DEAR SHOIB, PLEASE COME BACK!
As I am writing this letter, my fingers are trembling and your face comes before my eyes once and again. The moment I saw your picture on face book holding an AK47 rifle in your tender hands, I was shocked and tears rolled down from my eyes. You can survive a day or long but the life of your parents will become tough as they have high expectations from you. You can’t fight the mighty army equipped with modern weaponry and it is same as one would make a hole in a mountain with a needle! But you can fight politically as Kashmir is a political issue after all. The world’s great leaders have fought politically and through non violent means to free their nations from the clutches of occupation, slavery and injustice.
Dearest Shoib! You being a brilliant student can definitely address your issues politically and we are peace loving people so we have to follow peaceful means to address our issues. Kashmir is a political issue and needs political solutions.
India claims to be the world’s largest democracy but through this write-up I am letting all know that we Kashmir’s have not yet even smelt the fragrance of your democracy which you claims to be. It is the failure of India that our youth, who are brilliant and well educated, are taking up arms knowing full well what their fate is going to be. They prefer to die because of the humiliation they are meted out on daily basis at the hands of security forces. You are pushing the youth to the wall. The life of the inhabitants of this piece of land, which was once called the paradise on earth, has become hell. We want peace more than anyone else because we are the sufferers. Our parents shoulder the coffins of their loved ones on daily basis!
India and Pakistan both needs to rethink on their aggressive policies against each other as it is always the grass that is trampled when two elephants fight. They need to sit together and think seriously and sincerely about their future generations as both the countries are nuclear powers. They both claim to the well-wishers of Kashmir- if so what stops them to address this issue once for all so that the precious lives of all can be saved from death and destruction.
Being a friend and well-wisher of yours, I am much concerned about your safety and security. You have to serve your mother in her old age as you are his hope. You have to take care of her the same way she has taken care of you when you were a child. She has great hops on you. You can’t leave her midway in disappear and heartbroken. I am sure you are aware of the saying of our beloved Prophet (SAW) that ‘your paradise is beneath the feet of your mothers’.
I urge both state and central governments for your dignified and safe return. I hope that they would ensure your safe return without any harassment and humiliation. I humbly request the governor administration and other agencies to revisit their policies that are responsible for pushing our brilliant and bright students like you to take such an extreme step.
At last I am requesting you with folded hands- please come back as your mother is eagerly waiting for your return. Please come back Shoib!
MUBASHIR IQBAL KITABA
PhD Research Scholar
