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 The Wire September 23, 2020 By: Karan Thapar In a powerful and passionate interview with frequent flashes of anger and displays of emotion, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah has said that at this moment the Kashmiri people do not feel and do not want to be Indian. He even went so far as to say that they would rather be ruled by the Chinese, a point he reiterated when he was asked if he really meant this. Abdullah, who heads the National Conference party and had been the most prominent ‘pro-India’ face in Jammu and Kashmir for the past four decades, also described the Kashmiris as slaves who were being treated like second class citizens. In a 44-minute interview to   The Wire , Abdullah said it was complete rubbish for the Bharatiya Janata Party to claim that the people of Kashmir have accepted the August 2019 changes just because there have been no protests. He said if the soldiers on every street and Section 144 were to be lifted, people will come ...

Hindustan Times June 05, 2020 Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, the terrorist groups that have been mostly active in Jammu and Kashmir for years, are rapidly mobilising operatives to radicalise, train and fight in Afghanistan on directions of Rawalpindi GHQ over the last few months, people familiar with the development told Hindustan Times on Thursday The two terror groups are estimated to have 1,000 terror operatives in the war-torn country, most of them inducted after the February pact between the Taliban and the United States. And counting. In the last few months alone, about 200 Lashkar operatives had infiltrated into Afghanistan’s Kunar province from Bajaur Agency in Pakistan. In the last week of May, another group of 30 Lashkar-e-Tayyiba terrorists led by an ex-ISI officer Bilal aka Zarqawi slipped into Kunar’s Dangam district. A fortnight earlier, 45 Jaish operatives shepherded by Taliban commander Mullah Nek Mohammad Rabhar had entered Nangarhar’s Sherzad provi...

The Quint  July 11, 2019 The Union Cabinet on Wednesday, 10 July, declared ‘Sikhs for Justice’ (SFJ) an unlawful association for its alleged anti-national activities. Home Ministry sources cited by ANI said “the Cabinet declared SFJ, a fringe group run by a few radical Sikhs of foreign nationality in US, Canada, UK etc, as an unlawful association under provision 3(1) of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) 1967.” The founder of the secessionist group, Avtar Singh Pannu, was seen shouting slogans, wearing a t-shirt that said, "Khalistan Zindabad, Referendum 2020" at the India-New Zealand cricket match in the UK on Wednesday. “Twelve cases have been filed, 39 people of SFJ have been arrested. Many social media handles of SFJ have been blocked,” the sources said. The decision to ban the group was taken by the Centre in consultation with the state governments, including the one in Punjab, they added. “Sikhs for Justice wanted to use Kartarpur Co...

The Hindu July 10,2019 The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has attached the Srinagar house of Kashmiri separatist leader Asiya Andrabi as “proceeds of crime.” In an order pasted outside the house, the NIA said it had reason to believe that the “property represents proceeds of terrorism and has been used in furtherance of terrorist activities of proscribed organisation , [DeM].” An NIA official said the attachment was done as per provisions of law. In a charge sheet filed against Ms. Andrabi and two others — Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen last year, the NIA said the DeM was collecting gold jewellery through donations and raised funds by selling them. The accused were arrested on July 5 last year and are presently in Tihar jail. A photograph of Ms. Andrabi could not be attached as she was pardanasheen (behind veil), the NIA said. Reference:  https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/nia-attaches-property-of-kashmiri-separatist-leader-asiya-andrabi/art...

Hindustan Times July 10,2019 India on Tuesday sought to push the UN Security Council to not stop at proscribing terrorists and terrorist groups such as the Pakistan-based D-Company, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Toiba but follow up by granting them a “similar degree of interest” as it did to “denude” the Islamic State. Participating in a UNSC discussion on linkages between organized crime and international terrorism, Indian Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin also called for the world body to start collaborating its counter-terrorism efforts with the Financial Action Task Force, saying the Paris-based watchdog has been “playing a significant role in setting global standards for preventing and combating money laundering and terrorist financing”. India has felt frustrated by the lack of on-going and committed collective action to degrade these sub-continental terrorists and entities as was undertaken by the UNSC to tackle the Islamic State (IS or ISIL, Isl...

