BIOS OF KASHMIR-RELATED LEADERS -- PART 3

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 08 NEW DELHI 004300 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INR/B E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2015 TAGS: PGOV PINR IN SUBJECT: BIOS OF KASHMIR-RELATED LEADERS -- PART 3 Classified By: A/Polcouns Matt Boyse for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) This is the third of a three-part biographic report compiling information and impressions A/Polcouns gained from contact with Indian Kashmir-related politicians, government officials, separatists, academics, journalists, NGO activists, and others during a 2002-2005 assignment at Embassy New Delhi. The contents of this message, which includes bios on the individuals below, will be posted on the Embassy Siprnet site: -- Ghulam Hasan MIR, J&K Minister for Housing and Urban Development -- Harsh Dev SINGH, J&K Minister for Education -- Nawang RIGZIN Jora, J&K Minister for Science and Technology, Labor and Employment, J&K -- Dr. Shakti BHAN, "Pannun Kashmir" -- Dr. Riaz PUNJABI, Director of Center for Peace Studies (CPS) -- Muzaffar SHAH, General Secretary, J&K Awami National Conference -- Wajahat HABIBULLAH, Secretary, Panchayati Raj -- Ram JETHMALANI, MP, Rajya Sabha, Chairman, Kashmir Committee -- Dilip PADGAONKAR, Journalist -- Ashok BHAN, Supreme Court Lawyer -- Prem Shankar JHA, Senior Columnist ("Outlook" and "Hindustan Times") -- Parvez DEWAN, Resident Commissioner, J&K, New Delhi -- Girish Chandra SAXENA, former Governor of J&K -- Abdul Rashid SHAHEEN, MP, National Conference -- Vijay DHAR, businessman, philanthropist -- A.S. DULAT, former Chief RAW, and Officer on Special Duty (Kashmir),PMO -- Dr. Vijay K. SAZAWAL, President, Indo-American Kashmir Forum -- Moulvi Iftiqar ANSARI, Member, J&K Legislative Assembly -- S.S. BLOERIA, Chief Secretary, J&K -- Gopal SHARMA, Director General of Police, J&K -- Kuldeep KHODA, Additional Director General Police -- Balraj PURI, Human Rights Activist and Author, Jammu -- Prof. Amitabh MATTOO, Vice-Chancellor, Jammu University -- Prof. Siddiq WAHID, University of Jammu -- Radha KUMAR, Lecturer, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi -- Yusuf JAMEEL, Srinagar correspondent, "Asian Age" -- Muzamil JALEEL, Srinagar correspondent, "Indian Express" -- Izhar WANI, Srinagar correspondent, "AFP" -- Ved BHASIN, Editor/Publisher, "Kashmir Times," Jammu -- S.D. ROHMETRA, Editor/Publisher, "Daily Excelsior," Jammu -- Shujaat BUKHARI, Srinagar correspondent, "Hindu" ¶2. (U) The biographies for the foregoing follow below: Ghulam Hasan MIR -------------- Minister for Housing and Urban Development (C) A senior vice-president of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mir (55),is one of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,s closest political allies, which makes him one of the most powerful ministers in the Cabinet. Elected from Gulmarg in the 2002 state Legislative Assembly elections, he is a law graduate from Aligarh Muslim University. Mir also was law Minister in the GM Shah government in 1984. Reserved in his demeanor, he speaks good English. Harsh Dev SINGH -------------- Minister for Education (C) Nephew of Panther Party President Bhim Singh, Harsh Dev Singh (42) was the first minister from his party to have a Cabinet position. A law graduate, Singh was voted "Best Legislator" by the state assembly in 1996 and has been lauded across party lines for his oratory abilities and knowledge of legislative affairs. He hails from the Ramnagar constituency of Udhampur district. He was a POL nominee for an IVP in 2004, but had to bow out because of unexpected legislative business. Open to contact with the Embassy, he speaks excellent English. Nawang RIGZIN Jora -------------- Minister for Science and Technology, Labor and Employment, Jammu and Kashmir (C) A very impressive Ladakhi politician, Rigzin is a graduate of St. Stephen,s College, Delhi University. After several years as a businessman (he started a tour company and hotel in 1982),he entered politics in 1987, becoming General Secretary of the influential Ladakh Buddhist Association in SIPDIS ¶1990. His long and vigorous campaign for the Ladakh Hill Development Council (LAHDC) ensured that he was elected (uncontested) from the Leh constituency in 2002 state Legislative Assembly elections as an Independent candidate. His personal appearance is closer to Wall Street lawyer. Accessible and friendly, he and his wife have at least one daughter. He was born in 1958 in Nimmu village, Ladakh. He was a POL IVP nominee in 2004. He speaks excellent English. Dr. Shakti BHAN -------------- Pannun Kashmir (C) A