Sunday, January 11, 2009

Welcome Aboard Junior Abdullah ….!!!

Another opportunity for a crippled state to regain its paradise.

One more possibility to attempt change.

Jammu and Kashmir proudly presents to the nation a young, dynamic and an extremely promising Chief Minister. Roots In Kashmir (RIK) team recognises the call for youth to lead the valley to a safe haven. When Omar was sworn in, his optimism suggested an outlook that the state is in a desperate need of. The press interviews indicated a vision, hope and a flicker of progress. Age by his side, political lineage to bank upon and a well-bred pragmatic mindset seems to have provided a leader to the clueless masses.


And yet all doesn’t appear that heavenly. The newly elected Chief Minister is aware of the dogmatic situation in J & K. A state divided with Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh all demanding their individual identities. Separatist Islamist agendas retaliated with inept state force have become unmanageable for any authority in the political arena. Now that Omar stands at that position, would he really be able to deliver? Well, we will watch and without doubt cooperate wherever required.


It was a great statesman like beginning when Omar honestly confessed, "I think most of the people, including me, did not make their voice heard when the Kashmiri Pandits were being forced out of the Kashmir valley by terrorists; and were forced to live like refugees in their own country".

However till now only the words have dispensed hope. Omar is an eloquent orator even though offensive at times. His infamous speech in the Lok Sabha had both critique and applauds come his way. To have said that ‘...Hum Masjid nahi girate, hum Mandir bhi nahi giraate…’ was a stale reminder of how truth gets buried... and that too at the periphery itself. Students (read young girls) were drooling over his ‘honesty’. I could not help but smile at their ignorance. By the time one Babri Masjid was reduced to ruins, hundreds of temples (1987-1991) had witnessed their silent brutal death. None to lament for them; till today.

Barring a few stray cases (not forgiven though), Omar Abdullah has been seen working towards change. He encourages healthy discussions and makes an effort to involve masses. But as a chief Minister he ought to also perform and not just attend forums.

A 2003 PTI report after Nadimarg massacre stated, "Omar Abdullah squarely blamed Pakistan-based terrorist outfits like Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Nandimarg massacre. He flayed the Mufti Sayeed government for being "soft" towards terrorists and said while healing touch is welcome, the Chief Minister's primary concern should be towards ensuring security in the state.

Omar said no state government could dare to be complacent towards the security of the people of the state…. He criticised leaders of separatist Hurriyat Conference, especially its former chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, for adopting "double standard" and not out-rightly condemning the Nadimarg incident. "They can only call Hartal and they have chosen a day when the entire Kashmir valley is in grief. Obviously, in the evening they will claim that the bandh was successful," the former Union minister said and termed Hurriyat as "Hartal conference."

Omar understands that the so-called Azaadi is not a viable solution (to Karan Thapar on Devil's Advocate on Sep. 7th 2008); a brave statement to be made when separatists had become the temporary pied-pipers of the valley!

We, at Roots In Kashmir, support reconciliation. But let us be clear on that. We do not support compromise. In the eyes of international law we deserve to be treated with equal respect and more so for being the native population.

There is extreme mistrust and animosity in the hearts of minority Hindu population towards the Muslim majority and on the other hand, Muslims too have faced the heat of terrorists. It is imperative that our new chief minister becomes a bridge for the estranged Kashmiri communities. In the state there is pain at all levels that ought to be mended. As his tenure begins, rational individuals must come forward and support sane policies that perhaps the CM recommends. If Omar Abdullah works without the baggage of his father and grandfather’s chameleon actions, there shall be a great deal of progress that Jammu and Kashmir would be able to witness.

The writer Pooja Shali is a student of Masters in Mass Communcation from MCRC, Jamia. She can be reached at poojashali@gmail.com

44 comments:

Anonymous said...

Omar Abdullah is nothing but old wine in new bottle. Everyone is aware of the anti-national attitude of Abdullah clan displayed by them right from 1947. Be it Sheikh or Farooq or Omar, all three of them are same. They are like chameleons who change colours suiting to their needs. Abdullahs speak something in Srinagar, something else in Jammu & something else in New Delhi. It was Omar Abdullah who pulled out his lungs in the Parliament & said, "yeh humari zameen ki ladayee hai, hum marte dum tak is k liye ladenge". Which land was he referring to?? J&K is not his father's jagir. J&K is, was & shall always remain an integral part of India. Thousands of patriotic Indians have sacrificed their lives for Kashmir, the crown of our great nation India. If Kashmir exists today it is because of the sacrifices of great nationalists like Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Brig. Rajinder Singh, Pt. Premnath Dogra. Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee laid down his life for the integrity of the country. One must not forget that it was Sheikh Abdullah's Govt. which ordered firing on patriots in Kathua in the early 50's. The only crime of those people was that they were unfluring the tri-colour. Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was put behind bars by the brutal & ruthless Sheikh Abdullah, on the other hand Nehru was living in the world of roses at that time. Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was murdered in jail, slow poison injection was given to him.

