0913hrs:
If there had been electricity last night, I may have done an all-nighter, given that there is still so much administrative work pending, before I venture out for the 3rd phase of my 'Educational Walk' from Sehnsa to Sharda.
It wasn't to be and the plus side is that I have a reasonably good night's rest behind me.
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1258hrs:
Today is effectively Day 117 since I began My Educational Walk from Sehnsa to Sharda. I am still on my second break which started on Day 88 (29 days ago!) whereas the first break (Day 37 to Day 59) lasted 22 days.
For those of you keeping a close watch on matters in AJK, will notice another milestone being achieved in Rawalakot yesterday, as the public openly defied the recent presidential ordinance that was intended to restrict the public's freedom of assembly. The public now effectively have control over the territory of AJK yet it is also obvious that they do not know what to do with the power in their hands.
JKA PUBLIC AGENCY's role will now become clearer to the public in these circumstances.
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In light of these developments and the immediate issue of Zubair Bhatti, my educational walk has faced a delay but after tomorrow's intended public show of resistance in Kotli city, I will resume my walk from Kotli Adda towards Nikyaal.
....
1415hrs:
We will be using today's date to provide a documented timeline of content & communication generated with respect to the transparent efforts of Kotli's Zubair Bhatti to return to his ancestral homeland in moza (village) Gould, tehsil (subdivision) Mendhar, district Poonch in Indian-controlled Jammu & Kashmir. A journey which he has been mulling over and consulting with many of his co-citizens for the past 2 years. It was about 2 months ago that he gave his first public statement to the media in relation to his intended plan to return to the land of his ancestors, by crossing the LOC in broad daylight and by giving ample notice to all 'authorities' concerned.
Zubair Bhatti began this journey on his 60th birthday on Sunday the 10th of November 2024 from the district courts complex in Kotli, managed to walk up to Supply Bazaar by the evening of Wednesday the 13th of November 2024 before he was arrested by local police, taken to the city's police station where he was made to spend the night before being transferred to the district jail in the city on the morning of Thursday the 14th of November. He continues to languish in jail without any documentation of charges being provided to him, though verbally informed that his actions could create a fresh conflict between India & Pakistan, bringing the local population along the LOC (coinciding with his route) in mortal danger. Hence, a draconian British colonial law under some digit of MPO (Maintenance of Public Order) has been verbally conveyed to him.
I will adopt a reverse chronological procedure to document all important aspects of this issue (with the latest developments showing first while those who are further interested in this matter will be able to scroll down to obtain deeper context):
We begin with public statements on this issue provided by notable people throughout our territory (AJK) and beyond:
Wed 20/11/2024:
The following is what we can describe as both a public and legal note by the foremost jurist on the UN template on JKA, namely Dr Nazir Gilani on Zubair Bhatti's case. It begins in Urdu but ends with some notes in English:
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(The following text is the English part of his note):
1) Arresting Zubair Bhatti for attempting to exercise his legitimate right to return to his ancestral home violates these fundamental rights.
2) The preventive detention under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) is arbitrary and not proportionate to the individual's peaceful intent.
3) His family migrated from Mendhar during 1947 conflict, making the area his ancestral home.
4) His actions are motivated by a desire to reconnect with his roots, not to disturb public order
5) The case has Humanitarian element. Walking to Mendhar is a symbolic act of tracing his history and there is no evidence to suggest any malicious intent.
6) Peaceful walk does not constitute a threat to public safety or order
7) Detention under the MPO requires the government to prove that the individual posed a risk to public order. In this case his intent and actions were harmless
Under constitutional jurisprudence, any preventive action must be proportionate to the perceived threat. Arresting someone for walking to their ancestral home fails this test.
Government of Azad Kashmir should make an urgent reference to UNMOGIP and to the UN.
I am in Rawalpindi and my services and advice are available to the parties.
