"Thank you Democracy!"

By: Gowhar Geelani
Bonn, Germany

During past one month many videos about ongoing protests in Kashmir and attrocities at the hands of Indian paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force [CRPF] and Jammu and Kashmir Police [JKP] have been uploaded on the social networking site Facebook and popular Youtube. Many of these caught my attention, but a video titled 'Indian soldiers beating Kashmiri children' shook me to the hilt.

CRPF troops were training their rifle butts on Kashmiri children, apparently aged between 10 to 14; thus inflicting serious wounds on these little angels. According to this video, these hapless children were playing cricket in an area in the summer capital Srinagar where some protesters had attacked paramilitary troops with stones an hour before.

Angry CRPF and JKP men used their sticks, boots and rifle butts to teach these children a lesson of their lives, but unconscious of the fact that while doing so; they were actually ensuring that the anger and alienation was transferred to the next generation.

While chatting with a friend about this horrific video, he had this to say:" To me this video vividly explains the relationship New Delhi has with Kashmir since 1989, a relationship that is totally dependent on the might of guns, music of bullets, ruthless and arrogant power and aggression."

I could not watch this video again.

The facebook friend continued his remarks: "It is quite unfortunate that the world's 'biggest democracy', India; behaves 'undemocratically' when it comes to Kashmir. It views Kashmir issue only through security prism. Through its powerful and 'nationalistic media', it keeps conveying to the people of Kashmir in clear terms- time and again, to understand and be realistic that India won't give up even on an inch in Kashmir."

Another friend joined the chat room and said: "Indian media also tells people of Kashmir that India's military might is capable of crushing all the powerful voices rising against New Delhi and resistance against human rights abuses in all its forms and manifestations."

The chat ended with no hope and no easy answers, only disappointment, pain and agony.
But, I continued to reflect upon the video.

A clear message from a big country, an emerging economic power and a South Asian giant. Fair enough. A big country and its big media have the right to be aggressive all the time and make their intended aggression and might percieved and realised as such.

Kashmir is a small place. And Kashmiris very small and hapless people, who apart from many other problems are facing a serious leadership crises and wrath from many quarters simultaneously. They have nothing to seek refuge in except for few emotional slogans and inspiring resistance poetry of legendary poets like Habib Jalib and Ahmad Faraz.

Despite all odds, what a common Kashmiri is trying to convey to mighty India is perhaps this: "By firing bullets you can kill protesters, by cane-charge you can disperse and dispel crowds, by imposing curfew you can maintain a temporary calm, by perrenial propaganda you can twist facts; but remember, you're yet to produce weapons that can kill our genuine aspirations....!!!"

Another problem that Kashmir faces is lack of international attention to the gross human rights violations. In politics, they say, rats marry snakes. But I'm of the view that in modern day international relations, economy marries human rights abuses. India is a huge country with more than 1.1 billion people, big nations like America, United Kingdom, France and Germany do not want to annoy India by lecturing it on human rights, because they see India as a potential market for international trade and commerce.

And that is perhaps why even if 60 innocent Kashmiris lost their lives to paramilitary bullets in year 2008, no country raised a serious voice. And 29 more innocents, mostly teenagers, fell to "democratic" bullets in the last six months in Kashmir Valley, the international community is still maintaining "criminal silence" over it. And quite expectedly, the same international community raises hue and cry when a single Iranian opposition protester receives minor wounds in police action in Tehran. That sums-up how international politics works and functions.

Let's come to the set of advices, lectures on democracy, non-violence and peace and reconciliation from mighty India and its mighty media. They project M K Gandhi as 'Father of Nation', an epitome of love and sacrifice and a great symbol of non-violent "Quit India" movement, but when people in Kashmir follow Mahatma's principles; what do they do? They boycott reporting the peaceful protests! Here we learn another lesson, "Media Gate-keeping."

