Pak Tea House » Kashmir » Kashmir: the Elephant in the room
Kashmir: the Elephant in the room
By Ghazala Akbar:
On February 5 every year Pakistanis jointly commemorate a secular, national holiday, Kashmir Day. This is truly a momentous achievement – not just because it keeps the ‘K’ word active in our political vocabulary but notably, because it is marked by all Pakistanis, all on the same day! That alone should be a cause for a major celebration. Kashmir Day, unlike certain religious holidays is determined by the Gregorian calendar. It does not require any elaborate moon – sighting exercises by scientifically- challenged scholars perched perilously on rooftops. Even the Government of Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa, fiercely autonomous in matters of lunar-sightings concurs demurely with the Federal Government on this point. The fifth of February is Kashmir Day. Period.
And so this year, Kashmir Day came and duly went. For the politically-charged it was a day to regurgitate the same well-worn phrases and platitudes that have sustained us for more than 65 years. For well-heeled, laid-back and apathetic Pakistanis it was a day to put their feet up, have a long lie-in or indulge in recreational pursuits. For those who live on the margins, surviving on daily wages, it was just another unproductive day yielding nothing. As familiar TV footage of idyllic Kashmiri villages juxtaposed against the menace of gun-toting Indian soldiers appeared on TV screens, we duly nodded our heads in silent disapproval. Then, switching channels, we resumed normal service again.
Let’s be perfectly honest. Kashmir hasn’t been on anyone’s agenda for quite some time now. We have – to put it mildly and politely – other pressing concerns. Since 2001, there have been other enemies and battles closer to home. A ‘war on terror’, an extremist insurgency in the tribal and settled areas of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa and FATA, predatory Drone attacks, resurgence of Baloch separatism, killings of Hazara and other Shia Muslims, ethnic killings, target killings, political crises, power outages, the falling Rupee, budgetary constraints, inflationary pressures, et al have all relegated the problems of Kashmir to a distant blur on the ever changing Pakistani kaleidoscope.
On February 9th, 2013 something happened to change this view. The kaleidoscope moved off its own volition. It revealed an ugly scene. The Vale of Kashmir (also known as Occupied Kashmir) came into sharp focus – alone, forlorn and abandoned. Its people were forcibly indoors, under a strict dusk to dawn curfew, their voices gagged. In sharp contrast, many Indians in the capital Delhi were in joyous revelry. Sweets were being distributed. Politicians exchanged congratulatory messages. ‘Better late than never, one tweeted.’ There was a triumphal note that seemed unsavoury and distasteful.
What was the cause of the disconnect between the two scenes, I wondered. Why was Delhi in celebratory mood when the people of Srinagar remained indoors, unable even to express their opinions as internet services and mobile phone networks were unplugged? My answer lay in the story of a 43-year-old man called Mohammed Afzal Guru. He had been executed in Tihar Jail, Delhi. Nearly eight years after he had been sentenced, the mercy petition filed by his wife was rejected by the President of India. He was hanged for aiding and abetting the perpetrators of the bloody 2001 attack on the Indian parliament. He was an Indian Kashmiri.
Perhaps it was the repeated telecasting of the image of Afzal Guru superimposed with a noose around his neck; the morbid fascination of the last few hours on earth of a condemned man or my personal abhorrence at the selective application of the death penalty but I was repeatedly drawn to this story. I had to know more about the man and his case. Was he truly guilty as charged? Why was he executed in haste and in secret? Why are other condemned men, the killers of a former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for instance, languishing on death row while Afzal Guru is pushed ahead of the queue? I had to find out. I had to also understand what motivates people like Afzal Guru to risk their necks for a political cause that seems hopeless. Far from providing closure, the hanging of Afzal Guru re-ignited my dormant interest. Kashmir was back on my agenda.
Given our own quaint justice system in Pakistan that often releases extremists for lack of evidence, or the shameful adulation that greeted the killer of the Punjab Governor, Salman Taseer or our gloomy record in protecting minorities, and the killing of Hazara Shias that continues unabated, Pakistanis are in no position to sermonize or wag fingers at anyone. However, somehow and I say this with sorrow, one expected better standards from what we are constantly reminded is – the world’s largest Secular Democracy.
