kashmir insight march2016
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INSIGHT
KASHMIR
Monthly
22nd Year of Publication
March 2016
Vol: 22 No. 03
Arrest of Kashmiriintellectual in
Delhi rocks IOK
Glowing tributespaid to Maqbool Butt,
Afzal Guru
Amnesty Internationalconcerned over HR
violations in IOK
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“Kashmir is the jugular vein of Pakistan. The only solution to theKashmir dispute is the holding of plebiscite in Jammu andKashmir in accordance with the UN resolutions. Pakistan remainssteadfast on its stance on Kashmir and its stand on the issue willremain unchanged.”
(President Mamnoon Hussain while talking to a delegation of Hurriyet leaders in Islamabad, February 4, 2016)
Kashmir is jugular vein of Pakistan
“Differences between countries are not unusual, but not being ableto resolve these issues for decades is a matter of concern. People ofIndian occupied Kashmir in 2016 are still fighting for freedom theway they did in 1947. However, time has come for the leadership ofPakistan and India to resolve all the matters including the core
issue of Jammu and Kashmir.”(Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif addressing joint session of
AJK Legislative Assembly and the AJK Council, in Muzaffarbad, February 5, 2016)
Time ripe for Kashmir settlement
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India – a mockery of democracy
KASHMIR INSIGHT MARCH 2016 02
India claims to be the largestdemocracy of the world and a secularcountry but it has always furtheredthe interests of Hindu majority. Rightfrom its independence in 1947, Indiahas been ruled by Hindu Brahmanswho have been suppressing all non-Brahman Hindus particularly Dalitsand minority communities includingMuslims, Sikhs and Christians andtreating them as second class citizens.Muslims had been the prime victimsof every regime - no matter it is led byCongress or Bharatiya Janata Party. Inall these years, Congress has
suppressed minorities in the garb ofd e m o c r a c y b u t t h e p r e s e n tgovernment led by BJP leader,Narendra Modi, in its tenure ofalmost two years has crossed alllimits. In order to implementHindutva ideology, it has given RSSa n d o t h e r e x t r e m i s t H i n d uorganisations a free hand to forciblyconvert the members of minoritycommunities especially Muslims andChristians to Hinduism. It is alsotrying to impose its extremist
ideology in occupied Kashmir.It is heartening that some sane voicesfrom within the country have startedto rise against the extremist agenda ofBJP and i ts al l ied r ightwingorganisat ions l ike Rashtr iyaSwayamsevak Sangh, Shiv Sena,Bajrang Dal and Vishwa HinduParishad.The Madras High Court Judge, JusticeC S Karnan, addressing media at thegates of the court said that India was aracist nation and he was ashamed to
be born in the country. He alsodeclared that he will cancel hisbirthright and migrate to a countrywhere there is no racism. He said thisafter the Supreme Court ordered thatno work be allocated to him (becauseof his Dalit background).Noted Indian writer and professor ofpolitical science at Jawaharlal NehruUniversity in Delhi, Nivedita Menon,delivering a lecture in the universitysaid that the world believed India was
illegally occupying Jammu and
Kashmir. She said that the real storyof Kashmir's annexation was nevertaught to Indians and they were only
told that Kashmir was an integral partof India. Professor Nivedita Menonmaintained that the accession ofKashmir was done on the conditionthat once the situation was undercontrol, a plebiscite will be held,which never happened.R e n o w n e d I n d i a n a u t h o r s ,Arundhat i Roy and GautumNavlakha, in their writings have timea n d a g a i n h i g h l i g h t e d t h esuppression of minorities in India andthe people of occupied Kashmir. Butunfortunately, Indian authoritieshave always resorted to brutal tacticsto muzzle such voices. This staterepression is evident from thedetention of Kashmiri intellectual,Professor Syed Abdur RehmanGilani, and the President of StudentsU n i o n o f J a w a h a r l a l N e h r uUniversity, New Delhi, KanhaiyaKumar, under sedition charges. Theywere booked in connection with twoseparate functions held in Delhi on
the martyrdom anniversary ofKashmiri martyr, Muhammad AfzalGuru, on 9th February where theparticipants had raised questionsabout his secret hanging.Even the London-based globalhuman rights watchdog, AmnestyInternational in its recently releasedannual report for 2015-16 expressedconcern over growing intolerance inIndia and the gross human rightsviolations committed by Indian
troops in occupied Kashmir.The world community must take
cognisance of the plight of minorities
in India and the people of occupied
Kashmir. It should made New Delhi
understand that democracy did not
mean only holding of elections and
formation of governments but it also
required protection of social, political
and religious rights - which it is
denying to its citizens and the people
of occupied Kashmir.
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Cover Story
Pakistanis, at home and acrossthe world, observed KashmirSolidarity Day on February 5,2016, to express unity with thepeople of Indian occupiedKashmir in their struggle forsecuring their inalienable right toself-determination and to paytributes to the sacrifices of theKashmiri martyrs.Since 1990, the day is annuallymarked to support the indige-nous struggle of the Kashmiripeople, their right to self-
determination and to condemnIndia’s illegal occupation of
Jammu and Kashmir. Thegovernment and people ofPakistan have been observing theday to express solidarity with theKashmiri brethren of the occu-pied territory who are facing theworst kind of Indian stateterrorism for the past almostseven decades.Although, the Kashmir Solidarity
Day is being observed since 1990,
but this year the observance was
unique in many ways and was abefitting response to the Indianpropaganda that Pakistan haslowered its support to the peopleof Kashmir. All TV channels andRadio Stations ran marathontransmissions highlighting theIndian brutalities on the innocentpeople of occupied Kashmir andvarious aspects of the Kashmirdispute. The government ofPakistan sent solidarity messagesthrough mobile services. Bannerswith slogans of solidarity andunity with the Kashmiris wereerected in all cities.The day dawned with specialprayers for the early liberation of
Jammu and Kashmir from theIndian bondage and prosperityand stability of Pakistan. One-minute silence was observed at10.00 am. Human chains wereformed at Kohala and Manglabridges and other entry points of
Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-
Baltistan.
On this public holiday, people inlarge numbers joined rallies andattended seminars on the daywith traditional patriotic passion.The rallies were taken out in allcities of the country to highlightthe plight of Kashmiris and theatrocities being perpetrated onthem by Indian occupationalforces. Holding banners andplacards with slogans of freedomfor Kashmiris, the participants
called upon the world commu-nity to impress upon India tosettle the Kashmir dispute bygiving the people of Jammu andKashmir an opportunity todecide their fate by themselves.President, Mamnoon Hussain,and Prime Minister, MohammadNawaz Sharif, in their separatemessages on the occasion vowedt o c o n t i n u e P a k i s t a n ’ sunflinching moral, diplomaticand political support to the heroicstruggle of the people of Indian
KASHMIR INSIGHT MARCH 2016 03
Kashmiris mark India’s Republic Day as Black Dayashm iris m ark India’s Republic Day as lack DayKashmir Solidarity Day observedashm ir Solidarity Day observed
Pakistan's support to Kashmiris reaffirmedakistan s suppor t to Kashm iris reaffirmed
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occupied Kashmir for securingtheir right to self-determination.They urged the internationalcommunity to force New Delhi to
fulfill the promises made by itsleaders with the people of Jammuand Kashmir several decades agoof giving them their right to self-determination. They said thatpeace would continue to eludethe South Asian region until theKashmir dispute was resolved inaccordance with the Kashmiris’aspirations.Prime Minister, MohammadNawaz Sharif, addressing the
joint session of Azad Jammu andKashmir Legislative Assemblya n d t h e A J K C o u n c i l i nMuzaffarabad stressed the needfor dialogue between Pakistanand India for peaceful resolutionof the Kashmir dispute. “We arecommitted to a peaceful resolu-tion of the Kashmir dispute onthe basis of the United Nationsresolutions. We cannot forget ourKashmiri brethren,” he said.The Prime Minister said that the
durable peace could only beensured in South Asia throughresolution of the Kashmirconflict. “This region requires anew vision for peace. People ofthis region especially Kashmiriswant peace and are lookingtowards Pakistan and India for away out,” he said.T h e m e m b e r s o f S p e c i a l
Committee of National Assembly
on Kashmir presented a memo-randum to the UN representativein Islamabad. The memorandumcalled upon the World Body toimplement its resolutions andfulfill its promise of giving thepeople of Kashmir their right toself-determination by holding aplebiscite in Jammu and Kashmirwithout any further delay.The Committee demandedenhancement of the role of the
UN MilitaryO b s e r v e rG r o u p i nI n d i a a n dPakistan. Itm a i n t a i n e dt h a t a ni m p a r t i a linvestigations h o u l d b ec o n d u c t e di n t o t h e
u n m a r k e dmass gravesdiscovered in
occupied Kashmir.Hundreds of people took part in arally, which was taken out fromAabpara in Islamabad and wasorganised by Jamaat-e-Islami. Ahuman chain was also formed atKarachi Company in G-9Markaz.A festival "Kashmir Folk Craft"
was held at Lok Virsa in
Islamabad in connection with theKashmir Solidarity Day. Theobjective of the festival was toexpress unity with the people of
Jammu and Kashmir andpromote the Kashmiri culture.Different stalls were set up inwhich cultural entities andhandicrafts were displayed.An exhibition of photos depictingthe brutalities and human rightsviolations perpetrated by Indian
