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www.epilogue.in Vol. 4 Issus 12 Epilogue, December 2010

Epilogue

1

Editor

Zafar Iqbal Choudhary

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C O N T E N T

b e c a u s e t h e r e i s m o r e t o k n o w

Vol 4, Issue 12December 2010

ANNUAL REVIEW: 2010

FORECAST: 2011 3 - 5

PROLOGUE -3Goodbye 2010

COLUMN -44History

EXCLUSIVE SERIES -46New Research on Kashmir

LADAKH AFFAIRS -48

Lahdc Elections

Language

Education

CHRONOLOGY -55

Militancy in 2010

Panchayat Elections

Problems of Jammu and Ladakh

The House of Elders

Mughal Road

Kashmir Resolution Plan

Dialogue

Headcount

Cross-LoC Connections

Transparency, Accountability

Jobs

New Administrative Chief

112 deaths Curfewed Valley APD visit 8-Point Formula Back to Schools Interlocutors 80 KM Mughal Road ready Delhi's pre-turmoil feelers to Geelani Embarrassing Padma award controversy Avalanche Kills 17 Soldiers

Stone Disgrace: 11 -day-old leftdead

Cross-LoC trade: Scaling heights Demand for special industrial

package Over 1.38 lakh cases under Roshni Contours of ' Kashmir Pact' Baglihar dispute resolved PM's Rs.1,000-crore Sops For J&K 4000 securitymen injured in three

months Ladakh peaks opened to

foreigners First Cross-LoC survey on future

of Kashmir

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Goodbye 2010

ZAFAR CHOUDHARY

JANUARU 2007

JANUARY 2008

JANUARY 2009

JANUARY 2010

We are at threshold of New Year, an

occasion when people usually take

stock of what happened in immediate

past and how things could best shape up infuture. In Jammu and Kashmir, looking back

at 2010 is all a horrendous experience and

therefore looking forward to 2011 does not

give much of hope. When scenario is such

dismal things are not left to the times alone.

To hope for the best in the future one must

look at the past for quick introspection and

learning. 2010 was one of the most eventful

years in Jammu and Kashmir, mostly for all

the wrong reasons. 112 precious lives lost for

nothing was a series of most traumatic

events of the year. No one would want to die

so cheap and no one would like to kill sofreely. This cycle of protests and killings must

stop and the only way of putting an end to

this is opening dialogue with various shades

of opinion and addressing genuine grievances

of the youths who are clearly restless. After so

much of deaths destructions the Government

of India has opened a system of dialogue

through interlocutors. This exercise must be

taken to a logical conclusion on whatever cost

it takes. Failure of this interlocution process

is bound to inject further disappointment and

more restlessness in future. In this yearend

issue of Epilogue we have tried to bring a

recap of the year for our readers. The review

section is collection of important happenings

of the year. There is also a section on selec-

tions from national and international press.

Some of the opinions and analyses picked

from the international press are not quite in

sync with our editorial thinking but we

thought of reproducing them in this issue so

that readers get to know how world thinking

about Jammu and Kashmir is shaping up.

PROLOGUE 3


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J&K in 2011: A Political Forecast

EPILOGUE BUREAU

Jammu and Kashmir is going t hrough bad t imes for last few years and 2010 was t heworst of t hem all. As we st ep into t he year, t he past precedent does not off er much

hope for 2011. However, some processes already set into mot ion are expected to bringin some change in t he way we look at t hings and in t he way we look at a future. Here

is a glossary of some events and development s l ikely t o take place in 2011.

Panchayat Elections

H

olding Panchayat elections at earliest possible occasion was a major pointin the 2008 election manifesto of both National Conference and the Con

gress, the parties which later formed the ruling coalition in Jammu andKashmir. Soon after formation of coalition government in January 2009, the state,with rest of the country, went to Lok Sabha elections. Later that year somecomplacency, some lack of will and some political reasons delayed the Panchayatelections. Much of 2009 was violent and politically unstable. One couldn't havethought of a democratic political exercise in 2010 even as Panchayat electionswere briefly thought as a potential attention diverter for an escape route fromKashmir turmoil. At the face of it a serious exercise, involving overhaul of elec-toral rolls, is going on as part of preparations for Panchayat elections which arelikely to be held somewhere between early to mid of 2011. Panchayat elections,if held fairly, can prove to be a major political game changer in troubled Jammuand Kashmir. Denial of democratic space and refusal to share power with thepeoples at grassroots has often been described as one of the major reasons forunrest in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the valley. Therefore, the critics of selfrule proposal of the Peoples Democratic Party and autonomy model of the National

Conference are not wrong enough when they say Panchayati Raj can be real em-powerment of the people and answer to many protracted problems. The Assembly

elections of 2008 and Lok Sabha elec-tions of 2009 saw huge and unprec-

edented participation of candidates try-ing their electoral fortunes. Politicalscientists are of the opinion that dueto absence of opportunities at smallerlevel for giving vent to aspirations largenumber of people take part in Assemblyand Lok Sabha elections and lead of di-vision of votes. Panchayat elections canreally assimilate those aspirations andoffer people platform to compete andplay meaningful role in the democraticspaces. 2011 is the year expected tochange the political landscape first timeafter 1970s. Panchayat elections werefirst held after a staggering gap of 23

years in 2001 but Panchayats were neverempowered to play any role.

Two of the three geographical divisions of Jammu and Kashmir, the Jammuand Ladakh have historically complained of developmental and political discriminations. As a part of wider political engagements with various sec-

tions of peoples in Jammu and Kashmir, the Government of India constituted, onOctober 13, two Special Task Forces for studying development needs of Jammuand Ladakh regions. While Abhijit Sen, a Planning Commission member, leads a

task force on Jammu, Narendra Jadhav, another Planning Commission member,is the chairperson of the team on Ladakh. The two task forces have been consti-tuted keeping in view the immediate objectives to maintain peace and orderand defuse the situation through confidence building measures. The decision onforming of three task forces was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committeeon Security headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on September 25. Theterms and references of the two task forces would be to identify the specialdevelopment needs of the region and suggest measures to address them and toexamine allocations to the regions in terms of infrastructure needs. They willmake suitable recommendations to overcome the deficiencies. The task forceshave been given three months to submit their reports. Recommendations ofthese task forces are likely to be known by January or February 2011. This is forfirst time when the basis of grievances of Jammu and Ladakh will be knownafter a scientific study. Interestingly, the high profile State Finance Commissionwhich submitted its report to the Chief Minister in December 2010, suggested

that discrimination allegations in Jammu and Ladakh had no valid basis as somedistricts in Jammu were far more development than many districts of Kashmir.

The patterns of political representation in the upper chamber of legislature will change

substantially as eight seats of theLegislative Council are falling

vacant. The process to fill up eightvacancies shall take place in Febru-ary-Match 2011. Notable amongthose who are retiring next is theDeputy Chairman of LegislativeCouncil, Arvinder Singh Mickey. IfPanchayat elections are held in early2011, the coming year will throw upfour more vacancies in the Legisla-tive Council. The Upper House ofthe J&K Legislature has strength of36 members while four seats to befilled by the members of thePanchayats have been perpetuallyvacant in absence of the electedPanchayats.

Problems of Jammu and Ladakh The House of Elders

FORECAST

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Chief Minister Omar Abdullah hasalready taken a trial and a carrally made a successful circuit.

Kashmiris apples made way to Rajouriand Poonch markets in 2010 and pas-

senger cabs ferried adventurous pas-sengers across Pir Panjal mountainranges. 2011 is likely to see formalcommissioning of the Mughal Roadwhich carries more political meaningsto Jammu and Kashmir than theinfrastructural development. MughalRoad, once taken by the Mughals toreach Kashmir, is the road betweenBafliaz, a town in the Poonch district,to Shopian district in south of theKashmir valley. The road is 84kmlong, it passes over Pir Panjal Moun-tain range, at altitude of 11,500 ft(3505 m), that is higher than Banihal

pass (2832 m). The road brings thePoonch and Rajouri district closer toSrinagar in Kashmir valley. The dis-tance between Srinagar and Poonchwill be reduced from 588km to126km. It makes for alternate roadroute to Kashmir valley from rest ofIndia, other than over-crowdedJammu-Srinagar Highway throughBanihal Tunnel (National Highway1A). The road passes through Buffliaz,

Mughal Road

Poshana, Chattapani, Peer Ki Gali, Aliabad, Zaznar, Dubjan, Heerpora andShopian. The road was historically used by Moghul emperors to travel andconquer Kashmir during the sixteenth century. It was the route used by Akbarthe Great to conquer Kashmir in 1586, and his son Emperor Jahangir diedwhile returning from Kashmir on this road near Rajouri. The new road wasproposed in the 1950s, with the intention of improving the economy of Poonchand Rajouri districts. Then Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah had taken up thisproject in 1979 and named it "Mughal Road", but it came to halt as militancy

took over. Bafliaz Bridge on the road was blown up by the militants. Theconstruction of the prestigious project was started in 2005 with a target ofcompletion in March 2007 and an estimated cost of Rs 255 crores. The roadcuts through Hirpora wildlife sanctuary. Initially, there was opposition to theconstruction of the road because it would fragment the wildlife and inhibitmovement of animals, especially the endangered Markhor goat in the region.Also, opponents claimed the road will get early snowfall in winter and hence willnot serve as an alternate route to existing Jammu-Srinagar highway. FinallySupreme Court gave conditional permission for the construction of the road.The construction work was almost completed in 2010 it is proposed to be opento traffic by summer of 2011.

