Dialogue with all stakeholders in Kashmir, including emerging youth leadership, is essential, stress speakers at seminar on ‘Kashmiri people’s perspective: myth and reality’ held recently in Pune.

“Not war against our own citizens, but dialogue with all stakeholders in Kashmir, including emerging youth leadership, is the only way to resolve the Kashmir issue” – this was a common view expressed by all the speakers at a lecture programme on ‘Kashmiriyon ka Najariya: Vastav aur Mithak’ (Kashmiri people’s perspective: Myth & reality’) held on June 3, 2017 in Pune.

Organised by the Pune chapter of Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD), the event speakers included Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal, Executive Editor Kashmir Times, Jammu; Bashir Manzar, Editor Kashmir Images, Srinagar; and Jatin Desai, senior journalist, Mumbai. Milind Champanerkar, chairperson, PIPFPD, Pune presided over the programme.

“Although Kashmir is a burning issue today, most of the electronic media has chosen to sensationalise the issue and present a one-sided picture. The objective of the programme is to enlighten people about the objective reality in Kashmir, give insight into situation at the ground and understand the plight of common people there,” said Milind.

Anwar Rajan, the national executive committee member of PIPFPD, explained how the PIPFPD has been consistent for the last two decades in emphasising the need for involving Kashmiri people of both sides to resolve conflict.

Falsities

“The situation in Kashmir impacts all of us, as Indians and as South Asians,” said Anuradha Bhasin. While commenting on the role of biased mainstream, she said that the government and its power circles, including businesses and the media, create a picture that fails to convince the people.

“Falsities are presented, contradictions appear, and it leaves the public confused. A picture is created wherein all Kashmiris are portrayed as villains, suggesting people don’t want peace. But one begs the question, why are Kashmiris pelting stones?” she observed.

Emphasising that the situation in Kashmir is a dire one, she criticised the methods of responding of security forces to the agitating stone-pelters. “The forces, without any hesitation, have been retaliating with bullets, pellet guns, or tear gas; these shells are shot at targets, point blank. Since 2010, many have been killed due to tear gas shells. Many, including small children, have lost their eye sights due to pellet guns. And yet the debates continue on whether these pellet guns should be used or not!”

Condemning the Army Chief’s recent statements that young people should take guns up guns instead of stones or that the public should be afraid of the army, Anuradha Bhasin said, “He blurred the lines between the general public and enemies.”

Discrimination

Alleging that people of Kashmir are meted discriminatory treatment, she said, “Although there have been violent protests in the other parts of India, including in Haryana, the army retaliation has never been as brutal as in Kashmir. You say Kashmir is an integral part of India. Then why so many rules, restrictions and interference in its day to day functioning, its politics, economy and so on?”

There have been atrocities in the valley for a long time now, and people have been affected due to the conflict with the Pandits moving out and the killing of 70,000 people, illegal arrests and missing persons, she said. These people were ignored, and the anger had been building up. “What we see today, the stone pelting or guns, has been an evolution. It wasn’t sudden.” she emphasised.

War is not the answer to any issue, stressed Anuradha Bhasin. Communication is key to arrive at a solution. She felt that there is also an emerging leadership among the youth in Kashmir who are socially engaged, excellent writers, lawyers, or pursuing other professions. “It is important to include them in this dialogue and begin grooming leaders,” she said.

Three tier

Anuradha Bhasin believes it’s necessary to have a three-tier dialogue- first, between India and Pakistan; second, between India and Kashmir and Kashmir and Pakistan; and third, intra-Kashmir dialogue with Kashmir as it stood in 1947. “While peace talks will not mean that conflicts will be resolved immediately, the violence will eventually fizzle out,” she said.

“The peace process requires consistency and political will. There is a dearth of both,” she concluded.

