www.freepresskashmir.news VOL 10 ISSUE 25 SRINAGAR JUNE 21, 2021 PAGES 16 15.00 FREEPRESS JKENG/2011/36414 : REGISTERED

B E Y O N D BOLLYWOOD WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE JUNE 21-27, 2021 WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE JUNE 21-27, 2021

/Coverstory RESTRICTED LIVELIHOOD By Farheen Qureshi

STIGMA AND SECLUSION By Zishan Amiri

B E Y O N D BOLLYWOOD B Y Q U R R A T U L E I N

LETTER CHRONICLES By Krishan Manhas

Owned, Printed and Published by: Qazi Zaid | Published from: Second Floor, Aqsa Mall, Jehangir Chowk, Srinagar | Printed at: Khidmat Offset Printing Press, The Bund, Srinagar Registered: JKENG/2011/36414 | Features Editor: Bilal Handoo | Layout & Graphics: Suhail Sultan | Contact at: +0194-2475633 | E-Mails: [email protected] | [email protected] WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE JUNE 21-27, 2021

Restricted Livelihood Stuck in a quagmire after abrogation of Article 370, distressed private sector employees of Kashmir have been pushed to the wall due to the “apathetic” official response. WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE JUNE 21-27, 2021

B Y F A R H E E N Q U R E S H I

asit Nazir, 27, resigned from a well-known private automobile company in October 2020 after working there for six years. A month later he cleared his NOC and applied for Central Provident (CP) Fund. But eight months later, this breadwinner of a family of five is still try- ing to get his hands on his own hard-earned money. BTo clear the decks, Basit even approached the higher authorities only to return disappointed. “The government officials often tell us that they can’t do anything about it ‘because it’s up to Center now’,” Basit says. “Where’re we supposed to go, and who do we approach now? I’m young and can move from one place to another to meet officials but there’re so many older employees among us who don’t even know the concerned office ad- dresses to meet officials. They’ve been waiting for years together and can’t meet the officials over and over again. It’s become even more difficult for us to go out in this pandemic and roam around the government offices just to hear that the deadline is extended. All they do is give deadlines after deadlines without respecting even a single deadline and this is being repeated for years now just to delay the process.” Fearing the same fate, Faiyaz Ahmad, on the cusp of retirement, is getting paranoid about his money being deposited in his CP Fund account since 2002. “Hundreds of employees are going through terrible times and need money desperately during this third straight year of lockdown,” Faiyaz says. Due to consecutive curbs, these private sector employees often struggle for survival while consistently demanding the withdrawal of their CP Fund for years now. “Government should solve the matter on priority basis,” Faiyaz says. “Employees are waiting to withdraw their hard-earned money but due to the non-serious attitude of the Labour Department here, they’ve failed to transfer the data to the center and merge and update the accounts online from the last two years.” Faiyaz and Co. even wrote an open letter to the Labour Department, but the response remains dispirited. “We’ve lost the count of our visits to the department as our grievances are never addressed,” he says. “We even filed Right to Information (RTI) a few times in regard to withdrawing the money that gets deducted from our mea- gre salaries but nobody bothered to respond to that. The authorities have failed us time and again. It’s very disturbing and takes a heavy toll on our mental health.” After New Delhi abrogated Article 370 in August 2019 in the name of “development”, most of the state depart- ments came under the direct authority and laws of Gov- ernment of India. Before being downgraded to a union territory, the erst- while state had a statutory body, Jammu & Kashmir Employees Provident Fund Organisation (JKEPFO), under Department of Labour and Employment, Govern- ment of Jammu and Kashmir. It eventually came within the jurisdiction and direct control of New Delhi under Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Min- istry of Labour & Employment, Government of India. WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE JUNE 21-27, 2021

“After working for 15 years in a private company, I resigned from my job in 2018 and hasn’t been able to withdraw any amount from my CP Fund so far because of the lethargic work culture in government offices,”