Headcount

Along with rest of country, the decadal census operation in Jammu and Kashmir took off in early 2010 and theheadcount is likely to be completed by early 2011. Provisional population statistics shall be known by March 2011which would become a basis for fresh planning and, of course, add to the political debates on who is in what

numbers. According to last census survey of 2001 the total population of Jammu and Kashmir was given at 10143700which was 29.43 percent up of estimated census population of 1991. 24.81 percent of total population was urban. In

2001, Jammu and Kashmir's total population was calculated at 0.98 percent of total population of India.

Kashmir issue is such complicated and protracted that manyleaders and statesmen could not come close to a formula whichcould have been acceptable to all. In search of a lasting solution

the conflict has been lingering on for more than six decades. Ruthlesskilling of 112 persons during the street protests of summer 2010 isreflection of the danger that Kashmir issues poses to peace andsecurity in the region. Following a unprecedented protests of 2010,the Government of India has deputed a team of three interlocutors tofind out a solution to Kashmir issue. . To believe that they will be ableto come up with a solution to Kashmir issue which is acceptable to allwould be a little unrealistic. Had a lasting issue to such a protractedissue been so simple and easy, someone would long back have pock-eted a Nobel Prize for peace. However, what they tell us about theirunderstanding of Kashmir issues is something worth waiting for. Afterall, the Government of India has claimed that this is the most seriousexercise in finding out Kashmir solution. Interlocutors are currentlyengaged with different shades of opinions in Jammu and Kashmir andtheir initial term of references is for one year. In October 2010 theyare likely to unveil what they think of Kashmir issue and what theypropose for resolution.

Dialogue

Apowerful track-II initiative between In

dia and Pakistan in its recent meetingin Dubai strongly recommended for re-

sumption of dialogue between New Delhi andIslamabad to focus, among other issues, onKashmir issue. Both countries have alreadyindicated willingness to engage on the out-standing issues. A dialogue between NewDelhi and Kashmiri separatists is also likelyto be revived. Sources aware of the devel-opments claim that the Government of In-dia is likely to add a political heavyweightto the three-member panel of interlocutors

to engage with the separatists. The recur-ring eruption in Kashmir is widely believedto be an outcome of an absence of institu-tional dialogue. Resumption of dialogue isexpected to restore some confidence amongthe disappointed lot in Kashmir.

Kashmir Resolution Plan

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In the separatist political mainlandof Kashmir, the confidence building measures like trade and travel

across the Line of Control are seen

diversionary tactics to shift attentionfor the 'main issue'. This opinion not-withstanding, the Cross-LoC travelwhich came into operation in 2005and the Cross-LoC trade, launched in2008, are making enormous contri-bution in helping the divided fami-lies meet. Originally pushed by AtalBehari Vajpayee and PervezMusharraf, the Cross-LoC trade isbelieved to be an issue close to theheart of Prime Minister ManmohanSingh who has shown keen interestin its launch and promotion. If the

Cross-LoC Connections

Jobs

In July 2010 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a job package of50,000 vacancies for the unemployed youth in Jammu and Kashmir. A monthlater, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced another matching package.

A panel to recommend creation of jobs has already been constituted by thePrime Minister. The Sher-e-Kashmir Employment and Welfare Policy for Youth,flagship programme of Omar Abdullah government is also taking off. Puttogether 2011 could be the year of jobs.

sources privy to some developmentsin New Delhi are to be believed, theCross-LoC trade is expected to see amajor push in 2011. On the list of

hope could be revision of the list oftradable items, banking, enhancedcommunication, easy travel for reg-istered traders and enhanced facilitiesat trade facilitation centres.In another initiative towards enhanc-ing Cross-LoC connections, the Univer-sity of Jammu has offered reserve 30percent seats at its Poonch campus forstudents from Pakistan administeredKashmir. A proposal to this effect hasbeen formally sent to the PrimeMinister's Office and this is expectedto be okayed somewhere in 2011.

Transparency,Accountability

T

ransparency and accountabilityin public life has been a political buzzword in Jammu and

Kashmir since then beginning ofpresent century when MuftiMohammad Sayeed of Peoples Demo-cratic Party sought vote to end thealleged corrupt regime of NationalConference headed by Dr FarooqAbdullah. Through his artisticallydrawn election campaign, Muftimade a majority of people to believethat corruption was the most seri-ous problem in Jammu and Kashmirand the real Azadi could be achieved

through a transparent and account-able system. Delivering towards his

this commitment, he acted fast toenact legislations for an Account-ability Commission and an Informa-tion Commission. While the Ac-

countability Commission died anembarrassing death in little over ayear after its birth, the Informa-

tion Commission is yet to see theday of the light. Omar Abdullah isthird Chief Minister after Mufti and

on issues of transparency and ac-countability people expect morefrom him. He is apparently not too

keen on Accountability Commissionbut State Information Commission

seems to be an issue of prestigefor Omar Abdullah. Three scheduledmeetings for selecting a Chief Com-missioner for the State Commission

had to be put off at different timesin 2010 for various reasons. It is ex-pected that Jammu and Kashmirinches towards transparency in2011 with State Information Com-mission formally coming to life.

New Administrative Chief

The incumbent Chief Secretary SS Kapur is retiring by January 31. He had taken over the top administrative post

from BR Kundal on June 9, 2008. The Omar Abdullah Government was reportedly keen about Parvez Dewan, anIAS officer of J&K cadre and Naveed Masud, an IAS officer of Union Territory cadre as possible successors of

Kapur but none of the ideas is reported to have materialised. Dewan, a noted writer and chronicler, is presentlyChairman of the India Tourism Development Corporation based at New Delhi. He was on a yearlong study leave abroadwhich ended on December 1. Sources claimed that Dewan is not 'too inclined' to take the assignment of Chief Secre-tary which is a pressing job. It is learnt that Naveed Masood, who was the next possible choice for the Omar AbdullahGovernment has not expressed any interest in taking assignment of the Chief Secretary. Next in seniority to Kapur isSamuel Varghese who is also retiring around same time. Next to Verghese is Madhav Lal, presently on central deputa-tion and posted as Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner in the Ministry of Micro Small and MediumEnterprises. Madhav is not being considered for the top bureaucratic post as he has a reputation of being too slow indecision making. At fourth number in seniority is Anil Goswani whose chances of taking over as next Chief Secretaryappear very bright if Kapur is not granted extension, which is being talked about in political circles. Goswami ispresently in central deputation and posted as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs. His last assignmentin Jammu and Kashmir was Principal Secretary in Industries and Commerce Department and earlier Home Departmentand before that he was Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

FORECAST

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7

2010: In Review

The Year That Was

EPILOGUE BUREAU

Jammu and Kashmir is a land of surprises. No prediction can hold true, particularly in case of political processes. In summer of 2008 the state

appeared caught at a worst intersection of history. Itwas Amarnath temple land row. Separatist sentimentswept across the Kashmir Valley. All that happenedwas unprecedented and unpredicted; however, moreunprecedented and unpredicted was what happenedcouple of months of later -a huge participation in as-sembly elections and next year the repeat of same in

Lok Sabha elections. Some political observers con-cluded that voter participation was an indication ofthe waning separatist influence. In his IndependenceDay speech on August 15, 2009, Prime MinisterManmohan Singh said "with massive participation inelections people of Jammu and Kashmir have demon-strated that there was no space for separatist poli-tics". Prime Minister's this statement had come whenKashmir was again in eruption -this time on allegedrape and murder of two women in south Kashmir vil-lage of Shopian. On first day of 2010, which hap-pened to be Friday, the moderate separatist leaderMirwaiz Umar Farooq called on India and Pakistan toresolve the Kashmir in present year. Mirwaiz's state-ment indicated two things -a sense of fatigue in sepa-

ratist camp after two years of meaningless violent

protests and willingness to talk on the issues that mat-tered. In his Friday sermons at Jamia Masjid, Mirwaizsaid, "we do not want that this New Year should bewasted in allowing instability and mistrust to domi-nate. We hope that this year marks the beginning ofnew friendship between India and Pakistan and alloutstanding issues between the two countries includ-ing Kashmir are resolved". He said people of the Statein general and Hurriyat Conference in particular willcontribute their bit towards any initiative taken for

resolution of Kashmir issue. Making a fervent appealto put the past behind, the Hurriyat chairman saidthe Centre should give up its rigid attitude and re-sume the dialogue process with Pakistan for resolvingKashmir issue.Contrary to Mirwaiz's assertions, the year proved tobe worst on all fronts. Peacemaking efforts went totatters as incidents of human rights violations, somealleged and some clearly evidenced, triggered a chainof violence. Governance and course of normal cameto a complete halt for nearly four months 112 per-sons -aged between 8 and 80 -fell to the bullets oneafter the other. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah admit-ted that situation pushed him to lowest of life butanyone at his place could have done hardly any dif-

ferent.

