Interlocutors report on JK- An attempt to turn the clock back?

By Tejaswi Surya, Bangalore

Jammu Kashmir

“ On behalf of the People of India, (The Parliament) Firmly declares that-

(a) The State of Jammu & Kashmir has been, is and shall be an integral part of India and any attempts to separate it from the rest of the country will be resisted by all necessary means;

(b) India has the will and capacity to firmly counter all designs against its unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity; and demands that –

(c) Pakistan must vacate the areas of the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir, which they have occupied through aggression; and resolves that -

(d) all attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of India will be met resolutely.

Mr. Speaker: The Resolution is unanimously passed. February 22, 1994.”

Following increased terrorist violence and Pakistan’s attempts to highlight the Kashmir dispute, both houses of the Indian Parliament unanimously adopted this resolution emphasizing that Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India, and that Pakistan must vacate parts of the State under its occupation.

Deplorably, the recent report of the government appointed interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir runs against the very spirit of this unanimous parliamentary resolution.

The Central government appointed the J&K interlocutors group on October 13, 2010 to study the conditions in the trouble-hit valley state and propose recommendations to better the situation. Ever since their appointment the group has found itself mired in one controversy or the other – with even the Chairperson accused of attending a conference organized by exposed ISI agent, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai. The interlocutors report was made public last week, seven months after it was submitted to the Home Ministry and curiously, two days after the Parliament was adjourned sine die, thereby avoiding immediate parliamentary accountability. A cursory reading of the report is enough to conclude that the recommendations are patently unconstitutional, blatantly illegal and shockingly anti-national. The report, if implemented, will only aid in pushing the state farther in the direction of secessionism and complete autonomy – something that the separatists have always demanded.
A glance at some of the major recommendations of the report will drive home this point.

One of the major recommendations revolves around Article 370 of the Constitution, speaking on which the interlocutors suggest -
“The State’s distinctive status guaranteed by Article 370 must be upheld. Its ‘erosion’ over the decades must be re-appraised to vest it with such powers as the State needs to promote the welfare of the people on its own terms”.

They also recommend reviewing of all Central Acts and Articles of the Constitution of India, enacted after 1952 Nehru- Sheik accord, which they claim has ‘dented Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and abridged the State government’s powers to cater to the welfare of its people’. Further, the report not only suggests the replacement of the word ‘temporary’ from the heading of Article 370 with the word ‘special, but also recommends the deletion of the 1st and 3^rd clauses of Article 370, which empowers the President of India to revoke the said article by a public notification.

These recommendations not only run counter to the sovereignty and integrity of the country, but are also against the vision of our constitutional makers.

This is evident from the words of Jawarharlal Nehru, spoken during a debate on article 370 in the Loksabha on 27-11-1963 –

“Our view is that article 370, as is written in the Constitution, is a transitional, in other words a temporary provision. And it is so…. I do not regard it as permanent.

As a matter of fact, as the Home Minister has pointed out, it has been eroded, if I may use the word, and many things have been done in the last few years which have made the relationship of Kashmir with the Union of India very close. There is no doubt that Kashmir is fully integrated…”

While our constitution makers wanted the gradual ‘erosion’ of article 370, thereby ensuring complete integration of the state with the rest of the country, the interlocutors are suggesting the exact opposite – to check the ‘erosion’ and consequently ensure the distinctive nature of the state for eternity! The damage done by article 370 to Jammu and Kashmir is inexplicable – it has not only been a great impediment for the state to enjoy the benefits of India’s economic growth but has also been a major obstacle in the complete integration of the state – both administratively and psychologically, with the mainstream Indian Union.

It is evident that these recommendations, if implemented, would permanently and perpetually terminate the writ of the Government of India on the state – something that our founding fathers never envisioned.

The report is also a blatant assault on the established federal structure under our constitution.  On the appointment of the Governor, the interlocutors suggest that the State Government, after consultations with Opposition parties shall submit a list of three names to the President from which the President has to choose the Governor – a recommendation that will reduce the power of the Central government over the state in a great way. The interlocutors do not stop there. They suggest amending Article 312 of the Constitution to enable the reduction of the proportion of officers from the All India Services in favour of officers from the state of J&K. As on today, in relation to other states in the country, the proportion of All India Service officers to the officers from the State of J&K stands reduced heavily. This recommendation would further reduce the already dangerously disproportionate ratio.

These recommendations, in essence, immensely reduce the control of the central government over the state which would naturally push the state further in the direction of separatism.

The other suggestions the interlocutors make is the amendment of the Public Safety Act, review of Disturbed Area Act and Armed Forces Special Powers Act and recommend rationalization of security installations through reducing their spread to a few strategic locations and creating mobile units for rapid response. In short, they are suggesting complete demilitarization in the turbulent state, which would make it more vulnerable to terrorist aggression. Moreover, this would negate all the progress that the army has accomplished in the state from decades by paying a heavy price. Contrary to the conclusions of the interlocutors that the removal of the army would enhance the confidence of the people, the presence of the army has, in fact, made people in the region feel much safer. It must also be noted that the demand for review of AFSPA is only from a few districts of the Kashmir region, which are still facing both internal and external aggression. The Army has reported recently of a new trend called ‘agitational terrorism’, which in the form of aggressive street demonstrations in the last few months have resulted in injuries to more than 1500 CRPF personnel while around 400 attacks have taken place on army vehicles. Even to this day, large caches of arms and ammunition are uncovered by the army from militant hideouts. With terrorist organizations like the Hizbul Mujahideen Kashmir, openly declaring that ‘peace in the region would not be possible until the Kasmir dispute is resolved…’ it would be foolish on our part to repeal legislations with give more teeth to our army.  A purely military and strategic decision should not be left to the opportunism of a few political parties with vested interests.

It is also clear that the report has concentrated only on the Kashmir region of the state while completely neglecting the other two regions- Jammu and Ladakh. While Ladakh constitutes 69.60 % of the state’s total land area, Kashmir valley, the most turbulent and vocal one is just 11.48 % and Jammu 18.92 %.  This highly Kashmir centric report completely forgets the needs and aspirations of a sizeable section of the state and therefore cannot be considered objective and all inclusive. One finds no mention of the great amount of problems the people from these regions are facing. No recommendations whatsoever, to improve the conditions of the people of these regions and to ensure their safety, security and prosperity has been made.

It is a matter of great regret that the report, besides making only a passing reference to the Kashmiri Pandits, has not dealt with this burning but deliberately sidelined issue. Even while speaking on the cultural recommendations, the group chooses not to make any reference to the return of Kashmiri Pandits. It is hard to imagine the return of the Kashmiri Pandits, at a time when fundamentalist Islamist militancy has increased in the state. Sadly, there is no road map proposed by the interlocutors to ensure the return, safety and security of the Pandits. How can a pluralist Kashmiri society exist, without the return of the Kashmiri Pandits, who are an integral and inalienable part of the Kashmiri society?

