The most extensively used words these days are the “Climate Change”! The weather in most parts of the world has been behaving in a strange way. Some places are getting extremely hot while as in some places the weather is colder for this part of the year. In some of the Arab countries the temperatures have crossed sixty degrees Celsius while as in some parts of Europe it is getting cooler than usual. In our sub-continent in many places the temperature has crossed fifty degrees Celsius. There are many factors for this drastic climate change but the most talked about is emission of harmful gases from automobiles, power plants and other similar industries. Apart from the fact of an astronomical increase in the emissions, the other major contributing factor has been the fast vanishing green cover all over the world due to so called “Development”! The green cover had been absorbing these emissions especially Carbon Dioxide and purifying the air. Theabsorption of carbon Dioxide enriches the oxygen content in the air. It has been estimated that the conversion of a part of the Sahara desert in Africa can absorb millions of tons of carbon dioxide and purify the air. The Chinese have already gone ahead with converting some of their desert areas into green belts. While as these people so conscious abouttheir environment are trying to convert deserts into green belts, we, on the other handare converting our green belts into barren land which may ultimately turn into deserts!

We have virtually massacred our lush green forests in many places. According to forest policy of India 33% of the total area of every region in plains and 60% in the Himalayan region must be under forest but unfortunately the forest area in India is not more than 22%. Similarly forest area of Jammu and Kashmir is not more than 20% of the total area of the state. However, according to Satellite it is not more than 10% of total area of Jammu and Kashmir.Over 14,000 hectares of forest land has been encroached upon by the people in the J&K state as per 2010 survey. According to the record of forest department 9,496 hectares of forest land in the Jammu region and 4877 hectares in Kashmir valley had been encroached with total forest area of 20,230 km2. This area was largely distributed in the Kashmir valley and the Jammu region. Leh and Kargil are mostly devoid of forest vegetation. Of the total forest area in the state, 8128 km2 is in the Kashmir valley, and 12066 km2 in Jammu, and 36 km2 in Ladakh region.

In addition to intentional deforestation by timber smugglers, some government agencies and even people bordering the forests, the green belt has further been damaged by large scale conversion of agricultural land for construction of private houses, residential colonies, and some state government offices including one responsible for planned development of the state! There are no two opinions that agriculture is the primary economic activity in Kashmir. Almost 75% people are linked with agriculture in the valley. In fact, in earlier times Kashmir was self-sufficient in food and vegetables but not now. The bulk of our food grains and vegetables are imported from outside. In addition, residential as well as commercial buildings have been constructed on agricultural land. These days a number of shopping complexes, residential colonies and even government buildings are coming up on the once agricultural land. The government departments responsible for protecting the land use are totally silent or rather intentionally mum for certain considerations, both political and monetary. Under the revenue rules a piece of agricultural land had to remain unproductive for at least for 40 years before it could be declared unusable for agriculture and put to some other use. This rule seems to have disappeared from the revenue department rule book! In 2012, the State High Court had directed all Deputy Commissioners to strictly ensure the implementation of the Agricultural Act and the Land Revenue Act. The concerned Commissioners were directed to monitor implementation of these directions on the ground. Unfortunately nothing was done and the violations of both the acts continue unabated.
Incidentally, our ancestors left for us a land which was described by Mughal Emperors as the “Heaven on Earth”! They had said, “If there is a heaven on Earth, it is this, it is this and it is this!” If Kashmir has to survive as a “Paradise on Earth”, then the green belt has to be saved. The government alone cannot do it. One has to have a strong and universal movement involving all the citizens to save Kashmir’s green belt. The movement has to involve the entire society regardless of political beliefs or affiliations. If Kashmir’s environment goes, it is immaterial whatever political or physical set up it has in future. The unusual weather being experienced is giving us a warning. If we do not heed the warning and act now, we are doomed! We would be unfortunately leaving a hell for our future generations!

