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11/19/2008

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Kashmir, Amranath shrine and Dogra conspiracy Historical perspective of 110-years-old Dogra "conspiracy to lean Kashmir towards Hindu land instead of Muslim Punjab " finally it ends in a mess. Farzana Shah [email protected]

On September 9 after taking the oath as the 12th President of Pakistan Mr. Asif Ali Zardari opined at a joint press conference with the Afghan President Hamid Karzai that there could be a forward movement on resolving the Kashmir issue soon. He said, “Insha Allah, we will have some good news on Kashmir before the general elections in India slated for next year”. He further said that the work done through the back-channel diplomacy will also be part of the drive to solve the Kashmir issue within a year. He did not elaborate upon the Back- Channel diplomacy but the ever vigilant Sheikh Rashid, a former member of the PML-Q and who has now formed his own faction the Awami Muslim League, while addressing a public meeting on September 11 had something startling to reveal that the secret talks were underway in London for the ‘under the table’ deal over Kashmir. In the recent past some statements of Mr. Zardari that “we should not be held hostage to the Kashmir issue and instead should move on”, had drawn flaks from different quarters in Pakistan and IHK. At the same time the recent moves of the Indian government for the transfer of some adjacent land to the Amarnaath shrine has added yet another dimension to the Kashmir problem. It seems a stage is gradually being set for both sides for some give and take on the Kashmir issue. However, it remains to be seen whether such a give and take will be in favour of Pakistan and Kashmiris or it would be tantamount to giving India the cake and letting her to eat it too. The transfer of Kashmiri land to Amarnath Shrine board by India last month has injected a new spirit in the Kashmiris struggle for self-determination. The sea of Kashmiri people thronging to the roads, participating in large agitational rallies raising pro-independence, pro-Pakistan slogans and carrying green Pakistani flags, has sent shivers down the Indian spine. The land transfer decision followed by the BJP attempt to give it a religious colour worsened the situation further forcing Indian government to resort to use of force. The Indian government atrocity coupled with the BJP’s non-secular tactics helped all the Kashmiri political parties to join hands for freedom. Never had the valley after 1989 seen such a massive protest and determination by the common Kashmiris which has not only taken the Indian government by surprise but also won the recognition of the well known Indian writers and intellectuals who are now openly asking the Indian government to respect the right of self determination of the Kashmiris. On the other hand for the first time a communal divide is seen in the in the Indian held Kashmir between the Kashmiri Muslims and Hindus in the Jammu region. Amarnath “Land-for-pilgrims” plan - a plot to create "Israel-type settlements. Politics of Amarnath Yatra, transfer of land: It is important to examine the issue in its historical perspective to comprehend the politics of the shrine leading to the division of Kashmir on the religious/ communal lines. Origin: The origin of Amarnath Yatra dates back to the year 1850 A.D, when a Muslim shepherd from Batakot, named Butta Malik first discovered the gigantic cave in which naturally formed ice column is considered Shiv ling, and Hindus walk long way to visit it. In fact Hindus are stunned by the sheer size of this cave, and to add to its magic, dripping and freezing ice did the rest of the work. The cave is huge.

The Amarnath Cave shrine is noted for the formation of the natural ice Linga – formed by the droppings of ice lets from the rooftop of

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Articles - Kashmir Amranath shrine …

The resulting shape becomes clumsy and looks fake. In 2006 and 2007 it had melt away even before the commencement of the Yatra. In September 2006 Mahant Deependra Giri, custodian of Chhari Mubarak of Lord Shiva, has cited “the raising of artificial Shivalingam as reason, among others, for dissociating himself from Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB). In the next few years the Linga may stop freezing at all. Humidity and heat from too many visitors also causes some melting. It happened in 2007, and could accelerate in coming years. Ice structure during snowfall season

