Jammu & Kashmir

Kashmiri Pandits Blow the Homecoming Horn

Kashmiri Pandits have been the subject of agony and atrocities in Valley since 1990. Now, with the scenario taking a different shape after the abrogation of Article 370 and Modi government’s persistent efforts of fighting terrorism, Kashmiri Pandits have decided to resettle in Valley again with the demand of “one place-settlement”.

Crux of the Matter
  • The story of Kashmiri Pandits has been a matter of great discussion in Indian politics, as they have been subject to cruelty committed by Pakistan sponsored militants in the Valley. Core concern of KPs is the safety and security of their lives and the arrangement of livelihood.
  • 19 January is commemorated as ‘holocaust day’ by 3.5 lakh Kashmiri Pandits scattered across and outside India as they were forced to leave their ancient hometowns in 1990 on that day due to the fear of militants.
  • After the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K and better restoration of law and order in the Valley, Kashmiri Pandits have shown their willingness to resettle and ” live and die” at their ancient native place.
  • Kashmiri Pandits are still apprehensive about their full safety and as a result, have demanded “one place settlement“. It means allotment of a whole region to one particular community in a state or a country, where they can live and prosper peacefully.
  • According to All-State Kashmiri Pandit Conference(ASKPC) “one place settlement” is the only alternative for the rehabilitation of the suppressed community in the Valley.
  • Stressing on the security aspect, Dr T K Bhat Secretary of ASKPC said, “You can guard our houses, colonies…but it is not possible to provide security to each and every Kashmiri Pandit when they go out in the market. Security is the most important aspect connected to the return of the community.”
  • Prominent figures like Prof. B L Zutshi (Social Activist)  and Bihari Kak (Artist and Member of Athwas Culture Association) have also supported this demand.
  • UPA-1 government tried to rehabilitate KPs by providing 7.5 lakh to KP families who were willing to resettle at their native home in the valley. Only one family was able to rehabilitate by this scheme of government, given the flaws in the implementation.
Curiopedia

Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus – According to the Indian government, more than 62,000 families are registered as Kashmiri refugees including some Sikh and Muslim families. Most families were resettled in Jammu, National Capital Region surrounding Delhi and other neighboring states. The Hindus of the Kashmir Valley were forced to flee the Kashmir valley as a result of being targeted by JKLF and Islamist insurgents during late 1989 and early 1990. Of the approximately 300,000 to 600,000 Hindus living in the Kashmir Valley in 1990, only 2,000–3,000 remain there in 2016. More Info

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Black Sheep Caught: DSP Davinder Found Ferrying 2 Most-Wanted Militants

J&K’s DSP Davinder Singh was caught ferrying two most wanted Kashmiri militants. NIA probe into the matter surfaced that he had been assisting militants with logistics and safe passage for quite a time. The Black Sheep is being probed for his alleged role in the 2001 Parliament Attack, 2017 Pulwama Attack, and for his ties with Afzal Guru, ISI, and other terrorist groups.

Crux of the Matter

Who is DSP Davinder Singh?
Davinder Singh, belonging to Tral in Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir, joined the Police force as a sub-inspector in 1990 right after this graduation. In the early part of his career, he had voluntarily joined the Counter Insurgency Wing. He has an immaculate track record of conducting counter-terrorist operations with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K. A family man, Davinder stays in a posh area of Srinagar called Indira Nagar. His wife is a teacher and he has three children – two daughters who study MBBS in Bangladesh, and a son who studies in the eminent Burn Hall School. The 57-year old had been awarded ‘Sher-e-Kashmir‘ for his brave role in the unpopular 2017 Pulwama Terror Attack. On I-Day, 2019, he had also been awarded ‘Police Medal for Meritorious Service‘. However, in police circles, he is known for being ‘shady‘ and ‘corrupt‘. His notorious involvement, that we will examine later in this piece, corroborates the word of police officers.

Why is He Under Radar?
Spotlights have shifted to DSP Davinder Singh because in snowy white mountains of Kashmir he was caught red-handed, allegedly, ferrying two most wanted Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists, Naveed Babu and Rafi Ahmed.

Police had received information about two militants trying to pass the Jawahar Tunnel. Police had gotten hold of DSP Davinder, a driver, and two Hizbul militants driving in a car, Hyundai i10, containing arms and ammunition at a police checkpoint on South Kashmir’s Jammu-Srinagar Highway. The driver was identified as a former lawyer named Irfan Shafi.

