Let's Commence......

Written on this posting date
@
Islamabad, Capital territory - Pakistan

How does one begin a daily blog having procrastinated for close on three years?

How arduous is it to unveil the personal, professional, public and political saga that has developed since April 2005?

Well, the former will be addressed via haphazard improvisation as each day unfolds (incorporating audio, video, photo and text content); the latter will be made available in a book entitled, "The Road to Delhi", to be publicly launched before the end of this year.

Lets cut right into what pre-occupies my mind in order of importance:

1) Taking my Muslim maternal grandmother (avec an extremely vulnerable heart) across the LOC to visit her Hindu siblings, separated since 1947.

Background links:

BBC

An Open Letter to the Indian Prime Minister

2) Making a positive impact on the political structure of Pakistan which is screaming out for reform. Demarcation between the old and new Pakistan is looking increasingly attainable.

3) Reclaiming a figure amounting to crores (tens of millions in Pakistani rupees) from a certain Mr. Bashir of Committee Chowk - Rawalpindi, who has looted and fleeced many a local and overseas Pakistani (particularly those of Kashmiri origin - including my paternal uncle) since the early 1990's. He is part of a nefarious property syndicate whose tentacles ulimately stretch out to the prima donna himself viz. Mr. Musharraf. Needless to add, in my painstaking pursuit over the last couple of years, Bashir has defied and made a mockery of the legal system. For example, despite his bail for a bounced cheque of 90 Lakh Rupees being rejected at Rawalpindi session court, he evaded capture with the aid of his attorney. After doing the 'missing act' for a few days, he suddenly emerged with a bail receipt from the High Court!

Background link:

4) Continuing my penetration into the peace process between India and Pakistan.

Background link:

Note:
Issues 1) and 4) loosely relate to Indo-Pak relations while 2) and 3) are primarily concerned with Pakistan's economy and it's pathetic political/judicial/institutional scenario.

Of course, the list could and should go on and on........................

Finally, why is my blog titled Tanveer and Kashmir?

I leave that to my honourable readers to decipher.

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For the record, I should write a brief note of my first experience of jail in my life:

I spent 6 days in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi in January of this year (2008). 

My alleged crime? 

I was insisting that the Pakistani foreign office give me their country’s true stance on Kashmir and not just the staple diet of rhetoric and platitudes. My insistence led to my arrest on a charge that relates to 'Awaaragardi' which loosely means: traveling about without any clear destination. Synonyms are vagabondage and wandering.

I was of course clear of where I wanted to go. I just needed answers. This was my first real insight into the Pakistani State's cognitive dissonance. Its inability to talk through issues and resolve them in a fair manner. It was too used to operating as a 'hired gun' for more powerful and wealthier political entities, than itself. 

It was the police who arrested me, sent me to jail promptly via a court order and then bailed me out 6 days later. 

I suppose the idea was to give me a fright and convince me to refrain from seeking uncomfortable answers from the Pakistani State, especially on matters related to 'Kashmir'. 

This of course, only made me more determined.

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