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January was really a month ofhome and pragmatism whenseparatists talked about dia-

logue and Chief Minister OmarAbdullah talked about governance.The unending chain of violence andkillings began in second week of Junebut the tone for unrest was set inmotion in February and then in Aprilbringing the Kashmir society in di-rect confrontation with securityforces and local Police. It was on firstday of February that after 14-year-old teenager, Wamiq Farooq ofRainawari was killed by a teargas shellfired allegedly by an Assistant SubInspector of Police, who was placedunder suspension. Authorities had

imposed undeclared curfew in the oldcity and since then restrictions wereput in place. In Brein, Nishat-wheretroopers killed another teenager,Zahid Farooq, on four days later -youth staged protests against hiskilling demanding stern punishment to the paramilitary troopers

who killed Zahid in "cold-blood." These two incidents caused emotional erup-tion in Srinagar and the town had to be put under curfew several times. Inending April three deaths were reported in north Kashmir's Kupwara district inan encounter with Army. Army said that the slain youths were the militants.However, in ending May locals alleged that three killed in Kupwara were thelocal youths who had been hired by the Army as porters. Their bodies were

exhumed and allegations confirmed. This led to a chain of violent protestsacross different parts of Kashmir Valley which further intensified on the eveof Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Srinagar visit on June 7. Before PrimeMinister's arrival the Army instituted a Court of Inquiry and removed a Colo-nel from the formation in Kupwara but protests did not ebb. In continuationof protests against human rights violations, a school-boy succumbed to tear-gas shell on June 11 which resulted in an unending chain of violent proteststaking toll of 112 lives in next four months.

Curfewed Valley

112 deaths

For next four months death continued to be the only constant inthe Valley and at several occasions situation completely slippedout of the hands of state and central authorities. Curfews becamean order of the day and on September 11, it was first time in 11

years that entire Kashmir Valley -towns, townships and villages -was brought under complete curfew.

Prohibitory orders were imposed in all the 14 districts that constitute theValley following violence on September 11, which saw 17 people die inpolice firing. However, protesters took to the streets at several places.

Despite curfew being extended to all major towns in the Valley, defiant pro-testers took to the streets. Clashes between stone pelters and security forces

went on despite curfew. Experts said the Valley faced a whopping loss of over

Rs. 12,000 crore in the four monthsas businesses were badly affected.Federation Chamber of IndustriesKashmir president Shakeel Qalander

said: "This is the worst time for thebusiness community. I do not thinkwe can recover," he said.The prolonged unrest in the KashmirValley pinched hard the state'seconomy. Some 50,000 skilled andnon-skilled workers have been report-edly retrenched by their employersduring the days of turmoil. The fourmonths of shutdowns and curfewstook a heavy toll on the frail economyof the Kashmir Valley. According toestimates by the Federation Cham-ber of Commerce and Industries Kash-mir (FCIK), some 50,000 skilled and

non-skilled workers were retrenchedby their employers due to the unrestas they were 'unable to meet theiridle wage bills'. Kashmir has 16,000industrial units in the organised andunorganised sector providing directemployment to 1.6 lakh skilled andnon-skilled workers. Ten to 15 per-cent of the skilled and non-skillednon-local workers fled to other placesas they felt unsafe in the prevailingstate of affairs. Production and mar-keting of goods came to a standstilland incomes nose-dived to naught,according to the FCIK.

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APD visit

On September 20, an All Party Delegation led by Home MinisterP Chidambaram arrived on a

two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir

to assess the ground situation in thestate even as the separatists decidedto stay away from the meeting. Thevisit by the all-party team, the firstin two decades, tried to help breakthe deadlock in the Valley. Thedelegation's recommendations wereconsidered by the Cabinet Commit-tee on Security of Kashmir later sameweek. Hurriyat Conference leaderMirwaiz Umar Farooq and Jammu andKashmir Liberation Front leader YasinMalik decided to skip the meeting ofall political parties and instead senta joint memorandum to the delega-

tion. Though the separatists boy-cotted the meeting, the members ofthe All Party Delegation broke into

smaller groups and called on the prominent separatists at their residences.They met Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin MalikLeader of opposition People's Democratic Party Mehbooba Mufti, who decidednot to attend the all-party meeting, sent PDP General Secretary Dilawar Meeraccompanied by a 15-member team to meet the delegation. The separatistshad earlier threatened to pull out if curfew was not lifted from the Valley.Mufti said there was no purpose in the visit of the all-party delegation if themembers of the civil society and the common people were not allowed tomeet it. The 38-member team spent spend two days in Srinagar and Jammu.Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, Samajwadi

party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, DMK leader T R Baalu, LJP President RamVilas Paswan, JD-U chief Sharad Yadav, Indian Union Muslim League PresidentE Ahamed are part of the delegation

8-Point Formula

In follow-up to the visit of All PartyDelegation to Jammu and Kashmir,the Central Government unveiled

an eight-point formula, On Septem-ber 25, for lessening tension in thestate and building atmosphere for anall encompassing dialogue. As part offormula, the Centre announced to ap-point a group of interlocutors, underthe chairmanship of an eminent per-son, to begin the process of sustaineddialogue in Jammu and Kashmir withpolitical parties, groups, students,civil society and other stakeholders.The decision to begin the process ofsustained dialogue was part of aneight-point initiative taken at ameeting of the Cabinet Committeeon Security (CCS) the meeting of

which was chaired by Prime MinisterManmohan Singh. Home Minister P.Chidambaram said the decisionswere based on the report submittedby him to the Prime Minister and theinputs of the all-party delegation thathad visited Srinagar and Jammu onSeptember 20 and 21. In a stepaimed at reaching out to the peopleof the State, the Centre advised theJammu and Kashmir government torelease all students detained forstone-pelting and similar violationsof law, and to withdraw all charges.The Centre also requested the Stategovernment to convene a meeting ofthe Unified Command to review de-ployment of security forces in theKashmir Valley, especially in Srinagar,with particular reference to de-scal-ing those at bunkers and checkpointsin the city and other towns. He saidthe Unified Command would review

notifications issued for disturbed ar-eas. The eight-point formula also in-cluded grant of an ex gratia of Rs.five lakh to the family of each ofthose killed in civil disturbances inKashmir since June 11. Centre alsoadvised the State government to re-view cases of all Public Safety Act(PSA) detenus and withdraw deten-tion orders in appropriate cases. Atthat time there were 84 persons un-der judicial custody, 110 under po-lice custody and 51 had been detainedunder the Public Safety Act since civildisturbances began in the KashmirValley in June. The Centre also re-quested the State government totake steps to immediately reopen allschools, colleges, and universities,hold special classes and ensure thatexaminations are conducted onschedule for the current academicyear.

Suicide Bomber In Muzaffarabad Kills Five Soldiers

In first incident of its kind, fivesoldiers died in a suicide attackin Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and

clashes with militants, even astroops pushed on with their searchand clearance operations againstthe Taliban in the Swat valley andWaziristan tribal region, authoritiessaid on January. A suicide bomberstruck an army barracks atTararkhal, over 90 km from Paki-

stan-occupied Kashmir capital

Muzaffarabad. Fourteen soldiers were injured and four of them later suc-cumbed to injuries. Part of the barracks was destroyed by the blast. This wasthe third suicide attack in PoK since June last year. Violence by pro-Talibanmilitants has spread to PoK in recent months. The region was largely unaf-fected by militant attacks over the years. A soldier was killed and two morewere injured when Taliban militants fired several rockets at security forcesat Tabai Sar in the Razmak sector of Waziristan, the military said. Troopsconducted a search and clearance operation at Sherkai near Razmak andcleared more than 100 houses. Search and clearance operations were alsoconducted at Badar valley in the Shakai sector. In the Swat valley, securityforces apprehended two suspected militants and seized a cache of arms and

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Back to Schools

After being shut for threemonths, schools in Kashmir

partially reopened on Septem-ber 27 even as Srinagar and othertowns in the Valley remained undercurfew. The state government onhad directed staff of schools to bepresent in their institutes, a dayafter the Centre asked the Jammuand Kashmir government to reopenschools as part of the centralgovernment's eight-point peacepackage for the Valley. Transportwas provided to teachers andstudents on 11 important routes inSrinagar. School uniforms treatedas identity proof and school busesallowed passage in curfew. Examsfor Class 10 and Class 12 were tostart in the last week of Octoberand first week of November, re-spectively. The hardline faction ofthe separatist All Parties HurriyatConference, however, gave a callfor a shutdown and appealed tostudents and parents not to cooper-ate with the government's direc-tive. "Though education is impor-tant, the government can't use ourchildren to suppress the agitation,''said Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah

Geelani. Geelani's appeal forboycotting schools drew him criti-cism in the Valley.It was a big day for kids in theKashmir valley with schools reopen-ing after a 100 days. The atten-dance was nowhere near 100 percent perhaps because of hardlineseparatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani'scall asking parents not to sendchildren to schools. But at least theschools were all open.

