Director Vivek Agnihotri’s film ‘The Kashmir Files’ recently won the prestigious Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration at the 69th National Film Awards.
Reacting to the news, Vivek told ANI, “This is a moment of pride. I am happy that the pain of the Kashmiri Pandit community is being recognized by the country.”
Helmed by Vivek Agnihotri, the film starred Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Mithun Chakraborty and Darshan Kumaar in the lead roles.
Apart from this, actor Pallavi Joshi also bagged the Best Supporting Actress at the 69th National Awards for her performance in the film.
‘The Kashmir Files,’ on the life of Kashmiri Pandits during the 1990 Kashmir insurgency, is based on first-generation video interviews of victims of the Kashmiri massacre, making an account of their pain, suffering, struggle and trauma.
The movie, which was originally released on March 11, 2022, made it to the Oscars 2023 reminder list when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) released the list of 301 feature films eligible for this year’s Oscars.
Meanwhile, Vivek recently unveiled the trailer of his next film ‘The Vaccine War’ which stars Nana Patekar, Pallavi Joshi and Anupam Kher in the lead roles.
The trailer narrates the tale of the triumph of scientists and 130 crore Indian citizens who fought the battle against COVID-19. It gave a glimpse of the activities of scientists involved with the BBV152 vaccine, also known as Covaxin, developed by Bharat Biotech in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research – National Institute of Virology.
The film is all set to hit the theatres on September 28. (ANI)
Self-styled supreme commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, Syed Salahudeen, is guiding and instructing the cadres of the banned terror group as well as activists of United Jihad Council (UJC)– a conglomerate of around 13 Pakistan-based Kashmir centric terror outfits, National Investigation Agency (NIA) said.
As per the anti-terror agency, Salahudeen alias Mohammed Yusuf Shah has been guiding and instructing these activists of the UJC from Pakistan. The Central probe agency said that Salahudeen is the chairman of the UJC which is also known as Muttahida Jihad Council (MJC)– an umbrella organisation of terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed that operate out of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The 77-year-old terrorist Salahudeen, who had fled to Pakistan in 1993, was designated as an individual terrorist by India in October 2020, said the NIA, adding “the designated terrorist continues to operate from Pakistan.”
The NIA made the revelation after its fresh action against Salahudeen’s two sons– Shahid Yusuf and Syed Ahmed Shakeel. Earlier on Monday, the agency attached two immovable properties of Yusuf and Shakeel that are located in Kashmir’s Soibugh area in Budgam district and Nursing Garh’s Mohalla Ram Bagh area in Srinagar district. The properties have been attached under section 33(1) of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.
Both Shahid Yusuf and Syed Ahmed Shakeel are lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail since their arrest in October 2017 and August 2018. They were chargesheeted on April 20, 2018, and November 20, 2018, respectively.
“Yusuf and Shakeel had been receiving funds from abroad from the associates of their father and overground workers of Hizbul Mujahideen,” said the NIA, adding “besides instigating and operationalising militant activities in India, primarily in Kashmir valley, Syed Salahudeen has been raising funds and routing finances to India through trade routes, Hawala channels, and international money transfer channels for furthering the terrorist activities of Hizbul Mujahideen cadres.”
The property attachment of Salahuddin’s sons is based on NIA’s investigation into a terror conspiracy case registered by the agency in 2011 naming Yusuf and Shakeel among other accused.
The NIA launched investigations in November 2011 into the criminal conspiracy to raise, collect and provide funds to commit terrorist acts and distribute funds among the terror groups and their sympathizers in Jammu and Kashmir for the purpose of committing terrorist acts.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police had initially registered a case in January 2011 and the NIA subsequently took over the case. Chargesheets as well as Supplementary Chargesheets were filed against eight accused in the case, including in 2011 and 2018.
In a money laundering probe related to terror funding case involving Salahudeen, the Enforcement Directorate has also alleged that Jammu Kashmir Affectees Relief Trust (JKART) was a front through which Hizbul Mujahideen received Rs 80 crore between 2004 and 2011 to carry out terror activities in India.
Salahuddin was declared a specially designated global terrorist by the US Department of State in June 2017 on charges that he “vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers, and vowed to turn the Kashmir Valley into a graveyard for Indian forces. “
Born Mohammed Yusuf Shah, Salahudeen changed his name after taking over as head of the militant outfit in the late eighties. Hizbul Mujahideen is one of the several homegrown militant groups that have for decades been fighting for an independent Kashmir or a merger with Pakistan.
Prior to joining the Hizbul Mujahideen, Salahudeen unsuccessfully contested in the 1987 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections from the Amirakadal constituency. Salahudeen has been vocal in his anti-India stand. He has also time and again mentioned Pakistan’s role in the Kashmir unrest. (ANI)
A Kashmiri Pandit working as a security guard at a bank was shot dead by terrorists in Achan area of Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Sunday morning, a police officer said.
The deceased was identified as Sanjay Sharma, son of Kashinath Sharma, and was a bank security guard by profession, the officer added.
Security has been tightened and the entire area has been cordoned off to arrest the attackers.