Further, it causes great dismay that the 179 page verbose report does not mention any measures on getting back the Kashmiri territory that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan. Instead, the report refers to the ‘Pak-Occupied- Kashmir’ area as ‘Pakistan-administered-Kashmir’. This, in a way, not only legitimizes the illegal occupation of Kashmir, but also greatly damages India’s long standing line of argument in all international platforms. While the Pakistan government has boldly declared its illegally occupied part of Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth province, the interlocutors report does not even raise a semblance of a protest against it. Instead, they suggest ‘harmonization of relations’ with ‘constitutional institutions across the Line of Control’, by ‘necessitating wide-ranging constitutional changes in Pakistan –administered Jammu & Kashmir’. What in the world makes the interlocutors arrive at the conclusion that Pakistan-administered- (not occupied!) Kashmir has a ‘constitutional’ government in place, when the central state of Pakistan is itself engulfed in a deep political crisis?!  On the 7^th of August 1952, while speaking in the Lok Sabha, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee had asked about these illegally occupied parts of Kashmir, “Is there any possibility of our getting back this territory? We shall not get it through the efforts of the United Nations: we shall not get it through peaceful methods, by negotiating with Pakistan. That means we lose it unless we use force and the Prime Minister is unwilling to do so. Let us face facts-are we prepared to lose it?”

Today, 60 years down the line, instead of getting back lost Kashmir, we are proposing to lose even the parts of Kashmir that we have with us.

The other recommendations that raise serious doubts on the nationalistic credibility of the interlocutors are the ones on ‘Speeding up Human Rights and Rule of Law Reforms’, which according to them would be achieved by the ‘release of all remaining “stone-pelters” and political prisoners against whom there are no serious charges, withdrawal of FIRs against those of them that are first-timers or minor offenders, amnesty for militants who renounce violence and their rehabilitation, the rehabilitation of all victims of violence, reduction of the intrusive presence of security forces and constant review of the implementation of various Acts meant to counter militancy…”. They also suggest facilitation of free movement of people and trade across the LoC and also the return of Kashmiris stranded across the LoC, many of whom had crossed over for arms training but now wish to return peacefully.
“But how do you determine who is coming inside for peaceful purposes and who is not?” – “Won’t this also facilitate the entry of terrorists waiting across the border, for a ripe moment to enter Indian territories?”, “What filtering mechanism can be put in place?” – On these points, the interlocutors report remains conspicuously silent.  It makes one wonder, if it is the Indian government appointed interlocutors speaking or the leaders of the Kashmiri separatist movement? These are the long standing demands of separatist and militant outfit leaders. By giving heed to these unscrupulous demands in the name of Human Rights and Rule of Law, we would only be jeopardizing the lives of thousands of other innocent Kashmiri civilians.

It would be wrong on my part if I do not commend the interlocutors for the well- meaning suggestions that they have made on the need to improve the economic conditions of the state. Some of their recommendations on economic measures are worth implementing. But what they fail to recognize is that all these dreams for development and prosperity cannot materialize unless the obstacles – administrative, legislative and psychological- challenging the complete integration of the valley state with the mainstream of the country are abolished.

To sum up, it is widely felt that the report of the interlocutors is an insipid document which does not inspire any confidence for both the people of the valley and the rest of the country. Most of its recommendations, if implemented, will weaken our position both internally and internationally. In a way, Ms Radha Kumar, one of the interlocutors, was not wholly wrong when she wrote in a leading daily on their report – “When we wrote the report, it was evident to us it would please none in whole, but might please many in part.”

Whom the report has pleased in part is the question. It certainly has not pleased the nationalists.

 http://samvada.org/2012/articles/interlocutors-report-on-jk-an-attempt-to-turn-the-clock-back-tejaswi-surya/

The Perils of the Interlocutor’s Report on Kashmir

Source : Organiser

INTERLOCUTORS’ REPORT IS A PRECURSOR OF GIFTING KASHMIR TO PAKISTAN—DATTATREYA HOSABALE

Flaying the report presented by three-member interlocutor team appointed by the Central Government, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on June 1 said the move is a precursor of gifting Kashmir to Pakistan. While addressing a press conference in Nagpur’s Reshimbagh Sanghsthan organised for briefing about the Tritiya Varsh Sangh Shiksha Varg, RSS Sahsarkaryavah Shri Dattatreya Hosabale criticised the timing of the declaration of the report by the Centre.

Though the interlocutors had submitted the report much earlier, declaring this report at the time of spiraling prices and rising corruption is the deliberate and cunning attempt by the Central Government to divert people’s attention from Kashmir issue, he said.
 
A careful study of the recommendations made in this report will reveal that these recommendations exactly contradict the policies that were adopted by the Government of India till now. Demand for self-government by Mufti Mohammad’s PDP, National Conference’s demand for overall autonomy and demand for separate nation by Hurriyat groups have been approved indirectly in this report.
 
Shri Hosbale expressed utter surprise over the mention of Pak occupied Kashmir (PoK) as Pak administered one in this report by the interlocutors and raised doubt that whose language these people are speaking. He further informed that after an in-depth study of the report, the RSS would decide over its next mode of action.
(FOC)

Dustbin is the place for Kashmir interlocutors’ report

The report of the government nominated interlocutors on Kashmir mostly went along the expected lines. Except when they made atrocious suggestions which would throw the state politically back into the pre-1953 days.
 
The three interlocutors, to begin with had no locus standi on Kashmir. Two members of the three-member team were thoroughly exposed, when information came that they had accepted the hospitality and patronage of Ghulam Nabi Fai, the international lobbyist (now in US jail) for Pakistan on Kashmir. He is an ISI mole and was stationed abroad, mainly in the US to influence people and decisions in favour of Pakistan. Dileep Padgaonkar, and Radha Kumar, had been guests of Fai, the former more regular than the latter. The third member of the team was former information commissioner M.M. Ansari. He wanted to quit after the other two were exposed as Fai proteges.
 
The report by these three was put out on the Home Ministry website, a few hours after the parliament session ended. It was an obvious ploy to avoid a serious discussion in Parliament. The interlocutors claimed that they had met hundreds of people from all walks of life to come to any conclusion and suggestions on Kashmir.
 
The most unacceptable suggestion is to review all the rules and laws passed after 1952-53, the period which strengthened the position of Kashmir as part of India. After the campaign launched by the charismatic leader of Jan Sangh, Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee against the state of Jammu and Kashmir having a different emblem, flag and motto, than the Union of India, the Indian government acted to end this ‘duality.‘ Till then the chief minister of the state was called the prime minister of Kashmir. In this fight to integrate Kashmir into India irrevocably, Dr Mukherjee lost his life, in prison. Suspicions of foul play have been in the air since, not ever resolved.
 
The interlocutors want to undo this. They have suggested a return to the titles of Wazir-e-Azam and Sadar-e-Riyasat for the chief minister and governor of the state. In a most abhorrent stand, the Indian government nominees, paid from the Indian tax payers‘ money have sought to change the position of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir to Pakistan Administered Jammu and Kashmir. This extends the area of Pakistani operation to Jammu and ‘occupation‘ has become administration. How very smooth! It contradicts the sentiment of the Indian parliament, which in a 1994 resolution promised to win back the territories occupied by Pakistan.
 