It melted in 2006 even before the Yatra starts

Shrine board probably wants permanent presence in area in order to install a stealth refrigeration cycle that manages a graceful size for this "impotent god". In 2007 when the Linga melted away once again, the Shrine board had come up with a new idea of air conditioning at the Amarnath cave to prevent the ice lingam from melting. The air conditioners will be on electricity and the electricity needed to operate the cooling panels will be generated from micro-hydro electric plant along the Amravati River, which flows close to the cave. It means on the one hand the board will have a pre-eminent presence in the area while on other hand it is going to occupy the water resources of Kashmiris on the pretext of generating electricity for the shrine. Hindus as usual, believe in building mountain of lies to redefine the history. On internet they have pulled it back to thousands of years, what was never known before 1850. They hope to use it as a king-pin for Hindu claim on Kashmir, if possible. Interestingly during 150 years history of the cave, the Yarta was extended thrice. Last time it was extended from four weeks to eights weeks by the Indian government, in a bid to draw more Hindus to the site. BJP calls for Israel-Style settlements in Kashmir The fears of the Kashmiris regarding changing the demography of Kashmir by settling non-Kashmiris and transfer of land seems becoming true with the statement of BJP leader for Israel-style settlement of Hindus in Kashmir valley. BJP president Rajnath Singh on Friday (September 13th, 2008) unveiled a deep saffron agenda — that the "road leading to the Amarnath shrine be nationalized", and another controversial suggestion that displaced Kashmiri Pandits be "rehabilitated in special enclaves in the Valley". While addressing the BJP national executive, he proposed to set up Hindu pockets in the Valley, which clearly exposes that the Amarnath land-for-pilgrims plan is actually a plot to create "Israel-type settlements. The BJP calls Hindus from Jammu as Nationalists while Muslims in Kashmir Valley as non-Nationalists. Thus by nationalizing the road leading to the Amarnath shrine he means to include it in Jammu clearly changing the demography of Muslim Kashmir. On the same day September 13th, 2008, Hindu fundamentalist organization the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS) called for the division of Jammu and Kashmir in three parts. The RSS in a memorandum which a delegation of senior RSS leaders presented to N.N. Vohra - Centre’s interlocutor - reiterated its demand for the statehood for the Jammu region and the Union Territory status for Ladakh by de-linking these regions from the Kashmir valley.

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Articles - Kashmir Amranath shrine …

Similarly the Shiv Sena fundamentalists have called for an all out war with Pakistan and forcibly converting Kashmir into Indian Union by doing away with the special status of Held Kashmir. Kashmir Background: Kashmir has always been a natural part of today`s Pakistan and not that of India. The sooner Delhi accepts it, (and they know it) the better it would be for the entire region and the world. Its people, culture, language, rivers, trade, routes all fit naturally with Pakistan and not India. During the First Anglo-Sikh war of 1845, Gulab Singh remained neutral and later by the Treaty of Amritsar March 16, 1846, British sold Kashmir (areas eastward of the river Indus and westward of the river Ravi) to the Maharaja Gulab Singh for around Rs7.5 million. The state had an area of 84,471 square miles and Gulab Singh bought it at the rate of Rs155 per square mile or he paid seven and half rupees for every inhabitant of the state.

Importance of Rail link - Kashmir Railway: The Kashmir Railway is being built in India to connect the state of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country. The Project officially coded USBRL (Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Railway Link) starts from the city of Udhampur, 55 km (34 mi) north of Jammu, and travels for 290 km (181 mi) to the city of Baramulla on the northwestern edge of the Kashmir valley. The route crosses major earthquake zones, and is subjected to extreme temperatures of cold and heat, as well as inhospitable terrain, making it an extremely challenging engineering project. The Kashmir Railway has been under construction since 1994 by various railway companies in India. When completed this railroad will link the city of Jammu in Northern plains of India with the city of Srinagar in the Himalayan valleys and beyond. In 1898 Maharaja Pratap Singh first explored the possibility of a railway line connecting Jammu with Srinagar. For various reasons including complications with the British government and political frictions this was put on hold. In 1902: Britain proposed a rail link following the Jhelum River connecting Srinagar to Rawalpindi. This was "not popular" as the residents of the state lived mostly in Jammu and Srinagar and interacted via the more southerly Moghul road. Politics did not favour this proposal. In 1905: Britain again proposed a link between Rawalpindi and Srinagar. Maharaja Pratap Singh approved the rail line between Jammu and Srinagar via Reasi through Moghul road. This audacious line was to have involved a 2`-0" (610 mm) or 2`-6" (763 mm) gauge railway climbing all the way to the Moghul road pass at 11,000+ feet (3355 m) over the Pir Panjal Range. This can be compared to the present day Banihal Tunnel at approximately 7,000 ft (2135 m). As planned it would have been electric-powered and would have used the mountain streams as a source of hydro-electric power. In retrospect it was perhaps just as well that it was not built. Though it would have been spectacular, the low gauge and elevated pass would have meant it to be a not all weather rail and been constrained to low speed and capacity similar to the impractical Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. In 1947: With partition, Jammu was disconnected from the united India Rail grid and a new line from Pathankot to Jammu had to be laid. It was proposed that this be extended to Srinagar but the preliminary survey of the Pir Panjal quickly squashed the thought, especially for a poor country with higher priorities. In 1983: Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi kicked off the line from Jammu to Udhampur. An optimistic schedule of five years and a budget of 50 Crores was set. As detailed below what happened to this line amply illustrates the wisdom of the earlier planners who had abandoned their plans when faced with reality. In July 2002: The Vajpayee Government declared the line a National Project. This meant it to be constructed and completed irrespective of the cost. The central government had to fund the entire project. This is important as the Railways have now an estimated cost of 6,000 Crores for the entire project. By the Railways` allocation it would have taken 60 years to complete the project. A challenging deadline of August 15, 2007, Independence Day, was also set. August 7, 2008 – The Indian Ministry of Railways asked the Konkan Railways Corporation Ltd (KRCL) — the agency executing works on almost half of the Katra-Qazigund section — not to commence any new work on the 70-odd-km mountainous stretch entrusted to it. It is considering major changes in the alignment. This could push the project deadline to 2025 and lead to severe cost escalations and the abandonment of works already executed. Works worth Rs750 crore have already been executed and Rs1,000 crore worth of contracts were already awarded on the Katra-Qazigund section, whose completion will finally allow a direct train to the Valley.

