis also governed by mind but byits semi- conscious part.

WHAT IS DEATH :What we call death is actu-

ally the detachment of AstralBody from the physical bodypermanently. Here it may beclearly understood that after the

death of a physical body the as-tral body does exist and some-times when the vibrations of theastral body are in lower fre-quency it is seen as an appari-tion or a shadowy outline. Thisastral body also dissolves itselfin due course of time and onlyego-consciousness is left. Thisis called astral death in meta-physics. Finally, this ego-con-sciousness dissolves in Super-Ego, which is Godhead and thatis NIRVANA.

ASTRAL BODY :Astral body is intermixed with

your physical body like salt inwater and so it is invisible. Theastral body separates from yourphysical body several times in aday when either you are sleep-ing soundly or deeply absorbedin thought or when your mindsuddenly goes blank. You mayhave experienced this many timeswhen you suddenly become con-scious with a jerk of yourself orwhen somebody nudges you tobring you to your senses thatyou feel and say “Oh! How muchtime has passed” or “Oh! Wherewas I ‘’’This jerk is felt due tosudden and abrupt re-intermix-ing of astral body into physicalbody.

During our lifetime (physicalexistence) whenever this astralbody is separated from physicalbody it gets connected with ahighly vibrating line of atomswhich can be called our lifelinebecause what we call physicaldeath is nothing but the dissolv-ing of this line into astral body.As the poet Pt. Brij NarainChakbast says :

ZINDAGI KYA HAY?ANASIR WIEIN ZAHOORE

TARTEEB MAUT KYA HAY?INHIEN AJZAA KAPARESHAN HONA

In simple words this meansthat life is assembling or comingtogether of atoms and death isdisintegration or scattering off ofthese atoms.

After both are separated thephysical body dies and the Ego-Consciousness starts wanderingin astral body and as it happensin all cases sooner or later an-other astral body which may ei-ther be of your dead relative or afriend or of a much more ad-vanced Ego-Consciousness,which we call or designate as‘spiritual guide’, comes and es-tablishes contact with your as-tral body. This spiritual guide ex-plains to your astral body theways of Astral World. It may beinteresting as well as informativeto you to know that you also andalways meet your spiritual guideeven in your lifetime during sleepwhen you dream and make astral

travel in sleep.ASTRAL WORLD :

Just like the difference be-tween the physical body and theastral body, the physical worldand the astral world is also amass of atoms operating on dif-ferent frequencies of vibration.Hence is invisible to each other.

As described in severalbooks detailing near - death orafter-death communication expe-riences, the books on mediumstalking in a trance, planchette orauto-writing and our own per-sonal experiences throughplanchette and auto-writing wehave come to the conclusion thatthe astral world is what is de-scribed as Heaven in ancientscriptures and books of religion.The astral beings live there as wehuman beings live here. Theirbodies, to them, are as solid asare ours to us though it may ap-pear transparent and translucentto our eyes. The only differencethat has been conveyed to us byseveral contacts through auto-writing is that these astral beingsdo not have any compulsion forfood, sleep, sex or shelter. Butdue to the habits formed duringthe existence in the physical lifethese astral bodies do indulge inall this — for sometimes atleast— for which they have thepowers of materializing or de-ma-terializing any object of their fan-tasy, till their desire or cravingfor these earthly habits ceasesor that they realize the useless-ness of these habits. Moreover,they have their spiritual guideswho help them overcome thesedesires and also to arrange re-birth for satisfying a desirewhich cannot be fulfilled in anastral body or the astral world.The biggest desire, which can-not be fulfilled in the astral world,is the desire of getting recogni-tion.DESIRE OF RECOGNITION :

The desire to get recognitionis a basic desire. One wants tobe recognized as something byothers, especially by those whoare nearer to you and are inpower. Most of our acts are pro-pelled by this desire. This desirechanges its objects of recogni-tion from person to person andfrom time to time. As a child it isfocused on parents. As a littlegrown-up person it includes rela-tives, relations and friends. As ayoung person it turns towardsopposite sex and when you en-ter into the mainstream of life itis the society from which youwant or expect recognition. Allthe “ego-consciousness” whichis on an advanced stage of evo-lution re-incarnates either in hu-man form or as pet animals to

satisfy this desire of recognition.And you are one of them. Other-wise you would not have beenreading till here and would haveclosed the booklet after a fewpages.

WHY THIS DESIRE ISNEVER SATISFIED :

This is because you have notreached the goal but havestopped too long at one transitpoint, which you thought wasyour goal. You are like that long-distance tourist who stops in awayside inn on the way andthinks that this inn itself is hisdestination-the end of journey.We have made this worldly soci-ety as our goal-as our Master-instead of God. We have volun-tarily opted to be governed bythe society—its norms-nnsteadof God’s Will. Therefore, in or-der to change this conditioningof your mind the cycle of life anddeath is designed. Thus, as al-ready explained, this “ego-con-sciousness” re-incarnates itselfto satisfy the desires which can-not be fulfilled in the astral bodyand the astral world and, as youshould now understand, that allthe time you squander or wasteon indulging in to satisfy thedesires of sex, food or a beauti-ful shelter can be satisfied moreeasily in astral world because ofthe power you acquire there ef-fortlessly of materializing anddematerializing your fantasies.Hence, even our desire for sex isactually the desire to be recog-nized by the opposite partner.This is the reason we are neversatisfied or truly happy.