medical doctor attached to the prestigious Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, Bhan (mid 50,s) and an activist in Pannun Kashmir (PK),an organization demanding that a separate area in the Valley for the Kashmiri Pandits be declared as a Union Territory directly governed by New Delhi. She heads the PK women,s wing and also manages the PK,s press and public relations in New Delhi. She speaks very good English. Dr. Riaz PUNJABI -------------- Director of Center for Peace Studies (CPS) (C) In his early 50,s, Punjabi chaired the Regional Autonomy Implementation Committee of Jammu & Kashmir during Farooq Abdullah,s government and follows Kashmir issues, Islamic Terrorism, and Indo-Pak relations closely. CPS focuses on disarmament, peace initiatives, terrorism and insurgency studies and is affiliated with Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. Opinionated and pretentious, he speaks excellent English. Muzaffar SHAH -------------- General Secretary, J&K Awami National Conference (C) The son of GM Shah, one of the two non-National Conference Chief Ministers in post-1947 J&K, Shah is the principal organizer for Awami National Conference, which split from the National Conference in 1984. Known as Muzzi, he worked for TATA Steel in Jamshedpur, but quit to start his own steel and coal business. He is a minor player in Kashmir issues, but continues to engage the Embassy in support of his interest in convening a major peace conference in Srinagar and returning to the limelight. He speaks very good English. Wajahat HABIBULLAH -------------- Secretary, Panchayati Raj SIPDIS (C) The most senior Kashmiri civil servant in the elite Indian Administrative Service (IAS),Wajahat has been involved in Kashmir issues for much of his professional life, which makes him among the most well-informed and well-connected GOI officials in India on this issue. (C) His most recent GOI positions have been as Secretary, Panchayati Raj; Secretary, Textiles; and Secretary, Consumer Affairs. After his retirement in June 2005, he is expected to become Vice Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard University in New Delhi. During the 2003-2004 academic year, he was a Senior Fellow at the US Institute of Peace, Washington DC. Sections of the Indian media criticized the paper he wrote there ("The Kashmir Problem and Its Resolution"),for suggesting that the US might play a positive role in Kashmir. Prior to that, he was Director of the IAS training program, the National Academy of Administration, in Mussoorie. (C) During the early years of the insurgency, has served as an interlocutor between the GOI and Kashmiri separatists. In 1993, while serving as the Divisional Commissioner in Jammu and Kashmir, he negotiated with terrorists who occupied the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, and later the same year survived a near fatal car accident in Srinagar. In 1994, GOI posted him to the Indian Embassy in Washington (reportedly to get him closer to the medical care he needed to complete his recovery),where he served as Minister Counselor (Commercial) until 1999. Among his other assignments, Habibullah was Secretary, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (1991-93); Divisional SIPDIS Commissioner, Kashmir (1990-91); Director, Prime Minister,s Secretariat (1982-90),where he served under both Indira and SIPDIS Rajiv Gandhi and developed very close ties to the Gandhi family. He is accessible and friendly to Embassy officers, and is not overly protocol conscious. His slightly British accented English is excellent. Ram JETHMALANI -------------- Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (C) One of India,s most promient lawyers, Jethmalani was chairman of the Track II Kashmir Committee until it disbanded in early 2004, in which capacity he made important contributions to opening channels of communication with the most significant Kashmiri separatists and preparing the ground for the two rounds of talks between the APHC and former DPM LK Advani in early 2004. Under Jethmalani,s leadership, the Kashmir Committee brought together some of the most sophisticated Indian Kashmir observers from media and the legal profession. Law and Justice Minister in the first Vajpayee government, he resigned from Vajpayee,s cabinet and had tense relations with the former PM, opposing him in last Parliamentary elections in his home seat of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. An eccentric political reformer, Jethmalani has been involved with most political parties, but his most recent affiliation is with the Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena, which he joined in 