Open Letter to The Hurriyat by A Young Kashmiri Woman, LIAH QURESHI

Open Letter to The Hurriyat by A Young Kashmiri Woman, LIAH QURESHI

Thursday, August 11, 2016

SRINAGAR: Respected Hurriyat Leaders, 

I would like to ask you certain questions, I hope you won’t mind answering them.

It’s been since 2008 when I had just passed Class 12 that these questions struck me in my Heart, Mind and Soul, but I couldn’t ask you. I was a kid and thought whatever you leaders will decide is better for us. 

I found the same questions in my mind in 2010, and now again in 2016.

Before people start judging me I’m born and bought up in Downtown Srinagar, and I stand by the Idea of an Independent Kashmir, I have, like everybody else lost my loved ones (not one but two), to state violence. 

The struggle for freedom demands Sacrifice, and Sacrifice we have given. Yes, each one of us, each one of the people fighting on the roads or staying inside their homes, we have sacrificed one thing or the other, a friend or a relative, we have lost many, and have lost a lot and YES, Kashmir is ready to do more. You know much more than I do, you have seen things more closely than any of us have, that is why you are the leaders. We respect and abide by the protest calls given by you.

Kashmir was an Independent Kingdom, before Pakistan overtook and Kashmir had to ask for help to India and then this good neighbor turned bad and occupied our place. This is the bitter reality each of us knows.

To make things clear for reader, it was Pakistan who CREATED this Kashmir Dispute, who tried to FIRST ILLEGALLY OCCUPY Kashmir. And India followed, because you see India cannot stay behind in anything that Pakistan does.

Kashmir has been on the receiving end of a lot of mental, emotional and physical abuse from both sides. Yes both sides. We do not hear about Pakistan’s brutal behavior with PoK people for the same reason why the people of India don’t know about what Indian government and Indian Army has been doing in this part of Kashmir. The news never makes it on the TV screens and Newspapers. 

History is witness, a freedom struggle is successful only if it is neutral, only if the true essence of the Struggle is Freedom. Freedom for us means Independence from India AND Pakistan, not from India alone.

People will ask me as to why I decided to bring up this topic today, because TILL NOW, it was the people, the crowd without a name who were waving Pakistani flags during protests, who were shouting the pro-Pakistani slogans, I couldn’t blame them, I couldn’t find them and tell them what our struggle is about, they are naïve kids, they need to be guided, guided about what our freedom struggle is all about.

I don’t know why some people want to give this freedom struggle a communal touch, it was never our goal and we have witnessed, it has never helped us ever. The people who think this is going to help us in any way should ask themselves that is this really helping our struggle, it this really worth the blood of more than 1 lac Kashmiris and counting.

Why aren’t the young minds of Kashmir picking up the right flag in their hands, our flag the most beautiful flag on earth for every Kashmiri. More than 50% of the Kashmiri youth doesn’t even know what our flag is.

Isn’t this your responsibility to make them aware about what the Identity of Kashmir is, because you call yourselves the Hurriyat Leaders, you will be the stars when the History of Kashmir will be written, isn’t it your responsibility to guide people on the right path.

Let me tell you what a common Kashmiri girl who has been under house arrest for more than 34 days now thinks:

The crowd waves Pakistani flag during Protests, in-front of Indian forces, what do you think will happen, more bloodshed than if they have had waved Kashmiri flags, that by logic does define the right to self determination.

The bloodshed will not be because People are waving the flag of a the country involved in the Kashmir Dispute, Naa.. the bloodshed will be because the fight between India and Pakistan is not only about Kashmir, they are the US and USSR in the making, they will kill to make each other feel inferior. And that is what is happening in Kashmir.

The people of Kashmir are getting killed not only because they are asking for their right to self-determination, but also because the waving of Pakistani flag is provoking the Indian forces to kill us.

This act of our children not only is the reason of more deaths but is also responsible for the pushing away of the Kashmiri minorities from this struggle for freedom, because when they logically think they prefer to be better off in Indian control than to be in control of Pakistan.

This not only increases the number of people who die at the hands of Indian forces but also makes our struggle unauthentic and illogical.

