Chapter 30
Confidential: Preliminary Investigating Report
Submitted to: Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India
By: Special Investigation Team (SIT) – Kashmir Dossier
Overview:
This preliminary report presents early findings of the SIT constituted to investigate allegations of an unreported security incident involving Chief Minister Atharva Singh Kaul during his official visit to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on 27th October 2016.
The SIT has conducted closed-door interrogations, reviewed travel logs, security briefs, and intelligence intercepts from both Indian and foreign sources. Certain ambiguities persist and require deeper validation.
*** END OF REPORT ***
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“The Kashmir Dossier SIT preliminary report has been partly published. And it does not specify if the CM went to Nagar Jami Masjid or not. How can an in-depth investigation and the CM’s hearing not conclude one way or another? What are they hiding?”
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“CM Kaul — Resign! CM Kaul — Resign!”
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KhufiyaBaatein @khabriwala 1h
@cmatharvakaul seems to be getting acquitted from the #pokblastscandal. Maybe he has good friends in Delhi. Or maybe his Srinagar machinery has worked its magic in cleaning up the papers.
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Shamsher Dogra @indianaamman 1h
Kashmir Dossier SIT preliminary report out. Was this an attempt to murder J&K’s CM? If yes, then the Government of India must avenge this! #pokblastscandal #warwithpak
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“If the report is inconclusive yet, that means the CM might have gone to the mosque where the blast happened. And that’s a big might.”
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“CM Kaul — Resign! CM Kaul — Resign!”
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“Mominaji, the SIT report is out. You have been evading all questions so far, but now this report puts a question mark on all your allegations.”
“The report does not say anything, one way or another. I’m sure highly accomplished individuals are leading this investigation, but I have never in my life read a report that basically says nothing.
Except, and I quote — ‘Certain ambiguities persist and require deeper validation.’ You could just say it in plain simple English that you want to drag this for another quarter or even a year.
The Indian government is in cahoots with CM Kaul to bury this.
All their nationalism is just a hoax when they go to Pakistan, get involved in secret activities and then lie to bury this. ”
“Why would the Indian government bury something like this?”
“Because then they would have to admit that they were made a fool out of by their dear alliance partner. And after that, they would have to wage war with Pakistan for attacking an Indian CM. Both things they cannot do — because it’s a coward government.”
“Will you still keep pursuing this?”
“I will bring more evidence and more witnesses. I will not stop until the truth in its full form is revealed. The people of Jammu & Kashmir deserve to see the real face of the man they think is a nationalist hero. He is a spineless traitor and must vacate his chair if he has any morals left.”
“CM Kaul has shown no indication to resign.”
“Then we will make him resign. The opposition might be weak but it is not useless. We will introduce a Motion of No Confidence in the House this week.”
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“CM Kaul — Resign! CM Kaul — Resign!”
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“Reports are coming in from Delhi that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs is under tremendous pressure to impose the President’s rule in the state of Jammu & Kashmir.
The Home Minister has chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation today and is expected to brief the Prime Minister.
A source close to Janta Party also suggests that the government might offer KDP to retain its CM, provided Chief Minister Kaul steps down.
A clearer picture will emerge once the HM meets the PM. ”
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“Atharva.”
He raised his gaze from the transcript of Momina Aslam’s video interview and stared into Samar’s eyes.
The room was silent, chilled. In the heat of June, the AC was humming hard in this conference room of their Boulevard Road headquarters.
Samar passed him another sheet of paper.
A single one. Atharva glanced at the tiny fonts.
His glasses were perched low on his nose and he adjusted them.
To
The Hon’ble Governor of Jammu & Kashmir
Raj Bhavan, Srinagar
Subject: Withdrawal of Confidence in Shri Atharva Singh Kaul as Chief Minister
Date: 4th June, 2017
Hon’ble Governor,
With deep respect for Shri Atharva Singh Kaul’s legacy and leadership, we, the undersigned MLAs of the Kashmir Development Party (KDP), wish to formally communicate our loss of confidence in his continuing as Chief Minister.
Recent events, including the ongoing investigation into his conduct during the PoK visit and concerns over transparency in governance have caused a growing rift between the leadership and legislative wing.
This decision has not been taken lightly. Shri Kaul has been a pillar of this party, but we believe a change is now essential to restore credibility and cohesion in both the government and the party.
We request that the necessary constitutional process be initiated to determine the future leadership of the House.
Sincerely,
Meer Hasan Qureshi
CC:
- Speaker, J&K Legislative Assembly
- KDP Party Working Committee
“Where did you get this from?”
Samar looked at Adil. Adil glanced at Zorji, perched at the head of the table far in the distance, straight across from him.
Atharva saw something cooking… or, already cooked.
He was just getting whiff of it. He reached for his mobile and began to call Salim Asghar Azad, the unofficial leader of his set of MLAs.
Inside KDP too, they each had their own loyal circles.
Atharva’s was the largest, holding up his position as the CM since day one.
He dialled Azad’s number. Waited. It rang. Rang. Rang. Rang.
Atharva waited.
“Who are you calling?” Adil asked.
Atharva disconnected and scrolled to his other number, the one that he always kept active. He was the MLA from Bandipora. He had to be available at all times.
