Hereis a somewhat different way of looking at Jammu and Kashmir today.
One side in the conflict had used one description for the Kashmir issue for 70 years, as if it was cast in a Pir Panjal rock: It is the unfinished business of Partition.
That side was Pakistan.
India never agreed. Not even by way of emphasising its claim on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). India’s view was, Partition ended in 1947. We have moved on, so should you. It wasn’t stated, but unambiguously implied.
Pakistan disagreed. In the decade of the 1950s, it waited to strengthen its armed forces by joining US-led military pacts. That achieved, in the 1960s, it launched a full-fledged military campaign to take Kashmir by force to settle that “unfinished business”, but failed.
It spent the 1970s recuperating from defeat and the dismemberment of 1971. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto turned its attention westwards, towards Islamic countries, especially the Arabs, and sought solace in the Ummah. The “unfinished business” wasn’t forgotten. The Pakistani establishment was biding its time.
Also read: The making and unravelling of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
The time came in the late 1980s. By 1989-90, Pakistan believed it now had a proven strategy. It was the one used to defeat the Soviets in Afghanistan. It also had the nuclear umbrella. The asymmetric war launched in Kashmir at that time is now in its 30th year.
In the 1990s, it waned (after P.V. Narasimha Rao crushed the insurgency). It rose again with pan-Islamisation of the insurgency as foreign mujahideen surfaced. The intrusion in Kargil was the next gambit. That failed because of India’s resolute response and Pakistan’s non-existent international leverage.
After Musharraf’s coup in 1999, the insurgency was fully revived, now manned entirely by Pakistani jihadis. As it peaked, the Vajpayee government accepted a Pakistani overture for a summit. But the imperious manner in which Musharraf conducted himself at Agra shocked even an incorrigible peacenik like former prime minister I.K. Gujral. He said Musharraf was behaving as if he was visiting a “defeated country”.
Also read: When Vajpayee took a bus ride and it seemed peace with Pakistan was possible
The Agra summit failed. Pakistan’s global leverage also returned soon with 9/11. From being an expendable old ally-turned-nuisance, Pakistan emerged as a “stalwart ally” (Bush’s description) yet again. Bloodshed in Kashmir peaked. You want to know how strong Pakistan’s hold on the Americans was in this year? When Kashmir’s first suicide bomber blew up its state assembly, then Secretary of State Colin Powell infamously described it as an attack on an Indian government “facility”.
The attack on Parliament, a near-war following it, and then the long peace process with Musharraf during the tenures of Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh are relatively recent history. Regrettably, the Pakistani establishment was again only buying time.
Keeping pace with all the peacemaking efforts was pro-active asymmetric warfare. India was hit with something big the moment the ISI calculated India had had “too long” a period of respite. There were many train bombings, attacks here and there in mainland India (besides routinely in Kashmir) and then the Mumbai massacres of 2008.
The pattern continued in the following decade. Every thaw was followed by a kick in India’s shin. Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Pulwama, keep counting.
India responded in a variety of ways: From counter-insurgency in Kashmir, a localised fight back (Kargil), coercive diplomacy (after the Parliament attack) and strategic restraint (26/11).
The initiative was always with Pakistan. For 70 years, Pakistan had brainwashed itself into believing that if it kept bleeding India, India would one day give in.
Pakistan had given up hope of winning Kashmir after its 1965 misadventure. But there was always the hope for something, at least a face-saver, something to write home about.
From a four-district Valley land grab deal in the pre-1965 Bhutto-Swaran Singh negotiations under big-power (mostly British) pressure, to open borders and treaty-bound Kashmiri autonomy in the Musharraf-Vajpayee/Manmohan Singh era, Pakistan had moderated its expectations.
But it was confident of getting “something” in the end. Something to claim that it had concluded that unfinished business of Partition.
Instead, on 5 August this year, the Modi government finished that “business”. Every Indian prime minister had moved the clock in the same direction. Article 370 and Kashmiri special status and autonomy had been whittled down over these decades, as if serendipitously.
