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Tag: Kashmir

  • Ertuğrul becomes a popular name for newborns in IoK

    Ertuğrul becomes a popular name for newborns in IoK

    Seems like it’s not only Pakistanis who have caught the Ertuğrul fever because according to a report in Outlook India, parents in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) are naming their newborns Ertuğrul after the protagonist of the hit Turkish series Diriliş: Ertuğrul.

    Read more – ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul is a gift to Pakistan from Erdoğan’

    Consultant Pediatrician and president Doctors Association of Kashmir Dr Suhail Naik told the media outlet that Ertugrul is a frequently encountered name in his outdoor department.

    Earlier, during the winters ‘Ertuğrul caps’ with fur also became popular in IoK. Ottoman soldiers and the civil officers used to wear the slightly claret red headwear called fez.

    Set in 13th century Anatolia, the historic drama series is based on the struggle of Ertuğrul Gazi, father of Osman I – the founder of the Ottoman dynasty.

    The serial became popular in Kashmir after a lockdown was imposed in the region when the Modi-led government revoked Article 370 on August 5, 2019. Despite the communication blockade and local cable operators banned from airing content produced by Muslim countries such as Turkey, Pakistan and Iran, the series began to travel from one household to another in flash drives.

    Read more – Kashmiris are finding solace in Turkish drama ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’

    The COVID-19 lockdown and the airing of the series by PTV in Urdu further propelled the series’ success and made it a bigger hit in the region.

  • Gen Bajwa for sorting out long-pending disputes

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday said that the future of enduring peace and stability in South Asia hinges on the ability to resolve long-pending disputes within the region.

    “This can be complemented through meaningful international support and will to take on challenging regional issues,” he said while addressing officers and faculty during a visit to Command and Staff College in Quetta, a press statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

    The statement comes two days after Islamabad approached the United Nations (UN) over New Delhi’s blatant attempt to turn the Muslim-majority in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IoJ&K) into a minority.

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has written letters to the UN Security Council president and the UN Secretary General, apprising them of the latest situation in the occupied valley particularly the recent changes brought by the Modi government in domicile laws that would pave the way for non-Kashmiris to acquire permanent residence there.

    Addressing the military officials, Gen Bajwa said that a well-trained and professionally competent Army is guarantor for peace. “Pakistan Army with the backing of the nation is one such formidable force,” he maintained.

    The COAS stressed the need for officers to remain focused on pursuit of professional excellence and keeping abreast with latest developments to overcome new challenges.

    Dilating upon COVID-19 pandemic, Gen Bajwa said that Pakistan Army along with other state institutions will do all to mitigate the challenges faced by people of Pakistan.

    Only a cohesive national effort shall take Pakistan to progress and prosperity COAS, he stressed.

  • Taliban deny plan to target Delhi, say ‘Kashmir is India’s internal matter’

    Taliban deny plan to target Delhi, say ‘Kashmir is India’s internal matter’

    Taliban have denied claims of joining Kashmiris’ freedom movement and attack New Delhi in retaliation against Indian atrocities under Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s regime that Pakistan and the international community fear is leading to the ethnic cleansing of the troubled valley’s majority Muslim community.

    According to Hindustan Times, the militant group has underlined that the Taliban “do not interfere in internal affairs of other countries”, saying the statement published in the media about the group joining Jihad in Kashmir was wrong.

    “The policy of the Islamic Emirate is clear that it does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.” Suhail Shaheen, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, as the political wing of Taliban calls itself, tweeted in Arabic.

    The clarification came after officials monitoring social media noted a spike in posts around claims that Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had said it was impossible to be friends with India unless the Kashmir dispute was resolved. The spokesperson was also claimed to have said that the Taliban, after capturing power in Kabul, would also “capture Kashmir from infidels”.

    Diplomats based in Kabul and Delhi said that the Taliban spokesperson’s clarification came after India worked the backchannels to confirm reports about the group’s approach to India, and on Jammu and Kashmir.

    New Delhi was told that the social media posts were fake and did not reflect Taliban’s position.

    But analysts have also underlined that Taliban comprises people holding different beliefs. For example, while the group has alleged deep linkages with the deep state of some countries, there are also some who favour an independent line.

  • Coronavirus: Improved air quality leads to breathtaking view of Kashmir from Sialkot

    With reduced industrial pollution and traffic due to coronavirus resulting in improved air quality across the globe, breathtaking views of Kashmiri peaks from Punjab’s north-eastern city of Sialkot — one of Pakistan’s most industrialised regions — have started doing rounds over social media.

