ISIS FLAGS-WHAT SHOULD WORRY US

The frequency with which one is seeing ISIS flags being displayed in Kashmir these days has lead to heated debates. From “outright condemnation” to “they have no role in Kashmir” arguments we are losing sight of the bigger picture. To be fair to the separatists’ one has to accept that even the separatists themselves would hate to see the so called “freedom struggle” being hijacked by the ISIS. The presence of ISIS would mean shrinking of Petro and Paki money that separatists are so used to. It would also mean de-legitimization of whatever little legitimacy it may have in the eyes of OIC members since the world at large has already seen through the “freedom struggle” of “indigenous Kashmiris”.

Yet we are seeing young men displaying ISIS flags at regular intervals. The question is not whether ISIS has an organizational structure in Kashmir or not, or whether those displaying the flags owe their allegiance to ISIS or not. It is also not important whether the background checks on these “idiots” as Omar Abdullah would like to call them, revealed their links to any terrorist organization or not. What is important to know is what kind of people would display the flags of a barbaric, obscurantist, medieval mindset terrorist network.

Kashmir has experienced periods of extreme religious bigotry in the past as well. The armed insurgents both locals as well as foreigners used barbaric methods of killing and torture. From axing people on saw mills to chopping their genitals, from nailing the heads of infidels to gouging the eyes of their victims the terrorists have used every inhuman way of creating fear into those who disagreed with them. So in a way one can ask, how different or more barbaric is the ISIS when compared to let us say a JKLF or a Hizbul Mujahideen.

In the last two and half decades Kashmir has been radicalized to a degree that was unknown in its history. The entire countryside is teeming with a group which calls itself “Allahwalles” or The People of God. They are ubiquitous. This is one radicalization that I must admit hasn’t come from Pakistan but from mainland India. They have sown the seeds of puritanical Islam in the vast swathes of Kashmir. The Kashmiri countryside is hugely influenced by their thought. Then there are other ideologies like Ahl-e-Hadees who indoctrinate their followers in Wahhabism a thought that stands in complete contrast to the local born Sufis of Kashmir. As a young boy living in the countryside I have seen women of my village wearing colourful pherans with Salwars and a Headgear, while now, girls as young as seven are completely draped. More men sport “Islamic” beards than ever before. The issuance of a fatwa to an all girls music band by Grand Mufti was an ominous sign. This tells us how far religion has travelled in Kashmir in the recent years. The Dargahs of the Sufi saints have seen less attendance and the numbers are falling every year. In the past one would see huge gatherings at the Dargahs of Kashmiri Poets like Ahmed Batwari or a Shamas Faqir but as time passes by, there is a question being asked by the young in Kashmir,Is it Islamic to bow there ?

It is in the light of such retrograde developments that one needs to see the “appearance” of ISIS Flags. It may be true that only a handful young men support the idea of ISIS, it may equally be true that the philosophy of ISIS may not have many takers in Kashmir but then the very fact that radicalization has reached a stage where even if a handful have empathy towards the ISIS and its methods is a matter of grave concern. It is undoubtedly a failure of the administration that people are waving these flags but what should worry us more is that the ones waving the flags today would be the gun runners of ISIS tomorrow. We would be ignoring the issue at our own peril.

Launch of Praznath-A quarterly literary-cultural magazine

Roots in Kashmir invites all our readers to the launch of the first literary-cultural magazine on Kashmir.

Praznath is the idiom of the discourse, a reflection of the self in the mirror of conscious.Together we shall write, rewrite, delve, learn, unlearn, work, enrich ourselves and the world around us with our focus on Art, Culture and Thought of and from Kashmir and Kashmiris. This shall be "the forum" for interactions and one day shall be the reference archive for anyone wanting to know Kashmir

We request your presence at the launch of the quarterly - PRAZNATH at India Habitat Centre. Praznath will document Kashmiri art, culture, literature, tradition and history.