forces’ personnel in occupiedKashmir was held at theRawalpindi Arts Council. Morethan 150 pictures were displayedon the occasion.A rally was held in Rawalpindi toexpress solidarity with theKashmiri people. Hundreds ofpeople holding portraits andplacards with s logans ofKashmir’s freedom from Indiatook out the rally from Raja
Bazaar which culminated atLiaquat Bagh after passingthrough different markets of thecity.A large number of peopleattended rallies, demonstrations,seminars and other events inLahore, Karachi, Peshawar,Quetta, Sialkot, Sargodha,Faisalabad, Jhang, Bahawalpur,Bahawalnagar, Chakwal, Attock,Vehari, Hyderabad, Sukkur,
Khairpur, Larkana, Shikarpur,
Cover Story
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Cover Story
Ghotki, Naushahro Feroze,Mardan, Karak, Bannu, Mingora,
Jamrud, Timergara, Batkhela,Battagram, Bisham, Lakki
Marwat, Kohat, Landi Kotal,Ghallanai, Parachinar, Gilgit,Skardu and other cities of thecountry to show their unity withthe oppressed people of occupiedKashmir who had been facing theworst kind of Indian stateterrorism for the past over sixtyeight years. The speakers at theseevents, organised by differentreligious and political parties,deplored the failure of the UN in
the implementation of i tsresolutions on Kashmir despitethe passage of over six decades.People also organised rallies inall big and small cities of Azad
Jammu and Kashmir includingM u z a f f a r a b a d , M i r p u r ,Rawalakot, Kotli and Bhimbherand vowed that they were withtheir oppressed brethren of
occupied Kashmir in their hour
of trial. They appealed to theinternational community to stopIndian brutalities against thepeople of the occupied territoryand play its role in the settlementof the Kashmir dispute inaccordance with the Kashmiris’aspirations.Earlier on February 4, PresidentMamnoon Hussain while talkingto a delegation of Hurriyetleaders including Ghulam
Muhammad Safi, Muhammad
Farooq Rehmani, MahmoodAhmed Saghar and Mir TahirMasood in Islamabad said,Kashmir is Pakistan's jugularvein and Pakistan remainssteadfast on its stance onKashmir. He said that the bestsolution to the Kashmir disputewas holding of plebiscite in
Jammu and Kashmir in accor-dance with theU N r e s o l u -tions.The politicall e a d e r s o fPakistan andAzad Jammuand Kashmirc a l l e d f o rf i n d i n g asolution to thelongstandingK a s h m i rdispute in light
of the UN resolutions as they said
Pakistan is incomplete withoutKashmir. They also reiteratedtheir resolve to keep raising theirvoice at the international forumsto ensure that the Kashmiris gettheir right to self-determination.This resolve was made during‘Kashmir Solidarity Seminar’held under the auspices ofExpress Media Group onFebruary 3.The seminar was attended by
Information Minister, Pervaiz
Rashid, Jamaat-e-Islami Amir,Sirajul Haq, JUI-F Chief, MaulanaFazlur Rehman, AJK’s formerPrime Minister, Sardar AttiqueAhmed Khan, Senator Lt Gen(retd), Abdul Qayum Khan, PTIMNA, Ali Muhammad Khan,and AJK minister, Abdul MajidKhan.Addressing the seminar, PervaizRashid said that all the nations ofthe world and the UN acceptedthat the Kashmir dispute shouldbe resolved according to theaspirations of the Kashmiripeople. He said that in the pastPakistan and India came veryclose to the resolution of thedispute multiple times butalways some unseen powersstruck at the last moment andsucceeded in sabotaging thewhole initiative.Maulana Fazlur Rehman, whoalso heads Kashmir Committee
in the National Assembly, saidthat the only way to the resolu-tion of the Kashmir problem wasimplementation of the UNresolutions.Sirajul Haq said, Kashmir is not
just a problem of the Kashmiripeople but an issue related to thewhole Pakistani nation and theMuslim world.Rallies and seminars were alsoarranged in different parts of the
world to express solidarity with
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Cover Story
the Kashmiris.Pakistan Consul General ,Shehryar Akbar Khan, at theKashmir Solidarity Day event
held by Kashmir Committee in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, said thatthe international communityshould take notice of Indian stateterrorism in occupied Kashmirand settle the conflict overKashmir according to the UNresolutions.In Colombo, speakers at aseminar stressed the need forearly resolution of the Kashmirdispute according to the wishes
of the Kashmiri people. Thespeakers included Pakistan HighCommissioner, Syed ShakeelHussain, Chairmanof Kashmir StudyForum, Sri Lanka,
Ja ma luddin , ands e n i o r a n a l y s t ,Ameen Izzadeen.A seminar held incollaboration withKashmir SolidarityForum, Indonesia, atPakistani Embassy in
Jakarta was attendedb y s t u d e n t s o fvarious universities,Pakistani communityand media persons.The participants urged theinternational community toensure implementation of the UNresolutions on Kashmir.Kashmir Council EuropeanUnion (KCEU) organised a
demonstration and a one-daycamp in front of the EuropeanParliament in Brussels, thecapital of Belgium, to show unitywith the oppressed people ofoccupied Kashmir.People from all walks of life andrepresentatives of differentNGOs attended the event.On the occasion, the KCEUChairman, Ali Raza Syed, andother speakers said that they
would continue their efforts to
garner support for the people ofoccupied K a shmir in t heEuropean countries till resolu-tion of the Kashmir dispute.
“People of Kashmir are strug-gling peacefully for their right toself-determination and thereshould be plebiscite under UNsupervision in Jammu andKashmir,” they said.M e a n w h i l e , i n o c c u p i e dKashmir, people reciprocated theobservance of Kashmir SolidarityDay by Pakistanis with thestaging of forceful pro-Pakistanand pro-freedom demonstrationsin Srinagar, Hajin, Pulwama andother areas. A large number ofpeople took to the streets in
Srinagar and Hajin chantinghigh-pitched slogans in favour ofPakistan and freedom andagainst India. They also wavedPakistani flags. Indian policefired teargas shells and bullets to
disperse the protesters injuringseveral people including journal-ists.The Chairman of All PartiesHurriyet Conference, Syed AliGilani, in a statement in Srinagarsaid that in the present situationof the occupied territory, theKashmiris needed more supportfrom Pakistan in their strugglefor right to self-determination.Hurriyet leaders includingM i r w a i z U m a r F a r o o q ,
Muha mma d Ya s in Ma l ik ,
Shabbir Ahmed Shah, AasiyaAndrabi, Nayeem Ahmed Khan,Farida Bahenji, Zamruda Habib,Yasmeen Raja, Mukhtar Ahmed
Waza, Zafar Akbar Butt, FirdousAhmed Shah, Abdul Aziz Dar,Muhammad Shafi Reshi, AbdulMajeed Tramboo and illegallydetained Masarrat Aalam Butt intheir statements and messagesexpressed gratitude to thegovernment and the people ofPakistan for observing theKashmir Solidarity Day. Theysaid that Pakistan’s continuedsupport had always been asource of inspiration for the
Kashmiri people.The Kashmir Solidarity Dayobserved all over the world is
much more than ana nnua l event . I tshows the support ofPakistanis to the rightto self-determinationof the Kashmiris asrecognised by the UNa n d g o v e r n m e n trepresentatives of itsmember states. Theobservance demon-strates that sufferingpeople of Jammu andK a shmir deservea t t e n t i o n o f t h ei n t e r n a t i o n a lcommunity, which
should come forward in a bigway to play its role in settling theKashmir problem. It also sends aloud and clear message to Indiathat it has an obligation to fulfill
its commitments to give theKashmiris an opportunity todecide their fate by themselves.It is high time for the worldcommunity to take cognisance ofall these facts and use its influ-ence on India to reciprocatePakistan’s efforts for bringingabout a just and durable resolu-tion of the Kashmir conflict sothat the Kashmiris could also livewith honour and dignity likeother free people of the world.
( Humayun Aziz Sandeela)
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Report
In occupied Kashmir, completeshutdown was observed acrossthe territory on February 27,2016, against the detention ofKashmiri intellectual, ProfessorSyed Abdur Rehman Gilani, andwitch-hunting of Kashmiristudents in New Delhi.
Call for the strike was given bythe forum of 24 pro-freedomorganisat ions Al l Par t iesHurriyet Conference led by Syed
Ali Gilani and the Jammu andKashmir Liberation Front.
All shops and business establish-ments remained closed whiletraff ic was off the road.Attendance in banks, post offices
and government offices was thin,while all exams scheduled forFebruary 27 were postponed.Railway service was alsosuspended between Baramullaand Banihal.
Professor SAR Gilani wasarrested by Indian police after heattended the function held atPress Club of India in New Delhito commemorate the martyrdomanniversary of Kashmiri martyr,
Muhammad Afzal Guru, on 9th
February. He was charged withsedition after Hindu extremistsdemanded action against him.Speakers at the function hadraised questions over theexecution of Muhammad AfzalGuru who was secretly hangedby Indian authorities in NewDelhi’s Tihar Jail in 2013 and wasburied in the premises of theprison. The participants shoutedslogans in favour of Afzal Guru
and demanded justice for hisfamily.
Professor SAR Gilani’s arrestwas made on February 15 on theday when a group of lawyersassaulted students of Jawaharlal
Nehru University (JNU) as wellas some journalists at the PatialaHouse court. The violence brokeout in the court as the JNUStudents Union President,Kanhaiya Kumar, who wasarrested under sedition charges,was to be brought for hearing.Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested inconnection with an event held atthe JNU on the martyrdomanniversary of Muhammad
Afzal Guru.
Scores of students of KashmirUniversity in Srinagar heldprotest demonstrations in thecampus to express solidaritywith the students of JNU andProfessor SAR Gilani. Thedemonstrators raised pro-Pakistan, pro-freedom and anti-India slogans like “Pakistan serishta kia, La Ilaha Illallah”,“Hum kia chahtey aazadi” and“Go India go”. They were
holding banners with sloganslike “We stand with JNU”,“Don’t label students as terror-ists”, “We stand for freedom ofspeech and expression” and“Hanging of Afzal Guru -travesty of justice”.
