Kashmir's cry for 'freedom'

It is yesterday once more in Kashmir. From the time I have flown into the valley on Monday, Srinagar has resembled a ghost town, bringing back memories of a visit two years ago. The only signs of life are tetchy security forces manning checkpoints or idly fiddling with their mobile phones, the odd chemist or a cigarette shop that is open, an occasional car with a flashing red beacon or an ambulance hurtling down its empty roads, a "ration truck" bringing in supplies to its besieged residents. The interminable day and night curfews have drained all life out of Srinagar. People have retreated into their homes leaving back graffiti on the walls screaming Go Back India! In the restive old city, surly young men sit outside shuttered homes and shops and glare at the troops peering out of sandbagged bunkers and manning the razor wire checkpoints. People wake up at the crack of dawn to store up on supplies when the grocers open for a few minutes. At night, an eerie silence descends over the city as the moon plays hide and seek with the clouds.
It is another summer of unrest in what is possibly the most scenic valley in the world. Two months of cyclical violence between stone pelting protesters and heavily armed security forces have left more than 50 dead - mostly teenagers. Things are looking grimmer than ever before. It's a summer that could turn out to be another defining point in the valley's tortured history. A whole generation of children of the conflict - Kashmiri writer Basharat Peer evocatively calls it their "war of adolescence" - who grew up in the days of militancy and violence in the early 1990s are driving the protests today. (Seven out of 10 Kashmiris are below 25.)
Growing up in the shadow of the gun and what they say is "perpetual humiliation" by the security forces, they are angry, alienated and distrustful of the state. As prominent opposition leader Mehbooba Mufti tells me when I visit her at her heavily secured home overlooking the stunning Dal lake: "If these young men are not given something to look forward to, God help Kashmir." The valley, most residents say, is in the early stages of an intifada.
Mainstream politicians admit that they have lost confidence of the people. "We can only wait and watch how the situation develops," says Ms Mufti. The hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani appears to be only leader with a modicum of legitimacy, however precarious. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's "give peace a chance " appeal to Kashmiris in a televised speech on Tuesday appears to have left them cold. When politics and the state withers away, it creates a dangerous vacuum. One senses an early beginning of this in Kashmir today.
In the labyrinthine heart of the old city of cone-roofed cheek by jowl brick homes and shops, old "heritage" houses in elegant decrepitude, overflowing sewers and potholed roads, India has receded further from the collective consciousness of its residents. In their homes, mothers are stocking memories of their dead children in trunks, suitcases, cupboards and school bags. Most have died in the firing by security forces.
One mother emptied a cupboard and a suitcase full of of her 14 yr-old boy's belongings for me. Wamiq Farooq had gone to play in the neighbourhood when a tear gas shell fired by the troops exploded on his head. Doctors tried to revive him for an hour at the hospital before declaring him dead. Now, sitting on a brown rug in a modest family home, his mother brings out Wamiq's red tie, red belt, white cap, fraying blue uniform, half a dozen school trophies, report cards, school certificates and then his pithy death certificate. "He is sure to be a face in the crowd," writes his school principal on one certificate praising Wamiq, the Tom and Jerry cartoons and science-loving teenaged son of a street vendor father. Then she slowly puts back Wamiq - his life and death - back into the suitcase and the cupboard and tells me, her eyes welling up: "I never understood why Kashmiri people demand freedom. After Wamiq's death, I do. I want freedom too. So that my children can return home unharmed and in peace."

Pregnant women told not to fast during holy Ramadan

Pregnant women who fast during Ramadan could be putting the health of their unborn baby at risk, according to a new study.
Fasting during the month is one of the five pillars of Islam, although pregnant women are exempt if it poses a risk to their health. However, some Muslim women still choose to fast, despite the health implications. Aanisa Butt, 32, fasted during both of her pregnancies.
''I wouldn't fast everyday, I would do one day of fasting followed by a day of rest. Doing alternate days helped me keep my energy levels up,'' she said.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and a time when Muslims across the world fast from dawn until sunset. ''When Ramadan falls in the summer, it can be really difficult to stay without food and water the whole day and if you're pregnant it is even more hard,'' said Aanisa.
''But I wasn't worried about my health or my baby's. I think Allah gives you strength and he protects your unborn child.'' Although Aanisa gave birth to two healthy sons, if women fast for long hours during their pregnancy it can result in problems for their unborn child.
A study by scientists in the United States, based on census data from the US, Iraq and Uganda, found that pregnant women who fast are likely to have smaller babies who are more prone to learning disabilities in adulthood. The researchers from Columbia University found that this trend was most marked if mothers-to-be fasted early on in their pregnancy and during the summer when longer days meant they went more hours without food. Religious leaders say pregnant women shouldn't attempt to fast as it puts the health of their unborn baby at risk.

