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J&K returning to normal life as restrictions on movement of people are eased

News Intervention Bureau
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J&K returning to normal life as restrictions on movement of people are eased

Jammu and Kashmir is slowly returning to normalcy as restrictions on the movement of people in the Kashmir Valley were eased on Saturday, with landline services restored in some areas of the city. Primary schools across the Valley will reopen on Monday and government offices will also be fully functional from then.

Addressing a press conference, government spokesperson Rohit Kansal said the relaxations have been eased out in 35 police station areas. “The process of providing relaxation and easing out of restrictions is already in progress. Relaxation has been provided in 35 police station areas across the length and breadth of the Valley and so far, there are no reports of any untoward incident. The public transport is plying and we have encouraging reports of a lot of public movement,” Kansal said.

On the restoration of landline services, the government spokesperson said out of the 96 exchanges in the Kashmir Valley, 17 are functional and providing landline services to people.  “The endeavour is to make at least half of the exchanges in the Valley functional by today evening and by tomorrow evening, all of the exchanges, barring few in the vulnerable areas, would be made functional,” he said.

Kansal said in Jammu region, landlines and mobile phone services are functional and mobile internet services with some functionality in at least five districts have been restored.  “The services will be restored in other areas in a calibrated manner,” he said.

Regarding the detained political leaders, Kansal said such a decision would be taken by local authorities based on the law and order situation in their respective areas.

Security forces continued to remain deployed, while barricades remained on the roads, but people were allowed to move after checking their credentials, they said. There was increase in movement of private vehicles in the civil lines areas and other district headquarters of the Valley, the officials said, adding that some inter-district cabs were also seen plying in Dalgate area of the summer capital. Some shops in the civil lines area opened on Saturday morning, the officials said.

Beijing helped India by taking Kashmir to UN Security Council

Nilesh Kunwar
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Beijing helped India by taking Kashmir to UN Security Council

That nothing worthwhile emerged from the ‘closed door meeting’ on Kashmir at the UNSC (United Nations Security Council) shouldn’t come as a surprise to the people of Pakistan. After all, didn’t Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi already warn them in advance not to live in a “fool’s paradise” because when Islamabad would take the Kashmir issue to UNSC, no one would be waiting for them with “garlands in their hands”.

Some feel that being the Foreign Minister Qureshi shouldn’t have sounded so negative but his detractors fail to realise that he really didn’t have any other choice since Poland, which is the current president UNSC, had already rejected Islamabad’s request of raising the Kashmir issue at this forum on the grounds that it should be resolved “bilaterally.”

The hearing that Islamabad eventually managed to get at UNSC was a face-saving and heavily compromised alternative hastily brokered by its “all weather” friend China. For Islamabad, which was anxiously rearing to pounce upon New Delhi for its decision to revoke special status in J&K, which it believes is “illegal” that “violates UN resolutions on Kashmir.” For Islamabad, which was making so much noise, this came as a big climbdown.

Instead of getting a chance to use the UNSC podium for internationalising Kashmir, the meeting was held without Pakistan being in attendance. Being a ‘closed door meeting’ it was held under the less formal provision of “any other business” and to make things even more embarrassing, instead of deliberating on the issue of New Delhi’s latest actions in J&K as proposed by Pakistan, the agenda of the discussion was “India-Pakistan question.” 

No records of what transpires during ‘closed door meeting’ at UNSC are maintained and details of its deliberations aren’t made public. No statement is issued unless all its 15 members agree to do so and only a communique is made. In the absence of any statement, it’s more than evident that the UNSC members didn’t find any merit in the allegations and apprehensions levelled by Islamabad regarding New Delhi’s actions in J&K and its intent. But despite this, Islamabad is still terming this informal meeting that doesn’t even maintain a record of its proceedings, nor issues any statement, a big success.

