Forgotten Minsar – An Indian hamlet in Tibet

 Most Indians would be startled to know that there exists a small hamlet in Tibet West of Mount Kailash, which was administered by Ladakh and then by Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) for over 300 years. The hamlet comprising of village of Minsar (Mansar) was part of Kingdom of Ladakh from early Seventeenth Century. The revenue from this region was used for the maintenance of Kailash and Mansarovar Yatra. The first official reference to Minsar is found in the Treaty of Tingmosgang signed between Tibet and Ladakh in 1684, wherein Ladakh was allowed to retain Minsar. When Ladakh became part of J&K, Minsar became part of the State of J&K and consequently, became a part of India when Maharaja Hari Singh acceded to India. The state of J&K regularly collected revenue from Minsar, and its officials periodically visited the village and kept doing so till the 1950s, even after J&K acceded to India. This article is an attempt to enlighten the readers about this forgotten Indian hamlet in Tibetan Plateau, which has gone out of Indian consciousness.

 

  

Historically, Minsar was an enclave of the princely state of J&K situated in Tibet. For centuries Minsar was the centre for pilgrims visiting Kailash Mansarovar and revenues of Minsar were used for maintaining the holy sites at Kailash Mansarovar. The old route to Kailash Mansarovar was from Demchok Village on the border of Ladakh via Minsar, which was closed after the occupation of Tibet by China. The Indian rights to this small town were inherited from the Peace Treaty between Ladakh and Tibet signed in Tingmosgang in 1684. Besides the confirmation of the delimitation of the border between Western Tibet and Ladakh, the Treaty affirmed, “The king of Ladakh reserves to himself the village of Minsar in Ngari-Khor-sum (Western Tibet)”. For centuries, Minsar has been a home for Ladakhi and Kashmiri traders and pilgrims visiting the holy mountain.

 

A report of Thrinley Shingta, the 7th Gyalwang Drukpa, head of the Drukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism, who spent three months in the area in 1748; makes interesting reading. It states “Administratively, it is established that the next village of Minsar and its surrounding areas are ancient Ladakhi territory. After Lhasa invaded West Tibet in 1684, it was agreed and formally inscribed in the Peace Treaty between Tibet and Ladakh, signed in 1684, that the King of Ladakh retained the territory of Minsar and its neighbourhood as a territorial enclave, in order to meet the religious offering expenses of the sacred sites by Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash.”

 

For centuries, the inhabitants of Minsar, although surrounded by Tibetan territories, paid their taxes to the kingdom of Ladakh. In the 19th century, when Ladakh was incorporated into Maharaja Gulab Singh’s State, Minsar became de jure and de facto part of the Dogra Empire, which regularly collected taxes from Minsar. The process continued even after Indian independence. The last official to visit the region was Rigzen Ghagil Kalon, a special officer of the Government of J&K. He visited the village in 1950, and his report was subsequently forwarded by the Government of J&K to the Ministry of States New Delhi, informing it about the circumstances under which the Special Officer visited Tibet.

 

Rigzen Ghagil Kalon’s report titled ‘Village Minsar in Western Tibet’ and dated September 13, 1950, stated that Demchok was the last Village on Indian Border. The report also mentioned that it took ten days to reach Minsar from Demchok “The village Minsar is situated to the east of Gartok and about 32 miles west of Mount Kailash. It is a broad valley with vast plains in it. There are 68 families with 271 souls of which 120 are males and the rest females and are all adherents of Buddhism.” The report further mentions “I found there a few Garhwal tradesmen who did a lot of propaganda in my favour among the people telling them that I belonged to the National Government of J&K which is a part of India. It proved a great help to me. I asked for the recovery of revenue and the people told me that they had not the least hesitation in paying the amount to the State Government.”

 

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) report of 1960 during the Indo China Boundary talks also establishes India’s right over Minsar, “The Indian side had similar records to show that the village of Minsar was from 1684 under the effective administration of the Kashmir Government:

 

(a) An extract from an original document prepared in about 1862 showing that during the time of Mehta Basti Ram, that is about 1853, a sum of Rs 56 was collected from this village as revenue.

 

(b) An extract from the tour report of Faqir Chand, Wazir Wazarat of Ladakh in 1905, stating that the village of Minsar belonged to Ladakh and that a sum of Rs 297 was being collected annually as revenue from this village.

 

(c) The Indian side had shown earlier that the Assessment Report of 1905, the Final Assessment Report of 1908 and the Settlement Officer’s report regarding the amount of revenue payable had all mentioned Minsar also as one of the villages.”

 

On May 23, 2014, Scoop News reported that the Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Rigzin Spalbar wrote to J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed demanding re-opening of Demchok route wherein he stated that till the 17th century, the Manasarovar Lake and Mount Kailash were part of the Kingdom of Ladakh and the village of Minsar, near the Kailash continued to pay revenues to the J&K State up to 1960. He cited Ven. Kushok Bakula Rinpoche, then a Minister in J&K Government who in 1954, along with Sonam Khangsar, a judicial clerk of the Leh District Commissioner's Office, visited Kailash/Manasarovar via Demchok; at that time, they collected taxes from the Minsar villagers.