1995. He is unabashedly pro-American, and came out in favor of US "regime change" policy in Iraq. He divides his time between Mumbai and New Delhi's Akbar Road. He has one daughter, Rani, also a lawyer (who was once married to Prem Shanka Jha),and a son, who lives in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. He speaks excellent English. Dilip PADGAONKAR -------------- Journalist (C) A former Editor of the "Times of India," Padgaonkar was an active member of Kashmir Committee during its 18-month existence during 2002-2004 and has been involved in other Indo-Pak Track II organizations such as the South Asia Free Media Association. Padgaonkar began his journalism career at the age of 18, and was with the "Times of India" off and on for much of his career (he still writes a Sunday column). A strong francophile at least since obtaining a PhD in philosophy from the University of Paris, Padgaonkar worked with UNESCO as Director for Public Affairs in Paris. In 1994 he started his own communications company, Asia Pacific Communication Associates, which deals in news and current affairs. He is protocol conscious and prefers to meet only more senior Embassy/USG officials. He speaks excellent English and French. Ashok BHAN -------------- Supreme Court Lawyer (C) Convener of the Kashmir Committee headed by Ram Jethmalani, Bhan was its only Kashmiri Pandit member. Bhan fled to Delhi after the insurgency began in the Valley, leaving his property behind, but he is one of the few Pandits who is not bitter about this personal and family tragedy. He is pro-Congress and stays in constant touch with Hurriyat leaders. He has one son, who lives in Bangalore. He is very approachable and friendly, and partial to the US and the Anglo-Saxon world. He speaks excellent English. Prem Shankar JHA -------------- Senior Columnist (C) Jha is well known for his anti-Bush ranting, as well as his pro-French and pro-Russian political leanings, but his writing (in columns in the newsweekly "Outlook," "Hindustan Times," and a number of books) on Kashmir is outstanding. He is close to several separatists, particularly JKLF head Yasin Malik, and although he is strongly pro-India, he takes the view that New Delhi has to do much more to accommodate the separatists, aspirations. Jha has edited such reputed dailies as the Hindustan Times and Financial Express,and was briefly Media Advisor to PM VP Singh in 1990. An economist by training (he has an M.A.),Jha worked as a consultant to the UN Center for Human Settlement and as Special Assistant to the Managing Director of UN Special Funds, prior to entering journalism. He likes to entertain at his large house on Golf Links, where he used to live with his former wife, Rani, Ram Jethmalani,s daughter. He speaks excellent English. Parvez DEWAN -------------- Resident Commissioner, J&K, New Delhi (C) An Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the 1977 batch of the Jammu and Kashmir cadre, Dewan is probably the most visible of the upper-middle ranks of the state IAS cadre. He is very well informed, accessible to Embassy officers, and communicative. As Divisional Commissioner (Kashmir),during the 2002 state Assembly elections, he was responsible for the conduct of these landmark polls and was very helpful to the many diplomats who traveled to the state to observe them. He has authored three thick and very useful volumes on Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh. He graduated at the top of his class at St. Stephens College, Delhi University and won a scholarship to study at Cambridge, from which he obtained an M.A. in History. During the 1980s, he travelled to Nicaragua to help the Sandinistas. He is single. Girish Chandra SAXENA -------------- Former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir (C) Saxena has served as J&K Governor twice (1990-93 and 1998-2003). He joined the Indian Police Service in 1950, but was seconded to India,s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) where he spent most of his career and which he headed under Mrs. Indira Gandhi. He also served as Security Advisor to her son, Rajiv Gandhi, and in sensitive positions under two other former PMs. His brother, Naresh Chandra, was former Indian Ambassador to U.S. The landmark October 2002 State Legislative Assembly elections in J&K were held during his second term as Governor. While retired, he keeps up on Kashmir issues, and still has a security detail courtesy of the GOI. His wife, Rajni Kaul, is a Kashmiri Pandit. He speaks excellent English. Abdul Rashid SHAHEEN -------------- Member of Parliament, National Conference (C) Shaheen, a National Conference MP, is a second-term member