There were three incidents of stone-pelting at school buses but moredamage was done by rumours of firing - that schools have been attacked

and set on fire. At Srinagar's prestigious Burn Hall, the Principal said 30 percent children attended classes which the government says was the averagefor urban areas. In rural areas the attendance was better, almost 80 percent."In some places miscreants threw stones on students and tried to harassthem. They tried to resist the opening of schools. Despite this studentscame and schools were opened," J&K Education Minister PeerzadMohammad Sayeed said. Home Minister P Chidambaram issued a sternwarning to stone-pelters, after a few incidents of stone-pelting onschool buses were reported."There was a call by one of the Hurriyat leaders to parents askingthem not to send their children. Happily, parents have disregardedthat call. There were a few minor incidents of stone-pelting on schoolbuses. How can any right thinking person pelt stones on school buses?

The J&K government has assured that every effort is being made toensure that all schools and colleges reopen, and security will beprovided to students," the Home Ministry said in a statement. TheHome Minister also said government was happy to learn that mostschools and colleges have reopened in Jammu and Kashmir and moststudents have gone back to schools and colleges today."I am confident that the few schools and colleges that remain closedtoday, presumably out of caution, will reopen tomorrow. I am alsoconfident that the attendance will improve significantly tomorrow.The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has assured us that everyeffort is being made to ensure that all schools and colleges reopenand function normally and that security will be provided to enable thestudents to attend schools and colleges.Both the Centre and the state government celebrated the reopening

of schools, but Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was careful not to tom-tom it as a victory over separatists. He reiterated his request to keepeducation out of the conflict. "It's nobody's victory and nobody'sdefeat, its only the victory of those children who have been able tocome back to schools and been able to resume their education. Wehope that more and more children come back to school," Omar said.

Both the Centre and

the state governmentcelebrated the

reopening of schools,but Chief MinisterOmar Abdullah w ascareful not to tom-tom it as a victoryover separatists.

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On October 13, the Governmentof India named three interlocutors to carry forward dialogue

in Jammu and Kashmir and make rec-ommendations for resolution of is-sues within a period of one year. Thepanel of interlocutors -comprisingeminent journalist DileepPadgaonkar, academician RadhaKumar and economist MM Ansari -made their visit to Srinagar on Octo-ber 23 after having elaborate meet-ings with Prime Minister ManmohanSingh and Home MinisterChidambram in Delhi. During theirfirst visit to Srinagar and then

Jammu, they had brief meetings withseveral political and social groups andmade an assessment of situation byvisiting civilian areas and jails. Teamleader and journalist Padgaonkar saidthe team had come to find a solutionto the political problem of Jammu andKashmir. "Our mandate is to havedialogue with all shades of opinionto find comprehensive politicalsettlement of Kashmir dispute. It iscomplex problem lingering on for 60years, there has been lot of suffer-ing in this State and we would try tofind out a solution through political

negotiations with every stake holderfor political settlement. He said thefocus of the panel is to address thepolitical dimension of Kashmir dis-pute. There has been enough lectur-

Interlocutors

ing and now we want to listen to people with open mind and big heart. We

would like to focus on youth. When we met Prime Minister Dr ManmohanSingh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, they told us to listen to them forfuture is youth, listen to the women of Kashmir, said Padgaonkar. He added,"If we pre-determine that we have some magic formula, it would not be good.We want to meet people, listen to them for what they want. There is differ-ent perception in Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh". The interlocutors could notsecure a meeting with any of the separatist leaders though they said that itwas an ongoing process and eventually all sections of opinions will have totalk about their future. First Interim Report: On November 3, the interlocu-tors present their first interim assessment report to the Government of In-dia. Speaking to reporters after submitting their first set of recommenda-tions to Union home minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi, Padgaonkar saidhe was "hopeful" of a solution to the J&K issue even though the panel did nothave a "magic formula." The three-member group, during its meeting withMr Chidambaram, briefed him in detail about their six-day visit to Jammu

and Kashmir. s "This was our first visit to state. We gave our set of recom-mendations," Mr Padgaonkar said but declined to give any details. "Let it (therecommendations) be between government and the interlocutors," he said, aday after Mr Chidambaram disapproved of the interlocutors giving a ball-by-ball commentary on the progress in the dialogue on J&K.

The Centre approved, in

January, Rs 9,000 crore for

four lane Jammu-Srinagar

national highway, to help smooth

traffic movement, besides easing

frequent jams on the highway. The

preliminary work of the project,

which includes acquisition of land

and forest clearance was almost

complete. The Jammu-Srinagar NH

stretch has been divided into six

phases- Qazigund-Banihal, Banihal-

Rs 9,000 Cr forJammu-Srinagar Highway

Ramban, Ramban-Nashri, Nashri-

Chinani, Chinani-Udhampur and

Udhampur-Jammu. In all cases, 80

per cent of the land has been

acquired. A 9-km Qazigund-Banihal

long tunnel would be constructed at

a cost of Rs 2,400 crore. Besides

another 8.75-kms long tunnel would

also be constructed at Nashri-

Chennai at a cost of Rs 2,100 crore

which would reduce 60-km of travel

distance on completion.

80 KMMughal Road

ready

The 80 km stretch of historicalMughal Road from Bafliaz toShopian has been made double

laned, besides macadamization of 37km. The Rs. 639.85 crore project isexpected to complete and thrownopen for all type of vehicular trafficby September, 2011. More than 500personnel, skilled and unskilled, areon job daily besides deployment of340 heavy and medium machineries

at different places of the road.

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I

n a significant move in the political initiatives on the Kash

mir issue, the center, on Janu-ary 14, made a behind-the-scenes contact with the chairmanof the Hurriyat G, Syed Ali ShahGeelani, through former pointman, Wajahat Habibullah, to in-vite the veteran separatist fortalks and a meeting with theunion minister for home, PChidambaram. Geelani, a tren-chant opponent of any bilateralengagement with India, con-firmed the one-hour meetingwith Habibullah in New Delhi. The

Delhi's pre-turmoil feelers to Geelani

Abitter and embarrassing politi

cal controversy erupted in theKashmir Valley on the eve of Re-

public Day when Government of India

announced Padma Shri, one of the

Embarrassing Padma award controversyhighest civilian awards, to an allegedly dreaded counter-insurgent GhulamMohammad Mir alias Momma Kana. Chief minister Omar Abdullah, however,washed his hands of the controversial recommendation, but his father andUnion minister Farooq Abdullah unflinchingly declared he had proposed Mir'sname. Distancing himself from the move, Omar said: "I enquired from senior

officers. No recommendation from the state had gone for awarding (the) Padmato this person. I am not aware of any recommendation. Someone might haverecommended on a personal level," Omar said after an uproar by OppositionPDP. The Union minister for new and renewable energy said Mir's "good work"had prompted him to make the recommendation. "I think he deserves it andpeople who suffer need to be recognised." Mir was conferred the award forpublic service. Police sources said he still faced an FIR for allegedly attemptingto murder a civilian. He has been blamed by many in the past for committingatrocities. Counter-insurgents- gunmen who fight militants but are not offi-cially paid by the government - are often blamed for unleashing atrocities onpeople, the reason no political party likes to see its name linked to them.However, Mir, who hails from central Kashmir's Magam town and is describedas the Valley's first counter-insurgent, defended the move to award him andsaid his name was being unnecessarily dragged into controversy. "I have helpedin arresting or eliminating 5,000 militants. I fought against them when nobody

was coming forward and I have risked my life for the country," he said today.

The first month of 2010 registered a sharp increase in infiltration bids from across the

Line of Control (LoC) and Interna-tional Border (IB). There were 25 in-filtration attempts along the LoC andIB in January alone. There were totalof five ceasefire violations of the LoC

in the state and one of IB in theJammu region. There were about 85incidents of infiltration in 2009,

HIGH INTRUSION BIDS IN JANUARYwhich were higher than 50 in 2008. While the number of militancy-relatedincidents were coming down in the state, the casualty figures were still high.There were 485 incidents in 2009 that killed 85 civilians and 75 securitypersonnel while there were 708 incidents killing 147 civilians and 85 securitypersonnel in 2008. Nearly 238 militants were killed in 2009 and 340 in 2008.The highest number of 5,946 militancy-related incidents happened in 1995,the highest number of civilians, 1,424, were killed in 1996, the highest num-ber of 485 security personnel were killed in 2000 and the highest number of

2,020 militants were killed in 2001. The year 2009 witnessed least numbersof militancy-related incidents (485), least civilians killing (85), least securitypersonnel killing (75) and least number of militants killed (238).

meeting, an unexpected turn of events inNew Delhi's moves on Jammu and Kash-

mir, comes in the wake of the union homeminister's announcement of initiatingquiet diplomacy in Kashmir to engage "allgroups" in fruitful dialogue to resolve the62-year-old Kashmir impasse. Habibullah,highly regarded across the political spec-trum for his long innings in the valley, anda keen Kashmir watcher, turned up atGeelani's quarters in Delhi for a detailedmeeting on the situation in Jammu andKashmir. The former bureaucrat extendeda formal invitation to Geelani for talks withthe center and a meeting with the unionhome minister.


