NYLA ALI KHAN RINCHEN DOLMA

PERSPECTIVES
Essay : Ambiguity of Report : New Hope
Peace Process & Cross-LoC Trade
Kashmiriyat for New Ladakh
P48 P6 P32

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10 Years
2 PRIME MINISTERS

9 Visits
RS. 36,700 CR INPUt
AND A POLITICAL DEADLOCK
Vajpayee’s politics and
Manmohan’s economics

nsible jo
se Epilogue is quite interesting and objective source of information on
ur
h year of

43rd f
nalis

Jammu and Kashmir. I look forward to reading it regularly.

o
issue e SANJAY BARU
m

sens Editor, Business Standard

4t

(Former Media Advisor to PM)

 Jammu & Kashmir Tourism
Amarnath Ji Yatra
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR YATRIS

Free Accommodation facilities for yatris available at :

1. Sanathan Dharam Sabha, Gita Bhawan, Jammu Ph. 0191-2579508
2. Aggarwal Sabha, Vivekanad Chowk, Ph. 0191-2573393
3. Shiv Mandir, Mini Market, Railway Station, Jammu. Ph. 0191-2473631
4. Mahajan Sabha, Shalamar Road, Jammu. Ph. 0191-2565868
5. Dogra Saddar Sabha, Dogra Hall, Jammu. Ph. 0191-2543589
6. Brahman Sabha, Parade Ground, Jammu. Ph. 0191-2574998

ÄAccommodation available at all Hotel/Lodges at 30% discount in Jammu and

Katra.
ÄBase Camp Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra
ØYatri Niwas at Bhagwati Nagar, Jammu. Ph. 0191-2505028

Helpline Nos:
1. Dy. Commissioner’s Office Control Room. Ph. 0191-2571118, 2546223
2. Police Control Room. Ph. 0191-2542000
3. Tourist Reception Centre, Jammu. Ph. 0191-2548172, 0191-2520432
4. Tourist Reception Centre, Katra. Ph. 01991-232005

Note :
Accommodation/Transportation/Registration/Langer/Langer Facilities for Sadhus at
Ram Mandir, Purani Mandi, Jammu. Ph. 94191-93602

DIP/J-629-NB
Dated : 29-06-2010
DRUG ABUSE AND ADDICTION
COMMON SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF DRUG ABUSE :
Ø
Neglecting responsibilities at work or home.
Ø
Taking drugs under dangerous conditions or taking risks while high such as driving, while on
drugs, using dirty needles or having unprotected sex.
Ø
Getting into legal trouble such as arrests for disorderly conduct, driving under the influence or
stealing to support a drug habit.
Ø
Causing problems in relationship such as fights with your partner or family members, an un-
happy boss, or the loss of old friends.
Ø
You have built up a drug tolerance.
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You experience symptoms such as nausea, restlessness, insomnia, depression, sweating,
shaking and anxiety.
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You have lost control over your drug use.
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Your life revolves around drug use.
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You have abandoned activities such as hobbies, sports and socializing.
Ø
It is causing measure problems in your like Blackouts, infections mood swings, depression and
paranoia.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM DRUGS

Ø
Get educated yourself and know the facts.
Ø
Avoid peer pressure, think ahead and say “NO”
Ø
Avoid situation where people will be drinking and using drugs.
Ø
Confront your problems.
Ø
Get help for the underline problems of family, relationships, anxiety or depression.
Ø
Support from family members close friends relatives, councillors. Healthcare providers and
society is essential to addiction recovery.

Sd/-
Sr. Suptd. of Police
Crime Branch, Jammu
DIP/JK-4207/2010
Dated : 24-6-2010

CRIME BRANCH, JAMMU

3

Epilogue
because there is more to know

www.epilogue.in CONTENT
Editor Contributors to this Issue 4
Prologue 5
Zafar Iqbal Choudhary
Perspectives
Publisher Kashmir can help build 6
Yogesh Pandoh Solid Regional Ties
Nazir A Dar
Need of Hour is coordination 7
Consulting Editor Between REgions
D. Suba Chandran YV Sharma
Manu Srivastsa The Way Forward 8
Annil Suri

Associate Editors Opinion

Irm Amin Baig Kishenganga Hydroelectric Project 10
Tsewang Rigzin Another Baglihar in Making
Pia Malhotra
Zorawar Singh Jamwal
Documents
Volume 4, Issue 7, July 2010 Atal Bihari Vajpayee 18
General Manager
Dr. Manmohan Singh 21
Kartavya Pandoh Dr. Manmohan Singh 24
I N FOCUS Atal Bihari Vajpayee 27
Art Editor
Elusive Engagements Ladakh Affairs 28
Keshav Sharma
12 Between Delhi & Kashmir Exclusive Series
Research Officer
Manmohan’s Economics and Roy Bucher : Right Man in the 41
Raman Sharma Wrong Place?
Vajpayee’s Politics Rakesh Ankit
Phones & email Zafar Choudhary Essay
Office : +91 191 2493136 Ambiguity of Kashmiriyat 48
Editorial: +91 94191 80762 Nyla Ali Khan
Administration: +91 94191 82518 15 Political Economy of
subscriptions : +91 90188 87136 Column
Prime Ministerial Visits Repeal AFSPA, 38
editor@epilogue.in Dipanker Sengupta Return to Idea of India
subscription@epilogue.in Anmol Sharma
Kashmir Under the Mughals-II 45
Printed and Published by Empire and Regional Industries
Professor Jigar Mohammad
Yogesh Pandoh for Epilogue Signposts in Kashmir 50
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What ails Indian Sports ?
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www.epilogue.in Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010

 CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE 4

Ankit, Rakesh; (Forgotten History p41) is
a young historian from Bihar. As a Rhodes
Scholar recently he studied various
missing links in the making of Kashmir
conflict. Based on his first hand study, he
is contributing exclusive series to
Epilogue
Chandran, D Suba; (In Focus, p52) is
Deputy Director at Institute of Peace and
Conflict Studies. Author of many books
and an acclaimed expert on Kashmir and
Indo-Pak relations, he is Consulting
Editor of Epilogue Magazine
Choudhary, Zafar; (In Focus, p12) is
Editor of Epilogue Magazine and also
Executive Editor of Early Times, Daily
Newspaper from Jammu
Sobhrajani, Manisha; (In Focus p50) is a
Delhi based independent researcher
working at various aspects of Kashmir
conflict. She divided her time between
Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir
Mohammed, Prof Jigar; (History, p45) is
professor of History at the University of
Jammu. He is associated with Epilogue
since inception as Editorial Advisor on
History of Jammu and Kashmir
Rigzin, Tsewang; (Ladakh Affairs, P28)
is Associate Editor of this Magazine
based at Leh office
Sengupta, Dipankar; (In Focus, P15)
teaches Economics at University of
Jammu

Dar, Nazir; (Perspectives, P6) is Sharma, Anmol; (Errata, P38) is a

President of the Kashmir Chamber of
Commerce and Industries
Dolma, Richen; (Ladakh Affairs, P32) is a
Ladakhi Journalist, Editor of Reach
Ladakh, based at Leh
Khan, Nyla Ali; (Books p…) is a Kashmir
writer and scholar and author of (most
recently) Islam, Women and Violence in
Kashmir: Between India and Pakistan.
She is a professor of English at a US
University
practicing lawyer at Jammu wing of J&K
High Court and regular contributor to
this Magazine
Sharma, YV; (Perspectives, P7) is
President of the Jammu Chamber of
Commerce and Industries
Suri, Annil; (Perspectives, P8) is a
leading entrepreneur and quality
consultant based at Jammu. He is one
among the pioneers who pushed for
Cross-LoC trade

Malhotra, Pia; (Water Woes, P10) is a

Research Officer with Institute of Peace
and Conflict Studies, New Delhi

Readers' requests for getting in touch with the

authors, for feedback, comments and further
discussions on their subjects of interest, are
welcome. Since all authors/contributors are not
interested in taking mails directly, the readers are
requested to send us interview requests at
editor@epilogue.in for passing on to the authors

www.epilogue.in Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010

5 PROLOGUE
Talk to the People
ZAFAR CHOUDHARY
T
he Director General of
Jammu and Kashmir
Police Kuldeep Khoda says
that more than 500
militants are operating in
Jammu and Kashmir at present. The
Army General at Northern Command
puts this figure at around 800.
'Credible inputs' of both suggest there
may be as many guerillas waiting on
the other side of Line of Control or
International Border to sneak in to
disturb peace in Jammu and Kashmir.
If this is the total figures of elements
inimical peace in the state, the
strength of security forces on borders
and in the interiors is enough to
handle them and secure peace for the
peoples. Trends of past few months
suggest that this challenge is being
handled well by combined strength of
security forces without suffering
much loss. But what to do with the
unarmed rioters who have literally
taken control of the key roads and
streets in Kashmir Valley putting the
security forces at defensive. 11 of
them have been killed in less than
three weeks of June. The Paramilitary
force Central Reserve Police Force is
in the eye of storm for all these killings
and the human rights organizations
are crying hoarse. Home Minister P
Chidambram is reminding the people
of Kashmir of the rights of security
forces as well. He says 50 CRPF
troopers have been badly injured by
www.epilogue.in
From the Editor
the stone pelters during same time.
State authorities put the number of
injured at 300. Government is talking
about the right of self defence of the
security forces. But after every
unpleasant incident, heads are rolled in
the state Police as well as in CRPF.
Sources suggest that many officers of
state Police are now lobbying for
insignificant postings where they are not
directly responsible for maintaining law
and order. State government says that
separatists are instigating youths to
disturb peace. Are they telling the world
that Kashmir is under absolute control of
separatists? Are they telling the world
that separatists have the capacity to
throw life out of gear leaving the OCTOBER 2008
government helpless? All this points to a
disturbing situation in Kashmir in which
decline in militant violence can't be
taken as an indicator of improvement in
situation. The situation is volatile and it
needs and it needs political handling.
Mere blaming will not help. The genesis
of present crisis can be traced in the lack
of trust between the political
establishment and the peoples. The
absence of a dialogue between New
Delhi and Kashmir is giving ample space
to the radicals to call shots. Terrorist
violence may be handled with an armed
response but when people embark on a
war they need to be talked to. That is the
only way forward in Kashmir.
Feedback :
zafarchoudhary@epilogue.in APRIL 2009
Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010
Perspectives
Cross-LoC Trade
Kashmir can help Build
Solid Regional Ties
NAZIR A DAR
The world is moving towards greater proximity and cooperation. Globalization is strengthening
economic, political and cultural relations among people across different parts of the world. In my
opinion, a globalized world will consist of united regions that have geographical, cultural and
economic commonalities.
E conomic cooperation is linked by
deep historical and cultural ties.
Today's political, economic and
geopolitical conditions present unprec-
edented opportunities to strengthen
cooperation between the regions. We
must recognize our obligations towards
the region, and our desire for peaceful
co-existence and dynamic cooperation
consistent with our regional interests
and the interests of the countries of the
region. Building and strengthening rela-
tions should be among the top priorities
for economic cooperation we should
make efforts to turn Kashmir into a
vibrant centre of economic activities
across the region Kashmir can play an
active role in furthering closer ties and
cooperation of the region. There is
huge potential in strengthening eco-
nomic cooperation between both parts
of Kashmir & the whole region,
There are opportunities for our peo-
ple, and our growing young populations,
to develop the intact natural reserves
available in our region and to make our
region economically empowered and a
future we in Kashmir are dreaming
about with the resources we have and
which have not been tapped in the way
we would have liked. I would emphasize
on the following out of which progress
www.epilogue.in
has been made in some and in others we
have had no headway.
LoC Trade
As we know that it is one of the
things which was not stopped even
when 26/11 Mumbai attacks occurred,
which augurs well for its it's future, but
has the same problems which were at
the start of it for e.g. currency which we
had suggested in Indian and Pakistani
rupee with fixed rate finalized for a
period of at least three months.
Unfortunately we are still doing barter
trade which has not helped in it's
increase, the limited days of trade, the
non meeting of traders on both sides,
the arbitrary reduction of items to be
traded even within the limited items of
twenty one allowed initially which has
not been enhanced There is tremendous
scope for improvement and there is
dire need to put in place the proper
infrastructure which includes banking
and communication facilities, multi-
entry permits for traders and inclusion
of demand driven products.
Free Economic Zone
In this regard I would like to say
that the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce
and Industries has this vision of free eco-
nomic zone and combining with a finan-
Vol. 4, Issue 7
6
cial centre as the next step in LoC trade
as then it will restore the trade links
with China, Pakistan, Russia, Central
Asian countries, Iran and Afghanistan.
It will give for the first time in his-
tory the benefit of its position at being
at the crossroads of all these countries
on one side and India on the other and
go a long way to take both parts of
Kashmir away from the economic depri-
vation which we are suffering for so
long.
Joint Management
This is going to be the only way by
which the different expectations of our
population in all regions will be satisfied
or else we may have no progress on any-
thing but this will become the main
issue. Different models of cooperation
can be made and the Indus water treaty
can be the basic agreement which will
need drastic change to take care of the
issues by joint management and exploi-
tation we will readily get investment for
development from international com-
panies also and have both India and
Pakistan as market for our surplus
power generated by these projects we
are sure that this is one sector by which
Kashmir both sides will become eco-
nomically not dependent on grants,
loans.
Epilogue, July 2010
7 Perspectives
There is tremendous scope in exploring
joint management in areas of tourism. In
tourism if we have group tourism by which
tourists can without any problem crisscross
both the areas in respect to mountaineering
etc will go a long way to strengthen the tour-
ism industry here while as giving a boost to
this industry on the other side which is on a
lower level than here. By constant interac-
tion of all tourism players on both sides this
industry can become the main revenue
earner for all the regions.
As all of us know that service sector is
the main GDP creator in the world and the
service sectors in which we have an edge are
education and health services which will cre-
ate the necessary constituency in the gen-
eral population of both the regions which
will augur well for the future of our people
Transit Road
Kashmir was once a part of Silk Route.
I firmly believe that, in the 21st century, we
can revive it and promote it into a centre of
peace, security and prosperity. To reach
this goal, stability needs to be ensured and
cooperation needs to be enhanced.
In my opinion, the main source of inse-
curity and obstacle to cooperation is insta-
bility we will not have a safe and stable
region unless issues related to stability of
our region are properly addressed and
resolved.
There should be no doubt that the eco-
nomic stability of our region is directly tied
to the ultimate peace in region. We want
peaceful and prudent solutions to all
regional issues and stay committed to part-
nership and to the principle of regional coop-
eration. The principles of friendship and co-
existence are in the interest of the region.
A vision of stability, progress and pros-
perity in our region is the true reflection of
the desires and legitimate aspirations of the
peoples of our region. I fully believe that,
through commitment and collective efforts,
we will be able to make our common vision a
reality.
www.epilogue.in
Cross-LoC Trade
Need of Hour is
Coordination
Between Regions
YV SHARMA
It is no denying the fact that the modern world is highly
interdependent. No region can think of progressing without
the help of other. We are a very vast country with different
economic problems and there is also huge possibility of
greater economic cooperation between the two parts of the
State.
I
t is encouraging that as a part of the ongoing peace initiative the inter-
regional trade is going on between the two parts of the Kashmir. Our
experience regarding this says that people have benefited a lot. The
Trade across the LoC has been going on for quite a long time, now and traders
from both sides have reaped rich benefits from it. In our part of Kashmir we
have handicrafts, embroidery items, fresh fruits, dry fruits and many other
items which reach the state from many other parts of the country. Similarly
the PoK is also having some useful items, which are not only useful for our
state but for other parts of the country also.
Apart from the profits from this business, this trade has contributed a
lot in creating better understanding between the people of the two regions.
It has removed certain doubts and misconceptions and has created
confidence that the people in the two regions have common interests for
which they must live together with peace and goodwill. This is a great
benefit which will have a long lasting effect in the confidence building
measures between the two countries. The trade at present requires
enhancement and diversification, there is greater need to make expert
groups on both sides to identify items which can be useful on either side for
example the present arrangements have hardly any industrial bias.
Industrial products which are available in the two regions have to be
identified by the experts and included in the list of items. Moreover some
more arrangements are required for example the trade as of now is on Barter
system because there is problem of currency exchange and banking
facilities. They have to be advanced in future. Free trade is possible only if
security scenario on the two sides is sufficiently strong. Sometimes the
required number of trucks cannot be sent from one part to another on
account of this difficulty.
I suggest that "there should be a permanent advisory body on the
governmental level to review and make the reasonable suggestions on the
issue. Cooperation on the another level that is the representatives of trade
Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010
Perspectives 8
Cross-LoC Trade

and industry on both sides and their frequent meetings can also play a
greater role.
Yet another important need for strengthening this inter-regional
The Way
trade is to have a greater coordination between the three regions of our
state i.e. Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. In this connection I would like to Forward
look back at the economic loss suffered by our state during Amarnath
land row in 2008. There was complete economic shut down on a
mischievously engineered issue by some vested interests. The people of ANNIL SURI
our state have a long history of secular traditions and have been living in
peace for centuries. I can vouchsafe that the people of all the three
regions of our state are still together. It is only a handful of people with
vested interests who create fissures in order to grind their own axes and Economy comes first followed by
fish in troubled waters. Such situations have to be avoided, as for peace. Jammu and Kashmir State
possible by the government, the sensible people and the representatives
has to be designed keeping in view
of trade and industrial organizations in the state. Similarly I would
demand from the leaders of trade on the other side of LoC to curb such state's unique economic draw-
activities of the vested interests with the help of well meaning people backs arising out of locational dis-
there. Opening of more routes like Nowshehra-Mirpur, Plannwala- advantages, land locked (shallow)
Bhimber along LoC and improving the list of items in consultation with
markets, remoteness & poor con-
both sides can also go a long way in bringing a sea change in the situation.
Some people point out that in the name of LOC Trade many things nectivity, hilly terrain and poor
from other parts of the country available in our part of the state and infrastructure coupled with law &
similarly many things available in PoK from other parts of the Pakistan order situation. All these factors
are being freely traded. I see no harm in it because this will also build up
have resulted in low economic
the bridges between the two countries and normalize relations between
the two countries in the long run. activity, low employment and low
It is my firm conviction that if a research is done, we can find out income generation.
many useful items which can be of great benefit to both the sides. This is

T
a gigantic task and has to be undertaken by expert committees on the herefore, keeping in view the eco-
both sides with a lot of serious efforts on their part. Some critics of the nomic growth and economic unifica-
trade say that certain items imported from China to Pakistan have been tion, Confidence Building Measures –
included the name of this trade. Whereas these remarks are in the shape of Cross-LoC trade was widely
exaggerated, I see nothing bad even in this sort of exercise. We imported appreciated and accepted by trade and
many pulses from PoK when we were suffering shortage of the same in industry on both sides of line of control. For
our part. Many people who visited our part from PoK demanded achieving dual goals of economic develop-
umbrellas, tea, apples, textiles and handicrafts from us in great ment and peace building using a market
quantities. If we can come to the help of each other in the case of development intervention, we must com-
shortages or in the case of better qualities in the other part there is no bine Market and Conflict Analysis and the
harm in the trade of these things. I can also say that many of our traders following factors must be kept in mind and
visiting PoK must also be demanding certain things which are better in addressed:
quality than available in our part. In the long run it can also encourage GOAL AND PURPOSE: The goal should
the traders and industrialists on both the sides to improve their quality
include overall desired impact e.g. reduced
significantly.
poverty as well as target population. The
To conclude, I would say that trade takes place between different
purpose should include the target market as
states of our country and this keeps our country united; similarly if this
well as general programme strategy e.g. sta-
trade across LOC brings the people together, creates better
bilizing businesses.
understanding and normalizes the relations for the solution of the
M A R K E T A N A LY S I S : What
problems between the two countries it is worth continuing and should be
strengths/opportunities exist currently in
extended as much as possible.

www.epilogue.in Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010

9 Perspectives
Cross-LoC Trade

the market ? What constraints prevent
from reaching higher value markets ?
e.g. the end market, the enabling envi-
ronment, supporting services, horizon-
tal linkages, etc. A proper root cause
analysis needs to be done to improve
Cross-Loc trade.
INTERVENTIONS: What risks we
need to address? How might these con-
straints be solved? This might be link-
ages, technology or other solutions.
How can this trade be done sustainably
on a commercial basis?
CONFLICT ANALYSIS: We must
understand the political, economic and
socio-cultural context and issues of con-
flict and the main stakeholders in these
spheres as well as their goals and inter-
ests.
The interaction between analyzing
the market and analyzing the conflict
determines the interplay between the
conflict and specific market. It was a
conscious decision of both the states of
India & Pakistan to start cross-loc trade
where heart ruled the brain but to sus-
tain, stabilize and strengthen it further,
it has to be seen as a process and contin-
ually improved. So, in my opinion the
'way forward' is:
MACRO COMES FIRST: Without a
banking system and stable currency, the
economy will neither stabilize nor grow
effectively. Facilitation of Travel and
Traders access to each other e.g.
Multiple entry trade passes and trade
not to be restricted to two days per
week only. Improved infrastructure
facilities e.g. Roads and Bridges,
Telecommunication, postal and courier
services, improved loading and unload-
ing and scanning facilities at trade facil-
itation points; Buyers-Sellers meet – to
display trade potential.
KEEP CHANGES DIGESTIBLE: Small
targeted changes should be absorbed
more readily than sweeping replace-
ments of entire nomenclature. There
should be creation of alternate dispute feeling among the people of Jammu and
resolution system for commercial con- Kashmir that violence is not the instru-
tracts with a time bound programme. ment of achieving the political ends. So,
CONNECT THE PARTS: Trust in my opinion Cross-LOC trade is a won-
requires understanding; create space derful CBM and we must delink it from
for people to people contact by bringing terrorism and allowing Cross-LoC trade
traders (stakeholders) to the table for will strengthen the Indo-Pak peace pro-
regular interaction and dispute resolu- cess.
tion.
BEWARE OF LOW-HANGING
FRUIT: Short-term impact can inspire
long-term reform efforts e.g. reduce
Epilogue
because there is more to know
the time needed to implement reforms
for continuously improving cross-loc
trade which will keep trade opera- Regional in Content
tional. National in Presence
CREATE OPPORTUNITY: Expansion
of list of items to be traded i.e. all items Ask for your copy at :
produced and manufactured be ?
Abhijeet Sagar Book Center
Pune,
included in order to make cross-loc
MAHARASHTRA
trade viable, meaningful and to take it ?
American Book Center
beyond symbolic gesture. Anna Salai, Chennai
TAMIL NADU
OPENING OF OTHER VIABLE ?
B N Dey & Co.
TRADE ROUTES: Further include new Pan Bazaar, Guwahati
areas/opportunities in service sector ASSAM
?
Deepak Kumar
e.g. tourism, joint ventures and tie-ups Magazine Agents, Patna
between technical and educational BIHAR
institutions, etc. ?
Dey & Bose Magazine Agent
Howrah,
RECOGNIZE THE SHORT-TERM WEST BENGAL
BENEFITS OF LONG-TERM EFFORTS: ?
Ideal Books
Tutors Line, Trissur
Some reforms take years to accomplish. KERALA
Although they may not show short-term ?
JMD Book House
economic impact, the process of reform Shimla
HIMACHAL PRADESH
can be used to build trust and under- ?
Life Book House
standing among the stakeholders. Himidira Road Bhopal
TAKE THE LONG ROAD: Stabilization MADHYA PRADESH
?
Modern Book House
takes time – at least ten years. Commit Lucknow,
political and financial resources for the UTTAR PRADESH
?
Rajesh Agencies
long term. Further create wider public
Jaipur
interest in the economy of the state ( RAJASTHAN
across both sides of LoC) is to make ?
Shams News Agency
Farmanwadi, Hyderabad
entire economic data available on ANDHRA PRADESH
internet and arrange a consideration of ?
Uniquality News Agency
all the comments and suggestions it Bapuji Nagar, Bhubaneshwar
ORISSA
receives.
The major reason for this fast emerging
India Book House, MUMBAI
atmosphere of peace through Cross-LoC Oxford Book Stores
trade is that there is an all pervasive NEW DELHI, MUMBAI, KOLKATTA,
CHENNAI, BANGALORE & GOA
Central News Agency, NEW DELHI

www.epilogue.in Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010

opinion 10
Water Woes

KISHENGANGA HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT

Another Baglihar in Making

PIA MALHOTRA

E ven as India and Pakistan are

striving to 're-set' their
relationship after the Mumbai
attacks, a new issue has insidiously
crept in and is threatening to become a
major flashpoint- the issue of Water.
Pakistan alleges that India, by building
various hydroelectric projects, in the
Indus River Basin, is causing a serious
shortage of water in Pakistan. Being a
largely agrarian country, this shortage
has major repercussions for Pakistan
from domestic unrest to security
implications. Farmers in Pakistan have
increasingly started demonstrating
against India's ostensible 'stealing of Pak
waters' and this rhetoric has even been
labeled as 'Water Terrorism' by militants
like Hafiz Saaed, the leader of the
Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Not very long ago, India and Pakistan
were at loggerheads over the Baglihar
Hydroelctric Power Project which was
finally resolved with the intervention of
the World Bank. The issue that is fast
becoming potential Baglihar-II is India's
planned project on the river Ganga, the
330MW Kishenganga hydroelectric in Pakistan is not allowed under the As far as the first issue of diversion is
project. The Water and Power Ministry Indus Water Treaty (IWT) and hence concerned, India maintains that
along with the Indus Water Commission would mean violating the principles of although the IWT prohibits India from
in Pakistan has now served a legal notice the Treaty by India. Second, it will cause obstructing flows of water in Pakistan's
to India, to bring the Kishenganga issue a 27 per cent water deficit in Pakistan rivers (Kishenganaga is a tributary of the
before the WB's court of arbitration, a when the project gets completed. Jhelum, which was given to Pak, under
mechanism that has never been used Third, it will obstruct Pakistan's own the IWT), it still allows the upper
before. plans for constructing a hydroelectric riparian to construct projects that do
Pakistan has three major objections project on the river Neelum; the not disrupt or reduce waters to the
to the Project. First, the diversion of proposed Neelum-Jhelum power lower riparian. In an interview with the
the river Ganga in India, called Neelum project. leading water expert in India, BG

www.epilogue.in Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010

11
Verghese; Kishenganga was initially conceived
as a storage dam, which is also allowed under
the Treaty but was later changed to a run-of-
river project. However, Pakistan responds that
even the initial filling of the dam would reduce
the flow of water to Pakistan. BG Verghese
clarifies that the IWT does not prohibit initial
storage of water and even provides specific
details on the months that it can be conducted,
for each river, time of the year etc. and India
will adhere to that.
With regards to the second claim of the
reduction in water in Pakistan by 27 per cent,
India maintains that this reduction is largely
due to climatic changes. Water availability in
Pakistan might have reduced dramatically but
that is also a consequence of mismanagement
of water and tardiness in water conservation.
Regarding Pakistan's third grievance about
Kishenganga interfering with its own proposed
Project, India again refers to the IWT. The IWT
specifies that the country that completes a
project on a shared river first, has the rights of
use to that river. India claims that it started the
Project before Pakistan and also intimated
Pakistan about the same. According to
informed officials in the Indian Ministry of
Water, under the IWT, any country that starts a
project on a shared River must ensure that “the
then existing uses” of the other country are
protected. The Kishenganga Project was
started by India in the 1980s, and at that time
there was no use of the waters by Pakistan.
Verghese states that the Indian side conducted
an inspection of the area in 2006-2007 and
found that only few thousand hectares of water
was being consumed for irrigation at that time,
which is not of any significant magnitude, to be
affected by the Project.
Pakistan has now put this issue up before
the World Bank's Court of Arbitration,
something that has never been done before. BG
Verghese elucidates that in the case of
arbitration, the Treaty states that each Party
would nominate two experts each and the
World Bank would appoint three experts.
Pakistan has already nominated the two
experts from its side and according to the IWT,
www.epilogue.in
opinion
Water Woes
India, would have to nominate its own experts
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would be taken ex-parte and without an Indian
representation. Recently, India nominated its
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experts as well, and the process of arbitration
will start shortly. According to Verghese, India
tried to persuade Pakistan to settle the case
outside the court of arbitration because that is
a very long drawn out process and is also
considerably expensive. It would also stall
India's Project and negatively impact its energy
needs.
This issue interestingly, might not end up
being Baglihar-II because this time Pakistan
also has a stake in this Project. If it remains
embroiled in a dispute, it would affect its own
Neelum-Jhelum Project which it is hugely
depending on, for its water starved nation.
India maintains that the Kishenganga issue
is yet another tactic by Pakistan to divert
attention from its own water mismanagement
and intra-provincial disputes over water. The
IWT is very specific about every detail in
building hydroelectric Projects and India has
always adhered to the treaty.
Instead of passing the buck, India and
Pakistan need to work collectively on water
conservation and water management. India
should be more forthcoming in providing
information about its upcoming Projects and
Pakistan should accept that India and Pakistan
with their growing economy need energy, and
hydroelectric projects become necessary to
meet this need. Pakistan should also find a
domestic solution for its water issues, ranging
from resolving the Kalabagh issue to focusing
on the huge wastage of water. Alternatively,
India and Pakistan could focus on assessing the
impact of these Projects on the ecology of
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Epilogue Post Paid
Kashmir on both sides of the LoC. The local
people of the Gurez valley, where the Project
would be constructed, in J&K, the Dard Shin
people, believe that it would destroy its entire
ecology and drive more than 25, 000 of them,
out of their ancient homeland. Cooperation is
essential because water is an existential issue
and can create a potential crisis in the region,
undesirable for both India and Pakistan.
Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010
in focus 12
Elusive Engagements

BETWEEN DELHI & KASHMIR

Manmohan's Economics
and Vajpayee's Politics
ZAFAR CHOUDHARY

Beginning with Atal Behari Vajpayee's Jammu and Kashmir visit in April 2002, the state has since been
hosting a Prime Minister every year without any break. Prime Ministers of India visit many states in
country at different points but their Jammu and Kashmir tour assumes added significance as it if often
seen more as a diplomatic engagement than a domestic journey. This perception hankers on from the
times of Jawaharlal Nehru. Present essays looks into Manmohan Singh and Vajpayee's Kashmir
engagement through nine visits since 2002.

