Esteemed Sir,
With humble submissions, I have few points which I want to convey to you through this Open letter. I hope you will spare some time from your busy schedule to go through this letter.
In past we have seen Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s master stroke Kashmiriyat, Jamuhriyat, and Insaniyat,The Hon’ble Prime Minister’s Red Fort Speech and Mr Rajnath’s 5c’s formula, which was also a confusing term and your press statements seem like it is another wrong diagnosis and prescription to Kashmir, which only lead wounds to fester. This dangerous othering demands of the country’s leadership to show political prudence towards the people of J&K when the Government of India should accept the disputed nature of Jammu and Kashmir, and should not see this as a law and order situation or by the prism of National Security.
The New Delhi’s misguided policies have pushed the youth of valley to the wall and are forcing them to pick up arms. At this juncture, the Government of India must accept this fact, that they have committed a lot of blunders in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in Kashmir Valley. The incidents like Kunan-Poshpora, Chattisinghpora, Shopian, Machil, massacres, tortures, un-marked graves, and horrifying scene of pellets are still fresh in the minds of people. Not only this, since 1989 we have 8,000-10,000 Disappeared persons in Kashmir Valley. A majority of these people have no direct links with armed groups operating in Kashmir. This story starts yelping from 1989, when the armed insurgency thrived in Kashmir. Thousands of Kashmiri civilians were taken into custody and never return. The burden of pain is mostly carried by the women’s whose husband’s and Son’s disappeared. The wives of these disappeared persons became “Half widows”. The mothers, wives and daughters of these disappeared persons crave for their kith and kin and live in abject poverty, who still starving for their kith and kin, often in abject poverty.
Your Excellency knows it better, that by this conflict both the people of India, Pakistan and people of J&K are suffering physically, psychologically, and economically. The Indo-Pak relations are going from bad to worse with nuclear catastrophe, threatening the peace in the sub-continent. Your appointment comes at a time when the whole narrative of Kashmir is in shambles. The whole Hurriyat leadership is caged and people are being harassed to the highest level.
Kashmir dispute is sticking there where it was ever and Delhi has adopted all state craft tactics as far as Kashmir Dispute is concerned. Some leaders say “Sky is limit”, some say “it is a unique problem and needs a unique solution”. In this juncture these statements are small step towards winning the trust of Kashmiri’s. However, it represents a significant departure in the rhetoric of the Indian state. Yet, 20 years of misinformation by Government and Corporate Media have ensured that this historic admission has had little impact on mainstream discourse in the rest of India. Most Indian’s have been kept at a distance from the trauma of fellow citizens in the Kashmir Valley.
The Government of India, Indian civil society and your Hon’ble Excellency must understand that it was India’s leadership that has taken the Kashmir issue to International forum, where it was decided that the people of Jammu &Kashmir will be given a chance to choose their future. If Government of India is really concerned about resolving the K-Issue, they should shed their ego and arrogance and welcome the aspirations and Sentiments of Kashmiri people by giving them a chance for right to Self-determination.
People of Kashmir are in need of peace more than anybody else. This small and unfortunate piece of land is studded with millions of armed forces. If Government of India is serious to address the issue, they should simply accept the disputed nature of Jammu and Kashmir and start practical and concrete measures to solve the dispute on humanitarian basis, and earn a place in history, so permanent peace and prosperity would return to the Sub-Continent.
SHAH KHALID
A concerned Citizen of Kashmir
