The war that we are in the middle of is not a war between Pakistan and India. It is a war being fought in Kashmir which has expanded itself into another war between two states. Kashmir is the real theatre of unspeakable violence that can push us into violence and nuclear war at any moment. To prevent this from happening, atrocities in Kashmir have to be addressed and resolved. That can only be done if Kashmiris are given a chance to freely and fearlessly tell the world what they are fighting for and what they really want. Kashmir is the most militarized zone in the world, with an estimated half a million Indian soldiers posted there to counter what the army itself admits is now just a handful of jihadists for them the real enemy is Kashmiri people. Thousands have been disappeared and tortured that label the valley like a network of small scale Abu Ghraibs. The abrogation of Kashmir’s special status was the front burner of BJP and RSS kitchen, to reignite their flagging passions, all they need to do is to pick the villain from their gallery and unleash the dogs of war. For them there are several villains, Pakistani and Kashmiris Jihadists and 200 million Indian Muslims who are always accused of being Pakistani lovers and anti-national traitors. Home Minister Amit Shah demonstrated the siege only existed in people’s imagination saying that telephone lines in the valley were only used by terrorists, normal life has not been affected, people are doing their necessary works. Further said, those who feel that life has been affected are once whose survival depends on terrorism. It is hard to work out who exactly Indian government sees as terrorists. Why should they want to be a part of India? For what reason? If freedom is what they want, freedom is what they should have. Kashmir may not defeat India, but it will consume it and in many ways it already has.
Shafi Ahmed Khowaja
Jati Sujawal
