Muzaffarabad ( AJ & K): An agricultural exhibition was organized here under the auspices of the department of agriculture, Muzaffarabad.
The stalls of locally produced fruit, vegetables, and agricultural products were set up by local farmers and various units of the agriculture department.
The landowners were given awareness and demonstration about agricultural farming, agro-medicines, and machinery.
Director of agriculture Khawaja Masood Iqbal gave a briefing to Minister of Agriculture Sardar Mir Akbar Khan about locally produced olive products. The minister of agriculture praised the efforts of the departments and said that connecting with the land is the need of the time.
He further said that agriculture is the biggest sector affecting the national economy, and if our needs are met at the local level, peoples’ economic condition will improve and the revenue of the state will also increase.
Director Research Khawaja Masood Iqbal,, Muzaffarabad
“We can complete the production of vegetables and meat at the local level, and in this regard, the department of agriculture will continue its efforts”. He said that women have an important role in kitchen gardening.
Speaking at the event, Secretary Agriculture and Livestock Sardar Javed Ayub said that Azad Kashmir is the watershed of the entire country and we are trying to make the Azad region a food basket for Pakistan.
Our mission is that every region should be able to meet the local demand. He congratulated the organizers for organizing the exhibition. The agriculture minister also gave shields to those who won prominent positions in the stalls. The farmers of Muzaffarabad, Jhelum Valley, and Neelam district had prepared stalls of fresh crops, fruits, and vegetables.
The exhibition was inaugurated by Minister of Agriculture Sardar Mir Akbar Khan. While the secretary of agriculture Sardar Javed Ayub, Islamic Relief Representative Zeeshan Maqbool, Vice President National Bank of Pakistan Naheed Yusuf, Director Agriculture Sardar Zareen Khan, and others also addressed the opening ceremony.
Director General Agriculture Tariq Mehmood Bande and Director General ASMA Raja Gulzar also addressed the opening ceremony.
Director Research Khawaja Masood Iqbal, Deputy Director Agriculture Muzaffarabad Amina Rafi, and others were also present on this occasion.
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.
The decision to launch new programmes was taken at the Academic Council meeting chaired by Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Muhammad Kaleem Abbasi and held at the City Campus of the University.
Addressing the Academic Council meeting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Kaleem Abbasi has said that with the completion of Chattar Kalass Campus of University and shifting of some of the departments in the new campus, the biggest problem of the space has been solved and we will now focus on the quality of education and learning outcomes of students to transform the university into an ideal institution of higher learning.
He said that the management of the university is determined to make the King Abdullah Campus of the University not only a model campus but also to achieve the goal of raising the standard of university education by utilizing the potential of the highly experienced faculty brought in the University in the last few years.
The VC asserted that the promotion of a culture of innovation and research at the university was one of their top priorities and significant progress will be made in achieving this goal in the years to come.
Describing the increase of the impact factor of the UAJK from 250 to 575 as a significant achievement, the Vice-Chancellor said that the journey of accomplishment would continue and in the coming years and the University of AJK would be counted among the top universities of the country.
Praising the performance of the Institute of Economics, Dr Kaleem Abbasi said that faculty members of this oldest department were performing their duties with utmost diligence by organizing seminars and other programs on regular basis and their efforts were highly commendable.
Terming the Department of Art and Design of the University as the cultural face of Kashmir, the Vice-Chancellor said that keeping in view the importance of this department; they had significantly increased its budget so that this important department of the University could be strengthened to promote the state’s cultural identity and heritage.
Commenting on the new departments and programs, he said that the new programs were being launched keeping in view the demands, needs of the region, and the requirements of the time.
The Vice-Chancellor further said that he would approach the Pakistan Science Foundation for funding to establish the biotechnology department on a solid footing.
