Zuv' chumm' bramhaan'
Ghar' gachaa

Dec 30, 2006

Poison cuts Poison...


Saddam Hussein executed in Iraq


Not entirely unexpected, yet somewhat too hurried... While one can not have any sympathy for Saddam here, otherwise there wouldn't have been Shia's celebrating on the roads of Iraq today, or people who were victims of his dictatorial terror. The victims of Durjail, his victims in Kuwait’ invasion or the Kurds he exterminated… all must be feeling a sense of atonement today.

He was a ruthless dictator – no doubt…

Yet there is something amiss. Those who championed this crusade against the dictator – are no saints… Their motives aren’t totally benign – one needs to be a total dumb head to ignore the factors of oil economics, Haliburton games etc… Watching the video footage of the hanging preparation on TV give one a clear idea that the messaging is clear – there is a clear intent to make the world know who is the "Bigg Boss" (or should it be the Big Bully)… Many secrets - on who supported him and supplied him with all the logistics during his long war with Iran... with his execution. Ironically, he is getting executed for a much smaller of his crimes... Probably the executors didn't want to touch on the bigger crimes... lest the Big Boss gets embarrassed. However, those complaining that he didn't get a fair trial - I wonder if those people are suggesting innocence...

Unfortunately, a dictator and cruel ruler like Saddam might end up becoming a matyr for the Muslim world now... a rather unfortunate byproduct.

But, as the saying goes, diamond cuts diamond, poison cuts poison...

It takes a bigger dictator to kill a smaller dictator...

(BTW, I thought the climax scene in “Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani” where the hanging of Paresh Rawal’s character was being televised was a filmi absurdity… Was somewhat shocking to see this happen in real life too? Wonder who – CNN or ABC will win the rights to this full footage)

Dec 22, 2006

Kashmir Issue - Jinnah and Sheikh Abdullah...

The true story of personal vendetta and ego-clashes that none of the Kashmiri Muslims or the Pakistan leadership will ever tell you... because they want to keep milking the old rant of how "Accession of Kashmir" to India was not legal. Yes, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir did sign the "Instrument of Accession with India" - but an equal fact is that the masses of Kashmir - which even in 1947 was an absurdly Muslim majority, also supported the accession. They fought the Pakistani army and tribal raiders during the Oct 1947 invasion - much ahead of actual accession - or the arrival of Indian Army in the valley.

But the Muslim leaders in Kashmir will never tell this to you - that it was their own parents and grandparents who formed a local "Militia" - armed with sticks and a will to keep control of Pakistan - which they knew was headed to be an Islamic state - away from the valley. And this militia was led and guided by none other than Sheikh Abdullah - who was at that time, and for decades to come - till his death in mid-1980's the biggest mass leader of Kashmiri Muslims. Hailed as "Sher-i-Kashmir" for the sway he held with the masses - he was a critical element in Kashmir joining India at Independence. His personal differences with Jinnah, Jinnah's dislike for this neo-convert and Jinnah's arrogance are well known...


Did Sheikh Abdullah support the accession just to satisfy his personal ego and to show Jinnah who was the boss in Kashmir... Did Sheikh swing the masses towards India to ensure he gets the crown - which he was sure Jinnah wouldn’t let him have in Pakistan. Were the Muslims of Kashmir so stupid and gullible to get fooled around and high jacked by Sheikh for his own gains...?


It does seem more true now - no wonder even Sheikh's grave needs Z-category security now... after attempts were made to exhume and urinate on it in early 1990's...


The following article from Kashmir Sentinel Dec 2006 issue throws some more light...
(Kashmir Sentinel and KNN duly acknowledged)

Source: Kashmir Sentinel

December, 2006 issue



Did Sheikh Abdullah visit Pakistan in October, 1947?

By Raman Kumar Bhat


Did Sheikh Abdullah visit Pakistan in October 1947 to meet Jinnah? If yes, how Mohiuddin Karra, hero of 'Quit Kashmir Movement' of National Conference remain unawares about it? Karra asks how could it have been possible when Sheikh Abdullah soon after his release from jail at the end of September was 'busy making speeches, giving press statements and meeting the people who came pouring into his house'. If such an event had taken place everyone would have known, Karra adds.

Bilquees Taseer, the wife of Prof. MD Taseer, former Principal of Sri Pratap College, Srinagar and a top Muslim Leaguer, provides new evidence, hitherto unavailable, in her book 'The Kashmir of Sheikh Abdullah'. The book, which reflects strong communal bias and is based on oral testimonies of dramatis personnel active during 1947, has virtually gone unnoticed in J&K though it was published a decade back.


Why Jinnah, the leader of Muslim League and Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the leader of Kashmiri Muslims hated each other exceeds the scope of this review article. Though Jinnah continued to hate Abdullah, the evidence provided by Bliquees Taseer indicates that Kashmiri leader did make attempts to break ice with Jinnah.

Nawab Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani was Head of the Information Directorate at Simla and Delhi from 1943-47. After the creation of Pakistan he was appointed Minister of Kashmir Affairs for a few years. He was close to Jinnah. Prof. MD Taseer too served in the Information Directorate under Gurmani.


As per Gurmani, Taseer had tried to arrange twice meeting between Jinnah and Sheikh Abdullah-in early 1945 and 1946. The first meeting did not materialise. It was in early 1946 that Taseer brought Sheikh Abdullah to Gurmani again to arrange a meeting with Jinnah. The latter's reply was "If he (Abdullah) wants to see me let him write a request and then I will consider". How could a popular leader who carried the mandate of his people could stomach this insult? In contrast, Pt. Nehru, a taller leader of Indian people, treated Sheikh Abdullah as his equal.


In early 1947 yet another attempt was made by Hafiz Jullundri, poet and close friend of Sheikh, besides Maulana Daud Gaznavi and others. Initially, Jinnah agreed for the meeting, the date and time for an appointment was fixed. But when the party accompanied by Sheikh Abdullah reached Jinnah's house and were waiting in the drawing room, they were given the message that Jinnah had changed the mind.


Taseer still pursued with his efforts. His visit to Srinagar led to deputation of GM Sadiq to Lahore to hold talks with Muslim League leaders. What happened to this mission is a separate story.

The Pakistani left leaders-Mian Iftikharuddin, Prof. MD Taseer who wanted to outherod Jinnah in championing the two-nation theory were trying all stratagems to trap Sheikh Abdullah and annex Kashmir for Pakistan. They were the principle players in first trapping Sheikh Abdullah, then if possible make him captive and finally formulating Tribal invasion of Kashmir if the first two stratagems failed to take off. Shameless intrigue of Pakistani Left leaders including Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Mian Iftikharuddin, Prof MD Taseer during 1947 is a blot on the history of left movement in the Indian sub-continent.

