A Travel------an unforgettable nightmare

MUDASIR MAJEED PEER

Absence makes the heart grow fonder……The proverb possesses jam-packed credit for inviting the home-reminiscence to my mind. It has been a protracted spell of study away from home. The memories of home dominating the mind to the deep. Heart feeling the dearth of home-pleasures. Eyes craving for stealing glance at kiths and kens. Undubiously a home is the real paradise for every person as I can feel, having myself caught is this hell which again and again reminds me of my home.

The thoughts of going home not ready to budge even an inch from my mind. Trying so hard to thrust my mind to focus on some other issue exclusive home. But of no avail every attempt turning out in vain. Elapsing time with much difficulty. The wait same as the wait of oyster in her travails. Waiting for the day in an impatient way to come so that i can go home.

Thankfully and eventually my study session is on the home stretch. Now it’s the time to go home. The thought of home-going blowing away the cobwebs. The wretched lump of dejection now seems to be fading away from mind. Ahhhh…..it’s the time to move home.

Finally I ended up the exams. At the evening of same day I got buzz from a friend that some more natives of the same place from where I hail want to accompany me. The thought of winning the company of some more pals added more bliss to heart. At night I started packing. Filling my haversack to the top with the stuff I had bought for home. The idea of going home rubbed off my sleep. The night finally bade goodbye. At the dawn I took a bath and gussied up myself.

My friends had assembled at the said location and in a few minutes I also joined them. We were about to hit the road. We took up a taxi and left for railway station. The rail was to leave at 12.00pm. We were yet to purchase our tickets. After reaching station we purchased tickets. “Oh! Its general class ticket” said a friend. Traveling for the first time in general class was a ghost experience but the idea of home going underplayed this all we finally stepped into the rail. “Its 12.40pm now 40-minute up the said time the train is yet to take off, yelled a friend”. In a few minutes a screech pierced our ears. Thank God finally the rail took off.

Catching a seat in the general class is nearly equal to signing a contract for a Bollywood movie. The general classes of our rails depict the complete scene of political congregations. Men and women sitting neck-to-neck each other leaving no space for gender respect. A seat which can hold a maximum of 4-passengers has to hold double of that. A person traveling in a general class has to assume the shape of a statue till he reaches the destination. The boxes of general class more or less present the picture of that wagon which is satiated with lambs intended for slaughter. Men having held their children tightly on shoulders creating a scene of double story building but without a bisecting floor.

The biggest tragedy in traveling in general class is getting a space for toilet. It is very awkward to walk through a congested assembly up to the toilet. Some most of people think it wise to not piss or defecate in the toilets of general class only for one reason that is to escape the embarrassment.

The shocks were striking me again and again. I could well understand why the people traveling in general class are prone to diseases. While the travel my sight was caught by a peculiar fact which I was unaware of. I saw most of people chewing pan, some old women sucking BERI, some holding cigars and reeking smoke profusely. Amidst this environmental disaster I saw an old man who had blown off more pan than he could chew, moving his mouth full of viscous liquid prepared from pan and saliva, I was watching him so keenly. All of sudden he spitted this viscous liquid forcefully on the wall of box, due to the speedy movement of air inside the box, some of this liquid slapped my face and I lost the control over myself and burst into anger then offered him some curses also. The air inside the box was giving off a pungent smell.

About half of distance we had traveled and night reached. Now i started feeling more uncomfortable, dying with the fear of night travel in such a contaminated coach which I never had seen even in dreams. When it was complete dark people started resting themselves flat on births to take a nap. This seen turned out to be even more shocking. It was difficult to guess whose wife or whose sister or whose mother is sleeping with whom. Meanwhile this blatant outrage I saw a women with almost 70% bare body sleeping and her cute baby screaming and trying to get hold of her sari. What could have been more tragic than this pitiful scene “a nascent life at risk but mother absorbed in slumber”. At the same I got encountered with another SAAS (mother-in-law)-dominating Bahu (daughter-in-law) story. The mother-in-law having her belly jutted out like a pregnant sow, laying her legs flat over her Bahu’s legs warning her to not disturb her while sleep. This Saas-dominance reminded me of HINDI soap operas.

