To the Kashmiri Youth

I am a Kashmiri. I regard not only Kashmiri Pandits but also Kashmiri Muslims as my flesh and blood. Therefore I grieve over the sufferings of all Kashmiris, whether Pandits or Muslims, and want it to end. I condemn killings of Kashmiris, and am sad about the recent events in the valley.

Nevertheless I believe that the Kashmiri youth in the valley who are supporting the agitation for azadi are totally misguided, and so I am presenting my views. Please consider them coolly, and if you disagree feel free to criticize me ( but in polite language and giving your own reasons ).

1. Many of you want azadi from India. But azadi can only be a means to an end, not an end in itself. The end must be raising the standard of living of Kashmiris. I have repeatedly said that if it can be demonstrated that azadi results in raising the standard of living of the Kashmiri people, i.e. creating large scale employment for the Kashmiri youth, providing for healthcare for Kashmiris, abolishing poverty, providing nutritious food, etc I will support the demand. After all, as I have repeatedly said, the test of every system and political act is one and only one : does it raise the standard of living of the masses ?

But it is certain that the azadi you demand will lower the standard of living of Kashmiris, far from raising it.

Azadi for Kashmir will result in Islamic revivalism, imposition of Sharia law in Kashmir, etc which will be disastrous for Kashmiris as it will drive Kashmir into the dark middle ages. The mentor of the separatist leader and Chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Shah Geelani was Abdul Ala Maududi, who propagated Islamic revivalism, and strongly opposed secularism and womens' emancipation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abul_A%27la_Maududi…

Geelani's ideology, and that of other separatists, appears to be the same, otherwise why do they not disclose what is their plan for raising the standard of living of Kashmiris assuming azadi is achieved. They are totally and deliberately silent about that.

Burhan Wani was turned into a hero by many Kashmiris. But to my mind he was only a pawn being used by certain vested interests ( see my blog http://justicekatju.blogspot.in/…/the-kashmiri-separatist-m… ). What was Burhan Wani's ideology ? Was it Islamic fundamentalism ? What were his plans for raising the standard of living of Kashmiris once azadi was achieved ? Did he even think about this ? Umar Khalid of JNU compared Burhan Wani with Che Guevara. But Che had an ideology ( whether one agrees with it or not ). What was Burhan's ideology ?

I have repeatedly said that in view of the tremendous diversity in our sub continent only secularism can hold us together ( see my blogs in this connection ). Religious fundamentalism will drive us back into the middle ages and make us poorer, whereas our goal must be to modernize and spread scientific ideas among the masses. That is the only way to raise the standard of living of our people and give them decent lives.

2. Kashmir is too small and economically backward to survive as an independent state. So azadi, even if it is achieved, will soon thereafter result in Kashmir coming under the Pakistani military jackboot and imposition of the feudal, outdated Sharia law and Wahabiism. Have you seen what is going on in Pakistan, of which you will then become a part ? It is true that there is communalism in India too, but it is nothing compared to what is happening in Pakistan. Ahmediyas, Shias, Hindus, Christians, etc are regularly killed there by the religious bigots. Recently a Hindu doctor of Karachi was killed. What was his fault ? That he was a Hindu. Blasphemy laws are applied to victimize innocent minorities. Recently about 70 people were killed and over 100 injured in a bomb blast in a hospital in Quetta, many of them lawyers and journalists.http://www.reuters.com/arti…/us-pakistan-blast-idUSKCN10J0I7

Journalists who write independently are regularly killed. People are afraid of speaking out openly in Pakistan, which has become a Jurassic Park. Do you want to be a part of that ?

3. Many Kashmiris claim that Kashmir was never part of India. This is untrue, and the truth has been explained in detail in my blog http://justicekatju.blogspot.in/…/the-false-claim-of-kashmi…

4. Kashmir has a large handicraft industry, and a huge market for it is in India. In almost every town in India there are shops of Kashmiris selling carpets, shawls, and other handicraft items. When I went to Kovallam beach in Trivandrum, Kerala I found 3 Kashmiri shops there. All this huge market will be destroyed if Kashmir separates from India, and the workers and owners of these handicraft industries will become unemployed. Have you ever thought of that ?

5. Some people talk of U.N. Resolutions. But these were passed a long time back soon after independence in 1947 when our leaders were inexperienced and under tremendous pressure of powerful nations who had their own axes to grind. It is well known that the U.N. is dominated by powerful nations which have their own vested interests. Why should we bother about what happened so long back, and under pressure ?

6.So what should you do in the circumstances ? You must give up the slogan of azadi and instead raise the slogan of reunification of India and Pakistan ( and Bangladesh ) under a secular government which does not tolerate religious bigotry or extremism, whether Hindu or Muslim, and crushes it with an iron hand. Such reunification will automatically solve the Kashmir problem. For my detailed reasons see my blog

http://justicekatju.blogspot.in/…/04/india-and-pakistan.html

Admit your guilt

In an earlier post I have said that since Kashmiris will not listen to me I will not waste my time by speaking on the Kashmir issue. Despite this, many Kashmiris have insisted that I speak on the Kashmir issue.

