Beauty and The Wounds of Kashmir : Paul Barrow

One of Virginia Woolf's well-known quotes, which she wrote in 1929, is that "the beauty of the world has two edges, one of laughter, one of anguish, cutting the heart asunder." Perhaps nothing could be more descriptive of Kashmir. During a visit to Kashmir many years ago, Prime Minister Nehru described what he saw: Like some supremely beautiful woman, whose beauty is almost impersonal and above human desire, such was Kashmir in all its feminine beauty of river and valley and lake and graceful trees. And then another aspect of this magic beauty would come into view, a masculine one, of hard mountains and precipices, and snow-capped peaks and glaciers, and cruel and fierce torrents rushing to the valleys below. It had a hundred faces and innumerable aspects, ever-changing, sometimes smiling, sometimes sad and full of sorrow … I watched this spectacle and sometimes the sheer loveliness of it was overpowering and I felt faint … It seemed to me dreamlike and unreal, like the hopes and desires that fill us and so seldom find fulfilment. It was like the face of the beloved that one sees in a dream and that fades away on wakening. Georges Bataille, the French novelist, has also said, "beauty is desired in order that it may be befouled, not for its own sake, but for the joy brought by the certainty of profaning it." As of its beauty, of its anguish and it's befouling, in Kashmir, there isn't any shortage of evidence. There's been a little brouhaha in India recently over the release of videotape on YouTube of what appear to be Kashmiri men being paraded nude in front of women and chldren by Indian soldiers. Obviously, authorities have protested, called the tape a fraud, and said that it was released merely to embarrass the army. Copies have been removed from Facebook and YouTube. The tape, however, is still available online, The above photo is used as a profile on Facebook by several Kashmiri freedom fighters. Source unknown. and doesn't lie. Fraud, not likely. Embarrassment, yes. Amnesty International has called for an investigation into the incident. It is inconclusive as to how recent it is or exactly where the video was shot, but it has in all likelihood been videotaped by a cellphone, which dates it as fairly recent, and there is language that is used in the tape that is uniquely Kashmiri. It is also clear that it is an operation conducted by an armed force of some kind, and probably CRPF troops. This is a huge crime, not just an embarrassment. This was in fact a sharp-pointed attack upon religious beliefs and sensitivities that has been compared widely among Kashmiris to Abu Ghraib. Another video that is in wide distribution is of a man who has been beaten, is nude from the waist down, and is being carried on the back of another man while he is taunted and threatened with sodomy as another attempts to poke a stick up his anus. The tyranny of one religious culture over another is obviously different from intellectual disagreements within a culture between liberals and conservatives such as in the abortion issue where there are nitpicky debates about which trimester life begins. The question of a victim hasn't left the debate, even if liberals, for the moment, have the upper hand. People have just agreed to shut up about it. Imagine what a bunch of Qur'an-burning American fundamentalists would do. In this case, nobody's agreed to shut up about anything. The extreme quality that sets their differences apart from the usual mainstream kind of politics is as difficult for Americans to comprehend as it is for Kashmiris to understand why no one else seems to give a damn. However, it is a particularly odious basis for dispute, because it creates opportunities for abuse where differences are not merely cultural but religously based, where not only shrines to one's deepest faith get trashed, but all of the little symbols and habits as well that mark those differences. Religiously based terrorism is only one aspect of this problem. Consider this: on August 2, Greater Kashmir reported that in one hospital in Srinigar, out of 31 patients with gunshot wounds, 14 of them were shot in the head. Just a couple of weeks ago, a friend in Kashmir told me that his cousin, 18, was shot that morning along with four other friends while playing carom in the street. One was 25, the rest were younger than my friend's cousin. All of them shot, two in critical condition. They were not engaged in protest of any kind. They were simply playing in the street. A police jeep drove up, two men got out and simply started shooting. Another man ran up and tried to grab the gun of one of the policemen. He was simply pushed away and arrested. There was no curfew at the time, although that is unusual, because curfews have been almost constant since June 11 in which the people cannot leave their homes during daylight hours. Thousands of mass grave sites of unknown victims are everywhere. "BURIED EVIDENCE: Unknown, Unmarked, and Mass Graves in Indian-administered Kashmir a preliminary report" by Dr. Angana Chatterji, Professor, Social and Cultural Anthropology, California Institute of Integral Studies, with others, documents this and says that "The Indian state’s governance of Indian-administered Kashmir requires the use of discipline and death as techniques of social control. The structure of governance affiliated with militarization in Kashmir necessitates dispersed and intense forms of psychosocial regulation. As an established nation-state, India’s objective has been to discipline and assimilate Kashmir into its territory. To do so has required the domestication of Kashmiri peoples through the selective use of discipline and death as regulatory mechanisms. Discipline is affected through military presence, surveillance, punishment, and fear. Death is disbursed through “extrajudicial” means and those authorized by law. Psychosocial control is exercised through the use of death and deception to discipline the living. Discipline rewards forgetting, isolation, and depoliticization." Stories of torture abound. It's been widely reported that soldiers arrest all the men in a neighborhood, and then go back and rape their wives. A very thorough Catalogue of Indian Atrocities in Kashmir documenting some of the abuses in the early 90s was done, and such acts continue without letup. In his introduction, Dr Ayyub Thakur, President of the World Kashmir Freedom Movement, states that "It is common practice for the paramilitary forces to walk into a quiet village/town and start shooting indiscriminately, killing innocent and unarmed civilians - all under the pretence of crack-down operations against the Freedom-Fighters. In most cases, innocent civilians are killed, women gang-raped and properties set on fire." In one case, called the Khanyar Incident, "a peaceful procession carrying the dead bodies of persons killed in Dachhigam incident and those killed at Saidkadal locality were being brought for burial, reciting verses of Holy Quran, [and] the armed forces deployed in the area started indiscriminate firing on the mourners and killed about twenty unarmed civilians and injured more than fifty two persons." Personal accounts reported to me indicate that attacks upon funeral processions and emergency vehicles are also quite common even today. The attack upon a peaceful protest just this past Wednesday leaving more than 80 people injured and many dead is reported to have been unprovoked. This is a war upon a people by a people. This is oppression by its very name. This is a war of dominion. This is a war against popular will. This is a war against religious sentiment. This is a war not only against democracy and against self-rule; this is a war against common decency and consideration, against the right to even be human. This is a war against every possible difference that could be imagined between people. And it is being committed by India against Kashmir. Even more incomprehensible is that its not even really about them. They are but grist in a global mill that churns pure evil. In "A Visit from the Footbinder," a story by Emily Prager, Lao Bing says, "Beauty is the still birth of suffering." I can certainly see the conception; but I'm not sure that I see the child. Paul Barrow is Director of Policy and Communications for United Progressives.

11th August 2OO8 The Bloody Day of Kashmiri Nation

By Er. Bilal Ahmad

“Sincerely supreme sacrifice makes one supreme.”   
Sheikh Aziz 
 (Father of Jehad-e-Kashmir) 

was a supreme. His sacrifice led to a mass uprising which attracted global attention.

In a A symbolic march by Kashmirs to march towards north (Muzaffarabad) when they are harmed in the south (Hindu Jammu) has caused more lives for Kashmiris. It is indeed a shame for human civilization that India continues to be engaged in genocide of Kashmiris. As part of Indian strategy to kill Kashmiris in a sustained manner under different guises, some more Kashmiri Muslims were murdered by India in the background of the Hindus fascist fight for Sri Amarnath illegal land deal. After direct fire on Muzaffarabad marchers, at least eight persons, including a most senior Hurriyat freedom fighting leader of Jammu and Kashmir, Shaikh Abdul Aziz (Father of Jehad-e-Kashmir), were killed as they were marching towards the Line of Control in Baramulla district leader and a boy were killed by Indian security forces in Srinagar district on August 15 a couple of days ahead of Indian independence day.