PIPFPD sees the Kashmir issue as a tri-lateral issue between India, Kashmir and Pakistan, explained Jatin Desai, senior journalist and the national general secretary of PIPFPD. “The fate of Kashmir cannot be decided by India and Pakistan without taking the people of Kashmir into confidence. It is crucial that voices of Kashmiris and their aspirations be heard. The lack of communication has led to a worsening of situation in Kashmir”.

Since July 8 last year, when Burhan Wani was killed, there has been no dialogue with the people of Kashmir. “This lack of communication is leading to dangerous levels of frustration and resentment among Kashmiris and a gradual radicalisation of the youth in Kashmir. Furthermore, statements like the one made by General Bipin Rawat wishing the youth came with guns instead of stones, only worsen the situation,” Jatin stated adding that this was a systematic attempt to provoke the population of Kashmir. He said, “The government policy is non-communication. Their strategy being exhausting the people, following which, they will surrender.”

The lack of interest in dialogue on part of the government has led to various extreme and moderate Hurriyat factions coming together, he said. The government must initiate dialogue with all stakeholders including the Hurriyat and take them in confidence, added Jatin Desai.

People

“When talking about Kashmir, the conversation is either about the militancy or about Kashmir’s natural beauty. But between these two, are the people of the valley, and it is high time we think about them.”

Bashir Manzar agreed that the scene in Kashmir today is indeed very dangerous and frightening. However, the death of Burhan Wani was not the cause of the present unrest, he said, explaining how tension had been building up since 2010. He drew attention towards stone pelting which was at its peak in 2010.  More than a hundred children were killed during the agitation due to military action. “This gave rise to intense discontent,” he said.

While criticising the present government for not making any efforts to calm down tempers, he said that previous governments had at least made an effort. Atal Bihari Vajpayee appealed to Kashmiri peoples’ hearts by accepting that the people of the Valley had been wronged, and he was with them in their pain.

He initiated dialogue with the people. Dr. Manmohan Singh sent a parliamentary delegation to meet all the stakeholders and set up a team of interlocutors headed by a senior journalist, late Dilip Padgaonkar.

Recommendations

“If the government had implemented the recommendations of the report (of interlocutors), the situation would not have worsened to the extent it has today,” Manzar asserted.

He drew attention to 65 percent turnout in the valley during the Assembly elections of 2014. “Domestic parties fought the elections on the singular agenda of keeping the BJP out of J&K. The youth from south Kashmir voted in favour of PDP led by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed wanting to keep BJP’s Hindutva agenda out of Kashmir.”

However, after the results, as the PDP formed a coalition government with BJP, whom Kashmiri people in the Valley had rejected, the youth felt betrayed and frustration started setting in, Manzar pointed out.

He said the disturbances in south kashmir and growing tensions is largely owing to this feeling of betrayal and discomfort with BJP’s Hindutva agenda. “Burhan Wani incident in July 2016 was merely a trigger, anything could’ve resulted in a crisis. Burhan’s killing happened to be a pretext,” he said.

Bashir Manzar also said that the situation in the Islamic world cannot be ignored. He emphasised “these elements are ‘politically religious’, and their influence is gradually growing among the youth. To resist such radicalisation, spaces have to be created for other voices.”

He felt that New Delhi was not serious in its efforts and was only trying to exhaust the people. “While people will certainly be exhausted, they will also slowly become radicalised.”

However, he reminded the gathering that in 1990s there were four to five thousand militants in Kashmir while as there are barely 100 militants today. “So isn’t the present government exaggerating the situation?” he asked.

Optimistic

“But I am very optimistic. I have hope that 2017 won’t be as bad as 2016. But, the way I see things on the ground, I can see that anger is slowing evolving into hatred.”

The programme ended with a vote of thanks by Inavally Prasanna.

At a time when the media does not offer the entire truth, this programme certainly filled a gap in the Kashmir narrative.

—  Compiled from reports by Kashmir Times and Daily Kashmir Images, with inputs by Anandita Ghosh and Milind Champanerkar