To Our Dear Prime Minister - From Air Marshal SY Savur (Retd)

Dear Prime Minister,

I admire you hugely for all that you have done for the Indian economy and for many things that you have done for India since becoming the PM. Today, I watch is despair the terrorist attack inspired frenzy of promises and assurances of action. I plead for sanity, clear thought and an action plan that is not only effective but also long-term.

I plead with you; do not be tempted to take knee-jerk, short term decisions without considering their long term implications just because you want to be seen as a man of action. In the nearly 5 years you headed the Govt, you took time to even think that there is need for counter-terror mechanisms, so a few days more will not be of substantial loss unless you have the General Elections 2009 in your sights.

I plead with you not to disperse the Special Action Group (SAG), the counter-terror arm of the NSG to the four metros. Have you heard about the Special Air Service (SAS), counter-terror fighting unit of the UK being dispersed even though it fights all over the world?

If you heed some opinion and disperse the SAG please consider the following: -

Centralised training ensures that standards are the highest and the same for every man in the SAG. Dispersal would mean that training standards and maintenance of equipment would be diluted because different people train differently in different circumstances. And there will be temptation to provide one unit more/better equipment because some one will tell you that the perception of terrorist threat there is more than elsewhere.

If at all you want to place the SAG in a place where it can reach any corner of India then please consider Nagpur. It is equidistant in terms of flying duration from the 4 metros as well as the large cities of Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Nagpur’s Sonegaon airport is not the busiest of airports and the IAF base there has an IL-76 squadron which can make available its aircraft. It is better to utilise the large open spaces for setting up a training facility than making an air cargo hub that nobody will use.

While on this topic of aircraft, please ensure that more than six IL-76 are serviceable at any time by providing them the spares that they badly need. You know that one of the reasons that the SAG was delayed was because the IL-76 became unserviceable and the SAG had to be flown in by An-32 (not because the IL-76 is slower than the B-737 or the Airbus). Come to think of it, why wasn’t an Air India Airbus used?

Please make the MoS-cum-National Security Adviser (NSA) just a MoS. Let the MoS handle the political requirements, which Prabhu Chawla said was herding MPs to support the Govt in July 2008.

The NSA should head the National Security Agency (not the National Security Council which is top heavy and hence unable to take quick decisions or react to any crisis). The NSA should be a serving officer selected from amongst the (in alphabetical order so that I don’t step on some corns) Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Intelligence), Director of the IB and the Secretary, R & AW. The post should be held on a rotational basis for a fixed tenure of 3 years.

Please make the Director IB, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Intelligence) and Secretary R & AW answerable to the NSA for collection, collation, analysis and dissemination of intelligence.

Please make every State’s ADGP (Intelligence) responsible to the NSA for ensuring action and feedback on the intelligence inputs supplied to the States.

Please place an embargo on any intelligence or police authority talking to the Press or leaking information when an operation is in progress; better still till prosecution of the apprehended terrorist or completion of investigation in case of deceased terrorists is over. It will help by not providing the terrorist set up or leaders so that the SAG can complete its job.

Please tell the media that by giving breathless descriptions and broadcasting TV pictures they are actually helping the terrorists and their outfits know where the counter-terror SAG persons are and what they are doing. I shudder to think whether the terrorists were watching TV channels (and surfing them too) to know what was going on to help them play “hide and shoot” with the SAG.

The leadership of the LeT, JeM even the ISI must have been glad that, (in alphabetical order), Aaj Tak, CNN-IBN, Headlines Today, NDTV, Times Now et al were giving them a free ringside seat.

Sir, in your extensive travels and study you would have found that the British media showed restraint in broadcasting pictures of the bombing in the Underground, the Police and the Intelligence agencies did not resort to the blame game nor passed the buck. Why does our IB, R &AW always tell us that they told the State Police and the police did nothing? After all the same IB and R &AW is staffed by IPS officers!

Sir, why should the DG NSG have to tell the media what they already know? Have you ever heard of, let alone seen a photo, of the commander of the SAS? Why shouldn’t our SAG/NSG also do their job and disappear? Is it because DG NSG wants exposure so that he is rewarded in the next Republic Day honours list? Even that could be done but quietly.

Sir, I cannot but appreciate your firmness in telling India that you will not cut the price of petrol, diesel etc because the oil companies had suffered losses. How about the same firmness in handling the IB, R &AW etc?

Finally, Sir, the Federal Investigative Agency – laudable but will go the way the CBI unless you give it the autonomy of the Election Commission, Comptroller & Auditor General even the Chief Vigilance Commissioner.

Thank you, Prime Minister for your patience.
Jai Hind

Air Marshal SY Savur (Retd)

Indian Army: Counter Insurgency Force Motto

"It's God's responsibility to forgive the terrorist organisation, It's our responsibility to arrange the meeting between them and god."

National Security Guard (NSG)

Terrorism, both national and international raised its head in the West during the seventies. It manifested in many forms including hijacking of aircraft, taking of hostages, assassination of dignitaries and others. The normal law and order machinery and the defence forces of the West were found wanting to deal with this menace. Specially equipped and trained Forces like SAS of UK, DELTA Force of USA and GSG-9 of West Germany were raised abroad.
The need for creating a Special Force for executing surgical operations based on tactical intelligence was felt when Blue Star Operation was carried out by the Army at the Golden Temple, Amritsar in 1984. This operation not only caused extensive damage to the Golden Temple but also occasioned a large number of casualties
and above all the Sikh psyche was badly hurt. NSG was conceptualised and created after studying and analysing Special Forces like SAS in the United Kingdom, GIGN in France, GSG-9 in Germany, Shar-et-matkal in Israel and DELTA in the USA. It
consists of selected and highly motivated personnel from the Army as well as the Para Military Forces. 53% of the personnel are drawn from the Army while the Para Military Forces like BSF, CRPF and ITBP contribute 47%.

Tasks

(a) Neutralisation of specific terrorist threat in any given area, building, vital installations, etc.
(b) Engaging terrorists in a specific situation in order to neutralise them.
(c) Handling hijacks situation-involving piracy in the air and on land.
(d) Rescue of hostages in kidnap situations.

Additional Tasks

(a) Security of high risk VIPs.
(b) Anti sabotage check of venue of visits/public meetings of VVIPs.
(c) Create information Bomb Data Centre.
(d) Training of State Police personnel on anti terrorist, VIP Security, PSO duties, bomb detection and disposal etc.

The Ethos of the force is:—

(a) Elitism.
(b) Pursuit for excellence.
(c) Lead from front.
(d) No runners up.
(e) One for all and all for one.

National Security Guard is a small Specialised Force with each of its component having a specific role. The Central Govt. has in NSG a viable Force to carry out specialised CT Ops like Op Black Thunder I& II and Anti-hijack Ops. It mobilised for Hazratbal Shrine in October 1993 also. The Force is well trained, motivated and highly skilled in their tasks. NSG with its expertise and sophisticated
equipment and weapons can take on counter terrorist tasks which are beyond the capabilities of State Police personnel, Central Police Organisations and at times even the Army.

Operations and Training

National Security Guard has been raised to counter terrorism and counter hijack operations in the country. NSG has 51 SAG trained and equipped to carry out CT Ops, while 52 SAG is trained and equipped for CH Ops.

Presently there are two types of elitist roles which this organisation is performing; Counter Terrorist (CT) and Counter Hijack (CH) operations. In addition to that NSG is also entrusted with close protection and mobile security duties of threatened VIPs of Z + category risk. CT & CH tasks are very specialised and high risk duties and the best of personnel are required for this job. Similarly VIP protection is also highly skilled task. NSG has patterned VIP security tasks on the same lines as the protection of the Prime Minister by special protection group (SPG). Since VIP protection duty personnel remain under constant threat while moving with the
VIPs, they have to be selectively enrolled, well trained and highly motivated. To streamline these duties and integrate the commandos with their tasks, NSG propose to internally divide its force into two parts; one for CH and CT duties and the other for VIP security duties. This step will further add to the elitism of NSG and more
importantly will further refine the training .standards and performance of these personnel. This will provide them with the upgraded skills, techniques and operational competence for foolproof performance of their duty at all times. Due to the risks involved in the above mentioned highly sensitive tasks and to attract high quality manpower for this elite organisation it is essential that Pay & Allowances of the NSG personnel is made the best and at par with SPG if not better than them.
To carry out Counter Terrorists Commando operations, routine operation tactics is not adequate. Commando type operations are special operations and they have to be conceived and conducted as such.

The salient aspects of Commando type operations are:—

(a) Speedy induction from the Administrative Base up to target area, to achieve maximum surprise.
(b) Isolation of the area by Special Ranger Groups (SRGs).
(c) Surgical strikes by Special Action Group (SAG).
(d) SAG is relieved by SRG/State Police.
(e) Rapid denudation of the task force.

To carry out CT Tasks at a very short notice and to ensure the force is operationally ready and fit we have evolved a system whereby one Squadron is readily available for operation and is available at 3 hrs notice. Another Squadron is placed on training while the third Squadron is on leave and other routine duties. Thus at any time 2 Squadron worth of personnel are always available to be launched for any tasks.

The main Commando type operations carried out by NSG are given below:-

(a) OP Black Thunder-I (29 Apr-30 Apr 86). Approx 80 offers, 180 JCOs and 1500 men participated in it. The temple was cleared and handed over to Punjab Police by 0600 hrs on 01 May 1986. 122 terrorists surrendered.
(b) Op Steeple Chase III (5 Sep 87—15 Jan 88). Guarding of a high risk terrorist code 'Jack'.
(c) Op Black Hawk (20 Jan 1988). Heliborne ops in Mand area of Punjab. 2 terrorists killed and one 7.62 SLR recovered.
(d) Op Black Thunder-ll (10 May-20 May 88) Ops in golden Temple in conjunction with Punjab Police. 30 terrorist killed 217 surrendered. 69 weapons of all types recovered. AK-47-22, CPMG-3, Pistol-19, 1500 (all ranks) of the NSG participated in the ops.
(e) Op Cactus (03 Nov-08 Nov 88). 600 Commando (Cdo) Mob for ops in Male, Maldives. Subsequently tasked for rescue mission of Hostages on "MW Progress Light".
(f) Op Mouse Trap (04 Aug 89). Ops in Taran Distt in conjunction with PP and SF. 26 terrorists killed, 17 apprehended, 27 weapons recovered including 13 x AK 47, 2 Gp MG's one RPG.
(g) Op Ani Ban (25-26 Jan 91). CI Tasks at Baroda. Punjab terrorists holed up inside a house in Baroda. 2 terrorists killed and 2 AK 47 recovered.
(h) Op Ghost Buster (01 Jul—20 Sep 91). NSG Commandos deployed with SIT for search and strike missions after the assassination of Mr. Rajiv Gandhi.
(j) Op Sudarshan (25 Nov-16 Dec 92). 150 NSG Cdos deployed at Ayodhya during RJB and BM dispute.
(k) Op Winter Storm (27 Oct-18 Nov 93). Ops at Hazratbal Shrine. A TF of 20 Offers, 29 ACs and 176 Cdos was moved on 27 Oct 93 to Srinagar. Ops called off after final preparation had been made.