Following the killing of six protestors including most senior Sheikh Abdul Aziz, the authorities imposed curfew in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir. However, the freedom fighters have reiterated their resolve to continue their mach, come what may. Economic terrorism unleashed by Hindus in Jammu region by blocking the movement of goods between Jammu and Kashmir have caused serious economic problems and this economic terrorism is resented by Kashmirs who have suffered badly and decided to mach to Muzaffarabad to show their anger. Economic terrorism is been used by USA and the Western powers against third world nations, now especially Iran, to cripple their economies. India has thought out similar strategy to make Kashmiris to bend completely and bow down to Indian military dictates. Economic blockade is a crude manifestation of the decades_ old policy of making Kashmir economy fatally dependent on others. Notwithstanding arrests by police in different parts of Kashmir,

Kashmiris in thirty hundred thousands marched towards North Kashmir to participate in the Muzaffarabad March to protest against the economic blockade of the Valley. In North Kashmir, the march to Muzaffarabad commenced from Sopore Fruit Mandi after people defied restrictions. Sopore Fruit Mandi was besieged early morning by police and CRPF men and five trade union leaders were detained and tyres of decorated fruit laden trucks were deflated by the troopers. After arrest of leaders, announcements were made through Public Address System (PAS) asking people to join the Muzaffarabad March_. Thousands of people again joined march with women lined up on roadside yelling pro freedom and pro_Pakistan slogans. They were seen serving water and food packets to the protestors and praying for their safety. After the protestors reached Baramulla, the processionists boarded buses, trucks, scooters to move towards Muzaffarabad. Amidst pro−freedom, pro−Pakistan and anti−India slogans, the protestors, who were led by Huriyat leaders, Sheikh Abdul Aziz and Shabir Ahmad Shah reached chahal, Uri, some 20 kms from Uri. They could not move ahead as the army had dug up trenches to prevent people and vehicles from moving ahead. When the protestors tried to march ahead, they were fired on by the troopers, causing injuring to at least 20 persons including Sheikh Abdul Aziz. Aziz received bullet injury in his abdomen and was rushed to nearby hospital, where from he was referred to SMHS hospital, where he succumbed. Meanwhile, thousands of people were on streets till late night at Sangrama, Delina, Sheeri, Hyderbugh, Zumgum, and Pattan. They were waiting for the sunrise to recommence their _Muzaffarabad March_. There have been thousands of known and unknown Kashmiri martyrs who have laid down their sacred lives in their freedom struggle, much more than what the India had lost dung their independence fight under British rule. Sheikh Abdul Aziz was a pro−Pakistan Kashmiri leaders fighting for the cause of gaining sovereignty back from occupying India. Muzaffarabad is legally a part of Kashmir, now the capital of Azad Kashmir with an independent premier administrated by Pakistan and which would be a part of new Kashmir when it becomes free from Indian military occupation.

Kashmiris have been at the receiving end since their nation was annexed by it neighbor India and hardships are nothing new to them either. Also, now this is not something new to the now fragile economy of Kashmir that it has been subjected to, over the last six decades. The backdrop in which the economy of Kashmir traveled along the time path included a focus on making Kashmir prone to dependency cult, intentionally pursued by New Delhi; priority setting as per the whims of policy planners at New Delhi. The horticulture, floriculture and other commodity sectors have suffered losses that have varied ramifications and most of the growers cannot possibly sustain these losses. These commodities are flooding the already saturated and impoverished local market of Kashmir. The acute hardships faced by people in valley by scarcity of essential commodities, life saving drugs and medicine, even kids_ items, by the economic blockade does call for a new thinking based on self reliance. Of course, now it looks the popular uprising is not going to end until the Kashmirs obtain freedom and independence from India. First of economic terrorism must end followed by state military terrorism. It is noteworthy that in this regard JKLF Chairman Muhammad Yaseen Malik went on a hunger strike unto death but fortunately freedom fighting leaders like Geelani persuaded him to end his long hunger strike. Geelani also reminded him saying, _We differ with the idea of fast unto death as it is not an Islamic way and that we must pray to the almighty for the continuity and eternity of the unity we have showed this time_. Besides, no one will care in India even if entire Muslim community in Kashmir goes on hunger strike until death. India promotes genocide in Kashmir, after all and death of Kashmiris and other Muslims in any manner is welcome to New Delhi. But it is time the Governor of Jammu Kashmir NN Vohra considers recommending to New Delhi to grant independence to Kashmir so that the Kashmiris do not have to stave and die like this and let them live with honor and resources. Any further day in decision−making in favor of Kashmiris could be disastrous for both Kashmiris and India. The Kashmirs do have the efficient leadership, resources and the capacity to govern their own nation in a peaceful manner. About the author: Er. Bilal ahmad can be reached at: bilal2009@gmail.com

FAMILIES OF SLAIN HR DEFENDERS PIN HOPE ON UN RAPPORTEUR

Srinagar, Jan 19: While the United Nations Rapporteur, Margaret Sekaggya is scheduled to visit Kashmir on Wednesday to assess the situation of human rights defenders, justice still eludes the families of several such defenders killed in different incidents in Kashmir in the past two decades, reports GK 18/1.

Pinning hope on the UN Rapporteur, the families of several defenders have shot off letters to Sekaggya to apprise her about their plight.

Fifteen years before, a prominent human rights lawyer Jaleel Andrabi disappeared and was later killed. Justice still eludes his family as the trial of the accused Major Avtar Singh is yet to start, despite repeated directions from a Court to arrest Singh, whose presence in California was confirmed by the United States National Central Bureau (USNCB) of Interpol in 2009.

Disappeared on March 8, 1996, Jaleel’s body was found 19 days after his disappearance. In April, 1997, the Special Investigation Team constituted by the state government to investigate the killing presented its initial findings to the High Court and claimed that one Major Avtar Singh from the 103rd Unit of the Territorial Army and other soldiers were responsible for the abduction and killing of Jaleel. However, the SIT was unable to arrest Singh as they could not trace him.

Talking to Greater Kashmir Jaleel's brother Arshad Andrabi said he had sent a letter to UN Rapporteur seeking justice from the international organization.

He blamed the state government for insincerity to proceed in the matter. “The abnormal delay coupled with inherent defects in the investigation suggests that the government is neither sincere nor interested to pursue the case. They must be waiting for the witnesses to die or be eliminated by the same invisible hands which have manipulated the killing and subsequent cover up of the case for 16 years," he said.

He also talked about a “larger conspiracy” on the part of officers of Army, Intelligence and Police who according to him had worked in tandem before the killing of his brother-Jaleel.

A letter shot by USNCB of Interpol has confirmed that Major Avtar Singh lives in California. However, the US-based agency has asked the Interpol New Delhi to furnish the record of proceedings translated and certified version of conviction record, charge-sheet, and other relevant documents.

In another incident on December 31, 1993, unidentified gunmen kidnapped Dean Faculty of Law Kashmir University Dr Abdul Ahad Wani and took him to a nearby area Sadrabal, Srinagar where he was shot dead. In similar incidents, noted human rights defender H N Wanchoo, advocate Ghulam Qadir Sehlani, Dr Abdul Ahad Guru,  Sheikh Ghulam Rasool Azad (Editor Kashmir Saffron Times), Mushtaq Ahmad Lone Editor, Wehdat-e-Milli), Dr Farooq Ahmad Ashai and Ms Asiya Jeelani were killed.

Reportedly, days after Jaleel’s killing, women human rights defender, Dr Hamida Nayeem went to Geneva to attend a Human Rights Conference. On her return to Valley, she was allegedly harassed and her passport seized by the state government for raising voice against the HR violations.

The Kashmir-based human rights organizations and civil society groups have exuded hope that the UN Special Rapporteur’s visit would help them highlight the crackdown on the human rights defenders.

In the backdrop of last year’s summer unrest in the Valley which left 112 civilians dead in police and paramilitary CRPF action, the UN Rapporteur is to assess the condition of human rights defenders. Officials said Margaret Sekaggya, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, is scheduled to meet top officials of the State including the Home Secretary, Director General of Police besides the civil society and human rights groups.

China shows Aksai Chin as its own

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Beijing, Jan 19 : China today officially launched its state-run mapping website that rivals Google Earth, showing Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin in Jammu and Kashmir -- two key areas of dispute with India --  as part of its territory, K J M VARMA reports in Greater Kashmir 18/1.

The map called ‘Map World’ displayed on the Internet in Chinese language is already being used in I phone and other mobile and Internet user applications in China.

It shows Arunachal Pradesh that China has always claimed as “southern Tibet” as part of its territory. The map makes no specific mention of southern Tibet but it shows China’s borders covered up to Arunachal Pradesh.

Also, the Aksai Chin area, which India asserts as part of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir has been included by the map as part of China’s Xinjiang province. Both areas are part of the border dispute being negotiated between the two countries, which so far have held 14 rounds of talks.

The map, however, displays the Line of Control (LOC) in Kashmir region acknowledging the both sides of the areas respectively under the control of India and Pakistan.

The unresolved border issue has been a simmering issue in Sino-India relations for a long time.
 The issue of Arunachal was in the news again this month after two residents of the state were issued stapled visas by China, a development which observers said could be an indication of a change in Beijing’s policy. China had earlier refused to offer visas to the residents of the state.

However, China reiterated yesterday that its policy that Arunachal Pradesh is a “disputed area” remains “unchanged”.

The online mapping service called MAP WORLD is meant to offer an “authoritative, credible and unified” online mapping service, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Iran exports to Afghanistan up 25%, hit $900m

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TEHRAN, Jan 18:  Iran exported over 900 million dollars worth of goods to Afghanistan in the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (ended December 21, 2010), report Tehran Times.

The amount shows a 25 increase in comparison to previous year’s figure, IRNA reported. It is estimated that Iran’s exports to Afghanistan will surpass $1.2 billion by the end of the year.

The 3rd meeting of Iran and Afghanistan’s joint economic cooperation commission was held in Tehran in November.

During the meeting the two sides reached agreements to work together closely in the fields of healthcare, cultural heritage, higher education, setting up a joint trade commission, finalizing a preferential tariffs deal, cooperation through free and special economic zones, establishing a joint investment company and boosting customs cooperation.