Taseer came to Srinagar on October 2, 1947 and left for Lahore the next day alongwith GM Sadiq. Mian Iftikharuddin, the cunning politician, came to Srinagar again only a day or two after Taseer and Sadiq had left for Lahore. Why were Taseer, Iftikharuddin in hurry to trap Sheikh Abdullah? Hadn't they okayed the plan for military invasion of Kashmir? The invasion date had already been extended twice. How insincere they were to their close friend, Abdullah is clearly established by facts.

Mian Iftikharuddin had once been a member of Indian National Congress Working Committee and spent two years in Jail in 'Quit India' agitation. Now he was a Muslim Leaguer, who wanted to annex Kashmir by hook or crook to vindicate the two-nation theory. From his Congress days he had developed a special relationship with Sheikh Abdullah. He came from Lahore by car at the beginning of October (1947). Iftikharuddin had visited Kashmir alongwith Faiz Ahmed Faiz in August-September (1947) when Sheikh Abdullah was in jail. The duo had met National Conference and Muslim Conference leaders to influence them to facilitiate Kashmir's accession to Pakistan.

The Driver, Khizar had been in service of Mian Iftikharuddin for over thirty years. As per the Driver's testimony he drove Mian Iftikharuddin in his own car soon after Dr. Taseer visited Srinagar in the first week of October, 1947. They left Lahore early in the morning and reached Srinagar the same evening. Mian met Abdullah at his house at Soura and stayed for about two hours. Mian and his driver stayed at Nedous Hotel for the night. The next morning Sheikh Abdullah himself came to the hotel. All the three left for Lahore by Car via 'the Pindi' route.

Sheikh Abdullah spent two nights in Mian Iftikhar's house in Aikman Road, while Mian tried to persuade Jinnah then in Karachi on the phone to meet him. As per Begum Iftikharuddin Jinnah got excited and replied, 'I don't need to meet this man. Kashmir is in my pocket'. According to Sheikh Abdullah Jinnah's reply was 'who is Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah? I am prepared to discuss Kashmir only with the Maharaja or a senior government official from Kashmir". Sheikh Abdullah as per Bliquees Taseer, had told Suhail Iftikharuddin (Mian's son) and his lawyer friend in New Delhi in 1964 that he had made lightening trip to Lahore soon after his release at Mian's insistence who had already contacted Jinnah on the phone in Karachi, with a request that he would meet Sheikh Abdullah if he brought him to Karachi. Why did Jinnah first agree to meet Abdullah and then suddenly backtracked? To humiliate Sheikh Abdullah?


The now defunct "Civil and Military Gazette' of Lahore had reported this visit of Sheikh Abdullah to Lahore. According to Habib Kaifi, one-time secretary of J&K Muslim Conference people in Srinagar knew about Sheikh's visit to Lahore. Begum Zafar Ali, a MLA of J&K Assembly (1975-82) too confirmed the visit by Sheikh Abdullah to Lahore. Sheikh Abdullah left on the third morning, reaching Srinagar at 10 PM. It was Khizar who dropped Kashmiri leader at Srinagar.


The question arises if so many people knew in Srinagar knew about Sheikh's trip to Lahore how was Karra ignorant about it and did not about it know even four decades later. Was the entire NC leadership kept in dark by Sheikh Abdullah and only the Muslim Conference leadership was privy to it? Shri Omar Abdullah who visited Pakistani recently said there that his grandfather committed serious mistakes. Did he have repeated humiliation of his grandfather by Pakistani leaders in mind? The people are keen to know.


Copyrights � 2006 Kashmir News Network (KNN) and Kashmir Sentinel duly acknowledged.

Dec 4, 2006

That Friday never came...

Musharraf's terms to give up claims on J&K

Excerpts from an Interview of General Musharraf:

Dr Prannoy Roy: Are you then saying, No independence for Kashmir'?

Musharraf: Yes, we are against independence....

Dr Prannoy Roy: You are against independence?

Musharraf: Absolutely... And so is India...


Would the JKLF's and Hurriyats' of Kashmir now stand up and dis-associate themselves from Pakistan :-)

I am waiting to see what they say now - given that their Godfather has totally withdrawn his blessings for Independence.

Musharraf is a cunning maverick... but I don't give a damn about him.

Whats amuses me is what do Yasin Malik's and Mirwaiz's have in their plans now... Geelani was always clear that he wanted to be a part of Pakistan - and thats what is still on cards... But who is it that is giving hot air to the Independence slogans now... What happened to those "Hum kya chahte' - Azaadi" slogan rented with "Pakistan Zindabad"... would it be "Pakistan Murdabad" now.

Knowing that people in the valley didn't waste time in breaking barricades to urinate on Sheikh Abdullah's grave (the same Sheikh who was hailed as Sher-i-Kashmir not long ago) or who first cursed General Zia as Zia' 'kone' (one-eye Zia) - when Bhutto was executed by him to beating breasts when Zia died... slogans can change easily.

But then there is the other dilemma for them...if they don't fall at the feet of ISI aaka's, there is no other support. Where will the funding, arms and RDX, training, infiltration and men come from... Aah!!! The irony of fate that they are bound to their master - without a choice of snapping back even if the master whips in the behind for no reason.

Way back in 1989, mass hysteria was whipped up in the valley - masses were made to believe that the promised Independence was just a stroke away.... All that needed was one huge push and India would relent, and anyway Pakistan would attack and freedom was just a dawn away... (I still remember those broadcasts from Muzaffarabad radio claiming "Insallah agli jummah ki namaz to hum Srinagar ke Eid-gah mein padeing (God willing, next week's Friday prayers will be done in Srinagar)".

That Friday never came...

Nov 30, 2006

CNN-IBN laughs at Kashmiri Pandits...

IBNLive : Asif Qureshi's Blog


It’s not the first time Indian media has surprised me... but this one goes even further. This article/blog posted by Asif Qureshi in his IBNBlog space is shocking and nauseating. I am left wondering which Jehadi’ School of Journalism did Asif get his journalistic degree from… CNN-IBN has gone miles ahead of others in denigrating and humiliating the pain of the Kashmiri Pandits.

The author has mocked at the agony and pain of half-a-million Kashmiri Pandits – making fun of our past 17 years in exile – utterly trivializing the deaths of hundreds of Pandits at the hands of Islamic terrorists. Not surprised though – for Asif definitely regards those trigger happy terrorists as hero’s. I am waiting for his next blog eulogizing them. And these are the people representing the free-press we have.