It was only after that Shiekh's anti-national posture became open that Nehru had to take action against him. Now coming to Farooq everyone knows that he was instrumental in the formation of JKLF, a terrorist organization whose aim was to break India. It was in the year 1974 that Farooq visited PoK on the invitation of JKLF top brass like Amanullah Khan. Farooq had given his full support to JKLF at that time in its agenda against India. Farooq is also said to have close relations with Maqbool Butt. In the 1984 state assembly elections everyone is aware of the kind of election campaigning in which Farooq's party engaged in. Sh. Jagmohan has very well mentioned that in his book, "My frozen turbulence in Kashmir". Another incident to add here, the NC emerged victorious in the 1996 assmebly elections, Farooq became the CM. It was in that particular term of his office that he once openly & shamlessly said in Assembly that, "J&K is an Islamic State".

Now coming to the much celebrated third generation of the Abdullah clan that is Omar Abdullah, it is this Omar Abdullah who many times echoed the anti-national sentiment of giving "right of self-determination" to Kashmiris. Doesn't he consider J&K as an integral part of India?? If not then its better for him to join the separatist camp & please his bosses across the border. It was Omar & his father who openly objected to the land transfer to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board & during the land row they justified the anti-India protests in valley. They even issued statements that if they come to power in the state, they will revoke that order the very first day they assume the office. Omar & his father time & again used the terms "Kashmiri Nation" & "Kashmiri Nationalism" during the Amarnath land row. What exactly they wanted to convey, that Kashmir is a differnt nation?? How poisonious are these statements of this father-son duo. This Abdullah clan needs to be told that Kashmir is , was & shall always remain an integral part of our great nation called India. Only one nation exists within India & that is only India & for every Indian there is only one nationalism that is Indian nationalism no matter to what region, state, caste, religion we belong to. It is Omar & his party that is demanding "autonomy" & "pre-1953 position". Now what does that mean?? I think i don't need to explain further.

As far as Omar's statement about the silence of Muslims at the time of exodus of Kashmiri Hindus in 1990 is concerned, I must say that it came as a surprise to me. But after a few days of that statement via his blog, Omar again wrote about the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus. But this time he wrote something else, he blamed the then Governor of J&K, Sh. Jagmohan for the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus & said that it was created by him only. This proves my statement that Abdullahs are chameleons. They don't even acknowledge the fact that Kashmiri Hindus were driven out by Islamic terrorists.

I have a piece of advise for the writer of this article, Dear Pooja think twice before using the terms, "brutal state force" with regard to J&K. Army in Kashmir is doing a commendable job. Don't talk like separatists.

I'm a Kashmiri Hindu (Pandit), I don't think, we Kashmiri Hindus need to ask for reconcilation. You talked about "mistrust & animosity" of the Pandits towards Kashmiri Muslims. Let me ask you how that mistrust developed? It developed because of the centuries of oppression at the hands of Muslims.There is no need to develop a bridge or any individual becoming a bridge between the "two estranged" communities. You better know that why I'm saying that.


Jai Hind !!

Jai Bharat !!


Sunil Bhat

Anonymous said...

Good one !!! Appreciate it pooja ...

Anonymous said...

Dear Pooja,

Let KPs not gloat over OOmer's Crocodile Tears about Kashmiri Pandits exodus.

In his first interview after winning elections and being nominated to head the Government
he was bold enough to say their Agenda is Autonomy and if Congress resists they will
walk out. Period.

Avtar K. Misri

Aditya Raj Kaul said...

Dear Avtarji,

With due respect to your comments, I feel Omar's statement about autonomy is in reference to his party ideology, agenda and framework. We all surely can't expect him to talk about 'Panun Kashmir' in his first press conference.

Also, Omar is among the very few or among the only Kashmiri Muslim front line leaders who has accepted the fact that 'Kashmiri Pandits' exodus was a dark episode and 'Kashmiri Muslims' as a whole were responsible for it, as they remained mute spectators either in acceptance of the tirade or in mere fear.

I'm not asking to get acrried away by this bold politically mature statement. But, atleast accept him and take this step positively, even though our strong concerns remain intact.

We are as well aware that he is the youngest CM of J&K till date who has done most of his education outside the valley. He is broad minded and not narrow and communally passionate like his father and grandfather.

Lets not fix emotions and politics.

Regards

ArK

Anonymous said...

Dear All.

Yes of course, what Omar is trying to achieve is his Grand fathers dream. When shiekh Abdulla declared about opening borders with pakistan occupied Kashmir he was put behind bars by Govt.

However in case Omar succeeds in achieving Terminating Muslim Terrorists Organizations, achieves communal harmony and as well settling KP's back in their homes, no body should have any problems the way he directs future of kashmir.

But the fact remains that he can not achieve any of the above. So KP's must forcefully ask for a home land within Kashmir quite far away from Muslim community and their ghettos but within the valley.

Thanks & regards
Maharaj Zutshi

Anonymous said...

Dear All,

Had Omar been so much concerned about KPs, he should have joined hands with BJP and Congress as I tried to suggest him on the day NC got maximum seats !!! He need to be taught secularism at length in some good boarding school

Cheers!!!

I am KKK

Aditya Raj Kaul said...

Dear Kuldeep ji,

Firstly, It was BJP which said it won't join hands with a party like NC due to various reasons, communal and separatist grandfather Sheikh Abdullah being one. On the other hand, even NC and Omar said they won't join hands with a communal part BJP. Doesn't that end any speculation ? Why should they now hear your advice?

