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.
Karot Hydropower Project (KHP), the first hydroelectricity project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is a $1.7 billion venture.
Karot hydropower station, the first along CPEC, put into commercial operation in Pakistan
Karot Power Company (Pvt) Limited (KPCL) was formed on 31 July 2010.
The company acts as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) and is responsible for executing 720MW Karot Hydropower Project. The ground-breaking was held on January 10, 2016, whereas the construction of the project commenced on 1st December 2016.
With an installed capacity of 7,200 megawatts, it can provide over three billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy each year, supplying electricity to about five million people in the country.
The Layout of the Karot Hydropower Project
As a single power generation task hydropower complex, the project’s structure layout includes a rock fill dam, spillway, powerhouse, diversion tunnels, and headrace tunnels.
Location:
The Karot Hydropower Project is located on the Jhelum River near Karot Village 74 km upstream of Mangla Dam.
The Project site is accessible through Islamabad-Kahuta-Kotli Road approximately 29 kilometers from Kahuta village and 80 kilometers from Islamabad.
Location of the Karot Hydropower Project
Karot Hydropower project is located in an area that is administratively under the control of the governments of the province of Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Figure 6- Aerial View of the construction site of the Karot Hydropower Project
Financiers
The investment for this project has come from the private sector. The Karot hydropower project is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The project is jointly funded by the International Finance Corporation, China’s Silk Road Fund, Export-Import Bank of China, and China Development Bank.
The main sponsor of the Karot hydropower Project is China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Limited (CSIAL), which is an investment arm of China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) in South Asia.
The CTG Corporation is a state-owned initiative with $18.3 billion in the capital. The corporation is strategically positioned to become a clean energy conglomerate specializing in large-scaled hydropower plant development and operations.
Advisors
Mott MacDonald is a UK-based consultancy firm and was appointed as the lenders’ technical, environmental and social advisor.[i] The consultancy firm provided technical support and strategic analysis to the project’s financiers.
They also reviewed the scheme’s design, change orders and variations, and disbursement applications.
The consultancy also assisted with the implementation of environmental and social management plans of the Karot Hydropower Project and advised on compliance with relevant standards and regulatory requirements.
The road distance from Islamabad to Karot Hydropower Dam
Mott MacDonald was also responsible to offer construction monitoring services covering technical, environmental, and social matters.
Mott MacDonald is the technical, environmental, and social advisor of the lenders of the Karot Hydropower Project
The civil works and E & M works were handed over to two separate contractors. The Engineering and Construction Contract was given to the Three Gorges Economy Development Company (TGDC). Whereas, the Equipment Supply Contract was with China Machinery & Electric Company (CMEC).
Aerial View of the site of the Hydropower dam
Health & Safety
From a health and safety point of view, the KPCL achieved remarkable goals including the least number of causalities in the entire hydropower construction sector of Pakistan.
Despite huge structures involving high-risk activities, the project reported no fatal accidents. The project fully complied with the health and safety requirements, environmental and social laws and regulations of Pakistan, CTG’s, CTGI’s HSSE standards, IFC Performance Standards, and good international industry practices.
The Karot Hydropower Project is structurally an asphalt core rock-fill dam of 95.5 m in height.
The powerhouse has an average annual electricity output of 3,206 million kWh, and annual utilization hours of 4,452h.[iii]
It includes a surface powerhouse, four headrace tunnels, diversion tunnels, a spillway, reservoir storage of 164.50 million cubic meters, and an approximately 5km long 500kV transmission interconnection to the national grid.
The dam site controls the drainage area of 26,700km2; having a long-term average runoff of 819m3/s and a long-term average annual runoff of 25.83 billion m3.
The project is a single power generation task hydropower complex, with a reservoir’s Full Water Level (FWL) of 461m, and reservoir storage at FWL of 152 million m3.
The cement used for the construction was produced locally. They tried very hard to control temperature rise, and reduce cracks in the concrete.
The project was built in the private sector under a Build-Own-Operate Transfer (BOOT) basis with an expected concession period of approximately 35 years, which includes the construction period of 5 years and the operation period of 30 years.
Karot Hydropower Project will play a key role in helping address the shortfall in generation capacity by creating a long-term, sustainable power supply.
Karot Power Company Limited will run and maintain the project for 30 years at a tariff of 7.57 cents per unit. At that juncture, it will be transferred to the Punjab government at a notional price of Rs1.00. So the consumers in Pakistan will get cheaper electricity from this eco-friendly project.
