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National Youth Awards conferred by Kiren Rijiju

News Intervention Bureau
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National Youth Awards conferred by Kiren Rijiju

The Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports (I/C) Kiren Rijiju recently conferred the National Youth Awards on individuals (aged between 15-29 years) and organizations for excellent work and contribution in different fields of development and social service, such as health, promotion of human rights, active citizenship, community service etc.

The objective of the awards given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Department of Youth Affairs is to motivate young persons to achieve excellence in the field of national development and social service, to encourage young people to develop a sense of responsibility to the community and thus to improve their own personal potential as good citizens and to give recognition to the outstanding work done by voluntary organizations working with the youth for national development including social service.

During the National Youth Awards Function, Rijiju also inaugurated a Photo Exhibition on “China through Eyes of Indian Youth – 2019”. It was an exhibition of photos taken by youth delegates who participated in the recent Youth Exchange Program to China.

NYA 2016-17 was conferred upon the following 20 individuals and 3 organizations:

Rohit Kumar Kashyap

Vinit Devidas Malpure

Momota Thounaojam

Nitesh Kumar Sahu

Oddiraju Vamshikrishna

Prince Singhal

Apoorv Om

A G Padmanaban

Onkar Rajiv Navalihalkar

Gattem Venkatesh

Kh Krishna Mohan Singha

Prudhvi Golla

Raju Gorai

Rahul Dabur

Hansraj Khatawaliya

Priteesh Kumar

Mrityunjay Dwivedi

Mitesh Gajjar

Subrat Kumar Das

Manu Kamboj

Organization Category

Eco-Pro Bahuuddeshiya Sanstha, Chandrapur, Maharashtra

Care and Share Foundation, Manipur

Samutkars Yuva Vikas Navyuvak Mandal, Rajasthan

The individual award comprises of a medal, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 50,000/-. The award to a youth organisation includes a medal, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 2,00,000/-. In addition, 3 awards were also conferred to individuals for the Photo Exhibition on “China through Eyes of Indian Youth – 2019”.

Congratulating the winners of the awards and greeting everyone on the occasion of the International Youth Day, Rijiju said that the Ministry is organizing various programmes to motivate youth, under the guidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narender Modi ji. The National Youth Awards Function is one such programme. He stressed that India is a young country filled with immense potential. The development of the country is in the hands of youth who can shape its future. If the energy of youth is channelized in right direction, the progress of country in various fields can gain momentum, and youth can become prosperous. The Minister said that the youth are idealistic, aim high and when they achieve their goals through their efforts, it becomes necessary to grant recognition to their efforts, which has been attempted through this program. Sh Rijiju said that the awards give recognition as well as encouragement to the winners, but at the same time gives them onerous responsibility to carry forward the good work being done by them. He said that one should not age in thoughts and action, and should remain young at heart.

It is a divine blessing to share food: Ashish Chopra, renowned Culinary Historian

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It is a divine blessing to share food: Ashish Chopra, renowned Culinary Historian

With his fingers swiftly moving on the key board, fixed atop an intricately carved work station, Ashish Chopra ensures he is always connected to the world outside. At the same time, his beautifully maintained personal library, makes sure he is always in touch with the past. A renowned culinary historian, author, television host, painter and art collector, Chopra adorns many hats with equal élan but most importantly considers himself a foodie at heart; not by profession but by passion. It is his relentless spirit for food and travel that has led him to discover and re-discover life again and again.

A born foodie, Chopra has successfully straddled various paths during the eventful journey of his life. From a young politician and an Hon. Advisor to the Governor of Mizoram to a Social Development advisor of Assam Rifles, Secretary general of FACT and then founder Executive Director of the Institute for Environmental Management and Social Development, his long professional journey spread over three decades never had a dull phase. And one day, he decided, after retrospection and introspection to take permanent sabbatical to pursue his passion for food and travel. His life is now dedicated towards promoting and showcasing India’s rich culinary heritage.