Also, Am I dreaming or is it a fact.... Isn't there a NC-Congress led coalation in J&K at this poisnt of time?

Omar has offered a birth in his cabinet to a KP through the MLC Seat, inspite of the fact that no Pandit won in the recent elections. I don't say this is secularism, but atleast have a strong argument to teach him Secularim, that too in a 'Boarding School'?

Thanks

ArK

Anonymous said...

I fully agree with Avtar Ji, Omar talks about "self-determination", "autonomy" and thus he is undermining India's sovereignty. We Kashmiri Hindus should not expect much from him.

Dear Aditya, Yes Omar is young. Him being young doesn't mean he will be good for us.Wake up, he is the same Omar who wanted Musharaff's four point formula to be implemented. He is the same Omar Abdullah who justified the anti-India protests in valley during Amarnath land row. He is the same Omar Abdullah who vomited out poison in his speech in Lok Sabha in July 22nd trust vote debate. He wants GoI to bow before separatists. He is the same Omar Abdullah who said "Kashmiri Muslims are worst suffers". You are citing his statement about Pandits, but dear don't get swayed by his statement, he keeps on changing that, sometimes he says Muslims are responsible and sometimes Jagmohan.

He is not broad minded & impartial. Otherwise he would not have said in Lok Sabha that they won't give even an inch of land. After becoming CM, when he was asked a question about the discrimnation meted out to the Jammu region, he said that all the three regions in the state feel discriminated . Thus he didn't acknowledge that Jammu has been discriminated. Facts speak more than words. Facts clearly say that Jammu & Ladakh have always been discriminated. Now to just give himself a impartial image he is saying that he will set up a commission for looking into discrimnation charges of all the three regions. Why to include Kashmir region in that, when it is a known fact that Ladakh & Jammu regions have been discriminated and treated step-motherly.

As far as Omar's promise of including a Kashmiri Pandit in cabinet is concerned let me ask u that even if he is going to do that, then whom he is going to include in the cabinet?? Probably Vijay Bikaya, now be very honest, does he represent Kashmiri Pandits and their point of view?? the answer is NO. If Omar is actually wanting to give a representation to Kashmiri Pandits, then why doesn't he nominate anybody from Panun Kashmir, which truely represents Kashmiri Pandits. That will be entirely a different question whether Panun Kashmir accepts it or not, Omar has to show a kind gesture.Including a Kashmiri Pandit doesn't make a sense, Vijay Bakaya is a bureaucrat, he had spoken against Kashmiri Pandit organizations stand during Amarnath land row, how will he safeguard the interests of Kashmiri Pandits when he is a part of NC, a Kashmiri Muslim centric party. One thing more to add why didn't NC gave even a single ticket to a Kashmiri Pandit in the recenly held election?? Atleast they could have fielded a Kashmiri Pandit from Habbakadal. We are not beggars that Omar will include a KP in his cabinet, it is our right. So he is not going to do a favour to Kashmiri Pandits. Stop glorifying Omar Abdullah, as i said earlier he is nothing but old wine in new bottle.

Jai Hind !!

Jai Bharat !!

Sunil Bhat

Anonymous said...

That was a proxy militancy in the valley by the Pakistani security and punjabi establishment.Pakistan have used kashmiri muslims sentiments and so called faked nationalism by JKLF. This organization has headoffice in the heart of pakistani military city of Rawalpindi. I hope and wish all those people who have been living in the valley since centuries and generation to generation would be back adn rehabilitated properly in their property. I also hope young Abdullah would be a pragmatic politician in our history and who will not be misleaded by the communal forces and terrorists nexus.

Aditya Raj Kaul said...

Dear SUNILJI BHAT,

Probably you haven't tasted red wine. The older it is, the perfect it gets. Taste it sometime, playing with words blindly won't solve any purpose.

Omar Abdullah is seen with a difference by Kashmiri Pandits as well. He is young, educated and has accepted the mistake of his community boldly. He has a right to do whatever in his political party, even select Vijay Bakaya. Why should he listen to your advice, he'll do whatever favours his political party and agenda; just like any other party?

Stop having a CRY BABY attitude..

Yes, he comes from a family of communal and traitors; but that doesn't mean I naturally start hating and abusing him.

If your father is a murderer, I won't demand your death penality as well!

Its time we wake up to reality, and be logical in our decision making ability. Atleast we need to support the political system. Being side lined by political system, or by ourselves voluntarily won't help our community anyway!!!

Also, it was rather a mistake of Kashmiri Pandits itself, 47 of whom contested, in most seats among themselves, cutting votes of each other. This shows the political immaturity and open corrupt attitude. It wouldn't be surprrising if we come to know of them being fielded just for the heck of it, a political strategy to notlet Pandits win a single seat.

Lets not make assesments on politics in the air, lets be fair to ourselves.

Wake up from the typical Kashmiri syndrome of ego etc.

Anonymous said...

When you have nothing else, you still have hope. And some of Omar's words have definitely lent some hope to the Pandits, lets just pray that actions follow those words.

Anonymous said...

