Jammu And Kashmir:India's forever!!

In May 2006, I had been to a part of India (along with my parents,my Aunt,and cousin sister) which has been described as the “Switzerland of the East”. I have not been to Switzerland, but one thing ,I can, for sure say is that, Kashmir is magnificently beautiful. It was a weeklong stay there. We were a group of 25 tourists who had packed our bags in the hope of visiting a place, which many have described as “Jannat”.

So, our flight to Kashmir took off at about 8.50 am and we landed at our designated spot at about 11.30 am. My first impression of Kashmir was its distinct Islamic identity. The security was very tight, as it has to be (as long as there is Pakistan nearby!!). We boarded our bus and reached Dalgate where we were supposed to stay in a Houseboat. Man, the houseboat was not just that, it was more like a Shahi Mahal. It was equipped with bathrooms, spacious drawing roon, two huge bedrooms with nice softy-softy beds. What more can you ask for! There was a T.V set as well. The Shikara ride was a soothing experience. One almost felt as if one was in another civilization! We went to Charchinar, took photos in Kashmiri costumes. Even I had my photos taken in Kashmiri clothes. Not that I was very excited about it, but still. The next day, we went to Sonamarg, where the climate was extremely cold and chilly! And all this, in mid-summer! We played and climbed up the snow-mountains, which were very steep! We went up those snow-mountains by horse which was a 'tough' experience. Certainly, not for the weak-hearted! There was such a huge contingent of army men there. There had to be, the area was strategically placed with snow-clad mountains on all four sides. One can only take off their hats and bow down to salute the army men and women for their stellar perfomance,for all their efforts in tackling Pak-sponsored Islamic terrorism in J & K. There were army men at almost each and every corner of the Sonamarg city, some standing alone and some in groups. It is not an easy job, but they were doing it commendably well. All the tourists saluted the armymen. They were very happy to see their brethren from other parts of India. In the next few days, we visited the Mughal Gardens, Nishat Bagh and Cheshmashahi. These gardens are just a visual treat, so well maintained, putting us Mumbaikars to shame, who just don’t know how to maintain public property! Except me though (lol)! There were more than 50 types of flowers in those gardens. The weather was chilly on the day we visited these gardens. We drank water in Cheshmashahi. It is said that the water which flows in Cheshmashahi is more purer than mineral water and was even used by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehroo. Shankaracharya temple was another site we had a look at. I had also the pleasure of enjoying the experience of river rafting. It was rivetting. The water was soooooooooooooooooooooooo chilleddddddddddddd! Oof! So cold, my teeth were tattering to such an extent that they could have even broken! I am not pakaofiing here, am telling the truth. In Pahalgam, we visited the Aru valley. It was a mountainous area, good for trekking, saw many “lily white –skinned” people who were trekking. In that mountainous area, there were secondary schools, amazing. We went to Chandanwari district, again to see snow-clad mountains. I climbed about 70% of the mountain and to see down from that height was rather dizzying. In Gulmarg, we went on the Gondola cable-car ride. Again trekked on the snow-mountains there, played with snowballs. It was fun!