HOW TO FIND TRUEHAPPINESS :

When you do not know some-thing you have to search for it.This search of the unknown canbe done by a process of elimina-tion only because you will haveto experience it yourself to knowif it is right for you, otherwise,like religion which you acceptwithout understanding, your be-lief in it begins to crumble as soonas you start facing problems oradversity. And it will because thereligion, being man-made, cannotcomprehend each and every situ-ation. The only process, there-fore, which happens to be thebest, is that of eliminationthough you may try to get hap-piness anyway you can. How-ever, do not stick to it if you donot get happiness out of it. Leaveit and try something different. Donot stick to a particular way oflife or object of love. If you arenot happy otherwise, you will bespreading out all the wrong vi-brations around you and creat-ing an atmosphere of tensionaround you resulting in healthproblems of body and mind notonly to yourself but to the peo-ple around you also.*(The author is based at Naggpur).

(To be continued)

KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

July2010 1717171717

(From Page 15)Shiva-sutra, Netra-tantra, vigjnan Bhairav,Malini vijayotra tantra,paratrimshikha, Rudra-yamaltantra, mregendratantra, svacchand tantraet al.

It is pertinent to putthat tantras do notpresent a thought processthan can be construed asa finished-product ofthought. They containwhat we call as seed-ideas, which the Shaivitethinkers used to fabricatea full-fledged philosophi-cal structure, which iswell-knit, fully cemented,delicate in details andaesthetic in value.

In the words of Osho,'where yoga ends, tantrabegins. The highest peakof yoga is the beginning oftantra and tantra leadsyou to the ultimate goal'.

Sahasrar—It is thehighest cerebral regionabove the end ofsusumuna-nadi and itsfilaments are red. On itspericarp is hamsa andabove it is Shiva himself.Above all these are suryaand candra mandalas. Inthe candra-mandala is adazzling triangle wheresixteenth kala of the moonresides. The subtle-aspect

of it is nirvan-kala withinwhich lives Shiva andShakti as para-vindu. TheShakti of para-bindu iscalled as nirvana-shaktiwhich is light and existsin the form of hamsa(Radra-yamal tantra).

S h y a s h i - k a l a ,Shyashi-rasa—After ayogi explores his nadis(nerves), he awakens hiskundalini shakti atmuladhar, which is sup-posed to be seat of Shakti.He traverses through thesix-cakras or six-forests orsix paths and raises hisinherent powers, whichotherwise lie in dormancy.Then he comes upon theShyashi-kala, candra-kata (digit of the mon) re-siding in Sahasrar. Arasa, translated asmanna in English, oozesout from shyashi kala. Ayogi licks is up avidlywhich transports him intoa state of rapturous bliss.Licking up of shyashi-rasaestablishes the union of ayogi with Shiva and uninois ultimate immersion inShiva's ocean of conscious-ness.

Many Kashmiri poetsvery much in the line ofLalla Ded tradition havefrequently mentioned thespiritual union which they

might have in the wake ofthe manna that they en-joyed as an oozing fromShyashi-kala or Chandra-kala. Such poetry of thesepoets has been wronglydesignated as 'sufi poetry'.Popularly nomenclaturedas shastra, the Muslimpoets followed the much-reverenced tradition ofLalla Ded who had link-ages with the indigenous

inheritance of bhakti (de-votion) and philosophy ofShaiva thought.

Brahma-randa—Itssynonym is brahma-bill.It is situated at the upperpart of Ajna-Cakra withinthe centre of two eye-brows. A seeker seekingself-recognition concen-trates on it for direct en-try into sahasrar. TheKashmiri Shaivas holdthat brahma-randra isclosed by the 'egg of shakti'which among other eggs ofmaya, prakriti and prithvilies in a state of dilutionin the womb of Shiva'sconsciousness. A seeker,who has awakened hisdormant powers throughShaiva yoga praxes, cansurmount the obstruction

Semitic gods are jealousof one another, but theHindu gods have no suchtaint.

Anahat nad—A soundis produced when two ob-jects strike against eachother. A river or a brookthat flows on produces asound. But, in a humanbody a sound is producedinvoluntarily withoutstriking against anything.This is why it is named asanahat-nad. It can beheard by a seeker who hasdiligently trained his earsthrough shaiva-yoga prac-tices. In Tantraloka,Bhagwan Abhinavguptahas made a mention of tentypes of anahatnad.Bartrihari sought its ori-gins in the 'shabad-brahma'. But in KashmirShaivism its origins lie inpara-vakh, which duringits descent comes to thelevel of pashyanti,then tomadhyama and finally tovaikhuri. A seeker has towithdraw his ears fromsounds that are heard inojective world. He has tomove up to the level ofmadhyama and then topashyanti. During this in-ward journey he comes torealise the softer aspect ofsounds that are gross. Fi-nally he comes to the levelof para-vakh which he hasto concentrate on. It leadshim to Shiva's conscious-

ness where all sounds liesubmerged without hav-ing any distinctiveness.

ajapa hamsamantra—It is directly re-lated to pran and apan asbreathing out and breath-ing in.It is in the madhya-nadi when pran vaya goesup from the hriday(heart) a sound like 'ham'is produced and when itreturns from dvadashantas apan-vayu, a sound like'sah' is produced. A manlives because of thebreathing out and breath-ing in processes. As thisprocess goes on non-stop,he is said to meditate onthe mantra of 'hamsa-hamsa', meaning 'I amthat'. A Jiva is called ahamsa because he is everbusy in breathing-out andbreathing-in processes.

