The valley of Kashmir, known for its splendid meadows, gurgling streams and serene pastures, leaves all spellbound with its beauty. Not only does it make one marvel at its magnificence and exquisiteness but it also generates a feeling of a true paradise on earth. Although nature has conferred the valley of Kashmir with all its bounties, humans have been mercilessly snatching it of its beauty and glory. To satisfy their selfish motives, humans have destroyed this piece of paradise and turned it into a fortress. Once a matter of great pride, being a Kashmiri today has become a constant cause of worry for the people of this land.
Being the bone of contention between two nations, the valley of Kashmir remains the most sensitive as well as one of the most militarized zones of the world. Being a conflict zone, it is quite difficult to predict when and how fast the situation can turn ugly in Kashmir. The valley has been reeling under continuous human crisis from last two decades. The past one and a half month, has provided a glimpse into the seething anger the people of the valley have been withholding since long. Instead of dealing tactfully with the protestors, the government has been resorting to extreme methods of crowd control which has further increased the anger among the already angry crowds. The forces haven’t been targeting just the youth but small children as well as senior citizens. Isn’t it bizarre that to maintain law and order, forces have to repeat the cycle of killings again and again.
The valley of Kashmir is witnessing the worst humanitarian crises in human history. Curfew has been in place for about 2 months now. Since Burhan Wani, the symbol of resistance, got killed in an encounter, there has been no letup in protests. People have been defying curfews, restrictions and even braving bullets in order to register their anger. The authorities are still clueless as to how this new wave of resistance can be curbed. No doubt that the valley of Kashmir has faced several similar bouts of unrest but the present turmoil has left behind all others in terms of severity. The inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the authorities in dealing with public anger has only served to increase the rage among the public. Given the unabated killing spree the forces have been on, the long pending demand for revocation of AFSPA has only been strengthened. The resolve of the people of Kashmir seems stronger than ever as does their unity.
However living in a conflict zone is taking toll on the people of the valley, especially its younger populace. When young impressionable minds are subjected to oppression and atrocities on a daily basis, their fragile minds become desensitized and they develop resistance to pain and sufferings. This can be quite dangerous because pain during the right times can be a boon. Not only this, the high anxiety levels that various research studies have found among the Kashmiri population can also be blamed on the ongoing conflict.
Regrettably all political parties forming the respective governments from time to time have miserably failed to address the aspirations of the people. Governments and ruling parties change every five years but what remains same is the innate ability of the politicians to promise and later on fail to deliver. What is happening today is the exact replica of what happened in 2010 but whatsoever the state administration was advised by the interlocutors that were commissioned with the task of analyzing the situation and giving a way forward to minimize the alienation, went with the wind as soon as the conditions improved. The problem with our state administration is that it never takes a serious note of the things that are of crucial importance with regards to minimizing the alienation that Kashmiris have been experiencing for long. Our governments make no effort to fulfill the demands of the people nor do they honour our right to expression, and our right to protest peacefully or to register our complaints. The state administration has always muzzled our voices with brute force. This has in turn generated feelings of oppression and mistrust among the common people of this land. To regain this lost trust among the people who have already suffered a lot in the past two decades, the present government needs to rethink their strategy and come up with a viable solution to the long standing Kashmir dispute. They need to come up with a solution which will be widely accepted and acclaimed by the people. Respecting basic human rights is the need of the hour. Engaging in fruitful discussions with every major faction of the society can give a good idea of what needs to be done so as to strike the much needed balance. Let us hope that sanity and good sense prevails before nothing is left to be salvaged in this piece of paradise.
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