Coming across this tragic panorama I forgot my sleep. The heat inside the rail-box was intense as I was baking in kiln. My body was exuding sweat profusely. I was searching for a relaxing breeze. But where to get that. It was just begging the Satin to preach the justice.

And finally the night faded away…….ahhhhhhhhhhh! I could c a silver lining, I could feel the breeze throughout and ultimately I could see the sun-rise.ohhhh! Thank God; it’s my station. My steps are now down on my homeland. This is my land…my paradise……my world…..my bliss…….and my identity.

(The story is factitious)

Mother stood by him all the way
Mudasir Majeed Peer
Dr. Shah Faisal a name which resonates in every ear these days, has also brought immense pride to the people of Kashmir. Dr. Shah Faisal is a Kashmiri who hails from the Lolab area of Kupwara district. He emerged as the first Kashmiri who topped India’s toughest UPSC exams and set the path for thousands of youngsters.
Hailing from humble beginnings, Dr. Shah Faisal lost his father late G. H. Rasool Shah, a government teacher at a crucial time in his life. He was better known for calm temperament, superlative vision and unparalleled oration. Faisal’s father was his idol, teacher and mentor. Unfortunately, he had an untimely and a tragic death.
It was the year 2002 when Shah Faisal had to appear in the combined entrance test (CET) as he had a word with his father that he would surely win a seat for MBBS. Prior to year 2002 he had qualified for BDS but his father wanted him to qualify MBBS so he left BDS and started extensive preparations for qualifying MBBS. On the day he had to appear in CET he got to know that his father has been killed.
A complete state of frustration and bewilderment he had to go through. He was left with only two options; either to give up everything, the dreams of his father and to embrace failure or to behave like a stone to overcome the tragic upset. The credit must go to his divine mother who stood like a bed rock. Perhaps no mother can do what she did. On one side was lying the gory corpse of her husband and on the other side she says to her children “do not cry do not cry”.
Her husband’s poignant memories haunting her mind, lacerating her heart so deeply but her unprecedented courage praiseworthy and unmatched. After this tragic incident, she held the fort of family. She always encouraged her children to not give up. She always supported their ideas and plans without a second thought, provided them a special environment which was favorable to their plans. Her support without a second thought to the ideas and plans of her children was only because she knew well that her children had a good guidance of father that is why she never contradicted.
Dr. Shah Faisal achieved this milestone and brought pride to entire Kashmir. Being the victim of conflict he proved that despite the adversities in life a person can do marvels provided he or she is committed towards the goal. He has broken the myth that we Kashmiris lack the exposure or we are getting discriminated or we do not have the talent. Being the student of a government school up to high school level and grown up in a rural area, he proved that success doesn’t see the rural or urban area, government school or private, what it sees is the commitment and dedication towards the goal. Whatever the circumstances be whether good or bad, a person can pursuit his or her goal provided he or she has a good willing and perseverance towards the objective.
Some days back in the month of May I had the opportunity to visit with Dr. Shah Faisal to the district he hails from….. District Kupwara, where he had a warm welcome. He addressed large gatherings. In Government Boys Higher Secondary School Kupwara, he insisted students to make good use of time instead of wasting it in futile activities.
He laid the impetus mostly on vocabulary enhancement. He admitted that vocabulary is the prime remedy to challenge every competition. He advised them to make newspaper-reading a daily habit so that their vocabulary can get enhanced. While his address he revealed a gripping fact. He disclosed that during his secondary education he had a friend whose vocabulary was quite considerable. “I fell in a deep thought that why can’t I build my vocabulary. I bought Long Mann’s English dictionary and sat in a room for complete three months. Due my dedication courage and commitment I crammed every word of dictionary within three month’s spell” Dr. Shah Faisal admitted.
This is called the spirit and passion for achievable goal. Cramming dictionary in a three month’s spell, topping MBBS exam and cracking and topping the most prestigious and toughest UPSC exam that also in first attempt speaks the pitch of knowledge dedication and commitment of Dr. Shah Faisal towards objective.
We, Kashmiris have always been fearful in facing the competitive exams. But now it is the time to come out of fear and do something marvelous. We should take lessons from 28-year old Shah Faisal, who is the best inspiration for every Kashmiri. We should not let our mind work within the purviews of closed room. We should refurbish our mind setup. Our aim should always be to read beyond the syllabi. We should always look for the diversified information instead of specialized information so that our Kashmir can produce quasi Faisals.
(The author is doing graduation in mass communication and multimedia production in Govt Degree College Baramulla and also is cousin of Dr. Shah Faisal. He can be reached at pir.mudasir@gmail.com)