This 'hamsa mantra'is featured as 'ajapa',which means that it is notmeditated upon. At thelevel of a Jiva the soundsof 'ham' & 'sah' are grosslyuttered. But, in the proc-esses of inward journeythe said-sounds lose theirgrossness and get mergedin the luminosity of Shiva.So, in that case hamsa asmantra is neither to beuttered nor is it meditatedupon. It becomes an indis-soluble part of conscious-ness supreme.

STONE pelting in Kashmirvalley in turning to be a wellpaid business for theunemployed youth who aredoing this for a particularprice.

It is said that lakhs ofrupees are generatedthrough stone pelting,which are said to be fundedby separatist organizationsto put the situation in valleyback to 1990’s.

It was only examinedwhen during the last fewweeks hundreds of stonepelters were arrested byJ&K police and after severeinterrogation of these youththe secret behind stonepelting was unveiled.

Sources from J&K policeclaimed that during theinterrogation it wasobserved that the back boneof the stone pelting isPakistan and which throughvarious militant agenciesand separatist organizationshave hired such youth for aparticular price.

Police official on theconditions of anonymity saidthat these groups whichinclude dozens ofunemployed youth are paidheavily between Rs 6-7lakhs. “Some part of thismoney is given to thoseyouth who are the mainplayers of the game. Who

Stone pelting a big money making industrypelt stones and start peltingon police and paramilitaryforces,” police official said.

One more truth whichwas unrevealed during theinterrogation was that thesestone pelters were not onlypaid by the separatistorganizations but alsoreceived funds from politicalparties as well, which is themain reason for stonepelting incidents occurring ina synchronized mannerthroughout the valley in allthe districts during theprotests. Police officials alsoaverred that the exactmoney being pumped intostone pelting is notestimated yet; however itcan turn to be in lakhs.

Spokesman of CRPFPrabhakar Tripathi saidthat the main aim of thestone pelting is toregenerate militancyactivities in valley. “This is anew shape of the terrorismwhich is coming out inKashmir. Militants also aretrying to take re-birth in thiskind of atmosphere and thatis why several militancyrelated incidents have takenplace during the protests,”he said.

“Militants want to

roads and pelted stones onCRPF and police in which 3people were killed. Thisdirectly shows the mastermind of stone pelting issomeone else and whoseaim is different and that tooout of minds of Kashmiripeople. “It is being funded byPakistan and its agenciesthrough Over Ground

Workers andhawala channels,”he said.

“There are alarge number of instances ofunprovoked stone-pelting byhostile mobs on CRPF thathas left 1100 jawans injuredand close to 300 vehiclesdamaged in the last one-and-a-half year,” Tripathi said.

While talking to an Armyofficial about the real truthbehind the stone pelting hesaid, “There is a link withpeople across LoC, There isa link with separatists, andthere is a link with militants.The main aim of the stonepelting is revival of militancyin valley and nothing else.”

He said, “There is a directinvolvement of Lashkar-e-Toiba and other militantoutfits which on recordhave asked their overground workers to escalate

this in valley. The commonman is far away from thefact. The masked youth whoare leading the protests aretravelling from one place toanother to encourage theprotest. The latter killings ofcivilians for which police andCRPF have been blamed areactually credited to someoneelse. Unidentified peoplehave been witnessed inprotests that fire on civiliansand blame cops or CRPF forthe killings.”

Meanwhile a dividewithin separatists inKashmir over the issue isalso worth discussion, whichcame to the front afterPresident of Jamiat-i-AhliHadees Moulana ShowkatAhmad created a stir bycoming out with a fatwa thatIslam did not sanctionpelting stones on armedsecurity personnel.

He said that the stonepelting cannot be justified.“Islam is about discipline andif the leaders are askingpeople to refrain from stonepelting then they shouldadhere to these directions.Prophet Muhammad too hasasked us to refrain from it,”he said. But no one listenedto this leader also becausethe persons behind all thistook a new drama out of itand burnt his effigy and

posters on roads.However, Chairman

Hurriyat Conference (G)Syed Ali Shah Geelaniclaimed that incidents ofstone pelting took place inretaliation to the ‘tyranny ofgun wielding troops’. Iftroops allow us to holdinnocuous and peacefulprotests, why would we taketo stone pelting?

During his several mediaaddresses he has urged theyouth not to go for stonepelting. He has always beenasking for peaceful protests,”he had said. Just after hisrelease for several weekswhen he addressed media heagain urged youth not to goviolent and ransack buildingand attack police stations butno one listened to him andwhich caused deaths of 3more within 24 hours.

The situation with stonepelting in valley is taking abad shape. Theconsequences of stonepelting are seen on groundlevel. Dozens of youth arebeing killed, governmentproperty is under attack,government is not able tothink about thedevelopments and above allwhich point of concern forone and all is, hundreds offamilies are starving.(Courtesy: ADNI)

posed by the 'egg of shakti'and enter sahasrar whichas per Shaiva stipulationsis nothing but the auspi-cious consiciousness ofShiva.