Op Black Thunder I & II were conducted by the NSG. Op Blue Star conducted by the Army in the Golden Temple in 1984 caused extensive damage to the temple complex as well as hurt the psyche of the Sikhs. Op Blue Star was conducted by the Army in a conventional manner employing max fire power to flush out the terrorist inside the Golden Temple. By excessive use of force, there was not only excessive damage to the temple but the casualties on both sides were heavy. However, the after effects of Op Blue Star is yet to be healed. On the other hand NSG carried out Op Black Thunder I & II of similar magnitude. These ops conducted by well trained, well equipped tips of NSG not only completed the task with élan, but the ops had no ramification thereafter.

Counter Hijack Role

52 SAG is earmarked and trained for CH Tasks. Along with 52 SAG, 52 BD and 52 Dog Units provide the Bomb Disposal and detection cover to this force. 52 SAG is based at Palam. The composite TF for CH Ops based on a Boeing 747 aircraft is
quarantined for 2 months at a time at Palam and placed at 30 minutes notice.

Some of the Hijack situations in which NSG commandos were deployed are:-

(a) Op Dum Dum (10 Nov 90). CH TF mob and move to rescue hostages of Thai airbus by Burmese students at Calcutta.
(b) Op Turning Pt (27 Mar 93). CH TF mobilised and move to Adampur for rescue of hostages of IA fit 436.
(c) Op Ashwamedha (24-25 Apr 93). CH Ops to rescue hostages of IA flt IC-427. Mission successful. Without any casualty. Op Ashwamedha was meticulously planned and conducted with a clock like precision. Once the hijack took place, the CH TF was mob at 1505 hrs and was ready to take off at 1525 hrs. The TF took off in an IL-76 ac at 1718 hrs and landed at Adampur. The TF was taken by 6 x MI-17 and 1 x MI 26 hectors to move to Amritsar. The TF arrived at Amritsar airport at 1925 hrs. Throughout the negotiations, the hijacker did not relent to release even ladies and children and ordered the aircraft to be refuelled and flown to Kabul. On 25 Apr
93 at 0047 hrs, the Crisis Management Group cleared the operation of NSG to go ahead. The aircraft was stormed by the NSG Cdos with its specialised CH eqt and shot the hijacker. The Op lasted barely 15 sec» from the word 'go'. The passengers and the crew thereafter were released without any casualty.

Special Ranger Groups (SRG)

The Special Ranger Groups (SRGs) i.e. 11, 12, & 13 SRGs provided immediate support to the SAGs and undertake all facets of anti terrorist actions. Presently the SRGs' manpower is not available for intimate support to the SAGs in case of a CH/CT scenario in view of VIP security duties.
VIP security duties have been entrusted to the NSG for the 'Z' risk category of VIPs. They include 12 Delhi based VIPs and 6 out station VIPs. The manpower of the SRGs is completely committed on the VIP security duties. This becomes worse during elections due to extensive tour of VIPs requiring prepositioning of escorts.

BD & Dog Units.

The BD and Dog Units are to support the ops of the two SAGs. However, they also handle bomb incidents and bomb threat around Delhi. They carry out Anti Sabotage check (ASC) of Parliament House during parliament sessions, important buildings, vehicles and so for PM, President and visiting Heads of State, the BD and Dog Units
have taken part in all ops conducted by the NSG. They have also been deployed in Delhi for major events like Republic Day parade, Independence Day celebrations etc.

Weapon Equipment in the NSG

Keeping in mind the role and the task of various units of the NSG, the over-riding requirement is to process 'State of the Art' weaponry at all times. During the time of initial raising of the NSG, equipment for only one-third of the force was procured.

In the world of fast changing technology newer and better weapons are developed and are available in the world market in a short span of time. To ensure elite force like the NSG to have superior weapons and have guaranteed success, it is essential that the NSG possesses better weapons & equipment with precision, there is a requirement that the quality of manpower in the NSG be of a high standard.

Quality of Manpower

For the task envisaged for the NSG, it requires highly motivated, dedicated personnel who are physically tough and mentally robust. Since NSG is a zero error and no runners-up force and to accomplish the assigned task with no failure, officers and men are handpicked from CPOs and Army. Some of the notable operations undertaken by the NSG and its achievements have been highlighted. In the absence of adequate incentives, the men and officers from the Army and CPOs are not responding to the desired extent, and as a result there are a large number of vacancies. Besides the quality of men volunteering for deputation to the NSG due to lack of adequate incentives is also being felt by the NSG. This no doubt has a direct impact on their performance when a special task is entrusted to them. Till date they have not been able to fill up a large scale vacancies which are continuing since its very inception mainly due to lack of incentives. The training is very tough and the tasks are sensitive and hazardous. To volunteer to NSG one expects attractive perks to compensate the hard life, risks and nature of duty.

Training

NSG Training Centre is located at Manesar. Initially, only NSG probationers were given training at NSG Training Centre. •Subsequently, it was decided to make use of the spare training capacity of the Training Centre to impart training to the personnel
from CPOs, State Police and Army as well. NSG Training Centre is now conducting three types of courses for the Police personnel viz Police Commandos, Personal Security Officers and Bomb personnel viz Police Commandos, Personal Security Officers and Bomb Disposal courses. As per the then PM's decision the bulk of the
instructional staff is from the Army.

The quality of training in NSG has made a mark in the country and is emerging as a major Counter Terrorist Training outfit for different organisations. The demand is growing much faster than, can be met by NSG. It has been proposed to upgrade the Training Centre to the status of a National Academy of Counter Terrorism. This will necessitate a large well trained staff structure for effective handling as well as other institutional establishment security organisations to continuously scan and update their methods. It will be our endeavour to make the Training Centre a 'Centre for excellence for combating terrorism', once the up gradation is carried out.

Risk: The risk factor to its personnel is self explanatory. When dealing with terrorists having 'State of the Art Weapons and Equipments': and ops in unconventional manner, the risks involved are enormous. Even during training the NSG personnel are subjected to risk of injury and even permanent disablement.

Constant Training: To be able to motivate and instil a sense of confidence to carry out any task with surgical precision the NSG has to be always on training to sharpen their skills. Thus it will be seen that NSG carries out constant training to ensure that
when called to carry out a particular task, it is accomplished with 100% success. In addition, the NSG personnel have to operate with latest State of the Art weapon system and equipment which needs constant training to use them to its best advantage.

Constant Alert: In view of short notice at which tasks may be entrusted to the NSG, the NSG personnel have to be constantly on Alert to be deployed for either CT/CH tasks. It is for this very purpose there is an Alert system whereby one TF is always on Alert status. The remainder too will have to be mobile in case needed at a very short notice. This alertness on the NSG personnel puts additional pressures on him and his family.

Credit: Bureau of Police Research and Development

Sardar Patel - "Terrorist" - Hurray Secularism

Muslim Political Council of India has said that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was a terrorist. Reason: He annexed Hyderabad forcibly and had deliberately allowed the massacre of Muslims in post-partition era when he was the Home Minister of India. Not only this, the Muslim outfit has demanded that present Home Minister Shivraj Patil should also be tried and declared a terrorist for his biased approach on Muslim terrorists.

“Sardar Patel was responsible for all the riots after partition, for lakhs of Muslims who were killed in the riots. He deliberately allowed them to be killed. He was a terrorist,” said Taslim Rahmani, chief of Muslim Political Council — a Muslim outfit formed in 2001 and registered in 2006. It has about 33 members and small units in most of the Muslim dominated areas of the country.

Rahmani had made similar comments about Patel on Monday while addressing the Muslim clerics meet in Azamgarh. He had said that Nathuram Godse was the first terrorist of Independent India and Patel the second one. “I stand by my comment. Besides, Patel issued Government order that Muslims were not faithful so they must not be given important positions in Government jobs. He acted against Muslim community, which as per the widely perceived definition of terrorism is a terrorist activity,” said Rahmani.

He went on to state that even Shivraj Patil is a terrorist as he has been deliberately concealing facts about the involvement of extremist Hindu outfits in terrorist activities. “The Home Minister pronounced the Muslims caught from Jamia Nagar as terrorists but he has failed to come public on the blasts in Mehrauli and other parts of the country where Hindu outfits are suspected to be involved,” he said.

In a suo motu Press statement, Secretary General of the All India Mili Council Mohammad Manzoor Alam, Secretary, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind among other Muslim groups condemned Rahmani’s views. “It was and deplorable to term Sardar Patel a ‘terrorist’,” read the statement. “He should apologise. One may differ with Patel in opinion, but cannot label him as a terrorist,” added Alam. Jama Masjid’s chief cleric Imam Bukhari said that he did not want to speak about Rahmani or his statements.

Credit: The Pioneer

p.s - A ray of Hope in this news, J.E.U.I-Hind as always and true to their nationalist background have denounced these idiots. Maybe this is the reason that J.E.U.I-Hind has not able to raise their profile in post Independent India.

Bomb Blasts: Indians - Half truths, Full lies and lots of rumours

The last few days have been very crucial for the investigators of the pan India bomb blasts. They seem to have found some leads after the humiliating 4 years where they were running around in circles (like a dog trying to jab its tail). As usual the police and the public gave different version of things which most of the media was quick to show as “Breaking News”. The media content swung like a pendulum moving from India’s Osama Tauqeer to Azamgarh being India’s Waziristan. One channel showed Tauqeer and others with devils ears and tongue. Please for god sake “SHUT UP”. If this is the level of media coverage then I and other sane people will support going back to the days of “Dukhdarshan” (Doordarshan).
As being slightly more “knowledgeable” and “Level minded” (pun intended) than our electronic media journalists, there are a couple of points that I wish to communicate out on these bomb blasts, their investigation and also take the liberty of commenting on some allied issues.