Pakistan’s envoy to UN, Maleeha Lodhi is jubilant that “The voice of the Kashmiri people resonated in the chambers of the world’s highest diplomatic forum today,” but the people want to know the practical significance and positive implications of voices resonating in the UNSC. Similarly, in interpreting the ‘closed door meeting’ as being an act of the “whole world” discussing Kashmir and thereby deducing that Kashmir “is an international dispute,” Ms. Lodhi has stretched things a bit too far.

New Delhi may be annoyed with Beijing for having arranged a ‘closed door meeting’ at UNSC for Islamabad, but in retrospect, it has actually done New Delhi a great favour. Refusal of UNSC president Ms Joanna Wronecka to formally entertain Islamabad’s request for intervention highlights the fact that the international community respects India’s stand on Kashmir. Lack of any statement by UNSC after its ‘closed door meeting’ gives India’s stand of Kashmir being its integral part a collective ‘thumbs up’ from the international community.

Islamabad too has done New Delhi a big favour by approaching UN because Stephane Dujarric who is the spokesman for Secretary General Antonio Guterres once again made it clear that the UN chief “recalls the 1972 Agreement on bilateral relations between India and Pakistan, also known as the Shimla Agreement, which states that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir is to be settled by peaceful means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.”

After Islamabad’s abysmal failure at UNSC, Beijing did try and console Pakistan. In a joint press conference with his Pakistani counterpart, Beijing’s UN ambassador Zhang did say that “India has violated bilateral agreement to keep peace in the border areas” and “..It is obvious the constitutional amendment by India has changed the status quo by India.” But since these views wern’t conveyed by UNSC either in its communique or in the form of statement, it’s obvious that this is the viewpoint of Beijing and not that of UNSC. Some also see this statement as a means to divert attention from the fact that out of 15 members, Beijing was the only one who was on Pakistan’s side.

Finally, all that Islamabad can boast about is that “…The voice of the Kashmiri people resonated in the chambers of the world’s highest diplomatic forum,” which one can safely conclude either fell on deaf ears or wasn’t convincing because UNSC didn’t come out with any statement in support of Islamabad. But this was expected all along because the moment UNSC president refused to formally take up Pakistan’s request, it was obvious that Islamabad’s stratagem had misfired.

This is the reason why everyone had their fingers crossed when Qureshi who had warned Pakistanis to stop living in a “fool’s paradise,” suddenly changed track by telling the media in advance that the UNSC ‘closed door meeting’ was Pakistan’s big success on the diplomatic front. But then, Qureshi has always been a dreamer and a die-hard optimist to the point of gullibility-after all, wasn’t he the one who just recently hailed US President Donald Trump’s ludicrous offer of mediation on Kashmir as something that was “more than Pakistan’s expectations”!

British Pakistani groups create ruckus outside Indian High Commission in London

News Intervention Bureau
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British Pakistani groups create ruckus outside Indian High Commission in London

Is UK allowing its land to be used for anti-India protests? Members of the Indian diaspora are raising similar questions after the recent violent spat with anti-India protestors in London. The protestors cornered the Indian diaspora who were at the High Commission to celebrate Independence Day and attacked them with eggs, potatoes and water bottles.

Several members of Indian diaspora took to social media on Friday to question police preparedness for pre-planned anti-India protests led by British Pakistani groups, and have also demanded action over violent Kashmir protests.  

The so-called Black Day protests were organised to coincide with Independence Day celebrations at the Indian mission and resulted in four arrests after Scotland Yard officers intervened to break up a face-off between anti-India and pro-India demonstrators.  Many Indian-origin activists were caught up in a lockdown situation and sought refuge inside India House as they were targeted with stones, bottles and eggs.

“We literally waited for 2.5 hours for more police force to arrive. The situation was so bad that we were not even able to go out. All the women and kids were frightened to say the least,” said one of the members of the group, which had gathered with tricolours and pro-India banners to mark Independence Day.

The demonstration was aimed at countering the anti-India protest, organised by Pakistani groups as well as Sikh and Kashmiri separatist outfits, with the focus largely on the Indian government’s recent decision to revoke Article 370 that gave the special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

The two demonstrations had been demarcated with metal barriers outside India House but as thousands began to gather, Metropolitan Police officers could be seen struggling to keep the aggressive anti-India protestors from breaking across the divide.