Jin—It is a Pali wordwith its origins in 'Jit', asa word in Sanskrit lan-guage. The root of the word'Jit' is 'Ji'. It is often usedfor Mahavir, the founderof Jain dharam. It is alsoused for Buddha, thefounder of Buddhism. AsKashmir Shaivism hasaccepted many seed-ideasand concepts from Bud-dhism, the word 'Jin' as alexical word for Buddhastands splashed throughmany a Shaiva-text. Theword 'Jin'. denotes Bud-dha who has conqueredhis senses which areeleven in number. The con-quest of senses for anyseeker is a must as it is aprelude to the questwithin. Shiva, keshav, andkamalajnath (Brahma)form the trinity and LallaDed has placed Jin, theBuddha alongwith threegods of Hindu pantheon,thereby raising thenumber to four. As allthese gods are the symbolsof Param-Shiva's infinitepowers, Lalla Ded in allpoliteness prays to themto remove the sickness ofthe world that has over-whelmed her whole being.

The need for a Lalla Ded Lexicon-III

reposition themselvesamong the people. In the lastfew years the militants hadlost the support from publicand by the stone peltingwhich are the job of themilitant sympathizers, theyare bit succeeding in gettingthe support. Stone pelting isdirectly connected tomilitancy and militants aretrying to emergeonce gain on thissoil which we willnever allow,”Tripathi said. He said thatduring the recent protestsand demonstrations atseveral places grenadeswere lobbed on CRPF andpolice. “Similarlyunidentified gunmen alsoopened fire at Sopore,Bomai, Pulwama, SarafKadal, Batamaloo and manymore places. This clearlyproves that the main aim ofthe stone pelting isrepositioning of militancy invalley,” he said. Tripathisaid, “Militancy is based onpublic support. And this isthe best way for militants toget public support.Otherwise Syed Ali ShahGeelani had asked youth notto go for stone pelting, eventhough people came on

NEWS

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KASHMIR SENTINEL NEWS DESK

1818181818CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTSKKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

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(Contd. on Page 19)

July 1: Barring protest rally by Asiya Andrabi andsome minor incidents, situation remainedgenerally peaceful as curfew and curfew likerestrictions continued in major towns of theValley. DC Jammu initiated action againstthree English dailies Early Times, Glimpsesof Future and the Shadow for a story abouta Hindu religious place at Anantnag. Ter-rorists struck in Sudhmahadev and killeda civilian. Two Army jawans were killed asan infiltration bid was foiled on Macchilsector. More para-military and Armed Po-lice was withdrawn from districts tostrengthen security for Amarnath yatris.

July 2: Curfew was extended to more areas as 60persons, including 23 policemen, were in-jured in fresh protests. Terming people ofKashmir part of 'my flesh and blood', OmarAbdullah accused PDP of instigating stone-pelting and warned 'perpetuators, instiga-tors and facilitators" of violence of sternaction. Arms and ammunition was recov-ered from Fatehpur, Rajouri. An HM ter-rorist, who was claimed to have crossed overafter hearing about surrender policy andchange of heart, has turned out to be ahardcore terrorist and was separated fromhis under aged wife and lodged in differentjails.

July 3: Four infiltrators were killed on LoC inKupwara, though curfew was lifted fromseveral areas, the life remained paralysedin the Valley amidst minor protests. A fakeSadhu Aman Khan of Roorkee, UP was ar-rested from Ram temple as he entered thetemple on fake name of Aman Sharma. Twosuspects of Handwara were arrested froma lodge at Ragunath Bazar. Eight Pakistaniterrorists have reportedly sneaked intoBanihal area. SAYSS bandh evokes littleresponse in Jammu. Mirwaiz asked for po-litical solution to Kashmir problem.

July 4: There was semblance of normalcy in theValley as police crackdown on stone pelters.PK expressed concern over Valley situationand demanded delinking of employmentpackage from return at the earliest.

July 5: Separatists march to South Kashmir wasfoiled as Valley witnessed curfew and re-strictions. Omar Abdullah favoured open-ing of Uri-Muzaffrabad road for all peopleand initiation of political dialogue. Associ-ate of an LeT district Comdr was arrestedin Kishtwar. Mobile phones have alsohelped to trap terrorists as security agen-cies intercept their conversation.

July 6: Army was called out and indefinite curfewimposed in Srinagar as four protesters, in-cluding a woman, were killed in fresh pro-tests. Two BSF jawans were killed and acivilian injured as Pak Rangers opened firein Pargwal sector. AK Antony said that in-filtration attempts are on rise. PoK PrimeMinister Raja Farooq Haider asked Paki-stan to resolve "small and controversial is-sues" before sorting out the issue of Kash-mir.

July 7: Prime Minister reviewed Kashmir situa-tion at a high level meeting and the UnionHome Secretary GK Pillai was rushed toKashmir as Army staged flag march andcurfew was strictly enforced. Kashmir BarAssociation president Mian Qayoom wasdetained under PSA and rushed toHiranagar Jail. Omar Abdullah spoke toPM, HM and DM. Eight cops were attachedin Anantnag killings case. Congress blamedseparatists for creating tension Spl. DG BSFsaid that protest will be lodged at highest

level for cease-fire violations as more mor-tars were fired on IB and tension grips bor-der areas.

July 8: Curfew was imposed in more areas as Cen-tre talked tough and Omar Abdullah callsfor 'All Party Meet' on Monday. Centre ismulling idea of initiating dialogue afternormalcy LK Advani termed situation wor-risome RDX and grenades were seized inMendhar encounter as two to three terror-ists are believed to have escaped from theencounter. Intercepts suggest involvementof Hurriyat in recent protests.