The Delhi – Batla House Encounter

Please for god’s sake, this was not a fake encounter. Fake encounters are not done in broad day light in the middle of a colony, nor does the mission leader tell his family that he is going to be back in a couple of hours leaving behind his critically ill son. Please accept the encounter story of the Delhi police as they are saying the truth (at least this time). Any sceptic can watch a very balanced coverage on headlines today news channel which was able to procure the actual encounter footage shot either with a mobile phone camera or a normal camera with low quality digital zoom. It clearly showed a below par police action where casualty was nearly 100% sure. As has been reported in some creditable media that the cops were of the opinion that this would be a “QUICK ARREST” operation and before other people realise it, they would be back at their Lodhi Road office. Some Police officers want to join such raids for the lure of medals; some for promotions but some do have genuine team spirit and all these scenarios’ can lead to mistakes and lots of them were committed on that fateful day. As for the shots having hit Inspector Sharma from the back, the headlines today clip clearly shows the volley of fire coming from the house and the ill equipped and ill prepared raiding party rushing downstairs to escape that gun fire. As for the escape of the terrorist, well if such was the planning of the arrest, then escapee of 2 -3 or all the terrorists is no big deal. Having myself seen visuals and also read about the manual of procedures employed by a raiding party in U.K, I can tell that this was a shoddy work by the special cell. The blame if any goes to the concepts in training for such operations that Indian police employ in which a false sense of bravado and complete sense of recklessness gets groomed into them. In this age of the internet and you tube, just look into clips of such raids by U.K and U.S police and one can appreciate my view on this. I do not doubt the bravery or the team spirit of these policemen but just sacrificing one’s life leads to nothing. What if the court tomorrow says that no the encounter was not perfect or the captured people are not terrorists? These scenarios can happen and the only reason is that our police hardly go with an effort to create a case against the accused. The entire exercise is to capture an accused and then “Break” him down to reveal everything. This does sensationalise the news of that day but when the story goes to the inner pages of the newspapers, the terrorists go scot free. This is totally opposite to the procedure employed by the U.K police who operate in a scenario where the suspects are trailed for months and only when enough legally admissible evidence is accumulated, the cell is busted. This is the biggest reason that police in such countries enjoy far higher credibility than our police do. Such credibility not only leads to better moles in the terrorist cells but also in improved convictions.

Month of Ramdan – There were murmurs at the Batla house area that a Muslim could not do something so un-Islamic during the holy month of Ramdan. The terrorist have no knowledge of Islam or love for it. They only know the language of hate and nothing else. This was reaffirmed as within a couple of days the terrorist and that too the wahibi’s (purist) nearly blew up the Marriott in Islamabad and that also when an iftar dinner was being organised. This is their level of knowledge of Islam and their thoughts for a Muslim Ummah or an Islamic Caliphate.

What can be done to assure the sceptical people of India that such encounters are genuine?

1. Give raiding party helmet cams (U.K police has started using them). This if needed can show if the raiding party was following the set procedures or not. Army has been doing this for a long time and it is time that the police forces start the same also.
2. All deaths natural and unnatural needs be verified by a system called Coroner’s Inquest. This simple process goes a long way in clearing the air about encounters. The system is presently working in the U.K and has been able to produce wonderful results. The Coroner is somewhat like a constitutional figure and he/she goes beyond the role of a post mortem expert. He/She also enquires about the conditions leading to the death and also what could and should be done to prevent such a loss of life. Lots of changes have been bought into the emergency management system in the U.K by such inquests.
In the U.K even the Armed Forces are under the preview of the Coroner’s Inquest which might not be possible so we could have a separate Coroner for Armed forces directly reporting to the Defence Minister. We need this openness not only for keeping the Armed Forces record clean but also to make sure that generals who are responsible for the life of the front line jawans and officers give them the best quality tools to achieve their missions. Right now jawans and officers who lay down their lives for this nation are quickly termed Saheed and no institutional effort is made to address the root causes of their deaths. Lots of deaths in Indian Armed forces are attributed to malfunctioning of ammunition or poor quality of communication equipment or weapons or body armour and nothing is done quickly enough to correct these issues.
3. Please allow press briefings to be done by professionals and not regular policemen and women. Train your P.R cops in what P.R means. For someone who has wielded lathi all his life, words would not be the easiest things which would flow from his/her mouth.
4. Rumour mills work over time at such places especially where the majority of the people are either illiterate or semi educated or like most Indian’s - Born sceptics. What the police and their P.R fellows need to do is to make sure that their voice is heard. Tools that You Tube, Orkut, Face book and Internet chat rooms offer a quick and easy way to disseminate your point of view. These days even royal family of U.K, U.N, etc have their own video channels on the You Tube.
5. Order a Coroner’s Inquest and publish its finding or even updates on the internet.
6. Train and prepare your men and women on such missions well enough. Equip them well and show your evidence gathered to a magistrate before a raid is started (Italy does that – A Magistrate leads the police campaigns against mafia’s, terrorist or other shady characters). This will allow the encounter specialists to access if the evidence gathered is good enough or more needs to be done under the existing laws to nail the terrorist in a court of law.
7. Pick up more people from smaller communities into the force especially Delhi Police in the lower rung. There are hundreds of young retired ex Army men and women including Muslims who could be immediately absorbed into the force. This will allow some credibility and increase professionalism into the police forces.

As I have reported in my earlier blogs that intelligence agencies and police forces are busy doing “bandobast” for their “bade sahibs” and their free loader relatives rather than trailing the terrorists. A quick reading of Maj. Gen V.K Singh’s book on R&AW reveals the same, 90% of all information in R&AW is purely technical and that is shocking. Human assets remain and will remain your best bet in thwarting any sinister plans of the terrorists.

Religion from a modern perspective is the right to practise your rituals and beliefs without any fear until and unless they impede on the other person’s right of existence. If you look at these terrorists this is not what they want, they are hell bent on forcing their beliefs on people lesser capable of defending themselves which include groups like women, economically downtrodden, etc. Forcing religious beliefs leads to different problems and that is pretty well seen in Muslim countries. If you starting discriminating than people have a habit to take such acts to levels beyond the comprehension of sane people. Glaring examples are Muslims in Iraq; first the division was between Iran and Iran, then it was divided between Iraqis and Kurds and the Iraqis subdivided themselves between Iraqis and marsh Arabs; then Iraqis got divided into Shia’s and Sunni’s and then Shia and Sunni’s got divided into different factions and then these factions would finally get divided into different factions as per each household. Gen. Petreus of the U.S ARMY did nothing extraordinary but just divided people as per their wishes and some kind of peace was restored in Iraq.

A proof of forcing people to follow a certain philosophy is that a few days back I read an interesting fact about Pakistan. Lots of Sunni Muslims write their faith as Shia Muslims to escape the compulsory Zakat during the months of Ramdan that Gen. Zia had introduced in that country. This Zakat amount is compulsorily deducted from the salaries for all Sunni Muslims and exempted for Shias and other Minority groups. Also anybody flying into Bangkok can find Saudi jets with their billionaire owners are parked in Bangkok and other places of pleasure for days at end – Do not think for prayers (As far as I know Bangkok is NOT famous for that).

Trust me if Hindu’s think that their saviour in the current times is Dr. Praveen Togadia or Raj Thackeray and Muslims think that their saviour is Osama or some Paki funded politician or “Amar Chitra Katha of Dalal Salam fame and his Netaji or the very “Punny” Chara Eater – Laloo, Aloo, Balu and his family including his railway platform changing brother in Laws” then all the best to those who believe in this. I would to stick myself to reading books and writing by blog.

Live together we have to, so better it is that we start quickly.

p.s – Ignorance breeds even more ignorance: I asked a friend of mine if he knew who was ABU FAZL. The answer even before I could end the question was TERRORIST (As all terrorists change their names to Abu something). All I can say is the fact is that Abu Fazl was one of the most learned scholars that Akbar had in his court. Abu Fazl wrote Akbarnama, translated Bible into Persian and also was instrumental in changing Akbar’s temperament to a modern outlook.
Now there are two ways of looking at this answer, one all is lost and now Muslims are doomed. The other way is that such things need to be highlighted. Firstly accept that there is a problem and this cycle of violence that can be stopped if and only if people from within the Muslim community wake up and tell not only other Indians but also young boys and girls of their community that their ideals need to be Abu Fazl or Dara Shikoh and not osama’s of this world.

Please also read: Muslim Freedom Fighters of India/edited by S. Ganjoo. ISBN 81-261-1281-6

India - Union, Federation or Commonwealth

Human beings by their nature are divisive people, they are greedy and if left to them, they would like to blow up the whole world and have all its riches for themselves. Strength of nations is their ability to work together as one. Why India is a success is not because we are able to help each individual in his or her hour of crisis but the belief of people to keep their past behind and move ahead to create a bright and positive future for this great land. The greatness of Sardar Patel is magnified million fold as he was able to tell different Indian ethnic groups that their destiny laid in a common and strong India. He greatness was that he was able to tell people to keep their belief in this gods own country called India. He was able to tell a Dogra that what they historically did to say a Punjabi or what the rajputs did to maratha’s was irrelevant in this new India. The idea of India is to keep people together and not further divide them. Just read some constituent assembly debates on allowing secession and the reasons given against them. Hardly a few would know that the constituent debated on the definition of India and whether to keep India a federation or a commonwealth or a union and finally settled for a Union. One of the most liberal constitutions was framed so that people do not feel the need to secede and find their voices heard with the frame work of the Union of India. The problem is that the system has failed and not the constitution.

The constitution allows a great deal freedom and if any section of the society feels that the executive or even the legislature is not up to the mark, the judiciary can be called upon to act like an alibi. In how many countries and that too developing can an ex P.M be taken to a small district court and made to stand in the convict’s box. The liberalism of this nation even after enduring subjugation in form of a foreign rule for nearly 800 years and even after seeing 30% of your territory taken away by creating an experimental country called Pakistan is something that enhances my respect to our nation’s constitutional forefathers. How many nations which have gone through all that we underwent prepare something as liberal as our constitution? Even issues like declaring this nation a Hindu Rashtra or banning conversions was debated in the constituent assembly and finally decision was taken not to go in that direction. Look at our neighbourhood and one realises what was the calibre our leaders who allowed such a thing. Pakistan – Muslim nation, Nepal – Hindu, China – Communist (Han), Sri Lanka – Sinhala, Burma – Buddhist, Maldives – Muslim, Afghanistan – Muslim and later Bangladesh – Muslim and INDIA - SECULAR. Look today where most of these other nations are; top in the list of failed states and ask a reason why – the answer is not difficult, religion cannot be a basis of nationhood, secularism will be. Mr. Jinnah’s experiment called Pakistan has failed and faster the Paki’s accept that the better it is. Nations like Saudi Arabia or Bahrain or Qatar survive as they hold a tight lid over their people and incentives like free cash doles and loan waivers are granted to keep the population from revolting. Time is a great leveller, it shows your propaganda might be the best (Pakistan’s) but it is the ethos that run a nation. Paki’s might fill venom in their text books against India and call Indian by their casteist names but “SATYAMEV JAYTE” – another great motto by our nation’s founders has come true. The millions of baby snakes made to order for India are now biting their own people in Pakistan. Hate only breeds hate; travel on a Paki passport and you see your condition at the immigration desk of any country. Over the years an Indian passport has earned for itself a great degree of respect and thanks to our software professionals and people like the Tata’s and the Mittal’s and many more like them.