A panel discussion on - IDENTIFYING IDENTITY IN KASHMIR - will mark the occasion. The PANELISTS are:

Dr. Kapila Vatsayan (Eminent Scholar)
MP, Rajya Sabha & Member, Amarnath Shrine Board

Sir Mark Tully (Eminent Journalist)
Padma Bhushan, formerly BBC Correspondent in India

Dr. Swapan Dasgupta (Eminent Columnist)

Mr. Francois Gautier (Founder, FACT India)
Editor-in-Chief, La Revue de l’Inde

Dr. Khema Kaul (Eminent Writer)
Awarded ‘Hindi Writers Award’ by the President of India, 1997.
Her published works include Samay ke Baad, Baadalon Mein Aag (poetry) and Dardpur (novel).

Date: Thursday, March 18, 2010
Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Location: India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

Return Jobs

Abdul Rahim Rather, just in case you don’t know who he is, The Finance Minister of Jammu and Kashmir announced (during his budget speech) a job package of 15000 jobs for Kashmiri Pandits to enable them back to Kashmir.One would be tempted to believe that Mr.Rather is rather catholic and philanthropic only if one wouldn’t know the ground reality of Private Sector in Kashmir,the state of its PSU’s,the unemployment figures and last but not the least the fate of myriad packages that subsequent State and Central Governments have announced for the displaced Pandits. To give the reader an idea of what happened to the much hyped Rs 1600 crore package announced by the Hon’ble Prime Minister here it is.So far only 1.6 crore of that money has been sanctioned to be spent of various welfare schemes for Pandits.

You may have made the right noises and played to the national media by projecting yourself as a man with secular credentials but Sir please don’t fool yourself into believing that there are 15000 jobs in entire Jammu and Kashmir leave alone Kashmir valley.Even today there aren’t 15000 people hired by the private organised sector in all of Kashmir.

Be that as it may, can anyone please tell the minister that it isn’t jobs that will lure us back to Kashmir because it weren’t jobs that “lured” us to the plains? The minister is either too blind to facts or so naïve that he doesn’t even understand this. This isn’t the first time that a minister has offered such a simple solution to such a complex problem. We have seen in the past how various politicians across the Political hue have offered such silly solutions like giving us money to “rebuild” our houses or offering us “jobs” in far flung areas of Kashmir. Understandably there have been no takers for such offers. This should have made the government understand that such offers will remain just offers unless basic issues of reversal of ethnic cleansing, instituting a commission of enquiry to probe murders of Kashmiri Pandits, destruction of their property and religious shrines.

I am tired of repeating this but not even one person has been punished for killings of Pandits and the Hon’ble minister if giving us lure of jobs. Imagine how Sarla Bhat’s relatives would feel every time they see her rapist Yasin Malik roaming as a leader. Imagine how Satish Tiku’s father would feel every time he sees Bitta Karate. There are thousands of such people who may want jobs but then wouldn’t feel like returning unless they see killers and rapists of their relatives punished. Imagine how I would feel when I go back to my village knowing very well that amongst them are the people who looted my house before they burnt it.

Mr.Minster please get it right. We need jobs, we want to return to our homes but before that we demand a life of dignity, we demand the right to practice our religion, we demand a right to justice.

I am told that Allama Iqbal is a huge favourite for invocation in Kashmir these days. So here for you Mr.Minister,Allama Iqbal’s answer to your job offer

Ah Tahir-e-lahauti us rizik se maut ache
Jis rizik se aatee ho parwaaz main kohtai

Obituary-Dr.Jagat Mohini Thusu-Florence Nightangle of Kashmir

COURTESY:KP-NETWORK

Dr. Jagat Mohini Thussu, a true rattan of Rattan Rani hospital and Kashmir
by Dr. Navin Atal and Neera Goyal