The Wire July 06 ,2019  In a first of its kind development, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been questioning the editor-in-chief of a prominent daily from Kashmir, Greater Kashmir, for over a week about some of the articles published in his newspaper. The editor is being questioned about pieces that appeared in his newspaper during the agitation in 2016 after Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter, PTI quoted officials as saying. Though the news agency refrained from identifying the newspaper or the editor by name, The Wire can report that the editor concerned is Fayaz Kaloo.  He was also reportedly asked about his trips abroad, including to Dubai. The NIA’s exertions are linked to a wider case related to the funding of separatist organisations in Jammu and Kashmir – a key person arrested in this regard is businessman Zahoor Watali – though it is not clear why the anti-terror agency should show interest in the editoria...

The Caravan April 06, 2019 Shortly before midnight on 17 March, Rizwan Pandit, a 29-year-old school principal and resident of Awantipora, a town around thirty-five kilometres south of Srinagar, was picked up from his house by security officials accompanied by the local police. Two days later, the Jammu and Kashmir police issued a statement announcing that Rizwan had “died in police custody” and that he had been taken into custody in connection with a “terror case.” The police have since revealed little information about the circumstances surrounding his detention and subsequent death, but they posthumously registered a case against him for “trying to escape from custody.” According to news reports, a preliminary post mortem report states that “profuse bleeding resulting from multiple injuries” could have caused his death. Rizwan was a known sympathiser of an Islamist organisation called the Jama’at-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, of which his father, Asadullah Pandit, is a member. ...

The Indian Express April 04, 2019 Nidhi Gaur Terror has two faces. One face is easier to recognise, it is the face of extreme fear. If you look at this fear-stricken face for a moment, you will recognize the other face as violence. The Pulwama attack has left us terrorised and hurt. When feeling terrorised, the first thing one needs to ensure is to restore the feeling of safety for all. Then comes the part of aiding to the wounds. Healing takes a long time. It also requires a lot of support from our fellow citizens. There is a bond between us. This bond could be observed in marches and the public outcry after the attack. We need to remember what Ela Bhatt calls anubandh- we are all bound to each other. What we needed to be reminded of was to not react when in shock. This is our ancestral wisdom. First catch your breath. Look for the wounds, aid to them and then assess the situation. Mahatma Gandhi opens the dialogue in Hind Swaraj with explaining the role of media in ...

The Wire December 22, 2018 By: Anand K. Sahay When channels of normal politics are clogged on account of New Delhi’s Kashmir policy to let only the gun do the talking, a messy result is perhaps inevitable. There is acute political awareness in Kashmir, and the nuances of the game are understood even among its younger residents. In that respect, the Valley may be thought of as being among the most politically alive regions of the country. There is no shortage of political parties on the ground. There is also the separatist combine – the Hurriyat Conference. In a freer atmosphere, Kashmir may have buzzed with political activity. Enough has happened in state in the past year to have ensured this – the toppling of the Mehbooba Mufti-led government, the imposition of Governor’s rule, the Valley-wide raising of temperatures on the ill-concealed effort of the BJP to do away with Article 35-A of the constitution through hostile judicial action as well as the virtually fraudu...

ZeeNews Manish Shukla September 23, 2018 Pakistan’s ISI has started making attempts to hamper the upcoming panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir. According to sources, the ISI has constantly been pressuring terrorists in the state to carry out attacks. For this purpose, the spy agency of Pakistan has deputed its officials at Jamaat-ud-Dawa offices in Lahore and Karachi. Pakistan’s ISI has started making attempts to hamper the upcoming panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir. According to sources, the ISI has constantly been pressuring terrorists in the state to carry out attacks. For this purpose, the spy agency of Pakistan has deputed its officials at Jamaat-ud-Dawa offices in Lahore and Karachi. The ISI operatives, stationed at the offices of most wanted terrorist Hafiz Saeed’s JuD offices, are carrying out online campaigns for terrorists. Sources have told Zee News that the ISI has hired technical experts for the purpose and is paying them a salary between ...