T
he Bisham Patamaha of
Indian politics, Atal Behari
Vajpayee has not been seen
since 2008. Even his party
BJP is not talking much
about him leave aside taking cue from
form of politics. However, in Kashmir,
where BJP is a hate symbol, Vajpayee is
being missed deeply. His memories are
recalled vividly by separatists even as
the mainstream political circles and
other keen watchers of Kashmir scene
talk about Vajpayee's statesmanship,
his political depth and style of engaging
with the public mind. Interestingly,
memories of Vajpayee are freshened up
every time Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh makes a visit to Jammu and
Kashmir.
On June 7, 2010, when Dr
Manmohan Singh landed in Kashmir, this
was his seventh visit to the troubled
state since he took over as Prime
Minister in 2004. This time his main
engagement was at convocation of the
Sher-e-Kashmir University of
Agricultural Sciences. Like his six
previous visits, Manmohan Singh's two-
day stay in Srinagar didn't cut much ice.
And hardly anyone had expected this in
the given circumstances. As discussions
and debates rolled a month before Dr
Singh's scheduled arrival, this was
apparently for the first time when
separatists in Kashmir decided against
welcoming the Prime Minister with their
customary shutdown call. “We welcome
the Prime Minister with an open mind”,
said Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar
Farooq in one of his post-Friday sermon
speeches. But he sent out a message:
“for creating an atmosphere conducive
for dialogue, the Prime Minister must
prevail and ensure that there is an end
to violations of human rights”. The
atmosphere was if not very upbeat it
was not hostile either as Prime Ministers
or other dignitaries from New Delhi
expect in Kashmir. However, barely days
ahead of Prime Minister's arrival the
inevitable happened. It turned out that
three youths allegedly killed by Army as
militants on April 27 in Kupwara were
actually the local civilians hired by the
Army. This revelation led to a string of
reactions and proved as a spoiler of
atmosphere that awaited Prime
Minister's visit. Some damage control
was done, obviously at behest of PMO,
by suspending a Major and removing a
Colonel accused of staged killings but by
that time the positive atmosphere has
been vitiated. In his convocation
address, the Prime Minister reiterated
his commitment of zero tolerance to
human rights violations but the political
message he sent on the occasion did not
inspire many in the Valley. In variance to
his previous statements that
Government of India was willing to
engage with all those who shun
violence, this time the Prime Minister
said, “our doors are open to dialogue
with those who oppose the path of
confrontation”. This appeared to may

www.epilogue.in Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010

13
as a hardened stand and not really
complimentary to what the popular
mood expected on renewal of a sagging
dialogue process. Says Zubar Dar, a
peace activist in Kashmir, Prime
Minister has just changed the goalpost”.
Dar adds: “Dr Singh has apparently set a
condition and left it to Kashmiri
separatist leadership to create an
atmosphere for dialogue”.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or
specifically Congress led United
Progressive Alliance government's
approach to Kashmir has a unique
feature. “In sharp contrast to
Vajpayee's political handling Manmohan
Singh has apparently laid more stress on
economic engagements”, says Rekha
Chowdhary, Professor of Political
Science at University of Jammu.
Economic engagement is not a bad idea
if political means are not bringing any
results but importance of having
dialogue can't be summarily
overlooked. Manmohan Singh's
economic package of Rs 24,000 Crore
announced during his visit in November
2004 and later revised to Rs 30,000
Crore could not bring any major visible
change on the ground as this initiative
was not coupled with a sustainable
political process aimed at mellowing
down the dissent. Compared to
Manmohan Singh's big ticket package,
Vajpayee had announced a humble aid
of Rs 6700 Crore but his political
engagements on the sidelines set in
motion a process of building trust
helping tremendously in most credible
elections of 2002 which even the
separatists could not dispute. Soon
after elections Vajpayee complimented
the growing public trust in democracy
by initiating a renewed peace process at
the domestic front. He invited
separatists for talks with his Deputy
Prime Minister LK Advani, launched an
inclusive dialogue process by appointing
www.epilogue.in
NN Vohra as his interlocutor and
simultaneously offered tremendous
support and freedom to the state
government led by Mufti Mohammad
Sayeed. All this while, New Delhi's
engagements with Islamabad continued
despite slew of ghastly terrorist
attacks, particularly on military
formations in Jammu and Kashmir.
Assembly elections of 2008 were
far more challenging than those of
2002. These elections were held in the
backdrop of Amarnath land row
agitation which had thrown Kashmir at a
farthest possible distance from New
Delhi. Manmohan Singh government
rushed through major Kashmir centric
confidence building measures by not
only announcing but also practically
launching the Cross-LoC trade. Shortly
ahead of elections, his October 2008
visit along with Congress president
Sonia Gandhi was again an outreach
project of economic outlook. More
people voted in 2008 elections than the
UPA government would have expected.
The atmosphere for a competitive
participation in the democratic process
further built up in 2009 Lok Sabha
elections. Both elections some
prominent separatist faces also.
H o w e v e r, a p o l i t i c a l p r o c e s s
complimenting the overwhelming
public mood still remains missing. A
fortnight after Home Minister P
Chidambram's 'Srinagar declaration' of
'quiet diplomacy' Prime Minister Singh
again visited Valley towards the end of
October 2009. Addressing a largely
attended public rally in south Kashmir,
the Prime Minister's speech again
veered around the economic initiatives.
He said: “unprecedented resources
have been committed to the state for its
comprehensive reconstruction…in last
five years, the Government of India has
taken a number of steps to bring
development in Jammu and Kashmir.
Vol. 4, Issue 7
in focus
Elusive Engagements
We have tried to revive traditional
connectivity between people of the
region…under skill development the
Ministry of Tourism will train 300
youths. The Ministry of Labour will train
800 youths in ITIs every year…I am
happy to announce that the
Government of India has decided to set
up two Central Universities…I am happy
to announce that the Central
Government has decided to fund cost of
Rs 385 Crore to build heritage Mughal
Road…the Central Government had
decided to commit additional funds of
Rs 365 Crore for Dal Lake conservation
project..” So on and so forth. Nearly 80
percent of the Prime Minister's written
speech focused on economic initiatives
and also had a line of reprimand for the
state government for not conducting
elections to Panchayats.
Recalling his last state visit in 2008
ahead of assembly elections, the Prime
Minister said he was happy to note that
people turned out in large numbers to
vote. He advised the state government
to “avail the golden opportunity of
consolidating peace”. On what was
pending at his command, the Prime
Minister said, “I wish to say today that
we are willing to talk to everyone who
has any meaningful ideas in promoting
peace and development in Kashmir. We
want to carry all sections of peoples
with us in resolving all political and
economic problems of Jammu and
Kashmir”. Manmohan Singh advised the
state government to consolidate peace
dividends of assembly elections but
such an initiative from New Delhi could
not take off. For months it as felt that
Home Minister P Chidambram's novel
peace project of quiet diplomacy was
working behind the curtains. His
announcement of this new form of
dialogue had earned him an
overwhelmingly positive response in
Kashmir. Soon after Home Minister's
Epilogue, July 2010
in focus
Elusive Engagements
announcement in Srinagar in middle of
October 2009, the separatists,
particularly Mirwaiz group, had
embarked on a series of consultations
among themselves and with other
groups of civil society in making
consensus on a positive course of
dialogue with New Delhi. However, in
May this year (over six months after
quiet diplomacy announcement)
Mirwaiz went public with his anger
saying that there was no contact,
whatsoever, between his group or any
other separatist organization with any
representative of the Government of
India and the so called quiet diplomacy
had never taken off. Mirwaiz said this
when Kashmir had already burst into
renewed spate of anger following series
of rights violations incidents, after a
brief lull. What all is happening in the
curfewed Kashmir today can now easily
be attributed to an absence of trust and
contact between New Delhi and
separatists giving an undue space to the
radicals for calling shots. Some groups
of intelligentsia have recently been
talking about a new theory –'no dialogue
is the best solution'. If this is what
dominates the minds of Government of
India then the party in Kashmir is spoilt.
It is fact that militant violence is on a
constant decline year after year but
that is not an indicator of what can be
concluded as 'all is well'. The militant
violence has been replaced by the
street protests which is proving as more
perilous. In month of June alone 11
persons have been killed by security
forces, particularly Central Reserve
Police Force, in retaliation of attacks
on them. A peeved Home Minister
Chidambram says, “CRPF had to use
force in self-defence”. If 11 persons are
killed in self defence in a period of 15
days then situation calls for immediate
rethink on what was going wrong in
Kashmir. Engaging in a dialogue with the
www.epilogue.in
peoples is perhaps the best possible way
of moving ahead and this is the only
process which does not harm any party.
One fails to comprehend why UPA
government is shying away from a
dialogue with its own people in Kashmir.
When New Delhi has made remarkable
improvement in relations with
Islamabad despite going throw few of
the goriest incidents of terrorism in
Indian history and all clues clearly
pointing towards soil of Pakistan, an
uneasy silence on Kashmir is quite
disturbing. Besides major economic
initiatives, the UPA government shall
always be remembered for launching
the Cross-LoC bus service and Cross-LoC
trade but there is still no alternate for a
domestic engagement with the peoples.
Looking back at pre-Mamohan
Singh era, the NDA government had
constant political engagements with
Kashmir which did not go without
showing some results. The BJP, which
led the NDA, is a party with traditionally
hostile approach to Kashmir but despite
all those ideological difficulties, Prime
Minister Vajpayee talked about a
solution within the ambit of humanity.
He was a leader who knew the language
for his audience. During his visit to
Kashmir in April 2002, he extended a
hand of friendship to both Pakistan and
the people in Kashmir but also added a
caveat for the neighbor. “Don't misread
our sentiment of friendship as our
weakness”, said Vajpayee as he
referred to his presence at unified
headquarters meeting in Srinagar.
Compared to present times, Vajpayee
had a difficult course to deal in Kashmir.
Those were the days of intensified
militant violence and string of terrorist
attacks –on J&K Legislative Assembly,
Indian Parliament House and several
military formations. In backdrop of
these incidents it was difficult to
convince the public opinion in country
Vol. 4, Issue 7
14
for a peace initiative. But Vajpayee took
that risk more than once.
Says Naeem Akhtar, a seasoned
bureaucrat to who quit top government
post to help Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's
political initiative: “Vajpayee's will
always remained a statesmanly,
pioneering initiative that could have
been taken only by him. The situation
then was grave with parliament attack
in the background and two armies in
combat position. Vajpayee sensed the
mood of Kashmir and extended his hand
of friendship to Pakistan”. Naeem
believed Manmohan Singh too could
have done a lot but circumstances did
not help him. He observes, “Dr
Manmohan Singh made serious attempt
to build on it but Mumbai atrocities
provided grist to the mill of the
opponents of peace process. Things in
Kashmir too reversed and the tempo for
peace could not sustain”. At present
things are nowhere close to where
Vajpayee had left. “The renewed effort
still looks hesitant and reserved unlike
Vajpayee's repeated attempts, Bus
yatra, Agra and the 2003 Srinagar
initiative”, says Naeem.
There is no one doubting the
sincerity of Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh in breaking ice in Kashmir but
many feels that renewal of peace
process needs boldness of Vajpayee.
According to Mohammad Ashraf, a
widely read columnist on Kashmir
affairs, “Vajpayee's initiative was
honest and forthright. He wanted to go
down in history as a man who brought a
change to the strife torn sub-
continent”. Ashraf adds, “Manmohan
Singh, though honest and sincere is
operating with his hands tied behind his
back by Sonia and BJP! To be bold, one
must not think but act regardless of
personal consequences”. The question
here is will Manmohan Singh be able to
do so”. “I doubt it”, says Ashraf.
Epilogue, July 2010
15
Political Economy of
Prime Ministerial Visits
DIPANKER SENGUPTA
A Where is the deal for common man?
casual observer of Jammu and
Kashmir will have noted that
Prime Ministerial Visits to state
are generally incomplete without the
announcement of an “economic pack-
age” ostensibly to set a region long rav-
aged by militancy back on rails. The size
of these “packages” running into thou-
sands of crores evoke emotions form
awe to impatience and even anger.
Many argue that bad money after good is
being spent in trying to “bribe” the
rebellious “natives” into submission and
that “money can't buy you love” ie it is
idle to think that such largesse can curb
dissatisfaction that is so widespread in
the valley. Others aver that a careful
analysis of these “packages” reveal that
by and large the bulk of the money
spent does little to enhance the produc-
tive capacity of the state and is actually
spent on projects that of national
importance where the state per se is not
the direct beneficiary. Where then
does the truth lie? Does it like the pro-
verbial cliché “lie somewhere in
between?” The problem is somewhat
more complex and suggest that the
answer not only lies somewhere in
between but also lies somewhere else.
When Prime Ministerial announce-
ments on economic packages for Jammu
and Kashmir are concerned, the can be
divided into two phases. The first set of
announcements took place when the
National Conference ruled the state
(1996-2002) while the second set of
announcements belong to the period
www.epilogue.in
The political economy of Prime
Ministerial visits accompanied by
announcements of largesse has
given rise to a curious collective of
persons and groups with a common
economic interest. They range from
a coterie of local contractors to
militant groups, elements of India's
Engineering industry and local
politicians who gain if this system of
packages sanctified by Prime
Ministerial association continues. It
does little for the state's economy
which requires improvement in road
and power infrastructure. The PM
packages have done very little on the
ground in this respect. This is hardly
surprising. A state that collects only
a fraction of what it spends on power
will never be able to maintain far
less upgrade its power
infrastructure. On the other hand
poor governance and corruption on
roads ensure that communications
remain poor. The turnaround in
state's economic profile with
inclusive benefits for all is still
awaited
that lasts to this day. During the earlier
period there was in place a state gov-
ernment headed by a Party that had
Vol. 4, Issue 7
in focus
Elusive Engagements
come to power in an election held under
controversial circumstances. It was the
first elected government that had
assumed office after the onset of mili-
tancy in 1990.
It had inherited a ravaged economy
where the overall climate of insecurity
and the the more direct attacks of mili-
tants on the economic infrastructure
did not augur well for the future.
However, at this point in time it was not
the economy of the state that was the
top most priority for policy makers; it
was the security situation that was
given top priority.
To be sure, even as early as 1998,
the state and the centre came out with
a slew of announcements trying to
attract investment to the state. But
these were more in the form of conces-
sions to be provided if industry actually
set up shop. The outflows from the state
coffers would materialize only if opera-
tions from new investments com-
menced in the form of subsidies. In that
sense the direct recipient would be the
investor and not the state of Jammu and
Kashmir. In so far as tax holidays were
concerned, this would be a notional loss
where new industries were concerned
as none was being collected from eco-
nomic activity that had not yet been
started. The Prime Ministerial
announcements of “economic pack-
ages” that would be more common
place later had not yet come into vogue.
The first set of announcements dur-
ing a Prime Ministerial visit came at a
Epilogue, July 2010
in focus
Elusive Engagements
The first set of announcements
during a Prime Ministerial visit came
at a time when no explicit plan or
time frame had been set to bring
back the economy that was in tatters
back to rails. The announcement of a
mega-package was made in May
2002, by the then PM Atal Behari
Vajpayee when he unveiled a Rs 6615
crore economic package for the
state. What was the state's gain?
Who were the beneficiaries of this
package? The answer may be
gleaned from what Vajpayee revealed
in the press conference itself.
Elaborating on the plan Vajpayee said
the 3600 crores would be spent on
the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramullah
rail-link, 1530 crores on road
construction in the state and 70
crores on the handicrafts industry of
the state. While it may be argued
that the state as a whole tended to
benefit from all of these three
projects, it is clear that this would
benefit the state only in the long run
after the successful completion of
these projects
time when no explicit plan or time
frame had been set to bring back the
economy that was in tatters back to
rails. The announcement of a mega-
package was made in May 2002, by the
then PM Atal Behari Vajpayee when he
unveiled a Rs 6615 crore economic pack-
age for the state. What was the state's
gain? Who were the beneficiaries of this
package? The answer may be gleaned
from what Vajpayee revealed in the
press conference itself. Elaborating on
the plan Vajpayee said the 3600 crores
would be spent on the Udhampur-
www.epilogue.in
Srinagar-Baramullah rail-link, 1530
crores on road construction in the state
and 70 crores on the handicrafts indus-
try of the state.
While it may be argued that the
state as a whole tended to benefit from
all of these three projects, it is clear
that this would benefit the state only in
the long run after the successful com-
pletion of these projects. The proposed
rail link will really make its presence
felt after it is fully implemented or at
least when the Qazikund-Udhampur link
is completed. This is also largely true
for the roads in question. In the short
run however, as these projects got
under way, the financial beneficiaries
would be the suppliers of the relevant
matériel (located almost wholly outside
the state) and the contractors hired to
implement the job. In so far as these
contractors or even sub-contractors
were from the state and hired local
labour, one could expect incomes in the
state to rise somewhat. As things have
turned out, while many of the contrac-
tors and sub-contractors have been
local, the proportion of labourers from
other states has been disproportion-
ately high. Thus the immediate impact
of this policy was to create a narrow
class of immensely concentrated
wealth but without any increase in the
productive capacity of the state. It may
be argued that this class of contractors
were not seen to have acquired these
contracts in a manner that could be
described as “above board.” Thus there
may even have been social sanction
when there were extortion bids. Thus
local contractors heavily dependent on
hired labour from other states main-
tained a regular system of “payments”
so that their labourers would not be
touched. This is the genesis of a new
political economy whereby funds meant
to put the state back on the rails actu-
ally ended up in the hands of those who
Vol. 4, Issue 7
16
had de-railed it in the first instance!
The second phase of the Prime
Ministerial announcements commenced
in 2004 when there were new govern-
ments in both New Delhi (The UPA coali-
tion under Dr Manmohan Singh) and in
Srinagar (The PDP-Congress and others
coalition led by the Mufti Mohammad
Sayeed) The first announcement in this
regard was of course the 24,000 Crore
rupees “economic revival” plan that Dr
Manmohan Singh committed to fund.
The scale of this “plan” put previous
The second phase of the Prime
Ministerial package commenced in
2004 when there were new
governments in both New Delhi (The
UPA coalition under Dr Manmohan
Singh) and in Srinagar (The PDP-
Congress and others coalition led by
the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) The
first announcement in this regard
was of course the 24,000 Crore
rupees “economic revival” plan that
Dr Manmohan Singh committed to
fund. The scale of this “plan” put
previous announcements to shade. A
crude calculation would show that
this meant two lakh rupees to very
permanent resident of Jammu &
Kashmir. However crude calculations
are just what they are: crude and in
this case misleading. Of the Rs
24,000 crores 75% was to be
channelized by the NHPC Ltd to
construct Hydel projects in Uri and
Baglihar. The power from these
projects when completed (years
from now) would be for the entire
country with Jammu and Kashmir
possibly receiving a small share free
of cost
Epilogue, July 2010
17 in focus
Elusive Engagements

