No Kashmiri Flag on GB Secretariat: CM Media Cell
PT Report
Gilgit, February 3: Faced with unprecedented opposition from public and politicians, the Chief Minister of Gilgit – Baltistan has reversed the decision of hoisting Kashmiri flag on GB Secretariat.
According to a press statement issued by the media cell, the Chief Minister will participate in Solidarity Day events to be held in Muzaffarabad.
The Solidarity Day events planned to be held at GB Secretariat have also been called off.
The press statement has also said that symbolic hoisting of Kashmiri flag was politicized by some people.

Jamiat reacts to Geelani’s statement
‘Freedom seekers and killers are not equal’
Srinagar: Expressing its anger over Geelani’s statement on shifting of detenues including those accused of killing Maulana Showkat, to outside jails, Jamiat Ahli Hadees Thursday said that not discriminating between freedom loving persons and killers was deplorable.
Quoting, Jamiat statement from Bijbehara, Anantnag, KNS said that Geelani’s statement regarding the shifting of killers of Maulana Showkat from Srinagar to outside Kashmir jails was unfortunate which hurt the feeling of lakhs of Jamiat sympathizers and deserves strong condemnation. “We condemn the torture and humiliation of freedom seekers in jails but not distinguishing between freedom seekers and killers is equally deplorable”, read the statement.
Javid Ahmad Munshi and his abettors in killing of Maulana Showkat have assassinated a renowned religious scholar in broad daylight who were identified by Lashkar-e-Toiba and Tehreekul Mujahideen, said the statement.
“Even All Parties Investigation Committee brought forth the report of which Geelani’s son in law Altaf Ahmad was also a member. Knowing all that and issuing a reckless statement is against the tenets of justice which is unacceptable to a justice loving nation”, added the statement.

Washington to have Kashmir Specialist
US Embassy In New Delhi Seeks Expert Fully Conversant In Indo-Pak Relations, India’s Kashmir Policy
MUDDASIR ALI
Srinagar, Feb 3: In a significant development the US Embassy at New Delhi is appointing a “political specialist” on Kashmir to keep the envoys updated on developments in the region.
This is for the first time that the US Embassy is appointing an expert on Kashmir “who shall be fully conversant in the major issues affecting Indo-Pak relations and India’s policy in Kashmir.”
“The US Embassy in New Delhi is seeking an individual for the position of Political Specialist in the Political Section,” reads a notice (Vacancy Announcement Number: 12-006) issued by the Embassy.
“The appointee will be responsible for Internal Unit’s Kashmir account and will be recognized expert on this portfolio, and American officers shall be placing substantial reliance on his/her professional judgment and acumen in advising them on a variety of important and sensitive matters,” reads the notice.
(He/she) will be responsible for canvassing Indian opinion (in Delhi as well as in Jammu and Kashmir) on important events, affecting his portfolio, analyzing the information obtained and summarizing it to the American officer.
The embassy has invited that the applicant must be fully conversant in the major issues affecting Indo-Pak relations and India’s policy in Kashmir, and be able to provide the historical context, current developments and trends regarding “this portfolio” to both senior US and Indian audiences.
The appointee will be required to regularly brief Embassy staff and visiting (US) officials on complex events and trends in his portfolio, including assessing their political impact on US interests.
Besides, he/she will be responsible for maintaining a large contact base on Indo-Pak and Kashmir issues.
For any visiting officials from US to Kashmir the appointee will require to make logistical arrangements and accompany American officers and visiting officials on travel to Jammu and Kashmir.
“Drawing on his extensive contact network in that state, and mindful of the serious security constraints there, the incumbent has independent responsibility for drawing up a schedule of meetings with key political and security officials, as well as human rights activists, academics and journalists,” the notice reads. Besides the appointee would also require providing back-up support to the LES (sic) covering different aspects including US-India relations, nonproliferation, foreign policy decision-making and India’s relations with Russia and China.
United States has always ruled out any kind of meditation between India and Pakistan on all the outstanding issues between two countries including Kashmir. However, Washington has maintained that it was ready to play the role of a facilitator in any kind of positive engagement between the two countries on Kashmir.
On its part India has successfully managed to make US restrict its policy in south Asia to Pakistan and Afghanistan when it appointed late Richard Halbrooke as its envoy to the region. After Halbrooke's death Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had revealed that he (Halbrooke) was in touch with them over Kashmir.
A senior official at US Embassy at New Delhi Rajan Bhatacharya said he was not authorized to speak on the issue.
Courtesy: Greaterkashmir

Proposal for enlargement of Kashmir Council
By Feroz Minhas
Azad Jammu Kashmir government has revealed that it is going to enlarge Kashmir Council seats and Assembly through a constitutional amendment.
Contrary, the entire AJK civil society and political leadership have been demanding that role of the Kashmir Council and its powers should be drastically reduced to empower AJK assembly and government. If PPP succeed in introducing constitutional amendment that would further strengthen Islamabad's power over AJK's affairs and reduce already tiny self-rule and special status of the AJK. It would be a last nail in the coffins of AJK's self-rule.

Kashmir Solidarity Day: The colour of suffering and pain
An exhibition displays the agonies of the conflict-hit people of Kashmir
ISLAMABAD, (Agencies): The idyllic valley of Kashmir is maimed with a painful past. Around 25 noted artists came together to unveil the scarred faces of the conflict-hit territory at an exhibition organised in connection with the Kashmir Solidarity Day at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts here on Tuesday.
While some artists portrayed all-out scenes of blood and gore in the aftermath of bomb blasts, others took a subtle approach on the subject. Paintings by Abdul Rehman represented people sifting through rubble, looking for bodies. Distorted faces, soaked in blood represented the work of Abbas Shah.
However, the work of other artists like Mansoor Rahi, Shehbaz Malik and Raja Changez Sultan depicted abstract silhouettes doused in dark hues of blue and black.
Mussarat Nahid’s work was perhaps the most descriptive and simultaneously disturbing with red paint and real pictures of people suffering and tortured, pasted onto the canvas. Paintings by Humera Ijaz, Ghulam Abbas, Sardar Mohammad, Aftab Zafar, Masood Hameed and Quddus Mirza were also exhibited. Almost all paintings used the medium of oil on canvas with red paint, symbolising blood.
Morose in its essence, the exhibition was unable to attract a significant turnout of visitors despite showcasing some of the country’s celebrated artists.
The empty gallery reflected mismanagement on the part of organisers and a general lack of interest by the public. The exhibition, organised by the Ministry of National Heritage and Integration in collaboration with the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir Council, and continues till February 10.

