“The Invisible People of CPEC” is a documentary series which is the labour of three years of research. I embarked on a journey to explore Jammu and Kashmir when I was just 21 years old and did The Abandoned Cranes on exodus of Kashmiri Pandits back in 2013.
After my first documentary, I got to explore Laddakh and its history and during my trip to Laddakh, I decided to venture into research about Gilgit- Baltistan and the CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor). The history of Gilgit-Baltistan is fascinating and not much of research has happened academically from Indian stand point. We just call it as an integral part of India without understanding the geographic and ethnic complexities of the area.
It took me three years to culminate this project as I did balancing with my Legal career. The film has been shot at Kargil, Kashgar, Dras, Laddakh Skardu and London. I got footage of Skardu from my friend Goba Ali who is featured in this film and recently visited Gilgit. What I have released now is the first part of documentary series and other parts on Xinxiang and Balochistan will be released on upcoming Saturdays. The documentary is an attempt to understand the issues and concerns of people living around the corridor and how Pakistan illegally captured Gilgit-Baltistan which is an integral part of India.
The documentary also depicts human right violations in Gilgit-Baltistan and the demographic transitions due to CPEC in this region. Also, the Diemer Basha Dam which is proposed to be constructed will further increase the demographic transition.
Apart from unfolding various truths and facts, film salutes the bravery of Indian Soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the region. The story of Turtuk and Siege of Skardu are the battles which are least talked about. The film is an effort of individuals and not backed by any organization. Mr. Pragnesh podar, who is my mentor is the backbone of the film. Mr. Vivek Bansal helped me with digital strategy and ensured wider circulation so that it reaches out to a large number of people. Mr. Anuj Saini and his company Shutter Stories has handled the camera work, editing and post production to whom I am extremely thankful. Last but not the least Mr. Shailesh Pandey and Vinod Tikoo who were a guiding force. The film is incomplete without the names mentioned above.
In Covid-struck India, everyone is discussing cash. More importantly, everyone wants to know if the government has enough cash at its disposal to fund some of the mega projects recently announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
At the core of this debate is
not just cash but also the way the government collected revenue for 2019-20.
Hence, it is important to take a realistic look at India’s revenue generation.
In 2019-20, the
government’s estimated direct tax revenue was ₹13,35,000 crore. Around 58%
of this direct tax revenue was expected to be collected in the form of
Corporation Tax or Income Tax that is levied on the income of companies
operating in India. In 2018-19, out of the total actual collection of direct
tax revenue of ₹11,36,574 crore, an estimated ₹6,63,571.62 crore – approximately 58% – was collected from
companies.
The income tax return
statistics of CBDT for the year 2018-19 show that 8,41,942 companies filed
income tax returns in the year 2018-19. These companies declared a total income
of ₹13,34,792
crore. Out of these 800,000 lakh plus companies, only 1,504 companies that were
0.18% of the total number of companies declared taxable income of over Rs.100
crore. These 1,504 companies declared taxable income of ₹9,55,601 crore or approximately
72% of the total collection.
So what are we getting to
see? That a handful of companies declared bulk of taxable income. Similarly,
525 companies or only 0.06% of total companies paid 60% of the total
corporation tax payable.
An analysis of individual
taxpayers showed that 5,52,60,219 returns were filed by individuals declaring
income of ₹29,69,745
crore on which tax of ₹3,17,845 crore was payable. A total of 4,44,976 or approximately
0.18% of the total individuals paid tax of over ₹10 lakh each. These 0.18% taxpayers
paid approximately 45% of total income tax revenue paid by individuals.
The bottomline for a
billion plus nation is that the bulk of income tax revenue is paid by only a
handful of income tax assessees.
Now right after the
introduction of GST, the nature of indirect tax collections of the government
went through a sea change. The indirect tax revenue was collected in the form
of Excise Duty on goods manufactured in India, Service Tax on services rendered
in India, and Customs Duty on goods imported into India.
The Customs Duties
consisted of Basic Duty of Customs, Additional Duty of Customs and Special
Additional Duty. Basic Duty was governed by WTO guidelines on tariff, and the
government’s fiscal policy had little room for adjustment within the bound
tariff rates laid down by WTO. Additional Duty of Customs was commonly known as
Countervailing Duty, and was collected at rates equal to those of Excise Duty
to equalize imported goods with goods produced locally. Similarly, Special Additional
Duty of Customs was imposed to equalize imported goods with VAT imposed on
local goods. Now, Additional Duty of Customs and Special Additional Duty have
been merged into and replaced with IGST or Integrated Goods and Service Tax.
Similarly, Excise Duty was
collected at varying rates on different commodities manufactured or produced in
India. Service Tax was collected at a uniform rate on all services. Both Excise
Duty and Service Tax have been merged into and replaced with the Goods and
Services Tax.
Earlier, the Ministry of
Finance played an important role in determination of rate of duty on various
commodities. But now, the Finance Ministry has little role, as the power to
determine rates of duty lies with the Goods and Services Tax Council chaired by
the Hon’ble Minister for Finance of the Government of India, and consisting of
Finance Ministers of various states as its members. Therefore, the earlier day
to day work of determination of rate of duty has lost its relevance in the
Ministry of Finance.
Many say this is a
problematic zone and needs to be rectified.
It may also be pointed out
that Excise Duty is still collected on petrol and petroleum products that are
not under GST regime. The collection of Union Excise Duties on petroleum and petroleum
products was estimated to be approximately ₹3,00,000 crore in the
Budget Estimates of 2019-20. This was estimated to be approximately 12% of
total tax revenue and 23% of indirect tax revenue of the government. This tax
on petroleum is paid by a handful of companies.
Now what is little
distressing is that there is no analysis of GST taxpayers available in the
public domain to show as to which commodities or which taxpayers pay the bulk
of the revenue, but the income tax analysis already shows that bulk of the
income and profit is declared by a handful of companies.
It is apparent that even
GST revenue is paid by these handful of assessees. As already mentioned, 23% of
tax revenue is paid by a handful of companies engaged in the petroleum products
sector, and most of these companies are public sector companies.
