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Jammu And Kasmir - acharya - 07-03-2005
THE INDIAN CLAIM TO JAMMU AND KASHMIR.
The formal overt Indian intervention in the internal affairs of the
State of Jammu and Kashmir began on about 9.00 a.m. on 27 October
1947, when Indian troops started landing at Srinagar airfield. India
has officially dated the commencement of its claim that the State was
part of Indian sovereign territory to a few hours earlier, at some
point in the afternoon or evening of 26 October. From their arrival
on 27 October 1947 to the present day, Indian troops have continued
to occupy a large proportion of the State of Jammu and Kashmir
despite the increasingly manifest opposition of a majority of the
population to their presence. To critics of India's position and
actions in the State of Jammu and Kashmir the Government of New Delhi
has consistently declared that the State of Jammu and Kashmir lies
entirely within the sphere of internal Indian policy. Do the facts
support the Indian contention in this respect?
The State of Jammu and Kashmir was a Princely State within the
British Indian Empire. By the rules of the British transfer of power
in Indian subcontinent in 1947 the Ruler of the State, Maharajah Sir
Hari Singh, with the departure of the British and the lapsing of
Paramountcy (as the relationship between State and British Crown was
termed), could opt to join either India or Pakistan or, by doing
nothing, become from 15 August 1947 the Ruler of an independent
polity. The choice was the Ruler's and his alone: there was no
provision for popular consultation in the Indian Princely States
during the final days of the British Raj. On 15th August 1947, by
default, the State of Jammu and Kashmir became independent.
India maintains that this period of independence, the existence of
which it has never challenged effectively, came to an end on 26/27
October as the result of two pairs of closely related transactions,
which we must now examine.
They are:
(a) an Instrument of Accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India which
the Maharajah is alleged to have signed on 26 October 1947, and;
(b) the acceptance of this Instrument by the Governor-General of
India, Lord Mountbatten, on 27 October 1947; plus
© a letter from the Maharajah to Lord Mountbatten, dated 26 October
1947, in which Indian military aid is sought in return for accession
to India (on terms stated in an allegedly enclosed Instrument) and
the appointment of Sheikh Abdullah to head an Interim Government of
the State; and
(d) a letter from Lord Mountbatten to the Maharajah, dated 27 October
1947, acknowledging the above and nothing that, once the affairs of
the State have been settled and law and order is restored, "the
question of the State's accession should be settled by a reference to
the people."
In both pairs of documents it will be noted that the date of the
communication from the maharajah, be it the alleged Instrument of
Accession or the letter to Lord Mountbatten, is given as 26 October
1947, that is to say before the Indian troops actually began overtly
to intervene in the State's affairs on the morning of 26 October
1947. It has been said that Lord Mountbatten insisted on the
Maharajah's signature as a precondition for his approval Indian
intervention in the affairs of what would otherwise be an independent
State.
The date, 26 October 1947, has hitherto been accepted as true by
virtually all observers, be they sympathetic or hostile to the Indian
case. It is to be found in an official communication by Lore
Mountbatten, as Governor General of India, on 1 November 1947; and it
is repeated in the White paper on Jammu and Kashmir which the
Government of India laid before the Indian Parliament in March 1948.
Pakistani diplomats have never challenged it. Recent research,
however, has demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that the date is
false. This fact emerges from the archives, and it is also quite
clear from such sources as the memoirs of the Prime Minister of Jammu
and Kashmir at the time, Mehr Chand Mahajan, and the recently
published correspondence of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Indian Prime
Minister Circumstantial accounts of the events of 26 October
1947,notably that of V.P Menon (in his The Integration of the Indian
States, London 1965), who said he was actually present when the
Maharajah signed, are simply not true.
It is now absolutely clear that the two documents (a) the Instrument
of Accession, and © the letter to Lord Mountbatten, could not
possibly have been signed by the Maharajah of Jammu and Kashmir on 26
October 1947. The earliest possible time and date for their signature
would have to be the afternoon of 27 October 1947. During 26 October
1947 the Maharajah of Jammu and Kashmir was travelling by road from
Srinagar to Jammu. His Prime Minister, M.C. Mahajan, who was
negotiating with the Government of India, and the senior Indian
official concerned in State matters, V.P. Menon, were still in New
Delhi where they remained overnight, and where their presence was
noted by many observers. There was no communication of any sort
between New Delhi and the traveling Maharajah. Menon and Mahajan set
out by air form New Delhi to Jammu at about 10.00 a.m. on 27 October,
and the Maharajah learned from them for the first time the result of
his Prime Minister's negotiations in New Delhi in the early afternoon
of that day.
The key point, of course, a has already been noted above, is that it
is now obvious that these documents could only have been signed after
the overt Indian intervention in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. When
the Indian troops arrived at Srinagar air field, that State was still
independent. Any agreements favourable to India signed after such
intervention cannot escape the charge of having been produced under
duress. It was, one presumes, to escape just such a charge that the
false date 26 October 1947 was assigned to these two documents. The
deliberately distorted account of that very senior Indian official,
V.P. Menon, to which reference has already been made, was no doubt
executed for the same end. Falsification of such a fundamental
element as date of signature, however, once established, can only
cast grave doubt over the validity of the document as a whole .
An examination of the transactions behind these four documents in the
light of the new evidence produces a number of other serious doubts.
It is clear, for example, that in the case of © and (d), the
exchange of letters between the maharajah and Lord Mountbatten, Lore
Mountbatten's reply must antedate the letter to which it is an answer
unless, as seems more than probable, both were drafted by the
Government of India before being taken up to Jammu on 27 October 1947
(by V.P. Menon and Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister M.C. Mahajan,
whose movements, incidentally, are correctly reported in the London
Times of 28 October 1947) after the arrival of the Indian troops at
Srinagar airfield. The case is very strong, therefore, that document
©, the Maharajah's letter to Lord Mountbatten, was dictated to the
Maharajah.