announcements to shade. A crude calcu-
lation would show that this meant two
lakh rupees to very permanent resident
of Jammu and Kashmir state.
However crude calculations are
just what they are: crude and in this
case misleading. Of the Rs 24,000 crores
75% was to be channelized by the NHPC
Ltd to construct Hydel projects in Uri
and Baglihar. The power from these pro-
jects when completed (years from now)
would be for the entire country with
Jammu and Kashmir possibly receiving a
small share free of cost. The immediate
beneficiaries as before would be again
the suppliers of the relevant matériel
(located almost wholly outside the
state) in Jammu and Kashmir would of
course be a coterie of contractors
dependent on labour and expertise
from other states. Thus the political
economy of state patronage was
strengthened by the continuation of
this policy. The amount to be spent on
the upgradation of the transmission and
distribution system of the state was
according to some observers spent on
the northern grid itself. The 20,000
jobs announced in that package were to
be funded by the centre for a period of
one year and thereafter their liability
was to be bourne by the state govern-
ment and approximate expenditure of
at least 500 crores every year. It must
be pointed out that Mufti's government
did not object.
In sum, the political economy of
Prime Ministerial visits accompanied
by announcements of largesse has
given rise to a curious collective of per-
sons and groups with a common eco-
nomic interest. They range from a cote-
rie of local contractors to militant
groups, elements of India's
Engineering industry and local politi-
cians who gain if this system of pack-
ages sanctified by Prime Ministerial
association continues. It does little
for the state's economy which requires
improvement in road and power infra-
structure. The PM packages have done
little on the ground in this respect.
This is hardly surprising. A state that
collects only a fraction of what it
spends on power will never be able to
maintain far less upgrade its power
infrastructure. On the other hand poor
governance and corruption on roads
ensure that communications remain
poor.
Thus it is not Prime Ministerial vis-
its and their perverse influence on the
political economy of the state that pol-
icy makers should look to. They may do
better by looking in another direction:
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documents
Full Texts of Speeches
Atal Behari Vajpayee
University of Kashmir, Srinagar, April 22, 2003
I
am pleased to be with all of you
today at the 16th Convocation of the
University of Kashmir. I am aware of
the honour of following in the footsteps
of many great personalities, beginning
with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first
Prime Minister of India who also
addressed the first convocation of your
university. I welcome the opportunity of
congratulating everyone receiving a
degree or distinction or honour at this
convocation. Today is an occasion for
you to express your gratitude to all
those who prepared you to enter the
most important phase of your life - a life
of challenges as well as opportunities.
The education that you have received
no doubt equips you to shape your own
personal career. But it also enables you
to determine how you wish to contrib-
ute to creating a better future for India
and for your own beautiful state.
Convocation may connote the end of
formal education, but not of education
as such. Learning is a life-long activity.
Prophet Mohammed exhorted every-
one, woman and man alike, to pursue
learning from cradle to grave, and to
cross every frontier to seek ilm (knowl-
edge). It is a happy coincidence that
your university is located near
Hazaratbal, which is made famous by its
association with the Prophet of Islam.
The very fact that this convocation is
taking place after a gap of six long years
is an indication of the troubled times in
which you had to study, your teachers
had to teach, and the administrators of
www.epilogue.in
Prime Minister
your university had to function. But a
student is one who remains devoted to
learning in spite of all the turbulence
around him. Indeed, in learning about
the subjects of their respective courses,
students also learn about the turbu-
lence around them. They intensely
reflect on how it may one day be tamed
so that the garden of knowledge rides
out the storm, and future generations
may savour that garden's most cher-
ished fruit: Peace. Friends, anyone who
experiences the beauty and serenity of
Jammu & Kashmir is bound to conclude
that God has been partial to this place,
making it the Paradise on Earth.
However, the same person, looking at
the strife and violence that have marred
the state's tranquillity, might also won-
der: why has peace eluded this Paradise
for so long? It is a question that needs to
be objectively studied by all those who
care for peace, and who care for
Kashmir. An unprejudiced examination
of facts would reveal that the ideologies
that support militancy, terrorism and
separatism find no support whatsoever
in the social history, cultural identity
and spiritual traditions of Kashmir.
Kashmir, like the rest of India, has been
the respecter of all spiritual streams
and alchemist of all cultural influences.
It has accepted all that is noble in man-
kind's creation, and rejected none. The
interaction of the three great religions
of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam on the
soil of Kashmir saw a soaring of the
human spirit, propagating far and wide
Vol. 4, Issue 7
18
the ideals of humanism, tolerance, com-
munal harmony and peace among the
people. It is necessary and useful for us
to remember that Sufi Islam arrived
here neither as a conqueror nor as a com-
petitor, but as an ally to Kashmir's exist-
ing spiritual tradition. Shiv chuy thali
thali rozan; Mo zan Hindu ta Musalman.
Truk ay chuk pan panun parzanav; Soy
chay Sahibas sati zaniy zan. (Shiv or
Allah - lives everywhere; do not divide
Hindu from Muslim. Use your sense to
recognise yourself; that is the true way
to find God.) Thus sang Kashmir's great-
est mystic poetess in one of her thou-
sands of shlokas or waakhs that are a
part of the folklore of this land. If she
was Lalla Arifa for the Muslims, she was
Lalleshwari for the Hindus. But for all
the Kashmiris, she remains, even after
800 years, their own much-loved Lal
Ded, the symbol as well as the source of
Kashmiriyat. It is only in Kashmir that
the Rishi order recognises Hindu and
Muslim spiritual masters alike.
Nooruddin Shaikh, the greatest saint of
Kashmir, is also known as Nand Rishi. His
appeal to the people 'to break the sword
and forge it into a sickle' reads as if it is
coined not only for Kashmir of today but
also for the world of today. These saints
are remembered and revered even
today because, Kashmir, like the rest of
India, places saints and social reformers
on a higher pedestal than kings, shahs
and sultans. And if Kashmir does adore
a king, it adores one like Zainul Abedin
or Bud Shah, who led Kashmir into its
Epilogue, July 2010
19
Golden Age in the 15th century.
Here was an ideal ruler whose sec-
ond name was justice; who led a simple
life and refused to touch the state trea-
sury for his personal needs; who hon-
oured pandits and maulvis alike; and
who founded a Dar-ul-Aloom, equiva-
lent to a university, which patronised
learning in all branches. In our own
times, poets like the Shayar-e-Kashmir
Ghulam Ahmed Mehjoor have forcefully
voiced the message of peace and broth-
erhood. Today I would like to recall one
of Mehjoor's couplets, which I had
quoted in my Independence Day speech
in 2001. Clearly, if Muslim is milk, Hindu
is sugar; let the two mix together;
Discard discord and love each other.
Didn't Swami Vivekananda also express
the same thought, after he returned
from a memorable visit to Kashmir?
Replying to a letter from a maulvi,
Swamiji wrote his famous words: 'I see
in my mind's eye the future perfect
India rising out of this chaos and strife,
glorious and invincible, with Vedanta
brain and Islam body.' I have recalled
certain names and facts from Kashmir's
history only to underscore my belief
that the tradition of brotherhood is not
something that belongs to Kashmir's
past. It is also a part of its living present.
The outpouring of shock, grief, and
anger that marked Kashmiri Muslims'
response to the recent massacre of
pandits at Nadimarg is just one example
of this. It is the responsibility of acade-
micians, scholars, artists, cultural per-
sonalities, mass media and political
workers to highlight the age-old tradi-
tions of communal harmony and
national unity in Kashmir and the rest of
India. We should affirm that death and
destruction cannot always claim
supremacy over life and creation, that
darkness cannot keep light away for-
ever. In affirming this, we should take
inspiration from the motto of your uni-
versity. Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya. (Lead
www.epilogue.in
us, O Lord, from Darkness to Light.) It is
a highly appropriate motto. On the one
hand, it captures the timeless wisdom
of Kashmir, the land from where
Khudayi Noor or the Heavenly Light is
being radiated since time immemorial.
On the other, it also reflects the historic
transition from darkness to light that is
now taking place in your state. My cur-
rent visit to Kashmir has reinforced my
belief that darkness and despair are,
indeed, departing; that Light and Hope
are, indeed, arriving. Indeed, one such
bright ray of hope was visible when the
people of Jammu & Kashmir expressed
their will in a heroic and unmistakable
manner in the Assembly elections held
six months ago. Through the power of
democracy, they gave a ringing verdict
against the militancy and terrorist vio-
lence unleashed against us from across
the border for the past decade and
more. Defying threats and violence,
they turned out in impressive numbers
to exercise their franchise. As far as the
Central government is concerned, we
fulfilled our promise that the elections
would be transparent, free and fair.
They were indeed deemed to be so by
the whole world, except those who have
their own ulterior agenda to project the
elections in a different light. The ver-
dict has clearly shown that the vast
majority of the people are fed up with
violence. They want to live a normal
life, a life of dignity. They voted for
change, good governance, faster devel-
opment, more employment opportuni-
ties and, above all, for peace to return
to their state. They reposed their faith
in our democratic institutions and elec-
toral processes. They will not be disap-
pointed. The elections and their after-
math have given us a great opportunity
to build upon the positive elements in
the current situation. The newly
elected government has taken several
good initiatives and measures. The
Central government is committed to
Vol. 4, Issue 7
documents
Full Texts of Speeches
“Unprecedented resources have
been committed to the State for its
comprehensive reconstruction. But
I recognize that the benefits are
trickling down slowly. This state of
affairs should change. We have to
speed up the pace of development
in the state…When I came to
office in 2004, I had said that our
Government is committed to
having unconditional dialogue with
whoever abjures violence. We had
discussions with different groups.
We had a number of round table
conferences. All issues were
discussed. We tried to give voice to
the demands of all sections of the
people. We have implemented a
number of initiatives as a result of
this process… I wish to say again
today that we are willing to talk to
anyone who has any meaningful
ideas for promoting peace and
development in Kashmir”
Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh
in his speech after launching Anantnag-
Qazigund stretch of rail line, Anantnag,
October 28, 2009
“I am glad that after a difficult
period, Jammu and Kashmir is
progressing well on the road to
development and peace. Wide-
ranging initiatives are being
implemented to revitalize the
state's economy and to build a new
peaceful and prosperous Jammu
and Kashmir. It is important that
the development process is
inclusive and covers all parts of the
State as well as all sections of the
population”
Pratibha Devisingh Patil
President of India
At The Convocation of Sher-I-Kashmir
Institute of Medical Sciences Srinagar,
Jammu and Kashmir, 23rd May 2008
Epilogue, July 2010
documents
Full Texts of Speeches
B' naam-e-khuda-vand jaan aafarin
Hakim-e-sukhan dar zubaan aafarin
----
Auron ka hai payam aur, mera
payaam aur hai
Ishq ke dard mand ka tarz-e-
kalaam aur hai
------
Jab tak na zindagi ke haqaiq pe ho nazar
Tera zajaj ho na sake ga hareef-e-sang.
The focus, above all, has to be on
self development:
Taamir-e-khudi kar, asar aahe rasa
daikh.
Mohammad Hamid Ansari
Vice President of India
In his address on 17th Annual
Convocation of the University of
Kashmir, Srinagar on 20th June 2009
I would like to say that I am
delighted to be in the historic city
of Jammu. It is said that this city
was founded when Rajah Jambhu
Lochan, while on a hunting
expedition crossed the River Tawi
and discovered a tiger and a goat
drinking from the same tank.
When he queried from his aides
about this rather unusual sight,
they are believed to have explained
to him that the soil of the place
excelled in virtue and for that
reason no living creature bore
enmity against another. The people
of this city are the inheritors of this
remarkable tradition of living
together in peace and harmony. It
is a matter of pride that this
heritage has been kept alive. As a
nation, we commend your
approach of accommodation and
pluralism.
Pratibha Devisingh Patil
President of India
Sher-I-Kashmir University Of
Agricultural Sciences And Technology
Jammu, May 26, 2008
www.epilogue.in
working sincerely with the state govern-
ment and give it all reasonable assis-
tance. We have also started a process of
talks with the elected representatives
and other sections of public opinion in
the state. I believe - and I would like one
and all in Jammu & Kashmir to share this
belief - that there is no problem which
cannot be resolved peacefully and dem-
ocratically. Today, our sincere commit-
ment to bring peace and normalcy to
Jammu & Kashmir makes me admit that
we have often faltered in our journey
towards this goal. It was sometimes for-
gotten that democracy is too delicate a
plant to be subjected to manipulation
and mishandling. We must learn from
these mistakes and resolve not to
repeat them. We should look to the
future with a constructive approach,
and not remain obsessed with the acri-
monies and unrealistic goals of the past.
Today, I would also like to caution that,
in order to prevent the youth from being
misled or driven into negative activi-
ties, we must ensure that they do not
lose faith in our institutions, in the fair-
ness of our systems and in the rule of
law. Therefore, good governance and an
effective check on corruption and nepo-
tism are of prime importance in the task
of nation building - and building a new
Jammu & Kashmir. Our political leader-
ship, cutting across party lines, should
also see that our youth do not get car-
ried away by ethnic or religious extrem-
ism or fundamentalist ideologies. My
young fri-ends, your state, like the rest
of India, is beckoned by a bright future.
Our country is making rapid strides in
agriculture, industry, infrastructure and
services. What has especially aston-
ished the international community is
the remarkable progress that our coun-
try has made in science and technology,
and in frontier areas of the Knowledge
Economy. One such icon of the
Knowledge Economy, Shri N.R. Narayan
Murthy, is with us today. I appreciate
Vol. 4, Issue 7
20
your university's decision to honour him
with D. Litt. I hope that he and his fra-
ternity would suitably assist promotion
of employment and entrepreneurship in
IT in Jammu & Kashmir. The main focus
of the reforms agenda pursued by the
government is creation of large-scale
employment, self-employment and busi-
ness opportunities in diverse areas of
our economy. Today it is neither neces-
sary nor feasible to seek only govern-
ment jobs. Therefore, I would like
young graduates from this university to
fully seize these opportunities in India
and abroad. Indeed, I would like to see
more employment opportunities cre-
ated in Jammu & Kashmir itself. In
recent years, there has been a welcome
trend of more and more young students
from Kashmir going to universities and
colleges in different parts of the coun-
try to pursue higher education. I would
like the UGC, ministry of human
resource development, and non-
governmental educational institutions
to create many more opportunities of
this kind for students from this state.
Your vice chancellor has rightly pointed
out the inadequacy of Kashmir Valley,
with a population of over 50 lakh, hav-
ing only one university. Today I would
like to assure that the idea of establish-
ing more professional institutions and
Kendriya Vidyalayas would receive our
serious and sympathetic consideration.
Here, too, I call upon reputed non-
governmental institutions in the rest of
the country to come forward. I was in
Sikkim last week. A prestigious educa-
tional institution from Manipal in
Karnataka has established a medical
college there. The Centre and the state
government can encourage similar ini-
tiatives in your state. I am pleased to
know that yours is the only university in
India that has a dedicated Centre for
Central Asian Studies. When I look at
Kashmir, I find that both geographically
and historically, it links India to the
Epilogue, July 2010
21
lands and peoples of a very impor-
tant part of Asia. We are deeply
interested in strengthening our
ties of friendship and mutually
beneficial cooperation with all of
them. In particular, we are adding
a new dimension to our external
relations by deepening and broad-
ening our traditionally friendly
ties with all the countries of
Central Asia. We call it the 'New
Silk Route Initiative'. I was in
Kazakhstan last year to attend the
first ever summit meeting to dis-
cuss issues pertaining to security
and cooperation in Central Asia. I
would like the academics working
in your university to make a solid
contribution to this effort. My
dear students and teachers, as I
said at the beginning of my
address, this convocation is taking
place at an important point -
almost a turning point - in the his-
tory of Jammu & Kashmir. India is
a vast country with a rich diversity
of religion, language, and ethnic-
ity. But there is a silken
civilisational thread that has
woven a priceless unity in this
diversity. The same thread of
unity also runs through the three
main regions of your state -
Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh. Our
secular democracy has further
strengthened our nationhood.
The destiny of the people of
Jammu & Kashmir is inseparably
tied to the destiny of India. Let
there be no doubt that a bright
future awaits us. I call upon the
students and teachers of this
great university, and all the peo-
ple of this beautiful state, to
march towards this bright future,
together with your sisters and
brothers in the rest of India, with
hope in your hearts and unity in
your steps. Thank you.
www.epilogue.in
Dr MANMOHAN SINGH
Prime Minister
University of Jammu, Jammu
July 15, 2007
I
am honoured and delighted to receive
the Degree of Doctor of Letters
(Honoris Causa) that has just been con-
ferred on me. I have received similar hon-
ours before but your gesture is very spe-
cial for me. This beautiful state of Jammu
and Kashmir has always had a special
place in my heart. More recently, its
development and well-being have been on
top of my agenda in government.
Let me say, at the very outset, that I
have been impressed by the remarkable
strides that the University of Jammu has
made in recent years. I compliment you
all, especially your dynamic Vice-
Chancellor, Prof Amitabh Mattoo. The
steps taken by your university to establish
itself as a centre for excellence are
impressive. I commend the university's
achievements in teaching and research,
especially in fields like high-energy phys-
ics, glaciology, biotechnology and strate-
gic studies. I am also happy that the uni-
versity has actively participated in exten-
sion work, in partnership with civil soci-
ety, in disaster management, empower-
ment of rural women and the efforts at
strengthening the region's culture of tol-
erance and peace. It is precisely this blend
of academic excellence, social relevance
and aesthetic sensibility that our universi-
ties must nurture.
Our country has a 5,000-year-old his-
tory of the human quest for knowledge.
Ours has always been a knowledge society.
The challenge is now to transform it into a
knowledge economy. It is clear that our
greatest strength, in years to come, will
Vol. 4, Issue 7
documents
Full Texts of Speeches
be our human resources. Our huge pool of
young women and men, adequately
skilled, can become India's greatest force
for progress. I have always believed that it
is this soft power, not just military
strength, which will be the real marker of
India's greatness. And I am confident that
Jammu and Kashmir's young men and
women will become a shining example of
this soft power.
I am, therefore, here to seek your
partnership in building Jammu and
Kashmir into a robust and vibrant knowl-
edge economy. As a partner, I commit
myself and our government, to creating
institutions of excellence in the state,
which can channelise the creativity and
energy of the youth of Jammu and
Kashmir. We will together build and
strengthen a cadre of extraordinarily
skilled men and women who are dedicated
to a vision of a peaceful and prosperous
Jammu and Kashmir. That alone is a guar-
antee for sustainable peace in the state.
Many new and imaginative initiatives
have been taken by the state government,
including the opening of a large number of
degree colleges and the universities of
Jammu and Kashmir have opened off-site
campuses in Bhaderwah, Kathua,
Udhampur, Baramullah and Anantnag.
Campuses are also being proposed for
Leh, Poonch, Ramnagar and Reasi. Much
more needs to be done, both in terms of
access as well as the quest for excellence.
The Knowledge Commission, in its recent
report, has recommended a vast expan-
sion of our higher education system. I have
Epilogue, July 2010
documents
Full Texts of Speeches
“As Prime Minister, this is my
first Convocation Address and I
am delighted that I am speaking
to a community of doctors and
health specialists….. Today, I
want to speak in particular to the
young men and women of
Kashmir and address a subject
that concerns us all: the future of
Kashmir. I have come here not to
lecture, but to seek your
partnership in the building of a
Naya Kashmir…. You are all the
real stakeholders in the future of
Kashmir, and it is only through
your enthusiastic participation
that a 'new' Kashmir can truly be
built. Several decades ago, a bold
vision of Naya Kashmir had been
spelt out. The time has come to
put forward a new blueprint, a
fresh vision for Kashmir and for
the Kashmiri people, free from
the fear of war, want and
exploitation…. When I met
President Musharraf of Pakistan
last month, I impressed on him
the need for our two countries to
work together to create the
conditions for sustainable peace
in South Asia. Our Government is
committed to a purposeful
dialogue with Pakistan to resolve
all outstanding issues. Our only
condition is that, as agreed to by
Pakistan, territory under control of
Pakistan should not be used to
promote cross border terrorism
directed against us”
Dr Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister
Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical
Sciences
Srinagar, November 17, 2004
www.epilogue.in
recently announced that we intend to
establish 30 new central universities
across the country. I would like at least
one of them to be in this state. We also
need to address the problems of the edu-
cated unemployed, especially in
Jammu and Kashmir. In the new globally
competitive environment, it is essential
to keep upgrading skills, build first-rate
infrastructure in our institutions and
ensure top quality of teaching and train-
ing. Fortunately, with the latest devel-
opments in Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) it is
possible to create such facilities
quickly, and with relatively little invest-
ment.
We could consider setting up
knowledge centres at the district head-
quarter level in Jammu and Kashmir.
These centres could be equipped with
the latest ICT facilities, be fully net-
worked and offer courses that would
upgrade skills to a world class level,
especially in the field of software where
there is a huge shortage of profession-
als. Many of these courses could be
offered through video-conferencing or
through web-casts and other electronic
means. Students from the centres
would be so well trained that they
would be able to secure employment
anywhere, from Srinagar to the Silicon
Valley. The universities in the state can
be the nodal institutions for managing
these knowledge centres. The National
Knowledge Commission has proposed
creating such a network to connect all
universities, libraries, laboratories, hos-
pitals and agricultural institutions to
share data and resources across the
country. These knowledge centres
would be part of such a network.
We also need to revitalize the
spirit of entrepreneurship that Jammu
has been famous for all over northern
India. Jammu has been known as a city
of free enterprise: of job-creators and
Vol. 4, Issue 7
22
not jobseekers, and we hope that this
tradition can be sustained and further
strengthened. Universities can play a
vital role in this through a structured
academia-industry interface, and by
setting up business-development incu-
bators, which can facilitate start-ups
and new business ventures.
Jammu has another legacy that it
can be rightly proud of. All of you know
that the city is believed to have been
founded when Rajah Jambhu Lochan,
on a hunting expedition and crossing the
river Tawi, discovered a tiger and a goat
drinking water from the same tank.
When he sought an explanation, his
aides are believed to have explained
that the "soil of the place excelled in
virtue and for that reason no living crea-
ture bore enmity against another". It is
this remarkable tradition of pluralism
that all of you have inherited, and
which sustains itself even today.
I know that over these years you
have welcomed, with open arms, thou-
sands of migrants, refugees and dis-
placed people. These include the large
number of Kashmiri Pandits, but also
refugees from POK (Pakistan occupied
Kashmir) and Pakistan. I assure all of
them that our government is committed
to their proper rehabilitation and ensur-
ing that they get equal rights. I salute
the people of Jammu for maintaining a
culture of peace and tolerance during
difficult times.
You know that the problems of
Jammu and Kashmir have been receiv-
ing my personal attention. I have
chaired three roundtable conferences
at which almost the full spectrum of pub-
lic and political opinion in the state has
been represented. The roundtable has
emerged as an effective platform for
addressing all the concerns of the peo-
ple of Jammu and Kashmir. I am sorry
that some groups have so far opted to
stay away. I hope they will come to rec-
Epilogue, July 2010
23
ognize the historic significance and the
transparent sincerity of the Roundtable
process and will join it in future.
At the last conference, the reports
of four of the working-groups that had
been set up were presented and dis-
cussed. We are presently working on
these recommendations. I am looking
forward to the fifth report on Centre-
State relations. All of us have to show
both wisdom and creativity in dealing
with the issues at hand. I hope this
report will also address the issue of
effective devolution of powers among
different regions within the state. The
aspirations of all sections of the people
in each of the three regions of Jammu,
Kashmir and Ladakh must be taken into
account, and a common understanding
reached on ways of meeting all these
aspirations. I believe it is possible to pur-
sue the development of a united state
of Jammu & Kashmir even while
respecting and addressing the legiti-
mate aspirations of the people of each
of the three regions.
I wish to highlight a larger point
here today. There comes a time in the
history of a people, when they are ener-
gized enough to make history. For sixty
years we have lived with tension and
periods of violence, both internally and
in our relations with Pakistan. You all
know, better than anyone else, the
tragic consequences of war, terrorism,
conflict and displacement. It is time to
make a genuine effort to build peace
and create the conditions for a historic
reconciliation of hearts and minds in our
region. And I believe young people, with-
out any bitter memories, and full of
hope and energy, are the ones who can
lead the change. Jammu and Kashmir is
the finest expression of the idea of
India. Diversity of faith, culture, geog-
raphy and language has traditionally
never been a source of conflict. In fact
the people of this state have generally
www.epilogue.in
celebrated diversity and lived in har-
mony for most of the time. We now need
to revive those bonds and that spirit of
accommodation and mutual respect
even while we sit down, in good faith, to
resolve many of our genuine differ-
ences. My vision, as I have stated
before, is to build a "naya" (new) Jammu
and Kashmir which is symbolized by
peace, prosperity and people's power.
You are all the real stakeholders in the
future of Jammu and Kashmir, and it is
only through your energetic participa-
tion that a "naya" Jammu and Kashmir
can truly be built.
As I have often said, real empower-
ment is not about slogans. Only when
every man, woman and child from
Ladakh to Lakhanpur and from Kargil to
Kathua through Kashmir feels secure, in
every sense of the word, can we truly
say that people have been empowered.
Security is freedom from fear and
this is what we wish to achieve. We
would like the people of Jammu and
Kashmir to be free from all fears about
their future. It is only this sense of com-
prehensive security, within a framework
of good governance that can really
empower the people. We would like the
people to be physically secure and this
can only happen if violence and terror-
ism end permanently. We seek to ensure
that the people are economically
secure and this can only happen if the
tremendous potential of the state is
channelised and every citizen has
access to quality education and health
care. We would like every group to be
politically secure and this can only hap-
pen once power is decentralized to the
villages. Finally, we would like that
every community is culturally and
socially secure. This means that we
value the cultural distinctiveness of
every community and create conditions
for the flowering of their languages, their
life styles and their arts and crafts.
Vol. 4, Issue 7
documents
Full Texts of Speeches
“Today, I visited the forward areas
and had the opportunity to see all
of you working with great vigil.
Your discipline, patriotism,
dedication and spirit of sacrifice
are worthy of emulation. In fact,
your bravery, courage and
dedication have established high
standards for the Nation. It is
because of these qualities that the
Indian Army is considered as one
of the leading armies of the world”
Pratibha Devisingh Patil
President of India
Addressing soldiers at a special Sainik
Sammellan, Baramulla, north Kashmir,
May 23, 2009
I do realize that the people of the
state are put to a certain degree of
inconvenience because of the
prevailing security situation. But it
must be understood that this
scenario is the result of the
ongoing actions of certain
elements who disturb the peace in
the state. I have instructed the
security forces to be more mindful
of human rights and be sensitive to
the liberties and self respect of
ordinary people. At the same time,
it is our collective responsibility to
create an atmosphere where the
people of the state can be free from
the fear of oppression and terrorist
activities and can go about their
normal lives like their fellow
countrymen. If this requires
strengthening the state police –
both in numbers and materially –
the central government would be
willing to support that.
Dr Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister
Closing remarks, second J&K
roundtable conference
Srinagar, May 25, 2006
Epilogue, July 2010
documents 24
Full Texts of Speeches

This vision of empowerment and com-

prehensive security is related to good gover-
nance and people's active participation in for-
mulating policies and monitoring their imple- Dr MANMOHAN SINGH
mentation. When power flows to the grass- Prime Minister
roots and every community gets space, there
will be no sense of discrimination. I appeal, Sher-E-Kashmir University for Agriculture,
therefore, to the people of Jammu, Kashmir Science and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar
and Ladakh to join hands in building a glorious
future for young people. Our dialogue with
June 7, 2010
Pakistan seeks to end the bitter legacy of the

“
I have had the opportunity to India.
last 60 years, and begin a new chapter in our
visit the beautiful state of Your institution is of great
bilateral relations. I hope and believe that
Jammu and Kashmir every year importance for Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir can, one day, become a
in the past six years. Like every other in many ways. There is a lot of scope
symbol of India-Pakistan cooperation rather
occasion, I am very happy to be here for improvement in the field of agri-
than of conflict. As I have stated earlier, bor-
with you this time too. culture and horticulture in the state.
ders cannot be changed, but they can be
I am especially happy to be The Sher-e-kashmir University can
made irrelevant. There can no be question of
amongst the academic fraternity of contribute substantially in these
divisions or partitions, but the Line of Control
Jammu and Kashmir. On any such areas. Over three fourths of the popu-
can become a line of peace with a freer flow
occasion, I recall my early days as a lation of the state is engaged in occu-
of ideas, goods, services and people.
teacher as well as a student. It is my pations related to land. In rural areas
The natural resources of the state could
belief that there is no profession irrigation facilities are inadequate,
then be used for the benefit of the people.
nobler than teaching. The develop- in many parts there is severe cold
They need no longer be points of contention
ment of our nation is to a large and shortage of fodder etc. for six
or a source of conflict. We could, for
extent the responsibility of our months in a year. The agricultural
instance, use the land and water resources of
teachers. I salute the entire teaching productivity in the state is low and
the region jointly for the benefit of all the
fraternity today. Those engaged in there is little value addition after
people living on both sides of the LOC.
imparting higher education often harvest.
Similarly, there are vast opportunities to
have to work in adverse conditions, To overcome these problems,
jointly work together for the mutual benefit
which include insufficient funds, the Sher-e-Kashmir University can
of our people.
inadequate infrastructure and other play an important role in improving
It goes without saying that this can only
difficulties. technology in areas such as crop pro-
happen once terrorism and violence end per-
Our young women and men are duction, horticulture, cattle rear-
manently. I have said this before and I say it
the future of our country and we ing, fishery, sericulture and agricul-
again, real political power in a democracy
have high expectations from them. tural education. The university in
comes from the ballot box, not the barrel of a
You are in a vibrant India which is the past has contributed substan-
gun. We are firm in our resolve to fight terror-
ready to take on the challenges of tially to technological upgradation
ism and to end the blackmail of terror in this
tomorrow. My generation would not for temperate and cold desert
peace-loving State. We are committed to win-
have even dreamt of the opportuni- regions of the country. In recognition
ning the hearts and minds of all. We will never
ties and convenience of technology of its contribution and in view of its
allow anyone to stop the heartbeat of a
available in the country today. I am importance to the development of
peace-loving people in whatever cause.
of the firm opinion that in the years the state, the central government
We will also continue our dialogue with
to come the avenues available for will provide a special grant of Rs. 100
Pakistan, despite difficulties, in this spirit
your intellectual, emotional, cul- crore to the university.
because I genuinely believe that there is no
tural and professional development Last month, I met Dr. Shah
alternative to building peace. I also know
will multiply manifold in a new, Faisal, a young doctor from Kashmir.
that the yearning for peace is most intensely
strong Jammu and Kashmir and His father was a teacher who lost his
felt here.

