India’s No to Rashid!
By the Editor

KEEPING her typical style of animosity and egotism vis-à-vis Pakistan  —  endless, India has declined permission to the Information Minister of Pakistan Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to visit occupied Kashmir by the bus service — which prima facie, was set off as an icon of ‘goodwill’ — to facilitate the Kashmiri families, who got separated in the wake of New Delhi’s illegitimate invasion of a part of the Himalayan State — decades ago.

Reacting to such a ferocious mindset of India, Sheikh Rashid, who is a Kashmiri by heritage, has overtly expressed his shock and surprise over the decision. He wanted to travel to Srinagar — in India held-Kashmir to meet his ancestral family members — who got divided due to the uprising, unleashed by the India’s onslaught — the moment almost a century-old brutal Dogra regime — came to an end amid a vibrant freedom struggle of the bona fide dwellers and lawful owners of the Muslim-majority State.

Pragmatically, the Indian illicit refusal to let Sheikh Rashid travel to Srinagar has really come as a rude shock to the people — both in held-Kashmir as well as in Pakistan. The Indian authorities seem to have swayed by the controversy over the Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik’s statement alleging — operation of training camps for Kashmiri Mujahideen by Sheikh Rashid.

In spite of Yasin Malik’s repudiation of the statement, this message from New Delhi is simply deplorable. Sheikh Rashid is a popular Pakistani leader and a jewel of President Musharraf’s crown. As was said by him — time and again — Sheikh Rashid wanted to visit Srinagar in his personal capacity.

At the same time, he has persistently denied the allegation of operating the so-called training camp in addition to Yasin Malik’s contradiction of the statement attributed to him. Of-late, Sheikh Rashid has also traveled to India on a number of occasions in the recent past. Amid this reality, India’s sudden rush of blood on the issue is — absolutely — unjust, un-called far and unwarranted.

Sans getting emotional — the Sheikh has responded to the Indian contention — gracefully to ensure that it should not affect the ongoing Pak-India peace process. ‘I am shocked and surprised’ — but would not like it to become a hurdle in the peace process, he told Reuters after the Indian announcement.

It’s really gracious on his part especially because he has vowed to play his role for the furtherance of the peace process between the two countries for an early and just settlement of the Kashmir dispute. Yet, we are left with no option but to evaluate that — the Indian ‘decision’ has once again exposed the frame of mind working in New Delhi vis-à-vis the Kashmir issue. India is seemingly seeking excuses to jolt the dialogue process — with one pretext or the other.

Judiciously, there was no justification for the Indian refusal to let Sheikh Rashid visit Srinagar — most explicitly — when Yasin Malik had unambiguously rejected the statement attributed to him. Sheikh Rashid has also clarified that the ‘Freedom House’ being operated by him in Rawalpindi was meant to provide succor and shelter to the Kashmiri refugees, who escaped the wrath of the India’s tyrannical military rule in occupied Kashmir.

While, sharing the natural anguish of Sheikh Rashid for having been deprived of the opportunity to meet his kin and relatives and to offer Fateha at the graves of his grandparents — we feel optimistic that the time is not very far off — when he [the Sheikh] — will go to Srinagar without any obstacle and obstruction — with great dignity and honor sans seeking acquiesce from any-one as it is the birth right of every Kashmiri [as guaranteed by the United Nations] — to move freely within the jurisdiction of his/her own soil — the picturesque State of Jammu and Kashmir — with abode in the lap of the Himalaya — which is as mighty — as the will and determination of the people of the State.● 

 -  Mumtaz Hamid Rao
www.MumtazRao.net