 

So, how did India give up its rights on Minsar? Claude Apri, who has written extensively about Minsar, Ladakh and Tibet says that in his quest to make Panchsheel successful, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru decided to forego all rights on Principality of Minsar during Indo China Border talks in 1953. Claude Apri states, “Nehru was aware that Minsar had been providing revenue for maintaining the temples around the sacred mountain and the holy Manasarovar lake, but believed that India should unilaterally renounce her rights as a gesture of goodwill towards Communist China.” 

He instructed the diplomats negotiating the Panchsheel accord in Beijing, “Regarding the village of Minsar in Western Tibet, which has belonged to the Kashmir State, it is clear that we shall have to give it up if this question is raised. We need not to raise it. If it is raised, we should say that we recognise the strength of the Chinese contention and we are prepared to consider it and recommend it.”

 

Eventually, Minsar was not discussed at all during the 1954 talks, and therefore, it continues to be legally and constitutionally a part of J&K State of India. No change of boundary was ever ratified in the Parliament via amending Article 1 of the constitution, as was done for the Indian and Bangladeshi Enclaves. John Bray, President of the International Association of Ladakh Studies, wrote, “the Sino-Indian boundary dispute remains unresolved. Since the 1960s, the attention of the two governments has focused on the demarcation of the frontier and, more recently, on the prospects for mutual trade. The status of Minsar is no more than a minor footnote to these concerns, but one that has still to be cleared up.”

 

Minsar, besides having a historical and spiritual context for Hindus, Buddhists and Jains in India, raises many unanswered questions. The Legal status of Minsar has never been addressed. The treaty of 1684 has never been formally revoked by ratification in the Parliament, neither the boundary been changed by amending Article 1 of the constitution. Till 1961, MEA was proving its rights over Minsar by providing revenue records, maps and administrative documents to Chinese, but never formally staked a claim. Neither was any compensation demanded giving up Minsar from the Government of China. The issue was never highlighted in public domain inspite of repeated clarifications sought on Minsar by the Member of Parliament from Ladakh constituency since 1982 in the Lok Sabha.

 

Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage holds a very important place in the hearts of Indians. The Yatra at present is either via Nathu La or via Niti pass in Uttarakhand, both being very rigorous and prone to Suspensions due to unfavourable weather conditions. The reopening of Demchok route has been a constant demand from the people of Ladakh. In the eventuality of the route becoming a reality, the significance of having an Indian enclave in the vicinity of Kailash Mansarovar cannot be overemphasised.

 

At present, Minsar is situated at southern end of Gar (Gartok) County on national highway 219 in Ngari Prefecture. Its Chinese name is Men-shi which is pronounced something like “Men-sher.” Minsar is separated from India by the width of Zhada (Tsamda) County, also in Ngari Prefecture. The nearest point in India would be the Malari and Niti Passes in Uttarakhand State. India must take up with China the unresolved issue of Minsar. Given its historical and spiritual context, Minsar cannot and should not be allowed to become a forgotten footnote in History of India.

Note : this article appeared in organiser https://www.organiser.org/Encyc/2019/2/20/Forgotten-Minsar-An-Indian-hamlet-in-Tibet.html 

NO ! MR ABDULLAH -PAKISTAN HAS NO CLAIM ON POJK !

November 11,2017-Mr Farooq Abdullah made a very shocking statement asserting that Pakistan owns POK and Kashmir should be divided accordingly into 2 parts.Of late Mr Abdullah senior and Abdullah junior have been making irresponsible comments. Farooq,being the son of Sheikh Abdullah, does not shock oby the seditious nature of his statements.

 Let the statements be contested with facts and also  the readers be refreshed and informed about the actions of Sheikh Abdullah to understand the present stand of the Abdullahs. 

First some points regarding the Princely state of Jammu and Kashmir     

            

J&K was the largest princely state of erstwhile British India,with borders adjoining both Dominions of India and Pakistan. It must be clearly understood that only British India was divided into dominions of Pakistan and India-There was NO scope for any division of any princely state.The state had to accede completely to either Dominion and the power of accession was given to the ruler of princely state. Thus,within the scope of India Independence act 1947-Maharaja Hari Singh,Ruler of Jammu-Kashmir signed the instrument of accession like other princely states,Lord Mountbatten countersigned it and on 26 oct 1947 State of Jammu-Kashmir acceded to India.This accession was not reversible and under Art 1 of Indian constitution,Areas can be added but not reduced. So is Farooq Abdullah advocating Sedition of a part of Jammu-Kashmir? 