The contractors of the Karot project ensured that maximum employment opportunities were offered to local people.
On average, the Karot project hired more than 3300 Pakistani workers.
Out of the total Pakistani workers, 57% were hired from project districts i.e. Rawalpindi in Punjab, Kotli, and Sudhnoti in AJ&K.
This was distributed as 42% from Pakistan and 58% from AJ&K. However, during the month of September 2019 (peak activity) the workforce at Karot was about 4000, and 62% was from project districts.
The labor statistics related to the adjacent areas of the Karot project are given below;
During the land acquisition process, KPCL paid an attractive amount to those families that were affected.
The company also gifted them new plots in nearby and considerably high-value areas. The KPCL also ran financial literacy program to equip the local people with financial acumen on utilization of the compensation amounts.
Additionally, many of them were also offered employment support in terms of preparing applications for the advertised vacancies in the project.
There is no doubt that the Karot Project brought prosperity to the people of the local area as well as people from far-off areas of Punjab and AJ&K.
KPCL also arranged skills training for affected community members at a technical training center in Kahuta.
Mendhar (IoK News): / Disappointed with the poor road connectivity in different areas of border towns Mendhar, Balakote, and Mankote the residents have urged urgent action.
Dr. Shazad Malik, former Vice-Chancellor of University and Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Border Area Development Conference, JK-BADC strongly condemned the government agencies responsible for the construction of these roads.
In a statement issued here, the BADC Chairman has said that during his tour of over 30 Panchayats and hundreds of villages of Mendhar, Balakote, and Mankote in last over a month, one of the main problems apprised to him by the inhabitants of these villages was of poor Road connectivity.
Dr. Shahzad also informed that the people of these areas had complained as there is no coordination between the Department of Rural Development, Public Works Department (Road and Building), and PMGSY.
Therefore it is difficult to fix the responsibility of the concerned department that is responsible for the construction of roads with substandard material as all these departments construct roads in these areas without any coordination and information sharing with each other.
BADC Chairperson also alleged that every year 100s of crores of rupees are provided by the government of India and J & K government under different schemes to these departments for improving road connectivity in border areas but other than paperwork, negligible is done on the ground.
He has urged the Divisional Commissioner Jammu to formulate a coordination committee of heads of these departments to fix responsibility and avoid overlapping of road projects and funds besides conducting a quality audit of road constructions.
The detention of award-winning Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has triggered worldwide criticism.
For a long time now, India has gradually but steadily been quashing dissenting voices in Occupied Kashmir.
Khurram’s imprisonment is considered a part of the larger ongoing crackdown so that no one is able to collect any evidence of the state atrocities in Kashmir or raise a voice against state repression in the valley.
Forty-four-year-old Khurram has long been a leading figure in the field of human rights and civic activism, earning international accolades.
Khurram’s contribution in highlighting the rights abuses in Occupied Kashmir is exceptional which he did along with a small but dedicated team of experts and his organization Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), founded in 2000 – producing a plethora of work on human rights violations, including disappearances, torture and mass graves substantiated by solid evidence and research.
His relentless efforts and work for human rights in Kashmir cost him heavily.
In 2004, he lost his leg to a landmine blast while monitoring elections in northern Kashmir.
In 2016, he was booked under the controversial Public Safety Act, globally known as a black law, for 76 days.
Now, NIA has again put him behind the bars in a terror funding case – most likely a concocted story, in order to prevent him from working on the human rights issues.
His arrest stirred a global outcry. Besides human rights bodies and activists, famous writer Noam Chomsky, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor, Amnesty International – all unanimously condemned his detention and sought his immediate release.
Noam Chomsky
Although India’s human rights record in Kashmir has always been dismal, the frequency and intensity of violent incidents showing human rights abuses have increased manifold over the past few months.
The significant escalation in civilian killings, troops’ reinforcement, and target killings have beaten all past records.
Excessive use of military force seems to be a fundamental ingredient of India’s current approach towards Occupied Kashmir.
Former Indian external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha, in a recent interview, substantiated this contention.
He said that the use of brute forces in Kashmir was the new doctrine of the current Indian government.
He also revealed that a high-ranking official confessed to him that New Delhi would no longer engage Kashmiris in talks.
It shows that the idea of initiation of a political process for the restoration of statehood or Article 370 is no longer on Modi’s platter.