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In a tragic incident on February 8, 17 soldiers, including one officer,training for high-altitude warfare were killed when a massive avalancheslammed into an Army training centre based on a high slope near north

Kashmir ski resort of Gulmarg. The rolling snow swept away one of thebarracks of the Army's High Altitude Warfare School, which houses around450 soldiers in the Khilanmarg mountains close to Gulmarg, at around11AM. Army spokesperson, Lt Col J S Brar said around 70 soldiers gottrapped under the snow. 'The Gulmarg Development authority and oursister services assisted the Army in its rescue operations.' 'The avalanche

Avalanche Kills 17 Soldiers hit the base during a trainingsession and was one of the worst tohit the

area in years. The injured wereadmitted and later discharged froma Srinagar base hospital.' Jammu &

Kashmir's disaster managementunit had earlier issued an avalanche

alert and warned people againstventuring out in high-altitude

areas. The avalanche swept awayone of four sub-camps used for

training operations at the school,the Army's main mountain warfaretraining institute at an altitude of

2,730 metres. The school was firstset up as a skiing training institute

for a frontline infantry division in1948. Earlier, authorities activated

all resources and flew in rescuersfrom Srinagar and Baramulla to

rescue the trapped soldiers. Inces-sant snow, rain,poor visibility andhigh winds hampered their opera-

tions. The met office said Gulmarg,

a major draw for foreign touristsand adventure skiers, had received

around 10-feet snow in two days.Frequent rain and heavy snowfall

often trigger avalanches andlandslides in Kashmir, blocking

roads and cutting off tourist resortslike Gulmarg. Gulmarg is also close

to the LoC. Last year in April,seven soldiers were killed and eight

others injured when an avalanchehit an Army post at Gurez along the

LoC in April last year.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah'sproposal of allowing safe passage and rehabilitating the

Kashmiri youths who crossed overthe Line of Control to Pakistan ad-ministered Kashmir over last twodecades may have attracted criti-cism from the rightwing but the Cen-ter stood by him despite concernsflagged by a senior Congress Minis-ter. Home Minister P Chidambaram,on February 11, threw his weightbehind the J&K government's pro-

posal to facilitate the return of

Omar's idea to facilitate return of youthsfrom PaK gets Chidambram's support

Kashmiris lured to PaK to join militancy, saying that that the Centre was readyto welcome Kashmiris willing to lead a peaceful life here. "The idea that anyIndian who had crossed over to PoK and wishes to return to India is certainlywelcome," Chidambaram told reporters in New Delhi. "The idea must now betranslated into a scheme... The return can be facilitated through a scheme whichwill entail identification, screening, travel, debriefing, rehabilitation and reinte-gration," he added. According to the home minister, the return-cum-rehabilita-tion of Kashmiri youth willing to give up militancy and return from PaK is amongthe recommendations made by one of working groups on Kashmir set up earlierby Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Underlining that PaK is an Indian territory,Chidambaram said the government "should facilitate the return of those who hadgone across the LoC for some reasons". He added all shades of opinion would beconsulted while formulating the surrender-cum-rehabilitation scheme for Kashmiri

youth who had trained in militant camps across the border.


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As stone throwing remained a keyfeature of 2010 Kashmir protests, an 11-day-old child died

in the clashes between the police andprotesters in Kashmir's Baramulla dis-trict on February 22. The policeblamed stone pelters for the deathand registered a case of murder. Theinfant, Irfan Ahmad, was travellingin a mini-bus with his family, when agroup of people stopped the vehiclenear Stadium Colony, 55 km fromSrinagar, the police said. At 12.30 pm,protesters dragged the passengersout of the vehicle and beat them up.They were demanding the release of

those youths arrested during dem-onstrations against alleged humanrights violations in the state, po-lice said. Irfan's father Nisar AhmadMagray and mother Kulsuma hadboarded the bus in Rafiabad. Theywere taking the baby to a hospitalas he was suffering from blood in-fection. "When Kulsuma was beingdragged out, she pressed her babyclose to herself and he started

Stone Disgrace: 11-day-old left dead

Commenting on the trend ofstone pelting, which later became order of the day in

Kashmir's summer of discontent,Chief Minister Omar Abdullah toldLegislative Assembly on February 25,that 600 to 800 stone pelters can't beallowed to hold one crore people of

the State to ransom. Urging mediato bring facts before the public,Abdullah noted that problem of stonepelting was confined only to five po-lice stations of downtown and onepolice station each in Sopore andBaramulla. 'It is not right to say thatentire Kashmir is burning or Valley haserupted in protests'. Claiming that hisgovernment was not harsh on Kash-mir youths, Abdullah cited figures onimposition of Public Safety Act (PSA),civil killings, rapes and molestationsetc to point out that they were veryless during one year tenure of the coa-

Can't keep J&K hostage tostone pelters

lition Government as compared tothree years term of Mufti MohammadSayeed led Government from 2002 to2005. He said the PDP Governmenthad imposed PSA on 1231 personsduring its three year tenure while the

NC Government used the Act on only370 persons so far. He revealed thatas against 2205 civilian deaths dur-ing Mufti Government, only 94 civil-ians were killed in one year of NC re-gime. In six year term of FarooqAbdullah Government (1996-2002), 11cases of rape and five cases of moles-

tation were reported while the numberwent up to 38 and 37 respectively dur-ing Mufti's term. Even, the number ofrape and molestation cases was just13 and seven respectively duringGhulam Nabi Azad's tenure, he pointedout. Asserting that 2009 witnessed low-est attacks and killings in last two de-cades, he, however, said that infiltra-tion during 2009 has gone up as com-pared to 2008. Even in less than twomonths of current year, there had beenmany infiltration attempts with firing,shelling and fence cutting reportedfrom the borders every third day.

bleeding," said Shakeel Beigh, SSPBaramulla. He was rushed to thedistrict hospital where he was de-clared dead. "Since the infant wasalready ailing, he could not be

saved." A four-year-old boy also sus-tained injuries during the attack.Irfan was the fifth and the young-est victim in Kashmir since stonethrowing incidents began in January.


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Chief Minister, Omar Abdullahalong with a delegation of business leaders and top officials

met the Union Finance Minister,Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi onFebruary 13 and presented case ofJ&K for extension of North-EastPackage-2007 to the State as well,apart from already operational pack-age of 2002. He said it is the con-

cern of entire country to bring outthe State from all such industrial ail-ments which were caused as a resultof two decade turmoil. The ChiefMinister said it is the endeavor ofhis Government to ensure massiveinvestment in the sectors of Indus-try and Commerce in the State sothat better and respectable employ-ment opportunities are created forthe youth. He said as per 2002 pack-age given to the State, hundred per-cent excise refund is provided andtherefore the provisions are requiredto be implemented in letter and

Demand for special industrial packagespirit and all such Income Tax claimcases are required to be withdrawn.While discussing scenario of theState, Abdullah said strength of theindustrial sector, which had respect-able position two decades ago on in-dustrial map of the country, is re-quired to be restored back so thatthe State ushered in a new era ofprosperity and affluence. He said all

activities in tourism, handicrafts,health, floriculture and horticulturesectors have to be given full patron-age so that they are not only able todevelop but play a key role in overallgrowth. Omar said with the exten-sion of North-East package ''our ho-teliers, service providing sectors andother key players in tourism and ad-venture tourism, industrial trainingincluding handicrafts, handlooms,bio-tech training, nursing training anddifferent institutions and entrepre-neurs associated with floriculture andhorticulture will be benefited''. Mr

Mukherjee appreciated theendeavours of Mr Abdullah for his con-cern to boost industrial scenario inJ&K and give new confidence to theentrepreneurs. He assured him thatall appropriate steps will be taken todevelop all sectors associated withindustries and commerce in theState. He said his Ministry is cautiousof the fact that during last 20 years

all the sectors could not keep pace inthe State because of prevailing situ-ation. The Chief Minister was accom-panied by Minister for Industries andCommerce, S S Slathia, Principal Sec-retary, Industries and Commerce, AnilGoswami, Commissioner-Secretary,Finance, Sudhanshu Pandey, presidentFCIK, Syed Shakeel Qalander, repre-sentative of KCCI, Rouf Punjabi, presi-dent JCCI, Y V Sharma, president CII,J&K, Sanjay Puri, president PHDChamber of Commerce, J&K, Vikrant,Afaaq Qadri and other representativesof the Industry.

