When we talk beyond borders the contours of conflict and its resolution invite international ramifications
It is almost two months now; Kashmir and its people are caught in a quagmire of turbulence and unabated violence. People are dying of bullets and pellets and if the situation won’t change, people may die of starvation and disease. Discussing violence gives nothing but pain. However, seeking a justified solution to death and destruction gives you hope. Kashmir, at this point is desperately asking for a peaceful resolution of every conflict to the best satisfaction of its stake holders within the frame work of natural justice and equality. It has to be an out of box resolution where every stake holder including people of Kashmir has to cooperate.
By the time these lines will reach to readers an all-party delegation of parliamentarians will be busy in finding a way-out to ongoing cycle of violence and try to gauge the anger of Kashmiri people. Kashmir issue is an old festering sore and the present visit of parliamentarians is second after 2010 unrest. Lot more promises were made in 2010. Most important assurance was visit and subsequent recommendations of interlocutors. Irrespective of quality and reliability of interlocutors’ report these recommendations were never put in motion and people of Kashmir were certainly not taken into confidence regarding fate of these recommendations. True believer of optimism! If less is mentioned about earlier promises and betrayals, better it will prove for future. As most of the politicians irrespective of their affiliation on either side of the border and within Kashmir have accepted the fact that Kashmir is baggage of partition, so it requires a compassionate and considerate application of mind from cool heads rested on strong shoulders. It requires a selfless approach, where decisions should be made with application of strong minds, not the egoistic hearts. During last seven decades instead of resolving Kashmir issue with courage its stake holders always got intoxicated with hatred and animosity that has its roots in 1947 painful saga of partition. And Kashmiris, the real sufferers were always left to lick their painful wound of deprivation. Kashmir people on either side of the much talked about line of control could never enjoy the privilege of patient hearing; instead they faced brunt of several egoistic wars and frequent cruel admonishing laden with hyped nationalism. Anyway, when we talk beyond borders the contours of conflict and its resolution invite international ramifications and for that a much bigger and wider forum is required.
Back to visit of all part delegation, its mandate and prospects of success in breaking the ice that gets thicker with every passing day. Many people have pleaded invoking doctrines of humanity, democracy and Kashmiri nationalism (Insaniyat, Jamhuriyat aur Kashmiriyat) while considering Kashmir issue. If these three codes of compassion are interpreted and applied in real sense without any hangover of egoistic nationalism, not only the ice of stubbornness will melt, but a peaceful solution of Kashmir issue will surely come out of somewhere. Talks for the sake of engaging each other in futile talks are always conditional, but talks for the sake of resolving issues should always be free of frills, so that at the end of the day any stake holder can gracefully walk out, may be with an agreement to resume reinvigorated talks after some time. These fundamentals of negotiating skills ought to be the only attributes of people negotiating Kashmir unrest. In present circumstances it applies to all stake holders even the hardliners. If all party delegation will have traditional talks only with so-called mainstream politicians and few representatives of religious, ethnic and linguistic factions then they will be failing on two vital accounts; first they will be unable to take whole of Kashmiri population on board as so-called mainstream politicians do not represent all of Kashmir as far as Kashmir conflict is concerned, secondly by wooing few factions they will be guilty of exploiting precious diversity of state of Jammu and Kashmir for the sake of misinterpreted nationalism.
For last seven decades Kashmir has suffered a lot , however, during last two months people of Kashmir have tried to articulate and convey their agony in a very different way (without approving violence if any)with a loud and clear message of fruitful negotiations for resolving all issues. Fed-up of half-baked political slogans like ‘Naya Kashmir’, ‘Autonomy’, ‘Self-rule’ and many more they want permanent resolution for what almost three generations have been longing now for last seven decades.