There was a time when the
Tax Research Unit of CBEC used to publish excise paid by 312 top Companies. And
84% of excise revenue was paid by these companies.
Now if you exclude
petroleum accounting for 23% of revenue, the balance of 312 must be still
accounting for 61% of GST.
Enlarging the Field to 5000
assessees in Customs/ GST/ VAT/ Income Tax, the tax paid by them would account
for 95% of the revenue. This revenue will come irrespective of an officer being
present or absent.
As a result, successive
cadre restructuring has led to bloated bureaucracy across India. In 1977, The
Class 1 Cadre of CBEC was 700. Today it is over 10,000. And the total staff
strength is way over 70,000.
The situation is worse in
CBDT.
The expenditure to
accommodate and service all these — offices, houses, cars, travel — is more
than the salary bill of the Revenue Department. If the government is spending
over Rs 35,000 crores to collect equivalent amounts, the resultant gains are
not sufficient to warrant such bureaucracy.
Baloch freedom fighters have intensified their fight against the Pakistan Army in occupied Balochistan. During the last 48 hours, Pakistan Army was attacked at least six times and its ten soldiers were killed across different areas of occupied Balochistan. Different pro-independence Baloch combat groups fighting in occupied Balochistan have taken responsibility for these attacks.
On Monday, for instance, the security convoy of an oil and gas exploration company was targeted by IED (improvised explosive device) at Peer-Ghaib area of Bolan. This attack was claimed by the United Baloch Army (UBA). Mureed Baloch, spokesman for the United Baloch Army, said in a statement from an undisclosed location that the UBA’s freedom fighters hit a convoy of Pakistani security forces escorting an oil and gas exploration company with a remote-controlled bomb at Peer-Ghaib in Bolan. “The attack completely destroyed the Pakistani forces’ vehicle, after that our fighters also attacked other vehicles with rockets and automatic weapons,” he added.
Mureed Baloch added that several personnel of the Pakistani security forces were killed in this attack. Later on it was reported that six Pakistani soldiers were killed in this attack. In the statement, Mureed Baloch has also warned foreign companies to stop investing in Balochistan. He added that similar attacks would continue till the independence of Balochistan.
In another attack, the snipers of Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) attacked Pakistani forces during the last two days in Kech district of occupied Balochistan.
Gwahram Baloch, BLF spokesperson said that two Pakistan Army personnel were killed in a sniper attack on Sunday morning. He said the attack was carried out on a checkpost situated at Sangastan Kandag, in Mand. The second attack, BLF spokesman claimed was carried out in Tump Aziyan area, on Monday. “At around 12 noon on Monday, a Pakistani Army officer was killed by our sniper at the Aziyan military post in Tump area of Kech district,” Gwahram Baloch added.
Similarly, the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) said it had also carried out attacks over the last two days. BRA spokesman, Beebagr Baloch said in a statement that “…on Monday morning, our freedom fighters attacked the Pakistan Army’s checkpost over River Chokap in Mand area of Kech district. The attack was carried out when Pakistan Army personnel were building new pickets… two army personnel were killed and one was injured in this attack.”
According to the residents of Kech in occupied Balochistan, there has been a surge in military operations and “enforced disappearances” by Pakistan in the Kech district after recent attacks by pro-independence Baloch combat forces, especially after the attack on May 8 in which killed six Pakistan Army personnel, including their Major Nadeem was killed. According to sources, more than a dozen people have been abducted by the Pakistan Army in just two weeks from Kech district. A large majority of these abductees are students.
Also, over the last one month Pakistan Army has intensified its military operations across Balochistan using heavy artillery and helicopter gunships. During April more than 100 military operations were carried out by the Pakistan Army’s death squads that have abducted and tortured innocent Baloch civilians including women and children. These attacks by the Baloch freedom fighters on various Pakistan Army convoys, their bunkers and checkposts is their retaliation to unprovoked military raids on the hapless Baloch people.
Humanists International is kicking behinds again, doing great work, taking names, and building membership, and a unified global movement for science and human rights. This time, they’ve been working on an important educational campaign to counter misinformation and to provide appropriate information about the Covid-19 crisis emergent from SARS-CoV-2. Something “probably” (there you go, Andrew! – “likely,” ugh) coming from bats, where many types of coronaviruses fester, and then transmitted across species into a human being, i.e., from a non-human animal to a human animal. Now, here we are, with all the clumsy conspiracy theorizing, racist navel-gazing to ignore the plight of those less well-equipped to deal with the virus, End Times fearmongering as a form of collective infantile escapism, scripturally inadequate pulpit mouth-foaming, and run-of-the-mill dismissal of expert analysis and scientific information for comprehension of an international emergency – not to mention Alex Jones’ epic repetitive rant of eating his neighbour’s “ass” (we got the point the first time, Mr. Jones, thanks – now known as someone who would shout bombastic flummeries to entice his neighbour’s reluctant anal cavity), this educational campaign is incredibly important in this context.
Not only has this pandemic shown the standard structural inadequacies of several international networks, but it also exacerbates or makes bold the profoundly ignorant, and then highlights some of the extent and influence of the stupefying blank mental cartridges active throughout the globe when it’s not a drill. All grounded in low-tide respect for science across nations and regions, insufficient educational standards in critical thinking and the base theoretical frameworks from the sciences to know the natural world, and inequitable distribution of the quality curricula materials with intersects in religious dogma/fundamentalism and sexist blockading of educational progress.
That’s why the work of global democratic Humanism becomes a necessity rather than an option moving forward because the problems facing the world require international solutions rather than individualist-nationalist ones. The philosophical system may evolve to meet future problems, but this is precisely the required system at this moment in time. One in which the Amsterdam Declaration 2002 becomes part of the global democratic Humanist discourse and the international efforts for greater justice. The Board – Andrew Copson (President), Anne-France Ketelaer (Vice-President), Boris van der Ham (Treasurer), Rebecca Hale (Board Member), Gulalai Ismail (Board Member), Kristin Mile (Board Member), Roslyn Mould (Board Member), Uttam Niraula (Board Member, and David Pineda (Board Member) – and the staff – Gary McLelland (Chief Executive), Elizabeth O’Casey (Director of Advocacy), Jean Zong (Financial Administrator), Giovanni Gaetani (Membership Engagement Manager), and Mahalet Tadesse (Intern), Emma Wadsworth-Jones (Humanists at Risk Coordinator), and Lillie Ashworth (Advocacy Officer) – and volunteer representatives – Kacem El Ghazzali, Margaretha Jones, John Wagner, and Renate Bauer – of Humanists International have been doing amazing work in their countries, in their institutions, and globally through the global democratic collective voice of Humanists International. Everybody has a place; each person has a part.