The Academic Council meeting was attended by the Registrar of the University, Ayesha Sohail, Dean Faculty of Engineering Prof. Dr. Muhammad Qayyum Khan, Dean Faculty of Health Sciences Dr. Bashir-ur-Rehman Kanth, Dean Faculty of Sciences Prof. Dr. Ghulam Murtaza, Prof. Dr. Nadeem Haider Bukhari, Dean Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof Dr Haroon Al-Rasheed and Chairmen and heads of the departments.
Pakistan is a country which is situated in South Asia and has been experiencing a number of hazards and disasters from independence to the current date.
Sometimes the term hazard is mixed with disaster but in actual they are both separate things related to one phenomenon.
Hazard is a potentially damaging physical event, phenomenon, or human activity that may cause the loss of life or injury, property damage, social and economic disruption, or environmental degradation. When this hazard exceeds the coping capacity it becomes a disaster.
The developed countries have prepared hazard maps for different types of hazards e.g. earthquakes, landslides, cyclones, tornadoes, floods, droughts, etc. according to their frequency and probability of occurrence.
Unfortunately in Pakistan, there is no such system for pre-alarming of hazards and disasters. America and other countries have their own database system on which disaster damages and the total number of affected people along with deaths figures are also available.
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Pakistan needs to develop a comprehensive database system for maintaining data of disasters in Pakistan and their corresponding damages.
However, by the analysis of the American-based database system (Disinventar), it is quite clear that about 35% of the totals deaths during disasters in Pakistan occurred due to earthquakes. According to EM-DAT, about 1.5 lac died due to an earthquake from independence.
Due to the earthquake in 2005, there was huge damage to the economy of our country. Pakistan has developed earthquake seismic zone maps for risk reduction but there are many factors that are affecting in implementation of this map.
With the growing population of Pakistan, there is a 39.1% urbanization rate which is due to lack of facilities in villages and trouble areas.
Areas of seismic fault line are being developed by housing society developers but nobody cares about the life of residents if there is an earthquake in this region. About 21% people of the total deaths due to disasters died due to floods.
Poor planning and risk assessment is the main cause of this number of valuable people’s deaths. Many countries have generated 10 years plans for disaster management for upcoming disasters.
There is a proper podcast and broadcast system in third-world countries like Cuba for awareness of hurricanes disaster. Education related to disaster is an important factor so that people may identify the risk and warn other people to prevent disasters.
A girl was present on the bank of sea and saw some regulations in water. She told her parents and they warned other people. Hence all of them remained safe in a tsunami.
When this girl was interviewed she said: “I was taught by our geography teacher in class about signs of tsunami two weeks ago that’s why I analyzed the situation and told my parents”.
Disaster risk reduction is possible by education of school-going children in Pakistan. An upcoming generation will aware of it, knowledge will be transferred to the next one.
Another important factor is the construction of earthquake-resistant structures and following international buildings, bridges, road construction codes. Areas of fault line like Islamabad, Muzaffarabad, Mirpur AJK are present in seismic danger zone.
Therefore, there is a need to make earthquake-resistant structures. The role of govt and its corresponding departments which grant approval of these structures is essential.
Earthquake emergency response drills like Japan should be started in Pakistan to aware people that how to respond during this disaster.
By awareness and education, we can make people more resilient and cop small and major disasters. We cannot stop the occurrence of hazards but we can make people and livestock less vulnerable.
Sustainable development is necessary for all these aspects. If an early warning system is adopted by Govt. then damages of disasters can be minimized along with reduction of their effects on the economy and social life.
The writer is a research scholar in CUST Islamabad, journalist, and political analyst. He can be reached at abrar19125@gmail.com.
Source: The article was first published in Daily Pakistan here.
The project is being construction over Jhelum river passing through AJK’s capital district of Muzaffarabad.
The project will produce 1,124 megawatt electricity costing $2.4 billion. Azad Jammu & Kashmir Secretary Electricity Zafar Mehmood and chief executive officer of Chinese three gorges company signed the agreement.
AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan and Federal Minister Hamad Azhar were also present on this occasion.
Kohala Hydropower Project, being built on Jhelum River in Azad Jammu Kashmir under CPEC, was awarded to the Kohala Hydropower Company Ltd (KHCL), which is a subsidiary of China’s Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC).
