Resolution on Kashmir passed in STWC conference in London

London, October 31
In London, Stop the War Coalition (STWC), a United Kingdom group has passed a resolution on Kashmir in its general conference. The resolution, which was moved by Khaja Aslam,
a journalist from Indian occupied Kashmir, on behalf of Britain/south Asia solidarity forum (BSASF), condemned the recent killings of over 111 innocent and unarmed young men and teenagers in the occupied territory.
It maintained that Kashmir was not a dispute of land between India and Pakistan but was a core political issue concerning to the future of millions of oppressed Kashmiris who had been deprived of justice since the partition of Indian sub-content. “The issue of Kashmir is the issue of self-determination which was guaranteed under successive United Nations Security Council resolutions. The self-determination of peoples is a basic principle of the United Nations Charter, which has been reaffirmed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and applied countless times to the settlement of many international conflicts,” it added.
“Presence of 700,000 Indian military and paramilitary forces without any moral, political and legal code has made Jammu and Kashmir the heaviest concentration in human history,” it added. It pointed out that India had put in force draconian laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and the Disturbed Areas Act in occupied Kashmir that gave Indian troops to act with impunity.
The STWC resolution said that the lingering dispute needed the immediate attention of the world powers. It emphasised that the time had come when the world powers especially the US President, Barack Obama, who is going to visit India next week, should play an effective role in helping to secure a permanent settlement to the dispute in accordance with the Kashmiris’ aspirations.
It is to mention here that the STWC was founded in October 2001, one month after the then US President, George W Bush announced the ‘war on terror’, and has since been dedicated to ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, bringing the troops home and forcing the British and US governments to change their disastrous foreign policies.
It is for the first time that SWTC has included the Kashmir dispute in its agenda. In the conference it was decided that in future there would be a full day discussion on the Kashmir issue to highlight it on international forum. (KMS)

Deoband -Kashmir

NEW DELHI: The Deoband seminary, which has stayed out of Kashmir politics, will host a gathering of Muslim clerics and scholars on October 4 to discuss Kashmir in the backdrop of renewed violence in the Valley. The conference is an initiative by the Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind (JuH), first-of-its-kind by a Muslim religious organization in the country, said the group's leader Maulana Mahmood Madani.

"The ulema will meet to evolve a peaceful and unanimous civilian response to the Kashmir crisis," he said.

But dragging Deoband into Kashmir wasn't being welcomed. "It could create a perception that Kashmir is a religious issue," said Arshad Alam, assistant professor, Jamia Millia Islamia University. He feared it could create a wedge between communities. "A message could go out that Kashmiris are facing repression because they are Muslims. It could foist a monolithic identity on a heterogenous Muslim community," he said. Sociologist Imtiaz Ahmad said, "A religious initiative on Kashmir issue is not desirable."

Madani says Deoband is just a venue and no symbolism should be attached. "We couldn't find a venue in Delhi due to the Commonwealth Games. On October 30, we will hold a rally at Delhi's Ram Lila Maidan where we'll invite like-minded people from all communities and civil society groups."
---------

In the first such initiative by a mainstream Muslim outfit, the Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind is set to assemble around 10,000 Islamic scholars and clerics at Darul-uloom Deoband in the first week of next month to give a call for peace in Kashmir, and to seek protection of the “democratic and human rights” of Kashmiris.
Islamic scholars and clerics of “all shades of opinion and schools of thought” would be invited for the conference to be held on October 4, which would be on the lines of a conclave it had organised two years ago at the end of which some 6,000 clerics had issued a joint fatwa against terrorism.
This was decided at a meeting of the working committee of the Jamiat here on Sunday.

