Pakistani man wrongly arrested for Berlin attack fears for family

Naveed Baloch, a Pakistani who was wrongly arrested for the Berlin truck attack on Friday said, he had told German police he could not even drive and was now afraid for the safety of his family back home. Baloch, an asylum seeker from the troubled province of Balochistan, told the Guardian newspaper he had just left a friend's house and was crossing a street when he saw a police car approaching fast and picked up his pace. He said he was arrested and taken to a police station, where he was undressed and photographed. "When I resisted, they started slapping me," the 24-year-old, who has been living in a secret location provided by police since his release because he says he is afraid for his life, told the British daily. Baloch, who sought refuge in Germany as a member of a secular separatist movement in Balochistan, said he struggled to communicate because no translator could be found who could speak his native Balochi. "I calmly told them I cannot drive at all. Neither can I even start a vehicle," he said. Baloch was arrested on December 19 in the hours after the attack on a Christmas market in the heart of Berlin in which 12 people were killed. Police released Baloch 24 hours later, after failing to find evidence of his involvement. They instead identified rejected Tunisian asylum seeker Anis Amri as the prime suspect. Amri was shot dead by Italian police on December 23 after fleeing a manhunt in Germany. Baloch, a shepherd by profession, said members of his family in the village of Mand in Balochistan in southwest Pakistan had received threatening phone calls following his arrest. "Now they all know I fled to Germany, fearful of my life, and that I am claiming asylum here. It leaves my family very vulnerable and there's nothing I can do to protect them," he told the Guardian. Baloch said he left Pakistan around a year ago, arriving in Germany via Iran, Turkey and Greece, because of death threats he had received for his activism for the Baloch National Movement.

"Most of the people I worked with have been arrested and killed. I knew it was a matter of time before they came for me. That's the reason I came to Germany," he said.

Mineral-rich Balochistan province has been plagued for decades by a separatist insurgency and sectarian killings.

Chinese to outnumber Baloch natives by 2048

Given the current rate of influx of Chinese nationals into Balochistan and after the completion of the CPEC the native population of the area will be outnumbered by 2048. To address the concern of the Baloch citizens regarding marginalisation, the government should provide a sense of security to the natives by including them in the legislative process, and by providing them with technical and vocational training to ensure their share in the economic sphere, recommended a report launched by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI). The report was launched by FPCCI President Rauf Alam at a press conference here on Wednesday. Alam said the government could not separate the representations of the private sector and the main stakeholder of the economy from formulation of a policy regarding the CPEC. He said the FPCCI had constituted an advisory committee on the CPEC, which prepared a comprehensive report. Alam said the advisory committee on the CPEC had categorised all the ambiguities and controversial argument in six statements. Dr Ayoub, head of research of the FPCCI, also gave a presentation to the media about the report on the CPEC prepared by the advisory committee on the CPEC. As per the report the most important apprehension of the people of Balochistan relates to change in demography. Gwadar is the ultimate destination of the CPEC while Balochistan is the least-populated province of Pakistan with rich natural resources. These characteristics attract the people to settle in Baluchistan, while the CPEC will facilitate the people to travel and settle in the province. It is quite obvious that ethnic patterns of population distribution will be affected by the inflow of people from China and other parts of Pakistan, the report said.  The report said conservatively 0.44 persons per thousand migrate from china because of economic reasons that corroborates the inflow of more than 600,000 people per year in Pakistan after operating the CPEC.

At present Balochis are 55 per cent of the total population of Balochistan. The current growth rate of Balochistan’s population is 2.36 per cent. This growth in population is the composition of crude birth rate, death rate and migration of the people in Balochistan from other provinces of Pakistan. The stimulation results based on the existing rate of migration from China at 0.44 persons per thousand and rate of population growth at 0.43 per cent, we may predict that the share of Chinese in Balochistan’s population is destined to increase with the completion of the CPEC and by 2045 Chinese population may be greater than the population of people of Pakistani origin in the province. However, “we have projected the trends of population on the basis of existing rate of population in Balochistan province, mainland China and entire Pakistan as per the result the Pakistani origin peoples will remain in majority in Balochistan up to 2048.” The optimistic aspect of the CPEC is the speedy developing infrastructure and improving livelihood conditions in Balochistan. The incoming investors and settlers may offer attractive prices for land acquisition- even better than the growing market value.  This situation provides good financial opportunities to the poor natives of Balochistan. However, Balochs ask one question that how the unskilled people of the province will maintain their lives without land ownership which is their only asset? the report said. But the answer to this question depends on the government policy regarding protection of the rights of investors, foreign workers and immigrants.

The change in population dynamics is the usual part of development and progress. However, the report said that there were several possible ways to avoid undesired situations. One of the possibilities is to devise a mechanism where the training and educational facilities should be provided to the natives people on affordable cost and ensure their participation in economic activities including employment, business ownership and civic authorities. The second mechanism is to secure the political supremacy of local peoples either by reserve seats in legislative and political institutions or through discriminatory voting rights. The report covers the signing of the FTA with China and flooding of the Chinese products inflow of Chinese investment and migration of Chinese labour to Pakistan. The report further said due to the FTA with China the trade deficit between Pakistan and China reached nine billion dollars, which was only one billion during 2002-2003. China’s total share in Pakistan exports is around 11 per cent, while its 37 per cent import is from China. Import from China has rapidly grown since 2007 after signing the FTA with China. Pakistan is facing huge trade deficit even after the FTA with China. The analysis of five years of trade before and after the FTA with China showing that balance of trade is in favour of China. After the FTA, Pakistan’s import from China increased four times. The report recommended that in granting the incentives to Chinese investors and enterprises, the policy makers must not ignore the Pakistani investors. The FPCCI has demanded to grant the same incentives to Pakistani businessmen as being provided to the foreign investors, and protection of the interests of the residents of Balochistan and Gwadar in specific through legislation. Alam said the FPCCI also proposed to the government to give complete management of the economic zones under the CPEC to the private sector.

