Daily Diary (DD) - Day 257 of 2019

0017hrs:

This following short video of the late General Hameed Gul has been doing the rounds on social media of late. It is unclear when and where this video was made, or indeed who is the Doctor Sahab that Hameed Gul is referring to. He died on August the 15th 2015 in Murree. 

In 2005, I remember making an unannounced visit to his home in Rawalpindi. He was kind enough to invite me in and we spent the next couple of hours discussing geo-politics, India-Pakistan and the 'Muslim World'. 

I wasn't inspired by the conversation and had been expecting to learn more than I actually did. Over the years, I became increasingly disillusioned by Pakistan's calculated policy on Jammu & Kashmir. In January 2010, observing General Gul share the stage with Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muzaffarabad infuriated me further.

However, every word he has uttered in this video has proved to be accurate - notwithstanding my opposition to Pakistan playing any role in Jammu & Kashmir - this must have been an exception. The old adage comes to mind: It's not who said it, it's what they said that matters:

This speech is so timely that I will translate every word of it into English here:

The speech is transcribed here in Roman Urdu - two sentences at a time - followed by the English translation

To aik taraf rakh ke jo baat karney chaley jaa rahey hain...
To phir aap kya chahtey hain?

So to put (other matters) aside the discussion we are moving towards...
So what do you want? 

Kya ye territorial issue hay?
Kya ye zameen ka maamla hay?

Is this a territorial issue?
Is this a matter of land?

Kya ye Kashmiriyo ka haq nahi ke wo apna faisla karey?
America jo jamhuriat ja alambadaar aur Bharat jo dunya ki sab se bari jamhuriat hay, wo kyou israar kar rahey hain ke Kashmir ke hissey bhakrey kiye jaey?

Do not the Kashmiris have the right to decide for themselves?
Why is the USA - the standard bearer of democracy - and India which is the world's largest democracy (both) insisting that Kashmir's various parts be divided (separated)?
  
Un ki khwaishaat ke bar aqs aur Kashmiryat 700 saal puraana aik jazba hay.
Asaani se aap us ko hata nahi saktey apney maqsad se. 

Opposite (against) their (Kashmiris) wishes and Kashmiryat is a 700 year old emotion.
You cannot divert them from their purpose so easily.

Kashmiri jaha jayega igatha jayega.
Taqseem nahi hoga.

Wherever Kashmir will go, it will go together.
It will not be divided.

Jab ke Pakistan aur Bharat dono milke aur America is me shaamil hay..shareek hay.
Wo ab ye baat kar rahey hain ke kissi tareeqay se is ko territorial issue bana ke..zameen ka maamla bana ke is ko taqseem kiya jaey.

Whereas india and Pakistan, including the USA is also involved in this (scheme)...
They are now discussing that in whatever manner this (J & K) should be made a territorial issue...into a matter of land that needs to be divided (for a durable solution).

Ye masla aisey hal nahi hoga
This is called 'out of court settlement'

This issue will not be solved in this mannner
This is called an 'out of court settlement'

Court jo hay wo Adaalat Kashmiri qoum hay
Aur us ke paas aap muqadama nahi leke jaa rahey hay

The court is the nation of Kashmir
And you are not taking this case to them

Aur aap wo cheez par lain dain kar rahey hain 
Jo aap ki nahi hay

And you are negotiating on that matter/issue
Which is not yours

Na Hindustaan ki hay
Na Pakistan ki hay Na America ki hay

It does not belong to India
Or Pakistan and it doesn't belong to the USA either 

Aur is ke andar ek bahut bara naqs hay hamaari saari approach ke andar 
Aur is ka dekhengey aap ainda aaney waaley dino me is ka izhaar hoga

And there is a great breach (of faith/contract) in our whole approach
And in the coming days you will see the expression of this 

Lekin humey min haith ul qoum kya karna hay?
Is waqt subha nahi hay ke Washington ki taraf se..mukhtalif hawaalo se bahut dabao hay hamaarey upar..

But as a (Pakistani) nation what do we have to do?
It is not yet morning that from the direction of Washington...from different references there is severe pressure on us..

Lekin kya hamaari taraf se bhi mutabaadil dabao hay apni hukumat ke upar?
Kya is sard jang ke liye - jaha idaarey mojood nahi hain - to kya qoum bhi mojood nahi hay?

But is there any alternative pressure (developed) by us on our government?
For this cold war - in the absence of institutions - is the nation also absent?

Ke kya qoum ke andar ehmiyat nahi hay ke wo kari hokey apni party waabastagiya chor ke  
...aur partiyo ki kya baat hay...partiya to saari Washington ke approval ko talaash kar rahi hain..

Does not the nation feel the importance to stand up and shed its party affiliations
...and talking of parties...all parties are seeking the approval of Washington..

Washington ki taraf dekh rahi hain tamaam ki tamaam partiya  
Is me koi istithnaa nahi

Each and every (political) party is looking towards Washington
Excluding none

To phir kya qoum isi tareeqay se har ek cheez ko gharq honey degi?
Ye sawaal aap ke saamne bhi hay..mere saamne bhi hay aur doctor sahab ke saamne bhi hay...

So will the nation in this manner allow everything to be destroyed?
This question is in front of you (the audience)..it is in front of me too and it is in front of Doctor Sahab... 

Bahut shukrya....


Thank you very much....

End of speech....

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A list has been published of the 37 activists detained in Hajeera for marching towards the LOC, for a sit-in protest (dharna) at Tithrinote on the 7th of September in solidarity with their co-citizens across the LOC, who have entered their 40th day of an unprecedented curfew. These local activists are into their 8th day of incarceration:

This is more like it. I hope we can keep this up......an accessible and accurate record of what happens to us is vital as the stakes for public interest get higher and higher by the day in #AJK

— Tanveer Ahmed (@sahaafi) September 14, 2019

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