Dear Aditya, u may be an expert in drinks and its tastes. But dear, red wine tastes better with meat but ur beloved Omar Abdullah hasn't got any flesh, he carries with him the baggage of his family's communalist politics. He is only going to carry forward that agenda.I don't need to state the facts again and again. U are turning a blind eye towards them. Please go through my comments, may be u might have missed something. Even ur beloved Omar Abdullah has engaged in communal & anti-India rhetoric. I have discussed them at length. Go & read them again. Please for God's sake don't become a PRO of Omar Abdullah on whom u are showering praise. Be logical, rational & honest. I'm not against approaching the CM of J&K for our demands, but we don't need to become his PROs, admirers & followers.

If u want to reply to my comment again for the heck of winning, then i declare that u are the winner. But please be rational enough to decide what is right and what is wrong.

Jai Hind !!

Jai Bharat !!

Your friend,
Sunil Bhat

Anonymous said...

My dear Aditya Ji,

At the out set, I am sorry to miss a word NOT before Congress in my previous post, which is the cause of mis-understanding. Please read my explanation few a times again and again, for my NOT AGREED suggestion with patience and understanding its very very long term effect.

Coming to not agreeing to join hands BJP with NC or NC with BJP is just a LATEST blunder of both in the so called Secular India AS IT IS. I am not sure when such a nice chance would again come!!!

See, the base of India's existence is Secularism. The point to understrand is that you may be communial to brim at the heart but outwardly tactfully you should have to show you secular to the brim (Reverse of what you are) and that is Indian Politics. This is what I learnt from father of nation Mahatma Gandhi., who claimed to be Secular from outside but helped Muslims much more than Hindus. My dear this is Kalayug, only lie would flurish. Even Lord Krishena taught Arjuna the importance of LIE. Without lie even Krishna would not have won from Bhishma.

I am very sure neither NC (Sheikh Abudulah) nor BJP could have afforded to be communal. It might be in their minds but apparently both had to show that they secular. And that is the truth!! We could have lived in Kashmir again, as we have been living before 1989 with coilation of NC & BJP pack soon. But alas we have missed the bus yet again.

To coclude, I would repeat both BJP and NC have been not only wrong but very very wrong in delaring each other communal. Other advantages in the pact between NC & BJP you may re-read from my earlier post.

Thanking you,

I am KKK

Anonymous said...

It would be foolhardy of us to get excited on Omar's ascendancy to CMship. He is most likely, as he has indicated recently in his T.V. interviews, to follow the same pattern as his father and grandfather - partly because he believes in that mould/bent of approach and partly because his older colleagues would not allow him any deviation - I think more so because of the former reason.

The only difference between Omar Abdullah and Omar Farooq (moulvi) is that they both follow different but parallel strains of identical political thought/objective.

Regards,
Rajeev

Anonymous said...

The proof of the pudding is in the eating." The true value of something can only be judged when it's put to test.Results are what count,it's not how you start, but how you finish.I definitely feel Omar deserves a fair chance,he has lot of extra baggage passed on by his predecessors so would be unrealistic to expect him to start on a clean slate,nevertheless he brings in a fresh breath of air,youngblood and seems to be more stable and less frivolous.He is our generation, young leader;someone we can relate to.Premature to speculate what he could do for displaced Kashmiri Pandits,its more complex than it appears at the surface.All said and done he has a herculean task before him and expectations are high,not always the best situation to be in.The objective side of me says he will be better than the leaders we have had so far in Kashmir,the irrational side asks will he change his colours as well with passage of time..right now its best to wait and watch!!I wish him all the best though.

Anonymous said...

Dear All,

I do not wish to initiate any debate on this subject, however the truth is a Leopard
cannot change his Spots even if Born and Bred in a London Zoo.

After winning elections Omer has tried out half a dozen different Caps before wearing
the 'karakuli' at the swearing in.

Like Dritarashtara in Mahabharat Omer must hope someday the real Crown will be his.

Avtar K. Misri

Anonymous said...

Inability on our part to throw up leaders and solutions has left us cynical, non committed, non plus and in no state to decide what is good and what is not. May I ask the self styled ideologue's here what is the course we have chartered for ourselves even after 20 years of mass migration.

I have been the most vocal votary of a separate homeland but with all our leaders dithering and withering on the approach it is better to be a pessimist and non committal to the cause. We are dead and shall remain in a state of paralysis till eternity.

The only ray of hope I saw was Omar making a statement about the migration of KP's sometime back though he took a very strong stand on the Amarnath land issue.

Who cares while the KP dies.....not even the KP himself

--
Sanjay Raina
Astro Television
Jakarta

Anonymous said...

Omar abhdullah being nominated for CNN Politician of the year,2008.

amitmagazine said...

Pooja keep the good work....
good luck!

Anonymous said...

Namaskar! There is no point getting emotional on this issue and treat Omar just like his father and grandfather. It would be a big mistake to commit.

Omar Abdullah, is a young and dynamic person and hopefully a leader too. Lets atleast give him partial support till he initiates some steps of development. To blindly disassociate with him and question his charecter will be a blunder.

Sunilji Bhat seems to be a arrogant Kashmiri who doesn not understand the difference between logic and ego.

It is time to build you community and get into politics with a defined strategy, it wouldn't be wise to just scream on computers and abuse Omar Abdullah. This will only lead to embarassment to your cause/campaign.

Hope you think over it.

Lets make our own Panun Kashmir.

