“We are concerned that the claimant gave the tribunal a highly distorted account of a part-recorded telephone call with our Chairman, in which she shouted and deliberately goaded him with insults about his family and business before secretly recording the conversation. We believe the call amounted to entrapment”
Sun mark Ltd, one of the leading FMCG firms in the UK, denies press reports accusing the chairman of misconduct.
Lord Rami Ranger CBE
Several newspapers, including The Times and The Daily Telegraph, carried a story alleging Chairman Lord Rami Ranger shouted at a former employee and sweared during a heated argument on the phone.
“We strongly deny allegations of victimisation, harassment and discrimination against our Chairman and Chief Executive and the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has granted them an appeal on numerous grounds including to consider whether the tribunal has erred in its decision that the Claimant did not act in bad faith, the group, one of the largest and award winning exporters in the country, said in a statement.
“The tribunal found the claimant had “exaggerated matters considerably” and “distorted” evidence, ruling that she was “not entirely a reliable witness” and “not credible”. It dismissed many of her allegations, deciding that they were impossible to believe.
“We are concerned that the claimant gave the tribunal a highly distorted account of a part-recorded telephone call with our Chairman, in which she shouted and deliberately goaded him with insults about his family and business before secretly recording the conversation. We believe the call amounted to entrapment. The tribunal agreed that many of the words attributed to him by the claimant’s translator were never said, but the tribunal had not properly taken into consideration the fact that the call was only part recorded after our Chairman had been insulted and provoked. The EAT has granted an appeal and agreed that the grounds are sufficiently strong to proceed to a full hearing in relation to the findings against our Chairman.”
The group also denied charges against the work practices in the company.
Indian-origin businessman Lord Rami Ranger with Prime Minister Boris Johnson
“In relation to the single allegation that was upheld against the Chief Executive, we are pleased that the Employment Appeals Tribunal has again agreed to our request for a full appeal hearing,” the group added in the statement. “We consider that the finding against him, based on his decision not to respond to an email from the claimant, instead referring the matter for independent investigation, contradicts the tribunal’s conclusion that he had handled matters skilfully.
“The claimant made serious allegations against an employee, Mr Sharma, in her tribunal claim, which she had not previously mentioned in her statement to the police; no police action was ever taken, there was no corroborative evidence, witnesses contradicted her claims and the serious allegations were dismissed by the tribunal.
“The tribunal found she “put a far more sinister interpretation on what happened, which is not credible. The integrity of colleagues who were witnesses in the investigation was also called into question by the claimant, but the tribunal found their evidence credible. The Company have re-opened the investigation; however, we understand that Mr Sharma is applying for permission to appeal the findings against him and we await the outcome of that process before considering whether disciplinary action is necessary.”
The tribunal acknowledged there is no history of discrimination or harassment in any of our companies. The company, chairman and directors take their responsibilities as an employer very seriously; we do not accept harassment of any kind in the workplace and we take remedial action if there is any cause for concern.
Our application for a Restricted Reporting Order was predominantly based on the claimant’s right to anonymity, which she understandably wanted to protect. As soon as she decided to waive her anonymity, we withdrew our application as it was no longer necessary. We understand that Mr Sharma continued with an application for privacy to protect his own rights to privacy given the seriousness of the allegations made against him that were dismissed by the tribunal.
“Once again I am calling upon the Taliban to give up fighting, enmity and observe permanent ceasefire which is the demand of the people of Afghanistan,”…reports Asian Lite News
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday urged the Taliban to halt fighting and observe a ceasefire during the Islamic holy month month of Ramadan aimed at bolstering the peace process.
“Once again I am calling upon the Taliban to give up fighting, enmity and observe permanent ceasefire which is the demand of the people of Afghanistan,” Ghani said in his message to mark the start of Ramadan broadcast by local television channels.
The President made the remarks amid efforts to hold a peace conference on Afghanistan under UN auspices in Turkey.
The Taliban group has to prove its willingness for achieving peace in action and not in word, the Pesident said.
Afghan religious scholars have also called on the warring sides including the Taliban group to observe truce during the holy month.
Afghan security force members are seen at the site of a bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan
In war-torn Afghanistan, fighting and violence have been continuing, and in the latest wave, over 50 people including Taliban militants, government security personnel and civilians were killed, according to sources and local media reports.
According to security officials, 18 militants have been killed in Kandahar and 14 more in the neighbouring Uruzgan province since April 10.
At least 16 more insurgents have recently been killed in the Wardak, Kunduz and Samangan provinces.