Today you, the leaders of this nation, the Hurriyat leaders we follow blindly, you people issued a Protest Programme.

In that Programme August 15 is referred to as Black Day, it is no doubt a Black Day for us. But the same stands for August 14. Why have you named August 14 as Pakistan Day, it is their Day, let them celebrate it, it is for us a Black Day like August 15.

With due respect, I try to remind you time and again in this open letter that Pakistan is as much responsible for our situation as India, why are you giving so much importance to them, they don’t deserve it. 

Yes, Pakistani government is demanded the plebiscite of Kashmir now, we as Kashmiris respect that, but that is that, we JUST respect that like we respected Atal Ji’s take on Kashmir, we do not and we cannot be a part of that country or this country.

It is time to leave the personal benefits that we get from being a part of India and Pakistan and work on the freedom struggle of Kashmir, and that is what Kashmiris are doing. I hope, you being the leaders will understand your responsibility in controlling and containing the role of communal forces in this struggle, I hope you have understood the thought that strikes this common girl’s mind.

(The writer is a 25 year old “curious” Kashmiri who is using a pseudonym, writes poetry and dabbles in journalism. This article appears in Young Citizen and does not reflect the views of The Citizen.)

http://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/NewsDetail/index/8/8439/Open-Letter-to-The-Hurriyat-by-A-Young-Kashmiri-Woman

Is Kashmir heading towards a civil war? By Sameer Showkin Lone

Is Kashmir heading towards a civil war? By Sameer Showkin Lone  

Aug 08, 2016

Despite repeated calls by separatist groups to stick to the joint leadership’s calendar and not to harm anyone unnecessarily, the situation in Kashmir seems to be slipping out of their hands and instead heading towards “a civil war”.

Some elements are seen damaging the public and private property by throwing stones at shopkeepers, private vehicles, Ambulances, even during the “relaxation time” without any reason.

It all started when thousands of people in south Kashmir’s Kokernag area, where Hizb Commander Burhan Wani was killed on July 08, chopped down some four thousand high density apple trees in an orchard of a well-known entrepreneur at village Bumdooru.

The locals, who destroyed this model orchard, had the only reason to cut down the apple orchard that the owner of the apple orchard, Khurram Shafi Mir had close proximity with former chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed. Ironically, the same area polled 70 percent votes in the last held elections and also elected a PDP leader as their MLA.

Mir later said the experiment orchard was ground zero for economic empowerment of farmers. “I spoke with people of the area and told them that it (the orchard) has nothing to do with government or politicians and that it is owned by three farmer families from Shopian and Anantnag. It is a big tragedy for us,” Mir had said.

Similarly, a senior editor of a local daily had a narrow escape while his car was heavily damaged by the protesters when he was on the way to his home from office during the late evening last Thursday.

Similarly, a medico, Dr Sajad Ahmad Bhat, who works as a Casualty Medical Officer (CMO) at SMHS hospital was quoted saying, “I had gone home to get my parents, who are leaving for Hajj, vaccinated. At Railway Bridge near Mochow, someone hurled a stone at me and hurt my hand. I couldn’t see the person who hit me for there was a huge crowd on the bridge. So it was difficult to go near them and look for the person,” he said.

Adding fuel to the fire, the paramilitary forces especially CRPF have been seen ransacking public and private property. Several amateur videos have surfaced showing CRPF troopers breaking window panes of houses and damaging cars and bikes on roads. CRPF men are also under scanner for killing an ATM guard in a “cold blooded murder” when he was riding on his two-wheeler late evening of August 04.

Bilal, a Facebook user posted, “My uncle opened shop after 6 pm at Goni-Khan, some boys came and threw stones at him,” he posted. 

“These youths don’t listen to anyone. They won’t ask you to switch off the lights, even when there is no blackout call by Hurriyat. They will just come, throw a stone, break the glasses and will leave,” said a resident at Nowgam.
The situation has turned grave forcing many to write letters to newspapers narrating the ordeals of their areas. 

