Selective Sympathy

The noise of loudmouth extremists and charlatans was so overwhelming that I was begining to think that mother India has gone sterile over the years and stopped giving birth to souls that are just and compassionate. It is the first time ever that I have seen an Indian expressing compassion for Kashmiri people.

Does India has a choice to be compassionate? Can it choose to be compassionate. Compassion never means weakness but it means revitalizing the weak and the withered. India does not have to forego an inch of land if it chooses to be compassionate. Let`s see how.

1. India must declare amnesty absolutely unconditionally to all the freedom fighters that are struggling to free their motherland.

2. India must compensate those poeple who have lost relatives, property or a limb in this conflict.

3. India must unconditionally apologize to all women who were raped and tortured as an act of retribution against freedom struggle.

4. India must unconditionally apologize for all Kashmiris for the pain its policies has caused them for the past 50 years.

5. India must declare Kashmir a disaster area and re-construct it on war footing.

6. India must reduce its army; currentlly one Indian soldier is sitting per one household. This is horrible.

7. India must call off its death squads who exact retribution on the whole villages for the action of freedom fighters.

8. India must shut down all its interrogation centers and torture cells absolutely unconditionally.

9. India must allow international observers to witness the action it takes to restore the basic human rights of its population.


I do not think any of these actions means separation of Kashmir from India. It would only mean that there are human beings who live in Indian territory who think the people of Kashmir as human beings as well. I know all the points mentioned above start with ``India must``; but it is because of the fact that it is very much in the power of India to do that. Whereas, Kashmir is the weaker aggrieved party. What India can get in return is the gratitude of Kashmiri people, which is priceless. A little compassion goes a long way. What weapons cannot accoplish, a little compassion can.

urstruly

Sure - but only after you pakis completely stop jihad.... So if you have concerns for kashmiris - all you have to do is - stop jiahd - everything will be just fine after that.....

Joe,

A good article.

I also noticed a less than usual response from rest of us towards the people who suffered in J&K. Part of the apathy may be real and if so, I totally agree with you. Our response to this will go a long way in changing the attitude of local Kashmiris.

However, I was assuming the response was less also because the extent of destruction is less.

Also, You are blaming the Army a lot but I guess they would have been and still are the first responders and providing adequate relief. And if kashmiris` perception of Army changes, that would be a great step forward

If you have more updates on the latest situation, please share with us,
Thanks,
Avkrishna

P.S: The earthquake in Gujarat and Latur are much worse in people/property damage thatn this one. So the response from the rest of us would be different

Mohar

There are two ways to extiguish a fire:

1. Pour water on it and/or

2. Cut off the fuel that feeds it.

My post below suggests the first method. While your approach is second. However, underlying assumption to your approach is that the freedom struggle in Kashmir is not indiginous. If it were true, then all the 100K dead must have been the Pakistani intruders. But the fact remains that no intruder can survive a day without the active support from the indiginous population. That is the nature of the beast. The fact also remains that Indians are only oppressing Indian Kashmiris and not the Kashmiris or any Pakistani on Pakistan side so what would motivate an ordinary person to leave a comfrtable or safe life and go across the border and fight for people whom he never met in his life. The fact remains that what motivates Paksitani youths to do that is the inhuman oppression of the fellow human beings. They find it below human dignity to just idlly sit by and let all these attrocities happen. This fire cannot be extinguished by force or coercion. No government can control it because it has become the will of the people. No government can motivate people to this extent unless people are motivated by themselves first. I don`t think Mushraf, or American pressure or lable like terrorist or jihadi now mean anything to them because they can see a bigger crime a bigger attrocity happening first.

So a humane way, a prudent and just way would be to stop stoking the fuel into the fire. Imagine a day when an Indian Kashmiri will tell a Paksitani intruder that he doesn`t need his help because he is quite happy with being with India. That is what I asked for in my post. So my appeal to you is to empower that Kasmiri who would speak on your behalf.

I pointed this out in first few days after the earthquake struck that this is/was a good opportunity for India/Indians to rush all the relief efforts and show sympathy to Kashmiris that India is with them. I did not see much civil activities from individuals as well as NGOs to provide relief to the effected people till now. Partly reason may be the security situation that individuals may be afraid of going in....remember J&K is off limits for rest of India as for as moving or buying properties is concerned...that over the years has lead to somewhat seggregation in J&K relative to rest of the country. While rest of Indians are moving all over the country, settiling and resettling, working, educating etc, contact with Kashmiris is very limited. That may be partly the reason behind indifference. But this indifference is India`s loss not Kashmiris. As happenes with all disasters, people will eventually get up and move on with their lives on their own but this initial support would have meant something to create Indian good will in Kashmir. I think India Govt has done mostly what was absolutely necessary for relief but should have gone for and beyond...what about $1 billion relief, habiliation and long term construction(roads, schools etc) package over next 5 years? In my view that is peanuts for India to do.


Scale of disaster was obviously not the same as Gujarat and Pak Kashmir....Gujarat death toll was around 20K. Pak Kashmir death toll is probably 100K. J&K death toll is no where close to either of these.