Most of our countries problems are human created and that too mostly by the great politicians. You need not go further than see the state our parliament is in today. 90% of the members do not even come prepared for important discussions on subjects like 123 Nuclear Deal, Defence Budget, etc. The parliament has been reduced to a verbal and sometimes physical duel between members on issues which a national parliament should not even discuss. Our parliament discusses issues like village roads, rural health, poverty alleviation, etc leaving no time for issues concerning our strategic depth, energy security, reform of services like immigration, armed forces, Para military, police, etc. Why should centre even have a ministry like rural health or tribal welfare when the same issues are state subjects? Why should centre even spend money directly on issues like rural roads, health, etc? All these issues should be given to the states to handle and centre should move out of the same ASAP. This was the biggest crime that congress did to this country; it never allowed institutions to be formed autonomously. They subverted the entire democratic process of this country just because Justice Sinha of Allahabad high court declared Indira Gandhi’s election for the Rae Bareilly lok sabha seat null and void. Centre and its institution should now focus themselves on issues like defence, finance and security – energy, internal, etc.

My idea is to make states an equal partner in the development of this nation and not to overlap schemes which only result in increased bureaucracy and lesser delivery on the ground. Some ideas can be like the Airports in metro’s have been privatised, make assets like Non metro airports a JV between centre and state governments and run by professional bodies. All local city and within state trains should be run by a JV company similar to the lines of NJ transit in America and all interstate trains to be run as they are (under Indian Railways). In U.S, such ports and trains are operated by local municipal authorities like Ports Authority of NY and NJ handles most of the airports in the NY/NJ area and also run the NJ transit system. I can also say the in case of currency notes; we can issues them bearing great freedom fighters of each states. I saw a very similar system done by U.K for their regions of Northern Ireland and Scotland. Both regions have something called a Scottish or Northern Irish Pound which is always pegged to the U.K pound. Such measures will not make states secede from India but will allow them room to manoeuvre on issues like finances, social harmony, etc. This will allow a more serious leadership to come up in states as they will have no longer an option to blame centre for all their ills. The centre should act as a friend and a guide to states and not a big daddy as it does today.

To end this essay on India all I can say is that apart from SATYAMEV JAYTE, the very idea of India is derived from 2 mottos; E Pluribus Unum (U.S.A) meaning FROM MANY, ONE and Dieu et mon droit (England) meaning GOD AND MY RIGHT. The American motto is something that we truly are – one in a million and to further enhance our prestige we need to constantly introspect. For surviving and thriving in this modern uni-polar world; my logic would be to have an eagle sharp mind like America and a compassionate soul like Europe.

p.s - Next in the series, I would write this in context of Kashmir

DELHI BOMB BLAST - 13 SEPTEMBER 2008 – COMMENT REPLY

Thanks to my learned friend who has put his comments on my blog about the Delhi Blasts. Let me clarify some things on what I wrote, firstly none of the people whom I criticised is a constitutional authority. P.C Halder and Home Minster form the bureaucracy/executive. Only people in the position like the President of India or the Governor of a State or the Election Commissioner or the Judges of Supreme Courts are constitutional authorities. Even if they were constitutional authorities, why should we not be able to criticise their conduct. Look at what the courts have said about the family of the President, there are cases of first degree murder on the immediate family members of the president and we should allow such people to hide behind the cloak of not criticising any constitutional authority. Look at the cases of the judges of the Ghaziabad courts defrauding the lowest rung employees of their life’s saving (P.F Scam). Our motto should be the one that I have taken from an American Security Organisation - IN GOD WE TRUST, ALL OTHERS WE INTERCEPT. No one is above the law and that too when people’s lives are involved.
Secondly, again I was tagged along with a few million eunuchs who ran away, from where I do not know but if this blog commentator person is referring about the Kashmiri Migrants, well at least I and my community are clearly on one side and not like other Kashmiri’s who are still in the valley and chant Pro India slogans when they come begging for their monthly cash dole and anti India slogans when they reach back in the valley. My close family, friends as also the wider community to which I belong have been working in the government and security forces trying to fight terror not only in the Valley but in other parts of India (and around the world too). Lots of our community boys have laid down their lives fighting terrorist in the valley and more so like I have said before, our community does not need any certificate from anyone for our patriotic feelings; it is the others who need to show where they belong too; India or Jhootistan. Where ever our community has gone it has always raised the bar as far education and other activities is concerned. Look at the valley, even today thousands of kashmiri muslims send their kids outside of the valley so that they get some good education. This was not an inborn phenomenon as the Kashmiri muslims were deprived from good education before the Indian independence. Whatever mass Kashmiri education came in the valley was only after Bakshi’s saw that the biggest reason that the pundits did well for themselves was their strong emphasis on education. Look at the scenario today, the same things the pundits have done to the Jammu region as well. There is a mass education movement on and what is different from the previous times is that the dogra boys and girls are pushing for higher studies and not stopping at graduation. Jammu has witnesses an exceptional boom in their economy after the migration 1989-90 and lots can be attributed to the Pandits. As a community we have always pushing more on education and less on guns. Imagine the situation in valley now and see where Jammu is today, Valleys loss is Jammu’s gain. Pandits are not pickpockets or rapist but educationist and they have shown that in Jammu. I again say look at the valley and look at Jammu.
Thirdly as far as our identity is concerned, well it will be preserved come what may. That is protection that any Indian will get in our country, unfortunately people who have been fed on Jhootistan propaganda know very little of this. I really hope that the government of India freely opens up the muzzafarabad route for both trade and people to people contact so that people on the Valley realise that there the original state subjects of P.O.K have been put in a minority in their own state by the Punjabi’s through the Pakistani army’s ex servicemen rehab scheme. Better still has been done in Northern Areas – Gilgit and Baltistan, where the Shia’s after their rebellion during Zia’s tenure were brutally hacked and driven out of their land. The shia’s have been revolting frequently against this inhuman treatment in more than one way, Zia’s death is also blamed on a Shia airmen who came from the northern areas. In contrast if there is some semblance in P.O.K area (due to its propaganda nature), the northern areas are a black hole. There is no government and the only authority that people know is the Army and the I.S.I. Look in one of my previous blogs and you would see what Baloch’s say about Pakistan and how their leaders are treated by the Pak army and the ISI and we on the other hand pay for the medical treatment of Kashmiri separatist leaders. Helping some in need is the Indian ethos but let it not be known that Kashmiri’s are thankless people. Indian ethos stems from the old proverb that a fruit bearing tree is always bent downwards, so we need to be humble for all the acts that we do but the other side should not see that as our weakness.
Kashmiri people in the valley should see this and realise that what their ancestors did during the 1948 Pakistani - Kabaili raid was because they saw through the designs of Jhootistan. Today 99% of the valley folk would not know that today’s Lal chowk in Srinagar infamous for grenade attacks was actually the place where Pakistani - Kabaili’s who were caught by the JK Militia were publically executed in that square. As I have said before that an entire generation has grown up in the valley without any knowledge of their history and only knowing the Nizam e Mustafa that has been enforced privately since 1989.
p.s – Just got a post asking if I am in the army, Please NO. That was a typo error which I realised after I published it. I am a common Indian citizen who is in a private organisation and that is the reason that I do not write under my name. As for hunting down is concerned, well house to house search is common in all law and order manuals all around the world. In the recent muslim youth riots within Denmark, the police used the same techniques to quell the riots. The 2006 Paris immigrant riots were quelled by the French police only after a house to house raid at the Picasso estate area of Paris. In the 2000 BNP-South Asian riots, the Leeds, Leicester, bradford and other police forces in the U.K used house to house searches and identity parades to fight this menace. What we need to remember that community needs to be involved in such mass exercises and educated on the need for the same.
Also please do not publish hearsay stories about the truckers and this donation. Please all of it is based on hearsay - Half truths and full lies and lots of rumours. Lots of people have called saying that on the 6th October, Geelani is going to declare Independence after the Id namaz and Pakistan, Bangladesh and some other Muslim nations will recognise it. All this has stemmed from just one statement of Zardari at his swearing in press conference that something is going to be done within a month. Lots of our friends who are honest, secular Kashmiri’s (including Minority shia’s) have called our relatives to enquire if such reports were true. Ha Ha Ha.
Please we cannot be bogged down by half truths and full lies and lots of rumours. Please there is so much to do, there are so many people suffering and if we the lucky few who are blessed with good education and support waste our time on 400 acres of Land then there is nothing sadder to say. The faster that issue is over the better it is, we have family ties with so many kashmiri muslims that it is amazing that we have allowed the situation to reach such a turn. The main culprits are the leaders of the valley and then Jammu. Now if there are any bad feelings talk it across and clear it up. We would meet each other again and then as a saying goes – Hate a person but not so much that next time you meet, you would have to lower your eyes in shame.
My strength and that of this nation comes from our democracy. My personal motto IN GOD WE TRUST, ALL OTHERS WE INTERCEPT gives me the freedom to criticise our own bad politicians, our own gods, our holy books which have some negative references and it is because of this freedom I still say that GOD BLESS INDIA. This great country of 5000 years, of a book of knowledge of Rig Veda and it has managed to retain its roots. It is amazing and nothing else. The more I have read about the ethos that defined this nation even in 1947, the more I respect it. The debates in the constituents assembly before the constitution was passed are iconic and should be read by one and all as to why we call this nation as great and why I will stand by each and every letter of the same.
More later.

DELHI BOMB BLAST - 13 SEPTEMBER 2008

So the eunuchs have stuck in Delhi and killed innocent people and as usual our leaders are even bigger eunuchs. They have lost all moral decency and are clinging on. The leader of the pack is Shivraj Patil - the Marathi manoos of Raj Thackery, followed by P.C Halder and tons of other like laloo, Aloo and Balu. I get shocked when i think that this is the same seat on which my ideal and idol Sardar Patel used to sit. This is the same marathi manoos that Raj Thackery wants to defend. This is my problem with such issues, you are deviating from the core issues. Our nation is under threat and we need to to fight it together. Mr Patil, get out of the ministry and get lost to Italy and enjoy the favours of the pope. Your heart cried when kadamal burnt and you have no tears when Indian's were killed in Delhi. People who were killed were Indian and not Hindus, Muslim's, etc. For the sake of India, get out of the ministry and the bureau and allow new people to run them. Open up the intelligence services to common men and women of India, throw IPS officers out of the IB and recruit ordinary citizen who have a caliber to understand the terrorists. Recruit people from all sections of the society where the criteria is their caliber and not the person being a marathi manoos or kashmiri manoos or kerala manoos.

