Mann Ki Baat?

Soon after getting elected with an extra ordinary mandate in 2014, PM Narendra Modi continues to visit Jammu & Kashmir off and on. Be it celebrating 2014 Diwali with soldiers at Siachan, throwing open Nashri tunnel in Jammu region, or inaugurating Zojila tunnel in Ladakh or formally inaugurating Srinagar Ring Road project recently, Modi is on the move. He believes solution of Kashmir problem lies in development. During his recent Friday sermon at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid Mirwaiz Umar Farooq gave a beautiful suggestion to Mr Narendra Modi . Mirwaiz suggested PM Modi to listen to Mann Ki Baat of Kashmiri people by allowing them to assemble peacefully in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk. People across India have been listening to Modi’s monthly radio address called Mann Ki Baat (a talk from the heart) from last couple of years, how great it would be if Modi ji listens to our Mann Ki Baat ?

Kashmir not a developmental issue

   

Surprised, even after 71 years of India’s independence, Indian leaders keep believing that Kashmir can be addressed through development. Are these leaders befooling their own people or what  ? Are so called Kashmir experts sitting in New Delhi misleading Modi about the real picture of Kashmir & keep advising him to play development card to engage people of  Jammu & Kashmir ? Development is not something new what Modi initiated to lure Kashmiris. Let us go back to the history post 1947. When popular leader of Kashmir and the then Prime Minister of Jammu & Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was arrested in the summer of 1953, New Delhi appointed Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad as new Prime Minister. Congress Govt in New Delhi pumped in huge funds into Jammu & Kashmir during Bakshi’s tenure (1953-1964). Roads, bridges, schools, colleges were established. Medical College, Kashmir University, Civil Secretariat buildings were established. Lot many developmental initiatives were taken during 11 years of Bakshi Raaj. Thousands of people were given Government jobs during 11 years of Bakshi era. The subsidized food grains were introduced during the same time by Government of India. Did the situation change ? No,  in spite of the fact that majority of Kashmiris were illiterate , poverty stricken during that period , New Delhi could not win hearts and minds of Kashmiris with money and development . I must say honestly that this part of Kashmir is much more advanced, educated and prosperous than Pakistani controlled Kashmir (Azad Kashmir). In spite of going through political instability, curfews, hartals, militancy, state repression from last 28 years, our side of Kashmir is still much developed than Pakistani Kashmir. Train from Islamabad to Muzaffarabad is a dream project for people in Azad Kashmir, but this is a reality here in our Kashmir. We can’t find institutions like Kashmir University, Government Medical College , Sher i Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS)  in Muzaffarabad or  Mirpur.  In spite of all these facilities  people in this Kashmir are still not happy with Indian control over Kashmir. This is what PM Modi must understand and try to understand what people in this Kashmir want ? 

Aspirations of Kashmiri youth are totally different from Indian youth. Ours are the children of conflict. Majority of youth are well versed with Kashmir’s political history especially from 1947 onwards. This kind of political acumen we can’t find in Indian or even Pakistani youth. Our youth remember all the days and dates when honour of Kashmiri people was hurt and desecrated right from October 26th 1947 till date. That is the reason why educated youth are picking up guns to kill and get killed. They see no hope as New Delhi never fulfilled its promises made with people of Kashmir.  Whenever any senior political figure from New Delhi visited Kashmir in past , we have greeted them with hartals and civil curfews except on few occasions when Indian Prime Ministers interacted directly with people. One such public interaction was in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk during November 1947 when the then Indian Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru promised  to hold a plebiscite under UN supervision. Another public interaction took place in April 2003 during PDP-Congress Government when PM Vajpayee’s visit generated hope among Kashmiris. The promises made by these leaders were not carried forward.    

Conclusion 

I repeat my words, New Delhi is acting like an Ostrich which has a habit of hiding its head in sand whenever it faces threat. The giant, poor bird is so stupid that it thinks that if it can’t see the problem it will be safe. A person who “acts like an ostrich” is in denial, pretending problems aren’t there, or trying to avoid dealing with the problem hoping it will just go away on its own. From 1947 New Delhi is pretending that there is no problem in Kashmir. Successive Government’s in New Delhi have been  trying to address Kashmir by playing development card in which they have miserably failed. New Delhi is using a wrong medicine for our ailment. This is the right time for PM Modi to listen to our Mann ki Baat and there is no other solution to this long pending dispute…..    

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