[Reader-list] Real Face of Terrorist Yasin Malik

[S. Jabbar]

I thank Aditya Raj Kaul for posting the link with the photograph of Yasin
Malik's paint spattered face.  Now I'm pretty convinced it was his
handiwork, despite Roots-in-Kashmir swearing to me that none of them had
anything to do with the attack on my car.

I said it then and I will say it again-- now publicly-- the attack was
cowardly and despicable and that Aditya still chooses to snigger about it a
year and a half later is shameful.

For those on the List who are unaware, here is what happened:

In Feb. 2007 the mothers and wives of the victims of enforced disappearances
in Kashmir, a group of about 60, came for a public hearing at Jantar Mantar.
The event was organised by a group of Delhi based citizens, myself included.
Yasin Malik and some other separatist leaders lent support to the event.

It was a day-long event where woman after woman appealed to the conscience
of India.  Their message was simple: we don't want jobs or compensation,
just tell us if our children are dead or alive.  If they are alive allow us
to meet them, if they are dead, tell us so we can arrange for their last
rites and bury forever the hopes and fears that have tortured us for years.

Instead of reaching out to these women-- a few who had only just exhumed
their loved ones at an unmarked grave in Ganderbal the week before--  and
making common cause with them, Roots-in-Kashmir decided to hold a noisy
protest across the street.

Why? Simply because Yasin Malik, Sajad Lone and Syed Ali Shah Geelani had
arrived to express solidarity.  FYI invitations were sent out to all MPs
across party lines, and none besides Nirmala Deshpande came to the public
event. Had a few decided to express solidarity I wonder what
Roots-in-Kashmir would have done.  It was shameful to see old women weeping
and begging to be told the truth while a group of angry young Kashmiri
Pandits screamed and hurled invectives from across the street.

That evening after the event we decided to proceed to the India Gate lawns
just so the women could relax for a bit before returning to the guesthouse
for the night.  The bus was full so Yasin got into my car.  As I turned at
the Meridien circle, something burst against my dashboard and half blinded
me.  I braked instinctively. When at last I had managed to wash the muck out
of my eye and mouth from the bottle of water in the car, I saw that the
plastic bag full of some ghastly, indelible ink, which was obviously meant
for Yasin Malik had missed its target, splashing his cheek insignificantly.
Whereas, like most terror attacks, I was the victim, the collateral damage.
The irony was not lost on me.

My eye watered for the next 24 hours despite medication.  It took more than
a week for ink to fade from my skin.  My clothes were ruined forever and had
to be discarded.  My car still carries dark stains as fresh as the day of
the attack despite repeated efforts by the garage. But I was grateful to
have gotten off lightly. Had I been driving a little faster I knew I could
have crashed into the circle or into another car.

I cannot take Aditya's post lightly.  Roots in Kashmir, of which Aditya is a
member, has never apologized for the action.  Of course they will say how
can we apologize for something we didn't do.  Indeed you cannot, and I have
no proof that it was you or some other cowardly group, but Aditya betrayed
his gleeful approval of the event and this is what I question now.

I also question the decision of Roots in Kashmir to hold a protest at the
Amnesty photography show earlier this year.  I was not present but heard
about it later.  Since the only photographs in the large group show that had
to do with Kashmir were my photographs on enforced disappearances I assume
the protest was directed either at me and my work, or the victims of
enforced disappearances.  Why is it that Roots could not countenance the
exhibition, why did they want to shut me up? Was the work a pack of lies,
was it propaganda? Or does RIK have a problem with work that denounces State
terrorism?

As someone who has for years extended support to Pandits who were targeted
in the early '90s, I find it both amusing and sad that a group of Pandits
find it intolerable when I extend similar support to other victims of
violence in Kashmir. I can only say you damage your own cause by this
attitude: if you cannot find it within you to identify with the pain of
others, you will find it increasingly difficult to find others to identify
with yours.


Sonia Jabbar


> From: Aditya Raj Kaul <kauladityaraj at gmail.com>
> Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:11:11 +0530
> To: sarai list <reader-list at sarai.net>
> Subject: [Reader-list] Real Face of Terrorist Yasin Malik
> 
> The real face of Terrorist Yasin Malik :-) ...lol

check here -
> http://www.timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsID=19235

-- 
Aditya Raj
> Kaul

Campaign Blog: http://kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com/
Personal Blog:
> http://activistsdiary.blogspot.com/
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