It is an Established historical fact that Pakistan attacked the princely state of Jammu-Kashmir on the Night of 21-22 Oct 1947 .Gilgit, Baltistan,Mirpur,Muzzafarabad,Kotli, Bhimber, parts of Poonch remained under its occupation post UN mandated 1Jan 1949 ceasefire .How can  this area be a legitimate part of Pakistan? When this area was never in British India but belonged to Maharaja Hari Singh ruled Jammu-Kashmir? A large part of Jammu Kashmir is occupied by China,Minsar in Tibet which was a part of J&Kwas gifted away by Nehru to China,In 1963 Shaksgam valley in Pak occupied  Gilgit Balistan region of J&Kwas Gifted by Pakistan to China. How can there be any basis for Pakistan to Claim occupied areas?

Now let us analyse other legal Documents in addition to the instrument of Accession , cementing the assertion that Whole of JK state is an integral part of India 

1) UN resolutions- India approached the UN as a nation attacked by a neighbouring country-UN resolutions do not make any case of Pakistan having a right over Indian territory measuring upto 85,000 sq km it has occupied. The UNCIP Resolution of August 1948 clearly states that Pakistan is occupying Areas in J&K and has to vacate these areas. The clarifications issued by UNCIP also state that Pakistan have NO Sovereign rights on occupied territories.

So Pakistan will have to denounce UN resolutions to claim its rights on POJK  

2) The  proclamation Signed by Karan Singh on 25 Nov 1949 regarding implementation of Indian constitution in J&K .

3)The judgement of AJK HC on Gilgit Baltistan in March 1994 that Gilgit and Baltistan are parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

 4)Jammu Kashmir is not a part of Pakistan as per the constitution of Pakistan . Also Pakistan S.C Has ruled that GB is not a constitutional part of Pakistan which has only 4 provinces.

4) February 22,1994 Resolution by the Indian Parliament unanimously proclaiming whole of Jammu Kashmir to be an Integral Part of India. 

Examining the role of Sheikh Abdullah in the pre and post Independence  History of India with regard to Jammu and Kashmir. 

1)In 1930-31-Sheikh Abdullah led agitations and protests against Maharaja Hari Singh.He gave inciting speeches in Mosques in Srinagar and incited stone pelting and violence.He was helped in this by Muslim youth coming in from British controlled Punjab.Maharaja Hari Singh arrested him for provoking unrest,but the protests continued until Maharaja Hari Singh signed  60 year lease of Gilgit-Balistan  with the British.Then the protests stopped. 

2)When the Cabinet Mission came to India ,Sheikh Abdullah started a movement called 'Maharaja,Quit Kashmir'.He was arrested for sedition.  3)Sheikh Abdullah was not popular With Shias,Gurjars,Buddhists,Pahadi Muslims,Baltis , Shina and Hindu population of Jammu,Kashmir.He left Muslim conference and formed Jammu Kashmir National Conference in 1939 which got support from Jawaharlal Nehru.

4) After Accession when the First Assembly elections were held in JK,Sheikh Abdullah cancelled the nomination of the Jammu  based Praja Parishad candidates and thus ensured win of National Conference.He propagated  the Idea of a separate flag, Emblem and Permit for JK.This was opposed vehemently by Sri SP Mukherji and Praja Parishad Members.Many Praja parishad members attained Martyrdom while hoisting the tricolor and Sri SP Mukherjee attained Martyrdom in Srinagar while opposing two flags,two constitutions and permits to visit JK within India .

5) The Delhi accord which was more of a committment between Nehru-Abdullah and the events leading to Martyrdom of SP Mukherjee led to lots of Unease within NC itself.Deputy PM Ghulam Bakshi led the Revolt against Sheikh Abdullah -15 members were against Sheikh Abdullah's statement that Jammu Kashmir accession was conditional while only 4 supported him.The Members of Cabinet informed Karan Singh that they had lost confidence in Sheikh Abdullah ,Leading to Dismissal of Sheikh Abdullah as Primeminister of JK.Sheikh Abdullah was in Gulmarg that time and was on his way to Gilgit to proclaim Independence of JK . His plans were thwarted and he was Arrested . 

Thus it comes as no surprise that Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah make Pro-Pak statements and bat for Autonomy of JK and term the accession as conditional, inspite of proof present to the contrary.

Time has come to condemn such Statements. Not only condemn but according to laws these statements of Farooq Abdullah can be termed Seditious. As a citizen one hopes that the Government gives an adequate and befitting response to Farooq Abdullah who is an MP in Parliament  

Where Naseeruddin Shah's Fluffy article legitimises 'Hindu Mobs attacking Muslims' narrative of MSM

 