We lost a great soldier of Kashmir valley, a woman who towered like a giant in the valley for the last seventy years of Kashmir history. The noble lady left us on the early morning of 14th June 2009 at the age of about eighty eight years, after bravely battling her ailments for more than a year. She sought the love of her fellow people till the very end, the fellow Kashmiri people, whom she once served with all her passion.
Dr. Jagat Mohini, who had her roots in Punjab , did her M.B.B.S from King Edward Medical College , Lahore . She came to Kashmir in 1945 as a young bride and a young lady doctor, in a culture different from hers. She settled down quickly and adopted the Kashmiri culture to become an integral part of it. Since then she dedicated her entire life to the service of the people of Kashmir valley. She and her husband, late Dr. Onkar Nath Thussu, a renowned Pathologist, started the Rattan Rani Hospital at Barbarshah, Srinagar , named in memory of Dr. Onkar Nath’s late first wife. It was the very first hospital of Kashmir based on modern treatment and is now a century old heritage site. Dr. Jagat Mohini’s battle for upliftment of the society was fought for the last seventy years or so from Rattan Rani Hospital with her field of operation being the Kashmir valley.
Dr. Jagat Mohini worked selflessly for people of Kashmir at a time when there were very few doctors and hardly any specialist. She treated all types of patients and battled all diseases deftly, but the most important contribution to the society has been the upliftment of women of Kashmir valley. She was a champion of fighting issues of women, like discrimination, violence, dowry, health issues of women etc. She was widely known for her generosity and charity.
She not only treated them medically, but also put a healing touch to their socioeconomic ailments also. She became a champion to the cause of women of the valley. She worked day and night her entire life, sleeping just four hours in a day, totally dedicated to her profession. She saved, treated and cured countless patients. As time passed, people looked up to her, as a mentor, guardian and a saviour. She earned the nickname, “Mummy” from her staff and all her patients. She was literally a mother to all as she brought endless many to this world as a gynecologist. She is truly the “Florence Nightingale” of Kashmir , or the “Mother Teresa” of the valley. The national newspaper “The Hindustan Times” wrote on its front page an article of her achievements and it was titled as “the supermom of Kashmir ”. Her work was also recognized and complimented by many other national papers.
She worked as a social reformer and a philanthropist, doing a lot of charity work without looking for any reward. She was a social worker who fought all evils of society and became a source of inspiration to many. She was instrumental in providing employment to many people, both directly in the hospital, as well as by opening vocational centres of training in occupations like stitching, sewing and knitting, including Pashmina shawls making. A multi-talented women, she used her knowledge of stitching, sewing, and knitting to open centers to train women from the weaker sections of society so that they could live a life of dignity. The vocational training camps and centers started and run by her provided a source of livelihood to countless women in Kashmir . She was successfully running a Nursing school which enrolled many students from many parts of the country and again provided a source of livelihood to women of the state and other parts of the country.
A bold upright woman, she stood for justice and never wavered inspite of all odds. Whenever and wherever a person needed help, she was there for them. She opened a school, “Viswa Bharati” which from a two room set up became a college, later having a branch in NOIDA near Delhi . She had the foresight to acquire land for the school at NOIDA and then converted it into a successful school. She organized and conducted health camps in and around the city for the benefit of poor and needy people of the state.
She was a brave and fearless soul, who never deserted the people of the valley in all times. She stood tall and courageously faced both the good and bad times of the valley. A simple and good human being, she never faltered to help a fellow Kashmiri.
Dr.Jagat Mohini has given her entire life to Kashmir . Now it is for the people of Kashmir to see how they can repay a small part of good she has done to the valley. It is time to repay her debt by carrying on her legacy for the betterment of the valley.
Mrs. Thussu was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Onkar Nath Thussu, daughter, Seema Thussu, and brothers Anand Kumar Atal and Dr. Pushkar Rattan Atal, brother in law Janki Nath Kaul, and nephew Vimal, brother in laws and sister in laws Hriday Nath and Prabha Thussu, Pushkar Nath and Kamla Thussu, Kameshwar Nath Thussu, Raj Dulari Thussu, Prithvi Nath Coraji, and Radhakishen and Uma Raina.
Her survivors include her son Ashok and daughter in law Promila, granddaughters Vidisha and Nisha and their families, sister Manmohini Kaul, brother Dr. Chand Kumar Atal and sister in law Saroj, brother Jagdish Ratna Atal and sister in law Sheila, and sister in laws Rekha Atal and Indira Atal, brother in laws Rajinder Nath Thussu and Janki Nath Chaku, and sister in laws Kaushalya Chaku and Lalita Thussu, and the extended families. She is also survived by the following nephews and nieces, and their families on the Atal side: Gitanjali, Urvashi, Manjula, Neelima, Neera, Navin, Anuradha, Ritu, Nidhi, and Subodh and the family of Vimal, and those on Dr. Onkar Nath Thussu’s side, with extended families: Sheela, Surender, Kuldeep, Priti, Iqbal, Usha, Kanwar, Kamlesh, Sudhir, Rita, Nancy, Satish, Shami, Bittie, Girija, Nirmala and Suresh.