“Talked to members of Indian diaspora in London. They are under shock but their resolve is firm. Talked to our High Commissioner. Timely intervention by her resulted into safe passage to everyone, read a Twitter statement by Vijay Chauthaiwale, the Head of the Foreign Affairs Department of the BJP, who said he has also raised the matter with external affairs minister S. Jaishankar. “It’s time for (London Mayor) Sadiq Khan, met Police to take appropriate action against these goons. Hope the British High Commission in India too take a note, he added.

The Metropolitan Police made four arrests under Section 4 of the Public Order Act, affray, obstruction of police and possession of an offensive weapon. Investigations following the arrests remain ongoing.

Nature Communications: Some African CO2 Emissions Higher Than Previously Thought

Scott Douglas Jacobsen
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Nature Communications: Some African CO2 Emissions Higher Than Previously Thought

The tropical ecosystems contain massive stores of carbon with a high vulnerability to anthropogenic climate change. With the “sparseness of ground-based measurements,” the estimates as to how much carbon has been sunk into the topic and how much has been released retained a great margin of error.

A lot of uncertainty for an important metric of a pressing global problem. As noted in the Nature Communications article, the knowledge of the net sink or net contributor to atmospheric carbon levels remains uncertain. These labelled +ve and -ve, respectively, for net annual source or net annual sink for carbon.

By “sink,” this means something akin to the oceans be sinks. In that, the oceans and the tropics absorb more carbon than they emit. They hold the carbon as opposed to releasing it. The release contributing to the levels of carbon in the atmosphere, as noted at levels of parts per million.

The paper published, based on independent – rather than dependent – satellite data sets, shows the land tropics to be +ve as opposed to -ve, or net annual sources rather than net annual sinks of carbon – not a positive finding for those wishing for easier solutions to the problem of human-induced global warming.

Carbon dioxide emissions from the North Africa region are higher than previously estimated in other words.

As stated, “These pan-tropical estimates reflect unexpectedly large net emissions from tropical Africa… The largest carbon uptake is over the Congo basin, and the two loci of carbon emissions are over western Ethiopia and western tropical Africa, where there are large soil organic carbon stores and where there has been substantial land use change. These signals are present in the space-borne CO2 record from 2009 onwards.”

References

Palmer, P.I. et al. (2019, August 13). Net carbon emissions from African biosphere dominate pan-tropical atmospheric CO2 signal. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-11097-w.

Photo by Sergey Pesterev on Unsplash

Editors of WIN ONE Magazine: Graham Powell and Krystal Volney

Scott Douglas Jacobsen
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His Lordship of Roscelines, Graham Powell, earned the “best mark ever given for acting during his” B.A. (Hons) degree in “Drama and Theatre Studies at Middlesex University in 1990” and the “Best Dissertation Prize” for an M.A. in Human Resource Management from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England in 1994. Powell is an Honorary Member of STHIQ Society, Former President of sPIqr Society, Vice President of Atlantiq Society, and a member of British Mensa, IHIQS, Ingenium, Mysterium, High Potentials Society, Elateneos, Milenija, Logiq, and Epida. He is the Full-Time Co-Editor of WIN ONE (WIN-ON-line Edition) since 2010 or nearly a decade. He represents World Intelligence Network Italia. He is the Public Relations Co-Supervisor, Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, and a Member of the European Council for High Ability. A previous comprehensive interview in parts through In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal here.

Krystal Volneyis the new Journal Editor of United Sigma Korea. Volney is known for her computing interviews for WIN ONE Magazine (World Intelligence Network) as a tech writer, Co-Editor and publications in Award-winning/bestselling educational books that can be found in bookstores and libraries around the world, journals, blogs, forums & magazines such as Thoth Journalof Glia Society and City Connect Magazine since 2012-present. She is the author of Cosmos and Spheres poetry book and the ‘Dr. Zazzy‘ children’s series.