 Very well, I will speak on the Kashmir issue, but on one condition : that Kashmiris frankly admit that they falsely said that it was Jagmohan who drove out the Kashmiri Pandits from the valley, and that it was a section of Kashmiri Muslims themselves, though not all,  who in fact committed horrible atrocities on the Pandits, resulting in the exodus

 From 1989 onwards Kashmiri Pandits were being selectively killed ( by some Kashmiri Muslims, not Jagmohan ) both in cities and villages of Kashmir. Kashmiri Pandits constituted only about 3% of the total population of Kashmir. They were a peaceful community who did not harm anyone. Why were they attacked ?

 Many Muslims shout and scream when Muslims in Palestine or Burma are attacked, but their lips were sealed when Kashmiri Pandits were attacked and horrible atrocities committed on them.

 It often happened at that time that a gang of Kashmiri Muslim youth armed with guns came to a village in Kashmir which had, say, 1000 Muslim families, and only 10 Pandit families. The gang would selectively slaughter the Pandits, including women and children, often at the pointing out of their neighbours in the village.

   A female relative of my wife told me that in the 1990s she was a young girl of about 15 or 16 when a crowd of Kashmiri Muslims came to her house, threw stones, and shouted that the males in the family should get out of Kashmir, leaving the females behind. No doubt that was a very brave act by those Kashmiri Muslims ! The police was nowhere to be seen. Hundreds of such incidents happened, creating a terror among the Pandits in the Valley, because of which they fled.

Jagmohan only provided the transport for the fleeing Pandits. What else could he do ? Should he have allowed the Pandits to be slaughtered by those butchers ?

 Instead of confessing the guilt of some of their own brethren, many Kashmiri Muslims shamelessly blame Jagmohan.

 So if Kashmiris want me to speak on the Kashmir problem let them first make a confession of their guilt, and then I will address the issue.

Kashmiris must keep suffering

A Kashmiri Muslim sent me this fb message today :

Good evening sir,

 I am from Kashmir. Recently  militants  in Kashmir have threatened  mobile tower land owners to make their towers disfunctional. Also, they threatened mobile showroom owners and warned them to close all such type of communications  within a week,  particularly  in North Kashmir.

Yesterday  they entered in a BSNL office and fired indiscriminately  on them resulting in  3 injured  and 1 dead on the spot. On the same day they killed a mobile  land owner.

Today about 10.15 pm. they entered  in a home and fired on a person who is now battling  for his life in hospital.  He is also a land owner of a tower.

 I am confused. There are  7 lakh troops in Kashmir but still this is happening.  Is it due to security failure or due to any other reason ?

 It is clear that if this is not stopped well on time it means mobile  companies  have to close their businesses in the valley, leaving  thousands jobless. Who is responsible ? How to tackle this ? That   is my question to you sir

This is my reply :

I am indeed deeply sad for what has happened to both Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims. I am a Kashmiri myself, and all Kashmiris, whether Hindu or Muslim, are my blood brothers. Therefore any atrocity or death or suffering of Kashmiris causes me great grief, and I would like peace to come back in Kashmir, and justice done to all Kashmiris.

 The problem, however, is that you Kashmiris will not listen to me. although I have patiently and repeatedly tried to tell you what is good for you.

 I have repeatedly said

(1) Kashmir is a part of India, having been incorporated into India by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1587, and thereafter it remained part of India. Although there was a Maharaja, Kashmir was in effect part of India during British rule.

(2) India will not, and must not, allow Kashmir to secede from India, because if it does then next Nagas may demand secession, then Mizos, then Tamils, etc. Where will it end ? India will be broken up into pieces.

 As I said in my article ' What is India ' ( see online and on my blog justicekatju.blogspot.in and on the website kgfindia.com ), India is broadly a country of immigrants, like North America, and this accounts for its tremendous diversity---so many religions. castes, languages, ethnic groups, etc. The only policy which will enable us to remain together and prosper is secularism and giving respect and equality to all communities and lingual, regional and ethnic groups, otherwise our country cannot survive for one day. This was the policy of the great Emperor Akbar, who is the real Father of the Nation ( not that fake 'Mahatma' who took the country for a ride ), and who gave equal respect to all.

(3) The only solution to the Kashmir problem is reunification of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh under a strong secular government which does not tolerate religious extremism or bigotry of any kind, whether Hindu or Muslim, and crushes it with an iron hand. It is high time that all people in our sub continent must realize the truth : Pakistan is a fake, artificial entity ( I refuse to call it a country ), created by the British and their agents, those rascals Gandhi and Jinnah, on the basis of the bogus two nation theory.

(4) All this high talk of U.N. resolutions overlook two points (a) It presumes the validity of Partition, and the genuineness of 'Pakistan', although it was a big fraud and swindle, and (b) It overlooks the fact that the U.N. is dominated by big powers which impose their will on weaker nations. Their resolutions are therefore often unfair and flawed.

I have therefore been saying repeatedly to Kashmiris what is in their interest : that they must give up their stupid demand for independence or secession to Pakistan, and instead start demanding reunification of India and Pakistan under a secular government, but my words have fallen on deaf ears. And when people prefer to remain stupid they must keep suffering

Kashmiris

Kashmiris will have to keep suffering because many of them foolishly kept demanding separation from India, which will never be granted, instead of demanding reunification of India and Pakistan under a secular government which does not tolerate religious extremism of any kind, whether Hindu or Muslim, as I repeatedly advised.

 Since good advice has not worked, now only bitter experience will work. Sad, but true