According to local media reports, a former commander, Sayed Akbar Agha, said that “no sign of observing ceasefire from the Taliban” has been seen.
Local media reports said 79 security personnel and 28 civilians have been killed and 106 others including 57 civilians injured over the past seven days in Afghanistan.
EU Foreign Affairs spokesman Peter Stano told an online press conference on Monday that the reported incident in Natanz “could have been an act of sabotage”…reports Asian Lite News
The European Union (EU) has strongly rejected any attempts to derail diplomatic efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal currently underway in Vienna.
EU Foreign Affairs spokesman Peter Stano told an online press conference on Monday that the reported incident in Natanz “could have been an act of sabotage”, but insisted that there had been no official attribution over who was responsible, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Natanz uranium enrichment site near Tehran was hit by a power outage on Sunday as negotiators in Vienna were seeking to re-admit the US to the 2015 pact, officially known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions, after former President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018.
“There has been no official attribution and there are several accusations that we are aware of, but it has to be clarified what happened and who is behind it. We still need to clarify the facts in detail as quickly as possible,” he said.
Stano said that any attempt to derail the diplomatic negotiations underway in Vienna to salvage the JCPOA must be completely rejected.
“We reject any attempts to undermine, derail or weaken diplomatic efforts on the nuclear agreement… All issues concerning the nuclear program have to be resolved by diplomatic means because there is no other sustainable alternative,” he stressed.
Two meetings of the JCPOA Joint Commission were held last week in Vienna, chaired by Enrique Mora, the deputy secretary general and political director of the EU External Service Action Service, and attended by representatives from China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and Iran.
Washington sent a delegation led by US Special Envoy to Iran Robert Malley.
They did not meet their Iranian counterparts face-to-face, but a shuttle diplomacy approach was adopted with the intensified help of the coordinators.
Arab Parliament reiterated that “security of Saudi is a basic pillar in the Arab national security”…reports Asian Lite News
The Arab Parliament (AP) has condemned the Yemeni Houthi militia attacks using explosive-laden drones and ballistic missiles on targets in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
“The continuing escalation and targeting of civilians in Saudi Arabia reflect the Houthis’ challenge of the international law and rejection for all the political efforts to end the crisis in Yemen,” the AP said in a statement on Monday.
It reiterated its support for Saudi Arabia in the measures taken to protect the safety and security of its lands, adding that “security of Saudi is a basic pillar in the Arab national security”, reports Xinhua news agency.
The AP attributed the aggression of the Houthi militia to the reluctance of the international community to take a firm stand for deterring all the violating practices.
Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV reported on Sunday night that the Riyadh-led coalition had intercepted and destroyed six bomb-laden drones and a ballistic missile fired by the Houthi militia from Yemen toward Saudi southern border cities.
The attack came a day after the Houthi militia lost dozens of fighters in a battle with the Yemeni government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in the oil-rich Marib province.
In February, the Houthis launched a major offensive to capture the province.
They have since stepped up cross-border missile and drone attacks against Saudi cities and oil facilities.
Most of the attacks were reportedly foiled by the coalition.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of several northern Yemeni provinces and forced the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi’s government.
Jerusalem, Sept. 13, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a briefing on COVID-19 pandemic in Israel at his office in Jerusalem, on Sept. 13, 2020. Israel will reimpose a nationwide lockdown for three weeks, beginning on Friday, to slow a rapid resurgence of coronavirus infections, the government decided on Sunday. (Yoav Dudkevitch/JINI via Xinhua/IANS)
“We both know the horrors of war. We both understand the importance of preventing war and we both agree that Iran must never possess nuclear weapons,said Netanyahu…reports Asian Lite News
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country will never allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.
He made the remarks while addressing a joint press conference here on Monday with visiting US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.
Addressing Austin, Netanyahu said: “We both know the horrors of war. We both understand the importance of preventing war and we both agree that Iran must never possess nuclear weapons.
“My policy as Prime Minister of Israel is clear: I will never allow Iran to obtain the nuclear capability to carry out its genocidal goal of eliminating Israel.
“Israel will continue to defend itself against Iran’s aggression and terrorism.”
Iran has repeatedly denied its attempts to obtain nuclear weapons and says its nuclear facilities are meant for civil purposes only.
Netanyahu then went on to say that “Israel has no greater ally and certainly no greater ‘mishpucha’ (family in Hebrew) than the US”.
“And I can say equally that the US has no greater ally and no greater ‘mishpucha’ than Israel.”