The project will produce 1,124 megawatt electricity costing $2.4 billion.
The Azad Jammu Kashmir government will receive about 2.5 billion rupees annually in the shape of water use charges and the project will be handed over to the Azad Kashmir government after thirty year.
Speaking on the occasion Azad Jammu Kashmir Prime Minister Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan said that Kashmiri people had always given tremendous sacrifices for the prosperity of the people of Pakistan and played a leading role to overcome energy crisis in the country .
He said Kohala , Neelum Hydro power projects and Mangla uprising projects were the glaring examples in that regard.
The prime minister underlined the need for starting work on Mansehra –Muzaffarabad and Mirpur Mangla project under CEPC which were agreed by the previous government but the present regime had not given priority to this project.
Speaking on the occasion the Federal Minister Hamad Azhar assured that the agreement reached with the Azad Jammu Kashmir government would be fully implemented.
He added that Azad Jammu Kashmir government would receive billions of rupees on account of water uses annually besides securing tremendous financial support from the government of Pakistan.
Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan, a business tycoon with no significant political base is a favourite candidate of the Pakistani establishment.
Rawalakot / IoK News / ( 27 February):
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ruling party is preparing to launch its front runner in the forthcoming Azad Kashmir elections. Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan, a business tycoon with no significant political or social background and having a small backing from the workers of his own party Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf, is all set to condemn India over atrocities in Jammu and Kashmir in a well-scripted speech that he will deliver in Rawalakot Jalsa on Saturday (today).
Although, the helm of affairs of the party has been in the hands of a seasoned politician Barrister Sultan Mehmood, who is also the president of PTI in Azad Kashmir, Sardar Tanveer, a newcomer in AJK politics is known to be a favorite personality of the Pakistani establishment.
In recent weeks, he has been projected as the most suitable candidate for the slot of prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.He will be addressing a hastily arranged political gathering to mark a surprise defence day called as Difa e Watan ( defence of country) in Rawalakot, 120 kms from Islamabad on Saturday 27 February.
Local newspapers, social media, and paid promotions are extensively being utilized in a literally surprise celebration to present him as a potential winner in the forthcoming AJK legislative assembly elections which will be held next month.
The venue for his jalsa (gathering) has been carefully selected to address multiple issues such as giving him a go-ahead to launch his own brand of politics in Azad Kashmir and showing allegiance to defenders of Pakistan.
He has openly criticized the policies of almost all the mainstream parties and politicians in Azad Kashmir. He is currently appointed as Chairman Punjab Board of Investment & Trade and Special Assistant to CM Punjab.
Rawalakot is amongst one of those districts of Azad Kashmir where politics is highly polarised and fragmented. However, the winners from this region in past elections have been representing both local and imported parties.
Politics are dominated in both AJK and GB by local branches of the main Pakistani parties including Pakistan Peoples Party, Muslim League (Nawaz) and Pakistan Tehereek e Insaf.
Some local parties, such as Muslim Conference are closely allied with the Pakistani establishment. Small nationalist parties that are opposed to the idea of the accession of Azad Kashmir to Pakistan are either marginalized or barred outright from the political process.
The region has multiple issues of unemployment, food security, underdeveloped industries, power and fuel shortage etc. The condition of infrastructure in Azad Kashmir is pathetic and needs urgent restructuring.
A resident named Sajid Hussain wrote on Sardar Tanveer’s social media that Kamrota to Chaprian Poth road of his village has not been built in the last forty years. This is the same area where Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan has pinned his political hopes.
The disgruntled voter reminds the would-be prime minister “when we ruthlessly criticize Pakistan, some of our ignorant people do not like this.
However, this is a fact that today, in the 21st century, we do not have a single road, the rest of the basic needs and basic rights are a long way off. If this road has not been built yet, then who is responsible for it? Pakistan or India.”