The two sides also agreed to conduct their trade transactions using the national currencies of both countries and to set up a joint working group to follow up mutual cooperation in the field of transportation.

Construction of renewable and hydroelectric plants was also discussed during the talks.

Kashmiris to observe black day on Jan 26 : APHC

Srinagar, January 16: In northern disputed state of Kashmir, India’s Republic Day on 26th January will be observed as a Black Day to remind the international community that India has trampled over all democratic norms and recognized standards of justice by continuously denying Kashmiris’ inalienable right to self-determination, reports KMS.

Veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani, in a statement in Srinagar today appealed the Kashmiri people to observe complete strike on this day.

The statement also strongly denounced the life imprisonment awarded on Saturday by a Delhi court to six people including two Kashmiris in a false case against them. It said that India after implicating the Kashmiri youth in concocted cases was victimizing them through its biased courts.

Senior APHC leader, Shabbir Ahmed Shah visited Bijbehara and expressed solidarity with the families of the youth who had been martyred by Indian police and troops during the past six months. Talking to the people on the occasion, he said that sacrifices of the Kashmiri martyrs would not be allowed to go waste.

A delegation of Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement after visiting Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu said in a statement that the political detainees were being deprived of sufficient medical and food facilities due to which they had developed various ailments of serious nature.

Indian police arrested six more innocent persons five of them from Nowhatta in Srinagar and one from Navpachchi area of Doda.

UN HR team to visit Kashmir on Jan 19

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Srinagar, January 15 : The United Nations rapporteur on human rights, Margaret Sekaggya will visit Srinagar on January 19 to assess the condition of human rights defenders in occupied Kashmir.

Sekaggya would file a report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The report is likely to be submitted in March, a UN official said.

Sekaggya, the special rapporteur on human rights defenders, appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, has arrived in India on January 11.

Meanwhile, pro-freedom leaders have strongly rejected the statement of Indian Home Secretary, Gopal K Pillai, regarding 25 percent troops’ cut and demanded complete withdrawal of Indian troops from the territory.

Veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Sheikh Yaqoob, in a statement issued from Muzaffarabad, termed Pillai’s statement as a bid to hoodwink the world community and reiterated his demand of complete withdrawal of troopers from occupied Kashmir, which was vital to create conducive environment for talks to settle the Kashmir dispute. “These so-called troop cuts are not going to improve the ground situation,” he added.

He said that the occupation forces were perpetrating gross human rights violations in the Kashmir Valley. “The troopers are occupying 2,800,000 kanals of land, wiping out forests and unleashing a reign of terror on the local population in the territory,” Sheikh Yaqoob  maintained.

Senior APHC leader, Shabir Ahmad, in a statement issued in Srinagar, said, "We have heard similar announcements in the past but the situation on the ground remained unchanged.”

Al-fatha leader, Tariq Kashmiri asked India to withdraw its troops and stop gross rights abuses in the Valley. The Chief of 11th August Foundation  in occupied Kashmir, Sheikh Issa, in a statement, said that his party wanted complete withdrawal of troops and rejected Indian Union Home Secretary’s statement.(Writer-South Asia)

Big guns pledge over Rs 160,000 crore for Gujarat!

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Gandinagar, Feb, 12 : Heaping praises on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's leadership for not only driving industrial growth but also boosting rural development, India's industry bigwigs on Wednesday pledged to invest in excess of Rs 163,000 crore (Rs 1,630 billion) in the state. They had all gathered at the fifth edition of  Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2011 (VGS) in Gandhinagar, reports rediff on (12/1)

Meanwhile, Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani announced Rs 80,000-crore (Rs 800 billion) investment in ports, power sector and infrastructure in Gujarat.

He, however, did not specify the timeline for the investments.

"On the occasion of VGS we announce an investment of more than Rs 80,000 crore in port, power generation and infrastructure in Gujarat," Adani said, while speaking at VGS.

"While two new ports -- one each at Hazira and Dholera are being developed we are also expanding the existing ports at Mundra and Dahej. With this we have a goal to create 200 million tonnes per annum of port handling capacity by the year 2015," he said.

n power generation while we have commissioned 2,000 MW at Mundra, additional 2,600 MW will be commissioned by March 2012. Further we are also building 3,300 MW at Bhadreshwar in Kutch, 600 MW at Dahej and 4,000 MW at Dholera SIR," Adani said, adding all the above power plants shall be completed to create a capacity of 15,000 MW by 2015.

"As an integrated infrastructure conglomerate we are also developing LNG terminal, infrastructure parks, supporting railway lines and supporting facilities," Adani said.

"Projects of more than Rs 35,000 crore (Rs 350 billion) for which we had signed MoUs at the time of Vibrant Gujarat Summit in 2007 and 2009 have been fructified," he added.

Sikhs seek explanation from BJP OPPOSE INDIAN FLAG HOISTING PLAN

Jammu, Jan 9: Various Sikh organizations on Sunday lashed out at the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), for its proposed plan to hoist tricolor at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on January 26. These groups sought an explanation from the BJP for the alleged involvement of its cadres in “terrorist activities before going ahead with its plan”, reports Greater Kashmir.

Talking to the media persons here, chairman, J&K State Gurudwara Parbandak Board, Sudershan Singh Wazir accused the BJP and the RSS of raising  “hollow slogans” of “pseudo-nationalism.”

“The confessional statement of Swami Asimanand before a magistrate under section 164 of CrPC speaks volume about the anti-national activities of BJP, RSS and other wings all over the country. The Samjohta Express blast along with Makkah Masjid, Ajmer Sharief and Malegaon blasts organized by Inderesh Kumar, Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Col Purhoit and Sunil Joshi among others exposes the real face of BJP and RSS,” Wazir remarked.

The Sikh leader, who is also the chairman of J&K Sikh United Front, alleged that all these blasts targeting a particular community and demolition of Babri Masjid clearly show the BJP and RSS strategy to hoodwink the “secular minded” Hindus of the country for their vested political interests.

 “The recent game plan of hoisting a tricolor on January 26 in Kashmir is a part of the strategy to keep the flame of hatred alive among the peace loving Kashmiris in particular and Muslims in general,” he maintained.

Wazir alleged that the BJP is going to harm the national interest as well as the interest of the three regions of the state. He warned the BJP of serious consequences in case prevailing peace in the stare is disturbed.

Avtar Singh Khalsa, president of the front condemned the “anti-national” activities of BJP and RSS and warned them to desist from their game plan of disturbing the peaceful atmosphere of the state by indulging in such type of activities.

The representatives of State Youth Akali Dal, Bhai Kanhiya Nishkam Sewa Society, AISSF and Nirwoh Nirveh Society also warned the BJP of dire consequences if the secular fabric of the country is weakened. They appealed the right thinking people of the country to see through this game plan and defeat all such forces with one voice.(Writer-South Asia)

Why after years of criminal silence you are now breaking the ice : By Firdous Syed

Srinagar, Jan 8: Pro-freedom and pro-India divide apart, present Kashmiri political scenario is immersed in filth. The political class in Kashmir on the whole has stooped to an unimaginable low. The so called pro-freedom leadership has crossed all the limits of decency, Mr. Firdous Syed, in an article in Greater Kashmir (8/1/2011)

After maintaining a criminal silence for decades, Professor Abdul Ghani Butt has urged intellectuals to speak truth. “We should speak out who killed Abdul Ahad Wani, Mirwaiz Umar's and Bilal Gani Lone's father”. It is too late in the day to comment on the pangs of conscience of ‘wise’ professor as better late than never? Too little and too little, it will have hardly any affect on the appalling political conditions. There is always a motive behind a politician’s move. He never acts aimlessly.Prof. Ghani is an astute politician, why he raked up a controversy at this juncture? And after remaining silent all these years, why he suddenly has decided to go public?  The self professed moderate leaders were in near hibernation all these months of mayhem and unrest. It seems now they have closed their ranks and joined a cause to pin down and destroy for ever their worst political enemy? Has anyone smelt the blood: Syed Ali Geealni in spite of unprecedented public support has once again miserably failed to prove his mettle and carry forward the movement in a meaningful manner?

Even if the motives are sincere: truth should come out. People in all probability will suspect the intentions of the leaders asking the questions, particularly when the political skills moreover integrity of the moderates is suspected by the masses. Moreover what has been asked is almost known to the public. People may not speak openly but they know who killed Abdul Ahad Wani, Mirwaiz Farooq and Abdul Ghani Lone? It is also known, why these leaders or almost all politicians and other intellectuals got killed. Furthermore, the ever enthusiastic attitude of police administration to put Pakistan in a dock has very nearly destroyed the possibility of an objective debate. Particularly when Yasin Malik true to his whimsical style has already declared: “90 percent intellectuals work on the ‘government aid”. In such a dreadful environment of suspicion hardly anybody will stick his neck out and speak the truth?    

