Not all Hindus belong to the BJP, nor does BJP represent Hinduism in its spiritual sense.
It is with these thoughts I remember saffron-clad Swami Agnivesh, who fought for social justice on his Hindu turf instead under the Hindutva ideology of the BJP.
Swami Agnivesh, 81, who died September 11, 2020, in Delhi, was a multi-crusader social activist best known for his work against bonded labor.
He also campaigned against female foeticide. A man with a world vision of one humanity argued that people should be allowed total freedom of movement across borders by eliminating passports and immigration laws.
Swami Agnivesh was a leader of Arya Samaj, a prominent sect of Hinduism. But in 2008, he was expelled from the organization for his radical and progressive views and activities.
His most critical and controversial views were:
1. The Puri Jagannath temple in Orissa should also be opened to non-Hindus; the temple priests vigorously opposed the remarks as “purely anti-Hindu in nature,” and they burnt his effigy.
2. In May 2011, hundreds of Hindu priests protested against Agnivesh’s claim that the oval-shaped ice lingam representing Lord Shiva in Amarnath cave in Kashmir is just a piece of ice.
Swami Agnivesh’s dislike for the governing BJP and the rest of its “Parivar” or clan members for their anti-Dalit and anti-minority agenda got him physically attacked. As an “agent of Pakistan,” he was called to “go back.”
For the BJP and its ideological guideline of Hindutva, Swami Agnivesh could be a rebel, but for many, he represented the democratic and progressive sentiments and values of Hinduism.
// The real estate industry of Pakistan was initiated in Karachi. It existed even before the partition. The then property tycoons used to construct residential and commercial buildings but the selling of plots was uncommon.
The industry made good progress in the 1950s when the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) came into being. In the 1960s, the sale and purchase of plots in the DHA achieved some boom.
The industry was making headway from 1970 to 1974. Prime Minister ZA Bhutto launched an amnesty scheme and the market enjoyed a real boom till 1977.
The disastrous floods in the DHA and post-election political unrest halted the industry till 1982.
The Afghan war brought a bulk of finance to the market from 1982-1988. The sudden death of the then president Zia ul Haq halted the industry from 1988 to 1992.
The market lingered leisurely from 1992-1994 and caught its next thrust from 1994-1997. However, it suffered a recession again from 1997-2001.
The industry got its major boom after 9/11. The upturn broke the entire past peak records. The gigantic price hike brought forth the money mongers in the early 2000s.
The next recession toppled the market from 2005-2010. The market retook in 2012 until 2015.
The patterns of market trends remained the same for 43 years out of its 69 years. The boom ratio is 4 to 5 years.
The proportion of price increment in urban areas is 4 to 5% and for rural areas, it is around 9 to 10 %.
During the recession, the prices in urban areas fell from 0.5 to 1 % and in rural areas, it is almost 5%.
Globally, the real estate industry normally follows a stable escalation rate of 5 to 8% yearly.
However, in Pakistan, it observes bullish trends. The numbers jig up to 40 to 60% growth rate annually.
The year 2016 was an extremely promising one for the industry as in 2015, the outlay in residential property boosted by 5 to 7 % while commercial property saw a boost of 15 to 20% across Pakistan.
The Federal Budget 2015-16 brought much-needed tax relief to the sector until 2018.
Customs Duty on the import of construction machinery was also abridged to 10%.
The FBR data and industry surveys guesstimate industry growth is worth more than $700 billion.
The industry accounts for roughly 2% of the national GDP. It not only spawns a high level of direct employment but also excites stipulate in more than 250 subsidiary sectors.
Pakistan is the most urbanized nation in South Asia.
If the rural to metropolitan exodus persists at the existing rate, the metropolitan area is anticipated to touch 95.62 million by 2025, taking the urbanization level to an unprecedented 53.3%.
The trend of buying luxury apartments has increased nearly 7 to 9% during the last decade.
Therefore from 2010-2016 apartment prices were boosted by 120%, while houses registered were 80%.
Pakistan has a housing backlog of almost 12 million units.
Even more astonishing is that for an industry that had been registering double-digit growth since 2010, with new suburban projects proclaimed almost weekly, more than 50% of the metropolitan population lives in slums and squatter settlements that lack basic necessities.
Only 1% of the housing units developed yearly to 68% of the total population, consisting of people monthly income – Rs 30,000.