T h e s t u d e n t s o f J a m m uUniversity also staged a demon-stration in the campus againstthe arrest of Professor SAR Gilaniand Kanhaiya Kumar.
On the other hand, massiveprotests were held in many topIndian universities to expresssolidarity with Professor SARGilani and the Kashmir cause.
The Federation of CentralU n i v e r s i t i e s T e a c h e r sAssociation issued a statementcondemning the arrest ofProfessor SAR Gilani andKanhaiya Kumar.
The Communist Party of India(Marxist), the ProgressiveStudents’ Forum, the Film andTelevision Institute of India andRadical Study Circle from TataInstitute of Social Sciences, alsocame out with unambiguous andclear statements in support of thestudent leader.
Apart from Indian educationalinstitutions and organisations,over 400 academicians from
internat ional universi t ies ,
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Arrest of Kashmiri intellectual in Delhi rocks IOK
Hurriyet leaders denounce Indian attitude towards SAR Gilani
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including Columbia, Yale,Harvard and Cambridge, alsoexpressed support for JNUstudents agitating against arrest
of their leader by Indian police. A joint statement signed by 455academicians from globaluniversities, said, “As teachers,students, and scholars across theworld, we are watching withextreme concern the situationunfolding at JNU and refuse toremain silent as our colleagues(students, staff, and faculty)resist the illegal detention anda u t o c r a t i c s u s p e n s i o n o f
students.”Meanwhile, the Chairman of AllParties Conference, Syed AliGilani, in a statement issued inNew Delhi denounced arrest ofProfessor SAR Gilani andKanhaiya Kumar by Indianpolice. He said that the arrestshad no legal justification andwere against the freedom ofspeech.
Syed Ali Gilani also termed the
confession made by formerIndian Home Minister , PChidambaram, about the unjusthanging of Muhammad AfzalGuru as ill-timed. He said that iffreedom of speech in India was
sedition, then BJP should book PC h i d a m b a r a m u n d e r t h esedition charged like it did withProfessor SAR Gilani andKanhaiya Kumar.
P Chidambaram in a recentmedia interview in New Delhihad said that Afzal Guru's casewas not correctly decided.
The APHC Secretary General,Shabbir Ahmed Shah, in a
statement issued in Srinagar
strongly denounced the oppres-sive attitude of the Indiangovernment towards ProfessorSAR Gilani, terming it as a cleardisplay of political vengeance.He demanded an end to human
rights violations and repeal ofblack laws in occupied Kashmiras well as the release of allKashmiri political prisoners.
The APHC Chief, Mirwaiz UmarFarooq, in a media interview inSrinagar deplored that India wasr e s o r t i n g t o s u p p r e s s i v emeasures to muzzle the voices ofI n d i a n y o u t h w h o w e r esupporting the Kashmiris.
The Jammu and KashmirLiberation Front Chairman,Muhammad Yasin Malik, in astatement issued in Srinagarsaid, “Today Indian formerministers and parliamentariansare raising questions about thetrial of Afzal Guru and aresaying that his case was notcorrectly decided. But whenKashmiris and some otherswhose conscience is alive raise
same questions they are bookedunder sedition charges and putbehind bars.”
On the other hand, Hurriyetleaders including NayeemAhmed Khan, Zamruda Habib,Yasmeen Raja, Syed BashirAndrabi, Zafar Akbar Butt,Farida Bahenji, Firdous AhmadShah and Professor NazirAhmed Shawl as well as
Tehreek-e-Hurriyet Jammu and
Report
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Report
Kashmir, Democratic FreedomParty, Tehreek-e-Wahdat-e-Islami and Muslim Deeni Mahazin their statements said that these
protests should serve as an eye-opener for New Delhi that itcould not suppress the liberationsentiment of the Kashmiripeople.
Meanwhile, renowned Indiancolumnist and author, PremShankar Jha, in a statementissued in New Delhi castigatedthe so-called patriots fordescribing as traitors those whoraised pro-Afzal Guru slogans at
the JNU. He said that if this waspatriotism then he would like tobe called a rebel. He said, writingin favour of Afzal Guru does notmake an Indian citizen anti-India. “Scores of people havewritten articles and posts in theIndian media over the past threeyears expressing their shock at
the hanging of Afzal Guru,” hepointed out.
The Amnesty Internationalcalled upon India to drops e d i t i o n c h a r g e s a g a i n s tProfessor SAR Gilani andKanhaiya Kumar and releasethem immediately. The AmnestyInternat ional ProgrammesDirector in India, Tara Rao, in a
statement issued in New Delhi
said that Indian police hadshown disregard for constitu-tionally guaranteed rights byarresting people under a colo-nial-era law. The AmnestyInternational deplored that theauthorities were using the law tosilence and harass those with
divergent opinions.
On the other hand, leaders of DalKhalsa, a Sikh organisation,including Kanwar Pal Singh andDr Manjinder Singh along withhuman rights activist, AdvocateHarpal Singh Cheema, in astatement in Hoshiarpur city ofI n d i a n P u n j a b s t r o n g l ycondemned the arrest of
Professor SAR Gilani under
sedition charges. They termedthe arrest as undemocratic,unjust and uncalled for. CallingProfessor Gilani as a friend ofSikhs, they said, “He is beingtargeted because while sitting inNew Delhi, he strongly speaks infavour of Kashmir cause and alsosympathises with other strug-gling minorities and oppressedpeople.”
The leaders of the AJK chapter of
APHC, Ghulam Muhammad
Safi and Syed Abdullah Gilani,
addressing a press conference in
Islamabad said that Indian
authorities were implicating
Professor SAR Gilani in a false
case only because he was a
Kashmiri Muslim. They said that
the authorities had no evidence
of sedition against Professor
Gilani.Meanwhile, Indian Congress
Vice President, Rahul Gandhi,
New Delhi Chief Minister,
A r v i n d K e j r i w a l , a n d
Communist Party of India
(Marxist) General Secretary,
Sitaram Yechury, are among nine
persons who have also been
booked on sedition charges in
connection with the Jawaharlal
Nehru University row.
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Report
In occupied Kashmir, complete
shutdown was observed on
February 9 and 11, 2016, on theoccasion of the martyrdom
anniversaries of prominent
liberation leaders, Muhammad
Maqbool Butt and Muhammad
Afzal Guru.
Muhammad Maqbool Butt washanged in New Delhi’s Tihar
Jail on February 11, 1984, while
Muhammad Afzal Guru was
sent to the gallows on February9, 2013, in the same jail. Thedead bodies of the two leaders
were buried in the premises of
the prison.
Call for the strike was given bythe All Parties Hurriyet
Conference Chairman, Syed Ali
Gilani, the APHC Chief,
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and the
Jammu and Kashmir LiberationFront Chairman, Muhammad
Yasin Malik, and was supported
by other pro-freedom leaders
and organisations. It was aimedat pressing the demand for
transfer of the mortal remains of
the martyred leaders from Tihar Jail to the occupied territory for
a decent burial.
Shops and business establish-
ments in all major townsremained closed while traffic
was off the road.
The occupation authorities had
imposed undeclared curfew
and other restrictions across the
o c c u p i e d t e r r i t o r y a n d
deployed heavy contingents ofIndian troops and police
personnel to prevent people
from holding demonstrationsagainst the hangings. Internet
services on mobile phones were
suspended.The authorities had also
detained over 60 pro-freedom
leaders and activists in their
houses or jails to stop them fromparticipating in the protests.
They included Shabbir Ahmed
Shah, Muhammad Ashraf
Sehrai, Nayeem Ahmed Khan,
Zafar Akbar Butt, FirdousAhmed Shah, Hilal Ahmed
War, Mukhtar Ahmed Waza,
Muhammad Ahsan Untoo and
Khawaja Firdous.
On February 8, the authorities
h a d a r r e s t e d t h e J K L FChairman, Muhammad Yasin
Malik, along with many party
leaders and activists including
Mushtaq Ajmal, Ashraf Bin
Salam and Ghulam MuhammadDar in Srinagar and lodged
them in central jail in the city.
The action was aimed at
preventing them from leadingrallies against the hanging ofMuhammad Maqbool Butt and
Muhammad Afzal Guru and
demanding handing over of the
mortal remains of the martyred
leaders to their families.
The police had taken intocustody dozens of leaders and
activists of Jammu and Kashmir
M a s s M o v e m e n t a n d
Democratic Freedom Partyincluding Farida Bahenji, MolviBashir Ahmed, Fayaz Ahmed
Sodagar and Engineer Farooq
Ahmed Khan when they tried to
march from Press Colony and
Sanat Nagar areas towards theUN Observer office at Sonawar
in Srinagar to present a memo-
randum to the office demanding
of the World Body to impress
upon India to transfer the deadbodies of Muhammad Maqbool
Butt and Muhammad Afzal
Guru to occupied Kashmir from
Tihar Jail.
Hurriyet leaders, Muhammad
Iqbal Mir and Shabbir AhmedD a r , a n d h u m a n r i g h t s
defender, Muhammad Ahsan
Untoo, led a sit-in protest at
Press Lane in Srinagar to press
the demand for shifting of the
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Glowing tributes paid to Maqbool Butt, Afzal GuruIndia urged to return mortal remains of martyred leaders
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mortal remains of the martyred
leaders to Kashmir.
The police raided the residence
of martyed leader, Muhammad
Maqbool Butt, at Trehgam inKupwara to arrest his younger
brother, Zahoor Ahmed Butt.
The police also conducted raids
on the residences of Hurriyetleaders including Muhammad
Yousuf Naqash, Raja Meraj-ud-
D i n K a l w a l , M a s t e r
Muhammad Afzal , Noor
Muhammad Kalwal, BashirAhmed Kashmiri, Muhammad
Rafiq War, Bashir AhmedRather and Mushtaq Ahmed
and harassed the inmates.
