Peace Watch » Archive
US, India, Pakistan and Kashmir – New Challanges
Srinagar and Washington By Z. G. Muhammad Will the ‘cold war mummy’ come to life in South-Asia after America leaves Afghanistan towards end of the year. This question has been haunting minds of political analysts and strategic experts in the region for quite some time. Notwithstanding, protracted dispute in Kabul over the election results and standoff increasingly threatening countries stability, the debate about US role in South Asia got a new spin after two days visit of US Secretary of State, John Kerry to New Delhi, closely followed by arrival of US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel on a three day visit. In India, visit of Kerry and Hagel did not create much of enthusiasm in print media. Even “ultra-nationalist” TV channels, contrary to their habit were not euphoric about it. Largely, the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
Importance of Phrasology For Political Narrtives
‘Dynamics’ of Political Phraseology Z.G. Muhammad Kashmir politics has its own dictionary. Every year new words and phrases are added to it. After every mega and mini political event or development a newer word or phrases creeps into it. Some of the phrases after remaining in currency for sometime lose their sheen, luster and relevance. Then they are relegated to the pages of history but they do remain a part of this dictionary. Some do survive longer and retain power of whipping public sentiments as and when required. Let me call this dictionary, for its distinctiveness of the words and phrases that have been added to it during past seventy six years as ‘politico-lexicon-Kashmiri. The words contained in this ‘politico-lexicon-Kashmiri have their own etymology. This etymology in fact is as good as an index … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk
Dynamics of popular Political Sentiment in Kashmir
Z.G. MUHAMMAD Many a time, when I try to read between the lines, approach of the Congress leadership including Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947, towards Jammu and Kashmir, I get convinced, they had blurred understanding of the Kashmir struggle. On September 27, 1947, when Jawaharlal Nehru as Prime Minister of India in his long letter to Sardar Patel wrote to impress upon Maharaja Hari Singh to make friends with the National Conference and release Sheikh Abdullah from … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
Kashmir Narrative and Coalation Governments
2014 Elections …….. and the Coalition Politics Z.G. MUHAMMAD My premise, perhaps was faulty. I had started believing, that 2014 Assembly elections in the State will be different in as much as actors’ involved in the electoral politics are concerned. I was not alone, few other political commentators believed so. Since 2012, statements originating from certain political formations, suggested that an MUF type political front would again tumble into political arena of Kashmir to challenge hegemony of the traditional ‘power-politics’ parties’ during coming Assembly elections. At the start of 2014, after these parties had stirred debate over relevance of UN resolutions, more particularly putting question marks on 30 March 1951 and 24 January 1957 resolutions of the Security Council regarding the Constituent Assembly, indications had become more profound. That the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk
Suppressing Dissent And Suppressors Nemesis
Spent Forces and Trashcans History has lessons for us, provided we learn Z.G. MUHAMMAD Even footnotes of history have great lessons. It depends, how you take them. I was reminded of these lessons, while hearing an important Indian historian, Mridu Rai, author of classical work on Kashmir, Hindu Rulers Muslim Subjects: Islam, Rights and History of Kashmir. The author of this iconoclastically honest work on the Dogra rule that ‘contextualizes, scrutinizes the political and regional identity … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
Modern Political Temple Of Kashmir: The Blue Gate
Blue Gate’s Strange Client The ‘Blue Gate’ is central to political psyche of Kashmir PUNCHLINE Z.G. MUHAMMAD For over past sixty five years the blue gate, the white and blue building and blue flag, with white emblem showing world map surrounded by two olive branches hoisted on a long pole has been a symbol of hope and despair for people of the state. Hope, as it stands testimony to the promises held out to people of the State … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
2014 Election – Story of simple majority
Question of Simple Majority It triggers an interesting debate about the reality of Kashmir issue Punchline Z. G. MUHAMMAD Couple of days back, five of us sitting around a table in an open air restaurant on banks of the Jhelum sipping tea- reminiscent of old time coffee klatch, talked about everything around from coming up of the skewed bridge on the river to the emerging concrete jungle across the river. Suddenly, a friend started talking about the coming elections for the state assembly. He tried to make a point: ‘Even if only two percent vote in the coming assembly elections, it does not matter but it should not be a fractured mandate. Armed with official figures, he very forcefully tried to make his point that on the development side, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take