The first militant, Syed Naveed Mushtaq, also known as Naveed Babu, was a former Kashmir Policeman who turned into a militant. Besides accusation of stealing police rifles, he has 17 FIRs charged against him in various serious crimes. The other militant was also a wanted militant of the region.

At first, DSP Singh had denied allegations and had said that he was ferrying these militants to make them surrender. “He had no authorization to ferry the two terrorists, and so, it cannot be justified as a covert operation. If it was a direction that came from above, senior officers would have known. Police officers do infiltrate in terrorist groups for information, but it is a part of an operation and seniors are in the loop. He willfully entered into this conspiracy with the terrorists for financial gains,” said a J&K Police Source to the Print.

DSP Davinder has been suspended from service and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) is currently investigating him.

Davinder’s Unsevered Past
DSP Davinder’s notorious actions had been conformed as corrupt and shady by police circles. About 20 years ago, Singh was accused of supplying AK-47 rifles to hijackers in the Athwajan region of Srinagar. His image as a Policeman who is extremely harsh has raised numerous voices of custodial death under his charge. Time and again he has been in the limelight of allegations of extorting money from businessmen as well commons.

He has been accused of providing safe passage, in the year 1990, to India to the 2001 Parliament Attack terrorist Mohammed. In 2005, Davinder was also alleged to have provided safe passage to four Kashmiri militants who were found with arms, ammunition, wireless set, and a safe passage letter, all of which, allegedly, provided by Davinder.

His most controversial involvement comes from the letter written by Afzal Guru, convict of the 2001 Parliament Attack. Davinder had asked Afzal Guru to ferry Mohammed, another accused in the 2001 Parliament case, from Kashmir to Delhi. This has led the authorities to probe Davinder Singh’s role in the 2001 Parliament Attack. Authorities are also looking into his role, if any, in the 2017 Pulwama Terror Strike.

His recent visits to Bangladesh and Nepal have had the attention of agencies probing him. As per Singh, he had visited his daughters studying there. However, agencies are probing whether Singh would have met militants or anyone linked to Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan.

Is Winter Coming for Him?
NIA’s investigation has confirmed that DSP Davinder Singh was assisting militants with logistics. He has also been helping them with safe passages from one district to another. It is speculated that Naveed’s contact was established by him through the help of the top Pakistani leaders of Hizbul Mujahideen. His three-storey luxury house in Srinagar was searched several times by authorities. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the NIA are looking deeper into this matter.

His gallantry medal ‘Sher-e-Kashmir‘ has been forfeited. “All organisations have black sheep and the DSP was one. The credit goes to the police officers who identified him and arrested him and unearthed the whole conspiracy. One should bear in mind that hundreds of policemen have laid down their lives in the fight against terrorism,” said Advisor to Lt. Governor, Farooq Khan.

Curiopedia

The 2001 Indian Parliament attack was a terrorist attack on the Parliament of India in New Delhi on 13 December 2001. The perpetrators allegedly belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), two Pakistan-based alleged terrorist organisations by India. The attack led to the deaths of five terrorists, six Delhi Police personnel, two Parliament Security Service personnel and a gardener – in total 14 – and to increased tensions between India and Pakistan, resulting in the 2001–02 India–Pakistan standoff. More Info

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J&K police avert major terror attack ahead of Republic Day

The Srinagar Police on January 16 arrested 5 men from Jaish-e-Mohammad terror module and averted a major terror attack ahead of Republic Day in the Kashmir valley. A large stock of explosive material has been recovered from the five operatives.

Crux of the Matter
  • Names of those arrested are Aijaz Ahmed Sheikh, Umar Hameed Sheikh, Imtiyaz Ahmed Chikla, Sahil Farooq Gojri and Naseer Ahmed Mir.
  • The five JeM operatives were planning a major terror attack on the Republic Day celebrations in Kashmir.
  • Deputy Inspector General of Police, Central Kashmir, V K Birdi said, “it was revealed that these five were involved in the recent terror attack at Habak. They were arrested near the Habak crossing.”
  • Imtiyaz Ahmed Chikla, alias Imran, age 31 is the son of Mohammad Sidiq Chikla, a resident and shopkeeper by profession of Asaar Colony, Hazratbal.
  • Sahil Farooq Gojri, age 26 is the son of Farooq Ahmed Gojri, a resident of Ellahibagh, Soura.
  • Naseer Ahmad Mir, age 25 is the son of Mohammad Ashraf Mir, a resident of Sadarbal Hazratbal.
  • Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh, age 38 and driver by profession is the son of Late Ghulam Ahmad Sheikh, a resident of Sadarbal Hazratbal.
  • Umar Hameed Sheikh, age 28 is the son of Abdul Hameed Sheikh and resident of Asaar Colony, Hazratbal.
Curiopedia

