Kashmir (The problem state):
While boarding on a rather dangerous adventurous trip to Kashmir a song that I recently heard was constantly humming in my ears. The song was titles 'Ab ke hum bichade to shaayad kabhi khwabon mein mile' , meaning, 'Now that we are parting, I hope we meet in dreams in the near future' and little did I realize that I was going to experience the embodiment of that song in Kashmir. So, what is this Kashmir that is being talked about so much in the news
Where is it:
It is the bordering state with Pakistan. A meager population and no significant economy to tip the scales it lies on the north west frontier of India. During the division of India into India and Pakistan in 1947 Kashmir remained a point of dispute and it remains unresolved until today. As a result there is no international border out there, just a line of control. To the west of the line of control is POK: Pakistan occupied Kashmir and to the east is IOK: India occupied Kashmir. To the north there is a small COK (China occupied Kashmir), but, for convenience sakes lets ignore that part for now. Historically Kashmir has been predominantly Muslim with a minority Hindu (upper caste) population.
Why its a flash point:
In 1947 when India and Pakistan separated, there was a dispute in four - five princely states on whether they should go into Pakistan or stay with India. Since Pakistan had declared itself a Muslim state, predominantly Muslim regions such as Hyderabad, Kashmir etc were on the decision scale on this issue. While a plebiscite was conducted in Hyderabad, there was no such vote in Kashmir. India's will to take Kashmir was more overwhelming since Nehru (the then prime minister) hailed from the state. He would, at no cost, lose his homeland to the Pakistani's. So, cleverly, India decided that the then Maharajah (who was a hindu) was the head of state and also unilaterally decided that he would have the authority to speak for the Kashmiri peoples. Obviously, the king was on the Indian side and annexed Kashmir into India. I would guess that the special amendment that gave Kashmir pseudo-independence was part of a deal brokered between India and the muslim leaders, so, they would stay in India. This deal gave no rights for India citizens to buy property in Kashmir !!! This was very baffling at the time as well, but, then that was the only resort for Nehru to gain Kashmir.
The 1990's:
In the 1990's when political tensions flared between India and Pakistan, the Pakistani government intentionally infiltrated the borders of Indian occupied Kashmir. They smuggled arms into fanatic jehadi territories and posed as friends of the Kashmiri people. The Pakistani governments support to the Kashmiri people was public and overwhelming. Even today, American arms are systematically smuggled into Afghanistan and then into places like Pakistan or Chechnya for instance. Bin laden and co are its biggest buyers. The black market for American arms is wide, expanded and out in the open. At times the arms they get are more sophisticated and newer than the ones with the armed forces. At this time, the highly educated elite Hindu Brahmins (upper caste people) of the region held all the high governmental and non-governmental positions. They were wealthy and were the self proclaimed elite of the region. This led to hatred for Hindu's in the region. The Kashmiri muslim youth was not sufficiently employed and the special status given to Kashmiris lead to their increased isolation from India. Elements from the Pakistani society found this as a great political agenda for elections. Their Indian counterparts responded in being. As it became an ego issue, the thoughts of Kashmiri people were ignored and a proxy battle between India and Pakistan began in Kashmir. Kashmir was in unrest as militancy increased with the call to freedom. At times the Kashmiris were divided between independence and seceding into Pakistan. They were unsure about the treatment they will be meted out if they actually joined Pakistan. The Indian armed forces went in full swing and crushed the insurgency in about 5 years time spending close to $ 1 MM a day on sustaining the army there. I was in Kashmir in 1992 when bombs were bursting everywhere and there was a shootout everyday, but, with my college brain and friends decided to return without getting to Srinagar, the capital city. In this time, all the Hindu's in Kashmir were murdered or forced to flee causing the most unwritten exodus from Srinagar into India.
How was it now:
When we decided to tour the area we were told by all the tour companies that they take about 8-9 tours to the state every day. We were inspired by this figure and since there was no major insurgency going on, decided to venture in. From the time we landed, there was a feeling of arid strangeness about the place. You could clearly recognize that this region had been through so much. There we no tour companies that we could see at that time. At the hotels that we stayed, people told us that they had been occupied by the army for 10-12 years when the insurgency was at its peak. At times, the hotels had also had shootouts and attacks due to the same reason. The visible scars onthe amenities in the rooms showed the kind of wear and tear that a war torn ravaged area shows. There were troops everywhere. Every soldier was heavily armed with an automatic weapon and/ or assault weapon. The conspicuous presence of the soldiers was both comforting and unnerving. It was a grim reminder to us that fighting can break out here anytime. I talked with one of the soldiers in one marketplace and asked him about insurgency and his response was that nothing had happened there since they were taking 'care' of the people. He, in fact, pointed me to this middle-aged man sitting in a cafe nearby and told me that in the next few weeks he was going to dissapear in the near jungles as he had gone overseas for training. (Pakistan for insurgent activity and financing).
We also had to pick the best day to land in Kashmir. Oct 27th, the commemoration of the Indian army's arrival in the state. This was celebrated by the armed forces and a total strike was called by the people. From a nature perspective, Kashmir has the charm of an untouched landscape. The volcanic Himalayan mountains are pristine with clear glacier water flowing through them. Global warming has also affected some of the glaciers as they have melted to move away from the foothills. As a result one has to climb a little to get a glimpse of them. The three cities we visited were wonderful from a photographers angle. The people we met were subdued and fatigued. Almost all the people I talked with (openly) wanted independence from India. Through years of struggle and poverty and a decade of military suppression and aggression, the people's resolve had only grown stronger.
The love and hate relationship:
The Kashmiri people want Indian imports of apple, saffron & wool, the three primary produce of Kashmir. They also want the indian economy to pour in tourism dollars into the state and yet they don't want to be part of India. The mind is at battle with the heart.
The Iraq analogy:
In many ways the Kashmir situation is like the Iraq for the US. The army cannot leave a disabled state and risk years of their work go to waste let alone let the insurgents win. The army cannot stay forever and spend tax dollars without result. The situation is a bad quagmire of the worst kind.
The solution:
The solution according to me is very simple. It's not as complicated as clashing ego's might claim to be. 'Leave Kashmir'. Let is get its independence. How difficult was it for the USSR to split. If states behave like independent entities, its time for mature societies to part ways. An independent Kashmir will be treated like an orphan by Pakistan and India will put an embargo on tourism and imports. The Indian economy is bustling so much that tourists prefer Switzerland anyways. The mountaneous north also offers similar attractions which are now thronged by tourists. In other words, India will not miss Kashmir for any reason since they can surely live without saffron, wool or scenic mountains. An independent Kashmir will die within months without India as Pakistan has increasingly moving towards complete millitary anarchy under musharraf.
Me:
Im an atheist and a non-nationalist. To me, all faith is blind faith in obsolete values and virtues that are negotiable and unsustainable in the modern world the foundations to which are crumbling with education and the realization that science always sufficiently contradicts the miracle believers. Lines drawn in sand that constitute international borders are nothing but that... lines drawn in sand and lets not forget that. They are just 'LINES DRAWN in SAND' with our own hands. There are no nations in this world. These are politically created entities for rule of law and nothing else is the truth. Arguments on faith and disputes on land end with peace no matter how long they might continue or how many people have to die in the midst. So, why try to get along.
