By Zainab Binti Hassan
For decades Kashmir has been bearing the brunt of partition. Somewhere between the rhetoric of integral part and jugular vein, we lost the real and legal track of resolution, degenerating the dispute into the imbroglio form where recovery is almost impossible. It is really difficult to understand how we got into this quagmire of violence where mad dance of death, trails of blood shedding and forced disappearances altogether suddenly became a new normal and a part of our everyday life.
Everyone among us is concerned as how long shall we dwell in this misery. Frequent closure of educational institutions, gunfights, nocturnal raids and arrests of youth, imprisonment of pro-freedom leaders and stifling of dissent are a ramification of this bloody imbroglio. Every other day Kashmir makes someone’s family to tear their hair and scream and weep in outrage. Our mothers and sisters have for long been bearing the pain of those lost to this unfulfilled agenda of partition.
Gunfights and grenade attacks are occurring every now and then but government is acting blind and deaf. All the way looking at the people begging for their survival astonishes me. For a while I am baffled, thinking if I am living my own life or that of a slave. There have been instances when our scholars lost hope in this system, choosing gun over the pen.
What are the underlying causes that more and more people are turning to militancy and violence?
Well, we don’t give a damn to that and nobody seems to be interested. All the stakeholders including government seem quite fine with the status quo.
At present Article 370 has become their target to propagate fear and strengthen the oppression. We have been hearing this old adage ‘democracy is a form of government of the people, by the people and for the people.’ But when it comes to Kashmiris, democracy disappears into oblivion.
The constitution of this country has given us the right to raise voice against any form of injustice but then why is our voice being stifled.
Kashmir is considered as paradise on Earth then why is it dotted with blood everywhere.
Dignity and security is a myth in Kashmir. Woe betide anyone who thinks Kashmiris can live under occupation and still have a dignified life.
(The writer is pursuing her secondary school education)