Indian media advises govt to join CPEC

After Lt Gen Aamir Riaz, Commander Southern Command, suggested the Indian government to shun enmity and join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor a few days ago, the Indian media advised its government to become a part of the project rather than oppose it. A Chinese Foreign Ministry official recently said that the CPEC is an "open initiative" of its One Belt One Road project, but it would consider the possibility of other countries joining it through consensus with Pakistan. The Hindu, a renowned Indian English daily also saw it that way and advised its government to become a part of the initiative which was commenced in 2015 by Pakistan and China. For one, the Indian media has highlighted the role of China as a global power and its efforts in redrawing the whole One Belt One Road initiative of China along Central Asia, just to incorporate Pakistan's interests. India has been unsuccessful in pinning Pakistan down as far as terrorism is concerned, with China blocking India's efforts time and again to accuse Pakistan of extending support to terrorist groups. Also, it was China which thwarted India's efforts to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. According to The Hindu, not only China but another important player in the region, Iran has expressed the desire for Gwadar to be a 'sister port' to Chabahar. Not only that, several Central Asian states such as Turkmenistan and others want to see Gwadar developed as an important port through which goods can move through Pakistan to the Chinese city of Kashgar.

Noting the importance of the meeting in Moscow among Russian, Chinese and Pakistani officials on Afghanistan this week, the editorial commented this ‘indicate much more is changing in the region than just the alignment of highways and tunnels’. "India cannot afford to be blindsided by their involvement with the OBOR project and Chinese plans. CPEC is no longer a project in Pakistan, but one that runs through it, a project that will link 64 countries," reads the editorial of The Hindu. So far, the Indian government has not responded to the offer extended by the Pakistani General but the case made by its media is a stellar one. Quoting the editorial, "CPEC is no longer a project in Pakistan, but one that runs through it, a project that will link 64 countries."

Religious extremism and terrorism in Pakistan

Pakistan was created in the name of religion but the aim was not to turn it into a theocratic state, since most of the founding members were secular and progressive in their approach. The primary objective was to have a separate country where Muslims in the subcontinent could establish a social welfare state for economic and identity purposes. But in later years we have seen a gradual transformation towards a more radical and orthodox Islamic state. The reasons for this shift were numerous ranging from instability of political institutions, economic chaos, military intervention, religion cum political entity power game in the national arena, international events and so on and so forth. But the period of Zia’s military regime proved to be a vital phase for spreading, infusing and injecting religious extremism, radicalization, fundamentalism, sectarianism and intolerance into the Pakistani society. This has resulted in Pakistan being more concerned with internal security challenges rather than external, as extremism and terrorism take the monstrous shape of religious and sectarian militancy. Extremist sanctuaries are present in every nook and cranny of the country in the form of ‘madrassas’. Extremist religious entities are playing a prominent role in national, political and social spheres. Though Pakistan’s government and the military establishment, which supported such groups before, are now taking certain steps to curtail terrorism. It has now become a very difficult task since the genie of extremism and terrorism is out of the bottle and requires great effort, patience and consistency to deal with.   Pakistan is currently facing various kinds of terrorism which are unique, difficult and multifaceted and which have trapped her like an octopus traps its prey. One such form is ethnic terrorism, and Pakistan became a victim of it in its early years when East Pakistan felt alienated on the question of national language, which ultimately resulted in its dismemberment from the rest of Pakistan. Nowadays various sub-nationalities are fighting with the federation over their identity, recognition and rights. They are frustrated by the permanent majority of one province in the center and the exploitation of their natural resources as well as cultural and social identity. Another form is sectarian terrorism which is at the top in present time. This form started to develop during Zia’s period whose regime supported and forced the Deobandi sect of Islam on the culturally and religiously diverse masses. The Islamic Revolution of Iran in 1979 was a major stimulus for sectarian terrorism. Sectarian terrorism has affected all parts of the country but its sporadic strikes are mostly present in the northern and southern areas of Punjab, posing a real threat to the national security of the country. The epicenter of this form was initially Afghanistan but spread towards Pakistan owing to its alliance and active support for the West in fighting a proxy war against the Soviet Union. Later this form was used by the Pakistani military establishment on the Kashmir front. But now the monster has taken a hold over the whole country and converted it into a jungle, where everyone is fighting each other by adopting this name. After 9/11 Pakistan’s government and military establishment took a U-turn in their policies towards the Taliban, by utilizing negotiations and military means to eradicate these groups. Pakistan is also a hot bed of Islamic militancy with various militant organizations being fully operative and often resorting to violence in the name of Islam. Such organizations took root when Pakistan, during the Soviet War, started to support anti-modern, extremist and intolerant forces eventually losing control of them and having them erode law and order situation in addition to damaging the social fabric of the society. Another form of terrorism is minority and separatist movements which are vividly showing their effects in Balochistan. Such separatists are clinching to violence based activities to have their voices heard. Almost all such terror activities and terrorists emerge from religious seminaries, which are in abundance throughout the country irrespective of urban or rural spheres.The motive of all these forms of terrorism, it seems, is to enforce their beliefs on others and stop the way towards a progressive and modern country. For this very purpose they are crossing every limit and are posing serious danger to national security. After the horrendous attack on the Twin Towers, the Bush administration took a rigid stance of “with us or against us” and Pakistan was left with no other option but to join hands with the US. Though Pakistan joined the ‘War on Terror’ of the USA, the ‘war’ has become our own to fight. Before 9/11, Pakistan’s domestic environment was about to collapse owing to weak political and economic development caused by friction among modern and fundamentalist forces, regionalism and ethnic conflicts.  Pakistan’s economy was on the verge bankruptcy. Economic growth was very slow and foreign investment was almost non-existence in addition to international economic sanctions imposed due to Pakistan’s nuclear experiments in 1998. Political and social spheres were depicting a gloomy picture. Democratically elected government had been taken over by a military coup. The bureaucracy was indulged in plundering public wealth; public representatives were openly engaging in nepotism and corruption, religious and sectarian strife was at peak and challenging the writ of the government. Regionally Pakistan had a sour relationship with her neighbors: India was angry owing to the Kargil war adventure, China was unhappy owing to Pakistan’s support for the Taliban, Iran had concerns regarding the atrocities committed on Shia Muslims in Pakistan, Central Asian States had objections regarding the spread of Taliban and similar militant forces into their countries. Globally, the image of Pakistan was distorted because of its nuclear policy, support for Taliban government and a lack of democratic credentials. After 9/11, Pakistan wisely decided to side with USA in its ‘War on Terror’ which turned a new stone in Pakistan’s history. Pakistan came into limelight regionally and globally. US offered generous economic and social support to Pakistan in various sectors which supported the eroding economic situation. By shunning the extremist and militant forces and taking up the active role of a frontline state, international community started respecting and taking Pakistan as a responsible international entity. In spite of these opportunities, Pakistan faced many challenges. One of the major ones was that after the fundamental strategic shift, Taliban and its alliances turned their guns towards Pakistan and infiltrated the country launching a full scale combat with security forces and law enforcing agencies.  The challenges for a strong Pakistan are a stable economy, social stability, education reform, re-orientation of civil society and strong law and order. The cumulative result of past blunders is that the whole country is in the grip of violence. The country has been isolated internationally as foreign countries are blaming Pakistan for not making sincere efforts to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorist and extremist outfits in Pakistan.