Exempt :Imam Madani Abdur Rahman, from London, says Islam does give pregnant women options. Nurse Nuala Close says pregnant women should seek advice during Ramadan
''We have to assess the situation, if the doctor says fasting could cause problems for the mother or her baby, then women should not fast. Health must always come first," he added.
Pregnant women who request an exemption from fasting are expected to make up the days they have missed after the baby is born. Nuala Close is a nurse at Barts and London Hospital. She says many women do not make use of this provision. ''If women are exempt from fasting they have to make it up at another time, like once they've finished breastfeeding or in the lighter hours.

Kashmir crisis threatens pregnant women

Lack of regular check-ups cause complicated births

Srinagar: The ongoing crisis in the Kashmir Valley and the resultant curfews and restrictions has drastically slashed both the patient inflow and ante-natal checkup of expecting women, thereby taking toll on the health of the mother as well as the newborn.
Experts fear that lack of regular consultation during pregnancy and the increasing number of "obstruct" cases, is resulting in high mother-baby mortaility rate across the Valley. “Due to the lack of ante-natal checkup, we have witnessed some cases that are very hard to manage and treat in these situations,” a doctor at Srinagar's Lal Ded Hospital said. She said there has also been an increase in the referral cases to the tertiary-care hospital and this, according to her, has added challenges to the hospital administration. “We deal with such patients with utmost care. Despite a handful of staff available, we try to provide the best treatment possible to the patients,” she said. However, officials at LD declined to show the exact figures of mother-baby deaths, citing some technical problems as reasons. Most expecting women have their first and longest ante-natal checkup between weeks 8-12 of pregnancy. The doctors suggest that earlier the checkup, better for the patient; and there will also be check on the increasing mortality rate. Meanwhile, patients admitted that due to lack of regular examination during the period of pregnancy, they have to face lots of healthb problems. “It has been difficult for patients to visit consultants during the present Kashmir unrest. This has affected the maternity care badly. I had to spend more days at the hospital because of some complications,” said a patient Mehmooda from central Kashmir’s Budgam district.
Mehmooda’s newborn baby has been put on the ventilator and it is only her husband attending to the child at ward 218 of the hospital. Her other family members or relatives could not reach the hospital owing to the disturbed conditions, curfews and restrictions. Meanwhile, noted gynecologist and Principal Government Medical CollegeSrinagar Dr Shahida Mir told Rising Kashmir that the lack of ante-natal checkup and regular examination poses a severe health hazard which can take toll on the lives of the patients. “During ante-natal examination, complicacies get timely treatment which is good for both mother as well as the baby. But the ongoing crisis has put hurdles to this important checkup and is affecting their health,” she said. “We have been receiving several complicated cases and the number is ever rising. The prolonged curfews and restrictions across the Valley have crippled the OPD. But we have to remain firm to treat emergency cases,” Dr Mir said. “We have been receiving several complicated cases and the number is ever increasing. Prolonged curfews and restrictions across Valley have crippled the OPD. But we have to remain firm to treat emergency cases,” she said. Mir said that the morbidity rate among the patients is on increase and patients referred from different areas of the valley encounter many problems which later take toll on their health. "During the ongoing disturbances morbidity rate has increased and patients complain of different problems,” she added.

Why Kashmir is again on a knife-edge

Whether they are being listened to or not, the people of Kashmir have been making a point every day for the past two months - they are tired of the status quo.

Twenty years after massive peaceful protests on the streets of the Kashmir Valley were superseded by violence, the people have hit the streets again - and not without good reason. About 50 people, mostly students, have been killed in sporadic police shootings since the death on 11 June of a Srinagar teenager, Tufail Ahmed Mattoo, who was killed by a tear gas shell as he returned home from class.Mattoo, who was just a few days shy of his 18th birthday, died after security forces opened fire on an anti-India demonstration, but locals say he was not involved in the protest.He was one of many teenagers who have fallen victim to Indian policemen and paramilitaries in Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir Valley in the last two months.

There has been a depressing cycle of protests, death, violence at funerals and more deaths. And across Indian-administered Kashmir ordinary people - children, women and men - have been taking on police personnel.
What are their grievances?
After elections to the state assembly at the end of 2008, where Indian Kashmir saw a turnout of 60%, a popular government headed by Omar Abdullah - grandson of modern Kashmir founder Sheikh Abdullah - took power.
Kashmiris, Delhi felt, were now part and parcel of Indian democracy.
The elections came soon after protests over the planned transfer of some land near the Amarnath shrine, one of the holiest shrines of the Hindu religion.
The state government proposed the transfer of forest land to organisers of pilgrimages to the site, triggering controversy and anger.The authorities dropped the plan following Muslim protests, and then found itself subjected to Hindu demonstrations protesting that decision. At least five people were killed in the protests.The following year - in May 2009 - the Valley was rocked by allegations that two women had been raped and killed by the security forces.