The Kashmir police said that the terrorists opened fire on Sanjay Sharma, a member of Kashmiri Pandit community, while he was on his way to a local market in Achan.
The injured person was rushed to a nearby hospital, with the help of locals, for treatment, where he succumbed to bullet injuries.
There was an armed guard in his village, and further details of the incident are awaited, Kashmir police said.
Earlier four days ago, terrorists opened fire and injured a man, Asif Ganai, outside a mosque in the Anantnag district. The injured survived the injuries.
Jammu and Kashmir police had recently arrested three militant associates of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen group in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, a week ago.
Kashmir police had said that the operation was commenced after receiving a tip-off on militants carrying illegal arms and ammunition. Following the input, the Kulgam police team launched a hunt near Daderkoot Alamganj to arrest them.
The police confiscated a pistol, two pistol magazines, and 13 live pistol rounds from the possession of the accused. The police said that all the accused were detained and the investigation revealed that they indulged in terror crimes and even provided support to terrorist organisations. (ANI)
Democratic Azad Party Chief and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the Kashmiri Pandit employees of the Jammu and Kashmir government should be temporarily shifted to Jammu till the situation improves in Kashmir.
Questioning the safety of the Kashmiri Pandits, he said that life is more important than employment and that the government should transfer Kashmiri Pandits to Jammu. “The Government should transfer Kashmiri Pandit employees to Jammu and transfer them back only when the situation improves,” said Azad.
“If our government comes to power, we will transfer the Kashmiri Pandits to Jammu until the situation improves,” he said.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha had last week said that Kashmiri Pandits serving in the Valley will not be paid their salaries if they do not attend their duties.
Migrant Kashmiri Pandits have been protesting against the decision of the government claiming that they are being threatened by the terrorists and can’t go back to work.
“We are receiving death threats repeatedly, the latest being on Wednesday night. We were told that a policeman would be posted outside the place of our posting. But we do not trust the security policy of the administration,” said a Kashmiri Pandit.
“The main reason behind the protests is an insecure environment prevailing in Kashmir. We have been protesting since the day targeted killings started against the minority community in the Valley. We appeal to the government to post us at safe and secure places,” said Rohit, a Kashmiri Pandit who is participating in the protests.
Kashmir has been witnessing a series of targeted killings since October last year.
Targeted killings in Kashmir Valley were part of a larger conspiracy by terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen and other proscribed terrorist outfits to disturb the peace and democratic process established by the Panchayati Raj System in Kashmir Valley and also to create terror among the politically elected representatives, an NIA charge sheet said earlier.
The revelation came when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in September filed the charge sheet against six accused in the targeted killing of a Sarpanch of Adoora village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam.
The counter-terror agency filed the chargesheet in a special NIA court in Jammu in the case of the targeted killing of Sarpanch Shabir Ahmad Mir by the terrorists of the proscribed terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen.
The case was initially registered on March 11 at Kulgam police station in Jammu and Kashmir and re-registered by the NIA on April 8.
Investigations have revealed that the handlers of the proscribed terrorist organization Hizbul Mujahideen operating from Pakistan, hatched a criminal conspiracy in collusion with terrorist associates and Over Ground Workers and terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen active in Kashmir Valley to carry out the targeted killing of Sarpanch Shabir Ahmad Mir, said the NIA. (ANI)
A civilian succumbed to his injuries after terrorists opened fire at Chowdari Gund in Shopian on Saturday.
The deceased has been identified as Puran Krishan Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit. The injured was shifted to the hospital where he was declared dead.
“Terrorists fired upon a civilian (minority) Puran Krishan Bhat while he was on his way to an orchard in Chowdari Gund, Shopian. He was immediately shifted to hospital for treatment where he succumbed,” the Jammu Kashmir police said.
The area has been cordoned off and a search was in progress, the police further said.
Surbhi Sapru, 31, who belongs to a displaced Kashmiri Pandit family, says her return to the state is not possible unless the ruptured social fabric is restored in Kashmir
My family used to live in the Habba Kadal area of Srinagar, an area that saw mass exodus of Pandits in the 1990s. However, my grandfather had decided much earlier to leave the place, because socially active people like him had been getting targeted, threatened, much before ordinary people and in 1982 he (an educationist) decided it wasn’t safe for my family to remain there.
My brother and I weren’t born yet, so it is our parents and family who had to leave a piece of their heart and hearth behind in Kashmir. My family shifted base to Jammu, still hopeful that things might get better in Kashmir, but that was not to be; things only got worse from there.
I was born in 1990, at the cusp of change, when Kashmir’s history, geography, everything was being re-written. Even the Dogra community was against us. So when my father got a chance to settle in Jaipur, he jumped at it. Jaipur became home for us the next 14 years.
Abrogation of Article 370 did bring hope, but it is only a flicker and it is a long road before Kashmiri Pandits can think of going back ‘home’. The Jammu & Kashmir issue might be seen as a political issue but deep down it is a breakdown of the social fabric. People from different religions have coexisted in different parts of India, but in Kashmir that gets caught in religious turmoil.