Iran offers to provide latest buses to improve public transport system in Pakistan

Iranian Consul General Mehdi Sobhani has offered to provide modern buses to improve public transport in Pakistan, especially in Sindh Province. According to Radio Tehran report, the Consul General made the offer in a meeting with Sindh Minister for Transport and Mass Transit Nasir Hussain Shah on Monday. The Minister lauded the Iranian Consul General for offering assistance in various transport-related projects and offering to provide 200 modern buses to improve public transport in the city. He said provision of a modern transport system to the people was a priority of the government and efforts were underway on various projects in this regard. Iranian diplomat Mehdi Sobhani also invited the Minister to bring along officials of the transport department to Iran on an exposure visit to witness the modern urban transport system operating in Tehran.

India plotting to change demography of J&K

In occupied Kashmir, the Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, Muhammad Yasin Malik, has said that India is trying to change the demography of Jammu and Kashmir by issuing domicile certificates to non-Kashmiri Hindu refugees.

Muhammad Yasin Malik in a media interview in Srinagar said that he would not hesitate to spill his blood to sabotage the PDP-BJP regime’s move. He said that in Jammu and Kashmir, the State Subject Law has been in vogue since Maharaja Hari Singh’s time. It is because Jammu and Kashmir is rich in water resources and has a vast forestland that the State Subject Law was enacted to ensure no outsider buys property here to settle down, he said.

Yasin Malik said that unfortunately the ruling PDP-BJP regime was hell-bent upon changing demography of Jammu and Kashmir by allowing non-state residents like refugees to settle in the territory. He said that ever since the inception PDP-BJP administration in occupied Kashmir, one or the other issue was being raked up to create confusion and push the Muslims to the wall. “First the government triggered controversy by raking up issues like separate colonies for Kashmiri Pandits, then exclusive colonies for retired Indian soldiers and now (is) again issuing domicile certificates to refugees,” he pointed out.

The JKLF Chairman said that he would not hesitate to spill his blood to protect the State Subject Law. “We will not allow any move aimed at changing the demography of Jammu and Kashmir. We will oppose all such moves tooth and nail,” he said, adding, “Kashmiri people can never be mute spectators on such moves. There will always be a tough resistance to defeat such designs.” He said that such conspiracies were hatched to harm the disputed nature of Jammu and Kashmir and its Muslim majority character too.

Yasin Malik also denounced the recent remarks of BJP Chief in occupied Kashmir, Sat Sharma, wherein he had stated that issuing domicile certificates was a first step towards “settlement of West Pakistan refugees and that they will be given citizenship rights and later the voting rights too”. “This is purely RSS plan and now with the help of BJP and PDP, they are trying to implement their plans in Jammu and Kashmir. But this time, people will defeat all such moves,” he added.

The JKLF Chairman termed the recent verdict of court wherein sovereignty of Jammu and Kashmir was challenged as a well planned conspiracy against the Kashmiri people.

Pakistan awaits Uzbekistan to join CPEC:

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday said that Pakistan awaits to see Uzbekistan joining China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and taking benefits from Gawadar port. He was talking to Ulugbek Rozikulov, deputy prime minister of Uzbekistan who called on him at the PM House in Islamabad. Welcoming the visiting delegation to Pakistan, the prime minister expressed the confidence that the visit will contribute towards enhancing the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Uzbekistan. The PM conveyed his heartiest felicitations to Shavkat Mirziyoyev on his election as the president of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said, “Pakistan cherishes its close, friendly and fraternal relations with Uzbekistan as both the countries are bound by strong commonalities of history, faith and culture.” “We wish to take our bilateral relations to new heights based on mutually beneficial cooperation. Pakistan is keen to further expand ties in all fields, particularly economic and energy cooperation, connectivity and human resource development,” said the PM. He emphasized that, “Both the countries need to make efforts to enhance cooperation in the economic and commercial fields and fully exploit the huge potential for mutual trade.' The PM said, “Uzbekistan's impressive annual economic growth and rich energy resources, and Pakistan's large industrial and agricultural base provide an ideal environment for expansion of trade and commercial cooperation between the two countries.” He proposed that, “Both countries work together for making appropriate reforms in trade policies to facilitate trade, investment and free flow of goods and services between Pakistan and Uzbekistan.” “Both countries need to formulate a joint integrated strategy to exploit the potential of trade in the region, especially in view of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. We need to establish Pakistan-Uzbekistan Joint Business Council and revive the Joint Commission,” he said. He welcomed the concrete proposals from Uzbekistan for collaboration in the field of agricultural machinery, which are presently under consideration at the Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of National Food Security. “On behalf of the people, Government and on my own behalf, I express our sincere condolence on the sad demise of late president Islam Karimov,” he said. “The visionary leadership of President Islam Karimov had been a source of continuity, stability and strength for Uzbekistan,” concluded the prime minister.

Ulugbek Rozikulov thanked the PM for the warm welcome extended to the visiting delegation in Pakistan. He said, “All necessary steps would be taken to explore and exploit the huge business and trade opportunities between the two countries.” The deputy prime minister of Uzbekistan extended an invitation to PM Nawaz on behalf of Uzbek president to visit Uzbekistan, which he accepted.