On February 10, the police used
brute force and arrestedHurriyet leaders, Molvi Bashir
A h m e d , F a r o o q A h m e d
Tauheedi, Muhammad Ramzan
Khan and Imtiyaz Ahmed Shah,
during a protest demonstration
at Press Enclave in Srinagar. Thepolice also detained several
JKLF leaders and activists when
they were conducting a march
from Saraibala to Lal Chowk in
Srinagar.
The All Parties Hurriyet
Conference Chairman, Syed Ali
Gilani, who was in New Delhi
for medical check-up, in a
statement denounced thearrests of Hurriyet leaders and
activists.
“The shifting of dozens of pro-
freedom leaders including
Muhammad Yasin Malik to
Srinagar Central Jail, detention
of more than 50 Hurriyet leaders
and activists in different policestations and police raids on the
residences of leaders are
condemnable acts,” he said.
He paid glowing tributes to
Muhammad Maqbool Butt and
Muhammad Afzal Guru.
He said that on one hand, Indiawas committing genocide of
Kashmiris, and on the other, itwas not allowing the Kashmiri
people to mourn the death of
their loved ones. “This is the
worst kind of state terrorism,
which the Kashmiris have beenfacing for the last 68 years.
Jammu and Kashmir has been
converted into a big jail,” he
said, adding that the repressivepolicy of Indian government
was increasing the political
uncertainty and instability in
the occupied territory.
The APHC Chief, Mirwaiz
Umar Farooq, in a statementpaying homage to Muhammad
Maqbool Butt and Muhammad
Afzal Guru said that the
Kashmiris were determined to
take the mission of their martyrsto its logical end, come what
may.
He stressed the need to settle the
Kashmir dispute through
meaningful tripartite dialogue
involving Pakistan, India andthe genuine Kashmiri leader-
ship for durable peace and
stability in the region and to
save the people of occupied
Kashmir from the Indian
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atrocities.
Muhammad Yasin Malik in a
statement issued from Srinagar
Central Jail while eulogising the
sacri f ices of MuhammadMaqbool Butt and Muhammad
Afzal Guru said that the
martyrdom of the two leaders
gave impetus to the Kashmiris’ongoing freedom movement.
He said that the Kashmiri
people would never surrender
their demand for return of the
mortal remains of the martyredleaders.
A delegation of Jammu andKashmir Democratic Freedom
Party visi ted the family
members of Muhammad Afzal
Guru at Doabgah in Sopore andexpressed solidarity with them.
Hurriyet leaders including
Aasiya Andrabi, Yasmeen Raja,
Farida Bahenji, Zamruda Habib,
N a y e e m A h m e d K h a n ,
Muhammad Yousuf Naqash,
Mir Shahid Saleem, Syed Bashir
Andrabi, Muhammad Azam
Inqilabi, Firdious Ahmed Shah,
Zafar Akbar Butt, Javaid
Ahmed Mir and Muhammad
Farooq Rehmani in theirstatements said that the best
way to pay homage to the
martyrs was to carry forward
their mission. They said that
killings, arrests and other brutal
tactics could not suppress the
Kashmiris’ liberation sentiment
and they would take theirfreedom movement to its logical
conclusion against all odds.
Despite heavy deployment of
Indian forces' personnel, pro-
freedom leaders including
Bashir Ahmed Butt, Molvi
Bashir Ahmed, Muhammad
Ramzan Khan, Farooq Ahmed
Dar, Ghulam Nabi War and a
large number of people partici-
pated in a function at Trehgam,
t h e n a t i v e v i l l a g e o f
Muhammad Maqbool Butt.
Speakers on the occasion
reaffirmed the Kashmiris'
resolve to accomplish the
mission of their martyrs at all
costs. A big demonstration was
held in the area to demand the
mortal remains of Maqbool Butt
and Afzal Guru.
The Hurriyet Azad Jammu andK a s h m i r ( A J K ) l e a d e r s
addressing a condolence
reference held for Muhammad
Maqbool Butt and Muhammad
Afzal Guru in Islamabad said
that martyrdoms were an
inseparable part of Kashmir’s
ongoing liberation movement
and the Kashmiri people would
protect the supreme sacrifices of
martyrs and take their mission
to its logical end. They termed
the hanging of the two leaders
as judicial murder and said that
India did not fulfill legal
requirements while executing
them.
The speakers said that the
Kashmiri people had been
offering unparalleled sacrifices
for securing their right to self-determination and India,
despite exhausting all its
resources , had fa i led to
suppress their freedom move-
ment.
They asked India to accept theground realities and create an
atmosphere for peaceful
settlement of the Kashmir
dispute in accordance with the
Kashmiris’ aspirations.
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In occupied Kashmir, pro-freedom leaders and organisa-tions expressed solidarity withthe victims of mass rape incidentof Kunanposhpora on thecompletion of twenty five yearsto the tragedy on February 23,2016.
On the night of February 23 in1991, Indian troops conducted asiege and search operation inK u n a n p o s h p o r a a r e a o fKupwara district. Such actionswere prevalent in those days.During the operation, thepersonnel of 4th Rajputana Riflesordered all the male members ofthe area to come out of their
homes for identification andinterrogation, while asking thefemale members to stay putinside their houses. The troopsraped around a hundred womenand girls of all ages from 8 to 80years. Twenty-five years downthe line, justice continues toelude the victims and theperpetrators have not beenbrought to book yet.
Hurriyet leaders and organisa-
tions once again reiterated their
demand for an impartial probeinto the gruesome act and othersuch heinous crimes perpetratedby Indian forces’ personnel in theoccupied territory.
The All Part ies HurriyetConference Chairman, Syed AliGilani, in a statement issued inSrinagar called for investigationinto Kunanposhpora episodeand all other such incidentsthrough the International
Criminal Tribunal to punish theinvolved troops. He said thatalthough some Kashmiri womenhad filed a petition in the localcourt to reopen and reinvestigatethe case but justice could not be
expected from Indian courts andIndian Army would use itsspecial and unlimited powers toprovide a safe passage to itsguilty troops. He pointed outthat not a single Indian soldierinvolved in grave human rightsviolations like killing of innocentpeople and rape of women in theoccupied territory had beenpunished so far.
He saluted the courage, stead-
fastness and sacrifices of the
victims of the Kunanposhporatragedy and said that they hadset an example in the ongoingstruggle for freedom from Indianbondage.
The APHC General Secretary,Shabbir Ahmed Shah, who wasunder house arrest in Srinagar, ina statement while rememberingthe Kunanposhpora mass rapesaid that Indian forces showedtheir cheap character by commit-ting such a big crime. Hedeplored that the culpritscontinued to roam scot-free evenafter the passage of two and ahalf decades to the tragedy. Heappealed to the human rightsactivists across the world to takenotice of the crimes committedby Indian forces in occupiedKashmir.
The APHC at a meeting chairedby its Chief, Mirwaiz Umar
Farooq, in Srinagar paid tributest o t h e w o m e n o fKunanposhpora. The partici-pants lamented that justice wasnot delivered to the victimsdespite the passing of twenty-five years. They also expressedserious concern over theprevailing human rights situa-tion in the occupied territory.
The APHC marked the day as‘Youm-e-Tahafuz Khawateen
(Women Protection Day)’ andheld different programmes toappreciate the valour andpatience of the victims of thegory incident. A protest rally washeld in this connection at PressEnclave in Srinagar which wasparticipated by the APHCleaders and activists including Javaid Ahmed Mir, EngineerHilal Ahmed War and Shahid-ul-Islam.
Hurriyet leaders and activists
KASHMIR INSIGHT MARCH 2016 13
Kunanposhpora incident black spot on Kashmir’s history
Justice continues to elude victims of beastly act of troops
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was to make the Indian Armyanswerable and to disclose theirreal identity in Kashmir. Thebook came later as part of the
battle that the survivors ofKunanposhpora are fighting,”co-author, Essar Batool, said inan interview.
Although the High Courtrejected the petition after threehearings, the legal battle wasrestarted with a series of freshpetitions.
Batool said thatthe cover-ups,distortions in the
c a s e b y t h eauthorities andthe humiliationof the survivorsw e r e e n o u g hreasons to bringthis case into thepublic domain toshow how theIndian forcese n j o y e dc o m p l e t e
f r e e d o m a n dwere allowed toroam aroundfreely. It is this freedom that weare challenging, she added.
The book was officially releasedat the Jaipur Literature Festival in January this year. It focused ont h e t o r t u r e o f t h eKunanposhpora women.
Batool said that they had takenup the Kunanposhpora case
because it was one of the biggestincidents in the history of sexualviolence probably in the entireSouth Asia. She said that theyhad to travel long distances toK u n a n p o s h p o r a a n d t h eKupwara court to includeeverything and not leave even anounce of evidence out. “This isthe documentation of thebravery of the women and menof Kunanposhpora,” she added.
Co-author, Samreen Mushtaq,
said that it had been a struggle todocument all that “to change thestereotype of their being victimsto telling the world that they are
fighters”.The writers argued that the bookwas not a fiction, but based ontruth and was written irrespec-tive of people’s opinion.
“Honestly we did not write thebook for acceptance. Truth isspoken not keeping in mindwhether or not people will accept
it. Truth should be said espe-cially when the other side hasbeen propagating lies for yearstogether. And when you arespeaking the truth, confidencecomes naturally,” SamreenMushtaq said.
“As women, we know how thethreat of rape feels, but it is a
patriarchal notion that womenshould not talk about rape sincewe have attached honour towomen. It is this patriarchalnotion that has been takenadvantage of by the armed forcesto use rape as a tool of punish-ment and reprisal,” Essar Batoolsaid.
On the other hand, six youthfrom occupied Kashmir wereterminated from an Indian
government-funded trainingprogramme after they expressedsolidarity with the victims ofKunanposhpora mass rape.