Documents ( c ) and ( d ) were published by the Government of India
on 28 October 1947. The far more important document (a ), the alleged
Instrument of Accession, was not published until many years later, if
at all. It was not communicated to Pakistan at the outset of the
overt Indian intervention in the State of Jammu and Kashmir, nor was
it presented in facsimile to the United Nations in early 1948 as part
of the initial Indian reference to the Security Council. The 1948
White Paper in which the Government of India set out its formal case
in respect to the State of Jammu and Kashmir, does not contain the
Instrument of Accession as claimed to have been signed by the
Maharajah: instead, it reproduces an unsigned from of Accession such
as, it is imposed, the Maharajah might have signed. To date no
satisfactory original of this Instrument as signed by the Maharajah
ever did sign an Instrument of Accession. There are, indeed, grounds
for suspecting that he did no such thing. The Instrument of Accession
referred to in document ( c ); a letter which as we have seen was
probably drafted by Indian officials prior to being shown to the
Maharajah, may never have existed, and can hardly have existed when
the letter was being prepared.
Even if there had been an Instrument of Accession, then if it
followed the form indicated in the unsigned example of such an
Instrument published in the Indian 1948 White Paper it would have
been extremely restrictive in the rights conferred upon the
Government of India. All that were in fact transferred from the State
to the Government of India by such an Instrument were the powers over
Defence, Foreign Relations and certain aspects of Communications,
Virtually all else was left with the State Government. Thanks to
Article 370 of the Indian Constitution of January 1950 (which, unlike
much else relating to the former Princely States, has survived to
some significant degree in current Indian constitution theory, if not
in practice), the State of Jammu and Kashmir was accorded a degree of
autonomy which does not sit at all comfortably with the current
authoritarian Indian administration of those parts of the State which
it holds.
Not only would such an Instrument have been restrictive, but also by
virtue of the provisions, of (d ), Lord Mountbatten's letter to the
Maharajah dated 27 October 1947, it would have been conditional Lord
Mountbatten, as Governor-General of India, made it clear that the
State of Jammu and Kashmir would only be incorporated permanently
within the Indian fold after approval as a result of some form of
reference to the people, a procedure which soon (with United Nations
participation) became defined as a fair and free plebiscite . India
has never permitted such a reference to the people to be made.
Why would the Maharajah of Jammu and Kashmir not have signed an
Instrument of Accession? The answer lies in the complex course of
events of August, September and October 1947 emerged. The Maharajah,
confronted with growing internal disorder (including a full scale
rebellion in the Poonch region of the State), sought Indian military
help without, it at all possible, surrendering his own independence.
The Government of India delayed assisting him in the hope that in
despair he would accede to India before any Indian actions had to be
taken. In the event, India had to move first. Having secured what he
wanted, Indian military assistance, the Maharajah would naturally
have wished to avoid paying the price of the surrender of his
independence by signing any instrument which he could possibly avoid
signing. From the Afternoon of 27 October 1947 onwards a smoke screen
conceals both the details and the immediate outcome of this struggle
of wills between the Government of India and the Maharajah of Jammu
and Kashmir. To judge from the 1948 White Paper an Instrument of
accession may not have been signed by March 1948, by which time the
Indian case for sovereignty over Jammu and Kashmir was already being
argued before the United Nations.
The patently false dates of documents (a ) and ( c ) alter
fundamentally the nature of the overt Indian intervention in Jammu
and Kashmir on 27 October 1947. India was not defending its own but
intervening in a foreign State. There can be no reasonable doubt that
had Pakistan been aware of this falsification of the record it would
have argued very differently in international for from the outset of
the dispute; and had the United Nations understood the true
chronology it would have listened with for less sympathy to arguments
presented to it by successive Indian representatives. Given the facts
as they are now known, it may well be that an impartial international
tribunal would decided that India had no right at all to be in the
State of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ciao Ciao...
Jammu And Kasmir - acharya - 07-03-2005
Sharaf Sahib,
My heart bleeds for the innocents caught in the turmoil. But you again are talking about post turmoil, there is no single solid reason apart from religion that will justify the seperation of kashmir. I will not insult the souls of the deceased by talking much about them. May the great lord rest their souls in peace.
It is very important for kashmiri's to know that why were these thousands of people sacrificed. What were they fighting for or against. Today's generation talks about atrocities that they have seen since 1989 but is not aware of pre 1989 era or status.
In my tenure in srinagar i rarely used to see a army jawan or a army vehicle in city. For 15 years i did not see any soldiers walking down the bylanes of downtown. Why did those soldier's come after 1989, why did people suddenly come out in hordes and shout anti india solgans.
If i am told to grab a bull by horns i am bound to get bruised. i would like to ask anyone who is more than 40 years old why did the aazadi sentiment suddenly surface in his mind in 1989.Everything is quite clear all movements and processions used to take place from mosques. I remember in 1989 every week after friday prayers there used to be clashes and processions because people were insuniated during their gatherings.
Religious ferver and mass euphoria is very strong and has a hypnotic effect on people and that is what happened. This was a tried and tested tool in afganistan during cold war and unfortunately kashmiri's were victimised by it.
Sharaf sahib, where ever there is army deployment there are bound to be some excesses. No country's army comprises of saints or seers but of ordinary people ready to die fighting anytime anywhere . Society cannot expect complex ethos such people, they simply follow orders. A whole populace has been made to go through misery just because they have faith in god and beleive in a certain way of life.
Anyways i also want to tell everyone espacially Mr Gauhar that i personally don't care about kashmir as atut ang of india or anything like that. But yes when i look back upon time i see that this turmoil has actually killed a lot of goodness that was present in this world. Some people perceive me as a RSS zealot and an activist on wings but little do they comprehend the fact that all the activists and zealots do not care two cents about kashmir to write even a sentence about it. It all about making truth truimph and goodness prevail
regards
Jammu And Kasmir - Guest - 07-06-2005
<b>Baglihar tunnel collapses as Chenab rises in J&K</b> <!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Jammu, July 06: A red alert was today sounded in Doda district following the collapse of a diversion tunnel at Baghliar hydro-project dam, which started overflowing due to rise in water levels in Chenab river at Chanderkote in Jammu and Kashmir.