Recently, four Kashmiri citizens were killed in Srinagar, two of them labeled as Over Ground Workers (a term coined to describe people who are closely associated with militant outfits) and buried in a far-flung area.
The families of these deceased people staged a protest and vehemently denied the allegation that the assassinated members of their families had any link to the militants.
The victims’ families believed that they were used as a ‘human shield, declaring these custodial killings and cold-blooded murder in broad daylight.
Despite the public reaction, media hype, and the protest of the victims’ families, it took them a long duration of 76 hours to bring back the dead bodies and bury them in the neighborhood.
The authorities allowed limited family funerals under strict official watch.
In this context, a few observers are expressing fears that Khurram may be implicated in false terrorism-related cases by the Indian authorities and will have to remain in jail for some time.
Therefore, sustained global attention is required to make sure his well-being and immediate release.
The Indian authorities aim to silence his voice and, in the process, also scare other rights groups to work on Kashmir.
Additionally, almost all the major Hurriyat leaders have either been rounded up or are under house arrest.
A large number of pro-freedom activists and any individuals identified as a threat to peace were also swept into preventive custody.
Keep in mind that Kashmir is already not safe and accessible for members of independent human rights organizations.
Independent journalists or media outlets have been compelled either to toe the official line or face the state’s wrath.
Most Kashmiri citizens largely either do not follow the Indian national media or do not trust the narrative promoted by it.
Consequently, it was vital to manage public perception, change the indigenous narrative and develop a state-sponsored information mechanism.
Post-August 5 Kashmir is being completely controlled and managed by New Delhi from New Delhi.
The Indian authorities are also trying hard to tailor public perception and narratives according to their national interest.
These days, only those publications are allowed whose content is in line with the state narrative or close to it. Journalists and editors who crossed red lines had to face consequences such as legal action or harassment.
The rising human rights violations and tension inside Occupied Kashmir or over Kashmir suit the BJP’s political and ideological agenda.
Therefore, it is not willing to adopt an approach that saves innocent lives and brings peace and prosperity to the region.
Majoritarian politics demands that the conflict should remain alive, and it would even be better to make it a Hindu-Muslim clash so that the majority population continues to support the BJP government, particularly in the upcoming state elections.
A few days ago, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said at an event that leadership that had the will to abrogate Article 370 also has the capacity to retrieve ‘Pakistan-occupied Kashmir – Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan – from the ‘illegal occupation of Pakistan.
This shows that in the coming days, Kashmiri people will be targeted further, and any chances of India-Pakistan rapprochement are doomed.
#TLP supporters stage peaceful protest outside Pakistan High Commission London in support of the ongoing protest in Pakistan pic.twitter.com/crTNHmI2Uz
Islamic parties have been a powerful force to surmise with and can be counted among the privileged groups that sway political progression and decision-making in Pakistan.
These parties have a backup from other political parties and establishments. These parties have a marvelous sum of street power rather than vote power.
The rationale for the substantial political weight manipulated by these Islamic parties is lopsided with their electoral support.
They have set up an unambiguous situation for themselves among the diverse privileged cluster that verifies political processes and decision-making in Pakistan comprise the military, bureaucratic, sectarian wings, and trade cream of the crop.
They exercised sway not only in Afghan affairs but also in present national politics.
Despite meager electoral support, these parties are at the vanguard on issues like the establishment of Shariah Courts and legislation on subjects like ushr, zakat, or blasphemy.
The masses follow their heels, in campaigns on assorted issues. Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan( TLP) is a newly emerged political party but it has towered itself to the top among the rest.
Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan( TLP) and the Pashtun tahafuz movement (PTM ) are twins in their emergence but both are quite opposite in their agendas.
TLP got fame in the Mumtaz Qadri case and later on, it kept flourishing and now it is one of the mainstream national political parties.
Even in AJK elections, TLP outnumbered JI in vote banks.
Ulema being the torch-bearers of the message of love and peace should exhibit elasticity to initiate the dialogue process to put an end to the State-TLP stand-off.
The protestors and the forces both should step back from their stubborn stance so that the dialogue process should move on an optimistic track.
The state must abide by the agreements signed with TLP and avoid the use of brutal force to curb the agitators.
Every Muslim is the custodian and protector of Namoos-e-Risalat-e- Muhammad (SAW) and the faith in the finality of the Prophethood.