Chopra feels that food has taught him so much. “Feasting has always been an integral part of human society and culture. It has always brought people together and that’s what made me explore it with passion and desire,” he says. His culinary journey is full of amazing anecdotes and unforgettable incidents. Sharing about his meeting with His Holiness Dalai Lama, Chopra says how he wanted to become a monk and shared his desire with Dalai Lama. “The real monk is inside you”, came the reply from the Holy guru, who jokingly called him Momo Lama, since then many of his friends have been calling him Momo Lama.

Born in New Delhi , this Punjabi lad’s love for North East started quite early in life, but he never knew it would become such an important part of his life and he will eventually marry a Naga girl. “As a child, I used to visit Assam regularly, as my uncle was in Railways and soon North East was just like home. While working as an Hon advisor to the Governor, I got a wonderful opportunity to explore North East extensively and understand the essence of their food, music and culture.” Chopra believes that it was his passion for food that could make a Punjabi connect instantly with people from North East. He subsequently authored NE Belly: The Basic Northeast Cook Book (2006) – a book on the cuisines of the eight North Eastern states. He has also documented traditional tribal foods of India in his another book Tribal Cuisines of India, for which he travelled extensively throughout the country. Not surprising, over the past one decade or so he has covered more than 4 lakh km, experimenting and documenting cuisines, culture, and traditions of more than 250 tribes pan-India. “Food and festivity is an integral part of their existence and their indigenous knowledge about various herbs and medicinal plants teaches us a lot. With their lands being encroached upon now by various agencies, it’s all the more important to document their cultures before it dies due to rampant modernisation in the wrong way,” says Chopra

Chopra also feels passionate about rediscovering lost recipes and restoring their lost glory. He has done tremendous work to popularise Kadaknath, which was once known as the‘Pride of Madhya Pradesh’. He first tasted the bird at the Maharaja of Panna’s dinner party nearly two decades ago. He was on his way to Rewa, in Madhya Pradesh (MP), to visit his old friend maharaja Pushpraj Singh Ju Deo. En route, he decided to stop and meet a mutual acquaintance, the late maharaja of Panna. “That is where I had the Kadaknath for the first time. I was fascinated by the jet-black beauty of the bird and, when cooked, it was meaty, chunky and tasted just like game fowl,” he says. However, Kadaknath could never retain its popularity during the next two-decades and it remained anguished in relative obscurity until 2015. Thanks to efforts of culinary historians like Ashish Chopra, that the revered indigenous chicken has now made a successful comeback from the backyards of tribal Madhya Pradesh to the tables of luxurious hotels. Chopra is also an active supporter and a promoter of the slow food movement, a global initiative to persuade people to move from fast food to traditional recipes using locally sourced ingredients.

When he is not experimenting in his kitchen, he is usually conducting workshops and masterclasses. Just back from a fortnight long shoot in the picturesque surrounding of Rewa in Madhya Pradesh for Travel XP, he is now off to Kolkata to conduct workshops in ITC Royal Bengal. Chopra has been a food consultant with ITC Welcome Heritage group of hotels for several years having documented the Royal cuisines of the erstwhile Maharajas. He has been invited to co-author a book on the Royal cuisines of Bhagel with Pushpraj Singh – the erstwhile Maharaja of Rewa and subsequently Gajraj Singh the Thakur of Diggi State in Rajasthan has also commissioned him to do a coffee table book on the erstwhile secret recipes and food traditions of the Diggi State. He has consulted for the television series, Gordon Ramsey’s Great Escapes on “North east Indian Cuisine” as well as for BBC and National Geographic Channel. He is also the Principal Advisor of Woodpecker International Film Festival and Culinary Advisor of TRAVEL XP Channel and FOOD XP channel and has also co-hosted a few episodes on the channel.