www.epilogue.in Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010

25
life to the violence in the state. Dr.
Faisal has made the entire state proud
by standing first in the Civil Services
Examination. He received all his educa-
tion in institutions of Jammu and
Kashmir. His success is proof that the
educational institutions in the state are
no less than other educational institu-
tions of our country. My best wishes are
with Dr. Faisal. I also greet the other stu-
dents from Jammu and Kashmir who
have succeeded in the Civil Services
Examination of the UPSC.
A bright future awaits these young-
sters. I believe that they will inspire all
of us to work for a better tomorrow. I
expect many more such achievements
from the students of the state. I pray for
a successful career for all of you.
However, I am also concerned that
many youth from Jammu and Kashmir
and especially from Srinagar feel disillu-
sioned due to the lack of economic
opportunities. I can imagine the disillu-
sionment of those who have received
education in premier institutions like
the Sher-e-Kashmir University and yet
cannot find good employment. In coop-
eration with the State Government, we
will make every possible effort to cre-
ate adequate employment opportuni-
ties in Jammu and Kashmir.
Many of you have participated in
the 2009 assembly elections. A young
leadership has emerged out of the elec-
tions. I am very happy that today both
the central and the state governments
are working together on major issues
related to Jammu and Kashmir. The cen-
tral government will extend all possible
assistance to the state to accelerate its
pace of economic development.
In 2004, our Government had
launched a programme for economic
reconstruction and development of the
state. The programme was prepared by
leading economists of our country.
There is special emphasis in this plan on
www.epilogue.in
enabling the local youth to make use of
their education to contribute to the
progress of the state. We felt that the
people of the state are not only inter-
ested in financial assistance and devel-
opment projects but also desire a politi-
cal process that meets their aspirations.
In view of this, we convened three
Round Table Conferences. In these
Conferences we took care to include as
many civil society and political groups
from the state as possible. Several rec-
ommendations have emerged out of the
deliberations in these conferences and
we are implementing them in a step-
wise manner.
We wish to carry forward the pro-
cess of dialogue and we are ready to
hold talks with the representative of
any group which shuns violence and ter-
ror.
As a result of our efforts, Rail ser-
vices have commenced in the Kashmir
valley. Work is on full swing to provide
rail connectivity to Banihal pass and the
difficult terrain ahead of it. The Mughal
road has been opened for single lane
traffic now and nearly half of the work is
complete for its double laning. As far as
power generation is concerned, I am
happy that the 450 megawatt Baglihar-I
power project has been commissioned.
The Centre has decided to link Ladakh
with the National grid and the Union
Cabinet has given a go ahead to the Rs.
473 crore Ladakh Renewable Energy
Initiative. All 14 degree colleges sanc-
tioned under the Prime Minister's eco-
nomic reconstruction programme have
started working. Six out of nine ITIs for
girls have been completed. Thousands
of employment opportunities have been
generated in the Central Para Military
forces, under National Rural Health
Mission, in Railways and in many other
government departments. But I believe
that there is still more to be done.
Good work has been done under
Vol. 4, Issue 7
documents
Full Texts of Speeches
''Decisive battle against cross-
border terrorism.'' The Prime
Minister said the national goal of
development was being subverted
by the proxy war being forced on
the country. ''We must be prepared
for sacrifices. Our goal is victory.
It's time to wage a decisive battle,''
he told the troops. Mr Vajpayee
noted with some satisfaction that
the world understood that injustice
was being done to India. ''World
opinion is on our side, but they are
not saying so openly. We will have
to defend ourselves on our own
and we are prepared for this,'' he
said. Mr Vajpayee reiterated that
India wanted peace and not war.
''But war is being thrust on us and
we'll face it. Let there be no doubt
about it. A challenge has been
thrown to India and we accept it,''
he said, adding, ''My arrival here is
indicative of something. Whether
our neighbour understands it or
not, whether the world takes note
of it or not, history will recall that
we will write a new chapter of
victory... There is no doubt about it
Atal Behari Vajpayee
Prime Minister
Addressing troops in
Kupwara, May 22, 2002
Rakht kusha ba-Kashmer, kohe tal-
o-daman mee-gar
Sabza jahaan jahaan bibeen, laleh
chaman chaman ni-gar
MOHAMMAD HAMID
ANSARI
Vice President of India
Sher-e-Kashmir University of
Agricultural Sciences and Technology of
Kashmir, on 25 November 2007 at
Srinagar.
Epilogue, July 2010
documents
Full Texts of Speeches
While I have visited the Jammu &
Kashmir several times and wide
ranging initiatives are already
being implemented to revitalize the
economy of the State and to bring
about improvements on many
fronts, we need to continue to work
closely together to further carry
forward our efforts to build a new,
peaceful and prosperous Jammu &
Kashmir. I repeat the simple vision
which guides me and which I have
articulated to university students in
Srinagar. It is a vision of a Naya
Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh
which is symbolized by peace,
prosperity and people's power.
Jammu and Kashmir has
tremendous economic potential,
the talent of its people is
unparalleled, and its cultural
diversity is unique. It can and must
become a model of real
empowerment of the people and
comprehensive security for them
Dr MANMOHAN SINGH
Prime Minister
Opening remarks, third J&K roundtable
New Delhi, April 24, 2007
“I had heard a lot about the pristine
natural glory of this region and its
description as "Chotta" Kashmir.
But I must admit it is even more
enchanting than I had expected.
Also, Bhaderwah's contribution to
the educational and literary life of
this State is well known. The great
poet of this region, Abdul Qudoos
Rasa Javidani as well as educatio-
nists and social activists like Ghulam
Rasool Azad and Chuni Lal Kotwal
are known for their contributions
even outside this State”
Pratibha Devisingh Patil
President of India
Bhaderwah Campus of the University of Jammu
Bhaderwah, 26 May 2008
www.epilogue.in
the State Horticulture Mission in Jammu
and Kashmir. Old gardens have been
reclaimed and community ponds have
been reconstructed. Horticulture and
agriculture in the state are benefiting
immensely from the central assistance
provided under the National
Horticulture Mission and the Rashtriya
Krishi Vikas Yojana. The saffron from
the state is famous world over for its use
in enhancing the taste of food and for its
medicinal properties. I am happy to
announce that the government intends
to set up a National Mission to look into
issues related to research, production,
processing and marketing of saffron.
In order to help the youth in
employment, emphasis has been given
to professional training. The Sher-e-
Kashmir Institute of Agricultural
Sciences and Technology has trained
385 agriculture graduates and I am
pleased to know that they are doing
good work. Training has been imparted
to youth in Information Technology and
nearly 8000 youth will be trained in high
technology areas in ITIs. Under the
National Youth Corps Scheme training
and allowances will be given to nearly
8000 youth. I hope that this will give
impetus to skill development in the dis-
tricts and the entire State.
I am told that in Srinagar and other
cities people face problems related to
power supply, drinking water, roads and
ration shops. I am hopeful that the state
government will look into these com-
plaints. The central government will
extend all possible help to the Jammu
Kashmir government in this regard.
We have tried our best to promote
movement of people and trade on the
Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-
Rawalkot roads. We now want to take
similar steps for the Kargil-Skardu
route. You may recall that when I inau-
gurated the Muzaffarabad bus service, I
had hoped that it would just be the
Vol. 4, Issue 7
26
beginning. We have been consistently
trying to increase trade and commerce
between different parts of Jammu and
Kashmir. We want to look at all possible
measures to strengthen links between
people on both sides of the Line of
Control.
However, there are a handful of
people who do not want any political
process for empowering people to suc-
ceed. This is the reason that attempts
to disturb the lives of the people in the
valley still continue from across the line
of control. Whenever such incidents hap-
pen, they spread terror and cause dis-
ruption in the life of people. Our secu-
rity agencies are forced to act in the
wake of such incidents. During the pro-
cess sometimes innocent civilians have
to suffer, but whenever such incidents
happen it becomes necessary to act
against those responsible for them. I am
aware of some complaints related to
human rights. On this issue, the
Government policy is to protect the
human rights of the people even when
dealing with terrorism. The security
forces in Jammu and Kashmir have been
strictly instructed to respect the rights
of the civilians. We will act to remove
any deficiency in the implementation of
these instructions. Today, I would like to
say to our neighbours across the line of
control that they should help in creating
an environment in which people from
both the sides can live in peace and har-
mony and work together.
Our issues with Pakistan are well
known. Good neighbourly relations
between India and Pakistan are in the
interest of both the countries. At the
same time they are necessary for peace
and harmony, stability and develop-
ment our region. The relations between
the two countries over the past one and
a half years have been under the
shadow of the terror attacks in Mumbai
on November 26, 2008. As you are
Epilogue, July 2010
27
aware, I met the Prime
Minister of Pakistan in
Thimpu last month. Both
the countries accepted
that there is a trust defi-
cit between us. We also
agreed that this distance
between the two coun-
tries must be reduced.
Prime Minister Gilani
Saheb has assured me
that Pakistan will not
allow its soil to be used
for terrorist activities
against India.
Meaningful talks
between the two coun-
tries, which can lead to a
resolution of old issues,
are possible only when
Pakistan doesn't let its
territory be used for acts
of terror against India.
The destiny of our peo-
ple is linked to each
other. Therefore both
the countries should
adopt effective ways of
co-operation to the bene-
fit of the people of the
two countries. A strong,
stable and prosperous
Pakistan is in the inter-
est of our whole region.
I congratulate all
students who have
received degrees today.
I also congratulate those
students of Jammu and
Kashmir who have con-
tinued their studies
despite difficulties. I see
a bright future for all of
you notwithstanding
some difficulties that you
might face. I wish you all
success in life. May God
bless your path.”
www.epilogue.in
documents
Full Texts of Speeches
ATAL BEHARI VAJPAYEE
Prime Minister
Press Conference, Srinagar
May 23, 2002
I
am pleased to meet mediapersons at the end of my three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir. I had
stated in Parliament that I would visit J&K after the end of the Budget Session. At the time, I did-
n't know that two incidents would cast a ring of shock, sorrow and outrage around my visit. My
visit began on May 21 when I visited a military hospital in Jammu to meet survivors of the gruesome
terrorist attack at Kaluchak on May 14. This attack, first on a Himachal Road Transport bus and later
on an Army camp, was carried out by terrorists based and trained in Pakistan. The fact that many of
those killed in the carnage were children and women shows the barbaric nature of Pakistan- spon-
sored cross-border terrorism. On the very day of my arrival came the tragic news of the assassination
of Shri Abdul Gani Lone, a respected political figure of Jammu & Kashmir. There is no doubt that Lone
was gunned down by the enemies of peace because of his courageous voice against the gun culture, a
voice that was beginning to get more and more influential. I join all the peace loving people of J&K in
mourning the death of this great son of Kashmir and spirited champion of Kashmiriyat. The terrorist
attack at Kaluchak was designed to demoralise the people of India and our security forces. Similarly,
the dastardly assassination of Abdul Gani Lone was designed to demoralise and silence the forces of
peace, normalcy and democratic dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir. The same sinister design was also
evident from the terrorist attacks on J&K Legislative Assembly in Srinagar on October 1 and on the
Indian Parliament on December 13. These acts of violence are a part of the twenty-year- long cam-
paign of terrorism, extremism and subversion in J&K and in other parts of India, planned, aided and
abetted from across the border. We will not let Pakistan carry on with its this proxy war against India
any longer. As I said in my address to our brave jawans at Kupwara yesterday, India has accepted the
challenge thrown by our neighbour and we are preparing ourselves for a decisive victory against the
enemy. My presence at today's meeting of the unified command in Srinagar, along with our home min-
ister and defence minister, is also intended to convey the message of India's resolve and readiness.
Both in Jammu and in Srinagar, I met a large number of delegations belonging to various political par-
ties and social organisations. They also included representatives of Kashmiri pandits and border
migrants. There was a ringing common theme in what all of them said to me — that is, the people of
Jammu & Kashmir want peace and normalcy to return at the earliest. Militancy has no future in the
state because it has only brought suffering and pain to the people, irrespective of their religion or
region. What was also common in the representations made by all the delegations was their eager
welcome of the forthcoming elections to the J&K Legislative Assembly and their demand for free and
fair polling. My government has already said — and I reiterate today that we are committed to hold-
ing free and fair elections in the state. Governor Shri Girish Chandra Saxena and chief minister Shri
Farooq Abdullah have apprised me of the various requirements of the state. In response to what I
have heard from the state government and the various delegations, I am pleased to announce a pack-
age for J&K covering many development and security issues. The package has a specific focus on gen-
eration of employment opportunities for the youth of the state. I have a message for the people of
Jammu & Kashmir: Your pain and anguish is mine too. It is shared by all the people of India. We are
with you in your sorrow and we will be with you in your joy.
Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010
Ladakh Affairs 28
Reports

Nubra Gets Alternate

Road Links, Thanks BRO
TSEWANG RIGZIN

T he launch of four bridges over

Shayok River and on some other
major streams between Nubra
valley and Durbuk block of Changthang
in the last few months by the Border
Road Organization (BRO) has provided
alternative road connectivity to Nubra
valley. The existing road between Nubra
and Leh is Khardongla road – the world's
highest motorable road which, espe-
cially during the winter months,
remains closed for days and weeks
because of snowfall and avalanche.
This year even until mid June it has
been snowing unprecedentedly, causing
road also is not going to provide an all team 51 RCC is commanded by its
the closure of Khardongla almost every
weather connectivity to Nubra valley as Officer Commanding Kishori Saw of the
alternate week. But this time people of
this road too gets closed during heavy Project Himank of the Border Road
Nubra valley as well as hundreds domes-
snowfalls on the Changla top pass – the Organization and the Project Himank is
tic and foreign tourists visiting the val-
next highest motorable road to headed by the Chief Engineer Brigadier
ley could use the new road to Nubra
Khradongla road. SK Wadhawan.
from Shayok in Durbuk. The new road of
It may not be out of place to appre- It is pertinent to mention here that
course is longer than Khardongla road
ciate and honour those officers who when Khardongla road remains closed
by over 100 kilometers, but an option
have worked hard to get these four for days and weeks in winter months,
available now. However, this alternative
bailey bridges launched in people of Nubra have no other alterna-
just two months to connect tive to commute to Leh, the capital city
two different regions of Leh of Ladakh, but to either wait for the
Ladakh as this development road to open or to request the Defence
has brought Nubra and Ministry for sanctioning the airlifting of
Durbuk regions very close to passengers between Leh and Nubra via
each other. Some of the Indian Air Force planes. In view of this
important officials of BRO situation, construction of a tunnel at
who made this possible in Khardongla has been a longstanding
the subzero temperature demand of the people at all levels. A
included Capt Rahul Sharma multipurpose tunnel at this place could
and Kishori Saw EE (Civil) of be used for traffic and well as to divert
the 51 RCC and Commander the Khardongla glacier water for the
753 BRTF Col VS Jeji. The farmers of Leh.

www.epilogue.in Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010

29
Farooq, Omar Review
Ladakh's Energy Scenario
T he Union New and Renewable
Energy Minister, Dr. Farooq Abdullah
took a review meeting with the Chief
Minister Omar Abdullah on June 14 at
Leh in respect of various Renewable
Energy projects, programs and schemes
under Ladakh Project costing rupees
473.00 crore.
Dr. Farooq Abdullah while review-
ing the power scenario in Ladakh said
that timely completion of Alchi Hydel
Project would fulfill a longstanding aspi-
ration people of the region. He also said
that the issue of timely completion of
Alchi project would be taken up in the
Central Cabinet meeting in Delhi adding
that he would strongly urge the Prime
Minister to intervene in earliest pro-
curement of important components of
the project like turbine from the BHEL.
He suggested the State government to
fulfill the required technical staff to
implement the Ladakh project in a pro-
ductive way which is going to benefit
mainly the people of far-flung areas.
The Chief Minister Mr. Omer
Abdullah emphasized for making this
prestigious project self-sustaining and
with maximum benefit to the people
living below the poverty line. He further
said that Ladakh would be connected
with Northern Grid within few years
which would mitigate Ladakh's power
problem in the long run.
Minister of Tourism of the State
Government, Mr. Nawang Rigzin Jora
stressed on promotion of Solar Passive
Buildings under this project for the peo-
ple in remote areas like Durbuk, Nyoma
and Trans-Singhela where people face
acute shortage of heating fuel for win-
ter months. He also suggested for
indentifying a Line department to
ensure smooth implementation of this
project.
www.epilogue.in
The CEC, LAHDC, Leh Mr. Chering
Dorje presenting the Ladakh Project
said that under this project the focus
has been given to cover those areas
which are not goning to be covered from
the Alchi Hydel project. He urged for
creation of posts like Executive
Engineers and Junior Engineers to
strengthen the Ladakh Renewable
Energy Development Agency to ensure
smooth implementation of Ladakh
Porject.
Ladakh project has 30 small hydel
projects with a total capacity of
23.68 MW covering 61 villages in Leh
district whereas Kargil district will
have 12.50 MW covering 63 villages.
Moreover, both the districts will have
SVP power plants, wind energy
projects, water mills, PICO Hydro
projects, Energy parks, SVP Home
lighting system, solar dish cookers,
green houses, solar dryers etc.
Ladakh project has 30 small hydel
projects with a total capacity of 23.68
MW covering 61 villages in Leh district
whereas Kargil district will have 12.50
MW covering 63 villages. Moreover, both
the districts will have SVP power plants,
wind energy projects, water mills, PICO
Hydro projects, Energy parks, SVP Home
lighting system, solar dish cookers,
green houses, solar dryers etc.
It is pertinent to mention here that
recently when the Prime Minister Dr.
Manmohan Singh visited Kashmir, he
announced rupees 900 crore for laying
transmission line to between Srinagar
and Leh to connect Ladakh region with
the Northern Power Grid which is
expected to .
Vol. 4, Issue 7
Ladakh Affairs
Reports
Chering Dorje
Promises
eco-tourism
in Dipling
T he Chief Executive Councilor,
LAHDC, Mr. Chering Dorje had a
two-day extensive tour to Dipling and
Surrounding areas from June 4, 2010 to
take stock of the development activities
going on in the area. This is pertinent to
mention here that Singhe-Lalok is
probably the most remote and
inaccessible area in Ladakh that
remains cut off with rest of the district
during the winter months on account of
heavy accumulation of snow on the
passes. Therefore touring officials had
to fly to the area by helicopter.
While addressing the public
gathering at Dipling, Mr. Dorje said that
under the Eco-tourism scheme, the
households of this area would get
Home-stays permits to run guest houses
for the visiting tourists and they will be
well benefitted economically in
increasing their income from the tourist
related business. He also promised to
provide Green-houses in Singhe-lalok
area during the current year in a large
scale through agriculture and
horticulture departments so that the
people of this area will get an
opportunity to grow green vegetable
during winter months.
The CEC Mr. Dorje informed people
of this area that the motorable road to
Nyaraks via Singhela is being
constructed under PMGSY programme.
Construction of two helipads, one each
at Nyaraks and Dipling, and providing
chainlink fencing to the farmers for
protection of their crops from the wild
animals were among the assurances the
CEC and the DC given to the public.
Epilogue, July 2010
Ladakh Affairs 30
Reports

WANGCHUK:
Son of Soil Returns to Leh
T sering Wangchuk, a Ladakhi officer
hailing from Hunder village of
Nubra, was posted as the Deputy
Commissioner Leh, public representa-
tives and religious associations started
putting congratulatory messages on the
Leh radio hoping that being a local offi-
cer and having adequate understanding
of the district, Mr Wangchuk will be able
to help the people of his own place more
than any non-local officer whom it may
take time to understand place, its peo-
ple and issues facing the area. Leh dis-
trict, with its strategic importance and
also with a democratic institution like
the Hill Council in place, makes it more
than just a district.
Wangchuk took over as the Deputy
Commissioner, Leh cum the Chief
Executive Officer, LAHDC Leh on June 7.
He took over the charge from Mr. Ajeet
working season in Leh, the new DC said the all the implementing officers
Kumar Sahu who has been the Deputy
advised that district officers and spe- should works with the same zeal and
Commissioner /CEO LAHDC, Leh since
cially the engineers should be proactive dedication and the district administra-
July 2008 and is now posted as Director,
to complete the important develop- tion would extend utmost cooperation
Technical Education, Srinagar. After tak-
mental projects within the time frame with the departments to carry forward
ing over this prestigious post, Mr.
and asked them to avoid going outside the developmental schemes.
Wangchuk called on the Chief Executive
the district during the crucial working It is pertinent to mention here that
Councilor, LAHDC, Leh Mr. Chering
months adding that completion of such earlier, Mr. Tsering Wangchuk was on the
Dorjay at Council Secretariat, where
schemes within the stipulated period is post of Administrator, Associated
the CEC welcomed him for assuming his
very much important in order to have Hospital Jammu and has also worked as
new post and briefed the new DC about
speedy development as well to ensure Additional Deputy Commissioner of Leh
the ongoing developmental activities in
further flow of funding to the district in from July 1998 to November, 2000.
the district.
future for key projects. He ordered that
Tsering Wangchuk convened an
all government officers or officials shall
introductory meeting with the district Booking your
not leave their stations without prior
officers on June 9, 2010 and took stock advertisement
permission from the Deputy for
of the functioning of each and every
Commissioner. Moreover, he also
departments of the district. In his
instructed the district officers to ensure
address to the district officers Mr
the attendance of their subordinates so
Wangchuk said that 25 % of the district
as to deliver a good service to the peo-
fund had already been released and as Call
ple of the district.
such the implementing departments 9858507136
Appreciating the last year's expen-
should strictly exercise to achieve the email : epilogue@epilogue.in
diture of District plan, Mr. Wangchuk
developmental target. In view of short

www.epilogue.in Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010

31
Omar, Family Take
Summer Break in Leh
A fter inaugurating the Singhe
Khababs Sindhu Festival festival on
June 12, the Chief Minister Omar
Abdullah, who had his family members
with him, stayed in Leh for about a week
and visited famous tourist destinations
including Pangong Lake in Changthang.
En route to the lake people of Durbuk
block put forth various demands includ-
ing creation of Sub-Division for Durbuk,
construction of Micro Hydle Project at
Tangtse and reservation quota for un-
employment Youth of Changthang in
recruitment and installation of mobile
Mobile Tower at Lukung.
While inaugurating the festival
Singhe Khababs Sindhu 2010, the Chief
Minister Mr. Omar Abdullah said that
River Sindhu has a historic linkage with
India's civilization. Referring to his close
association with Ladakh since his child-
www.epilogue.in
hood, the Chief Minister said that shar-
ing this magnificent cultural moment with
his family members in Leh is a matter of
great pleasure as well memorable one.
Underlining the issue of poor con-
nectivity to Ladakh, the Chief Minister
said that constructing tunnels at
Rohtang and Zojila passes are the only
options to provide all weather roads for
Ladakh to link it with the rest of the
country. He said that boring of tunnel at
Rohtang would be started on 28th of this
month while as the Border Road Organi-
zation is preparing the DPR of Zojila tun-
nel within next one and half year.
The Chief Minister said that the
present coalition Government at the
state is committed for speedy develop-
ment of Ladakh and as such, the govern-
ment with close coordination with the
Leh Hill Council, making all possible
Vol. 4, Issue 7
Ladakh Affairs
Reports
efforts for all round development of this
region.
Speaking on the occasion, the
Tourism Minister of the State
Government, Mr. Nawang Rigzin Jora
said that Ladakh is becoming a famous
cultural and adventure destination for
tourists and therefore Ladakhis should
maintain image of tourist friendly desti-
nation so that each and every tourist
who visits the place goes back with a
positive image about the place.
Welcoming the Chief Minister and
his family members in Leh on this great
occasion, the Chief Executive Councilor,
Leh Hill Council Mr. Chering Dorje said
that the main objective of this festival
was to promote Ladakh for domestic
tourism and it has served its purpose as
the number of arrival of domestic tourists
in Ladakh is increasing year after year.
Epilogue, July 2010
Ladakh Affairs 32
Reports

REVOLUTION FOR EDUCATION

New Hope for New Ladakh

RINCHEN DOLMA

I t won't be unfair to say that what Leh

Polo Ground witnessed recently is a
new page written in the history of
Ladakh for the very future of Ladakh. It
was the first ever biggest and intensi-
fied educational convention held at Leh
Polo Ground organized by All Ladakh
Students Joint Action Committee on the
theme “A New Hope for a New Ladakh.”
The conference can be seen a
sequel to the grand seminar on educa-
tion held at Jammu on Feb 21 this year
by All Ladakh Students Association
Jammu. This time the conference was a
joint endeavor by eight student unions
from Bangalore, Chandigarh,
Dharamshala, Delhi, Jammu, Kargil,
The highlight of the conference private schools and increasing number
Varanasi and Zanskar with firm inten-
was the panel discussion in the second of outstation students mainly because
tion and resolves to express their con-
session of the programme. The panel of poor education facilities in Ladakh
cern over the deteriorating education
comprised EC Education LAHDC Leh, was the objective of the conference and
system in Ladakh and compel the con-
Dorjay Stanzin, Ex-CEC and EC base for the panel discussion which
cerned authority to address this long
Education and Councillor LAHDC Leh, started with brief speeches from each
ignored issue.
Rigzin Spalbar, Teacher Welfare panelist on the theme of the confer-
This conference reflected a very
Association Kargil, Ghulam Kadir Zaki, ence.
ironical picture. Where it is the duty and
President All Ladakh Teachers' EC Education LAHDC Dorjay
responsibility of the policy makers, edu-
Association, Dorjay Angchuk and Former Stanzin giving the grim picture of the
cation dept, teachers and parents to
Director SECMOL Sonam Wangchuk. result percentage said that the poor
realize the grave issues related to edu-
National Commission for Schedule Tribe result of govt. schools as compared to
cation and avail the children with qual-
Member Tsering Samphel was the chief private schools is due to lack of support
ity education, it is the students them-
guest of the day and Bakula Rangdol from the parents who take these schools
selves who have taken up education
Nyima Rinpoche, Morup Namgyal, VC for granted and pay less attention prob-
reform as their primary task through
members, village Gobas were among ably because they get everything free in
campaigns, seminars and other social
the other guests present there. govt. schools except the uniform. He
welfare activities in the whole region.
The concern over the increasing also cited the poor position of staff as
And the conference held at the Polo
drop out rates, closing down of govt. another reason for the present state of
Ground was evident of it which is first of
schools in parallel to mushrooming of education.
its kind in Ladakh.

