messy valley - 52 deaths and counting!
Last 2 months or so have seen an increase in protests in the Kashmir Valley, specifically Srinagar. It has certainly triggered a few thoughts in me, which i have tried to articulate in this post.
Trouble limited to the valley - If the people of J&K are fed up of Indian Administration, then why are the protests limited to the valley? Why are we not witnessing the same levels of unrest in Jammu and Ladhak? I am no where hinting that successive Indian governments and local civilian governments have handled the situations with good measure of certainity. Rather, its been shoddy and inhumane.
Agenda of the seperatists (APHC)- Mr. Syed Shah Geelani wants merger with Pakistan and Mr. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq wants independence and ensure that state of J&K remains autonomous - neither india nor pakistan's territory. Am curious to know if Mr. Geelani / Mirwaiz saab, just want independence/self-rule for the kashmir valley or the entire state of J&K from India's rule? If its the whole of J&K, then i am unsure of their appeal being heard in Jammu and Ladhak. How often have we had Mr. Geelani or Mirwaiz saab come out and address people in Jammu and Ladhak and get their buy in?
Delhi continues to bungle in J&K: Started with Sheikh Abdullah episode and then moved to the rigged elections of mid 80s to the latest voilent protests - the count just goes on. New Delhi has never actively got down to sorting out the mess in the valley - its only made matters messier for itself to handle.
As Indians, lets face it - we have a problem in J&K, might be instigated or indeginious. Its New Delhi's responsibility to sort it out with dignity intact for the people of J&K.
Indian Government has an elaborate anti-naxal strategy or thats what we are made to believe. We are averse to using total force against naxals, as we believe they are Indian citizens who have gone haywire. We are made to believe that the naxalite problems are because of exploitation, lack of education and development, so on and so forth.
Cant we extend the same level of sympathy to the people of J&K where security forces have sweeping powers? Are the people of J&K less indian than the naxals -given that the state acceded to the Indian union? Its this indifference thats most baffling! Local political compulsions must not hinder humane solutions to the current voilence in the valley!
Religion Politics - bane of subcontinent: It hurt the Indian subcontinent in 1947 and is sure to repeat itself in the case of J&K. Started with the persecution of Muslims by the Hindu King of J&K, which eventually led to accession with India, when Tribal warriors from Pakistan invaded his state to hold up the cause of muslims.
Then in 1987, it was the turn of the terrorists to permanently change the demography of the state by driving out Kashmiri Pandits out of the valley into refugee camps in Jammu. Seems more like a tit for tat. I have never heard anybody across party lines active in the valley talk of repatriating the Kashmiri Pandits back into the valley with dignity.
The call for azadi seems to be taking religious colors, which is worrysome. I am quite convinced that if this is the way forward, then we all must prepare ourselves for a second partition - this time maybe more brutal, gruesome and bloody. I am unsure, if people of J&K/India/Pakistan are ready for this.
I thought Kashmiriyat was beyond religion - state of J&K represented beautiful fusion of how in a Muslim majority state, Hindus, Sikhs and Budhists co-existed with peace and how one helped the other to ensure that the state of J&K prospered as a whole - wish we return to the old times - 52 innocent deaths
Roti Kapda aur Makhan: I could not believe when Sajjad Lone and few others in the panel on the Buck Stops Here (NDTV - Barkha Dutt) rebutted Dr. Manmohan Singh's economic package, calling it very naive. They opined that people in the valley dont need education or economic development - they just need azadi.I hope people have not underestimated the economist in Dr. Manmohan Singh.
I would say, this is a tailor made situation for politicians to exploit - less educated/unemployed youth are easy targets for exploitation! I wish we all get azadi/mukthi from ignorance. Economic packages / developmental opportunities are an absolute must to develop oneself and hence develop the state. Politicians will rebutt it, but people of J&K must lap it up - irrespective of the end result of their current struggle - just for their own betterment.
To be Continued Tomorrow.......
Trouble limited to the valley - If the people of J&K are fed up of Indian Administration, then why are the protests limited to the valley? Why are we not witnessing the same levels of unrest in Jammu and Ladhak? I am no where hinting that successive Indian governments and local civilian governments have handled the situations with good measure of certainity. Rather, its been shoddy and inhumane.
Agenda of the seperatists (APHC)- Mr. Syed Shah Geelani wants merger with Pakistan and Mr. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq wants independence and ensure that state of J&K remains autonomous - neither india nor pakistan's territory. Am curious to know if Mr. Geelani / Mirwaiz saab, just want independence/self-rule for the kashmir valley or the entire state of J&K from India's rule? If its the whole of J&K, then i am unsure of their appeal being heard in Jammu and Ladhak. How often have we had Mr. Geelani or Mirwaiz saab come out and address people in Jammu and Ladhak and get their buy in?
Delhi continues to bungle in J&K: Started with Sheikh Abdullah episode and then moved to the rigged elections of mid 80s to the latest voilent protests - the count just goes on. New Delhi has never actively got down to sorting out the mess in the valley - its only made matters messier for itself to handle.
As Indians, lets face it - we have a problem in J&K, might be instigated or indeginious. Its New Delhi's responsibility to sort it out with dignity intact for the people of J&K.
Indian Government has an elaborate anti-naxal strategy or thats what we are made to believe. We are averse to using total force against naxals, as we believe they are Indian citizens who have gone haywire. We are made to believe that the naxalite problems are because of exploitation, lack of education and development, so on and so forth.
Cant we extend the same level of sympathy to the people of J&K where security forces have sweeping powers? Are the people of J&K less indian than the naxals -given that the state acceded to the Indian union? Its this indifference thats most baffling! Local political compulsions must not hinder humane solutions to the current voilence in the valley!
Religion Politics - bane of subcontinent: It hurt the Indian subcontinent in 1947 and is sure to repeat itself in the case of J&K. Started with the persecution of Muslims by the Hindu King of J&K, which eventually led to accession with India, when Tribal warriors from Pakistan invaded his state to hold up the cause of muslims.
Then in 1987, it was the turn of the terrorists to permanently change the demography of the state by driving out Kashmiri Pandits out of the valley into refugee camps in Jammu. Seems more like a tit for tat. I have never heard anybody across party lines active in the valley talk of repatriating the Kashmiri Pandits back into the valley with dignity.
The call for azadi seems to be taking religious colors, which is worrysome. I am quite convinced that if this is the way forward, then we all must prepare ourselves for a second partition - this time maybe more brutal, gruesome and bloody. I am unsure, if people of J&K/India/Pakistan are ready for this.
I thought Kashmiriyat was beyond religion - state of J&K represented beautiful fusion of how in a Muslim majority state, Hindus, Sikhs and Budhists co-existed with peace and how one helped the other to ensure that the state of J&K prospered as a whole - wish we return to the old times - 52 innocent deaths
Roti Kapda aur Makhan: I could not believe when Sajjad Lone and few others in the panel on the Buck Stops Here (NDTV - Barkha Dutt) rebutted Dr. Manmohan Singh's economic package, calling it very naive. They opined that people in the valley dont need education or economic development - they just need azadi.I hope people have not underestimated the economist in Dr. Manmohan Singh.
I would say, this is a tailor made situation for politicians to exploit - less educated/unemployed youth are easy targets for exploitation! I wish we all get azadi/mukthi from ignorance. Economic packages / developmental opportunities are an absolute must to develop oneself and hence develop the state. Politicians will rebutt it, but people of J&K must lap it up - irrespective of the end result of their current struggle - just for their own betterment.
To be Continued Tomorrow.......
Comments
(had missed out to type the entire line).