[Reader-list] FW: FW: Attacks on Minorities in Kashmir Valley

Sat Aug 30 18:38:18 IST 2008

Dear Vijay,

I was very happy to receive your email this morning commending JKCCS and
others on their public statement on minorities in Kashmir, particularly as
the Sarai Reader's List that I subscribe to had begun to reflect the shrill,
extreme positions of the Jammu and Kashmir communal divide.

I was startled, therefore, when I received an email from Murtaza Shibli
accusing you of being disingenuous and worse.  I pointed out to him that you
needed to have a chance of replying.  He agrees and I've pasted our
correspondence below FYI.

I am extremely concerned at the deteriorating relations between Hindus and
Muslims in J&K these past few months.  Despite 1990 I think you'll agree
that many people, both Hindus and Muslims have worked very hard over very
many years to ensure that relations are maintained if not healed.  I find it
very distressing that all of it seems to have been washed away before the
storm of emotions that have gripped people in recent months.

I hope then that you'll be able to enter this conversation to clarify your
position with the restraint that I've seen you exercise all these years.

Sincerely,
Sonia.

------ Forwarded Message
From: Kashmir Affairs <kashaffairs at yahoo.co.uk>
Reply-To: <kashaffairs at yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:55:55 +0000 (GMT)
To: <reader-list at sarai.net>
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: Attacks on Minorities in Kashmir Valley

Dear Sonia,
I have very recently asked Vijay to come and discuss issues on
public forums. I would like you to forward it to him and of course Vijay is
most welcome to 'defend' himself.
Honestly, his mail made me sick and only
one question came to my mind. Why do Pandits hate us....all of us Kashmiris.
And they keep on manufacturing stories.
Regardless of 209 Pandits killed in
Kashmir in comparison to more than 100,000 Muslims, i have always felt their
pain despite the fact that we have been at their as well as Indian state's
receiving end. My question to Vijay is has he ever felt my pain and
thousands who have been tortured to death. Has he ever condemned the
killings of Kashmiris at the hands of Indian paramilitary forces.
Sick as it
may get, now he is manufacturing stories. I wish i could use anything
stronger than condemnation to him.
?
Murtaza
?
----
Murtaza
Shibli
www.kashmiraffaris.org

--- On Sat, 30/8/08, S. Jabbar <sonia.jabbar at gmail.com> wrote:

From: S.
Jabbar <sonia.jabbar at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: Attacks on
Minorities in Kashmir Valley
To: "Kashmir Affairs"
<kashaffairs at yahoo.co.uk>, "Sarai" <reader-list at sarai.net>
Date: Saturday,
30 August, 2008, 10:04 AM

Wow, that's pretty strong language, Murtaza.  You know Vijay, as I do.
In
all these years I really can't say I've seen him being communal or
even
using communal language in anything he's written or advocated.  I think
he
ought to have a chance in defending himself.  Will you forward
this
discussion or should I?

I really posted his email in good faith
thinking it may help diffuse some of
this horrid Jammu Hindu/Pandit-Kashmiri
Muslim divide that's dominated the
Reader's List for some time, little
realizing that this too will add fuel
to
the fire.  What a pity.

sj

On 8/30/08 2:24 PM, "Kashmir Affairs" <kashaffairs at yahoo.co.uk>
wrote:

>

Sonia,
I would like to take this opportunity to expressly condemn Vijay
Sazwal
> for yet again playing mischif against Kashmiri Muslims. In
his
'appreciating
> guise' on Kashmiri Civil Society, he is carrying on his
propaganda
against
> Muslims and cooking up stories about imaginery
harrassement. Pandit
groups,
> mainly believed to be working for IB, have
been doing this for more than
two
> decades now.
If Vijay is telling the
truth, which i don't believe, he must
> mention the incidents rather than
spreading false stories. As much i
> appreciate personal contact with him i
have had with with for few years
now, I
> have to condemn him for his
mischief and spreading lies against the
Kashmiri
> Muslims majority at the
behest of I don't know who. By doing it once
again, he
> has sided with
rabid-anti-Kashmiri forces including various Pandit groups,
who
> are
allegedly being spreading rumours and propaganda against Kashmiris. A
>
personal friend, Prof. Rattan Lal Hangloo, is on record about Vijay Sazwal
>
launching a campaign against Prof. Hangloo for not blaming
Kashmiri
Muslims
> and Islam for the current trouble in Kashmir. Moreover,
Vijay has been
part of
> propaganda brigade that has been spreading lies
about Kashmiri Muslims and
> talking about so-called Holocaust of Pandits
when only 209 Pandits died in
the
> crisis as compared to 150,000 Muslims
majority of them by the
 Indian army and
> paramilitary forces.