With a variety of multilingual memes, coloured and well-designed for presentation to the public, the languages are extremely diverse and represent a great effort of the international humanist community’s work in the development of the memes for different nationalities’ consumption. Some of the listed examples had languages of Bangla, English, French, Hindi, Ki-Swahili, Persian, Portuguese, Sinhala, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil, and Urdu. Thank you to the nearly 200 members and associates of Humanists International for the work in the development of the members and in such a wide array of languages, too, the reported targeted objective is millions of people reached around the world.
While the targeted objective remains for the individuals who believe in conspiracy theories, superstitions, and fake news, as this becomes an educational campaign, it becomes part of a consistent increased effort in the education in the public through the global information and communication networks. One of the foundations of the efforts comes from targeting irrational beliefs and the application of skepticism towards particulars with the empiricist and modernist lens on them. Misinformation can lead to bad outcomes. Individuals who have the privilege and the opportunity to ignore the plight of the coronavirus may, and in fact often do, neglect the inability of others to isolate, physically distance, have access to emergency funds, acquire respirators, and have adequate medical attention. Resources in abundance to some not considered “resources” inasmuch as rights, as if the water one swims. As several others have noted, we can note the exaggerated health disparities in the cessation of life in the critical/severe cases for African Americans compared to European Americans. Even in spite of this, incompetent and inadequate response to the crisis is leading to disproportionate American deaths compared to much of the rest of the globe. It is driven by the conscious and automated spread of ‘knowledge’ or false information designed to misinform, or simply grounded in a deep lack of scientific understanding.
Thus, as Dr. Leo Igwe noted in an interview in the #GlobalHumanismNow series, the misinformation “virus” can make the spreading of the coronavirus worse. In a manner of speaking, if one knowingly spreads false information, and if demographic outcomes exist in these contexts, then one not only harms the general population, but, also, vulnerable populations disproportionately – making known disparities even worse. Humanists International – and its Board, staff, and representatives – are doing a fantastic job in ramping up international efforts to reduce the spread of lies and misinformation, and countering medically dubious and scientifically questionable treatments amounting to the unsupportable to the dangerously farcical.
This comes, mainly, in the form of the COVID-19 #MythBusters, i.e., memes displaying evidence-based messages in some of the aforementioned languages to improve the efficacy of the work. As Giovanni Gaetani, Humanists International’s Membership Engagement Manager, states:
Our goal is to… reach out to a wider global audience, on a larger scale than we have ever done so before…
…The amount of coordination
and support coming from our Members and Associates is astonishing. In just one
week we managed to translate the memes into 15
languages, including some of the most spoken languages around the
world like Hindi, Spanish, French, Bengali, Portuguese, etc. We are literally
talking about potentially reaching millions of people…
…As I speak, we keep
receiving new translations and we are working to create further series of
memes. Members and Associates all around the world are sharing the memes
everywhere. Not only on social media, but also on Whatsapp groups, newsletters,
etc. It’s hard to estimate accurately how many people we are reaching
worldwide, but the feedback we are receiving is great.
…This is a great example of global humanist cooperation in the name of reason, science and solidarity.
Global Humanism can assist in the endeavour to reduce some of the issues inherent in the developments of the modern communications networks, including the first global telephone system called The Internet. We feel as if this becomes an insurmountable challenge. However, as we should remain diligent and conscious, we have larger looming issues apart from rights abuse, international humanitarian law violations, and the re-rise of an ignorant sub-culture with some modicum of prominence only appearing large-and-looming; we have the issues of anthropogenic climate change, or human-induced global warming, and the threat of nuclear catastrophe.
Once we begin to overcome, as many are, this cavalcade of a clown parade, we have the more serious issues needing intense work. Our ancestors have overcome their own challenges; we can overcome ours. It merely requires proportionate proactive, assertive, and constructive counter-response, as per the work of Humanists International.
In early 1947, the British understood that it was untenable
for them to continue ruling over vast Indian subcontinent that was a
“jewel in the crown”. They knew that any prolonged stay in the
country teeming with hostile natives was extremely unsafe. Of course, being
butchered to pieces here, there and everywhere in the countryside was a real
threat they faced.
Simultaneously, events had created situations in which the
huge country was to be divided into two parts, the Dominion of India and the
Dominion of Pakistan. It was one parting shot and deep wound they inflicted on
this land and its people.
At that time, there were hundreds of Princely States in what
was India then. Some areas were directly ruled by the British and they wielded
considerable influence on others.
Instrument of Accession (IoA) was a standard document that
was devised for transfer of power. The RULERS of the then Princely States had
to sign this legal instrument for joining either the Dominion of India, or
Pakistan.
In which school of thought (as opposed to a school of
education) people who peddle false narratives about Sheikh Abdullah’s role in
it have been educated? They have “learned” to falsify all history shamelessly.
Brazenly. Without batting an eyelid. Doing that consistently too!
Let us talk of Abdullah “political dynasty” the
foundation of which was first laid by Maharaja Hari Singh on March 5, 1948,
when he made Sheikh the “Interim Administrator” of J&K. Yes,
Sheikh was an appointee of the sovereign and drew all his legal powers from
this order.
Check recent history of J&K from January 1947 to May
2020 please. In case you have some doubts.
Sheikh was given unceremonious marching orders on August 9,
1953, by another royal, Sadr-e-Riyasat Karan Singh, at the behest of and with
the consent of Nehru. Incidentally, it was Nehru who had forced Maharaja Hari
Singh’s hand in March 1948. These orders remain in force and operating
“practically” till 1975.