Also simultaneously hunt down the laloos and aloos who visit the Abu Bashir's of India and stop police from doing their duty. Hunt down the Raj Thackery, Abu Azmi and the Raza Murad's of this world who want to destroy India and its ethos, who think that they can cook their political roti's over the lives of people killed. Hunt down the people who take as little as Rs 700/- and provide bangladeshi's the false identity papers when they land up in India. Hunt down the Mohammad Azam Khan's and Mohd. Shabuddin's who are the listed I.S.I agents in the books of Intelligence agencies. Hunt down each and everyone, even if one has to do house to house search or crack down that we ask our security forces to do in the Kashmir valley.

Remember that we are the third biggest sufferer of terror attacks after Iraq and Afghanistan. Time now is to hunt down one and all who do such killings.

p.s - I have seen some new comments that someone calling himself/herself as anonymous. A lot of garbage has been written in the same and I will soon respond to that person. Again like previous times and true to a Kashmiri's mindset, a lot of rumours have been used to create this response. Half truths and full lies are being used to write responses to this and other blogs and newspaper article. I will respond point to point but right now just too troubled with the blasts.

KASHMIR - JK POLICE and CRPF - FOLLOW UP NEWS STORY

Well sometimes when you write your blog there is a strange feeling that what you write may come true and that is what happened with the last story. Within 2 days of writing this blog i read a news column that the central government has announced additional IPS positions for Para Military Organisations. I guess one must remember who is at the helm of affairs in the Home Ministry in New Delhi.

Govt nod for 48 new posts for IPS men in paramilitary forces

New Delhi: The government on Thursday cleared a proposal for creation of 48 new posts in various central police organizations to accommodate IPS officers — a move which has been strongly resented by cadre officers of the paramilitary forces who term it an attempt to provide a ‘parking lot’ for those senior cops who do not want to return to their parent states.
The decision — taken by the Union Cabinet — will create new posts of special directors-general of police (SDGPs) and extra posts of additional DGs and inspector-generals of police (IGPs) in paramilitary forces like CRPF, BSF, CISF and ITBP besides central police organizations (CPOs), including CBI.
Though the government called the decision a “functional necessity”, the cadre officers in the paramilitary forces said that “the move was not only demoralizing for them but also added fuel to the fire” at a time when the Centre has even denied them the recommendation of the 6th Pay Commission over the issue of giving more senior-level posts to officers from within the cadre.
The government, however, has a different take on it. Referring to the Cabinet decision, a senior home ministry officer said: “It will strengthen the supervisory structure of the CPOs for better command and control and for effective implementation and monitoring of projects and activities in the specified organizations.”
A number of middle-level cadre officers of CRPF and BSF, however, questioned the Cabinet decision while talking to TOI, asking whether the cadre officers who fought Naxals and terrorists and thereby gained actual experience of the ground situation were not qualified enough for the job. The decision will help the country’s largest paramilitary force, CRPF, in getting three new SDGPs. They will be posted in Jammu and Kashmir (militancy), Bihar (Left-wing extremism) and Assam (insurgency).
Other organisations like BSF would get two new SDGPs who will be posted in Chandigarh (western front) and Kolkata (eastern front). ITBP and CISF will also get one SDGP each while the premier investigating agency, the CBI, has been sanctioned an additional Special Director’s post raising the number to two.
The Special DGs will have the rank of Director-General but a slightly lower pay scale.
In yet another decision, the Cabinet approved a Rs 500-crore special scheme to create police infrastructure in the Naxal affected states during the 11th Plan period.

CREDIT: TIMES NEWS NETWORK

KASHMIR - J.K POLICE and CRPF Actions

Last month a strange thing happened, as i was all geared up to write a blog on the C.R.P.F’s handling of the current turmoil in the valley, i found that there were 5 comments by an unidentified blogger commenting on the same topic. In the last few days I have been troubled by the pathetic handling of the situation by 3 different parties, the central government, the governor and the CRPF. Today I would like to keep my focus on C.R.P.F’s handling of the valley situation and leave the other 2 characters for a later date.

Firstly, I would like the readers to go through my previous blog on police reforms and see this as a continuation of the same. Firstly it is my firm belief that the Local Police and the CRPF is the worst that the Indian state has to offer to the citizens. What creates my view is seeing their conduct from both historical and contemporary perspective in the valley as in the rest of India. This time my views are also supported by the fact that people on both sides of the Pir Panjal are unhappy with the handling of the situation by both the Local Police and the CRPF.

First let us the talk of the Police actions in Jammu, when Kuldeep Kumar Dogra died due to the intake of a poisonous substance at a rally in Jammu, the police in connivance with the hospital staff managed to smuggle out his body from the morgue and were trying to cremate it by putting it on fire using discarded car and truck tyres. They would have succeeded in the same had it not been for a passing sadhu who raised an alarm and alerted the local population of that area. This desecration of the mortal remains of a person killed during the agitation was the second big booster to the ongoing agitation; the first being Omar Abdullah’s parliament speech. Maybe the police as also Omar might have thought that the act would pass off as a regular police action or for Omar a freedom of speech. What both forgot is the fact that most of the Indians generally will forgive millions of acts that are perceived as not correct but something’s are generally non negotiable. These two were part of that which is termed as non negotiable especially when the scenario is as tense as it is now. We should not ignore the basic premise that people anywhere in India have a right to demonstrate. Why the extra judicial killing or the rallies there after Kashmir do not shake the national conscious is due to the fact that such rallies turn into a Pro Pakistani Pro Azaadi rallies. What amazes people in other parts of India is the condition that Pakistan is itself in. The kind of extra judicial killings that are being committed by each and every concerned (or unconcerned) party including government, ISI, Pakistan Army, US Army, CIA and many more is simply ignored. This added to the fact that Pakistani generals take money from CIA after each “terrorist” captured or killed or even after each “Predator” strike. This is quietly ignored by the people lecturing the common people in the Valley. Just because Justice Ifthkar Chaudhury the CJ of Pakistan Supreme Court wanted some sort of accountability from the government on these killing that emergency was imposed in Pakistan. This is the level to which our Jhootistan neighbour can go to hide their extra judicial killing machinery. So the less the valley and in particular Geelani talk about their undying love for the land of the pure the better it would be.

Now let us look at the CRPF, well this force is probably the most untrained, unmotivated, ill equipped and over utilised forces that the union of India has. There is no system of governance or leadership that exists in that force. The officers that command the frontline soldiers are mainly from the ranks whose training and leadership skills are suspect and the only reason of their promotion from the ranks is the length of service and their Annual Confidential Report. This is absurd as the basic criteria for a leader of soldiers is to have leadership qualities either in born in him or been trained to have them. This ACR driven promotion business works well in bureaucracy but not in forces either military or Para military. The best part is that hardly anyone understands the basic problems of the force and the main thrust for any so called correction in the force usually ends up creating more posts for I.P.S officers at the CRPF Hqrs in Delhi.

Looking specifically at the valley and the CRPF reaction, well the same things happened when B.S.F took charge of the valley. They used all kinds of trials and error methods to strengthen their grip in the valley. They had very few positives in their method of operations and even those were lacked by the CRPF. The biggest problem comes from the fact that Para military units do not have a fully vetted counter insurgency manual. This coupled with the unfamiliarity of working in new operational setup like CI Grid or using collateral Damage Avoidance procedures and Lack of adequate weaponry or training has created the situation which will take its toll not only on the people of the valley but also on the CRPF men and women who work there. Today the BSF may laugh and say that they had told the home ministry that CRPF is not equipped to handle the CI grid in the valley as the premier force along with the JK police but the fact of the matter is that BSF had itself been a totally disjointed and ill equipped force when it landed in the valley. They picked up after a long and painful period in which they used draconian methods like their PAPA ONE interrogation centre, capture, death and the brutal skinning of some BSF men in the villages of Kashmir, number of terrorist attacks at key installations in spite of having their own intelligence wing – the G branch cannot be forgotten. Also R.A.F was created out of the CRPF to handle such situations and again it has not been used in the valley. This act is unpardonable as it makes the Home Ministry suspect in the eyes of all the people who know the effectiveness of the R.A.F. I guess you cannot expect much from this home minister who is in a way there because MADAM likes meo cats and not roaring tigers in the Home Ministry. I guess as any other law abiding citizen of the country it is a matter of shame that we have to use illogical force on people who have a right to demonstrate. I might have a difference in opinion from the people who demonstrate but it cannot take away their rights. All peaceful agitations must and need to be promoted in all over India, however when they threaten life and limb – please use all modern methods minus firing to stop them. Crowd control is something that a lot of research is going on in Europe and lessons can be learnt from them. Use of dye coloured water, video recording of the event, issuance of criminal record on the person and the threat of dismissal from service can be used as more humane and civilised ways to control a crowd. The faster we move from the British methods of General Dyer, the better it will be for our nation.

Being a devil’s advocate, firstly it is not easy being CRPF trooper in India and more so currently in the Valley. They have no system of training either on induction or during their tenure. Their units are moved not as battalions but as companies. This goes against the basic tenets of any general duty force which 90% of the CRPF belongs to. Although comparisons are tough but a general duty force on a CI grid like the Indian Army infantry units on the other hand move only in battalion strength, making it easier to manage command and logistical issues. This added to the fact that army can use its own engineering or supply regiments to arrange for accommodation or other logistical matters which the CRPF lacks. Most of the times the CRPF moves to their designated location even before the CPWD which is tasked to help them in issues of accommodation start putting out tender notices. CPWD’s speed even at the best of the times is to wake up only after a couple of weeks of deployment have passed. The only Army units that work on company strength are specialised units like Engineers, medics, Bomb disposal and dog squads and those too within their command. In the CRPF it can happen that the commanding officer is in Kashmir and his 2 companies would have been airlifted for a deployment in Kerala. This deployment of the 2 companies of the CRPF is for infinite time leaving a complete sense of disarray in the battalion. The state government which request for these men and women do not want to relieve these units leaving even further disarray as far as the operational, leave and training requirements of that particular battalion are concerned. The charter of these men and women is just not defined making them tools in the hands of state governments. Then same company or even the battalion could be one day used for polling booths, next day for anti electricity theft operations, next day land clearing operations, next day for rally, then next day for VIP bandobast, the next day in anti naxal operations and finally to flush out heavily armed terrorist from some house in the valley. Please have a look at the quality of food of the CRPF men and women, their tents, their weapons, their duty hours, their nature of duties, their motivations and one will can easily understand why this force is totally out of the sync with the methods to be adopted in the valley. Which force can do all that? Is it humanly possible to do all this and then remain sane and think logically? How many of the CRPF DG’s have worked at the level of SP and below for more than 10 years in the force? Please read my previous blog on police reforms to understand the crux of this problem and maybe it’s possible solutions.

