Kashmir Struggle News Update (weekly) JR 198 Volume II

THIS PAGE WILL UPDATE , ON A WEEKLY BASIS NEW RELATED TO THE STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM BY THE KASHMIRI PEOPLE.. Kindly refer to https://javedrashid.blogspot.com/2018/12/kashmir-struggle-news-weekly-update.html (Kashmir Struggle News (weekly)  Update  (JR107) for previous updates . 

Kindly respond with comments or news that you wish included in next weeks update at: jarad_us@yahoo.com

                                         

12.          Cost of Kashmir struggle  

HR Violations 

(From Jan 1989 till Jan 31,2020)
Total Killings *	95,496
Custodial Killings	7,136
Civilian arrested	158,506
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed	109,462
Women Widowed	22,911
Children Orphaned	107,784
Women gang-raped / Molested	11,178

From July 8, 2016)

(Jan 2020)
Total Killings *	21
Custodial Killings	0
Tortured/Injured	14
Civilian arrested	104
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed	5
Women Widowed	0
Children Orphaned	0
Women gang-raped / Molested	3

From July 8, 2016)

Casualties during ongoing uprising 

(From July 8, 2016)
Total Killings *	1031
Custodial Killings	68
Tortured/Injured	27739
Arrested	11858
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed	3306
Women Widowed	91
Children Orphaned	205
Women gang-raped / Molested	933

Inured by pellets	10298
Youth lost total eye-sight	147
Youth lost one eye sight	215
Schools arsoned	56
People detained under PSA	951
Compiled by: Kashmir Media Service

Kashmir Update 64: Week Feb.,24, 2019 to Mar., 1, 2020  

           

1.    Kashmiri Women: Feb., 24, 2020: The miseries and victimization of Kashmiri women by the Indian troops and police personnel continue unabated in occupied Kashmir. According to a report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the Kashmiri Women’s Resistance Day, today, revealed that at least 671 women have been martyred by Indian troops since January 2001 till date. The report pointed out that since January 1989; the unabated Indian state terrorism rendered 22,911 women widowed while Indian forces’ personnel have molested 11,178 women. The report said that thousands of women lost their sons, husbands, fathers and brothers in the occupied territory who were subjected to custodial disappearance by Indian Army, police and paramilitary personnel. The report said that several women including Hurriyat leaders, Aasiya Andrabi, Fehmeeda Sofi and Naheeda Nasreen were facing illegal detention. They are being victimized only for the reason that they represent the Kashmiri people’s aspirations. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/23/thousands-of-women-martyred-molested-in-iok-since-jan-1989/

2.   IHRAAM: Feb., 25, 2020: The International Human Rights Association of American Minorities (IHRAAM), a non-governmental organisation, has submitted a written statement for the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council’s agenda item 4, human rights situation. The session of the Human Rights Council will be held from February 24 to March 20, 2020 and the Secretary-General has received the written statement, which is circulated in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31. It said, the Convention has been ratified by 152 states. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has repeatedly stated that the Convention is peremptory international law and that it embodies principles that are part of customary international law. This means that whether or not States have ratified the Convention, they are all bound that genocide is a crime prohibited under international law, it added. The statement said, Kashmiris in occupied Kashmir is a distinct national/ethnic/religious group, in particular the Kashmiri Muslims, as being recognised in the UN report 2019. It said Kashmiris are subjected to genocide by the perpetrators with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part. The IHRAAM submitted in its statement that the international human rights groups have admitted that Indian armed forces are using excessive force that leads to unlawful killings and hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris have been killed during the period 1990-2019.It said, in recent years, the civil society groups estimate that 130 to 145 Kashmiris were killed by the Indian forces between July 2016 and March 2018. These killings resulted from the use of pellet guns, bullets, teargas shells, inhaling chemical shell fumes and shooting by Indian troops. The statement said, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists all claim that there were over 90 fatalities of Kashmiris in 2016 and during 2018, it is claimed that 160 Kashmiris were killed, the Kashmir Valley accounted for 122 and the four districts of South Kashmir recorded 85 killings. The first half of 2019 (January–June 2019) continued with killings of Kashmiris. The first six months record 163 Kashmiris’ killings, it said. The IHRAAM statement said, among the civilians killed, 9 were minors and 12 were women and all the killings were at the hands of Indian forces. The second half of 2019 (July–December) records 64 killings of Kashmiris. These figures (95,475 killings since January 1989 to December 10, 2019 corroborate the argument that there is a systematic pattern in place with intent to destroy in whole or in part the Kashmiris, it maintained.It said, there has long been persistent claims seriously bodily harm of Kashmiris who have been subjected to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. “Such bodily injuries are caused from lethal weapons including pellet shotguns. Besides, injuries through torture and other mistreatment occur at the detention and interrogation centres operated by the Indian forces and the intelligence agencies, it added. It said, one of the most dangerous weapons used against Kashmiris is the pellet-firing shotgun – a shotgun – that fires metal pellets. According to information received by the State Human Rights Commission from 10 districts of the Kashmir Valley, metal pellets seriously injured 1,726 Kashmiris in 2016, it deplored. The statement said, the Government of India has introduced the policy of “operation all out” that has been on-going since 2017 and this operation has led to severe injuries including 1,253 Kashmiris blinded by the metal pellets up to the end of 2018.The IHRAAM statement said, human rights groups have warned the authorities that minors were arrested under draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) in 2016 and 2017 and several Kashmiri leaders detained under the black law in 2018 and 2019 continue to be imprisoned and many of them were transferred to Indian prisons adding that the aim is the physical destruction of the Kashmiris. It said, civil society in occupied Kashmir claims over 8,000 Kashmiris having disappeared since 1989 and impunity for enforced or involuntary disappearances in the territory continues. Cases of enforced disappearances continue to be reported until the end of 2019, it added. In February 2018, the Support Group for Justice for Kunanposhpora survivors filed a petition before the Human Rights Commission of the territory, urging investigation into all cases of sexual assault by Indian forces upon Kashmiri women. This vicious act is undertaken to ensure physical destruction of Kashmiri women, it said. A  media investigation claimed that schools and colleges were closed for 60 percent of the working days between 2016 and 2017 and the situation in 2018 and in 2019 was such that practically no schools and colleges were open. The IHRAAM statement said, human rights groups claim days-long curfews and communication blockade have major impact on Kashmiris and their access to medical care particularly on pregnant women. “According to civil society reports around 200 ambulances were damaged by Indian armed forces and in some cases by protestors. The Doctors Association of Kashmir documented several instances of doctors, paramedics and ambulances drivers being obstructed, prevented and physically assaulted by Indian armed forces, it deplored. It said, IHRAAM addresses the international community and calls for an international Commission of Inquiry on the killings perpetrated against the Kashmiris. It also calls for the prosecution under the Convention and under universal jurisdiction of the perpetrators of the crime of genocide in the occupied territory, who have acted or act at the behest India. The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, should open a formal investigation under articles 6 and 7 of the Statute of Rome. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/22/ihraam-submits-statement-for-43rd-session-of-unhrc-session/

3.   ICJ: Feb., 26, 2020: A former chief justice  has suggested Pakistan to approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the continuing rights violations in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Retired Justice Ali Nawaz Chowhan, according to a statement issued by the Srinagar-based Legal Forum for Oppressed Voices of Kashmir (LFOVK) on Saturday, said Pakistan being an important party to the long-standing dispute should approach the UN court.  LFOVK, which organized the event, is an international legal organization which defends "the political, social and human rights of Kashmiris."  Chowhan, a Pakistani national, was a judge in the Hague from 2006 to 2009. He later served as chief justice of Gambia between 2014 and 2015. The former judge urged for efforts to get Kashmiris recognized before the UN the way Palestinian bodies are represented at the international forum.“There are UN resolutions on Kashmir, they nurture the struggle of Kashmir but when we wish to address the legal aspect of the dispute, one fails to understand why Pakistan as a state and an important party to this dispute fails to approach the ICJ," he said. According to several rights organizations, thousands of people have been killed and tortured in the conflict since 1989. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/pakistan-should-take-kashmir-issue-to-intl-court/1742287

4.   Youth arrested: Feb., 27, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, scores of youth were arrested during grand crackdown operations by Indian troops in Pulwama and other districts of the Kashmir valley, today. Most of the youth were arrested during cordon and search operations, launched by Indian troops in Kareemabad, Sambura, Ratnipura, Rajpura, Pampore, Dadsar, Tral and Mitrigam areas of Pulwama district. The troops sealed all entry and exit points and conducted house-to-house search operations in the areas. Besides, arresting every male member they came across, the troops subjected women and children to brutal torture .There were also reports of large-scale arrests during the ongoing search operations in Gandarbal, Shopian, Kupwara, Baramulla, Bandipura and districts. Meanwhile, India’s National Investigation Agency, notorious for its revengeful actions against the Kashmiri people, carried out fresh raids on the residences of pro-freedom activists in Badgam and Pulwama districts. The NIA sleuths backed by Indian army and police personnel completely sealed Khansahab, Kakapora and Qasbayar areas and conducted raids on many houses. They harassed inmates and ransacked belongings. Hurriyat AJK leaders, Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, Zahid Ashraf and Aijaz Rahmani in their separate statements in Islamabad urged the United Nations and world major powers to intervene for settlement of the Kashmir dispute as per aspirations of the Kashmiri people. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/26/scores-of-youth-arrested-in-iok/

5.   LoC : Feb., 28, 2020: Since 2019, at least 60 civilians have been killed and more than 280 wounded due to Indian shelling into Pakistan-administered Kashmir, according to Pakistani government data, which also revealed that the death toll rose by 114 percent compared with the year before.  Conflict at the LoC spiked in February 2019 following a suicide attack that killed at least 40 Indian security forces in the Indian-administered town of Pulwama. India responded by increasing shelling across the LoC and then carried out air raids on Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on February 26 s." https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/constant-fear-death-pakistan-administered-kashmir-200226140258169.html

6.   UNHCR: Feb., 28, 2020: In its update to the Human Rights Council on rights concerns and its progress across the world, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights highlighted both Kashmir and the Citizenship Amendment Act. The latter and the violence into which the capital city has descended as a result of it was described as a cause for “great concern.” In her address to the Human Rights Council, in its 43rd Session, High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet spoke on the prevailing situations in countries across the world. Her mention of India began with the detention of political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir.  The UN has taken cognisance of the Indian government’s excesses in the region a few times before and since the reading down of Article 370, on October 29, the spokesperson for the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Rupert Colville acknowledged that an “undeclared curfew” had been lifted from much of Jammu and Ladakh regions within a few days. Bachelet had expressed concerns about restrictions imposed on Kashmir in her inaugural speech at the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva as well, in September 2019. After Article 370 of the constitution was read down in August, five UN-appointed independent human rights experts had described the communication clampdown and security restrictions as a “collective punishment” for the population. This time, the OHCHR’s focus remained on the treatment of political leaders, activists, the closure of schools, the partial restoration of mobile and internet services, the restrictions on social media and the often excessive use of forces. https://thewire.in/rights/caa-kashmir-violence-unhcr

7.   Saudi reluctance: Feb., 29, 2020: Khan's visit comes amid Saudi Arabia's reported rejection of Pakistan's request to discuss the Kashmir issue during a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).There were unconfirmed reports in India media in December that Pakistan had achieved a "diplomatic victory" by forcing Saudi Arabia to hold a special session on Kashmir in the OIC.But Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported Thursday that Saudi Arabia had rejected Prime Minister Khan's calls for a discussion on Kashmir, according to Arabi21  https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/2/27/pm-khan-in-doha-amid-saudi-abandonment-over-kashmir

8.   Mazari: Feb., 29, 2020: Pakistan’s Minister for Human Rights  Dr. Shireen M Mazari said that Kashmir is not India’s integral part, rather, Kashmir is an internationally recognised dispute. ‘India’s position that Kashmir is its internal issue is not based on any reality at all’ she said while addressing the side event on the 43rd session of United Nations Human Rights Council. The side event titled “Siege Continues In Jammu and Kashmir” was organised by the International Human Rights Association of American Minorities (IHRAAM). Dr. Mazari said that India took Kashmir issue to UNSC under chapter 6 of the UN charter, not chapter 7. This means, she said, India accepted that Kashmir was an international dispute.“Had India gone to UNSC under chapter 7 of the UN charter, it would have accused Pakistan of aggression and so on, but it didn’t do so”.She also said UNSC had a very clear position that the only option to resolve the Kashmir dispute was free and fair plebiscite .‘Qualitatively the situation in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir has altered after August the 5th, with India’s attempt to annex Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir. This is actually straight out of the Israeli playbook,’ she said Mazari said that India was a signatory to the Fourth Geneva Convention and India’s attempt to annex Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir was in direct contravention to that .‘We have now ICJ advisory opinion on the Palestinian wall, which says that any change in the status of occupied territory or change in demographics, is actually committing to a war crime. India is now effectively guilty of committing war crimes by its actions in occupied Jammu and Kashmir,’ she added.Executive Director of Human right group Organisation of Kashmir Coalition (OKC) Barrister Abdul Majid Tramboo inaugurated the event with his remarks that the people of Indan held Kashmir were still locked inside their homes with no means of communication. Mr. Tramboo is also director of INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN MINORITIES (IHRAAM) for Europe. ‘There is no internet, there is no social media. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are suffering are at all levels-whether its medical situation, food situation or educational situation’, Tramboo said. Member of European Parliament Klauss Buchner  said there was a need to counter- Indian lies at the International level. ‘India claims Pakistan sends terrorists to Kashmir and India has a right to defend themselves. It depends on us to make this situation clear because we need the opinion of the world in our favour. The most important thing here is to make know what happens and make people aware that India is telling lies,’ he said. Member of UN Global Committee for Prevention of Genocide and Atrocity Crimes Dr. Iqtidar Cheema  said that India was committing genocide in Kashmir. ‘What is happening in Kashmir is genocide, it is an atrocity crime, it is a program and the world needs to recognise it as such,’ Cheema said.Kashmiri human rights defender Prof. Nazir Shawl  sought International intervention to end Indian repression in Kashmir and said, ‘The world needs to intervene to stop the Indian repression in Kashmir and allow the Kashmiris to use their right of self-determination to decide their political future’.Founder and CEO of UK based human rights organisation Facilitate Global Soraya Boyd sought an International inquiry into Indian crimes in Kashmir. ‘The current state with regard to curfews there’s nothing that Kashmiris aren’t used to, but it’s certainly the longest by far,’, she said. Former European Parliament member Frank Schwalba-Hoth said that there will be good news from Brussels concerning Kashmir. ‘Fighting for the issue of Kashmir is like a Chinese proverb to make a hole in stone is great. You need a permanent drop of water. Besides good news from the US congress, there will be good news from Brussels concerning Kashmir,’ said Mr. Frank. The Kashmir dispute is the issue of the right to self-determination that could only be resolved through peaceful means. Prof Joseph said, ’The only way to solve things regarding self-determination and respect for minorities, respect for nationalities is through peaceful means, through dialogue and through this kind of table, which we get this course, we can face each other”.“Siege Continues In Jammu and Kashmir” was organised by the International Human Rights Association of American Minorities (IHRAAM) during the 43rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. http://kashmirwatch.com/kashmir-is-still-international-dispute-under-un-charter-chapter-6-shireen-mazari-at-geneva/

9.   Missing Parents: Mar., 1, 2020: I’ve been watching the images of bloodshed and targeted attacks against Indian Muslims breaking out on the streets of Delhi. The role of the police in precipitating violence in Delhi and the detention spree in Kashmir since August 5, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked the region’s nominal autonomous status, has laid bare a glaring truth: The Indian government is willing to use any means to crack down on dissent. For as long as I can remember, my father has suffered under the Indian state. I’ve seen him in the guise of a prisoner all my life. It’s hard for me to even conjure him as a free man. On February 5, he completed his 27th year of imprisonment. I’m 20 years old. In his absence, my mother raised me. But I haven’t seen her for two years. Both my parents are in solitary confinement, in two different jails. As Kashmiris, they have been detained by the government of India for speaking out against the occupation and demanding the right to self-determination. In Kashmir, my story is commonplace. While much media attention in India has shown great concern vis-à-vis the detention of pro-Indian politicians like Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti in Kashmir, there has been little backlash against the horrible detention of those Kashmiris who do not see their future with India. Every such Kashmiri is deemed inherently criminal and punishable  Of the total number of detentions, 412 were booked under the Public Safety Act—a law that India has used for decades to quell any protest. The detainees do not have the right to legal representation, and can be held up to two years without charges.  Amnesty International has called this a “lawless law.” The authorities are not required to inform the detainees about the grounds for their arrest if they decide that revealing the information goes “against the public interest.” In fact, it’s the very existence of this draconian law that violates our “public interest.” A 76-year-old lawyer, Mian Qayoom, who has practiced law for over four decades in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and Indian Supreme Court, has been detained under the act. The High Court dismissed a petition challenging his detention. He is a diabetic patient surviving on a single kidney and has recently had a heart attack. He needs urgent medical care—a basic right that our prisoners have long been deprived of.  When it comes to our political prisoners, India disregards international law, and its judiciary only validates this injustice. When my own mother calls me from prison once a month, the authorized time is 12 minutes. But the jailers rarely allow us to talk that long. The underlying message is clear: They are more entitled to my mother than I am. They violate their own laws and ignore their own dicta, to put in our mind that there is no “system” or “law” that a Kashmiri can count on. Yasin Malik, a popular resistance leader, has been in a solitary cell for more than a year. He espouses a peaceful method of struggling for the right to self-determination. The prolonged and harsh imprisonment of a political activist like him conveys an important message: The democracy of India will not tolerate even nonviolent Kashmiri resistance. Children as young as 13 have been taken into custody. They have been arrested while they were busy playing on the streets or picked up from their homes in the dead of night. Fifteen-year-old Umar is an orphan but the sole breadwinner for his family; he dropped out of school a few years back when his father passed away. On August 7, he was detained from his home, handcuffed, and sent to a prison a thousand miles from his home. For three months, he was confined inside a small cell. Umar was finally released, but his life is not the same. He is in a state of war within. He has abandoned the bakery shop amid fears he would be arrested again. Families like his are finding it hard to battle for justice and livelihood at the same time. Some of them can’t even afford the cost of traveling to the distant jails where their loved ones have been kept. I know a mother who scurried from one police station to another, with eyes hopeful of catching one glimpse of her detained child. In most of the cases, the authorities do not inform the family regarding the whereabouts of the detainee. On December 20, 65-year-old detainee Ghulam Muhammad Bhat died during imprisonment. Ever since his death, many families in Kashmir fear that they could be faced with a similar fate. With little or no communication with their detained family members, they wonder if they will have the closure of saying goodbye to their loved ones before they die. In the ongoing violence against Muslims by right-wing Hindu supremacists, the lives of Kashmiri detainees in Indian jails remain in great peril. Kashmiris have always been soft targets of majoritarian nationalism. Now those attacks are increasingly also aimed at Muslims across the country. Oppression in Kashmir prefigures injustice elsewhere. Violence is the natural state of the Indian government’s rule in Kashmir. The individual liberty of every Kashmiri comes into conflict with the national integrity of India. The Indian state’s plan of action in Kashmir is simple: crush every form of dissent and increase the cost of resistance. By compelling the people to choose between survival and resistance, the Indian government thinks it can subdue Kashmiri political aspirations. What it does not realize is that for many Kashmiris, resistance is survival.   https://www.thenation.com/article/world/delhi-kashmir-india/

Kashmir Update 63: Week Feb.,17, 2019 to Feb., 23, 2020  

           

1.    Conference: Feb., 17, 2020: Jammu and Kashmir authorities did not allow a conference on the Union Territory’s future in which senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar was to participate as no prior permission was sought for it, officials said on Saturday. Aiyar claimed he was put under “hotel arrest” and police stopped people who were to attend the conference titled ‘Jammu and Kashmir– The Road Ahead and organised by an NGO, from entering the hotel which was the venue of the meeting. “Police stopped people at the gate from coming inside. Both Mr Shah and I were at the gate. I am hoping both of us will be able to return to Delhi tomorrow as we are booked on flights,” the former Union minister said.”I read in the newspapers how the envoys were shown that there was normalcy here and I wish they had seen the condition in which Mr Shah and I are in. We came here as Indians, this is an unbreakable and ‘atoot ang’ of India, to meet our co-Indians and we find that our co-Indians are being denied their rights,” Aiyar said.  https://kashmirobserver.net/2020/02/15/authorities-disallow-kashmir-conference/

2.   UN Chief: Feb., 17, 2020: United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said that the “global body could play its role in de-escalating tensions” arising from the Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India and the latter’s ceasefire violations along the Line of Control.“There is a dire need to protect human rights of the people living in India Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K),” the UN secretary general said while addressing a  press conference. Guterres said the United Nations Military Observers Group (UNMOG) in India and Pakistan were monitoring the ceasefire violations along the LoC.    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2158047/1-pakistans-achievements-terrorism-remarkable-un-chief/

3.   UK member of Parliament denied entry: Feb., 17, 2020: Debbie Abrahams, a Labour Party Member of Parliament who chairs a parliamentary group focused on Kashmir, was unable to clear customs after her valid Indian visa was rejected. Abrahams has been an outspoken critic of the August 5, 2019 abrogation of Article 370. Shortly after the changes to Kashmir’s status were passed by Parliament, Abrahams wrote a letter to India’s High Commissioner to the UK, saying the action “betrays the trust of the people” of Kashmir. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/british-mp-debbie-abrahams-who-chairs-uk-kashmir-panel-denied-entry-to-india-6272305/?fbclid=IwAR215RLIyahdgxWlQq3wBl767kOiytMNgt3PDkk1R7z8bvfk4Yh83AysFyI

4.   Protest: Feb., 17, 2020: On a chilly Cambridge afternoon, a group of Kashmiris and Palestinian activists came together in solidarity for Kashmir and to protest against a talk by an Indian official at Harvard University. The protesters gathered at Harvard Square in front of Aldridge Hall, where Indian envoy Sandeep Chakravorty was speaking, and set up banners reading "Stand With Kashmir" and "Settler-colonialism is barbarity".In unison, they chanted for freedom:  (What do we want? Freedom! Freedom! It is our right. Freedom! Freedom! Lovely, lovely freedom! Sweet, sweet, freedom!) Rally began with a handful of people and grew to   The protester went on to say that the institution's reputation is harmed when "they support panels like these, where a person calls for building Israeli-type settlements in Kashmir"."They bring a person like him to speak and have no critical session on Kashmir, where for the last seven months people have had no communication," the protester added. The demonstration was joined by Kashmiris under the organisation Stand With Kashmir, a Kashmiri diaspora-driven independent global citizen grassroots group. Other groups on campus also joined in, including some working on ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine, a cause often paralleled these days with the plight of Kashmiri Muslims. The protesters seemed to display different emotions as the event went on: Faces of anger and frustration could be seen alongside expressions of melancholy and despondency, and some smiling faces were also present. Chakravorty was appearing at a conference at Harvard University focused on India and its relationship with the United States. Still, once they found out Chakravorty would be speaking, the Kashmiri organisers decided to write letters to try and stop it.    While the rally began with a handful of people, it soon grew to about 60. And while the first response to the participants' chants of "Free Kashmir" was a conference-goer yelling "End Islamic atrocities!", after a half-hour or so the demonstration began to gain new followers."While there are a lot of things that I may not connect or agree with, I appreciate and acknowledge the fact that they are the right to express their dissent," said Ashwanath, one of the Indian conference participants. He did not give his last name."Whatever is happening in Kashmir, six months of lock-down, is not democracy," he said. Two conference participants went so far as to join in and stand with the demonstrators. "I was so heartened to see some of the people who were at this conference joining us; that tells you there must be something going on in India," Iqbal said. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/kashmiris-and-palestinian-activists-stand-together-against-india-consul-general-us

5.   UAPA: Feb.,18,2020: The police in Jammu and Kashmir are reportedly using the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act – one of India’s ‘extraordinary laws’ – against those who are using VPN or proxy servers to access social media websites. The administration has partially restored internet services in the Valley, only about 350  “whitelisted’ websites can be accessed. All social media platforms have been banned – and this is the first time the police has filed an FIR for that ban being broken. The police decision to file an FIR against those using VPN servers came a day after a video of ailing Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani was uploaded on social media, according to the Indian Express. “Taking serious note of misuse of s ocial media, the Cyber Police Station, Kashmir Zone, Srinagar has registered a Case FIR against various social media users who defied the Government orders and misused social media platforms,”  The FIR was filed “while taking cognizance of social media posts by the miscreants by use of different VPNs, which are propagating rumors with regard to the current security scenario of the Kashmir valley, propagating secessionist ideology and glorifying terror acts/ terrorists”, the police said.  The Wire had reported earlier that a large number of Kashmiris have been using VPN servers to slip past the internet restrictions, which many have called unfair. https://thewire.in/government/kashmir-vpn-uapa-social-media-fir

6.   Facial recognition technology: Feb., 19, 2020: Activists in the Indian capital of New Delhi are expressing concern over the use of facial recognition by the police amid intensifying protests over the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).The protesters are reportedly anxious about the lack of regulation around facial recognition and its possible role in the crackdown on the protest movement. They point to the fact that the government didn't acknowledge it was using the technology for this purpose until a national newspaper   Back then, the technology was used to identify and filter out what the police called "law and order suspects" at one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rallies. When the Delhi Police first acquired its Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS) in 2018, the original purpose was to identify and locate missing children by matching facial images. "I do not know what they are going to do with my data," Rachita Taneja, a Delhi-based activist who created an online cartoon about cheap ways for protesters to hide their faces, told Reuters. "We need to protect ourselves, given how this government cracks down." A 21-year-old Muslim protester told Reuters that he has adopted a pseudonym and at times covers his face with a handkerchief to avoid being identified."We don't know enough about these things, but we are trying to take some precautions," he said.  The recently retired police chief of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, O P Singh, told Reuters that facial recognition had only helped the police in detaining a "handful" of more than 1,100 people arrested on charges of alleged links to violence during protests. Modi's government is currently seeking bids from companies to help set up a National Automated Facial Recognition System. It would match photos captured from CCTV with existing databases, with policing a key potential use for such technology. Critics equate the project with the far larger-scale surveillance system in China.   https://www.dw.com/en/protesters-in-india-object-to-facial-recognition-expansion/a-52412455

7.   Exodus: Feb., 18, 2020:  Both moved to the Indian capital after losing hope of a sustainable career in their native Kashmir, where an internet gag has crippled businesses. “Before August, I had job offers from many IT companies in the Valley. Now, the prolonged internet shutdown has almost wiped out the sector,” says Nabi, who hails from Bemina in Srinagar.  The duo is among the thousands who have moved out of Kashmir since August last year when the communication blackout was enforced by prime minister Narendra Modi’s government in the wake of Kashmir’s revoked constitutional autonomy. The state has since been reconstituted into the union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, directly governed from New Delhi. Though Kashmir is no stranger to internet clampdowns, governments in the past have ensured that lease lines (or private communication channels) and broadband services were uninterrupted. This time, however, it was a complete blackout. This exodus of educated youth, some even to Gulf countries, is indicative of a wrecked economy.Kashmir has lost some Rs1.78 lakh crore ($25 billion) in economic output in the five months since August 2019, according to an estimate by The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCC&I). This is 11% of the erstwhile state’s nominal gross state domestic product (GSDP) of Rs1.59 lakh crore for 2018-19. If we separate Kashmir Valley from Jammu and Ladakh regions of the former state, the loss is a whopping 20%. “People from carpet industry, handicrafts, paper mache, tourism, IT and e-commerce have opened makeshift offices in New Delhi, Punjab, Hyderabad, and Kolkata,” says Sheikh Ashiq Hussain, president of KCC&I. The worst-hit has been Kashmir’s Rs450-500 crore IT industry, which once employed an estimated 25,000 people across the Valley. .” Even though many businesses have regained access to broadband internet after signing an undertaking with the police accepting responsibility for any “misuse,” the relocated IT firms are in no hurry to close their offices outside Kashmir. “The situation in the Valley remains unstable and uncertainty looms,” says Ahmad. “We will continue to use our outside offices as our backup.” There has also been a mass migration of hoteliers, travel agents, tour operators, and ticketing agents from Kashmir’s Rs65,000 crore tourism industry. The sector, which accounts for 6.8% of its GSDP and employs over two million people, is now struggling.Outbound tourism had grown exponentially in recent times with over 40,000 Kashmiris going for Hajj every year. Now this, too, has taken a hit. For one, online visa processing is no longer possible under the circumstances, leading tour operators to move out  left Kashmir,” says Samiullah. Running news portals, too, has become impossible.  The student community is one of the worst-hit. A significant number of those who fled Kashmir used high-speed internet to prepare for competitive examinations. Last year, around 25,000 students from J&K appeared in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admissions to undergraduate medical courses. Around 8,000 appeared for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) exam.. https://qz.com/india/1803539/kashmirs-internet-shutdown-makes-startups-students-flee/

8.   Missing persons: Feb., 18, 2020: Kashmiri mothers are still awaiting the return of their kids...When most parts of the world celebrate Mother’s Day, thousands of Kashmiri women continue to wait for the return of their sons subjected to disappearance in custody by Indian troops in Indian Occupied Kashmir over the past 30 years. Their resistance persists. One such story is of Parveena Ahangar, the mother of Javeid. Javeid was 16 when Indian security agents arrested him in August of 1990. She has not seen him since. Parveena does not know why her son was arrested, or even whether he is alive. In her grief, she started a group called the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) more than 10 years ago. Since then she has filled a thick green folder with hundreds of letters and sun-faded photographs from families with husbands and sons who have vanished. Women in Kashmir have suffered immensely as the conflict in the region continues.Many has lost their husbands, sons, or fathers. There are also around 2,500 "half-widows" who remain unaware of their husbands' whereabouts. For Parveena and thousands of other Kashmiris who have lost family members in this conflict, the politics is irrelevant. For them, there is only the one recurring question: Where is my son?

9.   APGK: Feb., 18, 2020: The All Parties Group on Kashmir in the European Parliament (APGK) has been re-launched to continue the parliamentary work on Kashmir. A statement issued in Brussels by the APGK members said that from 2004 to 2014, the European Parliament (EP) had an APGK to highlight the Kashmir dispute especially the issue of human rights violations by Indian troops in occupied Kashmir and to bring together key actors from the region “Therefore on Tuesday, during a luncheon meeting MEPs from different countries and different political groups came together in the European Parliament to continue the parliamentary work on Kashmir through the re-launch of an informal group, the “All Parties Group on Kashmir – European Parliament (APGK)”, the statement said. This included MEP Klaus Buchner, MEP Mohammed Chahim (represented by his assistant Bauke Brouwer), MEP Maxette Pirbakas, MEP Carles Puigdemont and MEP Bernhard Zimniok, joined by Barrister Abdul Majeed Tramboo (Organisation of Kashmir Coalition, OKC), Professor Josep Lluis Alay and former-MEP Frank Schwalba-Hoth, it said. The statement said that it was decided that the APGK should serve as an umbrella informal group to facilitate and co-ordinate all the work and efforts to protect human rights of Kashmiris including the right to self-determination. Keeping this as the focal point, it was decided to nominate MEP Klaus Buchner as President of APGK, to cooperate with the “Organisation of Kashmir Coalition (OKC)”, to be in close contact with EP committees and the European External Action Service, to put forward an EP Urgent Resolution on the detained Kashmiri leadership, to organise an exhibition in the EP, to hold a “Global Discourse” on Kashmir with participants from the three sides (including parliamentarians from India and Pakistan), the statement said https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/19/apgk-in-european-parliament-re-launched/

10.          Debbie Abrahams: Feb.,20,2020:British lawmaker Debbie Abrahams on Wednesday said it is the obligation of all states, according to the UN Convention, to speak up against another state experiencing human rights violations.  “We are not anti-India or pro-Pakistan. We are pro-human rights,” she added. Abrahams urged the international community to speak up against the grave human rights violation in the occupied region and recognise that human rights should be a priority.“It is our obligation according to the UN Convention to speak up against another state experiencing human rights violation. It is not just about trade.” Responding to a question about India’s claims of the Kashmir issue being an ‘internal matter’, the foreign minister responded that the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that the UNSC resolutions are as relevant today as they were previously.“If that is so, then it is no longer an internal matter. It is an internationally recognised dispute,” Qureshi remarked.He also noted that international human rights bodies referred to India’s Public Safety Act as “draconian” and minorities living in India referred to the Citizen Amendment Act as “folly”. British MP Imran Hussain urged the international community to speak up against the draconian legislations that are considered illegal according to the law, adding that “it can never be an internal issue, it’s an international one”.Recognising that the Kashmir issue is the longest-running land dispute in the world, the British lawmaker said the party will take their observations back and pressurise the British government to speak up against the situation in occupied Kashmir. Qureshi also said the Munich Security Council recognised that Kashmir is a nuclear flashpoint and if things get worse, it is unimaginable what the global impact may be. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2160029/1-british-mp-urges-states-speak-human-rights-violations-iok/

11.          Three young men martyred: Feb., 20, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district. The troops martyred the youth, Jahangir Rafiq Wani, Uzair Ahmed Butt and Raja Umar Maqbool Butt, in a fake encounter in Tral area of the district. As per reports, Jahangir Rafiq Wani and Uzair Ahmed Butt were arrested by Indian troops on 12th January, this year, and were kept in custody. They were killed in cold blood by the troops in a fake encounter, last night. Thousands of people attended the funeral prayers of the martyred youth in Tral. The participants of the funerals raised high-pitched anti-India and pro-freedom slogans. Indian police arrested Sirajuddin Ganai, who was working as a domestic help at the residence of ailing All Parties Hurriyat Conference Chairman, Syed Ali Gilani, from outside the house of the veteran leader and shifted to a police station  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/19/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-2/

12.          AI: Feb., 20, 2020: Amnesty International has said that police is using repressive counter terrorism law to prevent access to social media in occupied Kashmir. Avinash Kumar, Executive Director of Amnesty International India, in a statement in Bangaluru, said while the government has a duty and responsibility to maintain law and order in the territory, filing cases under the repressive counter-terrorism law over vague and generic allegations and blocking social media sites is not the solution. He was responding to the news that the police in occupied Kashmir have invoked the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against people allegedly misusing social media sites through proxy servers in the territory. He maintained that nearly 12 million residents in occupied Kashmir have been living through communication restrictions since 5th of August, 2019, and now the police is using the UAPA, a repressive counter terrorism law, against the people for overcoming the longest-ever internet ban imposed in the world by using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter through Virtual Private Networks (VPN).He said the people arrested under this law can be kept for up to seven years in jail. He said the Indian government says such sites are blocked to curb the misuse of the sites by miscreants for propagating false information/ rumours but the government has almost total control over what information is coming out of the region.Avinash Kumar added that the Indian government needs to put humanity first and let the people of Kashmir speak https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/19/india-using-repressive-law-to-stop-access-to-social-media-in-iok-ai/

13.          US Congressmen; Feb., 20, 2020: Two US Congressmen, Ami Bera and George Holding, have expressed concern over the grim situation in occupied Kashmir, insisting that the Narendra Modi government should release political detainees and restore normalcy in the territory at the earliest. Ami Bera, Democrat Chair of Asia Pacific Group of House Foreign Affairs Committee in the US Congress, and Republican George Holding, who is co-chair of the India Caucus, are visiting India. Ami Bera told reporters in New Delhi that they were keen on bringing a US congressional delegation to occupied Kashmir. “We have expressed our concern on the continued detention of political leaders in Kashmir. We would like to see an early return to normalcy there,” he said. George Holding expressed a similar sentiment. “A stable political situation in Kashmir is important for its economic development. Increasing economic development in Kashmir is important,” he said  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/20/us-congressman-expresses-concern-over-situation-in-kashmir-protests-over-caa/

14.          Missing children: Feb., 21, 2020: Ateeqa Begum has made several rounds of the courts since her son, Faisal Aslam Mir, was detained on August 6 last year, a day after India revoked Kashmir's autonomy. Mir, 22, is among hundreds of people in Indian-administered Kashmir detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA), which has been dubbed "draconian" by Amnesty International. Many of the detainees have been moved to jails across India. Ateeqa says her son was arrested when he left his home in the Maisuma locality of Srinagar, the region's main city, to buy medicine. She longs to meet Mir, who has been moved to a jail in Agra city, about 1,100km from Srinagar. But she cannot afford to travel. Her husband, Muhammad Aslam Mir, died more than a decade ago leaving behind two children, including a daughter who is now married. From the past seven months, Ateeqa says she visits government offices, attends court hearings and visits shrines with a hope her son will be freed."He was my whole world and his absence is driving me mad," she says. "I feel very helpless," she told Al Jazeera as she waits for another court hearing scheduled for March 2."It seems my whole world has collapsed without him. He is the purpose of my life and I will not stop fighting to free him."A police dossier says that her son was involved in "secessionist activities and creating large-scale violence in the area".In most of the PSA cases, the detainees have been booked under the charges of "creating violence and law and order problems". Ateeqa says her son used to take part in protests some years ago, but recently he was living a normal life and worked at a shop as a salesman."The government is humiliating our children and not letting them live." . For seven months, the delayed court hearings and the "hopeless justice system" have been taking a toll on their families.  Another case involves Bano, 45, whose youngest son has been detained under the same law and imprisoned in northern Uttar Pradesh's Agra jail. Bano, who gave only one name, says at midnight on August 2 last year, her son, Ahmad, 25, was sleeping in his room when the policemen arrived and took him away."The police told us that he will be released after an hour of questioning but it has been seven months now," says Bano, adding that her mother-in-law died of a heart attack a day after Ahmad was shifted to Agra jail."She was very attached to him. She got insane when she heard he was taken far away. She went to the whole locality telling people about him and the next day she was sleeping and complained of chest pain," she says, fighting tears. The imprisonment of young men in distant jails has been difficult for the families, particularly single mothers like Ateeqa. Both Mir and Ahmad have been detained for stone-pelting. Police documents say that they have been involved in causing previous violence as well. Ghulam Muhammad Bhat's son Aqib Bhat, 27, who sold crockery from a cart outside the region's biggest mosque in Srinagar, also remains in detention under the PSA for stone-pelting. "He used to take part in the protests in 2016 but now he was just doing his normal work," says Bhat, who continues to work at his tailor's shop despite bad health. The 55-year-old says his son was called by police before August 5 and later "without any reason" booked and sent to a jail in Agra."My son is disabled. He was hit with pellets in his left eye and cannot see properly; still no mercy was shown on him. He has undergone multiple surgeries but the police are not letting our children live even if they stay away from the protest," Bhat says. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/200-days-kashmir-siege-mother-wait-jailed-son-200220061243372.html

15.          Indian plans: Feb., 22, 2020: Six months after ending the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian government is now proceeding with ‘Plan B’ of the Indianisation of Kashmir by colonising the land and the people. “India plans to offer around 6,000 acres of land in held Kashmir as part of a business summit planned for April or May to help the disputed region after withdrawing its special rights and making sweeping administrative changes.” It was well predicted that New Delhi will take all possible steps after implementing Plan A by ending IOK’s special status. While its Plan A has backfired, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a speech in his electoral constituency, Varanasi, on February 16, ruled out any reversal of the decision. “now the government is offering the land, along with tax breaks and insurance cover, to draw businesses there,  More than 1,300 acres of the land is in the held valley, the center of a 30-year revolt against the Indian rule in the territory.” Kumar further said, “If we want somebody to come and do business here, taking care of the interest of the businessman is definitely our responsibility.” Furthermore, the planned business summit will involve more than 250 businessmen investing in cement, education and tourism.  The Indian government is unwilling to take a back foot on ending IOK’s special status and is now proceeding with Plan B. According to this, first the land of IOK will be colonised by using state land to establish non-Muslim settlements and providing it to various Indian companies for their so-called investment and business activities. After the promulgation of the reorganization act, there is now no legal hitch for Indian nationals to buy property and permanently settle in IOK. The plan will ensure that the BJP government alters the demographic complex of Kashmir by settling hundreds and thousands of non-Muslims there in four years’ time. In this scenario, one can examine three realities which now shape things in IOK. First is the bitter truth that neither the Indian Supreme Court (SC) nor the opposition parties rendered justice to the valley’s beleaguered population as the main issue in India today has become the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the registration act. Seemingly, the attention has been diverted from Indian acts of cruelty and ethnic cleansing in IOK to protests and demonstrations against the CAA.Second, the Indian strategy and policy vis-à-vis IOK is well calculated but has failed to render positive results. For how long the Indian military and border security forces will keep the Kashmiris under constant lockdown is yet to be seen. Regardless of the costs involved and the hatred of the locals, the BJP is convinced that its patience will pay dividends. It may be wishful thinking to control the emotions of Muslim Kashmiris but New Delhi’s mindset has no room for rethinking. Knowing that the issue of IOK’s status has been marginalised because of protests against the CAA, the BJP regime is confident that with time, the situation in the valley will return to normal. Third, muted international pressure and the absence of practical assistance from Pakistan to the Kashmiri resistance provided adequate space to New Delhi to remain steadfast on its path. In October last year, the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) had announced crossing the Line of Control (LoC) to reach their counterparts in IOK as a show of solidarity but Pakistan’s Prime Minister appealed to them not to resort to such activities as it might provoke India. As a result, the JKLF announced the postponement of its march for six months. It is to be seen whether the JKLF will resume its call for a march in the coming month now.If India is able to get away with its reorganization act, which is akin to colonisation of the disputed territory, the day will not be far when not only will the demographic composition of the valley change but New Delhi will then concentrate on implementing its age-old policy to absorb the Pakistan administered Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B). India has often expressed its concerns over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passing through what it calls “disputed territory of G-B”. As a result, taking advantage of Pakistan’s failure to strike when IOK was absorbed into the union, India is confident in implementing its Plan B.  https://tribune.com.pk/story/2160943/bjps-plan-b-iok/

16.           Brutal Indian occupation: Feb., 22, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, APHC leader and the Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Tehreek-e-Muzahamat, Bilal Siddiqi, has said that India has created an atmosphere of fear in the territory to prevent people from expressing their aspirations and sentiments. Bilal Siddiqi in a statement issued in Srinagar said, Indian troops barge into the residential houses, harass the inmates and ransack household goods. He said that since August 5, last year, there was complete ban on political activities in the territory. He said if any remark is made or published in favour of freedom movement, the person who makes the remarks is arrested while action is taken against the said newspaper. Bilal Siddiqi maintained that India intends to create a silence of graveyard in the occupied territory. He appealed to the world community to take cognizance of the grim human rights situation in occupied Kashmir and impress upon India to resolve the Kashmir dispute by giving the Kashmiris their right to self-determination. International news organisation, Reuters, in a report maintained that India has launched a massive crackdown against Virtual Private Network users in the territory for accessing Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter and other social networking sites. A police spokesman told Reuters that cases have been registered against several people who accessed social networking sites through proxy servers.On the other hand, a large number of people from different civil rights organisations held a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding restoration of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that granted special status to occupied Kashmir. Posters calling for ‘Free Kashmir’ came up for sale on the occasion of the demonstration held on the completion of 200 Days of Kashmir Blockade, yesterdayThe police in the Indian city of Bangaluru arrested a girl for holding a placard carrying slogans ‘free Kashmir, free Dalits and free Muslims’ during a protest against the citizenship amendment law. On Thursday evening, a 19-year-old girl, Amulya Leona, had raised “Pakistan Zindabad” slogan thrice in the presence of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi after the organisers of the event under the banner of “Save Constitution” invited her to address the gathering. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/21/india-has-created-an-atmosphere-of-fear-in-iok/

17.          Journalists under attack: Feb., 22, 2020: “Jihadi.” “Presstitute.”Those are some of the insults the government of India routinely deploys against critical journalists. I’ve been at the receiving end of both. A few weeks ago, the Twitter account of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party called me a “jihadi” for my criticism of its polarizing tweets against Muslims in India. But I’m far from alone. Journalists are facing enormous pressures and intimidation in India. President Trump, who is visiting the country next week, will surely feel right at home with a government that also dismisses critical news stories as fake and casts aspersions on journalistic integrity every day. Fabrication, hyper-nationalism and self-censorship are on the rise as the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi tightens its grip on the country’s political and economic life. High-profile journalists have been pushed aside for not toeing the line. As a result, many of India’s finest journalist and editors can’t find supportive newsrooms. One of the country’s most popular news anchors, Faye D’Souza, resigned under pressure after she aired an episode in August questioning the government’s decision to revoke the special status accorded to Kashmir, which led to a crackdown on local politicians, a total Internet blockade and a tight curfew. The channel pushed her out because it decided to stand with Modi’s Kashmir decision.This climate of intimidation is not new. In June 2017, the Central Bureau of Investigation raided the residence of Prannoy Roy, the proprietor of one of India’s oldest and most credible news networks, NDTV. In his response, Roy said “they are trying to tell us that we can suppress you even if we haven’t done anything wrong." Then he added: "It is a signal to the entire free press of India.” But the tactics have become more brazen and are not even restricted to journalists based in India. After the New York-based writer Aatish Taseer wrote a cover story for Time critical of Modi,Taseer found his Overseas Citizen of India card revoked, which will now make it difficult for him to visit his home country. The attacks and intimidation help clear the way for what award-winning journalist Ravish Kumar has termed the lapdog media, or “godi media.” It’s this partisan media that has been tasked with dehumanizing and demonizing students — who are protesting India’s discriminatory policies, including its controversial citizenship laws — minorities and activists, who are routinely labeled as anti-nationals on prime-time shows.When you have a “lapdog media,” the prime minister doesn’t have to answer tough questions: Modi has yet to hold a news conference since he took office, but he has sat down for scripted interviews with selected news anchors. These pliable anchors also generously amplify fake-news videos generated and circulated by the ruling party’s social media and then refuse to course-correct despite being called out by fact-checkers. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/02/21/journalism-is-under-attack-india-so-is-truth/

18.          Woman detained: Feb.,23, 2020: A young woman was detained and booked on Friday for holding a “Kashmir Mukti (liberation), Dalit Mukti, Muslim Mukti” placard at a protest in the city, police said. The woman, identified as Arudra Narayanan is said to be a resident of Malleswaram in west Bengaluru and a student of a private college  The “Kashmir Mukti, Dalit Mukti, Muslim Mukti” slogans were written in both Kannada and English in the placard held by her  After being removed from the stage, Amulya was later arrested on charges of sedition and produced before a magistrate court which remanded her to 14 days judicial custody.  https://kashmirobserver.net/2020/02/21/bengaluru-student-booked-for-flashing-free-kashmir-placard/

19.          Two young men martyred: Feb., 23, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops  martyred two Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, today.(Saturday). The troops martyred the youth at Naina Sangam in Bijbehara area of the district during a cordon and search operation which started late last night.   . https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/22/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-iok-18/

20.          Youth arrested: Feb., 23, 2020: Indian police and troops arrested at least 17 youth during house raids in Pulwama, Shopian, Ganderbal and Baramulla districts. These youth have been labeled as Over Ground Workers of mujahideen. The police also arrested two other youth in Kupwara and Handwara areas for sharing material depicting the Indian atrocities in the territory. The arrests have been made days after the Indian police registered an open FIR for defying government orders on the use of social media. The sleuths of India’s National Investigation Agency carried out a raid at Darul-Uloom in Pinglana area of Pulwama district.   On the other hand, a delegation of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, today, met the visiting British Members of Parliament in Islamabad and apprised them of the latest situation of occupied Kashmir. The International Human Rights Association of American Minorities, a non-governmental organisation, has submitted a written statement for the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council drawing its attention towards the grim human rights situation in occupied Kashmir. It appealed to the international community to constitute an International Commission of Inquiry for investigating the killings and prosecuting the Indian troops involved in the crime of genocide in occupied Kashmir. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/22/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-iok-18/ 

Kashmir Update 62: Week Feb.,10, 2019 to Feb., 16, 2020  

           

1.   Youth arrested: Feb., 9, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian police arrested five youth during cordon and search operations in Badgam and Bandipora districts. Three of detained youth identified as Amir Shafi Dar, Shabir Ahmed Ganie and Mudasir Ahmed Khan were arrested from Badgam while two other youth Irfan Aziz Butt and Mohammad Asif Parray from Bandipora district.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/09/indian-police-arrest-five-more-youth-in-iok/\

2.   LoC firing: Feb., 9, 2020: An ex-serviceman lost his life and his teenaged daughter and three other civilians were injured in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Saturday in “indiscriminate and unprovoked” shelling by Indian troops from across the restive Line of Control (LoC), officials said.The casualties occurred in Abbaspur tehsil of Poonch district, where Indian troops resorted to heavy shelling, using mortar and artillery, at about 3pm, the officials said, adding that the shelling continued till evening. "Indian troops resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation [the] LoC in Chirikot Sector. They targeted civilian population with artillery and mortar fire," the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. https://www.dawn.com/news/1533229/ex-serviceman-martyred-4-civilians-injured-in-indiscriminate-indian-shelling-along-loc?fbclid=IwAR0ibuGt2BmKNRxaaQWUtMtk-9uEOwleUMnC6M7XmTp9vDsK2ZsVvPum774

3.   Strike: Feb., 10, 2020: Indian-held Kashmir was hit by a general strike on Sunday called by the separatist Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) to mark the anniversary of the death of a Kashmiri man who was executed for his part in an attack on India’s parliament in 2001. The JKLF on Thursday called for strikes on Feb. 9 and Feb. 11 to observe the anniversary of the death of Afzal Guru, and then that of its founder Maqbool Bhat. Shops and businesses were shut on Sunday, while there was little traffic on the roads in Srinagar and other parts of Indian-held Kashmir. On Feb. 9, 2013, Afzal Guru was hanged after the Supreme Court upheld a verdict that he was involved in a 2001 attack on parliament. Maqbool Bhat was hanged in New Delhi’s Tihar jail on Feb. 11, 1984, following his conviction for the killing of a police official. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-kashmir/indian-kashmir-hit-by-general-strike-called-by-separatists-idUSKBN2030CH

4.   Leaders booked under PSA: Feb., 10, 2020: Akhtar became the sixth mainstream leader in Kashmir to be booked under the controversial PSA, which was enacted in 1978 to deal with rampant timber smuggling. Two other former chief ministers -- Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti -- were booked under the stringent law on Thursday. PTI | Last Updated: Feb 08, 2020, 05.35 PM IST The Jammu and Kashmir administration has slapped the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) on senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar, officials said on Saturday. Akhtar became the sixth mainstream leader in Kashmir to be booked under the controversial PSA, which was enacted in 1978 to deal with rampant timber smuggling. While former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah was booked under the PSA in September last year, two other former chief ministers -- Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti -- were booked under the stringent law on Thursday. National Conference (NC) general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar and PDP leader Sarah Madni have also been detained under the PSA. Several mainstream politicians were taken into preventive custody ahead of the Centre's announcement on abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5 last year. Over 20 leaders have either been released or shifted to their residences and put under house arrest. 1 Comments Save National Conference (NC) general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar and PDP leader Sarah Madni have also been detained under the PSA   : https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/pdps-naeem-akhtar-sixth-mainstream-leader-to-be-booked-under-psa-in-kashmir/articleshow/74029158.cms?from=mdr

5.   Foreign diplomats: Feb., 13, 2020:  India took more than 20 foreign diplomats on a visit to disputed Kashmir on Wednesday  The delegation included envoys from Germany, Canada, Bulgaria, Nigeria, France, New Zealand, Mexico, Italy, Afghanistan, Austria, Uzbekistan, Poland and some members of the European Parliament. They’ll stay in the region for two days. “These visits are organized as a smokescreen to trick the international community into believing that everything is fine in Kashmir and to support the Indian viewpoint,” said Abdul Rashid, a Kashmiri trader.Abrar Ahmad, a student, said that “such delegations must come out of the high-security zones to know what Kashmiris are facing and what they want.” https://mynorthwest.com/1716081/india-takes-foreign-envoys-to-disputed-kashmir/

