Terrorist attack in Kashmir

Well I'm happy for India. Sure, foreign forces might try to exploit their efforts to reintegrate Kashmir, but I rather suspect all the 'bromance' we've seen between Modi and Trump/Netanyahu was the Indians buttering them up in advance of this move.

Sorry Pakistan, but, like Ukraine, you're kind of a nebulous entity. India is the local 'pole' in a multi-polar world. You just have to adapt accordingly.
 
Kashmir news with with themes like stealing the land, modi as fascists, killing of democracy etc. triggers thoughts and ask for answers. All this, not written down can easily become thought loop and distraction. so I will write it down.
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Though Modi's aim is to change the 70 year old Kashmir saga to a different direction in the Indian side territory, he knows it will corner the Pakistan establishment. This will lead to Pakistani general public challenging the current official narration. Let's see where it will lead.

Pakistani PM Khan compares world’s silence on Kashmir crisis to ‘appeasing Hitler’

Desperation is reflected in using the word 'Hitler'. Probably that is as far as it can go with words.
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General thoughts on "Borders" and "Democracy":

Democracy looks to me the most cherished word in the western world, while completely ignoring the practicalities ( whether it is working or not in the form it is practiced for the benefit of the people).

As a Kid, i was puzzled by the question of borders.- who decides and on what basis, if it has to be done for the sake of people in a ideal way. As I wrote in this post , One guy called Potti Sriramulu fasted for Telugu state, while his guru M.K. Gandhi famously integrated the nation as one. This is the origin of my little question in my head.

I was not expecting an easy answer, but after looking at the events all these years, It looks to me that it is the person or Leader who is at the helm of people's trust. Not religion or language or culture or geological positioning. This may look obvious now, but we seems to kill each other at no end in sight based on the identities ( leaving the person or leader aside).

The man in this position is MK Gandhi at that time( before 1917-1948) always argued that it has to be one country given that, people moved from one place to place for pilgrimages and trade for centuries. Even the 2200 year old Ashoka's Mauryan Empire contains all this region as a single land. Gandhi didn't get what he wanted either.

During British Raj, there are territories British directly ruled, and 562 princely states they ruled indirectly. But MK Gandhi's movement has wide popularity across the land irrespective of princely state or not. As he wrote in his book, he was disgusted by princely state rulers boot licking attitude for their perks from British. The predominant thought process at that time is British method of "Divide and Rule" to exploit the existing rivalries are responsible for the British Rule in India . The only solution is to unite at any cost is the motto of Gandhi. It is this attitude " British conquered and looted us because we are divided, so unite" that is popular when nation split into 2 pieces and princely states were asked to choose whichever side they want and still popular. By 1947, Every body in Congress are tired of going to jail, coming out to agitate as Nehru expressed.

It is this attitude that contributed for Sardar Patel took it by force Hindu-dominated,muslim-ruled locations like Nizam(Hyderabad) and Junagadh or taking Goa from Portugal. Pakistan did the same with North Eastern frontier ( Leader of NW frontier area Abdul Ghaffār Khān, also called "Frontier Gandhi" called the decision of merging that frontier with Pakistan as betrayal ) and Baluchistan.

That left complex situation of princely state of Kashmir where Hindu Godra ruler ( who bought the land from British for his allegiance during British-Afghan war) who wants to be independent, Muslim leader Shaiq Abdullah who disliked Hindu King and Pakistan alike to be part of India. The special conditions attributed created the conflict until now.
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Still more and more new information coming out about what had happened or what not happened after 70 years. It is hard to figure out. Here is a interesting video about the complexity for the situation, if you have appetite to look at the details.


- Gandhi's Take on War on Kashmir - He hated war, but he asked the generals to go for "for saving the innocent"
After a few seconds of silence he continued, “Wars are a curse to humanity. They are so utterly senseless. They bring nothing but suffering and destruction.” As a soldier, and one about to be engaged in battle in a matter of hours, I was at a loss to know what to say, and eventually asked him: “What do I do in Kashmir?” Mahatma Gandhi smiled and said: “You’re going in to protect innocent people, and to save them from suffering and their property from destruction. To achieve that you must naturally make full use of every means at your disposal.” It was the last time I was to see him alive.

Who is in control at the time of partition: It looks really no body even though British supposed to be control of military of newly formed 2 nation after the partition to "coordinate and control" for gradual withdrawal. But it looks there are divisions with in British army itself.

IB chief of undivided India opted for Pakistan, and on his way out, transferred every sensitive file there

The Intelligence Bureau of the Government of India, manned by personnel of the Indian Police Service, were indeed expected to cover the State. They would naturally have been interested in keeping abreast of happenings within and along the border, in so far as they might have repercussions in India. But they were in a tragi-comic state of helplessness.

The Director of the Intelligence Bureau of undivided India, during ‘the months preceding 15 August 1947, was an officer who was about to opt for Pakistani citizenship. This individual, who was earmarked for appointment as Director of the Pakistan Intelligence Bureau, took full advantage of his position to transfer across to Pakistan every file of importance dealing with Intelligence, leaving behind for his counterparts in India the office furniture, empty racks and cupboards, and a few innocuous files dealing with office routine. It is therefore no exaggeration to say that on 15 August, Pakistan came into being with a well-established Intelligence Service, while India had only a semblance of one.
The result is no body in India or British know that invasion is going on until it is too late. There has been party line accusations that Nehru didn't allow Patel to handle Kashmir.
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People and Democracy

There is a quote from Indian freedom movement stuck in my mind that is attributed to man called Lokamanya Tilak - " Nation doesn't mean land. It is people". I wasn't sure why it stuck in my mind, but it did.