I have myself seen one of their ROP (road opening party) methods in Jammu division and all myself and a friend of mine (whose is in the army) could do is to hold our heads in disgust. The entire CRPF company had no arrangement for transportation or accommodation of the men and each of their boys were carrying their own gun, holdall, bucket, sticks and trunks. All this was on a road that was a very strategic road which terrorist were using as their main crossing point between P.O.K and Doda (for their onward movement to the valley from south Kashmir). This lacklustre approach was when there was a specific threat that the terrorist were thinking of ambushing forces on that road and Army (which was earlier doing the ROP) was relieved to make way for some clearing operations in the higher reaches of those hills to thwart such an attack. The next day Army had to spare some of its men to augment the CRPF ROP as the brigadier of that sector had no trust on the ROP abilities of the CRPF (as the road was also used by Army conveys). This example is only to illustrate the frustration of all the concerned parties in such a scenario.

There is no short cut to arranging leadership of troops. It is a very painful process that even the Indian Army is discovering given the drop in quality of people applying for the officer’s rank. I do not say the Indian Army is perfect and all other forces are fools but the fact of the matter is that the Army is able to adapt faster to such changes. The army is backed by schools for its troops like CI ops schools, High altitude schools, etc which the other forces do not have. They can rotate their troops from peace to active duty which CRPF cannot do; they have a system of no carry forward leave (all troops under the home ministry have that) which enables them to retain a minimum level of force for deployment. Small measures like splitting the very generalised of this force can help create a better CRPF.

All this is no sympathy for the near and dear ones of people who suffer due to such an action. This debate to re invent the CRPF and also the Indian police forces must be pushed to its logical end otherwise if today it is Kashmir, tomorrow it can be any other Indian City.

Hurrah - State of Pakistani Minorities

I dedicate this article to Mr. S.A Geelani and his band of terrorists in Kashmir


A Pakistani Sikh, who graduated from the Punjab University this year, has become the first from his community to receive a bachelor's degree from the prestigious institution since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947.

Juswinder Singh, who passed his Bachelors in Arts (Honours) programme, now plans to do his Masters in Business Administration in finance from the same university.

Singh said he was proud of being the first Pakistani Sikh in the country's history to get a four-year degree from the Punjab University and demanded that seats be reserved for in the institution for religious minorities.

Bilateral relations between India and Pakistan should be strengthened as this would give an opportunity to Pakistani Sikhs to pursue education in India, Singh told the Daily Times newspaper.

Singh, who hails from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas was admitted to the University in 2004 on a seat reserved for students from the tribal belt.

He demanded that the government frame a policy on admitting minorities seeking admission to the university.

The Punjab University has reserved seats for children of army personnel, teachers and varsity employees and those who excel in sports and debate.

"They have also reserved seats for students coming from ATA, Waziristan and Balochistan, but no seat has been reserved for minorities," he said.

Singh said he enjoyed his time at the Punjab University and faced no discrimination throughout his stay.

"No one discriminated against me because of my religion and appearance during my four years at the university," he said.


credit: NDTV

p.s: Sorry for being so cynical about our neighbour Jhootistan

Lest We Forget - Siachen Warriors

Lest We Forget - Pakistan Army in Bangladesh

One of the very few remaining Horror Videos of the Pakistani Army's action in Bangladesh. I dedicate this one to the Mr. Geelani of Kashmir for his viewing pleasure.

The images in the videos are very disturbing.

Lest We Forget - Balochistan

This is the text of the speech Dr. Wahid Baloch of the Baloch Soceity of North America had delivered at the National Press Club, Washington D.C on the 15th of August 2008. He comes from a place that today is termed as a forgotten struggle of a people who are opressed by the first Nation on this planet founded on religious lines.

As i personally read more about the baloch people and their struggle, i realise more about the fundamental differences between the dispute in my state J&K and Balochistan. I will discuss all those points in some later blog but right now please read this wonderful speech of Dr. Baloch.

The speech

"Balochistan is a Texas sized region, divided among Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. The Iranian portion was given to Iran by British rulers in 1928 as part of the British forward policy to serve as a buffer between its imperial possessions in India with the Russian communist empire. The Pakistani portion that remained in British hands was granted freedom separately from India and Pakistan. Balochistan emerged on the map of the world as a sovereign state for more than seven-and-half months until March 1948, when Pakistani army attacked Balochistan and forcefully annexed it into Pakistan. Just as a matter of record, the issue of Balochistan's independence was taken up before the bicameral Baloch parliament, Diwan-i-A'am, or the House of Commons, and Diwan-i-Kha'as, or House of Lords, both of which unanimously opted for independence. The second option for the Baloch was acceding to India, which they thought made better political sense. And still do.

Since March 1948, Balochistan, a land rich in oil, gas and minerals, with a 900 miles of strategically located warm water coastline on the Straits of Hormuz has been under the Pakistani occupation. The Baloch people never accepted to this day the illegal occupation of their homeland and the loot and plunder of their natural resources that is being done at the gun point by Pakistan. On July 19, 2008 a 12-year old boy named Jani Baloch was among nearly 100 civilians killed in Dera Bugti area by the Pakistan army.

Thousands Baloch have lost their lives in this war and tens of thousands of Bugti and Marri tribesmen have been forced to leave their homes and thrown into destitution because of the Pakistan army operation that began in 2005. According to a UN survey report there are more than 80, 0000 displaced homeless Balochs and 59,000 of those suffering are women and children. Quote I would say, this qualifies as 'crimes against humanity', unquote, said a UN official who visited the affected area.

For those who don't know about Pakistan army, it is a Jihadi army. To be more precise, they are in fact Taliban in uniform holding U.S. arms in their hands. For those who still think that Pakistan is a an ally in the war in terror, they need to re-check the facts. Pakistan has never been an ally in the war on terror, because Pakistan itself is the terror. Pakistan, its military and ISI, are the main sources of terrorism.

We have no doubt Islamabad played a crucial role in the 9/11 attacks against America. If the Taliba'an and Al Qaeda had a hand, how come their main sponsors can be innocent?

The killing of Balochs is continuing on both sides of the artificial border of Balochisan as I speak before you.

In Iran, extremist Mullahs and Iranian revolutionary guards arrest and kill Baloch at will, on flimsy pretexts. The case of Yaqub Mehrnihad, a journalist and civil rights activist, who was hanged on August 4, 2008 in Zahedan in Iranian occupied Balochistan is a case in point. Thousands of young Baloch activists are victims of torture and languishing in Pakistani and Iranian Jails. Their only crime was attending peaceful demonstrations and protest rallies.

In Pakistan, many hundred Baloch have been made to disappear and their loved ones don't know where they are. In Iran the Mullahs hang the Baloch in public, without a fair trial on mere charges of being 'mufssid fil arz' (miscreant on earth). Each time they hang a Baloch in public the mullahs Chant slogans like "Allahu Akbar, Margbar Amreeka, Margbar Israel", Which mean, "God is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel." They think killing innocent Balochs is their religious duty as they consider the Baloch agents of Israel and U.S.A.

Similar slogans are raised by the Pakistan army soldiers when they attack Baloch villages.

The Pakistanis use the label Indian and Afghan agents to kill and torture the Baloch. More recently they have started suspecting the Baloch nationalists and their allies of pushing the U.S. agenda. One case is that of activist Dr. Safdar Sarki, who was tortured for 20 months in Pakistan military intelligence dungeons on suspicion he has links with the Baloch resistance and was working for CIA and pushing a U.S. agenda.

Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, 79, former governor and chief minister, president of the Jamhoori Watan party and chief of the Bugti tribe, was killed extra judicially by the Pakistan army, who began suspecting him in the late 1980s when he befriended the then U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, Robert Oakley. Balach Marri, a member of Balochistan assembly, was also killed by Pakistan army.

All of this must stop

The Iranian and Pakistani jihadi armies can not fight the Indian and Israeli armies, but with impunity, they are carrying on their shameful terror campaign against the defenseless innocent Baloch civilians, which is going on for many decades.

Since August 2006, after the extra judicial killing of Nawab Bugti by Pakistani army, Pakistan has increased its terror campaign against the Baloch people. The genocide of Baloch nation is continuing on both side of the border. The US F-16 jets and Cobra gunship helicopters given to Pakistan to hunt down Taliban terrorists are being used in Balochistan against the innocent secular Baloch people. Last week Pakistani jihadi terrorist army attacked a village in Dera Bugti Balochistan, killed 48 people and arrested several hundred innocent Bugti Baloch who were then taken to nearby military camp, where they were summarily executed in Nazi style and their bodies were dumped in mass graves t cover up their crimes. This is not the first time Pakistani army has committed such crimes against humanity. The genocide of three million innocent people in Bengal and rape of half million Bengali Muslim women is now part of the world's history books.

1n 2006, a key Pakistani organization, the Human Right Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), in their fact finding mission report, reported gross human right violations, scores cases of arbitrary arrests, detentions, tortures, disappearances and summary extra judicial execution by Pakistan army in Balochistan. Appeals and urgent actions have been issued many times by Amnesty International, Asian Human Right Commission and other human right organizations to highlight the Pakistani and Iranian military atrocities against Baloch people.

Soon after Nawab Bugti's assassination,the dejure ruler of Balochistan the Khan of Kalat, Suleman Dawood Ahmedzai, called upon the Balochistan's representative assembly, the Grand Balochi Jirga, which was attended by almost all Baloch tribal leaders, political activists, and students--nearly 100 tribal chiefs and 400 notables. The historic Grand Balochi Jirga denounced the Pakistani military operation in Balochistan and extra judicial killing of Nawab Bugti and they unanimously made a declaration to challenge the illegal occupation of Balochistan at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague.

Let it be crystal clear that Balochistan was never a part of Pakistan. Trying to Pakistanize Balochistan at the gun point and through the slogan of Allahu Akbar has not worked for the last six decades and will not work in the future. Simply because the state of Pakistan in itself is not a very legitimate State by herslf. Just because the majority of Baloch are born Muslim, does not give the jihadi armies of Pakistan and Iran a license to continue to occupy our lands, conduct genocide of our people, loot and plunder our resources, and test their nuclear weapons in Balochistan. The world community must not close their eyes over the crimes against secular Baloch people. I urge the U.S. Government, in particular the Pentagon, and international community, in particular the N.A.T.O., to immediately intervene and initiate dialogue with De Jure ruler of Balochistan Mir Suleman Daud Ahmedzai, who is seeking asylum in the UK. I ask the other international leaders, particularly the leaders of India, Afghanistan, Israel, Russia and European Union and His Royal Majesty King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and the leaders of Gulf States to support the Balochistan's case at the ICJ against Pakistan's illegal, unjust and immoral occupation of Balochistan.