Quest for justice leads nowhere

Not a penny paid even after CM's assurance Mudasir Majeed Pir In January 2002, after a three-day operation by the Indian Army, 25 families in Fakirpora-Drugmulla, Kupwara, had to seek alternative housing. The families were hastily told to vacate their homes due to security reasons, and three days later they found their land inaccessible due to army presence. To this day, compensation has only been sought, not granted. The land that is still under Army belongs to the villagers of Fakirpora, Chanpora, Gund and Matipora. “The army not only took our land (some 62 kanals), but also snatched our only source of livelihood for a helipad and a transit camp for convoys,” says a local. The residents have not just lost around 62 kanals (eight acres) of land, but also their only source of livelihood. It was January 2002 when forces from Fakirpora cantonment approached the villagers and told them why they wanted the land. The villagers agreed to negotiate, and set a reasonable price. Ten days later, the villagers say, the army cordoned off the area and announced that anyone seen stepping out of their homes would be shot at. People didn’t dare venture out for three days and nights, they recalled. Mohammed Subhan Lone, a villager who has lost about an acre and a half of his land to the army, recalled, “When we emerged from our homes, the army had fenced the land, leveled it and occupied. We couldn’t even recognize our plots. When we protested, we were beaten up by the police. Even our women were not spared.” The locals used to cultivate paddy before the army forced themselves upon their land. They lost their only source of livelihood. The police stayed stoic and refused to file a report, the villagers said. Even the district administration chose to ignore their pleas. Lone added, “All this was done under the watchful eye of the then deputy commissioner of Kupwara. Even now, our demands are being ignored.” Back then, Lone and 24 others went to the chief minister’s office to complain. Despite his assurances regarding compensation, nothing happened. Now, the villagers are demanding compensation as per the present market rates along with a rent that spans over seven years. Initially, in 2002, it was decided that the cost for leasing the land would be Rs 200 per kanal, annually. Currently, the amount has shot up to Rs 3,200. No justice in sight Kashmir Dispatch asked MLA (Kupwara) Mir Saifullha why he wasn’t raising questions about this case in the Legislative Assembly. Saifullha replied, “I have tried to address this problem but there has been no action from the government. It’s about time the government does something for them.” Last July, a group of victims, headed by M. Subhan Lone visited CM Omer Abdullah’s residence to ask for compensation. Again, they were given assurances that their demands would be met soon. Again, they were let down. Eight months have passed since that meeting but compensation is nowhere in sight. “One day, the officials tell us our documents have been received by the Central government and a decision will be taken soon. The next time, we are told that our documents have gone missing,” lamented Lone. The villagers then filed a law suit in the High Court, asking for a stay on the construction activities. Soon, they ran out of funds and had to let go of their only shot at justice. As per the current rates, the land in question costs about Rs 10 lakh per kanal. “The government is trying to purchase the land at the price of Rs one or two lakhs per kanal as per our inside information. We are not going to accept it at any cost.” The Army PRO (Kupwara) is currently on leave and was unable to comment. But Army PRO (Srinagar) Colonel Brar, when asked about this case, said he had no knowledge of it. When Kashmir Dispatch spoke to Deputy Commissioner (Kupwara) Showket Ahmad Mir, he said that he had no information about this matter and passed the buck on to assistant collector (land). Quest for justice leads nowhere Not a penny paid even after CM's assurance Mudasir Majeed Pir In January 2002, after a three-day operation by the Indian Army, 25 families in Fakirpora-Drugmulla, Kupwara, had to seek alternative housing. The families were hastily told to vacate their homes due to security reasons, and three days later they found their land inaccessible due to army presence. To this day, compensation has only been sought, not granted. The land that is still under Army belongs to the villagers of Fakirpora, Chanpora, Gund and Matipora. “The army not only took our land (some 62 kanals), but also snatched our only source of livelihood for a helipad and a transit camp for convoys,” says a local. The residents have not just lost around 62 kanals (eight acres) of land, but also their only source of livelihood. It was January 2002 when forces from Fakirpora cantonment approached the villagers and told them why they wanted the land. The villagers agreed to negotiate, and set a reasonable price. Ten days later, the villagers say, the army cordoned off the area and announced that anyone seen stepping out of their homes would be shot at. People didn’t dare venture out for three days and nights, they recalled. Mohammed Subhan Lone, a villager who has lost about an acre and a half of his land to the army, recalled, “When we emerged from our homes, the army had fenced the land, leveled it and occupied. We couldn’t even recognize our plots. When we protested, we were beaten up by the police. Even our women were not spared.” The locals used to cultivate paddy before the army forced themselves upon their land. They lost their only source of livelihood. The police stayed stoic and refused to file a report, the villagers said. Even the district administration chose to ignore their pleas. Lone added, “All this was done under the watchful eye of the then deputy commissioner of Kupwara. Even now, our demands are being ignored.” Back then, Lone and 24 others went to the chief minister’s office to complain. Despite his assurances regarding compensation, nothing happened. Now, the villagers are demanding compensation as per the present market rates along with a rent that spans over seven years. Initially, in 2002, it was decided that the cost for leasing the land would be Rs 200 per kanal, annually. Currently, the amount has shot up to Rs 3,200. No justice in sight Kashmir Dispatch asked MLA (Kupwara) Mir Saifullha why he wasn’t raising questions about this case in the Legislative Assembly. Saifullha replied, “I have tried to address this problem but there has been no action from the government. It’s about time the government does something for them.” Last July, a group of victims, headed by M. Subhan Lone visited CM Omer Abdullah’s residence to ask for compensation. Again, they were given assurances that their demands would be met soon. Again, they were let down. Eight months have passed since that meeting but compensation is nowhere in sight. “One day, the officials tell us our documents have been received by the Central government and a decision will be taken soon. The next time, we are told that our documents have gone missing,” lamented Lone. The villagers then filed a law suit in the High Court, asking for a stay on the construction activities. Soon, they ran out of funds and had to let go of their only shot at justice. As per the current rates, the land in question costs about Rs 10 lakh per kanal. “The government is trying to purchase the land at the price of Rs one or two lakhs per kanal as per our inside information. We are not going to accept it at any cost.” The Army PRO (Kupwara) is currently on leave and was unable to comment. But Army PRO (Srinagar) Colonel Brar, when asked about this case, said he had no knowledge of it. When Kashmir Dispatch spoke to Deputy Commissioner (Kupwara) Showket Ahmad Mir, he said that he had no information about this matter and passed the buck on to assistant collector (land).

