Introduction to KashmirForum.org Blog

I launched the website and the Blog after having spoken to government officials, political analysts and security experts specializing in South Asian affairs from three continents. The feedback was uniformly consistent. The bottom line is that when Kashmiris are suffering and the world has its own set of priorities, we need to find ways to help each other. We must be realistic, go beyond polemics and demagoguery, and propose innovative ideas that will bring peace, justice and prosperity in all of Jammu and Kashmir.

The author had two reasons to create this blog. First, it was to address the question that was being asked repeatedly, especially, by journalists and other observers in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, inquiring whether the Kashmiri society was concerned about social, cultural and environmental challenges in the valley given that only political upheaval and violence were reported or highlighted by media.

Second, the author has covered the entire spectrum of societal issues and challenges facing Kashmiri people over an 8-year period with the exception of politics given that politics gets all the exposure at the expense of REAL CHALLENGES that will likely result in irreversible degradation in the quality of life and the standard of living for future generations of Kashmiris to come.

The author stopped adding additional material to the Blog once it was felt that most, if not all, concerns, challenges and issues facing the Kashmiri society are cataloged in the Blog. There are over 1900 entries in the Blog and most commentaries include short biographical sketches of authors to bring readers close to the essence of Kashmir. Unfortunately, the 8-year assessment also indicates that neither Kashmiri civil society, nor intellectuals or political leadership have any inclination or enthusiasm in pursuing issues that do not coincide with their vested political agendas. What it means for the future of Kashmiri children and their children is unfathomable. But the evidence is all laid out.

This Blog is a reality check on Kashmir. It is a historical record of how Kashmir lost its way.

Vijay Sazawal, Ph.D.
www.kashmirforum.org

Friday, November 11, 2011

Death of Innocence

Jawad narrates a sad tale of the Pampore Tragedy where a child was killed by a local

(Mr. Jawad Hussain Reshi, 56, was born in Kralteng, Anantnag. He went to local government schools for his early education, and received his B.Sc. and LL.B (Hons) degrees from the University of Kashmir. He is a practicing lawyer at the J&K High Court in Srinagar. He is a political activist and may join a political party. He is also a freelance journalists writing on international topics from time to time.)


Killing Kaleem Sends Shivers Down The Spine

Everyone knows death is a real and a natural phenomenon but yet at times it is so horrifying that one regrets as to why one was born in the first place.
Murder of a teenage boy Kaleem at Pampore is one such incident. It has not only shocked his relatives, friends but even the strangers who had never met or seen him in life time were devastated to hear about his untimely death. It had even more devastating effect on everyone’s heart and mind just because the way he was killed by him own friends in a cold blooded way that too in a broad day light and only a little away from his home town.

It shocked his parents and his two sisters most. But the kind of solidarity and sympathy shown by people must have given them a bit of relief at this hour of an unprecedented grief and crisis. He was only at the very threshold of his life and had not seen much of it as yet. He deserved a better deal apart from being around when it would be his turn to come forward and take care and charge of his parents. A budding youth who had in him a promise of becoming a hero of a sort for his family. No one had any right to cut short his life and shatter his dreams or that of his parents

We cannot say that this is the first incident of its kind because in last twenty years we have witnessed a large scale destruction and killings which Kashmiris were not used to or had ever witnessed or tasted before. But this particular death has raised innumerable questions which need to be answered by all of us. Apart from widespread condemnation of this heinous act we need a deeper retrospection to find out as to what has gone wrong with us. Why is it that we have become so wild, callous and stone hearted that we can kill each other even without any reason or guilt particularly as innocent and kind hearted kid as Kaleem was reported to be. One does not wonder what kind of harm he would not have meant nor done harm to any one whatsoever in his short life of 19 years. We as a society shall have to deliberate this issue and do whatever we can do to set right the social order and pattern of lives we want to leave for our next generation to breathe and live in. All our political leaders, social activists and religious leaders need to come together and make a joint effort to retrieve the values and principles our predecessors had left behind for us keep and follow.

There are different versions doing round right now regarding this incident but the real truth has yet to come to the surface and may take a little longer than expected. However a duty is however cast on the investigating agencies to investigate the matter in a fairest way and manner so that the real story is revealed and those guilty of this heinous crime are brought to the book and punished in accordance with law as soon as possible so that some of the wounds of the bereaved family are healed at the earliest.

1 comment:

omar said...

May kaleem's soul rest in peace. It is shocking to see how one person can kill another in such a ruthless and cold blooded manner! The humane factor in humans seems to be fading by the day!