Posted on Monday, October 25, 2010 - 01:02 am:

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SRINAGAR: Advocating the right to self-determination for the people of Kashmir, author-activist Arundhati Roy on Sunday contended that in 1947, British imperialism was replaced with Indian colonialism which "continued to subjugate the people of India".

Speaking at a seminar titled "Whither Kashmir? Freedom or Enslavement," Roy asked Kashmiris to ponder on the type of society they have in mind for themselves.

"Imperial colonialism is fast being replaced by corporate colonialism and Kashmiris would have to make a choice whether or not they wanted the Indian oppression to be replaced by a future corporate oppression of the local masses," she said.

"Your struggle has increased the consciousness in India about the oppression you face, but you must decide what type of society you have in mind once you are allowed to decide your future," she said.

Attacking the Indian government for the "oppression of the Kashmiri people", she said India has been using Kashmiris recruited in the army and paramilitary forces to suppress the voices of dissent in the Northeast and vice versa.

The seminar was organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society headed by the local rights activist Pervaiz Imroz and was held at a hotel here.

Besides Roy, rights activist Gautam Naulakha and Delhi-based trader unionist Ashim Roy also strongly voiced their support for the freedom movement of the people of Kashmir.

No mainstream or separatist politician was present at the seminar although many local journalists and members of the civil society attended it.

Among the other speakers at the seminar were Najeeb Mubarki, assistant editor of the Economic Times in Delhi, Parvaiz Bukhari, a Srinagar based journalist, and Sanjay Kak, a film maker.

Kak released a documentary titled "Jashn-e- Azadi" in 2007 which depicts the ground situation in the valley during the last two decades. The documentary was acclaimed in the valley with locals maintaining it depicted the truth about the Kashmir situation.

Read more: Indian colonialism replaced British imperialism: Arundhati Roy - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indian-colonialism- replaced-British-imperialism-Arundhati-Roy/articleshow/68043 14.cms#ixzz13LNPhwEN

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Posted on Monday, October 25, 2010 - 12:59 am:

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SRINAGAR (Agencies) � Noted Indian human rights activist and booker prize winner, Arundhati Roy on Sunday dropped a bombshell stating that Indian-held Kashmir has never been an integral part of India.

She also advocated the right to self-determination for the people of Kashmir, She said that in 1947, British imperialism was replaced with Indian colonialism which has been in place to subjugate and oppress the people of such states which demand �azadi� (freedom) from India.

�Kashmir has never been an integral part of India. It is a historical fact,� Arundhati said.
She said India after getting independence from British emerged as a �new colonizing power�.

�India fought in Nagaland, Manipur, Punjab and Kashmir. It projects itself as the biggest democracy in the world and emerging economic power but at the same time it oppresses its states and the people of diverse cultures,� she added.

Speaking at a seminar titled �Whither Kashmir: Freedom or Enslavement�, organized by the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, headed by the local rights activist Pervaiz Imroz, at a hotel here, Arundhati asked Kashmiris to ponder on the type of society they have in mind for themselves.

�Imperial colonialism is being fast replaced by corporate colonialism and Kashmiris would have to make a choice whether or not they wanted the Indian oppression to be replaced by a future corporate oppression of the local masses,� she said.

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Posted on Monday, October 25, 2010 - 12:55 am:

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Activist Arundhati Roy, who created a controversy by questioning Jammu and Kashmir's accession to the Union, on Sunday said the State was never an integral part of India.

�Kashmir has never been an integral part of India. It is a historical fact. Even the Indian government has accepted this,� the Booker Prize winner said.

Ms. Roy alleged that India became �colonising power� soon after its Independence from the British rule.

She was speaking at a seminar on the theme �Wither Kashmir: Freedom or enslavement' organised by the Coalition of Civil Societies (CCS) here.

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Posted on Monday, October 25, 2010 - 12:45 am:

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Activist Arundhati Roy, who recently whipped up a major controversy by advocating 'azadi' for Kashmir at a seminar in New Delhi, has gone a step further by claiming that the State was never an integral part of India and those espousing the cause of "freedom from India" should not be called separatists. Alleging that India became a "colonising power" soon after its Independence from British rule, she asked the people of Kashmir not to join the police or CRPF and work to consolidate the "anti-India resistance".

Speaking at a seminar on 'Wither Kashmir: Freedom or Enslavement', organised by the Coalition of Civil Societies (CCS) here on Sunday, Roy said, "Kashmir has never been an integral part of India. It is a historical fact. Even the Indian Government has accepted this."

While taking pride in associating herself with "resistance movements" across India, Roy counselled the people of Kashmir Valley to consolidate over the "gains" of the recent four months of anti-India agitation.

She said that since the day India won freedom from the British, it turned into a "colonizer" itself and started subsuming nationalities militarily in Nagaland, Manipur, Punjab, Kashmir and other places. "Now India is calling out the Army in central India to fight a protracted war against the poorest people of the world," she claimed.

Roy offered tips to the people to organise and consolidate the "anti-India resistance". "The power concedes nothing unless it is forced to," she said while advocating the need for seeking justice through demands of demilitarisation and repeal of "harsh laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act". She said the people should ponder as to whether the "resistance" is in linear progression or short-circuiting.

While asking the Kashmiris to refrain from joining State police and the Central Reserve Police Force, she said the people (of Kashmir) should worry whether the occupation was not becoming "part of your cellular structure". She also stressed the need for them to fix the goal of their resistance.

Though she tried to appear unmoved over the accusations of preaching cessation at the recent Delhi seminar, she said she wondered why nobody was inquiring into as to who had organised the seminar. "What was their motive and who were the people behind it. It was not that Geelani sahib parachuted down at the venue. There was proper arrangement made for the speakers to gather there," she said.

She asked Kashmiris to create more space for debate and consolidate over the gains of the past four months. "You have gained considerable ground in the past four months. Now you should think to consolidate on it. The real risk is that it should not turn into temper tantrum," she said. "The debates are part of the sharp blade of resistance. If you don't debate, they still know what your faultlines are," she pointed out.

She differed with the idea of fellow speaker Gautam Naulakha that participation in elections did not impact the resistance movements. "You (Kashmiris) should think how the elections were used against you (internationally)," she offered.

Roy said that in the late 1980s, India simultaneously opened the locks of Babri Masjid and open economy to become totalitarian for Hindutva and corporatisation. She said that whichever Government assumed power at the Centre, be it the Congress or the BJP, it has to be militaristic. "The Prime Minister of the world's largest democracy has not been elected," she added.

Roy said that India was "behaving like a colonial power and suppressing one community at the hands of the other just like the British" did in World War II. "They are sending Nagas to Kashmir and Punjabis to Manipur," she said.

The 'activist' explained her interactions with Maoist rebels and expressed happiness over the involvement of women in their "struggle". She added, "Biodiversity has to be the hallmark of resistance so that it can't be wiped out with one kind of pest."

Senior Delhi-based Kashmiri journalist Najeeb Mubarki said there was consensus over radical change in the status quo of Kashmir. He also deliberated over the role of corporate media, misrepresentation of the situation in Kashmir and issues of Islamism. Coalition of Civil Society, an NGO that works against enforced disappearances, had organised the seminar here on Sunday.

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