The Unsung Kashmiri Soldier

The funeral of the Martyr

The martyrdom of Shabir Ahmed Malik, a paratrooper with the Indian Army has once again brought to fore the role of Kashmiris in fighting terrorism in their state. He was martyred fighting intruders in the border district of Kupwara in North Kashmir. The Sainik School educated had turned 22 the very day he attained martyrdom. His supreme sacrifice will be remembered for long. What will be remembered even longer was the fact that thousands took to the streets to bid an emotional farewell to this son of the soil. Thousands shouted Shabir Ahmed Zindabad and Azad Hindustan Zindabad.When his tricolour draped body was brought to his village Wakura, near Ganderbal thousands mourned and a pall of gloom engulfed the village and adjoining areas. Yet it was proud moment for most of the people as one of them sacrificed his life to save Kashmir and India.
“We are proud of what he has done but at the same time we are saddened by his loss,” Ghulam Mohammad Malik, Shabir’s brother, told reporters soon after laying him to rest at Dab-Wakura graveyard.

This isn’t the first time nor would it be the last when Kashmiris have taken terrorism head on. However the fact remains that the Kashmiris who have laid their lives or are fighting terrorism day in and day out are not given as much recognition as their counterparts in the rest of the nation.

When a Policeman or Para-military personnel is killed fighting terrorists in Delhi or Mumbai, the whole nation mourns. It is carried prominently by all newspapers and TV Channels. To this day we remember the sacrifice of the soldiers who were martyred fighting terrorists involved in the Parliament attack. This is not to belittle the role of security forces anywhere but how many of us remember the Policemen who are almost killed regularly in Kashmir.

It is important for all of us to recall the role of J&K Police in fighting terrorism. It is their rank and file who has the biggest network of informers which helps the state Police to thwart terrorist attacks. Their local knowledge and better understanding of the terrain has given them an upper hand in fighting insurgency in the State. It is the local Police who are targeted almost regularly because of their vulnerability of being locals and thus them and their families being almost sitting ducks for terrorists. Despite that the local Police have done a commendable and almost thankless job of eliminating terrorism or at-least bringing it down to a level where the elections could be held peacefully. While it is true that the army and Para-military forces have acted in tandem with the local Police but it is essentially the local Police who are the first ones to take on Fidayeen attacks wherever they happen in the State. It is them who eventually the broke the back of the terrorist groups like the Yasin Malik led JKLF or the Hizb.

At this point we must also make a mention of the Ikhwanis or the renegade terrorists who at the height of terrorism helped cleanse Kashmir of the Pakistan Sponsored terrorist gangs.

The Ikhwanis who were mainly ethnic Kashmiris took upon themselves the noble task of cleaning Kashmir of the Islamist virus that had people like Yasin Malik and his ilk had brought from Pakistan. It was to the credit of the Ikhwanis led by the charismatic Kuka Parrey that militancy declined in the mid-1990s.

Sudha Ramachandran writes in the Asia Times,”Parrey inspired many militants to switch sides and cooperate with the security forces. "The power that Parrey and his boys came to wield and the new-found legitimacy they got by strutting around with the Indian forces and flaunting their weapons in the open was undoubtedly a big attraction for several militants who were fed up with life underground and disillusioned with 'the cause'," a Kashmiri police officer pointed out. Consequently, hundreds of militants surrendered.”

The very fact that the once heavily terrorist infested areas like Shopian, Bandipora, Devsar, and Doda are today terror free is a testament to the dedicated Police Officers and their force in J&K.There are countless Kashmiri Muslim Officers who have told me,”Cleansing Kashmir of these terrorists is the true Jihad”They have steadfastly stuck to their tasks and persevered to get Kashmir to Peace without caring for their own safety or the safety of their family.