Watch your words

Mudasir Majeed Peer This is in reference to recent inciting remarks made by the BJP state party president Ashoka Khujuria in which he demanded the immediate removal of VC Kashmir University Mr. Riyaz Punjabi for allowing the veteran Hurriyat separatist leader Mr. S A Geelani into KU campus and rendering him the opportunity to address the students there. One can mock on Mr. Khujuria’s pungent remarks. Mr. Khujuria remains tight-lipped when VHP, RSS and Bajrang Dal leaders visit the Jammu University campus and use the university campus for the promotion and propagation of their party ideologies. Geelani Sahib’s purpose to visit the campus wasn’t to propagate any ideology or any political thought but to meet the students and made them aware about their responsibilities toward their nation and society. Mr. Khujuria gets infuriated as he and his party deems him a threat. I must remind Mr. Khujuria that Geelani Sahib is not associated with any terrorist outfit and his address to the student was to make them aware about their rights and religion obligations. He wasn’t on the mission to annihilate any community and he wasn’t there to incite the communal frenzy. He is a true follower of his religion and true believer in the principles of Islam. His address to the students was to make them visualise their goals. He wasn’t there to spoil the academic environment of university. Mr. Khujuria, Geelani Sahib is a noble soul and possesses a crystal clear vision. And more importantly he is the believer of non-violence. He is not like the BJP, VHP or Bajrang Dal leaders who are always hell-bent on spreading and escalating communal violence and always giving rise to communal flames and disrupting the national peace. I suggest Mr. Khujuria not repeat such vicious, worthless and condemnable remarks again and not to target through these venomous remarks a person who is heading the state highest state of learning. Mr Riyaz Punjabi has devoted his life for the upliftment and betterment of education and has refurbished the whole academic infrastructure of university. Feedback at pir.mudasir@gmail.com