One of the country’s leading Islamic organisations and an influential voice of Deobandi ulema, the Jamiat hopes to rally support for the people of Kashmir through the conference and at the same time send a powerful message that Kashmir is an integral part of India and peace has to be restored through dialogue with all stakeholders

New Delhi, Sep 21: Leading Indian Muslim politico-religious outfit, the Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind, is holding a Kashmir Conference at Darul-Uloom, Deoband in the first week of the next month to evolve what it calls a peaceful and unanimous civilian response to the on going crisis in Kashmir.

Jamiat would be inviting around 10,000 Muslim scholars and clerics of all schools of thought and shades of opinion at Darul-uloom for the conclave.

This was decided at a meeting of the national executive of the Jamiat, chaired by Maulana Qari Mohammad Usman Mansoorpuri, in Delhi yesterday.

The meeting was called to discuss deteriorating situation of Kashmir and to formulate strategy for restoration of peace and help in alleviating the suffering of innocent people, according to a Jamiat statement sent to Kashmir Observer.
While expressing its concern over the killing of innocent citizen including woman and children in Kashmir in what it called was the unrestrained firing by the police and CRPF claiming more than 100 human lives, Jamiat said it would look at the issue from humanitarian, Islamic and moral viewpoints.

”We should first look at the problem as a common citizen who is committed to humane and democratic values. Unless we are sensitive to the suffering of common people of Kashmir we have no right to meddle in their affairs”, Jamiat said.
"The people of Kashmir have been fed up with prolonged curfew, bandhs. They are deprived of essential commodities and medicines. Their business and factories are shut down. Their children are unable to attend to schools”. 

“Keeping these circumstances in mind, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has decided to hold Kashmir Conference at Deoband on October 4 to evolve a peaceful and unanimous civilian response to this crisis ", said Maulana Mahmood Madani, leader of Jamiat and Rajya Sabha MP.

”We must understand and respect their legitimate aspirations. This alone, we believe, can create space for reconciliation and bring an end to the turmoil and conflict prevalent in the valley”, the statement said.
”Steps to repress their voice would not bring any solution; instead it would complicate the situation further, working committee of Jamiat felt. 

Senior Jamiat leader Maulana Niaz Farooqui said there would be a joint declaration by the ulema at the end of the conference, talking about humanitarian and religious angles.

He said the declaration would not talk about political package or initiative. “That is not our subject. We will confine ourselves to humanitarian and Islamic aspects,” Farooqui said.

Following this conference he said Jamiat would also send a high level delegation to Kashmir to establish people-to-people contact there and also to express solidarity with them. 

The Jamiat has also  decided to hold a public conference at Ram Lila Grounds in New Delhi on October 30 against the ongoing violence in the Valley.

”We will launch countrywide awareness campaign and to sensitize all sections of civil society about the suffering and problems of common people and how it threatens our democratic polity”, Jamiat said adding the party shall seek cooperation of all Organizations and leaders cutting across religious, social and political affiliations

RAKESH K SINGH | New Delhi

The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (JUH) has convened a conference at Deoband early next month of all the Muslim sects to evolve a consensus over the Kashmir situation and express solidarity with the community in the Valley. The JUH also plans to send a delegation to the Valley.

While major Muslim bodies have so far refrained from interfering with the sensitive Kashmir situations, the JUH move could have wide ramification as it might end up projecting the Kashmir conflict as a Muslim issue.

“The movement against the violence in Jammu and Kashmir has so far been run by a small minority of civil rights group and we are trying to give a voice to the silent majority of masses and bring people to the fore to address the situation and resolve the problem,” secretary and spokesperson of JUH Niaz Ahmed Farooqui told The Pioneer.

Besides leaders and representatives from the Shias, Sunnis, Deobandis, Barelvis and non-Muslim communities, the Jamiat has invited 10,000 delegates of the organisation from across the country at Deoband on October 4 to discuss the Kashmir situation.

“Following this conference, the Jamiat will also send a delegation to Kashmir to establish people-to-people contact there and express solidarity with them against violence and address the humanitarian problems being faced by them. The Jamiat will also hold a public conference here next month to address the Government, public at large and the Kashmiris in particular against the ongoing violence in the Valley,” Farooqui said.