The report glosses over the prevailing extremist communal atmosphere in the state, as dictated by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists which prevents Hindus and Sikhs from going back to their homes. It has no solutions to offer on ending terrorism in the valley. On the other hand, the report promotes ‘separateness‘ of the Kashmiris from the others. Kashmiriat is an old, cliched, meaningless expression, which is being flaunted whenever there is talk of diluting such laws as Article 370, which keep the state a sore thumb of the Indian Union.
 
The BJP and the RSS have wholly rejected the report and rightly so. The BJP, which took note of this report during the National Executive meeting in Mumbai passed a resolution condemning and damning the report. It highlighted six points in the report which made it absolutely unacceptable. The interlocutors have suggested that Article 370 should be made permanent.
 
The interlocutors’ report comes at a time when there are rumours that the UPA government is working on a secret agreement with Pakistan on withdrawing troops from Siachen, that it is mulling over the proposal to cut back troops in Kashmir and under pressure from state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is planning to open free movement across the LoC, especially between PoK and Kashmir.
 
The state government too is doing its bit to bring Pakistan closer to Kashmir. The Chief Minister holds his cabinet meeting at LoC and kow-tows to the terrorists on the duration of the Amarnath Yatra.
The report of the interlocutors should be confined to the dustbin because the motive and commitment of at least two of its members are suspect. The team, to begin with, had no political sanction. The members were selected by the government probably because of their Fai-Pakistan connections. Kashmir is not a game for experimenting. There is but one way forward on Kashmir. And that is to integrate it fully into the Indian Union, by removing Article 370 and other special privileges bestowed upon it.

Protest Against JK Interlocutors' Report

Voice your protest directly against the Government of Bharat appointed Interlocutors report that will fragment the nation.

Interlocutors report: A beginning of another divide?

The home ministry of the government of Bharat constituted a 3-member interlocutors group on 13 October 2010 to find a solution to the Jammu-Kashmir issue. The interlocutors submitted their report on 12 October 2011. The home ministry after suppressing the report for 7 months made it public only on 24 May 2012.

Prima facie the report is not only objectionable but highly damaging to the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the nation. In a way the demands of the separatists have been given official sanction through this report.

In fact when it was revealed that two of the three interlocutors had participated in Anti-Bharat seminars upon the invitation accorded to them by ISI agent Dr.Ghulam Muhammad Fai, questions were raised on the intentions of the interlocutors group.

The report submitted by the group of Interlocutors on Jammu-Kashmir constituted by the central government does not portray the suggestionsthat emerged by talking to people from diverse sections of the society.In effect this report,which is in the name of unanimity among all the stake holders and citizens, is actually a favorable report prepared as per the demandsof the state and central governments. In fact the report addressesfistful of those separatists who were born out ofwanton and knee-jerk policies of the central government. The basis of such policies is the false beliefs that have been nurtured by them for the last 64 years.

The previous session of the parliament ended only some time ago. If the government was really keen on a debate on the recommendations of the interlocutors, it could have presented it in the parliament. But it seems that the government’s intent is to enforce the report through the back door. If it is indeed so, it should understand that it is playing with fire.

The interlocutors report is a bundle of contradictions and a part of the international conspiracy to separate Jammu-Kashmir from the rest of nation. Any kind of debate is not possible on this anti-national document.This report should be rejected in its totality and it is absolutely necessary to directly challenge this trend.

By reading the following recommendations made by the Interlocutors, one can realize what their intentions are and where doestheir loyalty lie.

Recommendations of Interlocutors and answers of nationalists

•  Retain the Article 370 as it asserts the unique status of the state. Delete the word ‘Temporary’ from the heading of Article 370 and replace it with theword ‘Special’

This is the only Article of the constitution which the makers of the constitution added for a limited period of time. Sheikh Abdullah himself was a member of the constituent assembly and had signed for this provision thus giving it his approval.

Promptly ensure that movement of people, goods and services across the LOC and international border is free from any hindrances. For this constitute a combined committee of advisors or a united organization from both sides of the border which will plan for the development of the whole region.

To ensure that this be done, it is not only required to take the consent of the separatists groups in Bharat but also the consent of so-called Azad Jammu-Kashmir government and governments of Pakistan and China. Given the circumstances today this is nothing but mere speculation.

The above recommendation also means that Bharat abandon its position, of 6 decades, on Jammu-Kashmir that it is an internal matter and accept the sovereignty of so-called Azad Jammu-Kashmir government, Pakistan and China respectively and forsake its claim. The interlocutors have recognized the sovereignty of Pakistan over illegally occupied territories by mentioning it as Pakistan Administered Areas (PAK) throughout the report instead of mentioning as Pakistan Occupied Territory (POK).

•   Considering the Nehru-Sheikh accord of 1952 as the foundation, a constitutional committee should be established to review all Central Actsand Articles of the Constitution of Bharat extended to the State of Jammu and Kashmir and any such laws that breach the autonomy granted to the state under article 370 should be withdrawn.

The truth is that the Article 370 is a mere a procedural mechanism that does not guarantee any autonomy to the state. Moreover, the laws that are applicable to Jammu-Kashmir under this mechanism are alsoin forcein other parts of the country. If the same laws are for the welfare of 120 crore Bharatiyas, how can it be against the welfare of 1 crore 20 lakh people of Jammu-Kashmir. It is notable here that in 1952 Sheikh.

News Reports of Dharna at Indira Park and Seminar At Sundarayya Vignana Kendra, Hyderabad

BJP rejects Kashmir interlocutors' report

Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitaraman called the Jammu & Kashmir interlocutors' report being published on a website just 36 hours after the conclusion of the budget session of Parliament as UPA II's "backdoor exposure" of a sensitive report.
 

"We'd have appreciated if it were to be first made available in Parliament," she said addressing media on the first day of the BJP's national executive meet in Mumbai on Thursday.

This report is in complete denial of the hard realities in J&K, she said. "The report dilutes the issue of Pak-sponsored terrorism, sidesteps discriminatory regional imbalances, does not address the safety and security of Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs who have fled the state, suggestion of POK as PAK (Pak-administered Kashmir) and substitution of the word 'temporary' with 'special' in relation to Article 370," Sitaraman said.

"The BJP completely rejects every aspect of this report and condemns some suggestions," she said categorically.
The interlocutors' report will not help in the integration of J&K into India, she said. The proposal to review all laws passed by the Indian Parliament after 1952 in relation to the state is a sinister ploy, she said.
She said that the BJP considers the provisions of Article 370 as a "psychological barrier" for the physical and psychological integration of J&K into India.

Noted journalist Dileep Padgaonkar and academicians MM Ansari and Radha Kumar are the three interlocutors who have made the report after prolonged discussions with the people of J&K.

When asked if this was a UPA ploy to divert the attention of away from the shocking petrol price hike, Sitaraman said she wouldn't even want to think if this was the case given the emotiveness and sensitivity attached to the subject.