Kashmir in crimson

There are times, when in conflicts, established hierarchy betrays, reverses or inverts itself and the place or the binary distinction breaks down, in moments of rupture of blunt torture and oppression. When the seemingly dependent entity (pro-India political parties in Kashmir) turn out to be the foundations for the dominant entity (India), the subservient installation becomes the ground on which the dominant entity stands. With the passage of time, India’s political and bureaucratic class has, at will, exploited this dependent entity to distort the history of Kashmir, expanding territorial occupation, cultural aggression and deceiving the international community by terming ‘Kashmir’ as its integral part on the confounding basis of the “instrument of accession” and so-called elections held at the barrel of a gun. When the international community offers a helping hand to resolve the conflict, India shrewdly manages the Kashmir conflict by referring to Kashmir as a bilateral dispute between India and Pakistan. When Pakistanis approaches them, they say it’s as an internal matter of India, and incriminate Pakistan over sponsoring terrorism and fueling tensions in the valley. When the people of Kashmir rise against illegal occupation they are managed through bullets, pellets and a jingoistic Indian media. The Indian media constructs narratives and manufactures consent. Since nationalism debates have taken new heights under the BJP lead India, with a footing in neo-liberal economic policies and growing ambitions for membership in the Nuclear Supplier’s Group, the Indian media follows a strict, systemic and conniving pattern of total blackout on the current unrest in Kashmir while the government’s official maxim remains an ‘iron hand in a velvet glove’. When the Uri attack happened, suddenly OB vans with entire crews appeared on the spot and did live reporting. Nothing wrong in reporting that but then one would like to ask them where were they before and after Uri attack, when live ammunition was fired at young and old, boys and girls alike? Where was the Indian media when Insha was blinded, ATM guard Riyaz was killed, and Freedom Chacha was arrested? Where was the media when 115 innocents were murdered, 15,000 injured, 1100 blinded, 25,000 arrested? Amidst curfews, encounters and stone pelting, the task becomes even more difficult for local Kashmiri journalists to the extent that Indian forces hurl the choicest abuses to female journalists and intimidate them while male journalists are put behind the bars. The ugly face of the press-gag came in the form of banning a well-respected daily, the Kashmir Reader. This newspaper was challenging every distorted fact and narrative presented by government pressers, hypocrites and opportunists. The paper was clearly following the foundational adage of journalism “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable”. Since it never bowed down to the whims of the establishment, the price was in the offing and on October 3, 2016 an official ban came from the government on the premise that “KR tends to incite acts of violence and disrupt public peace and tranquility”. This ban has been termed by journalists as a “return to the dark ages, martial law, death of freedom of press”. The Kashmir conflict is murky and baleful. Once considered an area of heavenly serenity it has now turned into a war-zone. In this sanguinary conflict, metaphors of pain and resistance have manifested in such meaningful and lively forms that it’s driving India and its Kashmiri coterie mad. Kashmir has been the worst victim of state terrorism, violence and always been at the receiving end from India ever since Indian soldiers landed in the valley, be it in the form of massacres at places like Gawkadal, Khanyar, Tengpora, Zakura, kishtwar, Bijbehara, Doda, Wandhama, Hawal, Sopore, Aloosa, Kupwara, etc., or extra-judicial killings. Since it’s quotidian of Indian soldiers carrying out such acts in a conflict zone, it includes all those methods deemed by international conventions as war crimes, but such draconian laws have been put in place that provides immunity to these soldiers and justice is raped in broad day-light. This keeps continuing under the garb of the farcical Counter Insurgency (COIN). There is a second less noticed facet attached to state terrorism which, although latent. It is the manifold increase in purchasing and manufacturing of arms and ammunition by India. Since these technologically advanced weapons rapidly become obsolete, the Indian defense system can’t hold back for long and needs to be put into service. This lethal ammunition is unleashed on Maoists, Naxalites or Kashmiris (readers can properly identify the disturbed areas by an insightful text “Blood on my Hands: Confessions of Staged Encounters” by Kishalay Bhattacharjee can add to the understanding). However, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) (the brainchild of Indian security corridors created to annihilate Hurriyat Conference (HC)) was initially posited as “soft separatist” and took every issue which HC has been propagating and disseminating for years. It managed to create political goodwill and forged an alliance with the RSS backed BJP to form the government in the state. As events unfolded, PDP did what every dependent entity has been doing in Kashmir i.e. obey the masters in New Delhi. The dependent entities have started their politics on the killings and are hellbent to take political mileage out of it, to assure their credibility for next elections and to prepare ground for next phase in the Kashmir genocide.

Although “elections” in Kashmir continue to be held and client regimes kept on changing but what never changed was the longing for freedom (Azaadi) and the iron will of Kashmiris to die for it. Armed rebellion never crossed the Styx in Kashmir, despite the fact that India kept on dispatching its new armed contingencies to valley, approximately figuring 7 lakhs. Trunk headed Indian security cohorts have again unleashed the reign of terror on Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir (JIK) activists. Many have been detained under draconian laws or held incommunicado, hence becoming primary and worst victims of state repression and essentially facing an existential threat. The trajectory of state repression is similar to that of the 1990s when the popular armed uprising was almost cut to size brutishly and ruthlessly by Indian armed and paramilitary forces, which involved the sadistic and austere murder of singular, resolute, prodigious and unarmed 1800 JIK activists. As the Indian legal luminary, AG Noorani says “it’s not a revolt but a revolution”. The present generation has shouldered the responsibility of carrying the charge of light brigade in a new direction. These young boys and girls were raised and nourished under the shade of crackdowns, curfews, mass rapes, disappearances, custodial killings, judicial murders, intimidation, humiliation, subjugation, oppression and worst of all, under “occupation”. With the advent of social media, online newsletters, tabloids and other platforms, the simmering outrage of Kashmiri’s is visible on these platforms and has helped them to destroy the façade. With security establishments continuously stifling dissent through crackdowns on student activists, ex-rebels, abusing folklore and intimidating them, to make them succumb to their authority and occupational rule, there is a blatant shift in the sentiments i.e. from Anti-India to hate-India. The psi-ops and warfare methods used by India has pushed young Kashmiri’s to the wall and new indigenous brigade of well learned armed rebels sprouted, and allied with the residue of the 90’s. A dawn of new guerrillas filled the crimsoned canvas. These valorous rebels are loved, respected, cherished, sheltered and prayed for by the natives. Burhan Wani embarked on a noble and sublime mission with new sense of intent and purpose, striking a chord of harmony, honour and self-esteem and inspiring many in the valley through his videos. Navigating through the valley of hearts and minds, he welcomed Kashmiri pundits to the valley, assured the safety of Hindu pilgrims to Amaranth cave. He got what he aspired for- his martyrdom became the catalyst which broke the shackles of fear and replaced it with bravery.