Owais Wani writes: “There are few people who are creating lot of problems in Pulwama town. It is impossible for a person to reach Srinagar from Newa - Nowgam or Kakapora - Pampore road. During late hours, some people stop vehicles, mostly carrying patients and people with some emergency, thrash, harass and break their vehicles etc. If all these things persist, there will be a civil war in Kashmir very soon. Who will go out in this situation? It is people who are somehow in emergency,” he has written in his letter which appeared in a local daily.

Civil Society member and wife of senior Hurriyat leader, Hameeda Nayeem said some people are trying to lead the present movement towards a civil war. “We appeal people to nab these elements and expose them at whose behest they are doing it,” she said.

“Those unnecessarily creating nuisance and harassing people without any reason are the agents of agencies who have been fighting a different war in Kashmir,” she said.

Noted political expert professor Noor Ahmed Baba said the government forces are curtailing the movement of people and when the people do the same and not allow people with emergencies to move; then you are alienating your own people, which will surely lead to a Civil war.

“It is not a two days movement, we have to sustain it. When we attack our own apple orchards, stop milk supplies, medicines, then how will it sustain. Azadi itself is an idea to move freely with dignity and sense of security...when we don’t allow people to do that, then we are harming the basic cause. People should understand it. It is not we will curb peoples’ movement when they are on the need,” he said.

http://www.kashmirmonitor.in/Details/107851/is-kashmir-heading-towards-a-civil-war

As a Kashmiri, Let Me Explain How We Got To Where We Are Today, Nazir Masoodi

As a Kashmiri, Let Me Explain How We Got To Where We Are Today

Nazir Masoodi is NDTV's Srinagar Bureau Chief

Let me explain just how we got to where we are in Kashmir today.
For over a year, there has been no encounter between security forces and militants in Kashmir that was not followed by protests, clashes and shutdowns. Thousands of people attending the funeral prayers of dead militants became a routine. Gradually, people started becoming active participants in fierce encounters. Now, as soon as the first bullet is fired after security forces launch an operation against militants, large crowds start running towards the encounter site, trying to break the security cordons to help the militants to escape. Five people have been killed in the last eight months with scores injured during such dangerous adventures.

Days before Burhan Wani, the poster boy of Kashmir's new-age militancy, was killed in South Kashmir, in a remote village of Lolab in North Kashmir, a family was hounded by a crowd of over 5,000 people over rumors that the head of the family, Doda Khan, was an army informer and helped troops to kill a militant during an encounter. I visited Doda Khan's abandoned home. The two-storey wood and mud house is not even 50 meters away from the army camp. But this proximity could not give any sense of security to the beleaguered family who have gone into hiding to escape the backlash.

No one recognized this grim reality of Kashmir until the backlash over Burhan Wani's killing overawed the Valley. There is a debate over whether the PDP- BJP alliance, because of the serious contradictions in its coalition, is also partly responsible for the unrest and growing unease in the state over the last 1.5 years. I had written about the possible impact of this alliance two months before Mufti Mohammad Sayed formed the government with the BJP.

 For over a month, over 7 million people have been under lockdown, strict restrictions and curfew.  There is no reason to believe normalcy is around the corner. The number of people killed and injured is growing every day. A visit to a hospital in Srinagar throws up stories of pain, sufferings and brutalities inflicted on people. As per hospital records, over 5,000 people with injuries have been admitted since July 9 when Wani was shot. More than 400 people, including little children, have eye injuries from pellet guns. Sadly, many of them may never see the world again.

During a month of unrest, 56 people have been killed in security forces firing.The government has maintained that (except for one victim) all those killed were part of mobs who attacked police and security installations and died in retaliatory action. Let me confess I have very little information and conformation about the circumstances that led to the killing of most of these people. Even now, I cannot go to the places worst afflicted and meet families who have lost members. The hostility towards TV channels is so intense that no TV crew has been able to visit south Kashmir to cover the aftermath of the Burhan Wani encounter.