Kashmir interlocutors' report ambiguous: Rajnath Singh

The report of the central government's interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir was "ambiguous" but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not rejected it, senior party leader Rajnath Singh said here Friday.

"We do not reject the interlocutors' report outright although the report is ambiguous," said Rajnath Singh, who is heading a BJP study group on Jammu and Kashmir.

"The study group will take stock of the situation so that we prepare a comprehensive report to resolve the outstanding issues of the state," he said.

"This is our fifth visit to Jammu and Kashmir. So far, we have met 70-80 delegations belonging to Jammu, the Kashmir Valley and the Ladakh region. It is our stand that the problems of the people here should be resolved within the limits of 'Insaaf and Insaniyat' as our leader, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji has stated in the past," he said.

Rajnath Singh said the BJP study group had not sent invitations to anybody although it was prepared to meet anybody who called on it.

Responding to a question regarding the partial rollback of Rs.1.60 per litre in petrol prices, he said, "There is a Hindi proverb which says 'Oonth kay muh mein zaffran' (saffron in camel's mouth). The rollback is too little."

The report of the three interlocutors -- senior journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, academician Radha Kumar, and former information commissioner M.M. Ansari -- has been put up on the home ministry website to invite public opinion.

The panel has ruled out a return to the pre-1953 position and recommended setting up of a constitutional committee (CC) to review all central acts and articles of the constitution of India, extended to the state after the signing of the 1952 Agreement.

According to the report, the government should have a future-oriented approach taking into account the strategic, political, economic and cultural changes in Jammu and Kashmir, India and the South Asia region.

Kashmir interlocutor report will mean disaster: Swamy

Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy today said the interlocutors report on Jammu and Kashmir has several prescriptions that mean a disaster for national unity. 

"There is nothing to discuss for the government to discuss in this report since it prescribes weakening and deleting any provisions in the Indian Constitution that strengthens national unity and proposing that would set Balkanisation of India," he said in a statement.

Contending that there is no such thing as "special status" for Jammu and Kashmir, Swamy said the interlocutors is for "mischief and thus should be thrown into waste paper basket."

JK interlocutors' report diluted India's stand on PoK: BJP

BJP today said the Centre's interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir has diluted India's stand on Pakistan Occupied Kashmir by changing the nomenclature to Pakistan Administered Kashmir in their report. 

"They (JK interlocutors) have diluted the India's stand on Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) by changing its nomenclature as PAK (Pakistan Administrated Kashmir) in their report," state BJP Secretary Vibodh Gupta told a public meeting in Manjakote belt of Rajouri district.

Terming Interlocutors report as a "big fraud", he alleged, "The report has been prepared on the direction of Central government...It has not mentioned anything about the delimitation, raised by several political parties in Jammu." 

 Gupta alleged the report has totally ignored Poonch and Rajouri and did not even mention about the migrants of the region.
Terming abrogation of article 370, which gives special status to JK, as the best solution to curb the burning problem of unemployment, he said it will bring business houses in the state and generate large chunk of employment.

Conspiracy to Sever Jammu-Kashmir from India

Conspiracy to Sever Jammu-Kashmir from India and Interlocutors’ Report

Dr. Jitender Singh, Professor of Diabetology and Endocrinology addressed a gathering of Advocates (Akhila Bharathiya Adivaktha Parishad) at YMCA Hall, Chennai on 2^nd July , 2012 highlighting on the Conspiracy to Sever Jammu-Kashmir from India and the Interlocutors Report.

 

 

He contended on the point ‘Jammu-Kashmir is an issue’. The word issue means something problem. We don’t think it as a problem. It is made as an issue.  Kashmir is not issue of India. It is only an issue of Pakistan. 

He criticized on the three Nehruvian blunders occurred in the history of our country.

 

1.     Nehru was instrumental in accession. They say accession and not merger.  But merger happened in 1950 when States were formed on linguistic pattern.

 

2.     Bringing Article 370 and special status for Jammu and Kashmir. --But in 1961 it was decided that this article is no longer required and can be removed.  But today nobody is willing to remove it.

 

3.   Nehru took the Kashmir issue to UNO.  -- It should be clarified that the role of UNO is only for inter-country dispute and not intra-country dispute.

Dr. Jitender Singh further highlighted on conspiracy of the report as:

 

·        Interlocutors report does not spend any point for discussion.

 

·        Issue of Kashmir Pandits’ and minority has not been addressed.

 

·        Biological violation by taking the Kashmir problem to UNO.

 

·        Regional discrimination within the States

 

·        ‘Special’ status for Article 370 which is only temporary.

 

·    Urdu nomenclatures for the posts of Governor and Chief Minister is an attempt to re-instate the pre-1952 status against the Late Shyam Prasad Mukherjee’s movement for which he sacrificed his life under mysterious circumstances.

 

·      Report uses the term ‘Pakistan Administered Kashmir’ instead of ‘Pakistan Occupied Kashmir’. 

 

·      Report does not talk about Gilgit, which is a very important point for Bharat. It connects by road many important cities of the world such as Moscow, Iran, Dubai and London.

 

Then the gathering was followed by a question-answer session on the topic. Shri E Padmanabhan (Retd. Justice of Madras High Court) presided over the meeting.

 

Nation-wide massive protest against Jammu-Kashmir Interlocutors Report

A massive protests have been organized and being organized all over India rejecting the Interlocutors report on Jammu and Kashmir.

Save Jammu Kashmir Campaign

Jammu-Kashmir Interlocutors report : A Conspiracy to sever Jammu Kashmir from Bharat
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Reject the report! Shame on Interlocutors!

Can Kashmir be saved by trusting these people?
J&K Chief minister Omar Abdullah says… 

•                         Accession of Jammu-Kashmir was not complete unlike other states of Bharat. Accession had some conditions which Bharat did not fulfill.
•                         Jammu-Kashmir is an issue between two countries (Bharat and Pakistan) amid which Jammu-Kashmir is getting trampled for the last 63 years.
•                          Autonomy is the only solution. Pre-1953 status should be reinstated.

Union Home minister P Chidambaram says…

•                         Jammu-Kashmir has a unique history and geography due to which its solution is also uniquecompared to the rest of Bharat.
•                          Clandestine talks will happen, strategies would be worked out and once the solution is found it would be known to everyone.
•           We had made some promises in 1952, 1975 and 1986, we have to fulfill those promises we made.
•                         Accession was under unique circumstances, this was different from other states; Omar did not state anything wrong about accession in his speech in the assembly.
•                        Autonomy would be discussed and thought upon

Interlocutor Dileep Padgaonkar says… 

§ Ours is a beautiful constitution where everyone’s sentiments can be taken into consideration. It has been amended 400 times, the path to freedom can also be found.

We get angry 

•                         When China issues stapled visas to citizens of Bharat.
•                         When China claims Arunachal Pradesh as its own.
•                          When Pakistan demands Kashmirin international forums
•                         When Google map displaysKashmir as a disputed territory
•                         When American government’s websitesdepictPakistan Occupied Kashmir as separate from Bharat

BUT, we did not get angry when

 Crores of rupees from yourown tax money is used by the Government of Bharat to form a committee which itselfprovides the prelude to separate Kashmir from Bharat and the government elected by you welcomes the report!