Thanking the Prime Minister for the “discussion on a range of regional security challenges, including Iran’s destabilising activities”, Austin said that Washington’s “commitment to the US-Israel strategic partnership is ironclad”.
“The US supports normalization between Israel and the Arab and Muslim world,” he added.
Austin’s two-day visit marks the first by a US official since President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January.
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz
On Sunday, Austin met Defence Minister Benny Gantz during he said that he was committed to boosting the Jewish state’s security and “continuing our close consultations on threats posed by Iran”.
This meeting came on the same day after Iran’s nuclear facility in Natanz was attacked.
Iran has blamed Israel for the accident took place in a part of the electricity distribution network of the facility.
Austin’s visit also comes as the White House has been holding indirect talks over possible renewing of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Meanwhile, the Defence Secretary is not expected to visit the Palestinian Territories, although US President Joe Biden has signalled that he wants to rebuild ties with the Palestinians.
The previous administration of Donald Trump made several major diplomatic moves which were welcomed by Israel but denigrated by the Palestinians, including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, and weakening support for a two-state solution.
Austin is expected in Germany on Tuesday, and in Brussels after that.
The maiden fashion show in Kashmir sets the ball rolling… A special report Khadeeja Qayyum
Kashmir fashion broke the jinx. Everything is possible in Kashmir now. The maiden fashion show, organised by the All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS), at Tagore Hall in Srinagar opened a new chapter in the history of Kashmir. Who would have thought few years ago that this too is possible in Kashmir! 10 designers and 22 models of Kashmir participated with top designer Rajdeep Ranawat. Prominent cultural activist Sajid Yousuf Shah inaugurated the event.
The AJYKS, an NGO, has broken the shackles and it can pave the way for many more such shows being held in Kashmir in the near future. The ball has started to roll. For young boys and girls in Kashmir modeling has always been a difficult option. All aspiring models cannot afford to visit Mumbai and other metropolitan cities to chase their dreams. After the abrogation of Article 370—which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir—many things have changed in the newly carved out union territory. New Delhi has changed its priorities by shifting its focus from a handful of Kashmir based leaders to a common man. Empowering youth and providing them with more opportunities have been the thrust areas. The change is visible but a few elements are finding it hard to come at terms with the changing trends in the Valley. Young girls coming forward to participate in the fashion show has proven it beyond doubt that Kashmir’s generation-next is keen to tread on the path of peace, prosperity and development.
One fails to understand how come organizing a fashion show is an immoral act? Such shows are held across the world, including Pakistan and the Gulf countries, if these shows are moral in Muslim countries then how come a show held in Srinagar is immoral? Kashmiri youth are within their rights to live their lives in a way they want and no one can dictate terms to them. The females who want to wear burqas can go ahead with it. No one will ask them why they are in a veil? But no one has given them a right to prevent others from taking part in the events that can prove to be stepping stones in their careers.
Protest March
The fashion show triggered a row in the Valley as around 30 to 40 females took out a silent protest march against the event along the Boulevard Road on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar. The protesters claimed that they were not affiliated with any organisation and hit the streets voluntarily. However, media reports said that the cleric from Central Kashmir’s Budgam district had organized the march. A KAS officer while reacting to the march wrote: “Strongly condemn such acts. Everyone has a right to live his life the way he likes.” Prominent journalist Aditya Raj Kaul tweeted: “And the radical Islamist are up in arms against the Fashion Show with ‘My Burqa, My Pride’ posters to push back Kashmir. Thirty Burqa clad women, who don’t want art, cinema, theatre, fashion, cafes or progress. Just want violence and hatred. Hope Kashmir gets a cinema hall soon.”
Fatwa on rock band In 2012 three teenage girls, Nooma Nazir, 16, Ameena Khalid, 16 and Farah Deeba 15, had formed Pragaash—a Sufi-rock girl band. But the then proclaimed Grand Mufti of Kashmir, late Mufti Bashiruddin, who used to claim to be a sole custodian of the Supreme Court of Islamic Shariat’ in the Valley, had issued a fatwa (religious edict) advising the girls and their families to “stay within the limits of modesty as prescribed for them.” The band was silenced before it could even properly appear on the scene. The three teenage students of Srinagar’s Presentation Convent, had mesmerized the audiences at their first stage performance on December 24, 2012. The event was organized by a Srinagar based cultural group “Valley Youth Expression” with funds from the Central Reserve Police Force. But after their performance these girls were trolled and threatened on social media, which led to these budding artists calling it a day. Since 2012 lot of water has flown in Jehlum. The henchmen of separatists and radical elements have lost their addresses. In “Naya Kashmir” many young artistes, including girls, have proven their mettle in the recent past. These artistes are participating in stage shows, performing during wedding functions and other cultural events. The videos of their performances have gone viral on social media. These budding artists are spreading love and music. They seem least interested in preaching hatred and violence.