T h e M o h a l i - b a s e d S e b i zI n f o T e c h t e r m i n a t e d t h eKashmiri youth, who wereundergoing training under theUdaan scheme. Udaan is theSpecial Industry Initiative (SII)for educated unemployed youthof Kashmir. It is funded by theIndian Ministry of Home Affairsand implemented by National
S k i l lD e v e l o p m e n t
C o r p o r a t i o n(NSDC).
The Kashmiritrainees, IkhlasA h m e d , A s i fHussain, Sheikh Javaid Maqbool,Ahsan Ellahi,D i y a n s h oS h a r m a a n dAman Bhau, hadput on black armbands to express
r e s e n t m e n tagainst the delayin delivering of
just i ce to the vict ims ofKunanposhpora tragedy.
“We put on black bands on ourarms as a mark of protest and toexpress solidarity with thevictims of Kunanposhpora. Theofficials first asked us to stayaway from classes for a day, thatwe agreed,” Asif Hussain, one ofthe aggrieved students, told a
Srinagar-based daily over phone.He said that in the afternoon, theauthorities did not allow them toenter hostel and forced them tospend their time outside thehostel premises. “It was in theevening that we were told thatwe have been terminated fromthe training programme,” hesaid, adding, “Our valuablesfrom the hostel were thrown outand we were given the termina-
tion notices.”
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The people of occupied Kashmirhave been facing the worst kindof Indian state terrorism in theirstruggle to get rid of its illegaloccupation of their homeland forthe past almost seven decades.New Delhi has given its troopsand police personnel unbridledpowers under black laws likeArmed Forces Special PowersAct to intimidate the Kashmirisinto submission. Destruction,killing, search operations anduse of brute force againstpeaceful demonstrators besidesarrests and atrocities by Indianforces have become a routinematter in the occupied territory,turning the paradise on earthinto a hell. However, all theserepressive measures have failed
to suppress the Kashmiris'resolve for freedom and they arecommitted to continue theirstruggle till complete success.
The Amnesty International in itsrecently released annual reportfor 2015-16 expressed seriousconcern over the human rightsviolations by Indian forces'personnel in occupied Kashmirdue to the continuation ofAFSPA.
The world community must takecognisance of the human rightssituation in the occupiedterritory and impress upon NewDelhi to resolve the Kashmirdispute in accordance with theaspirations of the Kashmiripeople.
Following are the details ofatrocities on Kashmiri people byIndian troops and police during
the month of February 2016.
February 1: Indian policearrested a Kashmiri youth,Sheikh Azhar-ul-Islam, in NewDelhi.
February 2: The police arrested aKashmiri labourer, IrshadAhmed, from Pathankot area ofIndian Punjab.
February 3: Indian troops
arrested three youth fromKupwara.
Indian police arrested fourK a s h m i r iyouth fromDarbhangai n I n d i a nstate of Bihar.
February 4:
I n d i a ntroops killed
three youthd u r i n g av i o l e n tm i l i t a r yoperation atKhosa Mohalla in Hajan area ofBandipora district. The troopsalso destroyed a house withheavy shelling.
Indian police arrested over adozen youth from Hajan andTehreek-e-Hurriyet Jammu and
K a s h m i r l e a d e r s , M i rHafeezullah from Islamabad andAmir Hamza from Bandipore.
February 5: At least nineteenpeople including journalistswere injured after Indian policefired teargas shells and pellets onprotesters during peaceful anti-I n d i a d e m o n s t r a t i o n s i nG o j w a r a , R a j o u r i K a d a l ,Saderkoot, Hakbara, Shahgund,
Markundal and Hajan areas.
February 6: Indian troops killed ayouth, Syed Mufeed Bashir,during a siege and searchoperation at Gundipora inPulwama.
The occupation authoritiesbooked several leaders andactivists of Tehreek-e-Hurriyet Jammu and Kashmir under blacklaw, Public Safety Act.
The police arrested dozens ofyouth from different areas of theoccupied territory.
February 7: Three youth wereinjured after an explosive deviceplanted by Indian troops went
off when people were removingdebris of a house, which wasblasted by the troops during an
operation at Khosa Mohalla inHajan, three days ago.
Several people were injuredwhen Indian police used brutalforce on the funeral of themartyred youth, Syed MufeedBashir, at Zadoora in Pulwama.
The police arrested Jammu andKashmir Salvation MovementChairman, Zafar Akbar Butt,n e a r N e w a o n S r i n a g a r -Pulwama Highway when he wasgoing to attend the funeralprayers of the youth.
February 8: Indian policeruthlessly beat up a civilian,Shabbir Hussain, and damagedhis vital organ during torture at a
police station in Kishtwar town.
Human Rights Situation
Compiled by Raies Ahmed Mir
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The police arrested the Jammuand Kashmir Liberation FrontChairman, Muhammad YasinMalik, along with several partyactivists in Srinagar to preventhim from leading rallies on themartyrdom anniversaries ofprominent Kashmiri liberationleaders, Muhammad MaqboolButt and Muhammad AfzalGuru.
The police took into custodydozens of leaders and activists of Jammu and Kashmir DemocraticFreedom Party when they triedto march towards the UN
Observer Office in Srinagar tosubmit a memorandum for theUN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, demanding return of themortal remains of Maqbool Buttand Afzal Guru to their families.Maqbool Butt and Afzal Guruwere hanged in New Delhi’sTihar Jail and buried in the jailpremises.
The police detained all otherHurriyet leaders in police
stations or their own houses tostop them from leading anti-India demonstrations.
February 9: The occupationauthorities imposed undeclaredcurfew and strict restrictions inSrinagar and other areas of theoccupied territory to prevent
people from staging anti-India
protests on them a r t y r d o manniversary ofM u h a m m a dAfzal Guru.
Indian policedetained scoresof pro-freedoml e a d e r s a n dactivists to stopt h e m f r o ml e a d i n g t h eprotests. Theseleaders includedS h a b b i r A h m e d S h a h ,Muhammad Yasin Mal ik ,
Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai,Nayeem Ahmed Khan, ZafarAkbar Butt, Firdous AhmedShah, Hilal Ahmed War,Mukhtar Ahmed Waza, FaridaBahenji, Muhammad AhsanUntoo and Khawaja Firdous.
February 10: Indian policearrested several Hurriyet leadersand activists including MolviBashir Ahmed, Farooq AhmedTauheedi, Noor MuhammadKalwal, Muhammad RamzanKhan and Imtiyaz Ahmed Shahd u r i n g a n t i - I n d i a
demonstratio n s i nSrinagar.
T h eauthoritiescont inuedt o d e t a i nover 50 pro-
f r e e d o mleaders andactivists inp o l i c es t a t i o n s , jails, or theirhouses to
prevent them from leading theprotests.
February 11: The authoritiescontinued to put under detentiondozens of Hurriyet leaders and
activists to stop them fromleading demonstrations on themartyrdom anniversary ofMuhammad Maqbool Butt.
February 12: Several people wereinjured after Indian police firedpellets and teargas shells onpeaceful protesters in Nowhatta,Gojwara and other areas ofSrinagar.
Indian authorities arrestedKashmiri intellectual, SyedAbdur Rehman Gilani, andbooked him under sedition
charges in connection with anevent held in New Delhi to markthe martyrdom anniversary ofMuhammad Afzal Guru on 9thFebruary.
February 13: Indian troops killedfive Kashmiri youth during amilitary operation at MarsariChowkibal in Kupwara. Thet r o o p s a l s o d e s t r o y e d aresidential house in the area.
Many people were injured due tothe use of force by Indian policeon teachers when they tried totake out a protest march in Ja mmu in favo ur of th eirdemands. The police alsoarrested around 60 teachers.
February 14: A 19-year-oldengineering student, DanishFarooq Mir, and a 22-year-oldgirl student, Shaista Hameed,were killed and many other
Human Rights Situation
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people were injured after Indiantroops opened fire on peacefulprotesters at Kakapora inPulwama.
February 15: Dozens of civilianswere injured when Indian policefired teargas shells and pellets onpeaceful protesters in Srinagar,Islamabad, Ganderbal andPulwama areas.
A 12th class student, UzairAhmed Butt, was criticallyinjured after he was beaten up byt h e p e r s o n n e l o f I n d i a nparamilitary Central ReservePolice Force and pushed from the
first floor of a tuition centre inIslamabad town.
The police arrested Hurriyetleader, Mukhtar Ahmed Waza,in Islamabad town.
February 16: Indianpolice arrested foury o u t h f r o mPazalpora area ofBandipora.
February 17: The
pol ice arres teddozens of JKLFl e a d e r s a n dactivists during aprotest march inSrinagar against theunabated killingspree by Indiant r o o p s i n t h eoccupied territory and the arresto f Kashmir i inte l lec tual ,Professor Syed Abdur RehmanGilani, in New Delhi.
February 19: Indian policearrested three youth fromSrinagar and Shopian areas.
February 20: Indian troops killeda youth during a militaryoperat ion a t Sempora inPampore.
Indian police arrested a civilian,Ishfaq Ahmed Wani, fromMakhuma Magam in Tangmarg.
The authorities booked Hurriyetleaders, Nasir Abdullah andAssadullah Parray, under blacklaw, Public Safety Act, andlodged them at Kathua Jail in Jammu.
February 21: Over a dozen youthwere injured after Indian policefired pellets and teargas shells onpeaceful protesters in differentareas of Pampore.
February 22: Indian troops killedthree youth during a violentmilitary operation at Samboorain Pampore. The bodies of theyouth were recovered from the
debris of a building blasted bythe troops during the operation.
One civilian was killed and manyothers were injured when Indianpolice opened fire on protesters
in Sarore area of Samba district.
Dozens of civilians were injuredwhen Indian troops fired pellets
and teargas shells on protestersin Pampore and other areas.
