Ground realities in Kashmir

The held Kashmir has changed over the years, something which the Modi Sarkar does not seem to realize and thus continues with its strong arm tactics. Consider this.

More and more Kashmiri young men are joining the freedom movement, disappearing in the dense forests of south Kashmir’s Tral area. These young men are educated and sometimes leave their jobs to take up arms against the tyranny they face. Many of them are students who are so frustrated that they abandon their studies, leave their homes and begin a career as a militant or freedom fighter. Over the years, their numbers have greatly increased; they have gone from being clean shaven to sporting long beards and taking up automatic weapons, gravitating towards militancy.

The fight against the Indian atrocities has progressed over the years from stone pelting to attacking the convoys of occupiers. The stone-pelting phase has given way to a more sophisticated and deadly phase. From stones, it is bullets and now even explosives. The killing of Burhan Wani by Indian forces was one big mistake. For the Kashmiri youth, Wani is a symbol of freedom and a big inspiration for all youngsters in held Kashmir. Wani was forced by Indian forces to join militancy at the tender age of 15 when his brother was brutally beaten up by Indian forces and then subsequently killed. The elders in held Valley and Indian authorities have been unable to provide alternative role models for the youth.

More than 60 percent of held Kashmir’s population is below the age of 30 and these people are the torch-bearers of the indigenous freedom movement. More so because the Modi Sarkar has failed to listen to their grievances.

These youngsters are active on the social media more than ever and do not hide their identities. They attract others who religiously follow them on the social media, which Indian forces believe has become a fertile recruitment ground.

Then the political system in the Valley is in a poor shape and has failed to come up to the expectations of the youth. When the RSS cadres kill Muslims in held Valley besides Indian heartland over false accusations of eating beef, the youth in Kashmir are convinced that the Indian democracy is a sham and understand that the future is India as one state is becoming more and more doubtful as the BJP and its thugs continue to flourish in the country.

The Indian right wing thus contributes to the Kashmir’s independence movement. The debate about the Article 370 and tinkering with it further alarms the youth who believe that space for them in the society will shrink further.

According to Indian media reports, Mohammad Ikhlaq, who was lynched in Dadri on mere suspicion of consuming beef, and Zahid Ahmed, a Kashmiri trucker who was attacked in Udhampur on mere suspicion, have become household names across the Valley. The Haryana chief minister has warned Muslims across India that they could live in the country provided they stopped eating beef has not been a good omen for Kashmiris besides Muslims in other states.

These young men are now taking part in discussions on the threat to Islam in the Valley at the hands of BJP and survival of their local identity as Kashmiris. As the Indian Army and police kill young to-be liberators, thousands stream out of their homes and join funeral processions. Nobody is coming from across the Line of Control, which is heavily fortified and a death trap for those who may consider going through it.

The ground realities in Kashmir have changed over the years and the time to deal with the youngsters and freedom movement politically is gone. The idea of liberation is firmly planted in the minds of people of held Kashmir and it is not going to wither away.