Here Powell and Volney took some time to describe the nature of editing a high IQ publication, whether from a veteran position of Powell or a fresh perspective of Volney, for the largest Umbrella high IQ organization, World Intelligence Network, journal in the entire world, WIN ONE.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What was the original point of high IQ journals?

Lord Graham Powell: High IQ journals are a medium for displaying the talents and thoughts of the society members. They unify interest and are a means for expressing the current initiatives and ethos of participatory societies – most journals represent more than one society.

Krystal Volney: To provide the very intelligent with a place to publish their ideas, essays, articles, poetry and be interviewed.

Jacobsen: What have been some notable successes of high IQ journals in the past?

Powell: The journals have helped forge friendships and when friends collaborate to produce not only articles, but aide participation in conferences and get-togethers as well, I think that a hugely positive corollary of journal collaboration.

Volney: Celebrating the work of geniuses around the world.

Jacobsen: Some prolific authors can be known as part of the high IQ community, though dead, e.g., Isaac Asimov. Who have been lesser-known and fruitful writers in the high IQ community?

Powell: Both Krystal and I have produced books. Some more are being planned now. Yet, other authors who spring to mind are: Thomas Hally, Jason Betts, Greg Grove, Liliana Alam, Anja Jaenicke and Elisabetta di Cagno. Greg Grove founded a society for poets, all of whom had to be within the top one percent of IQ scores. One influential poet within that society was Thom Hadley, though his influence on me mainly stemmed from the utterly noble way he faced death from cancer. I will never forget him. His humility and resignation towards the inevitable and his supreme dignity in that, for me, made him a great man.

Jacobsen: General intelligence as the basis for societies and umbrella organizations presents issues. Within the context of the journals or magazines happening to arise within some, we can note the ways in which the content sets an average bar to access of the content in comprehension disregarding background knowledge or interest in the subject matter, or persistence, for the moment. Graham, we have talked about some of this before. What should the creators of a high IQ journal, whether linked to a society or independent of one, bear in mind regarding expectations – positive and negative – about the size of the and quality of the readership?

Powell: The potential readership is increasing, not only due to demographics, but other factors such as the Flynn Effect (I.E., that IQ scores are increasing over time, though that is now slowing) and access to technology. The high IQ community is, however, even more transitory in interest than the average (in my opinion) so magazines, or, indeed, anything pitched towards the high IQ community, has to change, evolve and stimulate to a high extent. It has to undergo criticism, stark analysis and, at times, fierce debate. It has to face rejection as a medium, then react and resurface with gusto. In the modern world, the concept of a magazine seems almost anathema to the ever-changing flow of ideas and discussion. They are fixed moments in time, even if they express universal, long-term concepts and beliefs. This can of course be a positive aspect, the journal becoming a historical document and record of the thoughts, even the zeitgeist, of a particular moment in human existence. The creator has to maintain a broad view of what they are doing and why.

Jacobsen: What forms of content seem more affected by the singular factor of general intelligence: brief articles, interviews, philosophical essays, poetry, or others? Different types of submissions would seem, intuitively, effected in different ways and to different extents by the level of general intelligence expected by the readership (if connected to a society, then, more often, the membership).

Powell: Puzzles, conundrums, quizzes: these stimulate readers in this realm of society and members enjoy creating them. Any article with precise language and a well backed-up, scientific or philosophical thesis will appeal and hold interest too. Mathematical theses, discussions and explanations are esoteric, but of interest to the high IQ community, especially to those members who are extraneous to the academic community, yet have an in depth knowledge of mathematics and physics. The Leonardo journal, which I text edit for the AtlantIQ Society, has some recurring themes, these expressing the focus of that society on art and science, with the interests of the main compiler, Beatrice Rescazzi, taking precedent. She is primarily a scientist, with a particular passion for 3D printing and robotics, though we also have many poets in the society, so poetry also appears in each edition. The focus of the editorial teams that I form a part of is shifting these days, the perceived need for the high IQ community to be actually doing something positive for humanity becoming ever more fervent. The dominant ethos within the high IQ world has been for self-promotion (even by proven charlatans) yet this is being countered now by a few who are intent on being genuinely philanthropic and altruistic. Gradually, this will appeal to more and more of the high IQ community, many of whom have felt subjugated by the more egocentric members. It is restoring a balance, one which, I think, reflects more closely other sectors of society.