 The only incident I have closely followed was the death of Reyaz Ahmad Shah, a private security guard at a bank ATM. He was killed in Srinagar last week. Everyone in the police refused to believe the family's version that Reyaz was killed by security forces in cold blood near a CRPF bunker on late Wednesday evening. Then the postmortem revealed how a full cartridge of pellets was pumped into his body. Reyaz was returning from his work on a two-wheeler when forces stopped him, put the shotgun on his abdomen and fired. Over 300 pellets were found inside his body. There are still no answers for why Reyaz was killed. There were no clashes, no stone-pelting or protest that could have been a reason for his killing. It was deliberate murder. After the post-mortem, a case under murder charges was filed against unnamed security forces. It was the first FIR against security forces after 52 civilian killings, but no one believes the guilty will ever be punished.

The government is hoping that the situation will improve because fatigue is bound to set in among the protesters with the passage of time. They believe people cannot afford to live in such a situation for too long. They act as if the onus is on the people to bring normalcy. After all, who is suffering, losing lives, getting blinded and maimed? Whose schools and business are closed?  And who is losing the luxury of living without curbs and humiliation? This sadistic optimism is presumably based on the perceived outcome of the 2008 and 2010 civilian unrest in Kashmir. What the government is not realizing is that the boys out on the streets today have been schooled in street protests since 2008. They have restarted from where they left off in 2010. They are operating independently, driven by raw emotion, and death doesn't scare them. After every death and injury, these boys are challenging security forces with stones in their hands. The everyday images of young men tearing their shirts open in front of armed soldiers and challenging them to shoot tells us how things are going in Kashmir.

Even separatist Hurriyat conference leaders are struggling to gain control. They are as surprised over the dramatic change in the situation as the government in Srinagar. Their protest and strike calendars were openly defied. The appeal from the Lashkar-e-Toiba two weeks ago asking people to adhere to the Hurriyat's calendar is a wake-up call for where Kashmir is headed. Militants addressing large public gatherings, people jostling to have a glimpse of them and pledging support to militancy is unprecedented in 27 years of the separatist movement. Even at the height of the uprising in 1990, militancy never got this sort of public endorsement. Again, it was Pakistan-based United Jehad Council chief Sayed Salahudin who asked militants to stay away from public gatherings and rallies last week "because forces are always in search of excuses to shoot down unarmed civilians." It's terrorists and militants who have decided not to addressed rallies, this is not a change brought about by either security forces or the state.

Since this government came to power, it has managed a semblance of calm only because separatist leaders like Sayed Ali Shah Geelani played peacenik. After every killing in an encounter, he would call for a strike only in the area where the incident had happened, and not allow tension to spread to other areas. He strongly spoke against any cow killing when the beef controversy took dangerous communal overtones in Jammu and Kashmir. A Kashmiri truck driver was burnt alive after beef rumors in Udhampur near Jammu and a legislator was beaten up inside the assembly by BJP members. But after Wani's death, the government's appeal to separatists to help quell protests had very little impact.

The government is also forgetting that during the 2008-10 civilian unrest, there was a reach-out from and engagement with people at the highest level. In 2010, an all-party delegation knocked at the door of very separatist leader, met with the injured, common people, heard their anger and tried to apply a healing touch. Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj were part of the delegation and there was a sense of empathy. Unlike today, no one tried to demonize the victims. The government at the time started several initiatives of youth engagement and the process of healing. The interlocutors appointed by the central government even declared Kashmir a dispute and talked about addressing the aspirations of people to find a lasting solution. It's another story that like earlier initiatives to find a political solution to the Kashmir issue, the interlocutors' report was ignored by successive governments.

After initial blunders then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also made some course correction, both administrative and political. He questioned state- center relations and raked up conditional accession with Union of India: "Kashmir never merged with the union like other princely states did". This caused a huge furore in Delhi. Omar Abdullah's patriotic credentials were questioned. The opposition in Delhi meant some acceptance for Omar in the Valley at a time when his popularity was at its lowest ebb.

The irony this time is people have not heard a single word of empathy from Mehbooba Mufti. The Chief Minister who had built her constituency over the protection of human rights and opposition to state oppression is now seen as presiding over the worst kinds of rights violations. She would visit families of dead militants and give them a sense of belonging and ownership. Today, she is justifying civilian killings in the name of law and order. On social media, people are pulling out her old speeches and juxtaposing them with her current statements.