    In the wake of COVID-19, lockdowns have had a dramatic impact on air pollution around the world. While lockdowns have emerged as a temporary but effective solution to the global pandemic, they also appear to be dealing with another pressing problem faced by citizens — suffocating pollution. As millions of humans stay home around the world, pollution is temporarily alleviating.

    While the mountains of Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) could earlier only be seen from Sialkot after heavy rains — when the weather was super clean –, they can now be seen from the city as improved air quality leads to better visibility and clearer skies.

    Earlier, images of clear skies over China and California, and fish swimming in Venice’s canals also made their way to social media. While they are a glimpse of what it might look like if we take better care of the earth, none of it is likely to last.

    https://twitter.com/ikaveri/status/1239660248207589383

    Much of this temporary environmental reprieve will diminish once the economy picks back up again. And of course, no one should want to curb pollution and tackle climate change via a deadly global pandemic, given the grave health and economic impacts the crisis is creating.

  • PPP Senator Rehman Malik is making a movie

    PPP Senator Rehman Malik is making a movie

    Former Interior Minister and a prominent member of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Rehman Malik has announced that he is working on a film to highlight Indian atrocities in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK).

    According to reports, Malik will not only produce a full feature film but he will also be penning the script for it. The film will be based on his book Bleeding Kashmir that was launched on Tuesday.

    Speaking to The Current, the Senator shared that a script is being finalised.

    When asked who he wants to cast in his film, he shared that he is working with his contacts “abroad and local”.

    “I will continue to fight for oppressed Kashmiris,” remarked Malik, when asked why he is making the film.

    Further details regarding the film have not yet been revealed as of now.

    Meanwhile, Malik’s book Bleeding Kashmir aims to present an unfiltered account of bloodshed in IoK. The book has been dedicated to the martyrs of Kashmir and the victims of Indian brutalities especially Insha Mushtaq who lost her eyes as a result of the injuries sustained due to the aggression by Indian Armed Forces in held Kashmir but did not discontinue education.

    Malik also announced that the proceeds from the book will go to the Shuhadas (martyrs) Foundation.

  • Mahira Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humayun Saeed stand in solidarity with Kashmir

    As Pakistan observes Kashmir Day, local celebrities including Mahira Khan, Shahid Afridi, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humayun Saeed and Saba Qamar raised their voice for the people who are currently under lockdown in the picturesque valley.

    https://twitter.com/iamhumayunsaeed/status/1224969229914558465?s=20

  • ‘Thank you for being there as we live yet die every day,’ Love, Kashmir

    Dear Pakistan,

    Over six months ago, we woke up like it was yet another day for caged birds that sing to the deaf in a dark and lonely corner of a pet shop. It wasn’t that bad. You get used to never feeling free, able to be outside, go to school, get groceries with soldiers watching your every move. We were used to it but we would always wish to get what we deserve.

    We deserve to live and breathe as freely as you… yes you… dear Pakistan.

    We would like to thank you for standing up for us when we need it the most. And also for not limiting your support to what you call ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’.

    We pray that you never have to live through the pain of losing a loved one, but do you have any idea how it feels to lose one when you aren’t even sure if they’re gone forever? Do you have an idea what it feels like to lose touch indefinitely?

    We had woken up to a bright August morning. It was just another Monday, and like the rest of the world, Mondays are hard for us too. Little we knew, that this Monday was going to rob us of even the paltry autonomy we had struggled to achieve for decades.

    The government led by fascist Narendra Modi announced abrogating Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, revoking the special status of this troubled heaven, spelling misery for us yet again. We weren’t sure what would follow, some of us had no idea what even it meant, but it wasn’t later that we realised how it was the beginning of the end.

    As protests gripped the valley, Indian forces stooped to a new low. While activists and political leaders were arrested, kids were tortured; communication blackouts were set in place and certain parts of the disputed territory still remain under lockdown.

    Of the 4,000 people, one of the 144 children picked up by Indian occupying forces between August 5 and September 23 last year, was a nine-year-old. His mother had passed away and he was abandoned by his father. He was detained when he went out to get a loaf of bread, and had to spend two days in detention until he was set free by the sweet relief of death.