The conference will try and evolve a consensus among the different Muslim sects over a common stand to be taken by them on the Kashmir issue.

“Different people have different views on the Kashmir issue….We will discuss the humanitarian problems being faced by the community as result of the violence that is perpetuating in the Valley for the last three months,” Farooqui said.

He said, “The Valley is under siege…. The Muslims are facing a lot of problems there due to shortage of essential commodities, like medicines…. Suffering of the common man is enormous.”

“The situation in Jammu and Kashmir is alarming and the community cannot remain a silent spectator. A democratic voice of the masses is necessary to contain the spate of violence,” he said and added that a public session of the Muslim organisations here next month will help in mobilising the masses against the ongoing violence there.

Other Muslim organisations that will participate in the Deoband conference include All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), Jamat-e-Islami, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat and All India Milli Council among others.

The Kashmir issue was discussed at the National Executive Committee meeting of the JUH here on Sunday.

The AIMPLB, which held a separate meeting on the Kashmir situation on Sunday, said the Muslims cannot afford to remain silent and should play a constructive role in containing the violence in Kashmir.

New cycle of agitation in Kashmir

By Ershad Mahmud
Sunday, 03 Oct, 2010 | 01:26 AM PST |

SCORES of people have been killed in the Kashmir Valley in pitched street battles between angry protestors and Indian security forces during the last three months. It is said that each death creates new protestors who fearlessly battle with police and paramilitary forces.

Despite the heavy-handedness of the security forces and frequent impositions of curfews no end to current resistance is in sight. A couple of consecutive high profile incidents of human rights violation by the security forces and the lack of accountability at the state level forced the people to take to the streets which turned into a massive agitation. It is the third straight summer which have witnessed the massive street protests that have not only paralyzed the state apparatus but has also affected the daily life.

New Delhi made several attempts but could not succeed to reach out to the people and address their grievances and aspirations so far. The same old traditional and conservative methods are being applied to handle the problem such as most of the pro-Azadi leaders have been locked up in the jails while repressive measures are used to curb the agitation.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appeared twice on television channels and made appeals to the people to calm down and help restore peace in the Valley but to no avail. The current cycle of agitation began when the security forces killed a protestor who was part of a march against a fake encounter that took place in the Machil, a town close to Line of Control.

The people urged the government to revoke draconian laws which provide immunity to forces to act without fear of accountability. The central government, along with armed forces, not only ignored the protestors’ genuine demand but also issued no reprimand to its local forces’ commanders to censure them to avoid such behaviour in future. Neither the vibrant media nor civil society picked up this issue to sympathise with the people of Kashmir.

On the contrary, top armed forces commanders declared that the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) was a holy book for his rank and file.The outcome of the 2008 state assembly elections and tragic Mumbai attacks followed by Pakistan’s indifferent attitude towards the plight of the Kashmiris has emboldened New Delhi to suspend any negotiations with Pakistan to find an acceptable solution for all stakeholders. During the last couple of years it seriously downplayed Kashmiri aspirations and overlooked political realities of Kashmir.

On the other hand, Indian armed forces have triumphantly declared that they have defeated militancy in Kashmir. Therefore, New Delhi diverted all energies to build state of the art infrastructure in the state and froze the negotiation process with Mirwaiz Omer Farooq led Hurriyat Conference and closed the chapter of composite dialogue process with Islamabad. Interestingly, pro-India Kashmiri leadership has persistently been calling for the political solution of the issue but Delhi never took them seriously.

Above all, the authorities have miserably failed to understand the depth of alienation and grievances of the people when the non-violent character of Kashmiri uprising appeared. The New York Times noted that the protests had led India to one of its most serious internal crises in recent memory. Not just because of their ferocity and persistence, but because they signal the failure of decades of efforts to win the assent of Kashmiris using just about any tool available: money, elections and overwhelming use of force.