Never mind my perception that that the hanging of Afzal Guru was fast-tracked for political expediency or that the inhumanity in disallowing the condemned man a farewell meeting with his wife and son was cruel and callous, or the nagging suspicion that the timing of the execution was a retaliatory measure for the alleged beheading of an Indian Soldier at the Line of Control in January — the whole tawdry episode from start to finish has been edifying on many fronts.
The biggest eye-opener for me personally and I suspect for many Pakistanis were the reactions of dismay and disgust from three secular Kashmiri leaders, the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah of the National Congress, Ms. Mahbooba Mufti of the People’s Democratic Party of Kashmir, and her father, the former Chief Minister, Mohammed Mufti. By no yardstick can they be considered ‘pro- Pakistan’. If it were Yaseen Malik of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front or Syed Shah Geelani of the Jamaat e Islam, well – known ‘separatist hawks,’ we could put it down to habitual anti-Indian bias. But when moderate, secular voices express disquiet, outrage and sorrow at Afzal Guru’s hanging, when a former Chief Minister and Congress MP says ‘Gandhi’s India has become Banana Republic’ we have to raise eyebrows and wonder why!
For years we have been led to understand that elections, representative government, democracy were the panacea for Kashmir’s ills; that ‘militancy’ amongst the youth was caused by a dearth of economic opportunities; that the troubles in Kashmir were all Pakistan-created and sponsored; that if only Pakistan were to back off and give Indian-Kashmir a bit of breathing space, things would sort themselves. That was the conventional wisdom. Elections were held in 2005. ‘Cross- border’ incursions from Pakistan, (by India’s own admission) are now a trickle. Tourists are returning and the economy is picking up. If these are indicators of progress, the big question is: why is Indian Kashmir still seething with discontent?
Why is the Valley still under occupation by over 750, 000 Indian troops, with one soldier for every four Kashmiris? Why do Kashmiri youth cry ‘Azaadi’ (freedom) and throw stones at their own troops? What does Mahbooba Mufti mean when she says Kashmiri boys prefer to kill themselves rather than risk being caught by the Security forces? Who lies buried in over 2000 unmarked graves that were discovered in 2010? Why are Kashmiri Hindus who fled the state when the insurgency began in the early 1990s, still unable to return to their homes? Why does an execution in faraway Delhi cause the State of Jammu and Kashmir to be treated like a rebellious Satrap — the hapless recipient of harsh restrictions and mass punishments that reek of repressive colonialism? These are questions that all peace-loving people both in Pakistan and India need to ask.
At 65 years strong, the dispute over Jammu and Kashmir is the longest running dispute in the world. It is simply not fair that while the rest of South Asia surges forward, enjoying the fruits of Independence from Britain, Kashmiris remain frozen in time, hostage to a hasty decision made by a panic-stricken Maharajah that has forever doomed it to be a battlefield in the competing rivalries of India and Pakistan. This beautiful valley should have been an international playground, the Switzerland of Asia, enjoying the benefits of tourism and trade. Instead it is an armed camp, a tinderbox waiting to explode.
As 2014 approaches and the Americans prepare to exit Afghanistan, it is imperative that Kashmir becomes the focus of our attentions once again. Holy Warriors and mercenaries in search of new pastures should not be given a raison d’etre to muscle their way into the fray as they did when the Afghan Jihad against the Soviet Union concluded in 1989. The cause of the Kashmiris must be rescued from the clutches of extremists who have hijacked and defamed it for their own ideological ends. The rug must be pulled from under their feet by bringing the issue to the forefront on a state- to-state level.
In 2001, the attack on the Indian Parliament nearly dragged India and Pakistan towards war. Non- state actors tried it again with their murderous assault on Mumbai on 26 /11. Just recently we saw how the alleged beheading of an Indian soldier Hemraj Singh at the LoC resulted in another fracas causing the peace process to de-rail. As the Greek historian, Thucydides in the “History of the Peloponnesian War” observed, that what actually starts a war is different to what causes one. Apply this maxim to the tensions at the Line of Control. It doesn’t take much to start a conflict when the root causes of the dispute are not addressed.