    In a village in southern Kashmir, a 22-year-old was picked up in a midnight raid and tortured for more than an hour along with a dozen other Kashmiris. He was beaten with sticks, rifle butts and they kept asking him why he went for a protest march. He kept telling them he didn’t, but they didn’t stop. After he fainted, they used electric shocks to revive him.

    While some mothers have lost their children to Indian brutality, others have lost their unborn babies to the lockdown. Besides that, pellet guns being shot in abdomens of pregnant women and eyes of infants, is but the terrible tale of every other Kashmiri family.

    Within minutes of the abrogation, the internet was blocked. People were expecting mobile networks to be shut by the government as well in order to restrict communication in the valley. Our social media accounts have been deactivated due to inactivity, and our loved ones we managed to send out of Kashmir for a better life, don’t even know if we’re dead or alive.

    Don’t take us wrong, dear Pakistan, we’re not scared. We never were. Death, torture or detentions are not new to us. Tens of thousands of us have been killed since the rebellion erupted 30 years ago. But we just want you to know what it means to us when you express your support.

    We just want you to know what it means for us, knowing that you are not forgetting us like many others.

    We have not lost hope, but only because neither of us has lost each other.

    Here’s to a new life… here’s to our love for you and your support for us…

    Here’s to freedom…

    Love,
    Kashmir

  • Former Bollywood actor Zaira Wasim condemns Indian atrocities in Kashmir

    Former Bollywood actor Zaira Wasim condemns Indian atrocities in Kashmir

    Former actor Zaira Wasim, who hails from Kashmir, has condemned the curfews in the region.

    Taking to Instagram, the Secret Superstar actor shared a lengthy note writing, “Kashmir continues to suffer and see-saw between hope and frustration. There’s a false and uneasy semblance of calmness in place of escalating despair and sorrow.”

    She continues by asking many questions. “Why do we have to live in a world where our lives and wills are controlled, dictated and bent? Why is it so easy to have our voices silenced? Why is it so easy to curtail our freedom of expression? Why aren’t we ever allowed to voice our opinions, let alone our disprovals to decisions that are made contrary to our wishes? Why is it that instead of trying to see the cause of our view, our view is just condemned ruthfully? What is so easy to curb our voices so severely?

     “Why can we not live simple lives without always having to wrestle and remind the world of our existence? Why is that life of a Kashmiri is just about experiencing a lifetime of crisis, blockade and disturbance so abundantly that it has taken away the recognition of normalcy and harmony from the hearts and minds?”

    Zaira also warned not to believe the beautiful picture that the media has been showing about the Kashmir.

    “Do not believe the unfair representation of the facts and details or the rosy hue that the media has cast on the reality of the situation. Ask questions, re-examine the biased assumptions. Ask questions. For our voices”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8HbAKKlUvT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    In early August, the Indian Government revoked Article 370 which granted special status to IoK(Indian occupied Kashmir). Troops were deployed in the region and all communication in the valley was blocked, cutting off Kashmiris from the outside world.

    Earlier, Zaira had taken to social media to assure fellow Kashmiris that “this too shall pass.”

  • VIDEO: PTI’s Faisal Javed reaches Kashmir event on bike after car breaks down midway

    VIDEO: PTI’s Faisal Javed reaches Kashmir event on bike after car breaks down midway

    Ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed reaches the venue of a Kashmir Day event on a motorcycle.

    Senator Javed reportedly sought a stranger’s help after his vehicle broke down midway. Kashmir Solidarity Day is to be observed by the country tomorrow (February 5).

  • Azad Kashmir president challenges Indian army chief to attack valley

    Azad Kashmir president challenges Indian army chief to attack valley

    Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has dared Indian chief of army staff (COAS) to attack the region, adding that the armed forces of the country were ready to avert any and all attacks against its soil.

    Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, in his maiden press briefing as the top Indian military commander, had on January 11 said that the forces were ready to take appropriate action to gain control over Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

    The statement had come five months after Indian Foreign Minister (FM) Subrahmanyan Jaishankar had said that he expected India to gain physical control over AJK one day.

    “Don’t forget what has happened in the past. The armed forces of Pakistan are always ready to give a befetting response to India,” Khan reportedly said on Saturday.

    Khan further said that if the United States (US) wanted to act as a mediator in resolving the Kashmir dispute, it would have to take action against the brutalities of Indian forces in held Kashmir first. “The troubled valley is a living hell. Youngsters are being imprisoned, people are being electrocuted and even kids are being labelled as enemies.”

    He also thanked China for playing its role in highlighting the issue in the United Nations (UN).