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Articles - Kashmir Amranath shrine …

Post 9/11: If analyzed India`s bid for permanent seat in SC is blocked by Kashmir problem. "Not necessarily but West uses this argument sometimes to twist his arm" regional peace is harmed by Kashmir problem. In past West wanted to prolong it to exploit the friction now they want it be "solved" to get their targets. US`s plans to disarm Nuclear Pakistan are blocked by Kashmir issue. Pakistan uses Kashmir issue to justify its nuclear program partially. US/Israel have not been able to live in Afghanistan peacefully. Kashmir is a better potential alternate. US would love to keep Kashmir as a hub in region as well as forward base against Tibet border of China, while being a flipping out resort for their tired troops fighting in Eurasia and Middle East. Pakistan`s historical stance on Kashmir was shaken by Musharaf, by proposing multiple new solutions for Kashmir. US bought it (probably invented it) for its own two strategic interests in the region. US might have worked with India to fall back to Chenab formula, thus trying to keep control on Chenab water, and Jammu, while committing "cooperation" against China and trade and energy corridor to central Asia through Pakistan. US-India Nuclear deal is also a factor of this "long term strategic partnership", against China and Muslim heartland of south and Central Asia. What is good for Pakistan and Kashmiris We need to have a policy as there is no official policy right now. We need to avoid a rush to a quicker solution or partition that allows USA and Israel to penetrate the region. The political leadership, foreign office and the Army need to have one vision strongly backed by the nation over Kashmir. We need to keep USA out of region, or it may become far bigger a mistake, that may result into another 100 years of virtual colonization of entire Pakistan, and eventually India too. Imagine US corporations managing our rivers and tagging and polluting every single drop of God gifted water. We shouldn`t be tired of Kashmiris’ demand and we need to let Kashmiris know that we care for them. People of Pakistan and divided Kashmiri families need to rally together. We need to make sure, that the day we ask Kashmiris, they would stand hard on their commitment towards Pakistan. Pakistan should run Kashmiri TV channels from Muzaffarabad, and FM radios (avoid Indian style bullshit on that media, and let them feel their Muslim and Pakistani heritage). We need to prioritize normalization with Kashmiris instead of East Punjab or Delhi visits. Kashmiris need to visit their relatives in Indian Occupied Kashmir. Trade with Kashmiris During the land transfer row the economic blockade of Kashmir valley by BJP has pushed Srinagar closer to Mirpur as the blockade on the Jammu-Srinagar road incarcerates the Kashmiris, eventually seeking access to Pakistani and Chinese markets. The people, traders and economists of Held Kashmir are demanding restoration of alternative road links with Azad Kashmir. Pakistan needs to initiate the trade across LoC with Kashmiris instead of Delhi. It will not only strengthen the Kashmir economy but also make Kashmiris lean towards Pakistan. Bus and Truck service is good initiative. Remember Kashmiri slogan of "Hamari Mandi Rawalpindi". Only 2 hours by train/bus to Rawalpindi vs 12+ hours from Indian road journey through Banihaal pass. If we don`t want to alienate Jammu Hindu and Muslim population, we can use left and right bank of Chenab to develop trade and people links with Sialkot and Gujrat. Most Important: "Pakistan needs to announce Havelian- Muzaffarabad, and Rawalpindi-Chakothi Railway lines plans as by doing so from the 1902 British Plan it will be only 20+ miles from Baramula to connect the entire Valley. China has been cooperating about rebuilding earthquake affected areas. Make sure we use the same gauge specifications as of Indian occupied Kashmir to take the rail link across when needed. Building is one thing, but announcing it hardly needs any money. Who can deny its big psychological effect that it would have? Also, it is only a100 miles stretch, plus 30 miles if we want to connect Havelian to it. Build the historical connecting highway at motorway standard. It is worth every rupee spending on it.