Truth is sacrosanct, it has to prevail. Had we not been cowards or hypocrites, whosoever killed Mirwaiz Farooq in 1990 should have the courage to own the killing. If late Mirwiaz as some sections still believe was anti movement, Mazar-e-Shudha should not have been his final resting place. Traitors and martyrs cannot share the same space. Not only this, it also gave rise to a culture of indiscriminate killings. Since militant organizations were not under obligation to publicly own their acts, they started bumping off their opponents at will. It took no time for the Mujahid’s to become merciless killers. Some innocents were even killed on the flimsy grounds just to settle the personnel scores. And then usual champions of religion enacted Sharia courts, deciding the fate of innocents these kangaroo courts began hanging people from the trees. Mirwaiz Farooq for that matter all other innocent civilian didn’t deserve to be killed ruthlessly. Mirwaiz  in real sense was a politician, like traditional politicians he too had his weaknesses as well as strengths. From my own experience I can safely vouch that he feared for his life. Few days before his death, Gulam Qadir Hagroo a senior peoples League activist wanted me to meet Mirwaiz, for some reasons meeting could not take place. The purpose of the meeting was to put Mirwaiz at ease--militants had nothing personal against him. I am not sure whether our meeting would have put Mirwiaiz’s anxieties at rest. Dozens of militant organizations and many more splinter groups were freely operating.

Mirwaiz Farooq’s death was a big jolt. It raises many questions. For that matter all the high profile killings of persons like Abdul Ahad Wani, Abdul Ahad Guru, Gulam Qadir Wani and Abdul Ghani Lone have given birth, to many new controversies? If Mirwaiz Farooq, Abdul Ahad Wani, Abdul Ahad Guru, and Abdul Ghani Lone were killed on the orders of ISI, why Mirwaiz, Yasin and Bilal Lone still considers Pakistan to be a friend? And if Hizab-ul-Mujahideen is the real culprit, how come killers and killed could co-exist all these years. How was it possible for Mirwaiz Umar, Yasin and Bilal to work together with Geelani?  It is a very bizarre situation wherein both killers and the victims are double-faced? Killers in order to cover-up their crime are  compelled to hide behind a veil of secrecy. Why the self appointed political heirs of the killed knowing well the faces behind the veil  failed so far to unmask the assassins of Abdul Ahad Wani, Abdul Ahad Guru, Gulam Qadir Wani and Abdul Ghani Lone and numerous other innocents?     

It is not easy to answer all these questions. The truth is buried deep under the mystery. Rather than revealing the truth after uncovering the upper layer, the whole affair gets messier. Let us for a while accept that Mirwaiz Farooq was killed on the orders of a militant commander, shall we assume that the high command of that outfit after due deliberations ordered the killing? Stretching further the imagination, shall this also be concluded that assassination was carried out on the direct instructions of ISI?  Perhaps Mirwaiz’s murder was a rogue act of a splinter group believing in holier-than-thou attitude, not an organizational operation. In such an unpredictability and uncertainty, no concrete conclusions can be drawn.

Most of the civilian killings, (other than the killed by Indian forces) some indeed were ordered from the top and even from across the border, are individual acts or carried due to the local considerations by the junior commanders.  Innocent bloodshed is the main reason for the failure of the militant movement. It destroyed the moral basis and removed the distinction of a suppressed and a suppressor, ultimately leading to the erosion of overwhelming public support. Had APHC leaders been the free agents, they could have taken a courageous stand against the innocent killing when it mattered, it could have put brakes on the wanton killings and not allowed the movement to go astray. Crying wolf after two decades will only muddy the waters and fuel the raging fires of distrust and acrimony in the society.

Is it not an irony, if Mirwaiz could have escaped the death until the formation of APHC, he would have become the founder Chairman of the Hurriyat Conference? Ideological neatness is not the high point of this movement. Here a killer can be portrayed as messiah and a patriot as a traitor. It simply depends on the configuration of the time and political expediency.  More than the mercenary culture of the APHC leader’s, ideological bankruptcy of the present movement is the real reason for the doom.  Nationalists here are not true nationalists and people claiming to be the champions of the religion are the most horrible and ideologically barren. Respective ideological positions are subject to convenience rather based upon any conviction, the main reason for the prevailing ideological confusion. But if we are convinced that leaders are mercenaries, why do we expect them to be the torch bearers of any ideology.
Writer can be reached at: firdoussyed@yahoo.com

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba L.) plants sale in India

Ginkgo biloba

Family: Ginkgoaceae

English : Maidenhair tree, Ginkgo, Kew tree, Fossil tree, Temple tree.

Urdu : Pankha Plant

Kashmiri : Aziz tree

(Plant dedicated to  Shaheed -e-Azemat 
(Martyr of  Determination) Sheikh Abdul Aziz )

Hindi : Balkuwari

Arabic: Mabad ag

Botanical Information : Ginkgo biloba L., commonly called ginkgo or maidenhair tree, is a long-lived, deciduous, shade tree from China  that can reach a mature height over one hundred feet and is the only genus and species of the Ginkgoaceae family existing today. Know for its three-inch wide, fan-shaped leaves that turn golden yellow in autumn, the ginkgo tree can be found also It is found in  Kashmir , Gilgat, IRAN, Afghanistan and North Americaand is one of oldest species of trees in existence today. Individual ginkgo trees have been known to live as long as 1,000 years. The trees, which are dioecious (bearing male flowers on one tree and female flowers on another), may not flower until they are twenty to thirty years old. The female trees produce a one to one-half-inch, plum-shaped, orange fruit. It is the leaves that are harvested for medicinal purposes.

The Jammu Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre has launched Ginkgo Project  for propagation of Ginkgo saplings and during current plantation season and 13373 saplings are available for distribution.

Director of this institution said that anybody who is interested in plantation of Ginkgo  tree can contact the concerned Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre and obtain Ginkgo plants.

Description of the plant :

Plant : Deciduous Tree

Height : 30 m (98 feet)

Flovering : April to May

Scent : Scented Tree

Bioactive Components : The main bioactive components of ginkgo leaves are flavonoids, biflavonoides, proanthocyanidins, and triactonic diterpenes, which include the ginkgolides A, B & C. Ginkgolide B has been shown to inhibit platelets in the blood from coagulating. The flavonoids in ginkgo have demonstrated very strong antioxidant effects.

Uses and Treatments : Ginkgo has been used for medicinal purposes for almost 5,000 years. In Chinese traditional medicine, it is used to treat asthma, bronchitis, and various brain disorders. In Asia, the seeds of the ginkgo tree are used to aid digestion and to reduce the intoxicating effects of alcohol. In Europe and North America, ginkgo extract is used for the treatment of circulatory problems, immune system dysfunction and cognitive disorders, including memory loss. There are currently no approved treatments involving the use of ginkgo extracts in North America. However, the FDA regards ginkgo extracts as "probably safe". Germany's

Commission E. has approved ginkgo extract for the treatment of intermittent claudication, vascular vertigo, and vascular tinnitus.  Some of the uses of ginkgo are listed in Table 1.

Table 1. Modern and traditional uses of Ginkgo biloba.

Modern Uses Traditional/Folk Uses

- Loss of cognitive ability - Brain disorders
- Poor circulation - Asthma and bronchitis
- Vision and hearing problems - Increase life span and sexual potency

Cultivation Practices

Site Selection : Ginkgo grows best in deep, moist, sandy soil and prefers full to partial sun in zones four to eight. It will tolerate poor and compacted soils except permanently wet soils. Ginkgo will grow in a wide range of soil pH and can tolerate heat and drought once the trees get established. For a tree crop, preparation of the soil is just as important as a field crop.

Planting : Propagation can be done by seed, cuttings, or grafting. Cuttings are the preferred method of propagating ginkgo to assure planting of only male flowering trees. Seeds can be planted in the spring or fall. Tim Blakley, co-author of Medicinal Herbs in the Garden, Field, and Marketplace, recommends stratifying the seed for four to six weeks if planting in the spring. Blakley sows his ginkgo seeds in one to five gallon pots, then transplants seedlings to the field, spacing them ten to twenty feet apart. Mulching the plants will keep weeds down. Ginkgo can grow twelve to eighteen inches a year. Blakley states the trees should reach a height of six to eight feet before beginning to harvest.

Insects and Diseases : Ginkgo trees have developed an amazing resistance to disease and pests. The Index of Plant Diseases in the United States lists the following diseases for Ginkgo biloba: leaf spots, Glomerella cingulata (anthracnose) and Phyllosticta gingko; sapwood or wound rot, Fomes conatus, Oxyporus populinus, and Polyporus spp. (sometimes found on living trees following injuries); root knot nematodes, Heterodera marioni and Meloidogyne sp.; root rot, Phymatotrichum omnivorum; and a seed rot, Xylaria longeana.

Harvesting, Cleaning, and Drying : The leaves from a ginkgo tree are harvested in fall, as the leaves are turning yellow. Blakley’s method of harvesting is to cut the branches with pruning shears, and then pull the leaves off of the branches. He recommends placing the leaves on racks in a dryer designed for herbs, and turning the leaves several times during the drying process to avoid matting. Ed Fletcher, Strategic Sourcing, Inc, suggests setting the dryer temperature at 105o-110oF. Drying time averages from twelve to fourteen hours but may increase or decrease depending on the humidity in the air. When adequately dried, the leaves should have a crinkly andcrumbly feel. Fletcher states that there should be no flexibility in the leaf without breaking. When the midrib is dry, the leaf will also be dry. Package the dried leaves in woven poly bags that are light proof or in corrugated boxes, and store in a cool, dry, dark location.

