tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130830332820181818.post553076011149260069..comments2024-03-27T13:13:25.164-04:00Comments on johnshaplin: In the Valley of Mist by Justine Hardyjohnshaplinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17618981988062495637noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130830332820181818.post-88958362756557018142009-09-18T15:48:09.867-04:002009-09-18T15:48:09.867-04:00"In the Valley of Mist; Kashmir: One Family i..."In the Valley of Mist; Kashmir: One Family in a Changing World" by Justine Hardy; Free Press, 2009<br /><br />Postscript: "Since I finished writing this book, there has been a state election in Jammyu and Kashmir. There is now a new leadership under a young man whose family has been inextricabbly involved in Kashmiri politics since the 1930s. Omar Abdullah, the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has brought an optimism that has not been felt in the Valley for a long time. The task of economic re-structuring and trust-building that he faces are monumental."johnshaplinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17618981988062495637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6130830332820181818.post-16422283482954630162009-09-18T15:47:04.080-04:002009-09-18T15:47:04.080-04:00In the febrile environment of the Kashmir Valley i...In the febrile environment of the Kashmir Valley it was inevitable that the formation of local counterinsurgency forces would be a breeding ground for bribery and extortion. Behind closed doors, and in private, most Kashmiris agree that paramilitary forces and specialist counterinsurgency groups have taken corruption to new highs. They will nod, agree, and tell stories that you hope have been made up, are rumors, or appalling exaggerations. But they will not go on record. It is still not a time when peple can talk freely and openly of what they have witnesses or been subjected to, and the hands of both the security forces and the militants. There have been many" incidents". People refer to them, they tell stories, but they also ask me not to retell them. People have spoken out over the years but they have also been further brutalized for doing so.johnshaplinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17618981988062495637noreply@blogger.com