Hindustan Times August 06, 2018 By Rajesh Ahuja A member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group was arrested at Delhi airport after Saudi Arabia deported him, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Monday. Habibur Rahaman, who once lived Kendrapara district in Odisha, was the handler of Laskhar terrorist Shaikh Abdul Naeem, who was arrested in 2007 for trying to infiltrate terrorists into India and escaped in August 2014. He was again arrested in November 2017, said a spokesperson for the NIA. Habibur, aka Habib, Naeem and eight other people were formally charged before a court on terrorism charges in November 2017. Habibur will be produced before Delhi’s Patiala House Court. Reference: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/lashkar-e-taiba-terrorist-handler-arrested-at-delhi-airport-after-being-deported-from-saudi-arabia/story-drVaf43jwCqv3vpAviDjdL.html

The Asian Age July 04,2018 AFP Media watchdog Reporters without Borders expressed alarm on Wednesday about India, with seven journalists killed in the past 18 months and a sharp rise in online abuse and harassment. “In 2017, the deaths of at least three journalists killed in connection with their work were recorded and a fourth case is still under investigation. In 2018, four journalists were killed in the country in the first six months,” RSF said. “In addition, there has been a sharp increase in online abuse and harassment, and in the self-censorship which looms over the environment in which journalists carry out their work in ‘the world’s largest democracy’.” RSF issued an “Incident Report”, an alert to warn about the deterioration of press freedom, the first time the organisation has done so for any country. It also warned India that it risked falling even further down its World Press Freedom Index from its current place of 138th out of 180. The latest murder of...

The Indian Express February 18,2018 The Sunjuwan attack was carried out at military station by three militants in the wee hours of February 10, leaving five soldiers and a relative of a soldier dead. Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar has written about the attack on the Sunjuwan military station in Jammu on February 10, in the latest issue of the outfit’s online mouthpiece, saying, “Only three mujahideen destroyed the Sunjuwan military camp. For three days, they withstood thousands of troops, special squads, helicopters and tanks. Entire India from head to toe panicked.” In another article in the issue, a Jaish leader says the attack was launched by “the Afzal Guru squad” of Jaish.  Azhar wrote about the attack in his weekly column ‘Rang-u-Noor’, under his pen name Saidi, in the February 14 edition of Al Qalam. Though he didn’t take responsibility for the attack, he wrote that “the attack by these three fidayeens has carried forward the legacy of Khalid Bin...

The Economic Times Neeraj Chauhan Feb 14, 2018 NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s move to surreptitiously promulgate an ordinance to proscribe Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed’s ‘religious’ outfits Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation may not be enough to prevent the international antiterror funding watchdog, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), from “grey listing” Islamabad later this week. India’s proactive moves to establish that Pakistan’s “anti-terror” actions remained on paper and were a ruse to ward off an international rap may see FATF place Islamabad under increased scrutiny. India has shared information on Pakistan allowing UN sanctioned Saeed and his organisations JuD and FIF to collect funds used for terror strikes in India. Sources said the “grey list”, in which Pakistan was last named in 2012, affects international transactions from the country concerned as these would then be subject to greater scrutiny. Wary of international sanctions, Pakistan quietly promulgate...

The Print Steve Coll February 15, 2018 The US had trapped itself in its alliance with Pakistan. It was unable to find a strategy to persuade Pakistan’s generals to change their calculus toward India. The 17-year, American-led war in Afghanistan has been undone by many errors and illusions. But none has been more important than Washington’s failure to prevent Pakistan and its Inter-Services Intelligence agency from succouring the Taliban’s revival, particularly after 2005. America failed to anticipate ISI’s planning. And then, towards the end of the Bush administration, when the National Security Council did realise that the ISI was actively promoting a Taliban, it could not identify a strategy of either friendship or coercion that would persuade it to change course. The struggle to alter Pakistan’s calculus persisted across the entire eight years of the Obama administration. This failure not only cost American soldiers fighting in Afghanistan their lives, it also ...