Now it is the responsibility of the Ulema to step forward to resolve the national crisis to appease the masses and pull them out of the agony of uncertainty.
The Ulemas are on intimate terms with both sides.
All the Ulemas should step in unanimously to play their pivotal role of mediator in solving this puzzle.
Both sides are trying to cash the situation in their favor which may result in drastic consequences.
The economic, psychological, political, strategic impact on the national image cannot be compensated.
Masses in Pakistan are already in agony due to Imran Khan’s change of miseries. Such agitations, protests, and marches grind the man in the street to unspeakable plight.
The daily wagers, private employees, students, and patients are the worst sufferers of all.
We have been applying religious parties for political purposes in the past and it seems that the high up decided to get rid of the traditional religious wings to create new groups for their vested interest.
Now, these newly manufactured Islamic wings seem to be out bounding from their reach.
Loss of any sort either is physical or monetarily, it is the loss of Pakistan.
The government seems half willing to meet the demands of TLP or she just wants to jump out of the present dilemma.
Ulema and scholars of Ahl-i-Sunnat Wal Jamaat have already offered their collaboration in the government-TLP stand-off and recommended both sides to settle the issue through dialogue.
The government must nominate Ulemas as mediators and negotiators for the settlement of the problem.
The government has tried to engage the TLP chief for negotiation but there is no ice break yet.
TLP’s main stipulate seems to be the closure of the French embassy in Pakistan as a result of the publication of blasphemous caricatures that caused anger in the Muslim world in general and Pakistan in particular.
Islam stresses affinity and harmony among mankind and Ulema must play their constructive role in neutralizing the continuing uptight circumstances in the country.
The consultative gatherings with religious wings are the need of the hour. It is also of urgent need as the religious brains don’t seem to be relying on government ministers.
In this case, Ulama has a key role in bridging the existing gulf of mistrust and surety. Since the inception of Pakistan, Ulema has always played a momentous role in providing moral and religious guidance to people besides standing with the State in difficult times.
The present government has raised its voice against Islamophobia and for the sanctity of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) at all international fronts and advocated the stance in an effective manner.
But the irony of the situation is that state machinery has completely cut a sorry figure in convincing or satisfying the religions wings about their stance and actions.
The existing breach between the state and the religious wings is not a good omen for the government and the country.
Certainly, the government has also set up the Rehmatul Lil Alameen Authority, which would promote the glowing teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and guide the nation to follow his footsteps for success in this life and hereafter.
But the helm of the matter is we have done it solely on a state or official level while it should be done mutually and collectively.
The state must incorporate all religious wings to avoid agitations and protests. Islam is a religion of peace and urged mankind to practice brotherhood and tolerance.
But unfortunately, our religious wings misuse masses for their vested political interests in the name of religion. The fanaticism of any kind is intolerable and harmful both for the country and religion.
The writer is Prof. of English and a freelance columnist, based in Lahore. He can be reached via email id Prof.abdulshakoorsyed@gmail.com
A familiar legacy of immigration is a sense of never fully belonging, either to where one leaves or to where one arrives.
Leaving is dissociation, and arrival is so seldom followed by that easy connection with one’s new home that is the privilege of the rooted.
As many children of immigrants know, the tumult of expatriation – mixed as it invariably is with wonder and excitement – can travel onward through generations.
The Roles We Play by Sabba Khan is both a meditation on this collective inherited trauma, and a deep dive into the personal experience of an exceptional woman.
The book, described as a ‘graphic memoir’, is at one level the story of its author, an architect from East London whose parents emigrated from Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. Having taken off her headscarf and married a white Englishman, she is coming to terms with who she is.
Through a combination of graphic art and text, Khan unravels the tensions that haunt her: her relationship with a possessive mother; her religious belief; duty to family and to self; the struggle between belonging and individuality.
Growing up in multicultural Newham, these stresses and strains only became fully apparent to Khan when she went to university and then sought to find a professional niche in the fiercely competitive world of architecture. Her success is testimony to the safe navigation of a cultural obstacle course, but the path was fraught with self-doubt and pain.
At another level, the book is a work of narrative sociology, for Khan clearly sees her experience as being emblematic of the large number of British Asians who find themselves caught between cultures, value systems and competing sets of expectations.
Tackling big questions such as the hierarchy of needs and free will versus cultural determination, the text veers between styles; some passages have an academic flavour, others are far more poetic, and several largeish chunks are styled in conventional graphic novel form.