Over a period of time Indian society has been told that whatever awful occurs in Kashmir, it is planned by Pakistan to destabilise India. The victim card worked well. Even liberal opinion makers and civil society activists hardly criticised their government’s disproportionate use of force because of Pakistan or radicals’ role in Kashmir. Now, when a peaceful mass movement has taken over the radical and violent forces New Delhi is yet not able to seize the opportunity and initiate unconditional dialogue.

It is largely perceived that if India gives any concessions to Srinagar it will be seen as its weakness in the face of the protests. Ironically, BJP which is deemed as an architect of peace process with Pakistan does not want to give any credit to Congress to solve the Kashmir issue. Therefore, BJP declared it would not let the government show even a mild gesture of flexibility. Only Communist Party of India (Marxist) publically acknowledged that the question of Jammu and Kashmir has to be treated as a special case and this requires a new political framework. It makes an uphill task for the Congress to offer symbolic compromise even to its own coalition partner in Srinagar — National Conference — to assuage people’s grievances.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also offered conditional talks with the separatist leadership which was declined. Though, it was hinted at the top level that internal autonomy can be granted to Jammu and Kashmir but it could not turn the table. Pro-Azadi groups have upped the ante and are no more asking for mere autonomy.

Additionally, autonomy has always been National Conference’s (NC) political mantra. Other mainstream parties such as People’s Democratic Party or Kashmir chapter of the Indian Congress never let NC take political mileage if Delhi grants further internal autonomy to Kashmir. The dissident voices too do not appreciate this sort of outcome to their 20-year long struggle.

This newly found mass resilience also indicates that Indian forces have limited options to contain Kashmiri upsurge too. In fact, the use of force and repressive measure have not only lost their effectiveness but also proved counterproductive. Several times curfews were violated by the citizens and they joined either funeral procession or agitation. The Economist of London has aptly encapsulated the challenge that New Delhi is facing in Kashmir. It says, “at some point they (cycle of protests) will become so big that they can only be contained by killing more of its citizens than a democracy can stand.”

In this context, finding a respectable way out is a gigantic task for New Delhi as well as for the people of Kashmir since unlimited agitations are not sustainable in the long run. It should be acknowledged at the level of policy-makers and political elite that Kashmir issue has internal as well as external dimensions to deal with. There is no denying the fact that during the last two decades Islamabad’s influence in the Kashmir Valley has increased tremendously. As long as Islamabad and New Delhi continue to follow hostile approaches towards each other and do not stop the zero-sum game, peace in Kashmir will remain a pipedream.

However, the state government led by Omer Abdullah can also play a vital role if it demonstrates political maturity. No matter what political cost it has to pay, the state government should not allow the security forces to use highhanded policies to curb the legitimate protests. It offers no solution to the current unrest. It, in fact, has aggravated the situation further.

The resumption of internal dialogue in Kashmir can be helpful if New Delhi makes it a tri-partite – Srinagar-Delhi, Srinagar-Islamabad and finally Delhi and Islamabad based exercise. However, a dialogue between various regions and hassle-free intra-Kashmir interaction at all levels of the society can always be useful to narrow down the extreme positions and to create a broader understanding of each others’ viewpoints. The dialogue should be backed by practical steps to improve the ground realities such as demilitarisation of the urban centres.

The writer is an Islamabad-based political analyst.

ajkrawalakot@gmail.com

Musharraf admits for trainig Kashmiris

SPIEGEL ONLINE

10/04/2010 11:06 PM

SPIEGEL Interview with Pervez Musharraf

'Pakistan is Always Seen as the Rogue'

Pakistan trained militant underground groups to fight against India in Kashmir, former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf admitted in an interview with SPIEGEL. In addition, the 67-year-old explains why he wants to leave his exile in London and return to his country.

