Peace Watch

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 »

“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 »

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 »

  PUNCHLINE QUIET AND TOSSUP POLITICS Z.G. MUHAMMAD     Quiet it is.   Britain has recognized that by lifting its travel advisory to the state after a gap of twenty years. Germany and Japan have already declared the state as a safe haven for its citizens. In coming days and months, this recognition is perhaps coming to the state from many more European countries – in all likelihood, Washington will also follow the suit- the louder terse and simple message that has gone to the world is:  Peace has returned to the state. Quiet, with both note of exclamation and interrogation suffixed to it has set into motion ‘discourses’ with difference. Hundred and odd tour operators and hoteliers have been rejoicing it. It might have impacted the state economy as well- how much I have no … Read entire article »