Daily Diary (DD) - Day 189 of 2020

1129hrs:

Here's an update on the shroud procession (Kafan posh kaafila) from Trarkhel to Muzaffarabad:

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 188 of 2020

2300hrs:

The pandemic will continue to stunt us in AJK but perhaps more worrying is the recurring inability of the AJK government to negotiate public interest with the public. As it is the public at large that is paying the price for being by-passed by the British Indian partition plan in 1947, it is they who must take the initiative of navigating themselves out of the 'dispute' thrust on them.

While the international community at large stonewalls or non-platforms the internal narrative of the territory of J & K, there are multiple barriers at both regional level (India and Pakistan) and their local governance set-ups in the respective parts of the territory they occupy.

Loyalty tests work all the way from top - international community level - down to the local government level throughout Jammu Kashmir & Allied. 

Our local government context is the AJK government which prevents us from addressing Pakistan directly but also doesn't offer any practical solutions for the rapidly increasing demands of the AJK public.

There's a long list of public interest dilemmas brewing in AJK:

1) Economy / Environment 

- Multiple examples of hydro power generation by Pakistan in AJK without following due procedure. 

Public activism:

- Save Rivers Save Lives Movement in Muzaffarabad continuously stonewalled over past few years.

2) Health 

- Absence of hospitals, staff, equipment

Public activism:

- Young doctors from throughout AJK have been on strike since the 20th of June and are camped outside the Assembly Secretariat in Muzaffarabad. They were even arrested on the 2nd of July, when apparently a visit to Muzaffarabad by a senior WHO (World Health Organisation) representative got the AJK government and particularly their handlers in the Pakistani government nervous about being embarrassed.

Here's some visuals of them being arrested:



The 'Young Doctor's Association' (YDA) remain unconvinced by government gestures to fulfill their just demands in public interest.

What are their demands:

1) To have similar facilities of large hospitals with accompanying infrastructure in AJK as are available in the provinces (of Pakistan).

2) An increase in the amount of available (qualified) doctors within hospitals in AJK.

3) The availability of free medicine within hospitals in AJK

4) The availability of CT (Computerized Tomography) Scan and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) equipment within hospitals in AJK.

5) The availability of Other basic laboratory tests such as APG (Ambulatory Patient Group) within hospitals in AJK

6) The availability of universal healthcare in AJK and a decrease in referrals to Rawalpindi and Islamabad (in Pakistan).


7) To make the rights of doctors in AJK at par with doctors throught the provinces (of Pakistan).

Here's a frame of them inside their police cell:

- Meanwhile, the public of Trarkhel subdivision are trying to march to Muzaffarabad in shrouds and are being denied passage by the local administration (today).

Here's a reasonably well summarised overview of matters of the State in AJK:



It should also be mentioned that I wrote a report on the public interest deficiencies of Trarkhel on Day 299 of 2018 which corresponded to the 26th of October 2018.

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 17 of 2020

1344hrs:

In Trarkhel. Possibly the coldest subdivision in AJK; although Sharda, Leepa and Khursheedabad may compete on that count. All 3 are still due to visit on this whirlwind tour to erect the People's Assembly.

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When any of my co-citizens take the initiative, we can go very far:



For those of you who cannot read the programme description above, here it is:

POORA SACH, The Whole Truth

SUNDAY 19 January 6pm UK time


Conversation with Tanveer Ahmed, the founding and leading architect of the Public Agency and Peoples Assembly Campaign in 'Azad' Jammu Kashmir, the Pakistani administered part of the divided state of Kashmir.

End of FB post description....

(Update: 21/01/20 at 1829hrs):

Unfortunately, the programme described above could not be conducted as our co-citizens in the diaspora - who pursue public interest for AJK - face the same dilemma that we here do. That is: a lot to do in the limited time available. Thus, sometimes programmes cannot be conducted according to schedule because our public has yet to reach that stage of evolution whereby public interest is institutionalised. This is a ful-time job which needs many full-time employees, both at home and abroad. 

We will get there eventually and this postponed programme will also be re-scheduled within the next few days.

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 227 of 2019

2052hrs:

If just as an after thought, I saw far more Pakistani flags for sale in Dadyaal today than I noticed yesterday anywhere between Dadyaal, Kotli, Sarsaawa, Baloch, Trarkhel, Jandaali, Banjosa, Kaigalla, Hajeera, Tattapani and via Kotli back to Dadyaal. In actual fact, I saw exactly 3 Pakistani flags on our entire journey and every 1 of those were mounted on vehicles, who could have belonged to anybody.

I would be really interested to learn of how many Pakistani flags have been sold in Dadyaal, in the days leading up to this year's 14th of August.

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There are reports of cross-LOC firing today, in Leepa Sector and Battal Sector. Here's a 'must translate' tweet in relation to a civilian casualty in Battal:

@tariqfarooq60 @PM_AJK

بٹل پونچھ کا رہاٸشی منیب الرحمان آج جب بھارتی فوج کی گولہ باری کی وجہ سے زخمی ہوا تو بٹل یا ملحقہ علاقوں میں ایمبولینس نہ ہونے کی وجہ سے بروقت ہسپتال نہ پہنچ سکا۔ اپنی مدد آپ کے تحت جب اسے راولاکوٹ پہنچایا گیا تو زیادہ خون بہنے کی وجہ سے اس کی موت ہو گٸ pic.twitter.com/Iwz41nWqt7

— Misaligned Stars (@AfzaalMajid1) August 15, 2019

Translated thus:


A resident of Battal in Poonch, Muneebur Rehman who was injured in mortar shelling by indian forces, couldn't reach hospital in time as there were no ambulances available in the vicinity. When other residents of the area transported him to Rawalakot using their own initiative (community self-help), he (Muneeb) had already lost too much blood and hence succumbed to his injuries.

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Ayesha Siddiqa has always been on the ball. I was fortunate to meet her at her residence in Islamabad in 2009. She was wrong on one thing that I'll always remember though: She thought - at the time - that Pakistan's 'deep State' would never allow me to conduct public forums throughout AJK and GB. Why? She thought they were too powerful in AJK and they would obstruct my work, by hook or by crook. I said at the time that I didn't think they could do as they liked in AJK because deep down; they always knew that they don't have a locus standi in AJK, the people do.



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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 199 of 2019

2111hrs:

In the afternoon I was avoiding the sun. In the evening and 50 kilometres later, I'm searching for a cloak to keep me warm.

Such is my motherland.

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My motherland would not be so hotly contested if it wasn't for:



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