SRINAGAR: Kashmir did figure in the just concluded 3-day All India Congress Committee (AICC) plenary session in Raipur. The resolution offered clear ideas about its Kashmir policy, apparently vindicating what was already around.
Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka in Kheer Bhawani temple in Ganderbal after the Bharat Jodo Yatra was formally over on January 31, 2023.
There were two mentions of Kashmir. One in Rahul Gandhi’s speech after the session was over and another in the party’s resolution.
“52 years past and I still don’t have home, but when reached Kashmir felt like home,” Rahul Gandhi said. He concluded his yatra in Srinagar and made a speech amid a snowfall. Later he spent many days in Gulmarg to cool his heels. “Yatra was to make people of all castes and age groups feel at home. People were not talking about political things to me during yatra but it all changed when I reached Kashmir (sic).”
Gandhi’s Kashmir links apart, the grand old party is not interested in reinstating Article 370 or retaining encouraging Ladakh to rejoin Jammu and Kashmir. It wants early restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and protect Ladakh culture by the extension of the Sixth Schedule.
“The people of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have always stood by the country and its sovereignty. Congress reaffirms that the whole of Jammu & Kashmir is part of India. Owing to the drastic steps taken in August 2019, the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir has been bifurcated summarily,” the draft resolution read. “Congress will strive to restore complete statehood for the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, and bring Ladakh and its people under the protection of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India.”
Gandhi in Srinagar had also asserted that his party would want early elections in Jammu and Kashmir and restoration of the statehood. He avoided Article 370.
Interestingly, Home Minister Amit Shah asserted on the floor of the house on the day he read down the special status of Jammu and Kashmir that statehood will be restored and elections will be held. However, he offered no deadline for either of the two commitments.
Congress’s silence on the special status of Jammu and Kashmir indicated that the party will avoid raking an issue that will cost it in elections. A section within Congress is not opposed to the August 5, 201decision-makingng though they insist the way it was done could have been avoided.
SRINAGAR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that stone pelting has stopped in Kashmir and now there are theaters running and tourists visiting the Valley.
“There used to be stone pelting and violence in Kashmir but now these things have stopped. There are theatres running and 1.8 crore tourists have visited the Valley in a year,” he said while speaking at an event in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
Shah said when Article 370 of the Constitution of India granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir was abrogated, speeches were made in Parliament that blood will flow in Kashmir. But no one even pelted a single stone, leave aside the pool of blood, he asserted.
The Home Minister said the country has seen an 80 per cent reduction in violence in Kashmir, insurgency in the Northeast and left-wing extremism under the Narendra Modi Government.
“Today, I can say that there has been an 80 per cent reduction in violence in Kashmir, insurgency in the Northeast and left-wing extremism under the Modi Government,” he said.
The Home Minister said visiting of 1.8 crore tourists in the Kashmir Valley in one year is a “big thing”.
There had been investments worth Rs 12,000 crore in Kashmir in 70 years but under the Modi Government, it has got Rs 12,000 crore in just three years, he said.
“Each home in Kashmir has been provided with tap water and electricity, which is a huge change,” Shah said.
Insurgency has significantly come down in the Northeast, he said, stressing that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), a controversial statute, has been withdrawn from about 60 per cent of the area in the Northeast.
PM Modi’s vision is to see India at the top in the world, said the Minister. Explaining the three big aims of ‘Amrit Kaal’, the 25-year period culminating in the centenary of India’s independence, mooted by PM Modi, Shah said the first goal is to showcase the sacrifices of freedom fighters before the present generation.
The second aim is to bring before the people the progress made by the country in the past 75 years, while the third aim is to ensure that India reaches the top in all sectors in the next 25 years, said the Home Minister.
He said India is becoming “atmanirbhar” in defence production – with 70 per cent self-reliance – and asserted that the country is turning into a manufacturing hub in the world under Modi.
The Government has been taking decisions that are beneficial to the people, he said, adding that India will be leading the world in hydrogen production in two to three years.
“Similarly, India will be way ahead in the field of satellites in four to five years,” he said. Indian start-ups are also proving their mettle to the world, he said.
SRINAGAR: The petitions challenging the nullification of Article 370 of the Constitution could be taken up for hearing soon as Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Friday said he would take a call on their listing.
“I will take a call on it,” according to newspaper The Tribune the CJI told senior advocate Raju Ramachandran who mentioned the matter and sought listing of petitions against doing away with Article 370 which gave a special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir that also used to include Ladakh.
Earlier, the CJI had said that he would examine and give a date for listing of petitions, challenging abolition of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into union territories, which have been hanging fire for more than three years.
