Jammu & Kashmir

Jammu & Kashmir

2010-2011

Initiatives on Jammu & Kashmir

Kashmir Valley suffered massive unrest for over 6 months from April to September 2010 in which nearly 110 people lost their lives and hundreds more were injured. With curfews imposed by the government and Hartal (strike) calls by the Separatist groups, the people of the valley are in virtual prison- facing extreme hardships and deprivations.

COVA took the initiative and in collaboration with a number of organization in Kashmir and across the country undertook the following activities:

1. Representatives of COVA visited Kashmir in June and July to study the situation and bring together the civil society in Kashmir to engage with the prevailing situation. A group called People Initiative on Jammu & Kashmir was formed.

2. 26th August 2010: Meeting at New Delhi: A meeting of civil society groups was organised by COVA in New Delhi on 26th August 2010 in collaboration with other civil society organizations. The meeting was well attended with representation from many civil society organisations, students, journalists, professionals and different sections of Kashmiri society including Kashmiri Pandits. Representatives of Save Children, JamatUlema- Hind- Jamat E Islami, Aman Trust, Arya Samaj, FOCUS, COVA and many other national level organisations participated. Mr. Shafi Pandit IAS (Retd) and Mr. Zafar Meraj came from Kashmir to speak at this meeting. Dr. Mazher Hussain gave the introductory remarks followed by addresses by Swami Agnivesh, Mr. Kuldip Nayar, Mr. Rahul Jalali, Mr. Sanjay Kak and others. Many members of Parliament including Mr. Rattanpuri and Mr. Shaheen from Kashmir participated and addressed the gathering. Mr. S.Q.R. Ilyas of Jamat- E- Islami moderated the proceedings.

The Meeting resolved to facilitate the formation of Working Groups on Jammu & Kashmir in different cities to sensitise people and policy makers about the problem in Jammu & Kashmir and work in a consistent manner towards the resolution of the ongoing problem.

3. 20th to 25th September 2010– Consultations with civil society organization in Srinagar, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai for the formation of People’s Initiative on Jammu & Kashmir- Meetings with political leaders and parliamentarians for raising the issue of turmoil in Kashmir in Parliament and assurances by Parliamentarians in the matter. Discussion on Kashmir in the Lok Sabha on 26th August 2010 and in the Rajya Sabha during Zero Hour raised by Ms. Brinda Karat on 31st August 2010

4. Civil Society Delegation to Kashmir: COVA facilitated the visit of a Delegation of Civil Society to Kashmir from 30 August to 2nd September 2010. The delegation comprised of Swami Agnivesh, Admiral L. Ramdas, Ms. Mohini Giri, Fr. Dominic Emmanuel and Dr. Mazher Hussain. The objective of the visit was to gain first hand knowledge of the prevailing ground situation in Kashmir and to commiserate with the

people for their suffering and loss of life. The Delegation found the situation to be critical and tragic and also gained some startling understanding of the scenario. A Report of the visit of the Delegation was circulated in the Peace Updates Dispatch of 17th September 2010 that reaches over 20 thousand people, .and also shared with members of parliament, political parties and media.

5. 3rd September 2010- Public Meeting and Formation of Kashmir Working Group at Mumbai: Peace Mumbai along with other civil society groups organized a Public Meeting at Mumbai titled “Kashmir at Cross Roads” inviting Sajjad Lone of Peoples Conference and Basheer Manzar, Senior Journalist from Kashmir. The Meeting passed a Resolution and formed Kashmir Working Group- Mumbai that would meet regularly to work for the resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir problem.

6. 3rd September 2010-Press Conference and Press Note: Members of the Delegation that had visited Kashmir from 30th August to 2nd September 2010 addressed a Press Conference on 3rd September at New Delhi.

7. 8th September 2010- Meeting at IIIT Hyderabad Admiral L. Ramdas and Dr. Mazher Hussain addressed the students and faculty of IIIT (Indian Institute of Information Technology), Hyderabad on the Topic “Kashmir Crises: Genesis, Current Situation and Way Forward”. After the meeting a number of students expressed a desire to visit Jammu & Kashmir to understand the issues and contribute to the peace process.

8. 8th September 2010 – Public Meeting and Formation of Kashmir Working Group at Hyderabad: Admiral L. Ramdas and Dr. Mazher Hussain addressed a Public Meeting at Hyderabad attended by members of civil society, professionals, students and representatives of the Kashmir community including Kashmiri Pandits on the Topic “Kashmir Crises: Genesis, Current Situation and Way Forward”. . The gathering decided to form Kashmir Working Group- Hyderabad that would meet regularly and work to interact with and influence political parties, government and the media for the resolutionof the Jammu & Kashmir problem.