Who the people are? Not one. looking at the layer wise, Average people go along with their life, political party cadre, party leaders, bureaucrats, elected leaders of the land, business people who influence the decisions and media as a channel between the all. As a kid, I happen to attend some mass rallies in my small city, as the rally location is next to place where we used to play cricket. The impression of these shows is complete disappointment.
  • People who were brought in the vehicles from remote villages to show the leaders ( who was expecting party ticket) strength , dumped on the streets after the meeting is over. These people spill over to the neighbors begging for money to go back to their villages.
  • The speeches these leaders made are unpolished , raw and disingenuous.
  • The way media ( radio, papers and TV) reported after the fact is so polished, i wondered whether it is the same speech I listened to first hand.
All this contributed for losing faith in the process of democracy. I am not alone in this losing faith in the democratic process and they went along as it is the only viable product in the diverse country and not expecting not much to come out. This left political parties to do whatever they want.
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Modi's popularity lie in directly appealing to the lowest level people, removing the layers above and dramatically reducing the corruption that is sucking up every thing. This is exactly he wants to do in Kashmir.

- He claims great participation in Village level Panchayat election and he claimed ( last week) that they are showing progress in development schemes.
- By making it union territory, he reduced the role of parties who only wants to participate at the state level.

Attacking the Kashmir--centric J&K National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party, Tsering Namgyal said, "Members of two families are still intoxicated and think that Kashmir is their father's property."

The two families here refer to the Muftis and Abdullahs whose members have been chief ministers of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
There had been many reports of attributing strength of student stone pelters to drugs.


Luckily, All is not rivalry
 
These border skirmishes are nothing new and they have been going on for many decades and this will intensify with the changed situation. Normally, these skirmishes acts as a distraction. While armies engaged in firings and shelling , the militants enter Indian controlled Kashmir easily. As Pakistan made the "Kashmir as a unifying factor" among its citizen for many decades, Article 370 removal will make them desperate. It also reminds the world of possible nuclear threat and Pakistan geopolitical importance etc.

Modi said he wants Jammu and Kashmir to be model state, pledged almost $US 12 billion asked industries to invest there mentioning the potential of herbs, tourism, movie industry and many others. If we have to go by his track record until now, he may succeed as he did in rest of the country. If that happens, Pakistan will have hard time to convincing Kashmiri people on its territory.

One analysis of Imran Khan's independence day speech.


Imran Khan mentioned BJP as Nazi and Modi as Hitler and talked about India's Minorities.

According to this week's IndiaToday opinion poll called Mood of the Nation, 49% of minorities say their economic condition improved and 33% muslims support building Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Anti-Modi people find it is hard to believe, but the priorities of people were different ( low inflation and availability of other basic needs like electricity, roads, housing etc.) while the media looks at the industry numbers that only depict only small part of it.
 
India needs time to restore order in Kashmir: top court judge
Indian security personal stand guard on a deserted road during restrictions on the Eid-al-Adha after the scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the Indian government, in Srinagar, August 12, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

Indian authorities need more time to restore order in Kashmir, a Supreme Court justice said on Tuesday as a security clampdown entered a ninth day since New Delhi revoked the region's special status, triggering protests.

Pakistan asks U.N. Security Council to meet over India moves in Kashmir
FILE PHOTO: An Indian police officer stands behind the concertina wire during restrictions on Eid-al-Adha after the scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the Indian government, in Srinagar, August 12, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

Pakistan on Tuesday asked the United Nations Security Council to meet over India's decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, the Himalayan region that has long been a flashpoint in ties between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

Pakistan requests U.N. Security Council meeting on Kashmir
FILE PHOTO: Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi listens during a news conference at the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad, Pakistan August 20, 2018.  REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood/File Photo

Pakistan has asked the United Nations Security Council for an urgent meeting on the contested Kashmir region also claimed by India, according to a letter released by Pakistan's foreign ministry on Wednesday.

Pakistan PM accuses India of planning military action in Kashmir
Attendees perform Pakistan's national anthem with Kashmir's flag, to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir, during a ceremony to celebrate Pakistan's 72nd Independence Day at the Mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi, Pakistan August 14, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan used an address celebrating Independence Day on Wednesday to accuse India of planning military action in the disputed Kashmir region that has long been a flashpoint between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Sikh leader in Kashmir raps India's revoking of region’s autonomy
Kashmiri boys cycle in an empty street during restrictions after the scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the government, in Srinagar, August 14, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

India’s move to revoke the autonomy of Kashmir has increased anti-India sentiment in the Himalayan region and will backfire, said the president of the largest Sikh group in Jammu and Kashmir state.

