Daily Times

Another Kashmir Day came and went. A few programmes were held, a few seminars were convened and a few fiery speeches were made. Then business was back as usual. It was a national holiday, people relaxed, and a lot of them still unclear about the reason and rationale for the holiday, neverthelessl enjoyed their day. The sloganeers chanted the usual ‘Kashmir banay ga Pakistan’ (Kashmir will become part of Pakistan) and so on and so forth. The slogan factory is a bit slow on some details, such as that 65 years later, Kashmir is still considered an ‘atoot ang’ (unbreakable part) of India. Let’s face it, as harsh as it may sound, we have failed in this regard miserably, and no matter how loud and catchy our slogans may be, it is pretty much a lost cause.

Without repeating the commonly known facts and last minute scheming and manipulations, which gave the Maharaja the key to what is called the ‘earthly paradise’, one has to say this with utmost respect. Mr Jinnah underestimated the other side and he expected everything to go by the book. Subsequent to the partition, the phrase ‘Kashmir issue’ has been repeated on many occasions, endlessly, ad nauseam.

The way our folks decided to handle it, again with utmost respect, has muddied the issue even further. From 1948 to Operation Gibraltar and then at Kargil, the main thrust was always to make some sort of headway in the disputed territory. Well, I do not need to elaborate any further or try to direct anyone’s attention towards how much progress that strategy eventually brought us to. The former COAS and president Pervez Musharraf made tall claims about Kargil and his probable 300 square miles victory. Can someone please wake him up once in a while to remind him that long term negotiations do not rest on a mere 300 square miles? Speaking of those 300 square miles, what was he thinking? India was just going to watch him build his farmhouse there, while he was going to make them come to the bargaining table on such a contentious issue?

Moving on to India, who on the surface have a great campaign of love, harmony, peace and nonviolence beaming towards the western world almost 24/7 on the tube, but honestly, it cannot squarely blame Pakistan for all the anxieties it has in the earthly paradise. There has been longstanding unrest in the Valley, which of course has its own history. India has used brutal force on its own people too. The term plebiscite is completely unacceptable to the Kashmiris and, much like Palestine, this issue hangs fire.

Speaking of Palestine, I had asked one of my Palestinian friends about a harsh reality. I had asked him in an ideal situation, if the Palestinian state is formed next to Israel, what resources would Palestine have to survive and coexist with a relatively hostile neighbour. It is almost applicable to Kashmir as well. In the ideal situation, if it becomes an independent state, how will it survive in the shadow of a hostile India? So in the end, liberation may be well and good to lift the spirits, but at times not adequate for empty stomachs. When you are thin on resources and spend almost everything you earn to defend yourself, then no matter how great the sound bite may be, it just will not do much for individual and societal prosperity.

Besides, the region has many different groups, ethnicities and sects with diverse motivations. To sum everyone up as seeking liberation may not be the most viable alternative at the present time or in the foreseeable future.

I do have something in common with our former macho prime minister, who is considered to be the champion when it comes to the so-called Kashmir cause. My maternal grandmother was from Kashmir and her family migrated to Amritsar, prior to her final migration to Rawalpindi. Thus in essence, I do have some Kashmiri blood in me as well, these are my brethren too. Therefore when our folks jump up and down every February 5, thumping their chests with the aforementioned slogan, I smile. Ever engage our passionate folk in a conversation about Kashmir? They claim it is the ‘jugular vein’ of Pakistan. When I bring to their attention that we perhaps cut our own jugular by launching an operation in 1948, thus starting a never-ending row and 65 years later, there has been very little progress. When I bring in the subject of Balochistan, which has relatively similar issues, I am told that it is all due to the involvement of India. Thus, how in the world can you champion for the cause of Kashmir, and highlight the atrocities there, yet turn a blind eye towards all the excesses in your own territory?

I repeat my firm belief that prosperity and progress comes through peace and conducive conditions. When you do the cost benefit analysis of 65 years and the amount of capital and human resources that have been spent on this futile obsession, it leads you to exactly where we are. All long-term solutions emerge from dialogue and discussion. Perhaps both sides need to give their respective Kashmirs the autonomy they deserve. Both sides should agree on the cessation of hostilities and the unnecessary build up on their borders. Let the region prosper.

The writer is a Pakistani-American mortgage banker. He blogs at http://dasghar.blogspot.com and can be reached at dasghar@aol.com He tweets at http://twitter.com/dasghar