Farooq Abdullah became the head of Sheikh’s dynasty on
September 8, 1982. The next in line is Omar Abdullah.
Now talk of the Dogra dynasty founded by Gulab Singh in
March 1846. Between March 1846 and March 1948, the time of emergence of Sheikh’s
dynasty, there’s a gap of 102 years.
Maharaja Hari Singh drew strength and powers of the legal
foundations from something that could be traced back to March 1846, events that
unfolded over 101 years. He alone was the AUTHORISED person to sign the Instrument
of Accession for J&K. Nobody else had an ounce of legal position to decide
about that.
Sheikh Saheb had not inherited J&K from his
filial elders’ places like Gilgit-Baltistan, Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Palandri,
Minsar, and several other places which were a part of J&K in July 1947. Let
us not talk about moral standing and all that, and stick to facts, just the
legal facts.
All these areas were consolidated into one kingdom of
J&K by the Dogra rulers. The foundation for Gulab Singh’s kingdom was laid
by Maharaja Ranjit Singh on the banks of Jia Pota in Akhnoor two decades before
1846!
Maharaja Hari Singh had this right of signing the Instrument
of Accession because of events going back to March 1846. Even earlier!
Only those who peddle falsehoods talk of Sheikh’s role in
signing the Instrument of Accession! How could he play any role in an entirely
legal process on October 26, 1947, when he became an “Interim
Administrator” only on March 5, 1948?
Goebbels is the inspiration of this school of falsehoods. It
is just like the “facts” taught in Pakistan society regarding the
foundation of Pakistan laid in 712 AD. They can jump from August 14, 1947, to
events associated with Raja Dahir of Sindh dating back to 712! It is a leap of
faith for them. A leap of falsehood of historical facts of 1200 years!
So why can’t Pakistani fake narrative peddlers take factual liberties with events of October 26, 1947? Predate Sheikh’s rise in power in (by then a truncated J&K) from March 5, 1948, by at least five months. And therefore start preaching that it was Sheikh’s dynasty founded on March 5, 1948 that signed the Instrument of Accession of J&K on October 26, 1947!!
What Director General (DG) of Pakistan Army’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) told us about the improvised explosive device (IED) attack on a Frontier Corps vehicle on May 8 in Kech district of occupied Balochistan was that it had claimed the lives of six Pakistan Army men (including an officer identified as Major Nadeem Abbas Bhatti). What DG-ISPR didn’t mention was that besides these six security force personnel, three minors who were travelling in the same vehicle were also killed in the IED blast and we learnt of this from none other than Dr Allah Nazar Baloch, the current chief of Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) an armed rebel group fighting against occupational Pakistan Army in Balochistan.
For the social media savvy ISPR, which never fails to exploit even the most insignificant incident in order to either score a point or berate its opponents, its stoic silence on this horrific ‘collateral damage’ is rather intriguing. Three young lives being extinguished so brutally would most certainly generate widespread public rage against the perpetrators as well as evoke sympathy for both the deceased army men and the young boys. So, one would have expected the ISPR to cash on the killing of civilians in this blast, but inexplicably, it didn’t do so. On the other hand, for the BLF chief to admit that besides killing the army personnel, the IED triggered by Baloch fighters had also claimed three young lives of local Balochs too is equally surprising, because on the face of it, this admission of civilian casualties by the BLF chief amounts to shooting oneself in the foot!
But things get clear from the tweet of another BLF commander Akhter Nadeem that reads “Army is using the jobless & junkies as cannon fodder in Balochistan. Those got blown up with Maj Nadeem are a clear example. If they were killed otherwise there would’ve been an outrage.” This explains why DG-ISPR chose to avoid any mention of the three young boys killed in the IED blast and also confirms the existence of ‘death squads’ created by Pakistan Army to target dissidents in Balochistan through its infamous ‘kill and dump’ policy. According to local sources, during his year-long Balochistan tenure, Maj Nadeem had created ‘regional death squads’ and let them loose to not only attack rebels but also their families and relatives.
Normally, one would have rejected such claims, especially since they are coming from the Baloch people who could well have an axe to grind with the deceased Major. But the allegation of him having ‘death squads’ is confirmed by a photograph in which he can be seen posing with gun toting civilians. What’s interesting to note is that while two of them are holding Heckler and Koch (H&K) G3 rifles, which are the standard issue army rifles produced by Pakistan Ordnance Factory, one civilian is armed with a H&K MP5 sub-machine gun (again a regular Pakistan Army issue weapon). Even a novice will realise that this photograph wasn’t snapped randomly as it was a calculative move to bolster Major Nadeem’s image as a ruthless commander amongst the locals!
However, it would be unfair to portray Major Nadeem as the original ‘sinner’ or devil incarnate especially when he’s no more there to defend himself or explain his actions. Furthermore, neither is he the first now the only Pakistan Army officer who resorted to use extrajudicial means for combating Baloch fighters. He was only following what had been happening all along, and there’s no doubt that Pakistan Army will continue to use repressive measures like “enforced disappearances” and its abhorrent “abduct- torture-kill and dump” policy in an effort to subjugate the people of Balochistan. If the army is not involved in any wrong doings in Balochistan, then why did it prevent members of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan from visiting the mass graves sites discovered near Tootak village in Khuzdar district of occupied Balochistan in 2014, that contained more than 100 dead bodies?
Just last year, the then DG-ISPR Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor made a brutally frank admission about Pakistan Army’s professional ethos for which he deserves due credit. During a press conference, while replying to a question on missing persons posed by senior journalist Hamid Mir of Geo TV, the DG-ISPR replied, “We don’t want any person to go missing but where there is a war, you have to do a number of (undesirable) things. It’s said that everything is fair in love and war. War occurs to be ruthless”? Unfortunately, despite coming from a serving two-star General of Pakistan Army, this honest confession doesn’t seem to have been taken as seriously by the international community as it should have been because no one has asked Islamabad to rein-in the army.