He further asks an interesting question “and how can this problem be solved?” He and other voters of the district know that Sardar Tanveer Ilyas has got no idea how to deliver on these issues. Yet, he knows very well what to say to a made-up audience in a much-trumpeted rally.
Freedom House, one of the oldest American organizations devoted to supporting democracy around the world, indicated recently that Pakistan administered Kashmir is not free.
The latest figures compiled by this organization suggested that AJK scored 28 cumulative points out of 100 as the civil liberties scored 19 out of 60 and the situation of political freedom was even worse scoring 9 out of 40.
Freedom in the World report, assesses the level of political rights and civil liberties in a given geographical area, regardless of whether they are affected by the state, non-state actors, or foreign powers.
The Six groups, 5 from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and one consisting of Kashmiri Diaspora, will take part in Kashmir Premier League (KPL). The teams are named Muzaffarabad Tigers, Mirpur Royals, Kotli Panthers, Rawalakot Hawks, Bagh Stallions and Overseas Warriors.
Islamabad (IoK News): Pakistan launched T20 format Kashmir Premier League (KPL) at a ceremony here in Islamabad on Saturday. The Kashmir Premier League is a collaboration of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and regional authorities in Pakistan administered Jammu and Kashmir. The aim of this sporting event is to give a chance to the youth of Azad Jammu & Kashmir to show their cricketing talent to the world and to bring Kashmir on the sports map of the world.
All the participating teams of the event will be primarily consisting of players of Pakistan Administered Kashmir. The Six groups, 5 from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and one consisting of Kashmiri Diaspora, will take part in KPL. The groups are Muzaffarabad Tigers, Mirpur Royals, Kotli Panthers, Rawalakot Hawks, Bagh Stallions and Abroad Warriors.
The official website of the cricketing event has also been launched. The Kashmir Premier League – is also branded as KPL20 via the website KPL20 (Kashmir Premier League – KPL20). Main sponsors are the Government of the State of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, The Cutting Edge Group, PCB and Geo Super.
Official Logo of Rawalakot Hawks
It will likely be a 10 days main cricketing occasion scheduled from 1st April 2021 to 10th April 2021 in Muzaffarabad, Mirpur and Rawalpindi. On the launching ceremony, President Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan mentioned Kashmiri persons are sports activities lovers and this occasion will probably be one other platform for Kashmiri youth to point out their expertise. He assured that his authorities will present all potential help and cooperation for the profitable conduct of the occasion.
The official emblem titled “Khelo Azadi Say” was additionally unveiled on the opening ceremony.
Former Captain Pakistan Cricket Workforce Shahid Afridi, on the event was happy over the launch of the KPL.
The official website of the event says that the league is designed to provide the young Cricket talent of AJK with a quality platform through which they can exhibit their skill and will be showcased all around the world with the involvement Pakistan international players as well helping us raise the community spirit among people of Azad Jammu & Kashmir through providing the global recognition to the culture of the region bestowed with natural magnificence and landscapes manifesting the alluring geography and culture of AJK in addition to the proliferation of sports in the region letting us promote tourism of the region and making international and national stakeholders to invest in the region.
The late K.H. Khurshid was private secretary of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He later went on to become the president of Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PAK). As I turn the pages of the book titled “Tareekhi Mushahidat o Waqiat”, I see him as a beacon of light. This book is a compilation of various pieces of writings of K.H. Khurshid along with contributory articles from his wife cum editor of this book-Begum Surraya Khurshid. She herself is a woman of extraordinary stature, not because of her status as the wife of a former president but her personal character, integrity, and commitment to high moral values in life.
قائدِاعظم کے سیکریٹری کے ایچ خورشید کی یادداشتوں سے ماخوذ
For many, K.H. Khurshid was one of those super zealous Kashmiris who wished to live in the past. But, for many others, he was a true lover of democracy. For me, he is the only towering figure in a land of pygmies. The Lilliputians of his time possessed all the pretence of genuineness and representation of the opinion of masses but they were impotent to cage his opinion. So, they hypocritically and deceitfully ditched him simply to further their own agenda. Khurshid’s differences with President Ayub were genuine and grounded in his ideology for the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He did not pretend to be a champion of the rights of ‘his’ people as his successors in the government would have done. He had all the characteristics of a leader of a nation, but not a tribe. He stood steadfastly to protect the rights of the affectees of Mangla dam and questioned the legitimacy of the interference of the central government in the affairs of PAK.