On this day, let us all remember the unsung and unwept Kashmiri soldier who has stood between chaos and India, between Pan-Islamism and secularism, between barbarianism and civic society, between mayhem and peace. The situation in J & K is still far from normal but whatever strains of normalcy have been achieved have been due to the consistent efforts of those Kashmiri soldiers to whom this jihad is a personal battle to kill the evil within Kashmir. It is to them that I stand and salute, it is to their efforts that I bow my head and to their sacred vow that annihilating these terrorists is the true Jihad that I revere.

Kashmiri Pandits discouraged from contesting polls-King C Bharti

CALL IT official terrorism or intimidation of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) but the fact is that government of J&K has been trying every method to discourage Kashmiri Pandits from contesting the coming Assembly elections through various means available with the government.
While the filing of fresh M-Forms and the cumbersome procedure of filing Form 12C to seek voting rights for general and other category of Migrant Kashmiri Pandits is nothing but a harassment tactic of the government the inaction over the request for security cover to its candidates by Jammu and Kashmir National United Front (JKNUF), the first ever political party of Kashmiri Pandits is a clear indication that government does not want KPs to participate in the democratic process.
It is worth mentioning here that the first batch of prospective candidates of JKNUF today left for Valley without security to file their nominations. Even though it is the history in the making the government does not seem to care a hoot.
The fact that all Kashmiri Pandits have been casting their votes in Jammu and elsewhere according to their electoral rolls earlier this time the state government has devised a cumbersome means to ensure as low a voter turnout as possible because Kashmiri Pandits have not only floated the first ever political party but also that many more KPs are contesting elections as independent candidates.
Even though JKNUF has been trying its level best to help Kashmiri Pandits to complete the formalities the over all procedure is too big to be handled for the newly floated party.
The leaders of JKNUF AK Dewani and Rakesh Handoo Bunty when contacted said that the whole process was to ensure minimum voter turnout of Pandits adding the pro-separatist government fears some unexpected results if KPs participate fully in the elections.
Dewani and Handoo however said that they were all set to frustrate the evil designs of the pro-separatist government which has now added yet another dirty feather in its cap by turning a Nelsons Eye towards their pleas of security and other things so that maximum number of KP voters can cast their ballot.
The government, which has been beating about the bush of having great concern for the KPs, has however ignored the KP candidates in proving suitable security cover equating them with other smaller parties who also seek security during the elections.
However the fact remains that while the government tries every stupid trick to woo terrorists and separatists in Kashmir the real victims of the terror, Kashmiri Pandits, do not seem to figure in their scheme of things for the resolution of the Kashmir problem.
The rebuff seems to be the answer of the Vohra regime to their wholehearted support to Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti for which the entire community seems to be paying the price, says a young Pandit Samir Koul of Muthi migrant camp.
While Jammuites are already facing state terror through longest ever power cuts as a punishment for their two month long agitation it is time KP leaders face the brunt of brutality.
The government must wake up from its deep slumber and face the reality by recognizing Kashmiri Pandits as equal partners in the of state affairs lest they too produce the likes of Sadhvi Pragya to seek their rights in Kashmir, says another young KP migrant at Shankar building sifting through huge records to find his name in the electoral rolls.
Rakesh Handoo the prospective candidate from Hazratbal constituency said that Kashmiri Pandits too must understand that the government has been trying to divide them over the participation in polls as nobody wants them to be counted anywhere in the real democratic process and hence must shun the politics of boycott by participating in the elections fully so that they too get some attention of the political leaders who are seeking a mandate in Kashmir.
They must understand that some political parties have already started voicing their concern over the actual number of KP voters because a well designed plot is being hatched to keep KP voters at bay by adopting the policy of divide and rule.
Even if KPs get only a few hundred votes it will certainly make an impact over the prospective candidates of the Valley to start respecting their power even if small in volume, Handoo said.
Meanwhile the first delegation of prospective candidates of JKNUF today left for Valley by road to file nominations for various constituencies in Valley without any security.
The delegation, which left by road, was not, provided any help by the government notwithstanding the fact that participation of the first ever KP political party in the elections could have been used as a tool to rebuff the separatists that majority of the Kashmiri people are in favour of elections.
However according to Handoo repeated requests to Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda and IGP Security have not been fruitful despite a recommendation from the Returning Officer of KPs in Jammu.
The police has been citing the tremendous demand of security form various parties but they seem to have forgotten that government has a duty towards KPs who are not only the real aborigines of Kashmir but also living in forced exile for the last 18 years due to the inept governments at sate and central level from time to time.
The delegation however left for the Valley indicating the resolve of KPs to contest elections under any circumstances to make their presence felt even if government denies them much needed security cover.
Those who left for the Valley to file their nominations on behalf of JKNUF mandate include Shadi Lal Kant (Langate), Pawan Kumar Raina ( Handwara) and Samir Raina (Kupwara).

