My Frozen Turbulence In Kashmir

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My Frozen Turbulence in Kashmir, the Twelfth Edition of which is now being released, is a land-mark publication. It narrates and analyses not only the tumultuous events of the author's two terms of Governorship but also of subsequent developments which underline how a tragic blunder of truly historic proportion was committed by the power that be at the Union Government level by not seeing the warning signals hoisted by him.

After four reprints of the First Edition, it became a practice with the author that whenever the current Edition went out of print, the next Edition was not only reprinted but also enlarged and updated with the addition of a new Chapter. So far, eleven Editions have been reprinted, updated and sold out.

In the Eleventh Edition, which appeared in July 2014, soon after Narendra Modi Government assumed office on May 26, 2014, the author had reflected upon the ‘much needed expectations for inward and outward changes’. In this—Twelfth Edition—he has, in the new Chapter—XXV—titled: Onward To A New Resolve, examined in what direction these expectations have moved, and how the harsh and cruel realities on the ground have been encountered during the eventful period of 33 months of the new regime, from May 26, 2014 to February 28, 2017.

Further, in the background of India’s 70 years of nightmarish Kashmir experience, the author has assessed whether the developments of the aforementioned period hold out a promise of finding a new helmsman who could steer the ‘boat’ of India’s destiny through stormy sea and turbulent winds and bring it safely to a calm and clean shore, from where a new journey, with a new mind and motivation, could begin.

The updated Edition shows how the PDP-BJP coalition government has been functioning, how the combined onslaught of subversive, separatists and pro-Pakistan elements was faced, particularly in the — wake of Burhan Wani’s death. It also shows how the outrageous perfidies of the genre of Uri terror attack were dealt with by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and how a New Resolve was formulated by him with seven ingredients, viz: (1) Exposure of Pakistan at UN Assembly; (Il) Boycott of 19° SAARC Summit; (Ill) Revisiting Indus Water Treaty and Most Favoured Nation Status; (IV) Surgical Strike; (V) Baring the Ugly Face of Pakistani Bred Terrorism At the Multilateral Forum of BRICS; (VI) Deeper Exposure of Pakistan at HEART of Asia-Afghanistan Conference; (VII) Highlighting the Continued Violations of Human Rights in Balochistan and PoK, and Countering Pakistan’s Diabolical Disinformation Campaign with Regard to Kashmir.

The Edition, then, goes on to indicate how the above ingredients were actualized on the ground by Narendra Modi, how all these brought to surface the ingrained traits of his leadership and made him assume the role of a ‘new helmsman’ which could propel the boat of India’s destiny towards a safe, secure and scintillating shore, despite the irresponsible behavior of a sizeable section of the passengers on the boat.

Finally, the Edition assesses the promise, performance and potential of the new helmsman. It ends with the hope of emergence of a new pattern which is appeasement-free, terror-free, and in which the noblest strands and sinews of India’s cultural heritage of treating service to man as service to God are regenerated, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, providing an illuminating avenue for reaching the goal of a mighty, enlightened and forward-looking India.

Shri Jagmohan, a recipient of Padma Shri (1971), Padma Bhushan (1977) and Padma Vibhushan (2016), has been an outstanding civil servant, Parliamentarian, Union Minister and original thinker and writer. Throughout his long and illustrious years in public service, he has worked, with an unmatched passion, for creating a model of fair, just and effective governance by fair, just and effective means. He was the youngest Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi who held this prestigious office for two terms. He was also Lieutenant- Governor of Goa, and Governor of Jammu & Kashmir twice. After his nomination by the President, Shri Jagmohan remained as an independent Member of the Rajya Sabha for about six years. After 1996, he won a hat-trick of Lok Sabha elections from New Delhi Constituency. He served as Union Minister in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, for about five and a half years, and held charge of a variety of portfolios, including Communication, Urban Development, Tourism and Culture. His vision, his extraordinary hard and honest-work and even handed approach to all the political parties, won him all round appreciation.

Shri Jagmohan has also established himself as a profound writer and thinker. His published works include over 700 articles in leading newspapers and journals and Nine books: Rebuilding Shahjahanabad; The Walled City of Delhi: Island of Truth; The Challenge of Our Cities; My Frozen Turbulence in Kashmir; The Soul and Structure of Governance in India; Shaping India’s New Destiny; Crisis of Environment and Climate Change; Reforming Vaishno Devi and a case for Reformed, Reawakened and Enlightened Hinduism; and Triumphs and Tragedies of Ninth Delhi.

Shri Jagmohan formulated and implemented the historic reforms of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine during Governor’s Rule in J & K, consequent to which all round improvements have come about. He was also honoured with the Paul H. Appleby Award by the Indian Institute of Public Administration. He was conferred the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) by Kurukshetra University as well as by Guru Nanak University, Amritsar.

In the Preface to the First Edition, I had explained how truths of history had motivated me to write this book, and how important it was to underscore the fatal flaws of the Indian polity and the general proclivity of its leadership to nurse illusions and live in a world of its own make-believe. In the eleven Editions that have so far been published and updated, the ‘tyranny of shallowness’ that pervades the overall Indian system, with regard to the issue of Kashmir, has been manifesting itself, in one tragic form or the other, over the last several years. All this has been briefly brought out in the note containing the outlines of the Prefaces of the ten Editions. (2nd to 11th).

