'The Kashmiri talks...'

On the 6th of August 2019, when the whole of India was debating on the implications of  the  abolition of Article 370 and Article 35a, it’s positives and its strategic importance to strengthen the boundaries of the nation, Kashmiris settled all over India and abroad, struggled to establish any kind of contact with their families settled at various places of the snowclad valley.
“I have not been able to contact my parents for the past couple of weeks. Is it right for the government to take such a drastic step without prior intimation?” she asked with teary eyes piercing into my non- passive face searching for signs of agreement. She was dramatically explaining about the recent collapse of all communication platforms in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of the scrapping of Article 370 and Article 35a by the Government of India that enabled to finally integrate the land of the snowcaps completely into the Indian setup. A student of a Masters programme in Bangalore, Misbah was all excited about celebrating the ‘Eid al-Adha' in the first half of the month of August, until she was unfortunately greeted with the news of the crack down of all mobile and internet services and also media communications in Jammu and Kashmir as a preventive measure to eliminate any possibility of violence in the valley as a result of this daring decision by the central government. 

“ All the major political leaders are placed under house arrest and some of them are in detention. How can they ensure a smooth transition of power based on this kind of a setup? It is a political decision and the commoners are the ones suffering…” she emphasized once again, desperately waiting for a nod of agreement from her stone-faced but patient listener. Jammu and Kashmir has been a state of conflict for both India and Pakistan for decades now, with both the countries claiming full autonomy on this region. Raja Hari Singh's decision to align with India, due to various reasons after the partition, rubbed the newly formed Pakistan in the wrong way. Thus, started a series of unsuccessful claims of stake, in this land of nature's beauty. 

The constant social and political unrest in the state has been the ‘go to' headlines for almost all media houses for a long time. “While tear gas and water canons are used to diffuse a social crisis in almost all the Indian states, pellet guns are used in ours. This has permanently disabled a lot of people in the valley…” she recalls. “ Well, I’m a non-violent person and do not support stone pelting. But, the people who have lost their loved ones to various outbursts in the valley feel deprived of their human rights. Hence, it is with complete hopelessness and disappointment that they resort to these kind of acts in response to the injustice and harshness they are exposed to on a regular basis…” comments Misbah with a hint of displeasure and worry in her ever smiling face.

With arched eyebrows and stern face, unable to conceal dissent at the thought of Jammu and Kashmir returning to normalcy anytime soon, she points out that, one of the main reasons she had to pursue her education outside the valley was the constant riots and disruption of normal life in Kashmir. Though she is quick to allude to the reason behind the present subdued state of the region as the curfew imposed since the passing of the bill, she is hopeful that the situation diffuses at the earliest and in a peaceful manner with as less force as possible.

Jammu Kashmir and Ladhak are India's newly formed union territories. As the onus of nurturing, raising and showing the right path of life to every new born is on the parents, receiving and accepting the shared knowledge and making complete use of the privileges and facilities also lies on the shoulders of the child. The holistic development is possible only with a fruitful symbiotic relationship between both the stakeholders.
As the Mughal emperor Jahangir famously said, “Agar Firdaus bir ru-e-zamin ast, hami-ast o Hami-ast o Hami-ast”, let’s work together to form a better, unified and stable India.