Khurshid was a Pakistani to the core of his heart. Otherwise, he would not have bothered to visit Dhaka (formerly Dacca) to see Mujib ur Rehman and show his concerns over the boiling situation regarding the power-sharing quagmire with the West Pakistan leaders. Surraya quotes in this book that Quaid-e-Azam once said “Pakistan was achieved by my sister, my secretary, and my typewriter”. She refers to an editorial note by chief editor Nawa-e-Waqt Hameed Nizami written in 1959 which states ‘I am sure this secretary was K.H. Khurshid”. He worked hard day and night along with his leadership during the most tumultuous years of the partition of India. By showing his commitment, loyalty, and determination to the cause of the Muslim League and personal service to the founder of the nation, Khurshid proved that he was the right choice of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and perhaps, one of the most suitable candidates for the future leadership in the post-partition state of Jammu and Kashmir.
He was disciplined, talented, and visionary, just like his mentor. As a well-educated and highly qualified lawyer, he would have lived a happy, prosperous, and successful life in Pakistan or abroad but he spent all his life in a struggle for the betterment of his people. He lived life as a challenger of the status quo. Whenever challenged on his morals and values, he would not hesitate to speak the truth while looking into the eyes of the challenger and leave the corridors of power. In 1958, he spent four months in detention during the stormy years of the Kashmir Liberation Movement (KLM) but did not compromise on his principled stand on the Kashmir cause. His upstanding view of the right of self-determination of Kashmiris was wrongly interpreted as a deliberate effort to steer the liberation movement away to an independent Kashmir.
During detention, he wrote in his diary that this was the time when his closest and most trusted people started parting ways from him as they thought he was no more in the ‘good books’ of Pakistani authorities. A true democrat can never be in the good books of dictators. As a challenger, Khurshid introduced the democratic process in affairs of government by deviating from ‘selection’ to ‘election’ of the president of PAK. Earlier, the presidency of PAK was considered a nomination of a tribal chieftain. Khurshid is rightly named as Khurshid-e-Millat by his ideological followers as he was the first and the only voice from liberated land who wanted the PAK government to be recognized as the representative government of the people of all parts of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Basically, the purpose of this ideological and highly significant stance was to ensure a concerted and targeted struggle towards the liberation of the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir. As a human being, he was a humble, self-restrained, and loyal person. But, as a Kashmiri, he was an idealist and optimist in and out as he was opposed to the idea of controlling or even subverting the will of the people.
The editor of the book has repeatedly referred to the political philosophy of K. H. Khurshid. Unfortunately, his political approach has always been misconstrued. He was not against the idea of Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan but was greatly opposed to putting pressure on Kashmiris to accept a particular course of action with regards to the future of the state. His committed position was to make efforts to liberate the occupied territory and let the people of Jammu and Kashmir decide their future. He was motivated to showcase PAK as an integral part of the whole of Jammu and Kashmir; not an annexed or subordinate territory of Pakistan. Surraya has rightly documented Khurshid’s unwavering support to the cause of Kashmiriyat. As the major part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir is yet not liberated, politicians and rulers in Azad (liberated) Kashmir should not live the luxurious life of the representatives of a free people. The liberated territory was genuinely a base camp for Khurshid and not a place to enjoy the freedom. He abhorred the idea of a luxurious living in the base camp.
He lived in the President’s House as a layman and true believer in simple living. This is the same base camp of the liberation movement where flag-bearing government vehicles are a norm. During the presidency of PAK, Khurshid’s 4-year-old daughter insisted to go to school in the flag-bearing car, and in a moment of emotional outpouring, her mother (Surraya Khurshid-the wife of president AJK) allowed her daughter to avail that facility. In the evening, Khurshid showed his anger and asked Surraya not to repeat that incident again. How many of state officials and present leaders of PAK would observe such a strict discipline in handling the state resources?