Asif Qureshi – a Kashmiri Muslim – is acting like a keyboard terrorist – abusing the license his press-tag gives him. This cadre of neo-intellectuals has started a whole new agenda of rewriting the way history in Kashmir is seen and interpreted. If he was trying his hand at creative writing or humour, he has a pathetic taste for creativity.

My word of advice for Rajdeep Sardesai (rajdeep.sardesai@tv18online.com/ rajdeep.sardesai@gmail.com) and CNN-IBN editor Mr Deeptosh Majumdar (editor@ibnlive.com):

“Dear Mr Sardesai and Mr Deeptosh

After reading a write-up titled “The Second Sardarni” by one of your eminent journalist Asif Qureshi here – I am not only shocked , but I am terrorized.

Asif Qureshi is supposedly a senior journalist in your organization CNN-IBN... and I am not surprised. For months I have been seeing the pseudo secular journalism being projected by your channel – but this one takes my goat.

I have a suggestion for you. Maybe you can run an SMS campaign on your channel – asking for all Indians to send an SMS to tell you where the ‘second sardarni’ is.

Huge revenue opportunity!!!

Also, some other SMS campaigns/contests ideas that can get your channel more revenue.

  • Send an SMS to get one more Wandhama massacre scheduled.
  • Send an SMS to get one more Parliament attack scheduled.
  • Send an SMS if you want to get all temples in Kashmir razed. (Not many left though).
  • Send an SMS asking for more suicide ambush attacks in the valley.
  • Send an SMS asking for more tourists’ buses to be attacked with grenades.
  • Send an SMS to get all terrorists in prisons released unconditionally.

Its thanks to your esteemed journalist Asif – that I have finally realized that all my pain so long has been due to a couple of sardarni’s… I was cursing the Islamic fundamentalists for no fault of theirs. These trigger happy terrorists are poor victims of a lady’s curse… ISI must be the peace keeper of the world, Laskhar is the love brigade and Jeish is the harmony keeper of the subcontinent. Ignorant me – for I was holding Hizb and JKLF to blame for the thousands of Pandits who were killed in cold-blood. I must send an apology letter to Bitta Karate for he is a saint. Thanks to Asif and CNN-IBN for bringing this awakening.

Unfortunately yours…

A Kashmiri Pandit – displaced by that first Sardarni…

…thanks to Asif for letting me know."

Nov 24, 2006

What justifies my pain?

Juz A Kashmiri had a post here - "Kashmiri Pandits and their significance"

An interesting post - though only a one-sided and half-painted view... Not the complete story...

I had a comment to post on his article... and to take a cue from his art of commenting, I decided to post that note here as a blog as well...


JAK and Cashurr' here raised a question - as to why there are not any blogs from Pandits supporting the cause of Kashmiri Muslims and expressing sorrow at the happenings in Kashmir.

I am not sure if there are none - and like Cashurr' said, wouldn't matter either. Wonder if some of you are old enough to remember, there was a (so-called self-styled) Pandit leader who was in the valley even after the bulk of exodus had happened - supporting the so-called movement. This fellow Wanchoo was gunned down by the very people he was apparently supporting. Practically it doesn’t matter what Pandit’s think or support - when it comes to the cause of majority - for the simple reason that the numerically we dont matter - and thus politically too we have been rendered dispensible...

So - its obvious that a community which has got so marginalized owing to lack of its political value and being a dispensible minority, would obviously focus all its energy and mindshare in its own plight and suffering, rather than fight someone elses cause - 'cause' which in first place was the reason for its own suffering, for no mistake of his own.

Well, if it does matter to anyone - I for one will sincerely and whole-hearted share here that I do feel pain and agony at the hapless killings, the sinful aura and the gloom of pain that rules the valley today. Killings - custodial or targetted, bombs - at pickets or gatherings, disappearances - by arrests or border crossings, widows - scarred by army bullet or by the grenade from a terrorist - are all despicable and painful to any human. As someone pointed out in one of the posts, Kashmir was a (relatively) peaceful place till before 1989... where a woman could go out even late at night, where one didnt see daggers drawn to resolve arguments (hurling a kangri would do)... It was somewhat close, if not an absolute picture - of the proverbial paradise.

That condemnation done…. A Kashmiri Pandit still wonders:

What on earth happened overnight in the valley - that the face of my neighbour changed suddenly? Was I in comatose for some unknown period – not to see this coming? Or have I been cheated by the neighbour who had been conspiring for so long, sending his kith-kin across the border to get trained in aiming his gun at me when he returns? And he is today holding me responsible for his agony – for not supporting him in his demands – demands which he was conspiring for behind my back – demands which I don’t agree to at all.

If his son died in the ambush at the border – his kith are saluting him as a mujahid, a shaheed. He died for some cause – even though I don’t understand what his cause was – nor relate to that cause. But why was my brother killed? He had no demands, no cause, no claims. He didn’t get trained to hurt anyone. He didn’t come to kill or steal anything.

He eulogized the terrorists; he invited them home and thought they were His messiahs. He made a mistake and pushed my dear valley into a period of war and strife… and where there is war – overt or covert, there will be death, pain, sorrow and agony. But why was this pain and agony in my share – I didn’t invite any terrorist, I didn’t want a war, I didn’t want a messiah… I just wanted to live a simple straight life… a life which my neighbour just high-jacked.

My kith-kin got killed at hands of terrorists – just because I don’t pray in the same mosque as his, just because I didn’t agree with the cause he was motivated for, just cause I still loved my land and tri-colour. My kith was branded a mukhbir and killed in cold-blood, and he applauded the killer – calling him a Mujahid. Last month, he welcomed and garlanded this killer in those very streets… and yet expects me to empathize with his pain. Did he really ever share my pain? Never, beyond lip-service. If he really had, he wouldn’t have garlanded that black-belt killer…

Yes, there 0.5 million army there has done many a wrongs – I am willing to believe all that… it would happen in any war zone. But I didn’t invite that 0.5 million army there… did I? He himself did… when he called in thousands of terrorists from the other side of border. Did I do either of these acts? Why on earth am I the culprit then?

What justifies my pain then…?

Oct 30, 2006

And his life should become extinct - Afzal debate!!!

And his life should become extinct

Vinayak asked me to respond to Arundhati Roy’s article in support of clemency for Afzal Guru. The lesser I care for the views for pseudo-secularists like her, the more would I ignore her article – till something that happened today made me search google for her reactions. I will come to the todays happening later… but first lets look at what arguments Arudhati Roy makes in support of Afzal Guru’s innocence.

