Shweta Sanjiv Bhatt responds to Nishrin Jafri Husain's open letter
This is Shweta Sanjiv Bhatt.
Dear Nishrin Jafri Hussain,
Thank you very much for this heartwarming letter of support. What you, your family and thousands of innocent citizens went through in 2002 is barely imaginable.
I still remember that night when my husband returned home. I saw him walk through our gate, his stride still strong and sure; but once he entered our home, for the first time in my life, I saw him loose composure. IPS was my husband’s dream, serving the country was his vocation. That night, I saw that very passion for the forces extinguish in his eyes. Instead, all I could see was grief.
What we are living today is only the consequence of what happened then. Even after all we’ve been through, my husband has not given up his fight to bring Justice to your father; to bring Justice to your mother, and to all those who suffered the loss of friends and families. To bring them whatever solace, whatever closure they could find in seeing the people responsible for the cold-blooded murders of their loved ones being brought to justice. The past sixteen years of our lives have been the consequence of these three terrible days, these three atrocious nights, where gods abandoned us, and the government followed suit.
Ehsan jafri and his daughter Nishrin Jafri Hussain
Dear Nishrin, the abhorrent inactions of power-hungry men and women, who played with human lives for political mileage, will never be forgotten or forgiven.
I do not, for a single moment, regret the fight that my husband led. I do not mourn on the threats we received, on the destruction of my house, the removal of my security guards. Yes, doors may not open as wide as before, and the road to Justice is long. But as long as we stand together, it is not lonely.
To the incredulous, who believe our suffering is the right price to pay for raising our voices, I oppose your resolve.
But to all those sharing our struggle, standing in broad light to demand Justice for your father, for my husband today, I convey our warmest and sincerest gratitude. And to all those silently questioning the timing of last week’s events, uneased by the pernicious feeling that repression and censorship are steadily becoming India’s norms, I ask to stay vigilant. Only at this condition will democracy subsist, and Justice - not retribution, not vengeance - will be brought to our families, and to the families of all those whose suffering has lasted for too long.
With you always,
God bless.
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Syria says Israeli strikes leave 18 dead in the biggest toll since the war in Gaza began
Masyaf (Syria), Sep 9: The number of people killed in overnight Israeli strikes in Syria has risen to 18 with dozens more wounded, Syria's health minister said on Monday — the largest death toll in such an attack since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
One of the sites targeted was a research centre used in the development of weapons, a war monitor said. Syrian officials said civilian sites were targeted.
Israel regularly targets military sites in Syria linked to Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Those strikes have become more frequent as Hezbollah has exchanged fire with Israeli forces for the past 11 months against the backdrop of Israel's war against Hamas — a Hezbollah ally — in Gaza.
However, the intensity and death toll of Sunday night's strikes were unusual.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations. The strikes often target Syrian forces or Iranian-backed groups.
Israel has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in Syria, particularly since Syria is a key route for Iran to send weapons to Hezbollah.
Israeli strikes hit several areas in central Syria, damaging a highway in Hama province and sparking fires, Syrian state news agency SANA said.
Speaking to reporters, Syrian Health Minister Hassan al-Ghabbash described the strikes as a “brutal and barbaric aggression”. He said the death toll had risen to 18 with nearly 40 wounded.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said 25 were killed, including at least five civilians, while the others included Syrian army soldiers and members of Hezbollah and other Iran-linked armed groups.
One strike targeted a scientific research centre in Masyaf, and others struck sites where “Iranian militias and experts are stationed to develop weapons in Syria”, the observatory said. It said the research centre was reportedly used for developing weapons, including short- and medium-range precision missiles and drones.
Minister of Electricity Mohammad al-Zamel said the strikes had caused “truly significant” damage to water and electricity infrastructure.
“This brutal attack targeted civilian targets, and the martyrs were mostly civilians, as were the wounded,” he said.
Local media also reported strikes around the coastal city of Tartous, which the observatory said were the result of air defense missiles falling.
On Monday afternoon, a charred car remained at the scene of one strike and smoke was still rising from some spots where fires had been put out.