This makes The Roles We Play somewhat challenging to characterise; but unclassifiability is perhaps a fitting attribute of a volume so laden with paradox and so rich in nuance.
The Roles We Play by Sabba Khan is published by Myriad Editions. ISBN: 978-1-912408- 30-6. RRP: £18.99.
Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed unprecedented constitutional, political and socio-economic engineering since the nullification of Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution, bifurcation of the state and its conversion to a Union Territory.
The implementation of the BJP’s ideological and civilizational agenda towards Kashmir was expedited after the abrogation of Article 370.
Beyond the international eye, New Delhi has silently enforced a process of political, constitutional, cultural and economic disempowerment to ultimately turn Kashmir into a Hindu majority state.
Recently, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an All-Party meeting with the unionist leaders of Occupied Kashmir aimed to spread the narrative of normalization across the world and seek the APC participants’ collaboration to implement the delimitation of the assembly constituencies without making any reconciliatory gestures or announcing fresh confidence-building measures.
It is widely believed in Occupied Kashmir that the insistence on the delimitation is meant to increase non-Muslims seats in the assembly so that a Hindu chief minister can be installed which has been an ideological dream of the BJP for a long time.
Conversely, the restoration of full statehood with the same constitutional and administrative powers is an overwhelming demand by the pro-Indian parties including Congress, ahead of the state election.
The BJP seems willing to revive the statehood, provided all major administrative powers such as maintaining law and order, and financial authority are vested in New Delhi with a powerful lieutenant governor, instead of the elected chief executive, after completing the delimitation exercise. It seems like this proposition has no attraction for the pro-India Kashmiri politicians.
New Delhi was expecting that direct rule over Kashmir would open up new economic and political opportunities for the local citizens, and the prevailing Kashmir conflict-centric narrative and identity would gradually vanish. On the contrary, the people of Ladakh and even Jammu are echoing Kashmiris’ demands for the restoration of full statehood.
A sizable number of Hindu and Buddhist leaders and civil activists also insist on the revival of Articles 370 and 35A, considering it a means to protect local inhabitants’ identity, jobs security and land rights.
Indian Occupied Kashmir went through massive economic losses due to the lockdown, suspension of the internet and political turmoil followed by the Covid-19 pandemic since the abrogation of Article 370.
A Srinagar based business organization Kashmir Economic Alliance reveals that business activities remained closed for 11 months during the last two years which caused a loss of approximately Rs70,000 crore to the local entrepreneurs. Given the expected fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, further economic losses are imminent.
On the other hand, India has not gained much by revoking Article 370 as it has remained unable to muster political and public support for its action so far. It has not only lost credibility, reputation and prestige in the eyes of the Kashmiris but has also politically marginalized its allies in Occupied Kashmir with a single stroke.
For instance, in the last month, the Concerned Citizens’ Group, a leading Indian civil society initiative visited Occupied Kashmir and had in-depth conversations with representatives from all walks of life. The group observed: “It seems that the people of Kashmir Valley now have virtually no expectation either from the people of India or from the state machinery in Delhi and Srinagar”.
It further noted that “the people’s mood was marked by lack of expectations from the state, a pervasive sense of hopelessness not witnessed by this Group earlier and deep-seated despondency in the youth. They have come to believe that there is no political space left for them, their rights have been taken away and that no one is inclined to listen to them”.
The thaw which led to the resumption of the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in February 2021 has not stopped or slowed down the sustained process of complete disempowerment of the Kashmiri Muslim community initiated by New Delhi. The ceasefire had stirred hope that concrete steps may follow to ensure stability inside Kashmir by reducing curbs on political activities, releasing Kashmiri prisoners and halting military operations signifying the massive human rights violation as well as the devastation of citizen properties which is labelled as collateral damage – but no tangible forward movement in this regard has been recorded.
Although the relationship between India and Pakistan reached its lowest ebb during the last two years, the back-channel contacts turned into a ceasefire along the LoC which is still in place despite a few violations.
Pakistani authorities made several positive gestures to pull India into the dialogue process. Even Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa went the extra mile, offering to bury the past and write a new chapter in bilateral relations.
No reciprocal gesture was shown from New Delhi. Neither did human rights conditions improve in Kashmir nor were over 4000 Kashmiri dissidents and pro-freedom leaders released.