And this year has been characterised by a seemingly never-ending series of street protests.
The approaching month of Ramadan may be the only thing that will dampen violence that has been raging since June.
"What we are seeing is a massive eruption of discontent that can turn into an insurgency," Wajahat Habibullah, a former chief secretary of Indian-administered KashmirIt shows that the leaders of Kashmir have lost contact with the people."
Sarwar Kashani, a young Kashmiri journalist based in Delhi, believes the sentiments which fuelled the Valley boycott of Indian elections in 1989 have not changed. "The rejection of the status quo remains," he says. For 20 years, the Indian state battled hard to deal with the militants. Now they have to deal with the people again. This time they are confronted with a largely leaderless mob - very different from fighting an insurgency.Over the last 20 years, many Indian prime ministers and leaders have promised the people of Kashmir different forms of autonomy. In 2006, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh set up five different committees to address their problems. But all these have come to nothing.The dialogue with Kashmiri leaders is off and the peace process with Pakistan is in limbo.

The government of India is lucky that the international focus on Kashmir is virtually non-existent. Some years ago, this would have been a big issue. British Prime Minister David Cameron did not use the K word (Kashmir) during his recent trip to India, but instead chose to talk about Pakistan.In the 1990s, Western countries would often refer to the disputed nature of the entire territory of Jammu and Kashmir. But, in the post-9/11 world, militancy has lost its sheen. The one-time champion of the Kashmiri cause, Pakistan, whose intelligence agencies propped up militant groups in the 1990s, has also lost much of its international credibility. In short, much of the world is not interested in Kashmir or the Kashmiris. The expansion of the Indian economy is another reason why the world does not want to anger Delhi. Indian officialdom can be quick to take offence and Western officials now seem to want to accommodate Delhi on Kashmir. In the end, it is not international attention (or the lack of it) that should govern Delhi's Kashmir policy. The world's largest democracy, and its civil society, must understand that stones cannot be met indefinitely by more bullets.

Anti-Indian sentiment is growing stronger among young Kashmiris

The new face of Kashmiri women

S.m. Hali

The freedom movement in Indian Held Kashmir has received fresh impetus with its women taking up the cause of freedom. The situation in Kashmir has greatly deteriorated since the death of a 17-year-old student, who succumbed to his injuries after being hit by a teargas shell. Protest rallies have been baton charged, teargassed and brutally fired upon, with more than 50 lives being lost. However, just as the freedom struggle seemed to be stagnating, the women emerged on the streets, beating on their utensils, throwing stones at the Indian forces and chanting slogans for freedom. Over the years, Kashmiri women have played an important role in the struggle for freedom. Names like Asiya Andrabi, who led protest rallies comprising Kashmiri women, have filled volumes. However, the image of Kashmiri women in the liberation struggle has been mostly of wives, mothers, sisters or daughters mourning over the dead body of a relative, who embraced shahadat as a result of the atrocities of the Indian army. The new face of the Kashmiri women is unparalleled. Hundreds of women and girls, many in shalwar kameez, have since been regularly out on the streets chanting “we want freedom!” and “blood for blood!” Indeed, their message is loud and clear. Although the Indian army has not refrained from targeting the unarmed women, dealing with female protesters is a fraught challenge for the police and paramilitary troops. Many women who do not directly take part in rallies carry drinking water to the protesters and also direct youths down escape routes as they flee from baton charges, teargas and gunfire.Exasperated by the deteriorating situation in Kashmir, India’s Interior Minister P. Chidambaram has alleged that Pakistan may have instigated these protests. This is the first time New Delhi has linked Pakistan to the recent spate of violence in the Kashmir Valley that began on June 11. Earlier, India had said Pakistan-based militants were inciting trouble in the region. “Pakistan appears to have altered its strategy in influencing events in Jammu and Kashmir,” Chidambaram told the Indian Parliament during a debate on the protests. India, however, remains confident that it can foil Pakistan’s “evil designs” if it is able to win the hearts and minds of the people.