Disappointed, common Kashmiri is now asking this: "First you said we're with guns, all guns fell silent; then you said we're pelting stones, stones too fell silent; then you said we're raising provocative slogans, slogans too fell silent; but now we're protesting peacefully, do you still have to say anything?"

When teenagers were falling to the music of bullets in Kashmir, one by one, the Indian media were busy focussing upon some 'ghost' and 'imaginary' elements who were presumably fomenting vicious cycle of violence and 'luring' Kashmiri youth to stone-pelting. Perhaps not satisfied with the reporting of local journalists in Kashmir, the New Delhi-based big media houses then sent an additional strong contingent of "patriotic journalists" like Indian government keeps on sending additional troops to bring 'normalcy' in the troubled region, and as some 'experts' in Delhi put it 'cool down tempers' in volatile Valley.

Tempers will cool down, as they have been in the past; then Kashmir will be on the boil again, as it has been in the past; then Indian media will repeat the same prescribed dose again, as it has been doing in the past; then more Kashmiris will die on streets and will be lying in the pool of blood, as they have been in the past; then 'experts' sitting in Delhi studios will come up with new conspiracy theories and suggest remedies to cool tempers again, as they have been doing in the past; then Kashmiris will say: "Thank you Democracy, Long live Hypocrisy!"

Gowhar Geelani is a Kashmiri journalist based in Bonn, Germany since 2006; where he works for Deutsche Welle [Voice of Germany] as an Editor.

What it means to be a journalist in Kashmir?

By: Gowhar Nazir Shah Geelani

Journalism is an exciting profession. A journalist is considered, more often than not, an adventurous person. I’m thrilled to be one. The place I work in is referred to as “Paradise on Earth”. Yes, Kashmir. That way it should have been a ‘double’ joy for me. But it is not.

In early days, the profession attracted me to the hilt. It seemed glamorous and challenging. Hearing cricket commentators on radio and watching television anchors at home would always give me a satisfaction of a different sort. Imitating few among those, clandestinely, almost became a hobby.

Every word that went on air seemed sacred to me, as if it was all gospel of truth. In fact the last word. Finally, I made entry into this field. I started my career with writing snippets and some odd middles in a local English daily and soon switched over to reporting events concerning a common man.

It was not a smooth journey though. That really shouldn’t have been a problem.
But the problem was something very serious. With a sudden change in the circumstances in Kashmir during 1989, the media here too suffered a severe jolt, rather a shake.

In Kashmir reporting events means walking a tight rope. Caught between two guns and two deadly swords hanging on your heads, always, sometimes one writes what one doesn’t want to, and hides what one wishes to share.

It didn’t take me long to realize what I had to do and how. The journalism lectures about 5 W’s and 1 H “objectively” started waning from memory. Not because of amnesia though. Only because of ground realities.

No journalist in the world can better understand the real logic and essence behind using the word “allegedly” in a news report. This word here means bread and butter. Rather a survival for a scribe reporting events of death and disaster, day in and day out.

When one sees with naked eyes a person firing volley of bullets over the body of an innocent on a street, one has to write “unidentified gunman”, and when innocents are killed in broad day light by persons in uniform the safest word is “allegedly”.

Denial and rebuttal are most “sacred” words in Kashmir. Issuing condemnation statements and denouncing incidents of violence “selectively” is a routine. In times of war, they say, truth is the first casualty. Very true. I say the second casualty in conflict zone like Kashmir is woman. It is she who loses her husband, brother, son and father. Her only fault is she is a woman in conflict. Dare I add, the third casualty in times of conflict is a journalist who reports truth?

And that is why Kashmir has seen funerals of journalists too. I have seen a senior colleague battling for his life in a pool of blood in year 2002. He survived, miraculously. Soon after the horrific incident some of my relatives and friends suggested me to switch to some other profession. I refused. Don’t know why!

'So You are Back to Your Nasty Ways'

For obvious reasons mediocrity is patronized here and the professionalism discouraged. Government does not want the services of professional journalists to report facts but need illiterate nodding goats to support hate campaign and official propaganda. That is why when a trained journalist here writes about the human rights excesses committed at the hands of Indian forces he receives an SMS from the Army PRO which goes like this: “So, you are back to your nasty ways.”

