CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Farooq Abdullah: The Main Culprit

After the demise of Sheikh Abdullah, it was his son, Farooq Abdullah, who
took over as the helmsman of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The struggle for power within the National Conference was virtually stifled when Mrs. Indira Gandhi through her personal intervention cleared the decks for Farooq to take over the mantle of his father. Sheikh Abdullah had already declared him as his heir by investing him with the presidentship of the National Conference. Farooq would have faced tough opposition from forces within the organisation had Mrs. Gandhi not set the stage for his mid-night coronation. And thus began the saga of precipitous disaster for the state.
Farooq was leagues away from politics. Lacking in depth and maturity, his story in politics was abominable. Though he was the son of Sheikh Abdullah, yet he was not taken very seriously by all hues of people. Before entering the political scene of Kashmir, he had lived for a considerable period in London, where he had formed, not tenuous, but firm links with some prominent secessionist organisations operating on the soil of Britain. The chief among such organisations was the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front. 1 Having formed clandestine links with the leaders of such outfits, Farooq seemed bent upon wreaking revenge on the Indian leaders who had wronged his father. There are authentic reports available establishing Farooq's contacts, may be clandestine, with Amanullah Khan, Hashim Qureshi and Maqbool Butt.2  read more »

UN appeals for aid as drought devastates Horn of Africa

Somalia drought aid hindered by armed groups
of southern Somalia are suffering from famine, a UN official said Wednesday, and tens of thousands of Somalis have already died in the worst hunger emergency in a generation.  read more »

Saudi Arabia-
April 05, 2011
Camille Eid, a professor at the University of Milan, describes the persecution Christians endure in Saudi Arabia. Eid, who has lived in Jeddah-- the nation’s second-largest city-- told the television program “Where God Weeps” that
it is hard to be a lay Catholic in Saudi Arabia because you have to have a very deep background in your faith. You cannot have copies of the Gospel in your home.  read more »

A Sudanese Muslim woman was publicly whipped for wearing trousers, a video released on the internet shows.

The woman was apparently punished under the Sharia law for wearing trousers under her Islamic clothing, Sky News reported Tuesday.  read more »

The Forum of Religious for Justice and Peace has sought the reinstatement of the Kerala professor, who was dismissed by a Church-run college after fanatics attacked him for allegedly insulting Islam.

The national forum of Catholic Religious during its executive committee meeting wrote to the bishop of Kothamangalam, urging him to reinstate the professor.  read more »