Indian court acquits six of killing Muslim dairy farmer in cow vigilante case
FILE PHOTO: Irshad Khan, 24, holds a picture of his late father Pehlu, 55, in Jaisinghpur, India, June 2, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton/File Photo

An Indian court on Wednesday acquitted six men of the killing of a 55-year-old Muslim dairy farmer, citing lack of evidence, raising questions over the prosecution's failure to make its case despite videos of a crowd beating him in the street.

India accuses Pakistan of helping militants infiltrate Kashmir
People walk on a road covered with stones and pieces of bricks during restrictions after the government scrapped the special constitutional status for Kashmir, in Srinagar August 14, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

Indian security officials said on Wednesday a group of Pakistani militants backed by the military tried to infiltrate Indian-controlled Kashmir to foment violence, according to Reuters partner ANI.

Indian PM Modi announces chief of defense staff post to improve military integration
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspects the honour guard during Independence Day celebrations at the historic Red Fort in Delhi, India, August 15, 2019. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Thursday the establishment of the post of chief of defense staff for better coordination between the army, air force and navy along the lines of Western military forces.

Fate of India-Pak Davis Cup tie to be decided after Monday
The All India Tennis Association will discuss its concerns over next month's Davis Cup tie between India and Pakistan with security advisers from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) on Monday, AITA General Secretary Hironmoy Chatterjee has said.

Modi urges Indians to visit 15 domestic tourism sites, but practicality doubted
FILE PHOTO: Passengers wait for their luggage at a conveyor belt at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport in Mumbai, India, February 7, 2017.  REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui/File Photo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday came up with one idea to get India's stuttering economy humming again - get every Indian to visit 15 domestic tourist destinations over the next three years.

Pakistan says three soldiers die in Kashmir clash
Pakistan said on Thursday three of its soldiers were killed in a cross-border exchange of fire in the contested Kashmir region, but India denied that five of its troops died too.

U.N. Security Council to meet on Friday on India's moves in Kashmir
An Indian security force personnel keeps guard alongside a road during restrictions after the government scrapped the special constitutional status for Kashmir, in Srinagar August 15, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

The U.N. Security Council is due to meet behind closed-doors on Friday at the request of China and Pakistan to discuss India's decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, diplomats said.

In Kashmir's main city, only a few celebrate India's Independence Day
Indian security force personnel patrol a road during restrictions after the government scrapped the special constitutional status for Kashmir, in Srinagar August 15, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

India tightened security on Thursday in disputed Kashmir, sealing off many roads with barbed wire in the main city of Srinagar, as government officials and security forces held an Independence Day parade attended by only a few local people.

Pakistan observes 'Black Day' over Kashmir with march by militant group
People chant slogans to observe Black Day over India's decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, during a protest in Peshawar, Pakistan August 15, 2019. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz

Pakistan observed a 'Black Day' on Thursday to coincide with India's Independence Day celebrations, as one of the main militant groups fighting Indian rule in Kashmir led a protest through Pakistan's part of the disputed region.

India's Modi trumpets Kashmir, Muslim marriage moves in Independence Day speech
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives to attend the Independence Day celebrations at the historic Red Fort in Delhi, India, August 15, 2019. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered an Independence Day speech on Thursday that spotlighted a decision to remove the special rights of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir among the bold moves of the first 10 weeks of his second term.

Indian troops detain Kashmiri journalist
Indian security force personnel patrol a road during restrictions after the government scrapped the special constitutional status for Kashmir, in Srinagar August 15, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

Indian troops detained a Kashmiri reporter working for a local newspaper in an overnight raid at his house in the Tral area of Southern Pulwama district, his family said on Thursday.

Thousands protest in Britain for Kashmir outside Indian High Commission
Demonstrators protest against the scrapping of the special constitutional status in Kashmir by the Indian government, outside the Indian High Commission in London, Britain, August 15, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

Thousands of people, many waving Pakistani and Kashmiri flags, protested outside the Indian High Commission in London on Thursday in support of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

India's Modi trumpets Kashmir move, but local support is scarce
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi trumpeted his abolition of Kashmir's special status in an Independence Day speech on Thursday, but there was little sign that he had won over people in the region's biggest city - and a deadly border clash with Pakistan added to tensions.

Some telephone connectivity in Kashmir to resume from Friday night, says official
Kashmiri residents look out of their house during restrictions after the scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the government, in Srinagar, August 14, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Some telephone connections in Indian Kashmir will be restored from Friday night, including in the main city of Srinagar, the top state government official said, after a lengthy communications shutdown.

India says committed to 'no first use' of nuclear weapons for now
India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh leaves after a meeting at the house of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's house in New Delhi, India, August 5, 2019. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

India has stuck to its commitment of 'no first use' of nuclear weapons but future policy will depend on the situation, the defense minister said on Friday, which analysts said introduced a level of ambiguity in a core national security doctrine.

Schools, telephone lines to reopen in Kashmir after lockdown
Kashmiri child looks from behind a fence at a protest site after Friday prayers during restrictions after the Indian government scrapped the special constitutional status for Kashmir, in Srinagar, August 16, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

Authorities began restoring some telephone lines in Indian Kashmir on Friday night, the top state official said, as heavy security prevented some protests in the region's main city of Srinagar from getting out of control.
 