Transforming his passion for food as an art form, into a more concrete idea and platform, he is currently putting his efforts towards the setting up of India’s first School of Ancient Culinary Arts (SACA). Located in the picturesque surroundings of Rajaji National park in the foothills of Dehradun in Uttaranchal, the school will have chefs from villages and they will impart their traditional knowledge to chefs from different parts of the world. “This will be a place where tops chefs of big hotels will come and get trained by tribal, rural cooks and share the rich culinary heritage of India with the world,” he says.

For Chopra, who has been tirelessly documenting and preserving India’s rich and diverse food traditions, essence of life is an unending quest to explore, understand and rediscover food.

Communication and sobriety are key to Kashmir riddle

Jaibans Singh
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Communication and sobriety are key to Kashmir riddle

The Indian nation has remained engrossed in the all pervasive “K” issue since the beginning of this month when indications of some major change started coming in. In view of the volumes already written on the subject, a good columnist would realise that fatigue has set in among the readers. Another piece may not be a great idea, nevertheless, it is quite difficult to curtail the urge to put in some more words.

Earlier “stakeholders” was the preferred word to define the various players in the Kashmir battleground. Now, the goal posts have changed in a manner that has made the so-called stakeholders, national and international, irrelevant. In the ensuing fall out, the centre stage has gone to two protagonists – the people of the region and the Indian Union, in the given order of priority. Having changed the status of Jammu and Kashmir forever, the Narendra Modi-led government of India now has to convince the people of the region that what has been done is for their benefit.

Some important issues that have been flagged in the aftermath of this momentous affair need to be reiterated. Top on the list is the reaction of the Indian nation; then comes Pakistan’s reaction since it will also guide the reaction of other ex-stakeholders; most important is the reaction of people of the region, presently not fully known due to restrictions and the fact that the change will take some time to sink in. Finally, comes the position of the security forces on whose shoulder lies the responsibility to control any adverse or violent situation.

The Indians, since long exhausted by the never ending violence, turmoil and political disruption in the region, would have welcomed any change in the status quo and that is exactly what has happened. There is a belief that the change will be for the better even as some sections continue to remain cynically critical. The main grouse is not the change of the status; it is the so-called lack of consensus for the same. A realist would certainly say that no amount of discussion would have led to a consensus. This has often been substantiated by the failure of successive governments of the NDA as well as the UPA in reaching to an accord whenever talks with separatists or Pakistan have been held.  

Therefore, the decision to go for a change in status quo was the only recourse available notwithstanding the element of abruptness that it came with. It had to happen at some point in time and now it is over and done with! Whether it was right or not too right, only time will tell, but definitely, the situation will not deteriorate from the level where it was already standing.

Pakistan has been caught completely by surprise and is presently getting its act together. Its initial maneuverings on the diplomatic, economic and political front has not accrued the desired results. International support to its appeals is nowhere near what it would have desired, and the decision to stall relations with India will have a much more critical impact on it while India will hardly feel the pinch.

There, however, exists for India no reason to be too elated by the neighboring country’s disarray and discomfort. It is not likely to remain quiet due to the setback and will definitely strike back with more innovative and incisive methods. It should not be forgotten that Pakistan holds influence over China because of CPEC and on the US due to Afghanistan; it will definitely maximise this influence in its revised Kashmir policy. Pakistan will exploit such local elements that have lost their hold over the region due to the new dispensation. These assets have considerable power and their coming together poses a potent danger. People, who form the most important element being the centre of gravity, will elicit the focus of all competing powers. Whosoever gains the initiative will emerge the winner. How they will react is still not known since restrictions are in place. It is also feasible that an initial calm will be more of the proverbial “lull before the storm.”

India has to take all possible actions to win the confidence of the people and remove their sense of insecurity and deprivation which would be a natural fallout of the change that has taken place. The government alone cannot do this; the entire nation will need to pitch in and that too with an open heart and clean hands; a long call but definitely the need of the hour. Since Kashmir is already quite comfortable on the development index, assertions of development and economic gain will not be enough to get the desired results. What is required is immediate end to the endemic corruption and inequitable distribution of wealth to the common man. Achieving this in the short term is a tall order for the government but absolutely imperative to remove the trust deficit.