Bangalore: Protest against anti-national report submitted by Jammu Kashmir

If you have faith in the fact 

•                     That Jammu-Kashmir has astrong cultural relationshipof thousands of years with Bharat;
•                        That Kashmir is an inalienable part of Bharat;
•                         That the only thing remaining at this juncture is to take back the parts of Kashmir illegally occupied by Pakistan; then

Express your anger!

Voice your protest directly against the Government of Bharat appointed Interlocutors report that will fragment the nation.

Interlocutors report: A beginning of another divide?

The home ministry of the government of Bharat constituted a 3-member interlocutors group on 13 October 2010 to find a solution to the Jammu-Kashmir issue. The interlocutors submitted their report on 12 October 2011. The home ministry after suppressing the report for 7 months made it public only on 24 May 2012.

Prima facie the report is not only objectionable but highly damaging to the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the nation. In a way the demands of the separatists have been given official sanction through this report.

In fact when it was revealed that two of the three interlocutors had participated in Anti-Bharat seminars upon the invitation accorded to them by ISI agent Dr.Ghulam Muhammad Fai, questions were raised on the intentions of the interlocutors group.

The report submitted by the group of Interlocutors on Jammu-Kashmir constituted by the central government does not portray the suggestionsthat emerged by talking to people from diverse sections of the society.In effect this report,which is in the name of unanimity among all the stake holders and citizens, is actually a favorable report prepared as per the demandsof the state and central governments. In fact the report addressesfistful of those separatists who were born out ofwanton and knee-jerk policies of the central government. The basis of such policies is the false beliefs that have been nurtured by them for the last 64 years.

The previous session of the parliament ended only some time ago. If the government was really keen on a debate on the recommendations of the interlocutors, it could have presented it in the parliament. But it seems that the government’s intent is to enforce the report through the back door. If it is indeed so, it should understand that it is playing with fire.

The interlocutors report is a bundle of contradictions and a part of the international conspiracy to separate Jammu-Kashmir from the rest of nation. Any kind of debate is not possible on this anti-national document.This report should be rejected in its totality and it is absolutely necessary to directly challenge this trend.

By reading the following recommendations made by the Interlocutors, one can realize what their intentions are and where doestheir loyalty lie.

Recommendations of Interlocutors and answers of nationalists

•  Retain the Article 370 as it asserts the unique status of the state. Delete the word ‘Temporary’ from the heading of Article 370 and replace it with theword ‘Special’

This is the only Article of the constitution which the makers of the constitution added for a limited period of time. Sheikh Abdullah himself was a member of the constituent assembly and had signed for this provision thus giving it his approval.

 Promptly ensure that movement of people, goods and services across the LOC and international border is free from any hindrances. For this constitute a combined committee of advisors or a united organization from both sides of the border which will plan for the development of the whole region.

To ensure that this be done, it is not only required to take the consent of the separatists groups in Bharat but also the consent of so-called Azad Jammu-Kashmir government and governments of Pakistan and China. Given the circumstances today this is nothing but mere speculation.

The above recommendation also means that Bharat abandon its position, of 6 decades, on Jammu-Kashmir that it is an internal matter and accept the sovereignty of so-called Azad Jammu-Kashmir government, Pakistan and China respectively and forsake its claim. The interlocutors have recognized the sovereignty of Pakistan over illegally occupied territories by mentioning it as Pakistan Administered Areas (PAK) throughout the report instead of mentioning as Pakistan Occupied Territory (POK).

•   Considering the Nehru-Sheikh accord of 1952 as the foundation, a constitutional committee should be established to review all Central Actsand Articles of the Constitution of Bharat extended to the State of Jammu and Kashmir and any such laws that breach the autonomy granted to the state under article 370 should be withdrawn.

The truth is that the Article 370 is a mere a procedural mechanism that does not guarantee any autonomy to the state. Moreover, the laws that are applicable to Jammu-Kashmir under this mechanism are alsoin forcein other parts of the country. If the same laws are for the welfare of 120 crore Bharatiyas, how can it be against the welfare of 1 crore 20 lakh people of Jammu-Kashmir. It is notable here that in 1952 Sheikh

Abrogate Art 370 for curbing unemployment: BJP

JAMMU, July 5: Terming abrogation of Article 370 as best solution to curb burning problem of unemployment, Bhartiya Janta Party today said that the scarifies of Dr Shama Parshad Mukharjee will not go in vain.

Addressing party workers meeting at Manjakote , State Secretary of BJP Advocate Vibodh Gupta said that the state is confronting with unemployment problem only because the state has been granted special status under Indian Constitution. He said that if Article 370 is abrogated various job opportunities will open in the state for unemployed youth. He added that the demand of its abrogation is the prime demand of the people of this state and Dr Shama Prashad Mukharjee had sacrificed his life for complete association of Jammu & Kashmir with India.

On the birth anniversary of Dr Shama Parshad Mukharjee, BJP organized this programme at Manjakote which was managed by the local BJP leaders Farooq Khan and Talib Hussain. State Secretary Vibodh Gupta was chief guest while District President Yogesh Sharma was guest of honour on the occasion.

Terming Interlocutors report a big fraud, Gupta said that the report has been prepared on the direction of Central Government and it is nothing but NC’s agenda programme. He said that the Interlocators play in the hands of some particular political leaders.

He added that if they had been sent by Centre, they should have not diluted the India’s stand on Pakistan Occupied Kashmir by changing its nomenclature as PAK (Pakistan Administrated Kashmir) in their report which is clear that these Interlocutors are playing in the hands of some people who are working against the integrity of India.

 http://www.jammukashmirnow.org/abrogate-art-370-for-curbing-unemployment-bjp/

India, not Pakistan, victim of terror

Counter-Terror Cooperation

RUSTAM
 
JAMMU, June 27: Pakistan High Commission on Tuesday offered “counter-terrorism cooperation” to India in the backdrop of the arrest of Abdu Jundal, a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist and key handler of attackers who struck Mumbai on 26/11 (2008) and shot dead hundreds of innocent civilians, including Indians, Americans and Israelis. Jundal, alias Zaibuddin Ansari, was arrested by Delhi Police at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, after he was deported by Saudi Arabia on June 21. Ironically, Pakistan High Commission shamelessly maintained that “Pakistan has been at the forefront in the campaign against terror” and said “terrorism is a common concern”. “As agreed at the highest level between Pakistan and India, terrorism is a common concern and counter-terrorism cooperation is in the mutual interest of both countries. Pakistan renews its offer of cooperation in the domain,” the High Commission said in a statement.
 
