Hardliners In HC Bar Association Kashmir Trying To Wash Off Past Sins

Jammu & Kashmir High Court Bar Association Srinagar has been the staunch supporter of separatist ideology for decades. It has been at the forefront to support terrorism and secessionist ideology in Jammu & Kashmir. The Srinagar chapter of the Association has organised many conferences over the years where slogans for azadi, in support of Pakistan and against the India were raised. The association has also remained at the forefront to malign the image of J&K police and other security forces by organizing seminars on alleged human rights violations. Their duplicity is evident by the fact that over the years, the association has never raised its voice against the unspeakable violence and the human rights violations by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists. The welfare of the advocates in Kashmir valley has never been the concern of the association. Their agenda has always been political, and staunchly anti-India. Kashmir High Court Bar Association positioned itself as a fertile political platform for anti-national sentiments. The core members of this association built their careers on the Kashmir issue. These conflict merchants did not leave any opportunity to vilify India globally. The malicious attitude of the top members of the association has been so overpowering that lawyers with a nationalistic outlook have been routinely denied membership of the Kashmir High Court Bar Association for many years now.

In order to break the noxious hegemony of Kashmir High Court Bar Association, a group of young lawyers recently formed the Kashmir Advocates Association (KAA). The sole motive of KAA is the welfare of the legal fraternity in the valley. This has not gone down well with the goons of the Bar Association Srinagar. They leave no stone unturned to discredit this young lot of advocates who have dared to create a platform where a genuine lawyer can put forth his point and can think about the welfare of the fraternity.

Kashmir High Court Bar Association has launched a campaign against the members of the Kashmir Advocates Association. They are constantly trying to vilify and malign the young lawyers so that they can be discredited. The effort is to ensure that nobody else can challenge the monopoly of Ronga and Gang. It is known across the length and breadth of the Valley that J&K High Court Bar Association (JKHCBA) Kashmir has never worked for the welfare of the advocates of the region. They have always followed a political agenda. The formation of KAA has upset the apple cart. The office-bearers of Kashmir High Court Bar Association are feeling restless after the formation of KAA.

Feeling threatened by the formation of KAA, the Chairman of Kashmir High Court Bar Association Adv Nazir Ahmad Ronga along with other office bearers and executive members has visited every District Bar Association in order to make sure that they did not lose their relevance. Nazir Ronga and other office bearers and members of JKHCBA Kashmir recently also visited the Jammu & Kashmir High Court Bar Association, Jammu Chapter. The interesting part is that in the past, JKHCBA Kashmir never entertained the members of the Jammu Bar Association. All this is being done to keep Kashmir High Court Bar Association relevant.

Additionally, the team of Kashmir High Court Bar Association led by Chairman Advocate Nazir Ahmad Ronga also recently met Hon’ble Chief Justice of the J&K and Ladakh High Court Justice Pankaj Mittal. This reach out was done after the meeting of the young lawyers of KAA with the Hon’ble Chief Justice. This is an act of damage control. The Kashmir High Court Bar Association is trying to wash off the sins of the past. But maintaining relevance now shall not be easy for Ronga and gang. Their monopoly has been challenged by the young lawyers of Kashmir Advocates Association on merit. For decades, those within the legal fraternity of Kashmir knew that Kashmir High Court Bar Association was always pursuing political goals in the Valley, and kept the separatist and secessionist narrative dominant. Far from focusing on the welfare of the fraternity, they exploited the young laywers. This nexus of top lawyers terrorized young lawyers, created deep fear psychosis among them and forced them to defend separatists, stone-pelters, OGWs etc.

It was laughable to read the statements of Nazir Ahmad Ronga in a recent edition of KASHMIR CENTRAL. While answering queries regarding their new-found love for Jammu lawyers, Ronga had said, “I am not associated with Hurriyat Conference. I have nothing to do with them. I have nothing to do with militancy. I have always disapproved of this throughout my life.” Ronga’s statement is hilarious. This is because for decades, Nazir Ronga has been is a staunch supporter of separatist ideology. He has been grooming young lawyers to take up cases claiming innocence for stone-pelters, OGWs, militants and other anti-state elements. Ronga was affiliated with Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led Hurriyat Conference. He has consistently claimed innocence for separatists, over-ground workers and stone-pelters. He had organized seminars, rallies and other programs aimed at creating large-scale law and order problems during the mass agitations of 2008, 2010 and 2016. Ronga is also a former president of the Kashmir High Court Bar Association (KHCBA). He is enjoying a convenient position politically by seeding his men into Kashmir’s mainstream political parties to ensure that he is able to escape the wrath of the state.