Bashir Bhat condemned the killing of youth in Kashmir

Srinagar: Vice Chairman Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front(JKLF) Advocate Bashir Ahmad Bhat has strongly condemned the killing of youth at the hands of Indian Armed forces who are on killing spree and these trigger happy forces have unleashed reign of terror in all the fours of Kashmir and has expressed concern over the stepped up Human Rights violations , as a state policy Indian armed forces in Kashmir are on the budge of genocide , therefore JKLF urges world HR bodies especially ICRC, Asia Watch, Amnesty International ,Human Rights Watch especially United Nation`s Human Rights Commission to take the cognizance of recent cases – a sort of savagery demonstrated by Indian forces at the askance of India and its sleuths, Bhat said .He expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in Leh after flash floods hit the Leh town and its adjoining regions where 200 are feared and more than 500 hundred are still missing JKLF expresses sympathies with the bereaved families . Vice Chairman JKLF has said that in 1947 India and Pakistan became two dominions but Kashmir was a separate state with recorded and rich history of 5000 years,after 1947 due to continued conflict Ladakh, including Aksai Chin and Gilgit-Baltistan became regions of geo-political importance and after 1962 Sino-Indo war whole of the Kargil region was converted into a military cantonment and afterwards a strategically important for India, Pakistan and China now the highest battle field in the world .

No pain bigger than losing one's mother

Aisha, third woman victim of Kmr unrest

Srinagar, Aug : Death came in the form of a stone for 55-year-old widow Aisha of Basantbagh Gowkadal in Old City Friday evening. She was neither a stone-pelter nor part of any protest but got caught in the violent clashes between angry youths and troopers in the area. Aisha had left her house to buy some milk at 8.30 pm after the curfew had eased and the troopers were rushing back. However, some clashes erupted in the area and a stone hit her in the chest and she fell down.Her death has left her three sons orphaned, having already lost their father some eight years back. Aisha’s elder son had moved out post-marriage three years back and for the two other boys, she was everything.“She asked me for Rs 20 so that she could buy milk. Troopers were almost leaving for their respective camps. There was a CRPF vehicle still parked in the locality and suddenly youths started throwing stones at it,” says Aisha’s youngest son, Firdous Ahmed. “My mother had poor eyesight. She told me that she would return soon but, instead, we received the news that she was hit by a stone.”Firdous says the family had gone through hard times after the death of their father. “My father was a labourer and after his death some eight years ago, it was my eldest brother and mother who looked after us,” he says. “Now we have no one to call mouj (mother). No bigger pain than losing one's mother.”Locals say it was very difficult to say the stone from which side hit Aisha. “Stones were raining from both sides. Youths were stoning the CRPF vehicle and police and CRPF men were retaliating with sling-shots, stones and even teargas canisters,” they say.Living in a small house in the interiors of Basantbagh, Firdous, a salesman at a shop, says it would be difficult to come out of the shock. Their house wears a deserted look as the one who would bring smiles on the faces of inmates was gone forever. With her death, the desire to see the brides of her two younger sons also lay buried.“She always wanted to see our brides. But death knocked first,” says Firdous, sobbing.He rues that his mother continued to be on the ground unattended for at least 15 minutes after being hit. “As stone-pelting was on, we were afraid to go out despite receiving the news that our mother had fallen down,” says Firdous. It was only at 9.15 pm that they could come out and remove her to the hospital.According to the medical certificate the cause of the woman's death has been described as “cardiac arrest due to traumatic cardiac rupture". She was hit by a stone on the chest, the certificate further mentions.Aisha is the third woman victim in the ongoing unrest that began June 11. Fancy Jan (25) was hit by a stray bullet at Batamaloo on July 6 and a 17-year-old girl Afroza was killed during a protest in Khrew on August 1.

When This Will Become A Reality Again........

تاریخ موجودہ حکمرانوں کو قاتلوں کے ٹولے کے خطاب سے نوازے گی:فاروق ڈار

سرینگر:لبریشن فرنٹ کے چیئرمین فاروق احمد ڈارنے بھارتی افواج اور پولیس کی طرف سے معصوم کشمیریوں کا قتل عام کرنے پر گہری تشویش کا اظہار کرتے ہوئے کہا ہے کہ بھارتی حکمران اسرائیلی پالیسی پر عمل پیرا ہوکر کشمیریوں کی نسل کشی کرکے تحریک آزادی کو دبانے کی مذموم کوشش کر رہا ہے ۔ پچھلے تین مہینوں کے دوران کشمیر میں تقریباً پچاس سے زائد کشمیریوں جن میںزیادہ تر کمسن بچے شامل ہیں کوفائرنگ کرکے شہید کیا گیا ۔کشمیر کے مختلف ہسپتالوں میں تین سو سے زائد نوجوان جو گولیاں لگنے سے زخمی ہو چکے ہیں ، موت و حیات کی کشمکش میں مبتلا ہے ،صرف صورہ ہسپتال میں دو درجن کے قریب ایسے نوجوان ہیں جو Ventilater کے سہارے زندگی کی آخری سانسیں لے رہے ہیں ۔فاروق احمد ڈار نے مختلف ہسپتالوں میں گولیوں سے زخمی ہوئے معصوم افراد کے ساتھ اظہار ہمدردی کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ قوم کو انکی معاونت کیلئے سامنے آکر جذبہ ایثار کا مظاہرہ کرنا چاہئیے۔انہوںنے حکمران طبقے کو خبردار کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ تاریخ موجودہ حکمرانوں کو قاتلوں کے ٹولے کے خطاب سے نوازے گی اب تک شہید ہوئے نوجوانوں کا قتل عام نام نہاد حکومت کے ماتھے پر ایک ایسا کلنک ہے جو کبھی بھی نہیں مٹے گا

