How long shall we be losing precious lives?
Death of a young, charismatic man in his early twenties with a certain extreme ideology triggered a trail of killings! Scores of people who lost their lives after his death were less than thirty years. Aren’t these tragic killings an eye-opener for all stake-holders related to Kashmir conflict directly or indirectly? This is not the first incident of forceful and angry demonstrations in Kashmir. In recent past— year 2008, 2010 more than a hundred people, mostly young Kashmiries were martyred over issues that were not directly related to the basic Kashmir issue. The point is what makes the Kashmiris, particularly the younger people to react so aggressively? Obviously it is deep-rooted anger against a system, political dispensation that they find against their wishes. The situation becomes more complex with unabated exploitation, corruption, nepotism and much more that does not go well with the outlook of young, educated class with world information just a press of a button away. Kashmir and its people have gone a radical change during last thirty years. It is no more a Kashmir or Kashmiri that will swallow down any injustice or coercion so easily. Gone are the days when our elders would submit to any injustice without any resistance. With change in international politics, and social reforms world over Kashmir and its people have maintained a considerable pace with such developments. Moreover, like other parts of the India and world over Kashmiri population at present has more than fifty percent of young people who are below the age of thirty years.Kashmir conflict—more than six decades old festering sore has witnessed many painful political surgeries and military interventions, but nothing substantial has come out of all these misadventures. Two big brothers who opted for separate destinations in 1947 are yet to overcome the partition hangover and often toss their political and soldierly diatribes just to cover up their own political and economic problems back home. This situation of hostility and ego has troubled Kashmir the most. Furthermore, more than two decades unrest and conflict has complicated the situation beyond control and the generations born and grown up during turmoil are the worst hit both socially and politically. Their life is at stake and in deep trouble. Most of political gurus during 50s and 60s of last century were of the opinion that with 1947 manipulations and 1953 political coup followed by unaccounted incentives and freebies Kashmiri people got intoxicated to the level of complete ignorance towards their political rights and promises. But all this fell apart in late eighties and nineties when the progeny of both political exploiters and the exploited Kashmiris came out from decades old political hibernation and made the Kashmir issue lively by one way or the other. Making a big inscription ‘on the wall’ deeper than earlier the whole Kashmiri nation made the world to know about their political aspirations.