In solidarity with Kashmir
Pakistan must use Feb 5 for introspection, not rhetoric
Zafar Choudhary
Since 1990, Pakistan has been observing February 5 as ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’. Despite best of occasional warmth with New Delhi, as the day comes closer the political voices start getting shriller in the country. This year is no different. Scroll through any of the newspaper and there are explosive statements even from the most reasonable leaders of the country.
All that stuff though appears tailored to the local constituency but the day does not pass off without causing considerable damage to the hard earned reconciliatory dividends.
The relations between India and Pakistan and the whole question of Kashmir remain deeply embedded in mistrust. This is what everyone in the region has been seeing, hearing, experiencing and reading in the region for decades. The first step to remove mistrust is, of course, to start trusting. There have been many opportunities in the past. There is opportunity at present which Pakistan must seize up in partnership with India to build trust for lasting peace in the region expanding from Kashmir to Kabul and Kandhar. The current political and strategic atmosphere in India and Pakistan, with particular reference to Kashmir, appears to be the best of many of years for a variety of factors which need to be further augmented and seized upon in interest of lasting stability in the larger South Asian region. Any complacency in this context would be detrimental to maintaining the current atmosphere of a semblance of trust between stakeholders. Not only this, a lack of visionary follow-up in seizing this opportunity could throw the situation back to atmosphere of violence that posed serious dangers to the regional peace and stability until a few years ago.
The arguments of strategic experts that what happens in Afghanistan will ultimately have impact in Kashmir have always been relevant right from the inception of the conflict of Kashmir between India and Pakistan. This worrying connection got further substantiated in late 1980s and early 1990s with deployment in Kashmir of a large number of highly indoctrinated Afghan Jehadis following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. The political situations in Kashmir and Afghanistan may not be related to each other but in strategic context both zones of conflict remain the pieces of same puzzle, more particularly the for the anxiety of Pakistan around its position between India and Afghanistan.
As US prepares to withdraw from Afghanistan, there are fears of thousands of radicalised and hardened Afghan Jehadis finding their way into Kashmir. This poses serious concerns about peace and stability in the South Asian region and should be a matter of concern for the regional powers and international community. Before such a situation threatens the prevailing promises of peace, there is urgent need for drawing up strategy to use the current situation for future stability.
Delhi-Islamabad Track
In terms of enabling Pakistan to work towards its own stability and handle the challenges along its Western frontiers, it is important to help address its concerns along the Eastern frontiers–relations with India. For the traditional rivalry between two South Asian giants over Kashmir, Pakistan has always been concerned about the defence of its Eastern frontiers and implications of emerging situation in Kashmir on its domestic politics. Recent developments indicate possibilities offering Pakistan ease in tension along its Eastern frontiers. In March 2011, India stepped down from its hard stance and went about reviving bilateral ties with Pakistan, after a hiatus and bitter tensions of nearly two and half years. The revival took place at highest level–Prime Ministers of both countries meeting over a sporting event in India on March 30, 2011.
Relations between two countries battered by Pakistan’s support to Jehadis in Kashmir over the entire decade of 1990s had just started looking better that Mumbai terrorist attack happened in November 2008 taking ties between two countries to all time low of seven years. The revival of contact in early 2011 is based on the premise that terrorism is common threat to both countries and stability should be the common goal. What leads to more optimism is the fact that revival of contacts between two countries at the highest level was not a mere symbolic gesture as the trajectory has been constantly going up since then. In recent months, there has been a round of meetings between foreign secretaries, the commerce secretaries, the foreign ministers and the commerce ministers. While the foreign ministers agreed on a range of new Confidence Building Measures, including Kashmir specific and larger India-Pakistan specific, like easing visa restrictions; the successful dialogue commerce ministers and secretaries led to Pakistan agreeing to grant India the Most Favoured Nation status towards the end of 2012. Some opposition parties and other radical groups in Pakistan have been opposing MFN status to India but the government seemingly reaching out to them for consensus, instead of taking an arrogant stand. The MFN status, pending since 1996, will inject an economic component in India-Pakistan ties which often insulates bilateral relations from sudden eruption of tensions. By and far things look good but it is time that Pakistan builds up on the growing warmth and its real solidarity with Kashmir would be by lessening tensions with India and not shrilling the rhetoric on Kashmir.
Delhi-Kashmir Track
There is also a bit New Delhi needs to do with little urgency. This growing warmth between India and Pakistan needs to be complimented by New Delhi’s fresh initiatives in Kashmir. Cautious approach of building trust on both sectors would help translate the prevailing optimism into much durable peace and create an atmosphere for lasting stability. As we learn from the past, the isolated engagements on one sector ignoring the other have always proved counterproductive. India and Pakistan made tremendous and unprecedented progress between 2002 and 2008 but there was no matching progress on New Delhi-Kashmir sector. It was primarily this absence of dialogue for a long time that made the 2008 eruption in the Kashmir Valley unmanageable for the political leadership. After a near continuous unrest prevailing in Kashmir since 2008, things started settling down towards the end of 2010. Last fifteen months have remained largely peaceful, looking more like the period between 2002 and 2008. However, before that complacency goes too far, the Valley’s most hardliner dissident has already issued a ‘cautious’ calendar of protests. Before these protests become a regular feature once again, it is time to launch political initiatives.
Some major steps are long overdue in Kashmir. Past few months have seen an intense debate on a security law called Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Barring a few national level parties, this debate saw all political parties –whether from mainstream or separatists and the civil society groups on same page. Complete lack of response from New Delhi to this debate strengthens the dissidence and alienation in Kashmir. There is urgent need to take a call on this law. Another reason for anxiety is the lack of follow up on report of interlocutors appointed by the Government of India in the backdrop of worst civil unrest of 2010 which took more than a hundred lives of unarmed protestors. It is going to be almost four months since the interlocutors handed over their report to the home minister of India. Leave aside the implementation part; the report has not been even made public. While the Kashmiri dissidents were already dismissive of the interlocution process, now those who believed in the process of dialogue are also feeling dejected.
Author can be mailed at zchoudhary@indusresearch.org

“We will not let anyone to hoist Kashmiri flag on GB Secretariat”: Nawaz Naji
PT Report; Gahkuch, February 3: Gilgit – Baltistan should be given an autonomous political and administrative set-up like Azad Kashmir. We will not allow anyone to hoist Kashmiri flag on GB Secretariat. Those trying to do so are slaves even today.
These views were expressed today by BNF Supreme Leader, MLA Nawaz Khan Naji, while talking to media in Gahkuch, the headquarters of Ghizar District.
He further said that in line with international laws, the Gilgit – Baltistan region should have its own flag and governance structure, until the resolution of Kashmir issue.
Naji condemned the leaders who have talked about hoisting Kashmiri flag on GB Secretariat on February 5, the Kashmir Solidarity Day.
Other political leaders, like Wazir Ibadat and Amjad Advocate have also condemned the statements of Chief Minister Mehdi Shah and Wazir Jafar in which they had announced hoisting of AJK flag on GB Secretariat located in Gilgit city.

Famous Kashmiri Nationalist Leader; Ashraf Qureshi" passed away in Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi February 2: According to the sources, the famous Kashmiri Nationalist Leader and the companion of Maqbool Butt, Ashraf Qureshi died in Rawalpindi today. Mr. Qureshi was also accused in famous "Ganga Hijacking Case" and spend almost 8 years in Prison in Pakistan. Due to torture in Police Custody, he was handicapped. The Pakistan highest court declare him as a freedom fighter along with other accused and he was appointed in Kashmir department in Punjab University Lahore. He was married in Pakistan and had two daughters. His funeral prayer will be offered in Mir Pur AK today at 4.30 pm.