F

or the first time since launch ofcross-LoC trade on Poonch-Rawlakote route in October 2008,

the business from both sides on twodays of the week crossed Rs 10 croreon March 10. Import-exports fromChakan-Da-Bagh cross-LoC pointwere valued at Rs 5.97 crore on firstday of the week while on second daythey stood at Rs 4.32 crore totalingRs 10.29 crore. Cross-LoC trade isconducted every Tuesday and Wednes-day. In February it was suspended fortwo weeks by the traders in supportof their demands including lifting ofban on import of dal moong from Paki-stan administered Kashmir. A jump incross-LoC trade is being attributed tolifting of ban on import of dal moong bythe traders of this part of divided Statefrom PaK. Dal moong has a very highdemand by the traders of this side dueto huge variation of process in two partsof divided State. Traders in PaK werenot in a position to meet the high de-mand of dal moong from the traders ofthis side as only 25 trucks are allowedto exchange sides from one part of di-vided State to the other in one day.

Cross-LoC trade: Scaling heights

A j ump in cross-LoC t rade is being at t r ibutedt o li f t ing of ban on import of dal moong by t het raders of t his part of divided St ate f rom PaK.Dal moong has a very high demand by t he t rad-ers of t his side due to huge vari at ion of process

in t wo part s of di vided St ate.

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219 Kashamiri Pandits KilledSince 1989

The Jammu and Kashmir government told the Legislative Assembly on March 23 that 219

Kashmiri Pandits were killed by mili-tants since 1989 while 24,202 fami-lies were among the total 38,119families which migrated out of theValley due to turmoil. Revenue Min-ister Raman Bhalla told the Assem-bly that "219 Pandits were killed inKashmir from 1989 to 2004. From2004, no killing of any person fromthe community [Kashmiri Pandits]took place till now," Bhalla said. Atotal number of 38,119 families com-

prising 1,42,042 Kashmiri migrants

were registered with the Revenueand Relief Ministry till now. The Min-ister said the government had alsopaid an ex gratia of Rs.1 lakh foreach death. "Besides, an amount ofRs. 39,64,91,838 has been paid ascompensation to the Pandits on ac-count of damage to their propertiessince the eruption of militancy," hesaid. An amount of Rs.71.95 crorewas spent in providing relief andother facilities to the Kashmiri mi-grants living in Jammu and otherparts in 2007-08, Rs.70.33 crore in2008-09 and Rs.68.59 crore from

2009 up to January, 2010.

Astudy conducted by sociologist

Prof Bashir Ahmed Dabla of theUniversity of Kashmir has

claimed that two decades of conflictin Jammu and Kashmir has renderedmore than 32000 women as widowsand more than 97000 children as or-phans. 'A Sociological Study of Wid-ows and Orphans' claimed that thenumber of widows grew up from16000 in 2000 to 32400 in 2008. Itsays sudden death of male membershas shattered thousands of familiesleaving behind impoverished and

emotionally traumatized widows andorphans. However, the study revealsthat condition of widows and orphansof security forces was better as com-pared to those of militants or civilians."The widows and orphans belonging tomilitary, security and police forces havebeen taken care of properly by provid-ing pension and other monetary ben-efits to widows and scholarships-fel-lowships and reservation for orphansby their respective organisations. Butat the same time, dominant majorityof widows and orphans belonging to ex-militants and common people suffer

extremely." "Neither state nor NGOshave been able to help them in anorganised and systematic manners. The

Militancy fallout: 97000Orphans, 32000 Widows

tragic aspect of the situation is thatthe state has not adopted any specificsocial policy and programme in thisregard. Their problems accumulate andintensify day-by-day," it reveals. Onhow can be condition of widows andorphans improved, the study suggests:"For the welfare of widows and orphans,a 3-tier effort system is necessary. In-dividuals, society-community and thestate must share responsibilities in

terms of coordination, organisationand effective implementation of rel-evant programmes."

Over 1.38lakh cases

underRoshni

The state Government re

ceived about 2,56,844

applications under Roshni Actfor vesting of ownership rights. Of

these, 1,38,962 applications have

been disposed off whereas the

pending cases are in progress.

((

'A Sociol ogicalSt udy of Widows

and Orphans'claimed that t he

number ofwidows grew upf rom 16000 in

2000 t o 32400 in2008.


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Former foreign minister of Pakistan Khursheed Mehmood Kasuridisclosed on April 27 in Lahore

that the agreement on Kashmir,worked out through back-channel di-plomacy, was an interim one, and wassubject to review after 15 years. Talk-ing to the Pakistani newspaper TheNews Khursheed Kasuri claimed thePakistani and Indian sides at thattime had the realisation that in viewof the history of Jammu and Kashmirdispute, no solution that they couldthink of would be an ideal one. Hetermed that agreement on Kashmirthe best possible under the circum-stances. "We were aware of the factthat there would be an overwhelm-

ing support for this agreement; butwe also realised that there would becriticism from some sections in Kash-mir, Pakistan and India," he said,adding that it was impossible to of-fer a solution which could be accept-able to everyone. Kasuri said theydecided that the arrangement theyhad arrived at would need a reviewafter 15 years of its announcement.During this period, its implementa-tion would be monitored by all par-

Contours of 'Kashmir Pact'

ties concerned and, in the light of theexperience, this arrangement couldfurther be improved. He said thewater issue was not discussed as a

crucial matter at that time; the agree-ment on Kashmir was being negotiated.However, the management of water wasone of the issues included in the jointmechanism. He claimed that the jointmechanism was apart from the IndusBasin Treaty, which was the basis ofwater sharing arrangement between thetwo countries. Kasuri said the basis ofthe agreement was the assumption thatPakistan and India had tried everythingin their power to enforce their version

of a Kashmir settlement. "They havefought five wars, including two minorones in the Rann of Katch and Kargil.There have been various mobilisationsof troops, including the largest onesince First World War (OperationParakram), in which one million soldiersremained eyeball-to-eyeball for almosta year," Kasuri claimed. He said thenuclear parity had been established inSouth Asia after the nuclear tests Indiaand Pakistan conducted, making war be-tween the two countries nearly impos-sible. Reacting to the criticism by SyedAli Geelani of his statement on the re-ported Kashmir agreement, Kasuriclaimed that he had great respect forAli Geelani for his being a freedom

fighter, but he disagreed with him thatthe solution that was envisaged forKashmir would have led to further dis-turbances in the valley and that thepeople of the valley would never haveacquiesced in a settlement that he de-scribed as one perpetuating the statusquo. Giving reasons for his disagree-ment, he said the whole purpose of thedisagreement was to improve the com-fort level of the Kashmiris by the gradualdemilitarisation.

Kasuri sai d t hebasi s of t he

agreement was t heassumpt i on t hat

Paki st an and India hadt r i ed ever yt hing in

t hei r power t o enforcet hei r vers ion of a

Kashmir settlement.

In a significant development, Indiaand Pakistan announced on June 1that they have resolved at the

meeting of the Permanent IndusWater Commission in New Delhi theissue of water flows in the Chenabriver being affected during the ini-tial filling of the Baglihar dam in2008. Pakistan has decided not toraise the matter further. However,the differences on the design of the

45 MW Nimoo Bazgo hydel project onthe Indus river in Leh district re-mained at the end of the third dayof talks here on Tuesday. The matterwill be discussed further in the nextround of talks to be held in Pakistanthis or the next month. "We haveresolved the differences on the ini-tial filling of the Baglihar dam (inDoda district in Jammu and Kashmir)in 2008 in a spirit of cooperation andgoodwill," Pakistan's Indus Commis-sioner Jamait Ali Shah, who headsthe country's delegation, said in NewDelhi. He said Pakistan felt the pro-

Baglihar dispute resolved

cedures and parameters in the Indus Waters Treaty were not followed duringthe initial filling of the dam, resulting in reduction of flows in the Chenabnear the Marala headworks. However, during the talks, "India gave the assur-ance that it will be careful in future and Pakistan has accepted that in spirit ofcooperation and goodwill." Sources on the Indian side confirmed that theissue was resolved but asserted that the "filling of the Baglihar dam was inaccordance with the treaty and the differences were on the manner in whichthe water flows were measured." Pakistan's objections had come after a WorldBank appointed expert had adjudicated on the dispute between India andPakistan on the design of the run of the river dam. On the Nimoo Bazgoproject, Mr. Shah said his country had objections on six counts. "India said itwould come back with requisite information after a week. We hope the mat-ter is resolved amicably in the Commission.


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In a landmark decision, the Government of India approves throwing100 high altitude Himalayan peaks

in Ladakh to the foreign tourists, forthe first time. The move by the gov-ernment to allow foreign climbersfollows a significant decline in mili-tant violence. Before the start of the

Ladakh peaks opened to foreignersinsurgency by separatists in 1989, hundreds of thousands of tourists flockedto the region to enjoy the glacier-fed streams flowing through the forestsand grasslands or lounge on houseboats floating on Srinagar's Dal Lake. Thegovernment in Jammu-Kashmir declared 2010 a 'visit Kashmir year' followingan improvement in the security situation. The decision has been taken at thehighest level and nearly 100 peaks in Ladakh region are open for trekkingand mountaineering. These peaks are situated at an altitude ranging from3,000 metres to nearly 8,000 metres.

P

rime Minister Manmohan Singh,on June 8, announced a slew ofsops amounting to over Rs.