Baloch people, just like the Kurds, are secular and a great ally in the war on terror. We support and defend the International Security Assistance Force and the democratic government of Afghanistan's right to pursue the Taliban and Al-Qaida terrorists right into the sanctuaries provided to them by the Pakistan army and the Inter Services Intelligence. A Balochistan ruled by secular forces is in the interest of the peoples of the world, including the United States.

We urge our friends on the Capitol Hill to not support Pakistan, a terrorist State, but extend a helping hand to the Baloch people who are their best and natural ally in the war on terror in the region. Small baby steps can make a sea of difference. One of these steps is an embargo on all military supplies and equipment until Pakistan ends its illegal and immoral occupation of Balochistan, hands over terrorists like A.Q. Khan, Osama bin Laden, Ayman Alzwahiri, Daud Ebrahim and Rashid Rauf and rolls back its nuclear weapons program.

We urge the U.S. Department of State to set up the Voice of America Balochi service as soon as possible. We also urge immediate resumption of USAID for Balochistan to bring in more Baluch youths into the U.S. by an enabling visa waiver program and political asylum for Baloch activists who are facing Pakistani and Iranian persecution".

(Text of Speech given at the National Press Club, Washington DC on 15^th August, 2008 - http://www.bso-na.org/ )

(Dr. Wahid Baloch is the President of Baloch Society of North America and can be reached at e-mail: dr_wahid_baloch@bso-na.org)

Ahmedabad Blast - Abdul Rashid alias Mufti Abu Bashir Ilahi

Please read this quite a funny story on how the dreaded terrorist Abdul Rashid alias Mufti Abu Bashir Ilahi was caught by police in his hole in Azamgarh. That is why they say "Phus Gaya Bechara - Shadi bhi nahi hui aur azaadi bhi chali gayee" (Poor fellow even without getting married, he still lost his freedom).

Lucknow: On the evening of August 14, when a middle-aged man knocked at the door of a dilapidated house in Sarai Meer police circle of Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh, the house owner, Abu Bakar was a bit surprised. Introducing himself as Qudus Alvi of Jalaun, the stranger expressed his desire to meet Abdul Bashar, the eldest son of Abu Bakar, for a marriage proposal.

"We are actually looking for a pious man for my daughter. Mizban saheb of Jalaun told us about your son. We are looking for a god-fearing match for our daughter," he said in one go before Bakar could open his mouth. "My family members are waiting outside in a car. Should I call them?" he asked as a perplexed Abu Bakar nodded his head in the affirmative. Moments later, 'Qudus Alvi' was back with four other men.

Barely had the men made themselves comfortable on a cot, when Qudus Alvi started off again: "Sahabzade dikhai nahi par rahe hain. Kahan hain? (Your son is not to be seen, where is he?) ." "Nahi. Hain yahin. Abhi bulwate hain (He is here. I will call him just now)," Bakar replied as he called for Bashar.

Moments later, a lean man of average height appeared from a dingy room. "As salaam alai kum," he greeted the guests. 'Qudus Alvi' got up on his feet to shake hands with Bashar. But everything changed in a fraction of a second. The guests herded Bashar out of the house and virtually dragged him to a waiting Sumo. Even before Bakar could understand what was happening, the men had disappeared with Bashar. A little later, some local residents who witnessed the "kidnapping' ' told Bakar that Bashar has apparently been taken away by the police.

credit: Times of India 17th Aug 08

Amarnath Yatra Struggle - Reply

Hi Bloggers,

This is my repsonse to comments that i got from someone calling himself Indian Muslim. As you would see from his comments, his understanding of India and his ethos is very low. Please decide yourself.

1. Definition of Legend Oxford Concise English Dictionary: A traditional story popularly regarded as historical but which is not authenticated; Oxford Pocket English Dictionary: A traditional story from the past which may or may not be true
   Definition of Puranas : eighteen ancient books consisting of legends and mythological narrations dealing with creation, recreation and the genealogies of sages and rulers
   Definition of Mythology (Oxford Pocket English Dictionary): Set of widely held but exaggerated or false stories or beliefs.
   
   

Reply: Thanks for telling me the oxford pocket dictionary meaning of English words. I definitely need it given that I am on a temporary assignment in London.

Look my friend, matter of faith is never solved by oxford dictionary meanings.

Faith is something that you and I cannot comprehend. How can you define the fact when people travel to places like Kumb Mela or Perform Hajj and think that their soul will get cleansed by doing so? When holy books say that God create the world with Adam and Eve and Noah had an Arc through which he saved the world. You and I can discuss scientifically all this and maybe able reject these theories but for most it is a matter of faith and I as an Indian and that too a proud one – am committed to make sure that people are allowed to maintain that faith until it doesn’t harm my Nation. I am committed to the fact that our holy constitution has framed a system for all to practise the same and not to ridicule Holy Books like Veda’s or Puran’s or Quran or Bible. Can you scientifically prove anything written in these books? So it is your limited knowledge about other people and their religion and maybe including your own which prompts you to tell me the Oxford dictionary meaning of faith and mythology.

Faith is said to move mountains and that is all I can say.

2. Supported by Malik Family agreed. But who are the pony owners? Who give shelter to Yatris during storms? Who carry the old on their backs? For your information, they are all Muslims since you seem to have seen Kashmir only through the internet and through “mythological” stories.

Reply: Well I really did not know that 300,000 people stay with Pony wallah’s at their homes during storms. I do not think that in the snow storm on the yatra route in 1996, the 250 people who died were the ones who were left out of the pony owner houses. Please let us stop to dramatise the situation. Religions and people co exist and for multiple reasons, maybe trade and commerce, maybe faith. Leave it to them to run their lives like it is and create situations to smoothen the yatra. Take a look at what Jagmohan did for Vashino Devi Yatra and see how the vested interests tried to do what they are doing in the valley for the Amarnath yatra. Read his book “My Frozen Turbulence” and you get a better idea in your closed mindset.

3. Total No. of Kashmiri Muslims Killed (as per Govt. of India Statistics) since 1988 – 31,000
Total Number of Kashmiri Pandits Killed (as per your own blog): 361
It is grossly incorrect to term Kashmiri Muslims as terrorists. The statement “All terrorists are Kashmiri Muslims” can to an extent be a valid statement. But when you take the converse statement it is an utter violation of logical reasoning. The total Terrorist population by exaggerated estimates would be no more than 1% of the entire population.
Hence if you say Yatris were killed by Kashmiri Muslims, I suggest you go back to school and take a class in reasoning.
By the way, terrorists have no religion and have been misusing religion/race/creed since time immemorial across the world.

Reply: Deaths in a conflict zone are inevitable and as there are no Pandits left, it is the Muslims who would be on the death list. If there are 200,000 official guns of the security forces in the valley and 3500 terrorists, you can well imagine that killings would happen. Guns do not shoot out roses but deadly bullets. As far as who kills these people, well I cannot say Robots or Birds or Hunguls; it must be humans and if there are mostly one community there, it is some disgruntled elements from the same doing it on provocation of our friendly Jhootistan neighbour. Once peace returns in the valley and one day it will, the people in valley will understand that the cost they paid for all this violence was far greater than what they were promised by our friendly Jhootistan neighbour.

Also thanks for the school suggestion, will look into it.

4. SASB had only 8 Hindu members - Justice (Retd) G D Sharma, Prof Vishnu Murti Shastri, Sunil Sachdeva, Manoj Gaur, Dr Vimla Dhar, Professor Neerja Mattoo, Raghu Modi and Dr Arun Kumar. The people who did the actual work on field were all Kashmiri Muslims. Thus, to say that just 8 people managed a gathering of 300,000 people is absolutely ridiculous.

Reply: Does your oxford dictionary tell you about the word Governance or Leadership? There are only 40 Lt Generals in the Indian Army of 1 Million Men and Women. Does this that they do all the fighting or they are just to lead men without discriminating on any basis? I really do not believe in this hindu members in hindu shrines or muslim in muslim shrines. My simple yardstick is that if any Indian can lead an army battalion without any discrimination, why shrine boards can’t be run like same. We are not asking them to pray but to behave like a professional and work in his or her area of professional expertise to enhance the spiritual quest of the followers.

5. I absolutely agree with your statement. The primary aim of Pakistan is to destroy any and every system in India. They had been trying to disconnect the Valley from the rest of India for the past 20 years. When they didn’t succeed people in Jammu came to their aid. For God’s sake stop communalizing the whole issue.

Reply: How is it not communalised? Look the problem if it has to be tackled needs to be sorted head on. First accept that there is an insurgency and that too Muslim insurgency in India’s only Muslim majority state. Just by saying so does not make the personal communal. It is like older people in India never say the person has cancer but they always say that he has a bad illness – running away from the reality. There are number of questions that need to be asked: Why is the insurgency there? How has the Indian state treated Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh? How are the people doing vis a vis other parts of India and also P.O.K? How has the Indian Army ever operated in a counter insurgency operations in the valley before 1988? What was the crime rate in J&K before 1988 and what is it now? Why cannot the people in valley have this fascination for Jhootistan? As you have no idea of the valley; Pakistan Independence Day was celebrated and Indian Independence Day always had a strike call? Why Pakistani team victory was celebrated and not the Indian teams? As you have no idea of Kashmir, probably not coming from there, you are mostly like the Barkha Dutts of Indian Media, who are out of sync with the genesis of the problem. The minute Jammu came out for something it was turned communal and for 20 years valley people have driven out all minorities the situation was secular.

6. As in point No 4

7. I’m sorry but I’ll again say that Jagmohan was responsible for the unfortunate uprooting of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley. He planned to “cleanse” the Kasmiri separatists in an indiscriminate planned attack. He along with his agencies spread terror amongst the KPs and they used to send Military Trucks to aid the migration. Even today, 1100 KP families still live in the valley. Why did anyone not touch them?

Point 1: Well this is something that if you have not been there you are unable to comprehend. I cannot say much but just to tell you what land means to people in India is that 80% of cases in our courts pertain to Land & Housing. Why such a big number; the reason is that people are unwilling to part with their land or houses even when they are paid hefty amounts. You all would have seen scenes at narmada, nandigram and singur and that is a reflection on what happens if you taken someone out from your land even after paying them money. So pandits were fools to leave their homeland for living in tents because one gentleman had so much power to do that. Maybe we use Mr. Jagmohan for all such places like singur and nandigram.

Point 2. Even today, 1100 KP families still live in the valley. Why did anyone not touch them?

Wandhama massacre refers to the murder of Kashmiri Hindus in the town of Wandhama on January 1998.It was one of the worst incidences of violence against Kashmiri Pandits being carried out by terrorists in Kashmir. It was an illustration of the Kashmiri terrorist's policy of ethnic cleansing .The victims, all of them Hindus, included four children, nine women and 10 men.

