The September 7 musical concert by Mumbai-born Western classical music maestro Zubin Mehta in Indian Kashmir has run into rough weather with separatist leaders, religious leader and civil society members opposing holding of such concert in the strife-torn region, which has disputed status.

Srinagar, Aug 27/Nationalturk – The September 7 musical concert by Mumbai-born Western classical music maestro Zubin Mehta, who is music director for life for the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, in Indian Kashmir has run into rough weather with separatist leaders, religious leader and civil society members opposing holding of concert in the strife-torn region having disputed status.

“I feel holding of such musical shows sends out wrong signal that people of Kashmir are prosperous and have the leisure to participate in such high profile events,” Kashmir’s Grand Mufti Bashir-ud-Din told media men in Srinagar, summer capital of Indian Kashmir.

He was reacting to news reports that Zubin Mehta was performing musical concert on banks of world famous Dal Lake in Srinagar on September 7.

“Since Kashmir is a disputed area, holding of such a concert would definitely send a wrong signal to the outside world,” Grand Mufti said and appealed German ambassador to reconsider the decision and instead spend on helping education, healthcare and economy of Kashmiri people.

The German Ambassador in India Michael Steiner had on August 22 revealed that Zubin Mehta will hold musical concert at historic Shalimar garden on banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar on September 7. “The event will be held without any trouble as Kashmir government has assured fool proof security for the event”.

The event, organised by the German Embassy and supported by Indian government and Indian Kashmir government is being projected by Michael Steiner, German Ambassador to India, as “a message of hope and encouragement to the people of Kashmir”.

Mehta will conduct the Bayerische Staatsorchester (Bavarian State Orchestra) from Munich, one of the best classical orchestras having over 100 musicians, along with Andreas Oettl on trumpet and Julian Rachlin on the violin. They are expected to perform before 1500 invitees, mostly ‘VIPs’ and ‘VVIPs’ from Kashmir and outside. The event will be broadcast live by TV channels across India and Europe.

International event will interfere with Kashmir’s disputed status: Geelani

The hardline Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who has been under house arrest at his residence in Srinagar,” has also opposed the scheduled concert of Zubin Mehta in Kashmir.

“The international events held in disputed territory interfere with its status. Any sort of international activity, be it political, diplomatic, cultural or sports will have an adverse effect on disputed nature of Kashmir,” Geelani said.

He said Germany should instead play a responsible role and keep away from any such move that may affect the noble cause of people in Kashmir. “These events can be used to change the disputed nature of Kashmir dispute.”

Reminding German envoy that in 2004, visiting European Union delegation had declared Kashmir a ‘beautiful prison’ and supported the just cause of Kashmiris, Geelani said, “It is not suitable in any case for a responsible member of European Union to organize a cultural programme for a selected gathering for their entertainment, ignoring the sufferings of inmates of this beautiful jail”.

He urged German government to reconsider its decision and “honour the sacrifices, sentiments and aspirations of people of Kashmir.”

“The German government’s right decision will substantiate and honor the aspirations of people of Kashmir and convey a sense of solidarity with our martyrs, orphans, widows, ten thousand missing youth and hundreds of those detainees languishing in jails. The German government will prove itself as a responsible State and will not legitimize the ‘atrocities being perpetrated by Indian forces’ on people of Kashmir,” added Geelani.

Germany should spend on health, education sectors in Kashmir: Mirwaiz

The moderate separatist leader and cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq urged Germany to spend money they have kept for holding of international musical concert by Zubin Mehta in Srinagar, on Kashmir’s ailing health and education sectors.

“We have a bad health and education infrastructure in the region. We are not saying that Germany should give this money to separatist leaders. But if the amount they want to spend on the musical concert would be used on upgrading health and education infrastructure, we will feel obliged,” he said.

Mirwaiz said it doesn’t make any sense to hire a chattered plan for transporting musical instruments and lodging the musicians and other members of the crew in five star hotels here against millions of dollars.

He said Germany should not forget that Kashmir is a conflict zone and disputed territory.

“The situation in Kashmir was not feasible for such events. It is good that people from different parts of the world are coming here to learn our culture and tradition but it should not be at the cost of our lives. Yesterday a boy, who was under trial in stone-pelting cases, died under mysterious circumstances and the cross border confrontation between Indian and Pakistan military is going on. So in such a scenario conducting such concerts will give a false impression to the outside world that everything in Kashmir is peaceful, which is not the reality,” Mirwaiz said.

Civil Society says it will “legitimize Indian occupation”

In a related development civil society members comprising pediatrician Dr Altaf Hussain, human rights activis Advocate Pervez Imroz, poet Zareef Ahmed Zareef, columnists Zahid Ghulam Mohammad, Dr Javid Iqbal and Abdul Majid Zargar, and journalists Najeeb Mubarki and Hilal Mir, and US-based Kashmiri academicians Abir Bazaz and Huma Dar have opposed the holding of musical concert by Zubin Mehta in Indian Kashmir.

They have written a protest letter to German embassy in India in which they have opposed holding of the event on the ground that it was New Delhi’s attempt to “legitimize the occupation in Kashmir”.

“Legitimizing an occupation via a musical concert is completely unacceptable. Art as propaganda, as abundantly documented, was put to horrific use in Nazi Germany. We are sure you will understand that we cannot welcome anything even remotely analogous in Jammu and Kashmir,” reads the letter.

The civil society has also linked the musical event with the attempt by New Delhi “to use art, sports, cinema and culture to camouflage the real truth about Kashmir”.

“It is most unfortunate that the German Embassy should seek to collaborate, perhaps unwittingly, with the Indian state in Kashmir—recognized as an international dispute by the United Nations and the international community—without any sensitivity to the aspirations of the people, or issues faced, or the machinations of the Indian state,” the protest letter adds.

Meanwhile, Indian Kashmir’s Tourism department has said they are not organizers of the event.

“We have no role in making the arrangements for it. The German embassy is doing everything from sending invitations to other arrangements. They have not kept us in the loop,” Director Tourism Kashmir Talat Pervaiz was quoted as saying by Kashmir Reader, an English newspaper published from Srinagar, summer capital of Indian Kashmir.

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Faiz Ahmad / NationalTurk India News

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