6.   Hafiz Saeed jailed: Feb., 13, 2020: A Lahore anti-terrorism court convicted Jamatud Dawa leader Hafiz Saeed in two terror-financing cases on Wednesday.He was slapped with a prison sentence of five-and-a-half years and a fine of Rs15,000 in each case . Malik Zafar Iqbal, the secretary of Al-Anfaal Trust, has also been convicted in the same cases and has been awarded similar punishment  The JuD leader was found guilty of “being part of a banned terrorist outfit” and for “having illegal property”, his lawyer Imran Gill told AFP.  The government had announced a ban on JuD and Falah-e-Insanyat Foundation (FIF) to partially address the concerns raised by India that Pakistan supported these and six similar organisations, including Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) or at least considered them low-risk entities.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1534025/hafiz-saeed-sentenced-to-five-and-a-half-years-in-prison-for-terror-financing

7.   Torture: Feb., 13 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops brutally subjected Kashmiri men and women to torture and harassed children during a series of cordon and search operations in Srinagar and other parts of the territory. The troops along with the personnel of paramilitary and police conducted operations in different areas of Srinagar, Bandipore, Ganderbal, Badgam, Kupwara, Baramulla, Islamabad, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri and Poonch districts. They sealed all entry and exit points at different places and conducted door-to-door search operations. The residents told media that the troops also ransacked houses.Meanwhile, Indian police arrested, at least, three Kashmiri youth for taking part in a silent protest demonstration in Srinagar on the occasion of so-called visit by 25 selected foreign envoys to the territory. The locals said that Indian government was managing such tours to falsely portray normalcy in the territory. The Democratic Political Movement at a meeting in Srinagar called upon the international community, especially the United States and the United Nations to take notice of grim human rights situation in occupied Kashmir  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/12/troops-brutally-torture-inmates-during-casos-in-iok/

8.   American city opposes CAA: Feb., 13,2020:   Cambridge in Massachusetts state has become the second city in the United States after Seattle to pass a resolution against a controversial citizenship law pushed by India's Hindu nationalist  The Cambridge  ity Council on Tuesday passed a unanimous resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), calling upon the Indian Parliament to "uphold" the country's secular constitution by repealing the law and stopping a proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). The US city houses the world-renowned Harvard University and Massachusetts Institutes of Technology. “It  has come to the attention of the city council that on December 11, 2019, the Indian Parliament passed the Citizenship Amendment Act, which for the first time uses religion as a criterion for Indian citizenship," the resolution said.The Cambridge resolution declared that "Modi government's racist and repressive policies" were inconsistent with the values of the city, "which welcomes South Asian communities of all castes and religions".The Cambridge city council urged its congressional delegation to support legislation in the US Congress censuring India  or enacting such policies.The move came a week after Seattle, one of the most powerful city councils in the US, passed a similar resolution, urging India to repeal the CAA and stop the NRC.The two resolutions came ahead of an upcoming visit of US President Donald Trump to India. Rachel Wyon, an activist in Cambridge who was born in India to British parents, told Al Jazeera that laws such as CAA echoed the Nazi Germany of the 1930s."Through the CAA, most of us can recognise the echo of the 1930s in Germany when a Nazi government took similar steps - closely parallel to the NRC and CAA - which we know now were initial steps towards the Holocaust," said Wyon, who deposed before the city council in support of the resolution.She said CAA and NRC are "unconstitutional and designed to disenfranchise several million Muslims, Dalits (people at the bottom of Hindu caste hierarchy) and other marginalised groups in order to move toward an ultra-right-wing fascist state"."People in India and the South Asian community in the US should know that they have the support of the world in opposing such a discriminatory law," Wyon told Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/city-passes-resolution-india-citizenship-law-200212094100503.html

9.   US Senators on Kashmir: Feb., 14, 2020: Four U.S. senators asked the State Department on Wednesday to provide assessments on India's crackdown in Kashmir, weeks before President Donald Trump's visit to New Delhi. In a letter addressed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Sens. Chris Van Hollen, Todd Young, Dick Durbin and Lindsey Graham expressed concern that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has blocked the internet in the Jammu and Kashmir region for months."India has now imposed the longest-ever internet shut down by a democracy, disrupting access to medical care, business and education for seven million people. Hundreds of Kashmiris remain in 'preventive detention,' including key political figures," said the bipartisan group of senators in the letter. The government's steps, including the Citizenship Amendment Act, "threaten the rights of certain religious minorities and the secular character of the state," they wrote. The senators requested information in 30 days about the number of political detainees in Kashmir, restrictions on the internet and cell phone service, access for foreign diplomats, journalists and observers and on religious freedom.They also seek to know the number of people who are at risk of being stateless, deported or locked up as a result of the citizenship law and whether Indian authorities are employing "excessive use of force" against protestors. The letter came nearly two weeks before the White House announced that Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will travel to India on Feb. 24 and 25, marking his first presidential visit to South Asia’s largest country. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-senators-request-assessment-on-kashmir-issue/1732529

10.          Health of top leader: Feb., 14, 2020: The deteriorating health condition of Kashmir's top resistance leader Syed Ali Geelani has triggered panic across India and Pakistan, prompting Indian authorities once again to suspend internet services in the disputed region.However, the family of Geelani, 90, said his condition is stable for now. .“More than a decade long continued detention has taken a heavy toll on the health [and] in addition to general physical weakness, his chest infection is not satisfactorily responding to treatment,” the statement said. The Indian government, according to daily Economic Times, has already discussed a plan of action in case of the popular leader's death as his funeral procession is expected to draw a sea of supporters, and could turn into a demonstration against Indian rule. Geelani has been under house arrest since 2010 in Hyderpora area of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. He has only been allowed to move for medical emergencies, the alliance said. The deployment of Indian troops has also been increased at "vulnerable places in Kashmir", according to Press Trust of India.  https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/kashmir-top-leader-s-ailing-health-triggers-panic/1732912

11.          Turkish support: Feb., 15,2020:  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed a joint session of Parliament in Islamabad — for a record fourth time — during which he reiterated his country's support for Pakistan, its stance on the Kashmir issue and in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)."I thank God for giving me this opportunity. I am thankful to each of you individually for allowing me to address this joint session of Parliament. I would like to convey the greeting of 83 million brothers and sisters in Turkey," said the foreign dignitary at the start of his speech. "I am thankful for the way in which the people of Pakistan have welcomed us. Here in Pakistan we never see ourselves as strangers. We feel at home. We are here at home, together with you. "Today, Pakistan and Turkey's relations are admirable for others [...] The much-envied Turkey-Pakistan brotherhood today, is a true brotherhood, strengthened by history and reinforced by historical events." Will never forget your prayers' Thanking the Pakistani people for their help in Turkey's war of independence, Erdogan said:"Dear brothers and sisters who else should we love and feel affection for other than you."Our friendship is not based on vested interests but on love," he said.  by piling up their own bread." 'We stand with Kashmiris' The Turkish president said what had happened in Turkey all those years ago was being repeated in Indian occupied Kashmir today. "Events that happened a hundred years ago in Çanakkale in Turkey are being repeated in Indian occupied Kashmir and Turkey will continue to raise its voice against the oppression. "Today, the issue of Kashmir is as close to us as it is to you [Pakistanis]," he said, reiterating Turkey's support for Kashmiris.  Referring to Kashmir multiple times in his address, Erdogan also said: "Our Kashmiri brothers and sisters have suffered from inconveniences for decades and these sufferings have become graver due to unilateral steps taken in recent times. "The Kashmir issue can be resolved not through conflict or oppression but on the basis of justice and fairness. Such a solution will serve the interests of all parties concerned. Turkey will continue to stand by justice, peace and dialogue in the resolution of the Kashmir issue. https://www.dawn.com/news/1534429/no-difference-between-gallipoli-and-occupied-kashmir-erdogan-stands-by-pakistan-in-parliament-speech

12.          Indian designs: Feb., 15, 2020: Independent experts and analysts on Kashmir have expressed the apprehension that India may carry out another false flag operation to defame Pakistan and Kashmiris’ freedom struggle and to create a war-like situation in the region.The report said that the Indian secret agencies masterminded false flag operations like Parliament attack, Uri attack and Pulwama attack to create a war-like situation in South Asia. The experts and analysts urged the world to realize that the ruling Hindutva regime in India is a threat to global peace. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/14/india-may-conduct-another-false-flag-operation-report-2/

13.          Leader booked: Feb., 15, 2020: Shah Faesal, a former bureaucrat, whose arrest along with other political leaders in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, has sparked outrage, was on Saturday detained under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA), which allows detention without trial for up to three months and multiple extensions. Faesal, who had floated the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement party after resigning from the Indian Administrative Service, was a topper in the 2010 batch. The young former bureaucrat denounced the civil services to protest "unabated killings" in Kashmir and the "marginalisation of Indian Muslims". He joined active politics in January 2019, but after the Centre abrogated Article 370 on August 5, which was condemned by all political outfits in Jammu & Kashmir, was arrested from Delhi airport on August 14. His arrest, while on his way to the US, reportedly to complete his studies, sparked outrage across the country and abroad, since he had unequivocally opposed the demotion of J&K from a state to a Union territory. According to a human rights outfit, JKCCS, as many as 662 persons were booked under the draconian PSA in 2019, a majority of them after August 5 in Kashmir. In a report titled by Annual Human Rights Review 2019 by Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) and Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS),   the outfits said that4 12 persons in the region had been booked under PSA, often termed as a “lawless law”, after August 5. A majority of these persons continue to serve detention in jails across India, making it difficult for their family members to even meet them. https://www.newsclick.in/jk-leader-shah-faesal-booked-under-draconian-public-safety-act

14.          J&K elections: Feb., 16, 2020: The Jammu and Kashmir administration announced on Thursday that the panchayat by-elections for around 13,000 vacant seats in the newly-formed Union territory of J&K would be held from March 5 this year. It will be held in eight phases in Kashmir and four phases in Jammu. Ladakh has been excluded from this exercise as no request has come from the UT administration. The elections have been announced at a time when leaders o f the two main regional parties –– National Conference’s Omar Abdullah and People’s Democratic Party’s Mehbooba Mufti –– have been detained under Public Safety Act. This is the first political exercise in J&K since the withdrawal of special status and the carving out of two Union territories of J&K and Ladakh  The CEO informed that the elections would be held in 1,011sarpanch and 11,639 panch seats across J&K, excluding some snow-bound areas, for which the schedule would be announced later. As per official data, 11,457 panchs and 887 sarpanch seats are vacant in Kashmir, while 182 panch and 124 sarpanch seats are vacant in Jammu division

15.          https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/jk-panchayat-bypolls-to-be-held-from-march-5/articleshow/74127481.cms

16.          EU: Feb., 16, 2020: The European Union (EU) has called for swift removal of communication and political restrictions in Kashmir. The organisation was in touch with the Indian authorities for continuing dialogue regarding the situation in Kashmir, a spokesperson for the EU said. Some restrictions remain, notably, and some political leaders are still in detention. While we recognise the serious security concerns, it is important that the remaining restrictions are lifted swiftly”, said Virginie Battu-Henriksson, EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.The statement was issued a day after a delegation of 25 diplomats that included the EU Ambassador to India Ugo Astuto and several other European envoys visited Kashmir and Jammu from February 12 to 13. The delegation was not part of the earlier team of diplomats that visited Kashmir in January as they had insisted on meeting jailed political leaders.  .In recent months, India's relation with the EU has been marked by growing concern of the powerful regional body over the Kashmir situation, the controversial new Indian citizenship law and National Register of Citizens. In January, 626 of the 751 members of the EU Parliament took up six resolutions for discussion but ultimately postponed a vote on the matters till coming spring.Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Brussels in March for the next EU-India summit. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/eu-for-swift-end-to-all-curbs-in-kashmir/article30823016.ece 

 

Kashmir Update 61: Week Feb.,3, 2019 to Feb., 9, 2020  

1.    Grenade attack: Feb., 3, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, four people including two personnel of Central Reserve Police Force were injured in a grenade attack in Srinagar on Sunday. Unknown persons lobbed the grenade at CRPF personnel deployed at Partap Park in the Lal Chowk of Srinagar, today https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/02/2-crpf-men-among-4-hurt-in-iok-grenade-attack/

2.   US Congress: Feb., 4, 2020:   trouble for India over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and continued detentions in Kashmir is brewing just below the surface in the US Congress. Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal’s resolution asking the Indian government to lift all restrictions in Kashmir as soon as possible is alive and gathering support within the party, as well as quiet acquiescence from Republicans. The resolution, which now has 49 co-sponsors, including five Republicans, is still in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It has sat there since December 6 when it was introduced by Jayapal  While the resolution deals with the situation in the bifurcated union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, additional measures by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on who is and can be an Indian citizen have raised further questions. There is growing disquiet about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR) and how they might overlap and affect large numbers of Muslims in India. Confusion prevails over how each component of the alphabet soup might ultimately be implemented. India’s Republic Day celebrations in Washington saw more than a thousand protesters walk from the White House to the Indian Embassy against the CAA. Some read the preamble to the Indian constitution. The protest was peaceful except for a few heated exchanges between Pakistan-inspired elements and Indian community leaders.  It’s clear that Indian-American groups have become energised. Some analysts see a resurrection of the old anti-Modi “Coalition Against Genocide”, which prevailed in the US Congress to deny him a visa while he was chief minister of Gujarat. Shaik Ubaid, a New York area doctor and the founding president of the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), is back in the fray. With the help of larger Muslim advocacy organisations in the United States, such as the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Ubaid’s group is leading an increasingly vocal campaign to pressure the US Congress to take cognisance of current developments in India. Last week, the IAMC organised a briefing for Congressional staffers and invited an array of critics to speak on the CAA and NRC. The 90-minute programme included speakers from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, US Commission on International Religious Freedom and Magsaysay awardee Sandeep Pandey, who spoke about his many personal run-ins with the Uttar Pradesh government. The master of ceremonies set the tone when he challenged the US government, asking why it hadn’t taken a strong stand against India. It’s “inconceivable” that with its massive intelligence capacity and diplomatic heft, the administration doesn’t know that millions of Muslims are about to be rendered “stateless”. John Sifton, the Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, claimed the government of India and its embassies were putting out “misinformation”. He also claimed that India couldn’t argue that its moves are an “internal matter” because international law was being violated.While a state has the right to determine citizenship, it is not allowed to act in a discriminatory manner on the basis of race, religion, colour and ethnicity. India is a signatory to various covenants on human rights, which ask countries to curtail hate speech and curb xenophobia. He called India’s NPR “slow moving and insidious”. Franciso Bencosme of Amnesty International was even more strident. He said Amnesty had documented “a clear pattern of use of excessive force, arrests and bias in police and administrative response”. The prime minister’s “silence on police brutality and crackdown has spoken louder than his words”.He said the US Congress should address the situation as a human rights issue, not a partisan issue or liberalism vs fascism issue.Harrison Akins of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, an organisation that the Modi government has a special distaste for, repeated his group’s call for targeted sanctions against “individuals” – a veiled reference to India’s home minister Amit Shah. The US government has a “vast array of tools” which it must deploy to deal with the situation in India because the BJP and company are “reinventing the history and social landscape” of the country, he said. The barrage of criticism is likely to put some members of Congress off – as it has certain Indian American groups which refused to be part of this coalition. This time around the group is calling itself “Coalition to Stop Genocide” and lists among its supporters “Black Lives Matter,” a movement that came into being in the wake of several police shootings of unarmed black men. In addition, the coalition includes Left-leaning critics of India, earnest individuals who genuinely worry about India, secular Hindus but also some who have reportedly sent funds to extremist organisations in India. CAIR has money, outreach and influence – attributes that Indian American groups are looking for in their effort to increase pressure on the Modi government through legislative action. How far it succeeds in its goals remains to be seen. https://thewire.in/rights/anti-caa-activists-us-indian-americans

3.   Kashmir: Feb., 5, 2020: Former prime minister of Norway Kjell Magne Bondevik has stressed the need to shift world’s attention back on Kashmir – the forgotten conflict. He said the long-suffering people of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) deserve a ceasefire, reconciliation, and stability. “It is the duty of the United Nations to advance this goal by appointing a special envoy to the region,” he wrote in an article published on Project Syndicate. “The world’s forgotten conflict needs the international community’s attention now more than ever,” he stressed. Bondevik, who is also the chairman of Oslo Center he formed in 2006 for world peace, said the UN needs to take the lead in stopping Kashmir’s torment. “Obviously, the UN cannot impose a solution on India and Pakistan. But it can and should appoint a special envoy to help broker a political solution and deliver lasting peace to the region,” he noted. In 2018-19, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released reports that documented a wide range of abuses – including kidnappings, the killing of civilians, and sexual violence in the occupied valley.Emphasising on UN’s responsibility to appoint a special envoy in the region for keeping a fair tab on the prevailing situation in disputed region, Bondevick shared his experience when he last visited the IOJ&K. “I saw firsthand the level of violence and the severity of human-rights violations. Conditions have deteriorated further since India repealed Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in October 2019, dissolved it as a state, and reorganised it as two ‘union territories’ – all enforced by the security forces with a wave of arrests, a ban on assembly, and an internet and media blackout,” he said, adding that the international community must demand that both the parties – Pakistan and India – should come together to negotiate a peaceful solution “Everyone, regardless of age, religion, or ethnicity, has suffered, whether as a result of displacement, family separation, loss of property, the death or disappearance of friends and close relatives, grinding poverty, or simply the prospect of a future as bleak and constricted as the present,” the former Norway premier maintained.“The international community has, at times, attempted to mediate between India and Pakistan. The UN has adopted resolutions demanding a referendum on Kashmir’s future status. But, even though it has long been evident that there is no military solution to the conflict – temporary ceasefire initiatives have never resulted in a lasting agreement – India to this day has resisted a plebiscite.”The former Norway PM also made an appeal to UN Secretary-General António Guterres to seize the initiative and help deliver a long-overdue and lasting peace to the region. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2150230/9-kashmir-forgotten-conflict-now-needs-worlds-attention-ever/

4.   Nelson Mandela: Feb., 5, 2020: Prince Thumbumuzi Dlamini, son-in-law of the late South African president Nelson Mandela, on Tuesday regretted that the people of Occupied Kashmir were being subjected to brutal repression by India and hoped that normalcy would return to the valley soon.“Nelson Mandela had a clear stance on the [Kashmir] dispute and we understand the sentiments of its people,” Dlamini, a prince of Eswatini or Swaziland, said “In 1998, Mandela had raised the issue of Kashmir at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Durban”. He had pointed out that the issue of Kashmir remained a “concern for all of us” and insisted on its resolution through peaceful negotiations – much to the ire of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had denounced the South African leader for speaking on the matter  https://tribune.com.pk/story/2150291/1-mandelas-son-law-backs-pakistan-kashmir-issue/

5.   Youth martyred: Feb., 5, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Srinagar, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon operation in Lawaypora-Shalteng area of Srinagar.Earlier, one Indian soldier was killed and another was injured in an attack in the same area. Soon after the incident, Indian police and troops cordoned off the area and launched searches. Further details are awaited. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/05/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-sriangar/

6.   Practical steps: Feb., 6, 2020: A practical steps: to lobby to get the UNGA to vote for obtaining an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the Kashmir liberation movement; concerted efforts by Pakistan’s diplomatic apparatus in various capitals around the world;  is appointing a special envoy on Jammu and Kashmir to sensitise global leaders on the Kashmir dispute;   to transfer Pakistan’s high commissioner designate for India to somewhere else to dispel the impression in Delhi that ties will revert to status quo; would be close Pakistani airspace to Indian airlines;  Pakistan government should shift its focus from other countries’ governments to their civil society. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2150597/3-spotlight-kashmir-next/

7.   British lawmakers: Feb., 6, 2020: British lawmakers have demanded of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to end the atrocities currently being carried out in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) by his country’s armed forces and allow the oppressed people their right to self-determination..Over 50 members of the United Kingdom (UK) Parliament, mostly belonging to Conservative Party, attended a conference, organised by Tehreek-e-Kashmir (TeK) UK to mark the Kashmir Solidarity Day at the British Parliament on  Wednesday.  Bhat told the audience true stories of Indian atrocities in the IOJK and exposed the organised crimes committed by Indian government under Modi and his right-hand men – Amit  He said since August 5, when India unilaterally revoked special status of the disputed valley, the life and economy of IOJ&K have paralysed.“Schools, colleges, universities and hospitals are closed and turned into army camps for additional forces. 91- year-old leader Syed Ali Geelani is locked up in the house for the past ten years.“[Other pro-independence leaders] Shabbir Shah, Yasin Malik, Asia Andrabi, Dr Fayyaz, and Zafar Akbar Bhat are kept in prisons, while their health is continuously deteriorating.” https://tribune.com.pk/story/2150886/1-ajk-president-urges-uk-play-role-kashmir-london-confab/

8.   Turkey supports Kashmir; Feb., 7, 2020: Kayaturk urged the Pakistani community in Turkey to take up the sensitization of the Kashmir issue as their task.“It is the duty of every Pakistani citizen, student, in Turkey to explain everyone about Kashmir,” said Kayaturk, a former parliamentarian, addressing a huge gathering of Pakistani and Turkish students in the jam-packed hall. A Kashmiri song was performed on the occasion along with a documentary explaining the genesis of the Kashmiri struggle   He was joined by an Egyptian engineering graduate from the same university who said: “Pakistan and India should exist for peace and mitigate any [threat] of war. If India continues to resort to violent means, the United Nations should press economic sanctions against India…” Meanwhile, Turkey’s Anadolu Youth Association (AGD) held demonstrations outside the Indian Embassy in Ankara and its consulate in Istanbul on Wednesday night seeking the right to self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Raising pro-Kashmir slogans, the demonstrators demanded that restrictions and communications blockade should immediately be lifted in the disputed region. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/turkey-hosts-events-to-mark-kashmir-solidarity-day/1726250

9.   Maqbool Butt: Feb., 7, 2020: Acting Chairman of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Abdul Hameed Butt has paid glowing tributes to prominent Kashmiri liberation leader, Muhammad Maqbool Butt and said that he was the cornerstone of resistance against illegal occupation and symbol of freedom and liberty.India had hanged Muhammad Maqbool Butt in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail on 11th February in 1984 and Muhammad Afzal Guru in the same jail on 9th February, 2013, for their role in the Kashmir freedom movement. Their bodies remain buried in the premises of the jail.Abdul Hameed Butt in a statement issued in Srinagar said, Maqbool Butt’s struggle and sacrifices represent oppressed and subjugated humans prominent liberation leader, Muhammad Afzal Guru also treaded his path and sacrificed his life for the righteous cause. .Paying glowing tributes to Muhammad Afzal Guru, who kissed gallows in same Tihar Jail on 9th February 2013, he said that he was denied a fair trial and was murdered on the pretext to satisfy the collective conscience of Indian masses. Like Maqbool Butt, Afzal Guru was also buried inside the same Tihar Jail and till date their families and Kashmiris living across the ceasefire line and abroad had been demanding the return of their mortal remains.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/06/jklf-pays-glowing-tributes-to-maqbool-butt/

10.          Missing sons: Feb., 7, 2020: Several Kashmiri mothers are awaiting the return of their sons who were picked up by the armed forces ahead of the August 5 announcement altering the constitutional status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The arrested men have been moved to faraway jails in various states across country. As per Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society ( JKCCS ), 412 people were charged under Public Safety Act (PSA), which allows preventive custody for two years without trial or charges, after August 5 last year and majority of them have been moved to jails outside the Valley. 80-year-old Zaina hobbles through room sits quietly in a corner and takes out a picture of her son and stares at it without blinking her eyes. After a while, she wraps a piece of cloth around the picture, kisses it, and puts it back. “They have expunged my heart. I am restless. He is the light of my eyes. I am suffocating inside,” she wails. She has not seen her son in past six months after he was picked up by armed forces from his home in Southern Kashmir’s Bello village.“Only god’s name is with me now. I do not know what to do. I am helpless,” she says. She was not home when her son, Lateef Ahmad Dar, was picked up by the Army from his home in Southern Kashmir’s Bello village. Next morning, she rushed to her home and headed straight to the Rajpora police station to see her son, “When I saw him, he pretended to be alright. His face was pale and his voice suggested he was unwell. We hardly talked. We looked at each other’s face and wept,” she says.The police officers there told her that he would be released soon. But that did not happen. Instead, he was first shifted to central jail and then to Agra, “I visited central jail, where I was thoroughly frisked, almost stripped. “They looked inside my clothes and asked me to remove my pheran (a knee-length dress that Kashmiris wear during winters). It was humiliating. I tolerated everything for my child. Even if I have go through the procedure thousands times for the sake of my child, I would not hesitate,” she says.She says she was then told that he would be released after August 15. “I was making arrangements for his return, but he did not come,” she says. 56-year-old Naseema looks downcast. She could not gather courage to meet her son in the police station. She says on August 4, the Army scaled the wall of their house and barged inside, “they locked me and my daughters inside a room and enquired about my son,” she says.The last she saw her 18-year-old son was when he opened their door and pleaded for their safety, “I have not seen him ever since,” she says.Her head becomes heavy and her heartbeat increases whenever she misses her son, “My veins tighten up and my head feels heavy. I weep day and night without letting any know about it. In fact, every member of my family weeps secretly,” she says.She says the thought of her son sleeping on a bare floor keeps her awake, “how can a mother enjoy a cosy bed when her child is sleeping on floor. It keeps me awake whole night,” she says. Naseema says her son has never been away from his home even for a single day. “He would not spend a day without me. None knows about his likes and dislikes. The mere thought about it tears my heart into pieces,” she says.He used to change his clothes thrice a day, “I have heard he doesn’t get good food and clothes there. What will he do there,” she says, knowing well that travelling to distant jail is a tough call for her. Atiqa, 55, sits on the verandah of her mud house with her gaze fixed at the door hoping that someday her son will open it and emerge from there. She says her son is the only person left in her life. Her husband died a decade ago and she was living with her son. He was the sole bread earner of the family. On August 5, Atiqa had sent him to run an errand to the market in Maisuma but did not return. Instead, somewhere between his home and the market, Faisal was picked up by police.“He went out to buy medicine for me but was picked up Central reserve Police Force on the way,” she says.Her son has been booked under the draconian Public Safety Act. Faisal Aslam Mir, 30, runs a business. According to his mother, he was detained for three days at a local police station and then shifted to the Srinagar Central Jail until August 21, after which he was moved to a jail in Agra in Uttar Pradesh.“I am only alive for my son. Otherwise, I have no other reason to live,” she says, with tears in her eyes. A few kilometers from the Southern Pulwama town, Sara Bano, in her late 40s, is inconsolable. “I am unable to bear your separation please come back. I am dying inside. I tell no one but I cry silently behind haystacks in the field, in the bathroom and in your room,” she wails. Fayaz, 26, was among hundreds slapped with the PSA and shifted to Bareilly in UP after he was charged for ‘stone-pelting’, as per his dossier. Fayaz was in the middle of his completing his PhD in Arabic, having completed his Master’s from the University of Kashmir. According to Sara Bano, Fayaz was falsely framed under prior charges and was “just keeping himself busy with a tractor — which was his part-time job”. It has been six months, and she has not only been able to visit her son even once. “Since the past six months, our son has not able to work or study. And as a result of him being jailed, our financial condition has worsened,” she adds.Rubeena, 45, remembers the last glimpse of her son before he was taken away by the Army from home in Karimabad area of Pulwama. “I only had half a glimpse of his face. I remember that from fear, his face had turned dark. That face still swims in front of my eyes,” she says. She tried to run after him but was scared away by the Army personnel. “They fired a few bullets at the door. I was scared. They took him away,” she says. Rubeena’s financial conditions did not permit her to meet him, “I am poor and cannot afford to travel outside,” she says, adding “all my savings have been exhausted.. Since the past four days, Rubeena has been running from pillar to post to gather money for her visit to her son. “My cow is sick and I don’t have money to even buy medicine for her. Only god’s name is with me,” she says.She believes her son was picked up by the Army for keeping long hair. “His hair was cut with a knife. How would have his hair harmed them?” she says, adding “He is innocent. What will government achieve by arresting him”.Jana, 75, says that she has no option but to only wait for the return of her son. “Even if I wish to meet him in jail, my health will not allow me to do so. I have problems in my back and knees,” she says. Gulshan, 70, is suffering from multiple ailments which prevent her from moving outside, “I have not seen my son in the last six months. I have problems in my back and knees and cannot travel long distances,” she says.In the absence of her son, she says, she is dying inside and often cries when she is alone. “I have no other option but to seek help from the god. I cry whenever I miss him. Why is government snatching our sons from us. Don’t they know how important a son for a family,” she says. Gulshan says she does not know what to tell her 5-year old granddaughter who wants to know where her father is. “I have no answers for her. And I am sure the government has no answers either,” she says.The other thing that is keeping her away from meeting her son is her family’s economic condition. “A visit costs Rs 10,000-20,000. Where will I be able gather so much money from? He was the only source of income for the family,” she says. All the mothers have requested government to release their sons immediately as they are old and infirm and not in a condition to travel long distances, just to catch one glimpse of them. https://www.newsclick.in/Kashmir-Missing-Youth-Mothers-Article-370

11.          OIC: Feb., 7,2020: Saudi Arabia has shown reluctance to accept Pakistan’s request for an “immediate meeting” of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Kashmir, Pakistani daily Dawn has reported. On February 9, senior officials of the OIC are meeting in Jeddah to make preparations for the 47^th CFM. “It is expected that the usual resolutions on Kashmir would be included in the agenda of the foreign ministers’ meeting scheduled to be held in Niger in April, but still no special focus on the plight of Kashmiris, who have been enduring lockdown that is now in its 185th day since abrogation of Article 370,” the newspaper on February 6. Support from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries for a CFM meeting on Kashmir is crucial, considering they control the 57-member OIC. Saudi Arabia’s reluctance to accept Pakistan’s request has reportedly frustrated Prime Minister Imran Khan. To drum up support, he has visited Malaysia to seek support from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on the issue. Mohamad has been speaking against the Kashmir lockdown at various fora, leading India to issue trade restrictions on palm oil import from Malaysia. India has been urging Malaysia to not internationalise the issue and treat it as an “internal” matter. https://thewire.in/diplomacy/kashmir-oic-pakistan-saudi-arabia

12.          Kashmir Solidarity Day Observed in New York: Feb., 7, 2020: “ The participation of Pakistani American community in highlighting the issue of Kashmir at the international level couldn’t be forgotten by the people of Kashmir. And they deserve the gratitude and appreciation of the people of Kashmir, who are literally under siege since August 5, 2019. The unflinching resistance by the people of Kashmir is a living proof that they are not going to compromise, far less abandon, their demand for Aazadi (freedom) which is their birthright and for which they have paid a price in blood and suffering which has not been exacted from any other people of the South Asian subcontinent,” said Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum. Dr. Fai was speaking at a Solidarity day event, organized by All Pakistani American Council, (APAC). Fai added, “Kashmir continues to bleed. We see the horrendous brutality, unstopped and unpunished barbarities unleashed against the defenseless population. A deliberate, systematic and officially sanctioned massive campaign of brutal oppression launched against the people of Kashmir is still on the increase. There is a deliberate targeting of youth in flimsy hopes to crush a legitimate and popular uprising against occupation. The irony is that the impunity that is being granted to the violator of human rights is not in the context of a new dispute. It is being allowed to arise and to persist in a territory which, under international law, is not part of any member state of the United Nations and whose status is yet to be determined through a free and impartial plebiscite under supervision and control of the United Nations.”Fai quoted Srinagar based NGO, The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), “ Post abrogation of Article 370 by the Indian Parliament, the State of Jammu and Kashmir has been in a state of siege and lockdown; the lockdown has egregiously affected the daily lives of the people living in the valley. Fai also quoted Human Rights Watch, which issued a report on January 14, 2020, “The Indian government’s actions in Kashmir have led to loss of livelihood and access to education. The repression resulted in international criticism including in the United States’ Congress, the European Parliament, and the United Nations Human Rights Council.” Dr. Fai urged the Trump administration to place Kashmir on its radar screen, because of the American and international consensus that Kashmir pinched between nuclear-capable India and Pakistan is the most dangerous place on the planet.  Now is no time for complacency or temporizing.  The nuclear clock is moving forward, not backward. And the chilling suffering and misery of the Kashmiri people continues every day a peaceful resolution is deferred.  He said the killings of innocent civilians in Indian occupied Kashmir must shake the conscience of all peace loving people. He condemned the efforts to muzzle the press and further expressed need to restore the right to  assemble and freedom of expression in Indian occupied Kashmir. Sardar Sawar said that the way the Kashmiri youth is confronting the Indian forces and turning the entire Kashmiri movement into a peaceful resistance not only impresses the people of Jammu and Kashmiri but also international community. He added that today the mantle of the freedom struggle of Kashmir has been successfully passed on to the younger generation and they are resolute and determined to take it to its logical conclusion. Nothing better can be said about human rights there. Every human rights group that has examined the convulsed scene in Kashmir has reported harrowing human rights violations, including tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings, rape, torture, plunder, arbitrary arrests, and ruthless suppression of free speech and press, Sardar Sawar added. Sardar Amerjit Singh Ji, leader of Khalistan Affairs Center in the United States voiced deep regret over betrayal of Indian Government  of her high-minded ideals in Kashmir that marked its entry into the family of nations after long years under the British raj: shocking human rights violations and contempt for international law and binding self-determination resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. He urged the community of nations to seize this opportunity to promote an initiative towards bringing about conditions necessary for settlement of the Kashmir dispute. Dr. Singh informed the audience that Sikhs all over the world are waiting for November 2020 when they will participate in the referendum to decide the future of Khalistan. Mr. Muhammad Hussain, Co-Chairman of APAC said, “An iron-fisted military rule has prevailed in Kashmir, featuring a staggering 900,000 soldiers and paramilitary personnel.  Human rights atrocities against non-combatants are commonplace.  He discounted the United Nations hopes that the dispute could be settled through bilateral peaceful talks between India and Pakistan. Bilateral talks and negotiations over Kashmir between parties have proven sterile for 72 years, and nothing in that dismal equation has changed.” Sardar Taj Khan said the people of Kashmir have suffered long and needlessly because of this brutal conflict. They demand and they deserve peace. Peace in the region of South Asia remains elusive because of the Kashmir dispute. The inalienable right to self-determination enshrined in the United Nations Charter and promised to the people of Kashmir by the international community, continues to be denied. He said that the whole world knows the magnitude of carnages committed by Indian army in Kashmir but they have yet to utter a word of condemnation. Mr. Roed Dar of PMLN said that it is gravely sinful for any nation to remain silent or passive over frightful human rights violations anywhere in the world, including Kashmir. He underlined that the way to a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue lies in tripartite negotiations between India, Pakistan and the All Parties Hurriyet Conference. He said that it was absolutely necessary to have third party mediation because history shows that bilateral arrangements have never worked out, as India is always insincere. Mr. Khalid Awan of PPP said that India's war crimes in Kashmir are notorious.  Soldiers kill civilians with impunity. Indeed, Indian law grants virtual legal immunity to any type of war crime or crime against humanity perpetrated in Kashmir. Col. Maqbool Malik said that Kashmir’s painful situation is a rebuke to the world powers for their passivity. The world powers need to know that unless India accepts the realities known to the entire world outside the dispute will fester; and that any solution must satisfy democratic principles, the rule of law, and security for every inhabitant of Kashmir. He  emphasized that the brutalities of Indian government cannot and should not go unnoticed. It is the responsibility of the Kashmiri diaspora to be the voice of voiceless people in the corridors of powers all over the world. Mr. James Cyprian, the Secretary General of Pakistan Christian Association of North America said that we fail to understand why world powers do not want the Kashmiri participation in the talks when the right to choose the destiny of 23 million people was given by the UN Security Council to the inhabitants of the territory and not to the leadership in New Delhi or Islamabad. Any attempt to strike a deal between any two parties without associating the third, will always lead us to a barren land. So, the future negotiations must be tripartite between all parties concerned.” Mr. Arshad Khan said that we are not asking military intervention. Neither are we asking for rugged economic sanctions. We are asking only that the United States exercise its high international bully pulpit to reproach or condemn India for its chilling human rights record in Kashmir as part of a campaign of moral suasion and transparency in the disputed territory. Mr. Khurram Khan, the Co-Chairman of APAC enumerated the prevailing draconian laws, like Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) which has given the total impunity to the Indian army in Kashmir. An Indian soldier can shoot to kill at will and he will not be accountable to any body or any agency for any prosecution. He added that the Hurriyat leaders have always impressed upon the people of Kashmir to express their dissent in a peaceful manner. The presence of millions of people on the streets of Kashmir cannot be termed as extremists or terrorist. The massive peaceful demonstration has been reflection of the indigenous nature of the Kashmiri resistance movement. Young human rights activist, Ms. Fatima Zulqurnain Khan said that the world powers need to intervene in setting a stage for the resolution of Kashmir. She said that the world powers do not need to take side of either India or Pakistan. However, as the members of humanity, we need to take side of justice and freedom. We as humans need to be the voice of voiceless. Mr. Zameer Khan said that vandalism is used to terrorize Kashmiris. Mobs of soldiers routinely go through neighborhoods breaking windows with large stones, upending autos and motorcycles, setting fire to trucks, and anything else left vulnerable to their attack.  Occasionally they will shoot at the people inside, and many have been killed or injured with buckshot right in their own homes. Children and housewives have frequently been victims. Ms. Shabana said that the truth is that the people of Kashmir themselves have always been hostile to the presence of India's troops on their soil and have resisted to such oppression, and over hundred thousand Kashmiris have died within the past 30 years alone. Long-standing agreements at the United Nations in place have in fact afforded the Kashmiri people the right to determine their own destiny.

13.          Muslim Youth killed : Feb., 7, 2020: “Jaipur se hum ek ek Kashmiri ko nikal denge,” (We will take every Kashmiri out of Jaipur) Sufyan Rafiq, the only eyewitness to Basit Khan’s beating told The Quint on Friday, 7 February, a day after Khan succumbed to his injuries in a hospital in Jaipur. A 17-year-old Kashmiri boy, Basit Khan, who was doing a part-time job in Jaipur to support his family was thrashed by a mob on the night of 5 February. Khan succumbed to his injuries at 8:30 pm on the night of 6 February and, by the afternoon of 7 February, his body was sent via a private ambulance to Kashmir. Basit belonged to a poor family from Kupwara in Kashmir. His father died in 2012. He was the oldest in the house, with three younger sisters and a brother. “The family has had to pay Rs 30,000 to get the body to Kashmir. They are very poor and he had come here to work to help the family financially. He was in class 11 and was doing part-time work at an events company to make some money.” Basit and Rafiq, both from Kashmir, went to work at an event on the evening of 5 February. When they returned, they got into a fight with a few other boys on the organising team. “Basit wanted to sit in front as he was tired. This enraged a boy from Mumbai and he held on to Basit’s collar. They started beating him up. One of the boys, Aditya, was repeatedly hitting Basit on the head,” Rafiq, an eyewitness to the beating, told The Quint.  Rafiq said they held him down so he could not help Basit. “After beating him the driver dropped us a few kms away from our home. In the cab, the boys kept complaining about the increasing number of Kashmiri’s at work. After getting dropped, he and I walked and walked. He kept falling. As soon as we reached home he began to cry. Then he started vomiting. In the cab on the way to the hospital, he fell unconscious.”Rafiq said the doctors operated on him but said his chances of survival were meagre. He died at 8:30 pm on 6 February.His statement has been recorded by the Rajasthan Police and the accused have been booked under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the IPC on 6 February.After Basit’s death on 7 February, the police incorporated the section 303 of the IPC (murder) into the FIR.https://www.thequint.com/news/india/kashmiri-boy-dies-after-being-attacked-assaulted-by-mob-in-rajasthan?fbclid=IwAR0RNhLGdmT409NdTZSve3Yy1nF0s9lQoiNTjj_8RHTH2Qjyy48FYsAiPrQ

14.          BJP and Kashmir: Feb., 9, 2020: Article 370, adopted by the constituent assembly in 1949, was no ordinary provision. It reproduced a solemn compact negotiated over five long months, from May to October 1949, between prime minister Nehru and his deputy Vallabhbhai Patel on the one hand, and the prime minister of Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and his trusted colleague and brilliant lawyer Mirza Mohammed Afzal Beg on the other. What Prime Minister Narendra Modi did on Aug 5, 2019, went far beyond the abrogation of Article 370. It was the constitutional and political destruction of Kashmir. Not only was it robbed of its status and reduced to a ‘union territory’, but its entire political landscape was also altered drastically. Measures are afoot to redraw its electoral constituencies, engineer defections in its two major political parties the National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party, build up a new political front comprising the BJP’s touts and flunkies, and give primacy to Jammu. The touts include two senior leaders of the PDP. The bulk was put in jail. The entire exercise was based on the calculation that Kashmir’s leaders, press and political class would submit to the BJP’s plans. An atmosphere of fear was created all over Kashmir. The assumption that all would eventually submit, resigned to their fate, has been belied. That it was entertained at all reflects the poor opinion BJP leaders have of Kashmiris. Politicians were not put in jail because they were about to commit any crime; far from it. They were incarcerated for fear that they would reject the BJP regime’s sordid scheme and urge the people to do likewise. They were no terrorists. When in power as chief ministers, the PDP and NC’s leaders fully cooperated with New Delhi in combating the armed insurgency. It is total, popular rejection of the BJP’s scheme that prompted it to forcibly remove them from political activity How long can this oppressive setup last? How long can those senior leaders be placed under these forced restraints? It is a habit of rulers to sound their detainees about their future plans. That is how New Delhi created rifts among jailed Hurriyat leaders about two decades ago. But a different ballgame is being played today. Kashmiris are being asked to become accomplices in the murder of the political identity of their own ancient historic land with its vibrant past, rich culture and a record of revolt over centuries since Emperor Akbar extinguished Kashmir’s independence in 1586.

15.          Kashmiris never cease to invoke their history. They never will. The instrument that the BJP has deployed is of colonial vintage. The Criminal Procedure Code, 1898, itself had a hoary past. In 1973 it was ‘revised’ but this new code is no better. On Feb 5, the imprisoned ones completed six months of detention. They have refused to sign the bonds. An official told The Tribune: “The government can continue their detention beyond Feb 6 only after the advisory board recommends so. The J&K government detained nearly 6,000 political leaders after invoking Section 107 of the CrPC through its magistrates.” Nearly 1,000 persons, including three former chief ministers, are still under detention under Section 107 of the CrPC and the Public Safety Act. Had the police detained political leaders or others under Section 151 of the CrPC, they would have all secured bail given the charges against them, said a police officer. That is why this British-era law of Section 107 came in handy this time, he revealed. The plans do not reckon with public opinion, in Kashmir or elsewhere. As ill thought as the Citizenship Amendment Act, the scheme of Aug 5, 2019, will hoist the Modi government firmly on its own petard.   https://www.dawn.com/news/1533154/destroying-kashmir

        

  Kashmir Update 60: Week Jan., 27, 2019 to Feb., 2, 2020  

1.     BSF Jawan: Jan.26, 2020: A BSF jawan, said to be an expert in handling explosives, was arrested in connection with the delivery of a parcel bomb at his camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district early this month, official sources said on Wednesday. Samarpal, a native of Kolkata, was detained from his residence in Hubli area on January 10 and later arrested, they said. BSF jawan, said to be an expert in handling explosives, was arrested in connection with the delivery of a parcel bomb at his camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district early this month, official sources said on Wednesday. "The jawan has been arrested for questioning and further investigation is on," Senior Superintendent of Police, Samba, Shakti Pathik, told PTI. He refused to divulge any further details. A parcel containing an improvised explosive device (IED) was delivered to the 173rd battalion headquarters of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Samba on January 5, the police had said. It was addressed to the second-in-command Gurvinder Singh, who got suspicious about it and informed the bomb disposal squad, they had said. According to the sources, a case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Explosive Substances Act and an investigation launched, which led to the detention of Samarpal. Sources said that Samarpal is an expert in handling explosive substances and is believed to have prepared the IED as he wanted to take revenge from his assistant commandant over some issue. Samarpal had left the parcel bomb at the main gate of the camp before leaving for home, they said. . https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/jammu-kashmir-jawan-arrested-delivering-parcel-bomb-bsf-camp-in-samba-1639281-2020-01-23?fbclid=IwAR1qmBP9ynxaJEgotztUeK_cRkQTKrgnJMGklsCl8iPnwt0T9sKlbMBgnSU

2.    Boycott: Jan., 26, 2020: Activists from South Asian caste and religious minority communities are coming together to organize against Indian American businesses that support India’s move to strip its 200 million Muslims of their citizenship. On January 19, around 50 protesters gathered in Jersey City, New Jersey, where they marched against India’s polarizing Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which extends citizenship to non-Muslim refugees exclusively. The action helped mark the beginning of the “Stop Funding Genocide” protests, which are pushing back against Indian American support for the BJP. The actions have been co-organized by a number of groups advocating for marginalized South Asians, including Equality Labs, the South Asia Solidarity Initiative (SASI) and Stand With Kashmir. The uproar over the CAA, NRC and NPR coincides with ongoing activism against New Delhi’s de facto annexation of Muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir last August. This helped create a basis for Dalit-Bahujan (an umbrella term for marginalized caste identities), Indian Muslim and Kashmiri organizers to collaborate. Soundarajan runs an advocacy group centering marginalized South Asian communities called Equality Labs. The organization has surveyed the significant impact of caste within Indian diaspora communities and how it enables upper-caste communities to exclude and discriminate against Dalit-Bahujans across the world. The survey also reported that one in three Dalit students in the U.S. report being discriminated during their education. Twenty-five percent of Dalits have faced physical or verbal assault due to their caste. One in two Dalits fear of having their caste “outed.” These impacts are compounded by the BJP’s commitment to suppressing activists who combat casteism within India, which is mirrored by upper-caste organizing in the diaspora. Thus, organizers and activists have urgently taken to the streets of Los Angeles; Decatur, Georgia; Chicago and Jersey City to confront Indian American casteism and Islamophobia head     for Modi  “We’re strategizing a boycott-divestment sort of initiative to target Indian organizations,” they explained. “What are economic targets for Indian people? Where can we also do a cultural and academic boycott? That information is forthcoming from Equality Labs, Stand With Kashmir and South Asia Solidarity Initiative within the next few months.” In the meantime, more Stop Funding Genocide protests have been planned for January 26. This time, mobilizations will take place in Washington, D.C., New York City, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Denver and Minneapolis. “These mass demonstrations are really important for us to wield our power, our financial power and the voices that we get to have as people in the diaspora to say no to CAA, no NRC, no to the occupation of Kashmir,” said Fatima. https://truthout.org/articles/activists-plan-boycott-of-us-companies-backing-indias-anti-muslim-policies/

3.   EU: Jan., 27, 2020: The European Union Parliament is set to debate and vote on a scathing resolution against India’s annexation of occupied Kashmir in clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and the country’s enforcement of new citizenship laws which have been widely criticised fordiscriminating against Muslims. The resolution, which has been drafted and supported by lawmakers from the Renew Group, has called on the European Union and its member states “to promote the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir”. Condemning the “unilateral changes made to the status of Kashmir by India”, the draft resolution noted that India has never implemented UN “Security Council resolutions requiring a referendum allowing all Kashmiris to determine the future status of Kashmir”.  It also viewed with concern the rise in tensions between Pakistan and India – “both being nuclear weapons states” – which it said were “fuelled by the controversial decisions of the Government of India on Kashmir and citizenship”.Urging India to repeal the “discriminatory amendments” to its citizenship law, the draft resolution says the new law “violates India’s international obligations to prevent the deprivation of citizenship on the basis of race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin as enshrined in the ICCPR and other human rights treaties.” Noting that the new law has “encouraged” violence both from the police and pro-government groups, which “are clear breaches of the human rights of residents of India and its neighbouring countries”, the resolution urges the government of India “to immediately engage in peaceful dialogue with various sections of the population” and “to ensure that security forces comply with the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials”.The resolution also mentions the violence that ensued at the Jawaharlal Nehru University earlier this month, referring to the university as a “a leading location for students protesting against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC)” and where “police witnessed the attack but refused to control and arrest the mob”.“According to the Indian Constitution, India is a sovereign secular democratic republic and including religion as a criterion for citizenship is therefore fundamentally unconstitutional,” reads the resolution, which will be debated in the parliament on January 29, according to the plenary schedule available on the EU Parliament’s website. The resolution, which will be put up for voting on January 30, says the CAA “sets a dangerous precedent and represents an intensification of the [Indian] Government’s Hindu nationalist agenda”, adding that “it is difficult to view the CAA in isolation, as both the amendments and the NRC could deprive minorities of their citizenship of India” while “only Muslims excluded from the NRC will have difficulty winning their cases at foreign tribunals”.  https://www.dawn.com/news/1530682/eu-parliament-to-vote-on-scathing-resolution-against-india

4.   Republic day: Jan., 27, 2020: Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and across the world observed India’s Republic Day, the 26th January, as Black Day, today, to impress upon the world to take notice of India’s continued denial of right to self-determination to the Kashmiri people. This year, the observance of the Black Day is also aimed at registering protest against the continued military siege and lockdown of occupied Kashmir, which entered 175th day, today. The day was marked by a complete strike in occupied Kashmir and anti-India demonstrations and rallies in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan and world capitals. The curfew-like restrictions, imposed in the name of security, further added miseries to the already besieged people. All roads leading to the cricket stadium in Sonawar, the main venue of official function in Srinagar, were sealed. The Indian forces also used quad copter drones fitted with cameras for surveillance around the stadium. The All Parties Hurriyat Conference Chairman, Syed Ali Gilani, in a statement issued in Srinagar said that India was not a real democratic country as it had been suppressing the Kashmiris’ voice through military might for the past over 72 years.     . https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/26/kashmiris-mark-indian-republic-day-as-black-day-2/

5.   Alternate leadership: Jan., 28, 2020: The first indications of the Centre’s political plans became apparent two days before the controversial visit of foreign envoys on January 9, when nine former legislators sought an audience with Lt Governor G.C. Murmu in Jammu. The group was led by Altaf Bukhari – a former member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party who served as a minister in the BJP-PDP coalition government which collapsed in 2018 after the BJP pulled the plug on the alliance. Bukhari’s delegation furnished a memorandum listing a number of demands that includes restoration of statehood and extension of domicile laws to J&K. Later, members of the delegation, Bukhari included, sat across the table with the visiting foreign envoys who were shepherded around Srinagar as part of the Narendra Modi government’s efforts to project ‘normalcy’ in the former state. The two meetings prompted the PDP to expel the former legislators for being part of parleys with the government and “acting against the will of people.” Certainly, all mainstream parties have reasons to be furious with the Central government. They have been relegated to margins and their leaders are now into their sixth month of captivity without charge. With the former state in the grip of such repression and prolonged political inactivity threatening to create a power vacuum, it was only a matter of time before the Central government moved to engineer a new political set-up – one that would not only help it assuage international concerns but would also, post the ending of Article 370, play second fiddle to it in the way that the NC or PDP would have not. It’s here that Bukhari’s re-entry into politics, after being expelled from the PDP in 2018, fits in. He will be the nucleus around which a ‘third front’ is to be built, with the backing of the Centre and its instrumentalities  Another apparent contender for the Centre’s affections, the PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, was given a Padma Bhushan in the Republic Day honours list and most political observers in the Valley see this as his consolation prize for his having lost out to Bukhari. Bukhari’s meeting earlier this month with Governor Murmu have also coincided with reports of the announcement of a new political party. With himself at the helm, the new set-up is likely to capitalise on desertions from the NC, PDP and Congress. Thus, from the ruins of the older order, a new one will be fashioned, compliant enough to operate within the strictly regulated framework whose terms Delhi will get to decide. The memorandum that Bukhari submitted to the Lt Governor clearly delineates the contours within which the new formation will function. They have demanded domicile rights, extension of Article 371 of the constitution to J&K, protection of jobs for locals and a host of other issues. Right from J&K’s accession to India in 1947 until the present day, the political history of Kashmir is studded with such eventful occurrences when successive governments in New Delhi went out of their way to ruthlessly intervene in Kashmir’s politics, undermining democracy and installing collaborationist regimes conditioned to be at their beck and call.   Last week, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad touched off a political storm, alleging that a “Centre-backed Third front” was threatening Congress members of implicating them in false cases if they did not join their venture. “We have also run government,” Azad said. “We know who sends them and who makes them.” But Bukhari retorted the following day, insisting that he believed the BJP was as much responsible for the mess in Kashmir as other parties including Congress. “Their style of politics is over,” he added sternly.The political grapevine in Kashmir is rife with speculation that a new party will be announced soon. To counter this development, the NC has already been mobilising its cadres, notwithstanding the incarceration of its top leadership. “We cannot take any political decision until the detained members of our working committee are released but NC workers are voluntarily holding meetings and organising seminars to promote the party’s stand,” said Imran Nabi Dar, NC spokesperson.  https://thewire.in/politics/altaf-bukhari-kashmir-third-front

