Daily Diary (DD) - Day 288 of 2019

1403hrs:

Pushing on..even from a position of standstill......We were denied entry to Chakothi bazaar 3 days ago. Our purpose was merely to investigate the sentiments of the local people, in relation to the dharna (sit-in protest).

Today we decided to use some moral pressure in numbers (34 co-citizens in total) to convince our local administration to explain to the 'shadows' operating in this territory without legal reference, to not obstruct public interest here.



The police at the containers offered to take us to the DC (Deputy Commissioner), who they insisted was all-powerful in making such a decision to allow us (3 co-citizens and 2 policemen) to proceed to Chakothi. Of course, the DC isn't all-powerful at all. The latter also ensured that he wasn't available......we made a fruitless trip to Chinari and onto Hattian without a trace of him anywhere.

....

In the late afternoon, the following news emerged:

Finally @Un delegates decided to Visit #LOC chakothi and to meet #JKLF leadership tomorrow.

Thousands of Kashmiri people sitting on protest from 10 days near cease Fire line ( #LOC )#KashmirNeedsAttention

— Usman Tariq Chughtai (@UsmanTariqUSK) October 15, 2019

Note:

The UN delegates visited and met the JKLF leadership at the UNMOGIP office in Muzaffarabad, not the LOC at Chakothi. Apparently they cited the reason as not being able to obtain an NOC from the Pakistanis!

Isn't that farcical? A country that has no legal status in J & K is able to dictate whether or not UN delegates can visit any given part of AJK, even if the AJK prime minister is inviting them!

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Another female perspective taken yesterday. This lady was also on a 24 hour hunger strike at the time of interview:



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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 283 of 2019

1922hrs:

The momentum is getting stronger by the day...almost everything that has happened since the 5th of August has taken all of us by surprise....

We are now in a position to start uploading content....

.......

We understand that there has been very heavy cross-fire and shelling between India and Pakistan in various parts of the Neelam Valley today. Even Sharda is affected once again. Here's some specific news:

Changan #NeelumValley
report of a ten years old kids death in indian and pakistan army shelling

Fizan Ahmad Mir S/o Fiaz Mir Age 10

Wife of Fiaz Mir is also injured #LoC #Kashmir #SayNoToWar

— #SaveRiverSaveMuzaffarabad (@khawajaatteeq) October 10, 2019

Areas affected:

- Sharda
- Khwaja Seri
- Dosut
- Tejian
- Dudhnial
- Lawaat

........

A history lesson won't go amiss amidst the cacophony of voices near the LOC at Jaskol, near Chakothi:

24 نومبر کی رات اور 25 نومبر کی صبح کو منگلا سے پاکستانی فوج نے توپخانے کے ذریعے میرپور پر گولہ باری کی ۔
اس گولہ باری کے ساتھ قبائلیوں اور پاکستانی فوج نے میرپور پر حملہ کر دیا اور شہر کی حفاظتی دروازوں کو توڑ کر شہر میں داخل ہو گئے ۔
میرپور پر قیامت ٹوٹ پڑی ۔ pic.twitter.com/Nh5kxGnb0i

— Sameena Raja - J&K (@SamRaja21700228) October 9, 2019

Translated thus:

On the night of the 24th of November (1947) and on the morning of the 25th of November (1947) the Pakistani army using cannons bombed the (old) city of Mirpur.

Alongside this bombing, tribal (Pathans) and the Pakistani army attacked Mirpur. The city's protective gates were thus broken, to facilitate their entry. 


Doomsday broke out in Mirpur. 

End of translation.....

.......

This sounds ominous but is very true:

all over twitter, #Pakistan ISI accounts have been spreading vile abuse against pro-independence #Kashmiris. We know these accounts are Pakistani run accounts, (they're too dumb to be #Indian). Instead of fixing up, they carry on with their hate. There are consequences to hate.

— Rizwan Ali (@Sheikh_Miyagi) October 10, 2019

.......

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 280 of 2019

1747hrs:

توقیر گیلانی کا دو ٹوک اعلان۔
jklf✌✌
مقبول بٹ تیر قافلہ رکا نہیں جھکا نہیں۔✌✌ pic.twitter.com/cCj4vNJTYs

— Sardar Fahim Baig (@SardarFahimBai1) October 7, 2019

Translated thus:

We will not talk to anyone. Discussions will take place with a representative of the UN (United Nations Secretary General) and with representatives (of the 5 permanent members) of the UN Security Council. 

President Toqeer Gilani - Press Conference (at sit-in protest - Chinari)  

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Art and tears:

میرے کشمیر تو کس کو پیارا نہیں۔ ایسی نظم جس نے آزادی مارچ کے شرکا کو رلا دیا pic.twitter.com/bXpPRusiZ2

— Amiruddin Mughal (@MughalAmiruddin) October 7, 2019

.......