Officials of sate owned Power Development Corporation said construction activity was suspended after 150-200 metres of the 550 metre-long diversion tunnel number 2 had been washed away yesterday afternoon.
As the water level in the dam reservoir rose alarmingly to 766 metres following the tunnel collapse, it started overflowing, official sources said here adding that it now posed a threat to the other diversion tunnel of the 450 MW project also.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Jammu And Kasmir - Guest - 07-08-2005
Annual Kashmir Boondongle..
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Fifth International Kashmir Peace Conference
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
(Cannon Caucus Room # 345)
(Independence Avenue & New jersey Avenue)
Thursday, July 14th, 2005
âThe Kashmir Dispute and Building a Peaceful South Asiaâ
8.00 a.m.           Registration
9.00 a.m.           Inauguration
                  Welcome :   Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai
                              Ms. Karen Parker, Esq.
                  Remarks:    Congressional Hosts
9.30 a.m.           First Session
India â Pakistan Relations: Breaking the Deadlock over Kashmir
Moderator:Â Â Â Khalid J. Qazi, M.D.
Speakers:
Amb. Jehangir Karamat, Pakistan Ambassador to the U.S.
Prof. Stanley Wolpert, Department. of History, UCLA
Mr. Ejazul Haq, Member, National Assembly
Mr. Gautam Navlakha, Economic & Political Weekly, New Delhi
Sardar Sikander Hayat Khan, Prime Minister, Azad Kashmir
11.00 a.m.          Second Session
Resolving Kashmir Conflict: Alternative Models
Moderator:Â Â Â Mr. Sareer Fazili, Esq.
Speakers;
Amb. Riaz Khokhar, Former Pakistanâs Foreign Secretary
<b>Dr. Subramanum Swamy, President, All India Janata part</b>y <!--emo&:blink:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='blink.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Mr. Makhdoom Faisal Hayat Khan, Minister, Kashmir Affairs
Prof. Robert Wirsing, Department. Of Regional Studies, Honolulu
Amb. Yusuf Buch, Former Advisor to the UN Secretary General
12.30 p.m. 1.30 p.m. Lunch break [Lunch will be at Cannon Caucus Room # 345]
1.30 p.m.           Third Session
Kashmir Centric âCBMâs: Help or Hindranceâ
Moderator:Â Â Â Mr. Farooq Siddiqui
Speakers:
Dr. P. Ambegaonkar, President, Bridging Nations, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Ghulam N. Mir, President, World Kashmir Freedom Movement
Dr. Douglas Johnston, President, International Center for Religion & Diplomacy
Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, President, AJK Muslim Conference
Barrister Majeed Tramboo, Executive Director, Kashmir Center, Brussels
3.00 p.m.           Fourth Session
Kashmir: Human Rights Dimension
Moderator:Â Â Â Mr. Shah Ghulam Qadir
Speakers:
Dr. Vijay Sazawal, Indo-American Kashmir Forum [Kashmir: A Way Forward]
Dr. Hameeda Banu, Department. of English, Kashmir University
Ms. Karin Parker, Association of Humanitarian Lawyers
Sheikh Tajamul ul Islam, Editor, Kashmir Media Service
Mr. Lars Rise, member, Norwegian Parliament
Mr. T. Kumar, Amnesty International
Dr. Khalid J. Qazi, Sisterâs Hospital, Buffalo
Prof. Nazir Shawl, Kashmir Center, London
5.00 p.m.
Concluding Remarks:Â Â Â Â Â Â
Fifth International Kashmir Peace Conference
[Kashmir Round-table]
âKashmir: Exploring Possible Optionsâ
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
Rayburn House Office Building
(Gold Room # 2168)
{ Independence Avenue
&
First Street}
Friday, July 15th, 2005
8.00 a.m.           Registration
9.00 a.m.           Remarks:    Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai
9.10 a.m.           Theme Paper presentation:
      Moderator:   Ms. Karen Parker, Esq.
Association of Humanitarian Lawyers
1.         Dr. Robert Wirsing, Honolulu, Hawaii
2.         Dr. Stanley Wolpert, UCLA 9.50 a.m.           Respondents [5 minutes each]
1.         Amb. Riaz Khokhar, Former Foreign secretary
2.         Mr. Gautam Navlakha, Economic & Political weekly
3.         Dr. Douglas Johnston, President, ICRD
4.         Dr. Vijay Sazawal, Indo American Kashmir Forum
5.         Mr. Lars Rise, Norwegian Parliament
6.         Mr. T. Kumar, Amnesty International
7.         Barrister Majeed Tramboo, Kashmir center, Brussels
8.         Dr. Subramanium Swamy, All India Janata Party <!--emo&:blink:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='blink.gif' /><!--endemo-->
9.         Sardar Sikendar Hayat Khan, AJK Prime Minister
10.       Mr. Khalid Hasan, Daily Times
11.       Mr. Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, Minister of Kashmir Affairs
12.       Mr. Liaqat Baloch, Member, National Assembly
13.       Senator Aslam Buledi
14.       Mr. Ejazul Haq, Member, National Assembly
15.       Mr. Muhammad Sadiq, DCM
16.       Sardar Attique A. Khan, AJK Muslim Conference
17.       Prof. Nazir A. Shawl, Kashmir Center, London
18.       Dr. Hameeda Banu, Kashmir university
19.       Amb. Yusuf Buch, Former Advisor, UN Secretary General
20.       Mr. Farooq Siddiqi, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front
21.       Mr. Muhammad Matloob, AJK Council
22.       Mr. Mumtaz Hussain Naqvi, AJK Council
23.       Mr. Muhammad Najeeb Khan, AJK Council
24.       Mr. Faridullah Khan
25.       Mr. Sareer, Fazili, Esq., Kashmiri American Council
26.       <b>Mr. Bob Giuda, Member, New Hampshire Assembly </b>
27.       Mr. Faiz Rehman, Executive Director, PALC
28.       Prof. Wasiullah Khan, President, P.A.C.
29.       Dr. Faizanul Haq, secretary General P.A.C.
30.       Mr. Raja Muzaffar, JKLF
31.       Hafiz Sabir, Kashmir Community Leader
32.       Shaikh Tajamul ul Islam, Kashmir Media Service
11.30 a.m.          General Discussion and floor participation
1.00 p.m.           Lunch at the Gold Room # 2168
2.00 p.m.           General Discussion and floor participation
4.00 p.m.           Recommendations and conclusion
********************************************************************
Registration Form
Thursday, July 14th 2005 & July 15th
Registration begins at 8.00 a.m.