SPIEGEL: Pakistanis have been left bewildered by the incompetence of the government led by President Asif Ali Zardari in dealing with the consequences of the disastrous floods. Do you expect another military coup soon?
Musharraf: Whenever the country is in turmoil, everybody looks to the army. But I would suggest that the times of military coups in Pakistan are over. The latest political developments have shown that the Supreme Court has set a bar on itself not to validate a military takeover.
SPIEGEL: How would you judge the performance of your successor, Zardari, and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani?
Musharraf: I do not want to comment on the present government, but everybody can see what they are doing. Pakistan is experiencing a deep economic decline -- in other areas, as well. Law and order are in jeopardy, extremism is on the rise and there is political turmoil. The non-performance of an elected government is the issue.
SPIEGEL: How do you view the role of General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the man considered to be pulling the strings in Pakistan?
Musharraf: I made him chief of the army, because I thought that he was the best man for the job.
SPIEGEL: When Pakistan's rulers lose power, they traditionally get imprisoned or murdered by their rivals. Why are you founding a party to, once again, get involved in politics instead of enjoying retirement in London, which is at least a safe place?
Musharraf: No risk, no gain. We unfortunately have a culture of vendetta and vindictiveness in Pakistan. But there is no case of corruption or fraud or anything against me at the moment. My political opponents, especially Nawaz Sharif, would love to create a case against me -- that I am corrupt or have committed fraud or some such. They do their best to achieve that, but they haven't succeeded. Even if they did, I would reply in court. Risks need to be taken.
SPIEGEL: Why do you believe that Pakistanis are keenly awaiting your political comeback?
Musharraf: I am not living a hermit's life, I meet people here and in Dubai and receive accurate feedback. I launched my Facebook page eight months ago and today I have more than 315,000 fans. And hundreds of Pakistanis called into a TV show in which I collected money for the flood victims. They donated $3.5 million. Do you think they are doing this because they hate me?
SPIEGEL: Is there anything that you regret -- for example, your secret Kargil Operation, which led to an armed conflict with India in 1999, your arbitrary changes to Pakistan's constitution, your dismissal of the country's highest judge, the lack of concern for Benazir Bhutto's life after her return or your oft-criticized mild treatment of religious militants?
Musharraf: The West blames Pakistan for everything. Nobody asks the Indian prime minister, Why did you arm your country with a nuclear weapon? Why are you killing innocent civilians in Kashmir? Nobody was bothered that Pakistan got split in 1971 because of India's military backing for Bangladesh (which declared independence from Pakistan that year). The United States and Germany gave statements, but they didn't mean anything. Everybody is interested in strategic deals with India, but Pakistan is always seen as the rogue.
SPIEGEL: Why did you form militant underground groups to fight India in Kashmir?
Musharraf: They were indeed formed. The government turned a blind eye because they wanted India to discuss Kashmir.
SPIEGEL: It was the Pakistani security forces that trained them.
Musharraf: The West was ignoring the resolution of the Kashmir issue, which is the core issue of Pakistan. We expected the West -- especially the United States and important countries like Germany -- to resolve the Kashmir issue. Has Germany done that?

