When my grand daughter read the article of a colleague, she asked me a pointed question whether we, as a nation, are ready to rise in the support of Kashmiri people at this critical juncture. I did not have a straight answer to her question. I pondered for long moments, looking at the thin demonstrating crowds in different cities, the political polarization in the country recalling the rhetoric from the opposition and treasury benches in the joint session of the Parliament and the raging war in social media between the opposition and the ruling party to undermine each other and discredit the armed forces of the country too. Regretfully, I had no satisfactory answer to her question. The ache I felt over my nation’s indifference to the critical situation emerging from the arrogant move of the fascist Hindu regime to reduce the beautiful valley of Jammu and Kashmir into a vast and open dungeon where there is no more chirping and gurgling of birds; where the pure air wafting from the lush green mountains is polluted by gun powder; the bodies and faces of the Kashmiri boys and girls are riddled with pellet wounds; the streets are trampled by the long boots of soldiers ready to shoot; where the life-saving drugs and provisions are falling short; the press is gaged and means of communication cut off; the leaders are locked down. Kashmiris have given unprecedented sacrifices in their long struggle for freedom undaunted by arrest, arson, rape and death. They are hauled up for more trying times. The human instinctive aversion to slavery changed the direction of the not-too- distant history in many a continent. Slavery is the ugliest blot on the brow of humanity and the worst enemy of the human dignity. Despite formidable challenges, the human urge for freedom finally prevails. The ideals of justice and freedom emerge in the mien of an insuppressible power to defeat bayonets. The humiliation of colonial powers and the wriggling of the Asian, African, and Arab nations out of the bloody claws of colonialism have not faded away from our memories. The human history will have no other exceptional course for the just cause of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The dark nights of oppression will, sooner or later, be illuminated by the glow of freedom and the people of this scenic valley, like all other nations, will also emerge as the master of their destiny. Today, the world is in a state of denial.It will appreciate the spirit of Kashmiri people for freedom tomorrow. Today, it fails to differentiate between a freedom fighter and a terrorist. It will recognize the freedom fighters as heroes of the free Kashmir tomorrow. It has been so in the history of the oppressed nations. Mighty colonial powers were forced to shameful flight by tiny nations. The oppressor of the people of Kashmir has a frayed and cast-ridden society with tens of hundreds of ethnic, linguistic and cultural fissures sapping it from within. It has many skeletons of secessionist movements rattling in its cupboard that include Nagaland, Mizoram, Assam, Tamil and Arunachal Pradesh. The liberalism, secularism and democracy were stemming these secessionist movements from gathering momentum. The narrow Hindu majoritarian nationalism has already shaken the foundations of this secular and democratic polity. This fire of Hindu nationalism will not stop in Kashmir. It is eyeing Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan. This is a war to save this part of the Sub-continent from the Hindu fascism My nation, as usual, is slumbering. A slumber we indulged in on many critical occasions – may it be the discrimination against Bengalis, Baloch and Sindhis and denial of rights of ownership to them over the resources of their lands; the unjustified acts of oppression including military operations and forced disappearances in these lands; the intensification of nationalist and parochial feelings in the sub-national units of the federation. We never learnt from our mistakes. Even now, we are failing to appreciate the dangerous consequences of the fascist move in Kashmir. This fire of Hindu nationalism will not stop in Kashmir. It is eyeing Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan. This is a war to save this part of the Sub-continent from the Hindu fascism. What we witness here is that our worthy political leaderships from across the aisle have their political axe to grind. Some are demanding a price for support to the executive on this critical occasion. We wonder why our patriotism or unified stance on any vital national issue may be subject to concessions from the executive – concessions unheard of in civilized societies. The national institutions of the country could not be restrained from discharging their constitutional functions just to buy off national unity. There is a chaos on the social media. No institution or no leader is spared from disparaging comments. The flow of disinformation knows no bounds. Videos of prominent persons and even of the President of a brotherly country with false translations in Urdu or faked voices attacking the patriotism of the Prime Minister and disparaging the national institutions including the armed forces are freely posted on social media. No law on cybercrime stirs. Seems, there is hybrid war unleashed by inimical forces. It is possibly so. The critical situation arising out of the drastic move of Narendra Modi had afforded a golden opportunity to the opposition for rising above all political and parochial considerations to offer the executive unconditional cooperation to grapple with the critical situation. The national institutions of the country need to be functioning – more so in a critical situation. Democracy without opposition, freedom of press, accountability and dispensation of justice, is a farce. We have a fledgling democracy. What is gratifying is that we have set on the path to representative governance passing falteringly through pitfalls, stumbling rocks and hindrances and forging towards the most beautiful valley, called ‘democracy’. Gentlemen, history will not forgive us if we faltered to rise in an uninhibited national spirit to show our solidarity with the besieged people of Kashmir at this critical juncture. History is harsh with cowards and pursues them as long as the written words survive in this world. The author was a member of the Foreign Service of Pakistan