Today morning my WA groups were posting an Article of Naseeruddin shah in HT times and getting emotional about his 'secular' 'deeply personal' article-I read his article,was deeply distressed at how by just claiming he is not a 'good Muslims' he gets emotional Hindus to toe the libbie line.
To me both the title and content of the article are just an extension of sagarikha ghose's tweet about Hindu mobs hunting down Muslims.
He starts with an insidious victim playing, calling himself not a 'good Muslim' by emphasising the Binary of a good Muslim in salafi/Arab wear, and by mentioning his 'deeply personal' detail of marrying Ratna,a Hindu and by bringing in the love Jihad Binary of Muslim-Hindu marriage ,places himself on a pedestal and starts preaching . He totally neglects the fact that inter-religion marriage is not love jihad, marrying Hindu, Christian girls and making them convert to Islam as a hidden agenda is love Jihad .
He rues that he never remembers Muslims being viewed with suspicion --till about 30 years back there was no salafi Islam inspired Islamic terror--in India it started in Kashmir in mid 80's but was legitimised as call for Aazaadi . It is since global terror by Muslim youth, professing to be inspired by Quran and the ideological idea of a Muslim Caliphate that Muslims are being viewed with suspicion .
Then the normal monkey balancing starts--first by equating the horrors of Islamic terror with the new narrative of 'gau rakshaks'--while gau raksha is revered by most Hindus ,equating a few stray incidents of alleged gau rakshaks ( which have in most cases turned out to be local Spats between rival gangs of smugglers, between local goondas masquerading as gau rakshaks, villagers fighting with cattle thieves) which are condemned and not given sanction -either by ruling party or by Hindu society-stray incidents are compared to horrific bombings, knifing,car mowings etc .
Then another ridiculous equivalence starts--that of creeping radicalising of Muslim society ,esp in dressing up in full body Burkhas, toddler girls in hijab,men in beards and Islamic long Kurta and short pyjama --with 'creeping tilak and saffron' -in Hindus !!!!
The Most offensive part was his fear of Mobs asking for religious identity of his kids in future-just to remind him-mobs asked for religious identity on direct action day in 1946, in 1989,1990, mobs in Kashmir caused mass exodus of Kashmiri pandits based on religious identity,1984 Sikhs were massacred by congress leaders based on religious identity,In nandigram 2003, Kashmiri pandits of an entire village were killed based on religious identity, last couple of years Violent Muslim mobs in Malda,Dhulagarh have gone on rampage over religious identity.
Then Shah plays 'Sare jahan se Accha ' card --rueing that Audience did not know that a Muslim wrote the song --well most of audience may not know that later Iqbal supported partition, and wrote Tarana-e-Mili - supporting the idea of Ummah or Islamic nation! 
In eulogising Iqbal Naseeruddin forgets that after writing ' Hindi hai hum watan hai Hindustan hamara' Iqbal was the philosophical father Of Pakistan and influenced Jinnah in creating Pakistan .Naseeruddin may not know the poem was later changed to -Chin o Arab Hamara,Muslim hain hum, watan hai Sara jahan hamara
To conclude , the real Brave Muslims taking on the problems in Islam are Salman Rushdie who wrote satanic verses, Tasleema Nasreen, Ayaan hirsi Ali -And who have and are paying a price for it ! 
The article would have been a honest one had Naseeruddin not given in temptation of bringing in 'mobs',Gau rakshaks,Tilak, saffron and Sania Mirza's skirt length from decade ago . 

Forgotten Victims of Partition- POJK and Gilgit Baltistan refugees -Unearthing them from National Archives

 15 August is approaching . In the run up to the Independence Day we remember our freedom fighters , our leaders and evaluate our progress as a young nation with an ancient civilisation . Often forgotten is the fact that it was British India that was partitioned and declared ‘Independent’ while for the 562 plus princely states , the Paramountcy of British power ended and existing treaties ,leases etc were dissolved . The princely states could accede to either Dominion of India or or Pakistan- there was no provision for a third Dominion. The time preceding and post Partition was violent and turbulent -a fact often forgotten in the euphoria of celebrations.

Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India on 26 October 1947. On the night of 21-22 October 1947 , Jammu and Kashmir was invaded by Pakistani raiders from Pashtun areas, supported by Pakistani Army. The events in the Kashmiri valley are well known, and the looting and violence that was unleashed is well documented, the Indian Army soon forced the raiders to retreat .

The story of Non Muslims of Mirpur -Muzzafarabad districts and Gilgit Baltistan province is however forgotten. The Hindu and Sikh victims of the events of 1947 are but an erased footnote in the post 1947 history of  India .

The National Archives has documents relating to the hapless victims of partition , both in Mirpur Muzzafarabad and Gilgit Baltistan area , both under Pakistani occupation since UN mandated Ceasefire of 1 January 1949. Till 1950, the issue of evacuation and release of Hindu and Sikh girls, women and children was in national headlines, but soon was relegated to the dusty files of National archives.