In which democracy (other than Pakistan) does one find an army equating an armed uprising by its own citizens as ‘war’? Rawalpindi’s gross mindset that “We don’t want any person to go missing but where there is a war, you have to do a number of (undesirable) things,” is reflected in its shameful act of “disappearing” 54 Indian combatants who had been taken Prisoners of War during the 1971 Indo-Pak conflict. But even during a full-scale war, which other army in the world sanctions the “enforced disappearance” of soldiers or even civilians? Lastly, besides Pakistan’s military, which other civilised modern-day army follows the perverse ‘all is fair in love and war’ doctrine?
Whereas indiscriminate exploitation of Balochistan’s natural resources by Pakistan without caring for the welfare of its people has provided the Baloch people a very strong ideological foundation to oppose Islamabad’s undemocratic practices, but it’s Pakistan Army’s excesses against innocent Baloch people and ill treatment of their womenfolk and children that has forced peace-loving Baloch people to pick up guns. The case of two young Baloch (Shahdad Baloch and Ehsan Baloch) who attained martyrdom on May 1 while fighting the Pakistan Army shows how even industrious and well-educated youth are being compelled to abandon their academic pursuits and join the ‘armed struggle’ against the oppressive Pakistan Army.
Shahdad was a diligent student, who after completing his Master’s Degree in Defence and Strategic Studies at Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU), Islamabad had enrolled in the M Phil program at the National Institute of Pakistan Studies. Though he did participate in university level political activities, he was a docile person by nature who abhorred violence and strongly believed that dialogue was the only way to resolve issues. Even though he had been abducted in 2015 and held in secret custody during which he was severely tortured by the ISI, Shahdad still did not turn to violence. But the continuing repression of Baloch people forced him to join Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in 2019.
Ehsan too had completed his Master’s Degree in Gender Studies from QAU, Islamabad. In addition, he also held a Master’s Degree in English Literature from Turbat University, Kech Balochistan and like Shahdad, he too was an assiduous student with no inclination towards violence. But after realising that Islamabad wasn’t interested in talking to Baloch people and believed in use of brute force through the army to intimidate the poor people of Balochistan, Ehsan too joined the BLA. Though both may have been martyred, but with highly educated boys like Shahdad and Ehsan joining BLA, Pakistan Army’s big fat lie that rebel groups are recruiting gullible youth by emotionally blackmailing them and luring dregs of society by inducements, has once again been exposed!
Tailpiece: Human Rights Watch World Report 2019 (Pakistan) states, “During counter terrorism operations, Pakistani security forces often are responsible for serious human rights violations including torture, enforced disappearances, detention without charge, and extrajudicial killings, according to Pakistan human rights defenders and defense lawyers. Counter terrorism laws also continue to be misused as an instrument of political coercion. Authorities do not allow independent monitoring of trials in military courts and many defendants are denied the right to a fair trial.”
So, a simple question to all those who do not approve of the path taken by Shahdad and Ehsan, under such hopeless conditions, what would you do?
It could only have been divine providence that brought us together; how else does one explain the accidental meeting of two completely unknown individuals desperately needing each other. It was 2010, and I was walking down the road in the heart of city when I accidentally bumped into a young man who was walking ahead and had suddenly stopped for some reason.
However, the fault was entirely mine as I was the one who was walking absentmindedly being preoccupied with the anxieties that haunt a man trying his hand at a new venture. In my case things appeared to be a bit more serious because even though I was trying to live out my childhood dream of publishing my own newspaper, I had no inkling of how exactly to go about doing this job. Even before I could apologize, the young lad respectfully begged forgiveness and enquired if I was feeling fine. Due to some bitter experiences in the past, I had my own misgivings about the younger generation and felt they were ill-mannered, selfish and insolent.
Seeing this young boy behave so politely was quite unexpected but was also a welcome shock and I asked the stranger who he was. He introduced himself as Tanveer-ul-Ahad and as we both started walking besides each other, I struck a conversation with him talking about mundane things that people usually discuss. As we came close to ending our conversation, I casually asked Tanveer what he did for a living and to my utter surprise he told me that he was a ‘newspaper designer’ and was looking for a job. I was really dumbstruck!
Just imagine, here I was blaming bad fortune for my inability to get hold of a newspaper designer despite vigorously searching for one, and the person I was looking for so desperately happened to be walking right beside me. I told him that I intended to a start a newspaper and he boosted my sagging morale by not only assuring me that he was willing to join me but also use his contacts in the media to promote my newspaper.
We met again and teamed up together and thanks to Tanveer’s indefatigable spirit, I was able to launch my newspaper (Brighter Kashmir news daily) on September 10, 2010. As time passed, our association became stronger than ever and soon we had gone much beyond the level of formal employer-employee relations. Being new to media, the initial going for me was far from smooth and there were times when I felt that I couldn’t handle the multifarious challenges and threats that a newspaper publisher has to face.
It was during such depressing times that Tanveer stood by me and became my pillar of strength. I can never forget that I and Tanveer spent upto twenty hours together on several days. Tanveer’s strong point was that besides being far more mature than people of his own age, he had exceptional clarity of thoughts and an uncanny ability for putting things in the correct perspective. I strongly believe that the version of all parties involved in any event or incident should be honestly presented, but doing so in a conflict zone can at times prove to be risky. It was in such situations that Tanveer used to jokingly tell me, “we may be able to swim or we may sink, but we’ll do so together!”
Tanveer’s support gave me the courage to cover news, views and opinions of every colour and hue. As time went by, Tanveer also proved his expertise in news reporting with an innate ability to elicit news from even the most tight-lipped officials and public personalities. Seeing his extraordinary skills, I suggested that he should consider fulfilling his dream of having a New Agency of his own. He accepted my suggestion and by putting his whole heart and mind into this job, was able to establish his own news agency which he named ‘Global News Service’ (GNS). Due to his diligence and eye for detail, GNS came to be widely respected as one of the most credible news aggregators in J&K.
Almost every newspaper, whether big or small, relies on GNS for news because of its accuracy and the wide range of news coverage of J&K. But despite this success, Tanveer decided to put his excellent journalistic skills to the ultimate test by starting his own newspaper and beating all odds succeeded in publishing his own daily named ‘Kashmir Glory’. Within no time this newspaper earned its name and is considered amongst the leading dailies being published from the Kashmir Valley. If there was anything that exceeded his professional abilities, it was his character qualities and his genuine desire to help others.