Yes, I would like to attend the Kashmir Conference on Thursday July 14, 2005
Yes, I would like to attend the Roundtable Discussion on Friday, July 15th 2005
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Jammu And Kasmir - Guest - 07-08-2005
<b>Gun battle near LoC leaves 4 soldiers dead</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Four soldiers and four suspected infiltrators were killed in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday in a six-hour gun battle close to the Line of Control (LoC).
Army sources said the incident in Bhimbhar Gali, sandwiched between Rajouri and Poonch districts, began when a group of four infiltrators opened fire on soldiers at 1.30 am. <b>The four soldiers, all belonging to the Sikh Light Infantry, died immediately</b>.
Troops retaliated and killed all the four. The encounter lasted well into Friday morning, the sources said.
The Army has heightened vigil along the LoC, where a ceasefire has been in effect
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Peace Process should continue. <!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Jammu And Kasmir - Bharatvarsh - 07-08-2005
I am sure if a person like KPS Gill was in charge of the Kashmir police and the army, the Kashmir problem would have been solved a long time ago. He crushed the Khalistanis and I am sure given the chance he will also crush the Jihadis, this traitor gov't is ruining us with this so called peace process.
Jammu And Kasmir - Guest - 07-12-2005
<b>Hizbul militant, J&K Govt. official arrested </b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Abdul Majid Bhatt of Hizbul Mujahideen was arrested from the New Delhi Railway Station when he was trying to escape to Nepal, police sources said today.
The arrest of Bhatt yesterday is in connection with nabbing of four Islamic Front activists, including a militant and an ISI agent, on July 1 here, the sources said.
The southwest district police team, meanwhile, arrested Mohammad Qayoom Khan, a J-K Government official in the Soil Conservation Department, from the Kashmir valley yesterday, they said.
...................
He had allegedly given a cheque for Rs 9.5 lakh to the Islamic Front activists and it was recovered from them during their arrest, they said.
The recoveries made from the Hizbul Mujahideen militant included <b>one AK-47 rifle, two magazines, 130 cartridges of AK rifles, two Chinese hand grenades, 13 Under Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGL), three detonators and one radio set,</b> they added.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Jammu And Kasmir - Guest - 07-17-2005
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>15 intruders shot </b>
Pioneer News Service/ Srinagar
Security forces shot 15 infiltrators in the Kashmir Valley on Saturday, foiling three bids by them to cross over the LoC on a single day. <b>The major bid was in the Gulmarg sector.</b>
A large group of militants sneaked into this side of LoC in the Chotali Boniyar area of Gulmarg on Saturday morning. The group was intercepted by 23 Rajputa Regiment. In the ensuing gunfire, nine militants were killed. Troops of 8 Garhwal shot four militants after they ingressed into the Keran sector of Kupwara. Two were killed in the Banderkot in the same district. <b>More than 70 intruders have been killed in 24 infiltration bids since April 22.</b> <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Jammu And Kasmir - Guest - 07-17-2005
Kashmiri language should be promoted because it is a dialect of Sanskrit, and a much purer one than any other Indic language. It is closer to Vedic than even classical Sanskrit. For decades Kashmiri has been languishing because of subversion by anti-national elements. Kashmiri should be promoted in India.
Jammu And Kasmir - Guest - 07-17-2005
More about Kashmiri language: www.koshur.org
Oh Goddess Sharada (Sarasvati), resident of Kashmir, I bow down to thee. I pray to you to give me the gift of knowledge.
Jammu And Kasmir - Guest - 07-17-2005
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>2,000 militants waiting to cross LoC: Army </b>
Agencies/ Poonch
Posted at handshaking distance with Pakistani troops on the LoC, <b>the Army is on a hawk-eye vigil with information of 2,000 armed intruders waiting to cross into Jammu and Kashmir to keep the "pot of militancy boiling"</b>.
"Despite the peace initiatives between India and Pakistan, the terrorist infrastructure is intact across the Line of Control where nearly 2,000 armed militants are poised to cross to this side to keep the pot of militancy boiling," a defence spokesman said here.
Most of these militants were currently waiting at "launching pads" <b>on the PoK side of the LoC such as Kopramain, Badayan Gopalpur, New Thruti, Daramsal, Sona, Pattan and Kanjur,</b> he said.
He said the terrorist camps churning out armed 'Jihadis' in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir were Paddar, Hazira, Rawalakote, Nikial, Mangu, Barnallah, Khorian, Jandrote, Kotli and Fogosh.
"The troops are keeping a hawk-eye on the Zero Line round the clock to stop cross-border infiltration, which has picked up after the snowline started melting in the Pir Panchal ranges," <b>16 Corps Goc Lt Gen Sudhir Sharma </b>told a news agency.
Infiltration "has picked up though we had achieved near zero infiltration syndrome till may," he said.
The soldiers were making use of thermal imagers and night-vision devices to keep tabs on infiltration activity along the 740-km LoC some of which had three-tier fencing.
