Peace Watch » Archive
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
Return of Natives And J&K Constitution
Z.G. MUHAMMAD Sometimes even a single column news item on the back page contains far bigger a message than the screaming front page headlines and calls for a wider and serious debate. Some days back, a hundred and fifty word statement by an advocacy group welcoming initiatives of the government for return of Kashmiri Pandits talked about five major displacements that took place in Jammu and Kashmir after the birth of India and Pakistan as independent dominions. It has also called for ‘major initiatives for honourable return of all those displaced in 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1989. Since 1990, only displacement in ‘dominant’ and ‘populist’ discourse has been that of the Kashmir Pandits. It has been categorized as ‘internal displacement’ as overwhelming majority of this community shifted to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
Resettlement Of Migrants and J &K Constitution
Displacements and Settlements Z.G. MUHAMMAD Sometimes even a single column news item on the back page contains far bigger a message than the screaming front page headlines and calls for a wider and serious debate. Some days back, a hundred and fifty word statement by an advocacy group welcoming initiatives of the government for return of Kashmiri Pandits talked about five major displacements that took place in Jammu and Kashmir after the birth of India and Pakistan as independent dominions. It has also called for ‘major initiatives for honourable return of all those displaced in 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1989. Since 1990, only displacement in ‘dominant’ and ‘populist’ discourse has been that of the Kashmir Pandits. It has been categorized as ‘internal displacement’ as overwhelming majority of this community … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
Dissent is Where A Nation Talks To Itself- Deny Dissent in Kashmir
Space for Voices Of Dissent Denying dissent is abusing the much cherished democracy Z. G. MUHAMMAD Minus some flutter in the “ruling elites”, an eerie silence descended on Kashmir after the change of guard in New Delhi. Suspense over future policies of the new government about the State reigned supreme in the public mind. Amidst this uncertainty, faces of some politicians yearning for power brightened after they had bagged “thirteen percent votes in the Parliament election- four percent more than the rival party. Their sparkling eyes automatically refocused on six storied monolith- symbol of power politics in the state. Faces of some ‘cleaned bowled politicians’, in wing chair drooped like weeping willows. In their struggle for retaining power, this class of politicians rushed with populist decisions. That they had slipped … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
Silence of Iran on Kashmir?
Z.G. Muhammad During summers, for diplomats of various countries stationed in New Delhi Kashmir has been an important destination. Of all the countries, diplomats of European Union and USA have been routinely visiting the state to assess the situation in this highly strategically located State. It had gained added significance during the cold war. The United States has been at the centre of the Kashmir narrative, since it co-sponsored the UN resolution on Kashmir in 1948. It has made its presence felt at all critical junctures in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. The number of visits of the US and European Union envoys to Kashmir multiplied during early nineties when the movement for right for right to self-determination assumed an armed dimension. Compared to them … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
sino-US confronation and Kashmir Dispute
China, America and Kashmir Don’t get caught up in the complexity of the ‘new cold war’ PUNCHLINE Z.G. MUHAMMAD Smaller Default Larger Is South Asia heading for a major war? This question has been making rounds in academic, diplomatic and political circle in Washington, Beijing and other important capitals of Asian countries. To quote New York Times, political commentator Roger Cohen, “This is the core question of the 21st Century.” ‘The collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991 had thrown into sharp relief the pre-eminence of the USA in the global hierarchy of power’ but the rise of China as a major economy is largely seen as a threat to this position more particularly in Asia. The war of supremacy between the two Titans is not now confined to most volatile South-Asian region … Read entire article »
Filed under: Kashmir-Talk