Jaish-e-Mohammed is a Pakistan-based Deobandi jihadist Islamic Jihadis group active in Kashmir. The group’s primary motive is to separate Kashmir from India and merge it into Pakistan. Since its inception in 2000, the terror outfit has carried out several attacks in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. After liberating Kashmir, it aims to carry its ‘jihad’ to other parts of India, with an intent to drive Hindus and other non-Muslims from the Indian subcontinent. It has carried out several attacks primarily in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It also maintained close relations with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and continues to be allied with these groups. More Info

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China Isolated at UNSC as P5 Refuse to discuss Kashmir

In an attempt by China to internationalize the issue of Kashmir and support its ally Pakistan; China sought a ‘closed-door consultation‘ at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) which was rejected by all other nations considering it as a bilateral issue.

Crux of the Matter
  • Other permanent members clearly said the issue is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan.
  • French diplomats said that they have stated it on several occasions that the Kashmir issue must be settled bilaterally.
  • The UK also urged that the matter be resolved bilaterally and the US said there was no need to discuss this issue at the Security Council.
  • Russian envoy to the UN also tweeted his country’s stand within minutes after the UNSC meeting.
  • Germany is also of the view that UNSC is not the place to discuss the Kashmir dispute.
  • Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was in New York when the UNSC meeting took place. He had a meeting with the UN secretary-general and with the President of the UNGA.
  • After the second failed attempt of China in five months, India is gearing up for possible developments in March when China will take over the rotational presidency at UNSC.
  • Dmitry Polyanskiy said, “Russia firmly stands for the normalisation of relations between India and Pakistan. We hope that differences between them will be settled through bilateral efforts based on the 1972 Simla Agreement and the 1999 Lahore Declaration.”
  • India’s permanent representative at UN Syed Akbaruddin said “the ‘alarmist scenario’ painted by Pak has failed. Pakistan’s practice of using false pretences to distract from the malaise that afflicts it has run its course today.”
Curiopedia

The United Nations Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, charged with ensuring international peace and security, accepting new members to the United Nations and approving any changes to its charter. Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations and international sanctions as well as the authorization of military actions through resolutions. The Security Council was created following World War II to maintain world peace. The Security Council consists of fifteen members. With five permanent members, the council has 10 non-permanent members, elected on a regional basis to serve a term of two years. More Info

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Broadband Internet Services To Be Partially Restored In Kashmir

After the Supreme Court ordered a review of all the restrictive orders that are still in place in Kashmir; the broadband internet services will be partially restored and the Governor will further analyze the situation and take a call on the restoration of cellphone internet.

Crux of the Matter
  • The process will be conducted in phases starting from January 15.
  • Access would be first given in Central Kashmir and Srinagar, followed by north Kashmir (Kupwara, Bandipora and Baramulla) two days later. After another two days, South Kashmir (Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian and Anantnag) will be given access.
  • According to the government order, social networking sites will remain under complete restriction. Government websites and websites dealing with essential services and e-banking would be given full internet access.
  • The order specifies the institutions that would be responsible for preventing any misuse and has laid down necessary precautions, including the appointment of nodal officers, keeping record and monitoring usage, and having authorised users.
  • The Lieutenant-Governor will take a call on the restoration of cellphone internet after a detailed review is conducted.
Curiopedia

Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus – The Hindus of the Kashmir Valley, were forced to flee the Kashmir valley as a result of being targeted by JKLF and Islamist insurgents during late 1989 and early 1990. Of the approximately 300,000 to 600,000 Hindus living in the Kashmir Valley in 1990, only 2,000–3,000 remain there in 2016. According to the Indian government, more than 62,000 families are registered as Kashmiri refugees including some Sikh and Muslim families. Most families were resettled in Jammu, National Capital Region surrounding Delhi and other neighbouring states. Read More

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