he shift, however, has failed to many issues unaddressed for years any amount from their CP Fund any- the previous data to Centre or coordi- fulfil promises to the already now,” says Bashir Khan, a private time while they’re in service but private nate accordingly with higher ups to estranged population, espe- school teacher struggling to clear his employees in the region cannot avail come to any resolution.” cially private sector employees CP Fund since 2019. “Those who were the facility due to Labour Department’s Notably, the J&K authorities have Tof Kashmir. And for this, the Labour in desperate need of this reserved fund “lethargic” work culture. failed to meet a deadline to transfer Department of Jammu and Kashmir had left their jobs but are still waiting “After working for 15 years in a pri- pre-August 2019 CP Fund data to Cen- is being called out for its “apathetic” for it.” The Labour Department has vate company, I resigned from my job tre for its merger as JKEPFO now falls attitude towards the poorly-paid em- failed to update the accounts of the in 2018 and hasn’t been able to withdraw under the direct control of EPFO, Gov- ployees, including school teachers, employees’ CP Fund online which was any amount from my CP Fund so far ernment of India since October 31st, automobile workers and others. Due the long standing issue of the employ- because of the lethargic work culture 2020. Its deadline was August 2020. to the alleged inefficiency of the de- ees in Jammu and Kashmir, hence in government offices,” says Shabnam Due to this, Centre’s EPFO has up- partment, employees have been un- creating an inordinate delay and dis- Ali, a former private employee. dated the accounts online showing able to withdraw their years of CP tress to employees. As per New Delhi’s “The UT authorities throw the ball employees a record of their CP Fund Fund. scheme to ease the economic burden in New Delhi’s court while they them- only from October 2020 after JKEPFO “Government’s tall claims of develop- of the employees in the Covid lockdown, selves do not even try to resolve the came under Centre’s control. ing Kashmir have fallen flat with so it reads that employees can withdraw issues at their own level by sending According to the employees, there’s WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE JUNE 21-27, 2021

no data given to them about the deposited be reconciled, so that no excess payment money in their CP Fund account prior to transfer is done to the Central EPFO portal.” the abrogation of Article 370. In a condescending tone, however, War “But still most of us were able to withdraw tried to justify the conduct of his office our CP Fund before the abrogation of Ar- saying: “Why would they [employees] call ticle 370 but after that, we’re told to wait you [media] before calling us first? Nobody “Some employees ‘as the situation has gone from bad to worse’,” has called me. We haven’t been getting such continues Shabnum. calls or complaints from any employee. We are even fed up Nobody in the government offices is willing haven’t been approached by any employee to help, says Sajad Ahmad, another disgrun- with this grievance.” with following tled private employee. “Some employees are But when cross-questioned in regard to even fed up with following the deadlines and the written letters, complaints and RTI meeting officials now because they know it filed by many employees, the Labour Com- the deadlines and will be of no use and will only end up with misioner snapped the call. physical and emotional exhaustion.” The same curt conduct today makes many meeting officials now However, Abdul Rashid War, Labour private employees in J&K believe that Commissioner, Department of Labour, J&K there’s no one ready to listen to their distress because they know told Free Press Kashmir that transition is stories or address their grievances. going on and till now around “6000 units” Like others, Basit Nazir was told to follow have been transferred. some official rules, including getting a it will be of no use “There’re some undigitised units which medical certificate, for clearing his CP are taking time,” War said. “Besides we’re Fund. But he’s yet to come out of the official and will only end clearing withdrawals of retrenched and formalities. retired workers. Transferring all units in “I’m being taken for a ride for just Rs 1 up with physical one go is not possible. The data of each lakh as my CP fund. One can only imagine subscriber which is being transferred to the fate of those employees who’ve not been Central EPFO has to undergo thorough able to withdraw their CP fund for more and emotional fidelity checks as every entry of the sub- than 10 years due to the sluggish work of scriber has to be cross-checked with the the Labour Department.” exhaustion.” reference records. Further, all the with- drawal entries of the subscribers on the Names in this story have been changed for official portal of the Organisation are to privacy. FP K WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE JUNE 21-27, 2021 Beyond Bollywood The chopper-dropped actor’s school donation and photo-op with students might’ve hogged headlines, but the northern valley lying beyond Razdan Pass is silently watching a change created by a son of the soil.

B Y Q U R R A T U L E I N WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE JUNE 21-27, 2021

An open air classroom in Gurez.