مختلف تنظیموں کی طرف سے شہید شیخ عبدالعزیز کو خراج عقیدت پیش

سری نگر: پیپلز لبریشن لیگ، سیاسی تحریک اُمت ،شباب المسلمین اور تحریک آواز حق کے مشترکہ آرگنائزر جناب عبدالمجید کشمیری اور جے اے کے اے ایف نے الگ الگ بیان میں شہید عزیمت شیخ عبدالعزیز کو اُنکی دوسری برسی کے موقعہ پر اُنکو شاندار الفاظ میں خراج عقیدت ادا کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ شہید موصوف نے جو قربانیاں تحریک آزادی کشمیر کیلئے پیش کیئں ہیں اُن کو ہمیشہ یاد رکھا جائے گا۔شہید نے اپنی زندگی کا بیشتر حصہ جیلوںمیں گزارا اور آخر کار اپنی جان بھی اسی راہ عزیمت میں قربان کردی۔تنظیم کی طرف سے جاری ایک بیان میں ترجمان نے کہا کہ زندہ قومیں اپنی ان محسنوں کو ہر صورت میں یاد رکھتی ہے جو قوم کی آزادی اور اور قوم کے افراد کے کل کیلئے اپنے آج کو قربان کردیتے ہیں اور انہیں یاد رکھنے اور خراج عقیدت پیش کرنے کا بہترین طریقہ یہی ہے کہ ان کے مشن کیساتھ وفاداری نبھائی جائے اور حصول مقصد تک کسی طرح کے جھکاو ¿، بکاو ¿ کا مظاہرہ نہ کیا جائے۔ادھرجے اے کے اے ایف کے ترجمان نے مرحوم کی بے لوث قربانیوں کو تحریک کا ایک سرمایہ قرار دیتے ہوئے کہا کہ شہید شیخ عبدالعزیز ہمارے لئے رول ماڈل ہیں اور انہیں کے نقش قدم پر چل کر کشمیر ی قوم کی آزادی حاصل ہوگی۔ یاد رہے شیخ عبدالعزیز اگست 2008 ءکو مظفر آباد چلو مارچ کے دوران دیگر کئی افراد کے سمیت شہید کیا گیا۔

'Kill Us Before You Kill Our Sons And Daughters', Kashmiri Women's Message

Srinagar: Kashmir's women in a protest against the Indian Forces were seen holding banners that said "Kill us before you kill our young boys and girls".
The ruthless killing that has been going on for more than eight weeks in the Indian Occupied Kashmir have killed more than 45 people in such short period.
According to a woman teacher in the Indian occupied Kashmir, Kashmir's women are now mentally ill, because of the mass killing taking place in their region. The lady teacher continued saying that they have lost their patience; the Indian army has killed their sons, brothers, father and many more innocent people. Therefore, they can no more stay as silent spectators. This time, an increased number of women were seen involved in the demonstrations. This is particularly because two women recently got killed during the curfew timings by the Indian Army in the Kashmir.

Kashmiri agitators get Naxalites' salute

NAGPUR: The central committee (CC) of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) has given its thumbs up for the Kashmiri protesters clashing with the security forces in the valley. In a scathing criticism on the role of the central and state governments, the Naxals have claimed that the enemy was the same, be it at Dandakaranya or Kashmir. Through a two-page release, the rebels have extended their 'revolutionary salute' or Inquilabi salaam to the Kashmiri protesters fighting for their rights. The Maoists were critical of the use of force by the Omar Abdullah-led coalition government to crush the resistance of the people. The CC, along with the people's army and other revolutionary outfits, has vowed to continue supporting the valley protesters. The naxals dramatically equated the stone throwing youths of Kashmir to the bow-and-arrow equipped tribals of Dandakaranya. The CC "believes that the Kashmir belongs to Kashmiris". It has also appealed to all to support the 'just national liberation struggle of the people of Kashmir'. The CC has lashed out at the media for distorting Kashmir's history. Naxals have also urged citizens across the length and breadth of the country to raise their voice against the 'heartless killing of youth' by the security forces. They have also made an appeal to the activists and right bodies to demand the withdrawal of the forces from Kashmir. The rebels had made a similar demand several times in the Dandakaranya region in the past too.

