The Kashmir Narrative

Authored in the context of the current situation in the Kashmir Valley, this monograph delves into deeper nuances of our political failure in building up a potentially stable state, and advocates direct involvement of the Indian polity in clearing up the mess. In misplaced consideration of local sentiments, the Indian polity has depended on a class of local political as well as religious middlemen to nurture the hoary State-Union relationship, thus failing to establish direct relationship with the citizens in the Kashmir Valley. Meanwhile, over the years, most of these leaders and their cronies have found more and more profit in promoting corruption, maladministration and treason. In contiguous Pakistan and Pakistan ruled areas, self-styled fighters for Muslim cause have mandated themselves to liberate Kashmir from Hindu rule, and garner political power and wealth in the process. Flow of Islamist funds and unemployed terrorists have allowed the radical cousins on either side of the Line of Control to join hands. Thus over the past three decades, the entire Valley was subverted by distracting the Kashmiris with anti-national, anti-Hindu proclamations. Militant attacks, choreographed stone pelting, women screaming etc. have thus turned into an industry. Mere thousand radical Islamists-for-profit in just six districts the Kashmir Valley have usurped the face of 69 lakh satisfied citizens of 22 districts, and are demanding to speak for the entire 1.25 crore citizenry of all religions and sects of the State! All this while, the Indian Union had been watching stoically, and allowing treason to grow under the misplaced excuse of civil propriety and liberty. Time has however come to discard appeasement of the intransigent and to engage in soft, hard and ideological measures to bring back the euphoria that the Kashmiris felt on joining the Indian Union, the monograph avers.