he day Indian actor Akshay Kumar was flown to Gurez for the Border Security Forces (BSF) event, Mohammed Sayeed Bhat was quietly gathering support for the public library in his militarized hometown. The quaint valley is situated 125.9 km away from Srinagar, where Kumar donated Rs 1 crore for the construction of a Gurez is mostly Tschool building at Neeru village in Tulail along the Line of Control. But beyond the BSF-Bollywood campus camaraderie, Gurez is currently witnessing a literary movement. dependent on her The library movement began with Bhat’s recent homecoming. A random visit to a messy library left him disturbed. teachers’ notes for “Books were on the floor,” the researcher campaigning for public library in Gurez as a petitioner says. study. She’s aspiring “There was no space for people to sit and study. Old books were layered with dust. No new journals have been allotted to the library for many years. Gurez deserves a well-equipped library with proper reading space.” to appear in NEET Soon as he raised the issue on social media, many people backed his campaign. Medical exams but “I started a petition for the public library in Gurez and my friends shared it on twitter,” Bhat continues. with no bookstores “They tagged many officials, including LG Manoj Sinha, District Magis- trate Bandipora, Directorate of Libraries among others.” The campaign was shortly noticed, with Directorate of Libraries writing available in her an application to district administration of Bandipora about the allocation of land for the library. hometown, she faces a A possible site for the public library, Bhat says, can be near the old library and the sheep husbandry office in Gurez where land is available. dearth of quality study “Along with my friends—Muzzamil Khan, Zeeshan Mir and Ishtiyak Magray—I also wrote an application on behalf of the people of Gurez to the higher officials,” the campaigner says. material. “Registration has been started in district administration and we hope the land will be soon allotted.” WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE JUNE 21-27, 2021

he co-campaigner of the cause, Muzzamil Khan, believes that the public library can Timprove reading culture in Gurez and provide space for quality interaction. “Books are diet for many and library is an ideal place for it,” Khan says. “The importance of books in one’s life is immense. They improve a person’s vision and worldview. I believe this library will be a game-changer for Gurez.” The literary drive has already raised hopes of students like Aafreen Ashraf. This Class 12 student from Gurez is mostly depend- ent on her teachers’ notes for study. She’s aspiring to appear in NEET Medical exams but with no bookstores available in her hometown, she faces a dearth of quality study material. “We’re not able to prepare for such competitive exams in a better way,” Aafreen says. “While students elsewhere have dozens of book- stores available to them, we’ve none. And this pau- city makes the public library even more important for us.” Since most of these students belong to the lower middle-class families who can’t afford expensive books and smartphones, the public library is ex- pected to make life a little better for them. Even though internet has been lately started in this militarized town, the slow speed remains an issue for students and scholars. Old Library Room /Photo By Sayeed Bhat for FPK.

People who shift from Gurez to other places like Bandipo- “ra get better facilities,” Bhat says. “Many teachers also shift in winters. In this way, Gurez remains deficient of books as well as of teachers. School librar- ies remain inaccessible due to the current situation. So a public library can change the entire literary scenario.” In fact, many in Gurez aspire to be writers and poets, Bhat says, and only a library can only harness their literary prowess. “We’ve just taken a first step in this regard,” the researcher- cum-petitioner says. “We’ll cel- ebrate our efforts the day con- struction starts.” Many of these defining cam- paigns often go unnoticed in the hinterlands where optics perhaps dominate headlines more than the commoner’s community wel- fare cause. Today, Bhat is exactly doing that, thus giving Bollywood an inspiring storyline bereft of blitz. FP K /Photo By Muzammil Khan for FPK. WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE JUNE 21-27, 2021 Stigma and Seclusion

B Y Z I S H A N A M I R I

Coming from a place where Saadut Hasan Manto bled his pen dog in the hinterland games of the two hostile neighbours, one of the ‘inmates’ of Kashmir deplored colony decries the social stigma associated with leprosy despite the disease being controlled and effectively curable. WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE JUNE 21-27, 2021

ENGROSSED in storytelling, Parvez Alam used his bare fingers to level the hot embers in Kangri, a tra- ditional firepot to battle Kashmir’s harsh winter. Matter of fact, he did not even realise, for his nerves fail to send any sensory signal to his brain. The 46-year- old does not feel any sensation in his arms and legs. At a mere age of 10, Parvez was diagnosed with the Leprosy. The disease killed his nerve endings, disfigured his body skin, and left behind the wounds for a lifetime. He tries his best to cover the damage. Only recently he invested in an “expensive” pair of hand gloves and socks, however, for he cannot walk around hiding his face, his leper identity is left exposed. One usual characteristic of a former leper is the ‘Leonine facies’, where his facial feature resembles that of a Lion. Parvez’s eyebrow hair and eyelashes have fallen, and with a pigmented skin and an evident nasal destruction, he comes quite close to pulling off that lion face for my better understanding. “Did that scare you?” he joked, “I find it funny, but not the nor- mal world.” I met Parvez on my visit to Srinagar’s Lepers Colo- ny in Bahrar on the banks of scenic Nigeen Lake, set up by the British administration in the 1890s, when Leprosy had Kashmir in its grip. Back in the time, about 130 patients across Jammu and Kashmir were reportedly gripped with Leprosy. Over the years, the colony became home to several patients, and at present, like Parvez, there are as many as 71 others, addressed as “inmates”, who have made a distinct little world of their own, living with their respective families in a two-room setup.