Her biggest challenge was to strike a balance between her core constituency and alliance. She has been found wanting. In the course of proving her patriotic credentials as Chief Minister, she has forgotten that earning the trust of the center can't be at the cost of losing the faith of her support base in the Valley.

Instead of looking inwards for the reasons behind the unrest, Mehbooba Mufti has blamed Pakistan as the debate goes about whether the violence is orchestrated or spontaneous. The government has repeatedly said Pakistan is fueling trouble and instigating crowds. No doubt Pakistan has always been waiting for opportunities to fish in the troubled waters of Kashmir but my question is very simple: if Pakistan and its proxies in Kashmir are so powerful as to create such massive unrest, why can't their calls for boycotts succeed during elections? The same people who are being condemned today as paid stone-pelters and murderous mobs defied separatist calls and voted in droves.

Militarization is not just about the presence of army and security forces but about the militarization of people's psyche. Living under the shadow of gun for near three decades has taken the fear of the gun away from people's minds. The talk about we are all militants without guns is not new in South Kashmir anymore. The situation is also raising the larger question that if the BJP cannot mainstream Kashmir and end separatism, who else can? So far, they were blaming the Congress for mishandling Kashmir, but now they have to answer why they have so little control over the situation.

We can all sit around discussing how long this turmoil will continue and when will the government regain control over the streets of Srinagar and the rural areas of Kashmir. But I come back to the question we should be looking at: which way is Kashmir headed? Those with experience in crippling street follow no rule book or organizational hierarchy. Wani was so successful in convincing them that he's fighting for their cause that in his death, he has become a revival point for an aggressively separatist movement. After his death, militants are roaming freely in the streets, but security forces cannot even think about launching operations against them in this situation. Their information network has collapsed. No one wants to meet the fate of Doda Khan.

http://www.ndtv.com/blog/as-a-kashmiri-let-me-explain-how-we-got-to-where-we-are-today-1442532?pfrom=home-topstories

There'll be Nuclear War with India over Kashmir, warns Hizbul chief Syed Salahudeen

There'll be Nuclear War with India over Kashmir, warns Hizbul chief Syed Salahudeen

Monday, August 08, 2016

By: First Post

As unrelenting tension escalates across Jammu and Kashmir, Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahudeen on Monday threatened to wage a nuclear war against India over the Kashmir issue. Asserting that a 'fourth war' is imminent with India, Salahudeen, in a statement, said:

Pak is duty, morally, politically, constitutionally bound to provide substantial support to ongoing freedom struggle in Kashmir: SSalahudeen

Quoting the Hizbul chief in a series of tweet, ANI reported that Salahudeen said that Kashmiris are no longer willing to compromise and added that it does not matter whether Pakistan, the world or even the United Nation supports 'it', Kashmiris have pledged to fight till the last drop of their blood.

"Our base camp in liberated Azad Kashmir, and the Kashmiris from this side will announce the trampling of the bloody Line of Control. After that there will be no bloody line, no ceasefire line, no international rules and no consideration for the United Nations observers. Bleeding Kashmiris will come from that side, these Kashmiris will go from this side, and God willing a decision will take place on the bloody line," said Salahudeen.

"If Pakistan provides (this) support, there is a great chance of a nuclear war between two powers (India and Pakistan). I can predict a fourth war with certainty because Kashmiris are no longer willing to compromise, come what may. Whether world or Pak supports or not; UN performs duty or not, Kashmiris have pledged to fight up to last drop of their blood," Salahudeen said in a statement.

Dubbing the crisis in Kashmir as a armed struggle, the Hizbul chief said that the Narendra Modi government is giving no leeway and what remains with Kashmir's 'suppressed' people is a target-oriented armed struggle.

"God willing, all this is present. But there will be a new dimension now, which will prove very dangerous for India, God willing."

Issuing an impending threat of an attack, Salahudeen said that if the international players ignore this warning or Pakistan's efforts are not fruitful and India does not stop atrocities, "a big incident can occur."