In this particular case I will prefer hiding the names of both, the journalist as well as the PRO. And reasons you better know.

The other party is not pious either. If one considers a press note of any separatist group unfit to publish that amounts to inviting wrath and the result is obvious. There have been numerous attacks on newspaper offices in conflict-ridden Kashmir. The latest example is the attack on the largest circulated English daily “Greater Kashmir” being published from Srinagar.

Gowhar Geelani is a Kashmiri journalist based in Bonn, Germany.

Zardari is 'innocent'

By: Gowhar Geelani

After going through the recent interview Mr Asif Zardari had with the 'Wall Street Journal'-- in which he referred to the armed resistance groups operating in Kashmir as "terrorists"-- I was reminded of presentations featuring Inzamam-ul-Haq. The former skipper of the Pakistani cricket team, as we all know, was quite an entertainment when it came to the presentation ceremonies. Die-hard fans of Pakistan cricket and the national team would pray for the team's victory, but always resisted temptations wishing Man of the Match (MoM) awards going captain's way.
Fearing embarrassment because of Inzamam's poor comprehension of the English language, Pakistani cricket fans would close their eyes while Inzy would speak starting with the famous line: "Bismillah…Sab Say Pehlay Allah Ta'allah Ka Shukr……". The lazy elegance, as he would do more often than not--once played a gem of an innings on a very slow and an uneven track; which turned, gripped and offered help to the slow and spin bowlers. Inzy was adjudged player of the match. And during the presentation ceremony was asked how he managed to play such a fine innings when all other batters struggled, the pitch was not conducive for batting and the ball didn't come on to the bat. " Bismillah….Sab Say Pehlay Allah Ta'allah Ka Shukr; yes, the pitch was fast, I first single, double, and then big hit." Poor Inzy.
What a great batsman Inzy was? He has to be judged by what he did with the bat, and without a whisker of a doubt-- he let his bat do all the talking. One can't blame him for the interviews he gave in a language he was not familiar with or good at.
The case in point is the recent statement of Mr Asif Zardari. Asif Ali Zardari, the newly elected President of Pakistan, the widower of assassinated Benazir Bhutto and the one whom people know more as "Mr 10 per cent", is being quoted by the 'Wall Street Journal' to have referred to the armed resistance groups in Kashmir as 'terrorists'. The online edition of 'The Wall Street Journal' writes: "He speaks of the militant Islamic groups operating in Kashmir as "terrorists" -- former President Musharraf would more likely have called them "freedom fighters" -- and allows that he has no objection to the India-US nuclear cooperation pact, so long as Pakistan is treated "at par." "
Let's not be too harsh with Mr Ten Percent. From A to Z Asif Zardari has made a mark in his own uncanny style. Now we don't really know what has made him say what he has said in an interview. Did he say "terrorists" and meant "tourists"? Has his statement something to do with the poor English comprehension or has he really gone a long way, may be from Ten Percent ao Twenty Percent for agreeing to a Volte-face vis-à-vis Pakistan's historical, fundamental, and traditional stance on Kashmir. Striking deals--be it in the dingy stables or in the cozy hotels of Washington—Mr. Zardari is doing what he knows best. Whatever the case may be, in my view; he is innocent.
And in India I guess the leaders of Bhartiya Janata Party and the Congress are celebrating the statement of Mr Zardari a little too hastily, you never know what he is going to say the next morning, the next week, the next month—depending upon the strength and size of the deals or the comprehension. In terms of issuing controversial statements he has been infected with 'diarrhoea of ideas syndrome' like his predecessor Retired General Pervez Musharraff. And just 24-hours after the interview, didn't his government say Mr Zardari has been misunderstood and that there was no change in Pakistan's Kashmir policy. All said and done, I maintain, Mr Zardari is innocent!
The author is a Kashmiri journalist based in Bonn, Germany; working as an Editor with Deutsche Welle (Voice of Germany).