Tanveer came from a remote village named Muqam Shahwali in Kupwara and his spectacular achievements reflected his sustained struggle and passion for fair and objective reporting. He served as a source of inspiration for others. He also helped and guided numerous budding journalists who shall always remain indebted to him. Tanveer’s untimely demise on May 11, 2020 came as a big shock for news readers of Kashmir in general and to the journalist community of the Kashmir Valley in particular. For me, it’s not the loss of a former employee or colleague but that of a real brother which can never be made good and there will be many in the Valley who would be feeling the same way.
But along with heaping accolades, let’s also pledge to keep Tanveer’s memory alive by following his cherished ideals of truthful reporting and taking a principled stand even it was likely to invite the wrath of wrongdoers on both sides of the fence. Tanveer, I will always miss you. May your soul rest in eternal peace.
Unity in Diversity We all agree that India is a unique country. It showcases unity in diversity; we have multiple languages, cultures, cuisine, religions, colours, diversity of terrain and thought. It thrives, resonates, is chaotic, funny, noisy, polluted, developing and finally things get done with ‘jugaad’ and ‘adjust madi’ as they say in Kannada! We eat on banana leaves with hands, we squat and use water after answering nature, we stare and ogle at anything which moves and we are ever ready with unsolicited advice.
Spit and Polish One truly endearing habit which a large number of Indians instinctively adopt and are proud of due to its exclusivity and originality, and which we proclaim as our USP is SPITTING! We are Masters at it; if ever a PhD is awarded for it we will have a billion doctors! We spit anything and everything, solids, liquids, mixtures, phlegm, tobacco in varied colours, composition, volumes, digested, undigested; you name it, and we spit it.
Mainly we spit paan with or without tobacco. Nobody
is surprised when a true artist asks the paanwaala for ‘gimme red or
maroon’ or ‘20 footer dena’ signifying the colour of extract or distance
one can fire based on viscosity, volume and calibre of artist. Well, we even
use spit to polish (including shoes) which gave rise to the popular saying in
Army about ‘spit and polish’! Does it mean we consider our Nation as a
spittoon, I guess so, except for our homes. Homes are a strict NO NO, but wait,
it’s only for the spitter’s home. Anybody else’s is a great target and
opportunity! We pride ourselves in creating art on all available walls,
posters, roads, malls, cinema halls everywhere. Nothing and nobody is
sacrosanct! Did I say nobody meaning humans; yes I did, because the art of
spitting requires one to generally spit without looking with gusto and noise
from anywhere. The higher the platform like a rooftop, bus, car or a hilltop,
the better the distance spread, spray of spit with its multi-coloured multi-layered
contents that by the way are permanent. They can’t be washed away or dry
cleaned. Humans are fair game, in fact the best game. Those of you who wonder
why some of us move around outside our homes in raincapes and umbrellas even
when it is not raining have got your answers.
Olympic Sport! We are also known as a secular and tolerant country, but we have slowly started spitting venom! Do not worry, we are not snakes but love to spit venomous gossip. Thank God, we are pretty upfront when it comes to spitting, blatant and in your face with a wide grin and finesse. Wonder why the Indian Olympic Association does not demand its inclusion in Olympics. It will not be accepted as we are universally accepted as world beaters. Nobody can touch us with spit, as ‘we can out-spit all’. How can they compete as its banned in all countries and people generally follow rules, traditions and customs whether they are under scrutiny or not.
Maybe we can make a start with inter-state championships
and draw world attention. Start with paan and then move onto more
potent, colourful and esoteric substances. We can have two categories, one with
and one without tobacco. After all we need to encourage the non-tobacco user. Initially
folks from Benaras (now Varanasi) may have an edge, if local legend of its
class is true, but soon the Hyderabadi, Uttarkhandi or Bihari (do not get
offended if your state is not specifically mentioned; I include all) will fine
tune their product and compete with gusto. The average accuracy, consistency
and distance achieved of spitting is anyway legendary. Localities can boast of
their heroes spitting into a thimble from twenty feet without any diffusion or
spray. The spray spitting competition will be equally colourful and the radius and
perimeter covered enormous; maybe in times to come a tennis court or even a
football ground- who knows with time–!!!
Overseas is a different ballgame However, there is one strange phenomenon, a departure from our profligate spitting ways; we only spit in India! We literally swallow our spit and pride everywhere outside Indian mainland and remain spitless. All the spotless white walls, shirts or humans are left alone. We swallow and move on.
Enter COVID-19 Will COVID-19 initially restrict and slowly erase our collective memory of spitting, or will it actually increase our intent and capabilities due to ‘Social Distancing’ (we need to gain more distance and accuracy to hit our objective) and apprehension of ingesting the dreaded virus. Only time will tell.
Major Thrust towards Swachh Bharat Our hobby and specialisation needs to be contained in tune with the national calling of ‘Mera Bharat Mahaan’ (my India is great) and ‘Swachh Bharat’ (clean India). So citizens, lets spit fire on those who eye our territorial integrity and prosperity, and no spitting venom and other substances in India or on each other.
At a time when the entire world is busy fighting Coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan Army and its intelligence agencies have escalated their brutal operations across occupied Balochistan. In fact, choosing such a time by Pakistan Army for escalation of military operations is an attempt to take advantage of world’s focus to Coronavirus pandemic and is aimed to escape any criticism.
Pakistan’s Army has a history of pursuing its military goals in the disguise of rescue operations in times of natural disasters. The new row of escalation in military operations is being witnessed following the policy statement of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of Pakistan Army that was issued on Saturday, March 28, 2020. In above mentioned policy statement, ISPR announced dispatching more troops to 9 districts of war ridden occupied Balochistan including the regions of Awaran, Lasbela, Gawadar, Kalat, Khuzdar, Sibi, Naushki, Chaghi and Dukki.