Meanwhile, reacting to Salahudeen's threat, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said that the Hizbul chief has no authority to speak on Kashmir.

Earlier in August, Salahudeen had accused Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh of being a "killer of Kashmiris" and had urged Islamabad to recall its envoy from India over the ongoing unrest in Jammu and Kashmir. The Hizbul leader, who also happens to be the chief of United Jihad Council, had seconded Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed's call for a countrywide protest in Pakistan by JuD against Rajnath's last week visit to Islamabad. Rajnath Singh was in Pakistan on 3 August to attend the Saarc home ministerial conference.

"The rulers should give up hypocrisy and the Pakistan government should either plead the case of Kashmiris or make friends with India," Salahudeen had said.

Resolutions passed in a conference arranged by Jammu Kashmir International People’s Alliance on 7 August 2016 in Italy.

Resolutions passed in a conference arranged by Jammu Kashmir International People’s Alliance on 7 August 2016 in Italy.  

This Conference unanimously:   

1. Declare that State of Jammu Kashmir is one political entity; and the entire State, which includes areas of Gilgit Baltistan, so called Azad Kashmir, Jammu, Valley of Kashmir and Ladakh is disputed.  

2. Assert that terrorism, religious intolerance and extremism are major threats to peace and fundamental human rights of people; therefore, they must be opposed in all forms and shapes by all governments, political and civil society organizations.  

3. Condemn growing human rights violations in Kashmir; and strongly urge the authorities to respect human life, and liberty of the people, as it is their prime responsibility to ensure peace and stability, and that there is no threat to human life.  

4. Express serious concern on the construction of the CPEC and exploitation of our national resources in Gilgit Baltistan by Pakistan and China; and strongly criticize deliberate endeavours of both countries to deprive benefits of the CPEC to the local inhabitants of Gilgit Baltistan and Pakistan Administered Kashmir.  

5. Remind both governments that the CPEC will result in added pollution and serious environmental issues which will change the ecosystem of the region with disastrous consequences for human and wild life.  

6. Urge both China and Pakistan to take appropriate measures to deal with issues related to environment; and formulate policies that will empower people of Gilgit Baltistan, develop their educational, professional, and technical skills that people of Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir could also benefit from the CPEC.  

7. Demand that since the CPEC is being built through a disputed territory, therefore, a provision should be incorporated in the agreement that future government of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir should have a right to negotiate new terms with the respective governments of China and Pakistan.  

8. Recommend that Kashmir dispute should be resolved through a process of dialogue, and by adopting all peaceful means and in accordance with aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir State.  

9. Disturbed about the denial of civil, political and social rights to the people of forcibly divided State of Jammu and Kashmir; and demand that all such laws, ordinances, Pronouncements and Acts should be abolished which curb fundamental rights of the citizens.   

10. Deplore sedition charges levelled against political leaders of Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir; and demand that these charges must be dropped and all political prisoners must be released, including Baba Jan and his colleagues who were tried under Anti Terrorist Acts and facing 40 years life imprisonment.   

11.  Criticise actions of Azad Kashmiri authorities for banning books on Kashmir, and booklets and literature related to history of State of Jammu and Kashmir; and demand that the right of expression must be respected.   

12. Emphasis that State Subject Ordinance gives identity to all citizens of former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir. It is regrettable that Pakistan has over the years violated this law in Gilgit Baltistan and in so called Azad Kashmir, which has created serious social, economic and political problems because of migration of Pakistanis in to the region. We urge the government of Pakistan to respect State Subject laws and ensure that all non - local people settled here are repatriated.  

13. Point out that during our most difficult time when we faced a natural disaster in the form of devastating earthquake in which tens of thousands of people perished and millions were uprooted, China was not among the countries which extended helping hand. However, it is sad to note that China with help of Pakistan is very keen in plundering our resources.  

Issued by Dr Shabir Choudhry on behalf of JKIPA.

 Mobile: 0044 (0) 790942471 

Email: drshabirchoudhry@gmail.com 

UN to no longer monitor situation in J and K through its military observer group

UN to no longer monitor situation in J and K through its military observer group     Wednesday, August 03, 2016

In an unusual move, the UN has backtracked from its statement that it will continue to monitor the situation in Kashmir through its military observer group in India and Pakistan, clarifying that the mission does not have a mandate beyond the LoC.