www.epilogue.in Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010

33
“Education in terms of quantity is
increasing with increasing number of
schools under Sarvashiksha Abhiyan but
unfortunately its quality is in a degrad-
ing state. If we intend to make govt.
schools strong we should stop the blame
game and all have to come together, spe-
cially the participation on part of the
students is imperative,” added Mr.
Dorjay.
Rigzin Spalbar, Councillor, Ex-CEC
and EC Education LAHDC expressed his
gladness over the novel initiative by the
students calling it a good sign however;
on the other hand he said that it's sad
not to hear anything new and its sheer
wastage of time reiterating things that
are already talked about. “Do we ever
match our words with our deeds? If
Vision Document is implemented with
utmost importance Ladakh need no such
conferences and all these issues will be
tackled completely,” said Mr. Spalbar.
He focused his point on individual
responsibility and the need to retro-
spect before blaming anyone else for
the flaws in the society. Further he
appealed the students not to have supe-
riority complex which could be self
destructive, “never inculcate 'no one
above us' attitude and work hard
because there is no substitute for it.
Sonam Wangchuk, Former Director
SECMOL, who took time out of his busy
schedule from Nepal on special request
of the students, stressed on 'team work'
in order to strengthen govt. schools.
Giving example of how different organs
in a human body coordinate Mr.
Wangchuk said, “There should be simul-
taneous working of bright head, skilled
hands and kind heart. If not more we
have highly efficient leaders and offi-
cials, we only need to work in a coordi-
nated and systematic manner with a
healthy approach accepting both appre-
ciation and criticism in a positive way.”
www.epilogue.in
Besides, Mohammad Abdullah and
Dorjay Angchuk, President ALTA Kargil
and Leh respectively also spoke on
important issues related to education as
panelists. “Historically or empirically to
run any system established rule and con-
formity and sheer believe is important.
Pro-active action is good but it needs to
be backed up with facts, data base and
complete comprehension of the sys-
tem,” said Dorjay Angchuk. He also
made an appeal to the local legislators
to adopt organizational research
method to identify flaws and problems
in education field instead of blaming
each other.
“Today's conference is not a repe-
tition of what is already said or done.
One cannot call it a wastage; it's a revo-
lution instigated by the students to
secure their own and the coming gener-
ations' future by bringing a change in
the present education system and stan-
dard,” quipped Angmo, an active stu-
dent. Further, the students and any
many from the audience expressed
their disappointment over the absence
of CEC, LAHDC and DC in the conference
which was taken as their lack of interest
Vol. 4, Issue 7
Ladakh Affairs
Reports
in any kind of educational reform.
Towards the end of the conference
there was an open question session in
which the audiences gathered in huge
number including teachers, monks, vil-
lage gobas, parents and students partic-
ipated with great interest and enthusi-
asm. They exhibit there concern for edu-
cation withstanding the sun, wind, rain
and cold the whole day with empty stom-
ach and showing complete involvement
by raising endless queries and clearing
their doubts and misconceptions.
While answering to a question
Sonam Wanchuk made it clear in public
that he is glad to come back and work in
Ladakh only if the people of Ladakh
raise their voice for an education
reform in the region and compel their
village councilors to forward the
demand in the council assembly to pass
a resolution on it which shall also make
clear that any NGO like SECMOL and any
individual like him is free to contribute
their services without any official barri-
ers, “otherwise its useless banging head
against the wall.”
The day long conference ended
with the concluding note from the pan-
Epilogue, July 2010
Ladakh Affairs 34
Documents

All Ladakh Students' Joint Action Committee

(Memorandum presented to the LAHDC, Leh and the State Government on June 19, 2010 seeking their attention over the dismal
state of education in this trans-Himalayan region)
All Ladakh Students' Joint Action Committee (ALSJAC) is combined strength of eight Ladakh students unions (Jammu, Delhi, Chandigarh,
Dheradun, Varanasi, Dharamsala, Kargil, Zanskar) to focus and make all possible efforts at issues concerning the Land and The people
of Ladakh. The seminar in Jammu, the historical educational conference at the historical Polo ground Leh, the education campaigns
across the length and breadth of Ladakh and educational rally on June 19 are being organized ALSJAC with participation of masses.
Education is the issue which concerns us more than anything else. For the coming few years, we are going to concentrate our attention,
efforts, seminars and rallies on education and education only. We want Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council to make education
a priority not in words but also in deeds. The hopes, concerns and grievances of villagers as well as the teaching community which we
meet during our campaigns and the concerns of thousands of students whom ALSJAC represents boil down to the following demands:
1. Education is not only the need of the time; it is also a Fundamental Right of every child according to the Constitution of India.
Also, free and compulsory education for all children from the age of 6-14 is duty of every government. In order to make this
right a meaningful, we demand the government for creating awareness among the masses, proper implementation and
assessing outcomes.
2. We demand the NGOs and volunteers who have special concerns towards the education must be welcomed and encouraged.
3. Lack of transparency and rationality in teachers' transfer policy is becoming a source of frustrations for the voiceless teachers
working in remotest areas. During the course of our campaign from Changthang in the East to Dha-Hanu in the West, hundreds
of teachers expressed their helplessness and frustration at the favoritism, nepotism and discrimination in transferring of
teachers. We demand transparency, rationality and computerization of transfer policy.
4. The 10th standard's result has been a big embarrassment for the politicians, Chief Executive Councilor, Executive Councillor
Education and the Deputy Commissioner and the people of Ladakh as a whole. The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development
Council Leh had promised 90% results by 2010 during the HH Bakula Rinpoche Memorial Education Campaign week. Sadly, this
has not achieved. We demand, at least 50% results by 2012.
5. All subject streams and combinations must be made available in the degree colleges and higher secondary schools for the
students pursuing their diverse interests.
6. The Degree Colleges of Leh and Kargil should be affiliated to Jammu University or the conduct of exams, the results and mark
sheets should be provided on time in Kashmir University. Owing to delay in conduct of exams to giving students with marks
sheets many Ladakhi students had to give up admission in reputed institution like JNU.
7. Establishment of a nodal cell of JKPSC and SSRB in Ladakh for the convenience of the students and youth of Ladakh.
8. The students of Ladakh are uninformed about opportunities, professions and scholarships available. Also, there is a moral
vacuum among the students studying in Ladakh and as well as outside. We demand career counseling by experts and discourse
on moral education by appropriate persons in all blocks during summer.
9. The need of having a university (central or state) and a B.ed College is increasing year by year. We demand, establishment of a
university and a B.ed College in Ladakh in the foreseeable future.
10. The progress of a society is measured on the touchstone of respects and inclusiveness it shows to the differently-abled person
and minorities. Inclusive education, which LAHDC aims to achieve, must be achieved.
Sir, neglecting and disregarding such genuine demands of ours shall be most unfortunate for Ladakh and its future. We hope, next
year, we are not made to repeat the above demands.

All Ladakh Students' Joint Action Committee (ALSJAC)

Place: Leh
Date: June 19, 2010

www.epilogue.in Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010

35
elists followed by some cultural programmes. EC
Education, Dorjay Stanzin calming the little agitated
students said that he won't be able to give any com-
mitment on the spot as demanded by the students
because such haste decision will only lead to worth-
less results but he assured them to soon look for a solu-
tion in consideration with higher officials to upgrade
the education system in Ladakh on an urgent note.
Earlier, in the first session speeches were deliv-
ered by student representative namely Murup Dorjay,
Shakeel from Kargil, Gen. Konchok Rabstan and
Rigzin Chosgyal expressing their concern on the pres-
ent dismal state of education in Ladakh and raised
issues and problems experienced by the Ladakhi stu-
dents.
In a follow up to this open discussion students
took out a rally that aimed at providing the message
to the people of Ladakh for a better education system
and a prosperous culture of education in Ladakh.
With a successful participation of around thousand
students from various private schools in Leh, the rally
commenced from Women Alliance office and passing
through Leh market to Council Secretariat it ended at
Polo ground. The rally concluded the days of activi-
ties undertaken by the All Ladakh Students Joint
Action Committee that includes the above men-
tioned conference and campaigns in villages across
the length and breadth of Ladakh.
The students also presented a memorandum at
the DC's office calling for urgent consideration in the
matter of education highlighting some of vital issues
like establishment of central university and B. Ed.
College in Ladakh, transparency in the teacher trans-
fer system and an overall efficient education system
in Ladakh with special emphasis on government
schools.
Once again the apathetic attitude shown by the
CEC, LAHDC by not addressing the rally and instead
attending a function at Matho made the students
announce that the local administration takes no
interest in giving education the prime priority. Also
students from Leh govt. schools were not made avail-
able in the rally despite the letter of order from the
CEO of the district. Withstanding such discouraging
responses the students are strongly committed to
strive ceaselessly towards a much better education
system in Ladakh making wisdom the guiding princi-
ple of Ladakh.
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Ladakh Affairs
Reports
All Not Well on
Ladakh-China
Border: Report
A high level fact finding of the Bhartiya Janta Party has
expressed serious concern over the developments in
India's western borders with China running along Ladakh
region. The fact finding committee constituted by BJP
president Nitin Gadkari toured Ladakh sector between
April 1 and 3 this year and said that it came across glaring
border lapses which need to be plugged in. releasing the
study report at Patna during its national executive meet
on June 12, the BJP has called upon the Government of
India constitute a Parliamentary Panel for a
comprehensive study of India's border issues with China.
India shares 4056 kms boundary with China which is
further divided into three sectors i.e., The Eastern,
Middle and Western Sectors. The line in the Eastern
Sector extends with boundary of Sikkim, Burma etc. The
boarder with Sikkim was drawn according to the Anglo-
Chinese convention of 1890. With Burma and Arunachal
Pradesh (NEFA), it was drawn by Mc Mahon and ratified in
the Shimla convention of 1913-14. Whereas the Tibetian
representative became a party to the convention,
Chinese representative refused to sign the agreement.
Chinese do not accept Mac Mahon line as, according to
them, it was enforced on them by imperialist British,
when they were a weak nation. Here China claims an area
of 94700 sq. kms in addition to whole of Arunachal
Pradesh and some parts of Sikkim as their territory.
The Western Sector comprises of area of Aksai Chin
and the western boundary in Ladakh is located along the
Lanka La, Niagzu stream and Demchok and Teshigong
through the Emis pass, which was originally under the
control of Ladakhi Kings. Aksai Chin is strategic to China
to sustain control over Tibet. Here China claims about
38000 sq kms of land in Aksai Chin of Ladakh region.
In the Middle Sector the area extends up to Spiti
valley and Shipkila pass. In Garhwal area of Uttara
Khand, Satluj-Ganga watershed has been the traditional
boundary. Here China claims about 1300 sq kms as their
territory.
Reproduced below is the portion of BJP's study
report that pertains to the western sector along Ladakh
in Jammu and Kashmir:
Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010
Ladakh Affairs
Reports
Position at LAC
Firstly, there are Claim Lines of
both India and China between which are
disputably claimed by both the coun-
tries. Then there is LAC which came into
existence after 1962 war. At present
India and China are holding at LAC, but
the LAC is also not properly defined
line. India and Chinese are having dif-
ferent perceptions about the position of
LAC. China claims LAC which also covers
area presently under our control.
Whereas there is clash of claims
between our Government and that of
China, but perception of local people
about LAC is quite different even from
our Government which further go deep
into Chinese occupied areas. The claim
of the local people is based on their regu-
lar practice of herding the pastures dur-
ing different seasons to graze their ani-
mals. The Chinese strategy seems to
advance slowly on LAC and bring it in
line with their Line of their Claim to put
their claims effectively in future bound-
ary talks.
Aksai Chin is of utmost importance
for China to keep effective control on
Tibet, compelling different pressure
tactics so as to give the message the lay
claims on the area. The scripting of
Chinese signs on our side of boundary at
Mangyur and T-Point, is a part of this
strategy. The Army and ITBP are not pre-
pared to accept that it was done by
Chinese patrol. But they did admit that
when army/ITBP personals visit these
areas which we claim as ours, they also
leave behind certain objects to show
their presence. The Indian Army
asserted that they too intrude without
confrontation and deliberately leave
behind their own personal effects on
the Chinese land to counter them.
Army and ITBP's perception
According to army personnel,
there is no change on ground since 1962.
www.epilogue.in
The forward posts are at the same place
where they were earlier.
Army is not directly manning the
borders and it is ITBP's responsibility. As
army has to be prepared for the emer-
gency both army and ITBP have to take
up certain task jointly. Army admitted
privately that there is an urgent need to
improve conditions of the roads and also
the requirement of advanced
equipments for proper surveillance.
Chinese are far ahead of us in this
regard. They need not patrol the bor-
der all the times. They have advanced
equipments that whenever there is any
activity which they consider violation
their reaction comes within an hour. The
news about Chinese incursion was cate-
gorically denied by the Army. But, there
may be certain occasion when we patrol
area we claim as ours, they call it viola-
tions and we do the same when they do
in our areas which we consider as ours.
However, mostly differences are
resolved amicably.
Illegal Border Trade
Illegal Trade was going on till 2008
when Chinese stopped it apprehending
that Tibetans might use the trade routes
to enter China and organize anti-China
protest during Olympic Games.
According to security forces, those civil-
ians who were engaged in this trade are
now an unhappy lot and they are the peo-
ple who have given the issue of Chinese
incursion a hype.
Dispute over Grazing Grounds
The Riboos (Grazers) of Ladakh tra-
ditionally own the huge pasture lands
across Indus, which fall within Chinese
Claim Line now but are actually under
our occupation. It is a general practice
among Riboos to save these pastures for
winter season. When Indus freezes in
winter, they carry their herds for graz-
ing there. This practice is going on since
Vol. 4, Issue 7
36
time immemorial and continued even
after 1962 war. As these areas are inhos-
pitable during winter, the Riboos use
tents to reside there. After 1981, China
in order to put claim on these pasture-
lands, encouraged their grazers to enter
these lands before Riboos from India
reach these areas during winter.
Pa s t u r e s a r e L o g o n k a m p o ,
Bhumsedum, Melung, Tarahap, Dora,
Dokbuk, Logma, Sirdeeng, Misisile,
Nakumba, Tabeehar, Nagsang, Seldom
etc. These pastures are situated opposit
to Dungti Post of India. According to
locals here, in 1984, they complained
about this to the Government but no
notice was taken. During 2003-04 Tashi
Dorjey, D.C Leh, who is the son of the
soil, got these pastures vacated from
Chinese grazers by using police force.
After that the incursion had stopped.
But, in 2008 the Chinese captured the
animals of Indian Riboos from these
areas without any reaction from our
side. Now these areas have also become
disputed territory. Our people are
annoyed with the ITBP as they don't
allow our Riboos to go to the pastures
earlier held by them. Our Security
Forces seem to be defensive on this
point. Apparently they have directions
from above to avoid a situation which
may result into direct confrontation
with the Chinese.
The Indian Army surprisingly
expresses their displeasure that in
the recent past, the people residing
on LAC celebrated Dalai Lama's birth
day which provoked the Chinese.
People of Demchok also told the
Committee that last year, when they
wanted to hoist national flag on
Independence Day they were not
allowed to do so by our own Security
Forces. We observed that the security
people generally avoid the situation
which invites reaction from the
Chinese side much to the disgruntle-
ment of the Indian people.
Epilogue, July 2010
37
The Issue of Road at Demchok
In 2009, the people of Demchok
undertook construction of road inside
our areas (but within Chinese Claim
Line) out of NREGA funds. They were
joined by people from adjoining villages
also. The District Administration knew
about the construction of this road.
They were able to construct about 4 km
of road when objected by Chinese. As
the Chinese army personnel forced the
local people at gun point to stop the
work, no objection was raised from the
Indian government. The people were
angry with security forces for not inter-
vening on their behalf. They question
why they are not allowed to undertake
development works on our side. An
amount of 3.75 crores have been allot-
ted for the construction of irrigation
channels in Demchok area. But the con-
struction could not be commenced due
to Chinese objection. Rigzin Tange, the
Numbardar of Demchok reported that
when they were constructing irrigation
channel, the Chinese came and took
their photographs. To the contrary we
were told that in 2004-05, the Chinese
constructed similar road on their side
(within our Claim Line), there was no
protest from our side. And till date the
government has not taken up the matter
with the Chinese.
Security Lapses
It is a fact that the existing border
post of the Indian Army are unduly
spaced, where the distance can exceed
more than 20 kms which distinctly
advantages the Chinese intruders. The
Chinese have intruded in Mangyur in
Demchok area, area opposite to Dungti
post, Chumar in Nyoma block, places
near Pengong Lake etc. Again, there are
certain passes like Jolang pass, Chinmuk
Nala, Magdum La, which are left
unmanned. There is no post within 40
kms and the Jaarsar post is 8 kms away
www.epilogue.in
from LAC. In 1972 the Chinese grazers
had captured about 5 sq kms of our area
but remarkably the local people suc-
ceeded in forcing them back and recov-
ered the area. Between Jaarsar and
Chumar there is another pass known as
Tara La where there is no post. In 1972
about 40 Tibetian families entered India
from this point who are now living in
Hanley village. There is no post at T
Point but the Army and ITBP do patrol
this area occasionally. Further, some
posts are located which can be reached
after 10 to 12 days walk as there are no
roads and no provision for airlifting.
Security people stated that due to hos-
tile terrain and bad weather, patrolling
is almost impossible in these areas.
Further, at most of the points our posts
are on hilltops, far behind LAC. Finding
these gaps, the Chinese have crossed
the LAC at certain points and in some
cases have reached their Line of Claim.
These are the areas which our Riboos
stake as theirs and complain that
Security Forces do not allow them to
take their herds to these areas.
There are virtually no roads on our
border and more distinctly in those
areas which are under dispute. These
are just wind sandy rubble tracks or
kuchha ways through the plain valleys
which our Army and Security Forces are
using. Such a road system, in no way can
serve our requirement during war
deployment. This state of affairs
existed both on Eastern and Western
sectors. It is in common knowledge that
China has constructed metalled roads
up to LAC. According to one source
China has deployed 2 lakh Army on Indo-
China border and has the potential to
move two more Divisions to forward
areas during the emergency. Moreover,
China has constructed 13 Airports and
has established several missile points on
the border. The living conditions of the
Army are comparatively better than the
ITBP personnel but the overall logistical
Vol. 4, Issue 7
Ladakh Affairs
Reports
scenario is not very promising.
Remarkably if this part of Ladakh
region is opened up for tourist, the
travel distance to Kailash Mansarover
will be reduced to less than a half.
Notably in ancient times this was the
familiar route to Kailash Mansarover. A
senior IAS officer who has served this
area has been the real whistle blower to
the real issue on incursion in the Ladakh
region causing a great discomfort to the
Union Government. The awareness and
ground realities as stated by some of
officials positioned in Ladakh is not hap-
pily shared or agreed by the Union
Government or the State agencies
working there. While the border areas
with China which are located above
15000 ft is indeed a challenging way of
life with no food chain and access to
supplies , cost of living for any Indian is
prohibitive.
Chinese pursue the policy of non
confrontation and have taken a delib-
erate advantage of visible poor road and
communication infrastructure on the
Indian side. A tough situation is faced by
Indian Army and ITBP which is rendering
remarkable support service both in
terms of medical aid and food supplies
and ration to all our citizens on the bor-
der. The assistance given by Indian Army
to local population is worth appreciat-
ing. Howsoever the defeat of 1962 war
pinches the local population and they
have witnessed large chunks of our
areas being captured by Chinese
aggressors. It was felt though there
may not have been major incursions in
last couple of years, yet post inde-
pendence there has been marked
incursion by the PLA. We notably felt
that local populace have kept a great
vigil on the Chinese activity and
Government should endeavour to
make their presence more visible by
means of providing them basic infra-
structure and other social support,
which is more or less absent.
Epilogue, July 2010
38 COLUMN
Errata!

Repeal AFSPA,
Return to Idea of India
ANMOL SHARMA

The debate pioneered by Irom Sharmila Chanu's six year long indefinite fast to repeal the Armed
Forces Special Powers Act, 1958, has now been catapulted in Jammu and Kashmir state into a bitter
controversy by the ruling, opposition and separatist parties' intermittent rhetoric. What Peoples
Democratic Party of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed would say before assuming power in 2002 became a
catchphrase for the National Conference the following six years. Now there is a role reversal. PDP is
back in pre-2002 mode. Leave separatists and civil society aside, both premiere political parties have
failed to effectively campaign the rationale for their claim to repeal the said legislation among the
masses but also have shaped an uncertainty by their incongruous statements. As a necessary
consequence they burnt her hands, at different points in time, labeled secessionists, left isolated and
over and above, have desecrated the cause.

Such is Kashmir,
the country that may be conquered
by the force of spiritual merit
but not by armed force.
Kalhan in Rajtarangni (12th century)
Disregarding the spar between
political parties over this issue, it is
imperative for us to understand why a
red discontent is growing against this
Act of 1958, particularly in the North –
Eastern States and why political parties
like Peoples Democratic Party of Jammu
and Kashmir are asking for repeal. Here
it would not be an aberration to state
that in the first place, assiduous and an
analytical approach should be adopted
to discern the legacy of AFSPA and in the
second scrutinize the collateral damage
of vast extraordinary powers it confers
to the Armed Forces in dealing with “dis-
turbance” in civilian areas.
So this kind of situation has precip-
itated overriding predicaments before
the Indian civil society, such as, is AFSPA
not an anti-thesis to the credentials of
India as the largest democracy in the
world? Is the genre of such type of dra-
conian laws the only solution for solving
the so-called insurgency in North-
à
Is AFSPA not is anti-thesis to
the credentials of India as the
largest democracy in the
world?
à
Is the genre of such type of
draconian laws the only
solution for solving the so-
called insurgency in North-
Eastern States and cross-
border terrorism in Jammu
and Kashmir?
Eastern States and cross-border terror-
ism in Jammu and Kashmir?
It is, however, germane to note at
the same time, that Indians, under the
colonial rule of the British were them-
selves subject to scores of draconian
and brutal laws. The description and
details of them is not only tragic but gro-
tesque too. Interestingly the genus of
the Act in question is in these very same
Colonial British laws, as Delhi
University's Political Analyst Dr. A. S.
Ojha points out, “The AFSPA was bor-
rowed heavily from laws passed during
the British colonial era and is a dark leg-
acy”. This is a mega reversal of the role
we as a nation have managed to
achieve, where we are now perpetrat-
ing the same atrocious laws upon our
own brothers and sisters in the garb of
countering insurgency and terrorism.
On the one hand, we have placed
Barrister Gandhi on the pedestal of
Mahatmahood for initiating his first
Satyagraha against 'The Transvaal
Asiatic Registration Act, 1906' in South
Africa. That Act, inter alia, had con-
ferred powers to policemen to enter
and search the house of any Asian.
Those who defied the law were flogged,