Mohammad Ashraf, I.A.S. (Retired), Former Director General Tourism, Jammu & Kashmir

Courtesy: Counter Current

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The founder of the Ziraat Times, Arjimand Hussain Talib in a recent post on the Facebook while highlighting the problems faced by the trade in Kashmir has observed, “Kashmir’s economy is dying silently, with far-reaching long term negative impacts.It is high time regional political parties, business groups and civil society initiate a coordinated and effective action. Strikes will only inflict self-harm. A collective response has to be politically sophisticated and result oriented too”. But the moot point is why is Kashmir economy dying? Because it has been slowly made to bleed to death! The bleeding started immediately after Kashmir’s first Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was unceremoniously removed and imprisoned in 1953 to enable Kashmir’s total merger and integration. The subsidy culture of fifties introduced by Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad was the first wound given to the local self-sufficient economy at least in food related items.

There are no two opinions that the agriculture has always been the real backbone of Kashmiris economy for centuries. Even at present the 80% of the population consists of cultivators. Unfortunately, over the years instead of progressing this sector has been rather dwindling and we are at a juncture when we depend on imports for most of our agriculture based products!While on one hand most of the agricultural products and the people engaged in producing these have been declining over a period of time, on the other the only thing which has grown geometrically are the government employees! A sizeable chunk of the State budget goes into the salaries of these employees. Unfortunately, over a period of time we have depleted slowly the dignity of manual labour and created a mind-set of white collar jobs among our youth. According to some estimates almost a million youth are educated but unemployed. Most are waiting for the white-collar government jobs even at the lowest level. This is the greatest disservice that has been done to our society by our rulers for last 70 years or so! This mentality has to change.

The other unproductive expenditure specially incurred by NRIs (Non-resident Kashmiris) is the construction boom in bungalows and villas. Over past few years a hundred thousand posh houses worth thousands of crores must have been constructed by our Non-resident fellow Kashmiris spread all over the world in the entire valley with Srinagar topping the list. This is totally dead investment. Those people hardly use these villas and houses. May be they use these at the most for a month or so when they visit Kashmir if it is peaceful. Almost eleven months in a year these are occupied by watchmen looking after these! The same money could have been invested in various local enterprises especially in agriculture based industries.

Tourism has been wrongly propagated as the backbone of the economy even though it forms not more than 7% of the GDP! Yes, if things were peaceful and Kashmir had year round direct international air access, Kashmir would have become another Switzerland. Again the massive investment in this sector has become dead investment due to uncertain and disturbed situation which does not appear to improve in the near future. Moreover, because of total dependence on imports regarding various inputs in the sector, Tourism does not have a multiplier effect in Kashmir. It is estimated that the multiplier effect in Indian conditions is about 3.5 which means a single rupee invested in Tourism is equivalent to 3.5 rupees invested in other sectors. But this does not hold in Kashmir as most of the inputs in this sector are imported from outside the state which makes tourism earnings to have a quick exit providing only seasonal jobs to the locals.

Another sheepish mentality is construction of shopping complexes everywhere. Instead of investing money in making goods which could be locally used and could lessen imports of these, people have virtually gone crazy in making shopping complexes to sell goods from all over the world. Totally consumer based economy without any attempt to produce these goods especially in the food chain locally.

Above everything else, the local economy faces another serious handicap and that is the most undependable highway which incidentally is the only exit for the valley, the main historical one through Jhelum Valley Road having been blocked since 1947. If the state economy is to stabilise and grow, two things are most essential. First is the return to agriculture based economy for which the Ziraat Times has taken an initiative and the other is a dependable access to the valley from the outside world.The State Governments of all the political parties are least interested in creating an independent economy. They have mostly been busy in improving their own and their family’s economic well-being at the cost of the common people. If the economy is to survive and progress then a private and enterprising initiative taken by Ziraat Times has to be encouraged and multiplied manifold. The civil society has to wake up and take an initiative in this regard. Let us hope and pray this happens soon. In the alternative, Kashmir’s economy is destined to bleed to death!

Mohammad Ashraf, I.A.S. (Retired), Former Director General Tourism, Jammu & Kashmir

Courtesy: Counter Current

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The tragedy of Kashmir right from the start of the struggle of its people for emancipation has been their political leaders behaving like the “Dream Merchants”. The people have been shown from the very start some beautiful dreams which would ensure their total emancipation from the miseries of centuries of outside rule. The leaders, even though with sincerity start themselves believing in those unrealizable dreams butwhen they fail to realise these, they suffer, what one can call a “Dialectical Illusion”!

