It’s not that Modi isn’t banal enough to bomb Pakistan to impact India’s upcoming general elections. But to my mind, the primary purpose of this war mongering is to terrorize the Kashmiri struggle against occupation & colonialism, to obfuscate the conflict behind a Pakistan vs India narrative, & to disorient the growing international solidarity with Kashmiris.
Monthly Archives: March 2019
The NY Times reports that “India’s armed forces are in alarming shape” using “vintage” equipment & with only ten days of ammunition. There’s no downside to that. But it doesn’t accord with the Indian occupation of Kashmir nor the martial activities of the Indian Army within India. India reportedly trucks in caravans just of pellet munitions to depots in Kashmir. It has billions of dollars in arms deals with Israel & Russia, & an updated military alliance with the US. Perhaps what they mean is that Indian air power is outdated making it difficult to carry on a bombing war with Pakistan. Maybe Indian government officials are stealing right & left from the military coffers. Any limitations in India’s ability to wage war with Pakistan are a good thing. But they seem to have no shortage of Indian soldiers to use as cannon fodder against Kashmiris, Indians, & Pakistanis.
No war against Pakistan. India out of Kashmir.
A Palestinian stone pelter near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank: not a terrorist but from a long, long line of freedom fighters in Palestine, Kashmir, & elsewhere standing unarmed before the mightiest armies in the world.
(Photos by Baha Nasr)
“Just a reminder that India’s prime minister Narendra Modi was not allowed in the US, EU, or UK for years due to his participation in terrorism & communal riots as chief minister of Gujarat.”
–tweeted by Jibran Khan
Mir Laieeq is probably embarrassed that I seem to be running a fangirl page for him by sharing so much of his writings. Kashmir has many remarkable political writers who I learn a lot from but Mir’s polemical style has a particular force & cogency that uses few words, a lot of pungency, & deep commitment to azaadi to cut through nationalist bullshit & educate us about the character of the Kashmiri struggle. He has a gift for polemic which to my mind should be shared.
“I don’t give a damn about who wins the Nobel prize. But this statement by Imran Khan must be appreciated as in this cacaphony of war cries he has put the focus back on Kashmir and called for the resolution in accordance with the wishes of Kashmiris. Supporting Kashmiri right of self determination is the only moral, ethical and wise stand one can advocate. India needs to come out of the “integral part” narrative which is the root of all violence against Kashmiris.
“I am not worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. The person worthy of this would be the one who solves the Kashmir dispute according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people & paves the way for peace & human development in the subcontinent.” –Imran Khan
–Reposting this comment by Mir Laieeq because I agree the Nobel is a worthless honorific, especially after Kissinger, Suu Kyi, & so many other war criminals & genocidaires have won it. But as Mir says, Imran Khan’s statement places the Kashmiri demand for self-determination front & center in this conflict between Pakistan & India & places the onus of war solely on Indian colonialism & occupation in Kashmir.
Am I the only one who cannot find reports on this UNHCR investigation in the NY Times, the Guardian, & other such media? They reported on corruption charges against Netanyahu but not that Israeli snipers intentionally shot Palestinian children, people with disabilities, journalists, & medics?
Worth reposting from March 4th, 2018:
“it is not surprising to find many people whom I have deleted for their blatant Islamophobia in the past, turn out to be cheerleaders of Bashar Al Assad’s genocidal war against Syrians. it seems I have not wasted much of my time on social media. more power to people of Syria, Palestine and Kashmir whose legitimate struggles have been smeared with false charges of terrorism by the worse perpetrators of state terrorism and their cheerleaders.”
–Mir Laieeq
“Pakistan has had decades of close military ties with Burma. ISI, the notorious Pakistani intel services, train Myanmar military intelligence who in turn become torturers & executioners of Burmese dissidents & agents whipping up anti-Muslim hatred & racism. This is just the tip of the berg. I know these for a fact: I heard straight from the mouths of Burmese military intelligence officials.”
–Maung Zarni
A Kashmiri friend tells me my language is a problem for those whose first language is not English. I know in the past when I’ve used sarcasm in my posts that it has confused & caused indignation. I’m committed to the notion that language is to communicate, not to razzle-dazzle. So if my language is an issue, please let me know & I’ll try to figure out a way to communicate better. Unfortunately the damns and hells & crazy-pants stuff will not be modified since damnations are such a part of my psyche.