He said the soldiers were "positioned at handshaking distance with Pakistani troops" in the mountainous belts from Malu (Akhnoor) at altitudes ranging from 1,500-21,000 feet in the Siachen glacier and Ladakh sectors".<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Jammu And Kasmir - acharya - 07-18-2005
Perspective
War is a policy
A ISMAIL
David Rooney lays out in the preface that his book is really "not a history of guerilla warfare, but rather a study of some outstanding and brilliant military leaders who became successful guerrilla warriors, and added their own slant to this fascinating story". He traces the origins and precepts from Sun Tzu to Bin Laden in this well researched, highly readable book. The basic guerrilla precepts - defeat alien occupation, have a cause to die for, gain the support of the people, attack when least expected and never risk defeat in set battle - have not changed in 2,500 years. However, over centuries brave and aspiring leaders have adapted these to suit local conditions. Thus, even though the history of such warfare may be murky and complex, it comes alive when focused on the ideas and actions of charismatic leaders who added their own passion and had the courage and leadership skills to put forth their own theories and those of others into practice. Some great guerrilla leaders were men who started as guerillas and fought their way upwards. The force of their vision impacted profoundly upon the very focus of their social and political enmity.
The best known and most highly respected treatise on guerrilla warfare comes from a Chinese scholar of the 4th century BC, Sun Tzu, the author of The Art of War. He lived during the period of the warring states - the 5th to the 3rd centuries BC - a time of prolonged civil war. Sun Tzu, unlike others who came many centuries later, argued that understanding should be used to prevent or overcome conflict and that to win without fighting is best. War should always be the last resort. He believed that war is always destructive and counterproductive even for the victors. Having argued the case for avoiding war at all costs, Sun Tzu then gives the most detailed and comprehensive advice on how to wage war successfully - "Be subtle, be mysterious in order to confuse your opponent. Planning must be secret, attack must be swift, like a hawk striking its prey avoid set battles, wear down the enemy by feigned flight; when the enemy attacks disperse; treat captives well and use them; avoid a long campaign which can ruin a country; feed your army in enemy territory if possible if you are equal, fight if you are able. If you are few, keep away if you are able. If you are not as good, flee if you are able." Sun Tzu compares a military formation to water which has no consistent shape - victory is gained by changing shape and adapting, like flowing water.
During the 20th century the outstanding but tragic guerrilla warrior, Che Guevara, who took part as a close colleague of Castro in the Cuban revolution, wrote a brilliant thesis on guerrilla warfare but learnt entirely the wrong lessons from his experience. After several abortive campaigns, Che Guevara was killed in Bolivia.
Rooney asserts that where there has been widespread alien occupation, as under the Romans, under Napoleon or under the Nazis, guerrilla activity has usually flourished. But within those parameters are guerrilla leaders who have had purely military aims, rather than the wider social and political targets of the true guerrilla warrior. Napoleon's domination of Europe gave rise to widespread guerrilla activity. Spain coined the word guerrilla, and in the uprisings in Aragon and Catalonia proved - as the Cossacks did in Russia - that guerrilla activity can influence the outcome of a major campaign. The great guerrilla warrior, Garibaldi, who initially developed his skills in the wars of South America, emerged from the overthrow of Napoleon and the rejection of the ideas of liberty and democracy by the reactionary regimes set up by the Congress of Vienna.
Maccabees of Judea, through Lawrence of Arabia, aimed at disrupting military and political occupation. Some fought for empires and others against it. In the 20th century the outstanding guerrilla warriors were Chairman Mao and Marshal Tito who initially led their guerrilla bands, but were driven by wider political aims and achieved final victory as head of states.
Little has changed since Sun Tzu laid down his ideas about guerrilla warfare in 400BC. Mao quoted him in detail, as did Che Guevara.
Today in an age where one man can mastermind a campaign worldwide, the methods of guerrilla warfare have, to the western world, become synonymous with terrorism. Rooney's book purports to show that while one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, there are many shades in between.
http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.a...mID=6383&cat=11
Jammu And Kasmir - acharya - 07-18-2005
Kashmiri-Canadian Council
44516-2376 Eglinton Ave. East, Toronto CANADA M1K 5K3
Tel.: +(416) 293-2608 Fax: +(416) 293-1601
www.kashmiri-cc.ca kcc@kashmiri-cc.ca
New Release/Communiqué de presse
KCC urges G8 leaders to help put an end to untold misery in Kashmir
Toronto, July 6, 2005 â On the occasion of the G8 Summit at Gleneagles, Scotland (July6-8), the Kashmiri-Canadian Council (KCC) has urged the Summit leaders and President of the European Commission for their help in persuading India and Pakistan to tackle the longstanding issue of Kashmir in forthright manner.
Mr. Mushtaq A. Jeelani, Executive Director of the KCC, in separate letters to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President George W. Bush and President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, expressed his serious concern about the ongoing gross and systematic abuses of human rights against civilians in Kashmir.
The Executive Director wrote: The leaders of the eight major industrialised democracies and President of the European Commission are meeting at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland for the 2005 G8 Summit at a time when rhetoric of the peace process between India and Pakistan is making headlines in the world press, however the unfortunate situation is that there has been no let-up in gross and systematic abuses of human rights against civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir. Approximately, ten innocent civilians are killed everyday by the occupying Indian troops to silence the peopleâs demand for freedom, justice and respect for human rights.
He recalled that India and Pakistan have fought three wars, two of them over the disputed region of Kashmir. The sudden thaw in rivalsâ on again â off again tensions came in November 2003, when India agreed to a Pakistani offer of a ceasefire across the divided line in the disputed State of Kashmir, which came into effect on November 26th, 2003; but the thaw in relations is just a thaw, rather than a breakthrough.
Mr. Jeelani said that the peace process was launched with the âIslamabad joint statementâ issued by the former Indian Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani President, General Pervez Musharraf on the sidelines of SAARC summit in Islamabad on January 6th, 2004 committed to resolve the Kashmir issue along with other issues through peaceful negotiations. He underlined that unfortunately to date there has been no indication of any serious discussion on the question of Kashmir; in addition, political repression continues in Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir.