The famous German philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote the “Critique of Pure Reason” in 1781 attempting to determine the limits and scope of metaphysics. He tries to dwell on the faculty of reason in respect of all knowledge after which one may strive independently of any experience thereby allowing one to reach a decision about the possibility and impossibility of various things. A “Dialectical Illusion” results when principles of understanding are attempted to be applied beyond the limits of understanding. In Kashmir, most of the so called mainstream politicians seem to be suffering from a dialectical illusion! They give us a thesis, then project its anti-thesis and then try to create a synthesis in which they go beyond the limits of their understanding and go into the dialectical illusion! The example is the recent joining of a brilliant young man the so called political “mainstream”!

If one goes by pure logic, there is a crystal clear underlying political problem in Kashmir. There is no illusion about it. It has been there for last 70 years or so. Right from 1947 our leaders have been taking us round and round. No one has given a clear cut goal and the path to reach it. The main reason being their getting confused by a dialectal illusion! It is a fact of history that Kashmiris have been suffering under foreign rule for last four centuries starting from the Mughal annexation of the valley by treachery. After four centuries of oppression and the worst kind of slavery there was an awaking. Kashmiris got a tall and forceful leader whom they expected to be a Messiah getting them freedom from centuries of slavery. The leader did lead them to almost the ultimate freedom but unfortunately he suffered from the dialectical illusion. Instead of the absolute freedom, he compromised for conditional freedom on the advice of another erstwhile Kashmiri. This mistake cost his people drearily and they are still paying for it in blood! As for the leader, he suffered another illusion and terming his 22 years struggle as waywardness he committed virtual political hara-kiri! He is the only dead person in Kashmir whose grave is guarded by the security forces!

After his first dethronement in 1953, Kashmir witnessed many political leaders but most were suffering from a deliberate illusion for their own selves and for their families. They did not jump into the Frey for the sake of the people. In fact, the first to betray him was his own lieutenant who had always stood by him. All the leaders who came after him suffered from the same illusion. They did not take a long term view of the situation but kept a narrow and a limited vision of immediate betterment of the people in material terms. They suffered the illusion that this will solve all the problems. The material well-being was the main consideration. The general masses too who had been living a life of pecuniary for ages were also swayed by this material bonanza and the higher ideals took a back seat. This also gave rise to nepotism as the people wielding the power tried to ameliorate their own dynasties. The ethical and moral values took a back seat!

During all these years some occasions came when there was direct confrontation between the ideals cherished by the masses for their ultimate goal and the vision sold to them by these “Dream Merchants”, political leaders of the so called mainstream. Even some of them supposedly honest in their dealings suffered the illusion of achieving the ultimate goal through the present political set ups. Ultimately, this escape from reality resulted in violent confrontation as the true and sincere ideals were not tolerated but brutally suppressed. This upheaval was given the name of militancy. The most violent episode claiming over a hundred thousand lives occurred in the nineties of the last century and was used fully by our neighbor to push their own view point. In a way the militant struggle initiated by locals for ultimate freedom was hijacked by them to further their own ideology.

The turmoil of the nineties gave birth to a new generation of Kashmiris. They are under no illusion, dialectical or the other. They are aiming for the final and the ultimate emancipation which they call, “Azadi”, the total freedom! They are not ready to compromise at any cost. Somehow, after facing persecution and harassment for decades, they have come to believe that armed struggle is the only way to achieve final and total emancipation. No one is able to convince them that a few hundred armed youth cannot displace the fully entrenched third largest army in the world! It is like giving mosquito bites to a huge elephant! The masses are following them even to the extent of trying to save them if they get trapped in a cordon of the security forces. The leaders preaching a peaceful struggle to achieve the final goal seem to have become irrelevant. The only solution offered by them is an endless call for shutdowns which harm locals economically than achieving any positive result!