Here, an effort will be made to bring out the story of the forgotten victims. Where are these girls,women and children now? Their present generation ,both in india and Pakistan ,may not even know they existed once as Hindus and Sikhs 

Refugees and Abducted victims of Mirpur Muzzafarabad now termed POJK 

From the night of 22 October , violence and terror was unleashed on Hindus and Sikhs of Mirpur, Muzaffarabad , Bhimber, Kotli ,Poonch and surrounding areas. Thousands of Hindus and Sikhs perished and thousands of young women,Girls and children were kidnapped and taken captive by Raiders. The lucky Hindus and Sikhs who managed to flee reached Jammu and later lived on as POJK refugees. The violence did not stop even after Indian Army was deployed. For two years, until ceasefire was announced, the indian army protected the refugees ,often under siege, surrounded by Muslim areas and Pakistani Army. The woes of non Muslims worsened after cease fire was announced and the areas came under Pakistani occupation. 

Recovery commissions were set up to locate and free kidnapped non Muslims from Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Applications abound in the archives for securing release of young girls held captive in villages by refugees from POJK. One such application from a refugee camp in UP ( refugees from POJK were not settled in Kashmir valley, this story will be explained another time) states that young girls as young as 12 years were abducted, converted and married off to old men . 

Mridula Sarabai made efforts to locate, secure release and evacuate the unfortunate Hindu and Sikh girls. Her report in national archives, even though in official language ,cannot hide the terrible human tragedy that was being witnessed in the open, in front of everyone’s eyes. The report speaks of 3 abducted girls , in Mirpur ,who were recovered . But public pressure was so intense that a person of the Rank of a Deputy Commissioner returned the three girls back to the abductors. 

There were confirmed reports of the kidnapped girls being taken to ‘closed’ villages in the interiors and by the raiders back to their villages. Any efforts to return the abducted girls and even children was resisted by the whole village. Before ceasefire, it was still possible to recover girls via Indian armed forces, but after ceasefire , the Pakistan recovery office and police did not make any credible efforts to secure release of the girls. 

About 200 young girls were reported to be kept in an non official camp, in Mirpur head water works, for ‘use’ of Millitary .

In refugee camps in Pakistan occupied territory of J&K , these women,girls and children were kept as bargaining tools and not returned to their families even when located.  A Muslim conference meeting held in Lahore upheld the view that the kidnapped persons and those in refugee camps should not be returned until accession of Kashmir to Pakistan, these views were also supported by the officers of the recovery police. 

Two refugees who had returned from POJK made this disclosure to Mr Rishi, head of congress committee in Delhi. The ministry of states has reported The meeting with the Refugees and Mr Rishi, where the refugees informed that camp commandants were refusing to release women and children unless a corresponding number of Muslim women and children were given in exchange . A camp in Datya, was reported to have 79 women and 38 children, who were not being released .

Areas of Mirpur Muzzaffarabad were under the recovery office and there were reports, recoveries and evacuations , though reduced to a trickle . The case of Gilgit Baltistan was even more pathetic as that came under ministry of state. After the mutiny and accession of Gilgit to Pakistan, there was no way to contact non Muslims in Gilgit Baltistan. The Hindu traders of Kashgar were the first to inform the British consulate there to the plight of Hindus and Sikhs .

The government of India initially put up its hands ,but the pressure of the Hindu traders in Kashgar made it act.

The Sikh and Hindu employees of the Kashmir government were the first victims. They were kidnapped and taken to frontier areas and made to work for Pakistan. Many were killed . A tragic application stating that Daughters and even wives of J&K government employees were converted and forcibily married to army officers of Pakistan army . Elder daughter of a postal clerk Shankar Lal Dhar was converted and forcibily married to a Pakistani army officer.

The traders who managed to escape Gilgit informed that 150 Hindu and Sikh traders in Gilgit ,along with their women and children had converted to Islam.

Further application from a Sikh trader in Dehradoon requesting evacuation of his family members from Gilgit  Informed that the family ,along with the women, had converted to Islam. 

Hindu and Sikhs of Gilgit were confined to the Gilgit fort and converted , fate of their womenfolk were unknown, but were supposed to have been converted and forcibly married off.

Applications requesting evacuation of Hindu and Sikhs in Skardu, Astore, Chilas also abound in national archives . Tragic stories of Husband not being allowed to leave while the wife was lucky to have been released abound.

These stories ,written in cold official language, nevertheless , speak of a great human tragedy. These are victims of our political freedom which we got on 15 August 1947.

Mridula Sarabai gave a list of about 2317 abducted persons ,which she stressed was neither final, nor the least, as every released person gave details about further persons.

The kidnapped women,girls and children were leading secure ,happy lives, having dreams and their Little joys - when events not in their control turned their lives upside down. What terrible experiences must have befallen these hapless girls ,women, children, to be snatched away from their known lives and becoming slaves and living in hostile villages. Did their children even know the past of their mother? How did the families of these abducted girls carry on with their lives . Did they pass on their tragic stories to the next generation? 

The employees of the Kashmir government were thrown into these events by virtue of being posted to these areas. Many were kidnapped, their daughters forcibily married off! What happened to them and to the traders and others who were converted ? Did their second generation know the history? 