Narendra Modi has sealed that. Of course, it brings him great benefit in domestic politics. But he never claimed he wasn’t a politician.
Also read: Modi has clean-bowled Imran Khan with Kashmir yorker
This business finished, where do we go next?
For the first time since 1947, Pakistan has to strategise when it doesn’t have the initiative. India has shut the door on negotiations on the status of Kashmir, or at least the part of Jammu and Kashmir with India.
Pakistan can, of course, try to take it by force again. A full-fledged war will have its own consequences. Resumption of terrorism will be countered under the definition of a new normal.
Here’s the oldest reality on Kashmir: It was never an international or even bilateral issue. The only thing bilateral was our mutual hypocrisy.
Also read: From AFSPA to street protests, Modi govt needs new thinking in J&K with Article 370 gone
For Pakistan, it was the fraudulent pretence of “Azad Kashmir”, as if “azadi” or any third option was available besides India or Pakistan.
For India, it was the insincere subterfuge of a moral, political and constitutional commitment to Kashmiri autonomy and special status. None of our 13 prime ministers believed this. Not even Jawaharlal Nehru.
All this is now buried.
The new reality is, therefore, essentially the old one: There will be no territorial exchange at all between the two countries, even if they fight a thousand-year war as Bhutto had threatened (only 72 have gone yet). Not even if they drop all their nukes on each other. Kashmir’s territorial status was never going to change. Now even cosmetic, optical face-savers to Pakistan are out.
There is a nuttier (but self-destructively powerful) section among the Pakistani establishment which still has scriptural belief of ‘Ghazva-e-Hind’, whereby Islamic forces led by them will “break up and subjugate India”. That is exactly the fantasy echoed by the idiotic few (and we don’t yet know who) who shouted “Bharat tere tukde honge…” the other day. India isn’t about to break up, and Kashmir will stay where it is.
Pakistan is out of the equation now. Where do we go next?
First, accept that whether or not you like Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, there is zero popular support for or prospect of what happened on 5 August being reversed. Zero. On the status of Kashmir, there is the widest political and popular unanimity in India.
This accepted, junk all guilt and self-flagellation. Since you swear by your Constitution, read it from Article 1 on, not 370. Article 1 lists the states and territories of India and has Jammu & Kashmir firmly at no. 15. You can’t swear by your Constitution, but only by a solitary temporary Article 370 and fight with its Article 1.
What follows is less cluttered. Speak, campaign, fight for the restoration of all civil and human rights, restoration of communication, commerce, movement, assembly, peaceful protests, political activity in Jammu and Kashmir. It’s a good fight.
Fight for the Kashmiris’ constitutional rights now as equal, fellow Indian citizens. There is no reason why they should not have the same rights as Indians in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal or Gujarat. It should have always been the case, except for those lingering uncertainties about the “dispute” with Pakistan, the unfinished business of Partition.
After the loss of more than 42,000 lives in 30 years, a new history has begun in Kashmir. We can make it much better than the past.
Also read: To understand Modi’s new Kashmir reality, these 5 liberal myths need to be broken
The wire, another print media, hopes Tom and Dick realize that Kashmir is not Nepal and India is not China.
Dear Shekhar Gupta, the writer,
Thanks for dropping your article in my email box.
1. In the article, you have mixed right-wing and left-wing views prevalent in Pakistan to offer a hodgepodge for your readers and this mix must confuse them about the approach of Pakistanis towards India and the part of Kashmir lying with India. I was expecting a better analysis than the piece you have produced.
2. Your opinion piece is based on the assumption that the prevalent state of curfew-based silence would continue for ever.
3. Not lifting curfew even after 40 days means much, at least that the Indian government is under stress, as the curfew cannot continue for an indefinite period of time. A reaction is supposed to come from inside the curfew-afflicted area. With each passing day, the case of India on Kashmir is getting weaker internationally at the cost of Pakistan’s.