of the Lok Sabha representing the Baramulla constituency. A Minister in J&K (1977-82),he chaired the Board of Khadi & Village Industries before his election to the Parliament. He has also conducted research on the lives of Muslim rishis (a Sufi sect prevalent in Kashmir). He is a member of the Consultative Committee, Ministry of Communications. Shaheen's brother was killed by suspected militants. He willingly receives Embassy visitors at his house/office on South Avenue. He is a liberal Muslim and open to contact with US diplomats. His English is very good. Vijay DHAR -------------- Businessman, Philanthropist (C) A Pandit, Dhar hails from a prominent Kashmiri family of bureaucrats and businessmen which continues to have very close ties with the Valley and remains unusally engaged in Srinagar civic life, despite the trauma Pandits experienced in the 1990s. His father, the late DP Dhar, was a key advisor to PM Indira Gandhi during the 1970s. Close to the Gandhi family, he was an Officer-on-Special Duty in the Rajiv Gandhi PMO in mid-1980s, Dhar has concentrated on his philanthropic activity in recent years, particularly the branch of Delhi Public School in Srinagar which he opened in ¶2003. This school is a tremendous achievement, and represents his intense personal commitment to ensuring that the Valley remain secular and liberal in outlook. It has modern facilities for students up to high school. He lives in a fantastic house in Srinagar, off of Gupkar Road, in which he entertains regularly, and a place on Golf Links in New Delhi. His wife is charming and very active. He is very open to contact with the Embassy and speaks excellent English. A.S. DULAT -------------- Former Director, RAW, and Officer on Special Duty (Kashmir), PMO (C) Dulat was Officer on Special Duty, PMO, during the Vajpayee government, where he was a key adviser on Kashmir. Before that, he served for two years as the head of the Reasearch and Analysis Wing (RAW),India,s external intelligence service. Born in 1940, Dulat joined the Rajasthan cadre of the Indian Police Service in 1965. From 1969 until his retirement in December 2000, he was deputed to the Indian intelligence services. He is approachable and open to contact with the Embassy, although he tends to listen more than speak (ever the intelligence officer). Since his retirement, he has retained a strong interest in developments in the Valley, and continues to be in touch with a few separatists. He lives in a very spacious house in New Friends Colony, New Delhi. His English is excellent. Dr. Vijay K. SAZAWAL -------------- President, Indo-American Kashmir Forum (C) Sazawal is an outstanding US-based source on Kashmir-related issues, ranging from the personalities, backgrounds and political views of people who think about Kashmir abroad to the economy of J&K. He can also tell you who did what when and who is aligned with whom in the Kashmiri diaspora. Overseas Coordinator of three Kashmiri expatriate organizations -- the US-based IAKF, the Indo-Canadian Kashmir Forum based in Ottawa, and the Indo-European Kashmir Forum based in London and Geneva -- he is most involved in the work of Kashmiri Hindus (Pandits), because he is one. Born and raised in Srinagar (along with his wife),the plight of the Pandits is an important part of his work, but he is objective and not bitter about it. He responds quickly and thoroughly to questions on specific expat-related issues. He spends an inordinate amount of time keeping abreast of Kashmir issues, which he uses to brief the USG, Congress, the media, and speak at think tanks like CSIS, the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, the United States Institute of Peace, and the Asia Society. He received a PhD in Engineering in 1975, and is currently a program director in a global energy company. An American citizen, he lives with his family in Maryland outside Washington, DC. Moulvi Iftiqar ANSARI -------------- Member, J&K Legislative Assembly (C) A prominent Srinagar-based Shia religious leader, Moulvi Ansari was a Congress party leader when Dr. Farooq Abdullah inducted him into his Cabinet after 1996 Assembly polls. Following differences with Farooq and the National Conference in early 2005, he resigned from the party and started speaking the language of separatists to create political space for himself. He has survived several terrorist attacks. He has spent time in Iraq, Iran and Egypt. He also has business interests. He is in his 60s and receives Embassy officers in a spacious, very well guarded house in downtown Srinagar. His English is very good. S.S. BLOERIA -------------- Chief Secretary, J&K Government (C) Dr. Sudhir Singh