July 9: 75 kg explosive powder and six IEDs wereseized from Chatroo, Kishtwar while twoHM operatives were arrested in Rambanwith Hawala money. Three security per-sonnel were injured in terrorist attacks inSopore, Baramulla curfew was relaxed inlight of Shab-e-Mehraj celebrations even iffresh transcripts suggest cross-LoC linkageto the trouble. LeT and HM Comdrs havebeen reportedly shifted to Valley.

July 10: Terrorists gunned down a civilian in Dodawhile a terrorist was arrested in Kishtwarand arms recovered in Reasi. 30 stonepelters and a separatist were detained ascurfew was lifted in Kashmir barringPulwama.

July 11: Two top LeT Comdrs were killed in two dif-ferent operations in Kishwan, Kishtwar andKalaklote, Rajouri while seven were report-edly at large. BSF lodged protests withRangers for cross-border firing. Curfew waslifted but restrictions continue in Valley asNC. Congress MLAs rally behind OmarAbdullah and PDP ignores PM's advice toattend All Party meet. Army chief attrib-uted present unrest to the inability to buildon the gains in Kashmir. Ministry of HomeAffairs calls telcos meet on SIMS misuseas 65% of sample survey suggest gross vio-lation of verification directive.

July 12: All Party meet asked for injuring intodeaths and PM's intervention. Searches areon in Mendhar after terrorist' activity in thearea. MHA talked tough on SIM verifica-tion in Jammu.

July 13: An Army Major was killed and six armymenincluding a Colonel injured in Mendhar en-counter as two Let terrorists are believeddead and four others are reportedly at large.Separatists march was foiled by restric-tions as life remained paralysed on theMartyrs' Day in the Valley. The claims ofalertness were dented as PM's fake Advi-sor was arrested after enjoying security andhospitality by Punjab and Jammu policealongwith his team. Army chief said thattrouble in J&K is instigated across the bor-der.

July 14: Massive searches continued in Mendharand an LeT Comdr was gunned down inKishtwar. The strike paralysed Kashmir.On his arrival in Pakistan, SM Krishan saidit is time to act against terror.

July 15: Two more terrorists were killed in Beri-Rakh forests in Mendhar and recoveredlarge quantity of arms and ammunition Pakviolates cease-fire in Poonch sector. Life re-mained paralysed on the 10th consecutiveday in Valley. A Colonel and a Major wereamong 11 chargesheeted in fake Machilencounter. Omar Abdullah appealed forpeace. No breakthrough in Indo-Pak foreignminister's meeting as the two took dia-metrically opposite stands on Kashmir, ter-rorism and Balochistan even at customary

joint press conference.July 16: A Major and two jawans were injured and

two to four terrorists remained at large asthe Beri-Rakh operation entered 5th day.An LeT terrorist was arrested in Kishtwar.Life remained paralysed on 11th day inValley as curfew was reimposed in manyareas. India described terror as the biggestobstacle in normalising ties; SM Krishnabriefed PM as Indo-Pak dialogue runs intoacrimony.

July 17: A JCO and a jawan were killed and searchesextended to Bhati Dhar and Thera Topa asarmy claimed that the besieged terroristsare trained in jungle warfare. Another LeTterrorist was arrested in Kishtwar. Armybusted a terrorist hide-out in Uri and re-covered arms and ammunition. Two JeMterrorists have been detained under PSAby Udhampur administration Valley wit-nessed half day's normalcy after 11 days asGeelani relaxed agitation. Omar Abdullahmet PM, HM and Sonia Gandhi and de-manded sustained dialogue at internal andexternal fronts and employment package forthe youth as the leaders appreciated meas-ures of handling the situation and extendedfull support to the CM.

July 18: A terrorist was shot dead in Kishtwar whilesearches continue in Mendhar. Shabnan,the wife of recently killed LeT Distt ComdrIsaq Bhat, turned out to be a top terrorist.Two IEDs were detected and defused inBaramulla and Anatnag districts andsearches were initiated in Garoora,Bandipore after reported presence of ter-rorists. Curfew like situations continued inmany areas of Valley; the situation re-mained tense after a boy, who jumped inJhelum in Baramulla alongwith two othersafter police chase, remained untraced. AnArmy jawan Jatinder Singh has reportedlygone missing alongwith his service gun fromKreri sector in Rajouri.

July 19: One persons was killed and several othersinjured in fresh protests as the body of themissing youth was fished out. People allegedthat the boy was pushed into the river by anSPO and demanded action against theSPO. LeT Comdr Zarr was gunned down inBandipore. Beri-Rakh operation that con-tinued for eight days as remaining terror-ists reportedly managed their escape evenas Army mooted permanent shelters andfencing to deny shelter to terrorists in theareas. Standing by his remarks on J&K,Army chief said that troops need AFSPAprotection.

July 20: Two terrorists and an Army jawan werekilled in Sopore as uneasy clam prevailedin the Valley amidst curfew and restric-tions. BSF foiled an intrusion bid in Pargwalsector. An Army jawan committed suicideinside a camp in Trehgam, Kupwra. Closeon the heels of GK Pillai's disclosure in lightof David Headly's revelations, NSA ShivShankar Menon, without naming Pakistan,said that the nexus between terrorists, offi-cial establishment and intelligence agen-cies is 'getting stronger' and "a much harderphenomenon" to deal with. After recovery of13 SIM cards from four terrorists, police hasdecided to invoke anti-militancy provisions;one card belonged to Pakistani CompanyJazz.