The clarification was issued by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric on August 2, a day after the UN chief’s deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters that the the UN will continue to monitor the situation in Kashmir, including through “our monitoring group” UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).

Dujarric said regarding the situation in Kashmir, “I just wanted to clarify something, which is that UNMOGIP, the UN observer presence there, its mandate is to report on the ceasefire between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control. The UN Mission there does not have a mandate there beyond the Line of Control.”

When asked why he was making the clarification, Dujarric said, “because I think it needed to be said”.

The clarification seems to imply that the situation and incidents in Kashmir are India’s internal matter and do not come under the control of UNMOGIP that only observes and reports on ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and does not monitor the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Dujarric was also asked why the Secretary General does not initiate efforts to settle the Kashmir conflict, even as the world body is trying to resolve conflicts in Cyprus and the Middle East.

“I will leave it to you and others to…to analyse the reasoning. I think the questions on the situation in Kashmir have come up with us today and previously. Our answers to those questions remain the same,” Dujarric said, without elaborating.

Asked why there is “reluctance” on the part of the Secretary-General and the UN to offer any comments on the situation in Kashmir, Dujarric said when questions arise on the issue, the UN offers comments.

“So I don’t agree as being reluctant,” he said.

Protests broke out across Kashmir Valley on July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces, leading to clashes in which 50 people have been killed and over 5,600 injured.

According to the Security Council mandate given in resolution 307 of 1971, UNMOGIP observes and reports on ceasefire violations along and across the Line of Control and the working boundary between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as reports developments that could lead to ceasefire violations.

India has maintained that UNMOGIP has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control (LoC). India has always stated that it has “no role to play whatsoever”.

As of March 31 this year, UNMOGIP has 44 military observers, 25 international civilian personnel and 47 local civilian staff.

http://www.defencenews.in/article/Victory-for-India--UN-to-no-longer-monitor-situation-in-JandK-through-its-military-observer-group-7261?utm_source=NotifyVisitors&utm_medium=browser_push_notification&utm_campaign=Victory_for_India_::_UN_to_no_longer_monitor_situation_in_J&K_through_its_military_observer_grou

Pakistan – Afghanistan’s Unreliable Breadbasket, by Mohammad Samim

Pakistan – Afghanistan’s Unreliable Breadbasket, by Mohammad Samim

August 01, 2016

Pakistan accounts for nearly half of Afghanistan’s wheat and flour imports. That’s bad news for Kabul.

 Afghanistan spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year in importing wheat and wheat flour from Central Asia and Pakistan to meet its excess demand. Mostly used in flatbread, wheat is an important staple food in Afghanistan, accounting for about 60 percent of the daily caloric intake of the population. Although wheat constitutes about 70 percent of the cultivated land area and a quarter of agricultural GDP, domestic production does not meet national demand. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Afghanistan’s wheat consumption is estimated to be 7.5 million metric tons for the period 2016-2017. Of this total, Afghanistan imports about 30 percent, primarily from Pakistan and Central Asia, to meet its deficit.

Because Pakistan accounts for almost half of the wheat and wheat flour imported into Afghanistan, Pakistan’s agricultural policies have a direct effect on Afghan food security. Pakistan occasionally disturbs the wheat market through domestic policies designed to meet the procurement target of Provincial Food Departments(PFDs), thus restricting wheat movements from surplus areas to millers. These policies cause inconsistent supplies and price shocks in Afghan wheat markets—in 2008, for example, Pakistan totally banned wheat and flour exports to Afghanistan. Furthermore, due to extended storage times in Pakistan, wheat stocks lose quality and it is a common practice to dump old stocks to the Afghan market. Afghanistan has no quality control on wheat and flour, meaning that grade 2 and 3 flour from Pakistan is considered standard or even grade 1 in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani government buys several million tons of wheat per year and subsidizes its allocation to mills on a quota system, encouraging movement of flour rather than wheat into Afghanistan. These mills are strategicallylocated in provinces near the Afghan border. Although Pakistan’s milling subsidies may be in favor of Afghan consumers, it harms Afghan producers and flour industry, pushing them out of business, preventing Afghanistan from achieving self-sufficiency.