Dukhtaran Terror Over Prior to August 5, 2019—when the Centre announced its decision to abrogate Article 370 and bifurcated erstwhile J&K State into two union territories— radical women organization headed by Asiya Andrabi, who along with her aides is lodged at Tihar Jail in New Delhi at present—was infamous for raiding parks, restaurants and throwing acid on women for not observing purdah. But as on date there are no such organizations active in the Valley. The terror of the women group has ended. It has allowed the females who want to move on with their lives to come forward and showcase their talent. As on date the schools in the Valley hold special music classes for the students and encourage them to participate in the events which would turn them into confident human beings, who won’t succumb to any threats or fear. New Beginning The fashion show organized by the AJKYS in Srinagar triggered a debate but the voices in favour of the event indicate that Kashmir has changed in the past one and half years and no one can stop Kashmiri youth from competing with their counterparts across the country. The fashion show at Tagore Hall is a beginning there is lot more in offing for the youth, who during the past three decades were turned into cannon fodder by extremists to keep the pot boiling in the Valley. Kashmir is on the move and youth are leading from the front.
INAUGURATION: The All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS) orgainses a fashion show at Tagore Hall
The All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS) orgainses a fashion show at Tagore Hall
The All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS) orgainses a fashion show at Tagore Hall
The All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS) orgainses a fashion show at Tagore Hall
The All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS) orgainses a fashion show at Tagore Hall
The All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS) orgainses a fashion show at Tagore Hall
The All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS) orgainses a fashion show at Tagore Hall
The All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS) orgainses a fashion show at Tagore Hall
The All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS) orgainses a fashion show at Tagore Hall
The All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS) orgainses a fashion show at Tagore Hall
The All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS) orgainses a fashion show at Tagore Hall
The All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS) orgainses a fashion show at Tagore Hall
The All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS) orgainses a fashion show at Tagore Hall
The All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS) orgainses a fashion show at Tagore Hall
The All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS) orgainses a fashion show at Tagore Hall
The All Jammu and Kashmir Youth Society (AJKYS) orgainses a fashion show at Tagore Hall
Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi (C) arrives for the plenary session of the 35th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 2, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei/IANS)
President Win Myint, who was also taken into custody in the wake of the military takeover, had made the same demand….reports Asian Lite News
Myanmar’s former de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was ousted and detained following the February 1 coup, has again demanded a face-to-face meeting with her lawyers at a court hearing held online.
So far, the judiciary has refused, dpa news agency reported on Monday.
President Win Myint, who was also taken into custody in the wake of the military takeover, had made the same demand, according to Min Min Soe, a lawyer on Suu Kyi’s defence team.
“We were able to see them both at the trial via video link, and they looked healthy,” the lawyer said.
Exactly where Suu Kyi and Win Myint are being held remains unclear.
Another charge of violating Covid-19 restrictions has also been brought against the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Min Min Soe said, but exact details remained unclear.
Suu Kyi faces already one case in connection with these regulations.
The judiciary accuses the 75-year-old of several offences, including violations of foreign trade laws in connection with radio equipment found in her house.
Most recently, the military junta brought a case for an alleged violation of a state secrets law that dates back to colonial times.
The charge carries a prison sentence of up to 14 years.
A Myanmar police officer
The most serious charge so far is that of “incitement to sedition”.
At the end of March, Suu Kyi was allowed to speak briefly with Min Min Soe via video link. Since the coup, however, she has had no personal access to her defence lawyers.
The next hearing is scheduled for April, her lawyer said.
The coup has prompted widespread protests, to which soldiers have responded with a violent crackdown on the population.
Nearly 2,850 have been arrested, and at least 598 have been killed, including 48 children, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a non-profit organization.
“The Zionists want to sabotage Iran’s nuclear achievements and the nuclear negotiations (in Vienna) with these terrorist operations,”said Zarif…reports Asian Lite News
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday described the cyberattack on the Natanz nuclear facility as an act of terrorism and blamed Israel for it.
The plant in central Iran produces, among other things, new centrifuges for uranium enrichment, dpa news agency reported.
“The Zionists want to sabotage Iran’s nuclear achievements and the nuclear negotiations (in Vienna) with these terrorist operations,” Zarif told Parliament on Monday.
