FREEDOM FROM INDIAN RULE IS OUR OBJECTIVE - GEELANI
Last week I attended a conclave of Defence Services Veterans where the participants were extremely upset that even though right from 1947, when Pakistan mounted its first attack on Jammu and Kashmir State, it is the Armed Forces which have had to make the maximum sacrifices to protect this inalienable part of Indian territory, in every statement about J&K being made these days not only by the separatists in that state but even by Government leaders the security forces are being unabashedly demonized.
Gen. S.K. Sinha who delivered the key note address at this conclave opened his address thus: “Kashmir has been a festering problem for the last 63 years. We merely assert that Kashmir is an integral part of India and a solution will emerge through dialogue. We as a Nation, suffer from a Panipat syndrome which stands for lack of strategic vision, remaining unprepared to face crises and not learning from the past.â€
He added: “We have blundered from one folly to another on Kashmir and have been repeatedly scoring self-goalsâ€.
Gen. Sinha who has had the unique distinction of having been witness to all the major events in that State since 1947 when he as a young Major supervised the air lift of Indian troops from the Safdarjang airport, New Delhi to Kashmir to repel the tribesmen sent by Pakistan, right up to 2008 when as Governor of J&K he had to handle the Amarnath controversy, then went on to list the numerous follies committed :
1. With the enemy closing on Srinagar, Maharaja Hari Singh fled to Jammu and was desperately seeking Indian assistance. He signed the Instrument of Accession but through exchange of letters, Kashmir was given a special position not made available to any Princely State in India or Pakistan.
2. Thereafter, we committed the cardinal folly of taking the Kashmir issue to the United Nations.
3. On 14 November 1947 when the enemy was in full flight, the Army had reached Uri but was stopped from advancing to Muzaffrabad and diverted to Poonch.
4. We launched our summer offensive on 22 May 1948 and by 1 June 1948, we liberated Tithwal. We were tantalizingly close to Muzaffrabad. The operation was called off in the wake of UN appeal to India and Pakistan to refrain from offensive operations.
5. In December 1948 after our resounding success in Ladakh and Poonch, we were well poised to liberate Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, but we agreed to a Cease Fire.
6. After the 1965 war, we handed over the strategic Hajipir Pass, won at great cost, on a platter to Pakistan at Tashkent.
7. We were outwitted at Shimla in 1972 and surrendered our gains without settling the Kashmir issue.
8. Our Parliament passed a unanimous resolution asserting that the area of Kashmir in illegal occupation of Pakistan is an integral part of India. We have done nothing to assert this right. Even when there has been widespread unrest in Gilgit-Baltistan, we did not even express sympathy for the agitators who are legally Indian citizens.
9. We agreed to road Srinagar-Muzaffrabad being opened but could not get road Kargil-Skardu opened.
10. In the name of freedom of the Press, we allow the Valley Press to constantly carry out anti-India false propaganda. The law on sedition does not seem to apply in Kashmir.
The list of our follies is endless, Gen. Sinha stated.
Not many outside the State are aware of the State’s diverse demography. Kashmiri Muslims among whom separatist sentiments and separatist violence are generally confined, constitute a minority in the State. Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and non-Kashmiri Muslims like Gujars, Bakharwals and Kargil Shias are nearly 60% of the State’s population. They do not nurture any anti-India sentiments.
Little wonder that a few years back, an opinion poll conducted under the patronage of Lord Avebury, a known British protagonist of Pakistan, found that only 6% Kashmiris wanted to join Pakistan, 61% wanted to remain in India and 33% were undecided !
More recently, in May 2010, King’s College of London University, at the instance of the son of Col. Gaddafi of Libya, carried out another similar survey in Kashmir. This survey found that only 2% of the people of Kashmir wanted to join Pakistan.
* * *
During the last fortnight of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the Lok Sabha had a day long discussion on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. I had referred in my last blog to the impressive contribution made by Dr. M.M. Joshi in the debate. Home Minister Shri Chidambaram was expected to reply to the debate the next day. But day after day kept passing by, the unconcluded debate on Kashmir would never find mention in the list of business. While rumours kept circulating that under guise of a political solution some package of concessions was being planned, on the last day of the session Dr. Joshi raised the issue as to why the Home Minister had avoided replying to this important debate.
