| Submit your comments on this article |
| India-Pakistan |
| Sporadic protests as Indian Kashmir seethes under clampdown |
| 2019-08-08 |
| [AlAhram] Thousands of Indian security forces kept a lid on protests in disputed Kashmire on Wednesday, helped by the continued suspension of telephone and internet services after the Himalayan region's special status was scrapped this week. Neighbours China and Pakistain, which both claim parts of the region, have voiced fierce opposition to India's move dropping a constitutional provision that had allowed the country's only Moslem-majority state to make its own laws. Streets in the region's main city of Srinagar were deserted for a third day, with almost all shops shut, barring some chemists. Armed federal police manned mobile checkpoints across the city, limiting people's movement. Knots of young protesters threw stones at soldiers, police and a witness said, amid anger over the telecoms clampdown that began on Sunday. "These (protests) are mostly localised because of the heavy troop deployment," said a police officer who sought anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to media, adding that police used tear gas and pepper spray to scatter the protesters. A witness described an episode of hours of stone-throwing on Tuesday in the Old Barzullah area near the city centre, saying, "I saw around 100 boys, in small groups, pelting stones." He added, "The police fired tear gas to beat them back." Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government detained regional leaders and heads of separatist groups before Monday's announcement, which also split the state into two federal territories to ensure greater control. India has been fighting an armed revolt in Kashmire since 1989, which it blames Pakistain for stoking. In reply, Islamabad says it only gives moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their struggle for self-determination. MEDICAL SERVICES All telephone, television, and internet connections stayed severed. By night, police vans had patrolled the streets, with loudspeakers warning residents to stay indoors. South Kashmire, the epicentre of the insurgency in recent years, was completely locked down, said a state government official who visited the area. "The highway was deserted, except for some trucks and buses carrying labourers out of the valley," added the official, who asked not to be named. Local authorities have not declared a curfew, but instead clamped down on non-essential travel and gatherings of four or more, effectively keeping restive people in their homes. Officials of emergency services, such as hospitals and the fire department, said their staff were also frequently stopped at checkpoints, with access sometimes blocked. The principal of Srinagar's Government Medical College, which runs the state’s largest hospital network, comprising about 3,500 beds, has to personally visit district officials to coordinate services or seek approvals, a hospital official said. "The principal doesn’t have any means of communication," added the official, who asked not to be identified. "Police stations have been given satellite phones but not him. That shows their (government’s) priority." |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #3 Thank you, D., my ignorance is a little less boundless... |
| Posted by: Mercutio 2019-08-08 15:29 |
| #2 Mercutio, it was the leftist, appeasement-based policies of previous administrations that had successfully prevented such decisive solutions. The solution to anything lies inescapably within it's roots. The root of this problem was islamism. Some Background ? It may prove... insightful as to 'What-If' scenaios ? At the time of independence, most north Indian muslims instantly demanded their beloved islamic abattoir - Pakistain, and they had dibs on Kashmir. Kashmir had trouble deciding, as it was ruled by a federally funded royalty the very epitome of well-fed indecision, who wanted the best of both worlds - protection guaranteed against annexation along with their autonomy and budget as a princely state. Until the real world came calling, waving the dung-green islamic flags to his filigreed doors , the Kashmiri prince was a happy camper. Kashmir was attacked by the 'Stain and India defended it because as the british taught us before leaving, the Himalayas and the Kashmir valley are a strategic asset for the Union that must never be compromised. He agreed to cede to India, only if we fed his ego. At the time therewas only one party, the Congress. Gandhi, Nehru and the freedom fighters...all were Congress party. They were idealists, hopeful at the time that muslims could be lived with. When Kashmir was included in India it had to be done so piecemeal, battle by battle and preserving the Rajah's beloved status quo. A special Act had to be cooked up for this unique arrangement. What later became the Article 370. Immediately after the end of the prince's reign, when a Constituent Assembly was established in Kashmir (1952), only muslim parties arose to prominence, the article 370 disallowed 'outsiders' from participating, or even holding office in Kashmir. When in the late 80s, Pakistain trained jihadis began exterminating all non-muslims, leading to a mass exodus of the native Kashmiri hindus, sikhs, buddhists, chritian missionaries, Kashmir turned into a muslim majority state. Kashmiri legislation was now reduced to ravings of mullahs from the masjids in Pakistan, forcing us to police in ways that often turned ugly. Pakistan backed politicians knew it was in their interest to support the Congress Party the Indian equivalent of the liberal democrat profiteers masquerading as socialist saviours of people. There was no 'right-wing' back then, except for a fringe lunatic crowd that wanted India to be remade into a utopia from a weed fueled reverie by some old navel gazer.
Naturally, a growing socialist democracy and a westward-looking population dreaded their coming to power and refrained from voting for them. Indian mainstream consciousness in the developing years did not come from either Marx or Eisenhower, it came from a slowly liberalizing hollywood, translated to an islamist ruled bollywood. And the hindu right wing were regressive shitkickers in that narrative. Their actually being regressive shitkickers didn't help none either. For a large part of the 60+ years, India was governed by the autocratic Congress party which over time became the face of globalist liberal appeasement. The Congress leadership became so disconnected from the majority, for decades our taxes fueled their jaunts to Europe, the US, their soirees with liberals from all countries, diluting their own ideologies. Their policies were those of sycophants trying to barter away our economy to foreign commercial entities backed by the UN and globalist players. When we won wars with Pakistain, our Prime Ministers used to return the land we emptied of sasquatches, repatriating POWs with honor and even paying them damages. The UN could easily dictate it's maladroit decrees on human rights and legalisms upon Kashmir. And that is the time Imran Khan alludes to when he cites 'International Consensus' and UN advisories, the wishful thinking that makes Pak look to Trump to get India to capitulate now is coming from that bygone era. The change today, is a symptom of voting in a headstrong, majoritarian government, whose leaders do not kow-tow before globalist decrees or line their pockets with proceeds from arms sales. They are hindu ideologues, yes. And some of them are way far from a full deck, but they are anti-muslim and anti-globalist. These audacious SOBs can accomplish anything they set their minds to in a matter of days, no consensus, no discussion. Since 2014, they have a full majority in the House, have carefully selected the supreme court judges and have gagged and domesticated the media completely. I believe we are topped only by N Korea or China in the 'nationalist censorship' You will love your country or die ! department. This present move is a precursor toward a larger objective. Of transforming Kashmir from a muslim dominated state to just another muslim minority state. We don't wish them ill God knows they only benefit from this. More jobs, easy loans, better legal protections. It is also part of the plan to curb the spread of pan-islamism in the sub-continent. Next up is a National Register that requires all residents to prove their citizenship to continue residing in India. If the 370 thing was an eye-catcher, this one's a doozy. | |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2019-08-08 10:54 |
| #1 I'm curious as to why this was done now as opposed to any time in the past 60+ years? Some precipitating factor or just cumulative stress? Dron66046? any input? |
| Posted by: Mercutio 2019-08-08 08:36 |