Meeting nullifies Indian claim that Kashmir is its internal matter: Pakistan FM.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi likens the revocation of Article 35 A to Kashmiri ‘genocide’ since it seeks to forcibly ‘turn a majority into minority.’

UNSC session on Kashmir a huge development: Qureshi
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Sikhs for Justice protest near the UN headquarters on Aug. 15, India’s Independence Day, highlighting the human rights abuses of Sikhs in Punjab. (AFP)

August 17, 2019 - ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has described the UN Security Council (UNSC) session on Kashmir as a “huge diplomatic development.” Qureshi said that it was the first time in more than 50 years that the council took up the issue and focused on the disputed region.

“It nullifies New Delhi’s claim that Kashmir is India’s internal issue and amplifies Islamabad’s viewpoint that this is an internationally recognized dispute since there are 11 Security Council resolutions on the subject,” he told Arab News in an exclusive interview.

“India’s claim has gone out of the window: The fact that the Security Council is taking up the Kashmir issue for the first time after the 1965 war makes it a huge diplomatic development. It also internationalizes the Kashmir issue once again,” he said.

The foreign minister said that his country expected UNSC member states to play their role to ensure peace and security in the region and avert a humanitarian disaster in Indian-administered Kashmir.

“We expect different departments of the (UN) secretariat to make presentations and brief security council members (on the situation). We hope that the latest report of (the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan) is discussed. We expect that the UN Human Rights Commissioner’s reports, which were made public in June 2018 and in July 2019, are also to be discussed,” Qureshi said.

The UNSC held a special session in New York on Friday to discuss the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir. Earlier, China echoed Pakistan’s demand for a UNSC meeting, asking for the world body to gather “behind closed doors.”

Qureshi said that Pakistan and India would not be included in the UNSC meeting. “In a closed-door meeting, only 15 members of the Security Council participate and no outsiders are invited,” he said.

The foreign minister said that this was the first step, adding that the situation in Kashmir was evolving and could lead to an open debate as well. “If there is an open debate, Pakistan and India will also be invited,” he said. “At this stage, it was felt that their participation would only lead to confrontation and disturb the environment of the Security Council. So, (the UN authorities) wanted in their wisdom to dispassionately look at the situation which, everyone agrees, is quite grave.”

Qureshi said that the UNSC meeting was the result of his letter written to the UNSC president on Aug. 13. “Today is the 12th day of the curfew,” he said. “There is a total media gag, communications blackout, internet services have been suspended, journalists are not allowed to perform their job, civil society activists are not allowed to go to Jammu and Kashmir.”

The Pakistani foreign minister said that Kashmiris across the political spectrum had rejected India’s unilateral revocation of Article 370.
“Kashmiri politicians, who previously operated within India’s political system, also called the step a betrayal. Everybody has rejected it,” he said.

“Kashmir has been forcefully annexed,” Qureshi said. “India is an occupying force in Jammu and Kashmir.” He said when New Delhi lifted the curfew, people would naturally express their anger at its decision to change Kashmir’s status earlier this month.

“That reaction will be met by suppression and that suppression will lead to a bloodbath. The removal of Article 35-A is an attempt to bring about a demographic change (in the region). This in itself is a form of genocide, where a state is forcibly trying to turn a majority into a minority.”

Qureshi said that a constant consultation was going on in his ministry to examine all possible options. Later in the day, he held a lengthy meeting with leading experts on Kashmir.

The foreign minister also said that he would chair a meeting of a special committee constituted by Prime Minister Imran Khan tomorrow to take a closer look at the situation. “All civil and military stakeholders will be present (at the meeting) and we will assess and discuss the situation. We will also decide what next steps to take in the coming days,” he said.

India easing restrictions in Kashmir as international pressure mounts
August 17, 2019 - NEW DELHI: Ahead of the informal UN consultations regarding India’s abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution, the administration of Jammu and Kashmir announced on Friday that restrictions in the valley would be lifted “in a phased manner.”

The state’s Chief Secretary B.V.R. Subrahmanyam said at a press briefing in Srinagar that no lives had been lost, nor anyone injured, “during the course of maintaining peace.” “We are now taking measures to ease the restrictions in a gradual manner,” he announced. “There will be easing of restrictions in the coming days in an orderly way.”

He said that schools in the state will reopen on Monday and that public transport will be permitted to function in areas around those schools. “Government offices were fully operational today and attendance was high,” Subrahmanyam added.

He claimed that 12 districts in the state were now functioning “normally” and that limited restrictions were in place in only five districts, and that those restrictions had been imposed to counter the threat of “cross-border terrorism,” adding that “a few preventive detentions” had been made “to maintain law and order.”

“The history of terrorism required the government to take steps. A few preventive measures were also made according to the provisions of law,” he said. “Similar measures were taken in the past also. Terror groups carry out attacks in Jammu and Kashmir to create fear and block development.”

His announcement came on the same day that the UN was set to hold an informal discussion on the government’s abrogation of Article 370 — a provision that gave the state of Jammu and Kashmir special autonomous status.

India eases some curbs in Kashmir, including fixed line phone use
Kashmiri women shout slogans at a protest after Friday prayers during restrictions after the Indian government scrapped the special constitutional status for Kashmir, in Srinagar August 16, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

Indian authorities eased restrictions on movement and restored landline telephone links in some parts of Kashmir on Saturday, the biggest relaxation in a crippling lockdown since New Delhi announced it was removing the region's special status on Aug. 5.
 