Now more than ever, it is imperative for Kashmir to come off the margins and take center-stage in the discourse between India and Pakistan. Our diplomats and functionaries simply cannot continue exchanging pleasantries and side – step the main subject. Let’s not delude ourselves. Kashmir is the core issue. It is the bone of contention between India and Pakistan. It is the only game in town. Indians and Pakistanis at every level must not shy away from discussing the topic as if it were taboo and off-limits.
Kashmir is a cause that is politically correct – a just and legitimate demand for freedom and self-determination. It needs resolution — not with bullets and bombs, tit-for-tat knee jerk reactions, beheadings and judicial executions but peacefully through dialogue at the negotiating table. The sons of Afzal Guru and Hemraj Singh must have other reasons to grow up rather than a desire for revenge. Kashmir is the elephant in the room we simply cannot ignore.
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137 Responses to "Kashmir: the Elephant in the room"
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- Rex Minor
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Think a little before you speak nonsense. While Switzerland does not have a large active military, look at the numbers for police and compare that to India. These are not reserve personnel I am talking about, but active duty ones.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_police_officers
Tajender,
Bull’s eye! The Afghan Talibans declassified the Soviet Union might and now the USA might; both have lost the invincible profile. Drones and no more footprints in foreign conflicts, Regime change when necessary( based on the massive work carried out by USA embassys under Hilary Clinton) establishing profiles of the political elites both pro and anti USA individuals.
John Kerry becomes the first secretary of state to hear Turkey accusing Zionism to fascism and antisemitism.
Rex Minor
Tajender,
Bull’s eye! The Afghan Talibans declassified the Soviet Union might and now the USA might; both have lost the invincible profile. Drones and no more footprints in foreign conflicts, Regime change when necessary( based on the massive work carried out by USA embassys under Hilary Clinton) establishing profiles of the political elites both pro and anti USA individuals.
John Kerry becomes the first secretary of state to hear Turkey accusing Zionism at par with fascism and antisemitism.
Rex Minor
Ppaktea,
Apples comparison with pears. Do you have the slightest idea how statistics are read and interpreted. You are even worst than Dr Mishra! Do you know how the swiss police operates?
Rex Minor
You will remain the Idiot that you always were. My comment was a response to a claim that India’s economy was being affected by how much it spends on security. How the police operates in different countries is irrelevant.
PP,
Sorry, I made a mistake and misjudged your profile.
Rex Minor
I am sorry about the personal insult in the begining of the above comment. That was in poor taste. I stand by the rest of the comment.
rex they also lost c ontract of gwadar portiran pakistan gas pipoeline is on.for taking back their equipments they are paying 1 billion per month as duty to pakistan.taliban will rule afghanistan.so second crusade started with the help of pakistan and saudia also failed.indiapakistan and iran are natural ally.
Et al,
me believes that Ppt has a point. When the Amrikis wanted Paki army to move some units to western border, they want Indian units to be reduced in Kashmir. Indians complied by moving two divisions to their permanent location in Yol, Himachal Pradesh. So the number is probably around 1/2 million with nearly all of them either on LOC or the chinese border.
I dont believe there is a distinction anymore bcos the chinese have admitted that they have a presence in POK.
Wikipedia, while wonderful, is not sacrosanct.
And Rajtoo is right. Who gives a shit about what Pakis think!!! BTW good to c u Rajtoo Mian.
Ppt,
Rexie is not offended. He accepts that he is an idiot
Mohan mian,
not only does gilani live in a palace, his properties are provided protection by J&K police. The latter part is hilarious. Because they cant be providing protection against the Kashmiris who presumably love him:)
John Kerry becomes the first secretary of state to hear Turkey accusing Zionism at par with fascism and antisemitism`
`
zoinism is also apartheism like brhmnsm.both think that man is born uneven.
Tajender,
Neither a Jew nor an Indian needs further labels, at least in this part of the world.
Rex Minor
Rexie,
So by Indian, you are using the Paki euphemism for Hindoo?
Please stop confirming that you are an idiot. We already know
elephant is haram animal, lets use Arabic camel.
Islam was not created in Kashmir nor was it created by a kashmiri. So islam is 100% alien to Kashmir. Kashmiris will liberate themselves from islam and its fascism and imperialism. Then they will live in dignity, modernity, honesty and safety.
