SAJAD FAROOQ
It’s 70 years since the first shots were fired in the still unresolved conflict over the status of Kashmir. A year is a long time, but a blunder which took place in the last day’s year on 2 April 2018, is still creating ripples in whole sub-district Kangan. I am speaking of Kashmir. On April 2, 2018 death of one civilian Gowhar Ahmad Rather at Kangan in Ganderbal district created a situation of deep anxiety and uncertainty yet again. Gowhar Ahmad Rather, 22 year old was a student and had shouldered the responsibility of family in the initial stage of life. Gowhar was ray of hope to his family and relatives, but unfortunately he was hit by a bullet by J&K Police. Gowhar was shot from a close range by Local Policemen who resides in the same locality. When Gowhar was shot situation was completely normal. Gowhar met me before an hour of this incident, when I hugged him he told me I was in playground playing cricket, I replied let’s have a cup of tea at my home in return he replied not possible this time because I have to offer the Nimaz(prayer) and I have to reach the home . A year passed away, the family of deceased is yet to get justice, although accused is behind bars but it is believed he will get bail soon. A year passed smoothly concerned Auqaf committee failed to fulfill the promises which the heads of Auqaf Committee did at the time of Funeral of Gowhar, family feels betrayed from all concerned authorities. On the first death anniversary of Gowhar’s whole sub-district observed shutdown as a mark of respect but for how much time such shutdowns, civilian killings will continue. Kashmir wants peace, nobody wants bloodbath on daily basis, we don’t want more Gowhar’s and Amir’s to this bloody conflict. Kashmir does not celebrate deaths of civilians and any army men or policemen, I don’t want more killings. For how time an Army man will remain in mental trauma that one day I have to face the conflict, that is the fear of death or fear of to loss family, for how much time a police men or police patrolling jeep will become the target of stone pelters, for how much time a Crpf personnel shall use pellet guns and for how much time a common Kashmiri will face bullets and pellets together, for how much time a Kashmiri will fight against his own brother Kashmiri Policemen ,for how much time a Kashmiri will be killed and slapped under PSA by his own brothers from J&K Police department. Poets and travelers always called Kashmir Paradise on earth, but this bloody conflict changed this phrase into Kashmir Paradise of killings. Politicians, who have been ruling J&K, for all these years should sit back and think have they been able to make the lives of youth better during their rule? J&K has been directly under Centre’s rule for the past seven months can the people at the helm claim that they have worked towards making the lives of youth better? Whosoever has ruled J&K during the past three decades has just concentrated on somehow projecting Kashmir as a normal place. Kashmir during all these years has been just viewed as a “law and order” problem and nothing more. No concrete attempt has been made to reach out to the Kashmiris, especially the younger generation.
In war Nobody Wins, not even the victor, the so called success/victory comes with a violent destruction and killings. The two big giants of South-Asia has already gone through four wars. Both the countries have lost a lot and hardly got a bit. Precious lives and material resources have been eaten up for their fighting war or maintaining war preparedness in peace times. If the government wants to restore peace to the Valley, it cannot do it by force — talks with dissidents is the only option. The demonization of Kashmiris by ruling party spokespersons — all stone-pelters are traitors, really? — does not give much hope. Perhaps the Supreme Court will help. Since late 1989 the Kashmir problem has become intimately linked to the larger question of war and peace in South Asia. A virtual insurrection among Kashmiri Muslims in the Valley, and in Srinagar, the largest city in the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir-created a serious crisis between New Delhi and Islamabad. The state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has witnessed various phases of conflict since 1989, when massive violations of civil liberties, and a sense of both deprivation and being abandoned by New Delhi, gave birth to militancy in the Valley. The Indian government promises attention to Kashmiri concerns, but there’s no sign of genuine political initiative. Delhi seems to have decided it can simply contain the insurgency and ride out any political turbulence.
Since 1947, mis-governance and poor administration have been the biggest problems of the state of J&K, fuelling the alienation of the youth from the government at the Centre and pushing them to the side of radical elements. The youth of Kashmir are no longer willing to tolerate corruption, inequality and nepotism. The mainstream media both at national and regional levels have failed to accord serious attention to the core issues involving the denial of basic rights to Kashmiris, which have long been taken for granted by Indians in other parts of the country. The causes of radicalization are many but the main ones are brutal use of force, the Public Safety Act (PSA), and the Army’s leniency towards delinquent personnel. The PSA has become a tool of corruption and exploitation. It has created a situation where the J&K police operates in disregard of the rule of law. The misuse of the PSA had made the Kashmiri youth feel like unwanted citizens of India.
The essence of Kashmiriyat is fading because of the unending and worsening violence; it is being overtaken by radicalization and communalism. Kashmiris want the Pandits to come back to the state and live in their own homes with other communities like they used to do before 1989, rather than live separately in colonies.
The Kashmiris feel betrayed by New Delhi after the shelving of the interlocutor’s report of 2010,2017 besides, they feel they are not strongly represented at the Centre and their voices are unheard. The balanced approach using both hard and soft diplomatic tactics in handling local sentiments. There should be cooperation towards creating a consensus between New Delhi and Kashmir. solution to the conflict in Kashmir will require goodwill gestures and compromises not just from New Delhi, but also from Kashmiris themselves and all the other major state and non-state actors involved in the conflict. The Kashmiris have to understand that radicalization and wielding a gun is not a solution. They have to realise that there is now a tacit global consensus in neutralizing the radicalized gun-wielding groups. New Delhi has to change its perceived bullet-for-bullet stance towards Kashmir. The Kashmir issue should not be portrayed as a communal issue and must not be used for myopic electoral gains. The Kashmir issue does not sway many votes in Indian elections, and the level of international concern is low – meaning there’s no great pressure on India to resolve a problem which has festered ever since independence seven decades ago.
It’s unfortunate that for some media organizations Kashmiri youth are just “stone-pelters” and militants. The focus of these channels has just been on “demonizing” the Kashmiri youth. The need of the hour is to embrace Kashmiri youth and address their grievances rather than pushing them to the wall. The Kashmir crisis is no closer to resolution than it was in 1990 because of low international concern, UNO is not playing his part in a balanced manner, it seems to be Uno is has the arena of five countries who possess Vito power.
Author is the President of Kashmir Law Circle & Former Advocate intern at Supreme Court of India,can be reached at sajadfarooqrather@gmail.com