The Executive Director reminded the leaders that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are politically alienated and disaffected. The disputed region is the densest and the largest militarily occupied area of the world. The uprising against Indiaâs rule in Kashmir that began in 1989 after New Delhiâs rigged elections in 1987 has been worsened by the brutal oppression of the Indian occupation forces against 15 million Kashmiris demanding freedom, justice and respect for human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. During the past 16 years, the 700,000 strong Indian forces have killed more than 90,000 Kashmiris; thousands have disappeared; torture has left thousands paralysed; thousands of young and old women have been raped; property worth hundreds of millions dollars has been destroyed and the suffering and devastation continues unabated.
Mr. Jeelani underscored that impunity has become a licence for the occupation forces to wreak havoc with the lives of Kashmiris. The deliberate and unprovoked attacks and other patterns of abuse have all become too frequent to report. No perpetrator has ever been prosecuted in a real manner, despite the fact that such crimes have been extensively documented by many international human rights organisations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
The Executive Director underlined that Kashmir is not a territorial or bilateral issue, it is about the future of the 15 million people, and it does not constitute an un-demarcated frontier between India and Pakistan which could be marked through bilateral negotiations between New Delhi and Islamabad. The disputed Jammu and Kashmir is inhabited by a people with their own history of independence; their own language and culture; their own individuality; it is not real estate, which can be parcelled out between the two rivals.
He emphasised that the Charter of the United Nations, signed sixty years ago, speaks of a wider freedom as the sustainable foundation for a more peaceful and prosperous world. The very Charter firmly acknowledges the right of self-determination as an inherent right; it cannot be extinguished until it is exercised. The people of Jammu and Kashmir will never compromise on that right of self-determination. Their struggle to achieve that right of self-determination will not be extinguished until India and Pakistan accept its exercise by the people of Jammu and Kashmir, through what the UN Security Council has called âa UN supervised plebiscite.â
Mr. Jeelani reminded the leaders that the highly publicised proclamations of confidence-building measures did not deter New Delhi and Islamabad from acceleration in their nuclear and missiles capabilities. Moreover, both neighbours are developing sophisticated missile delivery vehicles. The much boasted bus service and ceasefire have little importance compared to the magnitude of the problems. At stake are the issues of settlement of the Kashmir imbroglio â a root-cause of tensions during the past fifty-eight years, and creating sustainable peace between the two neighbours. Until then the distrust between the rivals will push them to compete in dangerous arms race, which has resulted into the diversion of their scarce resources from human development to militarisation. He hoped that the G8 leaders would intensify pressure against Indian and Pakistani arms race and oppose new arms sales to them from all sources.
The Executive Director recalled that the conflict in Kashmir is a âpoliticalâ and âhumanâ tragedy, but the world community, including India and Pakistan, have overlooked this critically important human dimension of the issue. The Kashmirisâ demand is simple and in accordance with the international law: the implementation of the United Nations resolutions for a plebiscite to determine the future status of the disputed region in a peaceful and democratic way. Whatever the outcome, it will be impartial and binding for all three parties â India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir.
He cautioned that it is high time for action not words, as the people of Kashmir have gone through unprecedented suffering in quest to have a say on the future of their disputed homeland. But the question is, Mr. Jeelani asked the leaders, will this fanfare of friendly relations between the two nuclear archrivals last long enough to resolve the most contentious issue of Kashmir? He said the Kashmiri-Canadian Council (KCC) is concerned that without the active help of the G8 nations there is a danger to the peace process getting bogged down minus any result-oriented dialogue, particularly â on the issue of Kashmir.
The Executive Director underscored that to help move the process forward the leaders at Perthshire G8 Summit must assist the two nuclear rivals to rapidly work to build bridges of trust by tackling the longstanding issue of Kashmir in forthright manner and demand participation of Kashmiris as equal partners in determining a negotiated solution of the issue. âMoreover, both countries must help to facilitate an intra-Kashmiri dialogue from both sides of the ceasefire line â this could serve as a cornerstone for promoting a real peace in the region,â hoped Mr. Jeelani.
âThe leaders of the G8 nations are in a position to play a key role in bringing an end to the longstanding political conflict in the interest of peace and prosperity of South Asiaâs billion plus people,â continued Mr. Jeelani. Adding, âit will also help to put an end to meaningless arms race by both countries, and both Islamabad and New Delhi can focus entirely on sustainable development â health, hunger, education projects, reducing unemployment and eradicating poverty. This will start a new era of coexistence between India and Pakistan.â
âGiven the G8 leaders commitment to world peace and stability in the region and their support for freedom, justice and human rights, the KCC urges them to press for a roadmap aimed at achieving a lasting political settlement of the conflict and an end to untold misery in Kashmir,â concluded the Executive Director.
Jammu And Kasmir - acharya - 07-18-2005
ANTI MANGLA DAM EXTENSION ACTION COMMITTEE
250 YARDLEY WOOD ROAD, MOSELEY, BIRMINGHAM B13 9JN UK.
TEL. 00 44 121 442 4544 / 00 44 7763857940 FAX. 00 44 121 449 5294
Chaksawari: Tel. 058625 42962-3 Fax. 058625 42965
EMAIL. AntiManglaDam@AOL.COM
Our Ref: NA/Mangla
3rd July 2005
H.E. The President Hu Jintao of
Peoples Republic of China
Beijing,
Excellency,
Re: CONTINUOS HUNGER STRIKE OVER PROPOSED FORCED EXTENSION OF MANGLA DAM IN DISPUTED TERRITORY OF JAMMU KASHMIR
We, would like to draw your attention towards a very serious issue regarding Forced Extension of Mangla Dam situated in Mirpur District of Disputed territory Jammu Kashmir, As your Excellency, may have been informed by your Embassy in London, that over 600,000 Expatriates Kashmiris who are officially perceived as ââ¬ËPakistanisââ¬â¢ are in fact originate from the Pakistani Administered Kashmir, known as ââ¬ËAzadââ¬â¢ (free) Kashmir that is not legally or constitutionally part of Pakistan and but instead forms part and parcel of Jammu Kashmir State under foreign occupation. At least 300,000 Expatriate Kashmiris, hail from Mirpur district of ââ¬ËAzadââ¬â¢ Kashmir.
