Former Union Minister P Chidambaram didn't win too many fans when he said during an interview to Karan Thapar on India Today TV,
“We look at Kashmir as an issue of land, but it's a problem of people
instead. Let the people of Kashmir frame their laws within the ambit of
the Constitution. We have to assure that we will respect identity,
history, culture, religion.”
And he continued to be candid on Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) when he pointed out, “I am afraid the way out of the crisis cannot be found by the present government. The Congress, National Conference and, if willing, the PDP must come together to find a solution: firstly, an immediate solution to stop the violence and, then, a path forward that will bring hope, peace and prosperity to the people of Jammu & Kashmir.”
To our surprise the Congress party decided not to side with what Chidambaram said writing it off as a personal view. A section of opposition parties in J&K led by National Conference leader Omar Abdullah calls on Congress VP, Rahul Gandhi to conceive constructive steps towards addressing the Kashmir problem. Abdullah's stance is that Kashmir is not a law and order problem, but a political one. See, politics is everywhere.
What is Chidambaram's fault? He spoke his mind and heart if we can say so. But did Abdullah or any one from Chidambaram's own party pay heed to the point the former Union Minister raised?
Talk of Pakistan, it will never set aside the Kashmir issue because that means the establishment antagonises the all-powerful Army which needs Kashmir to launch a tirade against India. On the Indian front, cutting across political lines, it's all about overlooking the truth and encashing Kashmir to personify pseudo patriotism.
There lies the real truth. Both India and Pakistan need J&K because that will only add to the vote banks of various political parties on both sides.
Okay fine! But when more than 60 people are killed post the death of Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani, it's the kins of the deceased who shed tears and not the lawmakers in India and Pakistan. A lecturer in Kashmir is killed and hardly is anybody bothered.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh wants young Kashmiris to pick books, pens and computers instead of stones. Well thought, but how much security is his government providing to Kashmiris in and outside the state? A Kashmiri scholar is attacked in Barakatullah University in Bhopal. And Singh has no answer. Similarly, some Kashmiri students allege that they were attacked by locals in Jodhpur’s Vyas Institute of Higher Education.
Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's Prime Minister might say Kashmir is an unfinished agenda of the United Nations, but at the same time, one of his political foes, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Allama Tahirul Qadri alleges that it's India which is keeping Sharif in power. “India is still fighting to keep the Sharifs in power. If the Sharifs deny this, then I will reveal the names of the countries that helped them come into power,” he was quoted by The Express Tribune.
What Qadri's bombshell indicates is that it's all about politics. Despite the turmoil in Kashmir, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hasn't been able to take time off to visit the disturbed valley. Instead, he uses India's Independence Day to show his solidarity with the sufferers of the so-called Pakistani mayhem.
Coming to Abdullah, what exactly did his party do to propagate peace in the Kashmir valley? He has no answer. But when a Kashmiri businessman this writer has known for years says, "Do you know how we are treated?" he raises a pertinent point. The businessman even goes to the extent of spilling the beans on the corrupt electoral system in the valley. "Elections are manipulated," he says.
And, it's not just on the Indian side. Even Sharif's PML (N) is facing allegations of wrongdoings to come to power in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). Forget the plebiscite that the United Nations (UN) wants both India and Pakistan to hold, unless and until, both the countries stop playing political games over Kashmir, more innocent lives will leave for their 'heavenly' abode.
Coming back to what Chidambaram said, it's not about the region, but its people. Please stop playing politics Mr. Modi and Mr. Sharif. Kashmiris want to breathe fresh air and let's not deprive them of their due.
But things are changing. Northern Army Commander Lt Gen D S Hooda stresses the importance of talks involving protesters and even separatists to find a way out of the unrest in the valley. Hooda has set the ball rolling and it's left to New Delhi to take it forward.
Coming to Islamabad, there has not been a single initiative from the Army or the political establishment to shed acrimony and think positive barring the foreign ministry asking India to talk on Kashmir. But with infiltration at the behest of Pakistan rampant, how committed is Pakistan? It is yet to implement the National Action Plan (NAP) to curb terrorism. Instead, it sees an Indian hand in the Quetta attack. The practice of blame game should be kicked out. Hope, Pakistan too understands the gravity of the situation.
As a human being, this writer's heart reaches out to his brothers and sisters, residents of heaven that saw films like Kashmir Ki Kali, Silsila, Jab Tak Hai Jaan and many others being shot in the backdrop of picturesque surroundings.
The so-called patriotic Indians would pounce upon this writer for being too vocal. But forget the patriotic side, there's something called humanity, and it's this humane side which is worried about the abject torture that Kashmiris on both sides of the border are facing.