February 23: About a dozenyouth were injured due to the useof brute force on protesters byIndian police in Pampore.
The police arrested twentyyouth from Tral and an 8-year-old boy from Pampore.
February 24: Indian troopsa r r e s t e d a y o u t h f r o m
Baramulla.
February 25: Indian policearrested several Hurriyet leadersand activists including Shabbir
Ahmed Shah, Yasmeen Raja,Bilal Siddiqui, MuhammadR a m z a n K h a n , G h u l a mMuhammad Khan Sopori, MolviBashir Ahmed and GhulamAhmed Gulzar from Srinagarand Pampore areas.
February 26: Many people werei n j u r e d w h e n t h e p o l i c esubjected the demonstrators toexcessive teargas shelling inSrinagar and Pulwama.
The police arrested Hurriyetleaders and activists includingZamruda Habib, Yasmeen Raja,Muhammad Yousuf Mir, Bashir
Qureshi, Syed ImtiyazHiader and ShakeelAhmed Butt duringdemonstrations inS r i n a g a r a g a i n s th a r a s s m e n t o fKashmiri students and
arrest of Professor SARGilani in New Delhi.
February 27: The
police arrested human
r i g h t s a c t i v i s t ,
Muhammad Ahsan
Untoo, while he was
l e a d i n g a m a r c h
towards the UN Office
in Srinagar against the atrocities
of Indian forces in the occupied
territory.February 28: The police arrested
over a dozen youth from
Shopian.
February 29: Several teachers
were injured when the police
used brute force during their
protest at Residency Road in
Srinagar. The police also arrested
dozens of protesting teachers on
the occasion.
Human Rights Situation
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Earlier on February 14, IndianArmy and police had shot deadtwo students, Shaista Hamid andDanish Farooq, by opening
indiscriminate fire at Kakaporain Pulwama district on thepeaceful demonstrators whowere protesting against thekilling of a youth, Aadil Wagay,by Indian troops in the area.
Thousands of people partici-pated in the funeral prayers ofthe martyred students held atRatnipura and Lelhar areas ofPulwama. They chanted high-pitched anti-India and pro-
freedom slogans.C o m p l e t e s h u t d o w n w a sobserved in the occupiedterritory on February 15 toprotest against the killing ofinnocent civilians by Indiantroops in Pulwama district.
Call for the strike was given bythe Al l Par t ies Hurr iyetConference Chairman, Syed AliGilani, and other Hurriyetleaders including Mirwaiz Umar
Farooq, Muhammad Yasin Malikand High Court Bar Associationof the occupied territory and wassupported by other Hurriyetleaders and organisations.
On February 6, Indian troops hadkilled a youth identified as RaqibBashir during a siege and search
o p e r a t i o n a t V e e r b a g h
Gundiporain Pulwamadistrict.
On February
4, the troopsh a dm a r t y r e dthree youtha t K h o s aMohalla inHajan areao fBandiporadistrict.
On the other hand, Hurriyetleaders and organisations paid
rich tributes to the youthmartyred during differentclashes with Indian troops inPampore, Pulwama and Hajin.
The Chairman of All PartiesHurriyet Conference, Syed AliGilani, in a statement issued inSrinagar terming the killing ofKashmiri youth by Indian forces’personnel as the worst display ofstate terrorism.
Senior Hurriyet leaders, ShabbirA h m e dS h a h ,M i r w a i zU m a rFarooq andMuhammad Y a s i nMalik, int h e i rstatementsin Srinagar
said thatperpetra-t i o n o fatrocit ies
on the Kashmiris had remainedthe state policy of India. Theysaid that the sacrifices ofKashmiri martyrs would not beallowed to go waste. They alsourged India to give up its rigidstance on the Kashmir disputeand resolve it according to the
aspirations of the Kashmiri
people.
Other Hurriyet leaders includingAgha Syed Hassan Al-MoosviAl-Safvi, Aasiya Andrabi, BilalSiddiqui, Nayeem Ahmed Khan,Zamruda Habib, Yasmeen Raja,Syed Bashir Andrabi, ZafarAkbar Butt, Javaid Ahmed Mir,Farida Bahenji, Firdous AhmedShah, Barrister Abdul MajeedTramboo and Ali Raza Syed intheir statements said that thesebrave-heart Kashmiri youthwere the real heroes of theongoing Kashmir freedom
movement. They said thatprotests against the killingsshould serve as an eye-opener forNew Delhi, which had occupiedthe territory through its militarymight.
The Azad Jammu and Kashmirchapter of the APHC in a meetingheld in Islamabad with itsConvener, Mir Tahir Masood, inthe chair, thoroughly discussedthe political situation of occupiedKashmir and condemned thekilling and arrest of innocentKashmiri youth by Indian forcesin the territory.
The participants of the meetingurged the international commu-nity to take notice of Indian stateterrorism in occupied Kashmirand put pressure on New Delhito settle the lingering Kashmirdispute in accordance with the
Kashmiris’ aspirations.
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The London-based human rightsw a t c h d o g , A m n e s t yInternational expressed seriousconcern over the gross humanrights violations committed byIndian troops due to the continu-ation of draconian laws inoccupied Kashmir.
The Amnesty International in itsannual report for 2015-16released in London maintainedthat impunity for human rightsviolations perpetrated by IndianA r m y a n d p a r a m i l i t a r y
personnel continued in theoccupied territory which was aworrying sign. It said thatdraconian law, Armed ForcesSpecial Powers Act (AFSPA),which remained in force inoccupied Kashmir and parts ofnortheast India, was providingvirtual immunity to the forces'personnel from prosecution. Itstated that in February, theMinistry of Home Affairs
officially rejected the report of acommittee set up in 2004 to
review the AFSPA that recom-mended the repeal of the law.
It also pointed out that theauthorities restricted access to
internet services on several
occasions in
o c c u p i e dKashmir andi n I n d i a ns t a t e o fGujarat.
T h eA m n e s t yInternationala l s oe x p r e s s e dconcern overg r o w i n gintolerance in India that led toattacks on journalists, authors,artists and rights activists.
It said that authorities in Indiafailed to stop incidents ofreligious violence and oftencontributed to tensions throughpolarising speeches.
The human rights watchdogstated that there were severalinstances of intimidation andattacks against journalists,
authors, artists and human rightsdefenders by religious and caste-based groups. Two rationalist
writers were killed in attacksthought to be related to theircriticism of religious intoleranceand idolatry, it added.
The report said that the authori-
ties clamped down on civil
society organisations critical ofofficial policies and increasedrestrictions on foreign funding. Italso pointed out that religioustensions intensified and genderand caste-based discriminationand violence remained perva-sive. Censorship and attacks onfreedom of expression byhardline Hindu groups grew, itstated.
The Amnesty International
maintained that scores of artists,writers and scientists returnednational honours in protestagainst what they said was aclimate of growing intolerance.
Laws, which did not meetinternational standards onfreedom of expression, wereused to persecute human rightsdefenders and others, the reportsaid.
In reference to violence againstwomen, the report sa id ,“Although nearly 322,000 crimesagainst women, including over37,000 cases of rape, werereported in 2014, stigma anddiscrimination by police officialsand author i t ies in Indiacontinued to deter women fromreporting sexual violence, andmost states still lacked standardoperating procedures for thepolice to address violence
against women.”
KASHMIR INSIGHT MARCH 2016 24
Amnesty International concerned over HR violations in IOK
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Report
Speakers at a seminar in
London on February 9, 2016,
cal led upon the United
Kingdom to stop supporting
India’s bid for a permanent seat
at the UN until New Delhi
agreed to end human rights
violations in occupied Kashmir
and settled the Kashmir
dispute as per the UN resolu-
tions.
The event was organised by
Third World Solidarity for All
Party Parliamentary Groups
(APPGs) in the House of
Commons, the lower house of
British Parliament, to discuss
the Kashmir dispute.
APPGs are informal cross-party groups within theParliament. They consist of them e m b e r s o f H o u s e o fCommons and Lords and meettogether, relatively informally,to discuss a particular issue ofconcern.
Lord Qurban Hussain, the
member of the House of Lords,addressing the event said,“India is looking for a perma-nent seat in the United Nations.Every one of us should keepreminding the British govern-ment that until India imple-ments the UN resolutions onKashmir, it must not supportIndia.” He called for findingout resolution of the Kashmirdispute within the ambit of theUN resolutions.
Referring to the long struggleof the Kashmiris for theirrights, he said that the uprisingagainst the Hindu Maharaja
was so popular that when
Pakistan came into being in1947, the people of Kashmirwanted to become part ofP a k i s t a n . H e s a i d t h a tfollowing Indian invasion in Jammu and Kashmir, the localsof Poonch and Gilgit-Baltistanliberated a vast area of the thenPrincely state that is nowknown as Azad Kashmir. TheKashmir Valley would have
also been liberated had India
not gone to the UN seekingceasefire where it made ac o m m i t m e n t t h a t t h eKashmiris will decide their fateand promised the whole worlda plebiscite in Jammu andKashmir, he added.
In his speech, Lord NazirAhmed, another member of theHouse of Lords, said that it wasan obligation of the interna-tional community to settle theKashmir dispute. He said thatthe organisations like OIC andArab League had so far failedto play their due role in thesettlement of the dispute.“Sadly, nothing is delivered.The relations between India,US and the UK are based onbusiness, that’s why UK andthe US do not want to debateKashmir,” he said.
“It’s good we talk about Wales,Scotland, south Sudan butnobody talks about Kashmirbecause India is too big andstrong,” he said, sarcastically.
Veteran Labour MP, Sir GeraldKaufman, who is considered tobe one of the robust pro-Kashmir British politicians,lambasted the UK government,saying that it was culpable for
what has been done to theKashmiris. “If Palestine is aninfuriating issue, the failure ofthe international communityon Kashmir is a scandal,” hesaid amid loud applause fromthe audience.