A security threat beyond what has been tackled successfully earlier is not envisaged, even though high state of alertness is the need of the hour. What can be effectively leveraged is the close bond that the Indian Army has with the people, particularly those living in remote higher reaches. These people, being simple, gullible and not very educated, will be targets for rumour mongering and psychological warfare of the enemy and inimical forces. If the army gives to them the right picture and removes the insecurity and distrust that they may feel, the chances of their falling prey to the enemy machinations will get obviated.

There is definitely a need to look at the development with due sobriety and seriousness. There is also a need to remain vigilant and alive to the situation. It is the emotional connect as seen through honesty of effort which will pay maximum dividends. The challenge to the nation has just begun.

Watan – a patriotic song by DD released as a tribute to New India

News Intervention Bureau
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Watan – a patriotic song by DD released as a tribute to New India

On the occasion of Independence Day, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar has released a patriotic song “Watan” produced by Doordarshan. The song pays tribute to New India. It highlights several path breaking initiatives of the government including the determination and vision behind the recent successful launch of “Chandrayaan 2”.  The song also pays tribute to the bravery and valour of our armed forces and the martyrs of the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Javadekar congratulated Doordarshan and Prasar Bharati for creating the song. He added that the song will add colour and fervour to the Independence Day celebrations this year.

Sung by famous Bollywood singer Javed Ali, penned by lyricist Alok Shrivastav and musically composed by Dushyant, this special song has been produced by Doordarshan, Prasar Bharati. Being broadcast by all the stations and kendras of Akashvani and Doordarshan, this song has been made free of copyright by Doordarshan and Ministry of I&B  for all the FM stations, entertainment and news TV channels, social media and all other communication platforms to ensure that more and more citizens of this country can enjoy and share this song and celebrate Independence Day with this song.

Chairman, Prasar Bharati  Dr. A. Suryaprakash; CEO, Prasar Bharati Shashi Shekhar Vempati; DG, Doordarshan Supriya Sahu; DG, DD News, Mayank Agrawal; DG, AIR, F. Sheheryar along with senior officers of Ministry of I&B and Prasar Bharati were also present on the occasion.

The song can be watched here:

JAMA – Shared Decision-Making in Practice

Scott Douglas Jacobsen
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Beach and Sugarman (2019) provided an analysis of the SDM or shared decision-making framework in clinical practice, in which clinicians are encouraged to engage patients on the values and preferences of the patients.

“Professional societies and other groups generating screening and treatment guidelines specifically recommend SDM. In 2015, reimbursement from Medicare for lung cancer screening was made contingent on SDM,” the authors of the JAMA article stated.

If the values and preferences of the patients sit on morally firm foundations, then there can a more reliable process moving forward for the benefits of the patients. It respects the cultural and individual variations in values and preferences while also dignifying the independent judgment of the patient about their own health and welfare.

Even so, SDM, as a practice, is “rarely achieved in practice.” The reasons provided for this theory and practice gap is the multifactorial nature of the problem. There are many factors leading to reduced implementation of it.

“Studies show that patients tend to think they have been involved in making decisions when direct observation suggests they have not,” Beach and Sugarman reported, “This may be because patients are unaware that a decision was made, the measurement standards for observed behavior are too dogmatic, or both.”

Then the coding of the information can be problematic as well as creating an environment in which patients know their role in decisions and processes with the medical professionals.  Further time placed into the hands of the medical professionals to explain to the patients may be wasted time better spent on other medical issues or medical duties. Benefits of more time explaining remain uncertain.

The positions of the author of the paper is that SDM should be implemented in medical settings more in spite of the lack of clarity in the reportage. They provided solutions includng more specificity for the task in the calls for SDM, the use of decision aids to become more routine and available, the prioritization of decisions requiring SDM over others to increase its prevalence, the facilitation of engagement with a better interpersonal environment, and the importance of the communication models of practitioners more conducive to the independence of the patients and the giving of recommendations by the medical professionals with a modicum of prudence.

