Sunil Bhat
Popularly known as the ‘Paradise on Earth’ as a testimony to its sterling scenic beauty, Kashmir also boasts of a rich cultural heritage, plentiful mineral resources, exotic handicraft and handloom cottage industries such as carpet weaving, silks, shawls, basketry, pottery, copper and silverware, papier-mâché and walnut wood, as well as agro-climatic conditions best suited for horticulture and floriculture. All these are recipes for a superlative society with a strong economic foundation. However, the region is marred by a perpetual conflict fuelled by nefarious designs of the neighbouring country, vehemently supported by a particular ‘separatist’ group of Kashmiris. Jammu and Kashmir has been a breeding ground of separatist ambitions for decades. Considered a failure of Indian governance and democracy in the beginning, Pakistan played an important role in converting the initial disaffection into a full fledged insurgency in the last three decades, which has escalated into the most important internal security issue in India. This separatist emotion has virtually stunted the growth of a society which had the obvious potential to achieve a lot more.
A regular post in local Kashmiri social media groups reads like “One more brother joined Mujahideen ranks. May Allah save him.” More often than not, this individual who left his life of peace and opportunity behind to join some militant organisation would be a student whose middle class family had pinned their dreams of prosperity and comfort on him. The day he leaves, these dreams are shattered as everyone knows that his chosen course will lead to certain death. Many-a-times, the family is unable to comprehend why their innocent son chose the path over normalcy. However, the transformation of a boy into a terrorist is not a sudden event but a long, continuous process of misguidance and incitement.
The youth of Kashmir are at a disadvantage. Since their early adulthood, they are constantly targeted by the separatists and ‘over ground workers’ (OGWs). Influencing young mouldable minds through social media and by other means introducing and luring them with false glamour of becoming famous ‘freedom fighters’ are just few of the various reprehensible ways by which these separatists and OGWs keep themselves relevant, willing to watch Kashmir burn in the bargain.
The ‘Separatist movement’ surfaced with two broad factions- one camp sought independence of Kashmir while other preferred merging with Pakistan. The All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) was then formed in 1993 (when militancy was at its peak in Kashmir) as a political platform for separatist movement in the valley. It was not a single party but a conglomerate of 26 outfits with contrasting beliefs and ideologies. Over the years, the Hurriyat’s tussle within has led to inconsistent ideology over various religious and political matters but one agenda has never lost its importance- promoting insurgency and local support to terrorist groups has always worked in favour of the separatists. Few of the famous separatist leaders- Late Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik have regularly made the news headlines by giving controversial statements, often politically driven by Pakistan. Yasin Malik, a former terrorist himself, has allegedly been exposed by media having admitted to receive a continuous flow of funds to keep the region on the boil. These funds are used to incite violence on the streets- misguiding the youth into unlawful activities like stone pelting on security forces, funding terror acts like civilian killings and ensure logistic support to militants.
Other than these famous leaders, there are countless more hidden faces that keep this business of violence alive. These OGWs and separatists are the actual culprits of Kashmir, disguised as regular people that can be found in every nook and corner. Also termed as ‘White Collar Terrorists’, they are often from financially well off background and would have their own children receiving higher education at the best of universities in India and abroad, using the money received from across the border. This money is their reward for helping sustenance of militant groups by recruiting young boys from unprivileged and economically weaker families. Well aware of the outcome themselves, they play pivotal roles in blurring the decision making capability of young men and lead them to death. Kashmir has bled for decades and countless families have been destroyed for a futile struggle falsely hyped by certain people who have no hesitation in destroying others for personal gains. As a result, the society is still in a downward spiral. The government and security forces are on their toes to protect Kashmir and bring it back to the pre- violence era, but this aim cannot be achieved unless the people of Kashmir decide to pick themselves up. It is about time that the reality of these OGWs and separatists be exposed and locals stop supporting their ideology. Breaking this vicious cycle of violence is an indispensable step towards realising the dream of a peaceful, heavenly Kashmir.