6.   Youth martyred: Jan., 28, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district, today.The youth was killed during a cordon and search operation by the Indian troops in Arwani area of the district.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/27/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-iok-5/

7.   Internet access: Jan., 30,2020: Internet access was partially restored in most of Jammu and Kashmir on January 25, but service remained slow and social media platforms and many local news websites remain blocked, The New York Times and other outlets reported. In a statement circulated to CPJ and news outlets, the Kashmir Press Club said today that media organizations in the region still lacked broadband internet access 177 days after the shutdown was implemented. “It is a complete farce for the Indian government to claim it is restoring internet if news websites are blocked and journalists do not have the speed and quality of service they need to do their essential work,” said Aliya Iftikhar, CPJ’s senior Asia researcher. “By continuing to control access to information, the Indian government is showing a complete disregard for the constitutional right to freedom of speech. Full internet access should be restored immediately.” CPJ has documented the challenges journalists have faced since the internet shutdown and communications blackout was implemented after India abrogated Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. https://cpj.org/2020/01/kashmiri-journalists-news-outlets-still-offline-af.php

8.   Indian actions in IOK: Jan., 30,2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops continued massive cordon and search operations in Srinagar and several other areas of the territory, causing huge inconvenience to the residents.The troops continue to conduct these operations in Srinagar, Kupwara, Handwara, Rafiabad, Tujjar, Chandoosa, Pattan, Hajin, Chadoora, Kangan, Tral, Awantipora, Bijbehara, Shopian, Kulgam, Ramban, Kishtwar, Doda and other areas. The residents of several areas talking to media men said that the harassment, frisking, checking and door-to-door searches by the troops had made their life miserable. They said that the troops and police personnel during operations besides arresting youth were abusing and threatening inmates to stop supporting the liberation struggle. In the meanwhile, normal life remained badly hit in the Kashmir Valley due to the military siege and broadband internet shutdown on 178th consecutive day, today. .A website Indiaspend in a report quoting the estimate of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that since 5th August, 2019, a total of 144,500 people had lost their jobs in Kashmir’s tourism and handicrafts sector – mostly dependent on earnings from travelers. The report said that the overall job loss in the commercial space stood at 496,000. APHC-AJK leader and the Vice Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement, Abdul Majeed Malik, in a statement issued in Islamabad condemned the continued lockdown imposed by India in occupied Kashmir. Another APHC-AJK leader and Vice Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir People’s League, Syed Aijaz Rehmani, in his statement in Islamabad expressed serious concern over the plight of illegally detained Kashmiris languishing in different jails. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/29/indian-troops-continue-casos-in-occupied-kashmir/

9.   PSA : Jan., 30,2020: Notwithstanding the criticism of the arbitrary use of the Public Safety Act (PSA) in Kashmir through 2019 – the year J&K was stripped of its special status – the law has been consistently invoked by authorities to keep people “out of circulation” in the restive region. A report by J&K Coalition of Civil Society (J&KCCS) and Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons’ (APDP) said 662 persons, including a former chief minister and sitting MP, were booked under the PSA in 2019. Of the total number of detentions, 412 were made after August 5 when the Centre scrapped key portions of Article 370 and followed with a massive clampdown and mass arrests to quell any protests. The 100-page report criticises the government for its ambiguity over the total number of detentions. “There is no clear statement (from the government) on how many (people) were booked under the PSA,” reads the report titled Annual 2019 Human Rights Review. After 1990, when the armed struggle broke out in the Valley, the PSA has been used rampantly to book people including separatists, their supporters and voices of dissent. In 2015, for the first time, the government disclosed in response to an RTI that 16,329 persons had been detained under the PSA since 1988. Almost 95% of the detainees were from Kashmir. The 2011 AI report described the PSA a “lawless law”, documenting how it was being misused to detain people without trial, depriving them of basic human rights by “circumventing” criminal justice to undermine accountability and transparency. Advocating its immediate abolition, the organisation said J&K authorities were using the PSA detentions as a “revolving door” – a detainee on being released by the court is immediately slapped with another PSA and the cycle continues till the authorities want him to be behind bars. “It is done to keep people the authorities cannot or would not convict through proper legal channels locked up and out of circulation,” said the report.   In other words, the court quashed more than 81% of the detention orders that the Advisory Board had upheld.  . https://thewire.in/rights/psa-detentions-kashmir

10.          India’s Kashmir Plan: Jan., 31, 2020:  Gowhar Geelani explains the '3M and 4D plan' of New Delhi    Kashmir is today an open jail where you have hundreds and thousands of armed men guarding the streets and there's an information black hole. Journalists are the targets, especially the local journalists. The Internet is yet to be restored and the main aim is to contain the situation in Kashmir, to bar people from talking about their situation. Basically there is stiffling of the dissent and controlling of the narrative both on social media as well as on the mainstream media. The Centre has choked Kashmiris in every way. About 1.5 lakh people mainly youth working in tourism and lT sectors have lost their jobs because of the ban on internet. According to the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce, in the first four months, economic losses were around 18000 crores (around $2 billion). New Delhi had a policy of controlling the 3Ms and 4Ds on kashmir. The 3MsMasjids, Maulavis and Media and the four Ds- Four D's policy, Doval's Doctrine: First Deny there is a Kashmir dispute, second Defeat the perceived enemy (unfortunately the Kashmiris), third Destroy your enemy (Kashmir) and fourth Defend the perceived territory (Kashmir). And 3 Ms: control the Media, Control the Mosque and control the Maulvi. There's a ban on students union in the universities. Education and Healthcare are the two sectors badly affected. Schools were closed down for months and now they are on winter vacation, thus bringing a big gap. There was one group on whatsapp called "Save Hearts Kashmir '', a sort of telemedicine thing, in which people used to interact with doctors in clearing doubts. These groups had saved many lives. But all these have come to a stand still. The Kashmiris were on a path of civil disobedience without going for work or without sending their children to school or without opening their shops. But now they are with a different mindset, right now their perception is to live and to survive which they feel is also a form   The local media who were once strong in the content is being silenced. First their advertisements have been curtailed, bringing them to a tight situation. And this was happening over a period of time way before August 5. After that they started banning institutions, first they banned Jamaat E Islami, then Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, then they also banned the autonomy of the Jammu Kashmir Bank, which was such a big blow on the locals which they considered as an attack on their economy. Recently the Supreme Court has intervened in the issue of internet ban. What is the situation there after it? After 177 days of ban what they did is that they have restored mobile internet with 2G speed. Around 300 websites are identified or whitelisted and they are providing the so called favourable content.  The idea of independent Kashmir was propagated by Ram Chand Kak, articulated by Prem Nath Bazaz, Nitasha Kaul, Suvir Kaul, Mona Bhan. There are no Kashmiri Muslims or Sikhs or Christians who are opposed to their homecoming. All of them want them to come and settle in their homeland. The official record says that 209 Pandits have been killed in the last 30 years. And on the other side hundreds and thousands of Kashmiri Muslims have been killed by the State, including the 18-month old Iba and 16- year old Insha who were hit by the pellets .There is a notion that only Kashmiri boys take part in protests which is false. Women are active in politics and protests from the 90's and they do come to the forefront and infact, the first human chain in Kashmir was hosted by women. There's also a lot of literature coming from women in the form of poems and stories. Zamrooda Habib, Natasha Kaul etc. are some of them. The Kashmir population gives prominence to education and they are avid readers too. And as a person from Kashmir, how do you feel being in Kerala? As a Kashmiri I feel safe in Kerala. Here one can breathe, talk and discuss .  https://english.mathrubhumi.com/mbifl2020/news/gowhar-geelani-explains-the-3m-and-4d-plan-of-new-delhi-on-kashmir-1.4486551

11.          Three youth martyred: Feb., 1, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Jammu district, today.The youth were martyred after Indian troops intercepted a Srinagar-bound truck at Bann toll plaza on Srinagar-Jammu highway in Nagrota area of the district and fired at the vehicle. The troops cordoned off the area and started a search operation. Indian police and troops arrested two persons including driver of the truck. Earlier one Indian policeman was critically injured in an attack in the same area. The troops also launched cordon and search operations in several areas of Kupwara, Bandipora, Baramulla, Pulwama, Shopian, Islamabad, Kulgam, Kishtwar, Ramban, Rajouri and Poonch districts.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/31/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiri-youth-in-jammu/

12.           EU Vote postponement: Feb., 1, 2020: European Union parliamentarians have voted to postpone a vote that criticises India's Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and its lockdown in Kashmir. The draft resolution had been brought by six groups representing 626 of 751 members of the European Parliament. The vote, which was expected to conclude on Thursday, will now not be held until the end of March.The resolution had described the CAA as "fundamentally discriminatory in nature", with one group saying the controversial bill had the potential to "create the largest statelessness crisis in the world".It also criticised a recent crackdown in Kashmir, including an internet shutdown and preventive detention measures. The vote will be held after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's March 13 visit to Brussels for a bilateral summit “I think the Europeans are giving Prime Minister Modi the benefit of the doubt because he will be coming to Brussels for a summit next month," Jyoti Malhotra, editor of national and strategic affairs at The Print website in New Delhi, told Al Jazeera. "It would have looked very bad for him had the European Parliament passed a resolution which was critical of the CAA and Kashmir. So I think both India and Europe are saving   "And in the context of Kashmir, we are now six months without any communication. So it is a crisis on which the European Parliament definitely needs to take an urgent stand." https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/european-parliament-delay-vote-india-caa-kashmir-200131060153083.html

13.          January 2020 human cost Feb., 2, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred 21 Kashmiris in the last month of January. According to the data issued by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today, during the month, 14 people were critically injured due to the firing of pellets, bullets and teargas shells by Indian troops and police personnel on peaceful protesters in the occupied territory. As many as 104 civilians, mostly youth and Hurriyat activists, were arrested and several of them were booked under black law Public Safety Act. The troops molested 3 women and ransacked and damaged 5 houses in the month.    https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/02/01/indian-troops-martyr-21-kashmiris-in-january-2/

Kashmir Update 59: Week Jan., 20, 2019 to Jan., 26, 2020  

1.     Photojournalism: Jan., 21, 2020:  An armed rebellion broke out against Indian rule in Kashmir in the early 1990s. \ Photojournalists have played an essential role in documenting the bloodshed and rights violations that followed. Over the past three decades, journalism in Kashmir has emerged as one of the strongest institutions challenging the Indian government, with Kashmiri journalists working relentlessly to keep the story alive. Being a female photographer in the field can be frustrating at times. People stare at me because they are not used to seeing a woman with a camera. The stories and perspectives of women have largely been ignored and buried in the Kashmiri and international media. They have hardly been spoken about - their losses, their resilience.I wanted to document the untold stories of women and to talk to them. I knew women in my neighbourhood wanted to speak. They were suffering, but would hide their faces and feel uncomfortable opening up to male journalists. It was stormy in the early hours of May 24, 2019, when I set out with other journalists to cover the funeral of prominent rebel commander Zakir Musa. For Kashmiris, the civil engineering student-turned-militant was a popular face of Kashmir's new generation of rebels. He was the founder of Ansar Ghazwat-Ul-Hind, a rebel outfit that had pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda. The road to the house where the rebel was killed was a sea of mud. Puffs of smoke rose from the burned remains of the cement structure. Thousands of people had gathered around it.   I found another way in. When Musa's body reached the funeral ground, I was in an attic, preparing for high-angle shots and standing on the edge of the roof. The noise from the slogan-shouting crowd seemed to shake my camera, but I was able to take some pictures of the body before it was taken away to be buried Then, before I put my camera away, I peeped into the viewfinder and saw the empty bed where the rebel's body had been. I took this picture. For me, the empty bed had a different story to tell, far more haunting than the story it told with a dead body on it. It was the void the frequent killings of fighters and ordinary women and men leave behind in their families. The bodies of Kashmiris killed by the Indian armed forces are not taken to the graveyard in a closed coffin. They are considered heroes or martyrs and are often carried out on metal beds or stretchers - taken from the hospitals where families have gone to identify them - so everyone can see them. This picture makes me think of how these beds carry the bodies of young men, women, children, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers before they are gone forever. I think about families coming to kiss them for the last time on those beds. These beds share a connection of death and grief  This picture also reminds me of my very first news assignment in August 2017. I had to meet the family of Firdous Ahmad Khan, a labourer killed in a gunfight in the southern Kashmiri district of Pulwama. I was worried that his family would not speak to me, or that security forces would stop me. I was afraid of failing to tell the story.But when I met Firdous' widow Ruksana, then 25 and soon to give birth to their second child, she hugged me and cried and told me about the pain of losing her husband. She was burdened and desperate to speak, and could open up to another woman. While her story made me extremely sad, I felt a responsibility to tell it. I watched Ruksana's two-year-old daughter embracing her father on a metal bed, kissing and touching his face for the last time before he was separated from them forever and another empty bedframe returned to the hospital. https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/kashmir-empty-bed-signifies-life-lost-200114091520056.html

2.   Youth martyred: Jan., 21, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops   martyred three Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today. The youth were killed in a joint operation by the Indian Army’s 55 Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operation Group in Wachi area of the district. A house was destroyed when the troops used heavy weapons and inflammable chemical during the operation. Two of the martyrs were identified as Adil Sheikh from Zainapora and Waseem Wani from Urpora in Shopian district. The identity of the third martyred youth could not be ascertained. Indian police claimed that Adil Sheikh was formerly associated with Jammu and Kashmir police, who along with two others was killed during an encounter with the Indian forces. According to the last reports, the Indian forces had blocked all the entry and exit points and started house-to-house search operations in the area. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/20/three-kashmiri-youth-martyred-by-troops-in-iok/

3.   Deradicalization camps : Jan., 22, 2020: Police chief in Indian-administered Kashmir has endorsed the view to set up deradicalization camps for youth in the region The idea was mooted last week by India's first Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat who claimed that children as young as 10-12 were being radicalized in Kashmir. Asked by a reporter whether he supported Rawat’s idea Director General of Police in Kashmir Dilbagh Singh said that it would be a “good sign, good development” if such a facility comes up in Kashmir. Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence or for unification with neighboring Pakistan. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/kashmir-police-chief-seeks-deradicalization-camps/1708591

4.   Two youth martyred: Jan., 22, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops  martyred two more Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today ( Monday) , raising the toll to five during the past two days. The youth were killed during a cordon and search operation launched by the personnel of Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force and Special Operation Group in Awanitpora area of the district. Earlier, an Indian soldier and a special police officer were killed and another was injured in an attack in the same area. Meanwhile, thousands of people defying restrictions participated in the funeral prayers of the three youth in Shopian and Pulwama districts. These youth were martyred by Indian troops in Shopian, yesterday. Anti-India, pro-freedom and pro-Pakistan slogans were raised on the occasion. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/21/two-more-kashmiri-youth-martyred-in-iok/

5.   Youth martyred: Jan., 23, 2020:   occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today (Wednesday) The youth was killed during a search and cordon operation by the Indian troops in Awantipora area of the district. The operation was going on from two days in the area. An Indian soldier and a Special Police Officer (SPO) were killed in an attack in the same area on Tuesday https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/22/indian-troops-martyr-youth-in-iok-5/

6.   Movie: Jan., 24, 2020: A new film tells a love story between two teenagers whose fathers are both missing – in one of the most militarised places on Earth . In  2014, when Ashvin Kumar began making No Fathers In Kashmir, a feature film set in the disputed region of Kashmir, the director knew it would be fraught – but he didn’t expect a nine-month battle and censorship row to clear it for ‘public exhibition’ (cinema release) in India. Kumar had to heavily edit four scenes so that India’s Central Board of Film Certification would issue the film with a Universal Adult certificate (equivalent to PG) in April 2019. This week, the uncut version of No Fathers In Kashmir opens in UK cinemas, before being available for international audiences to view online in a couple of months. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUkR6395p44.  The Indian director, who received an Academy Award nomination for his 2004 short film Little Terrorist, remains hugely frustrated with the protracted struggle and feels it was politically motivated. “A process that should have taken two to three weeks took nine months; the board went at the film with a machete; a piece of expression has been mutilated and vandalised in a process that was less about certification and more about showing us our place,” he says. (The board didn't respond to our request for a comment.). By telling a naive story of innocent teenagers and first love, the idea was to take people back to that time in their lives when geopolitics is alien to you – but in Kashmir, politics creeps in – Ashvin Kumar“I wanted to appeal to young Indians because they’re born in the 1990s, after economic liberalisation gave them choice, opportunity and the chance to shape their destiny. For young people in Kashmir, choice and opportunity do not exist, they are born into war and conflict, and their cries against oppression and for self-determination are not heard.” : “It’s a very brave film and it’s a timely film. It’s also a moving film and it’s beautifully performed and skilfully made. I think it’s also poignant to see war through the eyes of the children.” Kumar hopes that No Fathers in Kashmir will help people move beyond dehumanising stereotypes, and trigger discussion about – and empathy for – the cost of a conflict that shows little sign of resolution. “For Kashmiris, the average Indian is a soldier in jack boots and camouflage and carrying a gun, and for Indians the average Kashmiri is a kid throwing stones at the army – these are the caricatures that have been propagated for the last 30 years. I hope that as the film is seen by UK and international audiences it will stimulate support, debate, curiosity, awareness, and compassion for the situation that Kashmiris find themselves in.”   http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20200122-no-fathers-in-kashmir-the-men-who-disappeared

7.   Black day: Jan., 25, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Chairman, Syed Ali Gilani, and senior APHC leader, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, have asked the Kashmiris across the world to observe Indian Republic Day on the 26th January as Black Day. Syed Ali Gilani in a statement issued in Srinagar said, democracy means respecting the aspirations and opinion of the people but India has always suppressed the just democratic voice of the Kashmiri people through oppression in the name of democracy and has kept them under military occupation for the last over 72 years. He strongly denounced the lockdown imposed by India in occupied Kashmir for the last over 173 days. He also said that the massacres carried out by Indian troops in Gaw Kadal, Handwara, Sopore, Kupwara and Ganderbal areas during the month of January in 1990s were a blot on India’s democratic face https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/24/kashmiris-asked-to-mark-indian-r-day-as-black-day/

8.   Controlled access: Jan., 26, 2020: Limited mobile data services and internet will be temporarily restored in Jammu and Kashmir from Saturday, ending nearly a six month communications lockdown after Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdrew the Muslim majority region's autonomy. Access will be limited to about 300 "whitelisted" websites and internet speed would remain low, the local Jammu and Kashmir government said in a notice late on Friday. However, social media applications that allow "peer to peer" communication will continue to be banned, it said  Access will temporarily be allowed to websites of banks like State Bank of India and HDFC, education institutions, news, entertainment sites including Amazon Prime, travel, utilities and food delivery apps like Swiggy and Zomato as well as email and search engines including Google and Yahoo. Places where access was allowed are struggling on get online.  Nasir Nabi, a student from north Kashmir's Kupwara district, where some services were restored, is pursuing a masters degree through a distance learning course and has been unable to access the university's website.”Because of the slow internet speed, the 23-year-old has not been able to download the study material or get information about any examinations. Shameem Ahmad, a shopkeeper from the same region, said he has found it difficult to complete bank transactions as the internet speed is very low and most of the times it fails to process the request. https://kfgo.com/news/articles/2020/jan/25/limited-internet-to-be-restored-in-kashmir-no-access-to-social-media/978296/,  

9.   Alice on Kashmir: Jan., 26, 2020: Speaking on the issue of the lockdown in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Wells said the US was continuing to urge the Indian government to move swiftly to release political leaders detained without charge. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2144383/1-us-ready-assist-pakistan-wells/

10.          Youth martyred: Jan., 26, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops   martyred three Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today (Saturday) .The troops martyred the youth during a siege and search operation at Hariparigam in Tral area of the district. Earlier, three Indian soldiers were injured during an attack in the same area. The military operation was going on when the last reports came in. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/25/indian-troops-martyr-three-youth-in-iok-9/

         

   Kashmir Update 58: Week Jan., 13, 2019 to Jan., 19, 2020  

1.     US State Department: Jan., 13, 2020: The US State Department on Saturday said that it is concerned about the detentions in Jammu and Kashmir as well as the Internet shutdown in the region. It also said that it considers the trip of foreign envoys to Jammu and Kashmir an important step but still remains concerned and that it is closely following the envoys' trip.  “We remain concerned by detention of political leaders and residents, and Internet restrictions. We look forward to a return to normalcy," said US State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs on Saturday. https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/concerned-about-jammu-and-kashmir-detentions-internet-shutdown-us-state-department/story/393638.html

2.   False flag operation: Jan., 13, 2020: A decorated Indian police official was arrested while “transporting terrorists” to the capital New Delhi on Sunday in what Pakistani officials say appears to be a ruined “false flag” terrorist operation – something Islamabad has repeatedly warned the international community about. Davinder Singh was caught late Saturday at Wanpoh in Kulgam district in the company of two “terrorists” from Hizbul Mujahideen, an indigenous armed group fighting India’s rule in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. They were arrested while travelling in a vehicle on Srinagar-Jammu Highway en route to New Delhi. Police sources identified one of the three HuM “terrorists” as Naveed Babu who, according to them, was involved in the killing of 11 truckers and labourers in a series of attacks in South Kashmir late last year. He is also accused of killing several police officers with 18 FIRs registered against him. Babu, a former Special Police Official, is the deputy commander of HuM, according to police. He had stolen four assault rifles and deserted the police force to join the group in 2017. DSP Singh had worked for the police for decades and was a member of an elite counter-insurgency force in the IOJ&K. He was awarded the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry on August 15, 2019. DSP Singh was apprehended when his vehicle was pulled over at a police checkpoint south of Occupied Srinigar. “The fast moving car was stopped and searched. Two wanted militants and our officer… and a third person were arrested in the operation,” Kashmir police chief Vijay Kumar told reporters. Kumar said police and intelligence agencies were questioning DSP Singh, accusing him of a “heinous crime”. Security forces recovered guns and ammunition from several locations in the follow-up to the arrests, including from DSP Singh’s residence in Occupied Srinagar. Police sources say investigations are underway to find out why the terrorists were going to New Delhi with the help of the police officer. DSP Singh had risen steadily through the ranks of the IOJ&K security apparatus during his career. But years earlier he was accused of forcing a man to help Kashmiri militants travel to New Delhi in a deadly attack on the Indian parliament in 2001. India quickly blamed Pakistan-based militant groups for the attack, prompting a months-long military stand-off between the two hostile neighbours. DSP Singh acknowledged in 2006 he had tortured his accuser, Mohammad Afzal Guru, while he was in custody, but the claims were not taken seriously by investigators. Guru was later convicted for his alleged part in the attack and hanged. Kumar said the allegations would now be revisited. “We will ask him about the attack in the interrogation,” he added. Maj Gen Ghafoor hoped that the results of investigations will be made public and the arrested suspects would be found listed in an Indian jail. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2135782/1-dg-ispr-snubs-indias-claim-arresting-police-officer-helping-kashmiri-fighters/

3.   Saudi India ties: Jan., 13, 2020: Tremendous strides have been made in India’s relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in the past few years. The relationship has indeed progressed  “from a purely buyer-seller relationship” toward a “closer strategic partnership that will include Saudi investments in downstream oil and gas projects.” However, the delay in welcoming Saudi money and recent events in India regarding Kashmir and CAA have made the relationship tenuous.  India is the third largest export destination of Saudi Arabia at $19.4 billion (after China and Japan). In 2018-19 (as per DGFT), the India-Saudi bilateral trade has increased by 23.83 % to US $ 34.03 billion. India imports 200,000 tons of LPG every month from the Kingdom. The 2.6 million (as of August 2019) strong Indian community in Saudi Arabia is the largest expatriate community in the Kingdom. The Haj pilgrimage is another important component of bilateral relations. Nearly 7,00,000 Indians also visit the Kingdom to perform Hajj or Umra every year. The Hajj quota was increased by 24, 975 in 2019, enabling 2,00, 000 Indians performing Hajj in 2019. This determines that until now the bilateral relationship has been defined by religious travel, migrant workers, remittances and oil trade. However, the scope to go above and beyond this towards more meaningful investment has been tapped by both the governments. In its largest ever push to bilateral relations, Saudi Arabia is believed to be looking to invest US $100 billion in India, in areas of energy, refining, petrochemicals, infrastructure, agriculture and mining. Oil giant Saudi Aramco has two major investment plans in the country: strategic investment in the greenfield petroleum refinery in Maharashtra and a $15 billion worth 20% stake acquisition in the refining and petrochemicals business of Reliance Industries (RIL The proposed Maharashtra project is the largest greenfield refinery in India and will involve investments from Saudi Arabia’s Aramco, the United Arab Emirates’ ADNOC and Indian public-sector oil companies. Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (RRPCL) which is implementing this project is a joint venture between the Indian Oil Corporation (IOCl), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL). Saudi Arabian Oil Company – Saudi Aramco and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) are also partners for this project and own 50 % stake in the mammoth project. The 1.2 million barrels a day refinery and associated petrochemical project has been projected as one of the biggest projects in the country that will bring large foreign direct investment (FDI). Recent reports indicate that the benchmark value has been raised from $44 billion to $70 billion for the project. This would require Indian PSUs to raise their investment from $22 billion to $35 billion, an increase of Rs 1 lakh crore, financing plans for which are not yet public, and are the object of much discussion, given the weakened cash flows of Indian PSUs and public finances. There have already been incredible delays on part of the government of India (GoI) with regard to the refinery and the Saudi’s have of late clearly begun to indicate their restlessness “the ball is in their court” Earlier the project was proposed to come up in Nanar village in Ratnagiri district some 400 kms South of Mumbai. Due to opposition from the locals the project was relocated to neighbouring Raigad, 100 km south of the financial capital. Of course, there would legitimate concerns of the locals, but it is beyond belief that an agreement of this scale was made without providing adequate assurances to the original owners of the land or making them partners in this huge investment. Apart from land acquisition issues now there are reports that India is looking at cutting capacity at this oil refinery to match lower fuel demand projections and contain costs which jumped to $70 billion due to stringent environment norms and relocation of the site. the refinery which was initially projected to cost $44 billion (about Rs 3.08 lakh crore) will now cost to an estimated $70 billion (about Rs 4.9 lakh crore) because costs of meeting environment norms such as not producing petroleum coke, and relocation of the plant were not estimated. Also, the cost of land acquisition should have been calculated when plans of the project of such size were being made. The mega project was anticipated to be commissioned by 2022, however incessant delays have pushed the deadline to 2025  India also needs Saudi support to build its planned emergency crude reserves as a buffer against volatility. India has at present 5.3 million tons of underground reserves in 3 locations Vizag, Mangalore and Padur which can meet about 10 days of the country’s oil needs. New Delhi plans two new reserves with a combined capacity of 6.5 million tons enough to cover for an additional 12 days. Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd (ISPRL) has signed an agreement with Aramco to lease part of the 2.5 million tone Padur storage in Karnataka.  Investment from Saudi Arabia cannot be left to errors if India wants to achieve emergency crude reserves of its seven (another 6.5 mt facility at Padur in Karnataka, Chandikhole in Odisha, at Bikaner in Rajasthan and Rajkot in Gujarat) Strategic Petroleum Reserves facilities which would together hold about 128 million barrels of oil. Riyadh has become more amenable to India’s concerns on radicalisation and terrorism. Cooperation in the fields of anti-piracy operations and CT has been an important part of India’s ties. The extradition agreement between the two countries has greatly aided the cause of India’s fight against terrorism with Riyadh handing over individuals wanted in India. Saudi Arabia has also been extremely obliging in its position on Kashmir, providing subtle support to GoI’s policy. Closer relations with the custodian of the Muslim holy shrines assists in appeasing and validating the Indians government’s actions among sections of the Muslim community.  When the Saudi Crown Prince Md Bin Salman expressed understanding about India’s approach and actions in Jammu and Kashmir, it was a significant accomplishment for the Modi government and a definite snub to Pakistan. However, the blowback over the vociferous criticism of India’s policies vis-à-vis CAA-NRC led by a bloc of Muslim countries (Pakistan, Malaysia and Turkey) will eventually affect India’s foreign relations with all the Gulf nations especially with the KSA. Within the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), the pressure is beginning to show on Saudi Arabia and UAE. It is only a matter of time before the Kingdom and self-professed leader of the Sunni Muslim world, succumbs to the negative propaganda by Pakistan wrapped around a Hindu-Muslim narrative, and withdraws its subtle support to India over Kashmir. In fact, the negative repercussions have already come in the form of Saudi Arabia agreeing to convene a special Foreign Ministers’ meeting of the OIC devoted to Kashmir. Although this is being touted as quid pro quo to Islamabad for giving a pass to the Islamic Summit in Kuala Lumpur, the fact remains that this recompense to appease Pakistan is at the expense of India’s foreign policy interests. Projected to become the world’s third largest economy Saudi Arabia is contemplating large scale investment in India. The fact that India has the world’s third largest Muslim population is certainly a consideration in Saudi Arabia’s Asian portfolio. Commencing work on the refinery would have opened the doors to Saudi investment in other sectors such as agriculture and infrastructure which PM Modi himself has touted as an “opportunity multiplier.” However, with blisters in the very first trial it is doubtful that the Saudis would want to further scald themselves on purpose. In any case a slowdown in the economy as well as a shift towards EVs has affected fuel demand. Aramco, which raised $25.6 billion by selling 1.5% shares in the world’s biggest initial public offering recently, has also been expected to participate in the proposed sale of public sector oil marketing and refining company BPCL. The participation of Aramco in the sale programme through the disinvestment of BPCL and other state assets is crucial for bridging the huge fiscal deficit that India faces currently  Growing pressure from non-Wahabbi Muslim nations on Saudi Arabia with regard to Kashmir and CAA requires close monitoring by the MEA. If that support snaps, then UAE may follow and OIC, hither to quiet, may become belligerent. A friendly Saudi royalty can be ensured only via investment red carpets. The lack of it could lead to unsustainable diplomatic pressures and worrying noises on oil export to India. The only relationship that will continue is of NRIs continuing to work in Saudi Arabia and remit nearly $10 billion per year. https://thewire.in/external-affairs/india-saudi-arabia-ties-caa-nrc

4.   Youth martyred: Jan., 13, 2020:   In occupied Kashmir, Indian  martyred three Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Gulshanpora area of Tral in the district. Police claimed that the youth were killed during an encounter with the troops. The martyred youth were identified as Umer Fayaz Lone, Faizan Hamid and Adil Bashir Mir.   . https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/12/indian-troops-martyr-three-youth-in-iok-8/

5.   Free Kashmir posters: Jan., 13, 2020: Chennai, January 12 (KMS): In a series of one after another incident indicating that the freedom struggle in occupied Jammu and Kashmir has become an icon for the Indian masses, especially minorities, living under Modi-led fascist government, posters reading ‘Free Kashmir’ are now being frequently spotted during protest demonstrations in length and breadth of India. Despite registration of treason cases against the people displaying such posters in the recent past, the newest reading ‘Free Kashmir’ was spotted at a protest demonstration against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Law in Chennai, the other day. Earlier, such placards were also seen during protests in New Delhi and Mumbai. A poster was raised by a woman protesting violence against the students and faculty members of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). After Delhi, something similar also took place during a Mumbai protest on January 6 when a girl was seen holding a ‘Free Kashmir’ poster. Other demonstrators were also seen holding placards that said various things they were protesting against.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/12/after-delhi-and-mumbai-free-kashmir-poster-seen-in-chennai/

6.   Youth martyred: Jan., 13, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, this morning. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Tral area of the district.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/12/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-pulwama-2/

7.   Human rights: Jan., 14, 2020: In a statement, a group of human and civil rights lawyers of South Asian descent have expressed grave concerns about “ongoing legal abuses and human rights atrocities” in India. Their statement covers the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens, and the way protests against the two have been cracked down on by the government, as well as the Central governments actions in Kashmir. “The crisis unfolding in India today is rooted in a long history of impunity and failed democratic institutions,” the signatories have said. They say that India has not been able to keep its minorities safe, and violence against the marginalised has become commonplace. “The BJP and Prime Minister Modi have built upon this troubled history with a Hindutva nationalist agenda,” they continue. To counter this, they argue, US lawmakers must raise their voice and take action, by condemning the CAA and NRC, and also demanding that legal observers and foreign journalists be allowed complete access in Kashmir. https://thewire.in/rights/caa-nrc-kashmir-india-fundamental-rights

8.   US Congress: Jan., 14,2020: The situation in Kashmir violates human rights, a US Congresswoman has said, as she joined as co-sponsors to a resolution urging India to end restrictions on communications and mass detentions in the newly created Union Territory.

 The resolution No. 745 that was introduced in the House of Representatives last year by Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal now has 36 cosponsors, of whom two are Republicans and 34 from the opposition Democratic Party."The situation in Kashmir violates human rights. Thousands have been detained unjustly & millions are without access to the internet & telephones," Congresswoman Debbie Dingell said in a tweet Monday night. "That's why I signed onto House Resolution 745 so the US can let the world know we will not stand by while these violations happen," she said. Dingell represents 12th Congressional District of Michigan. The Congressional resolution is currently before the House Foreign Affairs Committee for necessary action. Congressman Brad Sherman said he looks forward to getting US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster's report on his recent visit to Jammu and Kashmir. "I expect the report to indicate what restrictions the Ambassador faced, in particularly, whether or not the Ambassador was able to visit detainees. The visit and report are valuable only to the extent of the access given," Sherman wrote on Twitter. https://www.news18.com/news/world/situation-in-kashmir-violates-human-rights-says-us-congresswoman-joins-pramila-jayapals-resolution-2457079.html

9.   Curbs on Malaysia: Jan., 15, 2020: After refined palm oil   the government is looking to further step up the heat on Malaysia   with a plan to restrict the import of microprocessors amid indications that the trade dispute is unlikely to be sorted out soon as the Southeast Asian nation continues to rile India over   Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad  determination to speak out on what India believes are its internal issues has seen the Modi government working on imposing technical standards on microprocessors and also putting in place a quality control order for telecom equipment, sources told TOI. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-plans-more-curbs-as-malaysia-pm-talks-tough/articleshow/73259108.cms

10.          UNSC on Kashmir: Jan., 15, 2020: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is set to discuss the alarming human rights situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK) for the second time in less than six months, Geo News reported Tuesday. A meeting of the UNSC on the current IoK situation has been scheduled for January 15, according to reports. The council had last discussed the Kashmir issue in August. Sources said the UN Military Observer Group is likely to brief the members of the Security Council on the rapidly deteriorating situation along the Line of Control (LoC) between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India. Sources said Tuesday that China had played a key role in convening the meeting. Qureshi had earlier said that China shared Pakistani concerns against India. In a letter to the UN, Qureshi had earlier expressed concerns over Indian military movement and missile deployment in occupied Kashmir, asking the UN to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the matter.  https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/598422-military-observers-to-brief-un-security-council-over-loc-situation-sources?fbclid=IwAR1rE83M7pD6avZS0WL0BrYdTcr92PyTUjUlTJFXpSsT3aJg2153brik9mM

11.          Youth martyred: January 15 , 2020:   In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Doda district of Jammu region, today The troops martyred the youth identified as Haroon Hamad during a cordon and search operation in Gundara area of the district. “The operation is going on in the area. However, body has not been recovered so far,” a police officer told media men. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/15/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-doda-2/

12.          Protest spreads: Jan., 16, 2020: The cool and hip graffiti on the shutters of an abandoned building in Church Street, in the heart of Bengaluru, where youngsters are often spotted taking selfies and shooting amateur music videos, turned into ground zero over the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) on Tuesday. The commotion began when office goers and others spotted spray-painted graffiti with protest slogans saying ‘No CAA, No NRC’, ‘I will not show my papers’, ‘Detention Camps’ and ‘Free Kashmir’ in black, red and other colours   Bengaluru, like other places in the country, has seen a sharp rise in demonstrations and protests, both for and against CAA. But it has remained largely peaceful in contrast to some other places, including Mysuru, where a girl was recently served a notice after she was spotted carrying a ‘Free Kashmir’ poster at an anti-CAA-NRC rally. https://www.livemint.com/

13.          Alice Wells; Jan., 16, 2020: Tweeting a few days before her visit, Alice Wells, the State Department’s top diplomat for South and Central Asia, who is due in New Delhi today, said that the US remains “concerned by detention of political leaders and residents, and internet restrictions” that the Indian government has put in place in the occupied region. Moreover, Ms Wells hoped for “a return to normalcy” in IHK. For the BJP mandarins who insist ‘all is well’ there, this rather mild criticism from the world’s sole superpower is unlikely to go down well, and it will be interesting to see if the issue is brought up during Ms Wells’ visit. India is desperately trying to show the world that things are running normally in IHK, when clearly this is not the case. The internet blockade has been in force for over 160 days, crippling daily life in the region. However, New Delhi recently organised a ‘guided tour’ of occupied Kashmir for foreign diplomats, an exercise that was boycotted by envoys of the EU, even though the US ambassador participated. The EU diplomats apparently turned down the invitation because they were not allowed to meet detained Kashmiri politicians. If India has nothing to hide, why is it not allowing European officials to freely tour IHK and interact with people? The communications blockade has destroyed the region’s economy and made the lives of ordinary Kashmiris even more miserable as they remain mostly cut off from the world. The brutal treatment of Kashmiris, as well as the Islamophobic citizenship law and national register, have exposed the BJP for what it is: a band of bigots masquerading in democratic garb. https://www.dawn.com/news/1528395/us-on-ihk

14.          UNSC: Jan., 16, 2020: The UN Security Council on Wednesday took up for discussion the ongoing situation in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) which remains under siege since Aug 5, 2019 when New Delhi illegally and unconstitutionally revoked its semi-autonomous status. It was the third time the UNSC discussed the Kashmir situation since the revocation of its special status. During the meeting, attended by all 15 members of the council, the Department of Peace Operations and the Department of Political and Peace Building Affairs briefed the representatives. It was followed by a discussion on the situation. “France’s position has not changed and is very clear: The Kashmir issue must be settled bilaterally—as we have stated on several occasions and will continue to reiterate it to our partners on the UNSC,” France’s News18 reported quoting a source. Last month, the US, the UK, France, and Russia had foiled an attempt by China to discuss the Kashmir issue at a closed-door meeting. Beijing has long voiced concern over the situation in IOJ&K. The disputed region has been in lockdown since Aug 5 last year when India scrapped Article 370 of its Constitution that provided a certain degree of autonomy and protected the region’s demographic character.  The international community – which initially maintained silence – is now waking up to India’s draconian move with some US lawmakers voicing concerns on blatant violations of basic human rights of Kashmiris. Indian authorities said on Wednesday they had restored mobile internet services in five Hindu-majority districts of Jammu, conspicuously leaving out Muslim-majority districts still without connectivity. However, the lifting of the blackout is not blanket as mobile internet users can access only “white listed” websites, like e-banking and government websites, not the social networking platforms. It came after the India’s Supreme Court last Friday ruled that internet blockade was illegal. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2138125/1-unsc-discusses-situation-indian-occupied-kashmir-third-time/

15.          HRW: Jan., 16,2020: The New York-based Human Rights Watch has criticized the Indian government for gross human rights violations including arrests, torture and communication blackout after abrogation of Kashmir’s special status in August, last year. Human Rights Watch in its World Report 2020 posted on its website said, Indian authorities also failed to protect religious minorities, used draconian sedition and counter-terrorism laws to silence peaceful dissent, and invoked foreign funding regulations and other laws to discredit and muzzle nongovernmental organizations, critical of government actions or policies. “The Indian government has tried to shut down Kashmir, hiding the full extent of the harm caused there,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch in a press release. “Instead of addressing growing attacks on minorities, Indian authorities bolstered their efforts to silence critical voices in 2019,” she added. The report said, “Prior to its actions in Jammu and Kashmir, the government deployed additional troops …, shut down the internet and phones, and arbitrarily detained thousands of Kashmiris, including political leaders, activists, journalists, lawyers, and potential protesters, including children. Hundreds remain in detention without charge or under house arrest to prevent protests.” It said that the Indian government blocked opposition politicians, foreign diplomats, and international journalists from independent visits to occupied Kashmir. “The Indian government’s actions in Kashmir have led to loss of livelihood and access to education. The repression resulted in international criticism including in the United States’ Congress, the European Parliament, and the United Nations Human Rights Council. Throughout the year, UN experts have raised concerns over a series of issues in India, including extrajudicial killings, potential statelessness of millions in Assam, possible eviction of tribal communities and forest-dwellers, and the communications blackout in Kashmir,” the report added. The report said that the February 14 Pulwama attack in which over 40 Indian troops were killed, led to military escalation between India and Pakistan. Following the incident, Kashmiri students and businessmen in different parts of India were harassed, beaten, and even forcibly evicted from rented housing and dorms by BJP supporters. In the 652-page World Report 2020, its 30th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in nearly 100 countries. The report said that despite numerous independent recommendations, including by United Nations experts, the India government did not review or repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which gives soldiers effective immunity from prosecution for serious human rights abuses. The law is in force in occupied Kashmir and in several states in northeast India. The HRW said that in November, following a petition by child rights activists, the Indian Supreme Court sought a detailed report from the juvenile justice committee of occupied Kashmir High Court on the detention of children and other abuses during the lockdown imposed since August. The committee earlier submitted a police list of 144 detained children, the youngest being 9, it added.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/15/hrw-condemns-indian-government-over-atrocities-in-iok/

16.          Proving death: Jan., 16, 2020: On an unusually tense afternoon when Indian-administered Kashmir was under full lockdown, Osaib Altaf Marazi, made a fatal decision. The 17-year-old boy, who loved to travel and take selfies, left home to play cricket with his neighbourhood friends on August 5 last year - the day New Delhi stripped Kashmir of its autonomy. He never returned. Osaib's body was later fished out of the nearby Jhelum river. Saleema Bano, Osaib's mother, has struggled to come to terms with her youngest son's death. For five months, she has broken down almost every day. "He was a beautiful boy," she said. "Everyone asks me to endure but how can I forget my son who would be in front of my eyes every hour of the day."  Saleema remembers the day vividly. "I told him to have lunch first and not to go out but he insisted he will be back soon," she said.  That was the last time Saleema saw Osaib. The events that followed forced her family to embark upon a traumatic quest to even prove his death and seek a death certificate. After four months of denial, Kashmiri police finally admitted that Osaib's death had been the first in the wake of the abrogation of Article 370 of the constitution that had granted special status to the Muslim-majority region. On August 5, roads across Kashmir were blocked and checkpoints, manned by Indian paramilitary troopers, were set up. A tense atmosphere descended upon the region as phone networks, internet services and TV channels were blocked. The crackdown seemed designed to prevent Kashmiris from protesting against New Delhi's decision to scrap Kashmir's limited autonomy. The Marazi family mourned Osaib's death as Kashmir endured the longest internet shutdown imposed by a democracy. Suhail Ahmad Marazi, Osaib's older brother, was not home on August 5. He later gathered witness accounts of what happened to his brother in the moments before his death. Osaib had been with his friends and together they walked a short distance from his home in Palpora village on the outskirts of Srinagar, the main city in the region, when they found themselves surrounded by paramilitary forces. "They were 10 boys. As they reached the middle of a footbridge they saw CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force] personnel running after them from both the sides. They were scared and jumped into the river," Suhail told Al Jazeera. Osaib did not know how to swim. "The other boys who were present at the spot told us that Osaib held to the edge of the bridge for [a] few seconds before the armed men hit him with a stick on his head and hands and he slipped into [the] waters. It was a murder," he said. At home, Saleema was doing chores when boys from the neighbourhood came running and knocked at her window. "They said Osaib had been martyred," Saleema recalled, overcome by emotion. "I wait for him every day and call his name every time when I serve the dinner. He was afraid to sleep alone," she said. "I just cannot forget his face for a second." Osaib's body was handed over to the family for burial but the hospital refused to issue a death certificate. Officials at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh hospital in Srinagar asked the Marazi family for a First Information Report (FIR), a police complaint, to certify Osaib's death. It was the start of a months-long battle to secure a death certificate. "From the hospital, I went to one police station and then another and both said that they will not be able to register the FIR as the area does not come under their jurisdiction," Suhail said. "It was a helpless situation." In September, after two child rights activists, Enakshi Ganguly and Shanta Sinha, filed a petition in India's Supreme Court to investigate cases of rights violations involving children in Kashmir, the court tasked the juvenile justice committee with investigating cases involving minors who were being detained in the region. In the midst of their struggle to prove Osaib's death, his family was shocked by a written submission by police to the juvenile justice committee admitting that they had detained 144 minors. But the police dubbed Osaib's death "baseless". "Osaib Altaf, the incident as reported has been found to be baseless as no such death has been reported to the police authorities as per verification report received from the field formations," the police report said. The family then approached the lower court to request the FIR. "We approached the court because how can they deny our child's death? It is very devastating for us that we struggled to prove that he died," Suhail Marazi, said. "While we were mourning at home, every week we had to go to the court as well." Last month, the police finally submitted a report to the court admitting Osaib's death by drowning. "It is prayed that on 05-08-2019, the deceased Osaib Marazi aged about 24 years allegedly drowned in river Jhelum," said the status report submitted by the Parimpora police station to the court. Osaib's school records show he was 17, not "about 24" as the police claimed. He was a grade 12 student at a local school. "No one gets justice here and we do not hope for it either. But we want that we should be provided the death certificate," said Suhail, adding that they will continue to fight for the certificate. "Our neighbour Danish was killed the same way in 2016, and even they did not get any justice. They [the police] have found a new way to kill children in Kashmir." Authorities in Kashmir, who now come directly under India's interior ministry, have denied any killings took place in the wake of the August 5 decision. But local human rights group Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) said, in its 2019 human rights review, that six civilians had been killed by the Indian armed forces. The list included 17-year-old Asrar Firdous Khan from Soura, Srinagar, who was playing cricket with his friends on August 6 when soldiers shot him in the head several times with pellets, according to his family. Asrar's medical records showed his death occurred due to pellet injuries to his skull, but the police refuted that, saying he was killed when a stone was thrown at him. The police did not specify who threw the stone. While Osaib's family continues to struggle for acknowledgement of his death, Saleema struggles with her pain and longing. "I want to tear my heart open to find my son. It seems the light of my eyes has gone away." https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/kashmir-family-harrowing-quest-prove-son-death-200116065122901.html

17.          Ice melts? : Jan., 17, 2020: Move comes hours after the UNSC discusses the situation in Kashmir. Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan will be invited to participate in the Heads of Government Council meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-to-invite-imran-khan-for-scos-annual-heads-of-government-meeting/article30577761.ece?homepage=true

18.          De-radicalization camps for children: Jan., 18, 2020:  Top Indian general had suggested putting young Kashmiri children in “de-radicalization camps”  The statement, which referred to Gen Rawat's remarks at the Raisina Dialogue 2020, added that as a perpetrator of “unabated state-terrorism in the Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOK)”, India is in no position to pontificate on the issue of terrorism.    https://www.dawn.com/news/1528918/fo-condemns-indian-generals-remarks-on-sending-kashmiri-children-to-deradicalisation-camps. Concentration camps: Jan., 18, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, India has planned to set up Nazi type concentration camps for the Kashmiri youth to starve, torture and kill them. A clear indication of the plan has been given by warmonger former Indian Army Chief and incumbent Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, while addressing a conference in New Delhi. He said that young Kashmiri children are being radicalized and they need to be identified and put in de-radicalisation camps. Rawat also claimed that Indian forces could not be blamed for injuries caused by pellet guns and that radicalised stone-pelters were “more dangerous” than the pellet guns. By emphasizing the need to deal with heavy hand in occupied Kashmir, General Rawat has pointed towards the Indian design to step up state terrorism in the territory. All Parties Hurriyat Conference and other liberation organizations in their statements have said that in the name of de-radicalization, the Kashmiri youth would be tortured in new camps. They said that General Bipin Rawat’s warning was a depiction of India’s militaristic approach towards the Kashmir dispute and was aimed at making the Kashmiri youth to shun their struggle. The organizations said New Delhi is using all brutal methods including torture to crush the Kashmiris’ liberation movement and bully them into accepting its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. They pointed out that despite killing over 95,000 innocent Kashmiris since 1989, Indian troops have failed to subdue the Kashmiri people’s resolve for securing freedom from the Indian yoke. Meanwhile, as the Juma congregational prayers culminated, people took to the streets in Srinagar, Badgam, Pulwama, Tral, Doda and other areas and held forceful anti-India demonstrations. The protesters raised high-pitched pro-freedom and anti-India slogans https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/17/india-plans-nazi-type-concentration-camps-in-iok-2/. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXYZPJ03p2U

19.          China on Kashmir: Jan., 18,2020: China has said that “most members” of the UN Security Council (UNSC) have voiced concerns at the situation in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K), which remains under siege since the illegal revocation of its semi-autonomous constitutional status by the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August last year. A closed-door meeting of the 15-member powerful council on Wednesday took up for discussion for a second time since August 5 the situation in IOJ&K at the request of China – much to the chagrin of India. Pakistan has welcomed the move which, it says, shows the chronic dispute remains on the global body’s agenda. “China’s position [on Kashmir dispute] is consistent and clear. This issue is a dispute left from history and should be properly resolved following the UN Charter, UNSC resolutions, and bilateral treaties and in a peaceful way,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a media briefing in Beijing. Almost all major news outlets of India covered the media was arranged for Indian media where aggressive media persons unleashed a barrage of questions about China’s official position on IOJ&K.“As requested by Pakistan, the Security Council reviewed the Kashmir issue on January 15. The Security Council members are concerned about the current situation and they called the relevant parties to observe the charter and resolve disputes peacefully, through political dialogue and exercise restraint and work on de-escalation,” The Press Trust of India quoted Geng as saying. “Indeed the UNSC reviewed the Kashmir issue on January 15 and there was no statement. But China as a permanent member participated in the review meeting and what I said was in line with the review. But if you think this is not true, then you can look at other sources,” the spokesperson said. Asked about presumed change in China’s position vis-à-vis Kashmir, Geng said Beijing’s position on Kashmir is very clear. “We haven’t changed our position. The issue between India and Pakistan has always been on the UNSC agenda. The UNSC should pay attention to the issue in Kashmir based on the latest developments. And in this region, there are still International Observer Groups and it has always been on UNSC agenda,” he said Geng reiterated that Beijing stood for enhancing dialogue and mutual trust between India and Pakistan and exercise restraint and work for de-escalation of tensions. “As a responsible country, we have been in contact with both India and Pakistan, and are playing a constructive role on this,” he said. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2139319/1-unsc-members-concerned-situation-indian-occupied-kashmir-china/