www.epilogue.in Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010

COLUMN
Errata!
jailed and even shot at. In response,
Gandhiji encouraged his colleagues to
burn their passes, outside Hamidia
Mosque in Newtown. In The Indian
Opinion, he surmised his wisdom in an
article 'Violence Begets Violence' as,
“Non-violent acts of civil disobedience
were acceptable against any immoral
law that was repugnant or harmful to
the people”.
And on the other hand, we have our
parliamentarians who took just three
hours in the Lok Sabha and four in the
Rajya Sabha to approve this hideous
Act. In the 50 years of legislative his-
tory, AFSPA is an emblematic case of
Patriarchal violence getting State's
legitimacy. Blanket powers are con-
ferred to the Armed Forces and this has
ostensibly resulted in innumerable inci-
dents of arbitrary detentions, torture,
rape and lootings.
Under this Act, security forces
have at their hands a dangerous cocktail
of Carte-blanche powers with abso-
lutely no accountability in carrying out
their operations once an area is
declared as “disturbed”. All the arbi-
trary and unconstitutional powers con-
ferred to the military personnel, shoot
from section 4 of AFSPA which are
against all constitutional and
International laws.
Even on mere suspicion, a non-
commissioned officer (havaldar) has,
under section 4(a) the power to shoot-
to-kill any person. He can use force
against people who are not presenting
any force at all. He can completely
destroy any property under section 4(b)
if it is suspected of being used as a forti-
fied position etc. Any person under sec-
tion 4(c) can be arrested without war-
rant if it is suspected that he has com-
mitted any cognizable offence. Under
section 4(d), force can be used to enter
and search any house on suspicion of it
being used as a hide out.
www.epilogue.in
Section 6 is the ice in this deadly
cocktail. It establishes that no legal pro-
ceeding can be initiated against any
member of the military for their abuses.
This section provides legal immunity
and the victim of the armed forces
abuse is left with no legal remedy.
Several incidences have high-
lighted the cruelty of these powers by
the BSF, CRPF and the Army. On 5 March
On the one hand, we have placed
Barrister Gandhi on the pedestal of
Mahatmahood for initiating his first
Satyagraha against 'The Transvaal
Asiatic Registration Act, 1906' in
South Africa. That Act, inter alia, had
conferred powers to policemen to
enter and search the house of any
Asian. Those who defied the law were
flogged, jailed and even shot at. In
response, Gandhiji encouraged his
colleagues to burn their passes, out-
side Hamidia Mosque in Newtown. In
The Indian Opinion, he surmised his
wisdom in an article 'Violence Begets
Violence' as, “Non-violent acts of civil
disobedience were acceptable
against any immoral law that was
repugnant or harmful to the people”.
1995, in Kohima, the Rashtriya Rifles
mistaking the sound of a tyre burst of
their own convoy as a bomb attack,
started firing indiscriminately in the
town. In response, Assam Rifles and
CRPF jawans who were camping two kilo-
meters away also blindly started firing.
The firing which lasted for more than
one hour resulted in the death of seven
innocent people, 22 seriously injured,
amongst those killed in the rampage
were two little girls aged 3 and 8 years.
Vol. 4, Issue 7
39
Not only that, the Indian Air Force
has shockingly bombarded Mizoram in
1966. Indian Army has lobbed Mortar
shells in the middle of a town in the
North East. In Kashmir too, on 18
September 1997, eleven people, includ-
ing women and children, were killed by
mortar-shelling in Arin Bandipora.
These acts attest that power under this
law has been stretched too far and fun-
damental rights of Indians have been
walloped too bad.
This unreasonable State-sponsored
violence has had terrible repercussions
on people of these affected areas.
Disenchantment among youths has led
them to abandon their dreams and
embrace guns, drugs, alcohol and pros-
titution, thus easily succumbing to HIV.
When innocent pedestrians are abduc-
ted during crackdowns and killed by
security forces for promotions or shot in
the streets in the name of law enforce-
ment, it is the women folk who bare the
brunt in reconstructing their lives and
nurturing their families.
In 2004, the abduction and killing
of Thangjam Manorama Devi triggered
massive protests by the people of
Manipur. A group of brave Mothers shook
the conscience of the entire world by
their nude protest in front of Assam
Rifles HQ. Overwhelmed by this inci-
dent the Prime Minister went to Imphal
in November 2004 and holding the hand
of a weeping mother said “We will do
something”.
The Prime Minister, consequently,
directed the appointment of a high level
committee headed by Justice B. P.
Jeevan Reddy with the mandate to
review, amend and replace the AFSPA.
On 6 June 2005, this committee submit-
ted its 147-page report which unambig-
uously recommended the repeal of the
controversial law. “The Armed Forces
(Special Powers) Act, 1958, should be
Epilogue, July 2010
40
repealed," it noted in its recommenda-
tions. "The Act is too sketchy, too bald
and quite inadequate in several particu-
lars".
The report further added that the
perception gathered by its members
during the course of its findings is that
"the Act, for whatever reason, has
THE CHILL IN SPINE
à Even on mere suspicion, a non-
commissioned officer (havaldar)
has, under section 4(a) the
power to shoot-to-kill any per-
son.
à He can use force against people
who are not presenting any
force at all.
à He can completely destroy any
property under section 4(b) if it
is suspected of being used as a
fortified position etc.
à Any person under section 4(c)
can be arrested without warrant
if it is suspected that he has
committed any cognizable
offence.
à Under section 4(d), force can be
used to enter and search any
house on suspicion of it being
used as a hide out.
à Section 6 is the ice in this deadly
cocktail. It establishes that no
legal proceeding can be initiated
against any member of the mili-
tary for their abuses.
à This section provides legal immu-
nity and the victim of the armed
forces abuse is left with no legal
remedy.
www.epilogue.in
become a symbol of oppression, an
object of hate and an instrument of dis-
crimination and high-handedness”. But
the government has obscurely remained
silent for over nearly five years now
over its recommendations.
However, it is not just the Jeevan
Reddy Report but all major global
forums, the International Court of
Justice, Amnesty International and Asia
Watch that have implored Government
of India, time and again, to scrap this
draconian law. But India's civil adminis-
tration is a casualty of bureaucratic iner-
tia and its infatuation with the army dra-
goons from 'taking a child out of the
bore well' to finding a 'solution for mili-
tancy'.
The people of India should hang
their heads in shame over the sickening
violations of human rights by our secu-
rity forces in the north as well as in the
east. They are primarily guilty of bring-
ing disgrace to India and for this one
only has to read articles in the
International press.
The graphic and animate writing of
Crossette, Barbara in New York Times
(India Moves Against Kashmir Rebels,
April 7, 1991) is just one instance in this
regard. She wrote an heart rendering
recitation how on February 23rd, 1991
over 100 women in Kunan Poshpora,
Kupwara were raped by soldiers of 4th
Rajputana Rifles from 11 in the night till
9 am of the next day.
The reports of Amnesty
International, Human Rights Watch, our
very own NHRC have now and then also
cornered the security forces for their
gross misdeeds per se in Kashmir.
The tears of those mothers whose
young children have been kidnapped
and then later murdered in cold blood
will sooner or later culminate into a tsu-
nami and will hit the shores of India with
disastrous repercussions, if this mad-
Vol. 4, Issue 7
COLUMN
Errata!
On the other hand, we have our par-
liamentarians who took just three
hours in the Lok Sabha and four in
the Rajya Sabha to approve this hid-
eous Act. In the 50 years of legisla-
tive history, AFSPA is an emblematic
case of Patriarchal violence getting
State's legitimacy. Blanket powers
are conferred to the Armed Forces
and this has ostensibly resulted in
innumerable incidents of arbitrary
detentions, torture, rape and
lootings. AFSPA, thus, today stands
as an embarrassing anti-thesis of
the very idea of India.
ness is not brought to a halt at once.
It should be however kept in the
back of the mind at the same time that
people of Jammu are touchy even about
the invisible presence of few policemen
in the campus of Jammu University. It's
definitely a joke, right?
Anyhow, not very long ago, China's
Mao Zedong propounded the theory of
“Fish in Water”. He equated rural mili-
tant with Fish and water with disgrun-
tled, disillusioned and resentful people.
If this dissatisfaction amongst people is
removed or water is substantially
reduced, the Fish would automatically
perish. So, exceptional understanding,
by very intelligent leaders, of present
day crisis and parallel compassionate
policies will hold the key.
More importantly we should
remember Kalhan's stern prophetic
warning in the Rajtarangni, in the 12th
century: Such is Kashmir, the country
that may be conquered by the force of
spiritual merit but not by armed force.
Harsh counter violence is not the
answer.
Epilogue, July 2010
41
ROY BUCHER:
Right Man in the Wrong Place?
RAKESH ANKIT
G
eneral (Sir) Roy Bucher, MC was
born in 1895. Commissioned in
the British Indian army, he rose
to become the second Commander-in-
Chief of independent India's army. In his
long and distinguished career he held
the posts of Major-General (Admin.) in
the Southern Command (1942-45); GOC
in Bengal & Assam (1946-January 1947)
and Chief of Staff at the Army Head-
quarters (August-December 1947). He
served as the C-in-C for a year and ten
days from 5 January 1948 to 15 January
1949. He succeeded Rob Lockhart and
was succeeded by K. M. Cariappa. He
enjoyed good relations with PM Nehru,
Home Minister Patel, Defence Minister
Baldev Singh and Defence Secretary H.
M. Patel and not willing to let go of his
experience and expertise they retained
his services as OSD in the Defence
Ministry after his retirement. Bucher
died in 1980.
Bucher was not the man on whose
charge Indian troops were air-lifted to
Srinagar on 27 October 1947 and nor did
the military buck stop with him in the
early exchanges and the first offensive
of November 1947. But he was – in many
ways – a more important man given that
his tenure neatly coincided with the
bulk of the fighting in Kashmir – the
spring offensive (March), the summer
fights (June) and the final push (Novem-
ber) – over 1948. He also brought home
the ceasefire and that line, perhaps,
owes more to his military mind than to
the politics of Sheikh Abdullah or Sardar
www.epilogue.in
New Research on Kashmir
Patel or V. P. Menon or Hari Singh or even
Jawaharlal Nehru.
Bucher was a man of few words. He
shunned spotlight while he served –
unlike his opposite number in Pakistan
Douglas Gracey. He was mild-mannered
and congenial; very unobtrusive and
unassertive. Not surprisingly very little
is known about him. He himself did not
write anything and spoke little after his
return to England. His private papers at
the Templer Study Centre, National
Army Museum (London) consist almost
wholly of his correspondences – the bulk
of which are letters he wrote to his
daughter Elizabeth during 1947-48.
There are also a couple each to Gracey,
Baldev Singh and one each to H. M. Patel
and Nehru. This piece attempts to put
together a little of Bucher and his views,
chiefly on the Kashmir conflict – after all
he had to run it, through these.
The first mention of 'Kashmir is in
trouble with tribesmen whom Pakistan
can not control' comes in a letter Bucher
wrote to his daughter on 24 October. He
painted for her the multi-layered com-
plexity of the situation:
'The ruler of Kashmir is a Hindu. If
you look at the map again, you will see
that Pakistan has a right to wonder what
Kashmir will do. The state has not
acceded to either dominion. India has
said [that] Kashmir is entirely free to
decide as to the country which she
wishes to accede to but I wonder…The
internal situation in Pakistan may be
worsening and their soldiers are becom-
Vol. 4, Issue 7
Exclusive Series
ing a little less reliable. India quite defi-
nitely would be embarrassed if Kashmir
acceded to her. Thus a game of power
politics goes on'.
Three weeks later, Bucher is both
more specific and more explanatory of
what had happened in the intervening
period. He mentions the estimated num-
ber of tribesmen, their route and reach,
Kashmir's accession and the danger to
Europeans present in Srinagar and their
evacuation. He found it 'difficult to
assess where this is all leading but at
present India is, in a kind of a way, tak-
ing action in aid of the civil power in
Kashmir against tribesmen whose
actions have had, at least, the conniv-
ance of the government of the NWFP
and, possibly, even a measure of assis-
tance'.
As the skirmish stretched beyond
its first month, Bucher began to display
the first signs of frustration and amaze-
ment at both the internal and interna-
tional labyrinthine of Pakistan politics
and International suspicions, respec-
tively, and fear that Kashmir was getting
caught in these two, inter-linked webs.
He wrote to Elizabeth that 'the Pakistan
government can not stop these guys and
their army could hardly be used to bar
their progress. In Pakistan some folks
seem to be double crossing one another'
[while] 'America is possibly not anxious
that UNO should be brought in on the
Kashmir referendum because of Russia.
So much for Kashmir'!
He was expressing the same opin-
Epilogue, July 2010
Exclusive Series
New Research on Kashmir
ion to his Government. He told the
Defence Minister Baldev Singh on 17
November that 'I realise [that] it may
well-nigh be impossible for Pakistan to
resist any such determination on the
part of the tribesmen. If you look at the
map, you will see that it is impossible
for the Pakistan government to place
physically obstacles in the way'.i
December 1947 began with the
Indian army losing its C-in-C, Rob
Lockhart, and unaware of his successor.
Rob's departure complicated matter
more so as likely choices were not on sur-
face yet while the Kashmir problem con-
tinued to grow. Around this time, a pos-
sibility was being mooted of widening
the front into West Punjab – an incursion
which Bucher thought would be 'disas-
trous'. January 1948 began with Bucher
'surprised, delighted [and in] gratitude
at being elected the C-in-C'. In his new
capacity, he worried about Pakistan,
about the fighting spreading to Punjab
and hoped for 'some form of compro-
mise' at the UN. He ended the month
complaining to his daughter about
Pakistan's 'unwilling' attitude to discuss
the preservation of law and order in
Kashmir; 'unreal' demands that Sheikh
Abdullah be disowned while the leader
of the Azad government, sponsored by
Pakistan, be accepted.
An important strand in Bucher's
thinking over Kashmir was his willing-
ness to identify and, at times, imagine
various centres of power, authority and
legitimacy driving Pakistan's war in
Kashmir. As he clarified to Elizabeth in a
letter dated 10 February 1948: 'When I
said Pakistan, I was wrong; I should have
said nationals of Bhawalpur [sic] state,
which is in Pakistan'; one paragraph
below he hoped 'that no ill considered
action on the part of a minor official will
precipitate matters between the two
dominions. The GOI certainly does not
wish to be aggressive in any way against
Pakistan and I think the same holds good
www.epilogue.in
of the other Dominion with the excep-
tion of Mr. Jinnah'. Similarly, Bucher also
evinced hope in the UN handling of the
affair far longer than many other – most
notably his opposite number in Pakistan,
General Gracey, who had heaped scorn
on 'this UNO business' in a letter to
Bucher. The latter replied on 30 March
that he still had 'faith in “this UNO busi-
ness” and only hope whatever is going to
be done is decided on quickly'.
When Indian army launched its
spring offensive in March-April, Bucher
became worried about possible Russian
and/or Afghan threat: 'infiltration into
the Kashmir valley proper from the
north'. When Pakistan army responded
the spring offensive by sending regular
army units to fight from May-June 1948
onwards, Bucher became 'worried about
identification of personnel in the shape
of prisoners, who appear to belong to
regular units of the Pakistan army.
These men, whom I have personally
interviewed, swear that their whole
units are fighting'. He could not believe
for a while and certainly could never
understand 'how senior British officers
in Pakistan remain unaware of this state
of affairs'. Bucher took a long, long time
to get the obvious point that they were
not – in fact, they had planned 'this state
of affairs'.
Sir Terence Shone revealed the
extent to which Bucher exercised influ-
ence on the Indian cabinet, on this mat-
ter, when he wrote to the CRO on 11
June 1948 that the prolonged Indian
silence on the presence of Pakistan
troops in Kashmir was due to the service
chiefs, 'particularly Bucher counselling
them to keep quiet. He has a lot of influ-
ence with the PM, Sardar Patel and the
Defence Minister and is a very restrain-
ing influence on the Cabinet'.ii By now,
increasingly, Bucher saw the futility of
military action and was among the first
men in uniform who argued for a politi-
cal settlement.
Vol. 4, Issue 7
42
To that end he wrote to the
Defence Secretary H. M. Patel and Air
Marshal Elmhirst on 24 June 1948 that
he had moderated Cariappa's proposal
of about 10 days ago of air attacks on
Jhelum bridges at Kohala and Lachhman
Pattan, Mirpur and Gilgit because of
political consequences and incalculable
political repercussions. Cariappa's origi-
nal aim was the preparation of a plan to
cut off the raiders in J & K from their
bases in Pakistan, on the assumption
that the UN would order this. Bucher
instead 'considered any proposal to cut
off the raiders in Kashmir and Jammu
from their bases a chimera full of the
gravest danger to India'. Therefore, the
aim was revised to the successful prose-
cution of the operations in J & K but
with the proviso that no further troops
will be available and the protection on a
purely defensive basis of the frontiers of
India against aggression and especially
the North-Westerly basis. A frustrated
Cariappa could only complain to Bucher
that he was 'fully aware of the interna-
tional implications involved but I feel if
we do not do something speedily [it]
might lead to serious consequences'.iii
Later in mid-November 1948 Bucher was
again to over-rule Cariappa's wish to
bomb Mirpur and Muzaffarabad while
agreeing to relieve Poonch because in
case of partition/plebiscite the bound-
ary might have run close to the town.
In July 1948, as the United Nations
Commission for India and Pakistan on
Kashmir prepared to arrive in the sub-
continent Bucher still agonized 'how
some senior British officers in Pakistan
squared their conscience about all this
[Pakistan regular units fighting in
Kashmir]'. In August, as Pakistan admit-
ted this fact and presented it as a fait
accompli to the UNCIP and simulta-
neously introduced artillery to support
its infantry troops Bucher unburdened
himself in a long letter to Elizabeth (10
August) thus:
Epilogue, July 2010
43
'The position of British officers on
both sides has become tricky. In
Pakistan the set up is very largely British
and, in fact, all the High Commands and
Staff's jobs are to this day so held. I
know my fellow countrymen are not
actually fighting in J & K, but at the
same time it is easy for them to direct
matters from just over the border,
should they so desire. Of course, there
can be no two doubts, but that Army HQ
there knew all about what was going on.
The government of NWFP hardly took
any action to stop the Wazirs and
Mahsuds pushing into the Jhelum valley;
this frightened Hari Singh into acceding
to India. Had he any other alternative'?
Bucher was right about the govern-
ment of NWFP and wrong about his 'fel-
low countrymen'. We now know that 8-
12 British officers were serving in
Kashmir – in the Signals regiment – in
June 1948. We now know the details of
the first British casualty, Major A. M.
Sloan, RE (No. 352677 A), 71 Fd Coy RPE
who was killed in Tithwal, the northern
sector of the line of control, at 0915
hours on Saturday 10 July 1948 and was
buried at Abbottabad on Sunday 11 July
1948. We now know some of other
names as well – Lt. Col. Williams, Major
Jorie, Major Frier, Major Jones and
Captain Ripps. (See my The Defiant
Douglas in the January issue of
Epilogue)
Bucher had testy exchanges with
Gracey in this period. One particular set
is remarkable in the way it shows up the
stark difference in the personality of
the two men. They really were chalk-
and-cheese. On 30 August Gracey let
loose the following spectacular diatribe
to Bucher:
'You groused that we had not told
you categorically that Pakistan regular
troops would be sent in if you carried
out the much-heralded [spring] offen-
sive. I did, insofar, as I could. Now let
www.epilogue.in
me tell you categorically that unless you
lay off Hyderabad and treat her mag-
nanimously, you are inviting a confla-
gration which no one will be able to put
out. The curse of the matter again is the
attitude of the tribesmen and the man
in the street. They are being inflamed
by their mullahs to take direct action
and if you think the Pakistan govern-
ment will be able to stop them with the
very small army it has, then for God's
sake think again. I would remind you
again that there are NO plans whatso-
ever for aggressing or attacking anyone,
much less India. All our plans are purely
defensive. We have not the troops or
police to stop major Pathan incursions
or upsurges of further resentment
amongst the civilian population, and
rely on two things to keep them quiet,
namely, political action, not backed by
any force at present; and India's good
sense in not doing anything provocative.
Why can not the Government of India
realise all this and be magnanimous as
regards Hyderabad? Call of the block-
ade, extend the stand-still agreement
and go back to the original proposals. It
would be an act of statesmanship which
would have the most marvelous results
in Pakistan, and be acclaimed through-
out the world. If no conciliatory states-
manship is shown and coercive methods
and continued, you are again putting
Pakistan into an impossible position'.iv
A week later Bucher replied in
much more even, guileless and gullible
tones:
'In view of what has happened hith-
erto in J & K, I think it will be wise if I
refrain from any comment on the policy
of GOP. Your personal difficulties are
sympathetically understood and India
has no aggressive intention towards
Pakistan. You cautioned that certain
operations might have serious repercus-
sions. Nevertheless, I did not, for one
moment, appreciate you were hinting
Vol. 4, Issue 7
Exclusive Series
New Research on Kashmir
at opposition to the India army by stron-
ger elements than those already
encountered in J & K. My failure to grasp
your “hidden” warning lies on my con-
science for a variety of reasons'.v
Nonetheless, he along with Air
Marshal Elmhirst and Admiral Hall pre-
pared a report for HMG and UNCIP con-
cluding the use of regular Pakistan army
units in Kashmir, around this time. In
September-October 1948, Bucher
became pre-occupied with Islam and
Communism and their interaction – real
or potential or even imaginary – in the
conflict of Kashmir. In this sense, he was
a man of his times. He also gave an AIR
broadcast on 27.10.48 on the 1st anni-
versary of the Kashmir war and cau-
tioned against its weakening effect on
both sides. Three days later he received
another tirade from Gracey:
'What [is] all this expansion [of the
Indian Army] about and why; of whom
are you so afraid? Why so many B-245s;
why so much armament production? Has
the mantle of Tojo fallen upon Nehru
and is a Greater East Asia sphere, as visu-
alised by the Japs, being reconstituted?
If you have decided not to send us any
more stores, why not come clean and
say so? Have you a guilty conscience by
any chance? When you do eventually
chuck your present job, it would be nice
if you and Maureen could come and take
a look at this very peaceful country, look
over the hill and see what Indian propa-
ganda has turned from a really delight-
ful country into a maelstrom of barba-
rism'.vi
The reply – rather delayed this
time – again portrays Bucher's differ-
ence in style and substance to the mer-
curial and temperamental Gracey:
'I suspect this to be somewhat of a
leg pull. May I please be excused
answering your question? Pandit Nehru
is too great a man even “to don” the
mantle of Tojo which would indeed be
Epilogue, July 2010
Exclusive Series
New Research on Kashmir
an ill-fit. Naturally I “feel bad” if there
is any lack of progress in rapprochement
between the two dominions…I wish I pos-
sessed real wisdom'.
'My present period of volunteering
ends on 1.1.49. So far my successor has
not been selected, neither have I been
asked to stay on. It is a question of “fi-
nally deciding to chuck it”…but of India
wishing to employ me further and of
HMG particularly desiring me to stay. My
private affairs really demand my return
home, if possible'.
'Perhaps I am very stupid, but it puz-
zles me when you write of “a maelstrom
of barbarism because of Indian propa-
ganda”. You can not really be referring
to such “guys” as Mahsuds, Wazirs etc!!
If so, I am afraid I have always regarded
them as blood-thirsty rogues, though
amusing company “at times”.vii
Bucher confided his fears about
Gracey and other issues in the Defence
Minister:
'Whereas the C-in-C of the army in
India is so to speak, a very constitutional
one, the C-in-C in Pakistan seems to
have had far greater powers conferred
on him by his government. Personally, I
think this is a mistake. [Secondly]
Communist penetration through Hunza
and Sinkiang is becoming more intense.
There are certain communist elements
at work in Poonch. [Finally] Pakistan
will compromise but I do not know how
their view point will be progresses or
what their final terms will be'.viii
Graffety-Smith commented upon
the differences between Bucher and
Gracey and while doing so compli-
mented both, in very different ways.
Reporting to the CRO towards the end of
1948 when a ceasefire was less than a
fortnight away, he wrote:
'I am very well aware that General
Gracey's impulsive behaviour tempera-
ment leads him to consider the situation
less frigidly than General Bucher. But I
www.epilogue.in
believe this to be more or less irrele-
vant, for any British Officer command-
ing the Pakistan army must consider
present operations in Kashmir as more
immediately critical and dangerous
than they may appear in Delhi.
Pakistan's political and certainly her eco-
nomic existence will be in the gravest
jeopardy if West Kashmir falls into
unfriendly hands. [There is no doubt; I
take it, in the mind of HMG] Fighting is
now going on in areas peculiarly vital to
Pakistan's survival. There seems to me a
great difference in the relative urgency
of these considerations as they affect
each Dominion and I doubt whether an
attitude of detachment, however possi-
ble in Delhi is possible or indeed permis-
sible in the Pakistan C-in-C'.ix
Bucher wished India, Pakistan and
Kashmir luck in his own way when, as he
wrote to his daughter on 3 (odd number)
January, he ordered the ceasefire 1 min-
ute before midnight of the 1st January
1949 because 'odd numbers are lucky'.
One day before – on the last day of 1948
– he had sought to assure his Prime
Minister that while:
'It is perhaps difficult to accept
assurances from Pakistan's army HQ in
view of the past. Nevertheless, I think
guarantees that their build-up is defen-
sive “hold water”. They evidently
attach much importance to protection
in depth to the Mangla headworks as
also to preventing any exodus into
Pakistan proper of the refugees re-
settled in the Mirpur-Bhimbar areas.
This last, they consider, can best be
insured against by a strong curtain of
troops. Pakistan has, of course, no right
to have troops where they are. The fact
remains they are “in situ” and we could
not prevent this'.x
Bucher, throughout 1948, was anx-
ious to avoid a head-on clash with
Pakistan. As we have been, he always
advocated a defensive stance and tried
Vol. 4, Issue 7
44
to avoid any 'precipitate action on the
part of an Indian Commander
[Cariappa]’xi to such an extent that he
promised to send General McCay
(COS, Pakistan Army) a personal sig-
nal should the Indian government
'double-cross' him over the restric-
tion of advance during winter months
into Mirpur- Kotli-Bhimbar- Domel-
Muzaffarabad. xii This was more in
keeping with the wishes of his old mas-
ters (HMG) than his new ones (GOI).
Naturally, London and its High-
Commissioner in India considered
Bucher a valuable asset. As Shone
reported on 6 December 1948:
'Bucher has not only been ready to
receive advice, he has constantly
sought it and his influence - which has
been considerable - has undoubtedly
been an accommodating force. With
Cariappa's appointment our influence in
military circles will therefore diminish
and may disappear altogether'.xiii
Fifteen days later he was out of uni-
form. Despite having a difficult rela-
tionship with Cariappa, the ever-
modest Bucher considered his ever-vain
and arrogant successor an able man –
even 'better qualified than I was'.
I. 17.11.47, No. 6/C-in-C, Bucher to Baldev
Singh,
ii. 11.6.48 & later 12.7.48/4.9.48, Nos. 1844 &
2247, Delhi to London, L/WS/1/1142,
IOR
iii. 19.6.48, No. AC/397, Cariappa to Bucher,
iv. 30.8.48, No. 008/4/C-in-C, Gracey to
Bucher,
v. 5.9.48, No. 18/C-in-C, Bucher to Gracey,
vi. 30.10.48, Gracey to Bucher,
vii. 8.11.48, No. 18/C-in-C, Bucher to Gracey,
viii. 29.11.48, No. 6/C-in-C, Bucher to Baldev
Singh,
ix. 19.12.48, No. 1550, Karachi to London,
L/WS/1/1144, IOR
x. 31.12.48, No. 17/C-in-C, Bucher to Nehru,
xi. 29.11.48, No. 1461, Delhi to London,
xii. 27.11.48, No. 1458, Karachi to London,
xiii.6.12.48, No. 4193, Delhi to London,
L/WS/1/1127, IOR
Epilogue, July 2010
COLUMN
History
KASHMIR UNDER THE MUGHALS-II
Empire and Regional Identities
PROF JIGAR MOHAMMED
K
ashmir has one of the historical
regions of the Indian sub-
Continent from ancient period
onwards. Its people not only made his-
tory of their own, but more importantly
they also participated in the processes
of the making of the history of the other
regions of the Indian sub-Continent.
Kashmir was the region which intro-
duced the art of historiography. Kalhan
not only constructed the history of
Kashmir, but also incorporated the his-
torical events of other regions showing
historicity of them. The establishment
of rule of the Mauryan and Kushans in
Kashmir led to the introduction and
spread of Buddhism there. Before its
annexation to the Mughal empire by the
Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad
Akbar (1556-1605) Kashmir was mostly
ruled by the native rulers. The Karkota
was the first native ruling dynasty which
widened the contacts of Kashmir with
other region. It is well established fact
that its ruler Lalitaditya Muktapida
(725-53 A.D) was one of the most suc-
cessful conquerors of the world of 8th
century A.D. The rulers of the Utpala,
Lohara, Gupta and Damra dynasties
maintained and strengthened the
regional identity of Kashmir in terms of
social and economic developments.
Kashmir was only the region of India
where women exercised socio-political
authority in a big way. It produced three
queens, Sugandha (904-06), Didda (958-
1003) and Kota Rani (1338-39) exercised
huge political authority and established
www.epilogue.in
that women were eligible to acquire
and command political power.
With the establishment of the
Sultanate under Shamsuddin Shah Mir in
1339 the processes of the territorial
expansion and cultural contacts of
Kashmir were intensified. The sultans of
Kashmir, Shah Mir to Yusuf Shah Chak
(1339-1586) largely respected the senti-
ments of the people of multi-social back-
grounds and engaged the latter in the
constructive works. Under the
Sultanate of Kashmir many new crafts
such as papier- machie, shawl-weaving,
carpet making, calligraphy and sericul-
ture etc were introduced. Sultan Zainul
Abidin (1420-70) encouraged Kashmiri,
Sanskrit and Persian literatures in
Kashmir. Both the Sufism and Bhaktism
flourished in Kashmir under the Sultans.
It is important to mention both
Nuruddin Rishi or Nand Rishi and Lal Ded
or Lalleshwari, the voices of the subal-
terns of Kashmir developed and propa-
gated the concepts of dignity of labour
and inclusion during the Sultanate
period.
However, in 1586-87 Kashmir was
annexed to the Mughal empire by the
Mughal emperor Akbar. First time
Kashmir became a part of the Mughal
empire, famous all over world for its
political grandeur and economic pros-
perity. Since Akbar believed in the con-
cept of pluralism, he treated the
regional identities of Kashmir as impor-
tant as his own. Abul Fazl, a court or offi-
cial historian of Akbar and author of the
Vol. 4, Issue 7
45
Akbarnama and Ain-i-Akbari, was
instructed by the Mughal emperor to
give due space to the regional identities
in his historical works. Consequently,
Abul Fazl discovered various cultural
and physical identities of Kashmir and
incorporated in his works so that others
could know the characteristics of the
Kashmiri culture. The Mughals not gave
huge publicity to the existing cultural
identities of Kashmir through their liter-
ary works, but they contributed signifi-
cantly to the tracing of the history of
Kashmir. Abul Fazl in his Ain-i-Akbari
records some of the historical events of
Kashmir showing how the Kashmiris
worked to make themselves politically
and economically noticeable by the
world. The sincerity of the Mughals to
the cause of the Kashmiris in terms of
their history and culture can be esti-
mated from the fact that when Abul Fazl
initiated the processes of the discovery
of the historical changes and develop-
ments in Kashmir. He tried his best to
see them from the sources of Kashmir.
Abul fazl found that the Rajtarangini
was the most authentic source of the
history of Kashmir. Consequently he uti-
lized it for the tracing of the history of
Kashmir.
Abul Fazl discovers that historical
developments of Kashmir in an inclusive
way. His works contain the historical
events from the policies and
achievements of the political masters to
the Amarnath shrine of Kashmir. It is
important to mention that the Mughals
Epilogue, July 2010
46
had a very strong tradition of
historiography and their history books
were consulted throughout India during
the 17th and 18th centuries. Since the
Mughals had established a coalition
form of the government, the
description of the regional identities
became a most popular medium of the
interactions among multiple identities
of India.
To give a definite shape to the
historical developments of Kashmir Abul
Fazl studied the Rajatarangini and
collected information from it regarding
the history of Kashmir from earliest
period to the first half of the 12th
century A.D. Abul Fazl gives all credit to
the Mughal emperor Akbar for tracing
the historical and natural heritage of
Kashmir. The extent of the Mughal
emperor's interests in the heritage of
Kashmiir can be estimated from some of
the narratives of Abul Fazl. According to
one of the narratives of Abul Fazl,
“When the Imperial standards (Mughals)
were for the first time born aloft in this
garden of perpetual spring, a book
called Raj Tarangini written in Sanskrit
tongue containing account of the prices
of Kashmir during a period of some four
thousand years, was presented to His
Majesty (Akbar). It had been the custom
of that country (Kashmir) for its rulers
to employ certain learned men in
writing its annals. His Majesty who was
desirous of extending the bounds of
knowledge appointed capable
interpreters in its translation which in a
short time was highly accomplished. In
this work it is stated that the whole of
the mountainous region was submerged
under water and called Sati Sar. Sati is
the name of the wife of Mahadev, and
Sar signifies the a lake. One day of
Brahma comprises 14 manavantras. Up
to the 40th year of the Divine Era, of the
seventh manvantara, at which time
Kashmir began to be inhabited, 27
www.epilogue.in
(Kalpas) each of four cycles (yug) as
before mentioned, have elapsed and of
the twenty-eighth three cycles and of
the fourth cycles, 4701 solar years. And
when, according to the legend which
they relate, the waters had somewhat
subsided, Kasyapa who is regarded as on
of the most sublime among the ascetics,
brought in the Brahmans to inhabit the
new region. When men began to
multiply they sought to have a just ruler
over them and experienced elders,
solicitous of the public weal met
together in council and elected to the
supreme authority one who was
distinguished for his wisdom, his large
understanding, his comprehensive
benevolence and his personal courage.”
( A i n - i - A k b a r i , Vo l . I I , E n g l i s h
translation, pp.375-76).
It is very interesting and
knowledgeable to mention that the
Mughals tapped the information
pertaining to the origin and growth of
socio-political system of Kashmir in a
historical perspective. Abul Fazl
approximates the age of society and
polity of Kashmir in accordance with the
social and political changes in the
region. For Abul Fazl, Ugnand was the
first king of Kashmir who ruled 4044
years prior to 1595-96 A.D. Narrating
the nature of the political power of the
early kings of Kashmir Abul Fazl writes,
“ Ugnand fell by the hand of Balbhadra,
the elder brother of Kishan in the battle
fought at Mathura between Kishan and
Jarasandha raja of Behar. Damodara
(his son), to avenge his death marched
against some of the relations of Kishan
who were hastening to a marriage
festival in Qandhar, and was killed
fighting on the banks of the Sind…Thirty
five princes succeeded, but through
their tyranny their names are no more
remembered. When Lavah ascended
the throne, their justice was universally
administered and deeds met their just
Vol. 4, Issue 7
COLUMN
History
recognition. He founded in Kamraj the
great city of Lavapur the ruins of which
still to be traced.” The Mughals
accepted that the Rajas and Sultans of
Kashmir were very much conscious to
their power and prestige. According to
Abul fifty three kings reigned Kashmir
during 1266 years. Abul Fazl's lists of the
rulers of Kashmir mentions Ugnand as its
first king and Yaqub Khan as the last
sultan before the establishment of the
Mughal rule in Kashmir.
Once the Mughals made Kashmir
part of their Indian empire, they
devised a plan to keep the works of the
previous rulers of the state memorable
so that local people could make their
histories as the sources of their
inspiration. Abul Fazl mentions that
Raja Pravarasena, a ruler of the ancient
Kashmir, earned a huge fame through
his good governance and constructive
activities. Describing the achievements
of the Raja Abul Fazl writes,
“Pravarasena was universally
distinguished for his justice and
liberality. He founded Srinagar, the
capital of the country (Kashmir)
rendered it populous during his reign
with 600,000 houses.” Similarly Raja
Lalitaditya of 8th century A.D. Kashmir
has been portrayed by Abul Fazl as one
of the most powerful warriors of the
world in terms of his territorial
aggrandizement. For Abul Fazl, “Raja
Lalitaditya devoted himself to the
prosperity of his kingdom and in the
strength of the divine aid overran Iran,
Turan (Central Asia), Fars, Hindustan,
Khata, and the whole hospitable globe,
and administered his dominions with
justice. He died in the mountains of the
north, and it is said tha he was turned
into stone by the curse of an ascetic, but
others relate the story differently.”
Through the identification of the
political changes in Kashmir from the
ancient period onwards the Mughals
Epilogue, July 2010
COLUMN
History
preserved and propagated that the
Kashmiri ruling families followed the
despotism which was most effective
form of the government of the ancient
and medieval period. But the Mughals
also presented many Kashmiri rulers as
enlightened and just. Abul Fazl found
that the Sultan Zainul Abidin made
Kashmir an active participant in Asia in
terms of territorial expansion, public
welfare activities, economic
developments and promotion of
knowledge. Abul Fazl make the works of
Zainul Abidin memorable in these
words, “Zainul Abidin overran Tibet and
Sind. He was a wise prince, devoted to
philosophical studies and it was his
fortune to enjoy universal peace. He
was regarded by high and low as a
special servant of God and venerated as
a saint. He was credited with the power
of divesting himself of his corporal
form, and he foretold that under the
dynasty of the Chaks, the sovereignty of
Kashmir would be transferred from that
family to the monarchs of Hindustan,
which prediction after a period of years
was accomplished. His benevolence and
love of his people induced him to
prohibit the slaughtering of cows, as
well as penalties and presents of all
kinds. He added somewhat to the
measure of the Jarib. His private
revenues were drawn from copper
mines. He often personally
administered medicinal remedies and
resolved all difficult undertakings with
ease. Robbers were employed in
chained gangs on public works. His
gentleness of disposition dissuaded men
from the pursuit of game, and he
himself ate no flesh or meat. He caused
many works to be translated from the
Arabic, Persian, Kashmiri and Sanskrit
languages. During his reign musician
from Persia and Turkestan flocked to his
court; among them Mulla Undi, the
immediate pupil of the famous Khwajah
www.epilogue.in
Abdul Qadir arrived from Khurasan and
Mulla Jamil who in singing and painting
was pre-eminent among his
contemporaries, Sultan Abu Said Mirza
sent him presents of Arab horses and
dromedaries from Khurasan and Bahlol
Lodi King of Delhi and Sultan Mahmud of
Gujarat were in friendly alliance with
him.”
The Mughals identified the
religious centres of Kashmir. Abul Fazl
depicts them in terms of their location,
religious sanctity and existing structural
conditions. He gives a graphic picture of
Through the identification of the
political changes in Kashmir from the
ancient period onwards the Mughals
preserved and propagated that the
Kashmiri ruling families followed the
despotism which was most effective
form of the government of the
ancient and medieval period.
Amarnath shrine. According to him,
“Between Great Tibet (Tibet-i-Kalan or
Ladakh) …Parganah (Dachchhinparah) is
a cave which an image in ice called
Amar Nat. It is considered a shrine of
great sanctity. When the new moon rises
from her throne of rays, a bubble as it
were of ice is formed in the cave which
daily increases little by little fro fifteen
days till it is somewhat higher than two
yards; with the waning moon, the image
likewise begins to decrease, till no trace
of it remains when the moon
disappears. They believe it to be the
image of Mahadeva and regarded it as a
means (through supplication) of
Vol. 4, Issue 7
47
fulfillment of their desires. Near the
cave is a rill called Amraoti, the clay of
which is extremely white. The snows of
this mountainous tract nowhere melt,
and from the extremely cold, the
straitness of the defiles and the rough
inequalities of road, they are
surmounted with great toil.” But Abul
Fazl identifies Martand in a dilapidated
condition. He narrated it in these
words, “Matan (Martand) stands upon a
hill and once possessed a large temple.
There is a small pool on the summit, the
water of which never decreases. Some
suppose this to be the Wall of Babylon,
but at the present day there is no trace
of anything but ordinary pit.”
Through the recognition and
propagation of the local identities of
Kashmir the Mughals realized the
Kashmiris that the latter's regional
identities deserved to be highlighted
and historically they were as useful as
other identities of the Mughal India. It is
well accepted that the Mughal emperor
Akbar practiced and propagated the
concept of 'peace with all' (Sulh-i-Kul),
largely followed by his successors.
Consequently, the literary men
followed the concept of inclusion in
selecting themes of their writings. Since
Kashmir was an important frontier
region of the Mughal empire, the
Mughals understood it a their duty to it
respecting the local identities. The
descriptions of these identities by the
Mughal literary works show that they
treated the Kashmiris as the makers of
their own histories. The Mughals also
accepted that both empire and region
could work together when the latter's
cultural identities were respected by
the empire. The Mughals' policy of the
treating the regional identities as the
basis of the strength of a region led to
the intensification in the process of the
association of the Kashmiris with the
Mughal empire.
Epilogue, July 2010
Essay
Reconstructing Composite Culture
Ambiguity of Kashmiriyat
NYLA ALI KHAN
The construction of “Kashmiriyat,” or a syncretic cultural ethos, by Sheikh Abdullah's NC involved
culling selected cultural fragments from an imagined past that would enfold both the Pandits and the
Muslims. But due to the regional sentiments that are so well entrenched in the psyche of the people,
this attempt is still in a volatile stage.
T
he notion of “Kashmiriyat,” forged
by my maternal grandfather
Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, was
not handed down to me as an unachiev-
able and abstract construct; on the con-
trary, it was crystallized for me as the
eradication of a feudal structure and its
insidious ramifications; the right of the
tiller to the land he worked on; the
unacceptability of any political solution
that did not take the aspirations and
demands of the Kashmiri people into con-
sideration; the right of Kashmiris to high
offices in education, the bureaucracy and
government; the availability of medical
and educational facilities in Jammu,
Kashmir and Ladakh; the preservation of
literatures, shrines and historical arti-
facts that defined an important aspect of
“Kashmiriyat”; formation of the
Constituent Assembly of J & K to institu-
tionalize the constitution of the state in
1951, which was an enormous leap
toward the process of democratization;
the fundamental right of both women
and men to free education up to the uni-
versity level; equal opportunities
afforded to both sexes in the work-
place; the nurturing of a contact zone in
social, political and intellectual ideolo-
gies and institutions; pride in a cultural
identity that was generated in a space
created by multiple perspectives.
www.epilogue.in
The notion of 'Kashmiriyat', or of the
syncretism of Kashmir, as I mentioned ear-
lier, was the secular credo of Sheikh
Mohammad Abdullah, popularized in the
1940s and 50s to defeat the centralizing
strategies of the successive regimes of
independent India. This significant con-
cept does not attempt to simplify the
ambiguity and complexity of religious,
social and cultural identities. It neither
attempts to assert a fixed identity nor
reinforce the idea of purity of culture. I
would veer away from adopting an image
of this secular credo that is created by
the unitary discourses it deplores. On the
contrary, “Kashmiriyat” brings about a
metamorphosis in the determinate con-
cept of the Indian state, and creates a
situation in which the nation-states of
India and Pakistan are forced to confront
an alternative epistemology. At a time of
political and social upheaval in the state,
this notion engendered a consciousness
of place that offered a critical perspec-
tive from which to formulate alterna-
tives. Without negating the historicity
of the notion, this theoretical fiction
was deployed by Sheikh Abdullah's NC in
order to forge a strategic essentialism
that would enable the creation of a sov-
ereign Kashmiri identity. It certainly
was not a lawless notion, as Mridu Rai
(ibid.: 296) is quick to point out: “. . .
Vol. 4, Issue 7
48
this notion of cultural harmony was pred-
icated on the requisite condition of pro-
tecting Kashmiri Pandit privileges and a
consequent subsumption of the major-
ity of Muslims.” Professor R. L. Hangloo,
eminent historian of Kashmiri Pandit
descent at the University of Hyderabad
provided a complex and concise defini-
tion of 'Kashmiriyat':
Kashmiriyat is a far wider concept
than the harmonious relationship cutting
across religious and sectarian divisions.
Kashmiriyat is the externally endowed
and internally evolved phenomenon of
co-existence at the social, religious,
political, spatial, cultural and other insti-
tutional levels among Kashmirees of all
shades that inhabited Kashmir.
Kashmiriyat has evolved as a result of spe-
cial circumstances that are rooted in
Kashmir's topographical centrality that
entitled Kashmir to imbibing, interacting
and assimilating a variety of world cul-
tures in consonance with Kashmiri sensi-
bilities that reflect a nuanced and sophis-
ticated approach that did not disturb the
patterns of production and cultural man-
ners reflecting the Kashmiri genius. This
specificity has stemmed from the histori-
cal processes that the region of Kashmir
has embraced both in peace and turmoil
for centuries. Kashmir has always been
surrounded by some of the world's
Epilogue, July 2010
49
greatest civilizations such as China,
Persia/Iran, Central Asia and India.
Kashmir and Kashmirees were always at
the center of this world and not on the
periphery which is reflected in the
assimilation of their residual practices
of religions. Note that while Kashmir
maybe on a fairly marginal point on the
map of the state of India, Kashmir as a
region was historically at the epicenter
of a much larger world space and world
civilization. This centrality endowed
the region with a superiority and self
identity that has assimilated the social
and religious-cultural traditions of this
greater region and traits of greater cul-
tures throughout history to evolve and
strengthen what came to constitute
Kashmiriyat. This sense of superior self
identity has grown over centuries as
Kashmiriyat among Kashmirees both
within and out side Kashmir.
Living together, untroubled by
diversities of religion, racial, cultural,
material, and political and other identi-
ties, the notion of Kashmiriyat became
the bedrock of identity which consoli-
dated itself increasingly when Islam
entered into the Valley. Before the thir-
teenth century, even though there were
plural religious sects, they neither saw
eye to eye with each other nor were they
external to Kashmir in totality. Shaivites
facilitated the decline of Buddhists in
Kashmir; the Vaishnavas had to keep their
identity concealed to escape the wrath of
the Shaivites. The pre-Islamic history is
replete with religious, ethnic, racial and
other conflicts. The battles of
Dammaras, Ekangas, Tantrins, Khasas
and others were perpetual features of
pre-Islamic Kashmiri society. There was a
long drawn conflict and contestation
within Islamic society before rapproche-
ment took place between the orthodox
Muslims and heterodox sects. The
entrance of Islam in Kashmir coincided
with the end of this struggle. It was this
rapprochement that disallowed
Kashmirees from seeing any contradic-
www.epilogue.in
Reconstructing Composite Culture
tion between the preaching of Islam and
the practice of upholding the Heretical
tradition (that is, acknowledging the
divine power of the local, the Rishi) in
Kashmir. Therefore the kind of Islam
that entered Kashmir was devoid of any
orthodoxy. It was only after the arrival
of Islam that Lalleshwari and Sheikh
Noor -ud-din (Nund Reshi) interacted to
produce the atmosphere and philosophy
of co-existence and tolerance at popu-
lar level. This interaction entailed mas-
sive changes in the world view of
Kashmirees that reflected a truly
remarkable and world encompassing
shift in every aspect of their sensibility
as well.
Uncertainty about the status of the
former princely state has loomed large
since 1947. In an atmosphere of unpre-
dictability, in the frightening darkness of
political intrigue, in the paranoia of polit-
ical deception, the fungi of undemocratic
policies and methods continue to grow
unabated. The unresolved Kashmir dis-
pute poses a danger of monstrous propor-
tions to the stability of the Indian subcon-
tinent. Is the former princely state of J &
K a postcolonial state? Postcolonialism
refers to a phase undergone after the
decline and dismantling of the European
empires by the mid-twentieth century,
when the peoples of many Asian, African
and Caribbean countries were left to cre-
ate new governments and forge national
identities. The ideology
that has been propounded by the
governments of India and Pakistan
reflects and produces the interests of
state-sponsored agencies and
institutionson both sides of the Line of
Control (LOC). These institutions have
couched the debased discourse of exploi-
tation in the language of culture and reli-
gion, a strategy that has led to the relega-
tion of the subjectivity, historical under-
standing
and traditions of the Kashmiri popu-
lace. As the eminent Palestinian-
American scholar Edward Said (1991: 29)
Vol. 4, Issue 7
Essay
noted, “All human activity depends on
controlling a radically unstable reality to
which words approximate only by will or
convention.” Representatives of the priv-
ileged centre of power silence the voices
that are on the margins of mainstream
society and politics. These privileged cen-
tres have always constrained reality by
imposing their ideological schema, which
underpins their powerful positionality, on
it. Their ability to conjure images and re-
stretch boundaries that serve their set of
beliefs has rendered them a force to
reckon with. These ideas expounded by
the powers-that-be portray Kashmiris as
a stereotypical and predictable entity.
This delineation of the Kashmiri sub-
ject was foregrounded by an imperial
agent of the British Raj, Sir Walter
Lawrence, Settlement Commissioner of J
& K, in his The Vale of Kashmir ([1895]
2005). This politically and culturally mis-
leading portrayal of the Kashmiri subject
has been underscored by the policies of
the governments of India and Pakistan
vis-à-vis Jammu and
Kashmir, which is why the authority
of democratically elected representa-
tives in that region has always been
curbed. The policies of the two govern-
ments follow the much-trodden path of
totalitarianism and spell a pattern of
doom for Kashmir. The unnecessary and
unjustified postponement of the resolu-
tion of the Kashmir conflict has insidi-
ously gnawed at the tenuous relations
between India and Pakistan. The issue
has also, for better or worse, been
thrust on to the stage of global politics,
and its volatility has contributed to the
destabilization of the Indian subconti-
nent. Josef Korbel (2002: 304) wrote
with foresight that “whatever the
future may have in store, the free world
shares with India and Pakistan common
responsibility for the fate of democ-
racy and it awaits with trepidation the
solution of the Kashmir problem. Its
own security may depend on such a set-
tlement.”
Epilogue, July 2010
50
Signposts in Kashmir
MANISHA SOBHRAJANI
Agha Shahid Ali wrote in his poem
Postcard from Kashmir:
Kashmir shrinks into my mailbox,
my home a neat four by six inches
I always loved neatness. Now I hold
the half-inch Himalayas in my hand.
For me, the various signposts one
comes across while travelling the length
and breadth of the state is what defines
Kashmir. Travelling through Jammu &
Kashmir by road is a visual delight: not
just in the stunning landscape, but also
in the most unusual little experiences
on the way. And the more than interest-
ing signposts by the BRO (Border Roads
Organisation) add to the excitement of
the journey.
I was pointing towards one such
signpost to Hussain sa'ab, who has
driven me around the Valley right from
my very first visit there. We were driv-
ing towards district Kupwara, and the
signpost read: 'Be gentle on my curves.'
Hussain got so distracted by the signpost
and my giggles that he missed a security
personnel waving his lathi to stop us.
When we realised what we had done and
what the repercussions could be, my
whole life ran in front of my eyes like a
movie clip in a matter of a few seconds.
My thoughts were for my daughter
whom I had promised a trip to the Valley
(a promise which was later fulfilled).
Luckily, we escaped with some rude
words thrown in our direction, an extra-
thorough check of the vehicle, and
threats to be more careful while driving
around in Kashmir!
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As we moved on in our journey, the
next signpost read: 'Driving is a pleasure
when done at leisure!' I couldn't help but
smile.
On a trip to district Poonch, I
decided to visit Chakan-da-Bagh.
Sentiments were high in lieu of the
cross-border trade between the two
sides of Kashmir, and there was talk of
the exchange of goods being stopped for
various political reasons. As I neared the
TRC point, there were several signposts
which were high on emotions. One read:
'Sarhadein zameen baant sakti hain, dil
nahin', while the other said: 'Kashmir se
Kanyakumari tak Bharat ek hai.'
I was once travelling from Srinagar
to district Ramban, and after we
crossed the Jawahar tunnel, a signpost
said: 'BEACON – jo chahe kar dikhae;
Coca-Cola – enjoy!' Perhaps it was refer-
ring to the enormity of the task BEACON
had accomplished in building something
as mammoth as the Jawahar tunnel.
In district Rajouri, on my way to
Surankote, monkeys lined the road,
waiting for kind travellers who might
feed them. As if on cue, a signpost
appeared: 'Dosti – yeh dil maange
more!'...
Surankote has an interesting his-
tory. Not many years from now, there
was no formal administrative set-up in
the area, including that of the security
forces. Only after Operation
Sarpvinash, in the year 2002-03, did
things begin to change. A stark reminder
Vol. 4, Issue 7
column
Random Notes
of the history of the area as well as the
general current scenario in Kashmir, a
signpost read: 'Kashmir – neighbour's
envy, owner's pride.'
Of all my travels in J&K, the most
fascinating has been the one from Leh
to Kargil, and it has found mention in
previous editions of this space. The
Ladakhi landscape was a complete con-
trast to that of the Valley, which I had
almost gotten used to: many shades of
green and curvaceous land, beautiful
sights complete with little brooks, a
wholesome feeling of abundance... The
contours of Ladakh surprised me with
hard, rigid and brown landscapes which
were almost unwelcoming in their
appearance, but of course had an
unmatched beauty about them. The
mountains stood very proud and majes-
tic. There were many reminders, in the
form of signposts, which gave the mes-
sage loud and clear that one was very
close to the so-called borders, that
there was danger lurking at every cor-
ner, and that it was not advisable to stop
anywhere for very long. One of them
read: 'You are being watched by the
enemy!'
I have had the opportunity to
travel far and wide, but I must confess
that no other landscape excites me or
touches my heart as much as that of
Jammu & Kashmir. To sum it up in the
words of Oliver Goldsmith: 'Wherever I
roam, whatever realms to see, My heart
untravelled fondly turns to thee.'
Epilogue, July 2010
column
Sports
PREPARING FOR COMMONWEALTH GAMES:
What ails Indian Sports?
C. THIRUGNANA DURAI
F
rom Airport to pavements along the
road, India is spending so much to
make the Commonwealth games (to
be held in New Delhi later this year) a huge
success. Understandably, after the great
Olympic games held by China recently,
India would like to have a fitting parallel
to showcase its ability to organize a similar
event. Undoubtedly, India has the poten-
tial to organize a huge event.
But the real question that needs to
be answered is: what will be India's medals
tally, when the Commonwealth games
come to an end? Of course, none can beat
India in a South Asian Federation games.
But once, it becomes international, India's
efforts always were found wanting. Forget
international, even at the Asia level, India
will not be able to be in the top four. In
2006 Asiad, held in Doha Qatar, China led
the tally with 166 Golds, followed by South
Korea and Japan. India with just 10 Gold
medals was eighth in the tally. Countries
like Kazakhastan, Uzbekistan and
Thailand were ahead of India.
The forthcoming Commonwealth,
and later the Asiad in China will not be any
different for India, in terms of medal tally.
The reasons are not hard to understand;
three issues mar Indian sports and games,
preventing India from moving ahead – qual-
ity of sportsmen, quality of coaches and
complete public apathy.
First reason is so obvious. Go to any
school, near your home and find out who
picks up games and sports. Except for
Cricket (and to an extent hockey and bas-
ket ball), there is no voluntary interest
amongst the young students to become a
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sportsmen. It is only those students, who
are average in studies and who are consid-
ered to be not bright in studies pick up
sports and games.
This trend continues at college lev-
els. How many science students have one
come across, who have an interest in
sports and games? Certain Social science
subjects like Politics, History and
Philosophy have become an exclusive
domain of sportsmen. In fact social sci-
ences, in most cases, have become the ref-
uge of students who could not clear sci-
ence subjects. By the time, a sportsman
finishes his college (which is a rarity), his
or immediate interest is to get a govern-
ment job, based on a sports quota. Only in
rare cases, there is passion towards the
sports, for he or she rarely come across
any encouragement either from his family,
or the school or the government. Simply,
there is no incentive to shine well.
Second major failure of Indian sports
and games is the lack of quality coaches. It
is very unfortunate, most of the coaches
who train our sportsmen, have no practi-
cal knowledge. In the first place, they
have a degree from National Institute of
Sports. If Sports is the last profession, any
brilliant student would like to pursue,
physical education as a science, is even
worse, in terms of attracting students to
get a degree. In fact, most of the students
who take up physical education as a
degree course are those who could not
join any other course, nor get a sports
quota to opt for a better course.
When he is appointed as a coach, he
would have hardly won a medal, even at
Vol. 4, Issue 7
51
the national level. Absolutely, he has no
experience at the international level. He
does not know or even understand the
modern day techniques to coach his stu-
dents. Nor would he understand what
causes pain and what causes injury to his
sportsmen. The hard truth is, when the
other countries have surgeons, we are still
depending on quacks!
The government and its sports
authorities need to share the blame.
Neither it gives adequate incentives to
those sincere coaches, who wants to make
a change. Nor, it spends on foreign
coaches who could train our sportsmen.
Even if a foreign coach is appointed, his a
two years tenure. Thanks to the false
coaching by earlier coaches, it takes one
year for the foreign coaches to make the
sportsmen understand the right tech-
niques. Any change in strategy and tech-
nique, in the initial period is likely to
result in reducing performance of sports-
men. Unfortunately, sportsmen do not
understand the importance of training
through right technique; he gets back to
his old local coaching style, and never
ends up in improving the performance.
Finally, the civil society should share
the larger blame. It is very unfortunate,
the obsession with cricket, has ensured
that no other sporting activity enjoys any
support. How many know about sportsmen
in track and field events? How many would
encourage their sons to become a sports-
man/woman outside cricket and perhaps
tennis? There is so much family pressure at
the school level that no student dares to
become an athlete.
Epilogue, July 2010
epilogue
Of Peace and Places
LAHORE:
New Violence, Old Issue
D SUBA CHANDRAN
L
ahore is increasingly under attack.
Considered to be the cultural capi-
tal of Pakistan, the city recently
witnessed twin attacks. First set of
attacks took place in two mosques
belonging to the Ahmadis, and later in a
hospital, where the victims of the
mosque attacks were being treated.
Who has committed these atrocious
attacks? That too in Lahore? And why
against the Ahmadis?
There is enough evidence to prove
that these attacks have been carried
out by the sectarian militants of Punjab,
who are now increasingly being referred
as the Punjabi Taliban. Belonging to the
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and the Sipah-
e-Sahaba (SSP), the sectarian militants
have been pursuing an internal jihad,
primarily against the Shias in Punjab, in
and around Jhang district. Besides,
Punjab, there have also been sectarian
attacks in Karachi, FATA (primarily in
Orakzai and Kurram Agencies) and in the
Northern Areas (primarily around
Gilgit).
Ever since the American led inter-
national troops landed in Afghanistan,
there has been an intense military
response from the Taliban. In this pro-
cess, a new entity was created in the
FATA region – Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP)
which came to be referred as the
Pakistani Taliban. More importantly,
many sectarian and jihadi militant
groups such as the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
and Sipah-e-Sahaba (both, primarily
from Punjab) and the Tehreek-e-Nafaz-
e-Shariat-e-Mohammad (TNSM), which
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was fighting in Malakand for the imposi-
tion of Sharia, and the Jaish-e-
Mohammad (JeM) sent its cadres to fight
either along with the Afghan Taliban and
the TTP. In this process, they became a
part of the larger Taliban movement in
Pakistan – the TNSM came to be referred
as the Swat Taliban, while the cadres of
the LeJ, SSP and JeM are now being
referred as the Punjabi Taliban.
In a way, Taliban has become a fran-
chise organization, and other organiza-
tions its franchisees. Most of these orga-
nizations, for example the LeJ, SSP and
TNSM were created much before the
Taliban was founded in Afghanistan.
Though the JeM was formed by Masood
Azhar, after he was released in
exchange for the hijacked Indian
Airlines plane, most of the Jaish cadres
were in fact from the Harkat-ul-
Mujahideen, which got split. Most of
these organizations are sectarian and
jihadi; they have been waging a sectar-
ian jihad, primarily against the Shias,
for the last two decades.
Now, the second question, why
Lahore? This city in Punjab has a long
history of tolerance and known for its
cosmopolitan outlook, and rich heri-
tage, and undoubtedly is the cultural
capital for the entire Pakistan.
Unfortunately, these very factors seem
to attract the religious Right and radical
militants to win over Lahore. For the
last couple of years, Lahore has been
under attack by both the religious Right
and the militants. Led by Jamaat-e-
Islami and other religious political par-
Vol. 4, Issue 7
52
ties, under the banner of the MMA, the
Rightist forces have been attacking
Lahore, in terms of destroying its secu-
lar fabric. One of the most colorful fes-
tivals of Lahore, for which it is known at
the global level – the kite festival, the
traditional Punjabi Basant, was under
attack by the Right. Fatwas were
issued, calling the celebration of Basant
un-Islamic and there were organized
protests against the celebration of this
festival. The religious Right, also made
attempts to mar many other secular
events – for example, the annual mara-
thon race, which used to include men
and women. The Right objected to
women running the Marathon on reli-
gious grounds.
'Capture Lahore' has been an
unstated political project of the reli-
gious Right in Pakistan. The political
jihad against the Basant and Marathon
are mere strategies of this larger politi-
cal objective. This is because, Lahore is
seen as a secular capital and culturally
vibrant. Now, the militants also seem to
have jumped into this bandwagon to
'Capture Lahore'. But, unlike the politi-
cal Right, the primary objective of the
militant groups is different.
The sectarian groups, led by the
SSP and LeJ, have never targeted
Lahore, in a major way. However, in the
recent years, as a part of the Punjabi
Taliban, they have been attacking
Lahore. There were numerous suicide
attacks in Lahore and the almost calam-
itous attack on the Sri Lankan cricket
team last year. These attacks were
Epilogue, July 2010
53 Essay
Reconstructing Composite Culture