Surraya’s candid and honest analysis of the democratic journey of the people of PAK under the title of “Mr Khurshid ka astifa (Mr. Khurshid’s resignation”) is a documented evidence of one of the most significant aspects of Khurshid’s successful career as an influential and elevated politician. This shows the depth and reach of his visionary approach in bringing a political, social, and democratic change in PAK. Surraya writes “had Kashmir Liberation League not founded in 1962, the people of PAK were still miles away from political acumen that they enjoy today and they were still be governed by a clerk in the ministry of Kashmir affairs”. However, according to the Surraya’s opinion, this was a mistaken approach of the then rulers of Pakistan as they thought Khurshid was an active preacher and supporter of the idea of an independent Kashmir. He, in fact, was a sincere believer of the ideology of Pakistan; perhaps an idealist but a hard-core centralist.
On 10th March 1988, a passenger bus on the way to Mirpur in Azad Kashmir suffered an accident resulting in deaths of most of its passengers. The roads in Azad Kashmir have always resulted in many accidents and caused many deaths even until now. Among the deceased was a man from Srinagar who incidentally was the President of Azad Kashmir.
With less than fifty rupees in his pockets and no house of his own, he died like his hero in selflessness and obscurity.
Khurshid Hasan Khurshid was born in the locality of Abi Guzar, Srinagar in 1924 to a middle class family. His father Maulvi Mohammad Hasan was a head master posted in Gilgit.
KH Khurshid as he’s famously known became interested in the political activities in Srinagar during his teenage years. Post 1931 uprising, many educated Kashmiris had started a rights movement in the tyrannical Dogra rule. KH Khurshid following the tradition of many educated Kashmiris started a students movement called Muslim Students’ Federation which supported the Muslim League’s idea of Pakistan.
In 1942, KH Khurshid went to Jalandar where Muhammad Ali Jinnah was presiding over an annual conference of Punjab Muslim Students’ Federation. He was asked by Dr. Mohammad Din Taseer (father of Salmaan Taseer) the principal of Amar Singh College in Srinagar to also take part in a contest in Lahore.
It was here where Khurshid was bowled over by the enigma of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Although he didn’t have a proper meeting with his future boss, Jinnah had made a great impression on this teenager who firmly believed in the cause of Pakistan.
In 1944, Muhammad Ali made his final and what would be a historic trip to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. During this time Khurshid had joined Orient Press as well, a Muslim news agency in British India.
During his first meeting Khurshid was to deliver a message on behalf of the Muslim Conference. After a short conversation Jinnah grew fond of him and Khurshid frequented his houseboat ‘the Queen Elizabeth’. On June 26th Jinnah offered Khurshid the job of his private secretary which the latter readily accepted on 4 July 1944.
Therefrom began the twenty year old’s journey with the founder of Pakistan who later famously remarked, “I’ll tell you who made Pakistan; myself, my secretary and his typewriter.”
In 1947-8 during the first Kashmir war, Jinnah was shocked at the tribal raids in Kashmir which he was not informed about. Despite the Azad Kashmiri forces leading the battle from Bagh and Poonch. Jinnah sent Khurshid to Srinagar to try to handle the crisis. But Sheikh Abdullah’s administration jailed him until his hero Jinnah passed away in obscurity.
After Khurshid was exiled by Sheikh Abdullah’s government to Azad Kashmir. Despite his status as Jinnah’s man who had told him when he took him from Srinagar, “I will take care of you.” He was sidelined into shadows by the governments of Pakistan despite his appointment as Private Secretary being the first acts of Jinnah after the creation of Pakistan.
Fatima Jinnah persuaded Khurshid to continue his education at Lincoln’s Inn to become a lawyer. Short of funds, Fatima Jinnah sent him to England and financed his education. After his return he practiced law in Karachi in 1954 where he stayed in the flagstaff house with Fatima Jinnah.