Kashmir and politics of fear and intimidation
Dr Shabir Choudhry
Kashmir is not only known for its natural beauty; but was also famous for culture of tolerance, peace and co existence. All this was shattered when backed by Pakistani secret agencies culture of gun, violence, fear and intimidation was introduced in 1988/89. As if that was not enough non Kashmiris, totally alien to Kashmiri culture and ethos, were also sent in with gun that they can impose new culture and values on people of Jammu and Kashmir.
This culture of fear and intimidation was first introduced in to the Valley of Kashmir with disastrous consequences. Anyone who opposed this was silenced irrespective of his race or religion. Under that prevailing culture, ‘liberal minded’ Yasin Malik, Chairman of JKLF, also proved intolerant when highly respected journalist Tahir Mohiuldin criticised him in ‘Weekly ‘Chattan’, and a group of JKLF members stormed his office, broke his furniture and beat him up.
Later on, this alien culture of hate and intimidation was ‘exported’ to other parts of Jammu and Kashmir and where ever people of Jammu and Kashmir lived, whether it was London, New York or Toronto. Attempts were made to silence all voices which criticised those who introduced this monster of hate and advanced it for personal, ideological or material gains. I salute all those who stood their ground and spoke against this culture of violence, hatred, fear and intimidation.
Despite threats to my life, personal abuse and unfounded allegations to malign me, I have been doing my jihad against those who promoted violence, sectarianism, regionalism, tribalism and hate. For many years I have advanced a non violent struggle, equality for all and rule of law; and how sad that now I am accused of being ‘racist’ and playing the ‘tribal’ card. I DO NOT have a shred of racism and tribalism in me, even at that time when I was young and immature in many ways; I opposed regionalism and tribalism and always sided with the weak and poor.
I have criticised those who have harmed our struggle for united and independent Jammu and Kashmir, and continue to harm it under different slogans. And on my part no matter what people call me, I will continue with my jihad of writing against them and exposing them. This sponsored criticism of some misguided people who either don’t understand the situation or are touts of those who want us to remain occupied and forcibly divided is not going to intimidate me.
It was not the first time I was under attack by face book warriors; and it won’t be the last. What made difference this time was the unfortunate posts of someone using ID of ‘paki power’, whose agenda was to muddy the water, create confusion among Kashmiris and alienate me from my friends and colleagues. To a large extent he was successful, as some people thought I was using this ID. Allah Almighty knows best; however, once again I say that it is not my ID and I DID NOT use this ID. There is no need to. I am quite used to these smear campaigns against me; and know how to handle them, hence no need to use any fake ID. Allah has given me enough courage and strength of character to say spade a spade and face the consequences.
Unfortunately some of my colleagues and friends were also swayed by this; and they erroneously assumed that I have attacked their tribe by using this fake ID. Their loyalty to their tribe made them emotional and they forgot that in my articles and speeches I have highly praised contribution made by their tribe for the cause f an independent Jammu and Kashmir. Some of these colleagues have worked with me since 1977; and despite heated debates and disagreements they know I have never used a ‘racist card’ or a ‘tribal card’.
I set up a face book group called, ‘Views on Jammu and Kashmir’. It has 4613 members. Policy of this group is to ‘advance the cause of Jammu and Kashmir, and promote peace, tolerance and democratic values. We allow members to express their views as long as they do not spread hate, make personal attacks and insult any religion or abuse people or countries.’
I have been repeatedly attacked and abused by few members with real and fake ID’s. They have made unfounded allegations against me and they have not given any evidence to support their allegations; and yet I have not banned them, hoping that common sense will prevail and sensible members will understand what is going on and how politics of fear and intimidation is prevalent on face book as well.
Even at the height of this campaign there were about ten ID’s speaking against me and about the same number either speaking in my support or trying to provide alternative view point. My maths is not good, but 10 members out of 4613 is not significant, but their foul language and arrogance turned the tide in my favour, because after making few clarifications, most of time I did not reply and sensible members realised there was some agenda for this campaign.
Support came from those quarters from where it was not expected; and from it was expected they decided to sit on the fence – after all no one wants to come in the firing line, and become a ‘bad boy’. However, I have received more than 200 private messages and many telephone calls and they all ‘appreciated my work and urged me to continue my struggle against forces of occupation, extremism, communalism, regionalism and hatred. Most of them said you must be doing something right and hitting in the right place to deserve this much attention and opposition. If you were not having any significance then no one has time to waste and write against you.’
Some critics on face book called my articles ‘crap’, even though my articles are published in many publications and in more than one country; and are widely read and used by those interested in Kashmir dispute and India Pakistan relations. Out of many comments I have received, I am only producing some to show what my readers say.
In reference to my article, ‘Kashmiri struggle and politics of Black Day’ Dr Nazir Gilani wrote: ‘Well written article. K H Khurshid (Jammu Kashmir Liberation League), Khaliq Ansari (Plebiscite Front), Maqbool Bhat (PF) and all other nationalists were branded as Indian agents or anti Pakistan by Muslim Conference in AJK, for self serving political interests………You are right there has been a problem with our nationalists in understanding nationalism. Nationalists want to perform in reference to Pro Pakistan propaganda. Their conviction and ideological basis is shaky. Your article has consolidated a valuable comparison.’
Tahir Sayyed from Srinagar wrote: ‘Dr Shabir Choudhry Aslamu Alikum
I have read some of your arguments with great interest. Your articles are informative and have strong and logical arguments. You are doing good work with sincerity, keep it up; and don’t get intimidated by your critics.’
Elizabeth Simon del Sol wrote: Shabir Choudhry, a good summary about Pakistan’s reality. One should ask why religious extremism and intolerance have increased in Pakistan. It seems clear that the policy of this country is based on strengthening its military power. Perhaps the most immediate needs for this country were not security and defence; if not economic growth, the education, children schooling and exclusion and poverty…’
Syed Sadre Uddin Hussain wrote: This is a good article and worth reading. Religious extremism was promoted by General Zia, the great exploiter of Islam to fool the masses and gain support of the Mullahs to rule Pakistan till death. The solution lies in nationalising all Masajids and Madrassahs and banning all religious groups, Tehriks and parties which are exploiting Islam for their selfish ends and creating divisions in the society and promoting extremism sectarianism, killings, Maslak and Fiqah, differences etc, in the name of Islam instead of promoting unity…..’
On the issue of telling truth and facing pressure, Elizabeth Simon del Sol wrote:
‘Shabir Choudhry, you are not the only one who is suffering from abusive language. Anyone who tells the truth by shining words is heavily persecuted. When we are choosing a difficult way, we must be aware and mature enough to deal with its consequences. Truth produces large enemies and hard obstacles. Everything in life has a price. I do not expect anything from anyone from life itself. Just thank God every morning to be alive….’
In another message, Elizabeth Simon del Sol wrote: ‘Shabir Choudhry, you are seeing a truth or reality that others do not see or don’t want to see. You and your friends are being the witness of a chain of events that are beating you, while all others are mere actors or protagonists of these events. But unfortunately, life is a fight, and even though it seems like you’re going to get knocked out, you must keep on fighting. If you are not willing to fight and die for your own life you’re never going to be able to fully live. The whole situation so full of obstacles and enemies, reminds me the wise words of King Solomon: “This too shall pass. In life, nothing is certain and nothing is perfect. Just rise above the challenge.”
There are many more quotes which I could produce to show what sensible people say about my work; and I don’t care what people with myopic view and misplaced loyalty say. I assure all my readers, friends and colleagues that my struggle for independence of Jammu and Kashmir, equality, peace and rule of law will continue; and I will not be intimidated.
Writer is Director Diplomatic Committee of Kashmir National Party, political analyst and author of many books and booklets. Also he is Director Institute of Kashmir Affairs. Email:drshabirchoudhry@gmail.com
 
Corrruption charges: 5 AJK government officials arrested
MIRPUR (AJK): Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) Accountability Bureau on Tuesday arrested five officials of AJK local government & rural development department on charges of embezzlement of official funds related to the World Bank-sponsored development schemes in the area.
A spokesman for the AJK Ehtesab (Accountability) Bureau said that two deputy directors including Shabir Abbasi and Ahmed Hassan, Assistant Director Aqeel Ahmed, SDO Khawer Mahmood and Sub Engineer Manzoor Hussain were arrested on charges of misappropriation of funds.
The funds were provided by the World Bank for growth of remote areas in the region through launching public welfare projects. Further investigations are in progress and more arrests are expected.

Kashmir: CISF invokes AFSPA in Boniyar killing
Srinagar, Jan 30: Countering Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s argument that Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was not applicable to Central Industrial Security Force, the paramilitary force has invoked the Act to get the bail of its five accused personnel arrested for the killing of a Boniyar youth in the first week of this month.
“It is not out of place to mention that in September 1990 Kashmir was declared as a disturbed area and armed forces were given special powers to curb the militancy and assist the civil administration to restore the normalcy,” the arrested CISF men have submitted in an application filed through standing counsel of Government of India, Karnail Singh Wazair, before the District and Sessions Judge Baramulla, praying for bail.
The GOI counsel has also stated that there was need for getting sanction from the Centre for prosecuting the forces under AFSPA.
“But the police at the behest of politicians as well as the State Government registered a case and affected their arrest,” the counsel says in the application.
Talking to Greater Kashmir over phone, the GOI counsel said CISF enjoyed protection under AFSPA as well as by notification of 2011. “Even the area where the incident took place is a banned area,” he said.
After the killing of the youth early this month, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had tweeted on micro-blogging website Twitter: “Tragic beginning to the New Year. Inexcusable use of force in Uri today… Law will now follow course. No protection under AFSPA will be considered since they (CISF) weren’t on counter-insurgency deployment.”
Altaf Ahmad Sood, a 12th class student, was shot dead by CISF men in Boniyar area of Uri in Baramulla district on January 2 this year when people of the area were protesting against the shortage of power. Following the killing, police registered an FIR and arrested five CISF men while the State Government ordered a magisterial probe.

Germany Wants Political Solution of Kashmir
Toronto – January 30, 2012: Germany welcomes Indian, Pakistani commitment to resume bilateral dialogue and will continue to support a sustainable political solution to the Kashmir issue. Germany’s Federal Foreign Office in a letter to Mr. Mushtaq A. Jeelani, Executive Director of Peace and Justice Forum (PJF), thanked him for his letter to Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Markel with PJF’s “assessment on the political situation in Kashmir.” Mr. Stefan Graf, Deputy Head South Asia Division, writes: “Germany, together with its partners in the European Union, is following very closely and with great concern the developments in Kashmir.” Mr. Graf underlines: “And we [Germany] agree that a lasting political solution can be achieved only through political negotiations and confidence building measures.” The letter continues: “Therefore we [Germany] welcome the recent meeting of the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan, Manmohan Singh and Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, at the 17th SAARC summit on the Maldives and their expressed commitment and determination to resume the bilateral political dialogue.” Mr. Graf concludes with assurance: “Be assured that Germany will continue to consistently support a sustainable political solution to the conflict in Kashmir and to encourage both sides [India and Pakistan] to look creatively at all potential options for a bilaterally negotiated solution to the Kashmir issue.”

