Peace Watch » Archive
Shimla Agreement and Kashmir
Z.G. MUHAMMAD On 2nd July 1972, Bhutto announced that his delegation would be departing following morning. ‘Surprisingly, during Bhutto’s farewell call on Mrs. Gandhi a breakthrough was made following some deletions and amendments to the final draft.’ Of the amendments made, the most relevant to J&K were inclusion of word “no prejudice clause’ in paragraph 4 (ii) and it read, “ In Jammu and Kashmir, the line of control resulting from the ceasefire of December 17, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
National Conference Demands Plebiscite?
Inconsistency’ we paid for and we continue to pay for it even now PUNCHLINE Z.G. MUHAMMAD Thank you Sheikh Nazir Ahmed. Thanks for your January 7, 2013 address to the National Conference workers refreshing their memory and reminding them of November 18, 1947, when outside the Palladium cinema hundreds of them had gathered to greet first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru. The Palladium cinema then functioned as emergency office of the National Conference – where summary trials of political adversaries were carried out with impunity – I may not recount enactment of those chilling dramas. It was nice of you to remind your workers about the pledge made to the people of the state by Pandit Ji– as the NC workers in Kashmir popularly called him. Standing on a table with Sheikh … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
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
Kashmir: Moot Point For Leaders
Just A Moot Point Had leadership analyzed the failures, it would have been a different story Z.G. MUHAMMAD “Those who write contemporary history know that the reader is not a passive vessel to receive the text placed before him or her. The reader is also a citizen, a critical citizen, with individual political and idealogical preferences.” These lines from the prologue of Ramachandra Guha’s recently published book ‘India after Gandhi’, as student of contemporary history set me thinking about the challenges the present-day writers of Kashmir are confronted with while writing about current political happenings or the political events of the recent past. There can be no denying, ‘the closer one gets to the present, the more judgmental one tends to become” but this should not cause ire in political leaders or key players … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
Confusing Kashmir-
“Confusion” as statecraft Z.G. MUHAMMAD It is none of my concerns. It should not be. Who visits which country and meets whom? It would be intruding into personal affairs of a leader – tall or dwarf, “theorist or disciple”- if I question his visit to any country-, Pakistan included. It is not my cup of tea to snoop or tab a leader’s visit but for it affecting me or my progeny as an individual, as a member of a society or a nation. If it is not aimed at weaving cobwebs around well defined people’s narrative’, and creating confusion for some short-term personal gains. History testifies “confusion” has been used as a ‘diplomatic’ weapon to procrastinate resolution of the Kashmir dispute. Sometime back, in this newspaper I quoted in detail from Prem Bhatia’s … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
Be Your Epitaph- A Phrase for Kashmir Leaders
Be Your Epitaph Z.G. MUHAMMAD Students of literature know it well, many important poets, novelists, essayists and writers before their death wrote their own epitaphs. Some of them have “summed up their whole life in a few sentences and revealed a lot about their Personality.” Epitaph of John Keats reads: Here is a man whose name was writ on water’. Robert Frosts’ epitaph reads: Had a lover’s quarrel with the world.” Some years back on a sojourn with my son to Stratford- Upon- Avon, I visited the Holy Trinity Churchyard to pay homage to the greatest bard of the West- Shakespeare. The epitaph on his gravestone reads: “Good friend for “Jesus sake forbear, To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones.” There was a … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take
Dr. Ahad’s New Book- A Good Read
Dr. Ahad’s book is an important read for students of history Z.G. MUHAMMAD It takes courage to tell the truth. In our situation, where “leaders” believe that they are the Zeus’ in their own right and their hanger-on’s make them believe that they are infallible demigods, “intellectual go-betweens” and “manufactured-elites” are engaged in strengthening the ‘dominant discourse” telling truth is like walking over double edged sword. Dr. Abdul Ahad, with his new book “Kashmir: Triumph and Tragedies” … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take