There was an uproar on the issue and the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs said he would ask the H.M. who was in the other House if he could come. Well, he did not come, and the House was adjourned sine die in the evening without Government telling Parliament what kind of package it had prepared for the azadi-seekers.
In a press conference at Srinagar Hurriyat Conference Chief Syed Ali Shah Geelani has stated brazenly last week that the means of ‘resistance’ may have been changing from time to time, but the objective has been consistent, namely: FREEDOM FROM INDIAN RULE
Geelani then spelt out five minimum conditions for reviewing the ongoing agitation which had created anarchy in the Valley.
1. India must accept that J&K State is disputed territory
2. Start demilitarization; scrap Armed Forces Special Powers Act
3. P.M. must guarantee that hereafter there would be no police firing, no arrests.
4. All ‘political’ prisoners including Afzal Guru, sentenced to death by Supreme Court for planning the attack on Parliament, must be released.
5. Security men and police responsible for action against the separatists must be punished.
The separatists in Kashmir are led by the Hurriyat Conference. But the ferocious stone-pelting movement these days draws its strength more from the PDP than from the Hurriyat.
And so far as the Hurriyat Chief is concerned, these facts about his past show up the man.
In 2002, Syed Ali Shah Geelani was seriously ill in Ranchi jail. A state aircraft took him to Mumbai for treatment. Here a doctor who happened to be a Kashmiri Pandit, by name Dr. Sameer Koul performed a difficult surgery on him and saved his life.
In 2007 again he was diagnosed to be suffering from cancer of the liver. He wanted to go to U.S. for treatment. The U.S. embassy denied him visa because of his terrorist links. He did not go to Pakistan. He chose instead to go again to Mumbai where the doctors performed yet another life-saving operation on him.
On return to Srinagar, he was given a rousing welcome by his followers. At the function held he said that India was in illegal occupation of Kashmir, and urged the international community to impose economic sanctions against India!
LK Advani
New Delhi
4th September, 2010
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September 4th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Respected Advaniji,
The so called ‘FREEDOM STRUGGLE’ led by GEELANI is slowly backfiring on the fanatics leading the STONE PELTERS. The citizens of KASHMIR have slowly started realisng that GILANI and the stone pelters are only in the payrolls of PAKISTNI military while their kith and kin are studying(whose expense?) abroad.These religious fanatics GILANI and ANDRABI , leading the army of stone pelters are completely blinded to the developments in PAKISTAN.Let them go to LAHORE and KARACHI and count the no of peole losing their lives everyday in BOMB Blasts which are boldly claimed by countless armed fanatics in PAKISTAN.
Let these fanatics who want freedom and PAKISTAN visit the flood affected regions of PAKISTAN and understand the agony and helplessness of their own people!
These fanatics who want freedom from INDIA should speak to the people of POK and understand how their counterparts have been sold to the communists of CHINA.
regards
PUNEETH KUMAR
BENGALURU
September 6th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Sir,
General’s statement on “Freedom Of the press†is true but it is applicable to other news channels as well, which General missed to highlight on Kashmir issue. What I want to convey is that not a single media in this country are patriotic, and apolitical as they try to protect their interest & all they do with the help of their media hosts and editor in chief is to paint India (Especially Armed Forces) and BJP black at any cost.
60% of population what General mentions that they don’t nurture any anti-India sentiments’ but what is the most gruesome is that they don’t vote for BJP? Why BJP’s has only 10 MLA’s and not a single MP from valley this itself shows that they prefer congress above BJP when it comes to vote. Another question to be asked why congress never speaks for this 60% or what does congress aware of this that 60% also wants Autonomy or Azaadi except Ladakhi’s?
To be continued……
September 6th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Recent forum organized by Tarun Vijay, News channels, fort night magazine we all saw Kashmiri Hindus too blamed Armed forces for their action but didn’t even mention any single word against stone throwers and even they too stressed that they want autonomy and want to be differentiated as Kashmiri Hindus but don’t want to be known as Indian, this is what exactly Kashmiri Muslims & Hindus want it officially from GoI.
For every Indians in this country picture is crystal clear what people from valley wants and another setback for BJP is that it is fighting a lone battle in valley with no one standing BJP’s side. Even BJP met same fate from 1996 to 1998, 2004 to 2009 during General Election where their share fall down drastically.
To be continued….