Pro-independence Baloch organizations and leadership promptly denounced dispatching more troops in occupied Balochistan in the disguise of combating COVID-19 pandemic. They rightly maintained that combating Coronavirus pandemic requires more doctors, medical staff, personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors and relevant medical staff, test kits, masks, medicines, sanitizers and ventilators and not brute troops of the Pakistan Army. They also maintained that there were already numerous military cantonments and camps and there are military checkpoints at small distances everywhere in Balochistan. So in view of the current situation, an increase in the number of troops seemed an attempt to intensify ongoing military operations amid COVID-19 pandemic in Balochistan. Though Pakistan’s authorities as usual rejected the apprehensions of pro-independence Baloch circle but current escalation in military operations proves the truthfulness of Baloch patriotic leadership and organizations.
A Baloch doctor has to wrap himself with polythene sheets while examining patients kept under quarantine in Balochistan.
Pakistan is known for its policy of denial. Pakistan never admitted running its nuclear programme for making weapons, Pakistan also never admitted its support for Taliban and similarly Pakistan has never admitted fighting proxy wars in Afghanistan and India but history proves its denials totally concocted and false. Similarly Pakistan’s authorities usually don’t admit military operations and human rights abuses in occupied Balochistan. They pursue same policy of denials aimed to demean the armed conflict in Balochistan and thereby avoid international attention and reaction to their brutality, human rights abuses and forcible occupation of Balochistan. But in this age of digital information it’s not possible to suppress the truth. Despite Pakistan Army’s persistent denial of military operations in Balochistan, the cases of brutal army offensives, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, blazing away of the dwellings of destitute civilians, plundering villages and forcibly displacing populations are continuously being reported by human rights organizations and numerous other sources on social media platforms.
In the month of April 2020, amid the COVID-19 lockdown, Balochistan witnessed a surge in military raids. According to monthly reports of Human Rights Council of Balochistan published on social media, 16 Baloch were killed and 45 were abducted in April 2020. As many as 73 Baloch people had been picked up by the Pakistani forces, including students, women, children and infants. Of these, 28 of them were later released. The whereabouts of the 45 Baloch people remains unknown even to this day.
— HR Council of Balochistan (@HRCBalochistan) May 8, 2020
Human Rights Council of Balochistan published a report about atrocities committed by Pakistan Army during April 2020, in occupied Balochistan.
At midnight on April 26, 2020 Pakistan Army and mercenaries of a local armed proxy of theirs laid siege on Yar Muhammad Bazar Khalag Kaur, a village in Parom, Balochistan which resulted in a fierce exchange of firing between army and the Baloch freedom fighters. After a long exchange of firing Pakistan Army finally managed to martyr four Baloch freedom fighters with the help of gunship helicopters. According to the reports, after killing the Baloch freedom fighters, Pakistan Army personnel tied the corpses of four freedom fighters with vehicles and dragged them to army garrison. Such savagery of Pakistan Army was widely condemned.
Shahdad Baloch attained martyred on May 1, 2020 while fighting the Pakistan Army and their locally armed mercenaries in Paarod, occupied Balochistan.
Pakistan’s armed forces abducted Faqir Dilwash from Askani Bazar, Aapsar Turbat, on May 3, 2020 and Yasir Pir Mohammed on May 5, 2020 from his house in Jemadi Panwan, Gwadar.
On May 2, in yet another case Frontier Corps (FC) personnel opened fire on a vehicle in the Mand area of district Kech, near the border with Iran at western Balochistan, killing Sayad Mohammad. It was the third incident in a row where the FC opened fire on cars carrying civilians. In a similar case, the FC had killed a teenage boy, Imam Sher, in the same area three days ago.
On May 6, 2020 Nadeem Bhatti, a Major in Pakistan Army was killed in an IED attack along with 5 other Pakistan military personnel, near the border with Iran in Western Balochistan. This incident also drew attention of a wide segment of media and political circles.
Major Noora’s body being dragged by Pakistani vehicle in occupied Balochistan. A soldier of the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), Major Noora was martyred while fighting with Pakistan Army.
On May 10, 2020 a news circulated in media about the abduction of Nazir Doda and Wali Muhammad both brothers along with Tangai. A relative of them Nazir Doda who once before went missing and was released after remaining “disappeared” for fourteen months in 2014 has been abducted again. They are residents of Maher Mand in Kech.
After martyrdom of Shahdad Baloch and Ehsan Baloch, former students of the QAU, Islamabad, Pakistan Army and its intelligence agencies are once again targeting Baloch youth, particularly students. Nasir Pullan and Jahanzeb Rafiq were abducted from Apsar area of Turbat on May 10, 2020. Nasir is a student in Bahauddin Zakaria University Multan and Jahanzeb, in Lasbella University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Science.
Sana Syapad, a student of M.Phil in Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad and the president of a literary society, Naseer Kubdani Labzaki Diwan, Kharan has been abducted by personnel of Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force, from his home-town, Kharan on May 12, 2020.
In another operation four people namely Ali Haider, Behroz, Shah Dost and Muslim have been abducted by Pakistani forces on May 15, 2020 from Sirenkin, Tump, a village near the border with Iran in western Balochistan. There are also reports of massive military offensives in Mashkai, Jhau, Awaran, Kolwah, Bolan, Dera Bugti and other regions of Balochistan. The new brutal offensive commenced when America, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Monetary Fund and China extended billions of dollars in an aid to help Pakistan fight COVID-19 pandemic. The US on Thursday, March 20, 2020 announced an initial aid of $1 million to Pakistan in order to help the country in combating Coronavirus outbreak. According to an official statement, the World Bank would provide $238 million and the ADB $350 million to Pakistan in support to fight the COVID-19 emergency and in a response to address the socio-economic disruption associated with it.
In a statement on April 16, 2020 IMF Executive Board approved a US$1.4 billion disbursement to Pakistan to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The global lender said the disbursement under its Rapid Financing Instrument will enable Pakistan “to meet the urgent balance of payment needs stemming from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.” State Bank of Pakistan, in a tweet confirmed the aid from International Monetary Fund.