On the other hand, almost 56% of housing units target 12% of the population, comprising individuals with a monthly income of Rs 100,000 or above.
The mortgage rates are still considerably higher compared to the region.
The mortgage rates in neighboring countries are as follows: Hong Kong (2.15%), Japan (2.7%), China (7-8%), and India (8-12%).
The Property in cheaper zones of Islamabad during the early 1980s, for a house 1500 sq ft in the G sector was $10,000.
In a decade it tripled to around $30,000, then in the 2000s it tripled again to $100,000 and now it’s around $200,000 at least for the same old house in decrepit shape.
So the price in the previous 30 years has risen 20 times. This is unimaginable anywhere else in the world.
In the USA after the 2008 Housing bubble burst, the house prices came crashing down but over here it is quite the opposite.
The Covid-19 played a vital role in the economic slowdown of the whole world and affected the sector gravely.
The worst of all is that money-mongers and no professional unbridled financial tycoons have made the industry a cradle of corruption, land mafia, land grabber, and blackmailers.
The black giants have even grappled with the state via real estate. The big bangs of real estate are choking the state machinery by influencing state policies.
The mafia of the real estate sector is much more powerful than the rest of the branches.
They have set up charity institutions, trusts, and print and electronic media houses to get rid of the state and even blackmail the state.
They are also inflicting the state with severe threats like water shortage, decrease in agriculture, price hike, and land-grabbing, black money, smuggling, and other illicit means of hampering state powers.
The writer is a professor in English and a freelance columnist. He is based in Lahore and can be reached via the email prof.abdulshakoorsyed@gmail.com
/London/: Members of the British Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Kashmir have exchanged heated views while discussing a motion on human rights in Kashmir.
British parliament member Imran Hussain said that the UK should send clear massage to United Nations for solution of Kashmir as he said the Kashmiries also have equal rights to live on earth.
Labour MP Tahir Ali, while speaking to the House of Commons, called for the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom to be barred from the Parliament because of the military occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.
MP Tahir Ali
The Minister for Asia in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Amanda Milling, responded to the debate on Thursday by reiterating the UK government’s unchanged stance on Kashmir as a bilateral issue.
The government takes the situation in Kashmir very seriously but it’s for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political solution, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
It’s not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to act as a mediator, said Milling.
Raheel Malik Tweeted that the backbench business debate was put forward by MPs Debbie Abrahams and Yasmin Qureshi.
According to Qureshi “the situation on the ground is deeply troubling” and as the “conflict is a colonial legacy” UK has a responsibility to help resolve it.
The debate, which was scheduled to be held in March 2020 but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, was opened by Opposition Labour Party MP Debbie Abrahams.
She said that the Pakistani government allowed them unfettered access. We used our meetings to ask pointed questions related to human rights issues highlighted in United Nations reports, said Abrahams.
Kashmiris must be at the heart of a trilateral peacebuilding process, she said, reiterating that Thursday’s debate was not pro or anti any country and only speaking in favour of human rights.
Srinagar (PR) The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Party leaders offered tributes and fateha to late Sheikh Abdullah on his 39th death anniversary.
Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and other prominent leaders were among those party functionaries offering Fatiha and floral tributes at Sheikh Abdullah’s grave.
Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was born on 5 December 1905 and died on 8 September 1982. He was one of the most influential Kashmiri politicians who played a pivotal role in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir for decades.
In Indian held Jammu and Kashmir and among his followers, he is commonly referred to as “Sher-e-Kashmir” or “Baba e Quam”.
Sheikh Abdullah was the founding leader of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference. However, he later renamed this party as Jammu and Kashmir National Conference.
Photo Credit : Ummer Rahim
Among scores of other party functionaries, delegates and workers party General Secretary Haji Ali Muhammad Sagar, Additional General Secretary Dr. Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani, party Treasurer Shammi Oberoi were present on the occasion. Other senior leaders Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan, Mubarak Gul, Shameema Firdous, MP Anantnag Hassnain Masoodi, Nazir Ahmed Khan Gurezi, Mir Saifullah, Irfan Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Syed Akhoon, Dr. Bashir Ahmed Veeri, Ali Mohammad Dar, Sheikh Ishfaq Jabbar, Abdul Majeed Bhat Larmi, Peer Afaq Ahmed, Qaisar Jamsheed Lone, Javed Dar, Ghulam Mohiuddin Mir, Mir Ghulam Rasool Naaz, Syed Tauqeer Ahmed, Dr. Sajad Shafi Uri, Ahsan Pardesi, Tanvir Sadiq, Imran Nabi Dar, Salman Sagar, Mudassar Shahmiri, Ifra Jan, Mohammad Khalil Bandh, Pir Muhammad Hussain, Ghulam Mustafa Sofi, Shabir Ahmed Kullay, Er. Sabiya Qadri, Mohammad Yaqoob Wani, Shafqat Watali, Ghulam Nabi Bhat, Manzoor Wani, JS Azad Nisar Ahmad Nisar, newly elected block presidents, YNC functionaries also offered floral tributes and Fatiha on the occasion.
