Introduction to KashmirForum.org Blog

I launched the website and the Blog after having spoken to government officials, political analysts and security experts specializing in South Asian affairs from three continents. The feedback was uniformly consistent. The bottom line is that when Kashmiris are suffering and the world has its own set of priorities, we need to find ways to help each other. We must be realistic, go beyond polemics and demagoguery, and propose innovative ideas that will bring peace, justice and prosperity in all of Jammu and Kashmir.

The author had two reasons to create this blog. First, it was to address the question that was being asked repeatedly, especially, by journalists and other observers in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, inquiring whether the Kashmiri society was concerned about social, cultural and environmental challenges in the valley given that only political upheaval and violence were reported or highlighted by media.

Second, the author has covered the entire spectrum of societal issues and challenges facing Kashmiri people over an 8-year period with the exception of politics given that politics gets all the exposure at the expense of REAL CHALLENGES that will likely result in irreversible degradation in the quality of life and the standard of living for future generations of Kashmiris to come.

The author stopped adding additional material to the Blog once it was felt that most, if not all, concerns, challenges and issues facing the Kashmiri society are cataloged in the Blog. There are over 1900 entries in the Blog and most commentaries include short biographical sketches of authors to bring readers close to the essence of Kashmir. Unfortunately, the 8-year assessment also indicates that neither Kashmiri civil society, nor intellectuals or political leadership have any inclination or enthusiasm in pursuing issues that do not coincide with their vested political agendas. What it means for the future of Kashmiri children and their children is unfathomable. But the evidence is all laid out.

This Blog is a reality check on Kashmir. It is a historical record of how Kashmir lost its way.

Vijay Sazawal, Ph.D.
www.kashmirforum.org

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Virtue of Unification

Najib notes a deep seated conspiracy behind fragmentation of the erstwhile princely state with a 5,000 year history. He argues for its reunification in order to reconstruct its national glory

(Sardar Najib, 33, was born in Trarkhel, Poonch district in Pakistan administered Kashmir. He was educated at the Government Boys College, Trarkhel, and won a Gold Medal during F.Sc. Pre-Engineering as a topper in the entire Pakistan administered Kashmir. He graduated with B.Sc. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) University of Engineering and Technology in Peshawar. Mr. Najib is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project management Institute (PMI), and is pursuing the MBA degree from the University of Atlanta, Dubai campus. He lives in Dubai and is the spokesman for the Jammu and Kashmir National Association of UAE that networks with other Kashmiris. He is an avid reader of historical literature on Jammu and Kashmir.)


Split Plexus of the Jammu and Kashmir State

The former princely state of Jammu Kashmir had become the victim of Two-Nation
theory in the South Asian subcontinent. The conspiracy was devised by the then
imperialist just after the second world war-II, for transferring of power and to implement the new format for division of globe. The agenda of the new imperialist was mostly designed and engineered on the basis of the control of resources, to increase the dependency towards him and his allied partners. In order to sustain the dependency and snatch the resources from specific region, it is off course, it was the requirement of the pre-designed format and dynamics of parameters to control time dependent changes. It is evident, that the Northern state of South Asia was marked by the designer to use for sustaining the crucial control factors. In the modern trend of the imperialist, the new philosophy is being incorporated, that “Don’t eliminate the state, do make weak internally”. The recent example is the division of Sudan and continued efforts in Libya.

The creation of the polemic situation is the proof to mingle the state position. The drastic and most dangerous was to split the plexus of the state. In this condition the state was divided into the regions across the LOC and also within sides of LOC. There was further subdivision of the region even on one side of LOC. The region in the Pakistan controlled Jammu and Kashmir was divided into Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas. The degree of the division was so dangerous that absolutely and purposely there was no political, social or administrative links in the both subdivided regions even located on one side of LOC. The situation on the other side of the LOC is also very similar.

The Indian controlled Jammu Kashmir was also theoretically subdivided with sense of
valley-ism, the Jammu and the Leh. Evidently, the bilateral ties among these subdivided regions are very weak and even not on an orthodoxy threshold. Hence, it can be argued in view of strong sense the heavy logistic, infrastructure cost of the declaration and existence of the two capital cities i.e. Srinagar (Summer Capital) and Jammu (Winter Capital). During the transition period from Srinagar to Jammu and back during commencement of the seasons, absolutely there is no working for at least two months in the government offices.

In addition, the sense of rift due to shifting can be smelled on both sides in view of the treatment of both sides during off period. There is utmost subdivision in the Indian Controlled Kashmir. The strong, sense and feeling can be observed in the Poonch district, which is practically hanged between Jammu and the Valley. One person from Poonch, district said that ‘’ the people from Valley called them indecent Phari (the person living on mountains and not seasoned” and people from Jammu called them
Ugarwadi (the terrorist).

This is on record that the Poonch is most backward district of Indian controlled Jammu and Kashmir. Now, we move forward to the region of Leh, which is also backward and the cultural inter-ties with other regions are vary weak. The weak links are due to the fact, is the remoteness and less concentration on the development. The main causes of the weak inter ties and sense of heavy division is due to of the lack of logistic infrastructure. The chances of people to people contact are acute and hence, the medium of interaction due for diffusion is on edge.

Now the scenario on the other side of LOC i.e. the Pakistani administered Jammu and
Kashmir, is on verge to keep on the division for sustainability of the oppression. The example directing the verge is the format of elections, the design of government, and the role of lent officers and most whacking is the Northern Areas inclusion as the quoted province of Pakistan. The election for Pakistani Controlled Kashmir is designed that the 12 seats are allocated for the migrated people settled in Pakistan. The constituency is spread over number of cities and geographically in the scattered areas. The number of the registered voters normally ranging from 400 to 1000, logically or socially there is no link, as can be observed world wide in any constituency.

The observation can be made during elections at polling stations that voters are not
seemed the native inhabitants of Jammu Kashmir. The allocation of these seats is just a symbolic representation being used as control points the part of the designed
mechanism, in order to plant the government to be used as posture to enjoy the wet
dream sensation. The structure of the government is made with waxwork for molding as
required and when required basis. The second crucial control point in the mechanism is the deputation of lent officers into the disputed territory. The government in the Pakistani Controlled Kashmir is just an anesthesia for politicians to diffuse and engage the political pressure. The situation is similar as kolkhoz, but sometimes giving more share to the politician suitable for them during this particular time. This is just a jamb; the probe into deep will give the more drastic control points.

The people from all regions of Jammu Kashmir state were refraining to be not in contact purposely to avoid any joint venture for the future of their homeland. Due to these engineered factors and pre-planned design the inter-cultural ties are very weak. Even that sometimes before the phone call across the LOC was not allowed.

In view of the above perspective the state needs the reunification on the basis of
common point of interests. The common and most viable solution is the true deep
analysis of the issue, with enhancement of people to people contact with vision in mind for reunification as on before 1947. However, this is not a bed of roses. It needs the intellectual deep sensing and formatting the existing system, equipped with unity, trust, common target and improvement of bilateral interaction across the LOC and within any side of LOC. The LOC, is not only the physical line dividing the Jammu Kashmir into regions under different governance, it is the cause of division of the sentiments, the relationships, the tribes & families. The Interaction across the LOC in all State regions for improvements of people to people contact to be managed and organized under supervision of international organizations.

The issue is not a land or the water issue between two countries, this is the issue of a nation had a five thousands years historical background. The issue must be addressed in view of a context of a nation not in a sense of a border, land or the resources.

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