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

A thought process that is totally different from the generally expressed views on this forum!

While appreciating the courage to express this off-the-usual-track thinking, one has to respectfully express complete & total disagreement with this radical sounding, but in reality very simplistic, line of thinking.

The Kashmiri Muslim Leaders' names quoted do not have the same agenda, some are totally for Pakistan, some for Independence, some for Self Rule, some for Autonomy.....The only real common agenda of all these seems to be to use religious fervor to keep the fire burning, and keep milking India to sustain the very high standard of living in the Valley in general, and for their own selves in particular.

The names quoted do not have the need, nor the power, to ensure permanent return & resettlement of KP's in the valley. One group may profess from hilltops that they want that; other groups, with whom economic conflict over Indian booty may ensue, will ensure that the resettlement goes up in flames.

History has a way of moving on. Worse ethnic displacements of people have & are taking place all over the world, most of these irreversible, unretractable, and forgotten. The only thing special about the tragedy of KP displacement from Kashmir is that it is ridiculous & comic, because it is happening in the namesake so-called "Part of India", right under the nose of great leaders of various parties who have ruled this "largest democracy" in the world. Other than expensive stationing of lakhs of soldiers in Kashmir, handling of the situation by one and all of them, has been comic for the last 62 years! The latest Chaplinian act is jubilation over 65% voting in recent PDP-Congress-NC Musical Chairs of Power.

Bansi Tikku

Anonymous said...

Appreciate the work of RIK and this current article by Pooja Shali.

Way to go friends. We need to be open our hearts.

Unknown said...

Well being a young KP,I suggest we shuld not keep typical one sided mind-set..Omar Abdullah is a young & vibrant politician & somehow I think he wld not behave the same way as his ancestors would have been towards us.Lets all keep faith & hope & see how the things move ahead..He don't have alternative but has to definitely take KP's along with him as he is a politician.

Lets not make a hypothetical opinion &^ lets see the things in larger view & we all are strong enough to handle any situation..Lets Keep high hopes.

Unknown said...

Of all the political clan in Kashmir I am sure Omar Abdullah is one amongst the best choices. I think it won't be fair to have any preconceived negative notions against him. Let us give him a fair chance and support him on positive gestures, without compromising our political goals(If we believe we have).

Rajesh Pandit

Unknown said...

Dear RIKians,

I would strongly recommend not to put so much faith in Omar Abdullah and advocate his stance that you end up alienating your compatriot KPs, because like you said yourself if it is too early to criticize him, it surely too early to start rejoicing for his win.

Some of you have expressed strong optimism for Omar's rule in J&K after having criticized him only a few months back on his blog post where he had shared his views on terrorism. This is a very Congress like approach and I am wondering what has happened in last couple of months to turn all the RIKians into diplomats.

If all of this is to create good PR my friends, then I must tell you, you are not only sounding contradictory but may also end up embarrassing yourselves if Omar takes a decision that is unfavorable to KPs. And my gut feeling says that he is going to do it sooner than later.

Please hold back your praises for the National Conference and their leaders for the moment. Let them prove their worthiness.

Anonymous said...

At RIK, we haven't supported National Conference or its leaders. We have strong differences with them, their approach, their ideas and lastly their members.

We have just welcomed the individual Omar Abdullah, because for the first time a youth has taken over the command, so naturally, there is much hope and expectations. This does not mean we support him in each and every way.

If he works for development, rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, renovation and protections of Pandits, employments etc.; then we'll singly support his initiatives.

But, if he carries on with the tirade initiated by his father and grandfather, then we would expose their reality.

We the free thinkers group of RIK, is very open and clear about our decision.

We are not diplomatic, but work with strategy.

And, we are very much alive and Rocking!

Unknown said...

Glad to hear back from you immediately. This is surely a sign that RIK has not turned complacent because of whatever reason.

I have started worrying about the position of RIK for the role it has played, in being instrumental in generating pride in our entire generation of KPs, which it jeopardise by changing its stance.

I being one from the current generation don't want to wake up one fine day only to realize that some of our esteemed RIKian have been compromised by the leading parties and turned against their own people.

This is not a hypothetical assumption, or an invalid fear, this is politics we are talking about. No matter how strong our ties and how unrelenting our efforts towards reinstating KPs in Kashmir, there will be the weak links that will be exploited by politicians sooner or later.

Our efforts are not yielding too much of tangible fruits, which can mislead some of our activists into believing that they could bring the change by being somewhere else and by supporting someone else.

Or there could be some of our activists who could be afraid of losing all they have earned with their lifetime's hard work, like a house, a high paying job or a seat in an engineering college etc.

There are a thousand ways to introduce a rogue member into this establishment that has shown such promise in last three years of its existence. I would be very sad to see such a day come in my lifetime.

At the same time, I know there are some very strong forces that drive RIK and it is hard to undermine their influence on the effectiveness and orientation of RIK's original philosophy. I wish them good luck.

I would like to say this before I sign off. No matter how much we want to see a change in Kashmir and our statelessness, and hope that Omar and the likes, being of new generation, may bring that change for us, we mustn't let our guards down.