“SDM is a means to an end. The principal goals of SDM are to respect patients as individuals and to deliver care consistent with their values and preferences. Achieving these goals will sometimes involve explicitly engaging patients in decision-making. But decision-making can be emotionally demanding, and imposing a standard by which patients are expected to engage in all (or even most) decisions is not only unrealistic and inefficient, but also potentially burdensome to patients and clinicians,” the authors concluded.

Reference

Beach MC, Sugarman J. Realizing Shared Decision-making in Practice. JAMA. Published online July 25, 2019. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.9797

Photo by Louis Reed on Unsplash

Amidst India-Pak tension Mika Singh performs at Karachi wedding; sparks outrage

News Intervention Bureau
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Amidst India-Pak tension Mika Singh performs at Karachi wedding; sparks outrage

For some artists money remains the ultimate deciding factor in life, with no concern for ethics, morality or humanity. At a time when Pakistan is busy strategizing how to destabilize the ensuing peace in Kashmir, post Article 370, Singer Mika Singh and his troupe recently performed at the wedding of a billionaire’s daughter in Karachi, apparently close to former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharaff.  Mika apparently charged USD 150,000 for his performance.

According to a report in Daily Jang newspaper, Mika reportedly performed on August 8 at the ceremony and his presence in the city came to light when some guests uploaded videos of his performance on social media.

India’s action to revoke Article 370 of the Constitution and decision to bifurcate the State of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories, drew a sharp reaction from Pakistan. As a result Pakistan downgraded its diplomatic ties and snapped trade relations with India, besides suspending the Samjhauta Express services between the two countries.

Opposition leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party Syed Khursheed Shah said the government must find out who gave the security clearance and visas to the Indian singer and his 14-member troupe to visit Pakistan at a time when the country had suspended diplomatic and trade relations with India. “This is a time when there is a ban on Indian films, dramas, shows, and Pakistan has made its views clear to the Indian government. Even if visas were issued early on they should have been cancelled,” Shah said.

The newspaper reported that apparently the groom was a big fan of Mika and wanted to see a live performance and to grant his wish the in-laws used their connections to procure high-level security clearance and visas for the Indian band.

Twitterati in India, lambasted the singer on social media. One of the Twitter users wrote, “Shame on you traitor.”

“Mika Singh Paaji we Indians gave you so much love… And in a situation like that when Pak banned all trade ties with us, sending terrorists across the border, our tensions are very high right now. Why did you go to Pakistan for a show? Few bucks are bigger than India? ” another user tweeted.

Tax assessment process simplified for startups

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Tax assessment process simplified for startups

While the government of India has been a major supporter of startup ecosystem in the country, the Income Tax department has been the cause of major heart burn in the startup sector. The Finance Ministry is now taking steps to simplify the process of assessment in the case of Startup entities.

In cases where scrutiny assessments of Startup entities are pending, the CBDT has decided that:

i) In case of Startup Companies recognized by DPIIT which have filed Form No. 2  and whose cases are under “limited scrutiny” on the single issue of applicability of section 56(2)(viib),the contention of the assessee will be summarily accepted.

ii) In case of Startup Companies recognized by DPIIT which have filed Form No. 2 and whose cases have been selected under scrutiny to examine multiple issues including the issue of section 56(2)(viib),this issue will not be pursued during the assessment proceedings and inquiry on other issues will be carried out by the Assessing Officer only after obtaining approval of the supervisory authority.

iii) In case of Startup Companies recognized by the DPIIT, which have not filed Form No. 2, but have been selected for scrutiny, the inquiry in such cases also will be carried out by the Assessing Officer only after obtaining approval of the supervisory authorities.