Sardar Attique regrets Zafar Shah remarks on Kashmir
Hameed Shaheen
ISLAMABAD - Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, ex-Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir/President Muslim Conference, has issued the following statement on the Kashmir remarks of Senator Syed Zafar Ali Shah, the latter made during the course of a Senate Committee meeting here Sunday. Talking to Pakistan Observer here Monday he said: “I was shocked to learn of the remarks of Senator Syed Zafar Ali Shah Sahib on Kashmir. Shah Sahib himself is an eminent lawyer. Politically he belongs to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. Therefore such remarks come as a surprise”.
In relation to Pakistan’s international Kashmir stand Sardar Attique Khan said: “Pakistan is fighting the Kashmir case at the regional and international levels on the basis of the fact that as per principles of the partition of the South Asian sub-continent in 1947 into two separate sovereign states – Pakistan and India – the 86,000 square miles of State of Jammu and Kashmir with predominant Muslim majority should have formed part of the geography of Pakistan. In fact socially, politically, historically, geographically, racially, religiously Jammu and Kashmir form part of Pakistan. Even the slanting orientation of the mountains and flow of Kashmir rivers determine the direction of the State towards Pakistan.
Giving some concrete instances he said: “Founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had described Kashmir as the jugular vein of Pakistan. Under the Citizenship Act of Pakistan the Kashmiris (of AJK) have been declared as the citizens of Pakistan. The Act is the honorable law.
“Under the United Nations Security Council resolutions on Kashmir, the liabilities of Pakistan in relation to the State have been vividly defined. Institutionally the Chairman of the Kashmir Council is the Prime Minister/Chief Executive of Pakistan”, he reminded.
Regarding historical position of the State he explained: “What the supreme fact of history is that on August 12, 1947, the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh had offered a Standstill Agreement to Pakistan and India. Pakistan had accepted the Agreement, India had rejected that. Under that Agreement all those subjects like currency, foreign affairs, communications, defense of the State which were being looked after by the British government in pre-mid-August, 1947 era stood transferred to Pakistan by virtue of acceptance of that Standstill Agreement. It was in that line and spirit that on August 14/15, 1947, Pakistan flags were hoisted on the post offices and telegraph buildings in the State as mark of Pakistan’s independence celebrations. All these instances suggest the geographic and historic contiguity of Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan.
“It is again regrettable that the Kashmir remarks of Shah Sahib came from a Muslim Leaguer whose forefather was Founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah himself. But If Shah Sahib believes what he has said about Kashmir, then his party stands no locus standi in Azad Kashmir. He should wind up his party flag from Azad Kashmir”, he added.
Courtesy: Kashmir Watch

Fraudulent deals: Gilgit Baltistan's biggest corruption scandal unearthed
GILGIT: An assistant commissioner in the Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) region and his staff have allegedly received commissions and kickbacks worth millions of rupees for preparing fake award lists for the lands in Thore Valley likely to be submerged due to the construction of Diamer-Bhasha Dam.
"The officials, including the assistant commissioner of Diamer, a magistrate (Tehsildar) and two Naib Tehsildars prepared a forged award list of over Rs3 billion for barren lands in Thore Valley and received over Rs100 million in kickbacks," credible sources told The Express Tribune on Saturday.
According to sources, the list – prepared between July and December 2011 – contained exaggerated costs, after ‘demands’ of officials were met by people, including non-residents of Diamer, who are likely to be displaced due to the construction of the dam.
According to preliminary information, the assistant commissioner advised his subordinates to collect money for him as he wanted to purchase a house in Lahore which cost Rs60 million. The staff, then, ‘cooperated with their boss’ who later transferred the money to a bank account in Lahore, believed to be his father’s. Another source claimed that suspicions arose because of his attempt to transfer the money to his father’s account.
In addition, the assistant commissioner allegedly demanded timber worth millions of rupees as bribe, which was delivered to his house in Lahore.
"The assistant commissioner and six others involved in the scam have been suspended and barred from leaving G-B," a senior district administration official confirmed to The Express Tribune.
The G-B government constituted a committee, headed by the G-B Home Secretary, Asif Bilal, to investigate the scam, which is believed to be the biggest corruption scandal in the region. As events unfolded, the government stopped disbursing funds to people affected by the Diamer-Bhasha dam.
Meanwhile, a senior official said that posting of senior district government officials in Diamer Valley was under consideration.
Courtesy The Express Tribune

APML Chief Organizer condemns Rehman Malik’s statement regarding Gilgit, demands apology
PT Report, Gilgit, January 29: Rehman Malik’s statement in which he termed the Karachi based people of Gilgit – Baltistan responsible for terrorism is misleading and a conspiracy against the region. The Interior Minister should withdraw his statement and apologize from the people of Gilgit – Baltistan.
These views were expressed by APML Chief Organizer, Karim Khan, while talking to the media.
He said that the statement is likely to present a false picture of the tourism-oriented region, while creating suspicion about the people of Gilgit – Baltistan across the country. He said that the government has failed to curb militants in Karachi and now they are trying to divert the attention from the core issues by maligning name of a peaceful region. “If the Interior Minister talks about terrorist groups in Gilgit, then the tourists would never come here”, Karim Khan said. “The minister should use the state and government to arrest the terrorists instead of making vague and passing remarks”, he added.
He also said that such ambiguous statements will have corrosive effect on the already weak economy of Gilgit – Baltistan.

Pathribal Killings; Apex Court kindles hope among victim families
SRINAGAR, The fresh Supreme Court directive to defence and home secretaries as how to proceed against the accused army personnel in Pathribal fake encounter case has come as a relief for the victim families.
Abdul Rashid Khan, son of Jumma Khan (one of the five persons killed at Pathribal), a resident of Brar-i-Angan expressed happiness at the stand taken by the Supreme Court in last hearing of the matter. “We hope justice will be done but still our family will be satisfied when we will witness the guilty being punished. That is why much depends on the outcome of trial of the accused. But still we were happy on the tough stand taken by the apex court in last hearing of the case,” Rashid told Kashmir Times.
Family of the other victim with the same name, Jumma Khan, son of Amirullah, a resident of the same village who was killed in the alleged fake encounter at Pathribal, believes that trial of the accused should start without any delay and the guilty should be punished as per law.
Shakoor, son of Jumma Khan and grandson of Amirullah, said his family will wait till law takes its course. “We are continuously monitoring the case being heard by the Supreme Court. The CBI has done a good job. And the last hearing has kindled some hope in our family as our children are happy that truth will prevail and sooner or later, justice will be done,” Sahkoor opined while talking to Kashmir Times.
Meanwhile, lawyers dealing with human rights litigations here believe the Supreme Court’s tough posture, though a significant move shall restore faith on judiciary in Kashmir only if the guilty army personnel are brought to justice and punished as per law.
Mian Abdul Qayoom, president High Court Bar Association (HCBA) says that Pathribal is not the only case but Kashmir has thousands of such cases awaiting justice. “Machil fake encounter case, Bangergund killings, Wullar tragedy, and thousands of similar cases are there. Though commissions of inquiries were constituted but in how many cases justice has been done? Unless people who perpetrate human rights violations are tried and punished, people will not trust judicial system here,” Qayoom said.
He however, termed January 23, Supreme Court order in Pathribal case as good sign and hoped that the case reaches to its logical conclusion. “We have cases of custodial deaths, cases were sanction for prosecution against accused army personnel is awaited for years now; all these cases do need proper attention of the judiciary. I believe, Supreme Court has passed an appropriate order warranted by law but no significant orders have been passed in other cases,” the HCBA president observed.
On January 23, the apex court had expressed displeasure that more than the decade-old Pathribal killings case, was yet to reach the trial stage due to Army's perceived defiance against prosecution of its personnel enjoying immunity under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
Five people were shot dead allegedly by army personnel on March 24, 2000, at Pathribal in South Kashmir and later branded as Lashker-e-Taiba militants responsible for massacre of 36 Sikhs at Chittisingpura in the same district on the intervening night of March 19-20, 2000.
A bench of justices B S Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar issued notices to the defense and home ministries after Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra, denied fake encounters at Pathribal insisting that CBI cannot prosecute the accused army personnel without central government's prior permission.
However, the bench asked Malhotra whether the Army was willing to initiate “court martial” proceedings against the accused army officials but the latter sought time to “seek instructions” from the government on the issue.
Malhotra’s arguments failed to convince the bench which remarked “if that is the case, no army personnel can be prosecuted. Give us even one instance of the Army seeking prior sanction of the central government for court martial proceedings. Have you ever taken permission of the central government even for court martial proceedings against a soldier? Show us even one instance, then we will accept your argument,” the bench said.
Noted lawyer, Zaffar Shah, believes that justice is long overdue to the bereaved families of Pathribal fake encounter victims. He said: “The recent development in the proceedings pending before the Supreme Court of India pave way for hope that justice will be done. The stand shown by the government of India including army authorities on the serious issue of human rights violations is disappointing.”
Shah added that instead of evolving a mechanism to punish guilty, the law is not being allowed to take its course. “We hope and trust that notwithstanding dilly dally tactics of the agencies involved, the court will come heavily on perpetrators of injustice.”
Professor Abdul Ghani Bhat, senior leader of Hurriyat Conference (M) believes that “entire Kashmir is Pathribal”. “If you go deeper into Pathribal case, the important question is why these innocent civilians were killed? I believe whenever, people raise their voice against political hegemony, the hegemones comedown heavily on people who are not then killed selectively,” the senior Hurriyat leader remarked.
Prof. Bhat says that while discussing Kashmir, not only the judicial activism, but many things are to be taken into consideration. “Let the judiciary start from zero. Why the human rights violations are taking place in Kashmir? If Supreme Court goes deeper, it may reach to something significant. Let us wait and see where the judicial train reaches and doe sit really enter Kashmir,” the senior separatist leader opined.
Khurram Parvez, the coordinator of Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Societies (JKCCS) an NGO working for the human rights in the state believes that the issues raised in the January 23, Supreme Court order are not specific to the Pathribal case alone. “The culture of impunity, including the misuse of the sanction process by the army and the central government ministries, extends to most human rights violations committed in Jammu and Kashmir by the security forces, including the army,” Parvez said.
Further, the insistence on the sanction for prosecution process in cases where it is inconceivable that the acts were carried out in exercise of the powers conferred under the AFSPA, is unfortunate, he added. “For example, in the Pathribal case the five persons were killed and then burnt. This act of burning bodies, leaving aside the actual killing, would constitute an international crime (certainly a war crime) and the prosecution of this crime should not require a sanction for prosecution,” Parvez opined.
Many lawyers who work on human rights cases in Kashmir believe though Supreme Court being the guardian of civil rights was always tough as far as the cases of human rights violations are concerned. “But for the last few years, due to media boom, such orders take no time to come into public domain,” a senior lawyer dealing cases of human rights violations in state High Court said.
The Supreme Court has declared deployment of tribal youth as Special Police Officers — either as “Koya Commandos,” Salwa Judum or any other force — in the fight against the Maoist insurgency as illegal and unconstitutional and ordered their immediate disarming, said a young lawyer who has filed many cases of human rights violations in High court here.
The lawyer cited the January 25 order, in which the apex court has ordered probe into fake encounter in Gujarat by a monitoring authority headed by a retired Supreme Court judge. “In this order (January 25) the Supreme Court has ordered a probe into 22 fake encounters after hearing a petition filed by B G Verghese seeking inquiry into Gujrat fake encounters that took place during 2003 to 2006,” the lawyer said adding that Supreme Court has always shown an innovative interpretation approach towards such serious matters.
Courtesy: Kashmir Times

