Think carefully before
you challenge brute force of ISI
Dr Shabir Choudhry 15 May 2016
I read Junaid Qureshi’s
new article in Daily Kashmir Images which is published from Srinagar, after my
morning prayer at 5am. The title was eye catching, 'The ISI is always right’. I
went to sleep at 1am, and was really tired as I didn’t get sufficient sleep,
but had to wake up for my obligatory prayer.
After the morning prayer
and recitation of Quran, I habitually check my iphone for message and news. Junaid
Qureshi’s message with a link to his article was there. I read his new article
with great interest.
In my humble opinion, 'The
ISI is always right...' is a wonderful and daring written contribution
by Junaid Qureshi to pay tribute to Arif Shahid. Some may even say it is more
valuable than a small one hour protest outside the Pakistan High Commission.
After reading the article
I could sleep. I analysed the article from various perspectives; and got
alarmed for safety and security of the writer. The Pakistani establishment and
secret agencies, particularly the ISI is not very tolerant organisation. Human
life, dignity and honour of people have no value to them.
They have mastered the
art of defaming and eliminating those they perceive as enemies or opponents.
Their victims include their fellow Pakistanis too. Their victims also include
writers, journalists, and political activists. They can do anything and
everything; and no one in Pakistan can even question them. They only show
respect and demonstrate subservient attitude to officials of CIA, MI6, Saudi
Arabia, China and some other big countries.
They can kill, torture,
imprison and defame any Pakistani without any remorse. If they can do that to
their fellow citizens, one can imagine what they can do to those who are not
Pakistani citizens. Suffering and blood of people of the former Princely State
of Jammu and Kashmir helps to promote their agenda in many ways; and they
masterfully create situations which spill Kashmiri blood and multiply their
suffering.
It is because of that
they ensure the Kashmir dispute remains unresolved and keeps on boiling at
acceptable temperature. Of course for that Kashmiri blood is needed as a fuel.
People of State of Jammu and Kashmir have to suffer; and I cannot see an end to
their suffering.
People of Jammu and Kashmir
know they are occupied by China, Pakistan and India. They know it was Pakistan
which violated the Standstill Agreement and attacked Jammu and Kashmir on 22
October 1947. They know this unprovoked attack resulted in death, destruction
and rapes; and forced division of our motherland. They know it was Pakistan
which refused to withdraw her troops from Jammu and Kashmir as demanded by the
UNCIP Resolution of 13 August 1948. They know it was Pakistan which proposed to
limit Kashmiri people’s right to independence and substituted it with a right
to accession to either India or Pakistan. They know Pakistan illegally gave
away around 2000 square miles of Jammu and Kashmiri territory to China in 1963
to win their friendship. They know Pakistan agreed on division of Jammu and
Kashmir in 1963. They know Pakistan made the Kashmir dispute bilateral. They
know citizens of Jammu and Kashmir are also victims of Pakistani policies; and
yet they have to endure all the wrong doings, and still praise Pakistan. In
order to be a patriotic Kashmiri they have to condemn only India for their
wrong doings; and remain quiet what Pakistan does. If they don’t, they won’t
celebrate their next birthday.
Plight of Arif Shahid,
Ali Murtaza, Mirwaiz Molana Farooq, Dr Ghulam Qadir Wani, Abdul Ahad Guru, Abdul
Ghani Lone, Shahban Wakeel and many others flashed to my mind.
I wish Junaid Qureshi
all the best in his ‘jihad’ to expose those who led us to this blind valley of
death. While commending him for what he is doing I wish he doesn’t land in hot
water like I did while criticising the ISI and the Pakistani role in the
Kashmir dispute.
Junaid Qureshi should
remember that we live in a global village; and Europe is also part of this
village. They can ‘sort out’ anyone anywhere in the world; as they said to my
late father when I wrote against upraising of the Mangla Dam.
My father was 82 at that
time, and the officer who went to my house (in Pakistani Occupied Kashmir) to
warn the old soldier who served in the British army in the Second World War and
the Pakistan army afterwards:
‘Tell Shabir to behave
like human being or else we can sort him out over there (in London) as well (In
Urdu he said: Shabir ko bolo Bandey ka puter baney, warna hum uss ko wahn be
theek kar saktey hain, as if I was not a son of human being).
This is not to suggest
that only Pakistan is culprit in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan has its faults and
wrong policy. India has its faults and wrong policy. The Indian policy has also
resulted in deaths, rapes, imprisonment and custodial deaths and we condemn it.
Responsibility of every government is to protect life, honour and property of
the citizens. India has failed to honour their pledges to the world and to the
people of Jammu and Kashmir. If Pakistan is stirring up problems in Kashmir and
sending militants than take these issues with Pakistan; and not punish people
of Kashmir.
I end my submission with a quote from Junaid Qureshi’s article:
‘Major-General
Sahib was the first one to react. “Sir, with all due respect, but this could
backfire. It could create problems for us here and especially in the Valley”.
DG Sahib was not
impressed. “He is not being killed by the Indians. A Pakistani bullet is
different from an Indian bullet. It always has been. Only Indian bullets
produce Shaheeds. Our bullets don’t. Nobody will bother in the Valley.
Did they bother
when we killed others like him in the Valley itself? Why would they suddenly
bother about someone being killed here? They will assume that he was an Indian
agent. They will find justifications for his death. They always do.’
Below
is a link to Junaid Qureshi’s article.
Writer is a political analyst, TV anchor and author of
many books and booklets. Also he is Director Institute of Kashmir Affairs. Email:drshabirchoudhry@gmail.
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