Construction of Mangla Dam on River Jhelum in Mirpur, was financed by a consortium of world institutions, more likely without factual knowledge of its impacts on the people of Mirpur, the construction was strongly opposed by the local population. However, being located in the least developed part of the world and under firm control of Pakistani civil and military bureaucracy, the protests of people were crushed through military and paramilitary forces by the then military government of General Ayub Khan, without anyone outside district Mirpur knowing about it. The entire town of Mirpur that formed the centre of the ancient Kashmiri civilisation along with over 485 surrounding villages and over 65,000 acres most fertile land, tens of thousands graves of loved were submerged under water. Over 100,000 peoples were displaced, most made homeless.
Several promises made to the people by then government of Ayub Khan, included free electricity to the people of Mirpur and at cheaper rates to Azad Kashmiris in general, a new Mirpur town in a nearby location, new hamlets, sufficient compensations for lands, properties and resettlement and royalty for water and electricity to the Interim Jammu Kashmir Authority.
The promises about compensations and alternative lands were only partially fulfilled and according to Pakistan government document dated 27th June 2003, in which they admitted that 7707 families forcefully displaced in 60ââ¬â¢s were never compensated whatsoever till this day. And those who have been rehabilitated in Pakistan, most abandoned their new found homes to save their lives and honour of their women folks, worst of some unfortunate families, who have been killed and many raped, we have eye witnesses and victims who will be testifying in the International Court of Justice shortly of human rights violations by the government of Pakistan, India is openly killing our people whereas Pakistan is drowning our people at end of the day both are in violations of our basic human rights and violations of UN resolution of 13th August 1948 that no material change will be undertaken in Jammu Kashmir against the expressed will of the inhabitants.
Now after forty years the Pakistani government of General Pervaiz Musharraf has decided to raise the height of the dam from 1210 feet to 1270 feet. The rational for extension is that due to sedimentation the storage capacity of the reservoir has reduced from over 5 million Acre Feet to less than 4 MAF. However, it would be appropriate to point out here that many experts including the head of Pakistanââ¬â¢s Metallurgy Department have argued that since only twice the water has reached to the existing level of the dam, extension is unlikely to bring the desired results. Also the extension will displace another (7,000 families = 43,000 people) according to Pakistani government figures, and over 150,000 according to the local estimates, causing major economic, social, environmental and psychological destruction for the people of Mirpur and surrounding areas. A large chunk of the New Mirpur town that has now become a major shopping centre in the region and several small towns and villages will be submerged. It is also common sense that water table of the region will rise and cause serious problems of dampness and increase the already high number of drowning, as no arrangements for preventing children from swimming in water are in place.
In January 2000, local people formed the Anti Mangla Dam Extension Action Committee in Mirpur that also exists in Britain, New York and rest of Europe. The Committee has made several presentations before the Water and Power Development Authority of Pakistan (WAPDA) pointing out the adverse impacts of the Project and identified several alternative localities where small dams can be built to meet the water and power needs of Pakistan. It has also suggested that before considering extension of Mangla Dam, Pakistan should build the proposed Kala Bagh Dam within Pakistan that has been pending for over five decades, due to its opposition by the peoples of Pakistan.
However, it seems that Pakistani President who is personally forcing Extension of Mangla Dam Project on Kashmiris, he is not prepared to consider alternatives offered by the committee. This attitude has already intensified the feelings of the people in Mirpur, and passions are running high particularly amongst the young people, who equate this situation with Indian army, in Indian occupied Kashmir.
Deterioration in the situation in Mirpur would have serious affects on cordially relations we enjoyed with China despite 21000 sq. mile area being under Chinese control for past 41 years. For it was the movement against construction of Mangla Dam in 1960s that gave birth to the first pro ââ¬â independence organisation in Azad Kashmir. Therefore, it is not simply a political statement, but this destructive project can lead to a widespread clashes. Furthermore, Adverse affects of the extension and subsequent displacement and destabilisation of life in Mirpur, very likely to be felt upon the Expatriate Kashmiris. This can take many forms. For example it seems likely that when all peaceful means to protest against dam extension would be exhausted the people in Mirpur particularly youths out of frustration might opt for more drastic means leading to violence and bloodshed and we have a bad experience in Indian occupied territory, and various ill fated Dam projects within Pakistan.
We, of course do not encourage any such course of action, but as you can appreciate any such situation is bound to have serious implications on lives of Expatriate in Europe. Also if the protests are crushed by Pakistani military, as they were in 1960s, it is more likely to be us Expatriate Kashmiris who have to pick up the pieces of the socio-economic, cultural, environmental and psychological destruction this project is set to cause. For the substantial amount supposedly set aside for compensations is almost certainly going to be eaten up by the corrupt bureaucratic forces and it is the Expatriate Kashmiri community that has to rebuild the lives of their kiths and kin. The corruption is already on large, as reported in all media on 9th June 2005, titled under 14 Billion Mangla Dam Raising Project Scam and Wapda secret inquiry report being tabled in the Pakistan Senate standing committee on Water and Power implicating China International Water & Electrical Corporation.
WHY HUNGER STRIKE PROTEST AGAINST CHINA
1) Jammu Kashmir is disputed territory with outstanding UN resolutions 1948 and 1949 stipulating that no material change will take place against the expressed will of the inhabitants and China voted for these resolutions safe guarding that no material changes will take place.
2) Pakistan has violated such undertaking in collaboration with India in 60's when they constructed the Mangla Dam at the barrel of Gun, by then Military General Ayoub, funded by World Bank under Indus Water Treaty of 1962, violating International Law as well as UN resolutions.
3) Currently Pakistan is bent backward to uproot 150,000 people forcibly with assistance of China, a PERMANENT MEMBER OF SECURITY COUNCIL, whose resolutions stipulate no material change will be made against the express will of the people of Jammu Kashmir, hunger strike and todayââ¬Ës demonstration should be eye opener for your excellency government.