http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=148058

Kashmiri Pandits protest outside UN office at New York

Friday September 26, 2008 was a great day for the Global KP community. KPs from NY State, Connecticut and New Jersey , under the banner of IAKF(Indo American Kashmir Forum), participated in a rally outside the United Nations. We exceeded our quota of 20 to 25 people that the police had restricted us to and ended up having 30 people. The group was a diverse one and represented spouses whose husbands were working, CEOs, Representatives from Wall Street, Faculty members, Doctors, Managers, 2 Movie producers, attorneys and other members of the elite KP intelligentsia. The Protestors braved the rain and shouted slogans denouncing Islamic Terrorism.They submitted a memorandum to the UN Gen.Secretary Ban ki Moon.

This is a wake up call to those murders who thought they had driven us out and hence finished the opposition against the Talibanization of Kashmir.They must remember that each displaced child is letting the world know how Islamists ruined Kashmir,killed and raped,desecrated and destroyed.

It is a shame that the Government of India is still not standing up to the Islamic terrorists.They are letting them loose in Kashmir.Otherwise what explains Syed Ali Shah Geelani,Yasin Malik,Mirwaiz or even Mehbooba roaming free and spreading more venom.

For more pictures please click here

फाइल बंद, मंत्रालय कह रहा जांच की जरूरत नहीं(Dainik Jaagran)

Spotlight on Wandhama Massacre

संदीप देव, नई दिल्ली

अपने ही देश में शरणार्थी बनकर रह गए कश्मीरी पंडितों के पास वोट बैंक की ताकत नहीं होने की वजह से सरकार का रवैया भी उनके प्रति पूरी तरह उदासीन है! नहीं तो क्या कारण है कि वनधामा नरसंहार में मारे गए 23 कश्मीरी पंडितों की फाइल को जहां राज्य सरकार ने बंद कर दिया है, वहीं केंद्र सरकार उसकी जांच किसी भी एजेंसी से कराने को तैयार नहीं है! और तो और केंद्र सरकार तो इससे भी अनभिज्ञता जाहिर कर रही है कि जम्मू-कश्मीर पुलिस ने वनधामा नरसंहार की फाइल बंद कर दी है! 25 जनवरी 1998 की रात सेंट्रल कश्मीर स्थित गंडरबल के वनधामा गांव में आतंकवादियों ने 23 कश्मीरी पंडितों को गोलियों से भून दिया था। इस घटना के बाद कश्मीर घाटी से नए सिरे से कश्मीरी पंडितों का पलायन शुरू हो गया था। इस घटना पर कश्मीरी भाषा में बब(पिता) नामक फिल्म भी बनी थी, जिसे राष्ट्रीय पुरस्कार मिला था। यह भी कहा जाता है कि विधु विनोद चोपड़ा की मिशन कश्मीर फिल्म भी इस घटना के एक हिस्से से प्रेरित थी।

