"If I were to look 25 years back (said my grandfather in his usual calm and meaningful tone) whenever I thought about Kashmir, some very beautiful and exoting pictures of nature figure in my mind. I always consider it something everybody must visit atleast once in his life, a Mecca for nature lovers. I visited it once, son. How beautiful it is, just as if you are in heaven, far away from miseries and tensions. It seems as if you are sitting in the Lap of God itself. That's what made Shah Jahan to title it as "Paradise" It is in fact a Paradise."He went on comparing it with Singapore and explaining how there is immense scope of development of its tourism. "Whenever I think of Kashmir I always picture out a young boy pelting stones and shouting anti Government slogans." I said and left the room conforming my willingness to search and study the current political situation of the state. In this process I met many kashmiri students studying in our college and internet of course is a great source of information. So, thank you friends and internet. However at times I felt very angry and irritated seeing some videos on YouTube and reading some separatist articles and meeting with those separatist people. However this is the ground reality and we will have to cope up with it.
One thing which I asked myself after all these reading was that why is Kashmir seen only as a terror factory? Why we only talk about the increasing terrorism and not the declining tourism in Kashmir. We in rest part of India might think that both of them are closely interrelated but a close research will show that it is not true. There is surely a lack of political will among our leadership. Maybe our leadership want to keep us in a false illusion that everything is normal in Kashmir. Maybe they donot want us to hear Kashmiri’s shouting “Bhuka Nanga Hindusthan – Jeeva Jeeva Pakistan.” Whatever the reason may be, the ground reality is that a good leadership both at center and state is needed to restore peace in paradise.
I am an engineer by profession and always try to reason everything. We engineers are keen to solve all the problems practically and not theoretically. But this problem seems much more complex than any typical Fluid Mechanics or Heat Transfer problem. So, that’s the reason to worry! When Engineer fails tension prevails. Yes friends I am honest enough to acknowledge that I failed to derive any substantial result on this issue. I am not willing to give any practically impractical solution to the problem and add up the heap of articles from all sections of the society, which are grossly unpopular ones or autocratic authoritarian and undemocratic.
Lets discuss all the possible solutions to the problem and discuss that why these are not possible/acceptable.
First one and the most debated one is the option of plebiscite. Well I have read it all, the promise of Jawaharlal Nehru on AIR , UN becoming independent observer and all those things. Look, we have to understand the difference between the conditions then and now. There is a huge difference in both of them. Then, way back in 1947 we could have cushioned this blow of loosing our own Kashmir to Pakistan or as a independent state, because at that point of time, India was in the making but now after 60 years we cannot just do that.
Just think of possible outcomes of Plebiscite:
1. Unification with India ,which is a welcome move, but I am not sure that procuring P.O.K will be that easy (and not to forget Aski-Chin), and if we don’t want to get into conflict with two Neuclear Weapon states, it is better not to think of POK & aski-chin merger with India.
2. Unification with Pakistan: - Well first of all India is a secular state and we cannot afford one more partition based on religion. Just imagine the condition of those 150 million Muslims spreaded across India. They already have tough time proving their patriotism time and again to some senseless pseudo nationalists. Some unsocial elements try to play with the emotions of Indians and riots will prevail all over making us more venerable and very weak. It is thread to our multiethnic identity.
3. Granting Azadi/ Independence:-Granting Independence to Kashmir?????????????
Will Pakistan and China agree to surrender territory occupied by them? As the partition is somehow on religious lines, what will happen to Hindus (non Muslims) of Jammu and Buddhists of Ladakh. We have to understand one thing very clearly that India is a secular country and muslims are living happily and can live happily here, however Hindus and Buddhists will have a tough time there and things like 1989 Kashmiri Pandit Massacre could be repeated.
Secondly a landlocked country and surrounded by three nuclear weapon states will make its economy venerable and I seriously doubt if communist China will spare Kashmir given its vast water resources and tourism.
Thirdly Taliban and Al-Quida will find a easy heaven in Kashmir which can make Kashmir another Afghanistan.
Now having explored first option lets move on to second option that is making LOC as international Boundary.
This option will leave the things as it is with a little adjustment in the maps of both India and Pakistan (Both of them show the whole Kashmir as their own territory). The chances of restoring peace in this option are very less. Separatist element will continue to spell hatred. Training camps in POK will continue to function and infiltrations will continue to happen. So, why this futile exercise, as this will only add tensions and constrains.
Third option is to keep Kashmir under United Nations watch for 10 years and then conduct a plebiscite. Well this option may seem viable and just to few third parties but it is not so. UN generally work according to interests of developed countries (completely personal opinion). What if even after 5-10 years UN feels that time is not ripe for plebiscite or comes under Pakistani/Indian pressure and keep on delaying plebiscite. Then situation will become extremely dangerous.
Therefore the only option available with us is to maintain the positions as it is and bring about the development works, improve literacy rate, provide them with employment so that slowly and gradually we may win the hearts of our Kashmiri brothers and eventually they will proudly proclaim themselves Indian.
My article will not be complete if I will not mention the role of security forces in Kashmir. Think at least two times before saying something against the people who are safeguarding you, who have left their families and are constantly fighting with enemy on one hand and separatist leadership on the other. Just put yourself in their position and think. We must respect our Indian Army and must not say any thing objectionable against them. Let them function properly.
I will be back soon with something new,
Till then good bye
Cheers,
Adish Aggarwal.
Jai Hind.
