Why do Indians want to keep Kashmir as part of their country ??
As a Kashmiri Muslim I am now strongly seeing the argument in favor of Kashmir being part of the Republic of India and maintaining peace and increasing prosperity in the valley and getting the Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homes. Infact I now feel that all of POK, Gilgit and Baltistan needs to be brought under India. India is very right in saying that the fragmentation and partition of India ended in 1947 and there can be no more compromises when it comes to the unity or integrity of India. India will not part with anymore territory to appease anyone. We lost part of Kashmir in 1962 to the Chinese aggression and that was the last time we lost land. Since I was a little boy growing up in Kashmir, I was devoutly Islamic and visited all the shrines of pirs in Kashmir and I was also very much affected by the insurgency and the constant clamor for “Azadi”. I have seen some of the excesses which Indian troops in Kashmir have committed while stationed in Kashmir. I have seen the fierce protests and stone throwing and the teargassing and lathi-charging and the firing which killed many Kashmiri youth and further alienated the people of Kashmir. I have seen all of it. We want to tell the Indian security forces to really tone down their harsh treatment of protesting Kashmiris because it only serves to further alienate the Kashmiri people. There are many non-lethal ways of quelling protests. Initially I was very much influenced by people all around me who had taken to militancy and favored Kashmir joining Pakistan vehemently. Over the last 10 years I have studied this situation very deeply and feel that there can be no peace in the valley even if Pakistan gets hold of Kashmir. I say this because many of the Pakistan-sponsored militants especially the ones who are part of the (Lashkar E Tayyaba) that, we ran into said that Kashmir is only a stepping stone into the vast subcontinent that is India. They talked of endless Jihad till the whole of India is subdued and brought under the banner of Islam. They said that Kashmir will only open the door for further conquest and their appetite for conquering India will only increase after Kashmir is occupied by Pakistan. They kept repeating the following phrase: Kashmir… ke baad Himachal aur phir Punjab. Punjab ke baad Haryana aur phir Dilli. Kashmir ke baad, Dilli dooor nahi ! I was appalled by all this crazy talk and idiotic planning. Does this mean that Kashmir will become another Afghanistan with endless fighting, endless destruction and endless dying ? I am still devoutly Islamic, but I do not agree at all with this concept of endless Jihad. We Kashmiris have been Muslims for close to 700 years and before that we were Hindus and Buddhists. This is a fact. We believe in Kashmiriyat which is based on tolerance and co-opting and accepting people of different faiths in our State. There are Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims (Both Shias and Sunnis) who call Kashmir their home. We cannot say that Kashmir belongs only to the Muslims in the same way Indians cannot say that India belongs only to the Hindus. By and by I have come to realize that these militants just want to fight for this narrow interpretation of Islam and die for it. Nothing else motivates them. They do not want to build institutions or create value or live and see their future generations grow and thrive. They do not want to educate themselves, gain employment and widen their world-view. They do not want to improve their lives and the lives of others.. There are so many things which can receive a fillip in the valley and the rest of the state if this militant-backed insurgencey ends. All these militants believe in is endless wars to be fought to bring about the whole subcontinent under the banner of Islam. You cannot fight a Jihad against a billion people and win. I then seriously began to doubt their sanity ! Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said: “Our Religion is very easy for the righteous to follow and whoever overburdens himself in this religion and burdens others because of it, will never be able to continue in that manner. So you should never be extremists, but try to attain perfection in your own lives and I give you the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by doing good deeds and worship him (The Almighty) first in the morning, and last at night” Our revered Prophet (PBUH) also said: “The best among you is the one who does not cause hurt or harm to others with his words or deeds” Apart from Islamic studies, I began to study world history in the 20th Century and also studied the history of the Second World War because it was the most life-destroying conflict of the last century. I saw parallels between the mindset of the Pak Army and the Nazi mindset. The Nazis completely underestimated the territorial size of Soviet Russia and also Russia’s population when they violently initiated their large scale and adventurous military campaign against Russia in June 1941. Soviet Population in 1941 was 196,716,000 - Close to 200 million. Nazi Germany and the part of Europe she occupied was around 140 million. Germany itself had a population of around 83 million. Soviet territory was several times the size of Nazi occupied Europe. The Nazi war-machine was the most formidable war-machine the world had seen till then, it had experienced only victory after victory in Poland, Northern and Western Europe, North Africa and the Balkans. Still… What was the outcome of the Nazi’s fantastic dream of conquering Russia ? In the end, in 1945, Nazi Germany was completely destroyed and the evil leader of that revisionist-rogue-state committed suicide in the ruins of the capital Berlin which was overrun by Russian troops. Moscow was a 1000 miles from Berlin, yet Berlin was besieged and destroyed in the final battle. The distance between Islamabad and the Indian border is less than 200 miles and Punjab which is considered to be the heart of Pakistan lies exposed like a bare chest on India’s Western border which can be very easily and swiftly penetrated by Indian armoured divisions… Three of which are poised to strike hard and deep on India’s Western border in the states of Rajasthan