بحران زدہ خطّوں میں صحافیوں کو درپیش خطرات

رپورٹ: گوہر نذیر گیلانی

ایک صحافی کے لئے پیشہ ورانہ خدمات سر انجام دینا یوں تو کبھی بھی آسان نہیں ہوتا کیونکہ ہر دن ایک نئی اسٹوری، روز ایک نیا چیلنج، لیکن بحران زدہ خطّوں میں کام کرنا ہمیشہ ہی خطرناک ہوتا ہے اورکبھی کبھی جان لیوا بھی!

ظفر اقبال پیشے سے ایک صحافی ہیں اور بھارت کے زیر انتظام ریاست جموّں و کشمیر کے سرمائی دارالحکومت جمّوں میں بھارتی نجی ٹیلی وژن چینل NDTV کے خصوصی نمائندے ہیں۔ مئی سن 2002ء میں نامعلوم مسلح افراد نے شورش زدہ ریاست کے گرمائی دارالحکومت سری نگر میں ظفر اقبال پر ’پوائنٹ بلینک رینج‘ سے یکے بعد دیگرے تین گولیاں چلائیں تاہم وہ معجزاتی طور پر بچ گئے۔

وہ کہتے ہیں:’’میں کام کر رہا تھا تو ہمارے دفتر پر ایک حملہ ہوا۔ حالانکہ مجھے تین گولیاں لگیں لیکن اس کے باوجود میں معجزاتی طور پر بچ گیا۔ بحران زدہ خطّوں میں صحافیوں کے لئے بہت ساری مشکلات اور دقتیں ہوتی ہیں۔‘‘

’’ہم پرورش لوح و قلم کرتے رہیں گے‘‘

سن 2002ء میں ظفر اقبال سری نگر میں ایک انگریزی روزنامے ’’کشمیر امیجز‘‘ کے ساتھ بطور ’’سب ایڈیٹر‘‘ کام کرتے تھے۔ ڈوئچے ویلے اردو سروس سے بات چیت کرتے ہوئے انہوں نے کہا کہ صحافیوں پر حملہ کرنے والوں کے لئے بہترین جواب یہ ہوتا ہے کہ صحافی اور زیادہ شدت کے ساتھ کوشش کریں کہ ان کی رپورٹیں، تحریریں اور جائزے غیر جانبدار، شفاف اور سچائی پر مبنی ہوں۔

’’مجھ پر حملے کے بعد میرے تمام دوستوں، رشتہ داروں، اہل خانہ اور ساتھیوں نے میری حوصلہ افزائی اور مدد کی، جس سے میری ہمت اور زیادہ بڑھی۔ یہی وجہ رہی کہ تمام دقتوں اور مشکلات کے باوجود میں دوبارہ اپنا کام کر پایا۔ جب آپ صاف و شفاف ہوں تو آپ میں کھویا ہوا اعتماد دوبارہ بحال ہونے میں دیر نہیں لگتی۔‘‘

صحافیوں کے حقوق کے تحفّظ کے لئے سرگرم عمل تنظیم انٹرنیشنل فیڈریشن آف جرنلسٹس IFJ کی ویب سائٹ پر سب سے پہلے ہماری نظر اس جملے پر پڑتی ہے:’’اگر صحافی بدعنوانی اور غربت کے حالات اور خوف کے سائے میں ہوں، تو پریس کی آزادی ممکن نہیں۔‘‘

عراق، افغانستان، پاکستان، سری لنکا، کشمیر، سوڈان اور صومالیہ جیسے بحران زدہ خطّوں میں صحافیوں کو بہت ساری مشکلات اور پابندیوں کا سامنا کرنا پڑتا ہے۔

