Friday, January 2, 2009

Kashmir... A response... Part 1

Kashmir occupies a special place in my heart as my soul lives and dreams in that heaven on earth... A casual read on an article on Kashmir in the economist, I realized a biased opinion by an author pretending to be representing the interest of the majority.. Hyper me! I decided to set records straight by two posts... You must have an opinion, here's mine. Here my post 1:
Interfere in the fight of others and to papparize a matter without a fundamental understanding of the subject matter, is a speciality of british media. Be it BBCs tirade of not calling the attackers in Mumbai as millitants while those who attacked london as or this cheap article from economist labelling opinion of a biased journalist on us. I have few questions which I believe are never addressed:
1. Why is it always about Kashmir only? There's Jammu and Ladakh as well. For a fact Kashmir has 20% of the area and Jammu has 35%, while ladakh has 45% of the area...
2. Everyone refers to Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru's statement on Kashmir, but why doesn't one talk about Shimla agreement or 1971 war? I mean if you make a statement after loosing, you expect that accord not to be adhered to and an older one? why and how is that justified? Is the environment and population mix same as 1947 for voting and refrendums? So how does the author intend to address the anomaly of scared Kashmiri Pandits who have left, mistreated Muslims who are either sometimes ill treated by forces or my millitants and thus disillisioned. Educated societies take educated steps and not steps due to hasty feelings of an ill educated journalist
3. Why is it that, there is a tacit assumption that part of POK is happy and flourishing and that they don't want a refrendum? and no one ever talks about that?
4. Why is it that people want to divide a state based on a 1947 status only? Why not go back and look at Kashmir when the entire belt was non-muslim?
5. I am from Jammu & Kashmir and not a migrant, and have braved the bullets and have stayed with hindus and muslims alike and i stay there. I don't want a Pakistani to come and think for me, especially when he can't control his own country. So why is it that my opinion is never listened to?
6. Kashmiris in Pakistan are called as Mohajirs and are treated as B grade citizens. My family and many more are earning our wages and running family and still spending much less than an average indian due to special subsidies and you want tell me to be unthankful to Indian Govt? Why doesn't the press and the elitists like Economist ever throw some light on their plight?
7. Who is this author to label "all kashmiris" as pro pakistan or pro independence?
8. Why is that a 60% participation in a democratic process is refuted by a society full of barbaric, hostile, ustable and rouge politics?
9. Why is it that me and my brothers in J&k, after voting in such large numbers are being told that, see you have voted, but you meant this, not that. For heaven's sake, we know our reasons and know what we have voted for.
10. Does any literate and educated person stand up and demonstrate how an Independent or pakistani Kashmir will sustain its economy? Oh no.. Don't give me that lame excuse that we will decide as that this "we" includes me and my family. So please tell me by which economic model or great discovery are we going to self sustain?
To cut the long story short, It is great to have good questions for others without looking into the mirror. But, please don't belittle this great victory of democracy & sanity over mindless advocacy of death and destruction. Please don't treat a youth throwing a stone at you as entire kashmir. Even if you have to, ask him the right questions and non-incting questions and you will realize that after he has seen both the sides of the picture, he will appreciate the one he is living in. Independence is a great human concept, but it has to be logical and everyone has to be involved, not only the author, economist editorial staff, seperatists and pakistanis. Never forget there are more human beings that dwell and prosper within the same confines and who don't share the same line as you Mr Author...

1 comment:

Aditya Raj Kaul said...

Great read Manav. do visit www.kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com/