Fleeting chance in Kashmir

by charvaka Sun Jul 24, 2011 1:01 am

The Economist on a relatively calm summer in the Kashmir Valley, and the opportunity that it presents for the Indian political leadership.

http://www.economist.com/node/18989028?story_id=18989028&fsrc=rss

Kashmir's future

Fleeting chance

A brighter mood brings an opportunity. Expect India to squander it

Jul 21st 2011 | SRINAGAR | from the print edition

THESE are unexpectedly happy days in conflict-torn Kashmir. Tourists flock from India’s sweaty plains to gasp the mountain air. Srinagar’s hotels, houseboats and cafés are crammed. Jetskis roar over the once-tranquil Dal lake. Hordes of Hindu pilgrims trek, unmolested, to a sacred penis-shaped lump of ice at Amarnath, a cave temple. And on roadsides Indian migrant labourers, mostly Biharis, line up to work in fields and on building-sites.

Timing matters. The Indian authorities move slowly, more worried about seeming soft on separatism to Indian voters than about winning the trust of Kashmiris. Yet delays raise the chances of renewed protest and play
into the hands of hardliners. In April the moderate leader of a fundamentalist Wahhabi organisation, al-Hadith, was blown up as he arrived at a mosque in Srinagar. Suspicion points at extremists within the group, whose following is growing. Thankfully, neither bloody protests nor revenge attacks followed. Next time could be different.

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Sun Jul 24, 2011 1:09 am

charvaka wrote:The Economist on a relatively calm summer in the Kashmir Valley, and the opportunity that it presents for the Indian political leadership.

http://www.economist.com/node/18989028?story_id=18989028&fsrc=rss

Kashmir's future

Fleeting chance

A brighter mood brings an opportunity. Expect India to squander it

Jul 21st 2011 | SRINAGAR | from the print edition

THESE are unexpectedly happy days in conflict-torn Kashmir. Tourists flock from India’s sweaty plains to gasp the mountain air. Srinagar’s hotels, houseboats and cafés are crammed. Jetskis roar over the once-tranquil Dal lake. Hordes of Hindu pilgrims trek, unmolested, to a sacred penis-shaped lump of ice at Amarnath, a cave temple. And on roadsides Indian migrant labourers, mostly Biharis, line up to work in fields and on building-sites.

Timing matters. The Indian authorities move slowly, more worried about seeming soft on separatism to Indian voters than about winning the trust of Kashmiris. Yet delays raise the chances of renewed protest and play
into the hands of hardliners. In April the moderate leader of a fundamentalist Wahhabi organisation, al-Hadith, was blown up as he arrived at a mosque in Srinagar. Suspicion points at extremists within the group, whose following is growing. Thankfully, neither bloody protests nor revenge attacks followed. Next time could be different.

Obsolete news... Here is the latest

BTW, the medical report has ruled out the rape of the woman. So as usual, the kashmiri muslims resort to their false belief that "A muslim never lies"

by charvaka Wed Aug 03, 2011 3:03 pm

Why Kashmir is so quiet -- for now.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2011/0802/Why-Kashmir-is-so-quiet-for-now

by Kayalvizhi Wed Aug 03, 2011 7:51 pm

I have a sure solution for Kashmir. Hold a plebiscite.

by charvaka Wed Aug 03, 2011 7:52 pm

Kayalvizhi wrote:I have a sure solution for Kashmir. Hold a plebiscite.

We are all busy petitioning school teachers to change their international day boards about India. We will get to the plebiscite once we are done with that. Thanks for your suggestion.

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Thu Aug 04, 2011 12:08 am

Kayalvizhi wrote:I have a sure solution for Kashmir. Hold a plebiscite.

if we hold a plebiscite on this forum, YOU will be banned and thrown out(as will be Carvaka, rashmunullah and myself)

by .|Sublime|. Thu Aug 04, 2011 9:47 am

do the kashmiris still want to be part of pakistan considering the dilapidated state the country is in? it would make better sense for them to continue to be in a country which is in a much better economic state. but rational thought is an alien concept in this 'freedom struggle'.

“The more we manage [people’s] frustration, the more … the war cries for so-called independence will calm down.”

common sense is uncommon. one would think this would be priority no. 1 to get started on the right track. instead a whole generation has been ignored and ill treated by the system forcing them to vent their frustration on the streets with bullets and stones.
short sighted policies of successive govts who thought they can get around this issue
by suppressing the voices of the people has led to this situation.
if the system would sincerely focus on improving the lot of the people instead of single minded focus on lining pockets, people would be content. problems will arise but there is a good chance it would not blow up into a catastrophe.
is this too idealistic? it is not like money has not been liberally thrown into kashmir. but has it reached the people?

by Guest Thu Aug 04, 2011 10:19 am

.|Sublime|. wrote:do the kashmiris still want to be part of pakistan considering the dilapidated state the country is in?

the hurriyat's answer is no. during khar's latest visit, geelani changed tack and announced that pok should also be made autonomous and kashmir should be a free state in which all kinds, muslim, hindus, sikhs and christians can freely dwell. he has also told pakistan to mind their own beeswax and not meddle in kashmir (referring to their killing of a baloochi separatist leader and urging them to set their house in order first).

it would make better sense for them to continue to be in a country which is in a much better economic state.

there is nothing better than autonomy and the right to self determination.

by .|Sublime|. Thu Aug 04, 2011 11:11 am

Huzefa Kapasi wrote:there is nothing better than autonomy and the right to self determination.

hurriyat is feeding on the fervor of the struggle. it would be extremely hard to survive as an independent nation with pak militants and the taliban waiting to move in, unhindered by indian forces. if the kashmir issue seems like a headache now, it will turn into a roaring migraine.
rhetorical question i was posing - is the zeal for autonomy the egg or the chicken? was it fed by the frustrations of the people who felt ignored? could this problem not have been curtailed by improving the quality of life and having a responsive system in place?

by Guest Thu Aug 04, 2011 12:18 pm

.|Sublime|. wrote:rhetorical question i was posing - is the zeal for autonomy the egg or the chicken? was it fed by the frustrations of the people who felt ignored? could this problem not have been curtailed by improving the quality of life and having a responsive system in place?

rhetorical answer or unanswer: i believe (idea not yet honed and always open to criticism) that a democratic state is morally well within it's rights to suppress secessionist demands that seek the merger of a portion with a non-democratic state or a mock-democratic state or clamours for autonomy without first demonstrating that it wishes to found a more evolved democracy. a democratic state is also well within its rights to suppress any secessionist demands -- but then the moral right erodes a bit and it becomes a motion for debate in SUCH. but everything need not be moral. india's (or pakistan's) control over kashmir can never be morally justified but yet i support india's occupation of kashmir because i think india is more moral than pakistan or an unknown autonomous kashmir. besides everything is not always determined on principles of morality through history -- mostly things are decided by happenstance. it is more important to strive towards what is morally right after taking the happenstance in your stride (instead of revisiting the happenstance endlessly to postpone due deliverance of what is morally right in the region).

unanswer 2: because kashmir is in focus we ponder over the lack of development there (since independence). the same problem exists in the north east and in swathes of our heartland and hinterland. more sinisterly, pakistan has gone and changed the ethnic fabric of pok through forced islam and forced intruders. democratic india has left indian kashmir untouched and has only abetted the flight of sikhs and hindus from the region (to more prosperous pastures in the plains).

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