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

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Where Were those 1400 Parents Until May 2012?


Nothing provides a clearer glimpse of the Kashmiri mind than the way infant deaths in Kashmir hospitals were routinely covered up by both hospital authorities and by parents and relatives

Infant dies at G B Pant hospital, Family Stages Protest

Srinagar: One more infant died at the G B Pant hospital here, leading to protests by grieved family members who blocked the Srinagar-Jammu national highway for an hour. Dozens of people took to the road outside the Valley's only children's hospital at high-security Sonawar area, blocking the highway in protest against the death and shouting slogans against the hospital administration, officials said.

Traffic was briefly suspended for some time, but was restored after the protesting mob dispersed after intervention by police, officials said.

Over 1,400 children deaths have been reported in the hospital since January last year. In May, authorities had removed Medical Superintendent of the hospital Javed Choudhary over the deaths, besides ordering a probe into the matter.
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