Kashmir solution and role of our intellectuals

Some political analysts and commentators are of firm belief that this is the ideal and fully ripe time for the resolution of Kashmir dispute. After the Mumbai attacks Kashmir dispute has once again hogged the lime light and all the key global powers and players have felt the dire need of solving it as it is the key to the permanent and sustainable peace in south Asia. American president Obama all along his election campaign highlighted the need of resolving this vexed issue, and similarly British Foreign Secretary David Miliband made some rational comments which irritated India and recently U.N Secretary General Ban Ki Moon described it as world’s most dangerous place and Susan Rice described it as one of the hot spots.

India may have got some relief from the Obama administrations move to appoint special envoy Richard Holbrooke with his mandate ‘limited’ to Afghanistan and Pakistan only, which many believe was done on Indian governments request as it would have created major hiccups for them as elections are just few months away in India. But it would be impossible for Holbrooke and Obama administration to overlook the lingering Kashmir dispute in their broader assignments in south Asia which has potential to disturb the whole equation of events and Americans know it that road to peace lies through the Kashmir and the basic cause of contention between India and Pakistan is Kashmir dispute and that is why despite Kashmir being not on Holbrooke’s “Plate” he said “ we have to understand that to get the Pakistanis to focus on the west, we have to have a reduction in tensions between India and Pakistan”.

Back home pro-freedom leadership doesn’t look prepared to gear them selves to meet the changes and challenges which may come into effect after the loksabha elections in India will be over, they need to come out of illusion of defeat and set back after the good voter turn out in 2008 elections. If they analyze recent elections properly they haven’t suffered any defeat as the “mainstream” camp got forced to toe their line and they had to leave the pro-India cloak to seek the votes from people hence the stand of pro-freedom camp stands vindicated. And people didn’t voted for any ideology but only for developmental issues and de-linked Kashmir dispute from elections and forced the “mainstream” leaders to do the same. Pro-freedom leadership represents the sacred sentiment which is deep rooted in the hearts and minds of people of Kashmir, so there is no question of defeat or of any setback to them.

Our intellectuals should come up with innovative ideas and present them before the pro-freedom leadership rather than criticizing them only and they should stop questioning the commitment of people towards the freedom struggle as people are wedded to the cause of complete independence and sovereignty of Kashmir. Yes criticism is necessary but only criticism won’t do anything, our intellectuals should put their heads together and present suggestions before the leadership and guide them to empower them with new ideas constantly so that they can carry on freedom struggle with renewed vigor and impetus. Recently many pro-freedom leaders admitted that due to lack of any strategy they failed to capitalize on the popular agitation witnessed in 2008 and lost an important opportunity. Now it is for intellectuals to come forward and help them in formulating a clear and workable strategy. Mere criticizing them would amount to hypocrisy. It is the responsibility of everyone to see and check whether the struggle for independence is going on in right direction or not, as we all belong to this soil, hence can’t escape the huge responsibility laid on our shoulders by the lakhs of martyrs who gave their red hot blood to highlight this dispute in international arena. In this regard intellectual class of our society has more responsibility and they should take the lead and discharge their moral and national duty accordingly and it would be better if they will do it collectively.

India has always been in denial mode in accepting Kashmir as the core dispute this has impinged the peace, progress and security of entire south Asian region, this dispute has led to the arms race in this region due to which it has become a big drainage to the sources of India and Pakistan and of Kashmir as well hence its resolution is must and in the interest of all. So it is imperative for the pro-freedom leadership that they exert themselves like conscientious protagonists of the cause of independence of Kashmir and it is for our intellectuals to add more subjectivity to it which will prove a deterrent against the trends of war in South Asia and will act as buffer between India and Pakistan.