By: Irfan Attari Kashmiri
At the heart of the Himalayas lies a piece of land not divided between two nations but nestled in the bosom of one India. Kashmir is not a contested land. It is a proud, undivided Indian territory, and its inhabitants are proud Indians. As a Srinagar native, I do not speak from ideology but from personal experience. I have lived in the shadow of beauty and bombs. I have seen the price of proxy wars and the resilience of peace.
And now, when once more tensions between India and Pakistan rise due to cease-fire violations and terror penetration, I raise my voice not for war, but for truth. For no peace without truth. And the truth is: India does not start a war it defends peace. It is not Delhi’s governance that shakes Kashmir, but cross-border terrorism.
Pakistan-Sponsored Terrorism: A Humanitarian Crisis, Not a Freedom Struggle
For more than three decades now, Pakistan has fought a secret war against Kashmir, not in tanks but terror. It has armed, equipped, and sent thousands of terrorists into Indian-held Kashmir in the illusionary hope of “liberating” Kashmir. But we Kashmiris know better. From Lashkar-e-Taiba to Jaish-e-Mohammed, these terror outfits have killed civilians, blown up markets, and indoctrinated youth leaving scars on our society that run deep. They have gutted schools, imposed shutdowns, and made promising young boys pawns of violence.
We cannot forget the 2019 Pulwama attack, where 40 valiant CRPF jawans were martyred in a Pakistan-backed suicide attack. And we cannot ignore the attempts of infiltration even in the recent days. The aim is clear: to shatter normalcy, create fear, and dismantle India’s democratic arrangement in Kashmir.
This is not a freedom struggle. This is a well-organized campaign of state terrorism, supported and patronized by Pakistan’s ISI and its army. International bodies such as FATF have warned Pakistan time and again, but terror camps thrive along its borders.
India Exercises Restraint and Determination
India is not an aggressor. India is a tolerant and democratic country. But India is also a country that will not sit idle while its citizens are attacked. From the surgical strikes of 2016 to the Balakot airstrike of 2019, all Indian responses have been a measured, targeted response to terrorism not aggression.
India builds roads, schools, and healthcare facilities in Kashmir. Pakistan delivers drones, weapons, and terror manuals. This contrast sums up the two nations’ reaction to Kashmir.
We should remember that India’s battle is not with Pakistan’s people—but with a regime which romanticizes terror, punishes dissent, and rewards jihad.
Kashmiris Disown Terror, Embrace India
Let me be straight: we Kashmiris do not need Pakistan. We need peace, prosperity, and dignityand we know India can provide us that future. We are fed up with funerals. We want to code, we want to design, we want to innovate. We don’t want grenades—graduate degrees, please. All this fuss by Pakistan over Kashmir has given us nothing but bloodshed. When there is a terror attack, it is our shops that shut down, our houses that get torched, our children that get traumatized.
India, however, empowers us through education, entrepreneurship, and employment. From centre government schemes to local start-up initiatives, it is New Delhi that listens, and not Islamabad.
Human Rights Must Not Be Used to Assist in Protecting Terror
There are some world accounts casting skepticism on India’s security policies. But the question must be posed in reverse: What of the human rights of terrorism victims? What of the rights of Kashmiri Pandits expelled from their homeland by jihadis? What of the rights of soldiers beheaded by Pakistan’s Border Action Teams?
India is led by a Constitution, judiciary, and democracy. Its military is trained to maintain human dignity even while conducting counter-terrorism operations. The actual human rights violators are the terrorists that use children as human shields, women as couriers, and mosques as hideouts.
No Dialogue Without Accountability
India’s position is crystal clear: there can be no peace with a country that hosts terrorists. Although there are some in the West who demand negotiations, they cannot help but remember that India has never closed the doors to negotiations but never until the guns stopped ringing. Peace is not a photo opportunity. It will have to begin with Pakistan taking down its terrorist infrastructure, shuttering its sanctuaries, and extraditing fugitive terrorists such as Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar. Anything short of this, meanwhile, is not diplomacy it’s a delusion.
World Must Stand With India For Peace
The world needs to acknowledge this war for what it is: not a bilateral war but a war between terror and tolerance.
* Over 300 active terror camps continue to operate in Pakistan.
* FATF has grey-listed Pakistan on multiple occasions for terror funding.
* Direct ISI involvement in attacks on civilians and security forces has been charted by Indian intelligence.
The world rallied behind America on 9/11. Why not rally behind India? Why this silence when the victims of the terrorists wear Indian uniforms or Kashmiri school uniforms?
A Personal Appeal from Srinagar: Let’s Break This Cycle
As a young activist, I appeal to fellow Kashmiris: leave the illusion of extremism behind. I appeal to the world: join India’s pledge to peace, justice, and human rights. And I appeal to Pakistan: stop sending our brothers to the graves in the name of jihad.
We, the Kashmiri people, have suffered long enough. Now we must heal, build, and dream once more. Let the pen substitute the gun. Let the azan ring out with the school bells. Let Kashmir wake up not as a war zone, but as a symbol of peace.
Writer is a social activist. Views expressed are personal. askirfanattari@gmail.com