In the Eleventh Edition, which appeared in July 2014, soon after Narendra Modi Government assumed office on May 26, 2014, and which has been out of print for the last three months, I had, inter-alia, reflected upon the ‘much needed expectations for inward and outward changes’. In this—Twelfth Edition—I have, added a new Chapter— XXV - titled: Onward To A New Resolve, and examined in what direction these expectations have moved, and how the harsh and cruel realities on the ground have been encountered during the eventful period of 33 months of the new regime, from May 26, 2014 to February 28, 2017.

I have also pondered over the connected issues of crucial significance: Are better days in store for the nation in which it could repair and renovate its leaky and rickety ‘boat of destiny’, retrofit it with new ‘timber’ and place its sail in the charge of a determined leader with expansive vision and penetrating mind?

In the background of India’s 70 years of nightmarish Kashmir experience, I have also assessed whether the developments of the aforementioned period of 33 months hold out a promise of finding a new helmsman who could steer the ‘boat’ through stormy sea and turbulent winds and bring it safely to a calm and clean shore, from where a new journey, with a new mind and motivation, could begin.

The period in question is full of truly momentous events. The contents of Chapter XXV provide an idea about their dimensions as well as their dense and diverse fall-outs. The ball is set rolling with the State Assembly Elections of November-December, 2014. It moves to the formation of the PDP-BJP coalition government, to the Agenda of Alliance, to encountering the unsavoury legacies of the past, to the passing away of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, to the taking over of Mehbooba Mufti with her ‘baggage of our boys in the jungle’, and then to her disposition to rise to the occasion and face the combined onslaught of subversives, separatists , and pro-Pakistan elements, especially in the wake of Burhan Wani’s death and the no holds-barred violence and agitation that followed it.

After analyzing the different facets of disturbances, Chapter XXV unfolds the sagacious and subtle way in which Home Minister Raj Nath Singh diffused the crisis and ensured that the union government and the state government remained on the same page. It has also been indicated how the Home Minister and the Prime Minister saw to it that, notwithstanding the not too positive and helpful attitude of a section of All-Party Parliamentary Delegation, the fundamentals of their stand remained unaltered.

In the section dealing with India-Pakistan relations, it has also been spelt out how, despite the long history of disguised betrayal by Pakistan, another initiative was taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to build a shared vision of harmony and goodwill, and how this initiative, too, was frustrated by the treacherous terror attacks on the Pathankot Air- Base and Uri Brigade Headquarter.

The outrageous perfidies of the genre of Uri terror attack, coupled with the fanatical obduracy of the subversive outfits functioning in the valley, on the dictates of Inter Services Intelligence of Pakistan, under the umbrella organization of All-Party Hurriyat Conference, pushed Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards what I have termed as New Resolve. This Resolve was ingrained in the traits of his leadership, and it found effective expression when he was faced with serious challenges simultaneously from internal and external forces inimical to India. He was virtually pushed to assume the role of a new helmsman.

The background of all this and the manner in which a number of action-plans were formulated by the new helmsman have been given in the section, titled New Resolve, in the Chapter XXV. I have grouped the core components of the Resolve under the following heads/sub-heads:-

(I) To expose, thoroughly and persistently, at the United Nations General Assembly and other international fora, Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism and using it as an instrument of its policies.

(II) To declare the incompatibility of Pakistan's credentials to hold the 19th SAARC Summit scheduled for November 2016 at Islamabad on account of its unwillingness to curb terrorists’ groups from attacking fellow members.

(III) To indicate firmly that hostility would be countered with hostility and the comparatively liberal treatment that Pakistan is presently enjoying with regard to river-water distribution and trade-regimes could be withdrawn and the Indus Water Treaty and Most-Favoured Nation Status revisited.

(IV) To demonstrate India’s right to pre-empt terrorists from entering its territory by attacking their preparatory bases across the Line of Control/border.

(V) To continue earnest efforts to persuade the multi-lateral groups, such as BRICS, to denounce Pakistan as a malevolent force of terrorism which, apart from dehumanizing a large section of mankind, is undermining the basic objectives for the attainment of which such groups have been set up, namely, quick, coordinated and cohesive development.

(VI) To show how Pakistan is providing sanctuaries of safe haven to a number of dangerous terror-organizations who are bleeding the Heart of Asian Region. .

(VII) To take up vigorously the issues pertaining to the large scale violations of Human Rights by the Pakistan Army in Baluchistan , Baltistan, Gilgit and Pakistan occupied Kashmir, and simultaneously counter Pakistan’s diabolical disinformation campaign against India for ‘committing atrocities and violations of human rights in Kashmir valley’.

The courage, consistency and ‘resolute practicality’ displayed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the promising new helmsman, in translating the above seven items of action on the ground have been delineated in the last portion of the new Chapter. It concludes with the hope of emergence of a new pattern of life which is appeasement-free, terror- free, and in which the noblest strands and sinews of India’s cultural heritage of treating service to man as service to God are regenerated, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, providing an illuminating avenue for reaching the goal of a mighty, enlightened and forward-looking India.

**Contents and Sample Pages**