'I'm Earning Good Money Here in London, But Pakistan Is My Country'
SPIEGEL: Does that give Pakistan the right to train underground fighters?
Musharraf: Yes, it is the right of any country to promote its own interests when India is not prepared to discuss Kashmir at the United Nations and is not prepared to resolve the dispute in a peaceful manner.
SPIEGEL: And how can a nuclear arsenal be safe when high-ranking officers support proliferation or even personally profit from it, as has been alleged? The nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan claims that the Pakistani army monitored and organized deals with countries like North Korea and Iran.
Musharraf: That is wrong, absolutely wrong. Mr. Khan is a characterless man.
SPIEGEL: What did the United States offer you in exchange for getting control of the nuclear weapons in Pakistan?
Musharraf: I would be a traitor if I had ever given our nuclear weapons to the United States. This capability is our pride and it will never be compromised.
SPIEGEL: A German member of the militant Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, 36-year-old Ahmad Sidiqi, who has been held by US forces in Afghanistan since July, allegedly told his American interrogators that he was trained in Pakistan and confessed there were plans to attack Europe. Why, nine years after 9/11, does Pakistan remain a breeding ground for international terrorism?
Musharraf: We poisoned Pakistani civil society for 10 years when we fought the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s. It was jihad and we brought in militants from all over the world, with the West and Pakistan together in the lead role. After the withdrawal of the Soviet troops, the West left Pakistan with 25,000 mujahedeen and al-Qaida fighters, without any plan for rehabilitation or resettlement. While you were mostly concerned with the reunification of Germany, we had to cope with this. Now you expect Pakistan to pull out a magic wand and make all of this suddenly disappear? That is not doable -- this will take time.
SPIEGEL: How can the problem be solved?
Musharraf: The West made three blunders so far: After the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, they abandoned the region in 1989. Then, after 9/11, they fought the Taliban instead of strengthening the Pashtuns who could have taken on the radical Taliban. Now you try to negotiate with so-called "moderate Taliban," but there is no such thing as a moderate Taliban. There are Taliban and Pashtuns. But as I have always said: All Taliban are Pashtun, but not all Pashtun people are Taliban. Again, you should reinforce the ancient Pashtun clans who are not ideologically aligned with the Taliban to govern Afghanistan and to fight the Taliban. That's my strong advice. The fourth and worst blunder would be to quit without winning. Then militancy will prevail not only in Pakistan, India and Kashmir, but perhaps also in Europe, the United Kingdom and in the United States. That's my belief.
SPIEGEL: The al-Qaida chief in Pakistan, Sheikh Fateh al Masri, was recently killed in a US drone attack in North Waziristan. Many al-Qaida leaders are sheltered by the Haqqani network (of warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani). How serious is Pakistan about fighting a former mujahedeen heroes like Haqqani and his son Siraj?
Musharraf: If you hear the new statements from the West that they plan to withdraw their troops and leave Afghanistan in 2011, then Pakistan should think of how to handle the withdrawal scenario. Pakistan needs to find a strategy for its existence, how to tackle the situation with Seraj Haqqani, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the Pakistani Taliban and Mullah Omar. When the West quits, we will be on our own with them.
SPIEGEL: Do you not fear that when you return to Pakistan, you might face the same fate as Benazir Bhutto, who was murdered in a suicide attack?
Musharraf: Yes, that is a risk, but it won't stop me. I am happy here in London. I am earning good money, but Pakistan is my country.
Interview conducted by Susanne Koelbl

URL:

• http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,721110,00.html

KASHMIR: India Bleeding Kashmir Media

KASHMIR: India Bleeding Kashmir Media: "Kashmiri journalist in hospital after police beating By Altaf Hussain BBC News, Srinagar The..."

India Bleeding Kashmir Media

Kashmiri journalist in hospital after police beating

By Altaf Hussain BBC News, Srinagar

  

The authorities have been enforcing a curfew for weeks

A prominent video journalist has been admitted to hospital in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir after being severely beaten by police.

Merajuddin, who works as a cameraman for APTN, was hit with a baton in the neck and fell unconscious. Police also beat his son and colleague, Omar Meraj.
There have been a number of such attacks on local journalists recently.
The authorities have declared a curfew following violent anti-India protests in which scores have died since June.
The two journalists had been heading to the state assembly in Srinagar when they were stopped by police, who refused to let them pass despite their having curfew passes.
When Merajuddin insisted on speaking to their officer, the policemen became angry and beat him.
The assault happened while Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was apologising in the assembly for the seizure of newspapers by the police in Srinagar on Friday morning.
He told members the police had seized the newspapers without his knowledge.
The media is under increasing pressure in the state.
One senior journalist, Sheikh Mushtaq, said: "We have never felt so insecure as now. We not only face a threat to our lives but are also humiliated off and on."