These answers were never sought ! A few survivors did write about their experiences but somehow, these stories never made way into the Kashmir Narrative. The wife of the Wazir -e-Wazarat of Muzzafarabad , Smt Krishna Mehta has written about these terrible times . Her husband was pushed to his knees and killed by raiders for being a kaffir . A person so powerful could be killed like this. She recounts girls defacing themselves in refugee camps to save their honour and women killing themselves to escape rape and kidnapping.

These are gross human right violations , which happened under eyes of UN commissioners ,Red Cross , British Authorities- all these profess to be beckons of human right protection. The nation of India  watched Helplessly while its women, girls ,young men and children were enslaved and converted or who killed themselves or were killed . 

Let us not forget them, for they payed a great price for our political freedom .

Brazen lies of Rahul Gandhi

Brazen Lies of Rahul Gandhi -Fact based Rebuttal

 

Rahul Gandhi of late has been blabbering a lot of nonsense-and spouting white lies.He does that with a sneering sense of entitlement ,secure in the knowledge that Pidi Media will not counter his lies and some people may believe him.

 

Today I intend to counter 2 of his glaring lies 

Lie No 1 -Freedom of Expression is a fundamental democratic right and BJP/RSS are policing and controlling it 

The Shamelessness of this Brazen lie astounded me and I resolved to counter this lie by a few examples of the great congress and its Dynasty in suppressing the same freedom of Expression .

 

Year was 1950

Cross Roads was a weekly journal published by Romesh Thapar was Banned by Madras state for Criticising Nehruvian policies.

Romesh Approached Supreme Court which upheld his freedom of expression guaranteed under art 19(1)(a) of Constitution on 26 May 1950 .

The Case was Thapar vs State of Madras .

 

On 10 May 1951 Nehru moved 1 amendment -known as Constitution (first amendment)Act 1951 .

On 18 June 1951 it was passed by parliament-amending 19(1)a -which guaranteed freedom of expression -to curtailing that freedom, thus effectively overturning the judgement of SC in Thapar vs Madras state upholding freedom of expression 

Today Rahul Gandhi brazenly claims that he stands for freedom of Expression .

I would like to remind him of the following Milestones 

 

During Emergency Indira Gandhi Suspended Freedom of Speech totally .

In UPA time ,ruled remotely by Sonia-Rahul-Art 66A was implemented curtailing Freedom of expression on social media-arresting scores under the draconian provision.

And today Rahul Gandhi sneeringly tweets about upholding freedom of speech !!!

 

Since Rahul Gandhi is waxing eloquent about his Father Rajiv Gandhi :

A brief Synopsis :

 

Image cultivated of a reluctant politician-immediately agreed to become prime minister after Indira Gandhi’s Assassination!

His stint started with the infamous ‘when a large tree falls,earth shakes’ and genocide of thousands of innocent sikhs . 

His brief spell as PM involved Bofors kick back scam.

Bhopal Gas tragedy and shameful escorting of Anderson out of India. 

Overturning of SC judgement on Shah Bano .

Terrible Communal riots in Meerut in 1987 where police force was withdrawn and Hindu colonies left unprotected while Muslim mobs attacked them.

The IPKF misadventure leading to unfortunate death of over 2000 indian armed forces persons .

Emptying coffers of Nation so that Gold had to be mortgaged after his stint. 

Creating a mess in Punjab.

 Created an Environment for resurgence of Pakistan sponsored separatism and terrorism by rigging 1987 elections 

Stayed mute and inactive when Kashmiri Pandits were being targeted ,killed and finally forced into exile from 1989, then the black night of 19 January 1990- by ignoring all reports. 

Finally -Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by LTTE-where does serving India come in !!

 

Lie no 2 

Rahul Gandhi claims that Modi is the first PM to bend before China

 

Another shameless brazen lie that needs to be called out .

The 1962 Indo China war which India lost due to weak leadership of Nehru is a throbbing wound on the psyche of India

Other instances of bending of Nehru in front of China are 

1. Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai .
2. Letting China annex Tibet .
3. Letting China occupy Aksai chin.
4. Gifting away Minsar in Tibet,which was a part of JK,and whose revenues were used to maintain Kailash mansarovar to China in 1954 .
5. Feeble protest when Pakistan Gifted away Shaksgam Valley in POJK to China in 1963 .

 

These are but a few instances in Nehru’s rule 

In 1962 Pakistan and China began getting closer,creating a Sino Pak nexus .  Nehru,Indira ,Rajiv,Sonia ,Rahul did nothing to counter it through decades when they were in power 

In UPA Rule CPEC project was begun-what did Sonia Rahul controlled Government do to counter it?

Modi led Government is taking a strong stance against CPEC,BRI etc by neighbourhood first policy.

It is tackling the Maritime silk route by Sagarmala,reaching out to Indian Ocean Rim nations,QUAD,RIMPAC etc

It must be noted that Dokolam was the first instance of India sticking to its Guns in face of China after the Nathu la battle in sixties. 