Of course, the Goddess of Small Minorities that she is – her booker is proof enough that she has a way with words… and that she has leveraged aptly to write a loooong article – which basically just makes the following conclusions, which in my view are just her myopic assumptions:

  • Afzal Guru is innocent – because SAR Geelani was acquitted by the Indian judiciary in the same crime. But now, Indian judiciary is a mad house – because it found Afzal Guru guilty. Interesting to see how this intelligentia has unilaterally decided what the acceptable verdict has to be. Courts be damned!!! If the verdict is not according to its liking, the trial is termed fake and the verdict is a failure of judiciary. I wonder why none of them thought that the very same judiciary was pronouncing a verdict in error when it acquitted SAR Geelani.
  • Afzal Guru’s trial is totally based on all false evidence and there is nothing true in the case. Madame’ Roy could very well have made this case in the court – while the hearings were still in progress and matter under argument. Making such post mortem judgments based on versions which she conveniently wants to believe as true is not only abysmal activism but also pathetic – since it’s a direct insult to the national judiciary. If she had such conviction – she could very well have hired legal help for Afzal earlier on (she is rich enough to afford that) and proved the case in the court of law – rather that damn it now. The case has been heard thrice over and the verdict stands unchanged – ensuring that truth has been given ample opportunity to be validated. Ms. Roy – you better shut up now or join your friend Yassin Malik on a walk to Pakistan – you will get real judicial justice there.
  • Afzal Guru was victimized by the then government so as to be able to find premise for launching a war on Pakistan. Which war? And if this war was such a priority, why didn’t it happen. Ms. Roy is probably weaving yet another plot for yet another novel. If at all successive governments had the urge and the spine to launch an open attack on Pakistan, there is a mountain of evidence to substantiate Pakistan’s role in terrorist attacks in India. Or does Madame’ Roy want to make us believe that Pakistan is the lamb of her God and the cruel cunning devil India needed to fabricate a Parliament attack to get an excuse to kill this lamb. If so, may she please emigrate to the lamb-state and be happy there (as a second class citizen – unless she is willing to convert from Christianity).
  • Madame Roy also makes a reference to her favorite Gujarat riots here – for no evident reason. Gujarat riots were nothing but an extension of the Godhra carnage – but never has one heard her talk of the 100-odd innocent Hindu’ passengers who were killed. ‘Goddess of Small Minorities’ simply wanted to ensure that readers are reminded of her (pseudo)-secular profile and the dharna’s she did for the minorities then. After all, these events are similar – meant to bolster the same element in her resume.
  • As per Ms Roy, the terrorism in Kashmir is due to the para-military forces in the valley – who are plain old-devils and the jehadi’s from across the LOC – the Jaish or Lashkar cadre’s are the men of St. Peter’s guarding the valley. The STF, the SOG and all the security forces in the valley – as per her, should operate without any arms and ammunition and be left ‘both hands tied behind them’ on the street crossings for target practice by the pious young terrorists fresh from their training camps in Afghanistan and POK. She seems to have a blind eye for the fidayeen (suicide attacks) and the guerilla’ war-fare that the security forces have to face each day in the valley.
  • Ms. Roy has empathy for the enraged people of Kashmir, for the war-torn zone that they are living in and the pain related to it. But doesn’t care a hoot for the terror victims of Mumbai, the blast victims of Delhi or Varanasi or the families of those innocent men killed on that fateful day of December 13, 2001. Why should she – they were stupid Indians who deserved to dies anyway. She doesn’t care see that Kashmiri’s are facing a pain in the valley – of their own making. They want to wage a covert war – they invited and hosted the mercenaries from petro-funded Jehad groups in illusion of a Nizam-e-Mustafa, they have a mission of Jihad…so the pain is just a bargain for the fruits of the mission. But what did the innocent foot boarders of 7/11 trains bargain for?

And also other arguments that…

  • There was a media orgy forcing the judiciary and the system to prosecute someone – Afzal becoming the victim.
  • Death Sentence should be abolished as it is not a civil form of punishment.

Well… I neither have the panache’ nor patience like Ms Roy to write reams to weave my story.

My simple question to Ms Roy is – and that’s where today’s this event comes into picture. (Priyadarshini Mattoo case: Santosh Kumar Singh gets death penalty).

With her gift of words, all the above arguments can also be used to plead innocence of Santosh Singh. He was acquitted by a court (like SAR Geelani) – so he must be innocent. He is a victim of media and public orgy to have a result and someone punished. There is total reliance on circumstantial evidence only – so that can be claimed as fabricated. He is a father of an even younger innocent kid – so he should be pardoned. He is also getting the most un-civil punishment – death.

So, let Ms. Roy go out and plead clemency for Santosh Singh as well. In spite of my utter hatred for Santosh and the crime he committed (incidentally, the victim Priyadarshini Mattoo was a Kashmiri too), I would salute Ms Roy for her neutrality and acknowledge that she is truely in there for a belief - and not to just accumulate brownie's for the next Peace Prize.

If death sentence is vulgar, it should be vulgar irrespective of whether the neck belongs to a Muslim or anyone else. If the courts of India are not reliable and unnecessarily trigger happy, they would be so in both cases. If the trial by media (and I have no love for this media either) was trigger for Afzal’s agony, its been worse for Santosh.

So Ms. Roy… Stand up and fight for Santosh too… Otherwise, give me an answer. Why shouldn’t you be tried for treason against India – if you have the audacity to support and share platform with Yasin Malik – a self-confessed murderer out on bail for murder of scores of unarmed Kashmiri Pandits and airmen.


And yeah... Vinayak, to be honest,... in relative terms I do think Afzal got a raw deal... Afterall, if Bitta Karate got away scot free - after murdering more than 40 kashmiri Pandits, and remorselessly confessing it with a brazen face on national TV, Afzal's hands are soaked with blood of just 5 men...


Oct 27, 2006

What motivates ISI?

Police
say foil attack on IT hub Bangalore | Reuters.com

What motivates ISI most? Or rather what irks ISI most?

Is it political destabilization of India and a constant state of internal turmoil...and hence their motivation to sponsor terrorism in Kashmir, support NE separatists and channeling arms and ammunition into India...

Or is it creating religious tensions and animosity between Hindu's and Muslims, ensuring that the internal peace is always in disruption... and hence the sporadic bombings - in Delhi, Mumbai, Malegaon, Varanasi... Or via terror attacks on Indian parliament... engineering aircraft highjacks...the list is endless…

Or is the economic progress India is making despite of all the tension Pakistan formants for India... which irks them more? Pakistan hasn't been able to digest the rapid strides India is making despite being tied down with a covert war which Pakistan is waging against India through its terror tactics. There have been repeated attempts to create terror environment in Bangalore, threats at the stock exchanges in Mumbai - solely to disrupt the growing business market in India...

