Since Independence, the State of Jammu & Kashmir has always remained as a trouble-spot for India. Over the years, various efforts had been made, few accords were signed too, but the ground situation in ‘Heaven on the Earth’ remained unchanged. The State, which is famous for its natural beauty and snow-clad mountains, can now be safely termed as ‘valley of violence.’
Since early 90’s, peace continues to elude Kashmir. Destruction of life and property, violence, encounters has become the order of the day. Economy of the State has stopped to grow. Tourism has been affected badly. Numbers of unemployed youths are increasing thick and fast. Even crucial sectors like Education and Health are the victims of ongoing unrest. Such is the situation in Kashmir today that people are not sure to see the next dawn while retiring for the day.
What went wrong? People of Kashmir are of the opinion that not a single promise that the Centre has made over the years, have been kept. The failure of fulfilling promises has given rise to anger, especially among the youths. Years of anger had given birth to insurgency, which has now turned in to militancy. On the other hand, the Centre claims that enough steps have been taken for the development of Kashmir. Enough money has been spent or earmarked for various developmental projects in the State. Largely, the people of the State are happy with the Centre’s endeavour. But it is Pakistan, which is instigating disgruntled few to take up arms and follow the path of violence. To destabilise India, the neighbouring country has turned itself in to a breeding ground for terrorism. Not only India, but also the entire world today is in danger from Pak-grown terrorists.
Amidst these allegations and counter allegations, every North-Easterner still can vividly remember the days when the region was passing through a similar phase. Almost all the states of North-East were affected by insurgency at that time. In other words, what Kashmir is witnessing today, the North-East had witnessed it long ago. But unrest can never bring solutions. More forces are no guarantee for permanent peace. More violence will hamper the lives of innocent people. The solution lies on how the genuine grievances of the people are redressed. To ascertain the feelings of the people, both the sides should discuss the problems with an open mine and without any pre-condition. It is not violence, but unconditional dialogue between the government and the angry section of the population, has brought back peace in the North-East. The same formula should be applied in case of Jammu-Kashmir too. It is the only formula which can restore peace in Jammu & Kashmir. No matter how much Pakistan is interested in shattering the peace in that beautiful State our endeavour should always be to win the hearts with a smile, not with bullets. The so called nationalist forces, which are harassing the Kashmiri students elsewhere in India, should always remember that the correct way to wipe out even the faint strain of secessionism from the minds of the Kashmiri people is to have faith on them. Love, not hatred will be our weapon to fight militancy in Kashmir.
