Kashmir has a history of tyrant rulers but who would have thought that even the present young, energetic, and educated rulers of Kashmir will go out of their way to keep the tradition of tyranny alive.
Let us begin with Omar Abdullah. People had great expectation from him. He appeared as a charismatic young man and our naïve commentators even compared him to Obama. Contrary to the expectations, he proved to be no more than a ruthless ruler who even broke the records of his tyrant father. It was during his rule that Kashmir began witnessing killing of boys as young as eight at the hands of the State forces. He not only failed to rein in the police but his administration frequently disallowed Friday prayers in the Jamia Masjid, Srinagar. Besides the killing and maiming of children, Kashmir also witnessed imprisonment of many teenage boys without any judicial process during his rule. Despite State’s brutality against unarmed civilians, he and his ministers hung on to their chairs. People were so dismayed with his rule that almost all Kashmiris in unison wanted his resignation.
After his rule of misery ended, Kashmiris yet again fell into the red-herring of pro-people agenda raised by the PDP. The party led by late Mufti Sayeed, his daughter and his soft spoken ministers including the one with prominent zebiba mark on his forehead who appeared outwardly as a pious son of the soil, US educated economist, and a new entrée in State’s politics with great academic credentials in economy immediately attracted people’s sympathy and won overwhelming support even from Jamiat-e-Islamia cadres. It appeared that Kashmir could witness restoration of some sort of order and some relief from tyranny after many decades. However, Kashmiris were about to witness something even more sinister, something that would not only shatter their belief in democracy but also break whatever trust they had in the mainstream political parties.
After the elections, PDP openly betrayed people’s mandate and forged an alliance with the Hindu nationalist BJP that openly advocates implementing anti-Kashmir policies. PDP facilitated entry of Hindu Zionism into Kashmir in violation of its own manifesto. PDP also betrayed Kashmir’s historic rejection of religious segregation propounded by the colonial British seventy years ago. Historically, Kashmiri Muslims had favoured the great ideals of Indian democracy and pluralism and not the rigid Hinduvita. The PDP-BJP alliance thrust upon Kashmiris a ruler who prior to becoming CM seemed to harbour genuine empathy for Kashmir and Kashmiris. However, with Ms. Mufti’s coronation, people begin witnessing an unprecedented tyranny.
Kashmiris are presently being ruled by an extremely brutal regime. With Mehbooba Mufti’s iron clad tyranny unleashed in full strength, the tyrannical rule of Omar Abdullah appears even humane in comparison. The hallmark of tyranny of Ms. Mehbooba’s rule has not only been the scale of killings or imprisonment of hundreds of teenage boys or even ban on religious practices but the vast scale of blinded youth. Kashmir also witnessed something called as ban on celebrating Eid for the first time in history. Mehbooba Mufti’s administration set a new high in tyranny by preventing people from celebrating this religious festival which otherwise may have helped heal some wounds.
The tyrannical rule of PDP-BJP seeks to punish all Kashmiris. The situation has become so bad that Kashmiris wish to see an end to Mehbooba Mufti’s tyrannical rule as soon as possible lest entire Kashmir becomes a theater of blinded and disabled children. An injured in Kashmir with obsolete healthcare means fewer chances of full recovery. The staggering number of injured in the current unrest not only means more disabled and dependent youth but also a generations full of hatred for India and pro-Indian politicians.
Something which I often wonder is why do the occupiers of the Chief Minister’s chair in Kashmir often turn out to be tyrants. Is there something inherently wrong with the chair or is it that the ruler becomes cursed after securing the chair? Regardless of this philosophical argument, one thing is certain that oppression in Kashmir seems to have no limits. If there is any consciousness and humanity left in the people who were voted to power by Kashmiris, they must use their political will for ending Kashmir dispute. They must either get out of the coalition government or resign en masse to send a strong signal which will convince New Delhi to change the course on Kashmir. Wars are no solution. Half of the World’s population lives in this region and World powers will never let the situation between India and Pakistan spiral out of the control and endanger the safety of the entire world. The rigid posture adopted by the BJP led government toward Kashmir may have unintended consequences of drawing China into the conflict. Something that nobody wants. Therefore, a political settlement of Kashmir dispute is in favour of all parties concerned.
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