20.          Indian occupied Kashmir: Jan., 19, 2020: Kashmir has been under a lockdown for five months. Fearing that Kashmiris might protest the revocation of autonomy provided to Jammu and Kashmir state under India’s constitution, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi clamped down. Since the restrictions in August, the government has taken slow, reluctant steps to ease some of them, but is still falling far short in upholding Kashmiri rights. Many of the thousands arbitrarily arrested – lawyers, shop owners, traders, students, rights activists – have now been released, but reportedly only after promising not to criticize the government. Some senior Kashmiri political leaders, including former chief ministers, remain in custody. Police admitted at least 144 children had been detained, and now the chief of defense staff has spoken of putting children in “deradicalization camps.” The government had also blocked phone lines and access to the internet. The government was so fearful of criticism and dissent that it curtailed Kashmiris’ ability to share news of births or deaths, call their doctors, order supplies, research term papers, file taxes, and trade apples and walnuts. While authorities started gradually restoring landlines and some mobile phone services, it denied internet services. After the Supreme Court said on January 10 that access to the internet was a fundamental right, the authorities relented – only to set up government-controlled internet kiosks, with firewalls permitting only some websites and forbidding social media. This violates free expression rights and hardly complies with the principle laid down by the court that “the freedom of speech and expression and the freedom to practice any profession or carry on any trade, business or occupation over the medium of internet enjoys constitutional protection.” The costs of the government’s policies have been staggering, and the attempt to avoid criticism has not worked. The United Nations has expressed concern, as have numerous foreign governments. Indian authorities have sought to justify their rights violations on the grounds of national security. Maintaining law and order is a critical state function, but it’s necessary to protect civil liberties as it is carried out. India needs to do better in Kashmir. https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/01/17/india-failing-kashmiri-human-rights

21.          SCO: Jan., 19, 2020: WHERE bilateral efforts to improve relations fail in the Pakistan-India context, multilateral forums can offer a ‘safe’ space for dialogue to pursue peace. In this perspective, the prospect of Pakistan’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit to be held in India later this year has brought up the possibility of forward movement where the currently frozen bilateral ties between the two countries are concerned. Pakistan and India became full members of the SCO in 2017; the grouping — under the stewardship of Russia and China — brings together the Central Asian states as well as observers such as Iran and Afghanistan. Though no miracles should be expected (the moribund status of Saarc is before us), were the prime minister to participate and interact with his Indian counterpart, perhaps the ice between Islamabad and New Delhi could be broken.  The Indian lockdown of Kashmir must top the agenda, as New Delhi should realise that its siege of the held region is destroying all chances of peace in the subcontinent. Further, Pakistan has valid concerns about the Islamophobic laws India has introduced to disenfranchise millions of its Muslim citizens. And the recent bellicose, anti-Pakistan statements by Indian generals have further poisoned the atmosphere. If there is to be peace, such jingoism must be reined in. Pakistan has over the past few years taken several steps for peace, yet the response from the other side has been less than enthusiastic. The SCO summit can prove to be a chance to change things for the better. https://www.dawn.com/news/1529027/sco-invitation

Kashmir Update 57: Week Jan., 6, 2019 to Jan., 12, 2020  

1.     Fascist attack on HU: Jan., 6, 2019: Several students and teachers have been injured they were attacked by members of right-wing students' group in New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Sunday. Witnesses said violence followed a public meeting organised by the JNU Teachers Association in connection with a rise in hostel charges for the students announced some weeks ago. The JNU Students Union said its president, Aishe Ghosh, and many other students were injured in stone-pelting and attacks by members of right-wing students' group Akhil Bharatiya. Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Videos on social media appeared to show a group of several masked attackers roaming the campus wielding batons as students screamed . Masked goons roaming freely with sticks and Police did NOTHING to stop them.   News channels also showed groups of masked people said to be from outside the campus - which student bodies blamed on each other's factions - brandishing rods and sticks, targeting students and teachers and vandalising property."When the violent mob began beating up students and teachers, we went closer to the aid of those injured and to also know what was happening, but they attacked us as well. We had to literally run for our lives," one student, who wished to remain anonymous, told Al Jazeera. Another student, who also did not wish to be named, said: "There was such an environment of fear. They were not asking about anything but were beating up everyone and chasing us." "Students were forced to lock their doors and female students switched off the lights of their rooms in order to escape the violent mob," she added. Local media reported that 20 to 30   "What we see today is possibly the culmination of what has been happening for the past few years. Earlier there was an intellectual destruction of JNU, now we are looking at the physical destruction of JNU." https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/delhi-students-teachers-injured-clashes-jnu-200105180840606.html

2.   Internet: Jan., 6, 2020: Every day the train to occupied Kashmir's remote cyber oasis Banihal is packed as people travel for hours to get online in the region where internet has been cut for five months. The mountain town of fewer than 4,000 people has six internet cafes, which are booming due to a security clampdown by the Indian government.“The speed is very slow,” admitted Irfan, manager of one of the cafes where customers pay up to 3,000 rupees ($40) an hour to link their laptop to the snail's-pace broadband. “Scores of Kashmiris, mostly students and income tax professionals, come visiting every day,” said Irfan, who only gave one name. .Some Kashmiris make special trips to New Delhi or Jammu city — an eight-hour drive from the regional capital Srinagar — to connect. Banihal, a two-hour train ride from Srinagar, is the nearest town with any access.  The 19-year-old wanted to register for exams to gain access to a graduate medicine course. Mukhtar, 25, recently completed a degree in education and wanted to apply online for scholarships. “It is a complete hassle to have to travel so much just to send applications online,” said Mukhtar. The two students took two hours on one train and then had to change to another which was another 90-minute standing trip to Banihal. They waited in the snow for a bus to take them from the station to the town and its prized internet cafes in a crowded lane. Reyaz was able to complete his task. But when the pair returned to the railway station for the long trip home, they were told the last train had been cancelled due to snow on the tracks. No taxis would take them but after a few hours, a truck driver heading to the Kashmir valley finally offered a lift. The truck also became stuck in the snow and the students had to sleep there for the night. Traffic was still halted the next day and the students had to walk 10 kilometers past stranded cars and trucks to get back to Banihal railway station. There, they waited seven hours for the only train that left that day. Reyaz called his trek to make his application “unbelievable”. “Something that would take me half an hour at home, took me two gruelling days,” he said. “I will never do this ever again in my life,” added Mukhtar. https://www.dawn.com/news/1526435/internet-trek-kashmiris-travel-miles-to-get-online-due-to-indias-5-month-long-clampdown

3.   HRs: Jan., 6, 2020:   Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Gilani, while paying rich tributes to the martyrs of Sopore on their 27th anniversary, today, urged international human rights organizations to probe the massacres and other gross human rights violations perpetrated by Indian troops in the territory. The troops had killed over 60 innocent Kashmiris and set ablaze 400 structures including houses and shops on January 6, 1993 in Sopore town. Syed Ali Gilani in a statement issued in Srinagar asked international human rights watchdogs to stand up for the subjugated people of occupied Kashmir at a time when Narendra Modi led regime is making every effort to change the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir and bring about a demographic change through ethnic cleansing of Muslims and subsequent settling of non-Kashmiris there. He said that New Delhi’s August 5, 2019 illegal actions stood witness to the above said fact. He urged the UN to play its role in ensuring basic rights including the right to self-determination to the oppressed Kashmiri people. Former Indian home minister P. Chidambaram in a media interview in New Delhi said that India had lost Jammu and Kashmir adding that no democratic country can keep an entire population under siege. Referring to the abrogation of Kashmir’s special status he said that by carrying out fundamental changes in Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP government has committed constitutional desecration. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/06/gilani-urges-rights-bodies-to-probe-iok-massacres/

4.   JHU: Jan., 7, 2020: We went through the DDA Munirka flats complex to get to JNU. The gates of the colony were locked towards the JNU side. At the gate, we saw four-five young men, with lathis, on two-three bikes. Two ambulances also came through Munirka. When the colony’s gates were opened to let them through, we also exited on foot. All street lights from the Munirka DDA gate till beyond the JNU gate on Baba Ganganath Marg were switched off. It was pitch dark. Outside the gate, a huge crowd was raising anti-JNU slogans, saying ‘Desh ke gadarron ko, goli maro salon ko (Shoot the traitors of the country)’; ‘Urban Naxal wapis jao and desh chorho (Urban Naxals go back, leave the country)’. The crowd must have been at least 500-600 strong, and several had masked their faces. There was large deployment of police outside JNU. As we were taking some photos and videos, people started shouting at us. Around 9- 9:15 pm, an ambulance came from Vasant Kunj side with the sirens on. As the ambulance tried to turn right towards the gate, the crowd surrounded it and started banging on it. They banged their fists on the bonnet and kept shouting at the medical personnel inside, even as they were holding up their ID cards to show that they were doctors and medical staff. The crowd broke the glass of the ambulance, hurled abuses and threatened anyone trying to record a video of the attack. They forced the ambulance to turn around. It made a U-turn and exited towards Vasant Kunj. Our team of doctors, nurses & medical volunteers who reached JNU to give first aid to injured students & teachers, was attacked by hundreds of goons. Mob manhandled doctors, nurses & threatened them. Our ambulance’s glass & windows broken, this is totally inhuman & insane.  Shortly after that, we saw Yogendra Yadav addressing the media outside the gate and he was being heckled and shouted at. Suddenly he was pulled down and disappeared from view. We tried to make our way through the crowd to get to him (we were on the other side) but it was impossible. It appeared like he was dragged to the left and towards the divider (towards Munirka).  while speaking to JNU teachers, a police inspector (no nameplate) dragged me and ABVP/RSS group (incl Prof Mishra, Sanskrit Dept) pushed me,pulled my muffler. I fell down, minor injury. Police contd to push me out after I got up. It is important to note that even though police personnel were present in large numbers, they did not intervene to prevent the attack on the ambulance or on Yogendra Yadav. It continued to be pitch dark through all of this. Around 10:30 pm, CPI leader D. Raja and Annie Raja arrived. Shortly after that, a crowd gathered and started aggressively shouting slogans against all of us. Yogendra Yadav was heckled and pushed away again. D. Raja, Annie Raja, Rakhi Sehgal and the two of us were cornered by the crowd, which kept shouting ‘Urban Naxal go back, wapas jao, wapas jao‘ ‘desh chorro‘, ‘jhootha, jhootha (lies, lies)’ etc.  Some people within the crowd covered their faces and started shoving, pushing and twisting the arms of women and students who had reached the spot. The aggressors claimed to be students, but they could not name the school/centre they were studying at the university. Some were smelling strongly of alcohol. At several points, they pushed and almost caused a stampede. The most aggressive of the lot was a young man in a white sweatshirt with a blue cap. In the commotion, one young man fell and broke his glasses. Several people pleaded with the police to come and help as we were cornered, but no police persons came to the spot. Finally, some students and those who had come out in solidarity managed to get between the aggressive crowd and us and took us closer to the main gate. At this stage, police in riot gear also appeared. We saw the police open the pedestrian side of the JNU main gate and some men, with helmets or faces covered, exited the campus. Around 11:15 pm, the street lights were finally turned on. At some distance, behind us, opposite the main gate (on the far side of the road) we could see 60-70 people were gathered. One of them had a walkie talkie (they were not dressed in police or security personnel uniform). After some discussion, they all dispersed. When the lights came on, the aggressive crowd had dispersed and only students and those who had come in solidarity remained. They formed a large ring at the gate. The police did not allow any of us to enter the campus. Through the gate, we were able to speak with several JNU faculty members, including Ayesha Kidwai, Nivedita Menon, Atul Sood and others. The JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) addressed the students through the gates. https://thewire.in/rights/jnu-violence-eyewitness-account-main-gate

5.   Funeral: Jan., 9, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, thousands of people defying curfew-like restrictions poured in Bijbehara, the hometown, of martyr Zahid Hasan in Islamabad district to participate in his funeral prayers.Zahid Hasan was martyred during a cordon and search operation jointly launched by Indian Army, police and Central Reserve Police Force in Awantipora area of Pulwama district, yesterday. High-pitched pro-freedom and and anti-India slogans were raised on the occasion. He was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard amid tears and sobs. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/08/thousands-attend-martyrs-funeral-2/

6.   Malaysian palm oil: Jan., 9, 2020: India imposed restrictions on imports of refined palm oil and palmoil  on Wednesday, a move sources said was retaliation against top supplier Malaysia after its criticism of India’s actions in Kashmir and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), a new citizenship law.  Putting the commodity in a restricted category means an importer will require licence or permission for the inbound shipment. India, the world's largest importer of vegetable oils, buys nearly 15 million tonnes annually. Of this, palm oil comprises 9 million tonnes and the rest 6 million tonnes of soybean and sunflower oil. Indonesia and Malaysia are the two countries that supply palm oil. Four industry sources told Reuters that the memo was an effective ban on imports of refined palm oil, meaning India can now only import crude palm oil. It will hit Malaysia, the main supplier to India of refined palm oil and palmolein, but is likely to help Indonesia, the biggest exporter of crude palm oil. Palm oil accounts for nearly two-thirds of India’s total edible oil imports. The country buys more than 9 million tonnes of palm oil annually, mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia. Indonesia is the world’s biggest producer of palm oil, followed by Malaysia. According to an industry source, the government has advised importers not to buy palm oil from Malaysia. "We import 30 percent of the palm oils from Malaysia, while 70 percent from Indonesia. Our refiners can import from Indonesia which produces much higher than Malaysia," the source told PTI “This move in a way will punish Malaysia and will help local refiners as well,” a Mumbai-based refiner, who declined to be named, told Reuters.  . https://www.firstpost.com/business/govt-restricts-refined-palm-oil-imports-from-malaysia-over-kuala-lumpurs-stand-on-kashmir-caa-7880961.html

7.   Indian Supreme Court: Jan., 10, 2020: Besides the petition by Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, the apex court had heard the petitions filed by Anuradha Bhasin, Executive Editor of Kashmir Times, and few intervenors questioning restrictions in the valley. The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the \ Jammu and Kashmir administration to review all the restrictions pertaining to Internet services in the region. Internet shutdown is in force the Union Territory (UT) from August 5, 2019. A three-judge Bench led by Justice Ramana said the temporary suspension of Internet and curtailment of basic freedoms of citizens should not be arbitrary and was open to judicial review.The court noted that the freedom to use the Internet was a fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a) of free speech, and trade and commerce through Internet was protected under Article 19(1)(g). It said restrictive orders under Section 144 of the CrPC was not a tool to repress legitimate expressions of citizens. It ordered the UT authorities to publish every order made under the section to enable challenges by affected persons. “Magistrates, while passing restrictive orders under Section 144 CrPC, should apply their minds and have a sense of proportionality between danger to security and liberty of citizens. Repetitive order without giving reasons and not based on material facts will be violative," the judgment authored by Justice Ramana stated.  The Central government had referred to terrorist violence in the Kashmir Valley and said that for the past so many years terrorists were being pushed through from across the border, local militants and separatist organisation had held the civilians captive in the region and it would have been “foolish” if the government would not have taken preventive steps to secure the lives of citizens. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/review-suspension-of-internet-in-jk-supreme-court/article30531478.ece

8.   SC judgment: an., 11, 2020:  Indian Supreme Court finally pronounced its judgment on a clutch of petitions challenging the shutdowns. But though the 130-page judgment delivered by Justice N.V. Ramana, R. Subhash Reddy and B.R. Gavai makes a strong case for limiting the government’s power to restrict a citizen’s access to the internet, it has no explanation for why the court could not strike down restrictions which it found “unreasonable”.The bench made it clear that an order suspending internet services indefinitely is impermissible under the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Service) Rules, 2017, and that suspension can be resorted to only for temporary duration. “Any order suspending [the] internet issued under the Suspension Rules, must adhere to the principle of proportionality and must not extend beyond necessary duration,” the bench held The bench also made it clear that the state’s power under Section 144 CrPC – restricting a citizen’s freedom to move and assemble – could only be used to prevent danger, if it is in the nature of an “emergency” and for the purpose of preventing obstruction and annoyance or injury to any person lawfully employed. More important, the power under Section 144, the bench clarified, cannot be used to suppress the legitimate expression of opinion or grievance or exercise of any democratic protest  https://thewire.in/law/sc-judgment-kashmir-internet-shutdown-why-it-falls-short-of-expectations

9.   Kashmir lockdown: Jan., 12, 2020: The Indian-controlled state of Jammu and Kashmir has been on lockdown since August — making it the longest lockdown to ever take place in a democratic state. India has imposedcurfews and internet blackouts across the region, stifling local business like the saffron and apple trades. India's supreme court has since ruled the indefinite internet blackout unlawful, and ordered the government to review the restrictions.  Ashiq Rashid's family has been farming saffron for more than 80 years — since before their homeland, Kashmir, was a disputed territory between India and Pakistan."We've been farming saffron for generations — from my great-grandfather, grandfather, my father. Now it's me. I'm farming," Rashid told Business Insider Weekly. About 7% of the world's saffron is harvested in the Indian-controlled union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, making India one of the top exporters since it gained control of part of the region in 1947. But saffron farmers like Rashid have struggled ever since India's government has put Kashmir on lockdown, imposing an internet blackout and region-wide curfews as well as stepping up its military presence. It's been more than five months since the lockdown begain in August, making it the longest ever imposed in a democratic state. "During conflicts, a farmer cannot go to work. He cannot tend to his land, so that affects productivity," Rashid said  The Indian government sent in 38,000 extra troops to smother any signs of dissent, critics say. Modi also imposed a curfew, blocked roads, and shut off most forms of communication, including the internet.  The lockdown has enraged Kashmiris, and stifled businesses that rely on the internet. "Many farmers, many product sellers in Kashmir used to sell their products on online websites like Amazon, Flipkart and other online websites," Sajad Rafeeq, a former saffron farmer, told Business Insider Weekly. "So when there's, you know, any kind of shutdown or when there's, you know, conflict and the communication is not good, so all of the industry gets affected.  In the past five months, it's gotten even harder to sustain commerce at every level.  Apple farming is the pillar of the region's economy, employing half of the population, about 3.5 million people. In fact, 70% of India's apples came from Kashmir last year, contributing $1.5 billion to the Indian economy. But now, Kashmiri fruit traders like Maqbool Hussain say they're having trouble getting their produce to market. "If nobody comes to buy apples from outside, then how will Kashmiri apples sell?" Hussain said. "We can't find anyone to work in the markets. Almonds are spoiling. Walnut sales have gone down by 60%." The fallout from the conflict can also be felt hundreds of miles away from the violence, in the serene mountains of Ladakh, a neighboring region that's also administered by India. There, herders like Karma Takgol still gather raw wool from Tibetan goats the way they have since the 15th century. "Old people say that the villages with the coldest weather have the best pashmina," Takgol told Business Insider Weekly.    Now, Kashmiris say the Indian government's help cannot make up for the way that the heavy military presence, internet blackout, and curfews have upended the economy. Saffron farmers like Rashid said that "because of the conflict here, the curfew here, our ambitions remain unfulfilled." "Younger people feel angry that I want to increase the productivity of my land," he said. "We hope our desires will be fulfilled but the conflict and curfew here don't allow us to prosper." https://www.businessinsider.com/kashmir-india-lockdown-saffron-farmers-business-2020-1

10.          Enforced Silence: Jan., 12, 2020: A retired academic and social activist Muslim Jan was detained on Oct. 15 for protesting against the continued detention of political leaders in Indian-administered Kashmir. She had marched to the city center along with a group of prominent women in the city of Srinagar -- summer capital of the region. Even as she was released after a few days, the busy bee has kept her lips sealed. Because she gained freedom only after signing a bond that she will not participate in any political activity. Dozens of political activists, taken into custody after India revoked autonomy of the region on Aug. 5 have been released recently, but after signing a pledge to abandon politics or consenting to maintain silence on political issues. Talking to Anadolu Agency, Harsh Dev Singh, a former lawmaker, said he sought his release after promising that he will not speak against government policies. “You can imagine the fate of politics emerging out of these pressure tactics. There was no politics anyways in Jammu and Kashmir. This is not a democracy, where you cannot express dissent,” said Singh whose political group Panthers Party had held a few demonstrations in Jammu – winter capital of the region. Sajad Ahmad Kichloo, former minister for home, responsible for internal security was also asked to sign a bond to pledge that he will not issue any statement or talk about the abrogation of the region’s autonomy. Legal experts blame authorities for resorting to illegal activities by making politicians and social workers to sign the pledge, as a precondition for their release. Altaf Ahmad, a lawyer, said there is a provision in the statute book under Section 107 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), to seek a written pledge or an undertaking from criminals to prevent them breaching the peace. But there is no precedence to use it to silence politicians. ''The bond or undertaking has been tampered, to include lines that the signatory will not participate in any political activity or will not give any statement or express his views related to latest political developments in the region,'' said the lawyer. He said that asking a person, not to make any comment, violates Article 19 of the Indian Constitution, which forms its basic structure, guaranteeing every person the right to free speech.  Sheikh Showkat Hussain, political commentator and former teacher of law, said the bonds have been effectively used to buy the silence of politicians. Peace Activist and Interlocuter Sushobha Barve is now planning to petition Jammu and Kashmir High Court against these bonds. Along with Muslim Jan, she too had been detained for participating in the demonstration and then released after signing the bond..” https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/bond-of-silence-buys-freedom-in-kashmir/1698670  

Kashmir Update 56: Week Dec., 30, 2019 to an., 5, 2020

1.     Press clampdown: Dec., 30, 2019: In occupied Kashmir, the Modi-led Indian communal government has enforced a total communications blackout, snapping telephone services, including mobile and broadband internet after it revoked Kashmir’s special status and bifurcated it into Union Territories on August 5, Indian newspaper, The Telegraph reported.. The communications blackout has created an information black hole in occupied Kashmir and the local press bore the brunt of the blockade as its functioning was crippled, the newspaper said. “The authorities also snapped the broadband internet connection at Kashmir Press Club on August 5. This move meant that the over 200 club members belonging to the local journalist fraternity could not file their reports.” The Telegraph reported that later, a limited internet facility was provided at a makeshift media centre set up by the information department in a Srinagar hotel. The media centre was then moved to two small rooms of the information department where hundreds of journalists had to jostle for space to get a few minutes of internet access. “I haven’t been able to call officials and/or sources for months. At the media centre we had to wait in queues for long simply to mail our stories,” said a local journalist. “It’s frustrating and humiliating. It is very difficult to continue working in these circumstances,” he deplored. Another local journalist said how many like him had been forced to travel to New Delhi, India, frequently to access the internet and continue filing stories. Kashmir Press Club’s elected board raised the issue of the communications gag with the authorities on several occasions, urging them to restore internet for journalists and media outlets, including newspaper offices and the club. “But all these efforts have proved to be futile as these services have not been restored to journalists for over four months now.”  What got published in prominent local English dailies was a reflection of the censorship and government pressure on the press. For example, Greater Kashmir, the largest circulated daily published from Kashmir, avoided publishing editorials on the emerging situation for months after August 5 when the government revoked the special status and bifurcated the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union Territories. There was little or no coverage of how people suffered in the weeks after the communication blockade and clampdown was imposed. Its edit page did not carry opinion pieces on the situation in Kashmir post-August 5. In fact, the paper was published without an editorial page for several days. Since then Greater Kashmir has not published a single opinion piece in its edit page on the revocation of Article 370 and the subsequent clampdown in the valley. The only opinion piece it did publish, in the third week of the clampdown, argued, curiously, in favor of the revocation of the special status. Apart from that day, leading articles, columns and editorials steered clear of commenting on the clampdown and the humanitarian crisis in the valley because of the communications shutdown. Instead it wrote and commented on “The Subtle Secrets of Nature (August 9), “Vistas’s of Botox Therapy in Medicine (August 17), “Macbeth and the Moral Universe (August 22), and “Poetry and Journalism” (August 23).

Big Brother diktats.Other prominent dailies of Kashmir also adopted a soft editorial line post-August 5. There were no reports on the effects of the total communication shutdown on everyday lives of people, arrests of thousands of local youths, torture of youths in southern Kashmir, crippling of healthcare and other emergency services. The front pages carried reports based on the government version of events culled from official press releases. What was not covered in the local press said a lot about the curtailment of the freedom of the press. The editor of a prominent local daily said the clampdown was also meant for local journalists, who were prevented from adhering to an independent line while covering Kashmir post- August 5. He said a senior police officer visited his newspaper office in August after a photo essay on the ground situation in Kashmir had been published. The officer then went on to advise editors against publishing such photo features. After that “reprimand”, no prominent English daily published photo essays on life in the valley. Online editions of most local dailies remained suspended for more than three months since August 5 after internet services were snapped across the valley. Only one local daily, Kashmir Monitor, updated its web edition by accessing the internet from outside the state. The authorities also snapped the broadband internet connection at Kashmir Press Club on August 5. This move meant that the over 200 club members belonging to the local journalists’ fraternity could not file their reports. Later, limited internet facility was provided at a makeshift media centre set up by the government information department in a Srinagar hotel. The media centre was then moved to two small rooms of the information department where hundreds of journalists had to jostle for space to get a few minutes of internet access. “I haven’t been able to call officials and/or sources for months. At the media centre we had to wait in queues for long simply to mail our stories,” said a local journalist. “It’s frustrating and humiliating. It is very difficult to continue working in these circumstances.” Another local journalist said how many like him had been forced to travel out of Kashmir (New Delhi) frequently to access the internet and continue filing stories. Other Kashmir journalists, working for Delhi-based papers and magazines, had to send their stories in pen drives via a friendly face or acquaintance traveling to New Delhi. At times, the authorities also resorted to intimidation. On the night of August 14, Irfan Malik, a reporter with Greater Kashmir, was picked up by police from his home in South Kashmir’s Tral district and locked up in a local police station. After his arrest created a furore, he was released on August 17. No reason was given for his arrest. On August 31, Journalist and political analyst Gowhar Geelani was stopped at New Delhi airport before he could board a flight. He was traveling to Germany to attend a conference. A few months ago, senior journalist and editor of an Urdu newspaper Ghulam Jeelani Qadri (62) was detained by police after he was picked up from his residence in Srinagar soon after he’d returned from office in the evening. Qadri was arrested in connection with a case dating back to 1992. He was released on bail the next day following a court appearance. Another Kashmiri journalist, Asif Sultan, remains in detention since August 2018. He’d written a story for a local magazine on militant commander Burhan Wani who was killed in an encounter on July 8, 2016. Intelligence agencies and police have summoned and questioned several other journalists about the source of reports filed after August 5. This has created an atmosphere of fear among local reporters and editors. According to a report titled, “Kashmir’s Information Blockade” released on September 4 by the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI) and the Free Speech Collective (FSC), the continued communication shutdown in Kashmir has resulted in “throttling of independent media”.The two-member team from NWMI and FSC spent five days in Kashmir (from August 30 and September 3) to determine the impact of the communications crackdown on the media in Kashmir. The team spoke to more than 70 journalists, correspondents and editors of newspapers and news websites in Srinagar and South Kashmir, including members of the local administration and citizens.“Our examination revealed a grim and despairing picture of the media in Kashmir, fighting for survival against the most incredible of odds, as it works in the shadow of security forces in one of the most highly militarized zones of the world and a myriad government controls,” the report said.

“The team observed a high degree of surveillance, informal ‘investigations’ and even arrest of journalists who publish reports considered adverse to the government or security forces; controls on the facilities available for print publication, government advertising to select publications, restrictions on mobility in select areas including hospitals and the most crippling communications shutdown of all time. Significantly, there is no official curfew, no official notification for the shutdown,” the report noted. Free flow of information has been blocked and journalists continue to face severe restrictions in all processes of news gathering, verification and dissemination, according to the report, leaving behind “a troubled silence that bodes ill for freedom of expression and media freedom.” As Kashmir looks at the New Year, both broadband and mobile internet and the entire social media network, which was also useful for local journalists for newsgathering, continues to remain blocked for about five months now. https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/12/29/press-in-occupied-kashmir-forced-into-silence/

2.   Booker: Dec., 30, 2019: US Presidential candidate, Cory Booker, joined Paskistani-American democract Dr. Asif Mahmood in raising their voices against the gross human rights violations occurring in Kashmir since India's annexation of the territory. Booker is one of many American politicians who have called for urgent action against Modi's government. In a recent meeting organized by Pakistani-American Democrat Dr. Asif Mahmood, US Presidential candidate Cory Booker express his concerns over the conditions in Kashmir and urging the US to become the voice for the oppressed. In a video released by the two democrats, Booker thanked Dr. Mahmood for bringing people together to talk about the urgency of human rights violations happening in Kashmir saying, “We are a nation that stands for values whether its freedom of expression, whether its freedom of speech and to be silent when challenges are going on whether they are in Kashmir, whether with Uighurs in China, we must speak up with a collective voice for human rights and for the well-being of all peoples. It’s a service to democracy when people are not silent and speak up for these values  Other democrats have also protested against India’s annexation and human rights abuses in the region. Following the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing on South Asian Human Rights where Kashmir was discussed in length, Congressman Brad Sherman wrote to Alice Wells, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, questioning the reliability of information coming from the region.  A US Senator, who heads India caucus on Capitol Hill, has joined a growing group of American lawmakers in urging New Delhi to remove the curbs it has imposed on India-held Kashmir. The Senator from Virginia joins scores of senators and members of the House of Representatives who are calling for ending the Indian siege of Kashmir. Three of the senators urging India to lift its siege Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris are candidates for the Democratic nomination for president https://www.globalvillagespace.com/us-presidential-candidate-raises-concerns-on-kashmir/

3.   Facebook bats for India: Dec., 31, 2019: Facebook has blocked live streaming of the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation's (PBC) news bulletins for highlighting Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir,Radio Pakistan reported on Monday. In its report, Radio Pakistan has included screenshots of earlier warning messages received from the social-media giant, dating back to May, warning the public broadcaster of violating "community standards on dangerous individuals and organisations". Specifically, these posts were from news stories about the death anniversary of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani in July and the curfew imposed after the death of Zakir Musa, also a Hizbul Mujahideen commander, in May.  In 2016, Facebook came under fire for censoring dozens of posts related to the death of Wani, reported The Guardian. Photos, videos and entire accounts of academics and journalists as well as entire pages of local newspapers were removed for posting about the occupied valley. The Indian government had imposed curbs on newspapers as well but residents of occupied Kashmir complained that censoring posts on Facebook made information blackouts worse. Due to limited access to newspapers and TV channels, journalists and news organisations would keep readers informed by updates on social media, until the social media giant started censoring news articles and updates about occupied Kashmir. The Facebook account of Kashmiri journalist Huma Dar, who is based in the United States, was deleted soon after she posted pictures of Wani's funeral and was told that she had "violated community standards" when she wrote to the social media giant. "The biggest irony is that I get death threats, I get people saying they’ll come and rape me and my mother. None of those people, even when I complain to Facebook, have ever been censored," she told The Guardian. More recently, Twitter faced criticism after rights activists voiced concerns over the removal of hundreds of tweets critical of the Indian government's policies in occupied Kashmir, reported Al Jazeera. According to the Al Jazeera report, a study by a media watchdog revealed that nearly one million tweets had been removed since 2017.  Of the 17,807 content restrictions made by Facebook globally, the highest number — over 31 per cent — of the requests originated from Pakistan between January and July 2019, according to the platform’s latest transparency report released in November. Facebook restricted 5,690 items within Pakistan during the first half of 2019, as compared to 4,174 pieces from the second half of 2018.  https://www.dawn.com/news/1525252/facebook-blocks-live-streaming-of-pbc-news-bulletins-over-kashmir-coverage-radio-pakistan

4.   Right of return law scrapped: Dec., 31, 2019: India has scrapped a 37-year-old law in Jammu and Kashmir that permitted the return of its residents who fled to Pakistan from 1947-1954, says a government notification. the government has announced the scrapping of further 152 laws, that also included the Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Permit for Resettlement in the State Act. The law adopted by the state legislature in 1982, though never operational, was providing a glimmer of hope for Kashmiri Muslim migrants to return and resettle in their homes. Many divided families living in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Pakistan were awaiting operationalization of this law over the past 37-years to return to their homes.  "Closing doors on thousands of Muslim families and at the same time granting citizenship in Kashmir to Hindus who had fled under similar circumstances, clearly indicates that abolition of this law is motivated by ideological and religious reasons," said Wasim. "Abolition of this law is also in sync with their vicious policy of undermining the Muslim-majority character of Jammu and Kashmir. History testifies to the fact that Jammu had a sizeable population of Muslims who were driven out by murderous mobs  https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/india-doors-shut-for-return-of-muslim-migrants-of-kashmir/1688002

5.   Boycott movement: Jan., 1, 2020: Different groups of Pakistanis, Kashmiris and Friends of Kashmir all across the world have launched a campaign on social media urging the people to boycott Indian products in protest against continued lockdown imposed by New Delhi in occupied Kashmir since 5th August, and the discriminatory attitude meted out to the minorities in India. The campaigners say that India is getting away with its crimes in occupied Kashmir on the basis of its economy and the world is turning a blind eye due to its economic interests.   https://timesofislamabad.com/19-Dec-2019/campaign-launched-across-the-world-to-boycott-indian-goods-and-products-in-protest-against-kashmir-lockdown?fbclid=IwAR1bpgROLJBTRzuNvp_Ii7fSsQHhi5YgXvf_kCvFoYzQrTILVXUZs1uycts

6.   Human Rights review: Jan., 2019: In occupied Kashmir, a fresh report by Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) and Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) has revealed that as many as 662 persons were booked under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) in 2019, most of them after August 5. The report titled by Annual Human Rights Review 2019 by APDP and JKCCS revealed that 412 persons in the territory were booked under the PSA post August 5. A majority of these persons continue to remain detained in jails across India, it said. “As per data obtained by JKCCS and APDP through J&K High Court Registry, as many as 662 fresh Habeas Corpus petitions (challenging detentions under PSA) were registered in 2019 out of which the majority (412) was registered post August 5,” the report said. As per the report, those booked under the law are mostly youth, not older than 35 years of age. “The maximum number of PSA cases has been found within the age group 18-35 years old, forming about 58.6% of the total number. It is only within this age bracket that incidences of being booked twice with PSA have been observed,” it said. . According to the report, the highest number of PSAs in 2019 has been reported in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district where 105 persons have been detained under the law, 62 of them after August 5. In North Kashmir’s Baramulla district 95 persons were reported to have been booked with 51 of them after August 5. As per the data in the report, the highest number of persons booked after August 5 under the PSA belongs to capital city Srinagar. Amongst the total of 87 persons detained, 70 have been booked after August 5.  . Nearly 37.4% of the detainees, the report claimed, in PSA related cases have been moved to jails in various states across India. The location of about 45% of the detainees, however, the report pointed out, remains “unknown”. “Of the two unreleased juveniles, a 17-year-old is being held at District Jail Agra, and the other unreleased juvenile, 15-year-old is being held in Central Jail Srinagar,” the report added. In response to a petition filed in Supreme Court of India regarding the arrests of minors in Kashmir, the Juvenile Justice Committee of Jammu and Kashmir High Court had said that 144 boys, including a 9-year-old kid were arrested by Indian forces post Article 370 abrogation on August 5’. However, the report stated that scores of minors have been arrested “illegally and without any charges”. The number of 144 detentions of minors submitted in Supreme Court by the Juvenile Justice Committee of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, the report said, is an “under-estimation of the actual figure of minors kept under detention, including illegal detention.”“Many detentions of minors were not included in the JJC report, partly because the minors were reportedly detained for many days in the police stations without any formal charges brought against them,” the report added. https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/12/31/662-persons-booked-under-psa-in-iok-in-2019-report/

7.   Facebook and Kashmir: Jan., 2, 2019: FACEBOOK often struggles with its principles regarding freedom of speech for users versus its bottom line, which requires keeping powerful stakeholders happy.This appeared to be on display once again on Monday, when the company blocked live streaming of the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation’s news bulletins highlighting Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir.  There is a broader pattern, since the death of Burhan Wani in 2016, of Facebook methodically censoring news and opinion on the Kashmir crisis. Based on news reports and details shared by users, censorship activities occur in short, sharp spikes around current events connected to India. It is reasonable to assume that this policy is set in place through lobbying by India, one of Facebook’s critical markets. The question of who is a terrorist and who is a freedom fighter; which struggle is legitimate and which is not, comes down to who has more sway with the social network, which is largely determined by size and scope of the market, not by higher principles or nuanced examination of the issue at hand . The internet is still unpredictable; companies rise and fall, and if Facebook, Twitter and YouTube do not offer their users the freedom they seek, they will go elsewhere. This is a fundamental the platforms must recognize sooner rather than later. https://www.dawn.com/news/1525581/facebook-vs-kashmir

8.   Kashmiri identity: Jan., 3, 2020:  All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader, Bilal Siddiqui has said that India is hell bent upon robbing the Kashmiris of their civilizational, cultural and religious identity. In a media interview in Srinagar, today, Bilal Siddiqui pointed out that the controversial Indian laws, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens, had proved that BJP-led Indian government intends to make the survival of the Muslims impossible not only in the occupied territory but also in whole of India. He said such moves have vindicated the struggle of the Kashmiri people against New Delhi’s brutal repression and added that they would in no case reconcile with the Indian occupation. Bilal Siddiqui said that in order to cripple the Kashmiris economically, the Indian government was deliberately disallowing trucks laden with perishable goods especially apples to reach to Indian markets by halting their movement on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway every now and then  Two Indian troops were killed, today, in an attack in Rajouri district of Jammu region.The troops came under attack when they launched a cordon and search operation at Khari Thrayat in Nowshera area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/01/india-hell-bent-upon-robbing-kashmiris-identity/

9.   SMS : Dec., 3, 2020: People in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir woke up to a disappointing New Year’s morning when they found that contrary to pledges, SMS service had not been fully restored to all cellphone networks. On Tuesday evening, Indian government’s spokesman Rohit Kansal told reporters that as of midnight SMS service would be restored and internet would start working in all government hospitals. But SMSs were only working on the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and Jio networks, and messages could not be sent outside the region.. The shortcomings made a New Year’s gift into “a joke,” said Ishtiaq Ahamd, who owns a shop in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital. Officials of three government hospitals — Bone and Joint Hospital, SMHS Hospital, and Government Psychiatric Diseases Hospital — told Anadolu Agency that Internet had not been restored by 1 p.m. local time (0730GMT). They requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media. A doctor at the largest maternity hospital, Lal Ded Hospital, said on the condition of anonymity that the internet was not working there either.  SMS service was briefly restored along with postpaid mobile phones on Oct. 14 but closed again after a few hours, with the government saying the service was misused for subversive activities. .

10.          Independence Day: Jan., 4, 2020: Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and the world over will observe the Right to Self-Determination Day, tomorrow, with the pledge to continue their liberation struggle till it reaches its ultimate goal. It was on 5th January in 1949 when the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution supporting the Kashmiris’ right to decide their future by themselves through UN-sponsored plebiscite.This year, the day is being observed when occupied Kashmir is under military siege for the past over 150 days. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/01/04/kashmiris-to-observe-right-to-self-determination-day-2/

11.          Muslims organize: Jan., 5, 2020: As nationwide demonstrations entered their fourth week, India’s Muslims — long a fragmented group — organized into a formidable force against a contentious citizenship law. At least 100,000 people gathered Saturday in Hyderabad, India’s technology hub, to protest Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a new law they say will strip the country of its secular foundations, maintaining steady pressure on the government as demonstrations entered their fourth week. The protests have drawn massive crowds across India, with more than 200,000 people gathering in Kochi city, in the southern state of Kerala, on New Year’s Day. And in Delhi, hundreds continued to camp out on a vital stretch of highway that links the capital to its suburbs, bristling against one of the city’s coldest winters in decades. While the protests are the biggest threat yet to Mr. Modi’s tenure in office, they may also be the beginning of a deeper political and social shift in India. From the start the protests have attracted Indians across political stripes and creeds. But with India’s Muslims spearheading the demonstrations this past week, the 200-million strong minority showed it can organize as a formidable force to check Mr. Modi’s Hindu nationalist government. The protests began in December when the government passed a law that uses religion as a criterion for determining whether illegal migrants in India can be fast-tracked for citizenship. The measure favors members of all South Asia’s major religions except Islam, India’s second largest faith. Muslims worry that the law will be coupled with a citizenship test and used to strip them of their Indian .In Hyderabad on Saturday, protesters came out in large numbers despite police restrictions capping the gatherings at 1,000 participants. Organizers said the demonstrations drew 200,000 people, while the local authorities pegged the number at 100,000. The city’s Muslim community organized the protests, and volunteers handed out water and Indian flags. That Muslims continue to organize protests that turn out such large numbers nearly a month after demonstrations first began is remarkable, considering the fragmented nature of the community, among the nation’s poorest and most illiterate, and its limited political power. Indian Muslims hold slightly less than 5 percent of parliamentary seats, despite making up 14 percent of the population. On Saturday, some protesters held placards reading, “I am an Indian by choice, not by chance,” a reference to the millions of Muslims who chose to stay in a secular India during the country’s bloody 1947 partition, when Pakistan was carved out of the subcontinent as a homeland for Muslims. Since India gained its independence from Britain, the country’s Muslims have never protested in such large numbers, said Farhan Nasir, 27, a doctor who attended the protest in Hyderabad, and is Muslim. “If you will break us, we will unite. For the first time, Muslims are protesting on the street in large numbers.” Dr. Nasir said Muslims felt compelled to address the governing party’s divisive politics and sectarianism. He added that the community historically had been so focused on making ends meet that it was unorganized politically and socially. But that is changing, he said, as they feel increasingly threatened by Mr. Modi’s government.“This could be the beginning of a new politics for Muslims and for India as well,” he said. “This will not fizzle out; the protest is in a secular direction.” Some protesters expressed impatience with Mr. Modi’s sectarian politics, pointing to inflammatory statements he and other party leaders made ahead of national elections last year even as the country faced a weakening economy and unemployment at a 45-year high. “Elections should be fought on the issues of economy, employment, inflation and not on religion issues,” said Syed Salman Ahmad, 27, a civil engineer. The atmosphere at Hyderabad’s demonstration was festive, with hawkers selling lemonade and snacks, protesters sporting painted Indian flags on their cheeks and groups of women banding together in song until the sun set. (My comments: THIS MUSILM UNITY SHOULD ENCOMPASS KASHMIRIS AS WELL) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/04/world/asia/india-protests-modi-citizenship.html

Kashmir Update 55: Week Dec., 23, 2019 to Dec., 29, 2019  

1.     Economy: Dec., 24, 2019: The internet shutdown in India's Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir, which shows no signs of abating and has been the longest lockdown in a democracy, is taking a toll on the local economy and has led to the loss of thousands of jobs, according to rights groups and analysts. Access Now, a global digital rights group that has been monitoring the situation in Kashmir, told VOA the "loss of connectivity in the valley" because of the shutdown has been "devastating to the local economy." "India’s internet shutdown in Kashmir is the longest ever in a democracy," Raman Jit Singh Chima, Access Now’s senior international counsel and Asia Pacific policy director, told VOA. “You have redefined the definition of normalcy, the J&K [Jammu and Kashmir] definition of normalcy now prevails in the rest of the country. This is uncaring and unthinking government,” Indian National Congress said on twitter this week in reference to what’s happening in Kashmir and the passage of a recent . Some analysts, however, say the internet lockdown is largely designed to prevent collective political protests. "The stated reason [by the Indian government] was to contain possible terrorist attacks. In my view, it is largely designed to prevent collective political protests of any sort,” Sumit Ganguly, a professor of political science and the Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilization at Indiana University, told VOA . "As I see [it], the real reason for [the] internet shutdown is not to restrict communication within Kashmir Valley, but to restrict Kashmir’s communication with [the] outside world," Swain said, adding the government is more concerned about its global image as a democracy. "By taking away the internet, [the] regime is also controlling the local media and its publication as the journalists are dependent on [the] regime’s mercy to communicate with [the] outside world and to contact with their offices," Swain said . Sheikh Ashiq, the president of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told VOA that there has been a rapid rise in unemployment and a significant drop in Kashmir’s cottage industry. "Our handicraft sector, that is solely based on the internet, is at a standstill. As a result, 50,000 artisans are jobless,” Ashiq said, adding that the export of its heritage industry handicrafts had declined by 62%. Experts say the action against Kashmir has led to losses in tourism, health care, education and in the communications industries. "The state economy has lost more $1.5 billion due to [the] lockdown. Several companies, whose operations were internet-dependent, have been closed," Swain said. The internet lockdown "has affected education, health service and even regular movement of the people, creating a severe humanitarian crisis. Business, particularly fruit trade and tourism, have [been] affected severely," he added . Young Kashmiri entrepreneurs like Muheet Mehraj see a bleak future in Kashmir, as the internet shutdown has placed a cloud over future employment prospects. "If something doesn’t change for the better with time or our internet isn’t resumed, then I don’t understand what I am going to do in the future," Mehraj told VOA.Many businesspeople told VOA they have been forced to leave Kashmir to earn an income. Syed Mujtaba, the owner of Kashmir Art Quest, shifted his business to Delhi because of the lockdown."Eventually, my family and my own logic told me it was best to leave Kashmir," Mujtaba told VOA   https://www.voanews.com/extremism-watch/kashmir-internet-shutdown-takes-toll-economy

2.   Leadership: Dec., 26, 2019: In occupied Kashmir, Indian authorities have given sanction to prosecute Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman, Muhammad Yasin Malik and Dukhtaran-e-Millat Chief, Aasiya Andrabi for raising anti-India slogans and asking people to boycott elections.The cases were registered in 2010 and 2018 under the draconian law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The home department has given its go-ahead for prosecution of Yasin Malik and Aasiya Andrabi respectively in cases dating back to 2010 and 2018. In another notification, the authorities accorded sanction for prosecution of Aasiya Andrabi and her close associates Nahida Nasreen and Fahmeeda Sofi on the charge of advocating boycott of Urban Local Body and Panchayat polls in 2018  https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/12/25/poll-boycott-call-prosecution-against-malik-aasiya-sanctioned/

3.   Death of an activist: Dec., 26, 2019: 65-year-old Ghulam Mohammad Bhat was a former member of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested on 17 July and booked under the draconian Public Safety Act  Bhat died in Naini jail in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj.  Bhat died 16,000 kilometres away  from his home in Naini Central Prison. Bhat, who was frail when jailed, was among 20 Kashmiri prisoners brought to Naini prison from Anantnag. They had been detained under the stringent PSA immediately after the Centre scrapped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. The septuagenarian was already quite ill during the time of his detention and had been suffering from ailments like gastroenteritis, pancreatitis and liver issues, the police said. Bhat was transferred to Naini prison because the government thought that if he were in Anantnag he would disrupt peace. Interestingly, the superintendent of Naini prison HB Singh said that Bhat was paralysed when he was brought to Prayagraj. "He was paralysed at that time and could barely move on his own." https://www.firstpost.com/india/kashmir-psa-detainee-ghulam-mohammed-bhat-dies-in-up-jail-they-told-me-you-have-to-just-bring-him-back-home-says-32-year-old-son-7820841.html

4.   OIC: Dec., 29, 2019: the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has decided to convene a meeting on the grim human rights situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and enactment of an anti-Muslim law in India, The Express Tribune learnt on Saturday. According to the sources, the ministerial level OIC meeting is expected to be held in Islamabad in April 2020. Sources claimed that the official communiqué of the meeting will specifically mention the human rights violation in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and the passage of Citizenship Amendment Bill, which is fundamentally discriminatory against Muslims in India. Insiders said the meeting will push India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lift the curfew in IOK — in place since August 5 when New Delhi revoked its special status in a bid to convert the region’s Muslim majority into minority. The forum would also put pressure on the Modi government to protect the rights of the Muslim community in India. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2126598/1-oic-convene-meeting-iok-lockdown-anti-muslim-law-india/

Kashmir Update 54: Week Dec., 16, 2019 to Dec., 22, 2019  

1.      Indian interference in UK elections: Dec., 16, 2019: The Tory party and its affiliated right-wing media attacked Jeremy Corbyn consistently and painted him as an extremist and supporter of militants for his principled stance on the occupation of Palestine and Kashmir as well as rights of Muslims, minorities and his support for socialist ideas.  Soon after the resolution was passed, Indian government came into action and groups in Britain affiliated with the ruling BJP and RSS started campaign against Jeremy Corbyn calling him “anti-Hindu” and “anti-India” through its front organisation called Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP). The BJP overseas affiliate leafleted across the Indian communities urging Hindu voters not to vote for Labour and instead support the Conservatives who made no mention of Kashmir in their manifesto.  More than 100 Indian groups wrote to Jeremy Corbyn in protest and that received massive coverage in media. A group of Indian boycotted speech of London Mayor Sadiq Khan when he made a speech at Trafalgar Square on Diwali. Several councillor and high profile Labour figures announced to leave the party in protest and joined hands with right-wing forces. On completely false grounds, the right-wing English media and some Indian media section made false stories about Labour’s links with Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and said the Labour Party has links with extremists. The issue started after the JKLF wrote to Corbyn congratulating him on his manifesto and assuring him of the “complete support of the Kashmiri diaspora” in Britain. A Labour Party spokesman said: “The Labour Party has no formal relationship with the JKLF. Labour supports a peaceful resolution of the political situation in Kashmir. We also support the longstanding UN position that the political status of Kashmir is for India and Pakistan to resolve together on a bilateral basis, while ensuring that the Kashmiri people retain the right to have a say in their own future.” Several Hindu temples got involved and urged the followers and members to not vote for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party. Just ahead of elections, Britain’s biggest Neasden Hindu temple in West London invited Boris Johnson as a guest of honour. Speaking to the Hindu audience, Johnson promised to stand by Narendra Modi and vowed to deal with the “anti-India forces”. At the same event, he praised Modi’s vision and how he will give preferential treatment to India if re-elected and supported by the Indian communities.

