Daily Diary (DD) - Day 215 of 2022

1337hrs:

Day 59 at Maqbool Bhat Shaheed Square - Dadyaal.

0748hrs

My punctuality deficit has decreased to 467 minutes.

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1757hrs

This evening an all parties meeting took place in the Square in Dadyaal and I was also invited but as is normal with the organisers of the event (local members of JKNAP), I wasn't invited to speak. Which is fine in normal circumstances but when the organisers pretend to give you importance after the event, you recognise that they are practicing legerdemain, just like the Pakistani occupiers they are supposedly struggling to evict from this territory.

I also remember to put matters in context. After all, such people and their forbears practiced a similar attitude with K. H. Khursheed and Maqbool Bhat while they were alive, before eulogising them endlessly after their deaths.  That is: to marginalise sincere activists while they are alive and pretend that you are playing a more instrumental role than them - despite the former giving their all - while you only make your presence felt at opportune moments to maximise your visibility and provide the perception that it is you that is giving your all.

Obviously, when sincere activists die then they no longer make you uncomfortable and you are no longer competing with them. Now, the path is clear for you to eulogise them and further your own political aspirations.

I haven't written the above to vent my frustrations but to describe to my people and the rest of the world that how hard genuine activism is in the most precious territory in the world. On a practical basis, this is more difficult to overcome than the various hurdles that the occupiers use to stall our struggle, which in itself is a long list of ugly tactics.

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The 'All Parties Peoples Rights Forum' that emerged in district Poonch has also extended to our southern-most district, namely Bhimber:

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Total bazaar (market-place) shut-down (what our people describe as shutter-down) in Bagh:

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An important convention also took place in Gilgit today under the aegis of the 'Awaami Action Committee' which involved representatives from all 10 districts of Gilgit Baltistan:

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Meanwhile, we continue to periodically engage the local administration to aid us in beautifying the Square. On this particular visit to the Assistant Commissioner (AC), we explain - in written form as well as through one to one communication - that to begin tree plantation in the Square we need to increase the height of the metal grills surrounding the Square by 2 feet, so that animals and particularly goats cannot leap into the Square to cause rampage. We also need to affix some strong spring hinges to the gates of the main entrance to the Square, to prevent larger animals from headbutting their way in. 

Here's the correspondence including estimate of cost, which we would prefer the municipality to afford, given that it derives an income from the public, hence its responsibility:

We can also provide you with a written estimate from the welder too:

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