Pakistan army chief gets three-year extension
FILE PHOTO: Pakistan's Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Qamar Javed Bajwa arrives to attend the Pakistan Day military parade in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 23, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood

Pakistan's army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, was handed a three-year extension on Monday as tension with neighboring India flared this month over the disputed territory of Kashmir, the prime minister's office said.

Schools deserted in Indian Kashmir as parents fear more unrest
People carry Azad Kashmir's flags and chant slogans over India's decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, during a protest in Karachi, Pakistan August 18, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

Schools reopened in Indian Kashmir's main city on Monday but most classrooms were empty as parents kept their children home, fearing unrest over the government's decision two weeks ago to revoke the region's autonomy.
 
Pakistan, India spar over using water as a weapon in Kashmir dispute
Lt. Gen. (Retd) Muzammil Hussain, Chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) gestures during an interview with Reuters at his office in Islamabad, Pakistan August 19, 2019. REUTERS/Saiyna Bashir

Accusing India of waging "fifth-generation warfare", Pakistan said on Monday New Delhi had failed to inform it about the release of water from a dam that could cause flooding across the border.

India crackdown, ‘military coup unfolding in Kashmir’
PressTV-India crackdown, ‘military coup unfolding in Kashmir’
PressTV-India strips Kashmir of special autonomous status
A Kashmiri activist has criticized the New Delhi government’s recent decision to strip the disputed Kashmir region of its special constitutional status, saying it seems like the restive Muslim-majority Himalayan region has been taken over by the Indian army in a “military coup,” Press TV reports.

“I could say a military coup has taken place in Kashmir. The Indian army has over one million troops in that region. People have not been able to leave their homes because of a curfew,” Mohades Naghavi, a Kashmiri doctoral student at the University of Tehran, told Press TV on Sunday.
He made the remarks as a group of foreign students gathered in front of the UN office in the Iranian capital, Tehran, to voice their protest at the world body’s silence in face of severe restrictions imposed by New Delhi on the India-controlled part of Kashmir in the aftermath of its decision on August 5 to revoke the region’s autonomous status.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said Kashmir’s residents were struggling under curfew and unprecedented security restrictions.

“What is currently taking place in Kashmir is much worse than what you hear and see in the media. It is now for 14 days that phones and internet are blocked. We are worried about our families”

On August 5, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a surprise executive decree to strip the India-controlled portion of the Muslim-majority Himalayan region of its special status. Modi has claimed that the decision was necessary for Kashmir’s economic development and to stop “terrorism.”
After the decision to scrap Kashmir’s autonomy, Indian authorities imposed security restrictions on Kashmir, fearing massive protests against Modi’s move.

New Delhi government dispatched thousands of additional troops to the Himalayan region, declared a strict curfew, shut down telecommunications and internet services, and arrested political leaders and pro-independence campaigners.

The Indian Home Ministry tweeted last week that the restrictions “were being eased out in a phased manner” in the valley.

Latest media reports, however, said Indian authorities reimposed restrictions on movement in major parts of Kashmir's biggest city, Srinagar, on Sunday after violent overnight clashes between residents and police in which dozens were injured.

They also reversed a decision to allow internet and mobile phone use in parts of the region amid concerns about the spread of rumors online.

In the past 24 hours, there has been a series of protests against New Delhi’s August 5 revocation of Jammu and Kashmir State’s autonomy.

At least two dozen people were admitted to hospitals with pellet injuries after violent clashes broke out in the old city on Saturday night.

India’s measures have drawn criticism from kashmir's residents, Pakistan, human rights groups and the UN.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has already urged all parties to exercise restraint in Kashmir.

PressTV-UN urges India, Pakistan to stay calm as Kashmir heats up
PressTV-UN urges India, Pakistan to stay calm as Kashmir heats up
The UN urges India and Pakistan to maintain peace as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors escalate again over Kashmir.


The Himalayan region is divided between India — which rules the populous Kashmir Valley and the Hindu-dominated region around Jammu city — and Pakistan — which controls a wedge of territory in the west.

Both countries claim all of Kashmir and have fought three wars over the territory.
 
Former Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley dies aged 66
FILE PHOTO: Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley speaks at a news conference in New Delhi, India, January 24, 2018. REUTERS/Saumya Khandelwal/File Photo

Arun Jaitley, the former Indian finance minister and one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s closest associates, died in hospital on Saturday, nearly two weeks after he was admitted following breathing difficulties, officials said.

Indian opposition leaders denied entry to Kashmir, sent back from airport
FILE PHOTO: Rahul Gandhi, leader of India's main opposition Congress party, attends a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in New Delhi, India, August 10, 2019. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Indian opposition leaders including former Congress president Rahul Gandhi were barred from leaving the airport on Saturday in Kashmir, where local authorities had warned that their visit could stoke heightened tension in the region.

Aug 24 2019 - Pakistan Repeats Demand for UN Intervention in Kashmir
Pakistan Repeats Demand for UN Intervention in Kashmir

Pakistan has sent another letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), demanding intervention to end the "humanitarian crises" in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has underscored the imperative for the world community, including the UN, to call upon India to rescind its unilateral actions, lift the curfew and other draconian measures and restore fundamental rights of the Kashmiri people, read the statement, Al-Jazeera reported.