The leaders while offering glowing tributes to late Sheikh Abdullah said that he was one of the titans of the freedom movement for the restoration of people’s democratic rights.
Party Leaders pledged to offer every sacrifice for upholding and preserving the rights of the people of J&K.
Defending, upholding and preserving the unity of the people of J&k will be a befitting tribute to Sher-e-Kashmir, said the party leaders while paying tributes to Baba-e-Quom Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah.
The life and struggle of Sher-e-Kashmir, the functionaries said, was emblematic of people’s genuine aspirations and that on his anniversary the best tribute to him would be to tread the path which he had left behind for all of us to follow.
Lauding his vision of discarding communal politics, Party leaders said Sheikh Sahib’s ideals have universal acceptance.
He wished for a society where equal opportunities are available to all, irrespective of religion, region, caste, creed or color, the party leaders said.
Recalling the immense contribution of Sheikh Sahib, like revolutionary Land Reforms Act, Single Line Administration, free education, adult franchise, party leaders said that after independence, the state rose to achieve new heights in terms of human development index and that the overall growth of the state on other vital development indices was also far ahead of other states in the country.
Women in both parts of the divided state of Jammu and Kashmir have been active participants in political movements.
The trend is as old as the region’s political identity as an independent state. Historically, women played a pivotal role during the agitation and political strife against the Dogra regime and various other movements.
Begum Akbar Jehan was the head of Red Cross in Jammu and Kashmir after the Jammu Massacre
In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, most women have been active in politics after taking comparatively an easy route of reserved slots in the Legislative Assembly.
From a total 4 million population, Azad Jammu and Kashmir has over 50 per cent female population.
However, traditionally and culturally the region dominates the conservative trends when it comes to give women equal opportunities to participate in electoral process.
As a matter of fact, during the recent elections of the AJ & K Legislative Assembly, out of a total of over 700 candidates only 20 women were contesting on general seats.
In 2016 polls, out of 423 candidates, only eight were women who contested elections on the general seats. Of them, only one woman managed to win.
PML-N’s Noreen Arif, PPP’s Farzana Yaqoob, and PTI’s Taqdees Gilani are the familiar faces in local political circles in Azad Kashmir.
However, during the recent elections, women challengers of the status quo have proved that peoples’ behaviours and priorities about women participation in politics are changing.
JKDP’s Nabila Irshad and PTI’s Gulzar Fatima can be considered challengers to a majorly male dominant political setup in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Gulzar Fatima is among one of those Kashmiri women politicians who are mesmerised by the political ideology of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
She is an active member of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) party in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Before stepping into the politics, she has been actively participating in the movements of social change in the society .
In past, she has worked as Secretary Pakistan Red Crescent –AJK chapter. Her political career spans over two decades. She has been a member of the AJK legislative assembly.
She has been advocating for good governance, fighting against injustice and corruption besides highlighting the silent role of AJK Government for the Kashmir cause.
She is a true believer in transparency and fair practices in politics. She is a fan of the charismatic leadership of her party head Prime Minister Imran Khan and fully supports his Political vision, ideology and struggle. The charisma of Imran Khan motivated her to join the PTI.
Ever since she decided to part ways with Pakistan People’s Party to join PTI she has been very active and vocal in politics of Azad Kashmir.
As soon as she joined the party , she was nominated as the president of the women wing to organize the party in AJK.
This was not an easy job to organize a party on gross root level at such time when Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) was governing party in the centre and Pakistan People’s Party in AJK.
Moreover, it was difficult to mobilize women of AJK and persuade them to participate in the party’s politics because of local tribal customs and bigotries.