Land grab at Drugmulla’s defunct marble factory

Mudasir Majeed Pir The ban changed our lives and they’ve only gone downhill since. Our children had to suffer too. We don’t have money to educate them. These days, Drugmulla’s marble factory resembles nothing more than a ruin. Over an inch of dust coats the machines that ceased to function in the late 80s. The floor is covered with the bird feces. There are no windowpanes. Instead, the windows are slammed shut with pieces of wood. Slabs of marble lined up against the dirty walls tell a story of what once was a lucrative business and means of livelihood for a region that boasts of no industry. The factory was forced to shut shop by the government due to rising militancy in Kupwara district in 1989. Over two decades after the unit was forced to close, the locals are still reeling under its impact. Still waiting for the day the factory will be restart. The sudden closure not only affected the lives of the locals who were employed there but also those in the vicinity who eked a living out of stone extraction. Later, the state banned stone quarries, providing no alternate forms of employment to those whose livelihood they snatched. The factory, as some locals recalled, was functional for only the first six years. After 1985, there were some faults with the machines and finally in 1989, because of growing militancy in the border district, the government decided to shut it. Since the factory was the only source of livelihood for those living in its vicinity, they suffered immensely. Currently, it remains under the purview of Jammu and Kashmir’s Minerals Department. Most locals and factory employees blame high ranking officials of the state’s Minerals Department for their inability to resurrect the defunct factory now that things have returned to normal. “It’s not just the state, even the Minerals Department doesn’t want to restart the factory,” said Mohammed Sultan, an employee. Future tense: The impact of closure The imposition of the ban on stone quarries had an adverse impact on the lives of the villagers who now lead a hand-to-mouth existence. They even had to compromise on the education of their children, as it was unaffordable. Around 40 to 50 families who reside around the factory bore the brunt and not even a single person is a graduate amongst the affected families. This speaks the volumes about the damage caused by poverty, generation after generation. “The ban changed our lives and they’ve only gone downhill since. Our children had to suffer too. We don’t have money to educate them,” said Wali Mohammed, a villager. The underground marble repository spans over 100 kanals of land. Unfortunately, some locals have encroached almost 80 per cent of this land. When Kashmir Dispatch talked to an employee from the factory about this, he said, “People here are very stubborn. They do not think that it is the government’s land. They fight with us and abuse us. We are unarmed and have no way to defend ourselves, so how can we save the land?” When Kashmir Dispatch contacted DC Kupwara Showket Mir and asked him about the defunct factory, he replied, “The work in the factory was stopped due the militancy problem in 90s and since then it was not put to use. Now, it is up to JK Minerals to reopen the factory and it is not in our hands.” On lease to entrepreneurs The government had imposed the ban on stone quarries, especially on land which comes under the jurisdiction of the Minerals Department. The ban made the lives of the people, whose mainstay was stone extraction, miserable. The property in question has now been leased to some powerful politically connected entrepreneurs by the state. This has infuriated the locals who feel like the land was their asset and they should be the ones to benefit. “We request the concerned authorities to either restart the factory or lift the ban from stone quarries so that we can earn our livelihood and our children will not have go in search of job to the far away places” said resident Ghulam Ahmad. Locals complained that some expensive machines from the factory have been stolen. But the administration has turned a blind eye to this too. “We used to work from dawn to dusk in the quarries and dug out stones to supply them to factory. We were paid for that but the closure of factory has left us idle,” complained Wali Mohammed, a villager. Despite these issues, officials from the Minerals Department have not paid a visit to this place. However, the managing director of the department went to the site a few days ago after several complaints were made at the state-level. When locals requested him to start factory again, he was very rude to them and told them to not interfere in these matters.