Authorities in Srinagar had tightened security ahead of Friday prayers after there were calls for a protest march to a UN office.

Kashmir protesters defy restrictions, clash with security forces
Kashmiris run for cover as smoke rises from teargas shells fired by Indian security forces during clashes, after scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the Indian government, in Srinagar, August 23, 2019. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Security forces used tear gas against stone-throwing local residents in Indian Kashmir's main city of Srinagar on Friday, after a third straight week of protests in the restive Soura district despite the imposition of tight restrictions.

Pakistan Supreme Court orders action against judge in ex-PM case
FILE PHOTO: Ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sits on a plane after landing at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, Pakistan, July 13, 2018. REUTERS/ Drazen Jorgic

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday ordered disciplinary action against a judge who convicted former premier Nawaz Sharif, effectively giving a boost to Sharif's appeal against a seven-year jail term for corruption.

Global watchdog to monitor Pakistan's progress in tackling militant funding
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) will monitor Pakistan's progress in implementing a proposed plan against financing for militant organizations ahead of a meeting in October, the international watchdog body said on Friday.
 
Trump flip flopping ( or his 'Art of Deal'' approach) on Kashmir. He does the same in lot of issues - North Korea, China trade war, Dealing with Deep state, Wars in other countries etc. Only thing that doesn't change is 'Israel'.

 
Trump backs out of mediating Kashmir crisis
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Indian PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump shake hands during a meeting in Biarritz, France on Monday on the third day of the annual G7 Summit. (AFP)

August 27, 2019 - NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump said on Monday he would not mediate in the Kashmir crisis, despite having offered to do so several times in the past, saying India and Pakistan could sort it out “mutually.”

India and Pakistan both lay claim to Kashmir, which they administer in part, and the territory lies at the heart of decades of hostility between them.

The most recent flashpoint occurred earlier this month, when India revoked the special status of its portion and brought it under direct rule.

But, ahead of a meeting between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit being held in France, the US leader seemed more nonchalant about the Kashmir standoff, which he had previously described as “explosive.”

“The US is good friends with both India and Pakistan. I think India and Pakistan can discuss among themselves and sort it (Kashmir) out mutually,” said Trump on Monday.

Modi said that all issues between the neighbors were bilateral and that India did not want to “give any pain” to a third country.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken a different tack and lobbied for foreign assistance, saying Modi had made the “biggest mistake” by annexing Kashmir, and even likened the Indian leader’s ideology to Nazism.

Harsh V. Pant, from the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation think tank, said Trump’s push on Kashmir was understandable because he needed Pakistan’s help in “normalizing Afghanistan.”

“With Trump the Kashmir issue is very transactional,” Pant told Arab News.

“He is inserting himself in Kashmir because he wants Pakistan on board for his Afghanistan endgame. By abrogating Article 370 India made a major policy change that has not taken place in the last 70 years. International players asking questions on that decision is a normal thing, not an internationalization of the issue. Internationalization would have been when the UN comes out with a formal statement or Trump says that the situation is getting out of hand and Washington wants to do this or that.”

“Depriving an entire population of their right to freedom of expression, opinion and movement for an indefinite period runs squarely counter to international norms and standards. Worse, it gives the government of India a near-total control over the information coming out of the region,” said Aakar Patel, head of Amnesty International India.

India and Pakistan have fought two wars over Kashmir.
 
It took 70 years for the Indians to say this, mainly due to political arrangement between the dynasties of Nehru and Kashmiri political elite's including Abdullah's that India hoped will solve the issue.
On the other side of the border, desperation is taking many different forms. Here is one.
 
India's top ports on alert for attacks from 'Pakistan-trained commandos'
FILE PHOTO - A general view of a container terminal is seen at Mundra Port in the western Indian state of Gujarat, India April 1, 2014.  REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo

India's two main ports said on Thursday they had been warned by the coastguard and intelligence officials that Pakistan-trained commandos have entered Indian waters to carry out underwater attacks on port facilities.

Pakistan carries out training launch of ballistic missile
Pakistan's military successfully carried out a training launch of a surface-to-surface ballistic missile on Thursday, at a time of heightened tension with neighboring India over the disputed region of Kashmir, a spokesman said.

India's top court to hear legal challenges on Kashmir in October
FILE PHOTO: Kashmiri women walk past an Indian security personnel during restrictions after the scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the government, in Srinagar, August 11, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui/File Photo

India’s Supreme Court said on Wednesday it will hear challenges in October to a government order revoking the autonomy of contested Kashmir, and it allowed an opposition politician to visit the region that has been under lockdown for weeks.

Pakistan may close airspace to India: science minister
FILE PHOTO: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan gestures as he addresses the Azad Kashmir parliament on Pakistan's 72nd Independence Day in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, August 14, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer

Prime Minister Imran Khan is considering closing Pakistan's airspace to India and blocking its eastern neighbor's land trade route to Afghanistan, the science and technology minister in Islamabad said on Tuesday.
 