BBC active in AJK once again:

کشمیر کو تقسیم کرنے والی لائن آف کنٹرول عبور کرنے کے لیے پاکستان کے زیر انتظام کشمیر میں منعقد ہونے والے جموں و کشمیر لبریشن فرنٹ کے آزادی مارچ کو جسکول کے مقام پر روکے جانے کے بعد مظاہرین کا دھرنا پیر کو بھی جاری ہے۔

صحافی ایم اے جرال نے مارچ کے شرکا سے بات چیت کی۔ pic.twitter.com/nJdYMabGQB

— BBC News اردو (@BBCUrdu) October 7, 2019

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Here's some background commentary by Ravinder Pandita on cross LOC people to people contact in Jammu & Kashmir with reference to promoting Sharda: 



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So, the AJK prime minister has written the following letter to Pakistan's foreign minister while copying the same to the UN Secretary General's office and the ambassadors of P5 (the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council) in Islamabad, Pakistan:

Raja Farooq Haider's letter to UN via Pakistan's FM

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 279 of 2019

2318hrs:

On the precipice of internal change in AJK....

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The JKLF led 'Freedom March from Bhimber to Srinagar via Muzaffarabad reaches Chinari at 1440 hrs:



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Later in the evening, once the emotions had cooled down, by the containers at Jaskol:



Translated thus:

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 236 of 2019

1637hrs:

Journalists who flocked en masse from Muzaffarabad towards the LOC at Chakothi, to express their solidarity with their besieged brethren across the line, have been prevented from proceeding beyond Chinari, by forces under the control of the Pakistani State.

Will some of them continue to blindly sing the praises of the Pakistani army, or will they understand the 'game' for what it really is?

Here are some current scenes from Chinari:



..



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The negative environmental impact of Neelam-Jhelum project on aquatic life:


#say_no_to_river_diversions

Translation of FB post above:

River Neelam

Some reports are being circulated these days that those running the dam (Neelam-Jhelum Project) are throwing such chemicals into the river (Neelam) which are killing the fish in large numbers. Hundreds of thousands of people's waste/garbage is also thrown into this hitherto spring clean river. There are thousands of restaurants operating by the riverside, they also throw their rubbish into the river.

The powers-that-be take notice!

#saveenvironment
#save river

End of FB post translation.. 

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Nitasha Kaul has featured here before and will no doubt feature here in the future too. I have always thought that the women of this territory will advocate our case much more effectively than our men could ever do:



..

We have still much to learn from other citizen-led activism in the rest of the world:



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I noticed my name surfacing on Google alerts today with a link to the following 'news story':

Yet even more proof that Pakistan is a state sponsor of international terrorism.
A political activist in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) said Pakistan is using terrorists from launchpads in PoK as proxies to create instability in Indian Jammu and Kashmir. https://t.co/yqZ6QrF6M4

— Lawrence Sellin (@LawrenceSellin) August 24, 2019

Now, this interview was actually conducted on the 28th of June 2018:

Here it is:



It was also logged on this very day in my daily diary. Here's the direct link:

Now, since this recent interest in the video - generated by the Indian news agency ANI - I know Sardar Sagheer Khan has been confronted with a lot of criticism for 'giving' news to the Indians while so many of our Muslim brethren are under virtual lock down for over 20 days.

A few points are important to note here:

1) The date of the interview compared to when ANI reported it.
2) Pakistan should refrain from such acts which nullify its own stance and give ample opportunity to India to take advantage of.
3) More important than the Pakistanis handing the Indian narrative a clear victory, is the damage that infiltration does to our social fabric in AJK and the consequences of further marginalisation of the internal narrative here, which does not correspond with Pakistan's narrative.
4) The Indians should realise that there are always 2 sides to a coin. You cannot emulate what the Pakistanis do viz. twist information to suit your respective nationalist narrative while drowning out the genuine internal narrative of AJK. Thereby claiming moral victory.
5) In the interest of humanity, media ethics, civilisational progress and conflict resolution; Indian civil society and the Indian State should provide equal space to all the various public narratives that exist in J & K.

.....    

Advancing the Process of Constitutional Evolution in AJK

Having been taken into protective custody by Leepa Subdivisional Police in July 2015 on the instructions of Pakistan's clandestine agencies; 6 days incarceration then, followed by 2 days in Reshian/Hattian in August 2015, when I was prevented from re-entering Leepa Valley and now; after spending 19 days in Chinari jail, my research activities in public interest have been declared as genuine. 

A decision by the District Sessions judge in Hattian Bala found the allegations against me baseless and irrelevant, on Friday the 18th of March. My stance of not deeming a Pakistani ID card as compulsory for a state citizen of AJK and my effort to create a representative sample of public opinion in AJK - by conducting a national survey - were effectively recognized as my fundamental right. 

Many thanks to all the politicians, administration officials, AJK police, lawyers throughout Muzaffarabad division, members of the judiciary and perhaps most of all; the average citizen of AJK for making this whole 9 month ordeal an honourable and pleasurable experience. 

Please read through the court's decision and comment as appropriate.