Bloeria was appointed Chief Secretary in 2002 by the Mufti Sayeed government. Before that, Bloeria served in J&K in different capacities, including Principal Secretary to the Governor and Home Secretary. He also served SIPDIS in New Delhi as Joint Secretary, J&K Affairs, in the Home Ministry in 1997. Born in 1945, he joined the IAS in 1972 after serving in the army. His degrees are in chemistry and history, in which he has a PhD. He has written several books, including, Pakistan,s Insurgency vs. India,s Security: Tackling Militancy in Kashmir; The Battles of Zojila, 1948 and Ballot Defeated in Jammu and Kashmir. (U) Bloeria,s wife, Rani Bloeria, is a Congress politician and was elected to the city council in Jammu in early 2005. In the past, she unsuccessfully contested state elections. His English is excellent. Gopal SHARMA -------------- Director General of Police, J&K (C) A member of the J&K cadre of the Indian Police Service (IPS),Sharma (57) was appointed by the PDP-Congress government (superceding several officers senior to him) after the massacre of Kashmiri Pandits at Nadimarg (March 2003) which led to the removal of his predecessor A.K. Suri. Sharma has a M.S. degree. Originally from Rajasthan, he was inducted into the Service in 1974. His son was married in Jaipur, Rajasthan, in May 2005. He is open to contact with Embassy officers and speaks excellent English. Kuldeep KHODA -------------- Additional Director General Police (C) Khoda (53) has held a number of key internal security positions in J&K. A native of Kashmir, he is in charge of the intelligence wing of the J&K police. He entered the IPS in 1974 and, since then, has held various responsible positions in the state. He holds a master,s degree in science. He is friendly, communicative, and open to contact with Embassy officers. His English is excellent. Balraj PURI -------------- Human Rights Activist and Author (C) Balraj Puri (77) is a prominent Jammu-based intellectual, known for his liberalism and focus on human rights and the interests of the Jammu region (which in his view get short shrift vis--vis the Valley). A frequently commentator on Kashmir affairs, he also edits the useful monthly bulletin &J&K Human Rights Perspective.8 He chaired the Regional Autonomy Committee appointed by the Farooq Abdullah government in 2000. He is much better on paper, as his English is difficult to follow (he mumbles) and is not focused in conversations. He is also absent-minded and protocol conscious (he believes he should have been chosen Chief Minister or Governor). His son, Luv Puri, writes for the Hindu from Jammu and was a POL IVP in 2004. Professor Amitabh MATTOO -------------- Vice-Chancellor, Jammu University (C) Dr. Mattoo, a Kashmiri Pandit, is a rising star in India,s defense and strategic affairs community. Professor at the Disarmament Division of the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU),prior to his appointment as Vice Chancellor of Jammu University in 2003, he has been attempting to build a strong program on Kashmir and Indo-Pak issues there and has recruited a number of good staff. After obtaining his M.Phil degree from JNU, he earned a D.Phil. from Oxford. He has also been a Visiting Professor at the Joan B. Croc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame. He was a Special Correspondent of Calcutta-based Daily, The Telegraph, for about four years. Mattoo writes columns for the national dailies, and is a Review Editor of the International Studies (Sage). His recent publications include India and the Bomb: Public Opinion and Nuclear Options (1996),Securing India: Strategic Thought and Practice in an Emerging Power (1997), and articles in Survival and Asian Survey journal. His latest book India's Nuclear Deterrent: Pokharan II and Beyond has been well reviewed. He and his charming wife maintain a salon for intellectuals in the Vice Chancellor,s beautiful bungalow at Jammu University. His English is excellent. Professor Siddiq WAHID -------------- University of Jammu (C) Originally from Leh (Ladakh),Siddiq returned to India in 2003 after spending many years in the United States, including at Harvard, where he held a teaching position. In recognition of his US experience and fresh, modern outlook, Amitabh Mattoo recruited him to join the faculty at Jammu University, making him Maharaja Gulab Singh Chair and giving him the freedom to pursue whatever academic activities he wants. Siddiq has become very close to the Pugwash organization, and heads its Kashmir activities. He attended the American Embassy School in New Delhi in the 1960s. He has American children in the US from his American wife (they are either