4) World Bank, IMF, Asian Development Bank and other international consortiums have written to the committee confirming, they are not funding the extension of Mangla Dam. And China is willing to violate our basic human rights
5) The committee first approached Chinese official in April 2004 and apprised the officials of the resistance and legal implication, the officials assured the delegation that they will convey our resentment to the officials in Beijing, The committee held meeting in early June 2004 and it was resolved that public protests should be organised against China in Europe, but protests were suspended to pave way for China to reconsider their position, instead, China International Water & Electrical Corporation, owned by the government signed an agreement on 28th June 2004 to construct the extension in disputed territory in full of face of huge protests by the inhabitants is a clear violation of basic human rights, UN Resolutions and international law. The committee kept the protests suspended until the machinery and Chinese engineer set foot on Kashmiri soil, an ample time was given to Chinese to reconsider their position, on 28th June 2005 when Hunger strike begun on the first anniversary of the signing the Contract.
In view of the above, the supporters of the Anti Mangla Dam Extension Action Committee are on hunger strike since 28th June 2005, outside your embassy in protest against Chinese government for their direct involvement in the extension of Mangla Dam through state owned company China International Water & Electrical Corporation for monitory gains and displacing over 150,000, submerging tens of thousands graves of loved one, The CWE have already started the work in the face of strong resistance by the people who have for past fiver years, been engaged vigorously opposing the forced extension through Street Demonstrations, Public Meetings, Road Blocks, not only in Mirpur but, across Europe, particular in UK. Excellency, the resistance is getting stronger day by day, although the government of Pakistan continue to ignore the reality, which will implicate China politically.
The hunger strike will continue until such time, Chinese authority cease the work, withdrew their personal, machinery and terminate the contract.
Yours sincerely
For and behalf of
Anti-Mangla Dam Extension Action Committee
Jammu And Kasmir - Guest - 07-18-2005
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Terrorist activities decline in Kashmir: Patil </b>
Thrissur, July 18: Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil today said terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir had declined by more than 60 per cent and by 40 to 50 per cent in the North-East.
...
Four per cent decline in Naxalite activities in the country was, however, not very impressive, he said.
http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/index.html
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yesterday 2000 terrorist were ready to cross India, everyday 2-3 Indians are dying in J&K in terrorist attack. Early this month terrorist attacked RamJanam Bhumi, What he is talking and Why he is talking nonsense?
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->It was also essential to apply one's mind as the crime scenario of the modern world also included "intellectual and ideological crimes," which could not be tackled with weapons, he added.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Change school books <!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Jammu And Kasmir - Guest - 07-18-2005
Shivarj Patil is a crap minister.He is an ultimate insult to the Home Ministry and to India.
Jammu And Kasmir - Guest - 07-19-2005
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->It was also essential to apply one's mind as the crime scenario of the modern world also included "intellectual and ideological crimes," which could not be tackled with weapons, he added.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Makes sense. The thought police led by the likes of Arjun Singh have been on the job for past 12 months or so. <!--emo&<_<--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dry.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='dry.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Jammu And Kasmir - Guest - 07-19-2005
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Five LeT men arrested by security forces </b>
Jammu
After busting a Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) module involved in the Ayodhya attack, security forces have arrested five more militants of the outfit who were planning to trigger explosions in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir to<b> disrupt the Amarnath yatra.</b>
Of the five, including a junior engineer, three were arrested from a hotel near Doda bus stand while the other two from Doda and Mendhar on Sunday night, official sources <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Jammu And Kasmir - Guest - 07-19-2005
Aha...looks like the gadgets installed near the LOC are showing results.<!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1172977.cms
Jammu And Kasmir - Naresh - 07-19-2005
<b>Cross Post :</b>
<b>Mudy Ji :</b>
The Pakistani wish to grab the State of Jammu & Kashmir is Firstly for Water, Secondly for Water, Thirdly for Water and all the way to Lastly for Waters.
There is no love for the Kashmiri People or Islam or any other cause for the benefit of the Kashmiri People
<b>Water row could lead to war with India: seminar</b>
WASHINGTON, July 15: Linking the issue of Kashmir to the current dispute between India and Pakistan over the water of Indus and its tributaries, speakers at a seminar on Capitol Hill warned that the next war between the two could be fought over water. They, at the two-day seminar, which ends on Friday, warned that unless steps were taken to strengthen the peace process, the ongoing effort to improve relations might fail.
They advised the two countries to involve the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their efforts to resolve the dispute for a durable settlement.
<b>Former foreign secretary Riaz Khokhar raised the possibility of a war over water while talking about Indiaâs continued refusal to settle its disputes with Pakistan over the Baghlihar dam and Wullar barrage.
Mr Khokhar said that not only that India was refusing to settle these disputes; it was also threatening to reopen the Indus Water Treaty that distributes the water of Indus and its tributaries between the two countries.
âExperts say that if there is going to be another war between India and Pakistan, it may be over water,â warned Mr Khokhar.</b>
Prof Robert Wirsing, a renowned international scholar on South Asian affairs who is associated with the Asia Pacific Centre for Security Studies, Hawaii, backed Mr Khokharâs assertion, saying that water and energy were two resources which had âaroused rivalry and bad feelingsâ among the nations of South Asia.
He said some experts fear that if âthereâs going to be a war among these nations, the irritant would be water or energy resourceâ.
Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat said India-Pakistan dialogue process had raised hopes for a just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
The minister urged Pakistan, India and Kashmiris âto seize the opportunityâ provided by the current peace process and work for a lasting peace that could bring economic prosperity to the entire region.
Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Ijaz-ul-Huq said the people of Jammu and Kashmir were the real stakeholders and they should be included in the peace process.
Dr Subramanum Swamy, president of the All India Janata Party, said he was not optimistic about the peace process because âthe present path chosen by both India and Pakistan has many speed-breakers and roadblocks. We need to choose an alternative route.â
He claimed that UN resolutions on Kashmir were not acceptable to Kashmiris because they provided only two options, either go for Pakistan or India and have no provision for an independent Kashmir.
Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->