Police accused of beating AP reporters in Kashmir

(AP) – 5 hours ago

SRINAGAR, India — Two Associated Press journalists were assaulted by police Friday at a roadblock in Indian-controlled Kashmir, and one was knocked out by blows from rifle butts and batons.
Local journalists have repeatedly complained of harassment and assaults by police during turmoil in the Himalayan territory that has killed more than 100 people since June, most of them demonstrators and bystanders.
With a curfew in place, AP Television News journalists Meraj Uddin Dar and his son, Umar Dar, were stopped at a checkpoint as they drove to work Friday.
Police inspected their identity cards and curfew passes — which are given out by Indian authorities to journalists allowing them to work — and initially refused to let them pass. Officers relented after the reporters protested.
As they began to drive away, police yelled for them to stop. Umar Dar said he got out of the car to complain and a police officer slapped him. After Meraj Uddin Dar left the vehicle, officers beat him unconscious with fists, rifle butts and batons, Umar Dar said.
Another journalist at the scene called a police commander, who took the men to a hospital.
Meraj Uddin Dar was admitted with neck injuries and underwent neurological tests.
Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the incident was being investigated.
Reporters Without Borders reported in July that Indian paramilitary forces beat up 12 journalists covering a demonstration. Reporter Mark Magnier with the Los Angeles Times and Riyaz Masroor of the BBC were assaulted by security forces during a separate incident, the media rights group said.
Ghulam Hassan Kaloo, president of the Kashmir Press Association, said his group called an emergency meeting for Saturday. "The police confiscated copies of almost all newspapers early today. Now they have beaten our colleagues as well. This is alarming," he said.

Don’t bleed Kashmir press

Kashmir on Friday witnessed a twin attack on press freedom. J&K Police yet again seized all the newspapers as printing machines cranked them out in the wee hours of a sternly curfewed Friday. In recent months the seizure and harassment of hawkers was too frequent to be ignored.

However chief minister’s response to such undemocratic practice came only after some MLAs prompted him in legislative assembly that is in session. The chief minister was quick to apologize and sought ‘report’ from his Police Chief but the gesture was soon mocked by yet another attack on the press fraternity. The policemen nearly killed the senior most photo journalist Me’rajudin and his son, also a journalist, when both were on way to Legislative Assembly to cover the ongoing autumn session. Throughout these hundred days, Kashmir’s vernacular press and local journalists have been suffering in variety of ways due to unwritten, invisible gag orders. Harassing newspaper staff, disrespecting curfew passes that are issued by district magistrate, beating of field reporters and photographers, intimidating reporters through FIRs are some visible excesses suffered by Kashmir media. Routine abuses, insulting remarks and choicest invectives by cops on streets are so rampant that quantifying them would take a fat book. When quizzed, most of the Police officers attribute this gag policy to the ‘top bosses’, using the worn out cliché Upar se Order hai. The deliberate indifference of the government, particularly the information department, only adds insult to the injury. Friday’s undemocratic act cannot be cast aside as yet another stray mistake by the stressed out Police. The government cannot hide behind the pretext of precautionary measures post Babri Masjid verdict. The verdict did not entail press gag in UP, Delhi or Maharashtra, why in Kashmir? Censoring newspapers and beating newsmen, particularly when the situation shows signs of improvement, points to only two things: lack of command on law enforcing agencies or a racist policy to muzzle Kashmiri press. If the later is true, the biggest irony is that a Kashmiri chief minister is presiding over the actions that bring disrepute not just to the chief minsiter’s person but to the Indian state and her global acclaim as the world’s largest democracy. Apart from heading the coalition cabinet Omar Abdullah is J&K’s home minister as well as information minister. He should come clean on a coercive information policy his government has adopted post June 11. Kashmir press should be restored with dignity if the authorities really want to restore peace and order.