Neither, however, will happen, he said.
“Our revenge is that we will continue successfully in both areas,” Zarif added.
Israel has so far not commented on the allegations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
“The activities of the Israeli army in the Middle East are not hidden from the enemies,” Israeli Chief of General Staff Aviv Kochavi said on Sunday.
“They are watching us, seeing our capabilities, and carefully considering their moves.”
Israel considers Iran’s nuclear programme a serious threat because Tehran has missiles with a range of up to 2,000 km that could hit anywhere in the Jewish state.
If the missiles were equipped with nuclear warheads, Israel’s existence would be seriously threatened.
Tehran insists it has no nuclear warheads and will only use the missiles for a retaliatory strike.
A comment published by European Foundation for South Asian Studies says that violent protests organised by the Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh (HIB) during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’ recent visit to Bangladesh may herald the dawn of a potent new extremist entity. A special comment by Dr Sakariya Kareem
The recent visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to neighbouring Bangladesh was a huge success. Five agreements relating to trade, disaster management, information technology and sports were signed during the visit, foundation stones for infrastructure development at a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh were laid, and a new train service between India and Bangladesh was launched.
The visit began with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina personally greeting Modi upon his arrival at Dhaka airport on 26 March, and telling an audience in a parade square in Dhaka that Bangladesh’s relations with India had reached a new high such that “If we move forward hand in hand, the development of our people is inevitable”. But there were some organisations want to spoil the friendship between India and Bangladesh. One among them was the Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh (HIB), a radical Islamic organisation.
They decided on the eve of Modi’s visit to launch a countrywide protest campaign. The English translation of the group’s name roughly corresponds to “safeguarding Islam in Bangladesh”. Formed in 2010, the HIB operates unregulated Qawmi Madrassas (religious schools) across Bangladesh.
The group first caught the public eye when in 2013 it effectively seized Dhaka with more than half a million activists, most drawn from the Qawmi Madrassas. It insisted that the Sheikh Hasina government meet a set of 13 demands, including the enactment of an anti-blasphemy law with provision for the death penalty, the cancellation of the national women’s development policy, the enforcement of Islamic religious garb such as the hijab, a ban on constructing sculptures in public places and on men and women mixing in public, and the declaration of Ahmadis as non-Muslims.
The targets of the HIB included free thinkers, liberal forces and advocates of inclusive values and culture. The government cracked down on the HIB in May 2013, and normalcy returned to the streets of the capital after several HIB leaders were either killed or arrested by the security forces.
Modi meets Hasina(ians)
The European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) released a commentary on March 19 in the run-up to Modi’s visit to Bangladesh. It had visualized a successful visit in tune with the warm and welcoming atmosphere that by most accounts awaited him in Dhaka. The visit, indeed, did turn out to be a success. An important aspect which that Commentary was remiss in glossing over, however, was the potential impact that organisations and individuals with an extremist bent of mind could have had in shaping the imagery around the visit. Perhaps the near absence of reporting of extremist incidents in the Bangladeshi media in recent months had lulled us into believing that Sheikh Hasina, through her concerted and laudable efforts in that direction, had finally managed to tame the devil of extremism that had plagued the country for the most part of its 50-year existence.
An editorial in the Bangladeshi English language broadsheet The Daily Star had pointed out as recently as on 8 March that “there has been no palpable activity by the religious extremist groups since the brutal Holey Artisan killings in July 2016”.
Some other observations made in The Daily Star editorial were noteworthy. It commented that “One hears very often from a few inveterate optimists that Bangladesh has seen the end of religious extremism. We have been continually cautioning against entertaining any euphoria that absence of demonstrative activity on their part is not an indication of the demise of the religious extremists altogether…
“That they have not been able to launch any major attack since 2016 speaks of the success of our security agencies, particularly the Anti-Terrorism Task Force… And it is the political issues that these groups would exploit primarily, gaining of political power being their ultimate objective without which their religious objective would remain unfulfilled. A political void or a turmoil is what they wait for to pounce”. As it turned out, in the midst of the prevalent enthusiasm on both sides that bilateral relations between the two neighbours would continue to grow, Modi on 27 March concluded his two-day official visit amid violent protests engineered by a Bangladeshi extremist group that is looking to announce its change of direction and focus to the country.”
HIB: The rise of new extremist entity in Bangladesh(ians)
After the crackdown in May 2013, the Sheikh Hasina government entered into serious behind-the-scene negotiations with the HIB leadership that yielded a fragile peace between the two sides. The government developed a close relationship with some HIB leaders, most notably with the outfit’s then chief Shah Ahmad Shafi.