In addition to the above, the Central Government has further decided to relax Para-6 of the DPIIT notification No.127 (E) dated 19.02.2019 and make it clear that this notification will also be applicable to Startup Companies where addition under section 56(2)(viib) has been made and the assessee has been recognized by DPIIT and subsequently filed Form No. 2. The Circular to this effect in F.No 173/149/2019-ITA-1 of CBDT dated 8th August, 2019, has been placed on www.incometaxindia.gov.in.

Kashmir: Pak ups the ante, New Delhi must not be complacent

Nilesh Kunwar
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Kashmir: Pak ups the ante, New Delhi must not be complacent

For the last seven decades, Pakistan has been shouting from rooftops that India is in “illegal occupation” of Kashmir but no one has cared to listen because this claim is factually untrue. To buttress its stand, Islamabad keeps talking about the UNSC (United Nations Security Council) resolutions and asserting that Kashmir is “disputed territory”, but even here it hasn’t been able to find any support from the international community because of its selective application and interpretation of these resolutions. But even after having twice failed to wrest control by force, the Pakistan Army still hasn’t given up and has been waging a proxy war in Kashmir for the last three decades as it gives it a face-saving mechanism and serves as a source that enhances its relevance amongst the people of Pakistan.

By abrogating Articles 370 and 35 A of the Indian constitution and reorganising J&K into Union Territories of J&K and Laddakh, India has sent out a loud and clear message that J&K is very much an integral part of India. This decision has punctured Pakistan’s balloon of lies and also proved that neither does Islamabad have the diplomatic ability to garner support of the international community to challenge this move, nor the military capability to intimidate India into making amends. Yet to think that Pakistan Army will finally reconcile with reality and stop its mischief would be suicidal because keeping the Kashmir pot boiling gives the military an excuse to corner a lion’s share of the impoverished country’s GDP.

Unlike other militaries who keep changing their stratagems to baffle the enemy, the Pakistan Army appears to be a ‘one trick pony’ which believes that it can continuously fool the world by disguising its personnel and then denying their existence even if it amounts to disowning their own dead soldiers. In 1947, Pakistan Army personnel masquerading as tribals invaded Kashmir; in 1965, they secretly infiltrated into J&K in the guise of ‘razakars’ (volunteers) and in 1999 they intruded across the Line of Control (LoC) in Kargil disguised as ‘mujahideens’ (holy warriors). Generals and those heading terrorist groups being nurtured by the military openly speak about the involvement of the Pakistan Army and terrorists in Kashmir and enumerated below are a few examples:

  • During an interview given to Der Spiegel in 2010, Gen Pervez Musharraf admitted that it was the Pakistan Army that created “militant underground groups to fight India in Kashmir.”
  • In 2012, Syed Salahuddin, who as chief of ISI created ‘Muttahida Jihad Council’ controls various terrorist groups operating in Kashmir said during an interview that “We are fighting Pakistan’s war in Kashmir” and even threatened that “if it (Pakistan Army) withdraws its support, the war would be fought inside Pakistan.” 
  • In a 2014 TV interview, Gen Musharraf accepted that Pakistan Army was fomenting unrest in Kashmir by admitting that “People in Kashmir are fighting against (India). We just need to incite them.” 
  • In 2015, Lashkar-e-Taiba co-founder who has been designated international terrorist by UN admitted that the jihad’ (holy war) in Kashmir being waged by his terrorist organisation was being supported by Government of Pakistan and its army.
  • Even a few weeks back, while at the US Institute of Peace, Prime Minister Imran Khan admitted “we still have about 30,000- 40,000, armed people who have been trained and (have) fought in some part of Afghanistan or Kashmir.”   

But despite such incriminating revelations, the indifference of the international community is surprising and so is the lack of determination in New Delhi’s part in highlighting the dangers being posed to the world by Pakistan Army’s continued patronage of terrorist groups. Resultantly, the military has been able to get away with only a mild rap on its knuckles and continues to nurture terrorist groups.