Well I'm happy for India. Sure, foreign forces might try to exploit their efforts to reintegrate Kashmir, but I rather suspect all the 'bromance' we've seen between Modi and Trump/Netanyahu was the Indians buttering them up in advance of this move.

Sorry Pakistan, but, like Ukraine, you're kind of a nebulous entity. India is the local 'pole' in a multi-polar world. You just have to adapt accordingly.
I have been observing this whole Pak-India affair for last 18 years from the sidelines. Over this time, my perspective shifted from being pro-Indian to pro-Pakistan to pro-Kashmir to anti-Pakistan, anti-Kashmir, anti-India, anti-Gandhi, anti-Independence movement, anti-British, pro-British and then anti-everything and back to anti-nobody lol.
It did, however, help to be away from this a bit and develop a more neutral perspective and observe things via the lens of Ponerology.
For some reason, I seem to be much less impacted now about the ongoings and the political drama being played out. I will share some observations though.
I was speaking to my father-in-law last night who also happens to live close-by to the state of Kashmir. I also visited Kashmir about 4 years ago with him so, often we share our thoughts openly without any reservations. The mood on the ground is aggressive and people are pushing for an attack on Pakistan and prefer the whole of Kashmir to be part of India permanently. Modi, the current PM of India, is striking the right chords with a pro-Hindu populace with MSM in tow. Various Bollywood movies are also being released with war themes featuring Pakistan as enemy. Its all happening full-throttle and I can only describe this situation in one word- hysteria. It appears that India is right in the middle of it's own hysteroidal cycle. And I personally feel that, the mood needs to ease up a bit, tone the aggression down a little and try to get better perspective of the situation. Don't believe everything that Modi and co are dishing out. My father-in-law said that he is happy for India to attack Pakistan as long as he is not in the vicinity to catch any collateral fire. Now, what does that say about what Indians or people in general feel about war? Selfishness reigns supreme everywhere. Lets bomb the muslims as long as I am watching from a safe distance!! As if they are not humans too.

When we were in Kashmir, we spent a few days in the valley, conversed with locals, walked the streets at night - its just something I do to get a feel of the places I visit. It felt quite safe to be around and not because we were looking like tourists. Its a lovely country, beautiful scenery, tall trees, dense bushes, snow cladded mountain peaks, little streams of crystal clear water everywhere. It rivals Switzerland for sure as I have been to both places. However, the area is densely packed with people. They are everywhere, poor and rich. More poor than rich. The rich are greedy and powerful, well entrenched in local politics and take full advantage of the stalemate that Kashmir finds itself entrenched into between two nuclear armed countries. They essentially go with the flow and follow whichever direction the wind is blowing, rest be damned. And the poor people just want a job or a stable income, doesn't matter how that eventuates. I don't think it would bother them if its an Indian, Kashmiri or Pakistani employer paying them. Poor buggers just want to be left in peace, have food on table, get married and produce babies. Since, the place is so much over-populated with tightly controlled manufacturing industry, they can only do two things -
Be an annoying tout nagging tourists all day - and they do absolutely harass you till you give in.
Or, either join an insurgence or start your own based on blind patriotism - proceed to die in the battle with the local military force and become a hero for the blind masses. Lack of proper education just makes it even worse.
Rise and repeat the above for 50 odd years and you end up with what Kashmir has become today. In current state, the people of Kashmir seem incapable of self-governance. Though I'd say that give them a chance nonetheless. Let them figure it out themselves.
The said poverty and tightly controlled industry has likely allowed Kashmir to keep its natural beauty. The population has increased but not at the same rate as other mountainous Indian states. I have been to other states which border Kashmir and the excessive commercialisation has destroyed the natural beauty.
This is just my observation though and I could be wrong.

India doesn't want to let go of the commercial potential that Kashmir has in abundance. There is geopolitical pressure too from both Pakistan and China and borders to protect. India will come up with enough reasons to justify a war with Pakistan and have drummed up enough hysteria to support the cause.

Now to say something about Pakistan. I have never been to the place though I wouln't mind a visit. Indians are generally well received by the locals in Pakistan. There is good hospitality on offer, great food, lovely places to visit. I hear the Kashmir in Pakistan is even more pristine and preserved than the one on Indian side. The country is very much like India though lot more poverty and daily struggle for sustenance. And what happens when majority of population is poor and struggling?
Lack of education, radicalisation of masses, vote-bank politics and cannon fodder for the military. The dominant religion happens to be Islam too so, its a match made in heaven or hell, whichever way you look at it. You can drum up hysteria in a place like this within minutes. There is just no way out of this mess for your average Pakistani citizen. The mind can only take so much.
I have Pakistani friends who live overseas. We talk often though generally avoid the Kashmir subject. They are lovely people, very hospitable and not so much radicalised as someone on the ground in Pakistan. Maybe because some of them have ancestors from India. My wife's grandparents were born in Pakistan too (India before 1947).

So, my concluding view is that this is really just a show, a clever distraction from all of the Earth changes, Ice age and impending doom that awaits the people of this planet. India/Pakistan represents 30% of the world's population. That's a significant number. Its in the best interests of the STS factions to keep them bamboozled and ill-informed. War or no war, there is no winner here. Everyone loses.