A few factors, especially the fact that at that stage the HIB was not a political party with an explicit political agenda to take over power, had facilitated the establishment of such a relationship. The HIB’s strength lay in its institutional architecture as a networked organization of thousands of Madrassas spread all over the country. The social acceptability of the HIB was bolstered by the fact that the Madrassas offered free boarding to hundreds of orphans, catered to the social need for Islamic rituals and services, and received a significant part of zakat, charity payments that form a pillar of the Islamic faith. This too had encouraged the government to associate with the HIB.
The death of Shafi in September last year, however, tilted the balance of power within the HIB towards the more extremist anti-government faction within it. Shafi’s successor as Amir, Junayed Babunagari, was educated for 4-year in his 20s in Pakistan, first at the Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia and then at the Jamia Darul Uloom Karachi.
A hardliner in his views, Babunagari did not waste time in overturning the more moderate vision of HIB espoused by his predecessor and in adopting a more political posture. This transformation had been brought out by The Daily Star’s senior correspondent Rashidul Hasan in an article published on 9 December 2020 in which he averred that the HIB was turning into a political party for all practical purposes. He wrote, “Hefajat-e-Islam is now more than a political party with the strategic disclaimer of having no political agenda”.
Another aspect highlighted by Rashidul Hasan pertained to the linkages that the revamped HIB under Babunagari had forged. Hasan contended that “About one-third of its (HIB) leaders of the new committee who seized control come from political parties who are part of a 20-party alliance led by BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party)”.
Modi meets Hasina(ians)
BNP leader Khaleda Zia has been closely aligned with the banned fundamentalist Islamist party the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), and the two parties have earlier combined to form the government in Dhaka. Presently politically marginalized, the BNP sees the ambitious fresh leadership of the HIB as a potent weapon in its incessant attempts to topple Sheikh Hasina.
Some Bangladeshi experts believe that the HIB today has become a front for the JeI, which calls for Shariat rule in Bangladesh. Over the last few years the outlawed JeI, which has also been marginalized in Bangladeshi society and reduced to tatters by Sheikh Hasina’s fervently anti-extremist policy, has been trying to resurrect itself by infiltrating the HIB.
The JeI is known to maintain strong links with the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and the suggestion that the Pakistani intelligence agency is the driving force behind the efforts to bring the JeI and the HIB closer to each other has also been made by responsible sections of the media.
The violence that the HIB triggered in Bangladesh on 26 March, even as Modi landed in the country, and which continued for several days thereafter, need to be viewed against this backdrop. The violence began in Dhaka, where dozens were injured in clashes between HIB members ostensibly protesting Modi’s visit, and the police, which was forced to use rubber bullets and tear gas against the disruptive protesters. It spread to several other districts, and in Chittagong five HIB members were killed when the police opened fire on a group that had attacked a police station.
As the violence escalated and attacks on government property, police stations and trains by HIB activists intensified, another 6 people were killed on 27 March and 2 more the following day. At least 26 police personnel were also injured in the clashes. Javed Rahim, a journalist in Brahmanbaria town where the last two deaths occurred, described the scene to Reuters by phone, “Brahmanbaria is burning. Various government offices were set on fire indiscriminately. Even the press club was attacked and many injured, including the press club president. We are in extreme fear and feeling really helpless”.
Significantly, HIB activists also attacked and vandalized temples of the minority Hindu community. Also a Hindu, and one who unabashedly espouses the Hindu cause, Modi visited two Hindu temples during his visit.
The Bangladesh government appears to have taken the HIB provocation with the degree of seriousness that it deserves. The initial reaction by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan was firm, and he sounded as though he meant business. Calling for the protests to be halted, he warned, “Our security forces are observing this with patience. We think if this is not stopped, we’ll take necessary actions”.
Sheikh Hasina did not mince words either in her address to parliament on April 4.
Describing Islam as a religion of peace, she averred that terms such as extremism and terrorism were linked to Islam due to the misdeeds of some people. She denounced the HIB for carrying out destruction in the name of Islam, and called out the BNP and the JeI for giving the HIB patronage. Terming the HIB-led mayhem at a time when the nation was celebrating the golden jubilee of its independence as deplorable, she asserted, “Did Hefazat do it alone? The BNP-Jamaat alliance is behind it”.
