Kashmir Questions And Answers -II

This is the second part of my interview with M K Tayal Editor Correspondent who is aiming to prepare report about the situation in Kashmir valley and its contours.



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Considering that you have been brought up since the militancy started, how many operations would you have seen?

Being born in one of the sensitive area (downtown (Shaheri - Khas) Srinagar) of Kashmir which has always remained the citadel of movement, though kid in early 90’s but I have faint memories of early stages of armed rebellion, how young and old men were called for parades and cordons laid around every were and in our area and houses searched, how bodies of armed fighters were taken in procession towards martyrs graveyard Eidgah amid sky renting pro-independence slogans from our area and females wailing many bare footed running after processions mourning their loved ones who got killed at the hands of Indian forces. I still remember the names of the gory army operations: Operation Eagle, Operation catch and Kill, Operation Tiger in those days. One of my neighbor, Hilal alias waza a young guy hardly would have crossed 25 then associated with armed rebellion he was catched by forces in one of the cordons he was severally tortured and his stomach was torn with some sharp edged weapon and when he was thrown dead intestines were visible and out of his belly. I will never forget that shivering incident. Indian security forces were given free hand to indulge in worst kind of human rights violation to muzzle and suppress the people demanding right of self determination. Even now these human rights violations continue unabated all with total impunity from the law of land. Forces have been guarded with draconian legislations such as AFSPA, PSA, DAA etc even youth are languishing behind bars under the acts that have been revoked. The constant abuse of human rights violations by Indian forces and denial of basic right i.e. right of self determination has added to the alienation of people and in the words of SAFMA this alienation is complete and irreversible.

What do the young feel about Independence?

Though it was widely believed that this fourth generation of Kashmiris is not interested in freedom movement and is disillusioned with movement and busy in their own affairs but the agitation of last year proved all those wrong. They showed the way and lead the agitation remaining at the fore front leaders just joined them. They showed that they have the passion, determination to face all the odds with resilience. Their spark enthusiasted entire nation. They have grown under the difficult circumstances and saw the conflict closely all along these years they are more resilient than their predecessors and abreast with know how of technologies in every field. It will be better for India to shun obduracy and intransigence and avoid confrontation with these die hard youth in future who strongly believe that freedom is their birth right and eventually save the future of entire Sub- continent from getting beleaguered.

Are those with AK-47s and bombs not terrorists?

I have said this in earlier question that it all depends on which perspective one sees and analyses the things. Terrorism and freedom struggle are two different things and need to be looked separately from each other.

If they are freedom fighters, why do they kill innocent people in Ahmedabad, New York or anywhere in the world?

Killing innocent people were ever they are is most condemnable and must be condemned by all and no cause can be justified by killing innocent people. Kashmiri fighters have taken the extreme step after every peaceful method was frustrated by India. It is Delhi and Delhi alone which facilitated commotion and pell-mell in Kashmir by installing stooges through sham elections. It is India who reneged on the pledge of Plebiscite and managed the strangulation of economy of Kashmir through neocolonialist mode of administration, so it is India who provided enough ammunition to Kashmiri youth for a revolt against its authority hell bent on enslaving Kashmir at gunpoint using lakhs of its forces.

Why have they been declared terrorist organizations?

Kashmiri movement is a national liberation movement, poles apart of that Alqaeda and Taliban, aimed to achieve the unification of its forcibly divided parts using the unfettered right of self determination promised under the 18 U.N resolutions to which both India and Pakistan are signatories and world witness to them. India has the added responsibility under what she calls the Instrument of Accession which according to her has been signed by Maharaja of Kashmir to let people of Kashmir decide whether they want to remain with India or Pakistan or choose to remain Independent. Despite their clarion commitment regarding referendum in Kashmir they blatantly reneged on their promise and doesn’t they feel that their betrayal and perfidy has costed them their honour as a great nation and then how India can stake claim to the permanent membership of U.N Security Council when it tramples the resolution passed by the same body under its military foot. Coming back to question British labeled Bhagat Singh as terrorist why because he was demanding freedom for his motherland and that went against the interest of British but for the same reason and for the same work he is remembered as hero and a martyr by Indians. Similarly Nelson Mandela, who was the leader of ANC’s armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe, was declared as terrorist by White apartheid government and imprisoned for more than two decades in Robben Island and later he becomes president and is awarded a noble prize for peace for the same work for which he was declared as terrorist. So it is high time to stop looking from jaundiced vision and through the prism of west who until recently called the Taliban zealots as “Mujahideen” till it served their national interest and now the dreaded terrorists and threat to world peace. Kashmiri freedom fighters have limited their struggle in J&K and have no international agenda but India by using military approach to strangulate, batter and pulverize Kashmir is inadvertently communalizing what is a basically a simple political issue and hence many extremist groups have thrived on the sympathy wave and this was echoed by David Miliband as well when he wrote in an opinion peace that “ resolution of the dispute over Kashmir would deny extremists in the region one of their main calls to arms….”. India already with problems in more than 16 states shouldn’t let these groups to gain strength by leaving Kashmir dispute in limbo. So resolution of Kashmir is must otherwise its domino effect will engulf and destabilize the peace of whole of South Asia.

Have they not approached you to join them?

It is the ones own conscious that determines what to do. In one of the previous questions I told you that they have made way for political leadership to take the front seat as now the situation demands that, earlier they took the driver seat to highlight the Kashmir dispute in the international arena. Now it is for political leadership to the lead but India is not allowing that by imposing curbs on peaceful protests and rallies. Being the sons of soil they have made it clear that if India shuns the obduracy and accepts Kashmir as disputed as accepted by international community they will leave arms in an eye blink time. Because they haven’t taken arms as hobby nor they have any international agenda to follow their struggle is limited for the freedom and liberation of their motherland and to remind India of its own promise of plebiscite.

If they have, why have you not joined the cause?

Aggression is not only on one front but is launched on all fronts to consolidate hold on an occupied territory by an occupier be that Militarily, Political, Diplomatic, Economical. Social, Cultural onslaught, so the response to that demands struggle on all fronts not on any single one only. I to my best of my ability though not practically doing my bit towards contributing the sacred cause of Independence.

Why do you think is Pakistan supporting the militants?

You should look for the answer to this question in as why India supported the Bangladeshi’s Mukti Behni and with the active help of Russia embarked on a plan to cut the Bangladesh from Pakistan although it was a legal part of Pakistan according to the Partition act of 1947. Why Germany and Japan supported the Subash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army.