The number rang and rang and rang and then went to voicemail.
“Salim Asghar Azad?” Adil asked.
Atharva pulled up his chat and began to type.
“Qureshi is in touch with him,” Samar informed.
His fingers froze mid-air. Atharva stared at Samar.
“Then why isn’t this letter signed yet?”
“Qureshi did not want to make a scene if you left quietly. He says he has majority signatures ready, including enough of your MLAs.”
“And what about your MLAs?” Atharva set his phone on the table, tamping down the rising rage inside him.
It was one thing to expect his opposition, the central government, the hired protestors, the press, the NGOs, even some of the bureaucracy to turn against him.
Quite another for his co-founder, or more of them to turn. His friends. His brothers-in-arms.
“Adil’s and my MLAs together won’t stand against the number that Qureshi has.”
“How did he get my ML…” Atharva stopped. He had given him authority to work their problems out months ago.
Atharva refrained from taking this as a lost cause yet.
“Where is Qureshi?”
“I don’t know.”
Atharva stared at Samar. He had tried to pull something similar years ago. Had failed. He stared harder, trying to read if this time too he was in on this. At this moment, he didn’t trust anybody.
“You knew about this, Adil?” He asked, not taking his eyes off Samar’s.
“No.”
That tone, Atharva believed. That man, Atharva believed.
“And you?” He pushed Samar. “When did you know?”
“I got this letter an hour ago.”
“And you handed it to me now?”
“One of the MLAs passed it on to me. I had to check its authenticity first. ”
“You are the party president. How was this happening under your nose?”
Samar had no answer.
“Zorji?” Atharva reached the last man in the room.
“How many dissenting?” Zorji asked the question that mattered. Atharva glanced at Samar, brows up.
“At this moment, 27 from KDP. That’s more than half. Awaami will obviously support because this means their Vote of No Confidence against Atharva passes. I also have news that Janta Party might support the dissent.”
“In its entirety?” Atharva questioned.
“That’s the news I got.”
Atharva reached for his phone and pulled up Ali’s number. His thumb was about to press down when he realised that Ali might have been his deputy CM but a man sitting in Delhi was calling the shots. He scrolled down his contact list and stopped at Yogesh Patel.
“We knew it might come to this, Atharva,” Zorji’s quiet, heavy words landed with a finality he had avoided accepting. Atharva tore his gaze from Yogesh Patel’s number and gaped at Zorji.
“When we sat for that hearing, with the answers you chose to give, we knew you might have to vacate this position.”
“But that was if the SIT ruled against me. This is…” he was at a loss for the word. How could he use the word treason for his own party’s people? For his own friend?
“Qureshi hasn’t gotten signatures yet. But he has planted this letter and gotten unofficial nods. That means if you resign, this letter will never see the light of day,” Zorji explained to him quietly like he were a child and did not understand this coup.
“What do you think I should do?”
“Do you have the power to bring your MLAs back, Atharva?”
He began to open his mouth. Then snapped it shut.
“We can try,” Adil asserted. “If Azad is not taking your call, let me try.” He grabbed his mobile and dialled on speaker. Azad picked up on the second ring. Adil began to push the phone to him but Atharva held his hand up. He gestured for Adil to speak.
“Adil bhaijaan, hello?”
“Azad. Where are you?”
“At home. What happened?”
“There is a letter. Do you know something about it?”
Azad cleared his throat. “Which letter?”
“A dissent letter.”
“Qureshi bhai brought it to me.”
“And what did you say?”
“Adil bhai… you know the South-Kashmir MLAs have been unhappy for a while. After the way Janab curbed the voices post Usama Aziz’s death, then brought the Indian army…
my own people in the constituency are not happy.
If I want to get my candidates to win the next municipal election, I have to change my support. ”
Adil’s eyes whirled to Atharva’s.
“And you could not bring this to me on your own, Azad?” Atharva asked, firm and solemn.
“Atharva bh…” he cleared his throat. “Janab….”
“How many MLAs?”
“Janab…”
“How many, Azad?”
“Fifteen.”
“What will it take to get them back?”
“I can’t say, Janab…”
“If there is a price for them turning one way, then there is a higher price to turn them back.”
“They turned because of your decision, Janab.”
“Which decision?”
“Indian army. You brought it back to the valley.”
“I spoke to you, and all of them when I did. It was the only way to salvage the rapidly depleting law and order. You agreed. All of you.”
“But it did not end, Janab. And the people are not happy. If Qureshi sahab becomes the CM, it’s a blank slate. Even if the army is not pulled back, they see a new face that they can begin to trust again. The municipal elections will ease for us.”
“You mean this dissent has nothing to do with what’s happening now?”
“No.”
So the vultures from all eras of his life were descending now, when he was weakened. Atharva laughed inside. What had he expected? This was how it was. Why was he shocked? This was how politics was. Samar had done it once. Qureshi was doing it now.
The only difference was, he wasn’t strong enough to thwart it today.
Adil ended the call and three pairs of eyes zeroed in on him. Atharva absorbed the cold waves of the AC, silencing the racing of his heart. This was it. For now, this was it.
“I will resign.”