Recalling that the BNP and the JeI had issued separate messages on 27 and 28 March supporting the HIB, Hasina said this proved their part in the conspiracy against the State. She accused the two parties of being bereft of any ideology as they supported the violent protests led by the HIB against Modi’s visit, but at the same time welcomed Modi when he reached Bangladesh to attend the country’s golden jubilee celebrations. Hasina assured the parliament that those responsible for the violence would be brought to justice.
“I can only say that legal action will be taken against those responsible for such misdeeds”, she said. Reports suggest that the Bangladesh government has decided to re-activate over 80 terrorism-related cases against the HIB and its members.
The Indian government in its comments on Modi’s visit to Bangladesh noted that it had facilitated “significant decisions” to reinforce the legacy of 1971 and to deepen India-Bangladesh bilateral cooperation. On the violence by the HIB, it said, “As far as the violence is concerned, we have always been against fundamentalism and extremism. We are confident that the Bangladesh government will address the challenge”.
While timing them to coincide with Modi’s visit may have served the desired purpose of assuring maximum airtime for the HIB, the real purpose of the protests, which Sheikh Hasina seems to have recognized and is gearing up to confront, was to announce spectacularly the arrival of the HIB under its fresh leadership as the new political force that seeks to “safeguard” Islam in Bangladesh.
Terrorism as a state policy has never paid dividends anywhere and Pakistan’s Kashmir theatre is no exception. Army Chief Gen Bajwa’s call to bury the past and focus on geo-economics stems from this truism. Imran Khan’s decision not to heed the call of his army masters reflects the inability of Pakistan’s political class not to look beyond the nose … writes Sajid Yousuf Shah. No Moral Right or Diplomatic Immunity for Pakistan’s Kashmir conflict
The International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR) has an interesting article on Kashmir in its March (2021) issue. It makes a compelling reading in the context flip-flops by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on facilitating a thaw in the relations with India. His U-turn is food for thought for Pakistan analysts as is his return to the old Pak refrain that Kashmir issue should be solved first for a turnaround in bilateral relations with India.
Clearly neither Imran Khan nor any of his cohorts has read Asima Hassan’s article, which draws attention to what is no more than the flip-side of Pakistan’s Kashmir policy. Dr Hassan is a sociologist by training and a Kashmiri by birth. And the study is on the plight of families of militants, pampered by Pakistan over the past three decades hoping to make India bleed with thousands of cuts, if not part with Kashmir altogether. Terrorism as a state policy has never paid dividends anywhere and Pakistan’s Kashmir theatre is no exception. Army Chief Gen Bajwa’s call to bury the past and focus on geo-economics stems from this truism. Imran Khan’s decision not to heed the call of his army masters reflects the inability of Pakistan’s political class not to look beyond the nose.
The short point is that since Pakistan made Kashmir a protracted conflict, Kashmir has become home to a new group- widows, single parents, and orphaned children. Dr Asima Hassan draws attention to the plight of this section based on field work across the Kashmir valley. There is no evidence in public domain to show Pakistan had factored in the human misery its Kashmir policy is resulting in. In fact, as Asima Hassan also points out that Pakistan government’s decision to offer engineering and medical college seats to slain militants’ children has ended up as a money-spinning proposition for the Kashmiri separatists; they have been selling these seats to the affluent sections and are pocketing the money.
“Due to murky state of turmoil in Kashmir and lack of proper documentation, it is difficult to ascertain the exact number of deaths since the beginning of the militancy in the eighties. Though the government says less than 50,000 people, including militants and security forces personnel, have been killed, human rights and separatist groups put the number at over a lakh”, Hassan writes. And quotes official data to say that from 1988 till March 2019, militants accounted for 23, 386 deaths; while civilian toll was 14,930, the security forces had lost 6,413 personnel. 2358 of the killed militants were foreigners, mostly Pakistanis.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi
As stated at the outset, this study is about human suffering, which has escaped the attention of strategists, analysts and above all the media in India. Also, in Pakistan, which, being a fellow Muslim society, should have felt the pain of Kashmiris.
“In most cases, the death of the family head led to the problems with mental health, as well as stunted intellectual development and physical growth of his children and widow”, Dr Hassan laments in the IJRAR article, and remarks:
“…. losing their beloved ones has injured them psychologically forever. …. women and children remain extremely vulnerable”.
According to Hassan survey, at least ten percent of the militants killed in the last 30-years were married and had children. And it is these families, who had to suffer as they were not entitled for any compensation from the government like the families of the slain civilians.