 

Rahul Gandhi indulges in white brazen lies-time to call out his pathetic lies by putting out fact based rebuttals . 

Mishtar Jinnah says Hindus will be safe in Pakistan..Untold story of broken faith

She wore only black and never tied her hair till her death..after being forced to abandon her home in Sialkot and migrate to India post partition...
The wounds of Partition are generational. The pain of the unhealed wounds is so deep that partition and pre partition life was never discussed in my family while I was growing up in Meerut ,which was my Grandmother’s ( Dadi) hometown . Any questions about my Father’s paternal family would be answered with a bland “ they belonged to Sialkot and came to Meerut/ Delhi post partition” . My grandmother’s eyes would moisten . She would sometimes speak of my grandfather ,who was subedar major in British Army, being posted to Chaman and they wanting to settle there ...but then partition happened!
We grew up with knowing a lot about Meerut and my Dadi’s family roots in Meerut, but strangely nothing about my Father’s ‘Sialkot’ Dada-Dadi. We grew up with a nostalgia about Chaman where my grandmother was Happy and dreamt of settling till partition happened.
Recently Kartarpur corridor was opened and  my Aunts( my late father’s sisters), in their late seventies and eighties suddenly opened up about the Sialkot past. This blog is a very very belated attempt to bring out my great grandmother’s  voice through silence of Generations and bring forth the great human tragedy of partition..a tragedy which has been normalised and foot noted for my generation and coming ones .
My Father’s Grandfather was Sri Govind Ram Sharma,an army contractor with the British settled in Sialkot . He was an Arya Samaji. My aunt claims a Gate of Aryasamaj in Sialkot had his name inscribed . My Grandfather’s name was Munshi Lal Sharma and my Great Grandmother’s name was Shiv Devi.

By all accounts ,my Great Grandmother Shiv Devi was a very strong woman and committed aryasamaji. She built a large home in Sialkot and several other commercial properties. A property under the name of her Son ,munshi Lal Sharma ,housed a post office. She donated to an aryasamaj school which had my grandfather’s name ,Munshi Lal inscribed in The wall . My aunt recalls seeing the gate and the post office as a child during visits to Sialkot. 

Shiv Devi Ji was a beautiful woman, and was widowed early. However she managed her properties etc and was deeply respected in her neighbourhood. There was one room with a kaccha floor where the family gold was buried and boxes full of clothes were placed in the room. Once a year ,Shiv Devi, along with a group of women ,would go to Kashmir and bring back an year’s supply of dry fruits and warm clothes. It seems that it was a common practise in areas of Punjab to go to Kashmir and bring dry fruits and warm clothes.
Shiv Devi helped her neighbours and was deeply respected as she was always there for them . She also had a fiery temper which was often unleashed on unsuspecting strangers. One anecdote my aunt narrates is of her asking a Baraat to take another route as there was another baraat awaited in her neighbourhood, and the baraat complying with her ..and changing the route!
Partition was imminent and my grandfather, who had left the British army and shifted to meerut in a rented house , advised her to sell her house and come to Meerut too. But Shiv Devi had just repaired her home and was well established. She told everyone..Mishtar Jinnah has promised Hindus will be safe in Pakistan ..why should I leave my home and life I know.
Partition happened and bloodshed followed. There was no population migration planned but Hindus were under attack. My Great grandmom would still claim..Mishtar Jinnah has assured..but she sent her unmarried daughter, who was a beauty to Her Relatives in Dehradun. Then her Muslim neighbours would advise her to cross the border and go to safety, but she resisted , staying all alone in her house,guarding her family gold buried under the mud floor.
One night, mobs went on a rampage in her neighbourhood , killing, raping and looting Hindus. Her Muslim neighbours came into her home via a ladder and told her to come with them . They told her they could not bear to see her being dishonoured and they would take her across the border. My grandmother had no time to take out her buried gold, except one gold bangle, weighing 8 tolas, before she was hustled across the ladder into her Muslim neighbour home and escorted to the border where she crossed over and reached Delhi.
My aunt recollects that Shiv Devi started wearing black to convey her protest and stopped tying her hair. She vowed that she would tie up her hair only after returning to her home. But that was never to be!
One day, when she was living with her daughter in Delhi, she met a neighbour from Sialkot . He was a Muslim and was visiting his relatives. She saw him and bought him home. She wanted to know about her home and properties. The man told her her house had been occupied by several Muslim families and her mud floor had been dug up and her gold looted. The post office was still functioning in in the Property named after Munshi Lal Sharma, her beloved son. After this meeting my Great Grandmother had changed a lot, and stopped discussing Sialkot. Our family had left everything behind in Sialkot , all family savings, land, buildings to start life afresh in a rented house. We had very financially weak childhoods..my grandmother through her tireless housekeeping fed us,clothed us and sent us to the best schools. Yet, the image management of Nehru was so great that my grandmother remained a committed congressi till her last breath We too, though partition was an inevitable price to pay for freedom from British! But now I think, had partition not happened, the family wealth would have been built upon,the family home built with love,tears and sweat would have been there,we may have been born in the family home of Sialkot,and my grandmother would have lived comfortably instead of struggling in near poverty to bring up her children and grandchildren! It is us second generation that is now comfortably settled,but two generations before us suffered and struggled! Time we discuss the horrors of partition and stop normalising it and letting it become a footnote in history!