September 6th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
If we sum up all the events that took place in the past and forums’ conclusions we can conclude that Hindus are responsible for their plight and are equally responsible for worsening the condition of BJP today (Central and state level). After not providing room for the growth of BJP in the valleys, this 60% people are knocking the door of BJP.
September 9th, 2010 at 4:35 am
Dear Advaniji :
The people of India and hence the govt ,should never let Syed Shah Geelani and his likes ,control the future of the Kashmir valley in any form.I do not think he has any support even among Kashmiri people.Earlier he was strong pro-Pakistan element.Recently he has stopped talking of joining Pakistan.I have been watching his more recent videos.I cannot forget his statement few years back in a rally ,forcing people to say “We are Pakistani and Kashmir is for Pakistan” ;yet when it came to getting treatment for his Heart problem he chose Indian doctor’s and refused the idea of going to Pakistan to cure himself.May be he felt if Paki doctor’s goof up,he will not only die but also create a historical enmity between kashmiries and Pakistan;which may in turn benefit India in the J&K cause.What a great man!When it comes to one’s own life, get the best treatment where you can ,religion ,party ,conviction all those are for others
GN
September 9th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
Respected Advaniji,
The appointment of corruption tainted telcom secretary P J Thomas as CVC inspite of the opposition by the leader of the opposition is another glaring example of institutionalisng corruption by the governrment led by Mr.Honest Prime Minister.
This also marks the end of the institution of CVC, another feather in the cap of the Manmohan Singh governrment after the death knell struck on ELECTION COMMISSION.This is after Mr.Raja,telecom minister still continuing as a minister,Suresh Kalmadi as head of the corrupt COMMON WEALTH games and SHARAD PAWAR playing cricket instead of distributing what stocks rotting in FCI godowns to the hungry people.
BJP should protest the appointment of corrupt CVC in the parliament,Media and also legally if required and bring down the CORRUPT,UNDEMOCRATIC and NON PERFORMINg UPA governrment within 100 DAYS
regards
PUNEETH KUMAR
BENGALURU
September 12th, 2010 at 11:42 am
Respected Sir;
The problem of J&K is not created by Pakistan or China,it is the monumental blunders of some of our leaders which created it.But the irony is thateven after witnessing all these past,the Indian Govt. of today has not taken any lesson and the way the Govt. is talking like revocation of AFSPA or granting Autonomy as a probable way to handle the issue of J&K is proof of that.Sir; the problem with the majority of the Muslims are that they connect every issue with the religion and listen blindly without applying their own sense and logic to those who are supposedly the protector of their religion and identity.Today the youth’swho are protesting violently in J&K and singing the song of AZADI are not the act of their own.These are misguided youth’s who are brainwashed by the individual like Mr. Gilani and Mr. mirwaize Farooq.So if the Govt. of India wants to handle the same effectively it will have to handle the above said individual effectively.
September 14th, 2010 at 7:03 pm
The situation in Kashmir can change only if situation in rest of India changes. For that to happen, a sustained effort is required. Mass scale mobilization of opinion is required. Rallies and debates are required. It will not happen by “Rail Roko” or by “Chakka Jam”. It will happen by micro level meetings and macro level speech sessions in open grounds of this country. We must not indulge in violence. We must do it peacefully and we must do 500 such programs in next 3 months. The results will be there for all to see. The youth will see the difference. They will connect will us. The word will spread. BJP will win an ideological battle. India will win over separatists in Kashmir. I am ready to contribute my bit. I need blessings and support from our leaders. We can do it. When rest of India gets up and says STOP, the separatists will run away for cover and the central government in power will either change its methods or will fall for better.
September 14th, 2010 at 10:27 pm
Respected Advaniji,
I fully appreciate your statement on Kashmir today-hitting the nail hard that the government is clueless and spineless and succumbing to Pak designs.
Please defend AFSPA in tomorrow’s all party meeting at ANY cost. Please force Government of India to not to dilute our stand anymore. Prove that the demand for autonomy is a complete farce. It is a garb for the Islamic Jehad reinforced by Pakistan. If people like you do not act now, the drift of Kashmir to break from India will be irreversible.
When the state of Jammu and Kashmir has not been able to introduce even basic system of Panchayati Raj there, what kind of autonomy they want ? This is a complete farce. Geelani is loud and clear. The integration into Indian Nation has to be completed otherwise there is no future for the people of J&K.
October 7th, 2010 at 10:19 am
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