I guess it’s all of the above and much more...

But in spite of their efforts - so far India is doing better and better... sometimes surprising even the optimists. Pakistan is still a theocratic dictatorship, even after almost six decades of Independence from the British - when they are a nation much smaller and lot more homogeneous. India on the contrary has far bigger challenges - heterogeneity in colour, caste, religion, language incomparable to any other country in the world, non-cooperating and inimical
neighbours on all sides...

The only rationale that comes to mind is the national focus... Pakistan being a failed state it is - is only united by the religious fanaticism and a motive to wage a 1000 year war with India and to bleed India with million cuts... whereas India's focus is not Pakistan centric. So India is progressing better and faster - in spite of all negative efforts Pakistan has been making, and also in spite of the pathetic political class India has...

God Bless India...!!!

Oct 26, 2006

Different Rules...

This one really amused me... the news article is about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad instructing people of Iran to produce more babies and increase the population...

"Iranians were today instructed to produce more babies as part of their nation's struggle against the West.



The Islamic state's hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said he wanted the country's 70 million strong population to almost double in an effort to ensure the country's "dominance"."

Well, this isn't what surprised me!!!

My surprise was on reading that Iran had introduced family planning and government sponsored vasectomy and contraception in the country in 1980's to control the rapid population growth...

Surprised? But use this logic to tell Indian Muslims that India is ready to burst at seams and population control is imperative - secularism goes under threat suddenly.

Why doesn’t media do what it should do… - Part 2

The more I see Indian media's loss of direction - the more distressed and depressed I feel...

Jammu TADA court grants bail to Karate: HindustanTimes.com

Looks at this pathetic report.. The tabloid-ism and pseudo-secularism rampant in our so-called free and vigilant press has come to such a state that the journo's are making a victim of terrorists.

This report in Hindustant Times isn’t alone... I saw similar ones in Hindu and TOI as well...

The report - on the face of it - just reports some simple information - factually correct. But incomplete news is worse than wrong news. What it fails to point out to the readers is that this man - being released by the courts (because of the lack of prosecution’s interest by the state govt) is self-confessed terrorist - someone who is on record (something I have already blogged about here) having admitted to national TV having killed more than two dozen Kashmiri Pandits...

The reporters make him out as a victim of harshness of TADA/POTA - totally ignoring the real truth.


They don’t give a damn to highlight - why the prosecution is not acting against such a dreaded terrorist - no one is bothered to expose the hand-in-glove attitude of the govt. (What else can you expect when the state CM advocates clemency for terrorist who attacked the parliament?).

Not that I think rape is a lesser crime - but I think this far pathetic a situation that Santosh Singh's earlier acquittal for Priyadarshini Mattoo's death. Bitta has killed dozens of Hindu's in cold blood and has no remorse - but the same media which ran SMS campaigns (and earned good from it) for Jessica Lal and Katara debates doesn't want to raise a question on why this happening... After all, it’s not secular to question a Congress govt, a Muslim CM on why a terrorist is being let go off... for it can alienate the people of Kashmir - as is the argument for Afzals' clemency.

...kuch bhi ho sakta hai yahan...

Oct 15, 2006

Farooq's death threat...

'SC Judges will be killed if Afzal is hanged - says Farooq Abdullah'

Our 'secular' Farooq Abdullah sent out a veiled death threat to the judges of Supreme Court - who are involved in the Afzal Guru case - for having sentenced him to death. This happened on national TV...

'India will Burn, if Afzal is given death sentence : Farooq Abdullah'

And this very man - Farooq Abdullah - may soon be once again vying to become the President of India... and for all you know, to keep the minority card playing well - he could even end up becoming one soon...

And this happens only in India...

TERROR B-Team

The Terror B-team

10/11/2006 8:36:46 AM
By Shachi Rairikar


The entire nation stands horrified as our so-called “intellectuals”, human rights and social activists campaign vigorously to save Afzal Guru, who masterminded the December 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament. The demand for clemency coming from the likes of Lone, Yasin Mallick, S. A. R. Geelani is not surprising as they all are self-admitted and declared separatists and anti-nationals. But it is deeply saddening to see the self proclaimed saviours of human rights and democracy volunteer all their strength to save the life of a person responsible for the most heinous crime - attack on our Parliament, the temple of democracy . Those seeking clemency for Afzal have never been seen extending sympathy and support to the victims of terrorism or to the families of the martyrs who sacrifice their lives fighting the terrorists. Nor do they seem to care about the plight of the families of those who might be abducted and held at ransom by terrorists to liberate Afzal Guru should his death sentence be commuted to life imprisonment.


One of the campaigners for clemency towards Afzal is the Magassassay Award winner and social activist Sandeep Pandey.
Though Pandey claims to be a Gandhian, advocates peace, protests against India ’s nuclear programme, he has no qualms in addressing communist conferences where violent naxalites, who kill government servants and innocent civilians, are honoured. Pandey is greatly pained for the alleged minority killings in Gujarat but does not have a word of sympathy for the three and half lakh Kashmiri pundits who were mercilessly driven out of their homeland. Instead he has been supporting the separatists in Kashmir , directly or indirectly. Like a typical communist, he does not have faith in the “traditional concept of nationalism”. Asha and AID, two organisations that Pandey is associated with have been allegedly diverting funds raised from their chapters in universities of United States in the name of education, charity and development to communist and naxal activities.

Another activist, the Booker prize winner, Arundhati Roy, whose writings on Gujarat riots have been found to be full of fabricated lies, wants us to believe that “The Parliament attack case is full of fabricated stories and evidence”. Her own track record reveals her separatist, anti-national leanings. She has been maligning India as invader of Kashmir and north-east in her international talks and had campaigned for the Delhi University Professor SAR Geelani, an accused in the attack on Parliament who on acquittal was fast to proclaim that he would continue to fight for the cause of Kashmir . Owing to her Christian upbringing, Roy borrows heavily from the international Church ideology of perceiving India as not a single nation but as multiple nations belonging to the many indigenous peoples. In her opinion Kashmir and north-east do not belong to India and have been illegally occupied by India .