1,000 crore for Jammu and Kashmir,assuring the State that the Centrewould do all it could to support it."Things have improved considerably,fund utilisation is better, but muchmore remains to be done," said Dr.Singh, winding up his two-day visitto the State during which he held dis-cussions with Chief Minister OmarAbdullah and interacted with lead-ers of various political parties. ThePrime Minister ordered restorationof cuts amounting to Rs. 400 croreto the State plan outlay for 2009-10.He also announced that the Centre

had decided to dispense with the cut-back of Rs. 691 crore in this year'soutlay in the reconstruction plan, thePrime Minister's Media Adviser said

PM's Rs.1,000-crore Sops For J&Kin a statement. Dr. Singh expressed disappointment that a section of Stategovernment employees often responded to bandh calls by separatist groupsand failed to discharge their duties in the service of the people, the state-ment said. The Prime Minister, who had a one-on-one meeting with the ChiefMinister before leaving for Delhi, took note of complaints on human rights.Visiting the State amid allegations of fake encounters, Dr. Singh sent out afirm message to security forces, saying "the government policy is to protecthuman rights of the people even when dealing with terrorism. The securityforces in Jammu and Kashmir have been strictly instructed to respect the rightsof civilians. We will act to remove any deficiency in the implementation ofthese instructions." Noting that three Round-Table Conferences had been con-vened with participation from many in civil society and other political groups,the Prime Minister said the recommendations of these deliberations were be-ing implemented in a step-wise manner. Making a fresh offer of talks withthose groups which shunned violence, he said the process of talks could beextended. Dr. Singh, who reviewed development works with Mr. Abdullah, notedthat Jammu and Kashmir was "doing well" on flagship programmes. Mr. Abdullahassured Dr. Singh that local bodies elections would be held in October-Novem-

ber this year. The Prime Minister said: "It is heartening to note that the Statehas gone in for tariff-based bids even for hydro projects." Dr. Singh assured Mr.Abdullah of financial support, including on account of difficulties in the imple-mentation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, the statement said.

An estimated 4,000 police and Central Reserve Police Force personneland 504 civilians were injured in the violent clashes in the KashmirValley during four months of unrest. According to Polices spokesman

504 civilians suffered injuries when security forces were engaged in control-ling scores of law and order situations. Of them, 156 were injured in Srinagaralone. In Kulgam district, four sustained injuries. At the same time, "in thehundreds of violent incidents of stone-pelting and arson resorted to by mis-creants, 2660 police personnel suffered injuries, both grievous and other."Again, Srinagar district topped with injuries to policemen (640). It was fol-lowed by Baramulla (503) and Handwara (42). Similarly, 1351 CRPF personnelsuffered serious and other injuries. "Besides, one policeman lost his life inmob violence. One SHO Pattan Fayaz Ahmed was injured when militants firedat a mob," the spokesman said. During this period, 78 pieces of built-upproperty, comprising 44 offices of various departments, 29 police stations,

4000 securitymen injuredin three months

and five police posts were set ablaze."Mobs set on fire and damaged 31government vehicles, including 22police vehicles. Not only this, 23houses of policemen were torched ordamaged, and nine private vehiclesof policemen set ablaze. However, inthe S.K. Institute of Medical Sciences(SKIMS) alone, 599 people were re-

ported injured in first three monthsof unrest. It is the biggest tertiaryhospital in Srinagar. Sources in thehospital said 599 people, who re-ceived firearms injury, were admittedto the hospital. Of them, 23 died oftheir injuries. The hospital is still treat-ing 31people. During this period, 3080surgeries were conducted and 5682underwent CT scan and MRI tests. Fig-ures show that 46 ambulances, includ-ing those of Sri Mahraja Hari SinghHospital, Bone and Joint Hospital andDirectorate of Health Service weredamaged in stone-pelting.

2A N N U A L R EV I E W

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Asurvey gauging the public opinion in Jammu and Kashmir on both sides

of Line of Control, results of which were announced on May 26, showsstartling results. Conducted by Robert Bradnock - an associate fellow at

the Chatham House think-tank in London claims that unemployment and othereconomic issues, for example, rank high across the whole of Jammu andKashmir on both sides of LoC. At first glance economic problems seem to bethe top priority in the minds of many Kashmiris, and more important thansolving the dispute itself. Yet when asked how important the dispute was tothem personally, 80% overall said it was very important - 75% in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and 82% in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.The search for a solution is thus urgently felt. On many other issues, how-ever, opinions were sharply divided, notably by geographical distribution.The headline figures of 44% (in Pakistan-administered Kashmir) and 43% (inthe Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir) opting for independence, for ex-ample, conceals wide regional disparities. While in the predominantly MuslimKashmir Valley in Indian side of Jammu and Kashmir, the proportion in favourof independence ranged from 74%-95%. But in the four districts of the pre-dominantly Hindu Jammu, there was virtually no support for independence atall. In response to the question 'Will an end to militant violence help to end

the conflict?' opinion ranged from 0% in Rajouri to 98% in Anantnag and Kathua,while in Pakistan-administered Kashmir it ranged from 27% in Kotli to 75% inBagh. Resolution This was a professionally designed and implemented poll. Itworked with Ipsos MORI (based in London) on the poll's design. FACTS World-wide (Mumbai) and Aftab Associates Private Limited (Pakistan) used speciallytrained interviewers to carry out the face-to-face interviews in four languages.It was funded by a charitable organisation run by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, theson of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Dr Gaddafi's foundation had alreadybeen funding development projects among Kashmiri refugees in Pakistan andIndia. Three quarters of all Kashmiris - on both sides of the LoC - believe thatall sides of Kashmiri opinion should be consulted in negotiations over thefuture of Kashmir. An optimistic sign is the apparent sense of flexibility amongmany Kashmiris in seeking a solution. Only 27% of all Kashmiris are in favourof the LoC in its present form (22% in Pakistani-administered Kashmir and29% in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.) All-or-nothing In three dis-

tricts in Kashmir valley support for the present LoC falls to 1%, while in Kargil

First Cross-LoC survey onfuture of Kashmir

it is 0%. However, if the movementacross the LoC were to be fullyliberalised, support for keeping theLoC rises dramatically to 85% over-all. Even in the Kashmir valley it risesto over 80%, and in Pakistan-admin-istered Kashmir to over 90%. It is

perhaps the attitudes to the LoC thatare most significant. Both Pakistanand India have been very reluctantto consider openly any question thatthe LoC might be made permanent.For Pakistan in particular the issuehas been presented in all-or-nothingterms, and the possibility that theLoC might be made permanent hasbeen taboo - as it is for some majorKashmiri groups. Yet there are manysigns that the LoC has become a defacto part of life, and for some a vitalpart of their security. Indeed, only8% said that they were not in favourof the LoC in any form. As the pollshowed, while 8% of the total popu-lation claimed to have friends orfamily on the other side, less than1% had visited the other side of theLoC in the last five years. In this lightit is not surprising that in Poonch andRajouri, two key border districts inthe Indian state of Jammu and Kash-mir, more than 90% are in favour ofkeeping the LoC. The conversion ofthe LoC to a 'soft' border reportedlyplayed a large part in the Musharrafgovernment's back channel talkswith India. The poll finding thatacross Kashmir around one quarterare strongly opposed to changing theLoC while a further half would ac-cept it if it is liberalised gives astrong signal that this could be afruitful area for further negotiation.And the poll shows that there is moreroom than many had anticipated inKashmiri opinion itself for negotia-tion. The bigger question is whetherthe governments of India and Paki-stan have the confidence, the powerand the goodwill to meet the urgentaspirations of the Kashmiris for a

peaceful and permanent settlement.

I am grieved more than anyone else

Chief Minister Omar Abdullahsaid, on September 30, he wouldnot indulge in politicking over

the death of youth killed during on-going unrest in Kashmir valley but ex-pressed hope that their sacrificeswould benefit Jammu and Kashmir. 'I

am not ready to do politics over 109

deaths and I am not ready to change the condolence resolution into a politicalresolution, but me and my God know that I am saddened more than anybodyelse here about the loss of precious lives,' Omar said in Legislative Assembly.'I feel like somebody has put a hand into my chest and pulled out 109 piecesfrom my heart. Somebody fired the bullets but I feel like the gun was on mychest, on my shoulder,' he said. 'If the State is benefitted by these sacrifices,I will feel it is much better than death penalty to the culprits. If the State

benefits, I feel these sacrifices have not gone waste,' he said.

The conversion of t he LoC t o a 'soft ' border r epor t edlyplayed a large part in t he Musharr af government 's back

channel t alks wi t h India. The poll f inding t hat acrossKashmir around one quart er ar e st rongly opposed to

changing t he LoC while a fur t her half would accept it i fit is li beral ised gives a st rong signal t hat t his could be

a fr uit ful area for furt her negoti at ion.