Jacobsen: How did this editorial relationship start for the two of you?

Powell: Krystal was a stalwart supporter of the book “The Ingenious Time Machine” – which I edited and produced for the World Intelligence Network (WIN). I already knew Krystal from the WIN and I was contacted by her to write some reviews of her creative writing. Recently, I felt her innate enthusiasm ideal to help rekindle interest in the WIN On-Line Edition, the WIN’s magazine. I suggested that she help me and was pleased to hear that she accepted.

Volney: I discussed the collaboration with Lord Graham and he saw it as a very good idea. Doing the first issue as Co-Editor was very pleasant with him. I am looking forward to the second magazine because I expect it to contain more submissions from High-IQ members as well as guest contributors.

Jacobsen: What were the pluses and minuses of collaborative versus solo editing for the two of you?

Powell: This first edition under our collaborative umbrella was almost entirely procured by Krystal, at least in terms of the content for it. I issued adverts to attract participation, but was too busy to spend hours and hours creating and soliciting submissions. For me, the arrival of content was refreshing because it did just that: arrive. It was only after looking closely that I realised that almost all of the content this time consisted of poetry. I was hoping for some in-depth articles, but they weren’t amongst the contributions. That resulted in the ‘Poetry Edition’ coming out, which was not a bad thing, but it was different from expectation. Krystal and I have, however, vowed to work harder and over an extended period of time so that the next edition will have more variety within it. Krystal was also a useful commentator on what was prepared by me, especially because I had to do it quickly. We agreed on adjustments efficiently and effectively, which was a positive factor in the collaboration. I think my experience of the post-production process also helped because the uploading of the magazine took a long time, which disheartened Krystal at first. We managed to get the magazine released in the Facebook groups (which was a first) and I think the next magazine will be something progressive and diverse from anything previously produced for the WIN.

Volney: I did not have any minuses. A plus was that we got along working together on the first issue for World Intelligence Network’s magazine and there were not any arguments. This connotes that we are both easy to work with.

Jacobsen: Where can people find the work edited by the two of you – in the past and into the future?

Powell: As already noted, the www.iqsociety.org/interactions/winone page shows all the magazines produced for the World Intelligence Network. The Leonardo magazine is on the AtlantIQ society website: www.atlantiqsociety.com/leonardo-magazine.html and both are accessible by the general public. The book The Ingenious Time Machine can be bought from the Amazon site. Just type in the title and it will come up! It is also on the “Goodreads” website.

Volney: On the World Intelligence Network’s site- https://www.iqsociety.org/.

Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity and your time, Graham and Krystal.

Powell: Any time, Scott.

Volney: Not a problem Scott. It was lovely!

Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash

Prioritise steel cluster development: Dharmendra Pradhan

News Intervention Bureau
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Prioritise steel cluster development: Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan during his visit to Jharkhand stressed on giving priority to small companies for raw material procurements. The steel clusters development in states like Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal which Minister spelled out as one of his priorities is based on iron ore availability in this region. Planning first tour after assuming charge as Steel Minister to Jharkhand, visiting mines, steel plants and advising SAIL to give priority to small companies reaffirms Minister’s commitment to take both public as well as private sector along. In an earlier letter written to steel sector employees Pradhan stressed on a spirit of teamwork to contribute towards India’s growth story.

The stress he has given on reopening of closed mines, and the pursuant necessary directions he issued to the officials points to the fact that this remains one of his priority areas. Reopening of closed mines will further lead to growth of steel sector and will benefit small companies too.