SHEIKH AZIZ: TRAUMATIZED BUT POISED

Sheikh Abdul Aziz, born in 1952 A.D at Pampore Kashmir, after proper schooling, joined the resistance movement in 1972. He was arrested in 1973 for his pro-freedom stand and stance. The freedom zealot, after feeling humiliated, made up his mind to take up the gauntlit and continue to tread the thorny path of resistance with conviction, resolve and volition characteristics of an uncompromising resilient revolutionary. As a senior stalwart of Peoples League, with proclivity and disposition to subjectivity in self-assertion and objectivity in strategic manoeuvre and march, joined the armed resistance movement in 1990 when vitriolic and energetic young revolutionaries like Ashfaq Majeed Wani and others, who were in twenties then, created a situation where almost all the senior stalwarts of political resistance movement felt convinced that armed resistance had indispensably become paramount as an effective alternative course of resistance against the Indian forces of occupation. Thus Al-Jehad was the militant outfit which Sheikh Aziz spearheaded with determination of a genuine Mujahid. After receiving proper training in Pakistan he returned to Kashmir valley to lead the armed resistance forces in his own style.Sheikh Aziz was arrested in 1992 and after his release in 2000 A.D he got a chance to visit Pakistan as senior political resistance leader, where he literally kissed the soil of Pakistan after alighting from the aeroplane in Lahore. On his return to Kashmir valley he was again put behind the bars for his intractability as resistance leader.In 2008, Kashmiris launched a vehement and vigorous anti-India movement when rumours were rife that India had decided to ensure that South Kashmir be swarmed with a million Sadhus (who would become the custodians of Amaranth Cave). By way of political backlash and whiplash the fanatic Hindus of Jammu felt instigated and fulminated in a such way that they literally imposed trade embargo on Kashmir to strangulate it economically. Kashmiri trucks were looted and burnt; and truck drivers were assaulted. In such a situation sensitive Sheikh Aziz felt traumatized and he became serious in his revolutionary thinking to break the deadlock and show the path of salvation. On Aug. 6, 2008 all the leaders of APHC headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq assembled in Hurriyat head office Rajbagh to discuss the situation created by trade blockade of the Jammu chauvinists. Sheikh Aziz Saheb liked to sit beside me on the left flank of the Chairman (Mirwaiz Umar Farooq) to exchange pleasantries with me. He was all ears when I, in my historic address as a member of Hurriyat shoora (the general council as it was called then), emphasized that should be adopted as policy slogan to break the blockade and pave the way for reunification of two parts of Kashmir. At 4 P.M Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Saheb addressed a press conference and, while dwelling on the economic-blockade issue in a discursive tone and accent, said, “well, if the people of two and half districts of Jammu want to carve out a”Dogra-desh” for themselves we have no objection.” objection.” Umar Farooq, by way of a part of future programme introduced the slogans:
On Aug. 11, 2008 Kashmir Witnessed a historical and momentous spectacle of unity of resistance forces when, by way of abreaction and catharsis, freedom sentiments got exuded and elicited in the form of highly emotionalized and resolute procession of revolutionaries of Sopore spearheaded by the stalwarts like Sheikh Ab. Aziz, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Saif-ullah etc. The valiant and chivalrous processionists while facing and overcoming the obstacles created by the Indian authorities, succeeded in reaching Chahla Uri (the Kashmir Karbala as I call it). Where they displayed their freedom sentiments in a peaceful democratic style. Indian forces including the notorious Kashmir SOG, in a fit of arrogance and intoxication opened fire killing a dozen freedom zealots and injuring about hundred of them.