Move beyond rhetoric

The recent statement by CM on the issue of Human rights violations rekindles many hopes. Will the young Chief Minister wash away the wrongdoings of former reigns? Mudasir Majeed Pir This is in reference to the recent speech of Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, which he rendered with unprecedented valour while addressing a massive gathering in Mawar, Handwara. It seemed as Omar Sahib had worn the shroud while his address. He asserted in his speech that human rights violations are not acceptable to us at any cost. Defying the continues HR abuse by troopers, Omar Abdullah said whosoever found guilty would be punished. No one is going to escape illegally from the clutches of judiciary. Reacting to the killing of a 70-year old beggar Habibullah Khan of Kupwara, who was allegedly killed in a fake encounter in the forests of Rainawari by Indian army and was later dubbed as a foreign militant, he said that justice would be done to the deceased. One fails to understand these so called commitments by our leaders. When you know the power is being operated by somebody else then why do you talk of power? When you know you are bound to abide by the Indian constitution then why do you say that which disrespects the constitution. Our politicians are bereft of actual power. They do have the power but just nominal. They can not send any trooper behind the bars because it is not in their hands. Their powers fell idle before central government. The central government has provided license to forces to kill innocent Kashmiris one by one and this right of killing innocent Kashmiris by forces is backed by some black laws which include the draconian Armed Forces special Power Act (AFSPA) and Disturbed Area Act and proviso 549 of the criminal procedure code. These harsh Acts make Indian troops eligible for executing barbarism. If an innocent person is shot at sight deliberately by a trooper in Kashmir, no one cares of him and no one can muster the courage to sue the trooper because everyone is better known to the consequences. Similarly if the same case comes about in some other state of India then the concerned government has to be on toes till the culprit is booked. History stands testimony to the oppression used by Indian troopers in Kashmir. There have been innumerable tortures, assassinations, forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings by Indian army, CRPF, BSF even in few cases JK police were found involved. More than 70 thousand people have killed since 1989, has any government succeeded since 1989 to provide justice to any amongst the 70 thousand families? How many innocent Kashmiris are languishing in jails? Did anybody care about them? How many Kashmiris were killed by forces in fake encounters and later on dubbed them as militants associated with LET militant outfit or else. What for this all? The answer is only and only to quench their lust for power and just to take their ranks up. I was once in my life when SSP Hanas Raj Parihaar was booked on charges of his involvement in a fake encounter of Abdul Rehman Padder. And the credit must go to the then Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azaad, who remained adamant in bringing the culprit behind the bars. From last two years we have been witnessing rampant human rights violations-whether Shopian Rape and murder case or the recent killing of a 14-year kid Wamiq Farooq or the other killings -we have witnessed justice nowhere prevails. Justice once promised but never delivered. If Omar Abdullah is certainly of the view that justice should be done then it is the high time for him the get the killers of 70-year old Habibullah Khan punished. The police have done its job. It has identified the culprits. So the Chief Minister must go ahead. Let justice prevail. The unnecessary delay can lead only to denial of justice. The unbridled and unaccounted misuse of the AFSPA should be curbed so that the human rights violations can be brought down to naught. The AFSPA gives forces enough powers to gun down an innocent person in the name of National Security. It also guarantees them the right to arrest an innocent person on suspicion just for the sake of maintaining law and order and later on the arrest is followed by custodial killing. The unrestricted use of this dreadful law has always failed to maintain the law and order instead it has succeeded in augmenting the mayhem. It has only resulted in mounting human rights violations. I entreat worthy CM Omar Abdullah to put an end to human rights violations once and for all. I beg him on behalf of 70000 victims to make Kashmir free from this bloodshed. It is time to show the resolve and unflinching defiance to these black laws. They are not meant for maintaining law and order but for committing human rights violations. Every one is expecting you to wash away the wrong doings of former reigns. I wish Omar Sahib yours words will turn into deeds and bear fruits for the hapless people of Kashmir. Hope you act upon what you said. Hope that Kashmiri blood will not go waste now. And hope that you will bring conflict torn Kashmir back on the path of peace and prosperity. Author can be mailed at pir.mudasir@gmail.com