BUT despite having won the battle against Leprosy, the tag of a former Leper haunts them each time they step out in the “normal world”. The stigma held by the society about this disease has remained deeply rooted for years. Although it has been medically proven that Leprosy is now only mild- ly contagious, the fear remains, and the myth that its victims are “cursed”. Let alone the common people, there’s ignorance even among the doctors and medical experts. Only recently, one of the inmates was denied medical treatment in the Bone and Joint Hospital, Barzulla, because of his history with Leprosy. The medical officer of the Lepers colony had to in- tervene with the medical superintendent of the hospi- tal to assure that the individual is Leprosy-free and safe to proceed for treatment. By how Parvez spoke, it seems like the Leper victims, on the other hand, have as well accepted their “indif- ferent” social status. For instance, while successful marriage proposals are usually a happy anecdote, the story of how Parvez met his wife, Maryam, is a bitter tale of compromise and settlement. He narrated: “When I sent my proposal to her, she had the option to choose from four other men… but she settled for me, a leper victim. Now you will ask me – what would be the reason? That is because my wife is a handicap, herself. Her right leg falls short of the ground when she walks. She knew, had she went with that police officer [one of her suitors], he could have betrayed her. Whereas I am harmless, a handicap like her, who would understand her suffering as much.” There is an evident psychological impact on even the descendants. WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE JUNE 21-27, 2021

DESPITE being a third generation, far and away from Leprosy, many have to hide or lie about their ancestor’s medical history for mere “acceptance” in the society. I tried conversing with the younger generations of four different families, all were hesitant to speak on record, or reveal their identities. They did not want anything to be reported on their forefathers, or their life in isolation and despair. While the world was introduced with the concept of quarantine during the COVID lockdown, this Leper institution has been in isolation ever since it was set up. In fact, it was structured in a way that the people here do not mingle with the outside world. Built under ‘Kashmir Medical Mission’ on the expanse of 312 kanals of land, donated by the then Commander in Chief of India, Lord Roberts, it pres- ently has 62 single-storeyed cemented white houses, four mud structures designated as male and female wards, a double-storied hospital in the extreme, a mosque, and a graveyard. The colony as well bears the old structures that have now been abandoned. The hospital staff consists of a medical officer, two medical assistants, two nursing orderlies, a sweeper, a barber and a gardener. The residents here have always remained under the surveillance of the government. Presently, it falls under Director Health Services, Kashmir, and from food to shelter, everything is taken care of.

EACH person is provided with 11 kilograms of rice every month, fresh bread every day, and has a free medical care in place. The residents are also given Rs 2000 monthly allowance by the Social Welfare Department. Among these dependent denizens, Parvez was de- prived of parental love all his life. He lost his father when he was still a kid, and his young mother, with a life ahead, married another man. “If not because of the government aid,” he says, “I don’t know how my upbringing would have been.” Hailing from the Line of Control (LoC) village of Tangdar in Kupwara district, Parvez comes from the nomadic Gujjar tribe. Away and ignorant of the mod- ern ways of medical treatment, his tribe depends on the traditional medicines, and was hence the most common casualty of Leprosy in Kashmir. Back in the 1980s, he recalls, a shrine across the LoC became popular among his tribe, for its free food, shelter and aid for the Leprosy patients. Unaware of the colony in Srinagar, and with society taking notice of his disfiguring skin, Parvez decided to cross the mined fence. His attempt was foiled as his movement was brought into the notice of government forces. The State District Magistrate had to intervene, and on knowing Parvez’s medical condition, arrangements were made for him in the Srinagar colony. Since then, it has been 35 years. With wife Maryam, Parvez has a daughter, who studies in class 9. Although what the government provides is “sufficient enough”, he still works in a houseboat in Nigeen as a tourist attender to fund his daughter’s education, for she could grow up to live the life of a “normal”. FP K WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE JUNE 21-27, 2021

Letter Chronicles After Sheikh Abdullah removed him from the post-1947 Jammu rehabilitation scene, Krishan Dev Sethi—the comrade who recently passed away at the age of 93—was sent to Rajouri where his Muslim rehabilitation efforts made him a captive of games they play. Here FPK recreates one of the astounding statecraft dramas that Sethi mentioned in his book, ‘Yaad-e-Rafta’ and in his weekly ‘Jidd-o-jihad’ pieces.