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Jammu and Kashmir will generate20,000 megwatts (MW) from solar energy by 2020, mostly in

Ladakh region of the state, union New

and Renewable Energy Minister FarooqAbdullah said. 'The use of solar en-ergy will help maintain the balanceof environment,' Abdullah said in apublic meeting in Drass, on June 14.Drass is known as the gateway toLadakh. Possibilities will also be ex-plored to produce more power fromwater and wind energy to minimisethe huge expenditure incurred onexploitation of conventional source ofenergy, he said. Abdullah said hisministry has sanctioned Rs.473 crore

J&K to Generate 20,000 MWFrom Solar Energy By 2020

to generate solar power in Ladakhwhere people have very little accessto conventional electricity. He saidthat people interested in installing

solar heating devices in their houseswill be provided interest-free loansfrom the banks. Eleven hydro elec-tric power projects are under execu-tion in the area which on completionwill produce about 12 MW of power,a press release said. The statementsaid the minister 'instructed the con-cerned officers to exploit the natu-ral resources to harness the powerpotential available in the area andto make proper use of funds ear-marked for the specific projects.'

I

n a major policy shift, the PAK Prime Minister advised, on July 6, Pakistan Government not to link ongoing negotiations with India to resolu

tion of the Kashmir issue, saying this is not the right time as Islamabad'sposition is 'quite weak' due to 'internal vulnerabilities'. Raja Farooq Haidersuggested that Pakistan should first resolve 'small irritants and controver-sial issues' before finally sorting out the 'core issue of Kashmir.' He saidthat Pakistan and India should maintain status quo on Kashmir for 'sometime.' He said he believed that India and Pakistan 'should resolve otherissues before taking up Kashmir.' It would be 'wiser for Pakistan to wait forthe right time to restart negotiations' on the Kashmir issue, Haider said.He explained that he was giving this advice because he believed 'this wasnot the right time for Pakistan to press for a Kashmir settlement.' At themoment, Pakistan is facing a 'formidable security challenge from the mili-tants' and is not in a position to effectively fight the case of Kashmir, headded. Haider said that his comments did not mean a 'reversal of Pakistan'straditional stand on Kashmir, as many emotional people might instantlytry to infer.' 'What I am trying to suggest is that this is not the right time

to negotiate Kashmir with the Indians as Islamabad's position is obviously

Put Kashmir issue on hold: PaK PMquite weak because of its internalvulnerabilities,' he said. Askedabout former military ruler PervezMusharraf's four-point proposal toresolve the Kashmir issue, Haidersaid no Kashmiri would have ac-cepted it. Haider backed the pro-posal to give the status of MostFavoured Nation (MFN) to India andto allow the country to use Pakistaniterritory as a transit route fortrade, including with Afghanistan.He also strongly backed India's in-clusion in the Pakistan-Iran gaspipeline project. However, he con-tended that the Pakistani media isnot giving importance to the cur-

rent protest in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Income Tax department, on October 27, asked hardliner separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani to pay Rs 1.73crore in tax dues over a period when he had not filed his returns after rejecting his appeal. The IT sleuths, whohad swooped on residences of Geelani and his family members in 2002 and seized valuable items including a

diamond-studded watch gifted by Pakistan Government, had raised a tax demand of over Rs 1.5 crore. Geelanichallenged the demand and approached the Commissioner of Income Tax (appeals) for review of the case and alsosought a waiver, saying he did not earn anything other than the pension from Government of Jammu and Kashmir andfrom agriculture land. The case dragged on for nearly three years and recently the appeal was dismissed after whichhe was asked to deposit Rs 1.73 crore as tax liabilities by the end of 2010. The department had raided Geelani's houseand other places of his kin on June 9, 2002 and seized Rs 10.2 lakh and 10,000 US dollars in cash, vouchers showingpurchase of substantial amount of jewellery, a diamond-encrusted watch inscribed with 'From Pakistan Government'

besides documents pertaining to purchase of property and vehicles.

Rs 1.7 Crore IT notice to Geelani

Taing awardedwriter inResidence

Renowned writer of the J&KState, Mohammad Yousuf Taingwas, October 7, conferred

"writer in Residence" by Sahitya Acad-

emy, New Delhi on his literary works.Taing can write his critics at homefor which the Sahitya Academy shallpay him the stipend for encouraginghis literary capabilities. This awardis conferred to the renowned writersin different languages of the countryfor which a committee of experts isconstituted by the Academy. M Y Tainghas been selected for this award bythe committee in Kashmiri languagefor his contribution for the promo-tion of Kashmiri culture.


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Despite allegation of accesses, the Army said that the basic reason behind the flare up in the Kashmir Valley is the failure to build on the gainsthat had been made by the security forces in the troubled state. Army

Chief General V K Singh said on July 11 that the Kashmir situation has beentense for quite some time and the reasons are many. The basic reason beingthat 'we have not been able to build on the gains that have been made'. Singhsaid the army had brought the situation under control to a certain level fromwhere other steps should have been taken to carry forward the process andbring peace in the Valley. 'So far as the army is concerned, I think as securityforces, a lot of work has been done. The situation has been brought to aparticular level when other initiatives should have started to make way forbetterment,' he said. Elaborating on the steps required to contain the volatilesituation, he said: 'First of all, there has to be concerted efforts to identify

Kashmir eruption due to failure onharnessing gains: Army the miscreants behind the violentprotests.' 'There are few. There are

people who are passing instructions

on phone. They have to be identified.There are people financing the pro-tests. They must be identified,' Singhsaid. He said it was for the local admin-istration and elected representatives towin the confidence of the common manand convince him to stay away from theprotests. 'How do we connect with thecommon man and build confidence inhim so that he can stay away from allthis? This is both an administrativemeasure as well as it depends on theelected leaders out there at variouslevels,' the general said.

The Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, the powerful body of Deobandi clerics, backedthe demand to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and remove security forces and barricades from civilian areas in J&K on Octo-

ber 10. In a resolution adopted at its Kashmir Conference organized in Delhi,the JuH also demanded an independent inquiry commission to probe humanrights violations and trace 'thousands of lost and missing youths', repeal thePublic Safety Act, and ensure compensation to victims. It asked for the prom-ise of a special economic package to be kept, and asked the Centre to take

other steps to facilitate a settlement 'within the framework of the Constitu-tion'. This is the first time JuH has taken up the Kashmir issue. The resolu-tion stressed, 'We don't consider interests of the Kashmiri people to be sepa-rate from the interests of Indian Muslims.' It also called all like-minded peopleand organisations to campaign for peace and justice in Kashmir and 'thwartenemy forces bent upon disintegration of Kashmir'. When asked why were

Deoband: J&K's future best with Indiathey silent so long, All India MuslimPersonal Law Board's Kamal Farooquisaid, 'Muslims were not comfortabletalking about Kashmir for fear of get-ting branded and harassment by policeand intelligence agencies.' Asked aboutthe prospect of resolution of the Kash-mir issue, he said, 'The country is in areconciliatory mood, be it on J&K or

Ayodhya. So, reconciliation within theIndian Constitution is the way out. Anoverwhelming section of Kashmiriswant it, too. Which stupid person wouldwant to go with Pakistan?'

The J&K government, October 9,

passed a bill in the LegislativeAssembly making it incumbent

on all consumers to pay for usingwater. According to the Jammu andKashmir Water Resources (Regulationand Management) Bill, 2010, every-one, including national hydropowerprojects and those who keep animalsfor commercial purposes, will betaxed. So far, only households havebeen paying water tax, but theamount levied is a pittance. The taxis expected to generate Rs 850 croreevery year. The move is being seenas an innovative way to make the

Water tax: J&K to make Rs 850 CroresCentre pay for generating power through projects in the state and make up

for the losses as a result of the Indus water treaty with Pakistan. The bill wasmoved by Taj Mohiuddin, the minister in charge of public health engineering,irrigation and flood control, and passed by voice vote in the Legislative Assem-bly. It will now be sent to the Legislative Council, for ratification. The legisla-tion envisages that any power generation company, whether owned by the state,Centre or a private consortium, will have to pay for water used for generatingelectricity. "Our preliminary estimates reveal that we will generate Rs 850 croreannually even if only 2 paise per cubic ton of water is charged from the powercompanies," Taj said. It is seen that the Jammu and Kashmir government wouldbenefit primarily from the NHPC-run projects which use the state's water re-sources for power generation but pay only 12 per cent royalty. What this meansis that if a project run by the NHPC, a Government of India enterprise, gener-ates 100MW, the state's share will be 12MW. Jammu and Kashmir has an esti-mated hydropower potential of 20,000MW, out of which 2,456MW have beenharnessed so far in the state. Most of the power is generated by the NHPC.


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Masarat Alam and Aasiya Andrabiare two well known faces in

Kashmir's separatist politicallandscape but the prominence theyassumed in 2010 was beyond anyone'simagination. Who controls Kashmirhas always been subject to debate.When it comes to stirring the sepa-ratists sentiments, the separatistcamp itself falls out at the first instaking claims over control of differ-ent areas. Throughout the violentsummer of 2010, the hardliner sepa-ratist Syed Ali Shah Geelani remainedmostly in jails. In his absence,Masarat Alam, who also remained inhiding, cal

epilogue magazine, december 2010

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