I don't see
any appreciation in Vijay's letter. It is
> all venomous propganda against
the Muslims.
best,
Murtaza

--- On Sat,
> 30/8/08, S. Jabbar <sonia.jabbar at gmail.com> wrote:
From: S.
Jabbar
> <sonia.jabbar at gmail.com>
Subject: [Reader-list] FW: Attacks on
Minorities in
> Kashmir Valley
To: "Sarai" <reader-list at sarai.net>
Date:
Saturday, 30 August,
> 2008, 7:56 AM

A note of appreciation from a Pandit
organisation for the
> appeal sent out by
Khurram and others.

------
Forwarded Message
From: "Dr.
> Vijay Sazawal" <sazawal at gmail.com>
Date: Fri,
29 Aug 2008 18:41:58 -0400
To:
> <vks at kashmirforum.org>
Subject: Attacks on
Minorities in Kashmir Valley

Dear
> Friend,

I am sending this note to just a few friends in the valley
to let
> them know
that the minority community currently residing in the
valley - which
> is down
to a few thousand now - greatly appreciates the
following gesture by
> the
civil society in Kashmir (see attached story in
the Kashmir Observer).

I
>have spoken to valley based Kashmiri Pandits
almost on a daily basis.
> Even
though the local media did not highlight the
fears of the minority
> community
earlier, the reality is that last week
they had a very rough time.
> There
were numerous incidents in Pulwama,
Anantnag, and Srinagar and
> Baramulla
where Pandit homes or persons were
surrounded by a few ruffians
> and
subjected to oral threats ranging from,
"Are you still here - when are
> you
going away to Jammu," to "time has come
to burn your place and we
will
> not
let you or your family escape."

Again,
I want to make it clear that I
> hold no one among you or any leader
among
the majority community responsible
> for it. But the reality is that it
did
happen and it is to the credit of a few
> Pandit leaders who calmed
the
community down. I will appreciate if journalists
> would mention in
their
columns that harming or even mildly threatening Pandits
> is not
helpful to
their cause whatever that may be.

Thank you for your help
> in
this matter. If anyone needs further details, I
will be glad to provide
the
> same.

Regards,

Vijay Sazawal
www.KashmirForum.org
>
<http://www.KashmirForum.org>
Washington, DC