The study made a complete profile of 100 such families – 35 of them from South Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam; this belt saw youth under 20 years joining the insurgents “much against their parents’ pleas only to be killed a few weeks later in the last decade”.
Another 35 families were studied from the North Kashmir districts of Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipora – which saw maximum killings during 1990’s and 2000s as all the three districts border the Kashmir under Pakistan, (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, PoK, as India terms the region).
In Central Kashmir, the research was undertaken in Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam; these districts saw comparatively lesser number of killings; yet 30 victim families (widows and children) formed the sample for the empirical study after they were repeatedly assured that their identities would not be revealed.
THE FINDINGS
As many as 45% slain militants belonged to the age group of 25-35 at the time of death while another 32% were in the age group of 35-45. 16% deceased belonged to 45-55 age group and 6% were in the 18-25 years bracket. Only 1% was above 55 years of age. While 24% slain militants had income of around $ 42 a month, 12% slain militants belonged to families whose monthly income was less than $ 15 when they joined militancy. Only 9% of the slain militants belonged to well-off families. Even in the 1990s, income below $ 42 was not enough to have basic amenities of life.
Interestingly, most Kashmiri militants had no worthwhile educational background. A majority of them – 45%, to be precise, were illiterate and had not attended school. Another 20% are school drop outs. Only 12% of the slain militants (members of armed groups as the author calls them) had passed 10th standard while 11% discontinued after the 12th standard due to poverty. Just 12% of the surveyed were graduates who were either in a government job or from affluent families. And they were normally given leadership positions by the insurgent groups.
IMPACT ON FAMILY
Author Hassan clearly shows that whopping 94% widows and single parent orphans had experienced a negative impact from the Army action against militants.
“These killings occurred during gunfights with security forces”, the respondents stated. Financial problems and lack of social support devastated them. It was observed that the killing created a sense of insecurity and fear amongst the survived family members “The sympathy of the people in the initial days (after the killing) vanished with time and they were later left to fend for themselves”, the respondents revealed adding that “constant raids by security forces when he (militant) was alive created a sense of fear among them”.
Most widows categorically told the author that they didn’t re-marry after the death of their husbands. “This is a general practice in Kashmir; if the women have a child or children, they seldom go for remarriage. Widows are not typically acceptable brides, as Kashmiri society places a taboo on remarriage unlike Muslim societies in many other parts of the world,” says Hassan in the IJRAR article.
A study carried out by the University of Kashmir several years back showed that 91% of militant – widows had not considered remarriage. The findings of the current research also revealed that a majority – 85% – of women respondents didn’t remarry. And they had to bear a lot of problems – social insecurity, economic hardships, social apathy, discrimination by relatives and neighbours and above all failure of control over children.
Another disturbing nugget Hassan study throws up is that Kashmir today is home to at least 32,000 widows, 52% of them in the 25-35 age group and another 25% in the 18–25-year bracket. While 19% of the widows are in 35-45 age group, just 4% are above 45 years. A 2008 study by the University of Kashmir puts the orphaned children number at a whopping 97,200. Hassan’s study shows that a majority of the killed militants (44%) had more than three children when they joined insurgency.
16% of them had more than five kids when they were killed. 35% had 1 to 2 children while 5% were married but had no kids. All these fathers-less children have had a difficult up-bringing. And fared miserably education-wise. While 19% of them couldn’t attend school, 52% became drop outs; another five percent discontinued studies at the college level. Pakistan’s terrorism centric Kashmir conflict has resulted in child labour and increased women labour force as many families of killed militants have come out to eke a living. This is largely because their stay in ‘others houses was not liked and was not tolerated by the family members’. Result: Sleep disorders have become order of the day with the fear of getting victimized again. As many as 81% of widows experienced multiple health problems. 37% of girls of the marriageable age faced difficulty in finding suitable match.
Hassan article says living conditions of widows and single parent orphans of police and security force personnel are better; the government has taken sufficient care of their needs, especially in the field of education and employment but the families of the slain militants are living in pathetic conditions. “Economically and socially, they have been debased and some of them even face starvation”.
Indian-Army-soldiers-in-Jammu-and-Kashmir
The unmistakable impression from Hassan’s study is that proxy war may have suited Pakistan strategically, and militarily, but the unending violence and consequent misery have devastated thousands of Kashmiri families. Pakistan has neither the moral right nor can claim diplomatic immunity for its pursuits to achieving what four wars and diplomatic blitzkrieg had failed to accomplish since the land of the pure, as Pakistan claims, was carved out of British India in 1947 as a parting gift of the colonial masters.
