Why can’t we initiate a process to achieve peace?
All the principles of the development were trampled upon by those persons who used to call themselves the custodians of those very principles
Syed Mustafa Ahmad
Any sort of violence acts as a threat to peace and this stands true for any part of the globe. Development can never happen when violence becomes the order of the day. If we talk about Jammu and Kashmir, violence has become part of our existence, so much so that it is a ‘necessary habit’ now.
Every day or night ends on a violent note. The most common violence is in the backdrop of the simmering issue of Jammu and Kashmir. It takes heavy toll of our lives. As a result, we, the inhabitants of Jammu and Kashmir, have lost the real meaning of life. We are forced to live, rather I say that we merely exist. There are no escapes whatsoever. Suicide is an option but it will be a big blot on our religious identity and age old heritage.
The situation we have landed into has many reasons. Let us try to know some of them.
The first cause was the hypocritical nature of our so-called leaders. They stabbed us in our backs. They befooled us on the pretext of democracy and greater autonomy. They made our lives so dependent on such false narratives that people actually related all their outlook and growth with the thought. We are gullible people who easily fall prey to the charming words and never bother to ponder over the realities of the things.
All the principles of the development were trampled upon by those persons who used to call themselves the custodians of those very principles. They deceived us in broad daylight. Today, we are dying day by day due to the fraud and deceit that was committed at the time of partition.
We were like Hyderabad, Gurdaspur, Junagarh or any other princely state. The conspiracies committed and executed by these leaders stopped us from taking a decision that could have solved the issue then and there. The leaders at that time made their destinies at the cost of blood and lives of the people and the result is that the people here are even striving for basic rights.
The second cause is the lack of knowledge regarding the Kashmir issue. Almost everyone tells his or her own version of history that forces the reality to slip into oblivion. It is not the fault of the people here but we cannot the ignore the fact that history of Jammu and Kashmir in particular and the subcontinent in general, are so distorted that it becomes impossible to know anything clearly.
Moreover, we don’t have the environment where debates, research, critical thinking, etc., are allowed to flourish. Superstitions rule the roost. So, it paves way for the environment where there are different kinds of rhetoric and the reality is shrouded under the layers of falsehood.
The result is that the majority of people lose touch with the truth and try their best to save themselves from the hectic research and cost of knowing. It helps the cause of a tormentor. He or she has to use very little force in deviating the gullible people from the ways of the truth.
The third factor is our education system. It has become defunct. It doesn’t prepare the students for the critical thinking. The products of the institutions in Jammu and Kashmir are unskilled and they lack ways to adjust themselves in the demanding society.
The textbooks are wrong. The material goes against the basic principles of History, Political Science, Urdu, Science, Maths, GK, research, etc. What can one expect in this situation? Deliberately and consciously, the truth is twisted making it easy to digest. The students also swim in this river of lies and it becomes very difficult to teach them reality. They hardly believe the real truth when their minds are intoxicated with the false information. Its result is that the students lose the touch with the reality and slowly and steadily, they become puppets that are good for nothing.
The fourth cause is the creation of so-called organizations of peace and development. They have failed miserably in doing their jobs. They, from the very beginning, have not been able to provide justice. In fact, they themselves are hand in glove with those who have ruined the very systems in this region. They issue statements and shed crocodile tears.
If they had been serious enough, they would not have let the issue of Jammu and Kashmir to simmer. The destruction in Jammu and Kashmir should have awakened them from deep slumber. Rights violations often happen here. A lot of people can’t see throughout their lives. Their deaths are better than their lives. But there only are statements that condemn the oppressor. But in reality, it is far away from truth. Their sensitiveness could have done a lot but unfortunately, there is nothing on the ground. They are in fact, themselves subordinate to the tormentors, who play the proxy war and kill humanity. So, it is futile to expect anything from them.
The last cause in my opinion is that the world at large needs this issue to simmer so that their ill designs reach to a logical conclusion. They are not sensitive in solving this issue. They get a lot of benefit from this contentious issue. It acts as a buffer for many countries. It is full of resources. The water resources in Jammu and Kashmir have the potential of producing 25,000 megawatts of electricity.
Moreover, it has both geopolitics and geostrategic locations. It used to act as a channel for the Silk Road. The recent CPEC initiative is a good example of this. So, no serious contender wants this issue to get resolved. They have no concern whether we live or not.
We earnestly want the so-called custodians of peace to solve this issue forever. It is a threat for the whole world. It can prove disastrous. Moreover, I want my Kashmiri brethren to pause for a moment and deliberate upon this fact that we lose human resources every day. What is the way out? Why can’t we offer some viable options on this issue? Why can’t we become one in this regard? Hope good sense prevails.
