Politics shouldn't come in way of SAARC summits: J&K rights defender

By Our Representative
Syed Mujtaba, a well-known human rights defender from Jammu & Kashmir, has said that the Kashmiris are sandwiched between the unstable political relations between India and Pakistan, insisting, "For greater peace of the South Asian region, political issues should not be allowed to derail the South Asian South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summits nor it should be held hostage to the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan."
Mujtaba said this even as India declared New Delhi will not participate in SAARC summit, to be hosted by Pakistan, till Islamabad does not stop terror activities in India. Sushma Swaraj, external affairs minister, said this in reaction to Pakistan's statement that Modi would be invited to the SAARC summit.
He was addressing a roundtable meet at the India International Centre, New Delhi, organised by Centre for Peace and Progress founded by OP Shah on J&K: Road Ahead, attended by Round table discussion was attended by former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah, Prof Bhim Singh, member of Parliament Majeed Memon, Muzaffar Hussain Shah, Shafi Pandit (IAS), AM Watali , advocate GN Shaheen , Ashok bVhan, Arti Tikoo etc. various diplomats, politicians, journalists, activists and research scholars.
Mujtaba said, peace and cooperation between India and Pakistan must start with people to people dialogue, followed by cultural and transnational diplomacy, economic corridors, bilateral dialogues, backchannel lines of communication. Calling Kashmir as the “bloodshed capital of globe", Mujtaba added, "Peace in J&K is not possible unless gap in theory and practice is bridged", adding, "Several accords like Indira-Sheikh Accord, Rajiv-Farooq Accord etc. are on papers But unfortunately the reality on ground is different."

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ISKCON UK 'clarifies' after virus infects devotees, 5 die due to big temple meet

By Rajiv Shah
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), United Kingdom (UK), has admitted that at least 21 of its devotees were infected because of the spread of the coronavirus amongst the UK devotee community following the March 12 funeral and March 15 memorial of the Bhaktivedanta Manor temple president, in which about 1,000 people participated. Regretting that five of the devotees have passed away, the top Hindu religious in Britain body does not deny more may have been infected.

As corona virus 'travels' to rural areas, NGO begins training tribals, marginalised women

By Souparno Chatterjee*
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared corona virus a pandemic. Originating from Wuhan in China, it has traversed the entire globe, almost, and claimed more than 16,000 lives already. That’s largely the urban population. In India, despite all the preparedness and war-like promptness to safeguard against the pandemic, several lives have been lost , and hundreds of individuals have tested positive.

Idea of fair, tall, customized baby "rooted" in Nazi Germany, RSS' Golwalkar wanted crossbreeding with Brahmins

By Our Representative
Facts have come to light suggesting that the RSS’ experiment to have “fair”, “tall” and “customized” baby has an interesting Gujarat connection: It was first reportedly floated by its topmost ideologue Guru Golwalkar way back in 1960 while giving a lecture in Gujarat University.

COVID-19: Dalit rights bodies regret, no relief plan yet for SCs, STs, marginalized

By Our Representative
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the National Dalit Watch-National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, endorsed* by several other Dalit rights organizations, have insisted, the Government of India should particular care of the scheduled castes and tribes, trans folks, persons with disabilities and the women and children from these communities, while fighting against COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus scare ‘pushing’ people from Northeast India into more hardship

By Rishiraj Sinha, Biswanath Sinha*
“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” – Nelson Mandela
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Gujarat govt plan to 'banish' Gandhian activist anti-democratic, unconstitutional

By Rohit Prajapati*
The current Central and Gujarat governments, and their bureaucracy, have been and are still unable to answer and address the concerns raised, with facts, figures, and constitutional provisions, regarding the terror of tourism in the name of the Statue of Unity and tourism projects surrounding it.

Mallika Sarabhai releases speech she was 'not allowed' to give at NID Convocation on Feb 7

Counterview Desk
The National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, a Ministry of Commerce and Industry body, landed itself in controversy following its decision to put off its 40th convocation ceremony, where noted danseuse Mallika Sarabhai was invited as chief guest. The ceremony was scheduled to be held on February 7.

Rani Laxmi Bai, Tatya Tope 'martyred' by East India Company, Scindia's forefathers

By Our Representative
In an email alert to Counterview, well-known political scientist Shamsul Islam has said that was “shameful for any political party in democratic India to keep children of Sindhias in their flock” given their role during the First War of Indian Independence (1857). In a direct commentary on Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia moving over to BJP, Prof Islam has quote from a British gazetteer to prove his point.

Gujarat construction workers walk home as Rs 2,900 crore welfare fund lies unused

By Our Representative
Situated behind the Gujarat University, some of the families of the migrant construction workers from Dahod and Panchmahals districts of Gujarat, and a few from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, who had stayed put in make-shift shanties in Ahmedabad’s sprawling GMDC Ground, have begun a long journey, by foot, back to their home villages in the eastern tribal belt of Gujarat.

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