4. It is quite premature on your part to claim (if not brag about) that Indian PM Modi has finished Pakistan’s unfinished business of Partition. The claim will be evaluated after the curfew is lifted.
QUOTE:
For India, it was the insincere subterfuge of a moral, political and constitutional commitment to Kashmiri autonomy and special status. None of our 13 prime ministers believed this. Not even Jawaharlal Nehru.
UNQUOTE
This is where I must differ with the writer. In my opinion, this was not insincere in the beginning.. It was a reasonably sincere intention to keep Kashmir (and the other special areas) somewhat autonomous as they slowly merge with India. But as time passed, it became increasingly clear that the Kashmiri Muslims were going to remain extremely intransigent about merger, and a substantial portion would remain actively and violently hostile.
I think it now becomes obvious – the root causes of abrogation don’t lie in history. They lie in the present, this chaotic, violent maelstrom that Kashmir has become. And that is also the reason why the autonomy articles for other special regions haven’t been abrogated – there is no active insurgency there!
Right on!
Best thing about this decision to abrogate 370 was the timing. India’s rise in global stature coupled with Pakistan’s economic woes, FATF conundrum played a part.
As for lockdown in J&K or specifically Kashmir, ain’t something new. People in the valley who remained silent when jihadis were literaly working in the open doing terrorist acts, throwing Kashmiri Pandits out from their homeland are now screaming out loud showing thr hypocrisy.
No matter who says what, in whichever media or country, India shudn’t get bothered. These are the same hypocrites who looked the other way whenever India got affected by pakistani terrorism but cry out loud when 9/11 or similar terror attacks happen emanating from the same source.
It took 70 years for a wrong to be corrected. Even if it takes another 70 to get things normal, NOT AN ISSUE.
What’s important is, What was India’s will remain with India. No one can change or alter it!!!!!
God Bless India. And God bless Modi-Shah goverment.
370 gone??? Gupta ji decided for the SC?? Who will resolve those cases now. Gupta ji the political CJ?????
Certainly the Modi haters can’t have monopoly on SC.
Guess it is that same crowd that saw Tiranga on the moon surface when the lander was 2 Km away from the moon. Article 370 is already gone indeed!!!!
Boss, that is called aspiration, sincere feelings towards success by whole of India.If whole of India is crowd so be it. You will never be able to appreciate. So keep blabbering.
I have always appreciated mr.gupta’s clarity of thought
Very well written article
It is difficult to argue with Shekhar Gupta, but my simple take is – – and time will prove me right – – that, with this Kashmir move Narendra Modi has pretty much finished his and his Gujarat buddy Amit Shah’s strangulating rule, which will eventually lead to the cutting-to-size of the BJP and the RSS.
How? Please clarify.
Presently the world body is not reacting to the act of hypnotism, of suddenly converting a bilateral issue into a unilateral issue by India, BECAUSE no body sympathizes with Pakistan. By and by, in fact it has already started happening, the same world body will come out of the spell and realize that the aggrieved party, to whom an injustice has been done, IS NOT PAKISTAN but the INNOCENT PEOPLE OF KASHMIR!!
Ram Gupta ji, does the above sound reasonable? Well, you can guess the line of argument from hereon. The world body will start asking questions to Narendra Modi lead India, and the PM and his HM will find it difficult to give satisfactory answers. That’s what I meant. This will give rise to RIDICULE against the two top leaders of India which, in turn, will lead to weakening of their grip, and eventual fading away.
That’s a naive comment. I live in the west and I am not being bombarded by Indian media and I am not in a Modi trance. The Kashmiri Valley people are no worse off – they need to take a deep breath and once things are calmer, build a better peaceful life for themselves. No country in the world will tolerate what has been happening in Kashmir. Indians should be firm and proud but be kind and fair in the process.
Thank you for providing at least one sane comment. hope you are right.
Mr Shekhar Gupta, please don’t try to show rosy picture about Kashmiri’s post 370. The way 370 has gone and kashmir is reeling under unending military and law enforcement siege for almost a month curtailing many fundamental rights of civilian population, you expect the Govt. will effectively work Kashmiri’s rights with this type of start…?
