Why does Kashmir cry foul

For years Kashmir has been relying on massive grants from successive central goverments. Even after 61 years of being a part of India, the state has failed to create a self-sustaining economy. Think about what will happen if the central government stopped showering money to the state and treated it at par with other states; it will not take us more than five years to turn into another Bihar!
There is a widespread mistrust in the valley towards India but that can be explained and also resolved!
1. Article 370 that ensured the state always remained aloof from rest of the country, socially and culturally. Because outsiders have been refused entry into the state by not being allowed to buy property and set up industries, there was never any cultural exchange of the valley with rest of India. Back in the valley, the extremist elements took advantage of the isolation in the valley and made sure that by the time a Kashmiri muslim learns how to speak, he has enough venom in his mind towards India.
2. The politicians, be it the Hurriyat or the mainstream poltical parties (including several national political parties), all have exploited the post-1947 situation to their benefit. Successive governments let extremism propagate under their nose but little did they bother to control it as long as their vote bank was secure. Many of the mainstream parties, including the Congress, NC & PDP have for years indulged in double-speak. It's high-time the people in Kashmir understood this. At the end of the
day, who suffers? It's the common man on the street, not the leaders who live in high-security and move in bullet-proof cars! 

3. Presence of army in Kashmir is indeed hurting the people and I admit they may be wrong at times, but such things are bound to happen in Kashmir, where the anti-India sentiment is extremely strong. If the situation in Kashmir improves and all the anti-national and extemist activities stop, army will be out of Kashmir. No questions on that! Even the Indian government does not like spending billions of dollars every year on maintaining the security situation in Kashmir! In fact this money can be spent for the betterment of the state and bringing it back to what it used to be-The heaven on earth!
But little will our "pro-azadi" supporters understand this!

A victory and then a downer-Jammu tales continued

First of all, those expecting an installment of Galle tales in this post are sure to meet with disappointment. There have been some fresh developments which I could not resist from sharing with all of you. So here we go.

I was feeling ecstatic yesterday, when the three individuals who claim to "represent the sentiments and aspirations of Jammu and Kashmir", were denied entry into a central-governement sponsored meeting meant to broker peace with the SASS (the group that is spearheading the campaign in Jammu), even though they were representing the team from central government. These three will definitely top of the list of those completely responsible for the current situation (in addition to Mufti,Omar,Hurriyat Conference and the Congress leadership-both central and state), and hence their presence on a group meant to find a solution to the problem did not make sense at all! In fact I believed we had achieved the first victory in for our self-respect and that too a big one at that! At least from August 9 onwards, these three will not be able to say that they represent the STATE of Jammu and Kashmir. The people of Jammu gave them the taste of their own medicine by refusing to talk to them.

But my happiness was short-lived, not that I expected anything better from the government. But it is really shocking that even though the central team was supposedly formed to defuse tensions in Jammu, it has ended up appeasing the anti-national sentiments. Today the government announced that traders in Kashmir who have had to suffer losses because of the so-called "economic blockade" from Jammu region, will be suitably compensated-all this at their threat of sending goods to Muzaffarabad (for the uninitiated, a city in PoK which was a couple of years ago connected to Srinagar via a road)!!

So, again a blackmail from a section of people and the government's relucatance to take them head-on has again landed the government into a questionable spot. This also goes on to show that while the Indian government considers the concerns of people who raise Pakistani flags, burn Indian flags and raise anti-India slogans as legitimate, those protesting for self-respect in their own country, are not at all important! Where else in the past in India have people been compensated because of losses due to protests? West Bengal is closed for 200+ days of the year due to strikes. Did the governement ever compensate the traders there? Why is the government so much concerned about the well-being of the people who in the first place do not even believe India is their own country? What is the kind of message we are trying to send across? That this country values only those who raise anti-national slogans, else you are a part of a billion-strong crowd that does not matter!!

While the government has already done suicidal mistakes by spitting and then licking back on the Amarnath land transfer issue, it is further complicating the situation and is getting itself deeper into the pit. The government still believes that like always, the people in Jammu will finally shut their mouths while the sentiments of Kashmir need to be kept in check. But this time, they are grossly mistaken and even after 45 days of unrest, it seems the government has still not realized it. This reaction of the government to the ongoing tussle will have far-reaching repurcussions. Public opiniong all over India is strongly building up in favor of the protests in Jammu and against what has been happening in Kashmir, it's high time the government realized this.

The media finally seems to have woken up to the fact that the anguish of people of Jammu is indeed genuine, and that the protests are not communal or driven by political parties. The past couple of days have seen much more news-space being granted to print and digital media, but the stand they have taken is still variable. I am particularly disappointed with the timesgroup who have given limited coverage to the events in Jammu. While Yasin Malik's illness makes first-page headlines both in print and the internet, they didn't even bother to mention the martyrdom of people from Jammu in the protests.

While media has finally stepped in, I expect different messages and perspectives to come out. For all the readers of this blog, I am repeating the following points just to make sure those not completely aware with the situation in Jammu are not left confused:

1. This is not a Hindu vs Muslim fight. People from all communities in Jammu are supporting the building up of shelters for pilgrims at Amarnath and for the larger issue of continuous discrimination that Jammu has faced over the past 60 years
2. People are protesting against the appeasement policies of the government. Every time an anti-India slogan is raised in Kashmir, every time an Indian flag is burnt there, the government starts offering them goodies instead of taking them head-on
3.People in Jammu too have sentiments, they can't be played around with; especially when each inhabitant of Jammu feels for the country, people from all communities included

Thank you for reading through this. As before, please do not fail to post your comments.