घटना के दस साल बाद जम्मू-कश्मीर पुलिस ने इस वर्ष जनवरी में इस केस की फाइल बंद कर दी। फाइल बंद करने का बचाव करते हुए गंडरबल के सब डिवीजनल पुलिस आफिसर शौकत अहमद ने कश्मीरी टाइम्स को दिए एक साक्षात्कार में कहा था कि कश्मीरी पंडितों की हत्या करने वालों की पहचान नहीं होने की वजह से वनधामा हत्याकांड की फाइल बंद कर दी गई है। हालांकि दैनिक जागरण ने एक कश्मीरी पंडित के जरिए सूचना के अधिकार कानून के तहत केंद्रीय गृह मंत्रालय से जब इस संबंध में जानकारी ली तो मंत्रालय का ढुलमुल रवैया पूरी तरह सामने आ गया। मंत्रालय ने जवाब (नं18012/9/08-के-1) दिया, वनधामा नरसंहार के संबंध में उसे जानकारी है, लेकिन इसमें शामिल लोगों या संगठन के बारे में उसे कोई जानकारी नहीं है। उसे इसकी भी सूचना नहीं है कि स्थानीय पुलिस ने इस केस को बंद कर दिया गया है। स्थानीय पुलिस जब इस मुकदमे को नहीं सुलझा सकी तो क्या सरकार सीबीआई जैसी जांच एजेंसी को यह केस सौंप सकती है? इस सवाल के जवाब में मंत्रालय ने स्पष्ट शब्दों में जवाब दिया नहीं! अब सवाल उठता है कि पुलिस द्वारा फाइल बंद करने के प्रति अनभिज्ञता जाहिर करने वाला गृह मंत्रालय आखिर सीबीआई को इसकी जांच क्यों नहीं सौंपना चाहता? इसका जवाब तलाशने के लिए जम्मू-कश्मीर पुलिस की एक रिपोर्ट काफी है। यह रिपोर्ट दर्शाती है कि 1989 से अब तक कश्मीर घाटी में 209 कश्मीरी पंडितों की हत्या हुई है, लेकिन एक हत्या के अलावा अन्य किसी भी मामले में किसी को सजा नहीं मिली। मानवाधिकार कार्यकर्ता एचएन.वांचू की हत्या में तीन विदेशी आतंकवादियों को सजा हुई थी। रिपोर्ट का दूसरा पहलू यह है कि कश्मीरी पंडितों की हत्या में यासीन मलिक, बिट्टा कराटे और जावेद अहमद मीर उर्फ नलका सहित 31 स्थानीय आतंकवादी पकड़े गए थे, जिनमें से सभी जमानत पर जेल से बाहर हैं।

19th Jan. 1990 - Horror of Exodus staged in the play "TRISHNA" at Panjab University, Chandigarh

Hindustan Times

Our past records can be our nemesis, I murmured to myself. This was a day before Roots in Kashmir was to stage the play titled”Trishna”. When Roots in Kashmir last did an event in Chandigarh the turnout was a record. It was far higher then we had anticipated. It was the fear that we may not be able to do a repeat of our past performance in terms of sheer numbers who waited for 2 hours in the sultry heat for a repeat screening of “And the World Remained Silent”
The young or should I say adolescent team of RIK,Chandigarh had done everything to put my fears not only to rest but to sleep. They had contacted a theatre group to bring the play to the audiences. Many days were spent on finalization of the script. The artists were carefully chosen and rehearsals done to perfection. The presence of non-kashmiris as artists sent out a message. They had done what all of us had failed to do so far. They had managed to convey their pain and exile to their fellow Indians. It was what we need most “Empathy”.
There is very little that I can say about the play.The newspaper reports say it all.
It was a somber moment when a thousand candles lit to pray in the memory of those who were killed by terrorists.It was moment of peace and as tears rolled down Veer’s cheeks,the rest of team sang

Aaye jo aanee ho parlay,ho parvatmala bhi vilay,Ho chatone ke kshitij aur,
Nahee rok payenge …yeh prayaas,chu taron ko ham jayenge
Honge Aatankit ab na aur…jo aab awwaz uthayenge…to bujate dweep jalenyege
Haan naye shikhar…ha nayye laeh,bas yeh awwaz utahayenge…
Hum phir Kashmir ko jayenge…hum phir Kashmir ko jayenge

RIK thanks all the actors of the play.A special thanks is due to Ajeet Panwar for his direction that made the play a great success. Ishan the Sutradhar,without you it was all incomplete.

Amar Ujala

Dainik Bhaskar

Cry for Life...