Medha Patkar , whose Narmada Bachao Andolan began with the noble motive of ensuring proper rehabilitation of those displaced by the Sardar Sarovar Project, seems to have lost direction and reduced into a foreign mole with a one-point agenda of ensuring that the implementation of the project and the construction of the dam, which is seen as an important means for India’s progress, is stopped. Patkar, against whom allegations of illegal activities in the name of supporting the dam displaced and illegally availing foreign funds have been made, has also joined the rhetoric for Afzal’s clemency saying that death sentence to Afzal was a reflection of “terrorism by the establishment”. Patkar exposed the skewed, strangely narrow mentality of her creed when she said, “The so-called secular Government at the Centre should consider the clemency appeal”. What has secularism got to do with it? Does secularism imply that clemency be shown towards a terrorist who has committed the most heinous crime just because he belongs to the minority community? The communal mentality of the supposedly secular brigade to which Patkar belongs does not permit her to think beyond secular and communal, to think in the interest of the nation. Her perverted ideology prevents her from judging neutrally and compels her to perceive and project every issue as either secular or communal. In the eyes of the law, a terrorist is a terrorist and not a Muslim or a Hindu.

The civil rights activist Nandita Haksar is making a case for Afzal by wanting the nation to believe that “We Haven’t Even Heard Afzal’s Story”. Ms. Haksar, we do not need to hear Afzal’s story. We trust our judiciary to have done that and to have given a fair verdict. We would much rather hear the stories of the families of our security men who sacrificed their lives for the honour of their nation, an emotion that is of course alien to the likes of Haksar. Haksar writes, “Can the collective conscience of our people be satisfied if a fellow citizen is hanged without having a chance to defend himself? We have not even had a chance to hear Afzal’s story. Hanging Mohammad Afzal will only be a blot on our democracy.” As the Supreme Court has very correctly put it, “the collective conscience of the society will only be satisfied if capital punishment is awarded to the offender.” The collective conscience of our people is with the innocent victims of terrorism and with our valorous defence and security personnel who endanger their lives so that we can live in peace. The collective conscience of our people is with those who never seem to matter to the so-called social activists. None of these so-called activists were in sight when terrible bomb blasts took innocent lives in Delhi , Varanasi or Mumbai. For the activists in India , the common man, the victim of terrorism apparently is not human; or if he is, then he is not entitled to any rights unless he belongs to a religious minority community. For them human rights are reserved for the religious minorities, the basic qualification to have the social activists on one’s side is that one should be a Muslim or a Christian. With this major qualification on one’s side, it does not matter if one is guilty of heinous unpardonable crime, his “human” rights will be defended even though he might have impinged upon the basic rights of many innocent men and women. Ish Gangania, sub-editor of Apeksha, a quarterly Hindi magazine from Delhi, and again a so-called “social activist” has quoted Haksar as having advocated in a conference organized by “All India Committee Against Death Penalty” at the Constitutional Club, New Delhi on May 21, 2004, “At individual level capital punishment must be given to the persons like George Bush, the president of USA, Narendra Modi – the chief minister of Gujarat, responsible for the massive massacres and Dara Singh – the killer of a German missionary – priest Graham Steins in Orissa a crime against humanity .” Needless to say, in these cases Haksar does not feel the need to hear the other side of the story and can afford to be judgmental without trial as the alleged crimes were committed against Muslims and Christians.

Haksar,
a Supreme Court lawyer, had earlier defended SAR Geelani, another accused in the attack on Parliament and is married to Sebastian Hongray, an activist of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), Issac-Muviah group, a separatist group in the north-east working for the liberation of Nagaland. Thus the separatist, anti-national emotion runs in the family.

When the people of India , across the length and breadth, had appealed to Mahatma Gandhi to intercede and plead with the British Government for remission of Bhagat Singh’s death sentence, Gandhiji had rejected the plea of the masses, pointing out that there could not be any compromise with violence as a means, even for a lofty end. In the light of this historical fact, the open letter to President A P J Abdul Kalam by Bhagat Singh’s nephew, Professor Jagmohan Singh, and renowned filmmaker, peace activist Anand Patwardhan who is also a sympathizer of violent naxalites, to commute the death sentence of Afzal Guru, a traitor, saying that, “our country can honour Mahatma Gandhi and Shaheed Bhagat Singh by doing away with the death penalty altogether as there are many valid grounds for this,” is grossly unjust to the principles the two great men lived and died for. It is not at all surprising that the Congress, which has dumped the Mahatma’s principles and turned him into a poster boy, has allowed one of its Chief Ministers to appeal for compromise with violence and terrorism.

However, it is indeed very shocking that the noted Gandhian, Nirmala Deshpande, has also joined the plea for clemency for a terrorist while her guru had refused to plead even for a patriot. Past experiences confirm an interesting fact relating to this creed of activists, which is that they are most prone to receiving international awards. There are many known and unknown genuine social workers in our country who are toiling day in and day out for uplifting the society, who are not media seekers, who do not sit on useless dharnas but who actually work for and with the society in a constructive manner, to integrate all sections of the society rather than dividing the nation on the basis of class, caste and religion, instigating hatred, violence and separatism. These genuine godlike men and women, who sacrifice their all for the nation and its society, never seem to feature among the contenders for awards of international fame. The awards always go to the pro-minority, anti-Hindu, pseudo-secular social activists. Obviously international fame and awards act as bait and reward from the masters, a means of compensation and as inspiration for future endeavours for the activists. The objectives of the award giving agencies are definitely not pious. It would be unfair to undermine the intelligence and the intellect of these well-educated, high profile people who have earned name and fame, carved a position for themselves in the society, by right or wrong means. We would be gravely mistaken if we consider them to be naïve, uninformed or misled. With the kind of stature and exposure they enjoy, it would be grossly unjust to allow them the benefit of ignorance. They are not into politics, so unlike Congress and the other pseudo-secular political parties, they do not have to cater to vote-bank politics of minority appeasement. Thus, their support for the wrong and opposition to the right can be attributed only to malafide intentions. They are obviously sold out to fame, awards and pecuniary benefits that come from abroad. These activists have their counterparts in the media too. A prominent section of the media, both national and international, especially in the English language, which, like its activist friends, seems to be sold out and owing loyalty to some powers from abroad, is always eager to harbour and promote anti-national sentiment and project these activists as heroes. This nexus between the media and the activists is dangerous as it intentionally misleads the entire nation.

These sympathizers of the separatists and anti-national elements lend moral and verbal support to the inhuman terrorists and naxalites who have taken thousands of innocent lives and project our brave defence and security personnel, who endanger and sacrifice their lives for the sake of millions everyday, as barbarians. They demoralize the nation, the defence and the civil population alike. They have no regard for the establishment and the country’s judicial and legal systems. Though they keep harping on “democracy”, they have little faith or regard for it. Their loyalties are definitely not towards the nation and they should, without any hesitation, be perceived and projected as what they truly are “traitors”.

