This photograph of an Ikhwani camp in south Kashmir was taken by JAVED DAR in 2008. Standing in the middle is a well-known ‘government gunman’, Jehangir Khan. Photo courtesy Conveyor.
This photograph of an Ikhwani camp in south Kashmir was taken by JAVED DAR in 2008. Standing in the middle is a well-known ‘government gunman’, Jehangir Khan. Photo courtesy Conveyor.
KAFILA - COLLECTIVE EXPLORATIONS SINCE 2006 
Is the timing of the picture is to add chorus to Islamist Geelani’s cry about “Unknown Gunmen”
behind the killing of Jamiat-Ahal-Hadith president Moulana Showkat Ahmed Shah which even moderate
Huriyat camp blame on militants. Apart from Ikhwan, there are armed village defence commitees (VDC) in the border villages of J&K which are meant to protect civilian population
“How about the democratic rights of the following sections in kashmir”
1.Militants who denounced Jihad and joined the mainstream politics/ Police / Human intelligence
2.What about common man who cherish to hoist Indian flag in a kashmir valley?
Since the maintream polity tacitly approve the liquidation of these sections(as there wont be any protests against the killings Will be eager to listen to Kafila’s (Mr Vij) editorial policy on the above mentioned topic as this will save the valuable time on moderation
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Brilliant Shivam! That is spot on. But I hope you are now prepared for the barrage of hate mail, accusations of being a secessionist, separatist, anti-national, traitor, jihadi, in the pay of the ISI, the current avatar of the KGB, CIA, Mossad — oh, no, I forgot the Mossad is ok nowadays — drug lord from Colombia, the original sinner in the garden of eden….you get my drift. I will pray for strength for you. In solidarity, Mridu
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Mridu Rai , what you wrote in few lines, I as a Sikh seen for the last 26 1/2 years the so called nationislts have destroyed by these policies. They have done irrepairable loss to the people. Even CIa is OK. When I was growing up as proud Indian Sikh I was listening to these words every person with disent was either CIA or Pakistani not KGB. Now Sanjiv Bhatt, Arundhati Roy, Teesta, and thousands like them are named something to make the people beleive they are worth in prison or best be killed. But thanks antways.
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Navtej, I can well imagine how you would have experienced the same tendency of these self-declared *nationalists* to brand labels on inconvenient or dissenting positions. I might add that another aspect of this strategy of tarring alternative perspectives or expressions of belonging is the other often less explicit but equally insidious project on the part of these so-called nationalists to make the unsubstantiated claim that they speak for or have the consent of all of the *Indian nation*, whatever they might mean by that.
Shivam, of course, it isn’t you who took the photograph or wrote that line. But when have rabid jingoists been capable of making that distinction? They seem to prefer the knee-jerk response: *Shoot the messenger or anyone or anything you can lay your hands on*. I should have known that the challenge would come in the form of the accusation of forgery/inauthenticity, as you mention is happening on FB. How unimaginative. And how often have we heard that before, eh? It’s a pity that your picture will produce more dodging rather prompt the less comfortable acknowledgment that it is with brute force that the Indian government holds Kashmir.
Thanks for posting the picture.
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why me Mridu? I didn’t write that on the wall, I didn’t take the picture. I’ve just taken it from a magazine. Though there are some souls on Facebook already accusing this picture of having been doctored. And they’re making their claim with such confidence, as though they helped me with Photoshop lessons, that it seems they really want to believe it’s doctored. The implications of thinking or realising that this is a real picture with a real statement are so huge, so overwheling for the happy Indian nationalist, that he doesn’t even want to go there. Sad for him. dil behlanay ko ghalib khayal achha hain!
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My facebook wall has emerged as a battlefield! sigh
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Wow! Great picture. So at least there is still some truth left in the world, eh? Thank you for posting this up, Shivam. And it definitely does not look doctored. People can believe whatever they want, but when Kashmiris are killed or women are raped in Kashmir, only the Kashmiri people suffer and see the bloodshed. People in India always look at us with pity in their eyes and forget about everything the next day. Here’s a link to the report by AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL on Kashmir for all those people who have shut their eyes towards the Indian brutality:
Click to access asa200012011en.pdf
A Lawless Law, Amnesty calls it.
@Harsha:
Honestly there aren’t many people in Kashmir who would want to raise the Indian flag after what India has done to Kashmir and the Kashmiris for over 2-3 decades. And yeah, most Indians living in India only care about “the Indian flag raised in the valley” and not above how many lives we have lost. I hope you guys never have to go through that. We wouldn’t wish that on our worst enemies.
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@Amara
Your answer is not to my query , but the very generic professies of anti establishment personalities , so let me ask myself why these personalities are so disconnected to the general public , let me conceive myself the answer : the majority is Jingoist, shallow and indifferent to the cause of common man.
Note : You didnt answer my question (“there aren’t many people in Kashmir who would want to raise the Indian flag”: does it make sense). What about VDcs
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“There aren’t many people in Kashmir who would want to raise the Indian flag.”
Why does that not make sense?
