Daily Diary (DD) - Day 92 of 2019

1435hrs:

Over the past few days I've been tinkering with the design of a favicon for this website.

This is what I'm using at the moment:

These following 2 were precursors to the above:

1 of 2

2 of 2

I will tinker further as the one in use is still not prominent enough. I may even have to do away with the map and just use the letters A, J and K in diagonal fashion. My co-citizens can let me know what they think....

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Meanwhile, I'm glad someone is highlighting the following issue, which is more prevalent than commonly assumed:

Pakistani  government is violating state subject rule in POK by issuing domicile to Afghanistan & Pakistani peoples. ⁦@UN⁩ ⁦@UNHumanRights⁩ ⁦@UN_Spokesperson⁩ ⁦@realDonaldTrump⁩ ⁦@RT_com⁩ ⁦@RT_Erdogan⁩ ⁦@EU_Commission⁩ ⁦@AJEnglish⁩ pic.twitter.com/JyqGnQypZ6

— Human on Planet (@JK4JKpeoples) April 2, 2019

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This following video is quite telling, not least for this well traveled foreigner to have noticed that people in AJK tend to describe themselves as Kashmiris rather than Pakistanis:



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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 40 of 2019

2310hrs:

Have spent more time on the ground in the past few days than at any time in the last month.

We are approaching transition from winter to spring. The sun this afternoon indicated as much.

Four and a half hours today to add to the 4 hours yesterday, the day before that and the day before that.

The collective struggle is running at about 1% of it's capacity. Not until it reaches 51% will it be able to meaningfully engage with the outside world.

We've always been keen to rush our case to the outside world in the hope of gaining sympathy. It will take a lot of further effort and introspection to un-learn that strategy.

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Meanwhile, here's a perfect example of the standard Pakistani State narrative on "Kashmir". In it, Pakistan's foreign minister S M Qureshi urges India to "sit and talk".

My immediate response to reading this news story was typed as follows:

I think Pakistan needs to talk to AJK more than any other political entity in the region, if it is genuinely interested in peace.

If you are keen on sitting and talking, then concentrate on representing yourself. Don't insist on talking on somebody else's behalf. It doesn't help, it simply aggravates the issue.

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For a variety of reasons, Ladakh (the largest gem of 7 divided pieces of Jammu & Kashmir) is getting enough coverage on this blog. I hope I can beginning addressing this deficiency with the following tweet:

Dedicated to the new administrative division of J&K - Ladakh, the raw & naked beauty of which has no match ❤️( my click from June 2016)#LadakhDivision #Ladakh #Pangong #LadakhBecomesDivision #JandK #IncredibleIndia #Himalayas #mountains #mountainlife pic.twitter.com/paxng2aan0

— Namrata Wakhloo (@NamrataWakhloo) February 9, 2019

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Let's Commence......

Written on this posting date
@
Islamabad, Capital territory - Pakistan

How does one begin a daily blog having procrastinated for close on three years?

How arduous is it to unveil the personal, professional, public and political saga that has developed since April 2005?

Well, the former will be addressed via haphazard improvisation as each day unfolds (incorporating audio, video, photo and text content); the latter will be made available in a book entitled, "The Road to Delhi", to be publicly launched before the end of this year.

Lets cut right into what pre-occupies my mind in order of importance:

1) Taking my Muslim maternal grandmother (avec an extremely vulnerable heart) across the LOC to visit her Hindu siblings, separated since 1947.

Background links:

BBC

An Open Letter to the Indian Prime Minister

2) Making a positive impact on the political structure of Pakistan which is screaming out for reform. Demarcation between the old and new Pakistan is looking increasingly attainable.

3) Reclaiming a figure amounting to crores (tens of millions in Pakistani rupees) from a certain Mr. Bashir of Committee Chowk - Rawalpindi, who has looted and fleeced many a local and overseas Pakistani (particularly those of Kashmiri origin - including my paternal uncle) since the early 1990's. He is part of a nefarious property syndicate whose tentacles ulimately stretch out to the prima donna himself viz. Mr. Musharraf. Needless to add, in my painstaking pursuit over the last couple of years, Bashir has defied and made a mockery of the legal system. For example, despite his bail for a bounced cheque of 90 Lakh Rupees being rejected at Rawalpindi session court, he evaded capture with the aid of his attorney. After doing the 'missing act' for a few days, he suddenly emerged with a bail receipt from the High Court!

Background link:

4) Continuing my penetration into the peace process between India and Pakistan.

Background link:

Note:
Issues 1) and 4) loosely relate to Indo-Pak relations while 2) and 3) are primarily concerned with Pakistan's economy and it's pathetic political/judicial/institutional scenario.

Of course, the list could and should go on and on........................

Finally, why is my blog titled Tanveer and Kashmir?

I leave that to my honourable readers to decipher.

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For the record, I should write a brief note of my first experience of jail in my life:

I spent 6 days in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi in January of this year (2008). 

My alleged crime? 

I was insisting that the Pakistani foreign office give me their country’s true stance on Kashmir and not just the staple diet of rhetoric and platitudes. My insistence led to my arrest on a charge that relates to 'Awaaragardi' which loosely means: traveling about without any clear destination. Synonyms are vagabondage and wandering.

I was of course clear of where I wanted to go. I just needed answers. This was my first real insight into the Pakistani State's cognitive dissonance. Its inability to talk through issues and resolve them in a fair manner. It was too used to operating as a 'hired gun' for more powerful and wealthier political entities, than itself. 

It was the police who arrested me, sent me to jail promptly via a court order and then bailed me out 6 days later. 

I suppose the idea was to give me a fright and convince me to refrain from seeking uncomfortable answers from the Pakistani State, especially on matters related to 'Kashmir'. 

This of course, only made me more determined.

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