On September 23 last year, CJI Chandrachud’s predecessor Justice UU Lalit had agreed to take up these petitions after the 2022 Dussehra vacation but the matter hasn’t been taken up for hearing so far.
The Supreme Court had on February 13 dismissed a petition challenging notifications for delimitation of assembly constituencies in the newly created Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, saying “there is absolutely no merit in any of the contentions raised by the petitioners”.
A Bench of Justice SK Kaul and Justice AS Oka had, however, clarified that it had not ruled on the validity of the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which is pending before another Bench.
The top court had on August 28, 2019 referred petitions challenging Presidential Orders nullifying Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into union territories to a five-judge Constitution Bench. In March 2020, it had refused to refer it to a larger Bench of seven judges.
There are around two dozen petitions challenging the Presidential Order nullifying Article 370, including those by Delhi-based advocate ML Sharma, Jammu and Kashmir-based lawyer Shakir Shabir, National Conference Lok Sabha MPs Mohammad Akbar Lone and Justice Hasnain Masoodi (retd), bureaucrat-turned-politician Shah Faesal and his party colleague Shehla Rashid.
There is another PIL filed by former interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir Radha Kumar, Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak (retd), Major General Ashok Mehta (retd), and former IAS officers Hindal Haidar Tyabji, Amitabha Pande and Gopal Pillai, who have urged the top court to declare the August 5 Presidential Orders “unconstitutional, void and inoperative”.
As the petitions didn’t get listed after March 2, 2020, former Jammu and Kashmir MLA Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami had moved the Supreme Court in August last year seeking an early hearing of petitions challenging the validity of abrogation of special status of the erstwhile state.
Shah Rukh Khan’s flick, Pathaan tells the same old ‘Kashmir story’ that Bollywood has always showcased, with or without the bikini, reports Fahd Khan
Bollywood flick, Pathaan poster showing the lead actors including Shahrukh Khan, John Ibrahim and Deepika Padukone
Bollywood film Pathaan which is literally minting money revolves around an ex-army man turned RAW agent. He is the Pathaan, the main protagonist of the flick played by Shah Rukh Khan. The Star cast includes John Abraham, who plays Khan’s arch-rival, Jim, the main villain. Deepika plays the role of an ISI agent Rubayi. The film tells the audience about how an amendment in the Indian constitution is infuriating its neighbour, Pakistan.
The film begins with the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 and its effects on a Pakistani general who, in an effort to exact revenge on India, hires the former RAW agent turned dreaded devil, Jim to carry out the mission of destroying India. Jim feels betrayed and dejected since his family was killed as a result of the terror organization holding him captive and torturing him during one of the missions he was leading as the government of India failed to give the ransom amount. Jim is joined by Rubayi, an ISI agent who works with him to complete the mission.
Pathaan, Jim, and Rubayi travel quickly across several nations to carry out their respective missions of destroying and saving the worlds they believe in.
Superstar Returns
The movie marks the return of the superstar Shah Rukh Khan to the big screen after a hiatus and his comeback is quite enough to pull the audience to the theatres. Shah Rukh Khan, who has been the heartthrob of Bollywood fans for his portrayal of Rahul and Raj in the romantic Yash Raj and Karan Johar directorials, finds his new place in the action genre. His evocative eyes and chiselled body manage to salvage the poor script and screenplay.
Pathaan is an ambitious and most hyped film of the year, thanks to the boycott gang for the free publicity. When the teaser and trailer of the film were released, it promised to be an out-and-out action film and provides what it had promised. For a long time in the pre-interval, the audience wonders about what is going on. Be it the high-octane action scenes on the streets of Dubai, or the flashbacks, people are unable to connect to the story as the movie is fast-paced.
Bad Story
The story is a hackneyed, idea that has bored people already. However, there are a couple of emotional scenes post-interval like the touching Afghanistan flashback sequence where Pathaan gets his name and the one where he saves India from the disaster. Betrayal and apologies like the typical Bollywood movies, the screenplay is loose and predictable at many points. Interestingly the hero and the villain, both are equally powerful which we hardly find in Indian movies. Both perform some never seen high-octane action scenes on a train and are a delight to watch. If Pathaan punches his villain, the villain punches him back. Salman Khan’s cameo as Tiger is the USP of the film, the whole theatre turns into a stadium when you see two of the biggest superstars in one single frame. Both perform some never seen high-octane action scenes on a train and are a delight to watch. The action scenes seem to be inspired by the Bond series or Tom Cruise’s Top Gun Maverick.
Shah Rukh Khan has played his part extremely well. Every time the screen lights up with his brilliant acting when he appears on the screen and he is looking more handsome than ever at 58. His dialogue delivery and emotions can be felt by the viewers.