For the people in Jammu Part 2

Friends,

Thank you so much for your tremendous response and commenting on my first post. This has really encouraged me to take up blogging more regularly. Unfortunately I have been neck-deep into work this week and am not able to put something substantial into this post. But apart from a hundred other items, I am adding another blog post to my list of to-dos over the weekend (those working with me know this. These days my standard response to any fresh piece of work or a query is, "I will do this over the weekend!"
I just read through two articles on Hindustan times, one by Prof.Amitabh Mattoo, one of the better-known and highly respected academicians in J&K, and another one by Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, the Chairman of the moderate faction of the APHC (All Party Hurriyat Conference). Read through the two articles. I personally found Amitabh Mattoo's solution as the most logical while Mirwaiz as usual struggles with words to justify the stand the APHC has been taking. Read through the two articles:

Link to Prof.Mattoo's article:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=49c777eb-6b1c-49c8-9db3-92eb2b54f2d4&ParentID=ad00c103-87f0-4b16-8b4b-e1d590b8afc5&MatchID1=4728&TeamID1=2&TeamID2=3&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1191&PrimaryID=4728&Headline=I+suggest...HT+forum


Link to Mirwaiz's article:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=49c777eb-6b1c-49c8-9db3-92eb2b54f2d4&ParentID=ad00c103-87f0-4b16-8b4b-e1d590b8afc5&MatchID1=4728&TeamID1=2&TeamID2=3&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1191&PrimaryID=4728&Headline=I+suggest...HT+forum

In addition, I have also started a community in orkut through which we intend to push for a separate state of Jammu. Those interested may join. I've just started, so am currently struggling to build up a sizeable membership base before I start thinking about next steps. Here is the link to the community:
http://www.orkut.co.in/Community.aspx?cmm=49935020

I guess it is also time to move a bit away from politics. In my next post I will be sharing some tales from my visit to Galle in Sri Lanka last week.

Thanks for reading through this.

For the people in Jammu

The recent events in my state of Jammu and Kashmir may not have mattered much to people as a whole, but these have shattered the souls of each and every Hindu in the state. I apologize if this sounds communal, but unfortunately this is a fact-the state today stands clearly divided on communal lines. The people in Jammu are demanding the land to the shrine board be given back, so that temporary shelters can be created for pilgrims visiting the Amarnath shrine. Please note the words in bold-this is what the original order said, but the so called proponents of the spirit of Kashmiriyat protested this move saying that this was a move to change the demographic structure of the state! Is it wrong to build a shelter for people who face inhumane conditions every year during the yatra? By these people, this was seen as the first step to infuse some Hindus back into Kashmir, which could jeopardize their plans to push for a separate homeland for Kashmiri muslims. By giving in to their demands, the government has meekly surrendered to the anti-national elements. This also goes on to show that the dream of Kashmiri pandits to go back to their homelands does not look like a possibility, at least in the near future. We have seen the reaction to this step which just aimed to build temporary shelters for hindu pilgrims, it is not difficult to imagine what will happen if an attempt to bring back the Kashmiri migrants into the mainstream of the valley or even a Panun Kashmir (a separate homeland in the valley for Kashmiri pandits, which the Kashmiri migrants have been demanding) is initiated.

Some of you may be wondering whether these protests, in which people are dying, communal tensions are flaring up and the entire state has transformed into a virtual war-zone over the past one month, are really worth it? Let me tell you, on face value, these may not really seem worth; that people are fighting for a few acres of land. But this incident has been just the tipping point. For the past 60 years, the people from Jammu have been subjected to massive discrimination. We never wanted article 370, it was forced on us. We never wanted the special status which has alienated us from the rest of the country. And all these years, the governments at the center kept appeasing the Kashmiri majority community. The people from Jammu do not get government jobs, they do not get seats in government colleges, they pay all the taxes while even the basic amenities are denied to them. This has been happening for all of the past 60 years-this is the prize they have got for showing solidarity with India, while those openly against the country have been appeased to the most shameful of limits-the latest example being just one of the countless other instances.

What is all the more painful is the apathy shown by both the government and media towards the anguish of protestors. No one in the media has come out in the open to support what is a genuine cause for the nation's integrity. While the media is quick to take note of any protests in the valley, precious little space has been given to what has been happening in Jammu for more than a month now. Even the government, in spite of the massive public outrage, still chooses to appease the anti-national sentiments. As per the latest statement from the center, the state authorities have been directed to control the violence in Jammu "at all costs" while there is no mention of addressing to the core issue.

The events in the past two months have opened up the wounds of Jummuties who have been living with these for years now. These are not going to heal very soon and unless the government does not give in to their demands, the protests are not going to stop. I am supporting my brethren in these protests and believe every sane Indian citizen will resonate with the feelings that I am nurturing. 

Thanks for reading through this long post. Please feel free to add your comments. I will be updating my blog on a regular basis from now on.