Candle Light Vigil in memory of Terrorism Victims

View of the audience

Poignant play on plight of Kashmiri Pandits

Tribune News Service

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Artistes stage a play "Trishna" at Law Auditorium of Punjab University, Chandigarh, on Friday.

Tribune photo: Parvesh Chauhan

Chandigarh, February 29

Trishna, a play depicting the plight of Kashmiri Pandits, was staged by ‘Roots in Kashmir’ (RIK)-an initiative launched by the Kashmiri youth. The play highlighted the atrocities inflicted upon the minority community.

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The play, staged in three parts, depicted the real life incidents of three families that underwent the trauma of terrorism in Kashmir. In the beginning, Rajesh, who was to become a father in two months, was killed by the terrorists leaving behind his pregnant wife Geeta.

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The second part highlighted the misery of a father, who suggested his daughters to commit suicide in view of the growing exploitation of women in Kashmir. The last part showcased the plight of a woman crying for help to save her husband’s life who fell prey to the terrorism.

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The play was conceived and scripted by RIK members and directed by Ajeet Panwar. Ajeet, a non-Kashmiri member of the group, said, “Kashmiri students on the campus inspired me to come up with this idea.” Narrator of the play Ishaan said, “The presence of a number of non-Kashmiri students suggested the involvement and dedication to the cause of Kashmiri Pandits, who have been the victims of terrorism.”

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Nek Chand, who graced the occasion, said, “May you all get justice and return to your homeland as soon as possible.”

J&K temples for sale-"The Statesman "

Statesman News ServiceJAMMU, Jan. 27:

After 18 years of plunder and damage to ancient Hindu temples in the state, the Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to investigate the illegal sale of properties of various Hindu temples in Kashmir. Militancy, which started in the state in the early 1990s, led to more than 350,000 Kashmiri Pandits fleeing Kashmir Valley. More than 600 of the temples were desecrated by militants. In the past few years, however, the Hindu temple trusts and a few individuals associated with the temples' functioning, in connivance with the land mafia and politicians, have allegedly been selling temple land and property.There are ways to dispose off such properties which include leasing them out or giving the power of attorney. But all this would come to a halt as the government has decided to ban the sale of temple properties in Kashmir. “We have taken note of the concern expressed by the legislators about the sale of property of Hindu shrines by their management and will probe the disposal of such properties,” state revenue minister Mr Aijaz Ahmad Khan said, adding that the government has issued instructions to the field staff of the revenue department not to issue any revenue extract for land belonging to temples, ashrams and trusts without orders from the competent authority. For the past few years, Kashmiri Pandits had been demanding that the government declare the sale and purchase of temple properties as illegal. Such Kashmiri Pandit organisations as the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti have written to the Prime Minister, citing contentious lease details of a few sold temple properties. The All Pandits Migrants Coordination Committee, over the years, gathered proof of temple lands being sold. Last year, it circulated a CD which showed evidence of the encroachment in Anantnag, home to the former chief minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. Hindus’ crematoriums and children's burial grounds at Sagam, Kokernag, are said to have been used for a public health centre and a forest checkpost. The land and properties of temples such as the Ramji Temple in Srinagar which is worth crores of rupees, is being sold or leased out, allegedly on management's instructions. “As such temple trusts have not had elections for the last 17 years, caretakers and outsiders have been controlling temple assets, worth crores of rupees, and are now selling or leasing them out,” said KPSS president Mr Sanjay Tickoo, adding that the government would check such moves. “But there is a strong and influential land mafia operating in Kashmir which wants to grab Kashmiri Pandits' temples properties,” said Mr Vinod Pandita, chairman, APMCC, adding that the properties of Baba Dharam Das temple in Barbarshah have been sold dishonestly.The Vaital Bharva shrine at Motiyar Rainawari Srinagar has been ransacked and its dharamshala, occupied by relatives of the local MLA. Even the Jammu and Kashmir Dharmarth Trust headed by Dr Karan Singh has been selling the land of Hindus at Pratepeshwar Temple, Kohnikon and Barbarshah. The Prayag Temple at Shadipora, Srinagar, too, testifies to plunder and encroachment, he alleged. The J&K government said it has received two cases of encroachment of temple lands and these would be probed.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=2&theme=&usrsess=1&id=187621