Kashmiriat – kashmir belongs to Bharat

Kashmiriat – kashmir belongs to Bharat

 The meeting of Indian politicians like Sita Ram Yechury, Manishankar Aiyer, Track 2 type like Vinod Sharma,AVM kak(rtd) with Geelani prompted me to write this Article. For the last few decades,Kashmiri Politicians like the Abdullahs, Muftis and Kashmiri origin Congress leaders have been spouting the term Kashmiriat along with Jamooriyat( democracy) as paradigms of the solution.
Like secularism,Kashmiriat too has been distorted to represent a certain section of Kashmiris-Kashmiri pandits who converted to Islam. Kashmiriat reduces the Kashmir issue to the valley area in Kashmir,along with the pak occupied area of the valley,and creates an artificial construct of Kashmiris being ethnically,culturally different from India,denies any historical connect,reduces the time frame to the era after Sikandar Butshikan--and legitimises the false idea of an autonomous Kashmiri state.
In my article I argue -if Kashmiriat has to be implemented, let Kashmiriat be a pan indian idea, every Indian has a cultural,religious,historical connection to Kashmir
 Kashmir is a Sanskrit word for saffron or kesar--for at least 5000 years the name of the area is Kashmir. Mythologically It is the abode of Saraswati -goddess of learning--when Hindus chant the saraswati shloka --Namastey Sharada Devi Kashmir Pur Vasini Tvam Ham Prartheye Nityam Vidya Danam Che De hi mey" (Salutations to you, O Sharada, O Goddess, O one who resides in Kashmir. I pray to you daily, please give me the charity of knowledge).---this is the Kashmiriat that resides in every Indian !
Amaranth Yatra to Kashmir has been an Ancient Unbroken Ritual undertaken by Hindus throughout centuries--Amarnath Cave situated in Anantnag is a part of Kashmiriat in every Hindu
and Indian
For centuries Kashmir was ruled by Indian Hindu kings whose kingdoms stretched throughout Bharat, not restricted to only the Kashmir valley-historically Kashmir consisted of Jammu,Kandahar ( gandhar) ,Dardar (Gilgit) Baltistan --and not only the valley
Kashmir is the fountainhead that nurtured shaivism, vaishnaivism and Buddhism .In 2nd Century BC Ashoka ,Maurayan Emperor, constructed a Buddha Vihar now known as Srinagar-so Kashmir was a part of the Mauraya Empire whose capital was Patliputra. Kanishka held the fourth Mahayana Buddhist Conference in Srinagar  where the great Scholar-King  Nagarjuna from Andhra attended and stayed for 6 months
In 740 AD Lalitaditya, a Kashmiri king with Capital in Srinagar conquered Kannauj in UP. His Kingdom extended to Kaveri basin in south, Kabul in West, Brahmaputra basin in the east with Ujjain in centre paying it tribute--Lalitaditya was a Vaishnavite-But he requested the Great Saivite scholar Atrigupta to shift to Srinagar .Atrigupta's descendent was Abhinavgupta, one of the greatest scholars Kashmir has produced. He had 9 gurus, one of them lived in Jalandhar in present day Punjab . In his reign Lalitaditya sent 64 Dwarapalas to Kerela and Konkani coast .The manuscripts of Abhinavgupta's work are found in Kerala -signifying there was movement between Kashmir and kerela for centuries
In 8 century, Adi Shankarachaya left Kerala on foot  and Reached Sharada Peeth in present day  Muzzafarabad in Pak occupied Jammu Kashmir. He entered through the South Gate and studied there and Entered into Great Sastrartha( religious/philosophical debates) and was annointed Shankarachaya there and established on the Peeth. The four Shankarachaya mutts in four corners are a living testimony to the Kashmiriat alive through out India .
Guru Nanak stayed in Kashmir during his travels and spread Sikhism in Kashmir,establishing gurudwaras.Guru Tegh Bahadur vowed to protect Kashmiri Hindus and Pandits and sacrificed his life when he was Beheaded by Aurangzeb on November 24,1675.Sheeshganj in Delhi is an Example of Kashmiriat that is was behind Guru Tegh Bahadur's Ultimate sacrifice.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh attacked the Afghan rulers who had captured Kashmir on appeal of Kashmiri Pandits and won Kashmir on 15 July 1819 -So Kashmir was even a part of the Sikh Kingdom.

Without Kashmir, Bharat cannot exist.