“Kashmir is the oldest disputeon the UN agenda. Next year, itwill become a 70-year-oldconfrontational issue in the
world. The failure of the
KASHMIR INSIGHT MARCH 2016 25
UK urged not to support India’s bid for UN seat tillsettlement of Kashmir dispute
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international community is notonly culpable but also stupid,”he said, adding, “More peoplehave died in Kashmir (since
1947) than in the Syrianconflict.”
Comparing the UK’s stance onKashmir and Syria conflicts, SirKaufman said, “They (UKgovernment) say Kashmir is abilateral issue between Indiaand Pakistan but this govern-ment is culpable…when itcomes to Syria, they don’t sayit’s a matter between the
people of Syria and Assad.”
Calling the 1987 rigged polls inoccupied Kashmir a turningpoint, author and historian,Victoria Schofield, said, thosedays, the entire westernp o w e r s s u p p o r t e d t h e Mujahideen in Afghanistan.“This was definitely an inspira-tion for the Kashmiri youthwho were frustrated with the
political process. But after 2001,all freedom movements werelumped together as acts ofterrorism. Suddenly there wasa new idea - the idea of a
freedom fighter was no longer
acceptable,” she said.
She said, the “way forward”has to be dialogue. “Far toomany have died. There aremany martyrs in martyrs’graveyards in Kashmir. Thereare many mothers who havebeen waiting for their disap-peared sons,” she said, adding,“Looking at 2016, Kashmir hasbecome too dangerous to
neglect. What happens to India
and Pakistan affects all of us.Around 55,000 Americanswere killed in the Vietnam war,but killings in Kashmir aredouble than that figure.”
In her speech, British MP, Naz
Shah, expressed the resolve toraise the Kashmir dispute inthe Parliament saying, “Wemust see it as a humanitariancrisis. This issue is about ourbasic right. We have to standup for Kashmir.”
Pakistan’s High Commissionerto the UK, Syed Ibn-e-Abbas,said that sham polls conductedby India in occupied Kashmir
were no substitute to a UN-monitored plebiscite. “We arenot here to discuss a territorialdispute. We are here to lamentthe violation of the funda-mental right of 15 millionpeople who have been askingf o r t h e r i g h t t o s e l f -determination. The riggedelections are no substitute tot h e r i g h t t o s e l f -determination.”
Asking the Kashmiris not to getdisheartened, he said, “Thingsare changing, I am sure thetime is not far when you will bethe masters of your fate anddestiny.”
He assured the participants onbehalf of the government ofPakistan that Pakistanis standwith the Kashmiris’ strugglef o r t h e r i g h t t o s e l f -
determination.
Report
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Chronology
2013
August 21: Indian police
personnel use brute force against
government employees who
stage a sit-in protest in front of
the puppet Chief Minister, OmarAbdullah's residence in Srinagar
against the anti-people policiesof the regime. The police also
arrest more than 100 employees
including the leaders of Joint
Consultative Committee on theoccasion.
The member of Rajya Sabha, the
u p p e r h o u s e o f I n d i a n
Parliament, from occupied
Kashmir, G N Ratanpuri, in amedia interview in Srinagar says
that the pro-India ruling party,
N a t i o n a l C o n f e r e n c e , i sresponsible for the prevailing
uncertainty in the occupied
territory. Rattanpuri, who
himself belongs to the National
Conference, says that several
party leaders are hand in glove
w i t h H i n d u e x t r e m i s t
o r g a n i s a t i o n s , R a s h t r i y a
Swayamsevak Sangh and
Bajrang Dal.
August 23: The activists of Jammu and Kashmir Right to
Information Movement stage a
demonstration at Press Enclave
in Sr inagar to press for
immediate shifting of Indian
Army's firing range from
Tosamaidan in Badgam district.
The demonstrators say that the
extension of lease to the Army by
the puppet administration is
unacceptable. They present amemorandum to the UN
Military Observer Group in
Srinagar containing the detail of
the people who have been killed
or injured due to the explosion of
shells left by the troops aftermilitary exercises in the area.
August 24: The veteran Hurriyet
leader, Syed Ali Gilani, in a
statement in Srinagar opposesthe proposed concert being
o r g a n i s e d b y G e r m a n
Ambassador, Michel Stenier, in
the summer capital of occupied
Kashmir on September 7. He says
that Jammu and Kashmir is a
disputed territory and any sort ofinternational activity - be it
political, diplomatic, cultural or
sports - will have an adverse
effect on its disputed nature. The
German Embassy announces to
hold the concert by western
By: KMS Research Desk
KASHMIR INSIGHT MARCH 2016 27
A chronological account ofdevelopments on Kashmir (115)
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classical music maestro, Zubin
Mehta, in Srinagar.
August 26: The Chairman of All
Parties Hurriyet Conference,
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in a letteraddressed to the prime ministersof Pakistan and India expresses
concern that the escalation of
prevailing tension along the Line
of Control in Kashmir will not
only endanger the lives of
thousands of Kashmiri civilians
but will also derail India andPakistan from the path of peace.
He writes that the worsening of
the situation will benefit noneexcept those who do not want
peace to prevail in the region.
The civil society members in
occupied Kashmir send a letter to
the German Embassy in India
opposing its move of holding
Zubin Mehta’s concert. They
oppose the event on the groundthat it is New Delhi's attempt to
legitimise its occupation over Jammu and Kashmir. Th e
signatories of the letter include
many prominent personalities
like author and pediatrician, Dr
Altaf Hussain; human rights
activist, advocate Pervez Imroz;
poet, Zareef Ahmed Zareef;
columnists, Z G Muhammad, Dr
Javed Iqbal and Abdul MajeedZargar; journalists, Najeeb
Mubarki and Hilal Mir; and the
U S - b a s e d K a s h m i r i
academicians, Abir Bazaz and
Huma Dar.
August 27: Prominent Indian
scholar and civil rights defender,
Gautam Navlakha, in an
interview with a Srinagar-based
wire agency says that India is
holding the musical concert in
the Kashmir Valley with an
intention to give the world
community an impression that
all is well in Kashmir. Hedeplores that India with the help
of Germany is trying to mislead
the international community by
making music a tool. He says thatpeople of Kashmir have no
interest in such type of concerts
and they know the real designs of
India. Gautam Navlakha says
that Zubin Mehta is a greatmusician and he has great regard
f o r h i m , b u t h e s h o u l d
understand that his musical
concert will be presented other
way.
August 28 : Severa l S ikhorganisations including SikhIntellectual Circle, Sikh StudentsFederation, Jammu and KashmirSikh League and Sikh WelfareFront at a joint meeting inSrinagar urge Pakistan and Indiato take serious steps to defuseprevailing tension on the Line ofControl . The part ic ipantsdemand dissolution of the so-c a l l e d v i l l a g e d e f e n c e
committees, saying that theirmembers are involved indifferent crimes and fanningcommunal clashes in Jammuregion.
Several government employees
are injured when Indian police
use brute force on their protest
march in Srinagar. The police
also arrest over two dozen
protesters on the occasion.
Chronology
KASHMIR INSIGHT MARCH 2016 28
Compiled by: Showkat AliTo be continued...
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The Kashmir stag, also called
Hangul, is a subspecies of RedDeer. It is a native of occupiedKashmir and Indian state ofHimachal Pradesh. It is listed ascritically endangered animal bythe International Union forConservation of Nature (IUCN)as population was counted 160mature individuals in 2008census.
DescriptionThis deer has a light rump patch
without including the tail. Itscoat colour is brown with aspeckling to the hair. The innersides of the buttocksare grayish white,followed by a line onthe inner sides of thethighs and black on theupper side of the tail.Each antler consists offive tines. The beam iss t r o n g l y c u r v e d
inward, while the browand bez tines areusually close togetherand above the burr.The male hangul isk n o w n f o r i t smagnificent antlers that can havenine to 16 branches. It is anextremely shy deer found eitheralone or in small groups. It istermed “critically endangered”by the IUCN Red List and in
Schedule 1 of the WildlifeProtection Act in India.Distribution and ecologyThis deer lives in groups of twoto 18 individuals in denseriverine forests, high valleys, andmountains of the Kashmir Valleyand in northern Chamba area ofHimachal Pradesh.In occupied Kashmir, it is foundin Dachigam National Park at analtitude of 3,035 meters above the
sea level.
Threats and conservation
This deer once numbered fromabout 5,000 animals in thebeginning of the 20th century.Unfortunately, they werethreatened, due to habitatdestruction, overgrazing byd o m e s t i c l i v e s t o c k , a n dpoaching and they dwindled toas low as 150 animals by 1970.However, the administration ofo c c u p i e d K a s h m i r i ncollaboration with the IUCN and
the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)prepared a project for theprotection of these animals. It
became known as ProjectHangul. This brought greatresults and the populationincreased to over 340 by 1980.Shortly before the expeditionwas mounted, Fiona Guinnessand Tim Clutton-Brock, both
noted deer experts, had visitedoccupied Kashmir and hadgathered some useful field data,which confirmed that hangulnumbers were at a dangerouslylow level.Scientifically known as Cervuselaphus hanglu, the hangul is theonly surviving race of the RedDeer family of Europe in SouthAsia. The animal is battling for itssurvival in its last bastion. The
stags are now scattered within
141 km² of the Dachigam
National Park located onfoothills of Zabarwan range inS r i n a g a r . K n o w n f o r i t smagnificent antlers with 11 to 16points , hangul was oncedistributed widely in themountains of Kashmir. During1940s, their number was believedto be about 3,000 to 5,000. As perthe latest census in 2008, onlyaround 160 animals existed.The hangul moves between
upper and lower Dachigam insearch of food. It spends winteron lower elevations below 2,000
metres in valleys andgorges while in springi t m o v e s u p t h emountain slopes insearch of lush greengrass that comes upafter the snow melts.The deer spends thesummer months at
elevations between2,700 to 3,600 metresand again returns tolower elevations at theonset of winter.The stags use lower
Dachigam between Septemberand April; the mating seasonstarts in mid-September andends a month later. By the end ofApril, after the fawning, theymove to upper Dachigam to theirsummer grazing grounds.