Sadly, not many Kashmiri Pundits were seen! Theirs' is such a tragic tale. They have been 'evicted' from their homeland. Make no mistake; Kashmir is as much the homeland of Pundits as it is of the others. A virtual holocaust has taken place in the case of Kashmiri Pundits. About two lakh Pundits have been forced to flee their homes because of the dastardly acts of Islamic terrorists. What does the Indian government do to help them? Well, leaves them in the lurch. When will the Pundits be rehabilitated and given back their homes in Kashmir? I wonder, are their interests, their plight, not the concern of the Government or of the civil society. We have, as a nation, forgotten the Kashmiri Pundits, which is sad. They were a prosperous community in Kashmir; today many are living in shanties in Jammu, Delhi in deplorable conditions. Like refugees in their own motherland. What a poor reflection on the Indian civil society, Indian governmental agencies, the human rights groups (who go crazy tom-toming the rights of Muslims, Christians, saying they need to be protected since they are a minority). These so-called human rights activists never raise their mouths when the topic is about the plight of Kashmiri Pundits or even when the few remaining Pundits in Kashmir are targeted, butchered by the terrorists as was evident in Doda, Rajouri recently . People talk of demilitarizing Kashmir. That’s just crap, to be simply honest with you! If the army goes, terrorists will rule Kashmir, thereby letting Pakistan take over Kashmir directly or otherwise. Talk of the so-called moderate separatists, why don’t they participate in elections to test their popularity? Anyways, we shouldn’t even call them separatists and sort of dignify them. They are anti-India elements, who look up to Pakistan as their mentors. That is why they are not even participating in the roundtable conference. These so-called moderate separatists run their organization on the whims and fancies of terrorists. Why is the Indian Government giving so much importance to an irrelevant Hurriyat? Just boycott them, use the policy of “speak softly and carry a big stick” with them. The government must use no-holds barred, absolutely stern, aggressive policy while dealing with groups like Hurriyat, JKLF, etc. What is this business of 'more autonomy' for J&K? I thought it was an integral part of India. By giving them 'more and more' autonomy, we are only alienating people of J & K more from us.Limited autonomy is fine because of the circumstances in which Jammu and Kashmir was made a part of India.As it is, in certain parts of Srinagar, I almost felt I was in a FOREIGN country. That speaks volumes of the fact that we have not been able to integrate much of Kashmir with India. There is a disconnect between Kashmiris and other Indians which could prove to be dangerous in future. When I went to an STD booth in Srinagar to make a call, I asked the operator, “Yaha se India ko call karne ke kitne paise lagenge?” That man was a bit perplexed when I asked this. Then I realized my folly. We should be proud of the work our army is doing in J and K. Not keep on criticizing them for certain so –called human rights violations. Even if it is true, there is a rule of law in the Indian army. Those army men found guilty of brutal, heinous human rights violations have been prosecuted. Anyways, why should the army follow the policy of giving human rights to Islamic terrorists who don’t believe in human rights when they blow up innocent civilians in the form of suicide bombings in Kashmir, Jammu and when they butcher Kashmiri Pundits to death mercilessly. Why should the Indian army be merciful or respect human rights of these terrorists? Anyways, the “human rights” concept is a tool used by terrorists to defame the Indian army. Certain sections of the Indian media have unfortunately fallen prey to the trap laid by these terrorist groups as part of their public propaganda machine. The Indian army should be free to conduct operations in Jammu and Kashmir, as it wants, like K.P.S Gill did in Punjab. His tactics may have been heavy handed at times, but it was successful in wiping off terrorism from most parts of Punjab, breaking the back of the “Sikh separatist Khalistani movement”.

J and K is a democratic state. Free and fair elections, widely recognized by the international community were held there in 2002.About 45% of the people voted, in spite of receiving severe threats from terrorists asking them to refrain from voting, or pay with their life. In other parts of India, where there is normalcy, only about 40% of the people vote because of reasons like voting apathy. In terrorism-ridden Kashmir, for about 45% of the people to have voted braving all odds, was a magnificent achievement. There is an elected legislative assembly in J&K,unlike POK, where there is no democracy. In the midst of all this talk about the situation in our Jammu Kashmir, we have not really spoken about POK, which includes the Northern areas, Baltistan, Gilgit and the so-called “Azad-Kashmir”. Even I, as a peace-loving citizen want peace and support the peace process, but at what cost? Terror attacks continue to take place in India. I would also like India to have peace with Pakistan. If Pak agrees to accept the fact that the territory of JKL, which is under Indian rule today, will always remain a part of India, then we must also compromise and accept POK to be a part of Pakistan. If that is not the case, then we must be vigilant and not concede to Pakistan at all. The best solution is conversion of LOC into an international border. If Pak does not accept it, then well………………….my mind starts thinking about how Israel captured East Jerusalem (which was under Jordanian rule till 1967). Israel was firm and ruthless and smart while dealing with its Arab neighbors because of which a tiny state like Israel destroyed three giant Arab countries in the six-day war. The Arab world will dare not attack Israel now because they know they cant mess around with a country like Israel and get away with it. Israel is not a soft country. India unfortunately is perceived to be one and is one,sadly. We have to get rid of that image and be ruthless and efficient like Israel. I also consider POK to be “Greater Kashmir” and therefore, a part of India. But if Pak agrees to accept the LOC as an international border, then we must even give up our claim on POK. Otherwise, if Pak does not accept the LOC, then well………………

One thing, is for sure, Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Siachen (those areas of Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh and Siachen which are under Indian rule today) are all inseparable parts of India. No Indian Government should even think of giving up these territories to Pak, or even to the concept of “joint rule” in the interest of peace. The above mentioned territories are parts of India and will remain so for ever. This should be made clear to Pakistan and to the rest of the world.