Separately, the National Council of Hindu Temples (UK) urged Hindus to vote Conservative in breach of the rules set by the Charity Commission. On October10, the National Council of Hindu Temples (UK) and the Hindu Forum of Britain wrote a letter about Occupied Kashmir to Corbyn claiming that Labour had become “anti-Hindu” and accused him of trying to “appease the Pakistani vote bank”, and therefore “becoming direct supporters of terror organisations such as al-Qaeda and ISIS”. These groups are known for their closeness with Bob Blackman, the Tory MP in Harrow East known for his links with Indian government and anti-Muslim groups. Hindu groups ran campaign against two Sikh MPs of the Labour Party. The BJP’s affiliate ran campaign against Labour MP and Sikh Tan Dhesi saying in WhatsApp groups and messages to Indian voters: “He is always seen with Pakistanis and goes to the Pakistan High Commission.” Election results show that campaign of the extremist Hindu groups failed to sway the entire India community but it did make big impact in nearly a dozen marginal constituencies where the swing vote helped Conservatives. A Tory Party Lord claimed, speaking to this correspondent, that the impact in favour of Indians was in at least 30 constituencies but one of the OFBJP volunteers told that its own assessment was that at least in 10-15 seats the Hindu voters went for Tories in protest against Corby’s leadership.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/12/14/how-hindu-groups-attacked-labour-for-condemning-kashmir-atrocities/

2.   Kashmiri MPS : Dec., 16, 2019: The newly elected British Kashmiri MPs have said that they would become the voice of millions of people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) in and outside the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Fifteen Britons of Pakistani and Kashmiri descent were elected to the UK Parliament in Friday’s general election which saw Prime Minister Boris Johnson returning to power after his Conservative party scored the biggest electoral win since 1987. “I assure the people of IOK that we will support their cause according to the resolutions of UN Security Council,” said MP Afzal Khan, who has been elected to the UK Parliament on a Labour Party ticket from Gortan Manchester. “We will continue raising our voice for the Kashmiris in IOK,” he said while speaking to The Express Tribune by the phone. Khalid Mehmood, also Labour Party MP from Birmingham, voiced similar sentiments, saying that they would stand with their Kashmiri brethren in the IOK through thick and thin. “The international community is duty-bound to help resolve the festering Kashmir dispute for durable peace in the South Asian region,” he told The Express Tribune by the phone. MP Yasmin Qureshi, who has won the election on a Labour Party ticket from South Bolton, said she would highlight the plight of the IOK Kashmiris in and outside the British Parliament. “India will have to give millions of Kashmiris their inalienable right to self-determination,” she added. Imran Hussain, Labour MP from Bradford East, said he had recently visited AJK to express solidarity with the people of IOK, who have been cut off from the rest of the world with no phone, no cellular service, and no internet since August 5. MP Hussain said the Kashmiris had been struggling for their right to self-determination – something which was promised to them by the UN Security Council. “We will use our offices to remind the world of its duty to settle the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of its people,” he told The Express Tribune. “We will not rest until the realisation of this goal.” https://tribune.com.pk/story/2118586/1-british-mps-kashmiri-origin-become-voice-iok/

3.   China and UNSC: Dec., 17, 2019: Beijing is pushing for yet another discussion on Jammu & Kashmir in the UN Security Council on Tuesday, just days before India and China are scheduled to hold the latest round of boundary talks and amid protests over anti-citizenship act. China is opposed to India’s decision to reorganize the erstwhile state of J&K into two Union Territories https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/china-pushes-for-another-discussion-on-jk-at-unsc/articleshow/72788380.cms

4.   Gilani Sahib: Dec.,17, 2019: The Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Gilani has reiterated the Kashmiris’ resolve to continue the ongoing struggle until the last Indian soldier withdraws from the Kashmiri soil adding that he is sure that the resistance movement will finally force India to concede defeat. Syed Ali Gilani in a message to the Kashmiri people said, “The overwhelmingly growing public participation in the resistance movement further increased Indian state’s sense of insecurity and in utter desperation and frustration, and in flagrant violation of the international law, the Government of India finally made the illegal, immoral, inhuman and undemocratic announcement of annexing Kashmir into the Indian union.” To implement the decision of Aug 5, he said, India put the entire Kashmir region under an unprecedented and indefinite security lockdown and communications black out. “Schools, colleges universities, markets and mosques, everything was shut. Telephone, mobile and internet services were suspended. More than 18 thousand people were arrested and thrown into police lock ups and prisons.” Gilani said that thousands of children youth and elderly were brutalised and women were assaulted in their homes and those protesting these excesses were issued naked threats of rape. The ailing leader pointed out that despite all these brutalities and excesses, Kashmiri people continued their resistance delivering a strong message to the whole world that their resolve remains unbroken and they will never give up their demand for freedom.Warning of India’s future designs, Gilani said, “Our Muslim-majority character will be targeted and assaulted at every level and our right to live as Muslims will be taken away from us. There is also a strong possibility that our mosques, khanqahs and seminaries would no longer remain safe and may suffer the same fate as Babri Majid.”  At the end, he said, “Advanced old age and ill health may not grant me more respite to communicate with you again. It has been my longstanding wish that I be buried in the graveyard of Baqee, so that on the day of Judgement I meet my Lord in the company of those great personalities whose footprints serve as lighthouses for the Muslim Ummah and following whom I have tried, to the best of my abilities, to defend the Kashmir part of Muslim Ummah and strive for the Iqamat e Deen.”  https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/12/17/resistance-till-last-indian-soldier-quits-kashmir-gilani/

5.   UNSC: Dec., 17, 2019: The United Nations Security Council will meet at China's request on Tuesday (Dec 17) to discuss the situation in the disputed Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir, diplomats said. ."In view of the seriousness of the situation and the risk of further escalation, China would like to echo the request of Pakistan, and request a briefing of the Council ... on the situation of Jammu and Kashmir," China's UN mission wrote in a note to council members, seen by Reuters. Diplomats speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed the meeting was scheduled to take place on Tuesday.  https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/un-security-council-to-meet-on-kashmir-on-tuesday-at-china-s-request-12189222

6.   Economic Losses: Dec., 19, 2019: In occupied Kashmir, the Kashmir Chamber and Industry has said that the economy of the territory suffered a loss of Rs 178.78 billion in four months after imposition of lockdown by Indian government on August 5.   A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of International Migrants Day, today, revealed that the Indian atrocities since 1947 have rendered over 3.5 million Kashmiris migrants. The report added that the unabated Indian state terrorism during the past thirty years had forced over forty thousand Kashmiris to migrate and live outside the occupied territory as refugees and migrants. On the other hand, a new report released by New Delhi-based Concerned Citizens Group led by former Indian minister Yashwant Sinha said, people in the Kashmir Valley fear that New Delhi would settle outsiders in the Valley to effect the demographic change. Based on the groups’ recent two visits to Kashmir, the report demanded reunion of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. A protest demonstration organized by Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust in Kargil demanded restoration of internet services, which continue to remain suspended in Kargil and other regions of Kashmir since 5th August. The protesters also condemned the newly approved controversial citizenship law by the Indian parliament. Sikh organizations, Akali Dal, Dal Khalsa and Muslim community of Malarkotla also staged protests in Amritsar, Punjab, against the law.A research conducted by a Belgium-based non-governmental organisation has said that a network of pro-India fake websites has been spreading propaganda against Pakistan around the world. The EU Disinfo Lab report says that it has found over 265 fake local news sites in more than 65 countries that are managed by one ‘Indian influence network’. https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/12/18/iok-economy-suffered-rs-178-78-billion-loss/

7.   LoC Violation: Dec., 20,2019: At least two civilians were martyred and two others including a woman injured as Indian forces violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) on Thursday Three soldiers of Pakistan Army also got injured in exchange of firing between the two forces. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2121450/1-two-civilians-martyred-india-violates-ceasefire-along-loc/

8.   Nuclear war: Dec., 22, 2019: Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, a moderate in the Pakistani establishment and former ambassador to India, China and the US, is threatening nuclear war in support of Kashmir’s secessionists. Mr Qazi has suggested his country should hit back at India with weapons of mass destruction if to does not soften its stance on the disputed Himalayan region which was stripped of its semi-autonomous status and demoted from a state into a federal territory last summer. He said: “Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent is meant to deter war not pursue war.“But if the people of Kashmir are threatened with genocide, as indeed they are, Pakistan’s deterrent must cover them.” It is not the first time Pakistani officials have spoken openly about the nuclear option to settle the Kashmir row. Pakistan’s sabre-rattling sparked a similarly aggressive response from Delhi with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh questioning India’s nuclear policy of “No First Use”. He said: “The future of India’s No First Use policy on nuclear weapons depends on circumstances.”Growing fears of conflict come amid an ongoing crackdown in Muslim-majority Kashmir. Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has written another letter to the UN Secretary General, claiming that India has deployed and tested several types of missiles and could launch an attack against his country. A foreign ministry spokesman said Mr Qureshi had “appraised the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary General on Indian actions that continue to escalate tensions in an already tense environment in South Asia”.Mr Qureshi also warned India could launch “false flag” attack on Pakistan to divert the world’s attention from the “grave situation” in Kashmir. India’s army chief, General Bipin Rawat, said the situation along the Kashmir LoC “can escalate any time” and accused Pakistan of fuelling the tensions. He said: “The army is maintaining a high level of operational readiness, with detailed plans chalked out to cater for different contingencies.” Pakistani military spokesman Major-General Asif Ghafoor responded with a warning of his own.  https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1219594/kashmir-crisis-pakistan-india-nuclear-weapons-conflict-ww3

9.   Labour on Kashmir: Dec., 22, 2019:  Labour and the Liberal Democrats, which have promised to focus more on caste, Kashmir and Punjab. Reiterating its human rights-focussed view of conflicts across the globe, Labour said in its manifesto: “The Conservatives have failed to play a constructive role in resolving the world’s most pressing humanitarian crises, including in Kashmir, Yemen and Myanmar, and the escalation of tensions with Iran”. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/kashmir-punjab-caste-figure-in-uk-poll-manifestos/story-ndR33DnkSVAZRapnQBiePJ.html 

Kashmir Update 53: Week Dec., 9, 2019 to Dec., 15, 2019  

1.     Interactive dialogue: Dec., 8, 2019: The Organisation of Kashmir Coalition (OKC) hosted an interactive dialogue seminar in connection with International Human Rights Day in London. The interactive dialogue seminar was organized in continuation of International Human Rights Day commemoration in the major capitals of Europe. Barrister Abdul Majeed Tramboo, Executive Member of OKC, moderating the seminar, reminded the participants about the ongoing self-determination movement of the people of occupied Kashmir and their huge sacrifices in terms of being martyred, tortured, molested and raped, arrest and detention; and being deprived of all the basic needs of living including right to food, healthcare, right of assembly and freedom of expression. He highlighted the legal angle of Kashmir dispute under the international law linking it with the United Nations very specific resolutions on Kashmir. He said, any abrogation of the domestic legal framework by the Indian government does not change the international recognised legal position on the Kashmir dispute. Barrister Tramboo further emphasised that the international community, in general, and the newly elected United Kingdom (UK) government, in particular, must do more by adopting purposeful policy on Kashmir. He concluded by declaring to run a high-profile advocacy and diplomacy, spearheaded by Professor Nazir Ahmad Shawl, with the assistance of MPs during the calendar year 2020. Councillor Raja Aslam in his presentation remembered the people of occupied Kashmir who have been subjected to gross human rights violations over the years and in particular since 5th August 2019, when the government of India abrogated Kashmir’s special status and divided it into two union territories. He advocated that young Kashmiris should come forward in the mainstream British political arena to push forward the Kashmir dispute at the right forums as the numbers matter. He agreed that, following the 12th December 2019 British general elections and whichever party forms the government, the Kashmir advocacy within the UK has to be strategised to bring Kashmir on the high agenda of the UK government. Mr Graham Williamson, Chairman, Executive Board, Nations Without States, in his intervention emphasised the need to have flow of information from the occupied territory to share the same with all the concerned including media and human rights organisations. Analysing India’s actions in Kashmir, Mr Williamson believes that the government of India has learnt, over the years, from other oppressive regimes how to subjugate a nation like Kashmiris. Referring to the abrogation of Kashmir’s special status by the Indian government, he remarked that it had been done with the purpose to change demography of Kashmir. He appealed people of Kashmir to stand united for securing right to self-determination. Following the interventions from the panelists, the seminar received contributions from the floor. Mr Ayub Rathore (President – Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, UK & Europe) emphasised the need for all the stakeholders to engage in meaningful dialogue with Kashmiris as it is people of Kashmir who suffer by keeping the Kashmir dispute in abeyance. Mooen Yasin (Managing Director – Global Vision 2000) believes, as the matters stand and the present Hindutva government in India, the probable military intervention backed by diplomacy appears to be the possible solution. Zubair Awan (Chair – Kashmir Youth Assembly) stressed that Kashmiris must remain engaged with the United Nations and other inter-governmental organisations and continue push forwards the Kashmiris right to self-determination. . https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/12/08/interactive-dialogue-seminar-on-kashmir-held-in-london/

2.   US on Kashmir: Dec., 8, 2019: A new resolution introduced in US Congress urging it to lift the communications clampdown, release political detainees and preserve religious freedom in Kashmir expected to pass. The resolution, introduced in the house on December 6 by the first Indian American congresswoman, Pramila Jayapal, has been co-sponsored by Republican house representative Steve Watkins from Kansas .This is the second resolution on Kashmir introduced in three weeks. Earlier on November 22, Rashida Talib introduced a resolution “condemning the human rights violations taking place in Jammu and Kashmir and supporting Kashmiri self-determination”. Till Saturday, the Congress’ online database did not show any additional co-sponsors for Talib’s H.Res. 724. Jayapal’s initiative is more serious as it has bipartisan backing from Watkins. The text of the resolution, which was uploaded on Friday, also avoids taking a stand on the wider question of the Union Territory’s status: there is no reference to Kashmir being a dispute, nor does it wade into the issue of nullification of Article 370.  After being introduced in the house on Friday, H.Res. 745 has been referred to the house foreign affairs committee. The congressional panel will consider the resolution and amend the text if required, before it goes to the floor of the house. These non-binding resolutions are supposed to express the sentiment of the legislative branch on a particular issue, ranging from Taiwan to Tibet. Indian diplomatic sources told The Wire that Jayapal’s resolution is likely to be passed, but with a narrow margin. However, Talib’s initiative, which has been referred to house foreign affairs subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and non-proliferation, is not expected to see the light of the day, as per Congressional sources. Also in departure from Talib’s draft resolution, the text of H.Res 745 includes the Indian government’s stated arguments for its actions in Kashmir.   The draft resolution states that house “rejects arbitrary detention, use of excessive force against civilians, and suppression of peaceful expression of dissent as proportional responses to security challenges”. Further, it urges the Indian government to remember there should be respect for human rights and of international humanitarian law in actions taken “in pursuit of legitimate security priorities”. Thereafter, the resolution proposes six steps for New Delhi. These range from lifting restrictions on communication, restoration of internet access, releasing all “arbitrarily detained people” to allowing international human rights observers and journalists to access Jammu and Kashmir. It also calls on the Government of India to “condemn, at the highest levels, all religiously motivated violence, including that violence which targets against religious minorities”. Jayapal had earlier in September co-authored a letter to US secretary of State Mike Pompeo, urging him to press India to immediately end the communications blockade in Kashmir and release arrested political leaders . Jayapal had specifically mentioned the case of Mubeen Shah, former head of the Jammu and Kashmir Chamber of Commerce. She had furnished a letter from Shah’s urologist about his deteriorating medical condition. Mubeen Shah’s son, Mujahid Shah, was also present during the hearing and was acknowledged by Jayapal. PTI reported on Saturday that Mubeen Shah, who was detained under the Public Safety Act, had been “temporarily released” for three months. The October hearing had probably been a turning point, as one US lawmaker after another, nearly all Democrats, were highly critical about the restrictions on Kashmiris and the lack of access to foreign observers    aligned Podesta Group, but the firm wound up in November 2017  In late September, a sub-committee of the Appropriations Committee of the Senate added a reference to the “humanitarian crisis in Kashmir” in its report accompanying a key legislation on annual funding for state department and foreign operations. It had called for India to remove the communication blockade, security restrictions and release detainees. https://thewire.in/diplomacy/resolution-tabled-in-us-congress-asks-india-to-end-internet-ban-free-detainees-in-kashmir

3.   Sikhs: Dec., 11, 2019: Indian police used brute force and stopped Sikh representative organizations, Dal Khalsa, Shiromani Akali Dal and Sikh students’ body during a march towards Sriangar, occupied Kashmir, on the eve of World Human Rights Day, the 10th December. The Sikh bodies’ protest march was led by Sardar Simran Jeets Singh Maan, Prof Mohinder Pal Singh, Harpal Singh Cheema, Kanwarpal Singh, Kashmiri Sikh leader, Narender Singh Khalsa and Kashmiri Sikh youth leader, Angand Singh. They were to sit-in at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, occupied Kashmir. The march, which was started from Amritsar city, stopped by Indian police at Lakhanpore-Jammu High way. Indian police also used force on them and not allowed them towards Sriangar. The leaders in a statement, while condemning the police action, said that the march was peaceful and was to observe the Day with the people of Kashmir, who had suffered human rights abuses. “The fundamental rights of the people of Kashmir are our primary concern and it will be our endeavour to highlight their plight. Carrying banners, they demanded release of political prisoners including Huriyat leaders, Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/12/09/indian-police-stop-sikh-bodies-representatives-from-visiting-iok/

4.   Modi and US: Dec., 11, 2019:    The scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the recent weeks by two prominent writers in the US — the Washington Post’s Max Boot and the New Yorker magazine’s Dexter Filkins — is the latest indicator underscoring that the tide of American liberal opinion regarding India’s political economy has turned trenchantly critical, bordering on the unfriendly. Modi’s acolytes — the ‘core constituency’ — may shrug shoulders and smirk, ’Who cares?’ But it does matter in an interconnected world that India is getting increasingly marginalized in the mainstream democratic, liberal world opinion. a common thread is appearing, which is that Indian democracy has come under threat through the era of Modi’s leadership during the period since 2014.  Without doubt, the lurch toward Hindutva in India’s domestic politics, which has taken an unabashedly ‘anti-Muslim’ overtone, coupled with the government’s move to ‘integrate’ Jammu & Kashmir — plus the countless day-to-day beastly happenings taking place in our country indicative of the breakdown of rule of law and constitutional order and the degradation of democratic values — have jogged the memory, so to speak, of the western liberal opinion regarding Modi. Make no mistake, the growing international perception is that the Modi government is muzzling the media, controlling the judiciary and imposing the ‘Hindu Rashtra’ by hook or crook. On the other hand, the stagnant Indian economy limits the Modi government’s scope to make itself useful for President Trump’s ‘America First’ project.  Despite the tall rhetoric by the two sides, the plain truth is that at the end of the day when the hurly-burly of the ‘Quad’ is done — or if the Kashmir valley becomes uncontrollable — Delhi has to grapple with the geopolitical reality of the Sino-Pakistani axis, where the US and Japan or Australia will be of little help. Against this backdrop, what is truly having a multiplier effect today is the Howdy Modi spectacle in Houston in September. It has proved to be a hare-brained scheme. The Indian establishment should not even have tried to pander to Trump by Modi openly soliciting votes from Indian-Americans for his re-election in the November 2020 presidential election. The telling evidence of it is the submission of a ‘bipartisan’ draft resolution in the House of Representatives in Washington on Friday, December 6 — curiously, the anniversary of the demolition of Babri Masjid — calling, amongst other things, for the visit of international observers to monitor the human rights situation in Jammu & Kashmir. Max Boot’s article implies that in the opinion of one half of America, Modi stands comparison with the figure they despise most, Trump, who they regard to be the personification of bigotry and a peddler of lies and falsehoods, who cultivates nationalism, xenophobia, and racism to perpetuate his grip on political power. Equally, India finds itself being bracketed with Poland and the Philippines as part of a global trend of illiberal rulers undermining democracy.Poland’s ruling party Law and Justice is notorious for its hateful far-right positions on what it calls the ‘LGBT ideology’ — their variant of our ‘Khan Market Gang’ — and its refusal to tolerate dissent, and the all-out campaign it is waging against media freedom, judicial independence, and minorities, while the incredibly popular Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has the reputation for being a ‘strongman’ who promotes violence and vicious death squads. https://www.globalvillagespace.com/modi-down-from-american-pedestal-again/

5.   Religious freedom in Kashmir: Dec., 11, 2109: For years Romi Jan’s mornings would begin with the plaintive call to prayer that rang out from the central mosque in disputed Kashmir’s largest city. The voice soothed her soul and made her feel closer to God. Not anymore. For nearly four months now, the voice that would call out five times a day from the minarets of the Jamia Masjid and echo across Srinagar has been silent, a result of India’s ongoing security operations in this Muslim-majority region. “The mosque closure is a relentless agony for me and my family,” Jan said. “I can’t tolerate it, but I am helpless.” last summer India began pouring more troops into its side of Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety. It implemented a security lockdown in which it pressed harsh curbs on civil rights, arrested thousands of people, blocked internet and phone service, and shuttered important mosques. While some of the conditions have since been eased, some mosques and Muslim shrines in the region either remain shuttered or have had their access limited. Muslims say this is undermining their constitutional right to religious freedom and only deepening anti-India sentiment. The centuries-old Jamia Masjid, made of brick and wood, is one of the oldest in this city of 1.2 million, where 96% of people are Muslim. When it’s open, thousands of people congregate there for prayers. In June, the U.S. State Department said in a report that religious freedom in India continued a downward trend in the year 2018. India’s foreign ministry rejected the report. In August, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation raised concerns about India’s lockdown in Kashmir and called for authorities to ensure that Kashmiri Muslims could exercise their religious rights.The ongoing restrictions in Kashmir have also included gatherings at Muslim shrines and religious festivals.In August, worshipers were told to host the prayers for the festival of Eid-al-Adha inside small neighborhood mosques rather than in the large outdoor gatherings that are normal. In September, authorities banned the annual Muharram processions that mark the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson. Last month, during the yearly celebration of the birth anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad, authorities blocked all roads leading to Dargah Hazratbal, the region’s most revered Muslim shrine. Only a few hundred devotees were allowed to pray there — far fewer than the tens of thousands the event has been known to draw. Restrictions on such gatherings are particularly galling to Kashmiri Muslims because they have long complained that the government curbs their religious freedom on the pretext of law and order while promoting and patronizing an annual Hindu pilgrimage to the Amarnath Shrine in Kashmir that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors. Sheikh Showkat, a professor of international law and human rights at the Central University of Kashmir, warned that such a duality in policy sent a clear message that the government no longer remains impartial toward different religions and further alienates the people of Kashmir. “It no way augers well for any peace,” he said. “Whether it triggers further radicalization or not, it definitely infuriates people about the safety and security of their faith. It can also snowball into a mass mobilization against the state.”  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/indias-crackdown-hits-religious-freedom-in-disputed-kashmir/2019/12/10/746a810e-1b17-11ea-977a-15a6710ed6da_story.html

6.   Economic impact: Dec., 11, 2019:  Uncertainty in Kashmir has made the cross-continental journey of walnuts and apples from the US or Chile a better deal for many traders despite sky-high tariffs because militants in the valley have attacked fruit-laden trucks, while restrictions on the Internet have made buyer-seller communication difficult. This is great news for US suppliers, who feared losing business as India imposed retaliatory tariffs on several commodities including walnuts and almonds after the Trump administration.. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/us-chile-big-winners-as-kashmir-walnuts-lose-crunch/articleshow/72449804.cms

7.   EU on Kashmir: Dec., 11, 2019: European Union Ambassador to India Ugo Astuto on December 10 cleared EU's stand on the situation of Kashmir. He said, "We are concerned over the situation in Kashmir. It is important to restore freedom of movement and normalcy in Kashmir," Astuto said. "Our position on Kashmir hasn't changed since August. We have stressed on dialogue between India and Pakistan through diplomatic channels; means of communication should be restored in Kashmir. Our position has been consistent," he added. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/concerned-over-situation-in-kashmir-important-to-restore-normalcy-eu-envoy/videoshow/72461243.cms

8.   Kashmir Economy: Dec., 12, 2019: Indian Authorities also cut all communications and imposed a curfew. The continued internet shutdown has severely affected businesses and resulted in unemployment, mostly in the export business, the information technology sector, and the hospitality and tourism industries  According to the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI), the region's main trade body, the lockdown has resulted in economic losses worth at least $1.5 billion (€1.35 billion) for the region since August 5. The KCCI plans to file a legal complaint against the federal Indian government for the financial losses. Nasir Khan, senior vice president of the KCCI, told DW that the trade body would ask the court to appoint an external agency to assess the damages. Muneeb Mir, a young entrepreneur in Srinagar, told DW that he is contemplating shutting down one of his businesses after suffering a big financial loss. "There is hardly any business growth, and a series of setbacks has shattered our confidence," he said. Similarly, the hotel business in Kashmir has also been affected due to a lack of touristic activities in the region. Despite the government's assurance, the economic situation in Jammu and Kashmir has so far not shown any sign of improvement. And Kashmiri businessmen, especially restaurant owners, tour and travel operators, young entrepreneurs and information technology professionals, are facing a difficult time. The tourism industry, which is considered the region's economic backbone, has remained stagnant since August. The KCCI says that New Delhi's narrative of Kashmir development is "deceptive." "The Indian government cannot blame political parties and other groups for the situation in Kashmir. No one is issuing protest calls here. The prevailing atmosphere of uncertainty is a result of the government's own actions," the KCCI argued. To make matters worse, the early snowfall in Kashmir has further paralyzed business activities. Officials say that a large number of orchards have been affected by the snowfall in Northern Kashmir alone, negatively impacting the region's rural economy. https://www.dw.com/en/kashmirs-economy-suffers-due-to-continued-lockdown/a-51611520

9.   Citizenship bill: Dec., 12, 2019: India's parliament on Wednesday passed a contentious bill that seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from some countries, as hundreds of troops were deployed in the northeast which has been hit by violent protests. The bill will let the Indian government grant citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants who entered India from three neighbouring countries before 2015 — but not if they are Muslim. The legislation was passed 125-105 by the upper house, after the lower house voted in support of it just after midnight on Tuesday. It will be sent to the president to be signed into law, with his approval seen as a formality.  Opponents of the legislation have threatened to challenge it in the Supreme Court, saying it violates the principles of equality and secularism enshrined in the constitution. For Islamic groups, the opposition, rights groups and others this is part of Modi's Hindu-nationalist agenda to marginalise India's 200 million Muslims — something he denies. Besides stoking concern among Muslims, the proposed changes have also led to demonstrations in the northeastern states where residents are unhappy about an influx of Hindus from neighbouring Bangladesh who stand to gain citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB). In a third day of protests in the far-flung region, several hundred troops were deployed in Tripura state and in Guwahati, Assam's biggest city, a senior army official said. Police fired tear gas in different parts of Guwahati as several thousand demonstrators attempted to barge past security barriers to converge on the adjoining state capital Dispur. Tripura and parts of Assam suspended mobile internet services, with Assam wanting to avoid social media posts that could “inflame passions”. Gatherings of more than four people were banned for 24 hours. ,” local activist Akhil Gogoi said ahead of the upper house vote. Derek O'Brien, an opposition lawmaker in the upper house, on Wednesday said the legislation bore an “eerie similarity” to Nazi laws against Jews in 1930s Germany. “In 1935 there were citizenship laws to protect people with German blood ... today we have a faulty bill that wants to define who true Indian citizens are,” he said. Many Muslims in India say they have been made to feel like second-class citizens since Modi stormed to power in 2014. Several cities perceived to have Islamic-sounding names have been renamed, while some school textbooks have been altered to downplay Muslims' contributions to India In August, Modi's administration rescinded the partial autonomy of Muslim-majority occupied Kashmir and split it into two. A citizens' register in Assam finalised this year left 1.9 million people, many of them Muslims, facing possible statelessness, detention camps and even deportation. Modi's government has said it intends to replicate the register nationwide with the aim of removing all “infiltrators” by 2024. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom on Monday termed the bill as a “dangerous turn in the wrong direction”. https://www.dawn.com/news/1521685/india-passes-contentious-citizenship-bill-excluding-muslims-amid-violent-protests

10.                British Parliamentarians: Dec., 12 2019: British parliamentarians have urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to end the four-month-long clampdown in occupied Kashmir and allow its people to exercise their right to self-determination. “You [Narendra Modi] will have to give the right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir, You have to give them their rights. You have to end the curfew and lockdown,” the lawmakers were quoted as saying at a Kashmir seminar on the International Day of Human Rights organised by the Tehreek-e-Kashmir (TeK) UK chapter in Birmingham. These views were expressed by British MP Jess Phillips, MP Philip Bennett, former UK MP Liam Baimi and Marco Longhi. “First of all we have to recognise the fact that the Kashmir dispute is not a common ground issue, it is a nuclear flashpoint between the two nuclear forces,” one of the MPs said. Speaking on the occasion, TeK President Raja Fahim Kayani said the aim of this conference is to draw the world’s attention towards the continuing lockdown in IOK, which has been in place since August 5 when New Delhi revoked the autonomous status of its only Muslim majority region.“Unfortunately, the United Nations have failed to stop human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir committed by the Indian army,” he added. People of Kashmir are being punished by the occupation forces for demanding their right to self-determination, said Kiyani, adding that the Kashmir dispute is the longest unresolved issue in the United Nations.The UN Security Council has passed more than 11 resolutions on the dispute, he also said. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2115761/1-british-lawmakers-urge-india-end-lockdown-occupied-kashmir/

11.                Conference: Dec., 12, 2019: 2020 Commission Kashmir’ was launched for realising Kashmiris human rights and the right to self-determination during a conference in Geneva. The conference titled ‘Worldwide Human Rights Perspectives’ was held under the patronage of Geneva Press club, Organisation of Kashmir Coalition (OKC), Alaska Indigenous Tribes, OCOPROCE International and International Human Rights Association of American Minorities (IHRAAM). Professor Alfred de Zayas, (First Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order and Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations), moderated the conference. He reminded the audience that the United Nations Charter is the world constitution and that all UN member states must respect its principles and purposes, notably the promotion of world peace, the right to development and human rights for all without discrimination. He regretted that international law is not applied uniformly, but selectively and that human rights have been weaponized so that instead of advancing human dignity and the entitlement of every human being to civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, the human rights language has been corrupted and hijacked for purposes of demagogy, demonization and defamation. Professor de Zayas emphasised that one of the basic rights stipulated in the UN Charter and in Article 1 of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is the right of self-determination of peoples; countless wars since world war II have found their origin in the denial of the legitimate aspiration of peoples to determine their own futures, to throw off occupation, colonialism and exploitation; it is not the right of self-determination that generates wars, but the unjust denial thereof. He asked the United Nations to reaffirm, as UNESCO did in 1998, that the realization of the right of self-determination is an eminent conflict prevention strategy. This applies, Prof de Zayas, stated to the people of Kashmir (who are subjected to gross human rights violations recognised by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights through its two reports of 2018 and 2019). He asked that the United Nations should use its good offices to mediate and resolve grievances and, where necessary, organize self-determination referenda. Barrister Abdul Majeed Tramboo, Executive member of OKC and European Director of IHRAAM), echoed the views of Prof de Zayas reminding about the ongoing self–determination movement of the people of occupied Kashmir where the population, young or old, men or women including young girls and children have been targeted to kill maim, torture, molest or rape. Referring to the legal angle of the Kashmir dispute under the International Law linking it with the United Nations very specific resolutions on Kashmir, he emphasised that any abrogation of the domestic legal framework by the Indian government does not change the International recognised legal position on the Kashmir issue. Barrister Tramboo recalled that since 5 August 2019, occupied Kashmir is under blockade meaning cut-off from rest of the world. He expressed deep anguish that the lockdown has caused; (i)Immense human rights misery: 8 million Kashmiris are imprisoned in their homes by 800,000 Indian troops depriving them of right to liberty, food, assembly and expression; arresting and detaining thousands of young Kashmiris across India; (ii)No health care: Blockade has collapsed health care apparatus altogether there causing deaths particularly relating to pregnant women and due to absence of life-saving drugs such as chemotherapy and dialyses; (iii)No education: All schools and colleges are closed since 5 August 2019, depriving all Kashmiri school and college going boys and girls of right to education with no examinations in place; and (iv) Economic blockade; Kashmir’s economy is reliant on its handicraft, agriculture and tourist industry; lock out has cost US $4 billion economic loss to Kashmir resulting in economic chaos.

12.                Barrister Tramboo drew the attention on the developing climate change in Kashmir categorising it as below; Heat scenario: The impact of climate change in Kashmir is considerable and this is likely to affect particularly irrigated agriculture, horticulture and hydropower capacities; both mean minimum and maximum temperatures shall have drastic affect on Kashmiris’ lives; one of the primary reasons for this is cutting down of forests and trees by the Indian occupational forces for their use; Water flow: The 12 of the last 15 years have been hottest seriously damaging hydropower capacity and that would certainly reduce water flows in the dry season and higher flows during wet season and this is likely to raise further tension between India and Pakistan; and The Receding Glaciers: Kashmir’s glaciers are receding at a faster rate compared to other glaciers region in the world; the reason being significantly heavy Indian military deployment with heavy military equipment on the glaciers; melting of glaciers has caused havoc in the Kashmir valley through floods. Barrister Tramboo remarked that all this is highly unacceptable and therefore, Kashmir needs aggressive diplomacy and advocacy. He announced that the upcoming year shall be themed as “2020 Commission Kashmir” which will ensure policy-making and decision-making advocacy with all the stakeholders particularly the inter-governmental organisations for realising Kashmiris’ human rights and right to self-determination. Ambassador Ronald Barnes (Permanent Representative of Alaska Indigenous Tribes) recalled that his name came to light after being appointed and bringing the case to the Sub-Commission on Human Rights, where the Sub-Commission offered a resolution, considering the apartheid in Alaska in light of the violations of Article 73 of the United Nations Charter and this was followed by a visit to Alaska by Professor Alfred de Zayas, during his tenure as the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, where he recommended in paragraph 69 (n) of his 2013 report to the General Assembly that Alaska, Hawaii, Kashmir and other cases be sent to the United Nations Decolonization Committee for re-enlistment to exercise their right of self-determination. Ambassador Ronald Barnes remarked that this was followed by the call by Republic of Pakistan during the 2nd cycle Universal Periodic Review of the United States of America to implement paragraph 69 (n) by sending Alaska, Hawaii and the Dakotas to the United Nations Decolonization Committee. Thus Alaska, Hawaii, Kashmir and others are seeking implementation of the recommendations as well as measures to address the many human rights violations associated with the denial of the right of self-determination, Ambassador Ronald Barnes said. In conclusion, Ambassador Barnes brought to light the Pebble Mine issue where mining companies are attempting to create a hole the size of Manhattan in New York to mine of rare earth minerals, diamonds, gold and other raw materials to which Indigenous Peoples are asserting their right and title to Alaska, pointing out that the title to Alaska has yet to be settled since, according to a United Nations report the 1867 Treaty of Cession granted neither title or jurisdiction to the United States of America.The conference was primarily attended by journalists together with diplomats and representatives from non-governmental organization https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/12/11/2020-commission-kashmir-launched-for-realising-kashmiris-birth-right/

13.                India and democracy: Dec., 13, 2019: https://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2019/12/11/amanpour-kashmir-dexter-filkins-rana-ayyub.cnn   How two reporters snuck into Kashmir The New Yorker's Dexter Filkins and Indian journalist Rana Ayyub teamed up to sneak into the contested territory of Kashmir. They discuss with Christiane what they found.

14.                Watkins; Dec., 13, 2019: A US Congressman, Steve Watkins, has expressed concern over the prevailing situation in occupied Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 by Indian government on August 5. “Madam Speaker, today I rise in support of democracy and freedom for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the importance of protecting religious minorities in the region,” Congressman Steve Watkins said in his remarks on the floor of the House of Representatives.The Republican lawmaker from Kansas who last week joined Jayapal in introducing a resolution (HR 745) condemning India’s decision on Kashmir said that in August the Indian government rescinded Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, repealing special status of Kashmir. “Since then, it has been cut off through widespread communications blackouts. There have been curfews, and some 4,000 people have been detained, which includes children as young as 9 years old,” Watkins said. There have been reported human rights abuses and deaths resulting from inaccessibility to healthcare, he added. “Madam Speaker, this situation cannot stand, and I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H Res. 745, which urges the Indian Government to uphold the democratic values upon which it was founded,” Watkins said. The resolution urged India to end as swiftly as possible restrictions on communications and mass detentions in occupied Kashmir. It asked India to lift the remaining restrictions on communication and to restore internet access across the occupied territory as swiftly as possible. The resolution called upon New Delhi to refrain from the use of threats and excessive force against detained people and peaceful protesters. It also asked the Indian government to “swiftly release arbitrarily detained people” and “refrain from conditioning” the release of detained people on their willingness to sign bonds prohibiting any political activities and speeches. https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/12/13/us-congressman-expresses-concern-over-iok-situation/

       

19.              

Kashmir Update 52: Week Dec., 2, 2019 to Dec., 8, 2019  

1.     1. Education and Kashmir: Dec., 2. 2019: Already delayed by four months, the end of semester examination is yet to take place in most of the graduate courses in Kashmir. “For now there is no formal date sheet for the examination. Our exams were to be completed in late August of this year and so our graduation but still we are waiting for the exams to take place,” another student media student Zulkilfah Shakeel told Anadolu Agency.The delay in examinations has cost students in different ways, some are not able to prepare for entrance examinations. Some are not able to go for internships and some are not able to go abroad for higher studies because of their pending degrees. The students, particularly from rural areas, received a setback in their prospectus of educational career when administrative orders were issued to close hostels of the varsities across Kashmir Aug. 4. The hostels of Kashmir are still closed for rural students who are facing immense hardships in postgraduate exams which were notified recently. For now the students find it hard to appear for exams although the administration at the varsity level asked students to appear for exams in satellite campuses but students from South Kashmir told Anadolu Agency it does not make any difference. They have to travel the same distance to the satellite campus or the main campus of Kashmir University. He also said because of no transportation, students are suffering badly. “I had to travel for four hours to reach to Kashmir University to appear in my first paper. It is very difficult situation,” the student said.The classwork at schools, colleges and universities of Kashmir has remained suspended after the Aug. 5 lockdown which severely affected the education sector of the region.“These four months have been hard. We couldn’t read anything at our homes. The mind was already occupied with external disturbances and volatile situations,” Sanam Mukhtar, a high school student told Anadolu Agency. As the condition of businesses, trade, health care and livelihood remains dismal in the region but the future of education of children stare cluelessly at a blank with dejection and helplessness among them. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/lockdown-puts-education-in-kashmir-on-back-burner/1660514

2.   Women in Kashmir: Dec., 2, 2109: A women’s conference titled “Elimination of torture against women with special reference to Kashmir” was jointly organised by Kashmir Women’s Movement UK and Europe and Sheffield Sisters4Kashmir in the Town Hall’s Council Chambers in Sheffield in the English county of South Yorkshire.  On the sidelines of the conference an exhibition titled “Losing Sight in Kashmir – Bloom of the Dead Eyes” was also organised by Organisation ofKashmir Coalition (OKC). A video enumerating the atrocities committed on Kashmiri women by the Indian occupying forces was also screened on the occasion.  Zahira Naaz, introduced the event and said that humanitarian crises always have a gender angle, particularly those involving armed conflict adding that trends analysis by the United Nations in 2018 shows that sexual violence is factored into the broader strategy of conflict, with women and girls being disproportionately affected and It has been no different in Kashmir’s disturbed history. Nighat Hafiz took over from here and moderated the event. Mrs Shamim Shawl apprised the participants about the challenges and consequences of the recent developments created by a Hindu fascist regime who have started a systematic process to change the demographic profile of the state by crippling the economy and facilitating the Indian population to come into state to convert the Muslim majority into a minority. She said that these developments on one hand cripple the economy and on the other generate fear for economic migration. She appreciated Sheffield women to be in the front line to create awareness about the challenges at hand in occupied Kashmir. Rana Shama Nazir gave an overview of the dispute and explained its chronological evolution. She lamented that the promises with regard to self-determination remain unfulfilled. Gill Furniss pleaded for an ethical foreign policy and promised the conference that she would stand with Kashmir. She also referred to the harrowing atrocities that she had viewed in a Kashmir documentary shown to her by a constituent. She also pleaded that British envoy in the United Nations should play effective role on behalf of the government as it was incumbent on the British government to play a pro-active role. Barrister Abdul Majeed Tramboo delved on the legal aspect of the dispute and he interjected international law to explain the Kashmiri freedom struggle awaiting to exercise their right of self-determination as promised in the UN resolutions under the international law and enshrined in UN Charter. He also emphasized that a credible international NGOs can raise the impending genocide going on in the locked down Kashmir at international criminal court in Paris. He impressed on the parliamentary candidates to do more and impact the policy making institutions by proactive approach. Paul Bloomfield referred to the efforts that he has been making with reference to Kashmir. He referred to his engagement with the Foreign Secretary particularly on the continuing lock down of Kashmir expressing his dissatisfaction on the British government’s inaction. Professor Nazir Ahmed Shawl after contextualising the need of a women’s day delved on the question of bilateralism. Professor Shawl declared emphatically that Kashmir struggle is for redeeming the right of self determination. He asked the conference to understand the factual reality that a bilateral agreement cannot supersede an accepted international treaty arrived at a multilateral forum. He argued as under:”India and Pakistan have bilaterally signed agreements and/or declarations Tashkent, Simla and Lahore. But to hold that any of these has overtaken the agreement they concluded under the auspices of Security Council is fallacious on four counts. First, it flies in the face of a recognised principle of international law which is stated in article 103 of the United Nations Charter viz, obligations under the charter prevail over obligations under other international agreements. Second, the agreement secured by the United Nations deals specifically with the measures required to resolve the Kashmir problem while the other agreements are silent in that respect. Indeed as far as the Kashmir issue is concerned they do not rise above or fall below the level of duress while at the time the United Nations obtained the agreement which was repeatedly endorsed by the security council, neither party was driven to sign on the dotted line by defeat or any strategic disadvantage. Fourth, the people of Kashmir not being party to any bilateral undertakings between India and Pakistan can draw little satisfaction from them, they along with their supporters, see no reason why they should be bound by them. Of course they were not a party to the United Nations agreement either but that is not the same thing because the agreement left the whole issue to their unfettered decision.” Clive Betts said Kashmir is a live issue that has human rights dimension. He reiterated his support to Kashmiris right of self-determination. He also referred to the unanimity of perception in his party over this subject. Dr. Nikhat Iftikhar pleaded that the British foreign policy on Kashmir should not be elusive as it needs to respond to the existential relief and be a source of relief to the people of Kashmir. Shahad Abdul Salam said that occupation is a crime from Palestine to Kashmir. She also discussed the similar practices of Israel and India. She said that Israeli apartheid is travelling to Kashmir. Shahad believe that both Kashmir and Palestine need international solidarity to restore human dignity in these occupied lands. Maxine Bowler delivered the concluding remarks. She pleaded for making the women voices heard for raising the humanitarian concerns such as the sufferings of the locked down Kashmiris. The message from the conference is loud and clear that we all need to pool efforts to bring about a qualitative transformation in the British Foreign Policy regarding the Kashmir dispute and that she shell of bilateralism has to open up for international facilitation.The conferences emphasised that atrocities of a supremacist regressive and extreme right Indian government in Kashmir must come to an end and that the international solidarity should help Kashmiris to become masters of their destiny by choosing a political future of their choice. https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/12/02/plight-of-kashmiri-women-highlighted-at-seminar-in-uk/

3.   3. Quelling protest: Dec., 3, 2019: By August, New Delhi had begun to set up the security apparatus and other measures to enable the passage of Article 370 in parliament. The Valley had been more or less reined in, if not tamed by then. New Delhi had succeeded in telegraphing the message of a no-holds-barred reprisal should anyone hinder its agenda. When on Aug. 5, at around 11AM, union home minister Amit Shah announced the repeal of Article 370 in parliament, Kashmiris had been snapped from the world. There were no phones and no internet.  Thousands had been arrested, many of them shifted to jails across India. Almost all major leaders across the mainstream-separatist divide, including three former chief ministers, Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah, and Mehbooba Mufti, were under house arrest. Disconnected from one another, Kashmiris could only react to Shah’s announcement in disbelief. Their ability to organise had been broken. There was no leader active on the scene, no functional political or social organisation which could do this. Even if there were, they couldn’t communicate. Militant leaders, for instance, couldn’t use social media to convey their messages and provoke the people.Though the newspapers began coming out after a gap of a few days, they published little on the ongoing situation. Chary of having to take a position on the issue, they went without editorials. Their opinion pieces spoke about health, environment, and international issues. To pre-empt spontaneous mobilisation, security personnel in significant numbers were stationed along streets and at the entry and exit points of Srinagar and other major towns. In volatile south Kashmir, where the government apprehended a forceful reaction, mass arrests were complemented by the arbitrary use of torture against youth, according to reports. Youth were randomly picked up from their homes during nocturnal raids or called to security camps and beaten, according to published reports. In one chilling case at village Heff Shirmal in Shopian, the shrieks of a person being tortured were allegedly relayed on a loudspeaker to the surrounding villages. This didn’t completely prevent protests though. Without anyone calling for it, Kashmir has been observing a shutdown ever since. Public transport is largely off the roads. By the government’s own admission, there were more than 300 instances of “law and order issues.” One of the biggest protests was taken out by people at Anchar, in the outskirts of Srinagar, and saw participation from around 10,000 people. It was, however, stopped before it could enter the densely settled, barricaded parts of the main city. Subsequent attempts in Anchar were similarly thwarted, and so were those from the other areas. Protesters were allegedly shot at with pellet guns, leaving scores injured. Many who were hit in their eyes were partially blinded.  Three and a half months later, as Kashmir anxiously looks forward to the future, businesses are tentatively re-opening and public transport is returning to roads. Does it mean normalcy? Far from it. Kashmir remains without internet and prepaid mobile phones. Leaders continue to be under detention.  The lockdown remains intact, though security personnel don’t forbid normal movement of vehicles and people. All kinds of protests are strictly barred, including silent marches—around two dozen women who tried to hold one in October were quickly hauled off to a lock-up and released only after signing a bond that they won’t repeat it. Given New Delhi’s nervousness about an organised mass resistance at a time when the world’s attention is focussed on Kashmir, it looks unlikely that the region will be allowed to have a normal political and civil society activity anytime soon.  https://qz.com/india/1760086/modi-shahs-plan-to-stop-kashmir-protests-after-article-370-move/

4.   Israel and Kashmir: Dec., 4, 2019: It is outrageous that an Indian political representative would endorse an illegal settler-colonial project in Kashmir and look to an ethno-nationalist state for a step-by-step playbook on how to make it happen, but it's also not surprising, it  cannot be disguised the,  direction in which India has long been headed: that of becoming an ethno-nationalist state in its own right.  Since 2003, India and Israel, at times including the United States, have formed an ever-deepening alliance against terrorism and “fanatic" Muslims. Today, India is one of the top buyers of Israeli arms, participates in joint “counter-terrorism” military exercises, and trains Indian special forces, who are then deployed in India’s restive northern territories, including Kashmir. But India and Israel are not just "friends with benefits". Their common cause lies in their noble fight against an existential threat perceived to be posed by those “fanatic Muslims". Both nations justify their militarisation and disregard for the human rights of Palestinians and Kashmiris as necessary to tame "barbaric", "backward", and "misogynist" Muslims. In these self-professed democratic states, Muslims, through the simple fact of their existence,  undermine the supreme religious and cultural identity of the state.  Just as the Zionist movement claimed that Arabs have no attachment to the land of Palestine, despite it being their homeland, Hindutva - the predominant form of Hindu nationalism in India - supporters deem Muslims as foreigners and invaders, as threats to the nation. They must either leave India, convert, or live as second class citizens  The alliance of Hindutva and Zionist forces is growing in India and abroad, especially after the 5 August siege of Kashmir. At an event held recently at Mumbai University and hosted by the Indo Israel Friendship Association, the speakers espoused the virtues of ethno-nationalist ideology and the apartheid regime that has been so successful in establishing Israeli domination over Palestinians. The current government in India has unabashedly embraced the Hindu supremacist ideology first espoused by the founders of the ultra-right wing RSS organisation. Today, there is no room for non-Hindus in Hindustan. At an upcoming event in Toronto, the discourse of Muslim “terrorism” will bring Zionists and Hindu nationalists together to discuss, “same enemies, same ideology.” There was a strong resonance between the exclusionary and supremacist ideas propounded by the consul general and the views of M.S. Golwalkar and V.D. Savarkar, the ideological fountainheads of Hindutva, and supporters of Zionism. Both Savarkar and Golwalkar condemned  the Indian vote at the 1948 United Nations General Assembly in favour of two equal states for Israelis and Palestinians. Just as Hindutva followers blame Muslims for the loss of Hindu culture in Kashmir and the rest of India, Golwalkar, inaccurately, blamed “intrusion of Islam” for the loss of Jewish culture and traditions in Palestine, hence supporting the creation of an exclusive Jewish state at the expense of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. He held that the Jews had “maintained their race, religion, culture and language” in exile and all that was needed to complete their “nationality” was a "natural territory".  Biblical exodus, Chakravorty, the consul general, urged Kashmiri Hindus to maintain their faith, culture, and language and return as per the government plan, as settlers. This is a notion that has been rejected by Kashmiri Hindus residing in Kashmir, as well as Kashmiri Hindu scholars. Kashmiri Hindus are equal permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir and the honourable return of those who wish to go back to their homeland is affirmed by the majority Muslim community, including the Kashmiri resistance leadership. By capitalising on the phenomenon of anti-Muslim hatred that has been  cultivated with care around the globe, India and Israel have been able to convince their own populations to ignore – or better yet, to support –the dehumanisation and exclusion of entire communities of indigenous peoples who do not conform to the supreme national identity of the state  Both India and Israel have also managed, with overall success, to escape meaningful attention by powerful political actors, including inter-governmental organisations. India has successfully branded its decades-long military occupation of the Kashmir region as an "internal conflict", clearly revoking any invitation the international community might have thought that it had to intervene in the well-documented human rights abuses perpetrated by the Indian army. Israel paints itself as the "only democracy in the Middle East", a haven of white civility surrounded by angry, if altogether impotent, Arabs. Israel’s belligerent position over millions of indigenous Palestinians is thus met with billions of dollars of military aid and  support for the Israeli policy of settlements by the United States. In reality, it is Kashmiris who are now facing an existential threat. Since India revoked the last vestige of semi-sovereign status that the territory held, Kashmiris are losing control over their land and resources.With the promised influx of corporate conglomerates that put profit before people and the earth, the long tentacles of colonial rule have already begun to root themselves in the lush and fragile paradise of my family’s home. https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/india-and-israel-alliance-kashmiris-are-now-facing-existential-threat