It is notable that during his tour to Jharkhand Pradhan asked SAIL officials, district administration, Mines department to present a time bound roadmap for reopening of closed mines. This has generated hope not only in Jharkhand but also among businesses engaged in Steel industry in neighbouring states of Odisha and Chattisgarh which have been facing challenges due to headwinds being faced by global steel industry.

Textile gallery added to the National Crafts Museum

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Textile gallery added to the National Crafts Museum

Visitors to the National Crafts Museum would now be able to know about Indian textile Craftsmanship. Union Minister of Textiles and Women and Child Development, Smriti Zubin Irani, recently inaugurated Textiles Gallery at National Crafts Museum in New Delhi. There are five zones in the gallery and each zone has been named as weaving, embroidery, dying (Ikatpatola), pattern (Bandhej, Kalamkari, and Leheria) and Tana Bana based on the intricacies of the textiles.

With this unique collection, the National Crafts Museum takes another leap to exhibit the fine Indian Craftsmanship to public. The other galleries of the museum i.e. Folk and Tribal Art, Cultic and Courtly Craft galleries have remained very famous amongst the visitors especially the foreign tourists. The village complex with huts from different states provides for the sense to rural India.

The rich collection on display will be another step towards conserving India’s rich heritage of handlooms for the next generations. The gallery will serve to be a resource centre for the students of fashion technology, apparel sciences and textiles designing. It has been curated with a unique design in which the master pieces of traditional handlooms are juxtaposed with modern audio-visual effects. The visitors will be able to feel the ethnicity with a soft touch of technology.

The collection has a vision to help people explore, enjoy, and rediscover the world of Indian textiles through design and technology. The Gallery consists of more than 230 different types of textiles collections divided into categories of over more than 30 traditions.

The concept of display has been based on three categories:

Pre Loom “Ikat”, where the design is already visualized and transferred to the yarn before the yarn is placed on the loom.

On- Loom, the design is entered on the loom while weaving brocade, muslin, jamdani, weaved shawls, weaved sarees.

Post Loom, the techniques that can be done on cloth after it is woven-block printing, embroidery and kalamkari comes in this category.

MoU between Indian Navy and CIAL for naval air operations

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MoU between Indian Navy and CIAL for naval air operations

A Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) between Naval Air Enclave (NAE), Kochi and Cochin International Airport Limited(CIAL) was signed on 08 Aug 19 in a formal function held at CIAL. Captain Satish Kumar S, Officer-in- Charge, NAE and Shri ACK Nair, Airport Director CIAL, signed the document on behalf of both organisations.

The memorandum was signed in connection with commencement of naval air operations from the NAE, a naval aviation facility comprising an independent dispersal, aircraft hangar, administrative building and taxy track, located on the northwest side of CIAL. Military aircraft would use the CIAL runway for take off and landing and the NAE taxy track for proceeding to and from the dispersal / hangar.

The Memorandum of Understanding lays down Standard Operating Procedures and their adherence by CIAL and the Indian Navy, for ensuring safe, secure and uninterrupted military air operations. Senior management functionaries of CIAL including Shri AM Shabeer, Executive Director, Shri Sunil Chacko, Chief Financial Officer and Shri Dinesh Kumar C, Head of Operations were present for the function.

Naval Air Enclave is capable of supporting operations of the highly capable P8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft, which was extensively used to coordinate Search and Rescue Operations off the coast of Kerala and the Lakshadweep Islands in Dec 2017, following Cyclone Ockhi. The optimal exploitation of the NAE would significantly enhance the maritime reconnaissance capability of Southern Naval Command, as also the Indian Navy.

Larger picture is murky in Abdul Basit Shoba De controversy

Nilesh Kunwar
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Larger picture is murky in Abdul Basit Shoba De controversy

In an environment that thrives on sensationalism, former Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit’s claim that he got Shoba De to write “an article in the newspaper for Kashmiris’ right to self-determination,” has set the Indian media abuzz. He was referring to a piece written by her in July 2016, titled ‘Burhan Wani is dead but he’ll live on till we find out what Kashmir really wants’ when Kashmir Valley was in the throes of a mass unrest triggered by Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani’s death in an encounter with security forces.

