S M Anwar Hussain
It seems our humanity has died in Kashmir. We in India no longer seem to care about human values.
We have lost our passion for justice, our sense of empathy for the oppressed, for the wounded, and for those who are dying.
Ultra nationalism and jingoism have replaced all our social, moral, political and religious values.
We are no more compassionate towards fellow human beings, no more sympathetic to the sufferings of our neighbour, and do not have courage call a lie a lie.
We are not bold enough to say that our government is piling injustice upon injustice on our people in Kashmir.
It is more now 60 days now that our self-styled visionary government has locked up nine million population in an open prison.
Each and every person in Kashmir, irrespective of their age, gender, physical and mental condition has been put under curfew.
They have been disconnected from each other, from the outside world, from hospitals, from markets, from schools from everything that is necessary to live a normal life. There is total clampdown.
The worst kind of press censorship is continuing. Although curfew has not been imposed all over Jammu and Kashmir, but the violation of Section 144 can bring more devastating results than if you violate curfew orders in other parts of the country.
Nearly one million armed forces have been deployed in Jammu and Kashmir, making it the world’s most militarized region.
Although, there is complete censorship, the news that is spilling out of iron-curtain zone is appalling and disturbing.
No human heart can bear the stories coming out of the Valley. People are running short of food stock, sick people are suffering without medicines, and the roads leading to hospitals have so many security checkpoints. Guns loaded with pellets can be fired at those trying to defy the security crackdown.
People are not allowed to come out of their homes. They are being forced to bury their dead in their courtyards.
More that 15 thousand children are trace less .Hundreds of young girls are missing. Old women are being thrashed and ill treated.It looks India is no more the country of Ram and Sita.
Our Prime Minister and Home Minister say that they have taken these extraordinary measures just to avoid casualties in case of mass protests. Their arguments are ludicrous.
It appears that our officially secular democratic republic has made a very intricate plan to make Kashmiris die a slow death. Die of hunger. Die without medicine and doctors. Die because of the increasing sense of fear and despondency. Die because they must have known by now that their fellow countrymen have got stony hearts. There are reports that 10,000 RSS men have now been deployed in Kashmir. For what and why? Has it been done to allow the RSS to implement its extremist Hindutva agenda and change the demography of Kashmir?
What happened to India preaching others about the character of Lord Rama, and teachings of Buddha?
What about Indian leaders mentioning Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti’s Sufi values of peace and universal humanity? What about the Sufi saint’s benevolence towards all without discrimination?
Have we forgotten the teachings of Guru Nanak who motivated us to stand up against oppression? Is India no more the land of Gandhi who believed in non-violence and justice?
We Indians must speak in unison against the brutalisation and torture of our own people and the misuse of our armed forces for political gains.
We must raise our voice against Kashmiris being enslaved at the behest of the RSS, the eternal enemy of our integrity, unity in diversity, secular polity, our constitutional safeguards, freedom and liberty.
Please don’t commit the fatal mistake of ignoring the RSS’s history of treachery and betrayal.
Kashmiris and all Indians are victims of a wrong notion of nationalism propagated by the forces of Hindutva.
Our new concept of nationalism makes us oppressors and Kashmir as oppressed in the eyes of international community.In the words of Rabindra Nath Tagore,” Blindness , injustices and cruelty are being spawned through exaggeration and falsehood. In fact,this blindness is basic malady of nationalism”.
So, what is the solution ? Is it not our national
duty to restore article 70 and 35 A that
actually bridges India and Kashmir under international law , to lift all the curbs imposed, free there leaders , free all the detainees including children and seek pardon for our misadventure. A free and fair assembly election be held under the international supervision. After that govt shower its generosity and sagacity on Kashmir to compensate what has been denied to them in last 72 years. After that let Muslim scholars and leaders go their and have dialogue with kashmiri people and make them understand that India would be the most suitable destination for them. And then let them have their own course of choice.
Governnent of India and RSS must note that kasmiries are no more the ‘meek sheep’. In last 30 years and your sudden onslaught on their autonomy, their democratic rights and basic human rights have transformed them in ‘tigers in rage’. Bullets or pellets can no more stop them. Even women and children are mentally ready to face any consequences.
Our humanity, the Indian conscience ,must prevail before it is too late.
sixty (60) day! just imagine oneself not allowed to move out of his own house even for a few days, not to talk of weeks and months?
Why don’t you give this humanity lecture to muslims? In India, definition of humanity is always asking Hindus to show tolerance. Why don’t you tell this to kashmiri youths who throw stones on Army & terrorists who attack innocent people? When these kashmiris muslims expelled Pandits in 1990 where were your humanity? Even after expelling lacs of Kashmiri Pandits, not a single Pandit became terrorist. This is a fundamental difference between Hindus & Muslims.
Kashmiri muslims must accept that Kashmir is an integral part of India & give up this nonsense azadi movement. There are dozens of Islamic countries in the world but single for Hindus & hence Hindus are not in the position to give up Kashmir land since it is the birth place of hinduism.