5. 5.   Plebiscite: Dec., 5 , 2019: A respected American weekly magazine has carried a damning article in its latest issue about Indian Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s virulent push to promote Hindu nationalism in India that targets Muslims and other religious minorities, his illegal annexation of Jammu and Kashmir and the repressive lockdown of the disputed state. “The change in Kashmir upended more than half a century of careful politics, but the Indian press reacted with nearly uniform approval,”wrote Dexter Filkins, a staff writer of The New Yorker who recently sneaked into the curfew-bound Kashmir along with an Indian journalist Rana Ayyub, whose book, “Gujarat Files,” about a massacre of Muslims in the Indian state of Gujarat, has made her a target of Hindu nationalists. “Ever since Modi was first elected Prime Minister, in 2014, he has been recasting the story of India, from that of a secular democracy accommodating a uniquely diverse population to that of a Hindu nation that dominates its minorities, especially the country’s two hundred million Muslims,” Filkins said in an in-depth article in which he also highlighted the courageous struggle of Ms. Ayyub in getting the truth out about Modi and his associates decisive move to subdue minorities and to turn India into a Hindu country. “Modi and his allies have squeezed, bullied, and smothered the press into endorsing what they call the ‘New India’,” he wrote, citing a number of instances about how much of the Indian media now supports the prime minister’s oppressive policies, ignoring his failures and covering up his lies, especially about the Balakot operation.“Kashmiris greeted Modi’s decision with protests, claiming that his real goal was to inundate the state with Hindu settlers. After the initial tumult subsided, though, the Times of India and other major newspapers began claiming that a majority of Kashmiris quietly supported Modi—they were just too frightened of militants to say so aloud. Television reporters, newly arrived from Delhi, set up cameras on the picturesque shoreline of Dal Lake and dutifully repeated the government’s line,” said The New Yorker article, entitled: Blood and Soil in Narendra Modi’s India. Although foreign journalists are banned for entering occupied Kashmir, Filkins clad himself in Indian dress and took the Srinagar-bound flight from India along with journalist Rana Ayyub. They dodged past the heavy Indian security at the airport and got into a taxi to the city two weeks after the August 5 crackdown. “Even from a moving car, it was clear that the reality in Kashmir veered starkly from the picture in the mainstream Indian press,” he wrote. “Soldiers stood on every street corner. Machine-gun nests guarded intersections, and shops were shuttered on each block. “Apart from the military presence, the streets were lifeless. At Khanqah-e-Moula, the city’s magnificent eighteenth-century Mosque, Friday prayers were banned. Schools were closed. Cell-phone and Internet service was cut off. “Indian intelligence agents are widely understood to monitor the rosters of local hotels, so Ayyub and I, along with an Indian photographer named Avani Rai, had arranged to stay with a friend. “When we got there, a Kashmiri doctor who was visiting the house told us to check the main hospital, where young men were being treated after security forces fired on them. The police and soldiers were using small-gauge shotguns—called pellet guns by the locals—and some of the victims had been blinded. ‘Go to the ophthalmology ward,’ the doctor said.“At the hospital, we found a scene of barely restrained chaos, with security officers standing guard and families mixing with the sick in corridors. While I stood in a corner, trying to make myself inconspicuous, (Ms) Ayyub ran to the fourth floor to speak to an eye doctor. After a few minutes, she returned and motioned for me and Rai to follow. ‘Ward eight,’ she said. Thirty gunshot victims were inside.“As the three of us approached, a smartly dressed man with a close-cropped beard stepped into our path and placed his hand on (Ms.) Ayyub’s shoulder. ‘What are you doing here?’ he said. Rai looked at me and quietly said, ‘Run.’ I turned and dashed into the crowd. The bearded man took (Ms.) Ayyub and Rai by the arm and led them away. When (Ms.) Ayyub and the photographer were detained at the hospital in Srinagar, I found a hiding place across the street, screened by a wall and a fruit vender; (Ms.) Ayyub would have faced serious repercussions if she was found to have snuck in a foreigner. After about an hour, they emerged. (Ms.) Ayyub said that an intelligence officer had questioned them intently, then released them with an admonition: ‘Don’t come back.’ “The next morning, we drove to the village of Parigam, near the site of the suicide attack that prompted Modi’s air strikes against Pakistan. We’d heard that Indian security forces had swept through the town and detained several men. The insurgency has broad support in the villages outside the capital, and the road to Parigam was marked by the sandbags and razor wire of Indian Army checkpoints. For most of the way, the roads were otherwise deserted.“In the village, (Ms.) Ayyub stopped the car to chat with locals. Within a few minutes, she’d figured out whom we should talk to first: Shabbir Ahmed, the proprietor of a local bakery. We found him sitting cross-legged on his porch, shelling almonds into a huge pile. In interviews, (Ms.) Ayyub slows down from her usual debate-team pace; she took a spot on the porch as if she had dropped by for a visit. Ahmed, who is fifty-five, told her that, during the sweeps, an armored vehicle rumbled up to his home just past midnight one night. A dozen soldiers from the Rashtriya Rifles, an élite counter-insurgency unit of the Indian Army, rushed out and began smashing his windows. When Ahmed and his two sons came outside, he said, the soldiers hauled the young men into the street and began beating them. ‘I was screaming for help, but nobody came out,’ Ahmed said. ‘Everyone was too afraid.’“Ahmed’s sons joined us on the porch. One of them, Muzaffar, said the soldiers had been enraged by young people who throw rocks at their patrols. They dragged Muzaffar down the street toward a Mosque. “Throw stones at the mosque like you throw stones at us,” one of the soldiers commanded him. “Muzaffar said he and his brother, Ali, were taken to a local base, where the soldiers shackled them to chairs and beat them with bamboo rods. “They kept asking me, ‘Do you know any stone throwers?’—and I kept saying I don’t know any, but they kept beating me,’ he said. When Muzaffar fainted, he said, a soldier attached electrodes to his legs and stomach and jolted him with an electrical current. Muzaffar rolled up his pants to reveal patches of burned skin on the back of his leg. It went on like that for some time, he said: he would pass out, and when he regained consciousness the beating started again. “My body was going into spasms,” he said, and began to cry. After Muzaffar and Ali were released, their father took them to the local hospital. “They have broken my bones,” Muzaffar said. “I can no longer prostrate myself before God.” “It was impossible to verify the brothers’ tale, but, as with many accounts that (Ms.) Ayyub and I heard in the valley, the anguish was persuasive. “I am a slightly more civilized version of these people,” (Ms.) Ayyub told me. ‘I see what’s happening—with the propaganda, with the lies, what the government is doing to people. Their issues are way more extensive—their lives. But I have everything in common with these people. I feel their pain.’‘One afternoon, Ayyub and I walked through Soura, a hardscrabble neighborhood in Srinagar’s old city which has been the site of several confrontations with security forces. By the time we got there, the police and the Army had withdrawn, evidently deciding that the narrow streets left their men too vulnerable. The locals told us that they regarded Soura as liberated territory and vowed to attack anyone from the government who tried to enter. Every wall seemed plastered with graffiti. One bit of scrawl said, “Demographic change is not acceptable!” The Kashmiris we met felt trapped, their voices stifled. ‘The news that is true—they never show it,’ Yunus, a shop owner, said of the Indian media. Days before, his thirteen-year-old son, Ashiq, had been arrested and beaten by security forces, just as he himself had been thirty years before. ‘Nobody has ever asked the people of Kashmir what they want—whether to stay with India or join Pakistan or become independent,’ he said. ‘We have heard so many promises. We have lifted bodies with our hands, lifted heads that are separate, lifted legs that are separate, and put them all together into graves.’ “Many Kashmiris still refuse to accept Indian sovereignty, and some recall the promise, made by the United Nations in 1948, that a plebiscite would determine the future of the state. Kashmir was assigned special status—enshrined in Article 370—and afforded significant powers of self-rule. For the most part, those powers have never been realized. Beginning in the late eighties, an armed insurgency has turned the area into a battleground. The conflict in Kashmir is largely a war of ambush and reprisal; the insurgents strike the Indian security forces, and the security forces crack down. Groups like Human Rights Watch have detailed abuses on both sides, but especially by the Indian government. “The R.S.S. and other Hindu nationalists have claimed that the efforts to assuage the Kashmiris created a self-defeating dynamic. The insurgency has stifled economic development, they said; Article 370 was curtailing investment and migration, dooming the place to backwardness. Modi’s decision to revoke the article seemed the logical endpoint of the R.S.S. world view: the Kashmiri deadlock would be broken by overwhelming Hindu power.“As (Ms.) Ayyub and I drove around Kashmir, it seemed unclear how the Indian government intended to proceed. Economic activity had ground to a halt. Schools were closed. Kashmiris were cut off from the outside world and from one another. “We are overwhelmed by cases of depression,” a physician in Srinagar told us. Many Kashmiris warned that an explosion was likely the moment the security measures were lifted. ‘Modi is doing what he did in Gujarat twenty years ago, when he ran a tractor over the Muslims there,’ a woman named Dushdaya said. “The newspaper columnist Pratap Bhanu Mehta wrote that, in Kashmir, ‘Indian democracy is failing.’ He suggested that the country’s Muslims, who have largely resisted radicalization, would conclude that they had nothing else to turn to. ‘The B.J.P. thinks it is going to Indianise Kashmir,’ he wrote. “Instead, what we will see is potentially the Kashmirisation of India: The story of Indian democracy written in blood and betrayal.” Filkins, the New Yorker staff writer, then moved to Srinagar with Rana Ayyub where they visited the neighborhood of Mehju Nagar, which many young men have left to join the militants. “The talk on the street was of a couple named Nazeer and Fehmeeda, whose son, Momin, had been taken away in the crackdown. Armed men from the Central Reserve Police Force came to the door late one night. A masked civilian—evidently an informer—pointed at Momin. The soldiers took him away,” he wrote. “We found Fehmeeda at her house, kneeling on the floor of an unadorned main room. The morning after the raid, she told us, she went to a C.R.P.F. base, where her son was being held. He told her that he’d been beaten. ‘I begged them to give him back to me, but they wouldn’t consider it,” she said. When Fehmeeda returned the following day, the police told her that Momin had been transferred to the city’s central jail. But guards there said that he’d been transferred to a prison in Uttar Pradesh, on the other side of the country. ‘There’s no use crying, Auntie,’ they told her.“Fehmeeda said she was not told what charges had been filed against Momin; Indian antiterrorism law allows the security forces to detain any Kashmiri for any reason, or no reason, for up to two years. In the three decades that Kashmir has been in open rebellion, tens of thousands of men have disappeared, and many have not returned. “I must accept that I will not see him again,” she said.At Fehmeeda’s house, her friends had gathered around her, while men from the neighborhood stood outside open windows. Ayyub sat facing her, their knees touching. As Fehmeeda spoke, some of the men talked over her, and each time (Ms.) Ayyub told them to shut up: “Don’t scold her, Uncle, she has problems of her own.”,“Fehmeeda had begun stoically, but gradually she lost her composure. (Ms.) Ayyub gripped her hands and said, ‘Your son will return to you. God is very big.’ Fehmeeda was not consoled. Momin, a construction worker, had paid for the entire family’s needs, including her medicine for a kidney ailment. Fehmeeda’s thoughts began to tumble out in fragments: ‘I told him, don’t throw stones, somebody took him, somebody was paid—’ Then she started to sob and heave. (Ms.) Ayyub began to cry, too. ‘I can’t take any more,’ she said. ‘This is too much.’ “(Ms.) Ayyub said goodbye to Fehmeeda, promising to return with medicine for her kidneys. (A few weeks later, she did.) We were both gripped by a sense of foreboding, that we were witnessing the start of something that would last many years. ‘I feel this as a Muslim,’ Ayyub said. ‘It’s happening everywhere in India.’ “We rode in silence for a while. I suggested that maybe it was time for her to leave India—that Muslims didn’t have a future there. But Ayyub was going through a notebook. ‘I’m not leaving,’ she said. ‘I have to stay. I’m going to write all this down and tell everyone what happened’.” A large part of the huge article was devoted to journalist Rana Ayyub’s investigative work had once gone undercover to expose the ruling BJP’s ties to sectarian and extrajudicial violence against the Muslim minority. the article also carries details of the rise of Narendra Modi from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of power and his ruthless machinations and intrigues to push forward his anti-Muslim agenda and turn India into a Hindu state. Filkins wrote, “A feeling of despair has settled in among many Indians who remain committed to the secular, inclusive vision of the country’s founders.” “Gandhi and Nehru were great, historic figures, but I think they were an aberration,” Krishna Prasad, the former Outlook editor, told Fikins. “It’s very different now.The institutions have crumbled—universities, investigative agencies, the courts, the media, the administrative agencies, public services. And I think there is no rational answer for what has happened, except that we pretended to be what we were for fifty, sixty years. But we are now reverting to what we always wanted to be, which is to pummel minorities, to push them into a corner, to show them their places, to conquer Kashmir, to ruin the media, and to make corporations servants of the state. And all of this under a heavy resurgence of Hinduism. India is becoming the country it has always wanted to be. https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/521586-Kashmiris-committed-plebiscite-rejecting-India/%27s-sovereignty-

6. 6.   Land grab: Dec., 5, 2019: The government has started identifying land in Jammu and Kashmir for companies from outside the erstwhile state who have shown willingness to invest in the region since the reading down of Article 370 of the Constitution. A senior government official said so far around 17,000 kanals of state land has been earmarked in regions of Jammu and Kashmir. Ravinder Kumar, managing director of the State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO) said at least 10,000 kanals of land has been identified in Kathua and Samba districts of Jammu and another 5,000 to 7,000 kanals have been earmarked in Ganderbal, Kupwara and some other districts of Kashmir.“There is some land in Vessu (in Anantnag) also,” Kumar told the Wire, adding that the process for identifying land has been ongoing for some time now. According to Kumar, the government has issued directions to all district commissioners, both in Jammu and Kashmir, to submit details about the state land available in their jurisdictions.“We have enough land in both the regions,” he said. While Article 370 gave special status to J&K in the Union of India, the Article 35A empowered the erstwhile J&K state assembly to define the state subjects and grant exclusive rights to them. This also prevented outsiders from buying land, owning property or applying for jobs in Jammu and Kashmir. On August 5, the Centre read down both the Constitutional provisions and bifurcated the state into the two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh. The two units    https://thewire.in/business/jammu-and-kashmir-land-investment

7.   7. WhatsApp: Dec., 6, 2019: On Wednesday, Kashmiris began disappearing from WhatsApp  Citizens of the disputed geographical territory, whose autonomy the Indian government revoked in August, abruptly and inexplicably began departing WhatsApp groups in which they had long participated, leaving behind only a “[Phone number] left” message. Some observers suspected that the Kashmiris who disappeared from their WhatsApp groups this week did not do so on their own and may not even know anything has changed. After 4 months of total communication blackout, @WhatsApp is automatically deleting Kashmiris from groups.#Kashmir   4 months of inactivity, WhatsApp accounts from Kashmir are getting deleted. Weird to see individuals you haven't spoken for all these months 'leave' WA groups whereas in reality an important part of their digital imprint - images, videos, texts & memories attached - vanishing. “I initially thought that internet services had been restored in Kashmir and maybe these people were just removing themselves from WhatsApp groups on their own,” Mudasir Firdosi, a London-based Kashmiri doctor who is in half a dozen WhatsApp groups with friends and family in Kashmir, told BuzzFeed News. “But I quickly realized that’s not the case.”  I know they would not have been able to see my messages anyway, but this is heartbreakingly symbolic. Shahnawaz Kaloo, a Kashmiri doctor who lives in New Delhi and is part of half a dozen WhatsApp groups with friends and family who live in Kashmir, told BuzzFeed News that Kashmiris who were entirely cut off from the internet were automatically evicted from every WhatsApp group that he was in with them. “It didn’t happen with people that used the internet [because they traveled out of Kashmir or briefly got internet access somehow].”Suhail Lyser, a Kashmiri student who lives in Dehradun, a city in northern India, told BuzzFeed News that he saw more than 150 Kashmiris in a WhatsApp group that shared news and updates about the region that he was part of suddenly get kicked out of the group. Suddenly all my contacts from Kashmir are ‘leaving’ the #Whatsapp groups, and their WhatsApp accounts are getting lost. Remember there is NO internet in #Kashmir from the last 4 months. What kind of sinister moves are these? @facebook @WhatsApp @UNGeneva @UNHumanRights “When I first saw what was happening, I thought it was the government of India that was doing this,” he said. In February, Nasir Khuehmi, a 21-year-old student, set up a WhatsApp support group for Kashmiri students around the country who faced violence and backlash in the wake of an attack by a suicide bomber in Kashmir’s Pulwama district, in which 40 Indian paramilitary personnel were killed. On Wednesday, the group, which had hundreds of young Kashmiris, emptied out instantly.“I was shocked and disappointed,” said Khuehmi. “It was heartbreaking.”

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/pranavdixit/hundreds-of-kashmiris-are-disappearing-from-their-whatsapp

8.   Saudi response on Kashmir: Dec., 6, 2019:  Saudi Majlis-ash-Shura Chairman Dr. Abdullah-ibne-Muhammad Al Sheikh on Thursday condemned the brutalities being perpetrated on the Muslims in occupied Kashmir and Palestine. Dr. Abdullah said, “We stand by the Kashmiri people and express our firm solidarity with them.” He called for lifting of curfew and lockdown in Indian occupied Kashmir at the earliest. The chairman said that Saudi Arabia wanted resolutions of all conflicts including the Kashmir issue through dialogue. The chairman also agreed with   proposal of convening conference of parliamentary representatives of Islamic countries on Kashmir.   https://arynews.tv/en/saudi-shura-condemns-brutalities-kashmir/

9.   Socialist party on Kashmir : Dec., 7, 2019: Socialist Equality Party candidate for the Sheffield Central constituency Chris Marsden spoke at a general election meeting organised at the Madina Masjid, the first purpose-built mosque in  Marsden said, “Of course, I do not have to tell anyone here how appalling the situation is in Kashmir. The most extraordinary thing is that you have 12 million people living under a state of siege—in which thousands have been arrested disappeared, where they are building de facto concentration camps, and you have much of the Asian population in Britain with direct ties to Kashmir—yet you rarely see it on the news. It is a complete blackout.” Far more was heard about Hong Kong than Kashmir. “It is like it is not happening. We know it is happening, we know why we are not hearing about it.” The situation was only going to get worse, Marsden warned. “It is not just Kashmir that is the prize here. Kashmir has been a terrible victim of the partition of India on religious and communal lines; it has never enjoyed any sustained period of peace.” “But there is something else about Kashmir now. It is standing in the way of a conflict between India and China, with India working in alliance with the United States.” “No one will condemn it, no one will raise a protest against the terrible treatment of the Kashmiris, because Kashmir is a victim of the most dangerous geopolitics, the kind that could end in a world war.” “It is the same issue in Palestine,” Marsden said, “the history of which was one of terrible suffering since the Nakba (catastrophe). “We are on the cusp of the most dangerous period the world has ever seen. The working class must mobilise against that. The struggles in Kashmir must be united with the struggles of the Palestinians. They must be united with the struggles of suffering humanity all over the world, for a system based on production for need not profit “There are no bilateral questions. There are international questions and they have to be answered by the international working class. That is what we stand for.” So long as Modi runs the government in India “there is no bilateral solution that is going to protect anybody’s rights,” Marsden stated. Another questioner asked what the parties would do to resolve the situation facing Kashmir. In his reply, Marsden said “We are not a party of state; we are not a party of government. But what we do have is the World Socialist Web Site, our international online publication that publishes six days a week.” “We report regularly on all events in Palestine. We report on the terrible situation in Kashmir. We break the media embargo on the truth of what is taking place and we make our appeal to the most thoughtful workers and intellectuals, who are opposed to the existing order and want to see a just and equitable world for everyone.”“That international public opinion,” Marsden said, “is the most powerful thing in the world, provided it is given a leadership.” https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/07/kash-d07.html

10.                Sikh support: Dec., 8, 2019: Amritsar-based Sikh representative organizations, Dal Khalsa, and Shiromani Akali Dal have announced to observe the World Human Rights Day, the 10th December, by holding a sit-in at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, the summer capital of occupied Kashmir. Dal Khalsa spokesman, Kanwar Pal Singh in a statement in Chandigarh said that the members of the organizations would observe the day with the people of Kashmir, who had suffered human rights abuses. “The fundamental rights of the people of Kashmir are our primary concern and it will be our endeavour to highlight their plight,” he added. Urging human rights defenders to join the peaceful sit-in at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on December 10, Kanwar Pal Singh said that teams of both the organisations led by Simranjit Singh Mann and Harpal Singh Cheema would leave for Kashmir from Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur in Punjab on December 9 and reach Srinagar on December 10. He said, “United Akali Dal’s President, Gurdeep Singh and Akal Federation head, Narien Singh will also join the march.” https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/12/07/sikh-organizations-to-observe-human-rights-day-in-iok/

11.                 Sri Lanka elections: Dec.,8 2019: Hardly had the election results declared in Sri Lanka, the Indian foreign minister S. Jay Shankar rushed to greet the newly elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksha to ensure that the new President may not drift towards The standard Indian habit is teasing and harassing the smaller neighbors. Nepal is the weakest of it all. To recall, the Tamil Tigers have had initiated a secessionist movement in the Island nation which was clearly sponsored and funded by the Indian The entire credit for the elimination of the dangerous separatists from the political scene goes to the then Sri Lankan top leadership headed by President Mahinda Rajpaksha and his defense secretary Gotabaya Rajpaksha. Thanks Pakistan and China’s “moral” support that this LTTE menace was wiped out. Though the Tamil terror came to an abrupt end, however, with the sudden landing of the Indian minister Shankar to Colombo a fortnight ago does hint that the Indian minister was in Sri Lanka to impress upon President Gotabaya to award due attention and special rights to the Tamils of the Indian origin or else the Island nation may have to face the same fate as had been in the past decades. Despite the Indian pressure at the moment, let’s presume Gotabaya is not bowing to the Indian dictates as the India indoctrinated and trained Nepali leaders have been doing since the early months of 2006. Some declared Indian stooges have been entertaining the Chinese officials in Kathmandu. An Indian ploy perhaps. Raw “nexus” against China has suddenly become active with the arrival of Shyam Saran a month back  President apparently is not in a mood to act as per the Indian preferences. As was expected and warranted, Pakistan’s foreign minister M. Qureshi was already in Sri Lanka and extended a formal invitation to President Gotabaya to visit Pakistan at his convenience. FM Qureshi by this time has already returned to his home country. In doing so, Pakistan has taken a timely political step that will balance the South Asian politics in many more ways than one. Interestingly, Pakistan also was quick enough to congratulate Gotabaya Rajapaksa on his victory, like India, and expressed the hope that the new dispensation in Colombo would reverse some of the earlier decisions vis-à-vis Pakistan ( on Kashmir perhaps) according to people aware of the matter. If and when the Sri Lankan President Gotabaya visits Pakistan, he will do so only to reinforce his political commitment that he will follow a policy of equidistance while dealing with the important neighbors in the region. This also means that even if Gotabaya visited India first but yet this should not mean that he will ignore China and by extension with Pakistan. The fact is also that President Gotabaya can’t afford to ignore China for multiple reasons and also recalling Colombo’s ties with Beijing in the past. In fact, his policy of equidistance means that he will do justice with China as well though he has visited India first under pressure from the known hegemon. Unsubstantiated rumors have it that the politically strong Rajpaksha brothers prefer China over India for reasons unknown to many political observers but known to those who have specialized on SA politics. It could be the compulsion of Sri Lanka to counter the Indian hegemony and thus they need Chinese help and have every valid reasons to inch closer to China. Qureshi has met his Sri Lankan counterpart Dinesh Gunawardena this Monday in Colombo. This has then set the tone for the visit of President Gotabaya to Pakistan to be followed by China or vice versa. Let’s hope that China’s foreign Minister Wang Yi lands in Colombo much the same way the Indian minister landed there close on the heels of the declaration of the Sri Lankan election results. Minister Wang’s Colombo trip as and when it materializes would send appropriate signals to the places where it should approach. Needless to say, Indian minister Shankar’s visit to Colombo gets neutralized by the visit of the Pakistani foreign Minister Qureshi who is currently in Sri Lanka for a two day visit. FM Qureshi’s talks with the Sri Lanka counterpart Dinesh Gunawardena is expected to keep the South Asian politics rolling in a better direction as both favor the revival of the India killed SAARC-the regional organization. President Gotabaya has already made it clear that he will do all he can in order to revive the SAARC body. With Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and now Sri Lanka ready for the revival of the dead SAARC, India now can do little to object to the majority of the voice from the regional countries that favor the revitalization of the regional body. If Nepal is the current Chair then it is the turn of Pakistan to hold the stalled Summit of the SAARC. Pakistan must step up its activities in this regards. He is most welcome in Nepal. To sum up, Sri Lanka and Pakistan being the two powerful countries of the South Asian region have no other option than to increase their “bilateral understanding” in order to keep not only the region safe but also to counter the Indian highhandedness which has terrified the smaller nations that unfortunately share their borders with the goliath. This they can do through SAARC and other international organizations for the betterment of the South Asian region. To sum up, the foreign ministers of Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka should travel in the region and lobby for the revival of the SAARC body and enhancing bilateral ties. This will send the needed political signals where it is needed most.  The Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Colombo page reported December 2, sought Pakistan’s assistance to boost bilateral trade and eradicate the drug menace plaguing his country when met Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Shad Mahmood Qureshi on Monday in Colombo. “Drug trafficking and addiction is a grave evil that my country is confronted with. We wish to seek Pakistan’s assistance to eradicate this menace,” the SL President said. An expanded Colombo-Islamabad friendship definitely will act like a political deterrent in South Asia, the regional observers hope. Will these three countries work in this direction? They have to if South Asia is to be kept safe from the malevolent design of the Indian establishment.  SAARC body exchanged views on the entire gamut of bilateral relations and matters pertaining to regional and international issues which is a good development for the region.  That the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has not wasted time become evident in that he has already met with Wu Jianghao, the Special Representative of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China and Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry The ground reality is that Sri Lanka’s deep ties with China in recent years is, arguably, a consequence of how the Tamil question played out between Colombo and Delhi. And in fact it was Delhi’s intervention on issues related with the Tamils that Colombo had to make a drift towards Beijing, claim Nepali observers. This meet with the high Chinese functionary has meaning underneath. Lastly but importantly, it is no coincidence that President Gotabaya’s inauguration ceremony occurred at an ancient temple built by Sinhalese King Dutugemenu—who is best known for defeating an invading Tamil king from the Chola kingdom. Yet for the time being China-Pakistan-Sri Lanka must enhance their ties which could be the desired political deterrent to the India’s regional hegemony in South Asia. What Colombo decides should be final though. Question is: has Colombo the political stamina in keeping Delhi at a comfortable distance sans Beijing or for that matter Pakistan’s help? http://telegraphnepal.com/encircling-india-the-pakistan-china-sri-lanka-alliance/

12.    

Kashmir Update 51: Week Nov., 25, 2019 to Dec., 1, 2019  

1.     Kashmir is like Gaza: Nov., 24, 2019: The Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organization (MAPIM) has described the situation in Kashmir as resembling Israel's siege of Gaza after the only majority Muslim territory in India was put on lockdown for more than 100 days ago. Jammu Kashmir is currently the most militarized zone in the world. "Schools are non functioning. Children are traumatized to go to school due to the prevailing tension."Missing persons and forced disappearance are prevalent. The numbers are growing by the day. Indian troops have targeted vulnerable groups to a level of barbarity of the highest order," said Azmi. MAPIM, therefore, urged the world community to delay no more on Kashmir's lock down and at the same time stop the siege on Gaza with the rights of the Palestinians respected."We regret the lackadaisical action on the part of international agencies thus resulting in worsening situation in both Kashmir and Gaza."We call OIC to assert its pressure to protect the oppressed people.”Those responsible for the the acts of violence on the Kashmir and Gaza civilians must be brought to face the law and the sufferings of the victims must be compensated, “said Azmi. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#inbox/FMfcgxwGBwPFBGpRLzDfNstZTljCPVSJ

2.   Songs: Nov., 24, 2019: The tape, called Inqalab, was released on October 27. It has four songs. They are terse, as if sung through gritted teeth. In Nazara, Javed demands: “If everything is fine then why do you silence us?/ Why do you lock us up and then blame us?/ Why do you enter our homes and vandalize them? “https://scroll.in/article/944150/singing-kashmir-rappers-and-musicians-are-trying-to-speak-of-an-altered-reality-post-article-370

3.   US Senate committee: Nov., 24, 2019: Chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia Brad Sherman has asked the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice Wells for a classified briefing on IOJ&K situation. In his letter dated November 22, Congressman Brad Sherman put a formal request to Alice Wells for the classified briefing from the State Department and Office of the Director of Intelligence to Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and other interested Members of US Congress regarding Kashmir. Congressman Brad Sherman also voiced dismay over the refusal by the Indian government to the US diplomats to visit Jammu and Kashmir for assessing the ground situation. https://dnd.com.pk/us-congressmen-concerned-over-kashmir-situation-request-briefing-from-state-department/175968

4.   Nagas and China: Nov., 24, 2019: Phungting Shimrang, a senior member of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) (NSCN-IM) is reportedly in China and trying to convince Sino leadership to help their fight continue against India.“Phungting and his two comrades reached China via eastern Nagaland in the second half of October,” reported News18 quoting a leader of the Yung Aung-led NSCN-Khaplang.  naga groups are demanding autonomy to the Nagas of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Manipur.  https://nenow.in/north-east-news/nagaland/nscn-im-seeking-chinese-help-to-renew-fight-against-india-says-sources.html

5.   Kashmir and UK Elections: Nov, 25, 2019: Shekhawat's organization, the Overseas Friends of BJP UK (OFBJP), is among dozens of Hindu groups in the UK that are calling on 1.4 million British Indians to turn their backs on the main opposition Labour Party, over its criticism of Modi's crackdown on the Indian-controlled part of the disputed Kashmir region. The intrusion of the Kashmir issue on the campaign trail has stirred tensions at a time of rising fears of foreign influence on elections everywhere. Critics in the UK say Modi's tactics in India – promoting a nationalist Hindu agenda at the expense of the country's diverse minority groups -- are now being exported by his supporters around the world. The activities of the OFBJP, which has roughly 40 chapters globally, are often coordinated by the external affairs department of Modi's party. And while analysts say it is unlikely that the Hindu nationalist groups' strategy will change many minds in Britain, for Shekhawat, every vote is important in what is expected to be a close election. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/25/uk/bjp-kashmir-tory-uk-election-ge19-intl-gbr/index.html

6.   Youth martyred: Nov., 26, 2019:   In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops   martyred three youth in Pulwama district.. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Drabgam area of the district. Several people were injured when Indian troops used brute force and fired bullets and pellets on mourners in different areas of Pulwama. The killings triggered massive anti-India protests across the district. More details are awaited. https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/11/26/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-iok-17/

7.   Grenade attacks: Nov., 26, 2019:   In occupied Kashmir, two people were killed and several others injured in two grenade blasts in Islamabad and Srinagar, today. Unidentified persons lobbed a grenade in Wagoora area of Islamabad when a government function was taking place, killing two people and injuring four others, a police official said. Over half a dozen people sustained injuries when a grenade exploded near one of the gates of Kashmir University in Srinagar.. Soon after the incidents, Indian troops and police personnel cordoned off the areas and launched searches. Meanwhile, a 16-year-old youth was injured after an explosive substance he was fiddling with went off in the premises of a private school in Pampore town of Pulwama    https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/11/26/several-injured-in-srinagar-blast/

8.   Video: Nov., 27, 2019: Three sisters narrate, 25 masked men smashed their window and barged into their house and grabbed their father Abdul Hameed Karim,, an administrator in the postal services. They took their mother Uncle and father to unknown location, . They destroyed everything owned by the family . The girls fear that they might not see their father again. SHO denied any involvement. A video prepared by a Western source details all this.

9.  

Israeli model: Nov., 28, 2019: Pakistan’s government has expressed outrage over comments by India’s consul-general in New York, who suggested at a recent event that India should build Hindu settlements in Kashmir like those constructed by Israel in the Palestinian territories. “It has happened in the Middle East. If the Israeli people can do it, we can also do it,” said the consul-general, “It has been apparent all-along that encouraged by the international community’s inability or unwillingness to address the situation in the Occupied Palestinian territories, India is now following the same colonial .“have only validated the fears of Kashmiri Muslims that the real intent behind abrogation of special legislations was not development, but changing demographics.”  The remarks “reflect a new brazenness with which Indian officials are stating their agenda of a settler-colonial state and forced demographic change in Kashmir.” strategy,” https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/pakistan-hits-back-at-indian-diplomat-s-israel-model-for-kashmir-remark-31730

10.                Kashmiri women: Nov., 28, 2019: Ahmad, a class 7 student, was equally afraid. The police first dragged his sister by the hair, and then thrashed her in front of Ahmad. His cousin's sister, Soliha Jan, couldn’t bear the scene and tried to intervene. The police didn’t budge and turned towards Soliha and beat her up as well. They kicked her in the stomach and also hit her back, they say as her family recalls the horrifying day in August. “Soliha vomited blood through her mouth and then fainted,” her mother said. She then took her to a city hospital where she underwent an X-ray. After a few more tests, the doctors advised that she be admitted to the emergency ward  While most of the detainees ahead of the revocation of Kashmir’s autonomy were men, the valley’s womenfolk also bore the brunt of state violence in multiple ways. For Soliha and her family, that day was the worst amidst the enforced clampdown, “I thought my daughter died when I saw her lying on the road,” her mother said. It took two weeks for her to recover. The 16-year-old girl hadn’t expected such harassment from the local police, “they don’t differentiate, didn’t even realise that I was a girl,” she said. For the last three months, Soliha has been suffering from nightmares of that incident and is finding it hard to focus, “my exams are coming, and I haven’t been able to study.”Since the incident took place, the family is afraid to talk to media.  “We fear that they will intimidate us if we will speak about it.” Such was the fear that during their conversations with TRT World, the brother of the victim stood guard outside his home, fearing that police might catch on and they'd be harassed. But it wasn’t torture alone. Kashmiri women also have to face the burden of navigating India’s tiring legal system to seek the release of their sons. When the Indian government clamped down on communication in Kashmir, families, and mothers of detainees had to visit several jails to find where their sons had been put up. A group of activists from India-including a social activist, Kavita Krishnan, travelled to Kashmir in August, after the abrogation of Article 370, and spoke to Indian media saying, “there was feeling a sense of betrayal, and people were angry at being denied the special status. The misery of residents was further aggravated as there was no communication, and the people were made to live like in an open jail, the activists claimed.” After Shakeela Bano’s son Shahid*, a 16-year-old from Srigufwara Anantnag, was detained by police in Anantnag and shifted him outside of Kashmir, she lost all hope that her son would be released anytime soon.“My son is a kid, how can any justice system in the universe put a minor under the Public Safety Act?” she asked.On August 4, Shahid was picked up by police who assured the family that he will be released the next morning. When the family went to the police station the next day, the same day Kashmir's autonomous status was revoked, police told them that they had shifted Shahid to Central jail Srinagar, 80kms from their place. After four days, he was shifted outside Srinagar into India proper, without informing the family. Shahid's PSA dossier shows that he was detained on charges of being affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist organisation after he completed his 12th class examination. But the irony in his case was that he hadn’t even attended his 12th class board examination. “When I came to know that our son was shifted outside Kashmir, darkness fell before my eyes. Everything seemed blurred,” said Bano. Shahid's family had to file habeas corpus in the high court, and on September 20, the Supreme Court of India directed the Juvenile Justice Committee of Jammu and Kashmir High Court to examine allegations that children have illegally been detained. On October 1, the PSA of Shahid was revoked, and he was released on 29th September, two months after his initial detention. Bano, sitting next to her son, stares at him helplessly. She fears that her son will not be able to live the life he could before. Shahid, who is attending his 12th class board exams, now sits in his room but doesn’t study, “I don’t feel like studying now, I don’t want to remain confined in my room. I cannot believe that I am finally free,” he said.  The restrictions imposed by the Indian government have taken a heavy toll on access to healthcare and prevented many from reaching hospitals for urgent care. Dr Omar Salim, a doctor from Kashmir, protested in August outside a government hospital in Srinagar against the restriction on phones and internet in Jammu and Kashmir. He felt the blackout was preventing patients from receiving government health benefits.  Ameena Jan, a 30-year-old from the summer capital of Kashmir recently had to walk 10 kilometres to reach a hospital for a checkup. Jan who is eight months pregnant couldn’t take her husband along instead her mother had to walk with her amid teargas shelling which was going in her area at that time, “it is impossible for men to leave this place and go somewhere, when police see that they are from Soura, they arrest them.” Doctors have told Jan that she is anaemic and has to take proper care of her health, otherwise, it could lead problems for her baby, “but since the situation had turned bad in Kashmir, I had no other way but to skip going to the hospital.” For Jan, also having a proper diet in these conditions when her husband is not able to earn anything is impossible. A few weeks before when Jan had a checkup at the hospital, the tests revealed that the umbilical cord had got stuck around the fetus’ neck. Jan is apprehensive that the condition she faced was because of her situation.“My heartbeat would increase every time clashes would occur.” She also harboured fears that the army and police might barge into her home and take her husband when any clashes occur in the area.She is now terrified about the prospect of going into labour.“I feel like we won’t be allowed to reach the hospital on time,” she said. For all her life, Kulsum Jan has been planning for her wedding.Kulsum's wedding date happened to be just three days after the Indian government's moves to annex Kashmir. “It was not possible to cancel the event on the last moment,” Kulsum says. She of course had no idea that situation would become so unmanageable, Kulsum had to borrow a dress from her cousin for her special day, “my cousin got married three days before the article was scrapped, I had no other way but to wear her dress on my marriage,” she said. Earlier when she sent her cousin to get a dress (lehanga) from somewhere, he got stuck between police and stone-pelters and Kulsum then had to skip out on the idea of getting a new dress. The 23-year-old couldn’t even invite her cousins from other districts. “Because of the communication blackout, it was impossible to call them or even go to their place.” Women in Soura say that the males were not able to travel anywhere because of the fear of police and army, “Any male who held an identity card of Anchaar area was either arrested or assaulted,” said Kulsum. Her groom had to ask permission from authorities when to visit Anchaar to take his bride. Humaira, another bride faced a similar situation saying she had no idea when her bridegroom might arrive. “I wasn’t prepared when he arrived. I wasn’t happy at all. I was more concerned about his safety than about our wedding,” she said. https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/this-is-how-women-are-suffering-under-india-s-kashmir-crackdown-31692

11.                Macho India: Nov., 29, 2019: Indian obsession with gaining a "macho" image in the world arena is making the country lose its soft image. Indian atrocities in AJ&K have already marred the image and Modi's stunts are doing the country no better.. But it is the appalling situation in the Kashmir Valley that dealt a body blow to India’s image. An opinion is steadily gaining ground in the Muslim countries in India’s ‘extended neighborhood’ that the Modi government is adopting state policies that are decidedly ‘anti-Muslim’. Even the elites in friendly countries such as Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia or Turkey, who are by no means ‘Islamist’, tend to see Kashmir as a ‘Muslim issue.’ A recent opinion piece in the influential US magazine Foreign Policy is entitled Kashmir Could Wreck India’s Reputation Among Afghans. India is replicating Israeli actions in Palestine bt the clout that Israel has in US legislator and in EU India does not even come close. This is a classical error made by Modi and BJP. https://www.globalvillagespace.com/india-stands-alone-in-world-due-to-its-obsession-with-macho-image/

12.                 Sweden and arms sale to India: Nov., 29, 2019: Sweden has expressed concern over the continued lockdown and communications blackout in occupied Kashmir and urged India to lift the restrictions in the territory. The Foreign Minister of Sweden, Ann Linde, who will be part of the delegation accompanying King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden on a state visit to India during December 1-6, told the Swedish Parliament that the country didn’t want any escalation of the situation in Kashmir and that any long-term political solution must involve Kashmiri people. Answering a question in the Parliament, she described the situation in Kashmir as worrying  She said: “We emphasize the importance of respect for human rights, that an escalation of the situation in Kashmir is avoided and that a long-term political solution to the situation must involve Kashmir’s inhabitants. Dialogue between India and Pakistan is crucial.” Sweden and the EU also urge the Indian government to lift the restrictions in Kashmir as it is crucial to restore free movement and communications opportunities”, she said. Molin also said diplomats should be allowed to visit Kashmir to assess the situation for themselves. “I think it’s in the nature of the beast that is the curious diplomat to travel in the country of assignment. So I would personally love to visit Kashmir for all kinds of reasons and engage as we do in other parts of India with the population, with politicians and civil society,” he said. Earlier this month, German Chancellor, Angela Merkel and Finland Foreign Minister, Pekka Haavisto said during their visits to New Delhi the situation in Kashmir is not sustainable. They too called for lifting of restrictions imposed after the Indian government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status on August 5. https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/11/28/sweden-calls-for-lifting-of-restrictions-in-occupied-kashmir/

13.                OIC on Kashmir: Nov., 30, 2019: “Pakistan welcomes the holding of OIC’s Human Rights Commission’s first-ever ‘Open Discussion’ on the worsening human situation in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, as part of its 16th Regular Session held in Jeddah on November 25-28,” said a statement issued by the Foreign Office on Friday. The session, held under IPHRC’s “Standing Mechanism to Monitor Human Rights Situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir”, was attended by all the commission members and a large number of the representatives of the OIC member and observer states. Addressing the situation in IOK in all its dimensions, the commission strongly condemned the blatant violation of human rights in the territory. “There are credible reports of inflicting collective punishment. The systematic and systemic human rights violations have a well-defined pattern tantamount to ethnic cleansing and genocide of Kashmiris.” The commission reaffirmed the right of self-determination of the people of occupied valley under the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. It reiterated that India’s steps of August 5 were illegal and void.It condemned the continued use of pellet guns that killed and maimed innocent and unarmed civilians. The commission also reiterated its endorsement of the recommendation of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to establish a Commission of Inquiry under the UN auspices to comprehensively investigate all the allegations of human rights violations. The commission assailed India for not allowing a fact finding visit to the IOK despite repeated requests by the IPHRC, OIC and UNOHCHR. It agreed to undertake a visit to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to meet the refugees, political parties and other civil society representatives from Indian Occupied Kashmir, after India’s repeated denial of allowing a fact-finding mission to the occupied territory. The commission demanded India to allow the OIC and ICRC to establish a ‘humanitarian corridor’ in IOK to reach out to the besieged population for provision of basic food and medical supplies. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2109021/1-pakistan-welcomes-oics-principled-stance-kashmir-issue/

14.                Kashmir: Nov., 30, 2019: I was in the third grade when I realized Kashmir wasn’t a widely known place referred to like Japan or France. During our school unit on India, the teacher did not mention Kashmir once. We talked about Mohandas Gandhi and the British Crown, and we drank lots of tea, but not until I pointed it out as the little hat on top of India did Kashmir get one second of air time. It wasn’t childhood innocence or spite against the region that kept Kashmir out of people’s heads, they simply had no idea and had not met a Kashmiri before me. It was hard to get all the precise details out in a five-minute conversation.“It is not a country; it is a disputed territory.” “Oh, so it’s not part of India?”“OK, it technically has been annexed by India, but Kashmiris want a free state.”“So is India the bad guy — wait, what happened to Pakistan?”    the day-to-day things I hear from friends: “I just want to backpack through India after graduation, all the yoga will really help me find myself. And I love Bollywood    Kashmiris themselves had been silenced, living under a strict communications blockade that began in early August and just started being lifted in late October. India has silenced the Kashmiri voice by disconnecting Kashmiris not just from the world but from each other. When dissent occurs, perpetrators are severely punished, leading to forced disappearances and the mass graves that litter the Valley’s countryside.  Much of the news centering around Kashmir does not state the fact that one-sixth of all Kashmiris have faced some kind of torture in their lifetime. Doctors Without Borders declared that 45% of the population in the Valley shows signs of “significant mental distress,” making them one of the most traumatized people in the world. When the news considers Kashmiris, it is often sharply skewed toward how the Valley is a potential breeding ground for terrorism. The Kashmiri insurgency has been written about with fear over potentially radicalized militants, and in a post 9/11 world, there is little sympathy for uprisings associated with Islam. The insurgency is simply a reaction to the violence that has plagued the Valley for decades: When Kashmiris protested, the Indian government responded by shooting them with pellet guns, injuring and maiming thousands of Kashmiris, using violence to frighten civilians. Focusing on how some Kashmiris have become tinged with radical Islam fails to acknowledge how this is in reaction to a government that has taken away their autonomy over their own land.   The world cannot ignore Kashmir any longer — the human rights violations have made it impossible to continue to look the other way. When India revoked Article 370 in August and tensions came to a head, for the first time I began to notice Kashmir being talked about, not just within my Kashmiri family but in my daily morning news briefings and overheard in coffee shops. Outside my favorite café, Free Speech Movement Café, someone painted a red sign and scrawled the words “Stand with Kashmir” with a Sharpie. Friends sent me photos the next day of the images posted, warming my heart with the idea that one day Kashmir will no longer be an obscure conflict where people couldn’t really describe what was happening, but rather a story they empathize with. On a Wednesday, in between two of my classes, the sun was uncharacteristically bright for late October, beating down on Berkeley. Amid the sweltering heat, I pulled my arms through a fleece-lined sweatshirt my grandparents designed in the ‘90s. “Free Kashmir” was written on the front. As my best friend hopped off her bike proudly displaying the same sweatshirt, I vividly recalled seeing the same sweatshirt on my Dadi at my first protest as she chanted on the streets of Los Angeles. Lining Sproul Hall, blood-red banners with “Kashmir” written on them hung from the windows. More than a hundred students littered Mario Savio Steps, standing together for Kashmir. And as I heard the words, “Kashmir is not a piece of land for foreign countries to fight over,” I felt immense pride for my little spot on the map.  https://www.dailycal.org/2019/11/27/kashmir-a-story-of-voices-unheard/

15.                Students: Nov., 30, 2019: Access to mobile, landline and internet networks were suspended along with a complete lockdown in the Indian administered Kashmir region on August 5, 2019  After more than two months, the government partially restored the communication blockade. Internet access has been restored in some institutions and new rules force companies to give up their privacy and refrain from the use of social networks if they want to use the Internet. However, regular citizens still have no access to Internet. The Internet ban is taking a toll on the 48,000 Kashmiri students who are appearing at different public examinations. Many students were in the dark regarding their examination dates. Because of the “Security Measures” taken after the abrogation of Special Status of Jammu and Kashmir allotted under Article 370 of Indian Constitution, schools were closed and students could not prepare fully for examinations. They worry about qualifying for the upcoming examination.  https://globalvoices.org/2019/11/29/inside-kashmirs-internet-blockade-video-report-with-kashmiri-students-affected-by-the-crisis/

16.                Kashmiri Pundits: Nov., 30, 2019: A Delhi-based Kashmiri Pandit organisation, while reacting to a statement of an Indian diplomat in the US for comparing Kashmir with Israel, has said that it is very unfortunate that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is misusing plight of their community to score points over the Kashmir dispute. India’s Consul General in New York City, Sandeep Chakravorty, addressing a gathering of Kashmiri Pandits said that the Modi government would follow Israeli model to settle Hindus in occupied Kashmir. Condemning the remarks of Chakravorty, the Kashmiri Pandit outfit, Reconciliation, Return & Rehabilitations of Jammu & Kashmir Migrants, in a statement in New Delhi said, “If the ruling BJP-led Indian government is thinking in these terms then it is highly unfortunate.” It described Chakravorty’s opinion as fissiparous and narrow-minded. The outfit said, “Kashmiri, irrespective of religion, used to live together as one society. Our language, culture and way of living are similar. We cannot be separated.” It appealed all not to make such kind of statements which can vitiate the atmosphere. “We urge the Indian government to punish such individuals and organizations, which time and again give such statements and try to disrupt the communal harmony of Kashmir,” it added. The organisation’s Chairman, Satish Mahaldar, in a media interview in New Delhi said that BJP was playing a dirty game in Kashmir and they were just trying to expose it. He claimed that the Indian government was not doing anything to encourage inter-community dialogue and interaction. “Instead, such statements are bound to deepen differences and ill-will,” he deplored.   https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/11/30/bjp-misusing-kashmiri-pandits-plight-says-outfit/

17.                Grenade attack: Dec., 1, 2019: An attacker tossed a grenade at a meeting of government and village officials in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Tuesday, killing at least two people and injuring four others, police said. The dead were identified as an elected village official and a government employee.   https://www.courant.com/sns-bc-ac--kashmir-explosions-20191126-story.html

18.                Protest: November 30 , 2019: : In occupied Kashmir, the Indian police forcibly stopped at Ramban a Kashmir Solidarity march being conducted by 30 members of 11 socio-political organisations from Jammu to Srinagar to show unity with the people of the Kashmir Valley who are under strict military lockdown since 5th of August. The march started from Jammu on last Tuesday and was to conclude in Srinagar tomorrow. However, when it reached at Ramban, Indian police intercepted the participants and stopped them to proceed further. The organisers were not even allowed to address a press conference after they were stopped at Ramban. Dr Sunilam, a former member of the so-called Kashmir Assembly and Working President of Bangladesh-Bharat-Pakistan Forum, talking to reporters said that journalists and participants were manhandled by the police officials at Ramban.He said that on one hand Members of European Parliament were taken to Srinagar to showcase the normal situation in the Kashmir Valley while on the other, the representatives of 11 organisations were stopped which shows that nothing was normal there. After stopping the participants, the Indian police forcibly sent them back to Jammu. https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/11/30/indian-police-forcibly-stop-kashmir-solidarity-march-in-iok/

19.            

