AFSPA Withdrawal – Omar To Take Full Responsibility If Something Goes Wrong

For last some days J&K CM Omar Abdullah has been very vocal about his demand for the withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from at least some parts of the state.

This demand, allegedly a ploy to win cheap popularity, has brought the 3rd generation Chief Minister of the state into direct conflict with the armed forces, with the latter being strongly opposed to any such step. And this view of the latter is shared by the nation as well, with the ground situation seemingly not being favourable for any such step.

However, the young and handsome Chief Minister is defiantly sticking to his guns. He seems to be quite confident that the so-called draconian law has now become irrelevant for certain regions of Jammu & Kashmir. And he is apparently determined to get those regions 'liberated' from the clutches of that law.

Fine. If the honourable Chief Minister feels that way, then it is OK. But let there be one condition. Let Omar sign an agreement that if there is an escalation in the terrorist activities in the concerned regions after the withdrawal of AFSPA, then he has to take the full responsibility for it and immediately resign from the position of Chief Minister, and also has to arrange for compensations to be paid to the kith and kin of the security personnel and common people who will be the victims of that escalation.

Are you game, Mr. Chief Minister?

Pakistan’s Stupid Demand To Involve A Third Party In Kashmir Dialogue

During the recent Foreign Secretary level talk between India and Pakistan, the latter again raised the apparently justified but actually baseless demand to involve Kashmiris as a third party in dialogues over the Kashmir problem.

It is a demand that has been raised for quite a number of times by both Pakistan and Hurriyat Conference. And, as I said, though the demand appears to be a justified one, in reality it is simply a stupid demand that does not even worth any consideration.

But why is it so? Simple. Even if India and Pakistan try to involve the common Kashmiris in the dialogue process, how can they go for the same? They cannot literally invite the mass of that region to participate in the dialogue process, right? Rather, the mass has to be represented by an appropriate entity.

Fine. Now Pakistan might say that it and India can find that representative of common Kashmiris in Hurriyat Conference. In fact, Pakistan actually refers to Hurriyat Conference every time it talks about involving the common Kashmiris as a third party.

Now comes the crucial question. How can India accept that Hurriyat Conference is indeed the true representative of common Kashmiris? Where is the proof? Neither the leaders of Hurriyat Conference have ever contested (and won) any election in Kashmir nor they enjoy any other kind of recognition that qualifies them as the true representatives of common Kashmiris. An organization cannot be accepted as the true representative of the wishes and aspirations of a community simply because it claims itself to be the same.

Secondly, even if it is taken for granted that Hurriyat Conference leaders do have some influence and acceptability among the Muslim Kashmiris, it is well known that they have absolutely no acceptability among the Hindu and Buddhist Kashmiris. I hope that Pakistan has the basic courtesy to accept that Muslim Kashmiris are not the only representatives of the common people of that region. The Hindu and Buddhist Kashmiris are also to be counted, right? And in that case Hurriyat Conference cannot claim itself to be a true representative of the common people of Kashmir, as its acceptability is confined only within a certain section of the Kashmiris.

So, at the end of the day we find that there is no organization that can claim itself to enjoy acceptability among all sections of Kashmiris irrespective of religious background. So even if India and Pakistan try to involve a third party as the representative of “wishes” and “aspirations” of the common people of Kashmir, they cannot be successful in that “noble mission”. Because no such organization or entity exists in the first place. It is high time all relevant stakeholders accepted this “harsh fact” with a “broken heart”.

Plain Hypocrites: That Is All That Can Be Said About The People Of Jammu & Kashmir

Whenever there is any reported or alleged killing of any innocent civilian by the Indian security personnel in Kashmir, the people of the Valley immediately swing into “protests”. They take out processions, do squatting in front of government offices, clash with police and security personnel wherein they hurl stones at the former, and so on. (And naturally all these get so enthusiastically covered by the Pakistani media). On the other hand the separatist leaders start giving their reactions to the media, especially electronic media, expressing their “shock” and “anguish” over the “appalling” actions of the Indian security personnel.

Nobody is supporting the killings of innocent civilians in Kashmir by Indian security personnel. Such incidents are undoubtedly despicable. But what is very strange is that while the people of Jammu & Kashmir are so enthusiastic about expressing their anger over the alleged killings of innocent civilians by the Indian security personnel, they never utter a single word when such killings are conducted by terrorists. On such occasions not a single voice is heard, neither from the separatist leaders nor from the common people of Jammu & Kashmir.

Just take the latest example of two sisters being killed by terrorists at Sopore. Terrorists dragged the two girls out of their home in broad daylight, and gunned them down mercilessly. But there has been absolutely no reaction (like protests, etc.) on the part of the people. Not many months back a toddler fell victim to irresponsible stone pelting by a bunch of so-called protesters, when the baby was being taken to a doctor by his parents and their car came across those protesters (read hooligans). But even then there was no voice of objection from any quarter, neither the separatist leaders nor the common people.

The selective reaction of the separatist leaders can be understood, as we all know that they are just pet dogs of Pakistan, and their loyalty to that country’s government prevents them from criticizing heinous activities of those terrorists who are sponsored by that very government.

But how come the common people of Jammu & Kashmir are so selective in expressing their protest? Why do they remain completely silent on such occasions, while they are so smart in protesting against such (alleged) activities by the Indian security personnel? Shall we conclude that they do not find the killings of their fellow Kashmiris that painful if those killings take place at the hands of terrorists?

