Bleed Pak like Bakshi: Bollywood’s renowned actor-singer Aroon Bakshi decimates Pakistan through this defining patriotic song
By SHRI RAM SHAW
New Delhi: “After independence, Pakistan tried to snatch Kashmir from us. But, our soldiers did not let its plans succeed. Pakistan has illegally occupied a part of Kashmir, for which I feel pain – jiski kasak mere andar hai,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 27 October, 2019 at LoC.
6 August, 2019: Just as the Lok Sabha proceedings began, Union Home Minister Amit Shah rose up to move the resolution against Article 370. Immediately after, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury trained his guns on him and alleged violation of rules. Shah, in his response, thundered: “Aggressive hone ki baat karte ho? Aap bol rahe ho PoK Kashmir ka hissa nahi hai? Jaan de denge iskey liye!” He stressed that Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Aksai Chin stand included whenever he mentions Jammu and Kashmir.
October 27, 2022: At Budgam airstrip in Srinagar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “We have just begun our journey of development in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. We will achieve our goal when we reach Gilgit and Baltistan. India is committed to implement the resolution passed in Parliament on February 22, 1994, about recovering Gilgit, Baltistan and other parts of Kashmir taken illegally by Pakistan.”
Echoing the same sentiments and reciprocating the views of these legendary leaders, renowned Bollywood actor-singer Aroon Bakshi has come up with a defining patriotic song on Pakistan occupied Kashmir – “PoK Aithe Rakh.” The 3.39-minute song, penned, composed and rendered by the eminent artist himself, has an enthralling and mesmerizing effect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ps-ZMDAmXQ
In an exclusive interview with this journalist (SHRI RAM SHAW), the stalwart actor-singer Aroon Bakshi called upon to inflict heavy costs on Pakistan for aiding and abetting terrorism. He said, “Despite successes on the security front, we cannot be complacent. Pakistan is still sponsoring terrorism against India by sending in trained terrorists and providing arms, ammunition and funds to terror outfits and separatists. Pakistan is the source of all terrorism emanating against India. As long as Pakistan can carry on with the proxy war against India with the ease, which it has been doing since the last three decades, there is no reason for us to believe, that it will call it off. It is, therefore, imperative to inflict heavy costs on Pakistan for aiding and abetting terrorism.’’
Bakshi further said, “Terrorism was firmly entrenched for the last three decades in the Valley. Taking up of the gun by a large number of educated youths was not only a readily available option but an attractive and glamorous one as well. Dimensions and dynamics of terrorism were seen changing. Our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi led BJP government’s firm decision has changed the scenario in the Valley.”
“J&K has been facing terrorism for last three decades. About 5 lakh Kashmiri Pandits who are the aboriginals of Kashmir were driven out from their homeland, by gun-wielding Islamist forces, sponsored by Pakistan. There cannot be a more humiliating let down for a community, which strongly believes in the idea of united India and are nationalists to the core but driven out to become refugees in their own country,” he added.
The terrorism in J&K has seen ups and downs. It started with mass protests in 1990 combined with rape and killings of Kashmiri Hindus. Trained Kashmiri terrorists from Pakistan flowed in through a virtually open border. Mayhem was unleashed and battles with security forces became a norm throughout Kashmir Valley. The number of terrorist incidents attained its peak in 2002. Gradual drop was seen thereafter, in the wake of global pressure on Pakistan and other terror sponsoring countries after the September 2001 twin tower attacks in New York. From 2007 onwards we saw a steep fall and 2012 witnessed the lowest ever militancy incidents and casualties of security forces. However, from 2013 the militancy started resurfacing initially at a slow pace and then rapidly. This change had more to do with increase in radicalisation attracting educated youth into terrorism. Consequently recruitment of local youth in militancy increased.
“However, in the wake of August 5, 2019 abrogation of 35A and 370 and clampdown in Kashmir, we are witnessing improvement in the situation. The coordination and synergy among security has increased, which is reflected in the successes achieved in neutralising many terrorist commanders,” Bakshi said.
As movie buffs, we have all known Aroon Bakshi as a consummate actor. His face on silver screen is synonymous with depth, intensity, power, vigour and much more. This apart he has been a consummate singer as well and regaled audiences with high-quality songs, the virtuosity of which is borne by the fact that they have been part of the collective cinematic consciousness of movie lovers for decades.
Bakshi made his acting debut with the 1981 film ‘Sazaye Maut’. He has been in the film industry i.e. Bollywood for more than four decades and has featured in more than a hundred films including Hindi, Punjabi and Bhojpuri. He started his playback singing career with the 1986 film Karma, and then went on to lend his voice for songs in many movies. He has over 350 songs to his credit till date.
People have heard them all and sung them all and danced to their tunes with gay abandon. And the list of these songs has been endless including the more popular ones such as Duniya Di Tha Tha Tha from the Ajay Devgn starrer Platform, Tunna Tunna from the Sanjay Dutt starrer Adharma and Jhule Jhule Lal from the Akshay Kumar starrer Jai Kishen.
Heaping all praise on Aroon Bakshi for this fantabulous song, PoK activist Amjad Ayub Mirza has said that residents of PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan are ready to join India as anger among the public continues to grow against the Shehbaz Sharif government. With a scarce foreign exchange reserve and heavy debt, the Pakistan government has raised taxes on basic necessities which has provoked the Pakistanis to carry out massive anti-government protests in both PoK and the illegally held Gilgit-Baltistan.
“People are out on streets because there is no food, there is no flour, and in PoJK, in one day, they have increased the price of wheat by Rs 1,200. People are fed-up. The government depots for flour are locked. There is no flour there. People in almost every city of PoK are protesting, even students, lawyers, civil society and women are protesting”, Mirza said.
The Sharif government has levied heavy taxes on over 135 items of daily use including wheat flour. With just under $5 billion in forex reserve, Pakistan has $274 billion of total public debt which has brought it on the brink of defaulting.
Witnessing the furious upsurge of protests in Pakistan, Mirza said that the youth is now raising slogans demanding ‘toote rishte jodd do’ (rebuild broken relations) meaning they are willing to join Ladakh and J&K instead of residing in the cash-strapped nation. The anger in Gilgit-Baltistan has also been fuelled by the ‘Khalsa Sarkar Tax’, which transfers any barren land in the region automatically to the government of Gilgit-Baltistan for setting up security forces camp.
Exiled PoK leader, Shaukat Ali Kashmiri too has been holding meetings in various countries since December to highlight the hardships confronting the people in PoK. He recently said in Geneva that Pakistan has since 1948 exploited natural resources but in return the people in PoK “received unemployment and exile. Most of the people faced very hardships as they have no medical facilities. Even the PM has described that we have no health facility.”
PoK was created after Pakistan invaded the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir immediately after India’s Partition. Under an onslaught from Pakistani forces and tribal raiders, Maharaja Hari Singh sought military help from India after which the Indian Army halted the Pakistani forces from seizing the entire princely state.
Now, more than seven decades later, while Pakistan has slid into a financial and a humanitarian crisis, India is galloping ahead in its economic and scientific parameters and improving its military prowess. The Indian side of J&K too has progressed considerably in its human index indicators while PoK has remained bereft of economic progress with low human development.