The claim of Pakistan that it, like India, is also a victim of terrorism and that it is at the forefront in the campaign against terror is as amusing as it is ridiculous. Even more questionable and ridiculous is the offer of Pakistan that it is prepared for counter-terrorism cooperation. Islamabad has been consistently saying since the Havana talks between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf that Pakistan, like India, is also a victim of terrorism. Paradoxically, Manmohan Singh had walked into the Pakistan trap and endorsed the canny General’s view, instead of calling the bluff of General Pervez Musharraf who masterminded the intrusion in Kargil in 1999. It was this diplomatic hara-kiri on the part of our Prime Minister that had shocked the entire Indian nation.
Pakistan has been saying that it has witnessed more terror attacks and lost more lives, as compared to India. It has been saying day in and day out that it has already lost 40,000 lives. The terror attacks also left over 60,000 people injured, Pakistan has also been saying on a daily basis, adding that terrorists are striking on a daily basis, thus blooding and convulsing its social scene.
 
No one will disagree with Pakistan. It is a fact that Pakistan has been witnessing terror-related incidents for quite sometime now. But it is also a fact that all these terrorists were trained, funded and indoctrinated by the Pakistani Army and the dreaded Pakistani spy agency, Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI). Pakistan created Taliban. Pakistan has been giving all possible support to such terror outfits as LeT. In fact, outfits like LeT and Pakistan Taliban are the brainchildren of Pakistani Army and ISI, with the Pakistani political establishment at their back and call. They are part of the state policy in one sense. It is Pakistan which has permitted anti-India forces to set up on the Pakistani soil as well as in the occupied areas more than 40 terror producing factories. According to one estimate, there are at least 42 terror producing factories in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Jammu & Kashmir, all very active and producing jehadis with a view to dismembering India and establishing control over the restive and Taliban and al-Qaida-infested Afghanistan. It is Pakistan which has allowed terrorists like Syed Salah-ud-Din to use the Pakistani territory and POJK for exporting terror to India.
 
The fact of the matter is that Pakistan has been using terror as a weapon to wreck India and capture the Indian Jammu and Kashmir since the late 1980s and that Pakistan has been bleeding India ever since then. It is responsible for all the terror attacks that India witnessed, including the 2001 Parliament terror attack and the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. It is Pakistan for the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from the Valley or disturbing the state’s socio-religious and political equilibrium. Not only this, the involvement of state actors in Pakistan in several terror attacks which took place across the world, including United States, United Kingdom and Afghanistan, is also too well-known. Hence, the perpetrator of terror attacks on India cannot say that terrorism is a common concern. Pakistan is a failed and rogue state and it is a fact appreciated universally. India would do well to not walk into the Pakistani trap and behave like genuine states like United States, China, Israel, to mention only a few, behave. Even otherwise, India has been left with no other choice but to take on Pakistan after what it did today to outrage the Indian nation. Yesterday, Pakistan announced that President Asif Ali Zardari had commuted the death sentence of Sarbjit Singh and that he would be released soon. Today, Pakistan under the ISI and extremists’ pressure took a complete U-turn and said Sarbjit will not be released. Sarbjit has been languishing in Pakistani jail since 1989 despite the fact that his was case of mistaken identity.

A journey to the beautiful valley of Kashmir (S Ranjan )

It was with a lot of apprehension that I embarked, this year, on a much longed for visit to the valley of Kashmir, for the first time in my life. All earlier plans were put down by my family with a terse diktat, “no, it is too dangerous to go there”. In my maiden journey across Kashmir as a tourist, my understanding about the beautiful valley underwent a complete change. The valley has been presented to outsiders as a paradise which is under brutal political suppression by the government and the Army. Yet another image is of a region suffering under the brutality of Pakistan sponsored Islamic terrorism. My journey was my way of knowing the reality to understand as to which of these two pictures is true.

I landed, with my group, in Jammu to start my journey along the Jammu-Srinagar highway into the valley. Our driver, Sakeel, a native from Qazikund in the Kashmir valley, told us that we must leave early to avoid the traffic jam. As we proceeded, we came in contact with an Army convoy also moving towards Srinagar. We have never seen so many vehicles moving in such an orderly manner before. As we stopped for a cup of tea, Sakeel, who regularly works with the Army, introduced us to a large number of Kashmiri youths who, while working for the Indian Army, were a part of the convoy. It was a pleasure talking to them and hearing their experiences on the road, day after day.

As we proceeded further Sakeel narrated numerous stories about the drivers and their adventures with the army. We got to understand, quite incredulously, that the Army employ’s a huge number of civil vehicles with drivers. They trust them with the sensitive job of transporting their men and material. This is evidently no small a feat in an environment where one simply does know who can be an informer of terrorists. Despite the risk involved, the army is taking the service of Kashmiri drivers to ferry its people. This came across as a testimony to the trusting relationship of the men in uniform with the people of Kashmir.

Sakeel went on to narrate instances where land mines took lives of innocent people instead of the army personnel who were the prime targets. I could see army men standing in pairs on high grounds overlooking the road. I was told by Sakeel that the process of road opening takes place in the wee hours of the morning. This tedious process is done to make the road safe not only for the army but also for common men like me who are out to enjoy themselves. It is because of the army that all of us revelers were travelling on National Highway 1 without any fear.

Sakeel, with his penchant of talking continuously, gave a long exposition deriding the political establishment while singing praises for the army. This was probably because this is where he earns his livelihood from. He was very enthusiastic about the tourist scene this year. He was sure that this year’s earning would enable him to repay the loan of his three year old Scorpio. He and his whole family are into travel business; he now has plans to buy a new Mahindra SUV to add to his fleet. Sakeel then gave us a sage tutorial as to how rich travelers want luxury vehicles for comfortable journeys.

When we reached Qazikund after almost thirty minutes of waiting in a long car queue at the Jawahar tunnel, I was struck with a sudden change in the scenario. Thereafter, throughout my journey in the valley I noticed two things, one traffic and second new houses. The manner in which palatial bunglows are coming up in Srinagar, the city will probably double its size in two years time. When I asked Sakeel about the car craze he said that in the last two years two new number series have been introduced in valley, even interior areas have cars now. I also saw several new road construction projects underway which, I was told, were being undertaken through central government schemes. The seven hours journey was, visually, one the most beautiful that I have ever undertaken. It was also a travel through the political landscape of the region. Throughout this voyage, I got to traverse through different hamlets of the state where changing demography and culture was very visible.

I went as far as Rampur and Uri in Kashmir. I am happy that I did not come across any violence, even Baramulla, which is said to be the hot bed of terrorism, was peaceful. The tranquility of small towns nestled in a valley as seen in other regions of the country was visible here also. My observations may be one sided, I may have been lucky, but this was my perception as it was of others who were visited the valley along with me.

The millions of tourist who are visiting the valley are doing so on implicit trust of the security apparatus. The presence of the army, while seen from the confines of a drawing room, may seem to be uncomforting but on ground it is very reassuring. The soldiers do not look threatening and menacing to the traveler, but to the terrorist they must be a very frightening sight. I feel the system which has brought wealth and happiness to valley after the debilitating dark days of the 1990s should be allowed to continue. It is important for this trust to remain intact if the valley wishes to continue on the path of prosperity. If wealth keeps coming in from legitimate sources, terrorism will automatically lose its lustre for the youth who will, like Sakeel, look towards buying SUV’s instead of guns.