Jinnah and Ruttie: When love is not enough

Jinnah and Ruttie's story is a classic example to demonstrate that love is often not enough to keep two people together; for there can be no doubt that neither of them stopped loving each other Going by official records December 25 is the 140th birthday of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, also known as the Quaid-a-Azam (The Great Leader). While we can call Jinnah controversial, there is no denying his immense popularity and the impact he had on the history of Indian sub-continent, if not the world. While a lot is known about his abilities as a lawyer and his politics, very little is known about his personal life. And as regards his romantic side our knowledge is almost negligible. The popular belief is that Jinnah was a cold and aloof man incapable of romance and love. However, is that really the truth? Let us try to find out. We know that he was first married as arranged by his family when he was 15 or 16 to Emibai, who was 14. From his school records it is seen that he took a month of leave for this marriage which took place sometimes in February 1892. Jinnah spent almost one year in India after that studying at school and getting involved with his father's business, before he went to England in January 1893 where he stayed till August 1896. What were his relations with Emibai before he went abroad? Did they correspond while he was away? Was there any love or even affection between them? We do not know. Also it is not clear if he ever saw Emibai again; for according to some accounts she died while he was still away. But some authors claim that when Jinnah returned he settled in Bombay and his father, sister and wife were also living in Bombay. And it was here that Emibai contracted cholera and died. What impact this had on Jinnah is not known, except that when his father suggested he should get married again Jinnah, who was barely 20 years old, refused and declared that he will never again get married.

After a few years of struggle by the turn of the century Jinnah established himself as a successful lawyer in Bombay. The dashing, immaculately dressed and sophisticated 25-year-old was now without doubt the most eligible bachelor in Bombay; and yet there are no accounts of any romances or scandals associated with his name. Is this because he played very safe and did not let anyone find out when he chased women – or allowed women who no doubt chased him to catch him – or because he just did not play the field? We do not know but the later looks more likely. A few years later Jinnah started to take an active part in Indian politics. He was a leading member of the Home Rule League, which demanded autonomy for India and in this way he was far ahead of Gandhi or Nehru in advocating India's freedom. During this time Jinnah became friends with Mrs. Sarojini Naidu, another member of home rule league and a well renowned poetess. A couple of years younger than Jinnah, Mrs Naidu who was called the ‘Nightingale of Bombay’ became a great admirer and named him, the leading ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity. And here we find a possible romantic association between Mrs Naidu and Jinnah. Mrs Naidu was not that candid about her feelings. During the Congress session of 1915 which both she and Jinnah were attending, she read a poem in public dedicated to Jinnah:

'In the non-tide hours, O love, secure and strong

I need thee not...

But in the desolate hours of midnight when

An ecstasy of starry silence sleeps

On the still mountains and the soundless deeps,

And my soul hungers for thy voice...'

Just what exactly was Mrs Naido looking for is not clear; for she was married and had several children. One thing is clear that it was one-sided and Jinnah remained cold and aloof to any romantic overtures from Mrs Naido, or form any other suitors, till the day he met his nemesis, a very young Parsi girl. Rutten Bai Petit was the only daughter of one of the richest men in Bombay. As a personal friend of her parents Jinnah was a frequent visitor to their Palatial House. Ruttie, as she was known, was a precocious child who did not play with dolls and did not have much to do with friends her own age. Instead she read books and preferred company of her parents' guests with whom she would talk on all subjects under the sun, including Indian politics about which she had her own well formed opinion. Besides her intelligence, knowledge and immaculate manners, she was incredibly beautiful. Anyone who ever met her was captivated by her beauty, and as she entered into adulthood she was named the ‘Flower of Bombay’. In 1916 Jinnah spent two months of the summer vacations at the Petit Summer Residence in Darjeeling. It was here that the romance between Ruttie and Jinnah blossomed.

Just what Ruttie saw in Jinnah – or Jay as she called him – is not hard to guess. With her extensive interest in romantic poetry and prose it is not difficult to see how Jinnah appeared to her as a character right out of those stories. But it was more than that. For Ruttie, who was used to getting her own way and could have had any other man on his knees by just fluttering her eyelids, Jinnah posed a challenge. And finally with her love of adventure, and fondness to shock others, this romance presented her with an opportunity to create some real waves.

Why Jinnah fell for Ruttie is a bit more difficult to understand. Was it the intoxicating concoction of beauty, youth, intelligence and charm that made him succumb? Or was it that getting into his forties he decided it was time to settle down as they say? Maybe it was all of this; but why someone less than half your age – almost a child? I don't know why. Perhaps his emotional development was stunted at the age of 16/20 when he lost his first wife or maybe it was simply a case of – as one of my friends who was contemplating marriage to a much younger beautiful woman once said to me – ''I know it may not be the right decision. But the problem is when given this chance how can I say no?'' While we will never know why we know for sure that Jinnah fell and he fell hard for Ruttie.

On return from the vacations Jinnah asked Ruttie's father Sir Dinshaw permission to marry Ruttie who point blank refused. Ruttie would have nothing of this and continued her liaisons with Jinnah and Sir Dinshaw got a court order which forbade Jinnah to have any contact with Ruttie who was still legally a minor. Ruttie had no respect for this and wanted to continue meeting Jinnah who, however, refused to break the law and for a period of 18 months he severed all contacts with her.