Gulzar Fatima with Dr Nosheen Hamid, Senator Seemi Aizdi, Reema Imran (Wife of the governor Sindh) and others during a visit of Karachi.
However, despite the absence of a strategic plan and a conducive environment for launching the party besides a poor relationship with the central command of PTI, she successfully enrolled women of every age group in the party in every district.
She managed to organize the party on a grass root level by establishing basic units of the party despite the general public was uncertain about the future of the Party.
She arranged the oath-taking ceremony of central body AJK in Muzaffarabad.
In the election year of 2016, apparently everything was set for PML-N, but Gulzar Fatima campaigned door to door for the success of her party candidates.
During the 2016 election of AJK, she was also nominated member of the “Election Manifesto Committee” of PTI.
Despite of the hurdles and challenges facing a woman politician in a highly patronising and conservative social environment, she regularly participants in all meetings of the party.
He recommendations were incorporated in PTI’s election manifesto of 2016.
During the protests in Islamabad , a heinous propaganda campaign was launched by the opposition parties to malign her party’s image and distance women from its struggle, she played a positive leadership role by not bowing in front of the pressure.
Soon after her party head came to Muzaffarabad to address a public gathering, she ensured maximum participation of women in the program to counter the opposition’s propaganda.
She participated in Imran khan’s program of “Islamabad Chalo” and reached Banigala along with many people despite hurdles placed by the then government.
She attended almost all rallies, protests and jalsas on call of the leadership.
Gulzar Fatima has been vocal on various issues of political and social importance. She has been regularly appearing on various national television channels to spread her party’s vision at the grass-root level.
During the 2021 election campaign in AJK, she organized a women convention for the support of the party’s candidate in her constituency.
She has been travelling extensively in all three divisions of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and participating in every public gathering.
She has successfully mobilized women in Bagh, Hajeera, Dhirkot, Neelum and Jhelum Valleys.
/Muzaffarabad-Azad Jammu and Kashmir (IoK News): The University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has set a new record in its academic history by conferring degrees on more than a thousand students graduating from various departments of the university, Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr. Muhammad Kaleem Abbasi said this here on Friday during the 18th convocation.
He said that the university was a model of higher education in the State providing education in a comprehensive multidisciplinary range of academic domains, ranging from Engineering to Medical Sciences – and from Social to Basic and Applied Sciences.
The University is offering 76-degree programs in 28 disciplines under its four faculties.
Dr. Abbasi said that, in spite of the Covid-19 crisis during the year 2020, a new state-of-the-art King Abdullah campus at Chattar Klass have been completed and handed over to the University.
The 18th convocation of the university held in King Abdullah Campus. Dr. Abbasi went to say that the new campus of the university would sustain more than 6000 students of 14 academic departments and institutes.
“Additionally, there are 06 student hostels for the students to get have residence. “
The Vice-Chancellor said that the absence of the university campus had been a great issue, but by the grace of Allah, efforts of the state president Sardar Masood Khan and generous cooperation of the Saudi government, King Abdullah Campus of the university had been constructed where 15 departments of the university had been shifted beside the construction of six hostels and other facilities.
Dr. Muhammad Kaleem Abbasi said that the impact factor of the university had also improved manifold and the number of university faculty had also been raised by 100 times.
Keeping in the market demand and meeting the future needs of the liberated territory, the University of Azad Kashmir has decided to launch various programs shortly.
Islamabad (IoK News) The teams participating in the Kashmir Premier League have finalized their players’ names here today. Afridi is to lead Rawalakot Hawks in Kashmir Premier League. The draft lists of players have been issued to the media.
During the drafting in Islamabad, Shahid Afridi led the Rawalpindi Hawks, Shoaib Malik Mirpur Royals, Emad Wasim Overseas Warriors, Shadab Khan Bagh Stallions, Fakhar Zaman Kotli Lions and Muhammad Hafeez Muzaffarabad Tigers.
The Kashmir Premier League is scheduled to be played between August 6 and 16.
The highly publicised tournament has a total of 6 teams including Bagh Stallions, Mirpur Royals, Muzaffarabad Tigers, Overseas Warriors, Kotli Lions, and Rawalakot Hawks.
Tillakaratne Dilshan, Matt Prior, and Monty Panesar are a few of the prominent cricketers that are set to take the charge of the field in the KPL.
Shadab Khan, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed would be part of Bagh Stallions with Shadab leading the side.
