Kashmiris tearing themselves apart

Arun Joshi

Kashmir is tearing itself apart and Kashmiris have jumped onto an oversized ship of self-driven madness, negotiating the rock bottom status of the ever-declining waters of the Jhelum. They are out on a frenzied chase to nearly kill the alleged braid-choppers as if that is an answer to all their self-created problems. In this process, Kashmir is self-destroying itself. 

The Vale is witnessing never-seen-before scenes of savagery. This is an unwelcome addition of a sad chapter to the ongoing history of the place and its people. When mobs seek to burn alive a deranged man and drown another in the waters of the Dal Lake, close to the revered white-marbled shrine of Hazratbal that houses a holy relic of Prophet Mohammad, Kashmir looks a place drawn from the medieval times of extreme savagery.

However, some people rose to ask questions about this mob frenzy. They wondered what had gone wrong in Kashmir. It was a genuine worry. But at the same time, it was an occasion to wonder why there was a deafening silence when soldiers and policemen were tortured by the same set of mobs.

This selective self-introspection is at the root of the trouble that Kashmir is grappling with for the past several decades. 

It is no way of defining the uniqueness: geographical, physical, mental or political. All fingers point out to the whole trouble of an innate tendency of the elderly and young leaders and that of the self-proclaimed conscience-keepers and custodians of Kashmiri intellectualism to invent an imaginary adversary and hunt for that. That is true in their political orientation as well.

In the current spell of mobs taking on anyone with the objective of keeping streets alive with protests has scared everyone. It is surprising the way doctors, psychiatrists and all sane elements have chosen to keep quiet. That is a sin, but no one wants to stick his or her neck out. Any contrarian view is a road to hell. This is where Kashmir has drifted itself.

First, they imagine an adversary, then they hound it – all political groups, intellectuals, writers and society leaders join hands to condemn the phantoms deemed as adversaries. This is a deliberate act to keep the things boiling in the Valley. This is a long-practised exercise where Kashmiri leaders have successfully disrupted peace and corrupted the situation.

It serves two ends – one, it acquires relevance for these accidental leaders; two, they are able to disrupt peace so that there is single-minded attention to their activities. The young generation falls into the trap and leads street protests, facing life-threatening situations.

The government, be it in 2008, 2010 or 2016, is distracted from its task of governance, fuelling further unrest. That completes the cycle of violence in which democracy is replaced with horrifying law and order situations. The government, without any delay, should interact with victims and try to get to the bottom of the problem. It is important for the government to act fast because the whole braid-chopping phenomenon is now linked to “izzat and abroo” (dignity and honour) of Kashmir.

The constituting of a special investigation teams (SIT) has served no purpose when the police itself is being viewed with suspicion. There is a dire need for inspiring leadership with quality ideas. It is also the time for Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to take a call. She must act swiftly. 

It is already too late.