Kashmir seems to have got stuck in what is called a “catch-22 situation”! Dictionary defines the phrase as “A catch-22 is a situation in which there is no good solution or resolution possible because of the way in which the factors of the solution relate to each other”. In order to come out of this situation, all our politicians have to come out of the “Dialectical Illusion” they are suffering from and face the facts as these are actually on the ground. The first reality is the existence of a basic political problem concerning the future of the state regardless of the fact that it may be a complicated one. The election fever is on and all the mainstream politicians are as usual creating the same “Dialectal Illusion” even though they very well know that nothing is going to happen unless the basic fact is recognised. Unfortunately, the common people keep on believing these “Dream Merchants” who have no aim except amelioration of their own selves and their families. Thus the illusion carries on and on and the people pay for the same with the blood of innocent youth! The only way out of the “Catch-22” situation is an all-inclusive unconditional dialogue among all the stakeholders.

Mohammad Ashraf, I.A.S. (Retired), Former Director General Tourism, Jammu & Kashmir

Courtesy: Counter Current
 

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Kashmiris are traditionally given to rumour mongering and then believing in rumours without any attempt to verify these! During recent years of turmoil the rumours have had a free flow in Kashmir. Many a times these result in very piquant situations. In earlier times many rumours used to emanate from Zaina Kadal, an important bridge on the River Jhelum in the heart of Srinagar. Khabar-i-Zaina Kadal, news from Zaina Kadal is a very well-known epithet about rumours circulating in the city. It said that some time back a scholar had come from abroad and he wanted to test the psychological attributes of Kashmiris before preaching his philosophy. He floated a rumour that “it has happened” at Zaina Kadal. The entire city rushed towards Zaina Kadal and waited for the scholar to disclose what had happened. When all had gathered, he announced in the evening “a spit had been thrown in the River”!

Kashmiris are by nature very inquisitive and always try to find out basis of any happening anywhere. This process gives rise to many rumours. Interestingly, the most popular jaunt for spread of all rumours and exchange of news is the baker’s shop in the morning. Kashmiris are fond of eating freshly baked bread in the morning with the traditional salt tea. The baker starts making the bread from very early in the morning sometimes right from six o’clock or so. The people have to wait for their turn to collect the bread. This is the time for exchange of news. The discussions at the bakers shop are very lively and interesting. If news or a rumour is to be circulated throughout the valley, the ideal place is the baker’s shop. The people listen to the stories given out at the shop and then on their return circulate it among relatives and friends through mobile phones and these days through social media!

Recently, the rumour mill had a full run. It was churning at full speed and a lot of panic was created everywhere. The main cause was the induction of 100 additional companies of the Central Reserve Police Force. This had followed the gruesome event of the suicide bombing of a CRPF convoy in which 50 soldiers had been killed. Simultaneously, a large number of arrests of members of the Islamic organisations and pro-freedom partiesincluding Yasin Malik, the head of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front were made. Border Security Force replaced CRPF in guarding vital installations. A large number of new bunkers were made at different vintage points including on bridges, crossings and so on.

Before the suicide attack, there was another topic which was giving full throttle to the rumour mill. That was the controversy about Article 35-A which gives special status to the State of J & K in the Indian Union. This special status granted to J & K under the Constitutionvide article 370 and 35-A has been under challenge in the Supreme Court of India through a Public Interest Litigation. The BJP had declared that they will abolish these articles in order to fully integrate the state of J & K into the Indian Union. The Court has been hearing the petition off and on. No final verdict has come so far. The induction of additional force w3as accompanied by directions for alerting Medical and Civil supplies Departments for clearing stocks of provisions and putting all hospitals on alert. People got so panicky that everyone was rushing to stock supplies. The State Governor denied that anything is being done to Article 35-A. According to him this can only be done with the concurrence of an elected assembly. Interestingly, the Dogras of Jammu forming part of BJP seem to be keener for abolishing the special status. It is an irony that the special status comprising the State Subject Law was enacted by the erstwhile Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh in 1927. He did not do it for Kashmiri Muslims! He loved all his state subjects and was scared that due to their poverty they will face the onslaught of the rich from the mainland and get displaced. It is not against anybody but a safeguard for the residents of J & K State from exploitation by outsiders. Even Dogras if they get fully assimilated in the mainland will surely lose their unique identity!