and Indian-Punjab. This is something for the Pak Army Generals to ponder…. If 1 billion Indian people get angry, aroused and mobilize on a gigantic scale for a final showdown with Pakistan , Pakistanis will find it very tough to defend their country from Kargil to Kutch. If a military confrontation occurs, then their country will fold up in two weeks and this could also make the subcontinent a nuclear flashpoint. If such a scenario unfolds then the Pakistanis will be known as the people who provoked a nuclear war and also destroyed their country simultaneously. Pakistan’s army and their ISI sponsored proxies need to realize this fast. The people of India have been patient so far but their patience is wearing thin and we Kashmiris fear that our territory will become a worse war zone than it already is. It could become another Afghanistan and we do not want it to become another Afghanistan. India does not send militants into Tibet to attack and provoke Chinese forces in Tibet, like Pakistan is doing to India in Kashmir, despite Indians having a cultural and religious affinity with Tibetans. I believe that the Pakistani generals of the Pak Army as well as the elite in that country are the greatest megalomaniacs the world has ever known after the Nazis. Not only that, Pakistan’s army is nothing in comparison to the gigantic war-machine, the Indian army, navy and air-force constitute. They have lost almost all their wars with India and even lost East Pakistan during the last major conflict with India which ended in a crushing defeat and surrender of 93,000 Pak army personnel in a lightning campaign which lasted less than two weeks. Yet they have a perpetual - revisionist-Islamist agenda in the subcontinent which is nothing but a fatal dream - fatal for their own country and bothersome for the entire subcontinent. If you look at Pakistani history text books which students in their country study in high-school, you will realize this in a blinding flash… There is very brief mention of the Indus Valley civilization, —a big and poignant gap— almost like a mighty chasm in the pages of history — like a deliberate and foolhardy attempt at state-directed amnesia — and then the glorious arrival of Muhammed Bin Qasim who conquers Sindh for Islam followed by detailed mention of the Muslim history of the subcontinent and then a detailed description of the separatist Pakistan movement or Tehreek-e-Pakistan in the 1940s and a detailed biography of their infallible leader- Quaid-e-Azam. There is absolutely no mention of the Mauryas, Guptas, Rajputs or Sikhs or even Gandhi’s non violent struggle against the British. When educated Pakistanis remember what their history books taught them in high school and then look for answers on the internet, I am sure they curse the people who wrote their history textbooks. The elite in that country and the Pak-army think that they are the standard bearers of Islam and that Pakistan is the fort of Islam. …Their version of Islam…that is… They try their best to propagate this belief to the masses in Pakistan also. They believe it is their manifest destiny to turn all of India into an Islamic state and that it will be a walk in the park to bring about this change. They think they are superior, more handsome and more manly and better soldiers when compared to Indians when the truth is that India has surpassed Pakistan in all areas by many miles in the past 10 years. The common rational-man/woman in Pakistan does not share this virulent ideology which is prevalent in the Pak Army and the various Islamic-militant proxies that they sponsor. I have seen many Pakistani talk shows where many educated and pragmatic Pakistanis say that converting the LOC to become a permanent border is the best thing which can come out of this situation. If we examine the reality of the situation dispassionately, here are the facts: India is clearly the bigger, stronger and more populous nation. No one can dispute this fact that it is also a status-quo power. It has immense reserves of able, young and educated manpower. With 400 million 18-24 year-olds, India has the world’s largest youth populationdespite having a smaller population than China. In fact no country in this world can take on countries like Russia because of its vast size, or China or India because of their gigantic populations and win a war against them. India is much stronger economically, education wise, militarily, politically and Indians win more medals at the Olympics, Asian Games and Common Wealth Games than Pakistanis. India is also well represented in other sports like Chess and Hockey. Internationally India is recognized as a growing economic and military - status-quo power which wants to maintain a peaceful environment in the subcontinent. Indians now have a better standard of living and they live in a less restrictive and affluent environment. Indians are free to travel anywhere in the world without any VISA restrictions and are involved in creative pursuits where ever they are present. Their women have more opportunities in terms of education and jobs and many are free to choose their life partners. There is more freedom of thought in India and Indians are receptive to different kinds of ideas from everywhere. Religion alone does not dominate the way they think or look at the outside world. The mainstream Indian media never fails to promote successful Muslim-citizens of India, to the skies, nor do Muslims in India lack any opportunities for education, growth or advancement in life in any field: Be it sports, academia, arts or culture. The Indian cricket team is much better than the Pakistani cricket team and were world champions in 2011. The security situation in Pakistan right now is so bad that no one wants to visit that country as a tourist and no international sports event is held in that country. Compared to Pakistan, India is infinitely more peaceful, and the potential and the capacity for growth is just immense. The opportunities are correspondingly immense for the individual citizen in India who can be anything he wants to be and pursue any dream he wants to pursue. We Kashmiris have seen the vastness, diversity and beauty of India and those of us who have traveled far and wide using the Indian railways, within