being carried out by the Punjabi
Taliban, instigated and organized by the
TTP, either as a warning or a revenge. It
is no secret, that the TTP is extremely
upset with the ongoing military opera-
tions against the militants in the FATA.
Whenever a major military operation is
launched or about to be launched, the
TTP have always attempted to respond
with a ferocious attack in Lahore,
Rawalpindi and Islamabad. One could
see a clear pattern in these attacks in
the major cities. The TTP seems to be
delivering a message: if you come into
our territory, we will counter attack,
where it hurts you the most.
Finally, the last question: why
Ahmadis? While Shia community has
been the primary targets of the sectar-
ian organsiations like the SSP and LeJ,
Ahmadis were never a part of this larger
organized sectarian attack. However,
this is not the whole truth. Yes, the
Ahmadis have never been under any
organized attack, as it happened in
Lahore last week, where two of their
mosques were attacked, resulting in the
killing of more than 80 people. But if
one has to look into what is happening
vis-à-vis the Ahmadis, especially in
Punjab over the last two decades, one
could see another pattern led by the
State, Society and the militant organi-
zations.
Ever since the controversial pro-
mulgation of Ordinance XX in April 1984,
titled “Anti-Islamic Activities of the
Ahmadis (Prohibition and Punishment)
Ordinance, 1984” by Zia-ul-Haq, the
Ahmadis have been under a systematic
attack. More than 100 people have been
murdered as a part of target killings.
Earlier, it was the most secular of all
Pakistani leaders – Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, in
1974, constitutionally declared
Ahmadis as non-Muslims. If Bhutto did
this to pacify the Islamic Right, then led
by the Jamaat-e-Islami, Zia passed the
XX Ordinance, to prove his Islamic cre-
dentials, to win the 1984 referendum.
Much before, in 1953, the religious
political parties led a pogram, resulting
in the killing of more than 2000
Ahmadis. Unfortunately, the courts
became a silent partner to these consti-
tutional deprivations and extra consti-
tutional executions. In fact, the inter-
pretations of the blasphemy law by the
courts, have resulted in numerous ver-
dicts, that have harmed the Ahmadis
over the years.
What the Taliban doing today, is
only carrying on what the secular, dicta-
torial and religious leaders started in
Pakistan – a hysteria against the
Ahmadis. Blaming the militants alone
for the persecution of Ahmadis is abdi-
cating the responsibilities of the State,
Society and its judiciary.