When we see the Syrian boy Omran's picture going viral, we shudder, but explore a bit, there are several Osmans thanks to the rigid attitude of India and Pakistan, who do not even garner attention and most of them die a silent death.
Time to think! Time to think!
And he continued to be candid on Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) when he pointed out, “I am afraid the way out of the crisis cannot be found by the present government. The Congress, National Conference and, if willing, the PDP must come together to find a solution: firstly, an immediate solution to stop the violence and, then, a path forward that will bring hope, peace and prosperity to the people of Jammu & Kashmir.”
To our surprise the Congress party decided not to side with what Chidambaram said writing it off as a personal view. A section of opposition parties in J&K led by National Conference leader Omar Abdullah calls on Congress VP, Rahul Gandhi to conceive constructive steps towards addressing the Kashmir problem. Abdullah's stance is that Kashmir is not a law and order problem, but a political one. See, politics is everywhere.
What is Chidambaram's fault? He spoke his mind and heart if we can say so. But did Abdullah or any one from Chidambaram's own party pay heed to the point the former Union Minister raised?
Talk of Pakistan, it will never set aside the Kashmir issue because that means the establishment antagonises the all-powerful Army which needs Kashmir to launch a tirade against India. On the Indian front, cutting across political lines, it's all about overlooking the truth and encashing Kashmir to personify pseudo patriotism.
There lies the real truth. Both India and Pakistan need J&K because that will only add to the vote banks of various political parties on both sides.
Okay fine! But when more than 60 people are killed post the death of Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani, it's the kins of the deceased who shed tears and not the lawmakers in India and Pakistan. A lecturer in Kashmir is killed and hardly is anybody bothered.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh wants young Kashmiris to pick books, pens and computers instead of stones. Well thought, but how much security is his government providing to Kashmiris in and outside the state? A Kashmiri scholar is attacked in Barakatullah University in Bhopal. And Singh has no answer. Similarly, some Kashmiri students allege that they were attacked by locals in Jodhpur’s Vyas Institute of Higher Education.
Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's Prime Minister might say Kashmir is an unfinished agenda of the United Nations, but at the same time, one of his political foes, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Allama Tahirul Qadri alleges that it's India which is keeping Sharif in power. “India is still fighting to keep the Sharifs in power. If the Sharifs deny this, then I will reveal the names of the countries that helped them come into power,” he was quoted by The Express Tribune.
What Qadri's bombshell indicates is that it's all about politics. Despite the turmoil in Kashmir, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hasn't been able to take time off to visit the disturbed valley. Instead, he uses India's Independence Day to show his solidarity with the sufferers of the so-called Pakistani mayhem.
Coming to Abdullah, what exactly did his party do to propagate peace in the Kashmir valley? He has no answer. But when a Kashmiri businessman this writer has known for years says, "Do you know how we are treated?" he raises a pertinent point. The businessman even goes to the extent of spilling the beans on the corrupt electoral system in the valley. "Elections are manipulated," he says.
And, it's not just on the Indian side. Even Sharif's PML (N) is facing allegations of wrongdoings to come to power in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). Forget the plebiscite that the United Nations (UN) wants both India and Pakistan to hold, unless and until, both the countries stop playing political games over Kashmir, more innocent lives will leave for their 'heavenly' abode.
Coming back to what Chidambaram said, it's not about the region, but its people. Please stop playing politics Mr. Modi and Mr. Sharif. Kashmiris want to breathe fresh air and let's not deprive them of their due.
But things are changing. Northern Army Commander Lt Gen D S Hooda stresses the importance of talks involving protesters and even separatists to find a way out of the unrest in the valley. Hooda has set the ball rolling and it's left to New Delhi to take it forward.
Coming to Islamabad, there has not been a single initiative from the Army or the political establishment to shed acrimony and think positive barring the foreign ministry asking India to talk on Kashmir. But with infiltration at the behest of Pakistan rampant, how committed is Pakistan? It is yet to implement the National Action Plan (NAP) to curb terrorism. Instead, it sees an Indian hand in the Quetta attack. The practice of blame game should be kicked out. Hope, Pakistan too understands the gravity of the situation.
As a human being, this writer's heart reaches out to his brothers and sisters, residents of heaven that saw films like Kashmir Ki Kali, Silsila, Jab Tak Hai Jaan and many others being shot in the backdrop of picturesque surroundings.
The so-called patriotic Indians would pounce upon this writer for being too vocal. But forget the patriotic side, there's something called humanity, and it's this humane side which is worried about the abject torture that Kashmiris on both sides of the border are facing.
When we see the Syrian boy Omran's picture going viral, we shudder, but explore a bit, there are several Osmans thanks to the rigid attitude of India and Pakistan, who do not even garner attention and most of them die a silent death.
Time to think! Time to think!
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