Kashmir movie triggers new controversy
Indian filmmaker Ashvin Kumar is used to controversy. His previous documentary, Inshallah Football, about the conflict in Kashmir and its lingering ramifications, was refused a certificate by the censors. With the launch of his latest film, Inshallah Kashmir:Living Terror, he has sought to avoid that problem by putting the film directly online.
Kumar uploaded his film on January 26th – India’s Republic Day – and by early this afternoon, it had already been viewed 25,000 times. “There were two agendas for putting it online,” he told me. “One was to get around the censor board. Secondly, and more importantly, I wanted to make it truly democratic so that people would not have to pay to watch it.”
He added: “A blind-spot has been created in the Indian political mind…some sort of barrier fuelled by government propaganda. I wanted to put across a bunch of people talking about their own problems and see if they could not connect by avoiding the government clutter – a sort of people to people thing.”
I think Kumar, who received an Oscar nomination for one of his earlier films, has done a largely impressive job in telling a difficult story, trying to explain how and why Kashmir’s separatist insurgency was created, the violence it led to and the devastating response of the state that has created a situation whereby the Kashmir valley is one of the most heavily-militarised places on the planet, where mental health issues are soaring and where a sense of helplessness pervades. (His film may also have the unintended impact of boosting tourism numbers; Kashmir has utterly mesmersing landscape and the documentary captures that.)
Kumar has spoken to many of the major players in Kashmir’s recent history, including the current chief minister Omar Abdullah, the former Kashmir administrator Wajahat Habibullah, the activist Parveena Ahangar, who has struggled for more than two decades to raise attention to the hundreds and perhaps thousands of people “missing” at the hands of the state, or else the insurgents.
Of course, no project about Kashmir can ever be completed without creating controversy and Kumar’s film has already sparked heated debate, though Kumar said he believed that the response from people inside Kashmir had been largely positive.
Some of the criticism relates to one of the most controversial and tragic episodes of India’s recent history – the exile of the minority Hindu or Pandit population, who fled the valley from 1990 onwards as the insurgency took hold. From a population of around 400,000, perhaps just 4,000 Hindus remain today.
Kumar’s film certainly addresses the Pandit episode. He talks about how, after an incident in which 50 Muslims were killed by troops and the blame was heaped on the Hindus, the majority community set about harassing the Pandits, ordering them to leave the valley and attacking and killing them.
Among Kumar’s most vociferous critics on this aspect of the film is Rahul Pandita, a writer and journalist from a Pandit background, who took to Twitter to denounce parts of the documentary, saying that attacks on Hindus predated the armed forces’ shooting of Muslims at Gawkadal.
He also took objection to comments made by Wajahat Habibullah, who told Kumar: “I don’t think it was necessary for [the Pandits] to leave.” [I personally interpreted that to mean that it "ought not to have been necessary" for the Pandits to leave.] In an email, an admittedly furious Pandita, who is currently working on a memoir on Kashmir, said: “It boils my blood to see, time and again, how the circumstances leading to the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits are skewed. In this documentary as well, same thing happens: as if KPs were targetted only after the Gawakadal massacre of January 21, 1990. The fact is that the hunting and killing of Kashmir’s minority community had begun much before. It was long before that we had become the Tutsis of Kashmir.”
The best thing is to judge the film for yourself. Thanks to the generosity of Kumar, you can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq0tIazO3wA