Owais Shah, Sharjeel Khan, Khushdil Shah, and Mohammad Irfan are picked up by the Shoaib Malik-led Mirpur Royals.
Some of the other remarkable names include Mohammad Hafeez, Sohail Tanvir, and Sohaib Maqsood whereas the former Sri Lanka opening batter Tilakaratne Dilshan was roped in by Muzaffarabad Tigers.
Monty Panesar the former England left-arm spinner will play for the Fakhar Zaman-led Kotli Lions whereas Kamran Akmal, Asif Ali, and leg-spinner Usman Qadir are the other names included by the Kotli Lions in the squad.
Matt Prior, the former England wicket-keeper batsman, will offer his services for the Rawalakot Hawks which is to be captained by Shahid Afridi.
Rawalakot Hawks will be captained by Shahid Afridi
While Mohammad Hasnain, Ahmed Shahzad, and Hussain Talat will also be part of the same franchise.
Skippered by Imad Wasim, the Overseas warriors will have the South Africa batsman Herschelle Gibbs playing for them, with Haider Ali and Azam Khan too making it to the squad.
The role of KPL to bring Kashmir cricketers to the limelight.
The Kashmir Premier League’s prime objective is to fan the fires of talent that the Kashmiri players possess.
This can play a pivotal role in helping Kashmir to put itself on the sporting map. Shehryar Khan Afridi, the Chairman of the Kashmir Committee, had previously stated that “sports is the best form to help in the transformation of any part of the world and we have seen how individual sportsmen have transformed their countries globally.”
Opening up further on the positives that this league will bring in for Kashmir he asserted, “KPL would help put Kashmir at the global sports map and added, the League will become a buzz word globally as KPL would promote Kashmir at the highest level,”.
Bagh AJK (IoK News): Poverty and lack of economic opportunities are common in remote villages of Azad Kashmir.
Majority of people in the mountainous region struggle to make ends meet due to the lack of basic infrastructure and financial resources.
Every year, aid of millions of rupees is distributed in food packs amongst the poor and needy of these area. Still, there is a growing concern that more and more people are facing hardship challenges.
There are hundreds of local and international organisations that support local people in catering their needs of food, education, healthcare, and other necessities of life.
One such organisation is Million Smiles Foundation. Though, recently setup, the charitable organisation has quickly raised a dedicated team of volunteers to support its activities.
The foundation is helping local people in many districts of Azad Kashmir. It is helping many local schools to provide education for the children who cannot afford to pay the cost of uniform and stationery and providing skills training to local youth.
The organisation has been actively collaborating with local NGOs, support groups and volunteer teams to extend help and support to rural communities.
Recently, the foundation opened schools in remote villages of Neelum Valley and Bagh districts.
A First Aid Training was arranged in Muzaffarabad by Million Smiles Foundation and Pakistan Red Crescent to help People learn to be more conscious of safety in the work place, leading to
The Million Smiles Foundation was founded in early 2019 by a young patriotic Pakistan woman Ms. Umme Muhammad. She moved back from New York with a vision to foster the 130 Million Youth of Pakistan by equipping them with a basic level of skills. She wants to maximize their success in life & encourage to develop their fullest potential in spirit, mind, and body.
Zeshan Afzal is the Co-Founder of Million Smiles Foundation, He also left his corporate job in Manhattan, New York while working at the wall street.
He is also a dreamer of making a tangible difference for the 130 Million Youth of Pakistan with special focus on their development.
His dream is to inculcate a core set of values revolving around personal development, experimental learning, travel, patriotism, and religious harmony.
Kar Shoaeb – is a Kashmiri Youtube channel that makes best use of video creation skills to showcase their funny video titled J&K Bank Ki Kahani.
J&K Bank was faced with a crisis in 2019 when the bank’s chairman Parvez Ahmed Nengroo was removed amid allegations of corruption.
With multiple charges related to corruption, political collusion and irregularities in recruitment, J&K Bank remains in the news for all the wrong reasons. The young artist who participated in the video Aatif Wani is popular for making funny videos in Kashmir.
The Youtube channel Kar Sheaeb is popular in Jammu and Kashmir and streams funny videos on various platforms including Youtube and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karshoaeb/ .
The story of Jammu and Kashmir bank is created by Kar Shoaeb and is performed by young artist Aatif Wani.