On February 20, 1918 Ruttie turned 18 and the court order became invalid. Right away Ruttie and Jinnah started to meet again and plan their future. On April 18 Ruttie left her parents house with nothing and went with Jinnah to Jamia Masjid where, in front of Maulana MH Najafi, she converted to Islam. The very next day she was married to Jinnah by Maulana MH Najavi, who wrote the nikah-nama in Persian. Her haq-maher was set at Rs1,001, but Jinnah presented her with what was then a princely sum of Rs. 125,000 as a wedding gift.

Ruttie's conversion to Islam is controversial. Some Muslim ulema who were against Jinnah later denied she ever converted, while liberal anti-Jinnah intellectuals give this as an example of Jinnah's Islamic tendencies. Both are wrong. Her conversion to Islam is well recorded and witnessed by Maulana Najafi; and as for the reasons these were practical rather than religious. The only way Jinnah and Ruttie could have wed was in the civil court, and here according to the law of that time both parties entering a civil marriage needed to declare under oath that they do not have any religion. Now we know that Jinnah never claimed he was anything other than a Muslim, even if he did not follow Islamic rituals, but at this stage he may well have gone ahead and given the required declaration in court. The problem was that he was a member of the Imperial Legislative Council on a seat reserved for a Muslim and declaring himself to have no religion would have cost him a set back to his political career. It is very likely that Ruttie, who was very much interested in Jinnah's political future, would have offered to pay the sacrifice and convert so that the marriage can take place under Islamic laws.

By all accounts, Ruttie and Jinnah's married life at that time was a fairy tale. Everyone who knew the couple has commented how much they loved each other. Jinnah gave up the membership of his club where he spent evening playing chess and billiards and would come straight home spending the whole evening in the garden talking to his wife. Otherwise not wasteful with money, Jinnah happily paid the vast sums Ruttie spent on decorating their residence or buying the expensive clothes she was fond of. There can be no doubt the Ruttie was the only woman for whom Jinnah ever felt romantic love. As Mrs. Naido commented on Ruttie's decision to leave her parents and community, ''Jinnah is worth it all – he loves her: the only really human and genuine emotion of his reserved and self-cantered nature.''

Ruttie was with him wherever he went, and was fully involved with his politics. In fact it looks as the fire of fierce nationalism she had in her turned Jinnah into a little bit of a revolutionary. This was demonstrated when in June 1918 under his leadership the citizens of Bombay blocked a farewell party in honour of the racist governor of Bombay Lord Willingdon. Here for the first time Jinnah put himself in physical danger and was assaulted by the police who were trying to clear the protestors. Ruttie was drenched when the police turned a water hose at full power on her, but the tiny slip of a girl did not move from her position.

Jinnah and Ruttie's love became cemented by the birth of their daughter Dina at midnight on the night between 14 and 15 August, curiously the same time as the birth of Pakistan 28 years later.

Alas like all fairytales this one did not last.

It looks as the earliest problems in the marriage came about in early part of 1921; however they had nothing to do with Jinnah and Ruttie's relationship. In January 1921, All India Congress and Muslim League held the annual joint session in Nagpur. It was largely through Jinnah's efforts that the two parties had been holding joint sessions for a few years. In this session, very cleverly, Mohandas Gandhi managed to isolate Jinnah.

Since his arrival from South Africa, Gandhi had introduced communalism into Indian politics. At that time he had allied himself to the Muslims of the Caliphate movement in support of the fossilised Ottoman Empire. These Muslims wanted to launch a global jihad against the western powers, much on the same lines as Al-Qaeda and ISIS have done in recent times.

Jinnah was opposed to such movements and wanted Indian Muslims to concentrate on their own betterment. He was also against the dharna politics that Gandhi was proposing based on strikes and boycotts. For Jinnah, such tactics which affected the lives and livelihood of ordinary citizens were wrong and counterproductive. And at Nagpur, egged on by Gandhi and the Johar brothers, both the Hindu and Muslim audience heckled and hooted Jinnah.

Ruttie, who was there, saw the humiliation of her husband and for the next few years Jinnah became isolated in Indian politics, shunned by both Hindus and Muslims. It is very likely that Jinnah became angry, disappointed and bitter and it is possible, as happens to us all, some of this spilled out as anger at home, resulting in arguments with Ruttie.

It looks as though the dream was ending for Ruttie as well. She was fond of socializing, and Jinnah was not. As time went on, the age and temperamental differences between them became more and more apparent, Ruttie became unhappier and more unsettled. She became an insomniac and an anxious person.

However, the marriage was still intact. It was now much more of a normal marriage we see around us. Ruttie still accompanied Jinnah everywhere in his social and political activities inside India or abroad.

In December 1927, she accompanied him to the Calcutta session of Muslim League; but when they returned in January she moved into the Taj Hotel!

Just what caused this split no one knows. A friend who tried to reconcile them was told by Jinnah, ''It is my fault, we both need some sort of understanding we cannot give.''

Another friend who asked Ruttie to move back with Jinnah was told by her that she would do so if she could be assured of being welcome back, but when he tried to bring up this topic with Jinnah, he refused to discuss this as a personal matter.

The stalemate continued with Jinnah extremely busy with his political life and Ruttie's health deteriorating day by day. In April 1928 she travelled to Paris for treatment with her mother. There she went into a coma. Jinnah who was visiting Dublin at that time left everything and rushed to Paris where he took over her care. For one month he looked after her, spending all his time with her, and got many doctors to treat her. However, a firm diagnosis was never established and opinions ranged from nervous breakdown to colitis.

Personally I think she had Tuberculosis, for which the only treatment at that time was rest and recuperation allowing the immune system to fight the infection. It is possible that Jinnah himself acquired the infection during this time, but certainly Ruttie got better. Everyone who saw her said how much better she looked. With the return of her health her fiery spirit also returned and as their common friend Chimanlal says that he left them in Paris happy that they have reconciled to visit Canada. But when he returned he found Jinnah alone in Paris who told him dead pan, ''We had a quarrel, she left for Bombay''

On arriving back in Bombay Ruttie, who lived in Taj Hotel, fell ill again. Jinnah returned a few days later and although they did not live together, he visited her every evening while he was in Bombay. On January 28, 1929 Jinnah left for Delhi to attend the budget session of assembly. On February 18, Ruttie fell into a coma from which she never recovered. She died on February 20, which would have been her 29th birthday.