With no support forthcoming from the international community, Pakistan’s much publicised plans to gather international support and move the UNSC against India’s decisions has turned out to a damp squib. Due to this, the present situation has become extremely volatile because the only option the Pakistan Army is left with is resorting to the use of violence in order to reaffirm its relevance by ensuring that there is no peace and tranquility in Kashmir. The hostile reactions emanating from Pakistan substantiate this apprehension and therefore one can expect continued ceasefire violations by the Pakistan Army in an endeavor to keep the LoC ‘hot’.

In the hinterland, the ISI will increase the tempo of its two-pronged strategy to disrupt normal life. Separatists would be instructed to organise demonstrations on a massive scale and incite protesters to indulge in acts of violence and arson in a bid to provoke law enforcement agencies to use force. Simultaneously, while intensity of terrorist activities will increase, an upsurge in frequency of grenade attacks against security forces in crowded places is likely as this could compel the security forces to retaliate and could cause collateral damage. By saying “We fear more bloodshed in coming days in the Occupied Kashmir,” Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has given a clear hint about Islamabad’s future plans for Kashmir!  

New Delhi needs to apprise the world of how, by airing apprehensions of Indian excesses against Kashmiris just to prejudice the thinking of the international community, Pakistan is cleverly preparing ground to facilitate deniability of its own deep involvement in inciting violence in Kashmir. On more than one occasion, Islamabad has talked about how India’s “reckless approach” could result in “some false flag operation” or a “Pulwama-2” type of action and “Pakistan blamed on the fake pretext of terrorism.” Whereas this prognosis is theoretically within the realms of possibility, but who would ever believe that a country would target its own citizens just in order to humiliate a neighbouring nation?

Tailpiece

Despite unsuccessfully trying to sell the “false flag operation” hypothesis a number of times, Islamabad still continues to do so. But this also has a positive side as it serves as a timely warning of an impending act of terrorism and that’s why Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s willingness to “go to any extent” to help Kashmiris should give New Delhi a wakeup call!

Pakistan’s angry men continue to blabber after Art370 shock

Nilesh Kunwar
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Pakistan’s angry men continue to blabber after Art370 shock

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan is an angry man. But that’s understandable because even before he could fully savour the euphoria of his US visit (the success of which he likened to “having won the World Cup”), his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi spoilt the party by altering the seven-decade old status quo on Kashmir. But there’s more to it- by abrogating Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution and carving out two new Union Territories (J&K and Laddakh) out of what was earlier the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Modi also disproved the prediction made by Khan just four months ago to a group of foreign journalists when he said that “Perhaps if the BJP, a right-wing party, wins, (then) some kind of settlement in Kashmir could be reached.” 

Even though abrogating Article 370 and 35 A was part of the BJP-led NDA’s election manifesto it seems that Islamabad and Rawalpindi didn’t take this forewarning seriously. Perhaps, since this promise had also been made by the NDA in its last election manifesto but not acted upon and so Pakistan’s Foreign Office may have rejected this as another election gimmick. Even when New Delhi rushed additional security forces into Kashmir, the Pakistani establishment and its army failed to connect the dots. US President Donald Trump’s talk about him being asked by Modi to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue could also be a reason why the otherwise deeply suspicious Pakistan Army failed to visualise this eventuality.

Miffed by the latest developments in J&K, Pakistan has resorted to a series of knee-jerk reactions and in the process ended up inadvertently making some monumental blunders that give India even more substance to expose the absolute fallacy of Islamabad’s narrative on the issue of Kashmir. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is reported to have said that “Indian move to revoke Article 370 has no legal or constitutional justification.” But he has failed to offer any justification to buttress his views other than his plea of J&K being an “international dispute” which has no bearing on this move. Qureshi’s anger is also understandable but in case he wants to be taken more seriously by the international community then he will have to replace rhetoric with logic and with Washington terming India’s actions in J&K as an “internal matter” it should be clear to him that his is just a voice in the wilderness.

