Daily Diary (DD) - Day 127 of 2022

2026hrs:

Break day 13 of district (Kotli) wide tour

Who knows when and where one's final destination will be but being in your homeland when the time comes has to be a luxury in this well travelled world.

A dear uncle of mine (Uncle Latif) died about 5 thousand miles away, a few days ago.

This is how far our tribe have migrated en masse in any serious manner, in the past 800 years at least.

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I was sent a request today by a co-citizen of mine in Turkey to obtain a report from UNMOGIP, which he needed as a reference for the purposes of immigration (which you will find in the following request to UNMOGIP on 11/06/22). Before that, I did try to contact the UNMOGIP office in Rawalpindi on numerous occasions but without success. I also tried other means too from within the UN mechanism but again, without success.

Update (11/06/2022):

Here's the text of the written request:

Obtaining a copy of a field report by UNMOGIP in AJK (ref. 15/11/2017)

This is Tanveer Ahmed, an independent action-oriented public policy researcher working uninterrupted on the ground in AJK since April 2005.

From time to time, we receive requests for vital information from our public, which they are unable to source through other means. Over the years it has become increasingly difficult to contact - in any shape or form - UNMOGIP or any other UN department which has a direct impact on the day to day lives of civilians living on this side of the LOC (The Pakistani controlled side), from our working perspective. We do understand that for all practical purposes - the people here - do not exist, just a neighbouring army with which you liaise. 

This particular case for which information is desperately sought by our co-citizen, is described as follows:

Details:

Aqeel Rauf

of

Village: Chattar South

Union Council (UC): Seri

Tehsil: Khuiratta

District: Kotli

AJK

On the 10th of November 2017 the Indian army bombarded this side of the LOC with artillery shells which hit his home. He was also injured and his home was severely damaged. Some members of UNMOGIP did subsequently visit his home and assessed the damage done, on the 15th of November 2017. 

What he requires is a copy of the report that they wrote in reference to the scene, for the purposes of the law and order authorities where he is residing as a war torn refugee, in exile.   

Some photos of the UNMOGIP visit that day can also be provided, if necessary.

We hope you can understand and forgive our sarcasm. After all, we have been stuck in a political straightjacket for 75 years and all peaceful, ethical, democratic and legal avenues seem to have been shut water tight but we'll battle on for the sake of humanity.

Regards

Tanveer Ahmed

Web: ajkpublicagency.org

Contact: 00923430860380

Twitter: @sahaafi

End of written request on UNMOGIP's website:

I received confirmation that the request had been received by them, as follows: 

However, to date (13/08/22) I have not received a response. In the interim, I had sent a note to Dr. Nazir Gilani who heads Jammu Kashmir Council on Human Rights (JKCHR) on 04/07/22 to pursue this request, if possible. In response, he said he would notify the 'Situation Centre' in New York where UNMOGIP reports are submitted and urge them to make such reports public. 

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