Point 3. Military Trucks

Personal Story II: Well I would not like to go far but start with my own family. Our family resided at Karan Nagar locality in Sringar. On 20^th of January when Farooq Abdullah had resigned and Mr. Jagmohan had not taken charge (when was no real government in place), the whole valley was shouting slogans like kashmiri pandits leave the valley but keep your women behind for us (translated), what will rule here – nizam e Mustafa, what to worship here holy quran and only quran…..what we need azaadi……there are some more but I really do not want to remember that period. All the newspapers were filled up of notices for KP and other secular people along with their pictures giving notices to them either embrace the movement or suffer death. Leave the valley or suffer death. Who was the person doing all that; people like bitta karate, Yasin malik and their likes. Slowly they started killing key KP people and that too at different localities across the city and the valley to create a feeling that terror had reached the doorsteps of the pandits. Then on the 21^st Jan 90, all the mosques in the valley started making theses slogans from their loudspeakers and that went on till at least 2 more days. Similar slogans and that too simultaneously from all over the city. The Doordarshan was totally taken over by terrorist and was broadcasting their news (this was before the entire programming was transferred to Delhi-you might not know and neither it might have been in your oxford dictionary).

So the situation was really terrible and on 24^th January, just 2 days before the Republic day; one of my cousins who had grown a beard, went to the batmaloo bus stand to look for a K.M.D (Kashmir Motor Drivers Association) bus to take us to Jammu. No one agreed as they need buses for the mass rally on the 26^th where they were told to bring 10 Million people in total to enforce the blockade/strike on the 26^th January 1990. Finally one driver agreed (charging 4 times the money) so the family started at 3.30 am in the morning loading 4 suit cases. It was all we took from a 4 storied house having 20 rooms. That was the last time we would see the house. All of the journey will banihal was undertaken sitting on the floor of the very cold bus between the seats. The driver was stopped at 1 or 2 places (even at 3.30 AM) but he told that his “duty” was to collect the people for the rally from banihal. Only once we crossed the tunnel did we get a chance to sit on our seats; 12 people in a bus for 65 people.

Personal Story II: Another cousin of mine (55 year old husband and wife) had come to Delhi in November 1989 during the winter break to meet their son. Learning that the situation was fast deteriorating in the valley for KP’s, my uncle decided that he needs to go back to collect some more clothes and some other valuables from his house. 2 days before he was to leave, our cousins in Jammu (who had moved out of the valley some days earlier) sent a copy of a newspaper having his picture with a warning for him to leave the Valley for good. That was the last he would ever think of visiting his house (nearly 200 year old house for nearly 4 generations – all left because of Mr. Jagmohan).

Anyhow, as half of my family and friends work in the Army/ Defence Forces, after 3 years of migration (in 1993) we could manage to arrange 1 small 407 truck (on a personal basis) with 2 escort trucks of CRPF men (as army cannot be used for all these jobs –so much for the military trucks of Mr. Jagmohan). My uncle’s was given exactly 25 minutes by the Asst Commandant of the CRPF to take his belongings from a house where his family had stayed for nearly 200 years. As my uncle stayed near Habba Kadal – and very near to a major terrorist leaders house (he now has turned hurriyat politician, the commandant did not want to anyone to know that we were vacating the house; so all lights were cut and my uncle and aunt was both given a burkah to wear and take away their 200 years old belongings in 25 minutes. As they went in their house of 200 years without electricity, they realised that it had already been used as a militant store house previously. The temple etc had been desecrated and so had some rooms. Anyways within 25 minutes (like a reality game show) they could gather 3 suitcases and that was the last they saw of their 4 generational home (Thanks to Mr. Jagmohan). Just for your information this uncle of mine is one of the top kashmiri writers whose Books and plays have something like a cult status in the valley for all Hindus and Muslims- who had nothing to do with either Jagmohan or Politics.

Sorry but I have yet to thank Mr. Jagmohan for helping us and also other KP’s with all this including military trucks.

Mr. Indian Muslim – please keep you logic with you. I and also any another KP does not need either your certificate in secularism or oxford dictionary meaning for any word.

Coming to issues at Jammu, we have heard all voices coming from Jammu and from Kashmir. The voices and actions from Jammu are categorically against Muslims to the extent that even houses of Gujjars are being destroyed and supplies to the valley have been stopped.
On the contrary, Kashmiris made all attempts to make the Yatra successful by all means. Who is communal?

Reply: Given last time. Please tell me what Jammu or even Doda (Hindus and Muslims) have got in the last 60 years from Kashmiri politicians.

8. Excuse me; the land belongs to the people of Jammu as well, unless they choose not to associate themselves with the state. They have an equal right being state subjects. I agree that Kashmiri Pandits are also inhabitants of the land and Omar never disputed that in his speech. However, many of the Pandits chose to leave their homeland. I have read the other story about your childhood on your blog. But tell me how were Muslims different from Pandits. More Muslims who went against the terrorists were killed than Pandits. I will again reiterate that Jagmohan was responsible for the migration. Why did Sikhs and Christians never leave? Even after Chhati Singhpora incident? As I have already stated more than 31,000 Kashmiri Muslims have died due to Militancy, and the number excludes the number of Kashmiri Terrorists.

Reply: There are 30 Christians in the Valley and that too mostly running some churchs and schools. Even in the Zionist state of Israel, there are more Muslims (not counting west bank and gaza). The target was to remove the KP as they had a larger share of Central Government Jobs in the valley (the state government jobs were slowly out of the reach for the younger generation). Once that was achieved, no one had any problems for them to visit the valley like a tourist. The fight was to move them out of the valley; as long as they came as tourist, there were always wazawans ready. As for the Sikhs; in 1990 the slogan was “Muslim sikh bhai bhai, yeh Hindu kom kahan se aayee” and there were lots more but unprintable. The fight was to remove Hindus and keep the Sikhs; 2 reasons – 1. the kashmiri terrorist were getting a lot of help from Khalastani terrorists 2. the Sikhs were located in pockets mainly into commerce and agriculture and not in government jobs.

9. It is not about demographics. It is about pollution and contamination of ecology. The SASB started a helicopter service to add to the pollution. They were constructing permanent structures thereby destructing ecology. For evidence you may check their site at http://www.shriamarnathjishrine.com/amarnath-shrine-board.html
Moreover, if the Yatra is going on smoothly, isn’t it immaterial whether the land is transferred or not?

Reply: Ok, that is a new thing. Railways have denuded couple of Lakh trees, the Big Baglihar Dam has done the same, so has been the condition of the city forest that Jagmohan created at casmishai next to the governor’s house for creating a golf course, the big timber mafia at dacigam, nearly 10,000 trees on the Uri Poonch Road, the trees for creating the campus of Baba Ghulam Shah university at Poonch/Rajouri, etc. The structures were temporary as they were the same DRDO made stuff that helped Kashmiri earthquake victims in their time of crisis some years back.

The problem with Omar was his speech was highly charged and when politicians like him with whom people associate themselves overcoming their own religious or regional lines, such politicians need to make speeches in a different tenor. His speech like I said was the final straw in the camels back and now this whole issue has become a matter of prestige.

10. Same a/a

11. Pakistan & ISI are benefiting from the protests and from the economic blockade. Wake up!

Reply: There is no blockade and there was only disruptions. Pleae avoid going by Jhootistan news.

12. Our soldiers died to keep the link open but our fellow citizens- brothers and citizens succeeded!

Yes, everything was well till Jammuites called a strike. The strike called by secular Yasin Malik, Sajjad Lone, Syed Ali Shah Geelani (who unashamedly took 70 lakhs of Indian Tax payers money for his health bills), etc are not economic blockades for people of Kargil, Dras or Leh.

13. By blocking the road they are supporting the plans of secessionists

Yes, the same way as today sitram yechury of CPM has said in his article in the Hindustan Times , that we should not vote for BJP or any other party that we like - as the Militants say that they too like that party. There can be nothing more ridiculous than this. This is what creates communal politics in the long run. Also today Mr. Geelani has blamed the entire problems of J&K on the communal parties of Jammu. Look who is talking.

14. We want a unified state under India. Recent developments in Jammu aim at further dividing the state.

Yes when Jammu does anything it is dividing and when valley does the same it is all secular. When salman rushdie says something to the prophet Mohd. 5000 miles away the valley will burn, when danes publish highly objectionable cartoons – the valley will burn, when taslima nasreen writes something wrong in Bangladesh the valley must burn – but when jammu protest for 400 acres of land for temporary structures it is all communal and aimed at dividing the state. Please stop saying such unrelevant and unreasonable things. It only strikes fire.

15. I’m sorry but Sikhs and Christians still continue to live in harmony with us. They, like us, never bowed down to terrorism. We have some of the leading schools run by Christian missionaries. Churches, Gurudwaras and temples and mosques continue with their religious proceedings.
If you now say that temples were destroyed, I would like you to find out how many mosques and shrines were destroyed by terrorists? Remember the destruction of one of the holiest shrines at Chraresharief? I again reiterate, terrorists don’t have any religion.

Reply: Thanks but really when you write Christians in the valley, I cannot help laughing at your poor knowledge of the valley or its demographic composition. The terrorist burnt a dargah and that is something that they consider as un Islamic in the deoband-wahibi school of Islamic thought. As the terrorists who did that were non kashmiri, they felt is easy to burn down something that they did not believe in. It also signalled the end of the great sufi tradition of Kashmir. Not a single person on the street rose to condemn that (very similar to what happened during the KP exit from the valley) – no mass hysteria like the land transfer agitation. Even that is the one and only discretion that the terrorist did to a mosque.

It is very unfortunate that sometimes ill informed individuals start to "blog" half-truths encouraging communalism. In the world today when everyone is striving towards peace, please use your efforts to contribute for a better tomorrow. Dont sow seeds of violence and hatered!

Yes, thank you Mr. Oxford Dictionary informed person. For someone to comment on the other judgement is very easy. It is sad that people like you who have no relevance or have not even been there talk about the valley as if it is their play ground. I term it as the Barkha Dutt syndrome – you unfortunately have it and I really cannot help. I do not need your secular tag and you can keep that with yourself, writing irrelevant responses to blog’s without understanding what people construe as a simple thing as religion. For you the purans as well as other holy books of muslims, Sikhs, Christians, jews and others are a source of mythology which in turn is all falsehood, then I can not discuss this issue any further. I might be personally an atheist but I have no right to question the beliefs of millions of muslims, hindus or other religious people of India. This is how this great nation of Bharat has run for 5000 years and this is how it will run for 50000000000 + years. This is why our nation is named Bharat and I might not agree with everything of King Bharata but on his name is our great country named.

I guess like millions of other Indian who do not know this story or of why our country was named Bharata, please read this and realise the importance of mythology in the life of all Indian Hindus, muslims , Sikhs and each and every one who calls himself an Indian citizen. Maybe it will help make you a better Indian and also a better Muslim.