As far as I see it, Omar is just a pawn in the hands of Congress that they have played wisely to ensure a smooth launch for Rahul Gandhi into National Premiership role. After Omar becoming the CM, Congress will play on the sentiments of bringing young politicians at the center stage of national politics and once they have achieved their goal of establishing Rahul Gandhi on the Prime Minister's seat, they will start manipulating Kashmir's state politics to bring more unrest and make it impossible for KPs to return. Why they will do that is again a part of my theory that I don't want to impose on everyone.

The point is, lets not play into the hands of any of these politicians. Let's play politics on our own terms if we must.

I hope the strategy that you claim is the foundation of this change of stance towards J&Ks leadership bring the desired results, in favor of the entire community.

Unknown said...

A small correction, please re-read the second paragraph as follows:

I have started worrying about the position of RIK for the role it has played, in being instrumental in generating pride in our entire generation of KPs, which it may jeopardise by changing its stance.

The modification is in bold, it was a typo. My apologies.

Anonymous said...

Dear Neoriz,

We appreciate your concern and would certainly discuss it within our group.

But, I assure you that RIK has come out with this stance, only after a strong introspection and series of meetings. We won't let the community down.

We'll do whatever is possible on our end to bring the cause of our community to fore front yet again in the coming days.

You apprehension on Omar Abdullah is just and even we have that in our mind intact. Our support to Omar, is not as a whole, we'll I again repeat support only those initiatives by him which are for real development and peace. And, we by now very well know what Politics, playing to the galleries and vote bank strategy is.

We have a foolproof strategy as we have had earlier.

On similar grounds, RIK may initiate something on the pattern of reviving our lost temples in Kashmir.

We yet again appreciate for your important feedback, that we'll share with the group.

Thanks for visiting. Keep reading :-)

Anonymous said...

Views expressed on this blog in the form of articles etc. are views of the global initiative of Roots In Kashmir (RIK), unless mentioned otherwise.

The above article should as well be taken in the same spirit of RIK View.

Thanks.

Roots In Kashmir

Anonymous said...

I think it's time for all of us to stand by OMAR and support him in his efforts.

To all the people who are are opposing Omar, the only question I want to ask them is, "Out of the available options, who would they rather have as the Chief Minister of the state, if not Omar??"

In my opinion, Omar becoming the leader of the state, is an event which should be taken with pride and hope, hope of a better future for the state and for the Kashmiri Pandit community.

It's sad that here is a man, who is in the position of power and who is at least showing verbal support towards the KP's, and instead of supporting him and standing by him, we are criticizing him.

Nevertheless, I am very hopeful that this will mark as a new and positive beginning in the life of the valley.

Anonymous said...

Great write up Pooja..! Way to go..!

A khosa said...

@ Aditya Raj and all

rightly said , our memory is too short and we have a ever forgiving nature.. this is not today we have been like this for ages and that is the reason we are struggling to keep our community alive...

Today again we have started pinning hopes with the so called young and dynamic Abdhullah, who as far as far as I know is least different from his grandfather and father... it is famous about them...

They are fanatics in valley, socialist in Jammu and secularist in capital... they have three faces, but this young Abdhullah has gone a step ahead and dared do what his father and grandfather covertly wished to....

He openly challenged the Indian authority over kashmir and clearly mentioned while thumping the table that we will fight till the last drop of our blood against the land transfer"

Did any one care to ask him why?? who the hell was he, to stop transfer of land... does he know that ever patch of land in kashmir where these people are perpetuating their nefarious designs belongs to kashmiri pandits.. we are the aborigines of this land? does he know Sheikh's grandfather was a hindu who under influence got converted? Alas he has forgotten ever thing.... and why shouldnt he.. after all he is as power thirsty as his grandfather was....

This was welcomed by our Fool and Moron parliamentarians... and ironically Abdhullah's speech was recognized as the best speech for that day.. what an Irony??

Anonymous said...

A. Khosa or Sunilji Bhat in a different name...

Anonymous said...

Great article. We surely need to trust for sometime the new Chief Minister - Omar Abdullah, till the time he delivers. It is very important.

We need not act as typical 'Battas'. Work with logic and brain for a change.

A khosa said...

Raman Pandita and Sabka Baap!!

I know reality pinches, and you guys are far from accepting the truth, belong to a opportunistic class of kashmiri pandits ..... I do not want to waste my time and enegry to answer ur stupidity about labeling me as a TYPICAL BATTA... How can I debate with any one who is ashamed to name disclose his name even... Mr Sabka baap.... Haha!!

A khosa said...

I have gone thru the whole blog repeatedly for last couple of days, just to make sure I understand it well. After After going through this blog one thing has again been established that kashmiri pandits NEVER LEARN or take any lessons from their historical past and deeds committed. We are pandits for NAME SAKE.

Some of you especially Pooja Shali ji and Aditya Koul Ji might contradict me on this as they are on CLOUD NINE after hurling allocades on Omar. Pooja ji being from the Journalistic lineage ( Well! She is Masters in Mass Comm, from JAMIA) might even be getting ready for an interviewing rendezvous with the first person of state, and currently busy in setting stage somewhere in DAL on patterns of Barkha Dutt, another allocade singer of Omar.....

