Union Home Minister must be commended for accepting rather candidly that upper-echelons of the government have no time or inclination to strive for peace in Kashmir. Probably they believe that peace has already prevailed in Kashmir?  P Chidambaram during his monthly press briefing was posed a question that when ‘Cabinet Committee for Security (CCS) would meet to discuss the important issues related to Kashmir? This is the way how Home Minister responded to the question; “I wish I knew as to when will the CCS meet on these issues”.
For some time now Kashmir is not anymore producing banner headlines like those of ten killed twenty injured, a daily routine during the heydays of militancy.  Militant infiltration across the borders has dwindled; Pakistan is too occupied with plethora of grave problems threatening even its very existence. Militant movement stands by and large contained and the Kashmir problem in the international forums is now categorised merely as a bilateral dispute.  In an atmosphere of fear and intimidation the peaceful mass uprisings too has been reduced to sighs and whispers. The resistance leadership also stands fully exposed. The throng of leaders whether moderate or paper-tiger hardliners find themselves totally discredited not only in Kashmir but in Delhi and Islamabad as well. Meanwhile millions of tourists flock Kashmir and thousands vie for a small post of a Sarpunch in keenly contested elections, has helped to cast a scenario of artificial peace.  In nauseating dehumanising conditions the morbid conflict in Kashmir has been reduced to (simply) an Indo-Pak territorial dispute.  In such a backdrop why the rulers of Delhi (unnecessarily) should waste their precious little time while deliberating Kashmir?
  For any normal person or society, longing for peace is the uppermost innate desire, everything else.  It’s not a philosophical discourse even struggle for Azadi is basically driven by a desire in search of a permanent peace.  In case peace has really arrived we should never crave for a conflict again. Has peace really arrived and we conflict blind are unable to sense the tranquilly? Have we really become insane that we cannot tolerate the atmosphere of peace and prosperity?  Have we really become hostage to a conflict that we instinctively disdain peace? The existence of a conflict enterprise is a crude reality but still how many in Kashmir will continue to invest in the conflict and not in peace? Instead of a stability how many of us will like to choose political instability?  And if people are happy with all-round development, why should prophets of doom cry hoarse. But where is the peace? And if peace has really dawned, still why this huge void in the minds and soul wrenching pain about to inundate us? Why the warriors occupying the streets and the mind-space have not gone back home?  Why we are still forced to live under the tyranny of unsheathed swards hanging over our heads?  Why this huge shadow of death still overshadows Kashmir? 
May be peace has really arrived? Still why conflict is badly gripping us, and we are fixed in a time and a place. Have we become the attention seekers?  The big-mouthed chatting class of Delhi quite often uncharitably describe that the people of J&K are afflicted with an attention deficit syndrome; “India a country of billion plus and emerging power of the world can’t be expected to devote all the attention all the time to a tiny place like Kashmir”.  Moreover few enterprising media personalities who have built their careers while reporting the conflict in Kashmir even doesn’t hesitate to blame that “people of Kashmir are ridden with a victim mentality”. 
Irrespective of the indignities and taunts hurled at us, our minds are fully occupied and body fettered is badly aching. How these loud-mouthed could feel the pain of a worst suffering, it takes a son, a husband, or a brother to die in a bloody-conflict to feel what a heart-burning pain is. How could the dishonoured patriot brigade in habit of eulogising every crime committed against humanity as an essential act to safeguard the so called national security, visualise profound miseries of the life in a horrible conflict. Do we need to die again, may be in far greater numbers to convince the rulers that we are still not free. Whence the peace is still eluding us, do we need to seek far-greater destruction to have peace? Alas rulers only understand the language of war; they are unable to appreciate the longings of peace. And if every semblance of peace has to be destroyed to seek peace, of what use that peace will be?

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Lastupdate on : Fri, 4 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 4 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 5 May 2012 00:00:00 IST