Interestingly, at the beginning of Coronavirus outbreak in neighboring Iran, Pakistan’s authorities denied the reports of Coronavirus pandemic cases in the country but surprisingly they changed their stance when some international donor institutions and countries announced providing aid and loans to destitute countries for combating COVID-19 pandemic. Hearing about aid schemes, Pakistan took its begging bowl and started reporting the Coronavirus cases.
Pro-independence Baloch organizations and leadership immediately expressed their opposition to any monetary help to Pakistan by international monetary institutions and lenders. They suggested that any help to Pakistan fighting Coronavirus pandemic should be in the form of medical equipment and medicines necessary for combating the pandemic and must not be in cash because Pakistan will obviously use international monetary aid on its military campaigns against the Baloch people. They reminded the world of 2013’s earthquake in Balochistan and said Pakistan’s Army used earthquake as an opportunity to increase its brutal operations against earthquake hit helpless Baloch people. But none of the lenders paid heed to voiceless Baloch people.
Pakistan’s own economy is not in a condition of affording such military offensives and escalation. It’s the old policy and practice of Pakistan Army that uses natural disasters, terrorism and politico-military alignments for begging grants, loans, monetary and military aid and assistance from world community, international monetary institutions and allies, then uses such funds for building its military capabilities, fighting proxy wars in Kashmir, Afghanistan and combating Baloch freedom movement in occupied Balochistan.
Pakistan is well known for such duplicity. Whenever world’s attention is drawn to an international issue or emergency situation, Pakistan’s Army immediately takes the advantage of such a situation and escalates brutal military operations in occupied Balochistan. Ongoing escalation in military operations in occupied Balochistan is a direct result of recent monetary aid extended to Pakistan by the US, ADB, IMF and World Bank. Are the said donors not helping Pakistan in its military campaigns against voiceless Baloch people in one or other way?
Every day, millions from across the Corona-scared, lockdown world, connect with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, flooding the genial guru with questions ranging from unemployment to fear of death. And then, they meditate with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who silently initiates the process through a high-power network facility linked with some of the world’s top search engines from his sprawling ashram on the outskirts of Bengaluru. His devotees, who sit in a distance, also join the programme.
“Calm down, calm down, calm down, everything’s not lost. We all must live in peace and hope,” exhorts the wellness guru, who heads the globally acclaimed Art of Living chain of meditation, social work and health programmes, across the world.
And there are some special shows for special people. During one such show with Sanjay Dutt, Sri Sri told the maverick actor how he should spend time with his family, do daily yoga exercises and eat sugar-free meals to boost his immunity. “Remember one teaspoon full of sugar would cut back your immunity by half and you will need two more hours to regain your strength.”
Dutt, whose answers fly faster than light, replied: “I am enjoying my lockup. I remember I was in jail for five years, I know what a lockdown means. I remember you coming to meet the inmates and you met me too.”
Watched by millions, Sri Sri replied: “You were very calm then, very positive.”
The shows of India’s biggest peace ambassador have garnered interest from across the world, millions are logging into the shows from Japan to Nicaragua, Africa to the United States. Everyone is seeking information. Some school children asked Sri Sri Ravi Shankar that they were missing what they claimed was routine, annoying power drill up the streets, rustle of the newspapers, fruit sellers, the taxis and the rickshaws. The wellness guru told them it was a “temporary phase” and everything will be normal in sometime. No country, he told his devotees, can remain frozen forever.
Those close to the spiritual leader say Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is handling a very, very tough and crucial phase of his life. He knows nothing is moving on the roads, people are indoors, airlines are grounded, schools and colleges are closed. Red circles have been spray-painted for people to stand in, six feet apart, like little islands. There are people keeping strangers out of their neighbourhoods, they are the virus vigilantes.
The wellness guru has asked the government to open up Ayurvedic facilities across the country to treat COVID-19 patients.
“Ayurveda can be of really good help. Indigenous medicines help people get better. The government should open up Ayurvedic facilities. We have lakhs of Ayurvedic physicians and we must allow them to practise,” Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said during one of his interactions with Anant Goenka, a media tycoon. He pointed out that the move would “lessen the burden on the allopathy doctors”.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who initiated and found success in strife-torn South America and ran wellness camps in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, is asking his devotees to value nature, telling him how the sky above is different these days, air cleaner. He knows everyone’s scared. People ask if they get sick, where will they go? Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is offering peace, offering answers. Across India, his Art of Living volunteers are offering food and ration to nearly 10 crore Indians. Similar initiatives are underway abroad. The wellness guru knows no one can meditate, do yoga or think of peace on an empty stomach.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living has been providing meals, PPE to doctors and other relief material across India
In India, more than 59.6 million meals have been distributed till date with the help of the local administration and police. Relief material was provided to sex workers in Kolkata’s Sonagachi, Asia’s oldest and largest home for women involved in prostitution. Protesting migrant workers were provided food on war-footing, specially in Delhi, Mumbai and Surat before an already volatile situation could get out of control.Volunteers in the US procured and distributed PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) kits to many doctors, health care workers and essential staff in a badly hit New York City. In the UK, relief materials were delivered to NHS (National Health Service) Staff at Princess Alexandra Hospital among other services.
The wellness guru has asked Bollywood stars and corporate captains to spread the message of peace. For the records, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Sanjay Dutt are planning a big social initiative which will have a pan-India impact. “You will be a great ambassador, don’t you remember the (drug de-addiction) programmes we did in Punjab and Haryana?” Dutt smiled, saying he is ready to travel once the lockdown is lifted.
To his global audience, the wellness guru has said how many great works of the world have emerged out of solitude. “Meditate more and use this forced solitude to improve your mental strength, creativity, empathy, and productivity. Now that you are getting to spend more time with your family members, listen to them. Talk less and avoid arguments.” Many have liked the guru’s gentle yet realistic approach to life.
He has told his followers how the world is wrecked by the silent havoc of a mysterious and virulent virus, a calamity that may set back decades of progress that mankind had enjoyed since the end of World War II. The global humanitarian had compared the Covid-19 pandemic to World War III.
The spiritual leader wants the world to understand the dangers of a World War, especially those who have not seen such a monumental crisis sweeping across the world.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