بین الاقوامی تنظیم’’کمیٹی ٹو پروٹیکٹ جرنلسٹس‘‘ CPJ کے مطابق اس سال دنیا کے مختلف ملکوں میں اب تک اٹھائیس صحافیوں کو اپنی جان سے ہاتھ دھونا پڑے ہیں۔گزشتہ سال اڑتالیس 48 صحافی اپنی ڈیوٹی کے دوران مارے گئے۔ حقوق انسانی کی تنظیموں کے مطابق’’لائن آف ڈیوٹی‘‘ میں ہلاک یا زخمی ہونے والے صحافیوں کی تعداد میں اضافہ تشویشناک ہے۔

سچائی کا ترجمان:

بحران زدہ خطّوں میں ایک صحافی کے سامنے بہت سارے چیلنجز ہوتے ہیں۔کبھی ریاست اور اس کی سیاست کا دباوٴ تو کبھی غیر ریاستی عناصر کی کارروائیوں کا خوف، لیکن ایک پیشہ ور صحافی ہمیشہ اس کوشش میں ہوتا ہے کہ وہ تلواروں کے سائے میں رہ کر بھی سچائی کی ترجمانی کرے۔

ریاست اور سیاست کا دباوٴ:

سری لنکا میں ابھی حال ہی میں ایک عدالتی فیصلے میں تسے نایاگم نامی ایک مقامی صحافی کو بیس سال قید کی سزا سنائی گئی۔ سری لنکا میں اکتیس اگست کو اس نامور صحافی کو یہ سزا سنائی گئی۔ جے ایس تسے نایاگم پر الزام ہے کہ وہ اپنی تحریروں، رپورٹوں اور کالمز میں سری لنکن فوج کی مخالفت اور باغی تامل ٹائیگرز کی حمایت کرتے رہے ہیں۔کولمبو میں ہائی کورٹ نے اپنے فیصلے میں اس صحافی کو ’’فرقہ وارانہ فسادات کو ہوا دینے اور مسلح تامل باغیوں سے اپنی ویب سائٹ کے لئے مالی مدد حاصل کرنے‘‘ کا بھی مجرم قرار دیا۔

انٹرنیشنل فیڈریشن آف جرنلسٹس نے اپنی رپورٹ میں اس سری لنکن صحافی کے خلاف سنائے گئے فیصلے کی شدید الفاظ میں مذمت کرتے ہوئے ان کی فوری رہائی کا مطالبہ کیا۔

صحافیوں اور انسانی حقوق کے کارکنوں نے بھی عدالتی فیصلے پر نکتہ چینی کی۔ انٹرنیشنل کمیشن آف جورسٹس ICJ نے اپنی تازہ رپورٹ میں مقدمے کی شفافیت پر سوالیہ نشان لگایا۔

ایشین ہیومن رائٹس کمیشن AHRC نے اپنے ایک بیان میں کہا کہ اسے سری لنکا کے عدالتی فیصلے پر ’’سخت حیرت‘‘ ہوئی ہے۔ کمیشن کے مطابق صحافی تسے نایاگم کے مقدمے کے پیچھے واضح طور پر ’’سیاست کا عمل دخل ہے۔‘‘

’نارتھ ایسٹرن‘ نامی ایک ماہانہ جریدے کے مدیر جے ایس تسے نایاگم خود کو بے قصور بتاتے ہیں۔ یکم مئی، پریس کی آزادی کے عالمی دن کے موقع پر امریکی صدر باراک اوباما نے اس سال اپنے ایک بیان میں سری لنکن صحافی تسے نایاگم کا تذکرہ کیا تھا۔ تاہم سری لنکن حکومت نے اس وقت کہا کہ امریکی صدر کو اس کیس کے بارے میں غلط معلومات فراہم کی گئیں ہیں۔

تامل ٹائیگرز کے خلاف چھبیس سالہ جنگ کے دوران سری لنکن فوج کو حقوق انسانی کی خلاف ورزیوں اور پامالیوں کے حوالے سے ہمیشہ ہی تنقید کا سامنا رہا ہے۔