Kashmir Civil Society Calls
> For Ceasefire
Srinagar, Aug 29- Kashmir civil
society has expressed concern
> over reports
in New Delhi based media about
possible attacks¹ on minorities in
> Kashmir
and have urged upon the
governments and the militant leadership to
> implement
a comprehensive
ceasefire in the wake of present peaceful people¹s
> movement
to realise the
right of self-determination.
They have also urged the
> community and
religious leaders, political parties,
militant leadership and
> government
to ensure the utmost respect and
tolerance for the minorities.
²We
> the
conscientious people of Jammu and Kashmir believe and uphold that
the
>
human life and its dignity are sacrosanct and in this regard we
feel
deeply
> concerned and aggrieved over the news story carried by
sections of
Indian
> media on 28th August 2008, in which it is reported that
the
> Indian
Intelligence agency has expressed fears about the possible
attacks
> on
minorities in Kashmir², a signed statement by several prominent
citizens
> and
groups said today.
³Since 1989 there have been some massacres
of minority
> communities under
mysterious circumstances, which created an
atmosphere of
> fear and mistrust
amongst the communities. It is surprising
that every time
> these killings
take place, the people¹s movement of
Kashmir is at a critical
> phase. The
killings of Kashmiri Pandits in early
1990s or the massacre of 36
> Sikhs at
Chittisingpora in 2000 (during the
visit of US President Bill
> Clinton) or
killings of innocent Hindus at
Kulhand and other places creates an
> aura of
mystery around all these cold
blooded killings. Investigations ordered
> by
government to probe these
killings have always been inconclusive.
> Bill
Clinton, the 42nd President
of the United States in his foreword to
> Madeline
Albright¹s book titled
³Mighty and the Almighty² has clearly accused
> Hindu
fanatics of massacring
innocent Sikhs at Chittisingpora², the
> statement
said.
The statement is
signed besides others by  Grand Mufti, Mufti
> Mohammad
Bashiruddin, Mirwaiz
Riyaz Hamdani of Shah Hamdan Mosque, Agha Syed
> Hassan
Mosavi of Anjumane
Sharie Shiayan, Islamic Study Circle, Jammu
> Kashmir
Coalition of Civil
Society, Chamber of Commerce and Industries
> Kashmir,
Kashmir Hotel and
Restaurant Owner¹s Federation, Valley Citizens
> Council,
Chairman Kashmir
Traders Federation and Noor Ahmed Bilal  President
> Kashmir
University
Teachers Association. ³In the present scenario where
> the
non-violent mass
uprising for the attainment of right to
> self-determination
of people of
Jammu and Kashmir is resonating not just in
> India but also in
the
International media and institutions, the reported
> threat to
minority
communities whether Hindus or Sikhs is a serious concern
> for the
civil
society of Kashmir², it said.
³In view of the above mentioned
>
concern, we urge upon the community leaders,
religious leaders, political
>
parties, militant leadership and government to
ensure the utmost respect
and
> tolerance for the minorities and refrain from
any such act which makes
the
> lives of minorities uncomfortable. The
minorities should not be
treated as the
> cannon fodder to carry out the
agenda of vested interests
in sabotaging the
> people¹s movement of Kashmir.
In the wake of present
peaceful people¹s
> movement to realise the right of
self-determination, the
only democratic
> process for peace making, we urge
upon the governments and
the militant
> leadership to implement a
comprehensive ceasefire in Jammu
and Kashmir. We the
> people of Jammu and
Kashmir while welcoming the United
Jihad Council¹s
> recently announced
statement, in which they promised to
halt their activities
> within civilian
areas, request them to broaden the
scope of their statement
> into a
comprehensive ceasefire covering the
entire Indian administered Jammu
> and
Kashmir. This would also mean their
respect and primacy to the
> people¹s
movement.²
The statement further urged
the government of India to
> halt the brutal use
of force against the people
and respect the people¹s right
> to assembly and
freedom of expression both
in Kashmir and Jammu terming the
> arrests and the
killings
unacceptable.
³We consider this as the testing time
> for all of us as
humans. We certainly
have been victimised but the challenge
> for the
conscientious people is
always to be humane besides being politically
>
correct², the statement said.
³In the present situation where the
political
> leadership has been arrested,
communications blocked, curfew
imposed, there is
> every likelihood that
situation may descend into chaos.
It is therefore we
> urge international
community to take cognizance of the
situation where in the
> whole population
of Kashmir is being pushed towards
the wall. For
> international institutions
it is the time to intervene for
preventing the
> catastrophe and for the
restoration of people¹s rights²,
the statement
> added.
³We take this opportunity to assure our Hindu and
Sikh brethren who
> form the
inseparable part of our cultural and political
mosaic that they will
> find
their Muslim brethren besides always. Whatever
be the circumstances we
> have
lived and suffered together and would
continue to strive together for
> our
political emancipation².
Others who
have signed the statement include
> prominent physician, Dr. Altaf
Hussain,
columnist Arjimand Hussain Talib,
> academics Dr Hameeda Bano, Prof
Shaikh
Showkat Hussain, Dr Noor Ahmed Baba and
> poet Zareef Ahmed Zareef.

------
End of Forwarded
> 
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