divorced or separated). His English is excellent. Radha KUMAR -------------- Lecturer, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi (C) Radha joined Jamia in 2004 and continues as a Trustee of the Delhi Policy Group (one of New Delhi,s most prominent group of foreign policy intellectuals),which she joined after returning from the US in 2002 to attend to her aged mother. In New York she was a Senior Fellow in Peace and Conflict Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and was associated for a time with the Institute for War and Peace Studies at Columbia University. A "peacenik," she has long been an advocate of disarmament, Indo-Pak reconciliation, and dialogue between Delhi and the separatists. Her periodic op-ed pieces on these issues appear in the "Indian Express." She has sought (and not received) Embassy financial support for numerous seminars she has held on the Kashmir issue, in Delhi, Jammu, and Srinagar. She is about 51, single, and lives with her 90 year old mother in the family,s large house in Sundar Nagar, one of Delhi,s most desirable locations. Part of her education is from Cambridge, UK. Her money is inherited. She adopted a very cute baby girl in ¶2004. Her slightly British-accented English is excellent. Yusuf JAMEEL -------------- Journalist, Asian Age (C) Formerly a correspondent for the BBC and a stringer for Reuters and "Time" magazine, Jameel has been the Srinagar correspondent for the "Asian Age" since 1998. In 1996, a letter bomb exploded in his office injuring him and killing a colleague, after which he relocated to London and worked with the BBC for several months. As a result, he was also awarded the Committee to Protect Journalists, International Press Freedom Award in 1996. Very well informed and open to contact with the Embassy, he was a POL IVP nominee in 2004. To our knowledge, he has never violated the ground rules we establish for conversations. His English is very good. Muzamil JALEEL -------------- Journalist, Indian Express (C) A well-regarded Srinagar-based journalist, Muzamil works primarily for the "Indian Express" but is also a stringer for the "Washington Post," whose South Asia correspondents think very highly of him. He is an objective and balanced journalist who also writes human interest stories on the turmoil in the Valley. He has spent time as a Fellow at the University of Minnesota. To our knowledge, he has never violated the ground rules we establish for conversations. His English is excellent. Izhar WANI -------------- Journalist, AFP (C) AFP Srinagar correspondent, Wani also has contributed to "Time" magazine. He is well informed and open to contact with the Embassy. He was a POL IVP nominee in 2004. To our knowledge, he has never violated the ground rules we have established for conversations. His English is very good. Ved BHASIN -------------- Publisher, Kashmir Times (C) In his late 70s, Bhasin is Proprietor and Editor-in-Chief of the Jammu-based Kashmir Times, which many refer to as the "Hurriyat Times" for its pro-JKLF and pro-separatist editorial policy. Prior to the J&K Legislative Assembly elections in 2002, the separatist All-Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) named him to the parallel Election Commission it wished to oversee the polls (but which never took shape). Bhasin visited the US in the mid-1990s to attend a conference on "Peace in Kashmir" and regularly attends Kashmir-related conferences in Europe and elsewhere to represent pro-Kashmiri or pro-Pakistan positions. He is involved in Track-II diplomacy, particularly Indo-Pak media-to-media relations. Many observers wonder why an Indian Hindu like Bhasin is so pro-Hurriyat. To our knowledge, he has never violated the ground rules we have established for conversations. His son-in-law, Prabodh Jamwal, will take over the paper after he leaves the scene. He speaks very good English. S.D. ROHMETRA -------------- Publisher, Daily Excelsior (C) Proprietor and Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Excelsior, the best and largest circulation daily paper in J&K, Rometra publishes from a well-guarded, gleaming new HQ building in Jammu. In his 60s, he has pro-BJP political leanings. To our knowledge, he has never violated the ground rules we have established for conversations. He speaks excellent English. Shujaat BUKHARI -------------- Journalist, Hindu (C) Special Correspondent, The Hindu, Bukhari is one of the most prominent Srinagar-based journalists specializing in Kashmir affairs. Bukhari was a POL IVP grantee in 2004. To our knowledge, he has never violated the ground rules we have established for conversations. He speaks excellent English. BLAKE