But my dear friends I mean every word of what I said, and if you have any doubts, just go through the annals of History and you will come to know, that a handful of kashmiro pandits have always acted as traitors of K.P cause. Always a spoil sport. All this started with Rinchin, the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir, continued through Sheikh's period, through Sheikhs ploy of giving a secular colour to otherwise Communal and Fanatic National Conference.....And mind you this is continuing even now through the same hanful of K.P's, but in a different avatar....

These so called beacon lights of the community are taking the whole community for a ride to deep abyss....The abyss where we are sure to get trapped into meaning less existence. My friends hurling praises of choicest admiration on Omar sahab seem to be forgetting the basic. it seems as if some contents from the all time favorite essay, ' My Favorite Leader' have copied and pasted in this blog, without the application of a rational mind....

To begin with they seem to be so impressed with his press interviews that they forgot to check what goes behind the veil of all such press interviews... they seem oblivious of the fact that such interviews are staged and manipulated... that there is a growing nexus of media and the political system in our country. At least pooja should have know this.. or did she do it with a cause!!

My friends, seem to be forgetting that so called Omar's well bred pragmatic mindset got lambasted in his last parliamentary speech, where even Yasin Malik and Syed Ali Shah Geelani would have been proud of him.. for what he did in Indian parliament could never have been done by his grandfather or father.. so he goes a step further in venomous hate ridden speech....

Picking a line from his speech, "hum masjid nahi giratey, hum mandir bhi nahi giratey" Do we require anything else to prove Omar's dubious standards and character.? Do we ? We all are glowing evidences that Kashmir is a gory example of barbaric Islamic crusades where hundreds of temples were turned into rubbles, forcibly captured, trespassed and converted into Mosques- the so called apostles of peace and brotherhood in the name of Allah !! And pooja ji please get your records straight... this didn't only happen during 1987 to 1991, this was a very meticulously planned and well orchestrated ploy, to annihilate Kashmiri Pandits.....for last 700 years !!! Will Omar ever muster courage to stand up and for these hundreds of temples and millions of kashmiri pandits and say to the muslims of the valley, Nay ! Behold !! My brothers we are the sinners of this community.......... Possibly not!! Yes!! I know, quite recently, he shed some crocodile tears for mass exodus of K.P's which happened 20 years ago... caught napping all these years, Bechara!!

Pooja Ji get realistic, they wish to annihilate us and you are talking of Omar acting as a bridge between the two communities.....he is still searching his own pillars!! Do not build castles in air, seek the ground beneath... seek reality, not hypothetical situations!!

You talk of Muslims in valley having felt the heat of terrorism too.... Are we responsible for that? Did we ask they to adopt to the kalanshinkov culture?? Did we ask them to get their young children trained in warfare?? NAY !! We didn't !! Their religious fanaticism has brought havoc on them....their own deeds, their ignorance are responsible for their plight.. For heavens sake, think before you press the ENTER key and stop acting like Arundati Roy and Bharkha Dutt.. I know it pays, but this is not true journalism!!

The concluding part of your write up makes me laugh at your skills and intelligence. You re dreaming of Omar to work without the baggage of his grandfather and father. If your memory is not failing you in the same write up you have boosted of Omar's well bred political lineage. Can you please explain which part of your write up needs to be believed and with which baggage will Omar Sahab operate!! O ! Ya !! Omar might bring the western school of political thought into kashmir.

Confused you are or such a sinister!! You know better!!

PS: If you are running short of time these days, Aditya can answer on your behalf. But please persuade Aditya to leave his RED WINE tasting desire... Who knows, it might turn into Addiction!!!

Anonymous said...

A. Khosa or Sunil Bhat

You are such a disgrace for all Kashmiri Pandits. You can't stand for peace, humanity and your own community for that matter. You are afraid to come out in open, and hence such a comment above.

Omar Abdullah is no Yasin Malik. He is no monster. He has been elected by the majority of votes by a democratic process. He is no autocratic leader. Figures show morethn 80% Kashmiri Pandits voted for himand his party in the recentlyhelpelections, almostsimilar are the figures elsewhere.

You speak like Mussolini in some ways. You do not understand mature politics and strategy that Pandits need to build against redical Islamic Terrorists and even Islamist leaders. You fail to understand the implications of shooting comments in the air and being fundamentalists in your own way, which the comment suggests. You have no knowledge of Kashmir, leave aside Kashmiri Pandits.

If you are so annoyed with Omar, why didn't you contest the elections and win all seats. If that wasn't possible, why can't you unite your own community and lead a campaign of sorts to get justice for the plight of your community.

Roots In Kashmir has done a brilliant job in last 2-3 years of its existence. They have played a very important role to spread awareness on the plight of Pandits globally. And, they have played very strategic and mature Politics when they gave 3 Points agenda to Mirwaiz of Hurriyat and now even by welcoming a younth leader who has been elected as the Chief Minister of our homeland state. This is the need of the hour. Omar Abdullah needs to be used well, and we dodn't need to beg before him, you fools.

I pray to God to give you some brains, Sunil Bhat and A. Khosa, so that you can introspect and realise that nothing will help by shooting comments in the air and raising arguments without a base.

I've been with RIK from past few years in the capital Delhi attending their programmes and even supporting their all programmes. I fully endorse and support even this major hostorical step.

This is first step to the return to our homeland. God willing we would soon create our own Panun Kashmir, and even fools like you would get a place to stay their.

