Kotli:
Those believing in connecting the hearts and minds of people of forcibly divided land of Kashmir must be delighted that the Azad kashmir premier Sardar Attique Khan has issued a notification on setting up the Kashmir Text Book Board. The pro independence Kashmiri leader Quayyum Raja, who served about 22 years in prison for the Kashmir cause and who is now head of Diplomatic Mission of the Kashmir National Liberation Conference, had lodged a petition to the Azad kashmir High Court about 2 years ago. Mr. Raja siad in his petition that Kashmiri children had the right to study their history, which had been deplorably removed from the text books taught in so called Azad kashmir. He termed this policy of the Pakistani and AK regimes as "Educational Vandalism."
The then High court Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Nawaz Khan approved the petition. Initially, the AK government defended its policy on the flimiest grounds that it did not have experts and resources for the formation of Kashmir Text Book Board. The petitioner Raja argued that it was an insult to say that Kashmir did not have educated people, who could do the job, while there were enough resources, but not the will on part of the government. Quayyum Raja threatened the government for taking it to the Accountability Bureau to finding out where its officials and ministers got all the properties from and if they could not prove it as their legal earning, it should be taken away from them and spent on social, political and educational reforms. Eventually, the AK regime gave up and issued the notification.
Commenting on the notification, the delighted Quayyum Raja siad in a press conference in Khuiratta that when he filed the petition, many people said it was a good idea, but impossible to get anywhere. He said our people have been fed with defeatism and therefore everything appear impossible to them. Raja said the government must immediately set up a Committe of experts, who should complete the process. He said he would not withdraw his petition until the history classes have commenced.
Quayyum Raja has launched another campaign for (1) stopping civil servants and politicians to attending weddings on public expense, (2) abandoning criminal investigation at the expense of victims. Such cruel things do not happen anywhere else. He appealed all people believing in justice and fairness to support him both politically and financially. He said he fought so far on his own and since he spent most of his adult life in prison, he did not have enough resources to fight such a just cause alone.
Journalist Shaukat Kokhar while commenting on the notification of Kashmir Text Book Board, said, Quayyum Raja's success has shown that if you know and follow the process, you can win. This is a good message and example.