Shame on the common people of Jammu & Kashmir for their naked hypocrisy and double standard.

If There Is A Plebiscite In Kashmir, Then…

If there is a plebiscite in Kashmir, to check whether Kashmiris want to remain with India or want separation from that country, then…



There should also be plebiscites in the Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan, to check whether they want to remain with Pakistan or want separation from that country.

There should also be a plebiscite in Tibet, to check whether they want to remain under Chinese occupation or aspire for independence.

There should also be a plebiscite in the “Parbatya Chattagram” region of Bangladesh, to check whether they want to remain with Bangladesh or want separation from that country.

There should also be a plebiscite in the Northern Ireland and Scotland, to check whether they want to remain with the UK or want separation from that country.

There should also be a plebiscite in the Basque region of Spain, to check whether they want to remain with Spain or want separation from that country.

There should also be a plebiscite in the Bavarian province of Germany, to check whether they want to remain with Germany or want separation from that country.

There should also be a plebiscite in Chechnya, to check whether that region wants to remain a federal subject of Russia, or aspires for a full-fledged sovereignty.

There should also be a plebiscite in the Aceh region of Indonesia, to check whether they want to remain with Indonesia or want separation from that country.

There should also be plebiscites in the Kurdish dominated regions of Iran and Iraq, to check whether they want to remain with those countries or want separation from them.


And yes, one more thing I would like to add. There should also be a plebiscite in the so-called “Azad Kashmir”, to check whether they really feel themselves to be independent or whether they find themselves (and their puppet government) to be a pet dog of Pakistan.

Former ISI Chief In The Kashmiri Separatists’ Meet

The blatant shamelessness of the Pakistan government is really shocking to the core. The extent of the government’s unscrupulousness again came to light when the other day the Kashmiri separatist groups held an open meeting at Muzaffarabad, the capital town of Pak-Occupied Kashmir or POK (i.e. Azad Kashmir or “Independent Kashmir” in Pakistan’s language). The meet was attended by all the top leaders of “Kashmiri Freedom Movement”, including Sayeed Salahudeen of Hizbul Mujahideen. In the meet these separatist leaders openly discussed their plans to further enhance their activities (i.e. disruptive activities), expressed their faith in “Zihaad” (which is nothing but meaningless bloodshed) as the “only solution for the Kashmir problem”, and also sent this message to “their brothers” on the other part of LoC (Line of Control) that they are always with them (they have taken it for granted that they enjoy unanimous support from the Kashmiri youths).

Everybody knows that POK is virtually a part of Pakistan. And still these blood-thirsty maniacs managed to hold such an open meeting just under the nose of the Pakistan government, with the latter simply turning a blind eye to it. In the meet the separatist leaders not only discussed their future plans, but also issued open threatening to the Indian government. How did they dare to come up with such audacious activities, on a piece of land where Pakistan calls the shots?

However, what is more shocking is the presence of former ISI chief Hamid Gul in that meeting. A known India-baiter, Hamid Gul is known for having played very “constructive” role in “strengthening” the so-called “Kashmiri Freedom Movement”, during his stint as the ISI chief. Therefore it is not surprising to see him participate in any event or programme that champions the “cause of Kashmiri freedom movement”. But this event was different in the sense that it was the meeting of the dreaded separatist leaders who are trying to achieve their objective not through dialogue or mass movement or any other peaceful tools, but through the blood-soaked tool of terrorism. And in fact they used this meeting as a platform to chalk out plans for their future disruptive activities. By participating in this meet Hamid Gul has virtually brought himself down from the level of an ideologue to that of a petty terrorist.

The Indian government should immediately exert pressure on its Pakistani counterpart to come up with a proper explanation on how those bloodthirsty savages were able to organize such a meeting in Muzaffarabad. The Pakistan government should also send for Hamid Gul, and ask him to explain exactly what he was doing in that meeting. If Mr. Gul has provided those terrorists with some strategic guidance or advice, then he must be arrested immediately.

The Indian government should also draw international attention to the event, so that the world can be made more conscious about the naked double-standard that the rogue state of Pakistan has been playing not only with India, but the entire world.

This Is Too Much, China

The audacity of the Chinese government is simply crossing all limits. India is already disturbed with China’s constant claim (a ridiculous one) that the picturesque north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh belongs to her. There is also a constant pressure from China to disown His Holiness Dalai Lama, the highly revered Tibetan leader whom India was pleased to grant political refuge after he fled from Tibet to escape Chinese oppression.

Now one of the latest nuisances caused by China is to show Kashmir as an independent country outside India. The journalists who are visiting Tibet are being given media handouts by the Chinese government, which mention Tibet as a piece of land bordered by India, Nepal, Myanmar and Kashmir. The clear implication – Kashmir is a land independent of Indian jurisdiction.

I will strongly suggest the Indian government to publish maps showing Tibet as an independent country outside China. (In fact, this is actually the truth, as forced colonization of a sovereign country by another one does not make the former a part of the latter). Let also our government recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country, something that India refrained from doing to retain cordial diplomatic relations with China.

An aggressive stance is the only way to deal with the “rogue leadership” of China, a leadership that traces its origin to a rogue statesman – Mao Zedong.