You asked in your first comment: “What about common man who cherish to hoist Indian flag in a kashmir valley?”
And my reply to this was and let me repeat it again: There aren’t people in Kashmir who actually want to raise the Indian flag. No one wants to. People come out to protest on the streets in hundreds of thousands to stop it. So please don’t worry about the “wishes of a common man regarding the raising of the Indian flag”. If you are worried about the common man though, please think about what the common man has to go through when his innocent brother is killed, sister is raped and children are beaten or when they go missing forever.
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Back to Square one. Even the bare knowledge we can understand that there are many among Gujjars , Paharis ,Pandits ,Dawoodis, Ahamediyyas and sections among seccular muslim polity . Your answer is very much in line that they can be liquidated.Or kashmir mean the sentiment of the Urban areas alone.
How can Indian army have kashmiri women such as Surgeon Lt. Commander Wahida Prism Khan in its ranks. If ‘no one’ among the 7 million kashmiri population want to raise the Indian flag
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Back to square one because I had to repeat a simple, clear and understandable statement that I had already said before.
And btw, yes the “Indian Army” may have some Kashmiri women and men in it because there are exceptions. But go and read the Kashmiri newspapers and see how many Kashmiris quit the Indian Army and the Police every day just because of the unfairness they are forced to see and do to the civilians. You yourself are saying that there are 7 million people in Kashmir. And you gave me ONE example of a woman in the Indian army. As much as I know how much difference one person makes, I don’t think this is the platform to show the importance of one person.
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This is too Good… God Bless India and God Bless our soldiers…
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Oh yeah! God should definitely “bless” India and it’s soldiers – the killers of thousands. Very smart people there, eh? Call yourself the biggest democracy? Yeah, the world can see that now. Democracy, huh?
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I used to hear this that ” What goes round comes around.”
Its all Karma. No one is spared from this.
It is pity…indeed.
What your grandparents/parents did in 90s to others now its haunting you people. Blame them too who started it and still a beloved to masses to name a few like Mr Yasin Malik, Shabeer Shah etc.
One should not turn away from the past. Our present is associated with the past and check the reality what happened in the past.
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yes we r proud of our democracy. kashmiris may have been butchered, but they are free to speak and express themselves. go and ask balochis in pakistan, ask the minorities in pakistan. they have no freedom. they are butchered by the pakistan army and no one speaks a word. put urself in their position and only then give any lesson to anyone about indian army and democracy.God bless india.Jai hind
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Dear Amara,
I do agree with you. Democracy means to protect peoples rights, to protect them from every adversity, but these people have done complete opposite to them. The pain on seeing ones brother, son or husband killed, only dat wife,mother and sister will know. Noone wants their brothers or son’s to be millitants, but they are forced to be so. The world should see the real picture of kashmir, the brutality shown towards them.
Show the real picture and truth of Kashmir to the world; Kashmir which was once considered heaven on this earth, and now it is worst then hell.
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This photograph is reminiscent of a brutal past. Although Ikhwanis cropped up everywhere in the valley but two districts were most affected by them. Anantnag(Islamabad) & Bandipora..They wreaked havoc in these two places.This particular picture is of Kadipora Ikhwani camp in Islamabad,a two minute walk from my home.
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@all friends above: Emerging India–a South Asian giant and a potential global player–is yet to produce a weapon that can kill genuine aspirations of Kashmiris for freedom. Laden with modern automatic weapons, Indian army and its paramilitary troopers can definitely destroy a civilization and destroy history of Kashmir, but our pens and minds will create history! So, hats off to Javed Dar’s click worth millions of words and all those Indian friends who support Kashmiris in their just struggle…Kashmir needs your support!!!
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when u pray for freedom of kashmiris, also pray for the freedom of balochistan, gilgitstan and the minorities in pakistan, who are suffering in pakistan, just like u.
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I endorse Wasim Rafiqi ‘s comment. This is a photo of the in-famous Ikhwan camp in Kadipora locality of Islamabad town of south Kashmir. If you want to know about the horrors of this camp please drop into the neighborhood, you will find endless stories of interrogation, torture, extortion, molestation, drug-peddling………. that remain engraved in the hearts and minds of the neighbors. I tell u what? I live close by and often pass by the huge gate and bunkers of the camp. While I pass by, never in the past 20 years, have I gathered the courage to look up and glance at the bunker and the gate. THE PLACE HAUNTS.
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Believe me … this photograph is just an exceeption !!!!.. senseless and irrational …. but there is lot of good which is being done by the forces…
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Indian people should now try to find the truth about what is actually happening in kashmir or has been happening since decades, if they dont do so Im sure God wont forgive them. Violent protests – What else do u expect from kashmiris when u keep on killing them, when u are not ready and serious about solving the problem? Ask ur indian govt. about the lose of lives, since 2 decades its the indian army thats killing, looting and raping, they are the actual reason for all this, they are the reason why kashmiris can never forget and forgive indian, the real terrorists in kashmir are the indian troops always ready to kill, beat and rape, always ready to kill in custody and fake encounters. 100000 killed and 10000 raped by indian troops in Kashmir, and its continuing.
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