They are the elite, sophisticated extensions of terrorism, the B-team of terrorists, who ensure that separatist feelings are nurtured, the terrorists are glorified and the nation suffers. It is high time that the nation wakes up to the reality, sees the wolves hidden in the sheepskins and dumps these sham activists. India can do much better without them.

Oct 14, 2006

Why doesn’t media do what it should do…?

Some days ago – a comment to the post asked “This is so... inexcusable!! Why doesn’t the press popularize this???”... And I was left wondering how much we believe our media, blindly most of the times. I am increasingly loosing my faith and trust in the secular and unbiased nature of the media today… Media has its own agenda, its own business too…

One of my all time favorite movies – “Main Azaad hoon…” (remake of “Meet John Doe”) aptly highlighted this…

Media has stakeholder interests, budgets and revenue targets to take care of too. Media has TRP to bother about – media has rankings and acceptability to loose sleep over… Truth and fearless reporting too come somewhere in the list of priorities – but deep below…

An eminent Kashmiri (Pandit) writer once wrote this email… about his travails of getting his articles published in many leading news papers. But he failed, obviously because the content wasn’t the right things to say – so what if he was speaking the truth. It just wasn’t the right topic to print, since it could antagonize the majority community in Kashmir – since the article is “Kashmiri Pandits – On the road to extinction”.

Finally, he opted to publish the article in on merinews.com…. (read his email below)

“I have been trying to get the above cited article published in any of
the national english dailies but failed to get the editors to agree. I
spoke personally to the Associate editors, editors etc of Hindustan
Times, Times of India, Indian Express. While they appreciated the
quality of the article and its non-political nature they just avoided
any commitment on publishing it due to lame excuses like lack of
space, rush of paid articles etc. My intention was only to let the
Indian public know of the community's woes and the unconcern of the
government.

Merinews is the first citizen journalism portal in India and is coming
up fast as a popular website. They have published the article and can
be read at
"Kashmiri Pandits - On the road to extinction"

My request to members is to please give it the wide publicity. In case
anybody is able to get it published in any newspaper anywhere, I would
have no objection to its use.

P.N. Razdan”

Media hasn’t been the fourth pillar of democracy that it’s expected to be – for long. Maybe I am too biased against them – if so, it’s just a result of the anguish accrued in the last 16 years of exile – 16 years of media blackout about the pain of Kashmiri Pandit’s, 16 years of them turning a blind eye to the half-million people in exile in their own country, paying the sad price of being Indian…

Trith or Truth...

Kashmir Affairs - Security & Conflict Analysis of Kashmir

Yet again... the post ethnic cleansing agenda has come to fore...

History of Kashmir is being rewritten to project all Kashmiri Pandit’s as the villains, the bad boys... and Muslims the good boys. True to the agenda, they have already managed to create an impression that Islam came to Kashmir through peaceful means and the local Hindu's back then voluntarily adopted the new religion... totally obliterating the historic events and wars - and the genocidal conversion charters of the Afghan and Mongol Kings who invaded Kashmir...

Trith (falsehood - in Kashmiri) has overtaken the Truth... And given that the media, academia and power in Kashmir are all controlled by a single group, there is little hope of truth prevailing anymore...

This is the 13th recorded exodus of the Kashmiri Pandit’s...from the valley – each time having faced the quandary of survival quest: a choice between “chaliv, raliv ya galiv” (a Kashmiri slogan used by majority community meaning choose between “exile, conversion or death” (chaliv = leave/flee, raliv = joinus/convert, galiv=perish/die).

But these neo-historians sponsored by the petro-funds of ISI have totally forgotten this recent history, as well as the times of Sikandar Butshikan’s (Idol breaker), Haider Shah’s and Shams-ud-Iraqi’s in Kashmir… These new historians obviously have a vested agenda to deny history written thousands of years ago by Hindu historians – whether it’s Rajtarangani (the most revered and authentic history of Kashmir recorded in 12th century) by Kalhana, or history by Jonaraja – or the those recorded by westerners W.R. Lawrence, Auriel Stein or by Kashmiri’s in last century, like Bamzai etc… But they are also in denial of the facts recorded about travails of Kashmiri Pandit’s – by Muslim historians in past like Abu Fazl.

As Dr. Joseph Goebbels, propaganda minister of the Third Reich, is reported to have said: "Repeat a lie a thousand times and it becomes the truth." That quote and attribution have been repeated well over a thousand times. Needless to say, with the machinery in place in Kashmir to rewrite the history and demonize the Kashmiri Pandit’s…someday there will be a different face to the history of Kashmir.

Why Anonymous…?

Someone recently asked me why I kept this blog anonymous, away from my other blogs – and I realized I had never explained it here. Also reminded me of a similar post on another anonymous blog. My reasons are similar – yet somewhat different.

The reason on anonymity is manifold:

  • A name and picture belongs to one person. But this blog is not about the experience and feelings of just one person – but more than half-million Kashmiri Pandit’s, who are living a life in Exile – away from their homeland, exterminated by ethnic cleansing agenda of the Jehadi’s. So it doesn’t matter what my name, gender, age is… What’s relevant is that I am a Kashmiri Pandit – living as a refugee in exile – for last 16 years… someone who was forced to leave his own home by Islamic terror agenda on a cold morning in early 1990.
  • This blog represents the anger, despair and anguish of all those Kashmiri Pandit’s who are

Exiled because Islamic terrorists chose to kill un-armed Hindu's – because ISI wanted them to…

Exiled because they chose to live honourably, and not say 'Yes' to the fascist Jehadi agenda…

Exiled because they didn't take to arms and fire-power to protect their existence there…

Exiled because the unarmed Hindu's were far too outnumbered against the majority community…

Exiled because this was one minority which didn’t make up a vote bank for the politicians to care about…

Exiled because the world chose to remain silent - after all, it was just Hindu's being killed…

Exiled because they didn’t believe in 'Nizam-e-Mustafa'…

Exiled because they believed and still do believe in a democratic, secular and free India…over being second class citizens in Islamic dictatorial state of Pakistan...

  • And just like the other blogger – yes, the other reason is to offset the personal baggage that gets associated with the identity. I, as a working professional – work with people of all backgrounds – in all kinds of relationships. While I ensure at all times, my political views never get involved in my professional life, others may tend to see you through the glasses of your personal views even in professional world. So there is a personal/professional reason to keep the name away from limelight too… though many close friends in work-place know.