Marketing and Economics

Annual Consumption and Dollar Value. In 2001, between 4.5 million pounds and 5.1 million pounds of dried ginkgo leaves were consumed. This was 34% higher than the amount in 1997 and about 5% higher than the amount in 2000. The dollar value in 2001 was about $25 million, which was 40% greater than the dollar value in 1997.

Supply and Demand : Historically, positive clinical support propels demand for this botanical. Clinical trials are being done on Ginkgo biloba as a treatment option for Alzheimer’s disease. An aging population base in North America and Europe has increased demand, due to ginkgo’s antiaging actions. European functional food manufacturers are also incorporating this material into more nutritional supplements and beverages.

Supply and demand for ginkgo has reached equilibrium with a very stable market. Supplies come almost exclusively from large-scale cultivation. Large-scale cultivation is occurring worldwide. A small number of growers produce over 95% of the world’s supply. Large commercial plantations exist in South Carolina (US), Japan, Korea, France and China. Sumter County, South Carolina, is home to the largest ginkgo plantation in North America. Since the supply of ginkgo comes exclusively from cultivated sources, little variation exists in bioactive components among individual harvests. Customers are primarily concerned with a lack of chemical residue on the material. Typical bioactive percentages are 24% ginkgo flavoglycosides and 6% terpene lactones.

Distribution Channels : Distribution channels for ginkgo are highly structured. The maturity of this market has resulted in all material flowing through large, vertically integrated companies. Most organizations are located in Europe and draw on imported raw material sources from all over the world.

Where available in :

Contact person : Sheikh Gulzaar (Head)

Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre

POB: 667 GPO Srinagar SGR JK 190001

Ph: 01933-223705

Mob: 09858986794

e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com

home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

UN urged to implement its resolutions on Kashmir

Srinagar, January 5 : Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and the world over observed the Right to Self-determination Day, today, to remind the international community that the UN resolutions on Kashmir remained unimplemented even after the passage of more than six decades.

On this day in 1949, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution, acknowledging Kashmiris’ right of self-determination and giving them the right to decide their future by themselves.

Addressing a seminar in Srinagar, today, the speakers said that the people of Kashmir had been facing the worst form of state terrorism due to the non-implementation of the UN resolutions. The speakers including Syed Ali Gilani, Dr Javed Iqbal, Zaheeruddin, Professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain, Z G Muhammad and Riaz Masroor said that the Kashmiris had been rendering unparalleled sacrifices to secure their right to self-determination. They said that the World Body should recognise its responsibility and come forward to implement its resolutions on Kashmir.

APHC leader and the Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement, Ghulam Ahmed Mir addressing a session of his party activists in Jammu said that the UN resolutions on Kashmir were still as much relevant as they were six decades back when they were adopted.

Meanwhile, the speakers at a seminar in Islamabad organised by the APHC-AJK deplored that the United Nations had not been able to give effect to its resolutions to hold plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir. A resolution passed on the occasion asked the world community to impress upon India to settle the dispute in accordance with the Kashmiris’ aspirations.

In London, the Executive Director of Kashmir Centre, Professor Nazir Ahmed Shawl in a statement pointed out that permanent peace was not possible in South Asia till the Kashmir dispute remained unresolved.

Abdul Gani Bhat’s Remark

Dear Mr Sheikh Gulzaar Sahib,

This is in response to the news, ‘Mirwaiz admits 3 yr stir lacked direction.  Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat has added to his stature by telling the truth about the people who killed  Moulvi Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone.

If he had uttered these words many years ago Kashmir valley would have been saved from a lot of death and destruction. The separatists should admit the mistakes and follies committed by them. Nothing can be won by falsehood and it is better to call a spade a spade, the sooner the better as Prof. Bhat has done. Honesty can lead to a solution to Kashmir.

Johan Simith

e-mail: johansimith@sify.com

Mumbai-India

Yaseen Malik dares BJP, says won’t allow flag-hoisting in Lal Chowk

Srinagar, Jan 05: Terming United Nations a ‘failed Institution’, Hurriyat (M) chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Tuesday said his party cannot expect much from the UN resolutions on Kashmir. Meanwhile, JKLF chief, Muhammad Yasin Malik has dared BJP to hoist tri-colour at Lal Chowk on January 26. The senior separatist leaders were speaking at a seminar ‘United Nations Resolutions-

Don’t push Kashmiris to violence again : ‘UN Has Failed In Kashmir, Appointment Of Interlocutors Futile’

Srinagar, Jan 5: The Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Tuesday warned that Kashmiris will be again forced to take to violence if India continues with its “oppressive” policies to suppress the ongoing movement for right to self-determination and delays resolution of the Kashmir dispute, reports Greater Kashmir

Mirwaiz proposed a resolution at the seminar in which he castigated the United Nations for failing to implement its resolutions on Kashmir and declared Kashmiris as ‘masters of their destiny’ maintaining they will on their own decide the future of Kashmir. The resolution was unanimously adopted.

Addressing a seminar ‘UN resolutions—the legal foundation of disputed nature of Kashmir’ at Hurriyat office Rajbagh here, Mirwaiz said the delay in implementation of the resolutions was taking a heavy toll on the Kashmiris.

On January 5, 1948, the UN had passed a resolution noting that both India and Pakistan had accepted that the question of accession of the state of Jammu and Kashmir to India or Pakistan will be decided through the democratic method of free and impartial plebiscite.

“By virtue of UN resolutions, the Kashmir dispute has achieved international dimensions. The resolutions have made the case of Kashmiris strong. Ironically, the UN which projects itself as a credible institution has failed to implement its own resolutions. The UN as a failed institution should be disbanded,” Mirwaiz said.

Mirwaiz however maintained that whether India or Pakistan will accept or disapprove the UN resolutions, Kashmiris will remain committed to achieve the right to self-determination. “We won’t let the sacrifices rendered by Kashmir in past over six decades go waste. On the eve of January 5, when the UN passed the resolutions, we unanimously pass a resolution that Kashmiris are masters of their destiny who will on their own decide the future of Kashmir,” he said.

Terming the appointment of interlocutors and formation of working groups as a futile exercise, Mirwaiz said the writing on the wall is clear for India. “If India tries to suppress Kashmiris movement for right to self-determination, they will be forced to again take to violent recourse to achieve their goal. I want to maintain that there is no rule of law or accountability in Kashmir. The troopers and police are killing innocent at their will and whim. Kashmir has been turned into a military and police state. Ironically, the international community including the UN Human Rights Commission has maintained a criminal silence over the killing spree in the Valley.” he said.

Mirwaiz underscored the need for building consensus between pro-freedom parties to jointly take the movement to its logical conclusion.

Stating that India and Pakistan can’t thrust solution to the dispute, Mirwaiz said the conglomerate had been supporting the dialogue process but it failed to make any headway. “Despite being a primary party to the dispute Kashmiris have been kept away from the dialogue process. As a result the process has not yielded any result. Need of the hour is to streamline the dialogue process and make it time-bound on the pattern of dispute in middle-east and other countries,” he said.

Defending the conglomerate’s support to former Pakistani President General Pervez Musharaf’s  four-point formula on Kashmir, Mirwaiz said it was an internal arrangement and not a permanent solution. “Even Musharaf has maintained that the formula was a temporary arrangement for 5-6 years and ultimately the people of Kashmir had to themselves resolve it. We also believe that before the final settlement of the dispute, confidence building measures have to be taken,” he said.

However in the same breath, Mirwaiz accused India of taking Confidence Building Measures to hoodwink the international community. “The cross-LOC trade has been a glaring example of India’s non-seriousness. The CBM which was aimed at restoring trade links between Kashmirs, has turned out to be a mere public relation exercise. In absence of banking, communication and facilities how is the cross-LoC trade possible? India is trying to control everything in Kashmir, from governance to bus service from New Delhi,” he said.

Mirwaiz minced no words in accusing India of hatching a conspiracy to defame the ongoing movement. “Kashmiris have rendered over one lakh sacrifices for the indigenous movement. But India is leaving no stone unturned to defame our sacred movement by saying it is aided and funded. There are more Indian troopers in Kashmir than their NATO counterparts in Afghanistan. Still the alienation of Kashmiris has taken the shape of hatred.”

He said in the survey conducted by Times of India and Jang Group under their Aaman Ki Aasha campaign 70 percent of people of India and Pakistan have maintained that the two countries can’t improve their relations without resolving Kashmir.
“It is high time for India to come out of its denial mode and accept the ground reality in Kashmir,” he said.

‘Paradise lost’
The senior leader of Hurriyat (M), Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, in his typical style termed Kashmir as a paradise which has been turned into a hell.