When Ronga was booked by the government under the Public Safety Act following the abrogation of Article 370, the documents for action against him stated that he was affiliated with Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led Hurriyat Conference. As a lawyer, he had consistently tried to defend the separatists in courts and claim innocence for them. He had also organized seminars, rallies and formulated various programmes with a purpose to fuel young brains in the wrong direction. His focus has not been allowing lawyers to focus on legal matters. His focus has been to make the Bar Association a fertile political platform for anti-national sentiments and an internship space for grooming the pro-separatist agenda.

It is pertinent to mention that the premises of Ronga’s son Uzair Nazir Ronga were raided by Counter-Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) on October 2 this year. His Son Uzair Nazir was seen wining and dining with officials of intelligence and security agencies at Hotel CH2 in Sonwar. The children of Ronga and gang are feeling the brunt after the formation of Kashmir Advocate’s Association and are at forefront to vilify the members of the KAA. Ronga and gang are indirectly bullying the young lawyers to step back and not be associated with Kashmir Advocates Association. They are trying to threaten the young lawyers of dire consequences like that of late Adv Syed Babar Jan Qadri, who was killed by unknown gunmen at his home.

Shaheen’s constant aim is to inflame Kashmir youth while he and his children live a plush life

Many in Kashmir’s legal fraternity and outside who have closely watched the activities of Advocate Nazir Ronga and Advocate GN Shaheen say that Shaheen is more dangerous than Ronga. Shaheen has been trying his best to threaten and discredit the young lot of lawyers who have formed Kashmir Advocates Association. He has been calling the young KAA advocates the Kuka Parrays of the Bar Association. Advocate GN Shaheen is a resident of Midoora village in Tral in south Kashmir. He belongs to a Jamaat family. His close family member was a militant and was killed. GN Shaheen was affiliated with Muslim Conference, a constituent of Hurriyat (G) faction. Shaheen has consistently endorsed the ideology of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, which is primarily secessionist and illegal in nature.

Shaheen is the chairman of the self-styled organisation called Kashmir Council for Justice. He has worked closely with Aasiya Andrabi and has attended several programs with her. Shaheen is the counsel for JKLF leader Mohammad Yasin Malik and also for Nayeem Khan, along with Advocate Mir Urfi and Advocate Mohammad Rafiq Joo. He consistently spreads venom against the state on his Facebook page. Shaheen’s constant endeavor is to inflame the Kashmir youth while he himself lives a plush life. He has two children – a daughter named Zuha Fatima and a son named Khalid Murtaza. Shaheen wants his children to attain the best education but advocates the terror path for the children of common Kashmiris. He is constantly influencing impressionable young minds against the state and seeding secessionist ideas among them. Shaheen is always on the forefront to destabilize Kashmir valley at the behest of his political masters sitting across the border. He has visited Pakistan several times and is in close contact with his masters in Pakistan, and is always dancing on their tunes.

Shaheen was detained under PSA thrice in order to prevent him from disrupting peace and public order. He takes the lead role in finding faults with the state, and always blames the police and other securities agencies for alleged human rights violations. Shaheen is blind to the killings of Kashmiris by the terrorists. He has never spoken up for Kashmiris who were brutally done to death by miliants for their political views, because they had an anti-terrorism stand or for other reasons.

After the abrogation of Article 370 and keeping in view the change in the winds, Ronga and gang are trying to position themselves as Indian are doing everything they can to remain relevant. With the formation of Kashmir Advocates Association, Ronga and gang can sense that the ground beneath their feet is shifting. Hence they are projecting themselves as more Indian and are leaving no stone unturned to discredit the young Turks.

KASHMIR CENTRAL posed the following questions to Nazir Ahmad Ronga. He did not answer them stating that he was busy.

1. There are charges that you and other members of the Kashmir High Court Bar Association are trying to vilify and discredit the members of Kashmir Advocates Association. Is this true?

2. There are charges that the Kashmir High Court Bar Association was constantly engaged only with politics and did not care for the welfare of lawyers. Is this true?

3. There are charges that the Kashmir High Court Bar Association is not allowing members of the Kashmir Advocates Association to use the Bar library. Is this true?

QUESTION FOR UMAIR RONGA

 

There are charges that you are trying to vilify and malign the members of Kashmir Advocates Association. Is this true?

This is not the case. I don’t know them. Not a single member. I don’t know what they are up to. I don’t know what the Bar is up to. I am just a Bar member. I am nowhere involved in political activities. I have nothing to do with anything. KAA will never talk against me. They are running their organization. They know Umair has no involvement in it. He is not interfering in our work. I am nowhere in the picture. So you better talk to relevant people whosoever is involved. This is not me. I am just a professional lawyer dealing with my profession and that’s it. Earlier also you projected the wrong picture. Some meetings went on the outlines of an event between the lawyers. Who told you the Srinagar Bar is hiding behind the Jammu Bar?