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Beyond the restrictive trade policies of the Pakistani government, tensions usually prevail on the Durand linebetween the two countries, which has led to the closing the Torkham gate for weeks and cost Afghan traders millions of dollars. The border closing also causes fluctuations in wheat supplies to Afghanistan. Since the Afghan government does not hold significant wheat stocks, the price shocks impose severe hardships on the poor. Also, Pakistan’s non-cooperative behavior in fighting terrorism has caused Afghan consumers to boycottPakistani goods, including wheat flour. They have switched to wheat from Central Asia instead. These factors make Pakistan an unattractive wheat source for Afghanistan and encourage Afghanistan to allocate more resources into alternatives.

Now that Chabahar port has opened a transit route to Afghanistan and Central Asia, India can replace Pakistan in exporting wheat and flour to Afghanistan. The strong and friendly bilateral relations between India and Afghanistan and India’s huge wheat surplus make it a good candidate for wheat imports.

Another alternative, to boost wheat supply in Afghanistan, is to run a national campaign to intensify per unit wheat production by providing high quality inputs and other production technologies to farmers. However, research shows that increasing domestic production, per se, without market integration between rural and urban areas does not help much to achieve self-sufficiency. With the bumper wheat harvest in 2009 Afghanistan was close to self-sufficiency, but large cities still relied on imported wheat and flour. Market integration highly depends both on the flow of market information and on building roads so that commodities can flow easily from rural areas to cities.

Much of the 2,400 kilometer Ring Road now lies in ruins. This road connects major cities in Afghanistan, including Kabul, Balkh, Faryab, Badghis, Herat, Farah, and Kandahar. Around 60 percent of the country’s cultivated agricultural land lies within 50 kilometers of the Ring Road. Diverting funds to further refurbishing the Ring Road would prevent severe disruption of trade and transport within Afghanistan, linking agricultural producers and products to markets.

Seeking long-run solutions for self-sufficiency, Afghanistan can also bring deserts to life. Vast deserts in close proximity to the Ring Road can be cultivated using central-pivot irrigation systems. Central-pivot irrigation, albeit capital-intensive, is efficient in using limited resources of water. The flat desert topography in Afghanistan guarantees long distance irrigation and large-scale production of crops. Production then can easily be transported to urban areas using the Ring Road. Of course, comprehensive research on soil chemistry, water availability, and water tables is required.

Domestic production volatility coupled with price spikes in exporting countries leads to unstable wheat and flour markets in Afghanistan. To manage delays in wheat supplies and prevent price volatility that directly affects the poor—as wheat accounts for most of their daily caloric intake—Afghanistan needs considerable investment in milling and optimal storage facilities. To encourage investments in the wheat sector, the government should consider stock policies and also the privatization of silos and mills, as currently the existing wheat silos are not efficiently utilized.

As per FEWS NET,  the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, minimizing post-harvest grain losses by adopting effective post-harvest management techniques will help in reducing the impact of Pakistani wheat policies on Afghan food security. Afghan government sources report as much as 15 percent accumulative post-harvest cereal losses. A considerable fraction of losses appears to be due to poor storage methods. Promoting the usage of Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags is a viable option and would reduce the post-harvest losses and help in maintaining quality wheat grains. Reducing post-harvest losses by three percentage points would guarantee the availability of an additional 75,000-100,000 tons of cereals for human consumption.

In short, Afghanistan needs to take a holistic approach from seeking more reliable external wheat sources—to meet the excess demand in the short run—to undertaking programs which lead to self-sufficiency in the long-run. The government needs also to adopt feasible ways of post-harvest management and seek investments in wheat stocks to manage the demand volatilities and seasonal price shocks in wheat and flour markets.

Mohammad Samim is an Afghan Fulbright scholar and a graduate student, studying agricultural business & economics at Auburn University. He tweets at @samimshs.

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