Kindly stay away from writing crap and without reason increasing this debate from now on.

Like the comments above, it is very clear that majority feel Omar has raised hopes within and even outside our community.

In regard to your comments on the author of this article and others, I think its the height of immaturity and childish attitude deep inside your brain. You some to be neglected by all around you and hence raise these stupid arguments here.

God play games kid. RIK is not the place for you to roam around.

RIK here means serious business, including this blog.

I don't think this discussion should continue now on. Moderators should take notice and moderate this buggers A.Khosa and Sunil Bhat. They should apologise, they are disgrace for our community. Pity them.

God help them with some brains and positive outlook. Thjey should come out from the four walls and know the world better.

Jai Panun Kashmir!

Anonymous said...

Omar Abdullah should be given a positive welcome, and his work should be followed carefully by the community members. If he works for the benefit of Pandits, nothing like it.

We should stay away from abusing him without a credible reason. Lets for a change be honest to ourselves.

History is very important and reminds us of our exodus, but at the same time Omar has won popular vote in our J&K. He has to be accepted as our leader.

Anonymous said...

Omar has the ability to solve the problems of KP's..
lets wait and watch!!

A khosa said...

@ Raman Pandita

I have no regrets with the kind of remark u made, as I know the black-sheep content of our community is present as well…. But people like you must always bear in mind that there are people still left in the community qho can forsee future and have balls to bear your onslaught…

In my detailed response< I explained with concrete examples, Why we need not jump into the band wagon of Omar praise, but need to read Omar and his father through the mirror of their past deeds. Without caring to give a thought to my previous response, you jumped into conclusions. Had you encountered my response with response of some worth, where I needed to think and use my mental capacity.. I might have given it a thought.. However your abusing attitude, makes me give u a damn! Go back to the previous response and think about the points raised by me….

Your abusive language has prompted me to respond, since I do not wish to create a wronmg precedences

1. You said, I am a disgrace, I cannot stand for peace, blah! Blah! Blah!

Yes, I am disgrace, since I donot toe the NC line of dubious ideology, do not support those who were supporters of JKLF in the past, and who were instrumental in ethinic cleansing. Yes! I am a disgrace, as I dare to speak and fight for the cause of my community, dwelling in hellish conditions, mentally harassed with no land to call their own…

And what peace are you refering to, my dear brother. You cannot have peace with those yielding guns in their hands and out there to annihilate you, persecute you, torment you, and figure out different means for your religious cleansing. If you are for peace, WHY are you demanding a separate Home land… go ahead and live with those who made you flee…Pandita ji, if peace means handing over the right to live with dignity and respect, I STAND FOR 1000 YEARS OF VIOLENCE. See the Jews! Tormented through ages, taking revenge now of all those atrocities commited against them. They too need peace but not at the expense of basic right of life and soverignity. Learn from them!

2. Omar Abdhullah is no Yasin Malik… U said this… I say.. Yes!! He cannot be Yasin.. he is worse that yasin. Yasin has been toeing a line of thought ever since I got to know about him… but these Abdhullah’s.. History is full of anecdotes and examples where these have done complete reverse of what they ublicaly acknowledged... even a chameleon would hide its head in disgrace, seeing them. Remember his speeech in PARLIAMENT … Do you endorse it?? If yes! You should be ashamed of calling me a disgrace. If NO! Then why are you still pinning hopes with Omar!! Or you believe in ,

Hum Ko maloom hai janat ki hakeet lekin; Dil ko khush rakhney ka Ghalib yeh khayal aacha hai.

3. Who did you just say has been elceted through a democratic process… O I see !! Omar .. U mean!!
Really!! Sorry I beg to differ!! Anyone who doesn’t know the citadel of power in kashmir lies in the capital of India has least information about Kashmir issue. Here , I can give you a benefit of doubt…

Did you visit the election commisions web site for the J&K results.. if not.. please go and see, www.eci.gov.in , see your self , places where polling percentage has been higher, have been won by PDP, NC mostly got its seats from city , where percentage of votes polled has been less that 30 percent…. And this might dig the last nail in your coffin of lies… taking the case of largest pandit constituency.. HABBA KADAL…. Having 13000 KP votes , you know howm many votes were polled by KP’s , just about 18 percent..WHY DO YOU SAY 80 PERCENT, AND THESE VOTES WERE DISTRIBUTED BY 12 PANDIT CONTESTANTS.. H L CHATTA GOT ABOUT 670 VOTES… and if that is not enough total votes Polled in HABBA KADAL were 4700 approx.. NC won this seat…

Not difficult that KP’s boycotted this election… then why is u hell bent in projecting KP participation in elections… WHY???? WHY are you giving false and manipulated figures???

Please also note, I never said anything wrong about RIK , but I will counter them as well, if they mislead community , to to create space for them in this scenario…

This response is only to your first two paragraphs, IF I desire, I can tear you apart, through a response , which you will take ages to read… AND THIS IS NOT MY PRIDE… IT IS MY CONVICTION, MY BELIEF. Do not play mental gymnastics with me!!!!

RANISH said...

gr8 wrk pooja....
comments are 2 wrth a read :)

Anonymous said...

I just want too take some time out Thank everyone for doing what you do and making the community what it is im a long time reader and first time poster so i just wanted to say thanks.

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