Kindly respond with comments or news that you wish included in next weeks update at: jarad_us@yahoo.com

Kashmir Update 49: Week NKashmir Update 50: Week Nov., 18, 2019 to Nov.,24, 2019  

1.     Galloway: Nov., 18, 2018: British political leaders on Saturday condemned the brutal tyranny in occupied Kashmir and expressed strong support to the Kashmiri freedom struggle against Indian occupation. Noted British politician George Galloway said that Kashmir was under illegal occupation of Indian forces and its tyranny against the Muslims of Kashmir was due to its own fear of the Kashmiri freedom struggle and vigour for independence from Indian occupation. He said that the people of Kashmir had the right to resist the occupation in not only a peaceful manner but also by using arms if they considered it necessary. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2101042/1-kashmiris-right-use-arms-struggle-galloway/

2.   Labor support for Kashmir: Nov., 18, 2019: President of US-based Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights (JKCHR), Dr Syed Nazir Gilani has thanked the Labour Party for addressing Kashmir correctly at its conference. Syed Nazir Gilani said, items 4 and 5 of the telegram reads as: Para 4 “Would you like me to take private soundings from the President of the International Court of Justice to find out whether he is of the opinion that it would be practicable and he would be willing to try to get together a small team of international experts, not connected with India, Pakistan or the United Kingdom, in the event of a joint request being preferred by the Governments of India and Pakistan for this to be done”. Para 5 “I should be delighted to take such a step if you and the Prime Minister of India think it would be helpful  https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/11/16/nazir-gilani-thanks-uk-lp-for-addressing-kashmir-correctly-at-its-moot/

3.   UK elections: Nov., 17, 2019: Britain’s first turban-wearing Sikh parliamentarian Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi has said members of the Bahartya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtarya Savic Sinha (RSS) are threatening him and campaigning against him in general election campaign because he spoke up for human rights of Kashmiris and other persecuted communities in India and elsewhere Dhesi said that the Indian extremists in Britain belonging to notorious Indian extremist organisations RSS and BJP are spreading hate and sectarianism against Labour MPs. https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/569833-sikh

4.   Sifton: Nov., 17, 2019: John Sifton said this in a written submission to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, which conducted a hearing on human rights in Kashmir on Thursday. He said that the focus of his testimony was how the US government could most effectively voice its concerns about these issues to the government of India. John Sifton stated that since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won national elections in May, this year, and returned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a second term, government authorities have continued harassing, and sometimes prosecuting, outspoken rights groups, human rights defenders and journalists for criticizing the government, while failing to credibly investigate increasing numbers of mob attacks, often led by BJP supporters, against religious minorities and other vulnerable communities. John Sifton said that the 14 February Pulwama incident, in which over 40 troops were killed, led to a military escalation between India and Pakistan. He said, following the incident, Kashmiri students and businessmen in various parts of India were harassed or beaten up, even forcibly evicted from rental housing and dorms. John Sifton in his testimony maintained that on August 5, the Indian government revoked the special status of Kashmir. “Thousands were detained without charge, including former chief ministers, political leaders, opposition activists, lawyers, and journalists, and the internet and phones were shut down. There were severe restrictions on movement and public gatherings were forbidden. The government said these measures were necessary to prevent loss of life during violent protests, but there were still credible, serious allegations of beatings and torture by security forces.” He said while a number of restrictions have since been lifted, hundreds remain in detention and mobile phone services and internet access are still limited. Many parents are still too scared for the safety of their children to send them to schools or colleges, he added. The HRW official said India has advanced a narrative that its main purpose in revoking Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, a longtime goal of the BJP, was economic development. “So far, however, we have only seen an intensification of the repression of Kashmir’s population,” he pointed out. He said there has been a spike in protests in occupied Kashmir in recent years. He said, Indian forces have often used excessive force to respond to protests, including using pellet-firing shotguns as a crowd-control weapon, which have caused several deaths and many serious injuries. “Indian troops have seldom been held accountable for human rights violations that have occurred during counter-insurgency operations. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) continues to provide Indian soldiers effective immunity from prosecution for serious human rights abuses. Since the law came into force in Kashmir in 1990, the Indian government has not granted permission in any case to prosecute forces’ personnel in civilian courts,” he deplored. John Sifton said, the Indian government has also repeatedly imposed internet shutdowns in Kashmir, restricting mobile and broadband internet services. He said, there have already been 55 instances of shutdowns in the territory in 2019. “This is the legacy of abuses that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered. Successive Indian governments have not been willing to confront these problems. And here we come to the crux of the issue: until the Indian government acknowledges and addresses how their own abuses impact the situation, problems in Kashmir are likely to endure,” he remarked. The HRW official said this is where Congress can act. He said members of Congress should communicate to Indian government officials that their actions in Kashmir are adding to the human rights problems. “Members of Congress should challenge Indian officials to reexamine their rights-abusing practices in Kashmir. US officials should insist that political leaders and others arbitrarily detained are released, that restrictions on communications are lifted, and that independent observers, including diplomats, foreign journalists, and rights activists, are able to travel freely in Kashmir,” he maintained. On human rights violations in India, John Sifton said, since the BJP first came to power in 2015, Indian authorities have been increasingly using sedition and criminal defamation laws to stifle dissent in India. Journalists have been harassed, and at times detained, for their reporting or critical comments on social media, and faced increasing pressure to self-censor – including on matters connected to Jammu and Kashmir, he said. “At the same time, the authorities have failed to properly prosecute or end political patronage to pro-BJP interest groups that have engaged in threats and violent attacks to shut down speech that “offends” them. Mob violence against minorities, especially Muslims, by extremist Hindu groups affiliated with the BJP have continued amid rumors that they traded or killed cows for beef. Since May 2015, 50 people have been killed and over 250 injured in such attacks. Muslims were also beaten and forced to chant Hindu slogans. Police have largely failed to properly investigate the crimes, stalled investigations, ignored procedures, and filed criminal cases against witnesses to harass and intimidate them,” he said. “India has continued to lead the world with the largest number of internet shutdowns as state governments resorted to blanket shutdowns, either to prevent violence and social unrest or to respond to ongoing law and order problems. As of November, authorities in India had ordered 85 shutdowns,” the Congressman added. https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/11/16/human-rights-under-threat-in-iok-india-us-lawmaker/

5.   UK Peer: Nov.,19,2019: Lord Duncan McNair— member of UK House of Lords urged that Kashmiris should be granted the right to decide their future in line with United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. He also described the situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) as ‘looming humanitarian crisis and danger to international peace and stability’. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2101917/1-atrocities-iok-danger-international-peace-stability-british-lord/

6.   Blindness in Kashmir: Nov., 21, 2019: The Lancet published an editorial expressing concern about the physical and mental health of Kashmiris. Pointing to “gross human rights violations by state security forces and armed groups,” in the region—often described as the world’s most militarized zone—it lamented the suffering of civilians caught between militants and tens of thousands of Indian troops  British Medical Journal published a letter from 18 Indian doctors observing that the communications blockade imposed by the Indian government had led to “a blatant denial of the right to health care and the right to life” in the Kashmir valley. An American optometrist of Kashmiri origin, I was plunged into the conflict in 2016 when I arrived in Srinagar, the region’s capital, for a family vacation. Thousands of people were on the streets demanding freedom from Indian rule, and security forces were responding to stone-throwing youths by firing so-called pellet guns. Often used for hunting wildlife and pest control in the West, these supposedly non-lethal weapons are in fact a type of shotgun. Each cartridge releases between 300 to 600 lead-based pellets, each of which can easily penetrate soft tissues and damage internal organs. When used at close range, the tissue damage is similar that of a bullet from a low-velocity conventional firearm and can result in permanent disability or death. I visited hospitals to understand what was going on. I saw patients with more than 100 pellets in their abdomen or skull. A fourteen-year-old girl who was looking out of her bedroom window became unrecognizable within seconds due to hundreds of pellets covering her entire face and penetrating her skull. A 24-year-old’s left eyeball fell out of his eye socket.India’s Central Reserve Police Force would eventually admit to using over 1.3 million pellets in just the first thirty-two days of those summer protests. This indiscriminate use of supposedly non-lethal weapons resulted in over ninety deaths and 15,000 injuries that summer. Over 500 of these wounds resulted in vision loss in one or both eyes. This harrowing exposure prompted me to aid the U.S. based non-profit, Revive Kashmir, in starting Project Noor, which aids those visually impaired by pellet guns. My team members and I began with basic training for day-to-day survival in 2017. We taught patients how to eat, use their phone, and walk with assistance. Hearing the patient’s stories convinced me, however, that we needed to do more.  Teenagers, many of them villagers, had been robbed of the careers to which they aspired and instead felt like a financial and emotional burden on their already struggling families. Those who were studying had had to drop out of school and none of those working could continue. Eventually, Project Noor expanded to provide not only eye care and rehabilitation services, but also counseling and financial help to pellet-gun injured victims in the Kashmir valley. In the years since, the number of deaths, injuries and blindness of innocent civilians, mostly children and young adults, has steadily increased. The Lancet editorial noted that 1253 people had been blinded by pellet guns between 2016 and 2018. The damage has been compounded by a lack of resources for the visually impaired. The traumatic injuries and deaths have also caused lasting psychological harm and left many victims depressed and suicidal. Various other international and national non-profit organizations have come forward to aid patients with pellet injuries with surgical costs, medications and financial support. But all of these efforts have been put to a halt by the state of siege imposed on the eight million Kashmiris. For more than three months, a complete lock-down of the region, an increase in armed forces in an already heavily militarized zone, and suspension of telephone and internet use has prevented any aid from reaching the people. Despite the communications shutdown, it is clear that human rights violations and pellet-gun injuries continue to happen. Medical supplies have become scarce, hospitals are difficult to reach because of barricades across the main roads, and the administration has reportedly stopped issuing death certificates. In consequence, we may not ever know how many Kashmiris are dying. Given this harrowing reality, I am profoundly saddened that so many of my colleagues in the medical profession have chosen to ignore their Hippocratic oath and instead defend a regime that inflicts such grievous harm on civilians. When will this regime and its supporters stop turning a blind eye to the unnecessary human tragedy in Kashmir?  https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/blindness-in-kashmir/

7.   Stone pelting: Nov., 21, 2019: The Indian Home Ministry on Tuesday said security forces had arrested 765 people in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution for their alleged involvement in stone pelting incidents. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/765-arrested-in-j-k-for-stone-pelting-since-abrogation-of-article-370/articleshow/72124903.cms

8.   Normalcy: Nor., 21, 23019: J&K Unit of CPI (M) Wednesday said that despite normalcy claims of the government, political activities in Jammu and Kashmir stand ceased since August 5 while lockdown continues despite passing of three and half months. In a statement to KNS, a spokesperson of the CPI (M) said, "Political activists, who were detained after August 5 continues to remain incarcerated. Usually normalcy is linked to vibrant political activities which have come to a complete halt now. There are reports that prominent detained political leaders, who were shifted to MLA Hostel from Centaur Hotel, are being ill treated." http://www.knskashmir.com/Despite-normalcy-claims-of-govt--political-activities-in-JandK-stand-ceased--CPI-(M)-39981

9.   Sen. Warner: Nov., 23, 2019: Sen. Mark Warner  To:jarad_us@yahoo.com. Nov 22 at 10:02 PM .Dear Mr. Rashid, Thank you for contacting me about the situation in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), and reports of disturbing humanitarian conditions. Following the repeal of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution on August 5, 2019, I have heard from a number of constituents – many of whom have personal connections to, or family in the region – expressing concern over ongoing conditions. While I understand that India has legitimate security concerns in this region, I am disturbed by actions taken by India following the repeal that among other things, restricted communications and movement within J&K for its residents. I have been closely monitoring the situation in J&K in my roles as Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus. I have shared concerns with both the U.S. State Department and the Government of India, and I will continue to push for transparency, access for international journalists and human rights observers, the lifting of communication restrictions and an inclusive political process. I have long been a strong advocate for the U.S.-India partnership, which is rooted in our shared values and security interests. It is critical that India live up to its democratic principles by allowing freedom of press, information, and political participation. I appreciate you contacting me about Jammu and Kashmir. I will continue engaging on this situation, and encourage you to reach out with any further concerns. Sincerely, MARK R. WARNER United States Senator

10.                Kashmir conference in Ankara: Nov., 23, 2019: Kashmir is not an internal matter of India, speakers gathered at an international conference in the Turkish capital agreed on Wednesday. Kashmir Turmoil: Emerging Threats to Peace and Role of International Community was co-hosted by Turkey’s Institute of Strategic Thinking and Pakistan’s Lahore Center for Peace Research.The speakers added that India's Aug. 5 move to unilaterally scrap the special provisions of the disputed region is a potential trigger to cause instability in South Asia.  Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) lawmaker Erkan Akcay said that world faces six key problems: Jerusalem, Cyprus, Kashmir, Crimea, Kashgar (Xinjiang). “If these issues are solved the world will become a better place to live,” he said. According to him, Kashmir has become the frontier of U.S.-China hegemony.“Israel sells weapons to India, while U.S. backs India to counter China,” he said. Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party lawmaker Muhammet Amin Abasoglu said the hopes and wishes of Kashmiris are integral to any solution. “1972 Shimla Agreement created a status quo and both – India and Pakistan – should fulfill conditions of this agreement,” he said, noting that the pact bound both parties to resolve the dispute through negotiations. President of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Ali Erbas recalled his school days, saying: “We would raise slogans in favor of struggle of Kashmiris." President of Turkey’s Court of Cassation Ismail Rustu Cirit termed Kashmir as a “bleeding wound”. Former Iranian Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi said: “Kashmir dispute has affected many aspects of the region, including development, and the people of Kashmir as well as Pakistan have suffered a lot for 73 years now.” “[But] Israel has been invited to the region which is dangerous,” he said, referring to growing India-Israel bilateral relations.  U.K.-based Kashmiri lobbyist Lord Nazir Ahmad said that India's ruling party has a pan-South Asian vision called “Akhand Baharat -- Great India”.“The acts of hardcore Hindu nationalists have nothing to do with Hinduism,” he said.“Following what India did in Kashmir, Pakistan should withdraw from bilateral pacts including Shimla Agreement,” he added. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/turkey-hosts-international-conference-on-kashmir/1651498  

11.                Visitors account: Nov., 23, 2019: The first thing that comes as a surprise to a visitor is just how quiet it is. You can see people on the streets, but shops and offices are all closed. Officially, the schools are open, but the classrooms are largely empty because many boys and girls stay home out of fear. Someone has painted the message "We exist to resist" on the shutter of a shopfront. The Indian government insists that the situation in Kashmir is returning to normal. Or at least what could be considered normal in a region where roads are blocked with sandbags and barbed wire, where passerby are monitored by soldiers in bunkers and where more than 400 people lost their lives last year due to terrorism and state violence. Hundreds of politicians were arrested and remain behind bars. India had offered them freedom, but only if they agreed to refrain from speaking about the revocation of Kashmir's autonomy for an entire year. Foreigners and Indian opposition leaders have been banned from traveling to Kashmir. The first foreigners allowed to enter the region recently were 23 members of the European Parliament, who visited in late October. Most were members of right-wing populist parties, including from the Alternative for Germany party.Very little, however, has been heard from the people of Jammu and Kashmir themselves. After a weeks-long blackout imposed by New Delhi, landline and mobile telephones now work in the region once again. But the internet is still shut down. DER SPIEGEL has met with more than a dozen people in Kashmir, and their reports are shocking and sometimes contradictory. Some fear the Indian state. Others are hoping for protection. All, however, are afraid of what may be on the horizon. One says: "We are experiencing the calm before the storm."  There's a village full of broken windowpanes in southern Kashmir. Residents say soldiers throw stones through the windows at night, and claim fearful residents switch off their lights after sundown and barricade themselves in the darkness of their homes. Almost nobody in the town is willing to speak openly with journalists. There is a strong atmosphere of paranoia, with many apparently wondering if the foreigner really is who she says she is -- and not a spy.The woman who finally does invite us into her home declines to provide her real name. She is 44 years old, wears a headscarf and asks to be identified as Sakina. When talking about her son, she breaks down repeatedly. She shows a photo of a young man of around 20 with long black hair and a beard. Sakina: "We were too afraid to see what was going on."“It was the night of August 7. We could hear noise from outside, but we were too afraid to see what was going on. Instead, we went to bed, my daughter and I slept in the kitchen and my father and my son in a room at the front of the house. It must have been around three in the morning when five or 10 soldiers began hammering on our door.They stormed into my son's room and pulled him out of bed. We wanted to know what he had done and where they were taking him. But we didn't get an answer. The soldiers locked us in and fired two shots. One of the shots hit the ground right here by the door, I can show you the spot. Since my son has been gone, I feel numb. I'm cold and I shiver, even when the sun is shining. The army forced its way into my home and took away my child." Sakina's son wasn't the only one arrested by the soldiers. In the days both before and after Kashmir's autonomy was revoked, the army arrested men they considered potential troublemakers. According to reports, a total of more than 4,000 were taken into custody. Some were flown out of the region. Sakina's son is locked up in Agra, a city in northern India located around 700 kilometers (400 miles) away.Two laws have essentially given security forces a free hand. According to the Public Safety Act, people in Kashmir can be held in custody for up to two years without trial, while the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act gives soldiers de facto immunity. There have been numerous, serious allegations made against the army, including rape, torture and murder. But according to the human rights organization Amnesty International, not a single member of the security forces has yet had to answer for them before a civilian court. On 90 Feet Road, an upscale residential district in Srinagar, Kashmir's summer capital, a man is dressed for battle. He is wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying an AK-47, a truncheon and a shield. He's a member of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), a paramilitary force under the command of the Interior Ministry in Delhi. Nearly half-a-million security forces are said to be currently stationed in Kashmir, making the region one of the most militarized areas in the entire world. Kashmiris say they would rather dodge traffic on the side of the road than walk past the troops on the sidewalk. The guy from CRPF comes from a town near Delhi, and every time someone passes by, his shoulders tense up."When I heard that the region's autonomous status was to be revoked, I had a sense of dark foreboding. I have seen the worst of times in Kashmir, but I am surprised by how peaceful it has been . Kashmir is one of the most difficult postings of all. It takes no time for a crowd to collect here and before you know it, 250 people are running toward you. We can't trust the people here. Even the old ones and the young ones tend to be radicalized. https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/deathly-silence-an-inside-look-at-kashmir-a-1296450.html 

ov., 11, 2019 to Nov.,17, 2019  

1.     Kashmir discussed in UK: Nov., 11, 2019:  discussion — titled “The cost to Britain of the Kashmir crisis: Is there a solution?” — was moderated by former Financial Times journalist John Elliot and was attended by members of the Pakistani diaspora, journalists and academics. Mr Straw said that what Mr Modi has done by revoking Article 370 “is outrageous and preposterous and seems not to have a strategy”  Mr Lyall Grant, dubbed Mr Modi’s revocation of Article 370 as a “strategic mistake”. “It has come at a bigger cost to India [than anyone] as India risks its global reputation,” https://www.dawn.com/news/1515731 #FreeKashmir #SaveKashmir

2.   Two Young men martyred: Nov., 11, 2019: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops  , martyred a Kashmiri youth in Bandipore district, today, taking the toll to two within 12 hours. The youth was killed during cordon and search operation in Lawdoora area of the district. The operation was going on till the last report came in.  Earlier In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops   terrorism martyred a Kashmiri youth in Bandipora district, today. The troops martyred the youth in a fake encounter during a cordon and search operation in Lawdara area of the district.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/11/11/indian-troops-martyr-another-youth-in-bandipre/

3.   Hindutva pop: Nov., 12, 2019:  Some of the most violent expressions in Hindutva pop focus on Kashmir, the Muslim-majority territory that is disputed by Pakistan and that was stripped of its autonomy by Mr. Modi’s government in August. Popular lyrics call for harsher action against Pakistan and separatist Kashmiri militants, and for forced conversions and a Hindu settlement campaign in Kashmir.  During Hindu festivals, the processions have started blasting the music in Muslim neighborhoods in shows of intimidation. Most of the songs prominently feature the call of “Jai Shri Ram!” Meaning “Hail Lord Ram,” a major Hindu god, it has become the battle cry for Hindu nationalists. Mobs have attacked Muslims who refuse to chant it along with them.https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/10/world/asia/india-hindutva-pop-narendra-modi.html

4.   BJP and UK elections: Nov., 13. 2019: Nardenra Modi’s government has been accused of interfering in UK’s upcoming general elections after a group in Britain affiliated with the Bahartiya Janata Party (BJP) announced to campaign against Labour Party – and in support of Conservatives - in over nearly 50 constituencies where Hindu voters could play a decisive role in deciding the outcome. Official announcement by the Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) that its campaign against dozens of Labour MPs in key marginals, including two Sikh MPs, has sent shockwaves in the political circles and fears have grown that Indian government under Narendra Modi is using unethical tactics to punish Labour Party over its stance on the issue of occupied Kashmir and at the same time punish those MPs who have always spoken in support of human rights issues of religious and ethnic minorities and social classes in India.https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/554164-exposed-indias-plot-of-meddling-in-uk-elections

5.   Myanmar sued: Nov.,12, 2019: Myanmar is being sued the by 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation at the UN's International Court of Justice for allegedly conducting genocide against the Rohingya minority, reports ABC News.  . The suit alleges that “:Starting in October 2016 and then again in August 2017, Myanmar’s security forces engaged in so-called “clearance operations” against the Rohingya, a distinct Muslim ethnic minority, in Rakhine State, Myanmar. The operations, in particular those that started in August 2017, were characterized by brutal violence and serious human rights violations on a mass scale. Survivors report indiscriminate killings, rape and sexual violence, arbitrary detention, torture, beatings, and forced displacement. Reports have also shown that security forces were systematically planning for such an operation against the Rohingya even before the purported reason for the violence — retaliation for small scale attacks committed by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) — occurred. As a result, an estimated 745,000 people — mostly ethnic Rohingya — were forced to flee to Bangladesh.” https://boingboing.net/2019/11/11/57-countries-are-suing-myanmar.html #FreeKashmir #SaveKashmir PERHAPS SOME FRIENDS OF KASHMIR COULD DO THE SAME AND FILE A COMPALIN AGAINST INDIA

6.   Hospitals: Nov., 13, 2019: Attendants and pa­tients Monday alleged that hospital authorities don’t operate Central Heating System round the clock in the hospitals as a result they shiver in present harsh chilly conditions. Principal, Government Medical College had directed all its associated hospitals to run Central Heating System after the snow furry that brought temperatures almost below to freezing point. Reports said that some of the hospitals including Lal Ded and JVC Bemina run heating system only for two hours in a day. https://kashmirobserver.net/2019/11/11/heating-system-for-2-hrs-only-attendants-patients-shiver-in-hospitals/amp/?fbclid=IwAR1zCTwQHBZYjgHKoPUuUmTTZLrhTV43r7fPwUDw3BwbJFI5eQIkFhUAkPY

7.   Gilani: Nov., 13, 2019: In a letter Syed Ali Gilani pointed out that India’s attempt to force this illegal decision on the people has seen a widespread curfew in the region. He has also urged the Pakistani  PM to re-designate the Line of Control as the Ceasefire Line since India has taken the situation back to the status as existed in 1947-48. The APHC chairman also appealed to PM  to make an announcement of Pakistan’s withdrawal from all aspects of the Tashkent, Shimla and Lahore agreements as India has unilaterally brought these agreements to an end. https://www.geo.tv/latest/255989-in-emotional-letter-to-pm-imran-syed-ali-gilani-sounds-alarm-over-occupied-kashmir

8.   Fake news: Nov., 14, 2019: One of the purposes of these websites is to influence public perceptions on Pakistan by multiplying iterations of the same content available on search engines, a study by NGO EU DisinfoLab has found. As many as 265 fake local news websites in more than 65 countries, including the US, Canada, Brussels and Geneva, are managed by Indian influence ;EU DisinfoLab has uncovered links between zombie companies, dormant media outlets, and legally non-existent organisations, lobbying the EU and also the UN by constantly targeting Questionable news portals mentioned in the investigation include Times of Los Angeles, Times of Portugal, New Delhi Times, New York Journal American, and Times of North Korea. EU DisinfoLab’s investigation demonstrates how this network of think tanks, NGOs, and media outlets has already translated into a set of EU parliamentarians visiting the Kashmir valley on Oct. 30. The visit was perceived by some as a sign of validation for the government’s move. It came amidst international attention on curbs on free speech and allegations of human rights violations in the Kashmir valley.https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/265-fake-news-websites-in-over-65-countries-managed-by-indian-influence-networks-study/article29967820.ece?homepage=true , https://qz.com/india/1747796/fake-media-outlets-boosted-indian-kashmir-stand-in-eu-says-ngo/

9.   UK Elections: Nov., 13, 2019: A campaign for the hearts and minds of British Hindus is pushing them to the Tories – and it’s dividing British Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims.  Overseas Friends of BJP – an organisation that supports India’s ruling party – were running a campaign to target Labour Party candidates in the UK, https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/anti-labour-plot-polarise-hindus-over-kashmir/

10.                Kashmir 100 days: Nov., 15, 2019: Mothers lament that their sons have been picked up in midnight raids by New Delhi’s enforcers; schools and colleges have been shut, paralysing educational activities; trade and business have taken a similar hit; even religious occasions, such as Muharram and Eid, have not been spared as Kashmiris have been denied the opportunity to freely observe rituals. India’s lockdown has affected people from all walks of life in IHK.Former Senate chairman Farooq Naek urged the government to approach the International Court of Justice over the matter http://www.dawn.com/news/1516635/ihk-suffocation?preview 

11.                Tom Lanton Human Rights Commission: Nov., 15, 2019: Vast majority of people in India are not engaged in violence, India has imposed restrictions across the board, depriving people of incomes and religious and civil liberties. Assam is also of concern US India ties are based on freedom and democracy India seems to be moving away from these objectives. Minorities are feeling grossly unsafe in India People in IOK unable to go to mosques and also celebrate religious holidays. 10000 or mire have been arbitrarily been detained. International community and Congress should ensure the resolution of the dispute according to the WISHES OF THE KASHMIRI PEOPLE. Demographic changes are now the Indian policy.   Congress to support a resolution that demands end of the siege and resolution of the dispute as per the wishes of the Kashmiri people. India today more accurately resembles an authoritarian   regime rather than a democracy.  There is yet to be justice for 2001 Gujarat massacres and other such incidents. UNHRC report on Kashmir lists all that India needs to do. Repeal AFSPA, PSA and other such laws. International journalists and UN should be allowed in . Restrictions should be lifted. Indian actions in IOK has compromised India’s quest to become a permanent member of UN Security Council.. .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPSDc_X3GYM#action=share

12.                Tom Lantos HRC: Nov., 15, 2019:  The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a bi-partisan commission, held the hearing on Thursday to examine the human rights situation in Kashmir in its historical context, a statement issued at the Commission’s website said. India had on August 5 revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by repealing Article 370 of the Indian Constitution and announced its division into two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. These two UTs came into existence on October 31. India had also put the occupied territory under severe military siege and communications blockade on August 5. Indian-American Congresswoman, Pramila Jayapal, at the hearing said that she was deeply concerned by Indian government’s actions in Kashmir. “To detain people without charge, severely limit communications and block third parties from visiting, is harmful to our close and critical relationship,” the Democrat said. She was joined by other Democrats Sheila Jackson Lee, David Trone and David Cicilline, who criticised India’s actions after scrapping Kashmir’s special status. Arunima Bhargava, commissioner from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), said that the rights of Muslim communities were being curtailed because of Indian government’s actions. “Throughout the country, political and community leaders are promulgating an ideology that suggests that to be Indian is necessarily to be Hindu and views India’s religious minorities as subordinate or foreign,” she told the hearing. “India’s religious minorities currently stand at a precipice. If the Indian government continues on its current trajectory, their livelihood, rights, and freedoms could be in serious danger,” she pointed out. On occupied Kashmir, Bhargava said, “USCIRF is concerned about reports starting in August that the Indian government restricted freedom of movement and assembly in Jammu and Kashmir, limiting people’s ability to attend prayers and participate in religious ceremonies; forestalling any large gatherings, including for religious purposes; and for certain communities, curtailing access to healthcare and other basic services.”She said mobile and internet services were denied to Kashmiris and healthcare was withheld by the Indian government. “USCIRF has also seen reports of mosques being closed; imams and Muslim community leaders arrested and detained; and violence and threats towards residents and businesses in particular,” she told the Commission. Bhargava, who is of Indian descent, said the restrictions in the region impacted the ability of people to “practice their faith”, visit their places of worship and exercise their rights. She claimed this was targeted at a certain community.. https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/11/15/2nd-congressional-hearing-us-lawmakers-express-concern-over-indias-actions-in-iok/

13.                Mark Lyall Grant: Nov., 16, 2019:   the time has come for a serious effort to resolve the half-forgotten Kashmir crisis. The international community, led by the U.S. and the U.K., needs to play a role in this effort. Hundreds of thousands of Indian troops are trying to keep the peace, as political leaders are detained, internet services cut and local movement restricted   The main victims of this latest Kashmir crisis are of course the Kashmiri people themselves, who have seen their freedoms and human rights once again trampled on. But the wider international community is also affected. India’s latest action is bound to increase the levels of disaffection and extremism in the majority Muslim population of Kashmir.  The concern felt in the U.K. by the latest turn of events in Kashmir was highlighted last week at a panel discussion in which I participated at Chatham House in London. As Abdurrehman Chinoy, a London-based entrepreneur at the event commented:"The South Asian community in the U.K. is very dynamic and generally tolerant towards each other. It can also influence policy and ideas back home in India and Pakistan. We need now a dialogue to finally resolve the Kashmir issue, so that the communities can continue to live peacefully alongside each other outside the sub-continent." I believe that the international community has a strong interest in helping to resolve the Kashmir crisis Mumbai in 2008.In my view, the time has come to try again. The international community should make a further effort to stimulate talks between India and Pakistan, before this latest crisis leads to more conflict and makes any peaceful solution impossible. https://www.forbes.com/sites/marklyallgrant/2019/11/14/the-international-community-has-a-role-to-play-in-resolving-the-kashmir-crisis/#4b7aca3e2302

14.                Amnesty International: Nov., 16, 2019: India's federal investigation agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has raided the local offices of human rights group Amnesty International in an investigation into alleged violations of foreign funding rules. The raids were conducted at Amnesty International's offices in Bengaluru and New Delhi after the CBI registered a case against the group based on a complaint from India's Ministry of Home Affairs, the statement added. Amnesty International, which has criticised some actions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in the past, was also accused of violations of foreign funding rules last year. "Over the past year, a pattern of harassment has emerged every time Amnesty International India stands up and speaks out against human rights violations in India," the group said in a statement. Amnesty International accused Modi's government of violating human rights in Indian-administered Kashmir after it revoked the constitutional autonomy of the disputed state in August and came down heavily on protesters in the aftermath. The rights group also criticised the government's recent move to revoke  the overseas Indian citizenship of British writer Aatish Taseer, calling it "discrimination based on gender and ethnic or national origin". Amnesty International India's office was raided and its bank accounts were frozen by the ED last year.. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/amnesty-international-offices-india-raided-federal-police-191115172007201.html

15.                India and Israel: Nov., 17, 2019: The similarities with Israel’s policies toward Palestinians have been pointed out many a time, but the true extent of the similarities of the origins of India and Israel’s brutal occupations is not often dwelled upon. Nor is the similar styles of propaganda used in the concealing or even promoting of the criminal state agendas and long-term policies of the two countries vis a vis Kashmir and Palestine. The similarities between Indian and Israeli discourse and propaganda on them make comparisons between the two going further back than just Narendra Modi’s bromance with Benjamin Netanyahu worth hearing. https://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/90821/indias-kashmir-propaganda-a-leaf-out-of-israels-book-part-1/

16.                 

Kashmir Update 48: Week Nov., 4, 2019 to Nov.,10, 2019  

1.    EU right wing MPs: Nov., 4, 2019: Last week, a delegation of European Members of Parliament (MEPs) visited Indian-administered Kashmir in a carefully coordinated, invitation-only, all expenses paid trip Most of the nearly 30 MEPs were from far-right, anti-immigration and eurosceptic parties, including Marine Le Pen's French National Rally, Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Brexit Party British MEP Theresa Griffin, a member of the main opposition left-wing Labour Party, wrote on Twitter: "To be absolutely clear - the group of far-right MEPs currently visiting are not in any way an 'official' delegation. They do not speak for the European Parliament."  Analysts say the behind-the-scenes efforts reveal a small part of a much wider apparatus employed by the Modi government as it pursues a Hindu nationalist agenda. "This is how Hindutva (the Hindu supremacist ideology) operates in India - through a vast apparatus of different organisations, think-tanks and advocacy groups. This decentralised structure allows the government to distance itself from being actively involved in Hindutva mobilisation efforts and divert attention from its involvement." https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/europe-supports-india-kashmir-issue-191102184856242.html

2.   Patrick B. McGuigan: Nov., 4, 2019:  As Nyla Ali Khan has written, “The imposition of Union Territory status on our State has no moral validity, even though it may be enforced for a while. I respect laws that represent the people’s will and secure their well being, not laws that are arbitrary and unilateral. I shall happily subscribe to laws that are made with the consent of the people and their representatives, not laws that are coercively foisted on the populace while elected representatives are behind bars and incommunicado.”  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attempt to overlook the complex history of Kashmir is more than problematic. It is short-sighted. How can the communications blockade and information blockade, which had been in place in Kashmir since August 5 of this year, be rationalized by anyone? The sovereignty of a nation cannot be protected by holding 8 million of its citizens incommunicado and placing their elected legislators behind bars.How can a decision about the constitutional status of Kashmir be made without due process and consultation? I care about Kashmir because I care about my own country, and the stability of the world in times that are both challenging and troubling. http://city-sentinel.com/2019/11/why-i-care-about-events-in-kashmir/

3.   New map: Nov., 5, 2019:  The Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (MAPIM) joined other concerned parties today in strongly protesting India's formal inclusion of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan as part of Indian Territory. Azmi agreed that India was clearly violating the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution and must not be allowed to persist as demarcating a disputed territory unilaterally which could not be legally binding. The fresh maps were released after the Indian government bifurcated the territory into two areas as part of Indian Ladakh Union Territory the new map of India depicting Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan with its "capital" Muzaffarabad within the geographical boundary of the country."We are demanding the UNSC to take appropriate action because it cannot remain silent to such violation..https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/11/535926/indias-new-map-kashmir-provocative-says-mapim  

4.   BJP and UK elections: Nov., 5, 2019: -Indian origin protesters turned their backs on London mayor Sadiq Khan of Labour Party during his Diwali celeb... BJP supporters in Britain are campaigning for the Tories in key 48 seats in the UK general election They claim the British Indian vote could swing up to 40 seats and affect the outcome of the election   OFBJP UK president Kuldeep Singh Shekhawat said his group had identified 48 Labour-Conservative marginal seats which the British Indian vote could swing and was even trying to oust six Indian-origin Labour MPs.   “We are doing this for three reasons. Firstly, some Labour MPs joined the violent protests outside India House on August 15 and September 3. Secondly, no Labour MPs spoke in favour of India in the House of Commons on Kashmir, and thirdly because of the Labour motion on Kashmir passed at their party conference. Kashmir is an internal matter of India. Why is the Labour party discussing the Indian state? We will only support MPs who support us,” Shekhawat said. “We are working with the Tory  candidates in Keith Vaz’s ex seat, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi’s seat, Preet Gill’s seat, Lisa Nandy’s seat, Seema Malhotra’s and Valerie Vaz’s seats,” he said. All six are Indianorigin Labour MPs. “We are not supporting them because some of them have a Khalistani tag, they are not doing anything for us or looking at India as a sovereign nation. Some of them have signed letters against India. We will happily support anyone who supports India as a sovereign nation, including non-Indian origin candidates, against these candidates,” Shekhawat said. “If the entire Indian community in the UK votes Tory, we will see a swing of around 40 seats to the Tories. This will swing the actual election result,” he declared. Until now the Indian community in Britain has not voted en bloc — unlike the Pakistan community, which is directed by imams on how to vote. But now the OFBJP is approaching temples, social groups, and hundreds of Asian community bodies to tell them not to vote Labour. “We have met 37 groups so far and organised meetings in all the possible temples,” Shekhawat said. He said they were supporting just one Labour PIO MP, Virendra Sharma, who represents Ealing Southall, as “he had stood up for the community”. “Not a single Hindu will vote for Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi this time,” said Shekhawat. “Hindu voters think he is working closely with the Pakistani community. He is always seen with Pakistanis and goes to the Pakistan high commission. He is a vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Britain-Pakistan Trade and Tourism and was vice-chair of the APPG Kashmir group. Why is that? The Indian community in Slough are annoyed and have decided to vote for the Tory candidate,” Shekhawat said. “We have a team in each constituency which is going round with the Tory candidate leafleting, speaking to people and persuading them to vote Tory. The teams are organised by the BJP and Friends of India Society International (FISI),” the OFBJP UK president said. The OFBJP has already organised their first “campaign meeting”. They invited 300 Indian-origin constituents on Sunday to a meeting with Tory MP Bob Blackman from Harrow East who has a majority of just 1,757 above Labour, and with Dr Anwara Ali who is standing for the Tories in Harrow West, which currently has a Labour MP with a majority of 13,314. “Until December 2018 the majority of Indians supported Labour. But in the last seven to eight months Labour has shown a radical face. With Corbyn at the head, Labour is opposed to anything India wants to do and Corbyn never speaks good about India. Kashmir was the flashpoint. But anger was building up for months,” Shekhawat said. Meanwhile, on Sunday, several dozen Indian-origin protesters turned their backs on London   mayor Sadiq Khan   during his Diwali   celebrations in Trafalgar Square.   https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/bjp-supporters-start-campaign-for-tories-in-uk-general-election/articleshow/71911496.cms

5.   Ai: Oct., 6, 2019: For the past three months, about 8 million people in the disputed territory of Kashmir have been under a “lockdown” imposed by the Indian government, according to Amnesty International. The organization says Kashmiris have been subjected to curfews, phone and internet shutdowns, arbitrary detention, deadly force against protesters and a lack of medical coverage. “The story of Kashmir is the story of a brutally oppressed pro-democracy struggle,” Mir said. “It is a slave revolt. It is a classic struggle of indigenous people against an ideologically-motivated, brutal, limitless occupation. This is not just violence against people's bodies, it’s violence against people's psychology. It’s violence against children. It’s crimes against people's future.” The audience watched several news videos detailing the human rights violations perpetrated by the Indian government in the region https://kjzz.org/content/1284766/tempe-activists-send-message-indian-government-free-kashmir  

6.   Economic losses: Nov., 6, 2019: "We don't do much business these days. We have only a few hours to work…I close shop by 11 a.m. [local time (0530GMT)] and then leave for home," said Yaseen, who sells Kashmiri shawls in Srinagar. "For the rest of the day, I keep my shop closed to protest against the Indian government’s decision.” We believe there is a business loss of Rs 10,000 crore [$1.4 billion] due to the lockdown in Kashmir since Aug. 5. There has also been a loss of jobs for more than 100,000 people. Kashmir’s business sector is bleeding at the moment. The tourism and IT sectors are mostly dependent on the internet, and right now, they are suffering badly because there is no internet," said Aashiq The absence of an internet connection has dealt a severe blow to the region’s tourism and IT sectors, said Sheikh Aashiq, president of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry  https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/daily-life-in-kashmir-suffers-amid-lockdown/1636018

7.   Women: Nov., 7, 2019: A mother unable to get updates from the hospital about her premature newborn. A bride who couldn't have the wedding of her dreams. The photojournalist who risks double harassment by security forces due to her profession and her gender. Life has been a struggle for ordinary Kashmiris Kashmiri women are suffering from the lockdown in their own less visible way. Zahida Jahangir's son was born premature and weak. He was rushed from the clinic where he was born to the neo-natal intensive care unit in a children's hospital across town. The lockdown made it nearly impossible to visit her son or even communicate with the hospital. Zahida was separated from her son for the first 20 days of his life, and though he is now healthy, the experience has created what she says is a pain only a mother could know and left her with regrets that will last a lifetime. Kulsuma Rameez's wedding was scheduled for during the lockdown and she was unable to go shopping for the wedding dress she dreamed of. Instead she was married in a borrowed dress at a small ceremony attended by a few relatives and neighbors. After the ceremony, she had to walk to her new home as the roads were blocked. Photojournalist Masrat Zahra was covering the first Friday protest since the lockdown when a police officer threatened to kick her. She notes that Kashmiri women can't leave their homes without a male companion out of fear they'll be harassed by soldiers. Nevertheless, she is undeterred. Ateeqa Begum has lived alone ever since her only son 22-year-old Fasil Aslam Mir, the family's sole breadwinner, was detained on his way home after fetching medicines for her on the day the lockdown began."My son has been shifted to a jail in an Indian city and I have no means to travel there to see him," she said.A doctor at a hospital in Indian Kashmir's main city, Sabahat Rasool says she's seen the lockdown forever alter lives. She tells the story of a pregnant woman who refused to be admitted to the hospital because she had no way to tell her family that she wouldn't be coming home and didn't want them to worry that she had been kidnapped. She was brought in unconscious the next day."She survived but lost her unborn baby," Sabahat said.https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2019/11/06/world/asia/ap-as-kashmir-women-photo-gallery.html

8.   Kashmiri Pandits: Nov.,7,2019: A Kashmiri Pandit family speaks to The Hindu in a video interview  https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/watch-kashmiri-family-speaks-on-shutdown-in-the-valley/article29891465.ece?fbclid=IwAR07Flfjk4okD_CYbjVeBcg-lb-BumRbE-OAq6qZrFXbcEPnqEGIPzuGqnY.

9.   Kashmir in UK politics; Nov., 7, 2019: Labour brought a motion calling on Walsall Council to strongly condemn the situation in Kashmir but the ruling Conservatives said their language was inflammatory. Councilors from both sides of the Walsall chamber clashed over what should be the town's response to the crisis in Kashmir should be in an emotionally charged meeting. Walsall Labor group tabled a notice of motion to full council on Monday (November 4) calling for the council to strongly condemn the widely reported lock-down of the state and human rights abuses in the region, allegedly being carried out by occupying Indian forces. They also asked the authority to write to the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary highlighting concerns of the town's Kashmir community while also urging the borough MPs to publicly condemn the abuses and support the people's right of self-determination. But the ruling Conservative group countered this with a motion of their own - which was eventually passed - that still sees the authority contacting the Government and borough MPs but removes what leader Mike Bird said was "inflammatory" language. https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/kashmir-issue-results-heated-clash-17205416

10.                Muslim policemen in India: Nov., 8, 2019: Muslim representation in Indian police has “remained consistently low” at 3 to 4 per cent,  the number stood at 8 per cent even for Jammu and Kashmir, India’s lone Muslim-majority state that was bifurcated into two union territories last month. https://theprint.in/india/governance/only-8-of-policemen-in-muslim-majority-jk-are-muslim-study-finds/317337/  

11.                Accession: Nov., 8, 2019: Our ancestors had agreed to support the accession to India on three conditions (a) that the State would enjoy full internal autonomy on the basis of the Instrument of Accession; (b) that India would be a democratic and secular country where rule of law would always be supreme; and (c) that the people of the State would be asked to approve or reject the provisional accession through a plebiscite when law and order in the State was restored. It was in accordance with this policy that we added a proviso to the Instrument of Accession of Kashmir.”Nyla Ali Khan  https://millattimes.com/2019/11/our-understanding-with-india-was-never-a-one-way-street-nyla-ali-khan/

12.                ASEAN: Nov., 8, 2019: Parliamentarians from ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) on Thursday announced establishment of ASEAN Kashmir Advocacy Group for highlighting the issue at the international level. Haji Mohammad Azmi Hamid, President of Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organization (MAPIM), condemned the Indian oppression against Kashmiris and violation of their human rights and identity. Hasanuddin Bin Mohd Yunus declared ill-treatment by Indian forces toward the Kashmiri children, which are a violation of Convention on the Rights of the Kashmir   Child by detaining children in such large number. Thai member of the delegation Mohammad Faisal stressed the need for a peaceful political solution to the Kashmir issue in the light of UN resolutions. https://dailytimes.com.pk/497098/visiting-mps-announce-launch-of-asean-kashmir-advocacy-group/

13.                China: Nov., 9, 2019: India engaged in a diplomatic war of words with China over Kashmir on Thursday as it formally revoked the disputed state's constitutional autonomy and split it into two federal territories in a bid to integrate it fully into India. Its ally China, which is locked in a separate decades-old dispute with India over the part of Kashmir called Ladakh, also slammed India for unilaterally changing its status. "China deplores and firmly opposed that. India unilaterally changes its domestic law and administrative divisions, challenging China's sovereignty and interests. This is awful and void, and this is not effective in any way and will not change the fact that the area is under China's actual control." https://www.theguardian.pe.ca/news/world/shops-shuttered-streets-deserted-as-kashmir-loses-special-status-and-is-divided-370226/ 

Kashmir Update 47: Week Oct., 28, 2019 to Nov.,3, 2019  

1.     1. Black day, London: Oct., 28, 2019: Thousands of British Kashmiris took to the streets here on Sunday to condemn the 72 years of Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. The protesters chanted slogans like “Indian troops quit Kashmir” and “we want freedom”. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2088336/1-kashmiris-denounce-indian-brutalities-mark-black-day-london/

2.   Diplomats: Oct., 28, 2019: Officials of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and a top Saudi diplomat voiced strong support for Kashmiris’ struggle for self-determination at a special event held in New York to mark the 72nd anniversary of India’s invasion and occupation of Kashmir. It was the first time that foreign diplomats joined a ‘Black Day’ event to voice solidarity with the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK Agshin Mehdiyev, the OIC’s permanent representative to UN, recalled the steps taken by the 57-member organisation in support of the Kashmiri people and urged the international community to help them ‘decisively’ in achieving their legitimate rights https://tribune.com.pk/story/2088111/1-black-day-foreign-diplomats-denounce-indias-brutalities-occupied-kashmir/

3.   Protest: Oct., 28, 2019: On Sunday, Qamri joined about 100 other people at the bandshell at Bicentennial Park (Columbus, USA) Downtown for a #StandWithKashmir rally to show their solidarity with people thousands of miles away. Banners were set up on the front of the bandshell, and a few young children toted signs saying “Stand with Kashmir.” A number of speakers told of conditions in Kashmir or expressed solidarity with the Kashmiris’ cause. https://www.dispatch.com/news/20191027/rally-opposes-indias-clampdown-on-kashmir

4.   Economic losses: Oct., 30, 2019: Traders in Indian-administered Kashmir are living their worst nightmare amid a near-complete lockdown of the region, with many businesses on the verge of closure. According to estimates of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI), the losses have crossed $1.41 billion Sheikh Ashiq, KCCI president, told Anadolu Agency: “Almost every sector in the valley has suffered in the last three months. Tourism has been hit hard." https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/kashmir-lockdown-hits-businesses-hard/1628811

5.   EU far right MPs: Oct., 30, 2019: In occupied Kashmir, an unofficial delegation of over 20 European members of parliament visited the territory, today, amidst people’s civil disobedience, complete shutdown, massive presence of Indian troops, lockdown, communications blackout and clashes between the troops and the demonstrators.Many people were injured in firing by Indian troops on peaceful protesters and subsequent clashes between the forces’ personnel and the protesters in central, south and north Kashmir in the valley. At least, 40 demonstrations were held in Srinagar alone.. The entire territory wore a deserted look. Even the roadside vendors, who were otherwise regularly setting up their stalls over the past two months of lockdown, were also not witnessed anywhere in the territory. The lawmakers of Europe on reaching Srinagar were driven in a cavalcade of black SUVs accompanied by armed troops and security jeeps to a military cantonment in Srinagar. They were not allowed to meet any person from general public and political parties. Their meetings were conducted with the officials and the personnel of the administration. https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/10/29/european-lawmakers-in-iok-amidst-lockdown/

6.   UNHCHR : Oct., 30, 2019: The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) on Tuesday expressed "extreme concern" over human rights abuses in India-occupied Kashmir and asked the Indian authorities to "fully restore" human rights in the occupied territory. UNHCHR Spokesperson Rupert Colville in a statement said that the international human rights body is "extremely concerned that the population of India-occupied Kashmir continues to be deprived of a wide range of human rights and we urge the Indian authorities to unlock the situation and fully restore the rights that are currently being denied".   https://www.dawn.com/news/1513603/un-body-demands-full-restoration-of-human-rights-in-india-occupied-kashmir 

7.   Manipur independence: Oct., 30, 2019: The representatives of State of Manipur’s King Leishemba Sanajaoba have announced separation from India, forming the Manipur State Council. At a press conference here, Chief Minister of Manipur State Council Yamben Biren and Minister of External Affairs and Defence of Manipur State Council Narengbam Samarjit announced before media that they were speaking on behalf of the Maharaja of Manipur High Highness the Leishemba Sanajaoba to formally launch the exiled government – the Manipur State Council. The exiled government will be based in Central London. They produced a document showing that His Highness the Maharaja of Manipur had authorised them by the Order No. 12 of 2013 dated the March 15, 2013 to solve the political problems of the State of Manipur. They said that the sovereign State of Manipur was excluded from India [Indian Empire] by the Order in Council by His Majesty on 27 December 1946 and the Indian Government annexed Manipur State of India by violation of the Act 1949..https://www.geo.tv/latest/253443-manipur-leaders-announce-separation-from-india-in-london

8.   Assam and Facebook: Oct., 30, 2019: As millions of Indians are being stripped of their citizenship, rights groups say Facebook has given free rein to Hindu nationalist hate speech. Facebook is letting anti-Muslim hate speech spread unchecked across the northeastern Indian state of Assam, at the same time that almost 2 million people there, most of them Muslims, are being stripped of their citizenship A new report from the non-profit rights group Avaaz details widespread abuse online against religious and ethnic minorities, and in particular against Bengali Muslims, who have been labeled “criminals,” “rapists,” “terrorists,” “pigs,” and “dogs.” https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/mbmwav/facebook-has-become-a-megaphone-for-hate-against-muslims-in-india

9.   Youth martyred: Oct., 30, 2019: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops  martyred a Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district. The troops martyred the youth in a fake encounter during a cordon and search operation in Bijbehara area of the district. On the other hand, Indian troops resorted to indiscriminate firing after an army bunker was attacked by unidentified gunmen in Drubgam area of Pulwama district. The troops cordoned off the area and launched searches to nab the attackers. https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/10/30/indian-troops-martyr-youth-in-iok-3/

10.                Blinded children: Oct., 30, 2019:“Watching cartoons on TV, playing with my friends on the street, reading books for hours — this is what I dream of now,” says nine-year-old Asif Ahmad Sheikh, a Class 5 student from Anantnag.“I used to teach sewing and tailoring to girls in my village, but not anymore. Because of the injuries, I could not write my class 10 board exam,” says 17-year-old Ulfat Hameed, a Class 10 student from Baramulla.“When I went to a hospital in Srinagar, there were so many people that the doctors sent me back home as they did not have beds available,” says Bilal Ahmad Bhat, 17, another student from Baramulla. https://www.dawn.com/news/1513749?fbclid=IwAR2UMEnMz84kpK9IbkgtIEyefxDn0cQKR1AdKVReUfVraG8a_96vMZuIt5c

11.                Division: Oct., 31, 2019: The constitutional changes approved by the Indian parliament on August 5 revoking autonomy and separate citizenship law for Indian-administered Kashmir are set to become operational on October 31. The union territory of Jammu and Kashmir will have two divisions; Kashmir Valley and Jammu, an area of over 42,000 square kilometres (16,216 square miles) with a population of 12.26 million, which comprises 8.44 million (68.8 percent) Muslims. The vast territory of Ladakh, also known as the cold desert, spread over 59,000sq km (22,780sq miles) and comprising two districts of Kargil and Leh, houses a tiny population of 274,289. Out of this, Muslims make up 127,296 (46.4 percent) and Buddhists 108,761 (39.65 percent). https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/indian-administered-kashmir-broken-191030193727231.html

12.                China on Kashmir: Nov., 1, 2019: Raveesh Kumar said China was aware of India’s consistent and clear position on this issue. “The matter of reorganisation of the erstwhile state of J&K into the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh is entirely an internal affair of India. We do not expect other countries, including China, to comment on matters which are internal to India,” he said. "We expect other countries to respect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. China continues to be in occupation of a large tract of area in the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh. It has also illegally acquired Indian territories from PoK under the China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963,” Kumar said COntridictory state,ent , what Kumar says makes China a direct party to the dispute  https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/dont-comment-on-internal-affairs-india-warns-china/articleshow/71844375.cms 

13.                China: Nov., 2, 2019: India engaged in a diplomatic war of words with China over Kashmiron Thursday as it formally revoked the disputed state’s constitutional autonomy and split it into two federal territories in a bid to integrate it fully into India. China, which is locked in a separate decades-old dispute with India over the part of Kashmir called Ladakh, also slammed India for unilaterally changing its status. “China deplores and firmly opposed that. India unilaterally changes its domestic law and administrative divisions, challenging China’s sovereignty and interests. This is awful and void, and this is not effective in any way and will not change the fact that the area is under China’s actual control.” https://globalnews.ca/news/6107527/india-jammu-and-kashmir-china/

14.                Germen position on Kashmir: Nov., 2, 2019: "The situation now for the people (in Kashmir) is not good and not sustainable. This has to be improved for sure," said Ms. Merkel to a group of German journalists who travelled to Delhi for the visit https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/german-chancellor-angela-merkel-on-jammu-and-kashmir/article29856547.ece?homepage=true 

15.                Indian Judiciary and Kashmir: Nov., 2, 2019: To abrogate Article 35-A and to rundown Article 370, the GOI passed the J&K reorganization Act. At present 18 petitions are pending before the Supreme court challenging government’s move. The court has not given any interim respite and hence the law is very much in place, furthering government’s agenda. That we never took notice of the falling credibility of the Supreme court is our own sin. Recently, The Supreme court of India came under some strict scrutiny when the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement criticizing the delay in adjudication of petitions raising fundamental rights violation in Kashmir. The UN watchdog in a scathing remark raised some serious issues of law that need to be answered by the Supreme Court of India. Itquestioned why the lockdown in Kashmir was not tested on grounds of reasonable restrictions even when it had been over 80 days since it came into effect. It states that the curtailment of fundamental rights of an entire people was not a necessary and proportionate response and questions the preventive detention of the entire Kashmir leadership without proper justification. The statement is also critical of the manner in which the law was passed without any consultation with the people of the state and on the basis of which the state has been reorganized. Not least for the supreme  court it points out the violence committed by the security forces and highlights the adverse use of pellet guns. If only the court was listening. https://countercurrents.org/2019/11/kashmir-supreme-courts-delaying tactics?fbclid=IwAR1_RXlvSUhWsBSTQ4jubnGG4dYTmRDbcWKL2RnLOJWHZNV50DtZCxgpkrA

16.                Muslim writers: Nov., 3, 2019:  "I am scared of words like 'Are you a Muslim', Shahnaz Bashir said. He said, "People set up decrees as soon as you start talking about it [being a Muslim]. It all boils down to the Muslim-ness." Bashir said, "The fate of a Muslim writer in India can be judged now by the fear that he/she carries to places like these [Delhi] and hesitates in talking about that fear." Further, hinting at the situation in Kasmir, Bashir said, "Sometimes I wonder if everything is seditious, is there something called free expression. Does it really exist?" https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/muslim-writers-in-india-fear-shahnaz-bashir-1615150-2019-11-02

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Kindly respond with comments or news that you wish included in next weeks update at: jarad_us@yahoo.com

Kashmir Update 46: Week Oct., 21, 2019 to Oct.,27 2019  

1.     Turkey: Oct., 20, 2019: The Government of India (GoI) has decided to put off a proposed visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ankara, as a part of a number of measures showing its displeasure over Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdogan’s UNGA (United Nations General Assembly) speech last month where he criticised its move on Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Official sources said India’s sharp criticism of Ankara’s military operations in Syria this week, as well as an “expected” decision to cancel the selection of Turkey’s Anadolu shipyard to build naval support ships for it followed its “unhappiness” over Turkey’s stand on Kashmir. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/modis-turkey-visit-put-off-over-erdogans-kashmir-remarks/article29743502.ece  #FreeKashmir #SaveKashmir

2.   Dehli Protest: Oct., 20, 2019: Thousands of activists of Indian civil society protested on Friday at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi in support of Kashmiris Muslims who are caged in Indian Occupied Kashmir since August 5, 2019.Protestors included a large number of intellectuals, writers, journalists and students stated that only Kashmiris have (had) right to decide their future and Indian state must reverse the decision of including Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK) into Indian Union. https://dnd.com.pk/thousands-of-activists-of-civil-society-protested-in-new-delhi-against-caging-kashmiri-muslims/173940

3.   LoC violations: Oct., 21, 2019: Nine soldiers of the Indian Army were killed and several others injured as the Pakistan Army   responded to New Delhi’s unprovoked ceasefire violations along the Line of Control,.  DG ISPR Major   said Pakistan destroyed two Indian bunkers after Indian forces deliberately targeted civilians in Jura, Shahkot and Nousheri sectors.  one Pakistani soldier and three civilians were martyred in the exchange of fire, while two soldiers and five civilians suffered injuries. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2083613/1-nine-indian-soldiers-killed-several-injured-loc-exchange-ispr/

4.   British MPs: Oct., 21, 2019: Two more British lawmakers have raised their voice against New Delhi’s brutal restrictions including a 77-day long curfew in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking on the occasion, MP Matt Rodda said that it is unfortunate that people of Kashmir are under continuous curfew for the last 77 days. He vowed to continue becoming the voice of the Kashmiris. MP Dr Phillips Lee, while addressing the conference, said that the world needs to listen to Kashmiris who demand their right of self-determination. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2083769/1-british-mps-join-chorus-condemning-iok-clampdown/

5.   Undeclared War: Oct., 21, 2019: PM AJ&K said that India had imposed an undeclared war on the liberated territory by pounding over a dozen villages from Noseeri to Nagdar in Neelum valley, Leepa and Khuairatta sectors of Kotli district. the international community, including the United Nations, should take strict notice of India’s aggression. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2083715/1-india-imposed-undeclared-war-loc/