“India became free on August 14, 1947 but it draped the paradise in its autocratic rule. Till August 15 and 16 Maharaja (Hari Singh) had not taken any decision to decide the future of Kashmir. He was neither with India or Pakistan but wanted to maintain status-quo. On October 26, Maharaja acceded to India and its troopers landed in Kashmir,” he said.

Referring to VP Menon, a senior official of India instrumental in accession of Kashmir, Prof Bhat said in his book ‘Freedom at Midnight’ he had written that “the bastard (Maharaja) has done it. We have it (Kashmir) and we will not let it go.” “This exposes the motives of India. The matter was taken by India to UN, which facilitated truce and passed resolutions giving right to self-determination to Kashmiris,” he said.

Prof Bhat said aim of the seminar is that Kashmiris are prime party to the dispute. “The UN resolution provided legal foundation to the dispute. But Kashmiris were never given the right to self-determination despite wars between India and Pakistan. We want to maintain that Kashmiris are the rulers of Kashmir and they will decide its future,” he said.

‘SHOW SERIOUSNESS’
The senior leader of Hurriyat (M) and chairman of National Front, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, underscored the need of showing seriousness as a nation to achieve right to self-determination.

“India has been trying to suppress the aspirations of Kashmiris by guns. Our movement has transcended from 20th to 21st century. Despite formation of graveyards across the Valley, Kashmiris are fighting with great resolve. The so-called democracy India is doing every undemocratic thing to quell the voice of Kashmiris,” Khan said.

Khan said many teenagers and youth in Pattan, Sopur and Varmul have lost their eye-sight after being hit by pellets by the CRPF during the summer unrest. “This is just a glimpse of so-called democracy. Kashmiris are being selectively killed. When eight people were killed in Humhama no action was taken against the accused cops and troopers, while following the killing of a youth in Mendhar Poonch the DGP and IGP rushed to the spot and suspended the accused cops including SHO,” he said.
Khan maintained that Kashmiris are the prime party to the dispute by virtue of their sacrifices. “Need of the hour is to show seriousness as a nation to achieve our goal. We need to accommodate every voice whether they are for independent Kashmir or merger with Pakistan,” Khan added.

‘FORM PARALLEL BODY’
Hurriyat leader Advocate Shahid-ul-Islam read the paper of Patron Mahaz-e-Azadi, M Azam Inquilabi, who could not make it to the seminar due to illness.

Before the speech, Shahid said he was feeling privileged to read Azam’s paper as he was his teacher when he started his political career in 1984.

In his paper, Azam castigated the UN for failing to implement its resolutions on Kashmir. “We have every right to grumble against the inaction, passivity and in fact dereliction of this world body in reference to its resolutions. Delhi did everything possible to obfuscate the Kashmir issue notwithstanding the promise and pledge of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to facilitate free and fair referendum in Kashmir to decide its political future,” Azam stated.

He said some pacifist and altruistic global leaders were thinking to launch a parallel world body to thwart the trend of UN collapse. “It will become indispensably paramount proposition for futuristic global politics to address all the longstanding disputes like Kashmir, Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq,” he said.

‘LANDING OF TROOPS ILLEGAL’
 Noted columnist Dr Javid Iqbal threw light on the controversies and legality of instrument of accession. “Some writers say that VP Menon who had to get the instrument of accession signed by Maharaja, did not reach Jammu on October 26. By virtue of this argument even if the instrument of accession was signed later, the landing of Indian troopers in Kashmir was totally illegal,” Iqbal said.

He said India manipulated the accession of some Muslim dominated areas of Gurdaspur to facilitate construction of a corridor to Kashmir. “The UN resolutions demanded demilitarization of the State to which India did not agree. At some places Pakistan also showed reluctance,” he said.

He termed the appointment of interlocutors as a futile process saying they can only recommended not take decisions. “When everything is clear and majority of people in Kashmir want right to self-determination, the job of interlocutors becomes redundant,” he said.

300cr fall likely in floriculture exports by 2010

New Delhi: India’s floriculture exports are likely to grow to Rs700 crore by end of 2010 against projected level of Rs1000 crore. The shortfall in target is because of bottlenecks like poor infrastructure and plant material, production technology and availability of basic inputs along with insufficient cold storage facilities, REPORTS (livemint.com)

According to Assocham, poor infrastructure facilities and inadequate push from government, has led to domestic floriculture exports not rising to expected standards. Like, the value of exports of floriculture products from India was Rs212,70 crore in 2004-05 which went up to Rs305 crore in 2005-06 and further escalated at Rs390 crore in previous fiscal.

In 2007-08, exports are likely to be around Rs500 crore which by 2010 can go up to Rs700 crore against targeted levels of Rs1000 crore.

Although five agri-export zones have been set up in Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttaranchal, Karnataka and Maharashtra, Karnataka which contribute 75% of flori production, export quality floriculture is still missing. Resultantly, India’s contribution to world flower trade of about $12 billion (Rs480crore) remains way below its potential.

Besides, setting up of cold storage and cargo handling facilities at key airports like New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Trivandrum and Coachin are still under active consideration of the Government and prove to be inadequate to take floriculture exports to the desired direction.

Recommendations :
* If India has to achieve the ambitious export target of Rs1000 crore by 2010 key issues need to be addressed: economies of scale, product range, incorporation of latest varieties and quality control and certification and creation of effective cold chain management.

* Bottlenecks like inadequate infrastructure, inappropriate plant material and good production technology and non-availability of basic inputs would have to be removed and promotion activities of flori products exports would have to be taken up.

* For boosting its floriculture export, India should go in for potential export items like cut flowers, dry flowers, seeds potted plants and micropropagated plantlets. Intensive mobilization of resources should be left on those that are engaged in such exports with financial institutions allowed to come forward for flori exporters.

*Efforts like setting up the export promotion council, establishing appropriate marketing and distribution channels, abolishing import duty on inputs and reducing existing airfreight tariff structures are needed to promote flori export particularly to countries like Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and Japan.

Indian scenario

In India,floriculture industry comprises flower trade, production of nursery plants and potted plants, seed and bulb production, micro propagation and extraction of essential oils. Though the annual domestic demand for the flowers is growing at a rate of over 25% and international demand at around Rs90,000 crore, India’s share in the international market is negligible.

With enormous genetic diversity,a varied agro climatic condition and versatile human resources, India can tap its huge floriculture reserves.

As per estimates, the per capita consumption of flowers is the maximum in Norway ($146) followed by Switzerland ($126) and Germany ($88), though the maximum consumption of flowers is in the USA ($12,500 million), Japan ($5465 million) and Italy ($4270 million).

Though floriculture industry has been the monopoly of a few countries (mainly Netherlands), the largest trader of floricultural products, with a lion’s share of 70% followed by Columbia and Israel with 12% and 6% share of the global floriculture trade.

Opportunities :With production in traditionally strong markets (Netherlands and US) have reached threshold levels, developing countries like Columbia, Israel, South Africa and Kenya have emerged as new production centres. Most flowers are grown under protected conditions in covered structures like green houses and poly/glass houses in European and other countries. Due to intense cold, high energy cost, production in these countries is limited during winter months. Thus they have to depend largely on imports to meet their domestic demand as most of the festivals fall during this period when the demand of flowers is at its peak.

Against this backdrop India which currently has only 0.3% share of the world market with export of around $30 million, it has a strong chance of entering the market and creating a strong position for itself. 

The Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre (JKMPIC) set-up in January 1996 in Srinagar has the primary mandate of coordinating all matters relating to medicinal plants and support policies and programmes for growth of trade, export, conservation and cultivation and introduction of new plants  

For more details: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

Ph: 09858986794

Contact person : Sheikh GULZAAR (Head)

Police arrested 5 ex-HM militants in Pampore

Pampore, January 3: Family members of Muhamad Maqbool Dar who were kidnapped by Hizbul militants in 1995 claimed that a human skeleton that police recovered from a house here on Sunday was of the missing youth. Police arrested 5 ex-militants of Hizbul in connection with killing of Mohd. Maqbool Dar.
After recovering it from a migrant Kashmiri Pandit’s house here, skeleton has been sent for forensic examination while police has initiated investigation into the family claims.

Police recovered it from a house in Ladoo village of Batpora area after a local, who had purchased the house, spotted it.

“The house was gutted in a fire incident in 1992 and it was purchased by a local who was now reconstructing it. During earth excavation, a human-skeleton was recovered from the debris of the house,” said a police official. The locals said that the skeleton was recovered from the storeroom of the house.

After the news spread, the family members of Muhamad Maqbool Dar alias Bulla, who was allegedly picked up by Hizbul Mujahideen militants in 1995, claimed that the skeleton was his.

Speaking to Writer-South Asia, Maqbool’s family members said, “Maqbool’s elder brother, Muhammad Yaseen Dar who was the one of the top commander of Al-Umar-Mujahideen was killed by the forces in a gun-battle in 1994. Later, in 1995, Maqbool was picked up by the  Hizbul Mujaheeden militants and went missing.”

They said Maqbool was putting on the same clothes and shoes which were recovered from the spot today.