In this video they created fictional scenes of how poor the service of J&K bank is.
Another video that went viral recently was about the issues of internet and connectivity in the Jammu and Kashmir. This video is made on the Internet restoration in jammu and kashmir. Recently the ban on internet was lifted and this video is just a celebration for that.
Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it (L.M. Montgomery).
It’s the month of January. The water level in Mangla Dam has lowered greaty in the past two months. As the water level falls, the remnants of an old city become more visible. What happened to that city, I wondered. Why doesn’t it exist anymore? The places of the city, its streets and its buildings: where are they? Why was it demolished? I wanted to know the history of Mangla and the city submerged in it. On inquiring from my father I came to know that the dam is actually named after Mangla Devi, the daughter of King Porus. The Mangla Dam was constructed on top of settlements.
The old city was evacuated, its residents were moved to another place now called “New Mirpur City” and then the place was flooded entirely to create Mangla Dam. Seeing my interest, my father referred me to his friend. He had conducted 5 years of research on the old remnants of Mirpur city submerged under the dam.
I went to his house, where he had built a small library that was entirely dedicated to old Mirpur city. He told her that the old city was very rich in culture and tradition and was especially known for its religious harmony Hindus have been living here with Muslims in complete peace until Partition changed everything in 1947.
After the Partition of the Indo-Pak subcontinent in 1947, the existing irrigation system was divided between the two countries without an understanding of the actual irrigation requirements. This irrational approach gave rise to a water dispute between the two countries right from the beginning: one which persisted for quite some time. The dispute was finally resolved when the Indus Water Treaty was signed in 1960 whereby rights over three eastern rivers – i.e. Sutlej, Beas and Ravi – were assigned to India and three western rivers – i.e. Chenab, Jhelum and Indus – were allocated to Pakistan .The agreement provided a provision for construction of replacement works called ‘Indus basin projects’ comprising of two dams (Tarbela and Mangla), five barrages and eight link canals. And so, Mangla dam was constructed on the river Jhelum in 1967.
Besides providing timely irrigation supplies to agriculture, Mangla dam was constructed primarily as the backbone of the natural economy and a replacement for the depleted eastern river flows. The indirect benefits through enhanced agricultural output and increased industrial production utilising electricity generated at Mangla Power House can hardly be measured in tangible terms.
But to achieve all this, the water that was released in 1967 submerged the whole of Old Mirpur city and 260 villages.
During the colder months of January, February and March, the water level recedes to such an extent that one can travel on old Mirpur road – which still exists – and thus visit some of the old sites.
he holy shrines of Syed Abdul Karim and Meeran Shah Ghazi become visible and so do the remnants of a Sikh Gurdwara as well as a Hindu Mandir possibly dedicated to Mangla Mata (Mangla mother goddess). The submerged remains of old Mirpur present the silhouette of a pre-Partition city when many faiths co-existed side by side.
The submerged remains of old Mirpur present the silhouette of a pre-Partition city when many faiths co-existed side by side
“Our cultural heritage was eroded in the construction of Mangla Dam. It resulted in a massive eviction of people and the demolition of urban areas” Najib Afsar tells me. It posed something of a residential crisis in the region. “And even until now we are not settled” Afsar adds.
As water levels recede, the remains of old houses, water wells and graveyards reappear too. People from surrounding areas visit old Mirpur during these months to pay homage to the ancient land that they lived on. They say some prayers for their loved ones as they visit graveyards.
“The place where I am sitting and talking to you was the porch of my house .Every year I visit this place when the water level recedes. And I cannot forget that time when we used to play here. I miss my old city were so many memories lie – which I can never forget” says Chaudary Adalat Khan.
Other former residents remember the livelihoods lost in the creation of economic opportunities for the rest of the country.
“The land on which I am working belongs to my parents. And now this place is under water. Before the construction of the dam we used to work on these fields and they were a source of income for our family. Now in the new city it’s difficult for us to meet our expenditures because our only source of earning, this land, is under water. So we wait for the month of March or April for the water levels to drop” explains Chaudhary Abdul Rehman.
Residents continue to raise questions about a process that took place decades ago. Couldn’t the old city and its cultural heritage be preserved? Can compensatory packages make up for the personal losses that its residents suffered, i.e. losing their land, homes and ancestors’ graves? Can anything replace the cultural heritage lost in this process?
Insight on Kashmir 