It seems as though John Abraham was destined to play Jim because of his tough demeanour, muscular build, and eyes filled with vengeance. In some scenes, particularly the final one, one feels sorry for Jim and thinks that he should have been rescued. Nobody in Bollywood other than John could have provided the Pathaan with fierce competition. John as Jim gave the finest performance of his career.
Alluring Performance
Deepika as Rubayi has a certain allure of her own, and her action moments with Pathaan and Jim create a strong impression. She also shines in the emotional scenes and is at the hottest best. Her character may be seen to be inspired by Black Widow and many other female Hollywood characters.
Siddharth Annand’s direction is average. He has focused more on the action, and grandeur rather than quality and story. The film has been made on a huge scale; more than Siddharth’s previous film War. The director has not been able to do justice providing the star cast he had. There are a number of shortcomings in the story rather than good moments. Scenes like Pathaan beating Russian forces single-handedly is hardly digestible. The Afghanistan episode in the climax of the film is also predictable.
Shah Rukh Khan whose Red Chillies VFX company is known to have revolutionized Bollywood in terms of VFX and CGI fails terribly in Pathaan. Its VFX is done by Yash Raj itself and is too shabby. In many of the scenes, one could easily trace the shot having been filmed on the green screen but the fast pace prevents the general masses from locating the technical issues.
Film’s two songs – Besharam Rang and Jhoome Jo Pathaan make one groove to the music as its plays, credit goes to Vishal-Shekhar. Satchith Paulose’s cinematography is spectacular as they have captured the essence of exotic locations of France, Spain, and Russia.
Casey O’Neill, Craig Macrae and Sunil Rodrigues’s action is the highlights of the film and matches the global standards. The editor Arif Sheikh has tried to keep the film fast-paced and crisp.
The background music by Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara is the film’s soul that keeps one hooked to the seat. The BGM on villains’ entry encourages people to download the music.
On the whole, Pathaan is a brainless entertainer. Shah Rukh Khan fans who see his return after four years will watch it regardless of whether it has a plot or not. Given the situation in which the Depika’s bikini created such a huge fuss seems far-fetched as Pathaan supplements and compliments what the government did in Kashmir and how it wants to be conveyed.
It was interesting to see Rahul Gandhi publicly snubbing his senior party colleague and former Chief Minister, Digvijaya Singh, over the latter’s remarks about the surgical strike. Rahul called Digvijaya’s remarks ridiculous. He, thus, conveyed he was very much the leader of his party.
Rahul Gandhi never impressed me before. Nor did he impress several of his own party colleagues who clamoured for a leadership change in Congress. And hardly ever did he add to the electoral fortunes of his party. But now I guess Rahul has reinvented himself.
While in Jammu and Kashmir on the last leg of his Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY), he came across as a confident and mature politician. However, I have my doubts as to whether his BJY was a success in the Valley.
No doubt quite a few thousand people came out, but I have seen and reported far too bigger crowds turning up for any local leader. Observers say that many of those who joined the yatra did so out of hatred for the BJP.
Tall claims of the Congress and its allies apart, ordinary Kashmiris were least excited about the yatra. They have bad memories of the Congress and have not forgotten that it was this party that diluted the erstwhile state’s special status before it was altogether removed by the BJP government. People also recall that it was the Congress government that hanged Afzal Guru out of turn for electoral gains. Rahul carried this baggage and failed to strike a chord with ordinary Kashmiris until his last day in Srinagar.
During his yatra, he made a commitment to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s “statehood and democracy”. But he never said he would undo the bifurcation of the state into two union territories. Likewise, though he quite often reiterated that Art 370 of the Indian constitution was abrogated in a wrongful manner, yet he did not make any promise that his party would undo this wrong and restore Jammu and Kashmir’s internal autonomy.
At every press conference in Jammu and Kashmir, Rahul avoided a direct answer to the oft-repeated question about Article 370. Every time, he said his position was the same as taken by the Congress working committee in its resolution in August 2019. That resolution, indeed, says the manner in which Article 370 was revoked was unconstitutional. But it does not go beyond that. The BJP always had abrogation of Article 370 in its election manifesto. There is no hint that Congress would make the restoration of this Article part of its own manifesto.
Displaying characteristics of a shrewd politician, Rahul was very tactful in avoiding straight answers to quite a few other questions. For instance, he was reminded that his great grandfather and first prime minister of India, Jawahar Lal Nehru, had while unfurling the tricolour at the same Lal Chowk in Srinagar more than 70 years ago, made some promises to the people of Kashmir. He was asked whether it pained him to realise that the promises had not been kept. He did not touch upon what Nehru had said or done; he said he would not look to the past and would, instead, look to the future.