Jinnah was given the news by his father-in-law on telephone – the first time he spoke to him since his marriage. Chimanlal was with him when Jinnah put the phone down and recalls that Jinnah was very calm and said that Ruttie is very ill and he has to leave for Bombay immediately.

Jinnah arrived in Bombay on the morning of February 22 and was picked up from the station by Colonel Sokhey and his wife. He looked sad but calm and was silent during the journey to the graveyard. The burial rites took many hours to be performed and while many present wept and wailed Jinnah sat silently, his face as if cast in stone staring straight ahead. Then when Ruttie's body was lowered into the grave he was asked to be the first to throw earth into the grave. He did that and as he straightened up he started to cry – not just silent tears but with hands over his face he sobbed like a child for many minutes. He did not seek anyone's hand or anyone's shoulder; but in tune with his personality he cried alone. And having finished he wiped his tears and with his face returning to stone walked back to his car.

Next day Dawarkadas who was Ruttie's closest friend and only constant visitor during the last days visited Jinnah and found him to be shouting his heart out. He felt that Jinnah blamed himself for Ruttie's death and considered it a great personal failure, something from which he never ever recovered.

Jinnah and Ruttie's story is a classic example to demonstrate that love is often not enough to keep two people together; for there can be no doubt that neither of them stopped loving each other at anytime. Yet no matter how wealthy, intelligent or successful they are, humans are just minor actors in the grand scheme of things. They may look as all powerful but their destinies are never in their own hands.

No one describes this dilemma any better than Ruttie who in her last letter to Jinnah written during the voyage back from Paris wrote,

''Darling I love you--I love you--and had I loved you just a little less I might have remained with you--only after one has created a very beautiful blossom one does not drag it through the mire. The higher you set your ideal the lower it falls.

I have loved you my darling as it is given to few men to be loved. I only beseech you that the tragedy which commenced in love should also end with it.

Darling Goodnight and Goodbye.''   

Unfortunately none of Jinnah's letters to Ruttie were allowed to be made public by the Petit family, thus denying us a glimpse into the soul of this man.

How India lobbied Moody's for ratings upgrade, but failed

NEW DELHI: India criticised Moody's ratings methods and pushed aggressively for an upgrade, documents reviewed by Reuters show, but the U.S.-based agency declined to budge citing concerns over the country's debt levels and fragile banks. Winning a better credit rating on India's sovereign debt would have been a much-needed endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's economic stewardship, helping to attract foreign investment and accelerate growth. Since storming to power in 2014, Modi has unveiled measures to boost investment, cool inflation and narrow the fiscal and current account deficits, but his policies have not been rewarded with a ratings upgrade from any of the "big three" global ratings agencies, who say more is needed. Previously unpublished correspondence between India's finance ministry and Moody's shows New Delhi failed to assuage the ratings agency's concerns about the cost of its debt burden and a banking sector weighed down by $136 billion in bad loans. In letters and emails written in October, the finance ministry questioned Moody's methodology, saying it was not accounting for a steady decline in the India's debt burden in recent years. It said the agency ignored countries' levels of development when assessing their fiscal strength. Rejecting those arguments, Moody's said India's debt situation was not as rosy as the government maintained and its banks were a cause for concern, the correspondence seen by Reuters showed. Moody's and one of its lead sovereign analysts, Marie Diron, declined to comment on the correspondence, saying ratings deliberations were confidential. India's finance ministry did not respond to requests for comment. Arvind Mayaram, a former chief finance ministry official, called the government's approach "completely unusual". "There was no way pressure could be put on rating agencies," Mayaram told Reuters. "It's not done."

DEBT BURDEN, BAD LOANS

India has been the world's fastest growing major economy over the past two years, but that rapid expansion has done little to broaden the government's revenue base. At nearly 21 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), India's revenues are lower than the 27.1 percent median for Baa-rated countries. India is rated at Baa3 by Moody's, the agency's lowest notch for debt considered investment grade. A higher rating would signify to bond investors that India was more creditworthy and help to lower its borrowing costs. While India's debt-to-GDP ratio has dropped to 66.7 percent from 79.5 percent in 2004-05, interest payments absorb more than a fifth of government revenues. Moody's representatives, including Diron, visited North Block, the colonial sandstone building in the Indian capital that houses the finance ministry, on Sept. 21 for a discussion on a ratings review. The atmosphere at the meeting with Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das, one of the ministry's most senior officials, and his team was tense, according to an Indian official present, after Diron had told local media the previous day that a ratings upgrade for India was some years away.

LOBBYING FOR AN UPGRADE

Four days later, the finance ministry sent an email to Diron questioning Moody's metrics on fiscal strength. The government cited the examples of Japan and Portugal, which enjoy better ratings despite debts around twice the size of their economies. "Given that countries are on different stages of economic and social development, should countries be benchmarked against a median or mean number (as is done by Moody's)" the email asked. In India's case, "while the debt burden lowered significantly post 2004, this did not get reflected in the ratings", the ministry argued. New Delhi urged Diron to look at improvements in the factors - better forex reserves and economic growth - that Moody's had considered when handing India its last ratings upgrade in 2004. In a reply the next day, Diron said that, not only was India's debt burden high relative to other countries with the same credit rating, but its debt affordability was also low. She added that a resolution to the banking sector's bad loan problems was "unlikely" in the near-term. In a last-ditch effort on Oct. 27, Economic Affairs Secretary Das sent a six-page letter to Singapore-based Diron, addressed to Moody's New York headquarters. Reiterating points on India's fiscal strength, Das asked Moody's for a "better appreciation of the factual position". Das dismissed Moody's concerns on India's public finances as "unwarranted" and told the agency that there was "scope for further lowering" the political risk perception to "very low". "In the light of stable external debt parameters and the slew of reforms introduced in the realm of foreign direct investment, you may like to reconsider your assessment on 'external vulnerability risk'," he wrote. Moody's on Nov. 16 affirmed its Baa3 issuer rating for India, while maintaining a positive outlook, saying the government's efforts had not yet achieved conditions that would support an upgrade.