“Even the amulet and the black head band he often used to wear, that were found from the spot belonged to Maqbool,” they said.

The family members demanded a thorough probe into the case. When contacted, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), South Kashmir Range, Shafqat Ahmad Watali, while confirming that police recovered the skeleton said, “Yes we have recovered a human-skeleton which was later identified by the family. We have sent it to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for scientific examination and are waiting for the report.”

He assured a probe into the issue. “A special investigating team headed by SDPO, Awantipora will be constituted and a transparent investigation would be carried out.  We will go by the version of the family and will also take the locals along,” Watali said.

Security in Sistan-Balouchestan to be handed over to locals: IRGC chief

http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

TEHRAN – Iran has taken necessary measures to establish and promote security in southeast Iran, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said on Saturday, reports Tehran Times.

“Security is important for the development of infrastructure in the region and we have taken measures in cooperation with people, specially tribes and ethnic groups in southeast of the country,” Jafari, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said during his trip to Zahedan, the capital city of Sistan-Balouchestan province.

According to the directives issued by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, the security affairs of the region will be handed over to the people of the area, the top commander announced.

He went on to say that the enemy is trying to hinder the progress of the region through creating insecurity, sowing discord between the ethnic people, kidnapping, committing robbery and banditry.

The area has also experienced several terrorist acts during the past years. On December 15 a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device outside a mosque in the southeastern city of Chabahar during a Shia religious ceremony, killing 35 people and injuring more than 100 others.

The members of the terrorist group Jundullah use Pakistan’s soil as their safe haven for committing terrorist attacks in Sistan-Baluchestan (Writer-South Asia)

Inidan troops martyr 93,537 people in Kashmir

Islamabad, December 30 :Indian troops, in their unabated acts of state terrorism, from January 1, 1989 till today December 10, 2010, killed 93,537 innocent Kashmiris, including 6,981 in custody.

This has been revealed in a report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the World Human Rights Day, on December 10.

The report said that Indian troops molested 9,984 women and damaged 105,900 structures. The killings during this period rendered 22,747 women widowed and 107,397 children orphaned.

In the current uprising, Indian paramilitary troopers killed 122 peaceful protesters since June 2010 and at least 1,500 civilians including Hurriyet leaders and activists are languishing in jails under draconian, Public Safety Act. 

Meanwhile, over ten thousand people have disappeared in the custody of Indian troops

Address, Ph/Fax/e-mail/home address of KMS

 Kashmir Media Service-KMS

 

Estd: 1992
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STF/Indian Army/Ikhwan/Counterinsurgency/RAW/RR/Papa Kishtwari/Javid Shah/Muma Kana/HM/Ali Shah Gilani

