Kashmir is Burning‏

5-Aug-2010
Dear PM,

Situation in Kashmir is getting from bad to worse each day. It seems Abdullah family lost the control over Kasmiries who are trapped between terrorists and security personnel. I have few impractical suggestions for Kashmir problem.

1. Create job for 50,000 Kashmiri youths within or outside Kashmir in next 3 months in call centers, shopping mall, government organizations, wherever possible.
2. Build Modern Township with all amenities consisting of 5,000 2bhk houses. Make 10 such townships for the poor people in next 18 months. This might cost to the government Rs 4,000 crore.
3. Give Rs 1,000 per month to unemployed youth of Kashmir and to aged people above 65 years. It might cost Rs 200 crore per month. Terrorists are paying unemployed youths from Rs 100 to 300 per day for stone pelting.
4. Identify small scale industries which can be setup in Kashmir in short time to create at least 100,000 jobs per year
5. Subsidies basic necessities  like kerosene, LPG, foods, TV, fridge etc
6. Use rubber bullets, water canon to restrain stone pelter.
7. Provide proper equipment to security personnel like bullet proof jacket, helmet etc
8. Arrest top and middle rank separatist leaders and prosecute them for anti India activities
9. Prosecute those security personnel who are involved in fake encounter in urgent basis

Bottom line is that we have to win back confidence of people of Kashmir. Empty promise is not going to work anymore. Government has to provide good quality of life to the Kashmiries.

Educate People on Kashmir‏

27-Oct-2010

Dear PM,

 

I think we should educate people of India about issues in Kashmir so that people like Arundhuti Roy cannot misled the country. There is a wonderful short article published in msn.com (http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4504093). I summarized it as below. 

• At the time of Indian independence, none of the princely states were part of India
• In 1947, under the Mountbatten Plan, they were given two options — either affiliate with India or with Pakistan
• The Hindu ruler of Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh wanted something which was not on the table — azaadi
• Pakistan launched a military invasion of Kashmir on October 22, 1947
• Pashtun tribal and irregulars, morally and logistically supported by the Pakistan army, were sent in to force the Maharaja to accede to Pakistan
• A frightened and panic-stricken Maharaja radioed Delhi for military help
• The Indian leadership argued that it would not be legally possible to send in the Indian Army unless Kashmir acceded to India formally
• The Maharaja finally yielded and Mountbatten's aide V P Menon was sent to Srinagar to secure his signature on the Instrument of Accession.
• Once signed (on 26 October 1947), the Indian Army was airlifted to Srinagar and the Pakistani invaders were beaten back, but not before they controlled about one-third of Kashmir.
• Government of India should publish that letter.
• As soon as the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession, Kashmir's accession to India was complete in the legal and formal sense — the same Instrument of Accession that was signed by more than 500 other princely states
• Prime Minister Nehru went to the UN in good faith to call on the world body to intervene
• The UN Security Council called for not only an immediate ceasefire, but also a plebiscite to determine the wishes of the Kashmiris
• Ignoring the advice of his Home Minister Sardar Patel and Indian Army commanders that India should not agree to a ceasefire before the area captured by the invaders was reclaimed, Nehru went ahead and not only ordered an immediate ceasefire but also agreed in principle to the plebiscite
• UN Resolution 38 of 17 January 1948 reads "The Government of Pakistan should undertake to use its best endeavours: To secure the withdrawal from the State of Jammu and Kashmir of tribesmen and Pakistani nationals not normally resident therein who have entered the State for the purposes of fighting, and to prevent any intrusion into the State of such elements and any furnishing of material aid to those fighting in the State"
• Pakistan never fulfilled the above clause

Unrest in Kashmir

5-Nov-10
Dear PM,

What is the exact agenda given to interlocutors? Mr. Dilip Padgaonkar told Kashmiri students ‘to prepare a roadmap for 'azaadi' by the time they return for a second visit to the Valley.’ I don't understand what does it mean.  I think solution to Kashmir problem lies in one of the three options none of which can actually be implemented.

• Pakistan hands over PoK and CoK to India
• India hands over J&K to Pakistan
• India and Pakistan agree to freedom of J&K and PoK and CoK

In my view it is wastage of time to try to solve Kashmir problem. Pakistan will continue to sponsor terrorism from its soil and India cannot regain PoK by force. So we need to focus on

1. How we can defend our borders more effectively to stop infiltration
2. How we can bring back youths of Kashmir to the main stream
3. Economic growth for J&K

Someone (prasad_athereya) tweeted against Barkha Dutt’s tweet ‘MPs met separatists at their homes, Vajpayee held talks with the Hurriyat. J&K needs politics, not legalities. We are mixing the two.’

 prasad_athereya tweets

‘@BDUTT Pandits need justice, Students need schools, Youth need jobs, Military needs fairness and separatists need to be beaten up.’

 Mr. Prasad summarized it all. 

• We need jobs for Kashmiri youths. Have you got the report from Rangarajan committee? Why can't government ask industries, both private and public to increase their work force by 0.1% from J&K.
• Let the government spend Rs 25,000 each for training to 100,000 Kashmiri youths so that they can be employed.
• Let the government create 20 fully secured townships consisting of 1,000 apartments (1,500 sq ft each) with modern facilities. Let each township be no bigger than 5,000 to 6,000 people with schools, college and shopping arcade inside. One third of the townships may be reserved for Kashmiri pandits.
• Let's educate people of India on Kashmir issues. Majority do not know what happened in Kashmir during independence and subsequently.
• Create sports infrastructure in J&K. Just imagine the impact of any Kasmiries playing in IPL or Indian cricket team.
• Create one state-of-the art film institute and encourage people from J&K to come to Bollywood.
• Does J&K have local TV channels like Zee Bangla or ETV Bangla. If not, they should have many such local channels.
• Government needs to spend money on modernization and upgrade of sick industries in J&K and making of new industries.
• Law and order of the state should be maintained by the state police. Involve youths to help police. For each pin code raise young brigade to work alongside with police. Use them to counsel other youths not to pelt stones or destroying public properties. Set a goal in reduction of agitation related crimes and give incentive on achievement of goal.
• India should not get into any dialogue with Pakistan on Kashmir. It is futile. However confidence building measure should continue.

Important thing is that we should integrate people of J&K with rest of India and bring hope to the state. Clear message should be given to the separatist that independence or autonomy or self rule are all bad ideas for J&K and will not be tolerated. We need decisive actions from both state and central government to improve quality of life, not just talking to jailed separatist leaders and looking into their peace plan. Let the separatist leaders be in the jail for rest of their life.
We must congratulate Home minister for not taking any action against Ms. Arundhuti Roy. Let her criticize every government policy. This actually helps. But Geelani should be behind bar. He is leading separatist movement.