As the Lok Sabha elections have ended the biggest questionwhich everyone seems to be asking is who would be the next Prime Minister ofIndia? Will it be Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi or someone else? It can beanyone among them.
It seems that all of us have forgotten when Kashmir accededto India, late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, preferred India over Pakistan at thatpoint of time also Jawahar Lal Nehru was the Prime Minister of India andMuhammad Ali Jinnah was the Prime Minister of Pakistan. In 1947 itself Kashmirchose Nehru over Jinnah then why there is so much of hue and cry about whowould be the next Prime Minister of India? It can be Modi, Gandhi, Yadav, Gowdaor someone else. So it should hardly make any difference for the people ofKashmir and the mainstream leaders in the Valley. Kashmiris long ago havechosen a secular country over a Muslim nation.
Separatists in the Valley are of the opinion that lateSheikh Abdullah committed a “mistake” by going with India rather than Pakistanand this “wrong should be undone” by holding plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir.The developments which have taken place during the past 30-years have provedthat separatists have pushed Kashmir towards the path of destruction as the gunculture has consumed innumerable lives and has led to Kashmir turning into agraveyard. New Delhi has completelyruled out the plebiscite as an option as people sitting there are of theopinion that Kashmir has been settled long back and no further talks can beheld over it with anyone. Delhi has been pursuing this policy for a longtimeand it has not changed despite Prime Ministers changing after every five years.
Kashmir leaders and the civil society need to sit back andintrospect what they have achieved during the past 30-years. During all theseyears discourse in Kashmir has revolved around India and Pakistan. No one haseven thought about Kashmir and its people. It’s high time for the leaders toput their act at place and put Kashmir first.
The ones who have been advocating Kashmir’s merger withPakistan should open their eyes and think responsibly. They need to askthemselves what they have achieved by preaching separatism and by raising greenflags in Kashmir. We are all aware about the fact that Kashmir is laggingbehind in every field and the three decade long conflict has taken a heavy tollon our younger generation. We need to spare our youngsters and should allowthem to achieve their dreams rather than pushing them towards the quagmire ofuncertainty. If we keep on harping aboutKashmir being an issue we will end up pushing yet another generation towardsthe wall.
Kashmiri mainstream leaders during all these years have justlooked towards New Delhi and today also they are looking towards the nationalcapital. They are anxiously waiting for the results of the Lok Sabha elections.They need to take a cue from the leaders like Mamta Banerjee, Chandrababu Naiduand others. They have never looked towards Delhi and have worked relentlesslyfor their people. These leaders despite having no support from the Centre haveensured that progress and development doesn’t stop in their states and theycarry forward their agenda. History stands testimony to the fact that people inIndia don’t vote for caste, colour of religion. They vote for the person, whodelivers and resolves the issues confronting them.
However, in Kashmir the leaders seek votes on the name ofAzadi and Pakistan. They believe that by showing green flags and repeating thatKashmir has to be resolved they can befool the people forever. Another wrongnotion which Kashmiri politicians have is that no government in Jammu andKashmir could be formed without the ashirwaad of New Delhi. Had these leaderstried to be independent they could have challenged anyone. How many times theyneed to be told that power lies with the people, whom they claim to represent,and not the ones who sit in the national capital. Our leaders need to be strongand should start believing in themselves rather than waiting for external helpeither from Islamabad or New Delhi. It has to be Kashmir first and nothingelse.
(The writer is a Former Journalist & member of JK YouthAlliance)