Peace Watch » Archive
Nineties and Dulat’s Book- Reading Between Lines?
PUNCHLINE Behind The Lid Off Z.G. Muhammad Memoirs are important for telling the whole story about political struggles. Not only the memoirs of the major dramatis personae involved in the struggles are important for the narratives of the struggling nations but even stories told by those involved in subverting these struggles help in telling the whole story. True, there are instances like, ‘A Million Little Pieces’ by James Frey promoted and sold as memoirs later discovered … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
Story of Shimla Agreement
Truth About Shimla Agreement Z.G. Muhammad Forty three years back on 2 July at Shimla, a bilateral agreement was signed between India and Pakistan. Since their birth as independent dominions the two countries have signed number of agreements some under international umbrellas and some under auspices of friendly countries. But, out of all the agreements between the two countries, New Delhi has been attaching lot of importance to this agreement and has been looking at it, as … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
Trifurcation – A Discourse from Jammu
PUNCHLINE Discordant Discourses Z.G. Muhammad Kashmir, for past sixty seven years has been a cauldron of the ‘dominant’ discourses. In forties and fifties, the Communists ideologues conjured alternative discourse to erode the people’s narrative born in 1924. That was in concrete terms manifested in the 1932 resolution adopted on the founding day of the Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference. For subverting the Kashmir narrative, in fifties, the Hindu nationalists stirred agitation in Jammu against symbols of Kashmiri … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Point of view
Story of Brother Aplogizing Brother- Revisiting 1947
‘Dis-empowered apologizing Dis-empowered’ Z.G. Muhammad Silence on the sufferings of a fellow citizen has power to poison a society as a ‘dream has power to poison sleep.’ Muslims of Jammu province after 1947, have suffered a political alienation is a bitter truth. And after decades of obliviousness, the political alienation and economic disempowerment of the Muslims of Jammu has of late started forcefully re-entering the larger political narrative of Jammu and Kashmir. Thanks, to hideous moves … Read entire article »
Filed under: Kashmir-Talk
South Asia: New Cold War
South Asia on the brink The changed geo-strategic situation in the region Z.G. MUHAMMAD Four years back, the United Services Institute (RUSI) for Defense and Security Studies, an independent London based think tank held an international conference on Kashmir. The objective for the conference was to explore regional dynamics of ‘rising Asian powers’ in the region and ‘influences they exert on Kashmir’. The conference was aimed at understanding the ‘increasing influence of China and the potential for regional conflict over disputed territorial claims. The conference also endeavoured to examine the ‘potential spill over from the conflict in Afghanistan and the effect of a protracted conflict on Pakistan’s Western front on Kashmir Security’. Besides, some internationally recognized experts on South Asia, the conference was also attended by some defence and strategic expert from India … Read entire article »
Filed under: Kashmir-Talk
Setting thaw through ‘Kitty-Party’ Initative
PUNCHLINE ‘Kitty Party’ Initiative Z.G. Muhammad All is not well between India and Pakistan. If the recent statements of Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar and Home Minister Raj Nath Singh during their visit to Srinagar and Jammu are indicators the two countries are on a collision course. The optimisms, for good relation spawned one year back during a meeting between Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif did not last long- it in fact crashed immediately. Sharif had travelled to New Delhi to participate in oath taking ceremony of new Indian Prime Minister. However the flicker of hope persisted. Sharif taking a departure from the stated position of his country had exhibited extraordinary enthusiasm for improving trade links with India. The statement by the two ministers did not stir much of a serious reaction from Pakistan … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
Why Sheikh Abdullah Exiled Intellectuals.
PUNCHLINE Kashmir Intellectuals Exiled to Pakistan? Z.G. Muhammad It is ‘power of ideas’ and intellectual inputs that work as catalysts in bringing about political changes. Historically, majority of our leaders from the towering to the dwarfish, have been averse to the ideas and inputs from thinking minds. In fact, after mid-forties to this day intolerance towards intellectual discourse about the political struggles or the movement has been basic principle of a powerful section of the tribe. People … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take