6.   Relaxation of clamp down: Oct., 21, 2019: Kashmiris have begun to show that they cannot be turned into household pets within days of the government beginning to relax its iron grip upon the Valley. They are doing this by resorting increasingly to the sole mode of protest left open to them: that is non-cooperation or, to use a word all of us should be familiar with, satyagraha. Schools and colleges are nominally open but have few teachers and fewer students; despite the lifting of curfew, shops remain closed except for the few hours.  It is the youth whom the Modi government needs to fear. When he came to power, there were only a few Burhan Wanis among them. By the Kashmir police’s own estimates, in 2014, there were only 86 young Kashmiris in the new group of militants being nurtured jointly by the Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Muhammad and the Lashkar-e Taiba in south Kashmir. After Modi initiated his ‘zero tolerance for terrorism’ policy, by January 2019, the security forces had killed 813 militants, of whom 235 were killed in 2018 alone. But despite, or more precisely, because of that, the number of active militants had grown to more than 300.. https://thewire.in/rights/indias-fate-hangs-in-the-balance

7.   Clamp down: Oct., 22, 2019: I have witnessed multiple clampdowns in my 10 years as a journalist in Kashmir, but this year has been the worst. Life was turned upside down, for everyone. The silence of a caged and disempowered people is a silence of simmering rage. All communication channels were blocked. A silence spread over the Kashmir Valley and the struggle to tell the story began .With bits and pieces of information, journalists began to write stories, but there was no way to send them to anyone. For the first two weeks, some journalists, including myself, sent flash drives containing stories, photographs and video footage to New Delhi via passengers flying out of the region..A few newspapers managed to publish, despite having no phones, internet or distribution network. Everything was disrupted. In Kashmir, no news is not good news. For civilians in Kashmir, normal life is non-existent. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3033708/reporting-silence-siege-kashmir

8.   US hearings: Oct., 23, 2019: The United States on Tuesday renewed calls on India to ease its clampdown in Kashmir as several lawmakers voiced anger at actions by a country that usually enjoys strong US support. Alice Wells, the assistant secretary of state for South Asia, said that the United States “remains concerned” about the impact of India’s actions in the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley. “We have urged Indian authorities to respect human rights and restore full access to services, including internet and mobile networks,” she told a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee. Representative Ilhan Omar, a prominent first-term Democratic lawmaker and one of the few Muslims in Congress, charged that Kashmir is part of a pattern against Islam by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. Brad Sherman, Chairman of the panel, said that the hearing will focus on the occupied valley where thousands of people had been detained ever since India revoked Article 370.. “Many political activists have been arrested and daily life, the internet, and telephone communications have been interrupted,” said Sherman in a statement. He said that food, medicine and other essentials will also be reviewed in the hearing. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have expressed concern about human rights in Kashmir in recent months.  https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/544767-us-voices-kashmir-concern-as-lawmakers-raise-tone-on-india

9.   Youth martyred: Oct., 23, 2019:  In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation at Rajpora in Tral area of the district. The operation continued till last reports came in. On the other hand, a Junior Commissioned Officer of the Indian Army was killed after being fired upon by unidentified gunmen in Nowshera area of Rajouri district, today. Soon after the attack, the troops cordoned off the area and launched searches to nab the attackers. https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/10/22/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama/

10.                US House hearings South Asia: Oct., 23, 2019: recent happenings in Indian Occupied Kashmir were discussed and concern expressed. Ms. Spanberger. , Ms. Jayapal, Mr, Brown. Ms. Wells. Assam was also mentioned. Health, communications and diplomatic access were raised. Ms. Omar raised BJP and Modi’s close relations with racism and violence. They are also involved in crimes against Muslims. She also raised the Assam issue. A number of members expressed concerns but the US government does not seem to share the full extent of these concerns and looks to work this out in bilateral dialogues and even mention progress of Indian in human rights areas. US official narrative is still very pro India. US are not taking a position on article 370. For them it is a humanitarian crisis and the solution is in the political process. So do not put to much hope in the US doing something to assist the people of Kashmir. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMMiVJr-A4U

11.                Kashmir lockdown: Oct., 24, 2019: There was an eerie silence on the drive toward the Shopian district in southern Kashmir, as stray dogs and cattle walked past on a recent overcast afternoon. But the silence was suddenly shattered as a convoy of heavily armed vehicles passed by shielding top officials of the paramilitary forces. When these trucks show up around these parts, children and young men disappear. As we arrived in Shopian on Oct. 17, a local resident of this fertile apple-growing region led us to the house of Firdaus Jaan, whose two grandsons, Junaid, 13, and Ahmed, 22, were picked up by the paramilitary forces on Oct. 14, joining the thousands of young men and minors who have been arbitrarily detained amid a brutal crackdown in Kashmir since the Indian government revoked the special autonomous status of the region on Aug. 5.  Jaan, 92, tried to protect her grandson Junaid, who cried as 20 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men dragged him out of the house. She would not let go of him until an officer hit her with a stick. Jaan said the paramilitary forces entered the village by the hundreds and rounded up young men and children. Soon they began beating them, along with older residents, asking about the whereabouts of militants who had burned a migrant laborer’s apple truck. Jaan’s neighbor Mohammed Yusuf Butt, who has acres of apple orchards, was despondent, suicidal. That same night his son, Shikir Ahmed Butt, went to the police station to inquire about the apple truck that had been burned. The Shopian police detained him and told his father that they would be slapping the draconian Public Safety Act against his 30-year-old son. The act allows for detention for up to two years without trial or due process. “They have taken my only son, my apples are rotting in the farms, and then they accuse us of shielding militants,” Mohammed told me. “First they took away our rights, now they accuse us of shielding militants.”Thirty minors were picked up in Shopian on Oct. 14, according to residents interviewed. Gulshan, 50, kept approaching the Shopian police station, where her husband was begging for the release of their two sons, Raees Ahmed, 11, and Liyaquat Ahmed, 14. They both attend a school in Srinagar but had come home to help the family with the apple harvest. “We are scared to send our children into the orchard, the CRPF is camping there, they see our children and detain them,” Gulshan said. She doesn’t know whom to fear more: the militants or the military forces. When I arrived at the Shopian police station to verify the claims of the family, Nazeer Ahmed, the second in command, told me he had no idea about the arrests; his phone had not been working for four days, he said. His colleagues exchanged smiles.  Under constant surveillance and facing brutal repression and arbitrary detention, Kashmiris seem to be in constant mourning. In the streets in downtown Srinagar, some families sat quietly mourning the absence of their children. Mudassir Majeed, a 19-year-old studying business administration, arrived home on Aug. 4 to help his father, a sheep trader. The next morning, as he was helping his father herd the sheep from the truck, paramilitary forces dragged him into a van. When his father reached the police station, he was told his son had been sent to jail in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and they cited the Public Safety Act. “I dread when my son comes out, they will label him a terrorist,” Mudassir’s father told me. Nusrat Jahan, a doctor at the largest government hospital in Srinagar, tells me the population is suffering from borderline depression. “I have choked in the bathroom when cancer patients scream in pain and there is no morphine available to administer,” he said. “I have treated pellet injuries on 10-year-olds, and it feels as if I was operating on my own son. Our anger is spilling over. Ask the psychiatric ward. Patients are asking for drugs that can kill them in their sleep.”On Oct. 19, I visited houses in Khanyar and Rainawari in Srinagar. The areas are known for their protests, and every household told me of a detained child. Mubasshir Peer, a chemist who lives in Rainawari, told me that more than 300 children were picked up on the night of Oct. 18, a few weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke at the United Nations. I was also able to interview Mohammad Shafi, one of the most senior members of the National Conference, a political party whose leaders have been under house arrest since Aug. 5. “Even if there is a day when the democratic process is ushered in Kashmir, what will any of our parties promise the people of Kashmir?” he asked. “That New Delhi will take decisions on their behalf while they lock Kashmiris down like lambs. Look at this government, it arrested an 80-year-old academic yesterday who just sat on the street with a placard.” He was referring to the arrest of 18 female academics and activists, including the wife of the former chief justice, Hawa Bashir, who sat on a silent protest in Srinagar to ask for the return of civil liberties. The women, including an 82-year-old academic with a pacemaker, were taken to jail and then released a day later on the condition that they would neither protest nor speak of Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.  It all reinforces the distressing silence in Jammu and Kashmir. When I asked people why they weren’t going to work, their response was fear. A government employee told me Kashmiris are keeping their children indoors. “We fear that they will take our children away,” he said. "I can tell you this is the apocalypse Kashmir feared. We are all lifeless here.” His 18-year-old nephew, Saquib Nazeer, has been lying in a hospital with 174 pellet wounds, including four in his heart, he told me. He is on life support. Kashmiris are avoiding Indian TV. The news reports showing “normalcy” fill them with rage. I watched as a journalist from the channel India Today talked about a new era of peace in Kashmir. (The same journalist was called out on Twitter a week ago for anchoring a 30-minute program praising a genocidal speech by a member of the paramilitary force). Kashmiri radio just plays songs — the announcers have been off the air since Aug. 5. Newspapers don’t publish editorials — only the official version of the story makes it to print.  As I wrote this, “Boycott all Muslims” was trending in Indian Twitter. Most tweets are amplified by followers of Modi and his ministers. Some ask for a genocide against Muslims, others ask for the blood of Kashmiris. I think about the words of Nusrat Jahan, the doctor. Soon all Kashmiris could be either in jails or mental asylums. The world’s apathy — and the apathy of many Indians — is only perpetuating a climate of fear, silence and repression the region hasn’t witnessed in decades. But it’s time to take notice. On Tuesday, participants at a U.S. congressional hearing about human rights in South Asia singled out India’s actions in Kashmir. Francisco Bencosme, Asia Pacific advocacy manager at Amnesty International, said his organization had documented  “a clear pattern of authorities using administrative detention on politicians, activists and anyone likely to hold a dissenting opinion before and after Aug. 5” in Jammu and Kashmir. More of us need to speak up. The world must hear the deafening silence from Kashmir. Looking the other way for strategic relations is not an option. Kashmir and her children are waiting for justice. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/10/23/indias-crackdown-kashmir-has-paralyzed-silenced-entire-communities/

12.                AI submission: Oct., 24,2019: Amnesty International USA Submitted to the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation House Foreign Affairs Committee For a hearing on “Human Rights in South Asia: Views from the State Department and the Region” October 22, 2019  India The Government of India is desperately trying to crush dissenting voices and human rights work in India. The raid and subsequent freezing of accounts of Amnesty India is a recent evidence of a pattern of demonizing and criminalizing organizations and individuals, who have raised their voices against human rights violations. On 25 October 2018, Amnesty India endured a ten-hour-long raid as a group of officers from the Enforcement Directorate, a financial investigation agency under the Ministry of Finance, entered the premises and locked the gates behind them. Some of the staff were ordered to not leave, shut their laptops and not use their mobile phones. Most of the documents asked for during the search were available in the public domain or were already filed with the relevant government authorities. Details of our current structure, which was the focus of much of the questioning, have been available on our website since 2014. This action was taken in the absence of a formal complaint— a clear violation of fair trial guarantees. With their accounts frozen, Amnesty India’s vital human rights work was significantly set back. The Indian government is also attempting to tarnish Amnesty International’s reputation in India through selective leaks of evidence gathered during the investigations by the authorities to certain pro-government media outlets effectively weaponizing the media against it. Not only this, other organizations and individuals who work on human rights and justice are being targeted in a chillingly similar manner leading to arbitrary arrests or fear of reprisal. India’s 2010 Foreign Contributions Regulation Act was ostensibly introduced to address concerns about the risks to the “national interest” posed by foreign funding and foreign organizations. The Law lists individuals and organizations that are barred from receiving foreign funds; it requires licenses to be renewed every five years and provides for suspension of licenses and freezing of bank accounts during investigations. In practice, it has been used to target organizations who criticize the government and demand accountability. For example, groups who have criticized infrastructure and mining projects and those seeking justice for the anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat in 2002 faced repeated questions about their work, threats of investigations and blocking of foreign funding. In 2014, an Intelligence Bureau report leaked to the press accused “foreign funded” NGOs like Greenpeace, Cordaid, Amnesty International and ActionAid of “serving as tools for foreign policy interests of western governments”, of having a negative impact on the country’s economic development and of being part of a “growth retarding campaign” to discredit India at international forums. In 2016, the government cancelled the licenses of thousands of NGOs for allegedly undertaking “activities not conducive to national interest”. We also note that those who work with and for advancing the rights of […] Dalits, Adivasis, LGBT communities and women, are being systemically targeted as well, in such raids across India. Often, this has resulted in arrests of key activists and journalists. Ten prominent activists, including Sudha Bharadwaj, Shoma Sen and Arun Ferreira, were arrested under draconian anti-terror legislation in Bhima Koregaon, Maharashtra state. A Dalit activist, Chandrashekar Azad “Ravan”, was held in administrative detention for 10 months without charge or trial. Women human rights defenders, who face reprisals for their human rights work and are subjected to gender-based discrimination, faced a torrent of online violence and abuse in India this year. Journalist Rana Ayyub and activist Gurmehar Kaur were threatened with sexual violence for exercising their right to freedom of expression. And offline, the civic space continued to shrink as the central government used the controversial Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 as a political tool to harass organizations critical of its views and actions. On June 18, 2019, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a criminal case against the Lawyers Collective for allegedly violating the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). Indian authorities have cited financial ‘irregularities’ and activities that are against ‘public interest’ and ‘national interest’ to cancel NGOs’ foreign funding licenses under the FCRA. Some organizations that have been targeted using this law are the Lawyers Collective, People’s Watch, Sabrang Trust and Navsarjan Trust, whose licenses remain suspended or cancelled. While the FCRA makes it extremely difficult for rights organizations to access funding, companies and political parties receiving foreign funds are held to far less restrictions and rarely face repressive consequences. Amnesty International India’s interactive website ‘Halt the Hate’ has found that reports of alleged hate crimes have witnessed the steepest rise in numbers since 2016. In the first six months of 2019 alone, 181 incidents of alleged hate crimes have been recorded by the website, nearly double than previous three years’ half-yearly counts. This highlights a very alarming trend in the country. Between January and June 2019, over two-third of the victims suffered harm on account of their Dalit identity followed by their Muslim (40), Adivasi (12), Christian (4) and their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity (6). Some of the alleged hate crimes against Dalits related to denial of access to public property such as roads, water, crematorium, schools etc. Cowvigilantism related hate crimes and honor killing were reported in 17 cases. In Assam, more than 1.9 million people have been left out from the final list of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which was published late August. Amnesty International expresses its deep concerns about the functioning of the 100 or more Foreigners Tribunals, which will decide whether those excluded from the NRC list are Indian citizens or not. Amnesty International has strongly urged the Assam Government to ensure that the Foreigners Tribunals function with utmost transparency and are in line with the fair trial standards guaranteed under national and international law. Instances of the Foreigners Tribunals declaring citizens as ‘irregular foreigners’ over clerical errors—such as minor differences in spellings of names or age in electoral rolls, or slight contradictions between answers given in cross-examinations and what is written in the documents—are appallingly common. Assam is on the brink of a crisis which would not only lead to a loss of nationality and liberty of a large group of people but also erosion of their basic rights – severely affecting the lives of generations to come. Amnesty, in its 2018 briefing, ‘Between Fear and Hatred: Surviving Migration Detention in Assam’ documented the inhumane conditions of the detention centres in Assam and the ill-treatment suffered by persons declared as foreigners and held in these detention centres. Many persons Amnesty spoke to in 2018 reported that fellow detainees were suffering from mental health problems. The facilities for treatment of mental health disorders within the prisons are highly inadequate. It also found that detainees face indefinite detention in overcrowded prisons where there is no segregation of detainees from convicts and undertrial prisoners. Former detainees interviewed by Amnesty had also said that the prisons were overcrowded with hardly any space to move or even turn around. Currently, there are 6 detention centres across Assam, and the state government is planning to set up 10 more centres. The Assam government in July 2019 had said that 25 people who were declared as foreigners died in detention due to illness. As many as 25 of these deaths occurred in the last three years. In a recent television interview, Union Home Minister, Amit Shah said there will be a nation- wide National Register of Citizens (NRC) before 2024. The extension of NRC risks the mirroring of discrimination and arbitrary deprivation of nationality, as observed in Assam to the rest of India which stands to result in wide-scale statelessness. Amnesty International India calls on the government to adhere to international human rights norms and stop the use of NRC as a political tool to render people, who have been living in India for decades and have established strong links with the country, stateless. On August 5, 2019, the Government of India unilaterally revoked Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. Article 370 guaranteed special autonomy to Jammu & Kashmir and gave it independence over matters excluding foreign affairs, defense and communication. This was followed by the enactment of the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganization Act that aims to bifurcate the state of Jammu & Kashmir into two separate union territories on 31 October 2019. Union territories, as opposed to states, are governed by the central government. All these amendments and changes were made amidst a complete communication clampdown, curfew on movement and mass detentions of political leaders in the region. In September and October 2019, Amnesty International spoke to the people of Jammu & Kashmir, including those detained in the context of the larger clampdown, as well as with the lawyers representing detained persons; medical professionals working in both government and private hospitals in the capital city of Srinagar; journalists and editors of local media; and representatives of the regional political parties. Amnesty International reviewed photographs and documents presented as evidence of many specific events described during the interviews. At the time of conducting these interviews, while both mobile phone and landline services were restored in the Jammu region, only landline services were restored in Kashmir. Amnesty International documented a clear pattern of authorities using administrative detention on politicians, activists and anyone likely to hold a dissenting opinion before and after August 5. While the Central Home Ministry claims it has no information on the name and locations of detainees, media reports suggest that the number of detentions runs in thousands. The Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) police recently accepted that about 144 children, as young as nine, have been taken into custody. In wake of the Block Development Council elections slated to be held on October 24 in Jammu Kashmir, few political detainees were released by the authorities on the condition that they must not indulge in any political activities and speeches. Political leaders are made to sign bonds for their release from detention undertaking that they will not make any comment/issue statement/make public speech/hold or participate in public assembly for a period of one year. Political speech cannot be prohibited under international law unless it constitutes a direct threat to public order, which has not been adequately demonstrated by the Government of India. These conditions also place unwarranted restrictions on political leaders, especially when most of them have been advocating for peace in the region. For instance, the last words of Omar Abdullah, the former chief minister of J&K before he was placed on house arrest, were a request for the public to maintain calm and not to take the law into their own hands. Moreover, the blanket nature of this condition does not fulfil the conditions of legality and proportionality as required under the international law. Instead, it stifles public debate and hampers political discourse. The cases documented by Amnesty international India clearly show the government’s witch-hunt to curb dissenting voices in Kashmir, including those of duly elected leaders which is against the representative and participative thread of India. An atmosphere of fear and reprisal has ensured silence from many quarters. This has been compounded through arbitrary detentions often without any kind of documentation, access to lawyers and recourse to justice. Amnesty International interviewed 5 young men who had been arbitrarily picked up by the security forces during raids in separate incidents since August. All of them reported use of excessive force by the security forces during their detention. Several of these cases amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, absolutely forbidden under international law. Amnesty International was told that after the story of their torture was telecasted by the international media channel BBC in early September, security forces went back to the homes of those tortured. Their homes were raided and their families were threatened of consequences in case they talk to anyone. Amnesty International during its research observed that the reality on the ground in Kashmir is very different from the narrative of ‘normalcy’ set forth by both the government and national news in India. One of the main reasons for this was the complete dependency on the government information in the absence of ground reports from local Kashmiri media. In several interviews with local journalists, editors and publishers conducted by Amnesty International India, it was repeatedly expressed that they felt threatened, intimidated or coerced into silence leading to the stark absence of voices from Kashmir. Amnesty International India believes that the intimidation and coercive attacks from security forces faced by journalists in Kashmir severely affects their independence in reporting and verifying the events unfolding in Kashmir since August 5, 2019. Freedom of press is crucial for holding institutions accountable and the present situation raises grave concerns of human rights violations that may occur yet remain unreported due to Government of India's near-total control over information coming out of Kashmir. Most importantly, this clampdown is effectively silencing the truth.

13.                US House hearings Part II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k8UH4v-mv4. US House hearings on human rights in South Asia, Vol II; Ms. Kaul: .RSS is akin to Nazis: Kashmir is not a communal issue it has been communalized; Jummu massacre is an enlarged version of Janllianwala massacre; the question is about the consent of the people; Ms. Chatterji- Hindu majoratism is driving events in Kashmir; Shan and Modi were part of Gujarat massacre they have not apologized; the intent of this change is potentially genocidal; Mr. Bencosme- India threatened AI and raided offices etc. other NGO were also targeted; they have documented human rights violations in Kashmir; they have documented health issues n Kashmir; Dr. Mahmood- Kashmiri have been imprisoned by India; we are facing a very brutal regime; mental health is threathened; Ms. Houlahan- there have been numerous violent gender based incidents including rape and group rapes ; Mr. Levin- situation is very dire in occupied Kashmir; Assam tribunals do not meet international standards; Ms. Wild- no justification for the clamp down ; something has been hidden ; 370 abrogation is not a step to better women rights; union territory is a step backwards; Ms. Omar- Indian actions are wrongly termed as for the betterment of women rights; Mr. Lieu: violence against Christians is State sponsored; all other religions are persecuted; when the State sues violence and is also upholding justice is exactly why Kushneris want the matter to be internalized; Ms. Jayapal: laws are used to arbitrarily hold people or even kill people

14.                Relaxation: Oct., 25, 2019: It is apple season in Kashmir, but in orchards across the fertile Himalayan valley, unpicked fruit rots on the branches. Markets lack their usual bustle, most shops are open for only a few hours each morning, and schools and colleges are largely empty of students. The slowdown reflects both the firm grip of the Indian government on the Muslim-majority state, and the seemingly spontaneous reaction of the Kashmiri people to it.    Ina Sept. 29 column, former Indian Supreme Court Judge Markandey Katju wrote that Kashmir would become India’s Vietnam War, a nightmare with “body bags” returning in large numbers. “Remove the restrictions, and popular protests will engulf the whole Valley. Continue them, and the pot will boil until it explodes.” A greater security risk seems to be the anger and resentment simmering within the Valley. Nearly 4,000 people, including politicians, activists, journalists, have been arrested, according to a Sept. 6 government report seen by Reuters, and thousands remain in custody. On Sept. 24, the National Federation of Indian Women highlighted claims that 13,000 boys had been picked up and detained, some for up to 45 days. “These incidents instill a fear that goes very deep,” Bhasin says. “Kashmir is not a monolith; there will be a creative response, a peaceful response—and a violent response.” A rise in homegrown terrorism in the Valley now seems almost inevitable, Khan suggests. “There’s lots of anger there. It is sharp and fierce,” he says. “But when people are defending their homes against Indian attacks, we don’t call it militancy. We would call them freedom fighters.” Violence has already risen as India dismantles the “iron wall” in Kashmir. Cell phone services were restored on Oct. 14 (the Internet is still restricted), but peaceful protesters are still being arrested. On Oct. 16, five were killed: two civilians in attacks by suspected militants, and three alleged rebels, by Indian forces. Four days later, shelling on both sides of the boundary between India-adminstered Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Kashmir led to the deaths of at least nine soldiers and  most Kashmiris are not returning to business as usual, either too afraid of violence or determined to disobey New Delhi. “There’s a collective sense of fear, humiliation, hurt and anger,” Bhasin says. “The natural fallout is that this will erupt in different forms. The only question is when.” https://time.com/5706847/what-happens-now-kashmir/

15.                Local elections: Oct., 25, 2019:  India is set to hold local body elections on Thursday in Indian-administered Kashmir amid a boycott by most political parties, which have termed it "undemocratic". Hundreds of leaders of pro-India parties, including three former chief ministers, remain in detention since New Delhi stripped the disputed region's autonomy on August 5. Residents and political parties have criticized the timing of the "forced elections" as the state remains under a security lockdown and a near-complete communication blackout. Shehla Rashid, a young Kashmiri politician, quit electoral politics earlier this month saying she did not want to "legitimise" New Delhi's actions in Kashmir by participating in "sham electoral exercise". "This is really worth seeing how the democracy of India lives in hotels in Kashmir," said 30-year-old, Dilshad Ahmad. "This is a forced election, we don't know what they plan to do here." https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/india-set-hold-local-elections-kashmir-boycott-191023115741577.html

16.                Kashmir internationalized: Oct., 25, 2019: On October 22, the US House Subcommittee on Asia held an historic hearing on Human Rights in Asia.  the bulk of the discussion was on the ongoing siege in Indian-occupied Kashmir. It was the first time so much attention had been devoted to Kashmir in the US Congress. Ever since the Indian government revoked the region's special status on August 5, imposed a communication blockade and precipitated fears of a settler-colonial project, the world's most militarised zone has been internationalised in an unprecedented way  The US hearing marks a critical shift in how the Kashmir issue has been discussed in policy circles. Witnesses were able to highlight the immense amount of state repression in Kashmir, and not just after August 5. Amnesty International's representative, Francisco Bencosme, spoke of the detentions, the lack of press freedoms and the worrying attacks on religious freedom in India. Members of Congress asked difficult questions about the justification for the communications blockade. As Susan Wild, a representative from Pennsylvania, stated: "To me, if there is no transparency, there is something that is being hidden." Expert scholars on Kashmir, including Nitasha Kaul and Angana Chatterji, spoke about the rise of Hindu majoritarianism and its relationship to Nazism, as well as the prevalence of enforced disappearances, rape, extrajudicial killings and torture in Kashmir. Nonetheless, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did for Kashmir overnight what the movement for Kashmiri self-determination had struggled for more than seven decades to do. Last month, for the first time in 50 years, the United Nations Security Council held a closed-door session on Kashmir. During his visit to the US, Modi was met in Houston and New York with the largest protests ever seen in the US over Kashmir. Dozens of elected officials in the US have spoken out against the unfolding humanitarian crisis. Modi's actions have also reinvigorated an otherwise politically complacent Kashmiri diaspora, who are now fully aware of the existential threat their families face under the Hindu nationalist government. They have been at the forefront of urging the international community to centre Kashmiri perspectives and aspirations, and to move away from seeing the issue solely through the lens of a bilateral dispute between India and Pakistan. Hundreds of cities around the world have held protests, vigils, marches and teach-ins. People who might have never heard of Kashmir before August 5 are now mobilised and want to take action. Progressive and interfaith coalitions are becoming aware of the links between Kashmir and other anti-fascist, anti-colonial, anti-occupation and anti-war struggles around the world. ression would be no different. Instead, US presidential contenders like Bernie Sanders are calling for the implementation of UN resolutions on Kashmir that "respect the wishes of the Kashmiri people," and the Labour Party in the United Kingdom has also passed an emergency motion on Kashmir calling for party leader Jeremy Corbyn to seek international observers to "enter" the region and demand the right of self-determination for its people.  https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/day-story-kashmir-changed-191024074602559.html

17.                Local Elections: Oct., 26,2019: Village council elections were held on Thursday across Indian-controlled Kashmir, with the detention of many mainstream local politicians and a boycott by most parties prompting expectations that the polls will install supporters of the central Hindu nationalist-led government that revoked the region's semi-autonomous status in August. Indian officials are hoping the election of leaders of more than 300 local councils will lend credibility amid a political vacuum and contend they will represent local interests better than corrupt state-level political officials. Heavy contingents of police and paramilitary soldiers guarded polling stations. At some places, soldiers patrolled streets around polling stations. Police said no violence was reported. https://en.qantara.de/content/india-holds-kashmir-elections-despite-lockdown

18.                US Congressmen : Oct., 26, 2019: Seeking free access of foreign journalists and congressmen to Kashmir, six American lawmakers have written to Indian Ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla, claiming that the picture portrayed by India in the Valley is different from the one being told to them by their constituents Seeking free access of foreign journalists and congressmen to Kashmir, six American lawmakers have written to Indian Ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla  The lawmakers David N Cicilline, Dina Titus, Chrissy Houlahan, Andy Levin, James P McGovern and Susan Wild in their letter dated October 24 said their questions were a follow up to the briefing given to them by Shringla on October 16 about the situation in Kashmir. https://www.news18.com/news/india/us-lawmakers-seek-access-of-foreign-journalists-congressmen-to-kashmir-write-to-indian-envoy-2363045.html

19.                Tweets blocked: Oct., 27, 2019: Twitter has blocked nearly a million tweets from accounts that focus on Kashmir at the behest of the Indian government, according to an investigation carried out by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). According to the report published on Friday by the CPJ — an independent organisation working to promote press freedom worldwide — hundreds of thousands of tweets blocked in India since August 2017 under the Twitter’s country withheld content policy were shared by accounts that focus on Kashmir. The CPJ retrieved requests sent by Indian authorities to Twitter between August 2017 and August this year from Lumen, an open database.  In August this year alone, nine legal requests were sent to Twitter specifying 20 accounts and 24 tweets when the communications blackout in occupied Kashmir began — a considerable spike from the preceding months. The vast majority (90pc) of the withheld accounts were from the group that referenced Kashmir, hosting over 920,000 tweets between them, the CPJ found. It is pertinent to mention that the actual number of demands, tweets and accounts may be much higher as CPJ was able to retrieve requests publicly available in Lumen. . In August 2019, of the 20 accounts specified, at least five belonged to journalists and bloggers   From then until December 2018, however, the number of accounts specified in requests surged to 4,722. Twitter agreed to block 131 of them.  . https://www.dawn.com/news/1512977

Kashmir Update 45: Week Oct., 14, 2019 to Oct.,20, 2019  

1.     Photographs: Oct., 14, 2019: Rare images from inside Indian-controlled Kashmir after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and moved to quell widespread unrest by shutting down communications and clamping down on freedom of movement. https://en.farsnews.com/imgrep.aspx?nn=13980718000606\

2.   Normalcy: Oct., 14, 2019: Modi on Sunday said it would take four months for Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir to return to normal Some mobile phone connections are set to be restored on Monday, the Indian government said on Saturday https://tribune.com.pk/story/2078570/3-indias-modi-vows-no-immediate-respite-besieged-kashmiris/

3.   Women of Kashmir: Oct.,14,2019P: “As feminists, women’s rights activists, peace, democratic and civil rights’ activists, lawyers, academics, students, journalists, scientists, artists, writers, etc., we raise our voice today in salute and solidarity with the women of Kashmir. About 500 individual women and women’s organisations from about 30 countries across the globe—ranging from South Asian nations to the US, Iran to Indonesia, Afghanis-tan to Argentina, Europe to Mexico, Israel, Palestine, Uganda, Nigeria and South Africa—stand with them in this, their darkest moment. We condemn the actions of the Indian Government and their dealing with a political problem as a territorial one.”  We call for an end to the culture of fear and terror, violence and assault that has been cultivated in the state for far too long;  We speak out against the continued detention of countless people of the state and demand their immediate release; We seek an immediate end to the Internet shutdown, lift on all restrictions on movement and communications, and a restoration of real ‘normalcy’.; We call for restrictions be lifted in order to allow the independent media in Kashmir to carry out its duty of reporting facts and informing the public, without fear or favour;  We urge the Indian Government to step back from its current aggressions and stop the militarisation that has failed to solve the problem since independence;  We seek a reinstatement of consultative processes with the people of Jammu and Kashmir on any action that concerns them, their lives and their community; We call for an end to the smokescreens of Kashmir being an ‘internal matter’ etc., to avoid meaningful dialogue. For that is the only way to evolve a long lasting peaceful solution to Kashmir. Because like the women of Kashmir, we have also, all too often, been told that the violence and control we face in the home, family, community and nation is an ‘internal matter’, not to be exposed to the world. But we all have lived and learnt the reality, that it is only in breaking our silence that we break the shackles of our oppressions. And in that fight, we StandWithKashmir, Stand With The Women Of Kashmir! http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article9039.html

4.   India’s youth: Oct., 14, 2019:  To Kashmir, A Message Of Solidarity And A Call To Dissent, From India’s Youth “Thus, we urge the Indian government to lift the communication and media blockade, restoring fundamental human rights to freedom of movement, assembly, and information. We call for the release of political leaders who have been detained without trial since August 5, and demilitarisation of Kashmir with the initiation of meaningful conversation with the Kashmiri people on the future of the state”  https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2019/10/indian-youth-on-jammu-and-kashmir/

5.   Commonwealth journalists: Oct.,14, 2019: Kashmir: What the future holds — was the subject of a highly charged debate held by the Commonwealth Journalists Association at Parliament House with John Elliot, author of Implosion: India's Tryst with Reality in the chair, who likened the issue with war game. Perhaps the most trenchant criticism of the lockdown in Kashmir came from Nitasha Kaul, of Westminster University." Kaul minced no words and attacked the Modi regime for its "proto-fascist" policies. http://www.millenniumpost.in/opinion/criticism-galore-379311

6.   Democracy: Oct., 15, 2019: the Indian state ignored the rational arguments, aspirations, sentiments of the people and authoritatively abrogated the articles using the might of the state. The people of India claim it to be the "true Azadi" by confining the people of Jammu and Kashmir to their homes as if the Indian state and people are afraid of Kashmiris celebrating in their own way this "new Azadi". Are they afraid of the insurrection of resistance? People in the Valley mostly view the scrapping of state's special status as death of democracy because with that has come a regime that is inimical to freedom of thought, opinion and written expression. In this century where people of the torn apart nations of Middle East are raising demands for democracy and repudiating any and every type of authoritative and military regimes, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are being deprived of the democracy that was provided to them by the founding fathers of the Indian constitution http://kashmirtimes.com/newsdet.aspx?q=95490

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8.   Afaan: Oct., 15, 2019:  Afaan, spent a fortnight in a prison in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOK), after police booked him under a stringent Public Safety Act (PSA). He was charged of protesting against Indian decision of revoking the special status to the region. A fortnight in a prison cell has completely changed Afaan, says his father Manzoor Ahmed Ganai. The Juvenile Justice Committee of the State High Court has confirmed the arrest of 144 juveniles. “He (Afaan) is very depressed and frightened. His whole body aches and there are visible scars on his back,” Ganai, told Anadolu Agency. A report prepared by the IOK Coalition of Civil society (JKCCS) and the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), mentions how the detention of children was adding to the chaos. .https://tribune.com.pk/story/2080010/torture-detention-children-adds-rage-kashmir/ 

9.   Women’s protest: Oct., 16, 2019: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops arrested several women after subjecting them to brute force during an anti-India demonstration in Lal Chowk area of Srinagar, today.. A large number of women including rights activists and leading academicians carrying placards gathered at the Pratap Park in Srinagar. As they started the march, the police swooped in on them and arrested several women including the daughter and the sister of former puppet Chief Minister of occupied Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah, during the protest against the revocation of Kashmir’s special status. Ms Hawa Bashir, the wife of former Chief Justice of IOK High Court, Bashir Ahmed Khan, was also among the detainees. The protesters were dragged and subjected to torture by the police. This was the first anti-India protest of its kind in Lal Chowk area, the center of Srinagar, after 5th August 2019. https://kmsnews.org/news/

10.                Detentions: Oct., 17, 2019: Wani is one of thousands of people reportedly detained in mass arrests in the disputed Himalayan region, which has faced a security crackdown since India’s prime minister, Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi, revoked the Muslim majority state’s semi-autonomous status in August. Wani’s parents traveled around 1,000km (620 miles) by bus to visit him in Agra central jail last week. “You have no idea how I arranged the money for the travel,” his father, Ghulam Nabi Wani, said. “He has changed so much physically, he has become weak and he shivers while talking.” https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/oct/16/kashmir-families-live-in-fear-as-loved-ones-are-detained-far-from-home #FReeKashmir #SaveKashmir

11.                Youth martyred: Oct., 17, 2019:  In occupied Kashmir, Indian martyred three Kashmiri youth. The youth were killed in a fake encounter by the troops during cordon and search operations in Pazalpora area of Islamabad district. The martyred youth have been identified as Nasir Chadro, a resident of Arwani, Aaqib Ahmad Sheikh of Redwani and Zahid Ahmad from Bijbehara. https://kmsnews.org/news/

12.                Bradford meeting: Oct., 17, 2019: A PASSIONATE debate in Bradford City Hall saw members of all political parties condemn the violence currently taking place in Kashmir. A six hour meeting of the full Council on Tuesday evening saw two separate motions calling for the Council to condemn human rights violations currently happening in the area. https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/17972682.political-parties-come-together-condemn-kashmir-violence-passionate-city-hall-meeting/

13.                Protest within India: Oct., 17, 2019: SCs, STs, and Muslim front organized Dharna programme on Tuesday at Dharna Chowk near Indira Park Hyderabad India . Addressing the gathering, Justice Chandra Kumar told that the step taken by the central govt. is illegal  Mr. Sanaullah Khan expressed solidarity with the Kashmiris and said that the front will intensify the agitation. The program conducted by Afzal Mohammed in association with Socialist Party Telangana, Lubna Sarwath, the protest ended with raising slogans of Save Democracy in Kashmir, We stand with Kashmir https://www.siasat.com/kashmir-issue-govt-took-wrong-step-protest-meeting-held-1694598/

14.                BBC Hardtalk: Oct., 17, 2019:  Iltija Mufti, daughter of former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti  speaks of the Kashmir’s plight at Hardtalk BBC . https://www.facebook.com/freedommediachannel/videos/441696693128844/

15.                Maoist support: Oct., 18, 2019: The CPI (Maoist) announced that it backs the separatist movement in Kashmir. In a statement, the party’s Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee asked its workers, intellectuals and revolutionaries to hit the streets against scrapping of Article 370. “The fascist government scrapped Article 370 and 35A through presidential signature. They made Ladakh an union territory by curving it out of Jammu and Kashmir. This is against Indian Constitution,” said Viakalp, spokesperson of the CPI (Maoists). The statement also noted how the decision of government of India went against Simla Agreement between India and Pakistan. The organisation urged intellectuals to support them. “If they remain silent, poor dalits and Adivasis will face huge crisis as they are the ultimate target,” said the statement. https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2019/10/17/Banned-CPI-Maoist-extends-support-to-Kashmiri-separatists-slams-Centre.html

16.                LoC : Oct.,18, 2019: Pakistani and Indian troops exchanged gunfire in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, killing four civilians and wounding nearly a dozen others, officials from both sides said Wednesday. On Wednesday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it summoned an Indian diplomat to lodge its protest over the previous day’s “cease fire violations” that killed three civilians, including two children, on the Pakistani side of the contested Kashmir border. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/pakistan-says-india-army-firing-kills-3-civilians-in-kashmir/2019/10/16/c4e4a0d4-efe7-11e9-bb7e-d2026ee0c199_story.html #FreeKashmir #SaveKashmir

17.                Apples: Oct., 18, 2019: Kashmir’s apple orchards, backbone of the economy and livelihood for nearly half the people living there, are deserted with fruit rotting on the trees at a time when they should be bustling with harvesters. “That’s almost $1,200 worth of produce. It’s all a waste now,” said apple farmer Mohammad Shafi, pointing to a heap of rotten apples thrown into a pit in Wuyan, a small village 37 miles (60 kms) east of Srinagar, the region’s main city. Apple growers were expecting a bumper crop this year. Now, they say, losses are in the millions of dollars and the business might suffer its worst year since the beginning of the insurgency   .https://www.apnews.com/20480d3402024828a782ea8d3394c4ab

18.                Palm oil : Oct., 18, 2019: India, the world’s top palm oil buyer, is shunning purchases from Malaysia after the Southeast Asian nation’s prime minister criticized its policy in Kashmir, “India will replace Malaysian palm oil imports by buying more from Indonesia and increasing edible oil supplies from Ukraine,” said Bipul Chatterjee https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-16/crisis-in-kashmir-touches-off-an-unlikely-battle-over-palm-oil

19.                Ahmadabad vigil: Oct., 18, 2019: Seeking restoration of "normalcy" in Jammu and Kashmir and lifting of communications blockade from that state, activists, students, faculty members of IIM Ahmedabad and others took out a candlelight vigil here on Thursday. As part of the vigil, which was aimed at expressing solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, around 150 people gathered outside the IIM Ahmedabad here holding lit candles as well as banners that read "Stand With Kashmir", "Let Kashmir Speak", "Peace in Kashmir", "Restore Communication" and "We Are With Kashmiris". https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/candlelight-vigil-in-gujarat-voices-solidarity-with-kashmiris-119101701414_1.html

20.                British lawmakers: Oct., 18, 2019: Lawmakers in the British Parliament were in uproar over the draconian clampdown in India Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and condemned the human rights violations by Indian security forces in the disputed valley. Labour Party’s deputy leader and former defence minister Tom Watson affirmed support to the Kashmiris while MP Byrne dismissed India’s stance that the matter was a bilateral issue  “Human rights violations are an international matter,” said the British lawmaker, adding that India must end the lockdown.https://tribune.com.pk/story/2082328/1-british-parliamentarians-uproar-brutal-clampdown-occupied-kashmir/

21.                Muslims in India: Oct., 19, 2019: The Kashmiris feel betrayed and cheated and even humiliated. Even the manner in which their leaders – the Hurriyat and even the elected mainstream politicians -- have been treated by the government of the day, has hit Kashmiri pride. Each day is a nerve-wracking day for Muslims, whose sheer survival is getting tougher. There is communal tension in the atmosphere, in and around mohallas, inside classrooms, along the highways. The fear runs so deep that ghettoisation is on the rise and so is withdrawal from public space. https://www.newsclick.in/Blatant-Omission-Muslims-New-India 

22.                Children: Oct., 19, 2019: Children in Kashmir are prevented from accessing urgent medical care. Basic necessities — including baby food, milk and medicines are in short supply. Parents are not sending their children to school for fear they will be injured, detained or killed and have no way of communicating with them. Armed forces have illegally detained Kashmiri children and abused them, physically and sexually. Children have been shot in the eye by soldiers firing pellet guns and even marble slingshots. A 17-year-old boy recently died of tear gas and pellet gun injuries. Women in labor cannot access obstetric care for safe delivery, putting their newborns at risk. Fathers are randomly detained by the military; many disappear, leaving children behind. Local children’s organizations are being paralyzed by the blackout and lockdown while international organizations tasked with promoting children’s well-being, like UNICEF and Save the Children, have yet to initiate meaningful programs to address this crisis   https://www.insidesources.com/children-are-the-largest-casualty-of-the-kashmir-crisis/

23.                Protests: Oct., 19, 2019: In occupied Kashmir, people held forceful demonstrations in different areas, today, against the Indian occupation and repeal of special status of the territory by India. Soon after the culmination of Juma congregational prayers, people took to the streets in Srinagar, Badgam, Ganderbal, Islamabad, Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian, Bandipora, Baramulla, Kupwara and other areas of the occupied territory and shouted high-pitched pro-freedom, pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans  Meanwhile, normal life continued to remain affected on the 75th straight day, today, in the Kashmir Valley and Muslim majority areas of Jammu region due to the Indian military lockdown and suspension of internet and prepaid cellular services. Shops and business establishments continue to remain closed except for few hours in the morning and evening while public transport is off the roads. All schools, colleges and universities are deserted as parents are not ready to send their wards to the educational institutions due to fear to their security.https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/10/18/people-hold-forceful-anti-india-demos-in-iok/

24.                Fear: Oct., 19, 2019: Kashmiris are afraid to talk to the media and other outsiders, this is because if they do talk the Armed Forces either send to jail a family member or use violence. According to a report from Frontline People in the hinterland underscored the point that the forces had warned them of “reprisals” if they talked to the media about the “cycles of night raids and illegal detentions, including that of minors” Recently, a Turkish state international news channel came out with a report of torture of a 26-year-old boy from Hirpora village in Shopian, 65 kilometres south of Srinagar. As per this report, the boy was blindfolded, pushed into a vehicle and taken to the Army’s 66 Rashtriya Rifles B Company camp at Chowgam. At the camp, the report said, he was “stripped naked, waterboarded and forced to drink copious amounts of a horribly smelly liquid” before the soldiers tied him to a pole and inflicted blows on him and administered electric current. https://frontline.thehindu.com/dispatches/article29724488.ece?homepage=true

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Kindly respond with comments or news that you wish included in next weeks update at: jarad_us@yahoo.com

                                          

Kashmir Update 44: Week Oct., 7, 2019 to Oct.,13, 2019  

1.    Protest: Oct., 6, 2019: A group of volunteers wearing masks and carrying a rainbow banner representing   LGBTQ community, disrupted an event hosted at SOAS University of London where CPI-ML member    Men wearing masks disrupt London event, say those opposing repeal of Article 370 are homophobic .Krishnan and Nitasha Kaul   were among the speakers at the event - 'Resisting Fascism, Building Solidarities - India, Kashmir and beyond' which was organized by South Asia Solidarity group. A few people entered the venue wearing masks and raised slogans `Gay for J and K'. They said that those who oppose the repeal of Article 370   in Jammu and Kashmir support homophobia and its removal means LGBTQ community gets equal rights in J-K among other minorities. They were carrying a rainbow flag which read 'Gay 4 J&K', and '370 is Homophobic. https://aninews.in/news/world/europe/men-wearing-masks-disrupt-london-event-say-those-opposing-repeal-of-article-370-are-homophobic20191005215403/

2.   Nagaland: Oct., 7, 2019: Thuingaleng Muivah, leader of India's oldest rebel organisation, has told Al Jazeera that he felt the Indian government's abrupt decision to strip Kashmir's special status was "unacceptable". The 85-year-old leads the National Socialist Council of Nagalim - Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) - northeast India's largest rebel outfit with an estimated 5,000 to 15,000 members fighting for independence for more than four decades.  NSCN-IM, formed in 1980, along with other armed groups based in Nagaland - a Christian-majority state - wants all Naga people unified in a new sovereign state called Nagalim. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/naga-leader-muivah-wary-india-kashmir-status-scrapped-191003082336819.html

3.   March to LoC: Oct.,7,2019: Participants of the ‘peoples’ freedom march’ under the aegis of pro-independence Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) reached near Jiskool on Sunday, a spot where the administration and police have blocked Muzaffarabad-Srinagar highway by placing containers, barbed wires, electricity poles and mounds of earth Video clips shared by the participants on social media showed exemplary response of locals, who offered food, fresh fruits, juices and water to the marchers apart from showering rose petals on them. https://www.dawn.com/news/1509323/jklf-protest-bound-for-chakothi-village-near-loc-stopped-by-containers

4.   US Senators: Oct., 7, 2019: A high-level US Congressional delegation comprising Senators Chris Van Hollen and Maggie Hassan along with their staffers and US Chargé d'Affaires Ambassador Paul Jones visited Muzaffarabad on Sunday to "see the ground situation and gauge public sentiment" following the illegal actions taken by India in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The US Senators reportedly said they would "continue to urge India to lift the curfew and release all prisoners as a first step". https://www.dawn.com/news/1509321/will-continue-to-urge-india-to-lift-curfew-release-all-prisoners-say-us-senators-after-visit-to-ajk 

5.   Youth martyred: Oct., 10, 2019: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops   martyred two Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today.The troops martyred the youth identified as Ufaid Farooq Lone and Abbas Ahmad Butt during a cordon and search operation in Awantipora area of the district. Violent military operations are going on in Ganderbal, Bandipore, Kupwara, Baramulla, Srinagar, Islamabad, Kulgam, Shopian, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar and other areas of the territory for the past 12 days. https://kmsnews.org/news/2019/10/08/indian-troops-martyr-youth-in-iok-2/

6.   LoC killings: Oct., 10, 2019: The Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia to record a strong protest against the "unprovoked ceasefire violations" by Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on October 6 and 7. An elderly woman had died and three other civilians had sustained injuries in the firing in Chirikot sector along the de facto border. https://www.dawn.com/news/1509718/pakistan-summons-indian-envoy-to-protest-killing-of-civilian-in-loc-ceasefire-violation

7.   Mahathir: Oct., 10, 2019: Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has refused to succumb to Indian pressure for changing his stance on the Kashmir issue.“We don’t give criticism to side with anyone, but we call for both parties to discuss, use arbitration or go to the court of law, not to resort to violence,” he said while speaking to the media at parliamentary lobby in Kaula Lumpur on Tuesday. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2075153/9-mahathir-refuses-retract-kashmir-statement-despite-indian-pressure/

8.   US concern: Oct., 10, 2019: The Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives has asked India to lift the communication blackout in the occupied Kashmir, warning that the continued lockdown of the occupied territory was having devastating impact on people’s the committee has also announced that its Asia-Pacific and Non-Proliferation Subcommittee will hold a hearing on human rights in Kashmir and other parts of South Asia regions on October 22.lives. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2075171/1-us-house-panel-asks-india-lift-iok-restrictions/

9.   Apple: Oct., 11, 2019: Farmers in Indian-administered Kashmir say restrictions on communication and movement are having a devastating impact on their businesses. Communications lockdown has resulted in a major portion of the apple harvest to rot, the apple industry is the mainstay of the Kashmiri economy. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/kashmir-farmers-struggle-india-restrictions-191009144145230.html

10.                LoC: Oct., 11, 2019: A Pakistan Army soldier was martyred as the Indian army resorted to ceasefire violations from across the restive Line of Control (LoC), the military's media wing said on Thursday. The firing also left one civilian dead and 14 others injured, officials said. https://www.dawn.com/news/1510076/soldier-martyred-in-indian-ceasefire-violation-ispr #FreeKashmir #SaveKashmir

11.                UN: Oct., 12, 2019: Over 50 countries in the UN, including Turkey, as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), on Tuesday called on India to end human rights violations in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir."The worsening human rights and humanitarian situation in Indian Administered Jammu & Kashmir, especially following decisions taken on August 5, 2019, requires urgent attention by the Human Rights Council and human rights mechanisms," the countries said in a joint statement. They also called for the immediate lifting of the curfew, ending the communications shutdown, and the release of political prisoners in Jammu and Kashmir. They also demanded were an immediate halt to the excessive use of force, especially the use of pellet guns, and unhindered access of human rights groups and the international media. They also asked for implementation of the recommendations of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) Kashmir reports, including establishment of a UN commission of inquiry to investigate "egregious human rights violations.". https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/un-asks-india-to-end-rights-breaches-in-jammu-kashmir-/1578339

12.                US Senator: Oct., 12, 2019: Mark Robert Warner, the co-chair of the United States Senate’s India Caucus, has become the latest American politician to speak out against the barbaric clampdown imposed by New Delhi in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). In a tweet late on Thursday night, Warner said he was “disturbed” by the restrictions on communications and movement imposed by the Narendra Modi-led government after revoking the occupied region’s special status. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2077229/3-us-senator-disturbed-indias-clampdown-occupied-kashmir/

13.                Malaysia: Oct., 12, 2019: India is considering restricting imports of some products from Malaysia including palm oil, according to government and industry sources, in reaction to the Southeast Asian country’s leader slamming New Delhi for its actions in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). India’s government was angered after Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad alleged last month at the United Nations that India had “invaded and occupied” IOK and asked New Delhi to work with Pakistan to resolve the issue. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2077406/3-india-may-restrict-imports-malaysia-mahathirs-support-kashmiris/. India is looking for ways to limit palm oil imports and may place restrictions on other goods from the country, said a government source and an industry source who participated in discussions led by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on the planned restrictions. https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/govt-may-restrict-palm-oil-import-from-malaysia-over-kashmir-stand-119101100661_1.html

14.                Local elections: Oct., 12, 2019:  Indian-administered Kashmir is gearing up for local elections amid a lockdown and with a large number of politicians under detention. Polling will be held on 24 October in 310 blocks, which comprise a cluster of villages, and are part of the local village council system. Votes will be counted on the same day. .Harsh Dev Singh of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party, who was recently set free after 58 days in detention, says political parties and leaders "should get equal opportunity and [a] level-playing field" for the elections to be credible."These elections seem like a formality. This is to just to show that elections are being held in the valley."Devender Rana of National Conference - one of the main regional parties - says it's "inappropriate to talk about politics when everything is under a lockdown"."How can political activity happen in this situation? Unless political workers meet people, understand their aspirations and inform leaders, only then a system can work." Shehla Rashid, an activist-turned-politician, who joined the newly formed Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement, says she is quitting politics."What is underway is not democracy, but the murder of democracy. It is a plan to install puppet leaders," she tweeted https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-49996399 

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