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Kashmir road map with links to Pakistan and Azad Kashmir India`s issues: Congress led government had created the mess first by land transfer and latter by succumbing once again to BJP demands. Now they need a face saving solution like Chenab formula to clean it up. They may use the tale of "gandhi giri" of Kashmiris or something similar, but we shouldn`t compromise on our interests and play our cards wisely. India is confused and wants it to be bundled with nuclear deal, security council, and dozen of other things. There is still a lot of bluffing going on. BJP wants to induce this delivery prematurely, during Congress rule time, and politicize it to win next election mobilizing nationalistic and Hindu voter. International media and players: The international players and media are working gradually. EU publishes reports and then refines them. This media discovers mass graves of innocent Kashmiris killed by Indian army over the last decade. But we need to remember that the agenda of this international media is different from our as they while reporting on Kashmir regularly, "suggests" Kashmiris what to do next, on almost daily basis inducing their own agenda. IHK Kashmiri rulers: The ruling elite of Indian Held Kashmir have been the biggest cause of Kashmiris’ miseries. Sheikh Abdullah (1905-1982) was a talented angry young man, unfortunately, (Conspiracy theory) he married Akbar Jehan daughter of Michael Harry Nedou. The writer Tariq Ali claims that Akbar Jehan was previously married in 1928 to an Arab Karam Shah who disappeared after a Calcutta newspaper Liberty reported that he was actually Col T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) a British Intelligence officer. He claims that Akbar Jehan was divorced by her first husband in 1929. Farooq Abdullah is his son, with British Christian wife, Mollie Abdullah. Omer Farooq Abdullah`s wife is Payal Abdullah, a Sikh lady. His sister is married to Rajesh pilot`s son, a Hindu. Isn’t "a truly secular family" so what do we expect out of them? Exactly what has been happening for decades, and when Omer visited Pakistan a while ago, we should have been more worried than any hopeful. Chenab Formula: In the emerging scenario where President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari is boasting over some backdoor diplomacy for the early solution, Pakistan needs to advocate and stress on Chenab Formula. This plan, first suggested in the 1960s, would see Kashmir divided along the line of the River Chenab. This would give the vast majority of land to Pakistan and, as such, a clear victory in its longstanding dispute with India. The entire valley with its Muslim majority population would be brought within Pakistan`s borders, as well as the majority Muslim areas of Jammu. With the inclusion of Ladakh, which also lies north of the river Chenab, India would be left with approximately 3,000 square miles of territory out of 84,000 square miles.

Chenab Formula

Religious groups: Indian-administered Kashmir

REGION

Buddhist Hindu

Muslim Other

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Religious groups: Pakistani-administered Kashmir

REGION

Buddhist Hindu

Muslim Other

Northern Areas

-

-

99%

-

Azad Jammu and Kashmir

-

-

99%

-

Source: Indian/Pakistani Government Censuses Don’t give Hindus a free hand like 1947. Human impact: Chenab formula needs a swift securing of route from Chamb/Jorian border to Jammu-Srinagar Highway (just 15 miles of road, in order to avoid any disruption of supplies to wadi. As well as providing security to people. Muzaffarabad alternative is there during summer, but without security option. Chenab bridges may be redundant or harmful. There is another horrifying scenario which seems emerging from the statements of Hindu fundamentalist organizations like RSS, VHP, Shiv Sena is the division of Held Kashmir on the basis of communal lines. The recent land row and now on September 13th the demand by BJP to create separate colonies of Pundits in Valley and RSS demand for dividing Kashmir into three regions clearly points towards changing demography of Muslim Kashmir. In this case India is going to find areas having the most Hindus and partitioned those off and also take some empty land around those areas to give their military an easy area to defend and then kick many Muslims out from that area and sign a treaty with Pakistan for new national borders and finish the Kashmir issue forever. Many more thousands of Kashmiris will be killed when they move from their houses to Pakistan; it will be like a mini-1947.

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