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Boobytrap For Kashmir “Leaders”
Z. G. MUHAMMAD Smaller Default Larger ‘There’s only one way into this fortress, and that’s to scale the walls.’ This dialogue from famous Hollywood blockbuster movie of early Seventies, ‘Where Eagles Dare”, with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood in lead roles resonated in my mind on seeing a spate of statements from the ‘resistance’ and ostensibly ‘dissenting’ leadership on the Governor N.N. Vohra’s address to the joint session of the Assembly on Wednesday. For any student of contemporary Kashmir politics, the interest exhibited by the ‘dissenting’ important leaders at the address is a sort of making history. These leaders for past two decades either have been ignoring such addresses or dismissing them to the trashcan. Is it subtle expression of change of mind-set, a paradigm shift or a display of misplaced understanding? This … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk
Story of “Slave Kings’ and Lollypop Leaders
PUNCHLINE The Expression of Mistrust Z.G. Muhammad So far, I have no reason to believe that it is ‘a good cop bad cop’ strategy towards attaining a bigger ‘political goal’- ‘extinguishing the lost flicker of the resistance’ by playing ‘reconciliation card’. Those who subscribe to this idea, may have some valid points grounded in history to strengthen their arguments or may even have some inside knowledge about the new arrangement that has been put in place … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
When Waters Turned Furious- Story on Celloulid
Kashmir: Into the Murky Waters’ A film that intensely captures the agony of September 2014 PUNCHLINE Z.G. MUHAMMAD Smaller Default Larger ‘Politics have no relation to morals,’ said Noccolo Machiavelli, sixteenth century historian politician and author of famous political treatise the Prince. Let me add, in our case, politics has no respect for human agonies and pain and politicians have mastered art of exploiting the sufferings of people and fattening on the same. Our history, is replete with instances of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
Story of Musical Chairs
Punchline Z.G. MUHAMMAD Power politics in the state has been and continues to be game of musical chairs. It has been, so since Kashmir lost its independence, and surrogates, from Delhi, Kabul and Punjab ruled the ‘country’. During twenty seven years of the Sikh Rule (1819-1846), over a dozen of governors were appointed by the rulers in Punjab for sucking people dry. Eight of them eventually became ‘extremely wealthy by fattening on people miseries. In the post … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
PDP-BJP Coalation and Controvesies- Abdul Majid Zargar
Guest Column COALITION & CONTROVERSIES By Abdul Majid Zargar So the BJP-PDP coalition is a fait-accompli now. Mufti Mohammad Syed has assumed the reins of coalition Govt. on the assurance of a full six year term as Chief Minster. The oath of office was administered by Governor Vohra on 1st March 2015. A galaxy of leaders from BJP were present on the dais. Congress & NC boycotted the function. Politics make strange bedfellows, as we all know, and … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured
Can Kashmir Make To UN Once Again
Z.G. MUHAMMAD Smaller Default Larger Is Pakistan going to remind the United Nations that Kashmir Dispute is its abandoned baby- crying loudly for an immediate attention? This question popped in my mind this week on reading two columns, one by India’s iconic editor of India Today Shekhar Gupta and second by Arul Louis, an internationally known journalist and editor of ‘the New York Daily News’. Gupta while brilliantly analyzing impact of humiliating defeat in Assembly elections of Delhi … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
Minus Tariq Ali’s essay, the book: ‘Kashmir’s case for Freedom is Good
Z.G. MUHAMMAD It is a sad story. In our premier academic institutions, hardly any serious work is done on the Kashmir problem. Notwithstanding insularity of our own academicians and ‘scholars’, Kashmir continues to be abuzz in a good number of academic institutions in the world. In a number of policy institutions along with other important subjects, concerning global peace Kashmir continues to maintain its primacy. It is read, written and talked about.- every year a number … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk