Dear friends,
I have sought political asylum in United Kingdom. The reason is that I was facing regular threats and torture because of my journalistic work done against the current regime.
All I want you to just have a look to the facts dispassionately. I don’t belong to the tribe of heroes, crusaders or martyrs; I belong to the unwanted tribe of journalists who get punished for doing their job. Journalists in such situation feel isolated and it’s hard to see how to challenge this when no one is there to protect.
Latest development –
May 2018-
In May 2018 I had conducted media investigation in which a digital wallet company, based out of NOIDA had claimed illegally sharing users’ data with PMO (Prime Minister Office) and it was caught on camera. All details are in public domain which can be cross checked independently.
Shooting the messenger –
PMO was exposed in illegal data-sharing that’s why I was consistently followed, harassed and tortured by IB (Intelligence Bureau) officials on 26 June (2018) , 9 October (2018), 19 October (2018) and 25 November (2018) on the name of questioning. I was given threat to leave country or face death so I had no other option left except to leave the country.
Conspiracy to win upcoming general election of 2019 illegally
‘Illegal data-sharing of millions of users’ is part of larger
conspiracy connecting to ‘illegal electoral intervention’ (a foreign
hand) or in brief a meddling in the upcoming general election in India
(due to be held in India between April and May 2019 to constitute the
17th Lok Sabha). Since the conspiracy is going to help current regime
to retain power that’s why PMO doesn’t want issue (illegal
data-sharing) to be investigated further.
Facts –
I m keeping facts in public domain that ‘illegal data control and
illegal data-sharing’ is part of international conspiracy in brief ‘
election sabotage’.
China backed Indian startup is involved in this conspiracy as vice
president of Indian startup mentioned a specific name Mr Khulbe (PMO
official). The company (Indian startup) in question is a fraud,
orchestrated for political purposes.
Neighboring country is using Indian partner as front face for
commercial espionage and in return, ‘plenty of evidence’ of Chinese
plans of meddling in upcoming Indian elections to please current
political regime.
Background –
Alibaba is an investor in this Indian startup. Since the early days,
Alibaba, has been supported by the Chinese government which used
Alibaba’s Taobao and Tmall sites to do billions of dollars of
transactions between various government agencies which allowed Alibaba
to post eye-popping revenues and growth in the early days.
The Chinese government still conducts a lot of trade between its
various agencies using Alibaba platforms so as to ensure the continued
scorching growth rates that Alibaba has been able to post year in and
year out.
With China’s murky and archaic ownership structure laws and the fact
that the government of China and/or the China Communist Party has huge
control over almost single thing in the Chinese economy, companies and
even society, means that Alibaba is the “golden child” at the moment.
In almost every single line of its various businesses, Alibaba is by
and large protected by the government from foreign competitors. So
Alibaba have embarked on a huge buying spree, snapping up real-world
companies at a mind boggling pace before its once bread and butter
business (auction) fades away slowly, after Alibaba has “legitimized”
through its massive shopping spree acquisitions, strategic
partnerships, stakes and joint ventures. The Communist Party of China
has thus succeeded in building a publicly traded global brand name
although it’s been done under the usual cloak and dagger secrecy.
To mitigate post election allegations, the blame for election
interference will be thrown upon the criminals. It is Chinese
manoeuvres with Chinese characteristics and current regime is just
looking for political gain that’s why PMO didn’t order any
investigation into illegal data-sharing with PMO. Much more is at
stake unless Indian government gets wise to the protectionism that is
rampant in China. It’s national shame that PMO (in India) is operating
as organizational set up of party politics not as an institution.
In addition, pressure has to be applied to force the Chinese
authorities and companies to follow transparent Indian trade rules
first only then the Chinese companies should be allowed to operate on
our shores.
Other reasons –
September 2013 – Operation Vakaltnama (Already in public domain)
The story exposed senior BJP leaders (Current PM Narender Modi , BJP
President Amit Shah ,current HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar , upper
house BJP MP Bhupender Yadav, secretary organisation Mr Ram Lal Ji
etc) conspiring to help Amit Shah (BJP President – the party currently
running the government ) evade the noose in the Tulsi Ram Prajapati
fake encounter case by getting Narmada Bai, Tulsi Ram’s mother, sign
on blank vakalatnamas.
All leaders were facing CBI case, based on sting tapes. This entire
case was built on my sting videos which I handed over to CBI on their
demand. It’s well known fact that CBI can’t go against its own
political bosses. CBI court has already discharged the high profile
faces involved in this. Undoubtedly it’s just an example of banana
republic.
2016 – Ayush Ministry expose’
18 March 2016: The Ayush Ministry went hammer and tongs after me when
the RTI story was published by filing a false case against me. The IO
alleged in the court that the laptop used to create forged documents
for the story by the accused, that is me, was confiscated from me.
However, this claim fell flat when an FSL report stated that “no such
document” was retrieved from the laptop. The case is still pending.
A Travel restriction was imposed on me by Delhi police. Police issued
notice to me not to leave Delhi/India without informing them. I was
arrested on 13 May. During Travel ban, for close to two months IB
(Intelligence Bureau) was used to scare me.
IB officers made my life hell in these two months. Threats, continuous
surveillance and calls from ‘no numbers visible on screen’ tactics was
used to scare me with suggestions, not to do any hard hitting story
against current PM or BJP President Mr Narender Modi. I stopped going
outside. My servant was my only help to get outside work done. I
locked myself in my Delhi home to avoid any possible eventuality.
As it often happens, when your stories hurt certain interests, or
powerful individuals, it is you who are hounded or witch-hunted by the
establishment. I am no exception to this phenomenon. The media is in
the worst state India has ever seen. Weight of legal cases and threats
leave India’s journalists feeling exposed and alone. Threats of
different shape and size (political pressure, self-censorship,
defamation suits, and attacks) , end of the day journalism becomes a
solitary battle.
Journalists are constantly facing harassment, threats of legal action,
imprisonment, or even been killed in retaliation for their reporting.
But the current level of harassment and intimidation is unprecedented.
The current state is “an undeclared emergency” in an effort to
consolidate power. Safety, security and independence are moot
questions for every journalist including me. A normal journalistic
work–telling the truth–has become abnormal and life-threatening.
Any investigative work on the criminality of politicians or data that
busts government claims is unacceptable [to authorities]. There’s a
climate of fear and self-censorship in India. I m 48 years old, a
professional journalist but now the situation is like this where I
have to continue my fight somewhere from outside India. When the facts
are assessed in totality, exposing high and mighty is purely a
journalistic work, not motivated by personal gain.
My end goal is objectivity. Objectivity in journalism aims to help the
audience make up their own mind about a story, providing the facts
alone and then letting audiences interpret those on their own.
Journalism is not a crime and cases against journalists, critical to
the current regime, are politically motivated and sheer vendetta.
The dangers to journalists in India have been well known. All victims
of being journalists had been critical of current BJP regime. The
cases against me are just shooting the messenger.
I m discussing with my lawyers to move the International Court of
Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN)
to take my legal battle ahead and for exercising the right of freedom
of speech – a right also belonging to all potential readers, and
guaranteed under every international human rights convention.
As I stated above I don’t belong to the tribe of heroes, crusaders or
martyrs; I belong to the unwanted tribe of journalists who get
punished for doing their job.
Therefore, let me conclude that I solemnly declare that I will perform
my duties as journalist and exercise my powers as human rights
activist (irony is, I admit I couldn’t fight for my own human rights)
to take this battle further. It’s my firm conviction that media plays
a vital role and has huge impact and can’t be allowed to disappear.
If I have said anything which appears to you to be erroneous, I hope
you will pardon me. I know you always like people to speak truth. That
is what has emboldened me in writing this long letter.
With respectful Pranams,
Pushp Sharma
(पुष्प शर्मा द्वारा लंदन से भड़ास के पाठकों के लिए भेजे गए एक पत्र पर आधारित)