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Event Report 54
Presiding Officers’ Conference

LEGISLATURE
Presiding Officers appeal Legislators
to make Executive Accountable by Smooth House Proceedings

Almost 23 years after

Srinagar hosted the
Presiding Officers'
Conference, the heads of
the all legislative bodies
from country again gath-
ered in the summer capital
on June 19 for a four-day
Conference which deliber-
ated upon key issued per-
taining smooth conduct of
business in legislative
Houses. This was 75 t h
Conference of Presiding
Officers. Srinagar had ear-
lier hosted similar confer-
ences in 1954, 1970 and
1987. For Jammu and
Kashmir Government and
particularly for the Legislative Assembly Secretariat, the Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone, Deputy
Speaker Mohammad Sartaj Madni and Secretary Mohammad Ramzan it was great success as Presiding
Officers drawn from across the country, including Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, had a great time in
Srinagar and had meaningful discussions. In a elaborate programme which included photo exhibitions
and symposia, the Presiding Officers deliberated on two key issues: “growing tendency to disrupt the
Question Hour and the need to check it” and “the significance of committee system in Parliament and
the need to strengthen it”.
The Conference discussed various aspects regarding the rules of the House, House Committee
and other matters relating to the functioning of the Assemblies and Councils. The Conference also dis-
cussed the agenda with regard to 'resignation of the Member from State Assembly for contesting the
Parliamentary elections'-'implication of non-acceptance of resignation by the Speaker' and 'violation
of Members protocol- need to evolve a procedure'.

www.epilogue.in Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010

55 Event Report
Presiding Officers’ Conference

“Question Hour has a special sig-
nificance in the proceedings of the
House, particularly in ventilating the
grievances of the public in the matters
concerning the administration and work-
ing matters, concerning the administra-
tion and working of the Ministers and
their allied departments and organiza-
tions, said the Speaker, Lok Sabha,
Meira Kumar in her inaugural address.
She pointed out that some key decisions
have in the recent past been taken to
increase the efficacy of the Question
Hour which will be operative from the
Fifth Session of the Fifteenth Lok Sabha.
These procedural changes will meet the
long felt need to regulate the Question
Hour in the Lok Sabha more effectively,
she added.
Elaborating on the decision, Meria
Kumar said the hitherto minimum and
maximum period of 10 and 21 days
respectively, for giving notices by the
Members for Questions has been done
away with and a uniform period of fif-
teen days has been prescribed for giving
such notices. Secondly, the Speaker has
now been vested with powers to direct
answer to a Starred Question of a mem-
ber who is absent in the House when his
or her name is called. Thirdly, a Member
is now required to make a statement in
the House correcting the reply given by
him or her earlier, irrespective of the
fact whether the reply given pertained
to a Starred or Unstarred or a Short Notice
Question. Fourthly, the number of notices
of Questions which a Member is entitled
to give, both for oral and written
answers in a day, has been limited to ten.
She said these procedural changes
will meet the long-felt mud to regulate
the Questions Hour in the Lok Sabha
effectively. She said asking questions is
an inherent right of members in our par-
liamentary democracy and emphasized
“that the interest of the people can be
better served by ensuring that the
House runs in order.” “Question Hour
being the very first hour, sets the mood
of the House for the day. Its disruption
adversely affects the proceedings of the
entire day. In addition, whenever, the
question hour is disrupted, people are
deprived of a great deal of information
on various aspects of the functioning of
the Government. It blocks the flow of
Information from the Executive to the
Legislature and from the legislature to
the people, thus causing a serious blow
to the principle of accountability”, she
added.
She said the Question Hour has
sanctity of its own as the primary device
available to Members to demand the
Government to explain its acts of omis-
sion and commission and also its stand
on a variety of subjects of public impor-
tance. It is, therefore, the duty of every
Presiding officer, the Speaker said to
maintain the inviolability of the
Question Hour and hoped this
Conference will discuss the relevant
issues in their proper perspectives for
evolving an effective solution to pre-
vent frequent disruption of the
Question Hour.
Meria Kumar also referred the
some business transacted during the
Budget Session held on February 22 to
May 7, 2010 and said the course of the

RESOLUTION
“The Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies in India, assembled at their 75thConference in Srinagar on 21 June, 2010 re-
emphasize the need and significance of Committee system for securing accountability of the Executive to the Legislatures through in
depth scrutiny of budget, monitoring and review of performance of the Ministries and Departments of Government; making
Government spending and working more transparent; detailed scrutiny of legislative proposals and examination of policy initiatives
of Government.
The Conference note that though Committee system has been widely acclaimed as the best suited device for asserting
Parliamentary scrutiny and control over Executive, it has not yet been implemented in many Legislatures in the country.
The Conference further note that notwithstanding the universal acknowledgment of benefits of Committee system, the
functioning and efficacy of this system is not uniform in all Legislatures in India.
The Conference firmly believe that Legislatures can be successful only if they have an effective Committee system in place.
The Conference desire that the Committee system, in particular the Standing Committees, be implemented in all Legislatures in
the country expeditiously.
The Conference further desire that urgent measures be taken for removal of inadequacies, wherever prevailing, in the existing
Committee systems. With a view to making the Committees independent in the true sense of the term, Ministers should not be
Chairpersons of the Committees.
The Conference finally resolve that based on the experience of Parliamentary Committees, as far as practicable, all
Legislatures in India may adopt a uniform Committees system”.

www.epilogue.in Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010

Event Report
Presiding Officers’ Conference
Session, the Lok Sabha held 32 sittings
spread over nearly 138 hours. During
this period, the House transacted
important financial, Legislative and
other business, including the adoption
of the Motion of Thanks on the Address
by the President.
Coming to the topics of delibera-
tion at this Conference, Ms Meria Kumar
said “we will be discussing two subjects
of enormous parliamentary impor-
tance, namely, Growing Tendency to
Disrupt the Question Hour and the need
to check it, and significance of the com-
mittee system in parliament and the
need to strengthen it”.
She said with the increasing busi-
ness and expanding functions of modern
legislatures, there has been a corre-
sponding increase in the use of
Committees in almost all our Legislative
Bodies. In fact, the committee system
has been widely acclaimed as the best
suited device for detailed scrutiny of
the administrative actions for enforcing
executive accountability to the legisla-
ture and, through it, to the people at
large, she added.
Meria Kumar said this Conference
of Presiding Officers is a platform where
we can learn from one another's experi-
ences in managing the affairs of our
Houses more professionally. “I earnestly
hope that this Conference will go a long
way in further streamlining the working
of our parliamentary institutions”.
The Speaker, Jammu and Kashmir
Legislative Assembly, Mohammad Akbar
Lone has said that Jammu and Kashmir
is the only State in India which enjoys
special status under Article-370 of the
constitution of India. “J&K is the only
State which has its own State Flag and
Constitution”, he added.
In his welcome address at the inau-
gural session of 75th All India Presiding
Officer's Conference at Srinagar today,
www.epilogue.in
Mr. Lone said that the State Legislature
holds the credit for making the most sig-
nificant laws such as “Land to the Tiller”
under “The J&K Big Landed Estates
Abolition Act”, the Agrarian Reforms
Act, the “Ante Defection Law”, the pro-
vision for attachment of immovable
property of corrupt public servants
The Conference decided to
constitute a Committee of Presiding
Officers to look into the problem of
disruption of Question Hour, which
may also suggest an effective
solution to this problem. The Deputy
Chairman, Rajya Sabha K. Rehman
Khan will be the Chairman of the
Committee. The other members of
the Committee will be Speaker,
Andhra Pradesh Legislative
Assembly, N. Kiran Kumar Reddy,
Speaker, Arunachal Pradesh
Legislative Assembly, Wanglin
Lowangdong, Speaker, Chhattisgarh
Vidhan Sabha, Dharam Lal Kaushik,
Speaker, Gujarat Legislative
Assembly, Ashok Chandulal Bhatt,
Speaker J&K, Mr. Mohammad Akbar
Lone, Speaker Rajasthan Vidhan
Sabha, Mr. Deependra Singh
Shekhawat and Speaker, Uttar
Pradesh, Sukhdeo Rajbhar.
under “Anti Corruption Act” and J&K State
Lands, (Vesting of ownership to the occu-
pants) Act, called the “Roshni Act”.
He Said that “this conference has
brought all of us together, once again,
to share our experiences based on cer-
tain procedural issues which we will be
discussing here, with the objective to
arrive upon a consensus to show new
Vol. 4, Issue 7
56
horizons to implement our
Parliamentary system smoothly and
without any un-warranted interrup-
tions. “We, as the Presiding Officers of
the people's representative Bodies are
expected to preserve and uphold the
conventions, regulations, rules and pro-
cedures of the Democratic system to
make it more accountable to the pub-
lic”, he added.
Being the elected representatives
of the people and the Presiding
Officers, we have the responsibility to
come up to the expectations of general
masses at large. He said that we many
often, are faced with certain proce-
dural hurdles in the discharge of our pro-
fessional duties and we are expected to
search for their immediate solutions.
On numerous occasions, many un-
expected incidents and episodes take
place during the proceedings of the
House, encroaching upon the constitu-
tional boundaries and creating proce-
dures crisis.
He said under the circumstances,
we are to rely on our knowledge, intelli-
gence, conscience and experience to
take appropriate decisions legitimately,
on the spot, to maintain the decorum
and the dignity of the House to sustain
the constitutional obligations. But it has
always been observed that the decisions
taken by us under such circumstances
are not agreeable to all, as they do not
find it favourable to them. He said that,
the Questions on impartiality of the
Presiding Officer's have become a rit-
ual. So, our prime objective in this con-
ference is to arrive upon a consensus to
uphold the traits of democracy by
evolving new Parliamentary definitions
based upon the exchange of views,
ideas and experiences, which may
prove beneficial for the effective con-
duct of Legislative process in its best
form.
Epilogue, July 2010
57 Event Report
Presiding Officers’ Conference

SYMPOSIA
Performance of the legislators in the House
Ensuring accountability to the people

OMAR ABDULLAH larger issues in shorter speeches. This and derive answers from the executive
technique and aptitude is all the more about the governance and delivery.
T he smooth functioning of
Legislative Houses is an important
means to derive accountability from the
relevant and befitting.
The idea of vibrant, independent
In Jammu and Kashmir we have
taken several steps to streamline the
executive. Unless legislators allow the and accountable legislature is central working of the State Legislature and to
Houses to run without disturbing its pro- to make democracy work. He said ensure greater accountability… during
ceedings, they will not be able to derive democracy thrives where the legislative the last budget session in Jammu and
answers to their questions from the bodies act as the pivotal institutions of Kashmir Assembly, no day of business
Government and make it accountable of scrutiny. “It is therefore imperative was lost and no question hour adjourned
its functioning. that those associated with the function- despite attempts of disturbing the pro-
The legislators fail in their respon- ing of these institutions devise ways and ceedings. I attribute this to the able con-
sibilities if they are not able to make the means to assess and monitor their per- duct of business by the Speaker
Government answerable in the House. formance. Mohammad Akbar Lone and Deputy
This can only be achieved when the pro- The legislative bodies have also to Speaker Sartaj Madni.
ceedings are not disturbed and treasury choose how the important pillar of The Business Advisory Committee
benches made accountable for their democracy, the media, is utilized to of both the Houses of J&K Legislature,
duties and commitments to the people. help make the Government accountable representing all political parties has
It becomes easy for the Ministers to
avoid volleys of supplementaries and
questions when the question hour gets
disturbed and House adjourned.
in the present day legislative busi-
ness it has been observed that the mem-
bers when in Government benches
teach and preach for maintaining order
in the House but when same members
are in the opposition they try to create
pandemonium compelling the Presiding
Officer to adjourn the House. Time has
come that we should abdicate this prac-
tice and make the Houses as roll models
for entire world to emulate niceties and
discipline from these.
It is also being observed in the
Houses that many members consume
longer times in making their speeches
without making any good impact while
others make much impact and raise

www.epilogue.in Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010

Event Report
Presiding Officers’ Conference
taken unanimous decision not
to disrupt question hour at
any stage. The rules of proce-
dure and conduct of business
in the House have been
amended to make it binding
on the Government to imple-
ment the recommendations of
various House Committees
within six months from the
date of presentation of such
report or the interim report in
the House.
Meanwhile, I welcome
the Speaker of Lok Sabha,
Meira Kumar and participant
delegates from all across the
country and am sure that their
stay in the Valley will make
them understand that the
Valley does not depict that
picture on law and order front
as is projected outside the
State. We are facing difficul-
ties but the process of restor-
ing peace and tranquility is
moving on. The law and order
problem in some parts of
Srinagar city does not mean
that entire Valley is dis-
turbed. I to the Presiding
Officers and other partici-
pants to narrate the real story
of the Valley in their States
and make people to visit here
again and again to enjoy the
beauty bestowed upon the
State by the God.
Tell your people that
natives of Kashmir are hospi-
table and they are eagerly
waiting for your visit in the
beautiful valley having excit-
ing, enchanting and charming
places of natural beauty in
plenty with hospitability flow-
ing through our blood.
www.epilogue.in
58
Meira Kumar
W e all know what makes a good legislator, the need is to practice what we know. A
thorough knowledge of the rules and conventions and their proper application,
developing the habit of listening, developing specialization in some select areas, regularly
attending the sittings of the House and its Committees and above all, a commitment to serve
the people are the qualities that make a good and effective legislator. One can immensely
benefit by listening to the speeches delivered by eminent parliamentarians and take note of
the way they manage to catch the Speaker's eye and have their say on the floor of the House.
The effectiveness of a legislature squarely depends on the ability and sincerity of its
members. If the legislators perform their duties sincerely, the entire nation is proud of them.
If, however, their performance falls short of people's expectations, the legislative body is
bound to suffer from performance-deficit, compromising its role as a law-making and
oversight body. It is the members' participation and conduct in the House that determines the
standing of the Legislature. Members' inability to perform the assigned roles in the House can
throw the entire system out of gear, leaving an opening for other branches of the State to
encroach upon the areas that legitimately belong to the Legislature.
We have shown to the world that despite the pre-dominance of an oppressive and
discriminatory social structure all through our history, the Indian soil could germinate
concepts and ideas of republicanism.
When members enter the Chamber of a House, they are fully aware of the sanctity of the
place and their role in upholding its dignity. I strongly believe that all members of a Legislature
strive to be instrumental in promoting the welfare of the people. They feel very strongly about
issues pertaining to their electorate and want to articulate them in the House. Their zeal may
sometimes also lead to disruption of scheduled business of the House. It is my conviction that
no member comes to the Parliament with an intention to disrupt its proceedings or create
disturbances. As Presiding Officers, it is our responsibility to device measures that give every
member a fair chance to bring to the House concerns about his or her constituency and national
issues.
We must remember that members are responsible not only for passing legislations but
also for transforming the society by changing mindsets. We have for long had very forward-
looking laws for removing and eradicating social evils-laws against dowry, against
untouchability, against child labour etc., yet we have not been able to root out these practices
from our mindset. This has happened not because there were not laws against them but
because the laws by themselves are not enough. What is needed is attitudinal change. When
socially relevant issues are raised by the members in the House, when these issues are
discussed when debates on such issues, especially issues aimed at bringing about radical
reform, are telecast live, they have invaluable role in putting before the people our
commitment to change and reform. There have been numerous occasions when the content
and quality of a debate has created a wide resonance in the society that has in turn helped
building consensus on essential reform. Hence, we as Presiding Officers need to encourage
high quality debates on socially relevant issues which will enable the legislators to discharge
their responsibilities as agents of social change.
It is, in fact the need of the hour to devise more of such innovative methods which will
open up a dialogue between the elected and the electors and provide the electorate with an
opportunity to have a greater say in the functioning of their elected representatives thereby
enhancing their accountability to those who have sent them to the Legislature. With these
words, I hope that the deliberations of the Symposium will be able to address our concerns
about the performance of our members and their accountability to the people.
Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010
59 Event Report
Presiding Officers’ Conference

Arvinder Singh Mickey

A legislator in order to derive accountability has to develop many qualities and set an example for the people to follow. The
first and foremost of such qualities is transparency. In the process of strengthening the national democratic set up media has
attained the position of third pillar. We have to encourage media to play more positive role to add to the process of socio-legal
development and give wide coverage to the proceedings of the Houses in day to day working. The intellectual people having a
sound background power need to be encouraged to enter the political arena, as education is one of the most essential qualities
which a legislator must have. A legislator is duty bound to provide for the best education and health care facilities to the people
through welfare schemes. We in this state are trying our best to provide the best education and health care at the grass roots and
achieve a lot with the financial assistance from the centre government. The sense of accountability is now where recorded in any
constitution, the acting Chairman said that it can be extracted by the inner consciousness and not by legal means.

Secretaries for insulating Question Hour

from disruptions and adjournments

O n the sidelines of Presiding Officers'

conference, the Conference of
Secretaries of Legislative Bodies in India
was held in the Committee Room of the
Jammu and Kashmir Legislative
Assembly. The Conference was
inaugurated by the Secretary-General,
Lok Sabha and Chairman of the
Conference, P.D.T. Achary. Highlighting
the major developments of
parliamentary and procedural
significance since the Conference last
met in Bhopal in February 2010, the
Secretary-General, Lok Sabha, P.D.T.
Achary referred to the various landmark
decisions taken by the Speaker, Lok
Sabha, Meira Kumar, with a view to
further improving the functioning of the
Lok Sabha. In this context, the
Secretary-General referred to the
historic ruling on Cut Motion wherein
the Lok Sabha Speaker, for the first
time, respecting and upholding the
constitutional rights of the members of
the House, allowed moving of the Cut
Motion on the Demands for Grants,
which were not discussed in the House
and were to be guillotined.
Achary also made a reference to
the Speaker's Ruling on an Adjournment
Motion during the recently-concluded
Budget Session of Parliament. The issue
involved the complicated question,
whether the 'price rise' which no doubt
was a matter of urgent public
importance had an element of
emergency and whether it could be
considered for discussion under an
Adjournment Motion. He also made a
mention about the measures being
taken to insulate the Question Hour
from disruptions and adjournments.
Addressing the Conference, the
Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha, Dr. V.
K. Agnihotri enumerated various
initiatives taken by the Hon'ble
Chairman, Rajya Sabha. He referred to
the passing of the Women's Reservation
Bill in the Rajya Sabha and the
introduction of a new Integrated Talk
time Management and Display System
in that House which indicates the
names of members participating in
various debates and discussions, their
party affiliations, division numbers,
total time allotted to different
parties, time consumed and time left
for members individually and for
political parties. He highlighted the
constitution of a Committee on
reduction in use of paper in the
functioning of the Rajya Sabha with a
view to minimising the consumption of
paper and its wastage.
Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir
Legislative Assembly, Mohammed
Ramzan said that the main objective of
the Conference is to have a detailed
discussion on the administrative and
procedural obstacles confronted by the
Secretaries and to find solutions to the
same by way of soliciting the
suggestions from this august body. He
expressed hope that besides sharing the
experiences and changes in the
parliamentary practices, the
Conference will prove fruitful and
effective in enhancing the dignity of the
Legislatures.
Besides the Secretary-General,
Lok Sabha, and the Secretary-
General Rajya Sabha, Secretaries and
Principal Secretaries of the State
Legislatures in India attended the
Conference. Seven subjects of
procedural interest were discussed in
the Conference.

www.epilogue.in Vol. 4, Issue 7 Epilogue, July 2010

 TOWARDS FREEDOM FROM TUBERCULOSIS (TB)
Ø
If you have a cough for more than two weeks,
Ø
If you have fever especially in nights,
all these symptoms
Ø
If you are loosing weight without any reason
can be TB
Ø
If you do not feel like eating,
Ø
If you are in close proximity with someone who has TB,

THEN
Get your sputum examined at nearest Designated Microscopic centre free of cost.
Ø
TB is 100% curable and all anti TB drugs are provided free of cost at your door steps by Revised
Ø

National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) approved DOTS centre. DOTS is the most
effective strategy available for controlling TB.

“DOTS” -
sure cure for TB
DIP/JK-3940/2010 Dated : 14-6-2010

STATE TB CONTROL SOCIETY

DIRECTORATE OF HEALTH SERVICES
JAMMU

RESIDENTIAL COACHING ACADEMY (RCA), A.M.U., ALIGARH

NOTIFICATION & ADDENDUM
The Residential Coaching Academy (RCA) has decided to hold its National Entrance Test on 15th July 2010 at four
centres i.e. Aligarh (S.T.S. High School (18), A.M.U., Aligarh), Lucknow (Centennial Intermediate College (98), Golaganj,
Lucknow), Srinagar (The University of Kashmir (101) Hazratbal, Srinagar) and Kozihkode (Farook College (89),
Kozhikode). Those candidates who have given centre choice at Patna, Kolkata and Guwahati their centre shall be at
Lucknow Hall Tickets will be posted by post and can also be downloaded from the website www.rcaamu.com.
In the Advertisement of RCA, AMU, Aligarh for its First National Entrance Test for the admission to the Coaching for
Civil Services/PCS (J) Examination to be held on 15th July 2010 at the Aligarh, Patna, Lucknow, Srinagar, Kolkatta,
Guwahati, Kozhikode centers, wherein it was notified as "Free Coaching, Library & Hostel Facilities for Civil
Services/PCS (J) (For Minorities /SCs/STs (upto 40% for Women)". Now it can be read as "No tuition fee will be
charged; however, a nominal fee towards registration and charges for hostel accommodation and meals can be collected
by the Academy" as per the directives of MHRD / UGC vide letter No. F.56-1-2009 (CU) dated 09.09.2009 at Item. No.7.
Prof. Ziauddin Khairoowala, Director, Mob. No. 099270 57499; 0571-2701760.
 DIRECTORATE OF DISTAN
DIRECTORATE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY O
UNIVERSITY OF JAMMU www.distanceducationju.in
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