At the conclusion of the 134-day-long Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed a news conference in Srinagar on January 29, 2023. KL Image: Bilal Bahadur
But while Rahul may have offered nothing substantial to the people of Kashmir, he showed empathy with them, which was widely noticed. Addressing a public rally at Sheri Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar, he said that the people of Kashmir have suffered deep pain – the pain of losing their loved ones. He said he understood this pain because he himself had lost his father and before that his grandmother.
For the first time, an Indian leader acknowledged that the ordinary people of Kashmir had long been in pain. This a far cry from the Kashmir Files which even Pandit leaders like Sanjay Tikoo of the Kashmir Sangharsh Samiti say has demonised Muslims of Kashmir by misrepresentation of facts. The BJP govt promoted the film and celebrated it.
Rahul did not pour out his heart for any particular section of the people in Kashmir. He empathised with all. He also empathised with the families of Indian military and paramilitary soldiers who have lost their lives or faced risk to their lives.
His speech was received well by many in Kashmir. Its video is being forwarded on WhatsApp. A lady who watched it on TV, said “tears welled up in my eyes when Rahul spoke about his father.” Rahul recalled how he had been informed about his father’s and before that his grandmother’s assassination by phone. He said many Kashmiri families have received similar phone calls (about the killing of their loved ones). “These phone calls should stop. That is the goal of my yatra“, he said.
But despite appreciating his speech, Kashmiris have not pinned their hopes on Rahul or his party. As I said, he did not promise anything except the restoration of statehood and that too without clarifying whether Ladakh would be made part of the state again. Pertinent to mention, it was the Congress party that encouraged the agitation in Leh for union territory status way back in the late 1980s. That agitation was characterized by a social boycott of the Muslim minorities there.
Rahul said quite often that his BJY was the first and small step towards setting things right in India. He, however, did not say how he proposed to fight the politics of hate which has taken deep roots across India. And I wonder whether he has realised that the Congress party is much to blame for affording space to the BJP and its right-wing politics. After all, Congress compromised its own ideology on so many occasions and demolished democratic institutions besides failing to govern well.
Tailpiece
It was interesting to see Rahul Gandhi publicly snubbing his senior party colleague and former Chief Minister, Digvijaya Singh, over the latter’s remarks about the surgical strike. Rahul called Digvijaya’s remarks ridiculous. He, thus, conveyed he was very much the leader of his party.
(The author is a freelance journalist; formerly North India Correspondent of the BBC, he also worked with the Times of India. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Kashmir Life.)
SRINAGAR: Asking Home Minister Amit Shah to opt for a Jammu to Srinagar yatra if the security situation has improved in Jammu and Kashmir, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the Chinese sitting on Indian land must be dealt with by the centre. He was speaking to the media in Srinagar after the conclusion of the 134-day-long yatra during which he addressed 15 news conferences.
Rahul said a Ladakhi delegation clearly said that 2000 square km of the Indian Territory was taken by the Chinese.
“Government is under the impression that the Chinese have not taken any land from India. I recently met some ex-army people and even a delegation from Ladakh has clearly said that 2,000 sq km of Indian territory has been taken over by the Chinese,” Rahul said. “They also said that many patrolling points that used to be in India are now firmly in Chinese hands.”
Terming it “extremely dangerous”, Rahul said: “The approach Government is following by completely denying that the Chinese have taken our land is dangerous and it will give them more confidence to do more aggressive things. We have to deal with the Chinese firmly and tell them they are sitting on our land, won’t be tolerated.”
Asked about the situation on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir, Rahul Gandhi said he met people and is extremely unhappy.
“Target killing and bomb blasts are happening in Jammu and Kashmir and if the security situation has improved then the conversation the security personnel are having with me should not have been required,” Rahul said. “If the situation is so good why don’t the BJP people walk from Jammu to Lal Chowk? Why doesn’t Amit Shah walk from Jammu to Kashmir if the situation is so secure? I don’t think that argument holds.”
Congress has alleged a security lapse during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kashmir. Earlier on Friday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that police arrangement “completely collapsed” during Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir and he had “to cancel” his walk.
Responding to a volley of several questions about Jammu and Kashmir, Rahul said the restoration of statehood should be the first step.
“Statehood and restoration of the democratic process is a fundamental and very important first step. The other steps will come later and I do not necessarily have to comment on it here,” he said. “All states have an assembly. The democratic process is the right of the people and it should be restored in Jammu and Kashmir. A solution should be found for the people of Ladakh as well.”
In response to a question about the revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution in 2019, Rahul Gandhi said the Congress Working Committee has already made its stand clear on the issue. Notably, Article 370 granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked by the Modi government on August 5, 2019.
