Daily Diary (DD) - Day 313 of 2022

1735hrs:

Day 157 at Maqbool Bhat Shaheed Square - Dadyaal.

0755hrs

My punctuality deficit has decreased to 8 minutes.

Punctuality percentage: 94 days on time or early of 157 = 60% punctual.

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As we rapidly approach the most unique of football world cups ever in its history, we can rue our absence there and also try to enjoy the spectacle that it always presents:

I felt it appropriate to submit a comment too:

I think this has been a well presented programme. All the flaws were zeroed in and the viewer is better able to understand the achievement of Qatar to bring the most global of events in human history to its shores. 

We (civil society & public agency) in AJK (the 'free' part of Jammu & Kashmir) were not in a position to think 12 years ahead in 2010. Some of us who could have linked up the dots between Switzerland (Home of FIFA) and Qatar, were only beginning to work on obtaining FIFA membership for AJK & Gilgit Baltistan, during the final of the 2018 World Cup. Croatia also inspired us further by doing so well as a small country. 

Alas, 4 years was not enough preparation to get AJK to take part in a global spectacle of unparalleled exposure. We are yet to receive a response from FIFA in Zurich.

The thought of 'soft power' did go through my mind while watching the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, from AJK. I was happy for Qatar to have achieved this milestone. Hosting global conflict resolution puzzles and facilitating a global media channel are also examples of successful accumulation of 'soft power'.    

We in AJK and the rest of JKA will keenly follow Qatar's achievements into the future.

End of Youtube comment....

(Update: 1621hrs 11/11/2022)

As is almost customary, the thought police of India and/or Pakistan will always try and address any mention of any part of Jammu Kashmir & Allied (areas) on any global forum. They will try and correct any information or analysis according to their own country's narrative. Such an example happened here too:

Someone describing themselves as 'Eternal Gamer' intervened yesterday (10/11/2022) as follows:

"As a part of Pakistan of course."

My response (MR henceforth):

@Eternal Gamer  

No, it is precisely these types of assumptions and assertions that have destroyed Pakistan. These are matters best left to the inhabitants of JKA, without external interference.

(He promptly responded (as if duty bound):

@Tanveer Ahmed  

first of all, you mentioned Gilgit Baltistan. The people of Gilgit Baltistan have always wanted to remain separate from Kashmir and the overwhelming majority supports integration with Pakistan.

Second, if you really are Kashmiri, then you are disrespecting your ancestors and the people of Kashmir who fought and were ready to give their lives to make Kashmir part of Pakistan. 

You're definitely better off than the Kashmiris on the other side of the border.

MR (I responded today):

@Eternal Gamer  

I didn't think this would be the appropriate forum to discuss such matters but since you've raised them I'll just make a couple of brief points in the hope that you will agree to disagree, rather than continuing to pursue or clarify your 'ownership' credentials at the cost of the people of this territory, who have an inherent right to represent themselves, rather than a neighbour forcibly trying to represent their views to the world. 

You make assertions about Gilgit Baltistan while denying them basic fundamental rights for 75 years - which no-one stopped you from giving them. You restrict their freedom of expression, movement, assembly, association and deny them recourse to law and then make fantastic statements about them wanting to remain separate from Kashmir and that an overwhelming majority supports integration with Pakistan, without as much as a rudimentary public opinion survey to back up that assertion. It's a bit like Pharoah claiming that the children of Israel want to fully integrate with Egypt while denying them all avenues to express themselves or seek redressal for crimes committed against them.

The point about disrespecting ancestors also sounds ridiculous for a number of reasons. Anybody who fights for their rights and sacrifices their life does not do so with the intention of surrendering those rights to someone else. You maybe confusing blind faith with their co-religionists thinking that they would be helpful neighbours into a ridiculous suggestion that they sacrificed their lives for Pakistan. Most of the people who have died or been killed since 1947 is either because they found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time through no fault of their own (religious minorities forced to migrate or be killed to validate the British created 2 nation theory), people who reside on the LOC being killed by Indian and Pakistani bullets, people in the Valley of Kashmir being killed for either being lured by Indian or Pakistani money and arms particularly in the late 1980's/1990's. The list is endless.

Finally, we may be better off than people on the other side of the border but Pakistan cannot take credit for that. Quite the contrary. Indian and Pakistani money and arms were used on the other side while no such intrigue took place on that scale on this side. An Indian wrong does not necessarily make a Pakistani right. The Pakistanis have foolishly tried to live off the misery of others thinking that it creates a groundswell of opinion in its own favour. Most of the world can see through you. Pakistan has closed our gateway to the world while it extracts resources mercilessly from our territory, forcing our people to migrate to all parts of the world for their livelihood. The conditions here are better because of our diaspora - whose foreign remittances enable Pakistan to continue surviving despite it being an economic debacle - and the Pakistanis know full well that if they try and repress our people like the Indians do, then it won't be long before they are kicked out of here. Pakistan does not have the diplomatic or economic clout of India to ride such tribulations.

As mentioned at the outset, I do not wish to continue using this platform to discuss matters that have nothing to do with it. You have made your points and I have made mine. Try and find me on an alternative platform if you're keen to continue the discussion. Try and represent yourself rather than others. Every human being is capable of representing themselves. Try to understand that.

 

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