July 21: Terrorists killed a shopkeeper and kid-napped a contractor in Kishtwar while anHM terrorist was arrested in Banihal. Life

KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

August2010 1919191919CONTINUATION

(From Page 18)remained paralysed on the 16th day in Val-ley. Pak Army and Rangers resorted to fir-ing for five long hours in Arnia sector. Oneof the terrorist killed in Sopore was identi-fied as foreigner Noman, who was responsi-ble for planning Fidayeen attack at LalChowk earlier and several killings includ-ing local terrorist Basharat Saleem.

July 22: Two terrorists were killed in an encounterin Handwara, Kupwara. Terrorists haveshot dead kidnapped contractor. The con-tractor had been tortured and beheaded andhis body was recovered from forests inLiddheri area. Curfew was lifted inBaramulla and Sopore and restrictionseased elsewhere as there was relative clam.The Valley. NC Working Committed fa-voured talks with separatists, autonomy,release of political detenue but asked fordealing firmly with destabilising forces.

July 23: An Army jawan was killed and a NaibSubedar injured in a blast near LoC inMendhar sector. Army and police recovereda large quantity of explosives in Banihaland thwarted t a terror-plot to targetAmarnath Yatra. Valley was put again un-der curfew and restriction to foil the Marchto Khanqah-e-Molla by Geelani's Hamid.BSNL deactivated 4 lac pre-paid connec-tions as the subscribers did not turn up forre-verification.

July 24: Four CRPF jawans were injured in a gre-nade attack on their bunker at Batmaloo,Srinagar. Curfew was lifted after signs ofimprovement even though Hurriyat-Gcalled for another week of shut down. In hisaddress to National Development Commis-sion (NDC), CM Omar Abdullah reiteratedpursuing inclusive dialogue with diversepolitical opinion in the state alongside ne-gotiations with Pakistan and amendmentsto AFSPA to rebuild trust and faith in younghearts and minds. EPICs have once again

reached terrorists who use them for SIMcards and shifting hide-outs.

July 25: An LeT terrorist, arrested for shooting at ayouth in Punzla, Baramulla, allegedly com-mitted suicide in police lock-up. In last threeweeks, Valley observed first full day nor-mal life. After rehabilitation policy for sur-rendered terrorists, proposed policy for theterrorist across LoC and border, J&K gov-ernment has sought clearance for rehabili-tation of 20,000 ex-militants. NHRC hassought full jurisdiction in J&K.

July 26: An HM terrorist was killed and his associ-ate injured in an encounter at Anyar inMarwah, Kishtwar. 15 people were injuredas strike crippled life again in Valley. 18GCTVs commissioned at Katra, andBhawan. CM Omar Abdullah said that healways raised voice of J&K people in Delhiand is not a person who speaks one lan-guage in Delhi and another at Srinagar. Theleaked documents titled 'The War Logs' sug-gest that ISI support continues to Talibaneven as the US pumps billions as aid to itskey allay in war against terror.

July 27: A cop shot at and injured two of his col-leagues inside an SoG camp in Pattan,Baramulla. Following Geelani's calander,normal life returned to Valley for a day. TheGovernment Constituted Commission ofInquiry (COI) to probe recent civilian casu-alties. The two member commission headedby Justice (Retd.) Basher-ud-Din and Jus-tice (Retd.) Y.P. Nargotra as its memberswill submit its report within three months.The cabinet also approved a relief packageof one lakh and employment of Rs five lakhto the next of kin of the civilians killed sinceJune 11, 2010 as one time exception. TheLoK Sabha was informed that 740, ultras

tried to infiltrate into J&K since January2009.

July 28: Six OGWs were arrested from Shopian dis-trict. A cop, arrested under NDPS Act, es-caped police custody and the alleged con-spirator-cop was suspended and arrested.Strike again paralysed life in Valley. OmarAbdullah said that when democratic meansare available to register protests there isno reason of perpetrating violence andputting general public to hardships and dif-ficulties.

July 29: Violence continued across Kashmir Valleyas PDP locked 'Civil Sect' to protest againstthe alleged continuous "siege" by the gov-ernment on people of Kashmir. Pak CDs onmaking IEDs were recovered on the behestof two Kashmir terrorists, arrested from alodge at Ragunath Bazar, Jammu. The ter-rorists had tried to pose as computer stu-dents. Two cop who had escaped from policecustody was re-arrested. British Prime Min-ister David Cameron said that existence ofterror groups like Let on Pakistani soil was"not acceptable" and it must eliminatethem to end terrorism in India.

July 30: Four people were killed an 70 people includ-ing security men, were injured in violenceacross Kashmir valley where public prop-erty was damaged by the violent protestors.Acknowledging the situation was not yetnormal, P.Chidambaram said that Centreis ready to talk to anyone. Going tough onSIM card fraud, police was asked to bookthe dealers under stringent laws.

July 31: Curfew failed to prevent violence as twomore people were killed in firing and publicproperty, including Rly Station, SecurityCamps, IAF vehicle set on fire. An infiltra-tion bid was foiled in Krishan Ghati sectoras Pakistani again violated cease-fire topush infiltrators. After seizure of SIM cardsfrom terrorists, Airtel and Aircel dealerswere booked by CI wing of J&K police.

