Last night I had a significant dream and it was pleasant too. To have a pleasant dream in blood-drenched Kashmir is a wonder if not a miracle; here one can have only nightmares. But you cannot help dreaming as dreaming is an involuntary process. That is why it is not a cognizable offence under any human or divine law. It is not a punishable offence even in Kashmir.

I dreamt myself in 1947 and saw Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Jawaharlal Nehru in very serious conversation. Jinnah proposed to Nehru that both of them should agree to leave the independent state of Jammu and Kashmir as it is. “Let us not disturb these poor, simple people. Their ruler, Hari Singh, is a native of Jammu and Kashmir and he has already taken some significant measures towards gradually ushering in the democratic order. The electoral process has begun and some elected members have already entered the assembly.” After considerable reluctance and dilly-dallying, the Hamlet of India concurred.

And then a strange scenario began to unfold before my eyes – a panorama of hope and promise – sunny, glittering, blessed, heartening. Three states began to develop simultaneously in an atmosphere of good-will, co-operation and harmony – India, Pakistan and the Republic of Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmir became the hub of international tourism. Investors – particularly from India and Pakistan – began to generously invest in the Republic. The markets were full of Indian and Pakistani goods as well as articles from other countries. As one walked through the bazaars one could feast one’s eyes on Pakistani cloth, rice, sugar and mountain salt on one hand and Indian computers, cars, buses and machines on the other hand. In addition to their own channels, Kashmiris watched both Indian and Pakistani T.V. channels although Indian films were more popular. Exchange of books and magazines and newspapers existed among all the three states. Similarly, there was free trade among all the three states and J&K was the greatest beneficiary. Kashmiri fruit, saffron, woolen cloth, arts and crafts and many other products were big foreign exchange earners for Kashmir. Kashmiris could travel freely to either of the two dominions. Some of them studied in the Universities of Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad while others chose to study at Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata. They had their trade centres and shops in the major cities of both the countries.

War was unknown. Three bloody wars were not fought. Pakistan was not dismembered. Thousands and thousands of people were not decimated. Extremely fabulous and uncountable amounts of money – the blood of the common man, the tax-payer – were not frittered away on the production of arms and ammunition. Forgetting their poor and starving millions, India and Pakistan did not divert their resources to produce lethal nuclear weaponry. Instead the tax-payer’s money was spent for the happiness and betterment of the tax-payer.

Terrorism was not known because there was no reason for it to exist. Since the three Republics lived in harmony and none wanted to dominate and exploit others, mistrust and suspicion did not bedevil their relationship. None of them conspired to harm others. Kashmir was actually a paradise – not a hell, dubbed paradise. No section of the Kashmiri population – regardless of religion or ethnicity – lived in fear, insecurity and disadvantage nor were Kashmiris killed like worms or deprived of their hearths and homes. Instead of the Kashmiri diaspora, we had Kashmiris spread in all parts of the world as ambassadors of love and peace – practicing medicine and engineering and pursuing trade.

The panorama was still in the process of unfolding when all of a sudden I woke up.

Opening my eyes I asked myself: “Can’t this dream – at least the implementable part of it – be still translated into reality in a gradual process!”             

Lastupdate on : Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST