Geelani, Abdullah and Bakshi- Right To Dissent
Has Dissent Place in Kashmir Z. G. MUHAMMAD Long before. Almost a century back our forefathers had started struggle for right to dissent and free speech. The then feudal rulers who had purchased the land and people as merchandise from the British for making a booty and sharing the same with their lords had denied all freedom to the people of the land. Most disadvantageously placed was the overwhelming Muslim population. ‘There was no touch between the government and the people, no suitable opportunity for representing the grievances..The rulers had no sympathy for people’s wants and grievances. There was no space for public opinion and press was non-existent’. This dismal situation had not only caused our elders to rise in revolt but also even made an important Christen Minister of Maharaja Albion Bannerji … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk
2014- Kashmir and Afghanistan
Z.G. Muhammad Some fifty-nine years back Josef Korbel wrote, ‘India and Pakistan continue to dissipate their wealth, their strength and their energy on a near fratricidal struggle in which the hitherto almost unknown State of Kashmir has become the physical battleground.’ Trillions of dollars are spent on building arsenals at the cost of development of tens of millions living a sub-human life. People of the two countries have not been paying heavy prices for the wars … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk
India-Pakistan- Kashmir 2013
Z.G. MUHAMMAD Situation on the home turf during 2013 is difficult to predict- if it would be unruffled as all through 2012 or shaking as during 2010. However, there are indications that during the next ten months fulcrum to India and Pakistan diplomacy will be Kashmir. In all likelihood, the clichés like CBMs, Cross LoC trade and MNF status will take a back seat and the diplomatic circles in India and Pakistan will once again be abuzz with phrases like Kashmir ‘nuclear flash point’, ‘peace to Afghanistan passes through gates of Kashmir’ and ‘South-Asian security hinges on Kashmir. There debate over ‘Kashmir being a bilateral issue’ between the two countries or an ‘international disputes’ will become louder. Moreover, as the date for draw down of US troops from Afghanistan draws nearer … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk
Why Did Plebiscite Front Die?
Z.G. MUHAMMAD On a cold but not freezing February afternoon pushing my way through crowded and crushing Residency Road to a nearby bookshop I was stopped by an old time Plebiscite Front worker. Given to intolerance of some contemporary “top” leaders, “clerics” and their “hangers-on”, initially, I thought, he has not liked some of my writings about once towering leader or his scions. There was no anger on his face but from expressions on his face, I … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk
Musharraf’s Formula and Kashmir Leaders
Resurrecting A Dead letter Weave a discourse around the basic framework Punchline Z.G. MUHAMMAD Some days back, I decided not to talk about “them” or their travel to the country that was ‘conjured into statehood by the force of indomitable will’ of a leader – the will that ironically even our towering leadership lacked. I started believing whether, I talk or not, the sweeping winds of politics are there to drift away the vessels with no strong ideological moorings and anchors. Knowing, chronicles are replete with instances, that those suffering from ideological infidelity having been washed away like straws down the streams of history, I started believing that historical forces will throw up a leadership that will ‘significantly alter the course of history and even modify the map of the world’. It was the recent … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk
Symbolism in Iqbal
The Development of a Symbol A Study of Iqbal’s Poem, Aftab Prof. G.R. Malik Since the word symbol occurs in the title of this presentation, I would like to preface it with an extremely brief account, in general terms, about the use of symbols in poetry. Of course this is one of the weightiest ever subjects and can, by no means, be dismissed in a brief prefatory note. These remarks are, therefore, added only to introduce the present discourse. Broadly speaking symbols may be divided into three categories: a) The Collective or Cultural symbols: The collective symbols have a universal character in that they have acquired a more-or-less common signification amongst the generality of human beings: Two examples of such symbols are the sunrise and the sunset which are considered to be symbolical of birth … Read entire article »
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13 July 1931 : And Butler Changed Destiny of Slave Nation
And A Butler Change Destiny of A Slave Nation Z. G .Muhammad Some moments are important than epochs in the histories of nations. So holds valid about July 13, 1931, in the history of Kashmir- the day when people of Kashmir scripted their history with scarlet blood. It was not the first day when people laid their lives for just cause- history of Kashmir after 1819 is replete with incidents when ruthless alien rulers brutally murdered … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Featured, Kashmir-Talk, Point of view