This has nothing to
this has nothing to do with camel or elephant.
It is the poison snake of islamic totalitarianism and fascism that is in the room.
One more intelligent person Ppaktea is trying to have meaningful dialogues with two closed mind people, Tajendef and Rex . Good luck to him.
An al-Qaeda magazine encouraging terrorism has revealed its most-wanted list of Islam critics to kill – and it includes British author Salman Rushdie.
The shocking article reads: “Wanted: Dead or alive for crimes against Islam.”
English language mag Inspire lists Mr Rushdie and American pastor Terry Jones – who burned the Koran on a 9/11 anniversary – among its targets.
Alongside the images is the slogan: “Yes we can. A bullet a day keeps the infidel away.”
Read more
-
http://www.infowars.com/salman-rushdie-targeted-in-al-qaeda-mags-most-wanted/
Hi romain,
.
nice to read what you guys are writing too!
You lost me at: “Why is the Valley still under occupation by over 750….”
The rest of you article was largely bull after that.
Kasab is a bigger hero than guru. Kasab did more for Kashmir.
dear all of you,
the taliban shall deal with the kashmir problem-in 19 30 zahir shah’s father came back from paris -stayed in dean’s hotel-the indian muslim leaders met him in the train while he was travelling by frontier mail to peshawar-he convinced the waziris and mahsuds to help him in conquering afghanistan-they came back half way when the money was finished-so a person who had a chemist shop whose son became a film actor-gave him rs 60 thousand so he wenr to the waziris and mahsuds again -they said ‘let us loot kabul once’ and he agreed-then they reached kabul looted it once -put nadir shah on the throne and came back.
in 1947 it was the waziris and mahsds who reached scrinagar in 5 days -
so in Afghanistan it will be the taliban who will capture kabul.
do remember that in such attacks the invader also creates ‘dahshat’ so dont expect them to behave like highly trained soldiers.
sameen khan of sherpur.
author of ‘afghanistan jihaad and negotiations my version’ published in usa by amazon.coom
Four Pakistani-origin Al Qaeda [ Images ] militants have pleaded guilty to plotting a terror attack in Britain with home-made bombs.
Zahid Iqbal, 31, Mohammed Sharfaraz Ahmed, 25, Umar Arshad, 24, and Syed Farhan Hussain, 21, admitted to one charge of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism at a hearing in Woolwich Crown Court in London [ Images ] on Friday.
All four men were arrested at their homes in Luton, Bedfordshire, in April last year following a series of raids by British security forces.
They were due to stand trial next month but now their case has been adjourned till April 15, when a sentence will be announced.
Justice Wilkie imposed a reporting order on the case, which limits reporting of the hearing to the fact of the guilty pleas and some particulars of the charges.
According to the details of the charge, between January 2011 and April 2012 the four discussed “methods, materials and targets for a terrorist attack, including firearms and improvised explosive devices” and downloaded files “containing practical instruction for a terrorist attack”.
They also facilitated and planned overseas travel, took part in physical training, bought survival equipment and collected and supplied funds for terrorist purposes overseas.
Further charges of possessing documents, including six copies each of the Al Qaeda magazine Inspire, will be ordered to lie on file following the guilty plea.
Three Birmingham men were recently convicted of conspiring to attack unknown targets in the city.
Irfan Naseer, Irfan Khalid and Ashik Ali had also been caught after a major surveillance operation and face a life term in jail when they are sentenced in April or May.
tajender says:
March 2, 2013 at 8:56 pm
Four Pakistani-origin Al Qaeda [ Images ] militants have pleaded guilty to plotting a terror attack in Britain with home-made bombs.
Zahid Iqbal, 31, Mohammed Sharfaraz Ahmed, 25, Umar Arshad, 24, and Syed Farhan Hussain, 21, admitted
the above post is not mine.
SKhan,
Why do you say that the waziris took five days to reach sirinagar in kashmir. There are other sources who claim a day’s Blitzkriedg from baramula to sirinagar march. You are a Khan from the Nepalese land. How come you have such knowledge about the waziris? They had problems separating muslims from non-muslims in kashmir, are you sure they are not going to face similar problems.