Surbhi says her grandfather (left) would break down on every Maha Shivratri, which their family celebrated in Kashmir with much pomp
If the ordinary citizen understands each other, then the issue can be resolved, otherwise nothing will change, the problem will linger on. Thus both the Kashmiri Pandits as well as Muslims will have to reassure each other: Hum ek doosre ko jante hain padosi ke taur par, hum kisi teesre ki baton me nahi aayenge (We will resolve matter between us as neighbours; won’t allow a third party to mediate). While many leaders have advocated a special, safe zone for Pandits, labelled Panun Kashmir, I say why can’t Pandits stay wherever they want in Jammu & Kashmir?
We have been displaced once. If the government is talking about rehabilitation, then Pandits need to feel safe; that they can trust everyone around us in Kashmir. Let me share an incident. I had gone to our Kul Devi (family deity) temple (Kheer Bhawani) in 2016 along with my mother on a Friday. Right after the juma namaz got over, our car started getting chased by many people. Every few minutes, we would be stopped by someone or the other. Our driver, a local Sikh from Kashmir, kept on requesting people to let us go. Apparently there was some strike and they were angry that Sardarji was still driving us in his taxi and that we were Hindus.
Those angry faces, the fear that I felt that day cannot be explained in words. We also gave lift to two Ladakhi policemen midway, who were in the same predicament as us. They weren’t liked there. I was utterly surprised to see that even a 10 year old was threatening us. But how many people can you reason with? At one point a group of people pushed open the taxi door, to pull us out, and only after a lot of pleading from the Sardarji, we were let off. Till the time this hatred among Jammu-Kashmiri citizens is there, the return of Pandits is not possible. Who knows one might be made to leave again.
I remember the teary eyes of my grandfather, on every Maha Shivaratri which they used to celebrate with great pomp in Kashmir. He told us a story that when he was posted in Gurez, a Peer Baba (holy man) had asked him to take the responsibility of educating a Muslim child. My grandfather followed his instruction and treated the boy like a son in the family. However, the family had to leave him behind. He still sometimes comes to meet us, now that we have shifted to Delhi, and my parents reminisce about the olden times.
Dadaji is no more. But his love for Kashmir flows in our veins too. But unless there is reassurance for peace on the ground, not by the political leadership, our return to homeland is not possible. I bear no hatred for any community in my heart, but also expect that we are not hated for our beliefs as well.
Priyanka Pandita, a 29 year old Kashmiri Pandit, says life of a Jammu-Kashmir citizen has improved marginally since August 5, 2019, when the Centre abrogated Article 370
As someone who belongs to Jammu & Kashmir, we see the world differently and in turn are seen differently by the rest of the country (or the rest of the world). So far there has been no possibility of having a good education or work life in Kashmir and those of us who can move out of the state, do so. But when we go to other states for studies or work, most people see us only as Jammu & Kashmir residents and less as people who have dreams, hopes and aspirations of a better life.
Till Class 12 I lived in J&K, but after that I have lived in Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Karnataka for higher studies and just shifted to Mumbai post-marriage, but the story was the same everywhere… Kashmir just meant violence and terrorism to other people.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we have had an identity crisis of sorts. There are so many of us who long to be a part of the wider landscape but the goings on in Kashmir for the past few decades had led to more and more isolation of the residents of Jammu & Kashmir… until August 2019, when Article 370 was abrogated. It will now be almost two years to that (in my opinion) momentous day and I feel it is in the best interest of Jammu & Kashmir that it happened.
As far as I can see, the ground reality has changed for the better. I now feel like part of a whole and hopefully it will change for other people as well. Identity of the residents of this region won’t be pigeonholed anymore. And it is not just about us Kashmiri Pandits (living in Jammu region) but also many Muslim friends of my father have mentioned how there seems to be more peace around, how the mahaul is more conducive for business and also tourism (of course once coronavirus is under strict control).
Pandita says ‘mahaul’ is more conducive for business and tourism now
The endless curfews, the looming shadow of when violence might erupt, suspension of internet… it was all beginning to take a toll on people who longed for normalcy. Instances of stone pelting have come down. And people have finally begun to listen to each other’s point of view. The communication breakdown that had happened is being repaired little by little. Earlier there was no possibility of having deep conversation with fellow Kashmiris on the matter of terrorism or even how the government was faring.
People would get defensive so quickly and a conversation would turn into an argument. All solutions begin with a conversation and now I feel people have begun to talk to each other a little more openly. I have also begun to worry less about my parents and other loved ones who live there, no matter which part of the country I am in.
I believe Covid was also handled well because the Centre was in charge here. In fact there has been less corruption for the past two years as far as I can see. I last visited my family in November, 2019. After that the pandemic meant travelling has been difficult, but I have kept myself updated.
Also, the local leaders whose policies so far reflected only resistance have begun to think of cooperation (even if it is miniscule right now), I feel after they were arrested or put under house arrest.
I feel once the final creases are ironed out (like the restoration of statehood, elections), Jammu & Kashmir will truly be on the path of development. The Taliban’s advancement in Afghanistan has rung bells of concern for the subcontinent, but I believe that the strong leadership of the current government will keep them at bay and Kashmir will truly flourish, even if it takes one baby step at a time towards the future.
As Told To Yog Maya Singh
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