What is Kashmiri “right”? Driving Pandits out of valley – ethnic cleansing? This “Hitleronic” mindset/ people need tp be punished and crushed if so required.
woa woa woa – I have met pandits who live on in Kashmir and I have met muslims who were forced out of kashmit because militants burnt their houses… the rights of kashmiris is same as that of other indians – to live in peace with dignity and freedom . Baba is right – at the moment that does not exist in kashmir.
As now Kashmir is same as other states, should we do NRC, to eleminate all non indians (read terrorist) 🙂
Let us not prematurely gloat over something whose effects we still don’t understand and might take years to unravel , Kashmir is still in lockdown most of it voluntarily .At this point it’s too early to say that unilaterally deciding the future of 7 million people without any consultation ,forcibly locking them up and decimating all mainstream and non mainstream leadership and is going to produce “patriotic ” citizens and “solve” the issue is too simplistic . The first few years of the Iraq war US won some spectacular victories ,look where we are a decade and half later …
Imran Khan can go to Muzafarabad in POK today and address 70,000 Kashmir’s…Can Modi go to Srinagar today and address even 700 Kashmiris..?….if he does Kashmiris will tear him apart…………. Still author think Pakistan is no longer the main stakeholder in Kashmir !!!!
Changez K: Why don’t you change your name? Aren’t you ashamed of it – one of the cruelest butchers in history of man-kind? In POK you guys have exterminated Hindus/ Sikhs and your mindset people have done similar exercise in Kashmir valley in India. Shame on you.
Sir,
Pakistan seems to have given up hope at least for next couple of years and might come back with same old tactics of inciting people. Actually Pakistan has lost credibility nobody wants to buy or sell its political goods in international political market and it itself is responsible for making country Wahabi islamist.
Anyway
My following couplets are for all ZIA, MUSHARRAF, MODI or whoever are tyrranical:
TERI QUWWAT FIZAAON MEIN, YEH MEINE MAANA E ZAALIM,
DARR MERI SADAAON MEIN, YEH MEINE MAANA E ZAALIM,
WAQT KO PHIR BADALNE MEIN KOI ARSAA NAHIN LAGTA,
ASAR HAI PHIR DUAAON MEIN YEH TU MAANEGA E ZAALIM.
100% Ethnic cleansing by fully empowered Indian Army with Israeli consultants is achievable. Aform of pest control!
Any plan for getting PoK back, Shekhar while you’re at it.
If you are a parent, you may appreciate what I am about to write. Toddlers, usually around the age of two, exhibit a kind of defiant behavior, saying “no” to everything, throwing themselves face down on the ground, and put on a biggest, loudest, and most spectator-attracting temper tantrums. Witnessing temper tantrum in full swing isn’t pleasant, but the less invested and upset you get, the quicker the storm will pass. The more attention the child gets for its bad behavior, the more it becomes a never-ending game. Most times, this developmental phase goes away with age, but some never grew out of it.
Watching the frustrated reactions and angry responses of the Indian media and its liberal intellectuals to the abrogation of the discriminatory article, is akin to witnessing a case of terrible twos. It’s funny and sad at the same time to see them vent their ‘righteous’ rage and ‘virtuous’ fury that are inspired and faithfully modeled along the same lines of foreign media and its think tanks, like BBC, The New York Times, Al Jazeera and so on.
Now that the rest of the world has come to terms with the Indian government decision and quickly made peace with it, no doubt the Shekar Guptas of the media are suddenly finding their sane voice again. They now tell us, hey! it’s OK, there is nothing to worry and there is really no harm done here. What they don’t understand is that the people are much wiser and have a better sense of the ground situation. Like a bored parent, they didn’t engage with the toddler media’s antics, but let the media drama queens put on a self-centered neurotic show. Having come to the realization that its tantrums are not going to eke out an emotional response from the people, media is back to being a good kid.