Sheikh Aziz Saheb, who was on the forefront like his colleagues Shabbir Ahmad Shah and Saif-ullah and others, got injured seriously. Wounded leader was immediately removed to Srinagar hospital where he breathed his last and became a martyr. On Aug. 12, 2008 over a lakh people assembled at Eidgah Srinagar for Nimaz-e-jinaza. All the resistance leaders, barring ailing humble self, including senior leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Moulvi Abbas Ansari, Fazal Haq Qureshi were present and paid tribute to the slain leader. Sheikh Aziz was martyred on Monday- Aug. 11, 2009 (Shai’ ban 9, 1429 A.H-the day when prophet Muhammad (PBHU) prioritized eternal rest.) The exasperated emotional youth, while the obsequies were being completed, roused patriotic feelings and emotions of the mourning multitude through pathetic epicedium. On Aug. 12, 2008 the agitating youth restored to violent paroxysmal activities and in the melee 22 freedom zealots got martyred and hundreds of them were wounded in the valley. Thousands of furiously agitated youth called at the residence of Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. The two leaders felt emboldened and therefore mustered up courage to accompany the exacerbated and anguished youth in their march towards Eidgah to defy the curfew and literally demolish and obliterate the bunkers of Indian forces. Nayeem Ahmad Khan and Shabbir Ahmad Shah were released from captivity a day after. The co-ordination committee representing S.A Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq suggested using of one flag only with the emblem . On Aug. 16, 2008 about three lakh people marched to Pampore to express solidarity with the bereaved family of sheikh Aziz. In the morning of Aug. 16, 2008 I, along with my Mahaz activists including Meer Iqbal, boarded a vehicle on the top of which the green flag with the monogram remained fluttering; we condoled with the family members of martyr Sheikh Aziz at their residence. Then after we attended the condolence congregation of mourning people at Eidgah Pampore. On the platform I sat beside Fazal-ul-Haq Qureshi, Mohd. Hassan (Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami), Moulvi Abbas Ansari, Late Prof. Sheikh Gh. Muhammad. Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Shabbir Ahmad Shah and others addressed the grand audience. In the stampede the improvised platform collapsed; elderly leaders felt strangled and suffocated. Meer Rasheed, a robust student of mine, retrieved me from the situation.
Progeny will remember martyr Sheikh Aziz with love and respect.

Little girl appeals CM to trace disappeared sibling

Family wary of Fark's safety
Baramulla : A distinction holder in Class XII, Syed Fark Bukhari of Kreeri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district always dreamt of becoming a journalist.
He wanted to lend "voice to the voiceless" in Kashmir, who he believed required his services the most. But fate had wished something else: Fark went missing after he was reportedly bundled into a Rakshak vehicle by troopers at Chooru on July 28.Fark was busy chatting with his mother Zahida Bukhari that day when he noticed some commotion outside the house and went out to see what was happening, at the same time promising his mother that he would return soon. In fact, it is this promise of Fark that the crestfallen mother is reminded of day-in and day-out as she cries for her missing son.According to his father, Syed Bashir Bukhari, who is Imam at the local mosque, Fark has been subjected to forced disappearance by the uniformed men after some protesters were arrested near Chooru the same day. Bashir said some protesters from Palhalan had come to enforce shutdown in Kreeri. He said they (protesters) insisted that some local youths join them. Fark obliged, as did some other youngsters. “They came in some four to five trucks and enforced shutdown in the township. Later they insisted that some youths accompanied them till the highway,” said the father, who is under shock and bedridden eversince Fark went missing.As they left the town, Bashir said, a police gypsy chased them all the way till they reached Chooru village. The chasers had already informed the police at Chooru and the youths were cordoned from all sides with additional deployment from other police stations.“They resorted to heavy teargas shelling and baton-charging the youths. They bundled over 40 youths in police vehicles while Fark was the lone youngster to be pushed into a Rakshak vehicle,” Bashir said.He said the following day the police sent information to the Kreeri elders about the arrested youths; however, Fark did not feature in the list."Officials from Pattan police station assured us that they will locate him in next couple of days as he may have been picked up by some intelligence agencies. But after failing to locate him, these officials claimed it was not in their jurisdiction,” said Bashir.Disappointed at the police apathy, Fark's uncle Sareer Ahamd Bukhari said they approached SSP Baramulla and IG North Kashmir for seeking the whereabouts of Fark."They assured us to locate him as he was carrying his cellphone and the network could easily trace him. But after some days they had the same argument to offer, that it did not fall in their jurisdiction,” Sareer said. Meanwhile, for the past two weeks of their son's disappearance, the Bukhari family ran pillar to post to seek his whereabouts but to no avail.While protesting over the disappearance of her son, Zahida was hit by a teargas shell in the eye on July 30. The wound remains unhealed as tears keep rolling down throughout the day as she wails for her missing son.The younger brother of Fark, Lukman is too young to understand the tragedy that has struck the family. A Class IV student, Lukman is a look-alike of Fark and thereby adding to the crestfallen mother's pain of not being able to see Fark.However, the worst has befallen Fark's younger sister Hawana Bukhari, a Class XI student. The day her older brother went missing, she lost her voice. Doctors advised her parents to make her cry by calling ''Baya, Baya'' as it may help her come out of shock.She however regained some power to speak in some days and summons some strength to whisper words into this reporter's ears. “Can you ask Chief Minster Omar Abdullah to return my Baya as he is innocent? I am sure he will, if you ask him.”Although Hawana is known to be a good student, perhaps she knows little about the trend of disappearances in Kashmir. Fark is not the first one to meet this fate, neither the last one. For, in his bedroom, Fark has books that talk of the chilling truth of disappearances in Kashmir in the last over two decades like 'Curfewed Night', 'Unveiling the Truth' and 'Did they vanish in thin air?'.