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Quayyum Raja paid a visit to Zubair Bhatti in jail today and subsequently wrote an Urdu note on Facebook:
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Mon 18/11/2024:
The following is a video statement in English by Quayyum Raja of Khuiratta, a formidable freedom fighter with decades of experience who also runs the Centre for Jammu Kashmir Public Diplomacy:
The video above is also available at this hyperlink
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Earlier in the day we obtained a video statement (in Urdu) from Raja Haq Nawaz who happens to be the stand-in chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF):
The video above is also available at this hyperlink
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Even earlier in the day, we met Zubair Bhatti for the second time in jail. This is the live video (in Urdu) taken outside jail after visiting him along with his wife and son:
The video above is also available at this hyperlink
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Sun 17/11/2024:
The following is a video short with English text kindly put together by Claire Bidwell who energetically runs the campaign 'Let Kashmir Decide':
The video above is also available at this hyperlink
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Fri 15/11/2024:
Saddaqat Mughal Kashmiri of Athmaqam in Neelam Valley who heads his own faction of the JKLF (Nazriyati) has released a warning to the AJK authorities to release Zubair Bhatti or else he will give a wholesale call to the public of AJK to march towards the LOC:
The video above is also available at this hyperlink
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This is a public statement (in Urdu) given outside district jail Kotli, after meeting Zubair Bhatti for the first time since his incarceration, along with his wife:
The video above is also available at this hyperlink
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Thu 14/11/2024:
This is a public statement in English I gave outside district jail Kotli on the afternoon after his arrest and subsequent incarceration:
The video above is also available at this hyperlink
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Mon 11/11/2024:
An English interview by myself of Zubair Bhatti at Kothian (enroute towards Nikyaal):
The video above is also available at this hyperlink
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Zubair Bhatti felt empowered by the visit of his wife, children and siblings on Day 2 of his journey 'Back to Home'. Here's his video statement in Urdu:
The video above is also available at this hyperlink
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Earlier in the day Zubair Bhatti was interviewed (in Urdu) by tehsil Nikyaal press reporter Shehzad Ahmed Chibb for Sadae Nakial News Facebook page. which has to date generated over 200,000 views:
The video above is also available at this hyperlink
..
Sun 10/11/2024:
By nightfall on Day 1 of his journey, Zubair Bhatti reached Drer enroute from Kotli to Nikyaal. This is a video statement in Urdu that he published - which has obtained almost 50,000 views thus far - giving us all an indication of the interest generated by his journey:
The video above is also available at this hyperlink
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The day that Zubair Bhatti set out from district courts Kotli on his journey 'Back to Home'. Here's a video statement in Urdu:
The video above is also available at this hyperlink
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Thu 07/11/2024:
The following is a video interview (in Urdu) I took of Zubair Bhatti 3 days before his intended journey back to his ancestral home in broad daylight and by giving ample notice to all 'authorities' concerned:
2323hrs:
Driving forward towards the inevitable intersection of conflict and peace.
2118hrs:
It was surprising to learn this morning that Day 316 of 2024 wasn't logged last night. Indeed, I was so tired after being on the road for 6 days straight that I fell asleep during Space X time yesterday evening and dreamed that I had logged an entry on this platform.
....There is a critical difference in performance between daily tasks that I have to do myself and those whose responsibility is shared with others. Our X Space is a case in point. We have successfully conducted 2 hour (on average) programmes every evening between 2100hrs and 2300hrs AJK time, for the past 791 out of 792 evenings.
Our daily weblog has yet to register a 100% daily success rate - on an annual basis - since consciously blogging in 2018. Here are the stats:
Daily weblogging:
2008 - 18 (leap year but not applicable (217 days) 8.3%
2009 - 37 10.1%
2010 - 11 3%
2011 - 51 14%
2012 - 3 (leap year) 0.3%
2013 - 7 1.9%
2014 - 4 1.1%
2015 - 5 1.4%
2016 - 8 (leap year) 2.2%
2017 - 5 1.4%
2018 - 255 69.9%
2019 - 330 90.4%
2020 - 226 (leap year) 61.8%
2021 - 123 33.7%
2022 - 361 98.9%
2023 - 355 97.3%
2024 - 301 to date (leap year) 95%
Average for first decade: 4.4%
Average since 2018: 78.1%
Overall average since starting the blog in 2008: 34.8%
Now compare the above statistics with our 2 hour daily X Spaces session:
2022 - 109 of possible 110 daily Spaces conducted 99.1%
2023 - 365 of possible 365 daily Spaces conducted 100%
2024 - 317 of possible 317 daily Spaces conducted so far 100%
Overall average since beginning our daily Spaces in 2022: 99.7%
....
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