India can tell you about it. Pakistan has a population of just around 190 million and want to take on an India with a population of 1 billion which is more than 5 times their size ? India’s land area is 4 times the size of of their country and the Pakistani General staff think they can conquer India and their foreign office thinks that they can make India do their bidding using diplomatic pressure. They also think that they can influence world opinion against India when the truth is that such an effort will always end in utter failure. Moreover, Pakistanis are fighting a civil war with their Talibanized countrymen and hundreds of their minorities as well as army men are dying everyday due to terror attacks by fundamentalists in that country and yet despite all this, fundamentalists who are gaining control in their country have this ultimate goal of conquering all of India. What foolish dreams they have !! Pakistan will be totally self-destruct if they continue to pursue these idiotic dreams against India. This could happen in the next five years if Pakistanis push their luck too hard. Consequently, I see it is just a total waste of life, time and resources by millions of Kashmiris to continue to think that Pakistan is their savior or their … Manzil-e-Murad. Our future lies with India ….. Peace is assured when we are with India.. The Muslim majority of the valley and some other parts of Kashmir will not be compromised if we are with India. Our lifestyle or religious practices will not change if we are with India nor are there any travel restrictions on us Kashmiris within India. India offers a bigger and brighter canvas or screen to indulge in our creative pursuits, whatever they may be. We Kashmiris can not only be the authors of new ideas but can also be assured that they will receive a wider acceptance and backing in India. We just need to make sure that Pakistani sponsored militants from across the border do not come over and tell us how to think and what to do with our lives or intimidate those who have a different opinion or agenda from theirs. We are the captains of our own destiny and we will not squander our precious lives and the lives of our children for the evil cause which Pakistan wants to pursue. And I state this very emphatically… and again … that our future lies with India - as part of the Republic of India. There are many mis-leaders who are misleading the Kashmiris like SAS Geelani and other separatists in the Hurriyat. SAS Geelani is now keeping moderate health thanks to the treatment he receives from Indian Doctors and gets the best treatment in Indian hospitals in Delhi as well as Mumbai. We Kashmiris need to totally jettison the idea of confronting India and we need to become part and parcel of this great and growing nation which is the next super-power in the Subcontinent. We want to jettison Islamic-Supremacism, Islamic-Separatism and Islamic-Fundamentalism since these ideologies will do us no good but only bring us further bloodshed, misery and uncertainty We Kashmiris now see that the above three ideologies feed each other in a vicious cycle of insecurity, aloofness, violence and terror. First come the Islamic Supremacists who insist that Muslims cannot live as a minority in a Hindu-or-non-believer-majority country or live amiably with their countrymen who may follow a different faith. This has been proved to be a patently false, very crude and narrow-minded notion which is always propounded by only the insecure and the uneducated Muslims or by Muslims who insist they are educated but are missing basic human values. Today SAS Geelani is a proponent of this false idea. It has been established that in India or in any other country, decent Muslims who are good and responsible citizens of the state always live decent and good lives, even as minorities and enjoy all the benefits and rights which a full fledged democracy confers on them automatically. In 1947, the most educated, self-confident and respected Muslim in India was Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who was an expert in both Urdu and Persian, who could write beautiful poetry, was born in Mecca and had studied Islam more thoroughly and profoundly than his contemporaries. We all know that Maulana Azad supported vociferously the idea of a UNITED INDIA using all the right arguments. The contributions which Maulana Azad made to India as education minister were huge. His contribution towards establishing the education foundation in India is recognized by celebrating his birthday as “National Education Day” across India. The good and broad education we give to our children in India today automatically lays the foundations for a stronger India tomorrow. The most insecure Muslim in India at the same time, was Mohammed Ali Jinnah who dressed and spoke like an English-man, lived in England for long years before returning to India and ate and drank like them, most of his speeches to his constituents were in British accented English and not Urdu. All he succeeded in doing was to misled those unfortunate Muslims of India who believed in him and followed him to a wilderness of poverty, hate and vicious-violence which has been the norm in Pakistan since 1947. Jinnah lived a mere 13 months after Pakistan was formed and his contribution to the new state AFTER it was formed was zero. I have personally seen that Islamic Supremacism always leads to Islamic Separatism and even after the Islamic Separatists have achieved their goal, there is no real peace, since Islamic Separatists always morph into Islamic-Fundamentalists who relentlessly attack innocent minorities in their country and also attack each other in their dimwitted and bloody effort to prove - who is a more pious Muslim. Looking at what is happening in Pakistan today, we Kashmiris are assured that we will have no peace if Kashmir ever gets annexed by Pakistan. We Kashmiris are absolutely tired of fighting and dying for a cause which is like chasing a mirage in a desert. We need to be realistic, pragmatic and drink the water which India wants to pour into our vessels …. instead of chasing a mirage which Pakistan is falsely promising and making us sacrifice our lives in the thousands for nothing… We want Kashmir to remain part of the Republic of India.