In 1959, General Ayub Khan asked Khurshid to become the President of Azad Kashmir. He constantly fought with the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs which until then had treated the Azad Kashmiris as puppets, and the unfortunate land which Khalid Hasan describes, “an unfortunate land which is neither Pakistan nor Kashmir.”
Later accused by the intelligence bureau and military intelligence of working for a ‘independent Kashmir’ despite his credentials of fighting for Pakistan. He resigned from the Presidency by 15 August 1964. One of the great legacies of him was the passage of land reforms bill in Azad Kashmir which ended the scourge of feudalism.
In 1965, when the disastrous campaign of Operation Gibraltar was to be launched, Khurshid was the only man in Pakistan who lobbied hard to have it called it off. It would have disastrous consequences on the Kashmir dispute and Pakistan’s case.
Instead of listening to his view. He was picked up from the house of respected statesman Mirwaiz Maulvi Yusuf. He was dragged in a car like an ordinary criminal and imprisoned by Pakistani authorities in the notorious Dalai Camp where later his campaign manager and founder of the Kashmir revolution Maqbool Butt was jailed as well.
This is believed to have been a result of reports that he alongwith Sheikh Abdullah were conspiring on an Indira Gandhi’s plan. This has been rubbished by Khurshid and many other authors who say that Khurshid would have been the last Kashmiri to collaborate with a man like Sheikh Abdullah.
After a year in prison, he was freed without a reason like the way he was detained in the first place. He formed his own party the Jammu Kashmir Liberation League. His activities were put under surveillance by Pakistani government and Azad Kashmir administration. For twenty-two years, there was no mention of him on Pakistan Television. The day he passed away, PTV had no picture in their library of Khurshid Hasan Khurshid to put in their bulletin.
In 1971, during the Ganga Hijacking, Khurshid met the two young hijackers Ashraf and Hashim Qureshi at the Lahore airport. His statement in the court exonerated the Qureshi brothers from the alleged burning of the old fokker plane along with Maqbool Butt.
During Zia-ul Haq’s regime, the dictator came out with a revelation that a diary of Jinnah was found where he rejected parliamentary democracy, to justify his dictatorship. Khurshid was asked for a comment, he vehemently denied any existence of such a diary. Zia ul Haq never mentioned the diary again.
He also attended the Non Aligned conference in Harare Zimbabwe, much to the dismay of Rajiv Gandhi and surprise of General Zia ul Haq who asked him, “If you were coming we would have made arrangements made.” To which Khurshid has said, “If i told you, I wouldn’t have been here.”
In one his speeches at Arlington in UK, he mentioned that dictatorship had greatly damaged the Pakistan and its vision. He was a known critic of Zia ul Haq’s regime.
On Jinnah, Khurshid records in his diary, “Nationalism was Mr. Jinnah’s first love and continued to give him occasional pangs until late in life, as first love does…Mr Jinnah was a nationalist, but his nationalism died in its infancy…”
This was the last recorded entry in Khurshid’s diary before his shock demise. He aspired to write a biography on Jinnah’s last years and there’s nobody better than him who could have done so. But his first love Kashmir kept him busy until his last breathe.
His sudden demise at the age of 63 that too during twilight of revolution in Kashmir in late 1980s left a deep void. His leadership would have been of immense importance to the new generation of Kashmiris who had taken up the struggle in their own hands. But sometimes life is not what we want it to be.
KH Khurshid is rightly given the title of ‘Khurshid-e-Millat’ the light of the people. A light that extinguished too quickly but his legacy lives on.
(Editor’s Note: This article was first published here. For the purpose of clarity and fluency in reading, academic references have been removed.)
Former Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Attique Khan addressed today Ilhaq e Pakistan Convention organised by a local chapter of his party All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference. He condemned the Indian government’s brutalities in Indian held Jammu and Kashmir.
Insight on Kashmir 