Kashmiri struggle and Politics of Black Day
Dr Shabir Choudhry
State of Jammu and Kashmir is forcibly divided and occupied by more than one country, yet majority of people only see one country as an ‘enemy’; and by and large, their struggle is against one country too. Not only people of Jammu and Kashmir are divided, but they are also deeply confused because hitherto they still don’t know who their enemy is and who their friend is.
They regard India as their enemy because India occupies a large part of Jammu and Kashmir; but majority have a soft corner for Pakistan even though Pakistan also occupies Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. Majority of them acknowledge that policies of both India and Pakistan are imperialist in nature; and that it was Pakistan which violated the Standstill Agreement and attacked State of Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in provisional accession and our present miseries, but still they have different policy for Pakistan.
Call it confusion, lack of ideological clarity or hypocrisy, majority will happily defend policies of Pakistan under different pretexts; and encouraged and helped by Pakistani establishment will happily demonstrate their anger and hate against India, as if India alone is source of all problems related to Jammu and Kashmir.
On 26 January, it was India’s Republic Day; and some Kashmiri parties observed that as a Black Day. I was contacted by one Valley based Kashmiri who he asked me if I was making this day as a Black Day. I asked him why we should have this as a Black Day. He said because India occupies Kashmir. I said Pakistan also occupies some parts of Jammu and Kashmir State, do you observe 23 March as a Black Day. He had no reply, but after some hesitation he said, Pakistan is a Muslim country and helps us.
I asked him, so in your view it is a religious struggle. He said, no, it is not a religious struggle, it is nationalist struggle and we want independent Kashmir. I asked him, if it is a nationalist struggle; and Pakistan also occupies some parts of Kashmir then why don’t you observe 23 March as Black Day or 14 August as Black Day which is Pakistan’s Independence Day. He had no reply to this, apart from saying that Pakistan provides help to fight Indian occupation; and we cannot observe Pakistan’s Independence Day as a Black Day.
I said if you are a true Kashmiri nationalist then your struggle should be against both occupiers. If you observe Independence Day of one occupier as a Black Day; and refuse to do the same on the Independence Day of the other occupier because that country is a Muslim, then your struggle lacks credibility as being a true nationalist struggle. At best one can say that you are advancing your religious struggle under garb of nationalism; which is hypocrisy and religious parties stand better comparatively as they clearly say what they want to do.
Furthermore, I said, taking help from one occupier to start militant and political struggle against the other occupier, no matter how sincere you are and what sacrifices you have made, is not perceived as a nationalist struggle by the international community.
I said you get all the help you need from Pakistan, be it military, political, diplomatic or financial, and most of you only talk of problems of the valley; and yet you are presented as ‘Kashmiri patriots’ and ‘representatives of Kashmiris’. However, when those Kashmiris living on the Pakistani side of the divide expose Pakistani policy on the Kashmir dispute, and no matter how sincere they are and what sacrifices they have made they are immediately declared as ‘anti movement’ and ‘agents’ of India.
People of the Valley won’t accuse any political activist from the Valley as being ‘anti movement’ or ‘agent’ of someone even when they speak about division of Jammu and Kashmir; or acknowledge that they receive money from Pakistan and promote a Pakistani policy on Kashmir. However, they don’t hesitate for a minute to issue an edict against Azad Kashmiri political activist when they speak against the Pakistani occupation; and sad aspect if this is that some Azad Kashmir political activists jump on the bandwagon to advance the cause of Pakistani establishment and leaders of the Valley.
To take guns, training, bullets and money from one occupier and use that against the other occupier is called a ‘proxy war’ by the international community; but it is called ‘nationalism’ by some Kashmiri parties. This brand of ‘Kashmiri nationalism’ was prepared in GHQ of Pakistan and advanced by some Kashmiri groups under watchful supervision of ISI experts.
I have no problem if people of Jammu and Kashmir want to observe India’s Independence Day as a Black Day, but if they are true nationalists and are not advancing the cause of Pakistan then they should have courage to do the same on the Independence Day of the other occupier. Furthermore, they need to understand that 15 August is Independence Day of Kashmir as well, because after lapse of the British Paramountcy (on 15 August 1947) Jammu and Kashmir became an independent State; and we lost our independence as a result of Pakistani backed tribal invasion which started on 22 October 1947.
Some parties of Jammu and Kashmir observe Black Day against India on the following days: 26 January – India’s Republic Day; 11 February – the day when Maqbool Butt was hanged; 15 August – India’s Independence Day and 27 October – when Indian forces landed in Srinagar. There are other days when they observe strikes to express their anger against India.
I can suggest some days when true nationalists can observe Black Days against Pakistan: 22 October - when Pakistan violated Standstill Agreement and attacked Jammu and Kashmir; 24 October – when Pakistan in name of reorganisation dissolved Revolutionary Provisional Government of Jammu and Kashmir announced on 4 October 1947, and replaced it with their puppets; 5 January – when Pakistan strangulated Kashmiri peoples right of self determination and changed it to right of accession - meaning they cannot become independent and have to select between India and Pakistan; 28 April – when Karachi Pact was signed and Pakistan practically took over areas of Gilgit Baltistan, 9 September- when Pakistan in name of Gilgit Baltistan Self Empowerment Package made these areas practically a province of Pakistan.
Of course, Simla Agreement – which made the Kashmir dispute a bilateral dispute between India and Pakistan; and Act 74 which practically made Azad Kashmir a colony of Pakistan can also be observed as Black Days.
Although some Azad Kashmiri parties after some hesitation have started observing 22 October as a Black Day; but I doubt if any Kashmiri nationalist party will dare to observe 14 August as a Black Day, as some parties do on India’s Independence Day. I end this by a quote from my article titled: ‘Kashmiri nationalism has not matured yet’:
‘It is because of this misplaced loyalty and erroneous strategy that despite so many sacrifices we are not even perceived as a party to the Kashmir dispute; and India and Pakistan keep us away from the negotiation table. Furthermore, it is because of this wrong strategy that the international community, by and large, perceive the Kashmiri parties and alliances either ‘A team of ISI’ or ‘B team’.
In ‘A team’ are those parties and alliances which openly adhere their allegiance to Pakistan; and in ‘B team’ are those who claim to struggle for an independent Jammu and Kashmir, but deliberately choose not to struggle against occupation of Pakistan. They want to liberate the Indian side of the Jammu and Kashmir first, and have no policy in place to liberate the areas under Pakistan and where they live.
Perhaps this is too much to ask from Kashmiris because minds that are accustomed to listening to propaganda, lies, twisted facts and religious hatred for the past 64 years will not be receptive to this suggestion. Furthermore, Kashmiri nationalists will also not tread on this road because of fear of repercussions; and, in any case, my view is that Kashmiri nationalism and Kashmiri nationalists have not matured yet. To qualify to be a true nationalist they have to learn many things and study other nationalist movements and character of those who lead them.’
Writer is Head of Diplomatic Committee of Kashmir National Party, political analyst and author of many books and booklets. Also he is Director Institute of Kashmir Affairs.Email:drshabirchoudhry@gmail.com

Indian PM desirous of resolving Kashmir: Gilani
Davos, Jan 28: Describing Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a genuine person, Pakistan premier Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani Saturday disclosed that Indian PM is desirous of resolving the core issue of Kashmir.
In an interaction with the media persons here on the fringes of the ongoing annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, Gilani termed Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh as a genuine person.
“He (Singh) too was desirous of resolving all issues with Pakistan including the core issue of Kashmir,” he disclosed.
To a question about another Mumbai-style attack, Gilani said, “Ifs and when do not make a story”.
“We have resumed comprehensive dialogue with India,” he said and mentioned his visit to Mohali to see Cricket World Cup semi-final at the invitation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“We are in the process of normalizing trade relations with India which will benefit the people of both the countries.”
He said Pakistan was actively engaged with its partners in SAARC and ECO for promoting economic cooperation and sharing prosperity among the regional countries.
“We have to eradicate terrorism from its roots, we have to create more jobs for our young people, we have to invest in energy and physical infrastructure and to pay more attention to health and education. We are facing all these challenges upfront and squarely,” he said.
Pakistan premier said his country attaches importance to its relations with Afghanistan and a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was in the strategic interest of Pakistan.
“We see Pakistan as a factor of peace, stability and development in the region. Pakistan desires good relations with all its neighbours and if India has any information it can share it with Pakistan,” he said.
On the prevailing situation in Pakistan, Gilani said, “I don’t think there will be a coup in Pakistan ever. There is no threat to democracy. No State institution, military or the people of Pakistan want a coup and all are in favour of democracy”.
The international media was particularly interested in the change in the Pakistan-United States ties following the
On NATO attack that led attack to killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers, he said the incident was a “turning point” and it created a bad taste. “Prior to the attack there had been a number of other incidents that had already strained ties between the two countries to a large extent.”
He said the Defence Committee of the Cabinet decided to define new terms of engagements and it was decided to cut off the NATO supply lines, get the Shamsi base vacated and boycotted the Bonn Conference.
He said the Pakistan’s parliament would be defining new terms of engagement and hoped the new terms would be more productive and lasting.

“Gilgiti group” involved in Karachi killings: Rehman Malik
PT Report
Islamabad, January 28: Federal Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, has coined a new term “Gilgiti Group”, to describe alleged terrorists who gunned down several people, including three lawyers, the other day.
The minister said that the so-called “Gilgiti Group Squad” has smuggled weapons to Karachi in oil tankers. He revealed that mother of one of the alleged terrorists had tipped the police about his son’s involvement in sectarian violence.
Rehman told the media that they will soon catch the group. He warned members of the group that they cannot hide from the claws, whether they travel in buses, cars or live in “Defence”, a posh locality in Karachi city.
The term “Gilgiti Group” has drawn criticism in the Gilgit – Baltistan region where people have accused the interior minister of damaging the tourism industry by using misleading terms.
 
US flags burnt during protest by DeM
SRINAGAR, Jan 27, Kashmir Times reports: Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) today held a protest demonstration here today against the alleged sexual assault on Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a former Pakistani neuro scientist serving a prison term in the United State, by American officials.
The activists of DeM also burnt the US flags. The demonstrators were demanding the release of Dr Afia.
Led by party president, Syeda Aasiya Andrabi, the protestors were carrying the anti-US placards and raised slogans against the United States government.
The protesters asked the religious leaders of Pakistan and the Muslim world to pressurize the American administration to end the “atrocities” against Dr Aafia.
“The clerics of Pakistan and Kashmir have failed to raise the voice against the US for imprisoning Aafia Siddiqui. We demand her release and also demand that Muslim clerics should galvanize mass opinion for the just cause of Aafia, who is a sufferer of US hegemony,” said Aasiya.
She added that Aafia has been subjected to severe tortures by the American administration. “What was her fault,” Aasiya asked.
The DeM president stated that Aafia was subjected to torture because she was a Muslim nuclear scientist. All the charges against her were false Aafia lost her newborn baby Maryam in the jail and has been sexually assaulted by the American brutal soldier ,” she said.

Kashmir: Militants target army convoy
Civilian injured in grenade attack in B’la
Rising Kashmir reports: Srinagar, Jan 27: Militants on Friday targeted an army convoy in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district with a grenade, causing injuries to a civilian.
Police sources said militants lobbed a grenade towards an army convoy at Azad Gunj chowk in Baramulla this afternoon. “The grenade, however, missed the intended target and exploded on road, causing injuries to a civilian,” they said.
The injured identified as Master Mohammad Sultan of Chakloo was shifted to District Hospital, Baramulla, where he is undergoing treatment.
“Sultan had sustained minor injuries and was provided special treatment. His condition is stable,” said the doctors attending on him.
The incident triggered panic in the area with shopkeepers leaving their shops open and running for safety.
After the grenade attack, a large contingent of police and paramilitary personnel rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area. They launched combing and search operation in the area. However, no arrests were reported.
No militant group has owned responsibility of the attack.