Mohar:

``Sure - but only after you pakis completely stop jihad.... So if you have concerns for kashmiris - all you have to do is - stop jiahd - everything will be just fine after that.....``

Let`s face the truth. Pakistan did not create the Kashmir problem. Indian government created it, right from Nnehru onward. The chief of Hizbul Mujahideen actually stood for elections (Syed Salahuddin) and won in 1987. In return, he was arrested, beaten and the NC candidate was declared winner. His campaign manager was Yasin Malik of JKLF.

Ofcourse, when the Kashmiri movement switched to a more Jihad influnced struggle, the Hizb was responsible for the decimation of JKLF.

The point is that India created the problem, it is in India`s problem to solve it. One thing is there, India itself has changed from the 70s to now. States have more autonomy. Regional parties flourish and are not dismissed as they used to be during Indira`s rule. But, with Kashmir, we have the insecuirty of seperation.

Iindia can move forward on Kashmir if Pakistan signals its readiness to accept a formula which allows India to retain nominal control of Indian Kashmir.

Re: # 4 urstruly
[..... empower that Kasmiri who would speak on your behalf...]

Good point.... And please be assured that indians have thought about all these things a thousand times already.... everything you said has already been considered in agonizing details.....

Empower, self-determination - all these are just words people on your side of the border love to throw around .... But the reality is - it`s already there..... there is nothing that prevents a kashmiri from doing anything anywhere anytime in the whole wide country .... The kashmiri is more empowered than any paki has ever been in history of your country....

The kashmiri has to open his eyes and get out of the victim mentality..... Being part of India, he has a lot to gain and nothing to loose .... now, more than ever..... I guess, it will take time for him to realize that .... but we are a patient people....

++++

[....two ways to extiguish a fire: 1. Pour water on it and/or 2. Cut off the fuel that feeds it...]

.... Not all fires can be doused by water - in fact, water makes it worse.... only way to kill such fire is by cutting off the fuel..... Jihad[or freedom fight, as you say] in Kashmir is one such fire..... If water worked on this fire - then it would have been estingushed longtime back....... believe me, over a period of 15 years - we have poured a lot of water on this fire.....

Re: # 6 stuka
//.....The point is that India created the problem, it is in India`s problem to solve it....//

Of course..... India will solve the problem, the way it sees fit.....

Salahuddin was not the only person on face of earth who ever suffered a political victimization... all he has to do was make a big noise about it, let people know about how he was being victimized and wait for his turn...... if everybody who faced such a situation goes on to start a religious war - then we are all doomed..... we all know that India made mistakes in kashmir, but that no way justifies a jihad.....

if war is what Salahuddin[and his fellow travellers] wanted - then war is what we gave them.....if somebody seeks to solve a political problem with religious war - well, what do you want the state to do?

India of course made mistakes, but that really pales in front of the response these m0r0ns came up with.... Now we are even - so let`s cut moralistic cr@p .... After 15 years - we all know where we stand..... who won and who lost..... let`s close this chapter .... with a well-learnt lesson that political issues has to be solved politically, not by jihad.....

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stauka

I mean - we know you have been afflicted with this ``friendship-with-pakis`` bug for quite a while now - but lets` not loose the perspective here..... All that happened was a couple of rigged elections..... and that was 20 years ago..... it`s high time we got over it...... it`s high time the stupidity of starting a jihad is realized and propagated..... it`s hight time kashmiris realize their mistakes.....

Even while we swear Kashmir as an ‘integral part’ of India, we still hold the people foreign.


It`s them who think they`re not Indians..As far as I`m concerned, there`s always the mecca solution for them...face mecca and start walking..don`t stop until you reach a good place...

#4 by Urstruly on October 31, 2005 12:27pm PT



There are two ways to extiguish a fire:


There`s a third way: Put a jihadi on the fire...instead of a blanket...

It is true that Pakistani Kashmir has been hit very hard. The damage to Jammu and Kashmir is no different from the routine floods that hit numerous parts of the country.
Didn`t 200 people die in the recent rains in Mumbai ? If a cold wave hits Northern India this winter look for a thousand poor souls to freeze to death.

Joe, I think you mean well. However, why would corporate houses such as Reliance, which have provided much of the relief in the past, want to help out in Jammu and Kashmir? Their employees are not safe there, they make no money from the region. Why wold they do anything? Out of the kindness of their hearts? We know that doesn`t happen.
Also, fewer people have died in this earthquake in J and K than in Latur or Gujarat-tragic as it is, Indians are innured to losses of a few thousand.
We are wired to be callous becuse that is how we survive.

Joe Sahib

Though art Jesus re-resurrected.....For, among the mortals, even the Pope feels the pain of Catholics and Christians more than that of others.

Mr. Joe,

What about my rights as a hindu? I feel occupied living in India in the presence of all these muslims and other non-hindus. I want all of them to move out and give me my freedom to live the life of a hindu without any interference of muslim azaan or christian church bells. These other religions are causing me immense suffering and pain and pushing me to the point that I want to blow up bombs and kill my oppressors.

Sir, do you see the fallacy of the above argument in a multi-cultural, multi-religious society like India? Kashmiris need to understand that they are part of that mosaic in India. Their islamic sensiblity means nothing. They have to involve themselves in the national mosaic and participate in India. Then the rest of India will reciprocate.

# 9 Ranger,keep your perverted thoughts to your self .
you are wearing the mask of extremism, like all hindo.
think in terms of humanity rather than greed of kashmir occupation.