Then The World Would Mourn, Then It Would Forget

–Farhat Rukhsar–

A minute mourns and then forgets

My heart to my Kashmir indifferent seems

And while thou native were riddled with bullets

My long dead soul was chasing dreams

While blood oozed and they watched unconcerned

While thou were gasping for each labouring breath

While we joked in colleges in Mughal gardens sauntered

In Dalgate youth approached its untimely death

Riddled by Central Reserve Police Force

Then dropped a grenade in thy bag

This is the Heaven’s secret curse

An Angel given terrorists tag

How long on that pavement thy body bled?

How long resembling humans had their fun?

Thou went left dreams, parents half dead

Dark earth and sky, gone is their sun

Time has ceased what Happy New Year?

Mirth has left the home in paradise

Home were empty eyes look for their dear

Home where walls still echo with painful cries

Home where mere pain Eid would bring

Home where sacrifice already has been done

Home where thy memories forever would cling

Home where celebrations for Eid would be none

But killing innocents has a reward of its own

One lakh rupees and promotion I fear

And in my time conditions have honed

And protesters get killed everywhere

Thou college student and so am I

Though thou shot dead, I am not – yet

Tomorrow they might then they will lie

Then the world would mourn then it would forget.

(In Memory of Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh, 22; Riddled With Bulets on 9th August 2006, click here to read the post)

(poem courtesty of greater kashmir)

Nothing Ground Breaking, It Was Expected Years Ago

From a previous post, I Can Kill Everybody , of this blog, written October 25, 2006:

Killing in Kashmir is not uncommon but gradually it appears that the police and the army see themselves as reincarnations of God on earth. Be it the illiterate gun totting policeman or his superior office, they both think that they are the Greater Beings, created to maim and kill the children, the young, the old and the women of Kashmir.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police has turned over the past decade and a half from an organisation supporting the freedom struggle to a people more than happy to kill innocents and it will continue to grow evil.

It has already graduated from beatings innocents to killing them, now they just need to expand their reach and increase the innocent death toll. Once India is confident that the police have been trained well to behave as colonial masters, as is the attitude of the army at present; it can reduce the presence of the army, flash a happy face to the world, confident and satisfied at the thought that the same role is being played by someone else.

Lessons from the colonial masters, the British, has always inspired India: import officers who can act and behave as colonial masters, obtain the major chunk of the force from the local population and impose evil through them.

The new Chief Minister hinted at increasing the role of the Jammu and Kashmir police as if that were a respite to the Kashmiris. Their deployment has already started and 20 police companies are ready to take charge of the Srinagar city- which already has enough respite as compared to the towns and villages of Kashmir that bear the burnt day in and day out. Once the police passes, what the Director General of Police called a litmus test, the Jammu and Kashmir police will then be the only force at the forefront. No surprises the police is all too eager to pass the litmus test! And Kashmir will remain, for sometime to come, a low intensity conflict zone – simmering within.

One may recall that one of the election planks of the PDP in 2002 was the disbanding of the Special Task Force in Kashmir. They were disbanded by being absorbed into the local police, which will now be taking charge of Kashmir.

A person with a gun will remain dreaded for Kashmiris, the name tag matters the least.

1521 For 1

The figures are out; it is a startling and disturbing revelation of figures by the Central Reserve Police (with Kashmir being the barrack for the reserve!). According to Sify News there are just around 200-250 militants active in Kashmir.

According to the official, only 225 to 250 trained militants of various outfits are currently active in the Kashmir Valley.

Sify News

1521 Well Trained Forces For 1 Militant

0.7 millions troops for 460 militants (other news sources put the number at 400, 450 and >1000; the average is 460) i.e., 1521 well trained, fully armed, professionally backed, free to move and immune from the laws of the land men for every single badly trained and bearded militant with restricted movement and immune from nothing but his fear.

What do these numbers tell us? These numbers do not merit keeping gun-pointing and ready to kill 0.7 million troops in Kashmir or do they?

India Wins…

For those who claim that India is just rooting out terrorism from Kashmir, then India has definitely won. Hasn’t it? 460 militants should not too tough to deal with.

…Not

For those who want to know, this is a clear indication that the fight in Kashmir is not just with the 460 odd always on run militants but something greater. What is that greater? That greater is the burning desire in every Kashmiri for Freedom. The never dying desire to breath the crisp fresh air of Freedom; Freedom from slavery, subjugation, torture and oppression or perhaps just the freedom from having to carry an Identity Card for moving outside our homes in our land or still just perhaps the freedom to know that every morning won’t bring the news of deaths by bombs and bullets. Increasing number of tourists visiting Kashmir or decreasing number of militants is not an indicator of peace, as the Government is trying to potray. Kashmir is a volcano about to burst, like it did in 1989.

The Stress Of 460 Militants

Is it really the 460 odd militants keeping the armed forces on toes in Kashmir? Why aren’t the troops being reduced in Kashmir? Why seek further therapeutic help (earlier measures have failed) for its men.

It is pertinent to mention here that earlier measures taken by Indian army and paramilitary forces to de-stress their jawans working in Kashmir had failed as there was no decline in the number of suicide and fratricide incidents.

Sources said the army has decided to take the help of music therapy to de-stress soldiers working in hazardous conditions in Kashmir. “the army has in fact organized a meditation music therapy concert in one of its commands in Kashmir,” they said.

NewsBlaze

Two Failures Together

India has been seeking help from Israel , but to no avail. Israel has equally failed to curb the resistance movement in Palestine. Two failures together won’t make a success story.

Why all these claims without even a proposal to reduce troops though allegedly back of Hizbul Mujahideen has been broken!

We have broken the back of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen: CRPF

Hindu

Propaganda For What Or Whom?

One can not ignore the claim of Hizbul Mujahideen

“Revealing the minimal figures of active militants by IG CRPF is actually propaganda to boast morale of its men who are committing suicides, as they have become tired.” Islam said.

KashmirWatch

Not just that, even if we agree that the numbers are wrong, it is not just the militants that India fears, it is the people. With elections not too far away, a sense of normalcy has to be instilled in the world much before the elections (or their absence) takes place.

Hizbul Dares India!

“If the strength of militants has declined then why India has positioned lakhs of troops in valley. Why don’t they dare to decrease their strength,” he said.

KashmirWatch

India Dares Not!

“It would release the pressure from the militants who are on the run at the moment. It is not the right time to talk about reducing the strength of security forces at the moment.

We should focus on eliminating the militancy from the valley,” the IG said while replying to a question.

News Today