Geelani assures minorities’ protection

Srinagar, Aug 8: The Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Geelani Sunday assured protection to people of different minority communities who live in Kashmir. Describing them as “organs of his body”, the veteran pro-freedom leader appealed people to ensure that minorities feel safe and secure in Kashmir while the ongoing movement continues.“It is our duty to ensure protection of people belonging to different communities including Sikhs and Pandits,” Geelani told Greater Kashmir after interacting with a delegation of Pandit community led by Sanjay Tikoo and another delegation of Sikh community led by Jagmohan Singh Raina. The Pandit delegation named “Kashmiri Pandit Sangarash Samiti” had arrived at Geelani’s Hyderpora residence this afternoon. It was followed by the Sikh delegation named “All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee.” The delegations had raised “some apprehensions” about their safety in view of the present crisis in the Valley. More than 50 Kashmiris have got killed since June 11 in action by police and CRPF pushing Kashmir into crisis. “People belonging to minority communities are like organs of my body and if any organ gets hurt the entire body feels the pain. I made it clear to them that our fight is not against any community or religion but it is a battle for freedom. Islam teaches us to ensure safety of people,” Geelani said after an hour-long interaction with the communities. However, he cautioned against “some vested interests” who may try to harm the ongoing struggle by giving it different colors. “People belonging to all the communities have to remain cautious at every step. Some vested interests from any community may try to exploit the present situation and defame the ongoing movement,” he told the Pandit community. The 12- member Sikh delegation also raised apprehensions about their safety with Geelani. “They never left Kashmir and have supported us during the past 20 years. I told them various agencies have in the past spread different rumors. We have to remain vigilant and never allow them to succeed in their evil designs,” Geelani said following meeting with the Sikh delegation.

PPP govt silent over Kashmir issue

LAHORE : The Kashmir issue is not on the priority list of the incumbent PPP government, as it is keeping mum over the status quo in Held Kashmir, say leaders of Kashmir Action Committee Pakistan (KACP). Justice (r) Syed Sharif Hussain Bokhari, president KACP, Lt Col (r) AM Mir, Dr Khurshid Sikander along with other leaders of the KACP expressed these views while addressing a press conference at Lahore Press Club on Saturday. They said the status quo in Held Valley suits India but not the Kashmiris and the Pakistanis, however, silence of Islamabad on the status quo was a matter of serious concern. Leaders of the KACP said India, instead of taking up the real issue of holding dialogue over the Kashmir issue, always touched the supplementary issues which established the fact New Delhi was not serious in talks on the issue. Terming the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) as ‘Wooden Horse’ they asserted the organisation had not played its due role regarding building pressure on India to resolve the Kashmir issue. However, they expressed the hope that OIC would play its due role in the times to come in this regard. They said the current uprising in Occupied Kashmir was a ‘New Intifada’, which, the Indians could not suppress with its thousand guns and it would continue till the independence of Kashmir

Dear sweat kids - be careful. Indian army is there not to watch your innocent game... they will come and will consider little Mujaheddin of Carrying bombs in football. So be careful.

Kashmiri boys hit a burning police vehicle after it was set on fire by protestors in Srinagar

Make sure no child is killed in Kashmir, women's group urges

Why has Kashmir lost children to a conflict they don't even understand?" a women's organization that calls itself 'Mothers of India' asked on Friday and urged the government to stop innocent killings in the troubled valley. Calling for a "peaceful resolution to (the) mindless violence" in Jammu and Kashmir that has left nearly 50 people dead in three weeks, 'Mothers of India' called all mothers across India to "make sure that no child is killed in Kashmir, that no mother cries in silence and that violence does not beget more violence". A statement from the outfit, with signatures from 100 women activists from across India, said the sound of mothers in Kashmir was not being heard even as they were crying "waiting for their children to return knowing that they may not. Wailing, as they wonder why their young ones were killed". Striking an emotional chord with the bereaved mothers of the Kashmir Valley, it said, "Mothers all over the country need to demand answers. Why has Kashmir lost children to a conflict they don't even understand? We, the mothers, must raise our voices against any kind of extremism. After all we do not give birth to our children to see them killed brutally by bullets. How can we justify the violence on either side? How long can we be mute spectators and not respond to the pain of our sisters in Kashmir?" "We need to raise our voices for dialogue and debate. We need to look at a peaceful resolution to this mindless violence." The Mothers of India said the situation in Kashmir could still be retrieved if the government acknowledges that young people are feeling alienated. "Treating it as a law and order problem will only deepen conflict and alienation."