Oct 13, 2006

Hindu' Temples and Shrine's in Kashmir...

Jammu-Kashmir, Srinagar, Kashmiri news:: White paper on encroachment of Pandits' properties

This news article in Kashmir Live (A Indian Express Publication) wasn't really what struck or bothered me. Kashmiri Pandits have known and lived with reality for decades now - in the name of Kashmiriyat. Babri Mosque didnt just get built once...

What amused me was a comment from some "Abu Azam Azaruddin"...

Communal upper cast Pandits

Communal upper cast
Hindoo Pandits are again showing their communal fascist face. When
secular forces have rightly confiscated their property to stop state
sponsored terrorist funding, they are bringing white papers! What will
they do next, ask to remove article 370? SHame, how communal can they
get?

Posted by : Abu Azam Azaruddin

More than Half a million victims of terrorism – Kashmiri Pandits – the aboriginal inhabitants to the valley – who were turned minority by the centuries of exterminations by repeated Muslim invaders and rulers are today being labeled communal and fascist. A community which is in exile is the branded aggressor and shameful.

Next Azam saab would call Jeish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiyba as peacekeeping forces and demand that Al-Qaida be awarded the next Nobel Prize for Peace. He calls encroaching and cannibalizing minority communities places of worship and property as a right step – and apparently a step towards ending terrorism… Not sure what la-la land this guy lives in.

Anyway – it’s not the first such post that I have seen on the net. There are ample such weirdo’s redefining secularism and terrorism in Kashmir. However, I was appalled at the fact that this Indian Express website rejected my rebuttal to this comment – which I posted as a comment – in the name of moderation. And for records, the comment I posted was a paragraph from this post – nothing that had any unparliamentarily language. Surprisingly, IE didn’t feel Azam’s post deserved moderation for being was so factually incorrect. Probably this is yet another new clause in the new definition of secularism that the Indian media has come to adopt.

Oct 9, 2006

NDTV Big Fight...on "Clemency for Afzal Guru"

NDTV TV Big Fight


Actually, let me first correct the title - the programme was supposedly on the topic "Should there be death penalty?"... But it was more of a discussion on clemency for Afzal Guru.


The discussion run by Vikram Chandra standing lamely in the boxing ring had eminent Supreme court lawyers Prashant Bhushan and Kamini Jaiswal defending Afzal Guru and supporting the clemency claim – and lawyer KK Sud and RSS member Seshadri Chari on the other side.

Anyway… I don’t intend to present a transcript of what happened… just some comments on a few amusing comments from the panel.

Prashant Bhushan : In support of Afzal Guru and clemency plea…

“Afzal Guru isn’t the main culprit. He wasn’t the one who attacked the parliament – but was only one of the people involved in the conspiracy. So he isn’t entitled to the death penalty”

Really interesting to hear this argument from a supposedly leading lawyer of the land. I am sure someday this gentleman won’t hesitate to defend (for the right fee of course!) the Dawood Ibrahims, Tiger Memons or Mehmood Azhars either. And the argument works more appropriately for them. Dawood Ibrahim doesn’t go pillion riding himself with an automatic weapon to shoot his victims, neither does he kidnap anyone himself… nor did Tiger Memon plant the bombs in Bombay markets personally. For that matter Bin Laden is innocent too – he didn’t fly the aircrafts. All of them are innocent people who were just naïve enough to conspire, aid and plan the terror acts. That’s no crime. The deaths that resulted aren’t their doing… it’s the small time terrorists they coaxed, trained and planted who are the real threat to the peace in the world.

“The death sentence is retributive punishment – not reformative. It will lead to further violence.”

True. It’s an eye for eye method. But Mr Bhushan, do you remember what happened when the reformative approach was used with Mahmood Azhar, Hamid Gul etc…Mufti Sayeed still has grandkids who can act in a kidnap drama to ensure that terrorists get to do their catwalk down Lahore streets. Or some legal nuts like you will get them out like Bitta Karate…

I also fully agree with the fact that – he kills one, you kill him, they will come back to kill more – cycle is unending. But what do you want to the country to do. Send out an invitation – please come and kill our innocent citizens in trains, in religious places, in work places, in bus stands, in institutions of learning and in the Parliament (yeah! The security guards outside were innocent – I wouldn’t have really felt as much anguish if they had killed some politicians instead!). And each time we will pardon you, because Gandhigiri is the in-thing. Keep killing more of us… till you get tired.

Kamini Jaiswal: In support of Afzal Guru and clemency plea…

“The trial may not have been transparent and fair”.

Maam’, why this extra-judicial sermonizing now. If you find the trial was not complete and lacked meat – what prevented you from doing the right thing in the court. (Maybe the fee wasn’t good!!!). If you couldn’t do it in court, is it fair to question the court rulings in TV studios? If a lawyer thinks the court process wasn’t complete, its not something to question in the TV studios – unless brownie points matter more to you.

“History has proof that Valmiki was reformed – so Afzal Guru should be given a reformation chance too”.

Wow!!! Suddenly pinko’s regard Valmiki as history when it is convenient. Earlier he was only mythology. I don’t get the argument though – what kind of reform they expect in a terrorist who was given the chance once (he was allowed to surrender once when he was a JKLF cadre – and he ended up rejoining J-e-M).

“Peace process is on in the valley. Not pardoning the terrorists will lead to further escalation in the valley”

This is the most amusing argument of all – and the most widely offered argument by politicians of all colours. A country facing a proxy war – a covert insurgency by terrorists and Jehadi forces is being asked to tie its own hands at its back and offer a sliming face to the bullets of the terrorists – because if you try to defend yourself, the terrorists will not be happy.

People who have allusions that there will not be any violence and the terrorists in the valley will lay down their arms if Afzal is pardoned, either live in la-la land or have a vested interest in saving some terrorists. For others, just look up the escalations in the valley around each so-called confidence building measure – be is Round table conferences, starting of bus-services to POK, organizing local elections or getting a peaceful Amarnath yatra organized. Visit www.tkb.org for some simple data.

For the remaining panel, I worry that a RSS member was invited to present the contrarian view – which unfortunately is used by the media and pseudo-seculars as a point in proof to claim that it’s the right-wing which wants him executed – and convert the issue into a religious one.

For me – I don’t care what RSS thinks – but for me it’s not a religious issue. It’s a national issue – anyone trying to wage war on my country is a threat to the nation and worthy of death sentence – irrespective of his birth… irrespective of whether it’s a Mohammad Afzal Guru or Mahamood Azhar or was a Hindu Veerapan.