Unity, integrity of Jammu Pradesh under threat (NEHA )

Conspiracy

JAMMU, June 28: Unity and integrity of the ancient Jammu Pradesh is under grave threat. A number of anti-Jammu elements have intensified to break-Jammu Pradesh activities with a view to ensuring its partition along the Chenab River on purely communal lines. It is not only that the anti-Jammu Pradesh elements are focusing their attention on the erstwhile Doda district, which is being termed by these elements as “Chenab Valley”. The police administration under former Director General of Police, Kuldip Khoda had also termed this highly mountainous area as “Chenab Valley region” overlooking the fact that there is no such Valley anywhere in Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts, or for that matter anywhere in Jammu Pradesh. There are also elements who are focusing on the Muslim-majority Poonch and Rajouri districts. They are terming these hilly and mountainous areas as “Pirpanjal region” and demanding a separate dispensation for the Poonch-Rajouri area of Jammu Pradesh. Similar demand is being made by those who have been terming Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar districts as “Chenab Valley region”.

The most striking aspect of the whole campaign unleashed by the votaries of separate dispensations from the so-called Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal regions is that they are not pin-pointing the causes responsible for the neglect of these areas. They are simply reflecting on the problems of the people of these hilly and mountainous areas of Jammu Pradesh. They have not even once said that it is the state government and the Cabinet Ministers who head the District Development Boards in these five districts who are responsible for the neglect and backwardness of these areas. The District Development boards consist of the local legislators, including Member of Parliament, and the concerned officials and their meetings are chaired by the Cabinet Ministers. These District Development Boards formulate and approve developmental plans after taking into account the needs and requirements of the people and the districts. Yet another striking aspect of the campaign unleashed by those crying for justice for the people of these areas is that they have nothing whatsoever in their scheme of things for the equally neglected people of Kathua district, Samba district, Udhampur district, Reasi district, and even parts of Jammu district. It is not difficult to understand the reasons behind their selective approach.
 
Only the other day a Kashmir-based party charged one of its senior leaders with the responsibility of “preparing a charter of demands, especially for the residents of the Chenab Valley” and declared that “if required, (the party) would bring to the notice of Prime Minister and union power minister the plight of the people of Chenab Valley”. At the same time, the party maintained that “the concept of District Development Board (DDB) which was started by late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was sabotaged by the present dispensation” and that “instead of involving elected representatives in the development activities, the present government has been adopting pick and choose policy in releasing additionalities”.
 
The charge levelled by this party against the present government does establish that it knows what ails the hilly and mountainous areas of Jammu Pradesh. It admits that the constitution of District Development Boards was a positive development. It also acknowledges that it is the present dispensation which has been discriminating between district and district, but it continues to adopt a selective approach, thus creating schism between the people and districts of Jammu Pradesh. They use different terminology for Kashmir. In Kashmir, they describe different areas as North Kashmir, South Kashmir and Central Kashmir. They do not, for example, term Kupwara and Baramulla as a region, despite the fact that the bulk of population of this region is ethnically non-Kashmiri. But as far Jammu Pradesh is concerned, they divide it into regions and sub-regions on purely religious and sectarian grounds.
 
They are playing with fire. They should remember that the Muslim and Hindu population in the four districts of Rajouri, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban is almost evenly balanced. Poonch is the only district where the proportion of Muslims and non-Muslims is approximately 83:17. They should also remember that the people of Jammu Pradesh are committed to preserving the unity and integrity of their Pradesh. It would be better if the so-called well-wishers of the hilly and mountainous areas of Jammu Pradesh start highlighting the problems of their Pradesh as a whole. Not to do so would be only to create a volcanic situation in the otherwise peaceful and secular Pradesh.

Criminal endeavor to substantiate separatism & terrorism in Kashmir (Ajay Bharti )

Ministry of Home Affairs, government of India put out in public domain the report of Interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir soon after the budget session of Parliament was adjourned sine die. The report is titled, New Compact with the People of Jammu and Kashmir. The report has invited strong reactions and rightly so. It is clearly an effort to negate all the sacrifices of the Indian soldier made during decades of defending the motherland. The report is the continuation of the shameful crime of sustaining separatism and terrorism in Kashmir that is losing support across the globe including among the people of J&K.
Not only the specific recommendations, but the language used is obnoxious and seditious. Report that was made public almost seven months after it was submitted by and large conforms to the leaked/planted news published from time to time.

Prior to analyzing the contents of the report it will be worthwhile to know something about these interlocutors particularly Dilip Padgaonkar and Radha Kumar. Both these persons have been in limelight for attending seminars on Kashmir organized by Gh. Nabi Fai, the jailed front man of ISI in USA. Influence of those anti India seminars is quite visible in the report submitted.

To further understand their views I quote from an interview of Radha Kumar published in Greater Kashmir, a known pro-separatism daily from Kashmir valley on 29^th May 2012. She says, “Art. 370 flowed out of the instrument of accession. So it seemed very clear that the relationship between J&K and the Center was based on Art.370, which was therewith the natural starting point for discussion. I criticize the fact that India has always retained the word ‘temporary’ ahead of the Article. After all, that implies that the relationship would be reviewed in a couple of years. But we are 60 years down the road, J&K still has ‘temporary’ status, and nobody ever discusses it. It has left a terrible question mark over this relationship between state and center and allowed people to call for abandoning it altogether.”

To call it ignorance is to deceive the people of this country. It in fact reflects the mindset of a section of kept intellectuals and paid opinion makers who refuse to recognize the fact that the state of Jammu & Kashmir became an integral part of India by the deed of the instrument of accession and the divisive Article 370 was a concession fraudulently manipulated by two power hungry individuals by deceiving their colleagues and the country as a whole.

Coming back to the aforesaid interview Radha Kumar, under fire from valley based political elite for a suggestion to devolve power to discriminated regions of Jammu and Ladakh apologetically said, “They( interlocutors) are ready to do away with their suggestion of the creation of three regional councils- each for Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir- if people( read separatists) agree”.

The Report is extended over six chapters filling 120 printed pages besides six Annexes spread over another 50 pages.  Although the report claims to be outcome of interactions with more than 700 delegations held in all the twenty two districts of Jammu and Kashmir but in reality it speaks for a small section of the population of Kashmir valley only. Opinions expressed by the vast majority including terror affected areas of Jammu region have been disgracefully disregarded.  Interaction with JKVM that included the present author and centered around the radicalization of the secular institutions of state like Doordarshan, Radio and University also is reflected nowhere.

Interlocutors admit to this fact in the very first line of the second part of chapter one. “The political settlement we propose takes into full account the deep sense of victimhood prevalent in Kashmir valley”, they declare as if there is no victimhood in other parts of the state. They go further to state that, “It surely deserves to be addressed with great sensitivity.”