For Godsakes! Will the Indian media ever grow up? With the rise of the Citizen Journalists and Social media, the Western media has lost all its legitimacy and Trust among its own people, a long time back. Indian media don’t have to be mere extensions of Western thought and ape its disastrous path.
PS: Sorry Shekar, your write-up is about a month too late!
Another well written article by Shekhar Gupta.
Kashmir is part of India. It should not be treated any differently than any other state or union territory. So Kashmiris should have the same rights and responsibilities of every other Indian. All efforts should be made to revive the economy of Kashmir. That would not only help the population of Kashmir but will also benefit the entire country. Kashmir should draw strength from being a part of India, just like any other state. Likewise India should also draw strength from Kashmir just like it does from the other states under our federal structure..
Modi is the Principal of ‘Indian School of Politics’ where Rahul is attending his nursery class.
The author tends to paintpessimistic picture of the situation.
Our expectation that every move should be correct.is uncharitable. The best we should expect is that the residents are able to live in the new dispensation in the same manner as other Indians.
Everybody says 370 is gone. Sir it is only modified removing certain meaningless articles.
The article should have mentioned mention our next project as getting back POK into J& K. Obviously the writer was under pressure not to cross his tabloid’s sworn policies.
Pak must stop bragging once and for all as their state is in pathetic condition economically. Let them not forget that their citizens are more valuable than those terrorists hired by them and harboured by them..
Stillnot a word for Return of The Pandis, Shekhar
Shekharji has his finger on the keypad, not the button. He does not have the executive authority to create safe conditions for the return of the KPs to their homeland. Nothing has prevented that from happening during the last five years. Difficult to make the case that Article 370 stood in the way. Anyway, now that it is gone, let us see how things unfold.
The most important piece in this jigsaw puzzle are the people of Kashmir. 2. Pakistan has tried everything in its armoury and failed to wrest Kashmir. It can continue to hurt India through acts of terror, although it will have to account for a more savage response, as Balakot showed. 3. For what little it was worth in practical terms, Article 370 gave the people of Kashmir a special sense of identity. By removing that privilege so peremptorily, they have been given an additional grievance. Difficult to understand is the need to convert the state into a union territory. Whatevet else it does, it will not endear us to them. If this decision can be reversed, that would reduce the feeling of pain and resentment. 4. What India will gain from these constitutional changes – as opposed to the ruling party’s political sense of fulfilment of an old dream – would require anothet National Interest column. However, as of now, the people of Kashmir are unlikely to benefit in economic or material terms. No one is going to invest large sums of money in the Valley. The proposal to allow ” outsiders ” to buy land and settle in Kashmir is being opposed by the local unit of the ruling party itself. As a UT, J & K should qualify for fiscal largesse that a stretched Centre canmot provide. 5. The politics of Kashmir will remain troubled. All the mainstream politicians who acted as a bridge have been discarded. The new Panchas will be looked down upon as quislings. There is a vacuum, which could be filled by the wrong sort of people. The suffering to which ordinary Kashmiris have been subjected since 5th August will deepen their sense of angst. 6. The legality of these moves is in challenge before the apex court. Should it return an adverse verdict, that would be an extraordinary situation.
There is no legal case for courts to intervene, this is not changing the basic structure of the constitution, the way the courts constituted the bench and date of hearing …one should get the sense how much courts can interfere in the matters of parliament’s powers
There is a strong legal opinion that there is a strong case for the court to consider! There are legal experts who say the changes mad by Modi govt are unconstitutional. Any change has to be legal. Read here what one such opinion says, “While the Constitution explicitly provides for expansion, “such other territories as may be acquired”, there is no provision for Parliament to reduce the territory of India. Yet that is precisely what the Constitution Order 2019 has done. This in itself is a sufficient ground for it to be struck down by the Supreme Court.”
You picked a line from Haseeb Andrabu’s opinion piece from IE. And how exactly has the territory been reduced? If u r referring to the same opinion piece where he argues about India’s claim on PoK being lost post abrogation of 370, it is a stupid argument.