Kashmir Issues
Tarigami is a Communist leader from Kashmir, I am pretty sure that he prefers that Kashmir be with India given the current situation in Pakistan. He also supports the appeal that innocent Kashmiri citizens should not bear the brunt of the Army if the militants constantly attack our Army. We need to differentiate between militants and ordinary Kashmiris and target only the militants. Making the LOC non-porous and preventing militants from Pakistan from seeping into Kashmir will go a long way in maintaining peace in Kashmir. He is also opposed to cross border firing and the hardships it causes Kashmiris on both sides of the border.
Theres an ancient shloka: Yato Dharmas tado Jayah.. Where there's virtue, theres's victory. It took time for many Kashimiris to understand where the real virtue is. Pakistan, has become a land of terror, voilence, nuinsance. Such evil can never win against virtue. "Though evil forces seem to be invincible at a point... But at the end, they all lose!" -Mahatma Gandhi. This happened before too, when West Pakistan tried tortured East Pakistan (Bangladesh) for no particular reason, just to prove their linguistic supremacy over them. They sent militant troops for killing all educated bengalis, raped the women and children of that peacful land tried to overrule them with their terror. But as it is said, 'yado dharmas tado jayah..' Those bengalis were not wrong. They were destined to win, and pakistan was destined to lose. And out of nowhere India helped those armless poor Bangladeshis. Bangladesh was formed, and pakistan lost a big time... (puppy shame before the entire world). Yes, India is and always on the side of peace. India will win, as always, out of nowhere!
I'm just curious then, what are your thoughts about Article 370? Do you believe it should continue to exist to give Kashmir a special status with its own constitution. Or should it be removed and Kashmir fully integrated into the Union of India? How important is Article 370 to the average Kashmiri today?
Article 370 should be amended a bit, so that Indian investors who want to open companies or manufacturing units in Kashmir can do so after special approval by a panel of Kashmiris. These can be opened in the towns of Srinagar, and some other towns like Kishtwar Doda and Balhar which lie in the South of Kashmir But at the same time we cannot allow flood gates to open. We want companies like Mahindra, Reliance, Infosys and Tata Motors etc to open branches and training centers in towns of Kashmir. This will provide education as well as open up employment opportunities for youth. We also want to introduce modern technology to helps carpets and shawls faster. We cannot continue with this silly argument: "Kashmir is disputed territory" and no development can be allowed there. That is essentially a statement from Pakistan which is being quoted and re-quoted ad-nauseum.
First came across such a detailed logical response on Kashmir from a Kashmiri, may be long but worth knowing the mindset of an educated one from the present generation who has been exposed to the extreme ideologies as well and having the discrimination to have one's own perspective rather than following blindly a soothsayer.
i love you man!!! just superb we indians welcome you with all our heart lets live in peace and prosper grow improve. pakistan wishes to overpower india india will overpower the world soon not by destruction but as the biggest economy best country to live in best environment to grow and prosper and if kashmiri issue is solved by the great people like you we could do this very soon. i wish i could give the kashmiri government in a logical realistic person like you. thank you it was a extreme pleasure reading your ideas and views. india is secular not because its constitution says so.... we indians are secular because its in our blood and by nature we are secular. proud to say that indian muslims are our brothers.