Consequently, the window of opportunity ceased to exist to great extent. Recently, Dr Moeed Yusuf, National Security Advisor, lamented while talking to several media outlets that New Delhi has not taken the required steps to create an environment conducive for dialogue. He confirmed that back-channel contacts are no longer in place.
It is time to realize that no unilateral solution to the Jammu and Kashmir issue is possible nor is the present status quo maintainable. Resumption of dialogue and involvement of all Kashmiri stakeholders in the dialogue process is imperative to find a lasting solution.
The last two years show that the people of Kashmir seek peace and support the normalization of India and Pakistan relations but with dignity, and are not willing to compromise on their fundamental position on the Kashmir issue which is based on the right to choose their destiny in a free and impartial manner.
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.
Since India and Pakistan have finally embarked on the path of reconciliation and dialogue, it is time to reflect upon and identify the major roadblocks which have the potential to hinder forward movement once again.
These hurdles include: a top-down approach, limited infrastructure for peace-building and, more importantly, the absence of Kashmiri representation and limited support of all the stakeholders. It is a sad reality that, despite periodic engagement in dialogue, both India and Pakistan have remained unable to yield any tangible results, particularly in the context of the Kashmir dispute and Siachen.
In the present circumstances, it is imperative to find the key entry points which might help both countries initiate a continuous, uninterrupted and insulated dialogue process, ensuring the involvement of all stakeholders in the process including the political and civil society representatives.
A major obstacle is the tendency of a top-down approach. Most of the time, the top leadership initiates talks which is a top-down approach, with its own limitations. The civil-military bureaucracy plays a vital role in constructing the contours of the dialogue process which is conservative in terms of generating fresh thinking and is also averse to new ideas for the engagements. A well thought-out and properly structured peace process, involving citizens and multi-layer stakeholders, has not been formulated so far.
Additionally, seven decades-long acrimonies and rifts among the leaders resulted in the creation of some permanent infrastructures meant to undermine and compete with each other at the diplomatic level for economic gains.
Secondly, the institutional structures for the peace process have not been created so far; these could have served as a platform for dialogue and cooperation. Instead of creating institutions to promote dialogue and reconciliation, prevent conflict and enable mediation; heavy investment is made to prevent each other’s socio-political growth and damage international standing.
Third, several accounts acknowledged the significant role played by the secret backchannel set up by the two governments to resolve contentious issues and find a common ground for the settlement of the Kashmir issue during 2004-2008. However, the delay in the pronouncement of what was agreed on made it redundant as the altered political environment in both countries made it infeasible to make things public.
Fourth, several dialogues and even summit meetings hit a dead end quickly because these were not mutually planned and well-designed, and there was no strategy to contain backlash in case of failure. Conversely, both New Delhi and Islamabad tried to outmaneuver each other at all meetings instead of focusing on resolving the contentious issues. Regrettably, politics was played to address the domestic audience and larger regional interests were conveniently compromised.
For instance, in July 2009, on the side-lines of a Non-Aligned Movement summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, then Indian PM Manmohan Singh acknowledged Pakistan’s apprehension about alleged Indian involvement in insurgency reported in Balochistan. Likewise, in July 2015; the prime ministers of India and Pakistan, on the side-lines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the Russian city of Ufa, issued a joint statement which outlined the future course of action to normalize bilateral relations; they mentioned that both sides should strive to combat terrorism. Pakistani media and politicians accused the then PM Nawaz Sharif of accepting Indian terms by including the term ‘terrorism’ in the joint statement, without mentioning Kashmir in particular.
Almost all the meetings of the Indian and Pakistani leaders are intensely followed by their respective media which largely promotes the traditional narrative, often led by ex-government officials who are generally driven by the popularity syndrome instead of balanced thinking. The media has thus made it virtually impossible for the political leadership to think creatively to find new ways of engagement. In this background, both countries have to carefully manage their domestic media, besides ensuring solid support from the opposition parties.
Last but not least, since the LoC ceasefire implemented on February 25, Kashmir has not witnessed any respite in violence or state-led repression. Thousands of Kashmiris are still in jails or under house arrest despite the growing danger of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The dialogue process between India and Pakistan cannot yield the desired results unless the Kashmir Valley witnesses some noticeable changes such as the release of prisoners, exercising zero tolerance to human rights violations and creating space for political activities run by people with all shades of political attachments and opinions.
Insight on Kashmir 