Currently, these same grazinggrounds are used by the Gujjars,Bakarwals and other shepherdswho take their livestock to higheraltitudes during summer. In thevast areas of Nageberan andMarser, thousands of sheep,goats, horses and cattle aregrazed by Gujjars, Bakarwalsand Banyaris. This has createdpotential competitors andpersistent sources of disturbance
for hangul during summers.
Hangul - the Kashmir stagangul the Kashmir stag
Beauty Thy Name is
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There was once a poor man, who
used to earn a few paisas by
cutting and selling wood. It was a
hard struggle to support his
family comprising his wife and
seven daughters. Never a bit of
meat touched his lips, never a
shoe covered his feet, and only a
rag covered his back. One day,when not feeling very well, he
lied down under a tree to rest.
T h e l u c k y - b i r d ‘ H u m a ’
happened to be flying about the
place at the time, and, noticing
the man's poverty and sickness,
pitied him. So it flew down
beside him and deposited a
golden egg by his bundle of
wood. In a little while the
woodcutter awoke, and seeingthe egg, picked it up and
wrapped it in his handkerchief.
He then took up his load and
went to the worn, who generally
bought it. He also sold him the
egg for a trifle. He did not know
what a wonderful egg it was; but
the Woni knew, and asked him to
go and get the bird that laid it,
and he would give him a rupee as
a gift. The man promised, and on
the following day went to the
jungle as usual to prepare his
load of wood. On the way back
he sat down to rest under the tree
where he had found the egg, and
pretended to sleep. The bird
came again, and noticing that he
was still as poor and as ill-
looking as before, thought that he
had not seen the egg, and
therefore went and laid another
close by him, in such peculiar a
spot that he could not possibly
miss seeing it, but the wood-
cutter caught the bird, and rose
up to carry it to the Woni.
"Oh! What are you going to do
with me? Do not kill me. Do not
imprison me; but set me free,"cried the bird. "You shall not fail
of a reward. Pluck one of myfeathers, show it to the fire, and
you shall at once arrive at my
country, Koh-i-Qaf, where my
parents will reward you. They
will give you a necklace of pearls,
the price of which no king on
earth could give."
But the poor ignorant wood-
cutter would not listen to the
bird's pleadings. His mind wastoo much occupied with the
thought of the rupee that he felt
certain of getting, and therefore
he fastened the bird in his wrap,
and ran off to the Woni as fast as
his load would permit. Alas!However, the bird died on the
way from suffocation.
"What shall I do now? " thought
the woodcutter. "The Woni will
not give me a rupee for a deadbird. Ha! Ha! I will show one of
its feathers to the fire. Perhaps
the bird being dead will not makeany difference."
Accordingly he did so, andimmediately found himself in
the mysterious country of the
bird, where he sought out the
parents of the bird and told them
all that had happened. The
parents and other birds wept
bitterly when they saw the deadbody of their beloved relative.
Attracted by the noise, a strange
bird that happened to be passing
at the time came in and inquired
what was the matter. This bird
carried a piece of grass in its beak,
with which it could raise thedead.
"Why do you weep?" it said to thesorrowful company.
"Because our relative is dead; we
The generous kinghe generous king
KASHMIR INSIGHT MARCH 2016 30
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shall never speak to it again,"
they replied.
"Weep not," said the strange bird,
“Your relative shall live again."
Whereupon it placed the piece ofgrass in the mouth of the corpse,
and it revived. When the bird
‘Huma’ revived and saw the
w o o d c u t t e r , i t s e v e r e l y
upbraided him for his faithless-
ness and carelessness.
"I could have made you great and
happy," it said, "but now get youback to your burden of wood and
humble home."
On this the poor man foundhimself back again in the jungle,and standing by the load of woodthat he had preparedbefore he was trans-ported to the bird’scountry. He sold hiswood, and then wenthome in a very sadframe of mind to hiswife and daughters. Henever saw the bird
‘Huma’ again. It hasbeen mentioned thatthis woodcutter hadseven daughters. Thesegirls grew up, and hadto be married. But howwas the woodcutter to arrangefor their marriages? He barelyearned money sufficient for theirfood and nobody would be alliedto such a poverty-stricken houseas his. In the hour of his difficulty
he sought the advice of a friend,who told him to go to Hatam, thenoble-minded generous king,and ask for help. Now in thosedays Hatam had become verypoor, and was obliged to poundrice for a living. But although hewas so reduced in circumstances,that there was scarcely a poorerman than he in the wholecountry, yet he had the samegenerous heart and was as
desirous as ever of bettering
others. When the woodcutterreached his country andhappened to meet with him, hehad a beautiful instance of his
generous spirit. The woodcutter,not knowing who he was, relatedto him all his sad tale and beggedto be directed to King Hatam, theNoble. The poor king advisedhim to stay there for the nightand continue his journey on themorrow; to which the wood-cutter consented, and walkedwith him to his house. That nightHatam fasted, in order to givesomething to his guest, and in the
morning he informed him of thetruth.
“Friend,” said he, “I am he whomyou seek; but behold! I am aspoor as you. Alas! I cannot helpyou. I cannot even give youanother meal. But if you willaccept my only daughter, you are
welcome. You may be able to sellher, and thus get some money tomarry your own daughters. Go,and God be with you.”
“King,” replied the woodcutter,“Your generosity melts my heart.I cannot thank you sufficientlyfor your kindness to me. MayGod reward you. Farewell!”
The woodcutter and the princessthen left. On the way they had topass through a very wild place,
where they met a prince, who
was hunting. The prince chancedto catch sight of the girl, at oncefell in love with her and beggedthe woodcutter to accept him as a
son-in-law. Of course the managreed, and the marriage wascelebrated. Henceforth moneywithout stint flowed into thewoodcutter's hands so that hewas able to resign his calling, tobuild for himself a beautifulhouse and to marry his sevendaughters into good and respect-able families.
Meanwhile, the prince was livingvery happily with his beautiful
wife, under the idea that she wasthe woodcutter's daughter. Oneday, however, he discovered the
truth of the matter. Hehad given alms to ap o o r m a n i n t h epresence of his wife,when she casuallyremarked that he haddone a hatami, meaninga generous ac t , aHatam-like act. The
prince asked her howshe knew anythingabout Hatam, and shetold him everything --how the woodcutterhad applied to her
father for help, and how herfather, not having anything else,gave her to him as a slave. Theprince then sent for the woodcut-ter, and heard from him the samewords, and all about the Huma’s
egg and the man's visit to Koh-i-Qaf. He was intensely surprisedwhen he heard all these things.He immediately sent for KingHatam, begging him to come andrule the country in his stead,because he was too young andinexperienced to manage itproperly. The retired woodcutterreceived a large pension in land;but the cunning Woni wasordered to hand over the golden
egg to the king.
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KASHMIR INSIGHT MARCH 2016 32
Fake encounters ch an ge th is en ti re cu lt ur e. killed 20 Hindus in the Indian stateDear editor, killing innocent Experimenting is the art that New of Utter Pradesh on January 30,Kashmiri youth in fake encounters Delhi has perfected so far, despite 1981, and was arrested in Augusthas been favorite pastime of the the fact that all its methods have not 1983. After remaining in prison forIndian forces in occupied Kashmir. shown any way forward. India has 11 years, she was pardoned by theIn recent months many youth have not learnt any lesson from its Supreme Court of India withoutbeen killed by Indian troops in such mistakes. It is still focusing on any trial on the plea that her caseencounters. Unlimited powers pe ri ph er al is su es , wi th an had taken twelve years withoutconferred on the troops under black unshaken focus on fire fighting conclusion hence the case was
laws like Armed Forces Special measures . It must accept the closed. Later, she even becamePowers Act and Disturbed Areas ground realities and settle the member of Lok Sabha, the lowerAct give them a license to kill Kashmir dispute according to the house of Indian Parliament, andinnocent people with impunity. aspirations of the Kashmiri people. was addressed as an honourableThe puppet administration in Thanks member in the Lok Sabha. Was this
Anis Ali Bukharioccupied Kashmir cannot take any not a fit case then for hanging?punitive action against the Indian Rawalpindi I will also like to mention the fact
Afzal Guru's hanging forces' personnel involved in that Afzal Guru did not get fair trialDear editor, the hanging ofserious human rights violations in in the courts, which is travesty ofKashmiri youth, Muhammad Afzalthe occupied territory without prior justice. Also, Indian Supreme CourtGuru, speaks volumes about theapproval of New Delhi. in its verdict had stated thatfact that India is not bothered, at all,T h e w o r l d h u m a n r i g h t s although there was no substantialabout the sensit ivit ies andorganisations must impress upon evidence against Afzal Guru, but
sentiments of the people ofIndia to repeal these draconian the action was necessary to “satisfyKashmir. The execution waslaws. the collective conscience of thecarried out in New Delhi's Tihar JailThanks nation”.on February 9, 2013, in connectionSalman Aziz Thanks
Karachi with the a t tack on Indian Sahir Mir Suppression no solution Parliament in 2001. Srinagar It is absolutely true that killings, Here, I would like to mention the Denial of justicearrests and other brutal tactics examples of double standards in Th e vi ct im s of ma ss ra pe
committed by Indian troops incannot suppress freedom struggles. India regarding sending theKunanposhpora in 1991 are stillThe Indian authorities in occupied accused to the gallows, but first of
Kashmir are doing whatever they awaiting justice even after the