Showing posts with label 2002 riots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2002 riots. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Indians in Pakistan Vs Recent Surgical Strikes

I wonder if the recent surgical strikes by the Indian forces in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) were as action-packed as this extract from our thriller 'Indian in Pakistan':

When my mobile alarm went off (with a lowered volume), according to the plan, I got ready to fire. But the deafening sounds of rockets exploding on impact reverberated throughout the valley. I found it difficult to keep my hands steady to shoot and bided my time. And when I finally did fire, mine was one of the last rockets to take off. It did find its target though and added to the stupendous scale of devastation that had happened in just over a minute or so. More than twenty rockets had been fired in all, although there had also been a couple of misfires and at least one of them had gone totally wide off the mark.

Plumes of smoke, huge fires and scattered debris could be clearly seen from our strategic positions despite the presence of dust clouds all around. Panicky men were shouting, screaming, weeping and running. They looked all over but could not spot us. We had already hit them hard.

Two more waves of rocket attacks increased the devastation as well as the chaos. Artillery shells from the first tank seemed to strike the main installations and structures in the middle to devastating effect. Meanwhile, we received news that the second tank had been successfully destroyed. The victorious group would be joining the rest of the unit in the next stage of the battle.

The next stage was the close combat stage where the rest of the unit excluding us would enter the campgrounds and cause mayhem. The relentless sound of AK47s firing, rocket attacks and hand grenade explosions rent the air. From our elevated position on the hills, we aimed at the centre of the camp with our RPG launchers and AK47s. We aimed at the middle of the ground so as to avoid killing our own men who were infiltrating the camp from all sides.

Those who endeavoured to flee the camp from the main entrance were ambushed in a brutal assault by both the groups stationed in the area. In fact, the group that had destroyed the second tank provided valuable support to these groups. The rockets, grenades and bullets must have killed scores of men.
Most of the main targets had been destroyed by now. Both the helicopters had been blown up with rockets. One of them had managed to take off and was just a few metres high when it had been attacked. The solitary tank on the grounds was permanently damaged by an explosion. The guard towers and ammunition depot had been obliterated too. Moreover, all the buildings had been reduced to rubble.

But there were casualties on our side as well. A few had died accidentally because of unfortunate instances of friendly firing. Someone had stepped on a mine in the distance and had most probably been killed.
My night vision scope had caught all the action wonderfully. But the battle was still far from won. The enemy was fighting fiercely now as most of the survivors had woken up fully from their slumber. Some of them launched a counterattack against us. They must have even called for some aerial support by now. I wished we could leave immediately but Younus did not give any orders for a retreat as yet.

And then things began to go wrong. Someone managed to scale the hillock and kill Abdullah. Mohsin fired at the enemy. But he was critically wounded before he had incapacitated his opponent. The brave lad lay on the ground, breathing heavily. Najma, Afzal and I went up to him...

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Why don t you speak out against Indian Politicians? Most of them are far worse than Trump: An Open Letter to Priyanka Chopra

Dear Priyanka,

We are truly proud of your achievements as an actor, singer and model. We are prouder of your outburst against Donald Trump, the controversial US Presidential candidate who could very well 'Make America Hate Again'! You were spot on when you said: "I just think you can't put a ban on anyone; Generalising a type of people is really primitive." Insightful words Indeed!

As a matter of fact, I too have been a staunch critic of Trump and his politics of hate. However, at this point I must dare point out that this phenomenon of bigotry is not confined to the American shores alone. All across the globe, terrorists and fascists have sprung to power and formed governments just by selling Hate to the local populace. We have seen it happen in Egypt, Turkey, Gaza, Russia, Syria, Afghanistan and even in some European countries! Social media and the collaborative conventional media (or bazaaru media) rather than curtailing this menace, have contributed to its proliferation in every nook and corner of our beautiful planet. Yes, hate is selling everywhere. 

But the stark reality is that India is no exception. Yes, you read it right. India is no exception. The winds of bigotry and prejudice blow unhindered and with great intensity across our great land too. Horrific deeds are perpetrated in the name of religion, caste, ethnicity and regional affiliation. And many of these atrocities have been orchestrated by leading Indian politicians for cheap political gains.

And this is where I question your partiality. Why do you choose to remain silent when our politicians spew venom and incite violence against our own countrymen? Wasn't your silence deafening when a man was butchered at Dadri by a mob that was driven by false rumours spread by local politicians of a national party. Why are you silent on riots engineered by politicians which have killed thousands of our citizens in the past few decades, especially the 1984 and 2002 riots. Aren't these murders, rapes and other physical attacks far worse than whatever Mr. Trump proposes?

But if you are looking out for someone who spreads vitriolic communal and ethnic hatred a la Trump, then look no further than our own Rajya Sabha. Just a few days ago, Modi has appointed the Xenophobic Subramaniam Swamy as the BJP representative in the upper house of the Indian parliament despite being fully aware of his ugly diatribes against the minorities of our nation. Mr Swamy wants Christians and Muslims to be driven out of our nation unless they acknowledge their Hindu ancestry.  

Now even the government buttering Bollywood stars, who often click selfies with our Prime Minister, must agree that what Modi has done is terribly wrong. Swamy is far worse than Trump. While the US Presidential Candidate wants to prevent Muslims from coming to America, Swamy wants to kick out Muslims and Christians from India, although most of them are loyal citizens of this country. And your beloved PM could find only this despicable character to lead his party in parliament! 

Will you now speak out against our xenophobic politicians and their vile deeds or will you continue to bury your head in the sand like an ostrich and pretend that all of us live in a hunky dory world in which the Trumps are just aberrations? Could you compose and sing verses that bring out the ugliness of Indian politics, or would you just be content to dance to the tunes of a sadistic establishment? The ball is in your court, Priyanka. Do remember the wisest words ever written: "The hottest seats in Hell are reserved for those who remain neutral in a moral crisis." Speaking out against the arrogant US Presidential candidate is a step in the right direction, but do show the same amount of concern when there are fires raging in your own backyard!