A small village that gave Kashmir’s counterinsurgency an alternative name wants to change its name now - hoping they would not be identified as Nawabadis. Ibrahim Wani and Farooq Ahmad report on the Nawabadi Mohalla and its haunting baggage. Nawabadi Mohalla may pass off as just another small village in the Sonwari belt of north Kashmir, but for its street lights that make it stand apart. Those familiar with the village, don’t dare to take it for any other village, anyways. Nawabadi has entered Kashmir’s lexicon as a word that strikes terror. There were many villages in Kashmir that became hotbeds of counterinsurgency in mid 1990’s but Nawabadi was one name that stuck. A village of some three hundred people, two and a half kilometres from Safapora, Nawabadi residents now want to change its name to Mirabad. They no longer want to identify with its past. A few kilomteres from father of counterinsurgency Kuka Parrey’s Hajin village, Nawabadi Mohalla gave Ikhwan some of its most dreaded men. Many remember the village as the birthplace of ruthless renegades, like Fayaz Mir alias Fayaz Nawabadi, notorious for extortion, rape, politically motivated killings. For the state security apparatus, that patronised them, these men were important to break the back of militancy in the Sonawari-Ganderbal belt and by extension whole of Kashmir. So they did. Hardly anyone was spared. Perhaps because many of the first renegades came from Nawabadi village, the name in local parlance became a synonym for all the counterinsurgents or police informers. An alternative name for Ikhwan, the largest renegade group. Nawbid was actually used in the area to refer to the residents of the Nawabadi Mohalla. So anyone from the area was a Nawbud. After the switching of Ikhwan to counter insurgency, apart from the ruthless renegades who emerged from Nawabadi Mohalla, the village provided a haven for all counter-insurgents. Even though only a few from the village carried out the dirty work, almost all residents were Ikhwan sympathisers. Nawabdis trace their shift of allegiance to the killing of a JKLF militant from the village by Hizbul Mujahideen in inter faction rivalry in 1993. Manzoor Ahmad was the first postgraduate from the village. He did his MA in Urdu from Kashmir University. Later he joined Jammu Kashmir Students Liberation Front and crossed the LoC for arms training. After this he joined Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front as Deputy District Commander. This was around the time when animosities between Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and JKLF were building up. While on his way back from Sopore Manzoor was picked up by Hizbul Mujahideen. “They accused him of being an Indian agent,” say the residents, “but at that time it was widely known that Manzoor was a man of character. It was actually that Ahsan Dar wanted him to join HM.” When news of Manzoor’s abduction spread in the area, desperate attempts started to secure his release. “The negotiations were carried out at the highest level; almost all the known militants and separatist leaders were involved. The residents were promised his release. “But he was not released. We kept on searching for him. We formed search parties and would search for him throughout the area,” says Kawaam Din. But the search yielded no result. At this time Fayaz, Manzoor’s cousin was in jail. “Even Syed Ali Shah Geelani searched for him in his car. He told us that he had spent 13000 rupees searching for him,” he says, “Moulvi Abbas Ansari and Saleem Geelani also mediated but to no avail.” Demands for Manzoor’s release were building up. People were protesting. The Hajin bazaar remained shut down for 25 days at a stretch. Then, residents say, a HM rebel Shams-u-Din informed the villagers that Manzoor had been killed on the second day of his abduction, and lay buried in Hari-Taar, on the banks of Jehlum near Sopore. “We rushed to the spot. Some militants from HM were guarding the spot, and they fired on the crowd. People from the surrounding areas like Shah-Gund joined in and we retrieved the body,” adds Kawaam. The eruption of emotions and sentiments was spontaneous. “It was an angry crowd, which sees nothing in rage. On the way from Hari-Taar to Nawabadi Mohalla, around 14 houses belonging to Jamat-e-Islami (JeI) members or sympathisers were burned,” adds Kamaal. “It was a day which this region can not forget. It was a day of pain.” After this the rift between JKLF and HM-JeI deepened. A civil war sort of situation ensued where people from both sides were being assassinated. The Nawabadis became fiercely anti-HM and anti-Jamaat. “In all this all the militant organisations united against HM, and opened a united front against them,” he says. Peer Ziya-ud-Din of Asham, a JKLF sympathiser and father of Nazir Ahmad Geelani of JKLF was also gunned down by HM. This added oil to the fire. Around 500-600 people would die in this infighting, many among them were civilians. It was around this time that 28 militants surrendered, and under the leadership of Kuka Parray formed the renegade Ikhwan. Fayaz, now released, joined the Ikwan, and with the wounds of Manzoor’s loss still fresh, many Nawabadis followed him into the fold. “When we had seen the body of Manzoor, we could see nothing else. He had come out for the cause. We had followed in his footsteps, but Jamaat and Hizbul mujahideen ruined it. They targeted everyone who was not their supporter. We could tolerate it no further,” says an ex-counter insurgent. Fayaz was merciless. He soon gained notoriety and was gifted the post of commander-in-chief of the Ikhwan. Kuka Parray reigned as the supremo. Thus started the reign of terror. After that it was “catch and kill,” accepts Kawaam. Though the actual gun wielding Nawabdis did not number more than 10, all the counter insurgents in Valley - estimated to be between 1,000-1,200- came to be known by the name. The shifting allegiances of Nawabadis created animosities with adjoining villages. Residents recall that after Manzoor’s death the adjoining villages in Safapora and Bandipora enforced a boycott of the village. “The shopkeepers won’t provide us amenities. We were not given medicines even for around six months,” says a Nawabadi resident. Mohammad Sidiq, father of Fayaz Nawabadi says the boycott forced them to loot any trucks that passed the village. “But we would pay them,” he said in the same breath. In coming years, the response from the Nawabadis was often brutal. Fayaz Nawabadi walked the streets like a king. “Even policemen had to look down while walking past him,” says a resident of Ganderbal. He was the most notorious export of Nawabadi Mohallah to the rest of Kashmir. The Commander-in-Chief of Kuka Parray’s Ikhwan, he is said to have killed hundreds of people. “If his eyes fell on something he liked, it had to be his,” the resident adds. One day his eyes fell on a new scooter parked in the Safapora market. The scooter belonged to Waseem, a 21 year old. “Waseem would not just let go of his new scooter when the Nawabadis asked him to give it to them,” says the resident. Fayaz then walked up to him, and held him by his throat. He then pumped bullets into him. Waseem fell to ground. When a shopkeeper raised his voice, he too met the same fate. One more onlooker also fell to the ground. “Three innocent people died that day,” adds the resident. With three dead bodies on the streets Fayaz issued his threat, “People of Safapora, whosever goes against us will meet a similar fate,” he says. Fayaz would be accompanied by his trusted lieutenants, Abdul Hamid Mir alias Nikka Bhai, Mohammad Afzal Mir alias Commander Adil, Ghulam Nabi Mir alias Kaka among others, all Nawabadis. They reign of terror engulfed Sonawari, Safapora, Ganderbal areas. Hardly anyone was spared, but the families of militants and Jamat-e-Islami supporters were especially targeted. It started a wave of migration from the area to the urban areas. Many people even left the state. “No one was safe,” says the resident. The killings continued. Saif-u-Din Bhat, a 60-years-old teacher from Safapora was killed because his brother was associated with HM. Another teacher Abdul Karim Bhat was killed because of links with Jamat-e-Islami. A bank employee, Mohammad Afzal of Yongoora Chak also fell to bullets, for unknown reasons. The number is estimated to be above 300. Some locals say the number of the people killed was much higher than 300. “Many deaths were never reported. Many of these will never be known,” the resident adds. Nawabadis once went to the house of a Jamaat-e-Islami sympathiser in Banyari village. The man was not there. “The routine would have been to harass the family and leave,” says Yasir, a resident of the area.  But on this day death was in the air. “One of the Nawabadi commanders caught hold of a six month old son of the man,” he says. Then hell broke loose. “He flung the child into the air, and the Nawabadi party started firing.” The infant came down in smithereens. “I can not forget that day,” says Yasir, “there are no words to express this cruelty.” Tales of the atrocities abound. “One more case still resonates in the minds and hearts of people. It always gives me pain,” says Yasir as he recalls. “There was a girl in Asham, a beautiful girl, Nazima, the daughter of one Ghulam Mohammad Lone. And then their eyes fell on her,” he says. Nazima was kidnapped and raped. “For days together no one knew of her,” he recalls. Then details related to her emerged. It was Fayaz actually who had sought her. When she had resisted she was raped, by many Nawabadis, says Yasir. They raped her for days. She became pregnant. After a few months she was let go. In the meantime, Ashraf Nawabidi, Fayaz’s brother started pursuing Nazima’s sister. She too was kidnapped. “The family would not have protested if they would have known what was to come next,” says Yasir. The Nawabadis converged on the Asham market. Nazima was dragged out on the street. Fayaz oversaw everything. “What transpired next is engraved in the psyche of the people there forever,” says Yasir. The eight month pregnant woman was held forcibly. Then her clothes were torn. After this she was paraded naked. “Fayaz pulled the trigger, and shot her in the abdomen first. He kept on shooting and shouting - see the result,” recalls Yasir. Nazima died on the spot. Her sister is still with Ashraf. Even after an incident of this sort, no one raised a voice. That was the peak of Nawabadi terror. “But nothing is permanent. Whatever goes up, has to come down,” says Yasir. Most of the Nawabadis met cruel deaths. Kaka was shot dead in 1994, Nikka Bhai was killed in 1995, Afzal in 1996. The kingpin, Fayaz after surviving 18 attempts on life finally met his fate on Feb 17, 2000. He was blown up in an IED blast in Sumbal, just a few kilometres away from where he had shot Nazima. According to locals the intensity of the blast was such that his body parts could be seen hanging from the power supply wires. Many people believe that he was killed by his own people - the Ikhwanis. Fayaz Nawabadi is considered a martyr and a hero in his village. So are the other Nawabadis killed in these years. Their graveyard reads Mazar-e-Shohada. Fayaz’s grave is decorated and fenced. It lies on way to the shrine of a saint in the mohalla, called Sayeed Sahib. A stone throw’s distance from the graveyard is a model school. His house has a 12 foot high wall topped by barbed wire. He is survived by two wives and four children. “Similar is the case for many others too,” says Afzal, a government employee who was assigned a task in the area. For him too the visit was painful. His best friend had been killed by Fayaz. “I tried to skip the area, but I had to do my job,” he says. While walking through the village he saw a man walking behind him. Initially he became suspicious. Then when he finally gathered the courage to ask the person as to why he was following him, he came to know that he had no job or work to do. The reply startled him. The man had identified himself as an ex-counter insurgent, some of the few who had survived. He did not venture out of the village, out the fear. “Even though almost all the notorious Nawabadis were killed, the people of the surrounding areas can not forget the mayhem inflicted by them,” says Afzal, who happened to meet a relative of Waseem on return from the mohalla. Their response was, “There is no question of forgiveness. Even if they repent it, nothing is going to change. There can be no forgiveness.” Ejaz from Safapora echoes similar sentiments. “We cannot forget what Nawabadis have done to us. They are traitors. There is no question of having any sort of relation with them. They are still like that only,” he says. However, the residents of the Nawabdi Mohallah insist they want to stay aloof of politics. “We want to be away from politics,” says Mohammad Kamaal Mir, a resident of Nawabadi Mohalla, “We have already suffered a lot. Now we want to be away from all this. We also have same aspirations like all other Kashmiris, and our children like others too also cheer for the Pakistani cricket team. But we are silent spectators. We will not repeat our mistakes again now.” The residents of the area are self confessed supporters of National Conference. “It is we who made Akbar Lone successful in Sumbal,” says Kawaam Din. He further adds, “Akbar Lone is the most honest politician in all of Kashmir, and he is an ideal for all the politicians.” They credit him for most of the development work in the village, including the street lights and the tube wells. “We were even approached by the opposition parties with an offer of 40,000 rupees to vote for them, which we out rightly rejected,” say Kawaam. According to him recently when they had gone to meet Akbar Lone, he gave their issues precedence over all the other works on hand. “He even sent prayers on Fayaz and recalled how he had saved him when once Kuka Parray had grabbed his collar to beat him.” “It is us who voted against Kuka Parray. We made him fall. He did no development work here,” says Sidiq Mir, father of Fayaz. He describes Kuka Parray as a fool who was made the king. “If he would have been in Srinagar he would have been taken to a mental hospital,” he remarks. Narrating an incident when he had rebuked Kuka Parray for letting his brother go on a looting spree all over the area, Sidiq says, “I told him that his brother was like a wild bull that was going wild throughout the area and causing damage and action should be taken against him.” Later Kuka Parray according to him called him privately and told him that he should not have said this in front of everyone. When Fayaz’s father, an employee of the cattle farm operated by SKAUST in the vicinity was about to retire, he was put under suspension. So his pension was automatically stopped. He attributes the development to Kuka Parray. At this time, Fayaz was among his main men. The issue was finally resolved when some politicians close to both the sides intervened. Mehraj, a resident of Ganderbal was a child when the Nawabadis were at the peak of their power. He remembers a day when Nawabadis converged on his village, and cut down all the willow and poplar trees on the government land. “They sold it to their own friends at the cheapest possible rates,” he says adding that the fear was such that no government official either resisted or complained of the incident. Such was the case with all of the area. “They even cut trees in the Jarokha Bagh,” says Yasin another resident of the area, “Loot was a common thing with Nawabadis those days.” Yasir says, “Any vehicle which plied from the area was looted. People would think twice before passing through the area dominated by renegades.” Sidiq accepts. “The people from the surrounding areas on the directives of militants had imposed a blockade on us. So we had no option left but to loot for survival.” But according to Gulzar from Sumbal, “Nawabadis have always had a bad image in the area. They were involved in thefts and robberies before they became associated with counter-insurgency. After that they would carry out their activities openly. Extortion became their main business.” With Fayaz’s death, Nawabadi mohalla’s power waned. The village elders approached other surrounding areas, with a message of reconciliation. But they have met little success. The scars ran deep. When the Northern Command chief visited the area, post counter-insurgency, Nawabadis too were invited. “I stood up and asked them that what had the Government of India done for us,” says Kawaam. “I asked them what had they paid the families of the soldiers who had been martyred in Kargil, and in relation to them we were paid nothing. I told them that India has not paid us a penny.” Despite fighting a bloody war for the state, Nawbadis say they were neglected. Many of them, say, all they got from their haunting past were dead bodies. “If I had been in some position then, and could think the way I do today, I would not have let these things to happen,” says Kamaal. However, Kamaal maintains they do not face any social ostracism today, and are well heard in corridors of power. “We have good relations with people of other village, even among from people of Jamaat. We are invited in their functions,” says Kamaal.  But still the villagers want to get rid of the baggage their village name carries. They expect Mirabad to conceal their identity, and bring them back into the fold of the society. Travelling around with a identity card bearing the name of the village may not be wise option always, they admit.   “Nawabadi has now become associated with us. It is a sort of stigma. Wherever we go, people see us in a particular image. With the name change we hope things may get better,” say the Nawabadis. The story of Nawabadi Mohalla is the story of a village which switched sides en-masse. It tasted power, and wealth, until the downfall started. Now it is trying hard to merge back with the society it stood against. But neither the society, nor the village seems to have made its mind fully. More details (http://www.kashmirlife.net)