Interlocutor’s team keeps this promise of being over sensitive to the aspirations of separatists of Kashmir valley by not only recommending measures that pushes the state of Jammu and Kashmir further away from the constitutional mechanism of the Union of India, but also by terming Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir as Pak administered Kashmir and even as Azad Jammu and Kashmir at times. This is for the first time in independent India that any government related paper defines the occupied area in that fashion. It amounts to trouncing in one stroke all the efforts and sacrifices of the nation, security forces in particular, besides undermining the unanimous resolution of the Parliament adopted on February 22,1994.

After philosophizing in vague theories concept of freedom and believed consensus the panel recommends, “that a Constitutional Committee (CC) be set up to review all Central Acts and Articles of the Constitution of India extended to the State after the signing of the 1952 Agreement.”  Now this again is a premeditated attempt of discounting historical truths.

First of all there is no Delhi Agreement of 1952 that exists. Had it been so it would have been published? Even an RTI application to get a copy of the so called Delhi Agreement by the author was not able to yield anything as MHA claims they have no record of such an agreement signed by the claimed parties. It is a myth intentionally recognized as a fact. Second even if there was something like a document called Delhi agreement that automatically stands redundant after 1975 Indira Abdullah Accord, signed by G. Parthasarthy and Mirza Afzal Beig and freely available in published form in public domain.

By recommending to once again constituting a committee to review Laws and Acts extended to the state after 1953 the objective of the panel seems to provide a new lease of life to the secluded, fragmented and discredited separatist movement in Kashmir.

It is imperative to note that a Cabinet sub-committee, headed by the then Deputy Chief Minister D. D. Thakur, during the chief ministership of none other than Sheikh Abdullah was constituted for the same very purpose. It had submitted two contradictory reports. One report was submitted by Thakur. The other was submitted by the Sheikh’s son-in-law G. M. Shah and Ghulam Nabi Kochak. The Thakur report recommended that no Central law should be withdrawn because all the Central laws had benefited the people of the state. On the contrary, the two members had recommended wholesale withdrawal of the Central laws and institutions on the ground that the extension of the Central laws to the state had deprived it of the special status it enjoyed under Article 370. Sheikh, himself an ardent believer in the concept of greater autonomy, virtually bordering on sovereignty, accepted the Thakur report in full and rejected the other. During his tenure several more laws were extended to the state.

Similar is the case with Article 370. The panel recommends making it permanent by replacing prefix temporary with ‘special’. It is sugarcoating of the bitterness of the intent. Panel has suggested putting curbs on the governor, in whose selection state has to have a say, making it compulsory for him to hold elections within three months of keeping the state legislature in suspended animation.

The proportion of officers from the All India Services, like IAS, IPS is also sought to be gradually reduced in favour of officers from the State civil service.

Laughable is the suggestion regarding the nomenclatures of Chief Minister and the state Governor. Proposal is to retain in English both the Governor and the Chief Minister and use Wazia-e- Azam and Sadar-e Riyasat in Urdu.

The report is a document of disintegration. It is continuation of the Nehruvian design of rewarding separatists and grueling nationalists in the state. It is not sufficient to merely reject the report. Real minds behind this mischievous blueprint of separating J&K from rest of the nation need to exposed and punished according to the law of the land.

Ajay Bharti
President
Jammu Kashmir Vichar Manch, NCR Delhi.

Interlocutors report on J&K is against national integrity: Dr Jitendra Singh

Bangalore June 30: “The report submitted by the interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir is against national interest, which will break the democratic integrity of the nation. The report should not be accepted at any cost”, Jammu Kashmir Study center’s Dr Jitendra Singh, demanded in Bangalore on Saturday.

Dr Jitendra Singh speaking on JK Interlocutors report (Centre)

He was addressing a gathering of intellectuals at Gokhale Institute of Public Affairs at Basavanagudi, Bangalore in a State-Level workshop ‘Jammu Kashmir: Facts, Problems and Solution’ organised by Citizens for Democracy.

“The imbroglio of Jammu and Kashmir has a clear history. The first Prime Minister of India Jawahar Lal Nehru made major blunders by bringing article 370  at Jammu and Kashmir which gave a special status to it and by taking the issue of Kashmir to the UNO. This act of Nehru was strange since UNO is there to intervene in international issues not intra-national. However Nehru has taken this issue to world stage, where the crisis never ended yet. Th article 370 brought by Nehru is now a become political tool. 

Gulzarilal Nanda once stated article 370 as a ‘Tunnel’. From the days of its 1947 partition, formation of Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir, the crisis still continues. The recent study report by Dileep Padgaonkar lead Interlocutors is unacceptable, as it has no solution for anything. It just keeps the wound unhealed and imbues to widen the crisis” said Dr Jitendra Singh.

“Interlocutors have used the term “Pak Administered Kashmir” instead of “Pakistan Occupied Kashmir” (POK). Separatists always use the term Pak Administered and Indian Administered Kashmir. Even Pakistan never used this term but they call it as Azad Jammu Kashmir. This is the very language the separatists and Terrorist Organizations have been using” added Dr Singh.

“They do not even consider nationalist people including 10 lakh  Pok refugees uprooted in 1947, 4 lakh west Pak refugees of 1947, 4 lakh kashmiri Pandit living exile since 1990, terror victim of Jammu, Laddakh people and even Gujjar, Shia Pahari Muslim as stake holders for final solution of dispute” he said.

“The call for use of equivalent nomenclature in Urdu for words Governor and Chief Minister. For appointment of Governor in state 3 names should be moved by state with advice of opposition. From them one should be appointed Governor under the pleasure of President. Recommendation of Amendment of Public Safety Act, Review of Disturbed Area Act and re-appraisal of application of controversial AFSPA. They recommended a Judicial Commission to look into the issue of “Unmarked Graves” in Kashmir valley. But, do not find necessary to give justice to the victims of planned violence against thousands of minority Hindus” said Dr Singh.

“No specific recommendation for POK refugees, Kashmir Pandits and Terror affected people of Jammu region. They failed to discuss the real causes of terrorism and forced migration of Hindus from Kashmir valley in 1990. They do not discuss, what is the effect of Union laws not extended in state due to Constitutional abuse of Article 370. People of weaker sections – SC, ST, OBC Refugees, are not getting there due share but they cannot draw attention of Interlocutors. All the recommendations of interlocutor would ultimately led to reversal of process of integration of Jammu Kashmir with Bharat started in 1953 after martyrdom of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.” said Dr Jitendra Singh.

Senior Journalist, RK Mattoo presided over the event. In different sessions of the seminar,  a talk on ‘Article 370 and Discrimination in J&K’ was given by  noted advocate Vikram Phadke. Memeber of Parliament from Uttara Kannada, Sri. Anant Kumar Hegde, spoke on ‘Roots of Separatism‘. A talk on ‘The imbroglios at Pak occupied Kashmir’ was delivered by Prashant Vaidyaraj,  IT  Professional.

The programme was attended by select intellectuals, students.

 http://samvada.org/2012/news/interlocutors-report-on-jammu-and-kashmir-is-against-national-integrity-dr-jitendra-singh/