I always wanted this type of answer. Not because of pro India but seeing the logic in staying with India. I do agree with you that Indian Security forces should tone down their approach in dealing with separatists and potential terrorists.
Unfortunately 90 % people in Kashmir do not understand this and are still fighting for the cause of Azadi..they have been blinded by faith and do not understand what is right and wrong. When faith bilnds you there is no comeback.Now some fanatics would even question if you are a Kashmiri Muslim or not. They will say you are fake and blah blah. The fact is the future of Kashmir lies in being a part of India. For those who want to be a part of Pakistan please pack your stuff and get the hell of out India.We do not need you here and forget about Kashmir. Kashmir has always been and will always be a part of India.
So many Muslim kashmiris live all over India. I met one in far south Madurai, by the Meenakshi temple. His whole livelihood is dependent on the temple. He is a proud kashmiri and a prouder Indian. I was amazed that he found Tamil nadu as much home as Kashmir.
You have spoken straight to the point with perfect logic. One does not need to go too far to understand what Pakistan can offer and what India can. If one crosses the LOC, they can see vast Universities spread across Pakistan Occupied Kashmir with Bachelor's Degree in promoting killing. Young minds being brainwashed to kill innocents. There is no talk of peace or friendship, but only murder and suicide bombing.
Really deserve a standing applause. Lot of respect you have gone though each and every aspect some people fail to express those things and i would like to add few more things India is country for all religions and Muslims do live in each and every part of this country and i don't see any discrimination and he has an equal opportunity. Kalam Sir was President of India its a top post of nation and he is our super man we admire a lot. Thanks for enlightning me.
I liked your argument to the hilt because not only does it enshrine the best teachings of Islam but also the voice of sanity. The day all Kashmiris understand this, will be the day when all Kashmiris will be re writing the destiny of their future generations. And that destiny shall be progressive, peaceful and full of harmony, glory and prosperity. Please spread it to others. Evil doesn't beget peace but starts endless and uncontrollable chain of ominous events. From your example of Hitler, the biggest ever Jewish holocaust was put into effect not by Germans alone but also abetted by covert or overt support of all major powers of the world at that time. The result of such evil deed is what the world is still reaping not only in the conflicts between Israel and the Arab states in middle east but also in providing fuel for radicalization of Islam for decades . Just imagine if only Jews were not persecuted and driven off their homes in second world war, no Israel would have been born. The world could have done without the legacy of violence in middle east. Lesson learnt is, that ethnic cleansing based on misconceived sense of superiority of one race, one religion, one community, one culture over another will never do any good, either to the perpetrator or the world. Thanx for writing what you wrote..
Excellent thoughts, we need to change with time and look forward to what is best for people, the change is happening right now. India as a country is very liberal and we welcome all religions and foreigners and respect them too but dont take us as naive as we have zero tolerance for nonsense. Now that the things are changing slowly with youth and the political parties, we should think more of global ties and let not religion divide us further... once a mistake is enough for history books.
It’s time to shed this anonymity brother! I know why you do it but this fight against religious conservative-supremacist ideology needs people like you and me to come out in the open. It confuses both the Hindu and the Islamic supremacists.
If Kashmir wants true progress, it has to find a solution in a “secular” state. Religious states (theocracies) cannot progress in the 21st century due to their inherent patriarchal, intolerant, self righteous, unscientific way of governance. India is Kashmir’s best bet at a stable and progressive future. Cheers brother! :)
My kudos to the anonymous author for such a detailed response on the Kashmir problem! I am of the opinion that the whole idea of dividing British India along religious lines was flawed! An extension of the British 'Divide & Rule' policy. I am disappointed that even Gandhi accepted the partition, having been vehemently against it - he reportedly said that partition will only happen over his dead body! Of course many died in the aftermath of India's independence and the birth of Pakistan (August 15, 1947) not to mention the trauma of the survivors in the border areas; it was totally idiotic in my opinion to create East (now Bangladesh) & West Pakistan as on country separated by India. Only imagine if all were a single nation and making progress to give China a run for the money! Perhaps it is still not too late to have an economic and trading bloc similar to NAFTA or the APAC. May be for now the LOC as a permanent border and get rid of the military involvement on both sides with an international peacekeeping force if necessary will be a good start!
This is my first comment ever added for an answer and I'm happy about it…
My experience with Kashmiris as my room mate for 2 years in Bangalore made me realise how truthful, polite and god fearing people they are…
One day, I wish all Kashmiri’s are united and believes in your same thoughts… if then, not just one Pakistan, even 100 Pakistan cannot move a stone in India
Jai bharat!!!