Kashmir: Unknown Assassins
While the phenomenon of unidentified killings isn’t new in Kashmir, the death of political workers raises eyebrows
In last few days, two deaths were reported from Pulwama and Budgam districts of Kashmir. As per news reports, Nazir Ahmad Dar, 35, a resident of Badipora, Chadoora was found dead after he left his jewellery shop in the evening on January 23. Nazir Ahmad Dar was a local PDP activist. In another incident, a 45 year old Congress Seva Dal worker, Ajaz Ahmad Shah was shot dead by unidentified gunmen.
The incident occurred at Haadpora, Pulwama. Both deaths are tragic and should be condemned by one and all, however, the issue that confront us is who are behind these killings and who has carried out them out. While the phenomenon of death and unidentified killings isn’t a new thing in Kashmir, the murder of these people, who, in one or the other, are related with state political system, raises eyebrows. Even as the deceased had political linkage, their cause of death is still not known. Police stated to have recovered Rs 50000 from the body of Nazir Ahmad Dar, which ruled out the option of burglary as the motive behind the killing of Nazir Ahmad Dar. Similarly, there are no hardcore evidences in case of Congress activist which suggest that the killing was due to his professional and personal rivalry. This conclusion will take us to another level of inquiry: are these killings carried out by militants, who allegedly were in past involved in such instances.
This conclusion is again inconclusive as no militant outfit, local or foreign, has claimed responsibility so far. Besides, the leader of Hizbul Mujahideen and UJC supremo Syed Salahuddin had in past stated that the council wouldn’t carry any politically motivated killings. With such confusion, the situation turns murkier. However, the mainstream leaders have a different taken on these killings. The leader of opposition and PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti stated that the killings were carried out by those who are threatened by peaceful and democratic setup of the party and demanded a free and fair probe. Given the mystery that surrounds these cases, the role of police and investigating agencies becomes crucial. Not only they have to identify those involved in these killings, but also unravel the mystery surrounding them. Although police on Tuesday claimed to have arrested three persons in the murder case of Peoples Democratic Party Zonal vice President Nazir Ahmad Dar, there is no development as far Congress Seve Dal Worker is concerned. It is time for the police to act and act quickly.

Diamer Dam Commission Scandal: Assistant Commissioner Diamer suspended along with 7 sub-ordinates
Gilgit, January 26, PT Report: The biggest corruption scandal of Gilgit – Baltistan’s history has been busted with the help of information provided by intelligence agencies. Assistant Commissioner Diamer, Zahid Mumtaz, has been suspended along with 7 other officials of the revenue department on the allegations of the region’s biggest corruption scandal. A high level investigation committee headed by GB Home Secretary Bilal Lodhi has been formed to probe the mega corruption scandal involving hundreds of thousands of commission money allegedly taken from the people affected by construction of Diamer Dam.
According to details, the Assistant Commissioner was allegedly running a gang of revenue department officials who made hundreds of millions of rupees by providing fake measurements of at-risk land in the Diamer District. The officials, allegedly, took money from the land owners for providing fake measurements to enable the land owners launch exaggerated compensation claims against the potential loss of their land.
Payments against fake claims have been halted.
The Assistant Commissioner was allegedly caught red-handed while trying to transfer the money to an account, believed to be his father’s, in Lahore.
The mega corruption scandal has exposed the weakness in the governance structure where inexperienced legislators, larger-than-life role of bureaucracy, a weak judiciary and lack of parliamentary control have emerged as major hurdles for good governance.

KASHMIRI YOUTH INDIFFERENT TO MAINSTREAM POLITICS: STUDY
New Delhi, Jan 26, Greater Kashmir reports: A vast majority of Kashmiri youth are disillusioned with mainstream democratic politics in the state with 50 percent of them having never voted and only 5 percent of them joining political parties.
An official study commissioned by Union Ministry of Home Affairs to study psyche and perception of Kashmiri youth has also revealed that the youth in the Valley are increasingly turning to Islam with 61% of them attracted to religious sermons.
According to the study conducted by Delhi based Institute for Research on India and International Studies on behalf of MHA, the most worrying factor was Kashmiri youth’s disillusionment with mainstream democratic politics, with just 5 percent of them joining any political party. Only 12 percent have voted at least once and 50 percent of them have never voted, says the study. Further, according to the study, only 9 percent expressed their support for the All Parties Hurriyat Conference.
The study pointed out a more worrisome dimension of the prevailing scenario involving youth. The youth is not reaching out to any political leader to seek redressal of their problems during political crisis.
The survey has highlighted serious concerns among youth about governance with 67 percent ranking corruption as the topmost important issue followed by human rights violations.
The study while revealing Kashmiri youths’ glaring disconnect with the rest of country has however highlighted the fact that present day generation was also uninterested about developments in Pakistan. The study has found just 20 to 26 percent of youth follow developments in India.
According to the study conducted in six districts of Kashmir including Srinagar, Budgam, Anantnag, Kulgam, Baramulla and Bandipora, only 31 percent of the youth were aware about the exact status of Pakistan administered Kashmir or “Azad Kashmir” that it’s autonomous but under Pakistan’s control. Interestingly, 17 percent of them were simply unaware about its existence and another 38 percent described it to be an independent country. Only 9 percent youth had a correct view about the political status of Gilgit and Baltistan while 50 percent of the youth interviewed had no idea about the products being traded across the LoC.
While 54 percent of youth identified Azadi as their preferred, final status of J&K, a further exploration found diverse meanings and much more nuanced picture. But just 6 percent identify Azadi with the promulgation of Islamic rule in Kashmir.
Idea of Azadi among others centers around the notion of a “territorially separate Kashmir” with 8 percent envisaging a sovereign and independent state, 11 percent wanting “freedom from India” and 10 percent talking of a separate Kashmir without furnishing any further details.
An overwhelming 75 percent feel that peaceful political protests are the most effective means for achieving their political aspirations with 72 percent rejecting the gun option.
A substantial majority, 67% of the youth believe that Kashmiri Pandits should return to the Valley, though 70% of them acknowledged that they hadn’t done anything about it while only 18% publicly supported their cause.
A noteworthy fact brought out by the study is that the Kashmiri youth is turning to Islam in many ways though the scale of this phenomenon varies considerably across its different manifestations. It can be gauged from the fact that 61 per cent of the Valley’s youth is listening to religious sermons on their audio/MP3 players, 25 per cent of them identify with local mosques and graveyards as places for getting together with friends, to get news on Kashmir and gain more knowledge about Islam. A small segment is also regularly watching Islam centric programs on Peace TV, Press TV, Al Jazeera and PTV.
The study suggests pluralizing the discourses on Kashmir by the government, civil society and media through debates to generate informed public discussions and educational institutions encouraging students to engage with socio-political and economic issues facing Kashmir with an open mind to promote an independent thinking are some other recommendations.