Cheers
Sid
 
Some thoughts on the topic, based on my observations from what Iam reading and experience.
I was speaking to my father-in-law last night who also happens to live close-by to the state of Kashmir. I also visited Kashmir about 4 years ago with him so, often we share our thoughts openly without any reservations. The mood on the ground is aggressive and people are pushing for an attack on Pakistan and prefer the whole of Kashmir to be part of India permanently. Modi, the current PM of India, is striking the right chords with a pro-Hindu populace with MSM in tow.
I agree that Hysteria is the right way of explaining. It goes back to how rotten the Indian media became( Modi can't be blamed for this entirely, though Anti-Modi will cry saying Modi destroyed Media, every body is scared of him etc.). As the politicians fight, their eco system of media minions, corporate bosses line up to create complete hysteria . Here is a one documentary, Indian state media channel Doordarshan created around 2014 exposing how media works which I posted in another thread.

Currently, lines drawn stands at Modi and Anti-Modi factions, though Anti-Modi faction completely lost after the election. It's no longer Hindu, vs Muslim or BJP vs congress or some linguistic group vs another. For this, Opposition can only blame themselves for shooting themselves in the foot(if not head). Every Anti-Modi faction move met with disproportional Modi faction.


Here is one video of first hand experience of rumors with the lack of communications that feed hysteria.


Various Bollywood movies are also being released with war themes featuring Pakistan as enemy. Its all happening full-throttle and I can only describe this situation in one word- hysteria. It appears that India is right in the middle of it's own hysteroidal cycle. And I personally feel that, the mood needs to ease up a bit, tone the aggression down a little and try to get better perspective of the situation. Don't believe everything that Modi and co are dishing out. My father-in-law said that he is happy for India to attack Pakistan as long as he is not in the vicinity to catch any collateral fire. Now, what does that say about what Indians or people in general feel about war? Selfishness reigns supreme everywhere. Lets bomb the muslims as long as I am watching from a safe distance!! As if they are not humans too.
Does every body in India wants war with Pakistan? After-Pulwama opinion polls shows, it depends. Punjab that borders Pakistan that contributes disproportional number of soldiers, don't want it. Jammu that suffered most due to killings of Hindus by muslim terrorists and subsequent migration out of Jammu may support it. Other northern territories who tend to be relatively aggressive may support it, south Indians don't care much as they are little far away from Pak border, though modern warfare is different.

Western world is very sensitive to Indo-Pak war, which Indians argue only helped Pakistani establishment narration to internationalize Kashmir issue at the expense its own people.

Pulwama attack and capture of Indian Pilot only showed the limitations of the Indian military and its many decades old crumbling military infrastructure. So It is stupid for India to go with War with Pakistan. World players won't allow it either. Pakistan may want to go war with India, India may want to retaliate. Pakistan can't do it alone, needs Chinese in it, but China bogged down with USA. Dhoklam incident is one example. If China wants it, they could have easily taken with the power they have. But they let it go for now, because they have bigger battles to fight with USA. If needed, Russia can use its goodwill in both sides to diffuse it.

That leaves hysteria of the masses and can Modi control it? This post-pulwama events only depict how firm grip Modi has on population in setting the agenda. This power is interpreted as Fascism, Often called Hindu Fascism, Hindu Terrorism etc.. Does it exist as Anti-Modi media hyped it?. It becomes confusing. One can expect the push back if one calls billion people as Terrorists. Those simplistic labels of left/right only muddies waters.

Irony is "Hindu" is the word given by outsiders to depict any body east of Indu's valley( now in Pakistan). What is the much propagated Hindutva, Hindu Terrorism, All Hindu's are Terrorists narrations. The more one looks, the more confusing it becomes. BJP will say, Hindutva is 'Integral Humanism" and "Nationalism". What is wrong with these? Obviously None. But Anti-Modi media will say "cow Lynching" is as an example of the "Hindu Intolerance" (So Modi is Bad), Modi faction will say Cow Ban is implemented in many states in 80's and 90's and number of killed is only little more than Congress rule ( by max. 10 or 15 in 1.3 billion people). Why World Media bought it. That goes into how Media works. "Why" is for another post.

Bizarre it may seem,It looks 1.3 billion people putting hope or hatred on one man called Modi, who was literally "no body" 6 years back for simple reason. Most of them don't trust BJP or Congress, but they trust Modi. As forces line up, package it according to party lines for short term and long term gains or simple national interest around this man, it hypes things.

Modi wants to show some thing in his first 100 days (called honeymoon period) of his 2.0. It is shown in his speed in his policies. Kashmir issue, Muslim inclusion, 5 Trillion dollar economy, strategy to eliminate Naxalite violence( often called left violence), population control, Ayodhya issue, double the farmer income program etc. The more he addresses the long pending issues (these are very difficult problems), the more his popularity grows, the more Anti-Modi resistance. Only time will tell whether he will succeed in all of this or not. If past decade is of any indication, Anti-Modi faction will find some thing or other that didn't work and make noise which general public will see through as a noise (because of their narrow focus on Anti-Modi narration) which only help Modi faction. Most of the people don't care whether it is BJP or Congress, it's all same cloth. But they do care Modi because he is showing some thing completely different that they hoped for long never materialized despite his drawbacks.

None of this is pleasant to see particularly from the Western perspective.
 
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