9. 9th to 14th September- Contacts and Meetings with leaders of Political Parties: Contacts and meetings with leaders of different political parties were undertaken to sensitize them to the gravity of the situation in Kashmir and brief them about the issues to be raised at the All Party Meeting convened on 15th September 2010 by the Government of India.

10. 16- 18 September 2010 – Preparations for Meetings at Delhi and Cancellation: Preparations were made to organize meetings at JNU – Delhi on 16th September; St. Stephen’s College- Delhi on 17th and a Meeting for the formation of the Kashmir Working Group in Delhi on 18th September 2010. Mr. Zafar Meraj, Mr. Shujaat Bhukari, Prof. Hameeda Nayeem and others were scheduled to come from Srinagar. As the Srinagar airport was suddenly closed from 14th September 2010 all the meetings had to be cancelled.

11. 15th to 19th September 2010- All Party Delegation to Jammu & Kashmir- Lobbying with National and Regional Political Parties, Parliamentarians and groups in Kashmir: The All Party Meeting held on 15th September resolved to send an All Party Delegation to Jammu & Kashmir from 20 to 22nd September 2010 to study the ground situation and suggest way forward.

But this Delegation faced serious challenge regarding its credibility and effectiveness as all the Separatist leaders issued a call for its boycott and the strict curfew declared by the state government. Realising the importance of the success of this Delegation in connecting with the people of Kashmir for mitigating the prevailing distrust and violence, COVA put into place two initiatives. First, members of People’s Initiative on Kashmir- Srinagar were requested to convince people to meet the All Party Delegation despite theboycott call. Secondly, COVA contacted members of different political parties who were in the Delegation and made three suggestions to them including that they should go to the homes of the separatist leaders to meet them and break the impasse that has been plaguing Jammu & Kashmir for over 63 years.

People from different walks of life came out in large numbers to make their Representations to the Delegation. Further, three groups from the All Party Delegation comprising Mr. Sitaram Yachuri, Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, Mr. Gurudas Dasgupta, Mr. Nama Nageshwar Rao, Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi, Mr. T.R. Balu, Mr. Shahid Siddiqui and others did go to the homes of the separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik and created history in the annals of peace on the eve of World Peace day that is celebrated on 21st September.

The results are there for all to see! Almost instantly, the stone pelting and disturbances in the Kashmir Valley started declining and things got back to normalcy in a month.

Interventions Towards Dialogue

In order to seek a proper solution to the Kashmir embroglio, COVA is facilitating a civil society initiative that is aiming to bring together Huriat leaders and Members of Parliament of India for a dialogue to pave way for addressing the outstanding problems. In pursuance of this objective, the civil society group comprising of Kashmiri Muslims, Pandits and members from other parts of the country meet regularly. It is proposed to form a caucus of parliamentarians on the Kashmir issue who will take the dialogue process forward. Some parliamentarians have already agreed to function as a core team that could facilitate the formation of the caucus and work towards the dialogue process.

Peace Vigils

The Judgment of the Allahabad High Court scheduled on 30th October and the turmoil in Kashmir for over three months had become matters of concern. In order to propagate the necessity to maintain communal harmony all over the country and strive for a just solution for the problem of Jammu & Kashmir that is festering for over 60 years, COVA proposed simultaneous Prayer Meetings and Candle Light Vigils for “Communal Harmony in the Country and Just Peace in Jammu & Kashmir” on 2nd October 2010 from 6 pm to 7 pm in different cities and towns all over the country.

Many organizations in different cities / towns came forward to organize the event. Details of Cities / Towns where organizations came forward to organize the Prayer Meetings and Candle Light Vigils for “Communal Harmony in the Country and Just Peace in Jammu & Kashmir” are as follows:

City / Town Venue Facilitation Contact

Amritsar- Jalian Wala Bagh Folklore Research 09872318484

Ayodhya Ayodhya Ki Awaz 09451730269

Banglore Gandhi Statue, M.G. Road Sahajeevan 09449070760

Bhopal Gandhi Bhavan Yuva Samvad 09424401469

Bhubaneshwar EKTA Parishad

Chandigarh Yuvasatta 09872609816

Delhi Raj Ghat Asha Parivar-NAPM 09313106745

Guntur VAN Guntur 09848090642

Gwalior EKTA Parishad

Hyderabad People’s Plaza, Nacklace Rd COVA 09346238430

Jaipur PUCL Rajasthan 09351562965

Jhansi EKTA Parishad

Kurnool COVAN Kurnool 08008663361

Lucknow Shaheed Smarak- Residency Asha Parivar 08081670595

Mumbai Azad Maidan FOCUS 09869077718

Nellore NOVA Nellore 09440309228

Nizamabad Voluntary Asso.Nzb 09010892898

Ongole VAN Prakasam,Ongole 9849212816

Patna EKTA Parishad

Raipur EKTA Parishad

Srinagar Press Colony, Lal Chowk J&K RTI Movement 09596081900

Warangal ONVA Warangal 9849366660

Collaborating Organisations:

