Once again Kashmir is on the boil. The land of enduring beauty and alluring nature, which should have been a source of enduring peace, has become a source of enduring conflict for India and Pakistan and a source of continuing trouble and misery for its more than once crore inhabitants on both sides of the line of control.
One crore Kashmiris are one of the most unfortunate sections of human society. You can see frustration writ large on their faces. Their tongues, when given an opportunity, pour out their innermost feelings of anger and disappointment. Their future is uncertain and their present in doldrums. They have become one of the most marginalised sections of Indian society. Their once brilliant and vibrant culture is in stagnation. Their economy is at a standstill. In Kashmir you will see unemployment everywhere and educational institutions in a state of slumber. An ordinary Kashmiri asks, “What is our fault; why are we being forced to pay this price for no fault of ours?” This is a question which the civil society of both India and Pakistan must answer.
The present crisis seems to be unprecedented. It appears to be of far reaching consequences. Observers compare it with the crisis in 1990s.
The granting of 40 acres of land to Amarnath Trust, if seen in its proper perspective, was not a big or complicated issue. But politicians made a hill out of this mole. First it was resented by the politicians in the valley and they got huge response from frustrated populace, which wanted an outlet for its suppressed sentiments. Then the violent agitation from Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti, which had solid backing of Sangh Parivar, further complicated the matters. The most unwise step was the blockade of supplies of essential things to the valley and obstruction to the movement of apple trucks from the valley. It infuriated the valley population and its leaders gave a call of “Muzaffarabad Chalo”. It was a sign of open defiance and height of frustration.
Now we find that things are still out of control. The Government used excessive force to quell the people who demonstrated in lakhs and it resulted in death of more than 30 people including popular Hurriyat leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz. On 15th August, our Independence Day, after Friday prayers, people’s fury was at its height, and the Government was forced to make a retreat and order CRPF and police not to retaliate even in the face of gravest provocations.
There are many lessons we have to learn from the present crisis and the most important should be: we should not allow Kashmir to remain a pestering wound even after 61 years of Independence. If it remains so, it would be failure of our democracy and blot on our fair name.