Are we victims of ideological Confusion? Hashim Qureshi
Aristotle said that “He would walk the way shown by logic.” Thousands of people have sacrificed their precious lives for the sake of their ideology. Let us look around. We find Musaddeq in Iran, Hasan Nasir and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in Pakistan, Bhagat Singh, Ashfaq and Sukhdev inIndia and Maqbul Bhat in our state who became martyrs for the cause they upheld. History tells us that rulers, exploitative elements and occupational forces have tried to change the ideology of revolutionaries through intimidation, oppression or persecution. Those who had accepted the truth of their ideologies did sacrifice their lives but did not change their course and struggle.
I would like to submit with humility that I am not against the ideology of any person, group or organization. Those differing with me on ideological basis continue to be my personal friends. I have fought against oppressive forces shoulder to shoulder with them. In the past, Altaf Husain Qureshi, Mujib-ur-Rahman Shami, Javed Hashmi and Mian Tufail Muhammad were all associated with Jamaat-e-Islami. But during my internship whenever excesses were done against them I stood by their side and took up cudgels with jail authorities on their behalf. Incidentally it was I who was the most victimized by torture in the jail. Let me come to the point.
Ghulam Nabi Fai is a personal friend of mine. I remember that it was in 1981-82 when he, Ayub Thukar and a third person whose name I no more remember came to see me in Peshawar. This marked the beginning of our friendship. There is no disputing the fact that Fai Sahib was connected to Jamaat-e-Islami and made its teaching the lodestar of his life. Most of our meetings were held in Rawalpindi, Holland and especially in Geneva. He is a model of gentleness, hospitality and caring for friends. But there are no tow opinions in his conformity with the thinking of Jamaat-i-Islami and Pakistan policy planners in regard to Kashmir issue. He considers Gilgit, Baltistan and Azad Kashmir part of Pakistan. He considers it an article of faith to struggle for the integration of Indian-held part of Jammu and Kashmir into Pakistan. He is a diehard supporter of J&K”s accession toPakistan.
In the light of this ideology, Pakistani establishment and rulers deputed Fai Sahib, late Ayub Thukar and Nazir Qureshi to different countries of the world to carry forward Pakistani perception and support its interests in regard to Kashmir. Fai Sahib was deputed to Washington and the ISI committed its fullest support to him for launching Kashmir American Council in Washington. Ayub Thukar incepted International Institute of Kashmir Studies in London. Its foundation was laid by Pir Husamu’d-Din. Nazir Qureshi opened his office in Jeddah under the banner of WAMY.
It was said that all activities of these centres like running daily office, producing literature, holding meetings, seminars and all expenditures incurred in their activities were sponsored by ISI. The word “azaadi” forged by them in the context of Kashmir simply means accession to Pakistan.
Fai Sahib’s detention in the US disclosed to the entire world that he was working for Pakistani intelligence in the US. Charges framed against him are as these:
1. Fai’s Kashmir American Council is working for Pakistan without permission from the US Government, and as such, it is doing illegal lobbying.
2. ISI has provided him more than 4 million dollars clandestinely and illegally.
3. He did not pay the taxes on the money he received in accordance with the American law.
4. FBI has charged that Fai followed the diktat of ISI while organizing any function. Who would be invited to a proposed conference was dictated by the ISI.
Fai has pleaded guilty to lobbying for Pakistan and the court will pronounce judgment in March 2012.
Whatever has happened with Fai Sahib, I am grieved severely by it because of he is a friend and a gentleman. But my experience tells me that Fai’s Kashmir related struggle has been essentially for accession toPakistan. In regard to Gilgit, Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, he did not even speak of basic rights of the people leave alone their freedom. He looks at Kashmir as a Muslim state. It is also a fact that American authorities knew beforehand about his struggle, his mission and his funding sources. But when differences between CIA and ISI deepened, CIA made the Fai related disclosure just to show down ISI. He was arrested.
I remember that once during the days when Hillary Clinton happened to the First Lady, Fai had met her with a delegation and presented her a costly cashmere shawl. Hillary Clinton had remarked that “the Indian President, too, had gifted her with a shawl like that inNew Delhi.” Fai had given a hugely expensive Kashmiri carpet to Congressman Dan Burton who is a known pro-Pakistani lobbyist. The carpet carried the picture of US Congress building on it… He used to give donations to the American Congress as well as the American presidential candidates.
It is a fact that Fai has been made the scapegoat for rivalry between CIA and ISI. This calls for condemnation. But condemnation notwithstanding, the fact is that in case Pakistan does not come to the rescue of Fai, he can be given imprisonment for 3-5 years besides some fine. It is so because he has made confession in the court of law.
We appreciate Fai Sahib’s confessional statement for the fact that he has accepted before the entire world that he has been accepting financial support from ISI for last two decades. He accepted that he worked in the interests of Pakistan. Now it is Pakistan’s moral duty to give him fullest possible support. Since theUShas many interests in Pakistan, therefore, Pakistan has the reason to talk to the US about Fai and his punishment can be reduced under some sort of a deal.
In the context of Fai’s detention, Sayyid Ali Shah Geelani called a seminar on24 December 2011inSrinagar. There was justification to do so because Fai is a basic member as well as a leader of Jamaat-i-Islami and above all a staunch supporter of Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan. Geelani Sahib is right in pronouncing Fai as the courageous ambassador and sympathizer of Kashmiris. He says the entire community is beholden to him and supports him outright.
Geelani Sahib does not consider anybody as part of the nation except his organization and Jamaat-i-Islami. Therefore his labeling of Fai as the ambassador of the nation is right in its place. Yet I am baffled by the statement of Geelani Sahib in which he said “that the court case against Fai in theUShas raised the head of Kashmiri nation high with pride.” I cannot understand this logic. Fai has confessed all the allegations brought against him by the America prosecutor which among others is having received 4 million dollars from ISI illegally. Does doing such things raise anybody’s head high with pride? It is not only I but there are many more observers who aver that “Fai’s confessional statement has caused serious damage to Kashmir cause. Freedom lovers all over the world were dismayed with his confessional statement. They have found that in his Kashmir related struggle it was the ISI that was at his back providing him with financial support and not the Pakistani government. With his confessional statement, everybody began to think that behind the Kashmir movement laid the hand of ISI.” Thus it can be inferred that those who consider Fai as the representative of Kashmiri nation or their ambassador consider Fai as the supporter and propagator of the ideology of ISI and not of Kashmiris…
The founder of independent Kashmir Maqbul Bhat the martyr was very clear and unambiguous about Kashmirissue. He statd “that entire state of Jammu and Kashmiris disputed from Damchok to Lakahanpur and entire Kashmiris in slavery including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. Kashmiris will not settle for anything short of complete freedom and self rule.” The slogans which he raised from his platform were as these “aar bhi mange azaadi paar bhi mange aazadi” meaning let freedom be demanded by people on this and that side of the line. In the struggle for freedom he lived in the prison houses of both India and Pakistan. He was not the founder of Liberation Front but the views and ideology of Liberation Front drew inspiration from his ideology. That is why Liberation Front always considers Maqbul Bhat the martyr as its founder. It is because of this ideological contradiction that there has been a constant disagreement in the past between the organizations demanding accession to Pakistan and those for independence of Kashmir. Not only that, they have been damaging each other militarily.
After Geelani Sahib’s 24 December seminar on Fai, another seminar was organized in the name of Fai by the Liberation Front onJanuary 1, 2012. After reading its proceedings, supporters of self rule in Kashmir, followers of Maqbul Bhat the Martyr and millions of people on either side of the dividing line expressed their shock and regret. Chairman of Liberation Front, Yasin Malik, in walking in the footsteps of Geelani labeled “Fai as the messenger of peace and representative of Kashmiris.” Yes, Fai has many sacrifices to his credit and his struggle is also in place. But all these sacrifices and this entire struggle is for accession to Pakistan and not for the complete freedom of entire Jammu and Kashmir State. In Fai’s own words the financier for all this struggle is Pakistan’s intelligence agency.
Let me remind my readers that the part of Kashmir with Pakistan has been divided by Pakistaninto two parts meaning Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. It would be only proper to call Fai as representative of the struggle for accession to Pakistan instead of calling him the representative of Kashmiris. We would not have any objection to that. Mainstream parties in Kashmir obtain financial assistance from India and they also fight elections. People cast their votes in order to seek solution to their day to day problem. Now if tomorrow Omar Abdullah or Farooq Abdullah or Mufti Saeed projects himself as the representative of Kashmiris, will the supporters of pro-Pakistan accession or freedom supporters accept their claim? Never.
Let me make it clear. We are for complete freedom and self determination of the entire state. If in a free and fair plebiscite majority of people from Gilgit to Lakhanpur opt for accession to Pakistan, India, China, Saudi Arabia or America, we shall have to accept the verdict of the majority despite the fact that we differ with it. I would like to remind the assertion of Maqbul Bhat the Martyr to his followers that “any movement conducted in the state on religious grounds will fragment the state not only in terms of killing and bloodshed but more so because of communal hatred. It will exacerbate the atmosphere of hatred and mayhem in South Asia. In division on the basis of religion, the Muslims of Indo-Pak sub-continent and other religious communities will suffer permanent estrangement and get involved in perennial acrimony. Peace and progress can prevail inSouth Asiaonly when the State of Jammu and Kashmiris restored to its original position in 1947. It should be an independent state and a buffer between India, Pakistan and China.”
I do expect that my readers to look at this piece of writing from positive point of view as it deals with ideological question I am not the enemy of those seeking accession to Pakistan nor do I harbour animus against Fai Sahib. I am actually elucidating the thoughts, ideas and the struggle of my deceased leader and guide. It is unfortunate that in the sub-continent and especially Kashmir people talking with positive thinking and with logic are invariably faced with opposition. The bard says:
“Kaan sun sun ke pak gaye Danish
Aise futwun se hogaye bezar
Baat jisne ki khari usko
Yaar logon ne kah diya gaddar”
Hashim Qureshi Is Chairman JK Democratic Liberation Party

Kashmiris to observe Indian republic day as black day on January 26
Mirpur AJk; Kashmiris dwelling on both sides of the line of control and in other parts of the world will observe the Indian Republic Day, falling on January 26, as black day to invite the attention of the international community towards the continued illegal and forcible occupation of Jammu & Kashmir by India.
In Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), preparations are under way to hold protest rallies and demonstrations in all ten districts of the liberated territory. These protest marches and rallies will be the hallmark of the scheduled black day.
The day also marks complete solidarity with the people of Indian occupied Kashmir.
The protest rallies are arranged by various social, political and public representative organizations representing people from all spheres of life including lawyers, journalists, members of the business community, laborers, students, women and social and political workers.
In occupied Jammu Kashmir, complete strike throughout the held territory, on the call of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and supported by the AJK government, will be the hallmark of the day where life will come to a complete stand still following boycott of their routine activities by the Kashmiris belonging to all walks of life, the report reaching here said.