(From Page 2)65. Sh. Jawahar Lal Koul S/o Late Sh. Prem Nath

Koul of village Check-Wagund, Qazigund Kmr;presently residing at H.No: 27, A, Sector-A/2Laxmipuram Chinore Jammu. 22/12/2009

66. Sh. Chaman Lal Raina (Reshi) originally fromKhanda-Bawan/Nawakadal Sgr; presently resi-dent of H.No: 149, Lane-1, Shanti Nagar, TopSherkhania Jammu. 22/12/2009

67. Sh. Shiv Jee Bhat S/o Late Sh. Nand Lal Bhatof Dangarpora Shopian Kmr; presently residentof H.No: 44, Durga Nagra, Jammu. 23/12/2009

68. Smt. Sham Rani W/o Late Sh. Triloki NathKoul previously resident of TankiporaDadikadal Sgr; presently resident of H.No: 27,Lane-4, K.C. Doors Muthi Jammu. 23/12/2009

69. Sh. Shiban Krishen Mujoo originally residentof Karapora Khushki Rainawari Sgr; presentlyresident of 1/125, Indira Vihar Old JanipurJammu. 24/12/2009

70. Sh. Omesh Pandita S/o Late Sh. Sham LalPandita R/o Krishna Nagar, Miran SahibJamm, previously resident of KarihamaKupwara Kmr. 24/12/2009

71. Sh. Ram Chand Bhan orignially resident ofWanpoh Anantnag Kmr; presently resident ofH.No: 96, Lane-2/5 Roop Nagar EnclaveJammu. 25/12/2009

72. Sh. Vidya Sagar S/o Late Sh. Shyam Lal Musaof Mattan Anantnag Kmr; presently residentof Kashmiri Colony, Kartholi Bari Brahamana,Jammu. 25/12/2009

73. Smt. Santosh Raina W/o Sh. Moti Lal Raina R/o Bonapora Akingam, Anantnag Kmr; presently

residing at Qtr. No: 325, Mishriwlla CampJammu. 25/12/2009

74. Sh. Prithvi Nath Koul S/o Late Sh. Tara ChandKoul originally resident of Bana Mohalla Sgr;presently resident of Lane No: 1, Sector-2, H.No:24-A, Laxmi Nagar, Muthi Jammu. 26/12/2009

75. Smt. Gourishori Wattal W/o Late Sh. JankiNath Wattal of 46-1A, East Ext. Trikuta Nagar,Jammu originally resident of KralayarRainawari Sgr. 27/12/2009

76. Sh. Manmohan Kaul (Achkan)( R/o BanaMohalla Sgr; presently resident of 703, KapoorTower, Jesa Park Bajander (Est) Mumbai. 28/12/2009

77. Smt. Raj Laxmi Nagari, W/o Late Sh. R.K. Turki

resident of H.No: 150, Lane-1 Lower ShantiNagar, Top Jammu. 28/12/2009

78. Smt. Shobawati Bhat W/o Late Sh. NiranjanNath Bhat of Village Drussu Pulwama Km;present residing at Qtr. No: 13-F, CompanyBagh Jewel Chowk, Jammu. 29/12/2009

79. Sh. Triloki Nath Pandita S/o Late Sh. NathRam Pandita originally resident of TachlooShopian Kmr; presently residing at H.No: 9,Lane-7, Netar Kothian Lower Barnai BantalabJammu. 29/12/2009

80. Sh. Moti Lal Dhar S/o Late Sh. Prathvi NathDhar R/o Langate Handwara Kmr; presentlyresident of 2133 Janta Flats GTO Enclave,Nand Nagri Dilshad Garden, New Delhi. 29/

12/200981. Smt. Rajdulari Wali W/o Sh. S.N. Wali origi-

nally resident of Kanya Kadal Sgr; presentlyputting up at 112-P, Sector-7, Trikuta Nagar,Jammu. 30/12/2009

82. Sh. Maharaj Krishen Labroo S/o Late Sh. S.N.Labroo of Bul-Bul-Lankar-Alikaal, Kmr; pres-ently residing at Patiyala Punjab. 30/12/2009

83. Smt. Deviki Koul (Waffa) W/o Late Sh. D.N.Koul of Bagh Jogilankar Rainawari Sgr; pres-ently residing at H.No: 203, Kashmiri Colony,Vitasta Enclave Paprawat Road, Najafgarh,New Delhi. 30/12/2009

84. Smt. Shobawati Lidoo W/o Late Sh. PoshkarNath Lidoo originally resident of VillageKaragam Handwara Kmr; presently residentof Ganesh Vihar Patoli Brahmana, Jammu. 31/12/2009

85. Smt. Asha Ji Koul W/o Rattan Lal Koul of vil-lage Sombruna Anantnag Kmr; presentlyputting up at TRT No: 12, Block-E, Buta Nagar,Jammu. 31/12/2009

86. Sh. Satish Kumar Koul S/o Sh. P.N. Koul R/oZaloora Sopore Kmr; presently residentof H.No:162, Lane-2, Roop Nagar Enclave-A, Jammu.31/12/2009

87. Smt. Kamla Kachroo W/o Late Pt. J.N. Kachrooresident of Flat 4-B, 202 Wispering Palma,Lokhandwala Kandiwali East Mumbai, erst-while resident of Natipora Sgr. 31/12/2009

88. Sh. Bushan Lal Dhar S/o Late Sh. LambudharNath Dhar of Sagam Koker Nag Kmr; presentlyresident of Qtr. No: 870, Phase-IIIrd, PurkhooCamp Jammu. 31/12/2009

THOSE WHO LEFTUS

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

2020202020PRESS CONFERENCEKKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

August2010

PANUN KASHMIR looks with utmost concern the deterioratingsituation in the Kashmir valley. No organ of the society there seems

to have been left unaffected by the ongoing separatist, secessionistcampaign.