Coming at a time when abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A along with bifurcation of J&K into two Union Territories is the prime topic for discussion, Basit’s revelation could not have been better timed as it has generated a debate on whether Ms. Shobha De wrote this article, of her own volition or at Basit’s behest. Since the article in question does advocate an anti-establishment viewpoint on the Kashmir issue, many are convinced that Basit is telling the truth, but there are also an equal number of people who feel that she’s just being framed.

In a bid to prove themselves right, both those who are demanding her head as well as the one’s going all-out to defend Ms. Shobha De’s professional integrity are busy fighting each other. While there’s nothing wrong in doing so, but in the ensuing cacophony, we are losing sight of the larger picture. Even though it’s important to clear the air on what was Ms. Shobha De’s motivation behind the particular article that she wrote, but this by itself isn’t the sole matter of prime concern. But Basit’s own admission of having got an Indian journalist to write an article that furthered Islamabad’s interests, is something that cannot be swept under the carpet.

There is nothing new in diplomats using local assets to further their national interests. Four centuries ago, British politician Sir Henry Wotton (1568- 1639) said as-much by stating that “An ambassador is an honest gentleman sent to lie abroad for the good of his country.” However, even though it may be rampant, but such skulduggery as Basit has himself admitted to hasn’t been accorded diplomatic licence since it’s most commonly used to impregnate the peoples’ mind with anti-establishment thoughts and amounts to subversion of sorts.

Therefore, New Delhi needs to step-in immediately and demand an explanation from Islamabad for Basit’s self-confessed indiscretion since it must certainly be having sanction of the government of Pakistan. This revelation has also given New Delhi undeniable proof that Islamabad is misusing its diplomatic facilities to arouse passions and incite unrest. It also needs to be remembered that Basit is the same person who by disregarding an advisory by New Delhi that his meeting with Hurriyat leaders would jeopardise Indo-Pak talks, precipitated a crisis that heralded an end to bilateral engagement between the two countries.

Basit’s revelation could well be a tip of the iceberg and the possibility of Pakistan having infiltrated into other domestic pressure groups cannot be ruled out. Therefore, it’s but natural for one to view attempts by some to portray abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A as well as restructuring J&K as a communally inspired act with suspicion. Similarly, when claims of widespread unrest against this move and deaths of protesters as a result of firing by police in Kashmir Valley are being made without any physical verification, would it be unfair if one was to dismiss this as motived communication? 

The media too needs to take a serious note of such attempts being made by Pakistan to further its vested interests. Freedom of expression is the hallmark of any vibrant democracy. Yet, due prudence should be exercised by the media fraternity to prevent its members from being lured into championing a detrimental cause either by falling prey to material inducements or through emotional exploitation. No laws, rules, directives or guidelines can be invoked on this issue and as such it’s only the media that can shoulder the onerous task of ensuring that inimical forces don’t succeed in turning the fourth estate in India into a colony of fifth columnists.

SC refuses to pass directions on lifting of restrictions in J&K

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SC refuses to pass directions on lifting of restrictions in J&K

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to pass any immediate directions to the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir government on a plea seeking lifting of all restrictions imposed after the abrogation of Article 370.

The apex court said that it will wait for return of normalcy and take up the matter after two weeks.

A three judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra was hearing the petition filed by Congress activist Tehseen Poonawalla on the Centre’s decision to impose restrictions and “other regressive measures” in Jammu and Kashmir following the revocation of the provisions of Article 370.

During the hearing, the bench also comprising Justices M R Shah and Ajay Rastogi, said the present situation in Jammu and Kashmir was “very sensitive” and some time should be given for bringing back normalcy in the region.

The bench also said that it should be ensured that there is no loss of life there.

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