B Y K R I S H A N M A N H A S

n Sheikh Abdullah’s “Naya Kashmir”, when a man from Tral Brigadier Kansara Singh, Sajail Singh and others to Jammu. suddenly came as a courier, the conspiracy theories restarted With this stark shift, Sethi understood the “Naya Kashmir” blueprint. rearing their ugly heads in the region which had freshly bled In Pir Panjal, he shortly received a postcard from his banished friend, Sagar. in partition pogrom. “You talked to Sheikh Abdullah and he sent us to Mirpur,” Sagar informed Braving bone-chilling cold and militarized thoroughfare, Sethi. “If only Sheikh had intervened, many of us would’ve stayed back in comrade Inayatullah had come from Pir Panjal, with a word Jammu itself.” for Abdullah. But while Jammu city saw Muslim figures and commoners being banished Seeking an immediate audience of the leader, he informed to Mirpur and other parts, Sethi ensured Muslim rehabilitation in Rajouri. him how his comrade was made captive in a Rajouri fortress. However, for being a proactive rehabilitation officer, he soon faced con- Since the incarcerated man was Abdullah’s key party man spiracy theories. A fictitious letter in this regard only went on to expose the from Jammu, he dialed his “friend” Jawahar Lal Nehru and asked him to shrewd statecraft attempting to cut short his efforts. Iensure the release of Krishan Dev Sethi—who had migrated from Mirpur to The letter carried a gratitude note from communist China for comrade Sethi’s Jammu after the year 1947 drew new bloodlines in subcontinent—within next efforts to rehabilitate Muslims and thanked him for sending arms and am- 24 hours. munition for movement. But behind that sudden arrival and Sheikh’s curt action was the ‘rabid mind- A brainchild of internal squabble in National Conference, the letter was set’ shaping up in Rajouri — where comrade Sethi was deputed on a prized- brought to Indian army’s notice by Labour Commissioner of Poonch, Ghulam cum-punishment posting by his leader. Qadir Banday. The chronicle of conspiracy starts soon after Sethi arrived in Jammu as a Soon Sethi was dragged out of his official residence as a handcuffed captive young Mirpuri who had previously fought pitched battles with feudalism and and interned in Major General Misri Chand’s fort residence in Rajouri. imperialism. His charges included rehabilitating Muslims and advocating Hindu-Muslim In Jammu’s shifted sands, he couldn’t make peace with slaughter spirit and harmony in Pir Panjal. During nights, a prison officer of Kashmir militia sought his leader’s audience for striking a change on the ground. would deliver an open threat that he would be shot dead in case he tries to run But his rendezvous with the emergency ruler ended on a sour note. away. “People are migrating and this is not good,” young Sethi informed Sheikh It was then his comrade, Tral man Inayatullah started traversing the moun- who had arrived in Jammu with a destitute rehabilitation plan soon after riot- tains and the manned routes to arrive in the snowbound valley to inform ers achieved their objective of changing the Muslim-majority province’s status. Abdullah about his party man’s arrest. “Why should I intervene,” Sethi was shocked with the Prime Minister of After Abdullah informed Nehru, General Yadunath Singh and Sarab- Jammu and Kashmir’s curt reply, hai were shortly sent to take the captive comrade out of the fortress. “Muslims of Jammu have never accepted me as their leader.” For arresting Sethi, Major Misri was demoted, while police But in the murderous mist and mood, the comrade kept batting for brother- officer DN Koul was transferred and bureaucrat Uday Chand hood. However, his role as pacifist didn’t go well with the pawns, purveyors was prematurely retired. Before dismissing them, Abdullah and powers of the day. Despite being cautioned by his friend Allah Rakha Sagar, would grill the erring sleuths for making a fake letter Sethi informed Abdullah about the precarious situation and requested him to ground for the comrade’s arrest. hold Muslims back in Jammu. Soon as Sethi was back to his business as usual, the The next day, Abdullah removed Sethi from Jammu’s post-massacre reha- conspiracy theories became a raging cabinet matter. bilitation scene and deputed him as rehabilitation officer, Poonch-Rajouri. His In the unfolding pattern, the name of the man who punishment posting was the highest grade job of Rs 420-600 back then. would soon arrest and succeed Abdullah in a coup Shortly as the disheartened comrade left for his new assignment, Sheikh de theatre surfaced as the brain behind the fake sent Chaudhury Ghulam Abbas and Allah Rakha Sagar to Mirpur and brought letter. FP K WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE JUNE 21-27, 2021 WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE JUNE 21-27, 2021