The race of competitive secessionism and communalism has been onfull display in the valley for quite some time now. The cycles of publicfrenzy being generated there have almost crippled the functioning of thegovernment.

The reports appearing in the public sphere, from time to time, underlinethe possibility of a widespread collusion between the separatist forces leadingthe campaign in the valley with elements operating within theadministration and mainstream political establishment.

Also the reports of infiltration from across the border and LoC arepouring in almost on daily basis. The possibility of replenishment ofterrorist cadres as well as their weaponry and other logistics has enlargedsignificantly in the current environment in the state as well as the region.The situation seems to be pregnant with the possibility of one more ghastlymischief by the terrorist regimes operating in the state.

The situation in the valley appears to us to be worse than that existedwhen massacres of Hindus at Sangrampora, Wandhama or Nadimarg,took place. In such a situation it is baffling for us to understand as to whythe state government is persisting with its policy of implementing thePrime Minister’s employment package only if Kashmiri Hindus agree toreturn to the valley.

In the eventuality of any mishap , both the state and centralgovernments are liable to be charged with willful negligence and theycannot hide behind the written undertakings being forced on the KashmiriHindu candidates selected for recruitment in the valley.

We want the state government and the central government toimpartially take stock of the situation and not brush our legitimateapprehensions below the carpet. We appeal to the chief Minister of Jammu

Brief of the press statement issued by Panun Kashmir to the media during the mediainteraction addressed by Dr. Ajay Chrungoo, Chairman Panun Kashmir, Dr. M.K. Teng

Chairman Advisory Panun Kashmir, Sh. O .N. Trisal, senior leader and President ASKPSCand Sh. Kuldeep Raina, Gen. Secretary Panun Kashmir at Jammu on 27-7-2010.

(From L to R) Sh. Kuldeep Raina, Sh. O.N. Trisal, Dr. Ajay Chrungoo & Dr. M.K.Teng addressing media persons at Jammu.

and Kashmir and the prime Minister of India to realize the gravity of thesituation and intervene decisively by delinking the employment packagefor displaced Kashmiri Hindus from return to the valley and shift all thenew posts created to Jammu where the situation is stable as well assecure.

Press statement issued by Dr Ajay Chrungoo, Chairman, Panun Kashmir on 29.7.2010KS Correspondent

REPORTS appearing inthe press that the state

government has refused toimplement that part of thePrime Minister’s employmentPackage for the displacedKashmiri Hindus for which ithas to bear the expenses onceagain exposes the perfidy andthe bias of the mindset guidingits policies with regard tointernally displaced KashmiriHindus.

The State government hastaken the plea as per thereports that it is doing sobecause of the limitationsimposed on it by the stateconstitution as well as lack offinancial resources. Theapproach underlines anideology of exclusion andbrazen communalism. Doesthe state government notconsider Kashmiri Hindus asthe bonafide subjects of thestate? Which provision of thestate constitution imposes arestriction on the stategovernment to employKashmiri Hindus in thegovernment services?

The contention of the stategovernment that it does nothave the financial resourcesto implement the PrimeMinister’s employmentpackage is no less communaland biased. The stategovernment has no dearth offinancial resources when itdeclares to employ thousandsof Kashmiri youth who havebeen involved in terrorism aswell as the stone pelters whohave launched a quit Kashmirmovement in the state.

We urge the governmentof India to understand theimplications of the policiespursued by the stategovernment with regard tointernally displaced KashmiriHindus. On one hand it isusing the financial resourceskept at its disposal by theGovernment of India for theemployment of KashmiriHindus to coerce them tosubmit to the politicalimperatives pursued bynational conference andreturn to valley at the will andmercy of the very forceswhich pushed them out. Andat the same time it is shame

facedly refusing to bear anyresponsibility to amelioratethe plight of the displacedKashmiri Hindus. The stategovernment seems to havevirtually started the processof declaring Kashmiri Hindusas non- state subject.

It is high time theGovernment of India realizesthat the cardinal features ofthe state government vis a visKashmiri Hindus have beento perpetuate destitutionamongst them as well as

exclude them from allspheres life in the state. Byperpetuating destitution thestate government has onlytried to undermine the will ofKashmiri Hindus to stand upto communal separatism inthe state. By abdicating itsresponsibility to come to thehelp of the displaced personsby citing misplaced and falseadministrative orconstitutional reasons thestate government seeks topush Kashmiri Hindus out ofthe state permanently.

"Vision KashmirreiteratesHomelandDemand"KS Correspondent

VISION KASHMIR onWednesday reiterated itsdemand for separate Enclave forKashmiri Pandits withautonomous administrativeand political region instead ofbeing scattered through thedangerous environs without anyphysical, social and economicsecurity.In a meeting of itsexecutive committee held heretoday, Convener VisionKashmir- Sunil Fotedar saidthat keeping in view thecontinuous worsening situationin Kashmir, it was imperativethat KPs should be given theirdue share on their land of birth.He also cautioned the KPorganization for claiming creditfor the recent specialrecruitment of communityyouth. Secretary of VisionKashmir- Sanjay Chowgamialso spoke on the occasion.

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