Apsa, Aman Vedika, Apna Watan, Asha Parivar, Ayodhya Ki Awaz , CHATRI, Coalition for

Peace and Harmony, CKGPC, COVA, COVAN Kurnool, EKTA Parishad, FOCUS, Folklore

Research, Forum for Better Hyderabad, Guild of Service, ICAN, Indialogue Foundation, J&K RTI Movement, Mahita, NAPM, NOVA Nellore, ONVA Warangal, Phoenix, PUSH, PWS, PUCAAR, PUCL Rajasthan, Sahajeevan, Right to Walk Foundation, Sakshi, Samhita, SANSAD, SOUL, United form for RTI, VAN Guntur, VAN Prakasam, Voluntary Asso.Nzb , War Widows Association, WIPSA, World Council of Arya Samaj, Yuvasatta, Yuva Samvad

2007-2008

Kashmir Earthquake Rehabilitation Project

COVA initiated a large-scale relief program covering 6000 families in Karnah and Uri tahsils of Kashmir. The affected families were provided tool kits, nails and washers for construction of temporary shelters and bukharis and polyurethane sheets for heating and protection from rains, snow and winds. COVA also succeeded in mobilising local communities through the formation of 175 village committees and recruitment of 2400 Link Volunteers from all the 136 villages and towns of Uri and Karnah tahsils.

The following activities were conducted as part of this project during the year 2007-2008:

195 houses were constructed and handed over to the beneficiaries

200 foldable stretchers were distributed to Village Committees on diffi cult terrains in Uri, Karnah and Boniyar tahsils to facilitate access for patients to the nearest hospitals.

Two awareness melas in each of Uri and Boniyar tehsils on schemes and policies of departments of Employment, Agriculture, Social Welfare, Animal Husbandry. 250 people participated in these melas. Disadvantaged families, physically challenged people, unemployed youth, mentally challenged children benefi ted from these melas, which built linkages between these people and the government departments and NGOs concerned.

Need Assessment was done in 29 villages in Boniyar and 20 villages in Uri tahsils. Bad roads, irrigation and drinking water scarcity, and lack of health care centers emerged as the major concerns. The members of committees at various levels were given individual responsibilities to explore ways to resolve these issues.

COVA’s Lobbying with J & K Bank resulted in sanction of house building loans at reduced interest rates, and with government agencies concerned resulted in sanctioning grants for a Water filtration plant, a road and a hospital.

540 students were provided career-counseling service.

Halla Sheri, an age-old practice, was revived to provide a community problem-solving forum. An irrigation channel and two roads were made functional as a result of collective community action arising out of this system.

Environmental Awareness Program at Noorkhah and Chandanwari villages of the block Chandanwari in collaboration with Noor-Ul-Uloom High School, Noorkhah, Boniyar, sensitized people on environmental pollution.

A health camp benefi ted the children of Bagna village.

A Volley Ball Tournament was organised at Kamalkote and Jhula Blocks of Tehsil Uri from the 8th of Sept.2007. 20 teams from various villages participated.

Ten training camps were organised in collaboration with NCPDP at Chandanwari Block of Tehsil Boniyar for 32 masons and 100 local people.

Committees at village, block and tahsil level have been reconstituted through electi

2006-2007

COVA and VAN Kashmir took up construction of 200 houses for the most vulnerable victims of earthquake in Karna and Uri tehsils ensuring partnership of communities in the process. As part of Operation Salvage, 5383 households in Karnah and Uri were saved from dismantling and the owners were helped to opt for retrofi tting. With support from GMR Varalakshmi foundation Bangalore washrooms and toilet facilities were constructed for two schools of Gabra village in Karnah Tehsil. Signature Campaign and Lobbying A signature campaign demanded that the government provide tax-free construction material and long-term interest free loans to the people for reconstructing their houses in the earthquake affected areas of Kashmir. In response a number of government depots opened for supply of wood at different locations COVA lobbied for issue of compensation for victims the government. Training programmes Staff of COVA, engineers, engineering students, link volunteers, VRCC members, teachers and representatives of other NGOs were trained on various aspects of NGO management, disaster management and construction of seismic resistant houses. Community Empowerment Programmes In Uri tehsil 240 women link volunteers were mobilized from 35 villages. Besides a workshop on hygiene these woman link volunteers also participated in the training programmes conducted by NCPDP Gujarat on earthquake resistant features. COVA distributed sports material in communities and also in schools, with a preference to Girls Schools, to promote Sports Clubs. COVA intends to enlist the services of the members of these Clubs for various future initiatives in rehabilitation and community empowerment programs in Uri and Karnah Tehsils.

On 8th October 2006 in the Earthquake Anniversary, the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir presented a memento to COVA in appreciation for its services to the earthquake victims.