On the other hand, by using constitutional provisions and following legitimate legislative procedures to permanently alter status quo on Kashmir, New Delhi has sent out a strong signal to the world that J&K is an integral part of India and this is what appears to have actually rattled Islamabad. But Qureshi conveniently forgets that if Islamabad wants the international community to view abrogation of Articles 370 and 35 A along with the reorganisation of J&K’s administrative structure as an act that has “no legal or constitutional justification,” then doesn’t the same yardstick also apply to Pakistan’s unilateral decision of handing over Shaksgam Valley, which is part of the Hunza-Gilgit region of J&K, to China in 1963?

One of the most serious reaction is Khan’s aggressive announcement that “incidents like Pulwama are bound to happen again, (and) I can already predict this will happen.” This isn’t a mere foreboding or the emotional outburst of an out-manoeuvred politician; when one co-relates this with his own recent admission at United States Institute of Peace during his three-day US visit that “when you talk about militant groups, we still have about 30,000-40,000-armed people who have been trained and fought in some part of Afghanistan or Kashmir,” his rant actually turns out to be a sinister threat and a clear expression of intent. Additionally, by warning that “there will be bloodshed,” Qureshi has literally let the cat out of the bag!

Pakistan’s special advisor to PM Imran Khan for information and broadcasting, Firdous Ashiq Awan’s declaration that “Pakistan will continue to extend moral, diplomatic and political support to Kashmiris until they achieve their right to self-determination under UN Security Council resolution” is fine. But how does any sane person decipher Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s pledge that “Pakistan Army firmly stands by the Kashmiris in their just struggle to the very end. We are prepared and shall go to any extent to fulfil our obligations in this regard”?

Since an army has only military means and warlike material at its disposal, isn’t Gen Bajwa’s specific reassurance amount to directly or indirectly providing military support to terrorist groups operating in Kashmir? Once again, there’s a need for New Delhi to co-relate this statement with undisputable proof of Pakistan army patronising terrorist groups that are fighting in neighbouring countries. Isn’t it because of this that Pakistan has landed itself in the grey-list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)? Therefore, Gen Bajwa’s promise to “go to any extent” in helping Kashmiris to fight against New Delhi’s decision (which has constitutional sanctity) needs to be brought to the notice of the international community and FATF yet once again!

Tailpiece: New Delhi can’t afford to be complacent because the Pakistan Army will definitely escalate violence levels through its proxies to keep the pot in Kashmir boiling. Hence, rather than dismissing the menacing voices emanating from Pakistan as hollow threats arising out of anger and sheer frustration, it would be more appropriate for New Delhi to pay heed to the old saying that one must always “listen to people when they are angry, because that is when the real truth comes out!”

Sanjay Leela Bhansali wins first National Award as a music director

News Intervention Bureau
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali wins first National Award as a music director

It was a special moment for Sanjay Leela Bhansali when National Film Awards were announced this year.  His film “Padmavaat”, won three National Film Awards, including two for music. The film won the best music director award (songs) for Bhansali in addition to best choreography (Kruti Mahesh Madya and Jyoti Tomar) and best playback singer to Arijit Singh for “Binte Dil” at the 66th National Film Awards that were announced on Friday.

It is the first National award for Bhansali as a music director. He has previously won for awards for “Devdas”, “Black” and “Bajirao Mastani” in different categories.

Recalling his experience of making the film he said, “It is the most difficult film that I have ever made. There has been physical assault, morcha, dharna, banning of the film and every possible thing that could have gone wrong. But every time I felt low, I created a song and it was a nice outlet for me. It (music) was a positive way of looking at all the difficulties,” Bhansali added.

“In any creative field, an artiste goes through some difficulties here and there. In my case, it was more than necessary but you still look at it positively… We went to the recording studio and shut all the sound that was coming from the protests and concentrated on making music. It has come from the heart and it resonated with the people.”

Bhansali said the awards, chosen by a jury of qualified people, encourages one to work hard.  “Any recognition, and especially the one coming from the government, means a lot. It is chosen by the jury of very qualified and respected people. It encourages you to work harder. It is a pat on the back and an emotional moment.”

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