India builds huge reservoirs to stop Pakistan's water

India has maximised its efforts to make complete use of water from the Indus River, according to a report released by BBC. It quoted Indian officials as saying that New Delhi is looking to build large reservoirs and canals to store more and more water from the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum over the coming years. Most of the water from these three rivers is allotted to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty. Despite Pakistani efforts for peace with India, Modi-led Indian government has increased efforts to stop Pakistan’s water by building huge water storage facilities and canals along the Indus river system. A BBC report quoting senior official said that India is stepping up efforts to maximise its water use from the western rivers of the Indus basin. According to the Indus Water Treaty, Pakistan has unrestricted access to the three rivers, i.e. Jhelum, Chenab and the Indus. For its part, India was allocated unrestricted access to the three eastern rivers, i.e. Ravi, Sutlej and Beas. Experts warn India’s efforts towards this end to pose a serious threat to water security in Pakistan. Pakistan has already informed India of its serious reservations over the construction of two hydropower projects in the Indus basin. Pakistan has voiced its concerns that India may become capable of holding more than its just share as outlined in the Indus Waters Treaty. The three rivers flow through Indian-occupied Kashmir but most of the water is allotted to Pakistan under an international treaty.. Pakistan successfully built Warsak, Mangla and Tarbela dams. In an outrageous statement in November, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that water which belongs to India cannot be allowed into Pakistan. “The fields of our farmers must have adequate water. Water that belongs to India cannot be allowed to go to Pakistan. Government will do everything to give enough water to our farmers,” he had said. According to the BBC report, India wants to "maximise" its use of water from the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum rivers. Millions of people in both countries depend on water in the rivers. Islamabad has already objected over some of India's existing water projects. It has asked the World Bank, which brokered the signing of the treaty between the two countries, for a court of arbitration to consider two Indian hydropower projects in the Indus basin, the report said. In the past, disagreements between the two countries have been settled within the legal framework provided within the treaty. The World Bank’s role in the Indus Water Treaty is limited and strictly procedural. In September, Modi also reviewed provisions of the treaty with Pakistan. He along with other government officials evaluated the pros and cons of the treaty.

Malala supports Peshawar Zalmi in PSL

LONDON: World’s youngest Nobel laureate Malala Yousufzai was presented Peshawar Zalmi merchandise by owner Javed Afridi as he met her family in the UK. Malala, who belongs to the Swat district of Pakistan’s province Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, in return presented a copy of her book ‘I am Malala’ to Javed Afridi. The book was published in 2013 and has sold more than one and a half million copies across the globe.

The owner, Javed, in his tweet, said he met Malala with ‘mixed emotions’. He also appreciated her work ‘to uplift women education globally’.Peshawar Zalmi is one of the five teams which are a part o.

Taliban chief reinforces position

Hardline cleric Mullah Haibatullah Akundzada has reinforced his position as the new leader of the Afghan Taliban by winning the support of two senior members, the insurgent group said on Saturday. Former Taliban interior minister Mullah Abdul Razaq Akhund and Mullah Abdul Sata Akhund "pledged their full support" to Akundzada during a meeting of Taliban scholars at an undisclosed location on Friday, the group said on its website. Akundzada in May replaced former Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Akhtar Mansour who was killed by a US drone strike on Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Senior members of the insurgent group hope Akundzada will be able to bring disparate factions together and repair the splits that emerged last year when Mansour was appointed. Afghan security forces have struggled to hold off resurgent Taliban fighters, who are estimated to control more territory in Afghanistan than at any time since 2001 when the US invaded.

Pakistan suspends cotton imports from India

Pakistan has suspended cotton imports from its top supplier, India, saying shipments failed to fulfill phytosanitary certification, threatening the $822 million-a-year trade, government and industry officials told Reuters. Traders say rising hostility between the neighbours might have prompted Pakistan to restrict imports.The decision will help other cotton suppliers such as Brazil and the United States to increase exports to Pakistan. “We had received some complaints regarding insects, pests, in cotton consignments imported from India, so we have sent samples for tests,” Imran Shami, director general of Pakistan's Plant Protection Department (DPP), told Reuters on Wednesday. “If results show non-compliance of phytosanitary requirements, we would have to stop the imports from India.” Pakistan had put on hold cotton consignments from India, he said, adding that if tests confirmed the presence of pests, “these consignments will go back or would have to be destroyed”, he said. In 2015-16, Pakistan surpassed Bangladesh to become India's biggest cotton buyer, accounting for 40 per cent of exports. “Officially there is nothing on the record, but on the ground, there is an unannounced ban on cotton imports from India,” said Ihsanul Haq, chairman of Pakistan Cotton Ginners Forum. Indian exporters have signed contracts to export 350,000 bales to Pakistan since the start of the marketing year on October 1 and out of that nearly 300,000 bales for shipments in December and January could get stuck, three exporters said. “Out of the contracted quantity, a very small amount has been dispatched so far as the season has just started,” Cotton Association of India President Dhiren Sheth told Reuters. Supplies from the new season crop usually start rising from November in India. But this year, supplies are negligible after the Indian government's move to ban high-value currency notes prompted farmers to postpone sales. “Buyers and sellers are not cancelling contracts. They are waiting for some positive response from the government,” said Chirag Patel, chief executive officer of Indian exporter Jaydeep Cotton Fibers. The nuclear-armed rivals have seen tension increase in the past few months over Kashmir. Last year, Pakistan bought 2.7 million bales from India and supported Indian cotton prices at a time when China was cutting imports, traders said.

“It will be big problem for us if Pakistan stops buying. Other countries could not absorb the entire surplus,” said an exporter based in the western state of Gujarat. Along with Pakistan, India mostly exports cotton to Bangladesh, China, Vietnam and Indonesia. Pakistan, the world's third-largest cotton consumer, has not stopped imports from other countries, said Shami of the DPP. But importers say buying the fibre from other suppliers like the United States, Brazil and West Africa will prove costlier and time consuming. “From India, imports come across within 10 days and sometimes within a week consignments used to cross the Wagah border,” said Haq.