Rex Minor
It is the thing to see Ghazala Akbar and Dr.Shireen Mazari sitting side by side and shedding tears and fighting for HRights for Kashmiris in state of Kashmir!. -Forget about butchering of East Pakistans by West Pakistani Army, HR rights abuse of its own citizens Hindus, Ahmadiays,Sikhs,now Shia and Hazaras. Um what about Baluchistan? With their love for Blasphemy laws.
These ladies remind me of wolves/crocs. shedding tears for locked up chicken in the coop who are denied of their rights to go out at night against waiting wolves at the gate.
BTW: Ghazala Akbar’s same colomn appears in on-line newspaper Pakistanlink. See: http://www.pakistanlink.org/Opinion/2013/Mar13/01/02.HTM
Ghazala,
Your is the article I have now read several times. God bless you for reminding the world about Kashmiris who in my observation are the most docile people in the world and their sufferings from occupation have been placed on the rear burner, because of atrocities being committed in severla parts of the world and therefore being prioritised. Remember, India standing for women rights among G8 is at the bottom behind Saudi Arabia. When you have the time please do pay attention to the woes of the Indian women which are being raped every 23 minutes, according to Indian Govt. statistics. Write and express your feelings with your writing, since you are talented to articuate peoples sufferings.
Rex Minor
East Pakistans by West Pakistani Army
kamath…there was no butchering it was all lie and brhmncl propaganda.mukti bahini and few misguided bengalees attacked first.lie is your staple food and hate is duty as u are afraid of greatness of islam.
we are not afraid of islam’s greatness since there is none. But we are afraid of islam’s fascism of which there is an unending plenty.
i think u dfont know meaning of fascism.u are fooling the indians from last thousands of years.it is nothing new.geeta is mother of aparteism and fascism.
@ Kamath: please check my article for PTH: Exorcising the ghosts of 1971…if only!
Regards
GA
http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/index.php?ref=MjBfMDFfMTVfMTNfMV8yN18xNTY4NDU=
G.Akbar says:
March 4, 2013 at 12:02 am
@ Kamath: please check my article for PTH: Exorcising the ghosts of 1971…if only!
Regards
they are accustomed of reading propaganda.truth sunne mein achcha nahee lagta hai.because they no brain.
tajender, you are a practising islamofascist – and the meaning of fascism is actually demonstrated by the muslims through their words and deeds. No further theory or discussion then is necessary. vilifying brahmins will not make islam less fascistic – quite the contrary. the more muslims vilify brahmins and hindus the more islam will become fascistic.
@Author: Afzal Guru was convicted in a trial where 3 other people were acquitted., so by no means can it be described as a banana trial. The court went all the way to Supreme court which affirmed his conviction. Nor is it the case that any and every evidence was accepted. The court threw out Afzal Guru’s TV interview where he admitted to the crime on technical grounds. YEs, he should have been allowed to meet his family before execution and Indian government was wrong to not allow this. As for the rest a man convicted f trying to bomb the parliament while in session met his just fate. Also the 50,000 (not 750,000 by the way) soldiers are on the LOC trying to prevent infiltration from Pakistan. They are not in the valley.
@Tajender : Islam considers apostasy punishable by death. 3 religions were born in India after Hinduism. Most of the converts came from Hinduism. So which faith is fascist then?
Rex, why are you surprised that someone from Nepal would know about Waziris when a supposed German Muslim like you with no waziri roots whatsoever is suosed to have deep knowledge of Waziristan?
As far as anyne claiming that the Waziris reached Srinagar in 5 days, please be aware that you were fighting Raja Hari SIngh’s army not the Indian army. The moment Raja HAri Singh signed the instrument of accession to save himself, Indian army beat back the invaders upto the current LOC. HAd Nehru not taken the dispute to UN, the invaders would have been pushed back entirely. This is exactly the mistake Vajpayyee did not make in 1999. Even though Nawaz Sharif declared ceasefire, Vajpayee said that Indian forces would not stop their action until every single peak occupied by Pakistan was cleared.
good response by gp65
thanks.
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Muslims grow up with the 100% indoctrination that the muslims never do/did anything wrong or unjust in all their dealings with the non-muslims.