Well, the actual reason for this virtual “Red Alert” came to be known only on Tuesday, the 26^th February morning when announcement was made that the Indian Airforce had crossed the Line of Control to destroy some militant training camps! At the time of writing, one is waiting for the Pakistani response. Let us hope good sense prevails and there is no escalation which would be disastrous not only for the State and the Sub-Continent but entire South Asia and the rest of the world!

Mohammad Ashraf, I.A.S. (Retired) (Former Director General Tourism, Jammu & Kashmir)

Courtesy: Counter Currents
 

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(Recently a number of retired Generals of the Army including a former Army Chief have opined that Kashmir needs a political solution rather than a military one!)

In a recent interview, the former Chief of the Army Staff General Ved Prakash Malik said that Kashmir needs a political solution and bringing peace is not solely the task of the Indian Army. The former Army Chief said, “Conflict resolution has to be done at the political level. It’s not right to place the complete burden either on the Army or CRPF. If the Army is expected to resolve the Kashmir issue single-handedly, it cannot be done. A political solution is a final solution.”

General Hooda, the former Army commander had last year during the “Burhan Uprising” given a similar statement. Lt General D S Hooda, had said “it’s been over 40 days (of uprising) and everybody is suffering due to stone-pelting and clashes.”“Everybody is suffering. Government employees, traders, school children, teachers, mainstream leaders and even police and forces have suffered over the past more than a month of cycle of conflict,” Hooda said. “So my appeal to everyone, including the separatists, is (let’s) join hands to restore peace as a single party can’t do it alone.”

Earlier, General Panag had expressed his extreme displeasure about the use of a human shield by the Army. A day after the image and video of a shawl weaver Farooq Ahmad tied to an Army jeep as human shield had gone viral on social media sites, Lt. General (Retired) Harcharanjit Singh Panag, former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command gave vent to his feelings on the social networking site, Twitter. He had tweeted, “Image of a “stone pelter” tied in front of a jeep as a “human shield”, will 4 (for) ever haunt the Indian Army and the nation”. In another tweet, he said, “When the state starts looking like a mirror image of the terrorists, it spells ominous portents”.

Lt. Gen V.G. Patankar (Retd) former Corps Commander in an article advocates a “New covenant for Kashmir”. According to him, the way forward lies in beginning a new narrative and a fresh engagement with the people. “A new narrative will usher a balanced, even handed policy that not only brings normalcy in the physical sense but also give back to the people their sense of identity and dignity”. Even the present Corps Commander has stated that the Youth of Kashmir need to be engaged with a fresh initiative. These field commanders now realise that force and more suppression are not going to bring in peace.

Apart from these important personalities, some more senior Army officers have opined that Kashmir needs a political solution rather than a military one. The reason for this contradiction in the views of some senior Army Officers and the Delhi based politicians is the knowledge of the ground situation. The Army officers have been in the field and very well know the feelings of the people on the ground. While the ruling Politicians within the state and in New Delhi claim 95% to be “loyal” and only 5% disgruntled and alienated people, the Army Officers dealing directly with the people on the ground know that the reverse is true.

India was considered to be the largest “Secular Democracy” in the world. However, the new rulers are making every effort to completely erode the secularism as well as destroy the democratic set up. The Hindutva wave has created problems not only in Kashmir but all over India. One fails to understand why these people are dragging the country back to virtually Stone Age? The clock can never be turned back. It is very strange that human beings are being degraded to a status lower than animals! It is a misfortune for India that the progressive and secular people are not able to put up a united front against the communal and divisive forces at present enjoying total government patronage. In their fanatic and chauvinistic approach they do not understand that they are “Unmaking” India.
As suggested by these top ranking Army Officers, the solution to Kashmir is not through the barrel of a gun but through understanding and dialogue. The first and foremost thing is to respect the basic human rights. Even if people have serious grievances and have been oppressed, the solution does not lie in more suppression. Putting an iron curtain like blocking Social Media and suspending internet is not going to sweep the issue under the carpet. It will emerge with more vehemence. These steps are a total negation of the Digital India concept. The sooner the advice of these high ranking Army Officers is heeded, the better for all!

Mohammad Ashraf,  I.A.S. (Retired), Former Director General Tourism, Jammu & Kashmir

Courtesy: www.countercurrents.org
 

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