J&K state has become J&K UT.
PoK was part of J&K State & remains part of J&K UT. So the Indian claim on PoK remains. where exactly is the territory reduced?
It is in the jihadi minds of those Kashmiris who want to continue playing this two sided game, portraying themselves as sufferers, victims. won’t help.
Constitutionaly, there is nothing wrong in the decision. The only thing which the court may have an issue with will be the rights and FoS, FoE etc. for which govt will get a lil bit of flak but court is unlikely to supercede the parliament.
Item No. 3 above is important. Even the US state dept. has insisted that the statehood to J&K should be restored, and elections be held as promised. Elsewhere in India people have died fighting fort the statehood for their region. Pakistan may not matter much. It is the people in the Valley the government has to win over.
“It is the people in the Valley the government has to win over”. These people of the valley consider themselves like proverbial “Jamaairajas”! Why these people want special “rights”? Why rest of the Indian populace keep on funding them while majority of those Indians are in poorer conditions? Do they have any remorse over forcing the Pandits out of the valley? It establishment of Islamic state in Kashmir – which is being supported in disguised as “Kashmiri right”.
Mr. Rohit: please come out of your illussion.
Why can’t India give some autonomy to 4 districts of Kashmir valey? If there is cancer in body, it must be remkved.
but why??
Article 370 and Kashmiri special status and autonomy had been whittled down over these decades, as if serendipitously.
In this sentence “serendipitously “ should be replaced by word “surreptitiously “
Yes.
“scrupulously” is more closer to the Truth, if that’s what you’re looking for.
A political stunt getting support is not surprising. PICTURE ABHI BAAKI HAI
Now there are two things remaining things that India will work on: 1) Getting part of J & K occupied by Pakistan. 2) Division of Pakistan into three parts. Time of being goody goody with Pakistan such as AMAN KI AASHA is over. Pakistan must be destroyed to destroy terrorism.
I agree…we had far too soft policy
At last the ground reality has-been well understood by the media for the first time & projected the facts with good narrative. Yes everyone of us wants all the restrictions to go. But the Kashmir’s unless ensure the upper hand of the Govt. in curbing & totally eliminating the terrorist outfit including local sleeper cells with one up-men ship it is difficult for them to support the Central Govt. decision. Let’s have patience & leave it to our forces & govt. the appropriate action & time to bring in total normalcy by removing restrictions.. Even media should understand this whether they like it or not they should cooperate with the Government.
Of course as some one observed that If all the communication and other restrictions opens up without realizing the consequences they are supporting terrorists & sleeper cells to operate and get killed the innocent civilians in cross fire create a havoc so that they will draw the attention of UNHRC & the western world which is already having a field day with wrong stories & narrations. Which our local media is also thrive to have share & catch eyeballs at the cost of the innocent lives. So the media & opposition fall prey & play in the hands of the Terrorists strategy , without their knowledge.
It is a good move of the Govt. to support the apple growers & farmers to transport their main commodity Apple in a huge quantity & payment.. Such genuine measures will make the locals bit confident & happy. Of course, here also a Terrorists group killed the innocent but it was out & hampered their supporters claim internationally against Human Rights.
Thanks
S N Rao
A good article, Sir. But a bit too, idealistic in the way you end it. If Kashmiri’s are angry with rest of us for failing to improve their lives, we are also angry with Kashmiri’s for not giving us the due credit and respect for leaving no stone un-turned while trying to fight for them, with the little we have had for ourselves. I think, the rest of us could extend a hand of friendship and truce but if its hostility we have to deal with, then i wont be surprised if we are quick to withdraw it back. I sense this becoming a 2 way street from now on – quid pro quo, dont think rest of us are ready to swallow our pride to salvage this relationship.
While most of the Indian right as well as left media has become a laughing stock, Shekhar is the sanest voice left among the center-left niche category. Investigative journalism and matured views are alarmingly rare to find these days and Shekhar endears himself to us hungry readers pained by the atrocious right wing media and insecure Modi hate campaigners among the left. I like the way Shekhar has always nudged his viewers to absorb the larger positive consequences of 370 abrogation rather than focusing on petty politics.
370 is such a revolutionary move in so many ways. Executing it needed a lot of homework and courage to manage the consequences. Abrogation of 370 equals abrogation of ambiguity regarding Kashmir. Just like Pakistan cannot take the Naxal problems in Chhattisgarh to UN, it cannot comment on our integral part called Jammu and Kashmir henceforth. Imran Khan’s childish reactions are resembling Kejriwal’s wails. Just like Kejriwal, Modi has shrewdly left responding to Khan to his deputies, showing that heeding to such nonsensical behavior is beneath the dignity of the Prime Minister of India and rightly so. However, reticence won’t do when it comes to addressing international liberal media, at a time when Imran Khan is resorting to shrill cries and accusations of the lowest level and finding digital media takers. India should be highlighting pathetic living conditions of not just Pakistani minorities but also majority of humans due to its focus on religious extremism, terrorism and corruption.
Sir, you admit that Modi is a politician w/ strong will power and problem solver.
This becomes latent in your point that “None of our 13 prime ministers believed this. Not even Jawaharlal Nehru.”
Shekhar can move from opposing to mildly opposing to supporting, all within a month. Atleast he keeps his ears to the ground.
“Fight for the Kashmiris’ constitutional rights now as equal, fellow Indian citizens. “ That assertion is misleading. Didn’t the Kashmiri Sunnis were enjoying more rights than that of ordinary Indian citizens?
For instance, while a Kashmiri could freely move to any part of India, can secure employment or conduct business and even settle there, but Indians from any other parts could not go to Kashmir for business or settlement purposes.
While the Kashmiri Sunnis have a problem with own countrymen, but have no issues if thousands of illegal Rohingya Muslims move and settle in Jammu. How did Rohingyas manage to get Aadhar, voter IDs and ration cards?
Where were these reporters, when hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits were killed, their women raped and driven out from their homes by islamists in 1990s? What about their rights? Why’s he not asking us to fight for Kashmiri Pandit’s rights? Is their sad story too old for him?
Moreover, the abrogated articles were also a source of gender based discrimination because as per provision, any women who would marry a non-resident/outsider would suo moto be deprived of property rights in the state.
The Sunni Muslims were the real beneficiaries from the provisions of these articles. Hindus, Sikhs, including all indigenous Kashmiri minorities including Shia, Ahmadi and Sufi Muslims, Gujjars, Dalits and Buddhists were discriminated in the state.
The supremacists Sunni muslims, who were enjoying a privileged status have become regular Indian citizens. They now enjoy the same rights as that of millions of other Indians. So, where is the need for fighting for rights, which they already enjoy?
Kashmiri Sunnis need to climb down from their high horses and learn to eat the humble pie and endure the ‘Democracy’ and the rule of baboos like the rest of us.
Very well said. Path to peace lies through Kashmiri Pandits getting their rightful home and honour back. As you said, papmpered Sunni Muslims of Kashmir, need to get off the high horses.
Well put.
Even Modi-haters should admit that this will count as one of his best moves. Shock-treatment. Incision of a cancerous sore.
And I’m sure that normalcy will be restored soon.
Whether Kashmiris keep fighting is another matter. But they should look across the border and see what has happened in Azad Kashmir.
Kashmir is land-locked and it surely isn’t Switzerland. So it doesn’t make sense for them to make enemies of a potential market of 1 billion tourists.
Pakistan should look to solving its own huge problems.
I commended this article and congratulate Mr. Narendra Modi and Amit Shah that is their courage to accomplish the 70 years old problem created by Old Indian leaders. In 1971 Indira Gandhi had great opportunity but she had no courage to abolish article 370.
Can deny any stated facts or point of opinion, but there is one still hiccup and that is normalcy in Kashmir transition .rapid economic Mian streaming is best way to defy opposition