By: Prof. Abdul Shakoor Shah
The long-standing Kashmir issue is consistently undermining regional peace, trade, integration, stability and prosperity. Without peace in Asia, the notion of world peace will prove a blind alley. 21st century has ushered in a new era of nonconventional trends in every field of life. It is the need of the hour to revitalize the Kashmir affair on modern trends to trigger the voice of Kashmiris as per UNO resolutions. Conventional adherence to Kashmir cause may jeopardize the peaceful and nonviolent freedom struggle of Kashmir. The world is changing rapidly and so are the ideologies and conceptions. We must gird up the line to do something practical to raise our voices for the fundamental right of self-determination for Kashmir. We are in dire need to review and revitalize the helm of affairs in accordance with the contemporary world.
Firstly, we must realize and accept the reality that most of the versions available online about Kashmir are Indian forged and fabricated. We must jump out of our emotional hideouts to counter the Indian narrative on all formal and informal platforms, especially on social media. India is also running several fake websites in this regard to misleading the posterity and world about the Kashmir cause. We have left the plain wide open for Hindu mindset to propagate via disinformation modes. Kashmir Liberation Cell founded in 1987, with its several sub-centers has cut a sorry figure in this regard. Kashmir Liberation Cell is the hub of political adjustments and loot and plunder of public taxes without any check and balance. It has also been used as a political bribe by all governments. Kashmir Liberation Cell is merely limited to 22 ceremonial gatherings. Rests of the gatherings under its umbrella are nothing more than flattering the high ups and gulping up the dishes. If we are really sincere with the Kashmir issue, we must depoliticize all units founded in the name of Kashmir and let them work for Kashmir not for vested interests. Kashmir Liberation Cell has utterly failed to do what it was meant for. It has been harping the political melodies rather than countering Indian propagation. It is the need of the hour to set up propagation counter units thoroughly on merit recruiting experts not kith and kin.
Secondly, the new generation is completely unaware of the history of Kashmir. The history of Kashmir must be made a compulsory part of curriculum. Similarly, Kashmiri languages should be given their privileged place in national curriculum. Thirdly, we must focus on the core issue of publications regarding Kashmir issue regardless of writers’ ideological affiliations. The world is trending toward research publications and we are far behind in this regard as compared to India. The government must allocate special funds and sponsors as well as incentives for research and publication on Kashmir cause. University curricula should be molded and at least on subjects about Kashmir should be made mandatory. We cannot satisfy our conscience only by setting up a Kashmir department where only a limited number of students get enrolled aiming to grab the job rather than spirit for Kashmir freedom. Fourthly, we must hold at least national level speech, writing, poetry, and sports competitions to highlight the national cause in its true spirit. There should be no age limitation for such programs. These programs should be state organized. It is not only the fight of a few who are imprisoned by India and occupied Kashmir; it is the fight of everyone who sympathizes with Kashmir cause. The media both print and electronic must dually create at least one page or program for Kashmir affair.
Fifthly, the government must officially start at least a quarterly report on the Kashmir situation. We must publish stories of all martyred, kidnapped, raped, looted, tortured, blinded, imprisoned and missing persons with facts and figure along with accurate date for international webs, portals, print and electronic media to be published. This will highlight the atrocities and brutalities of the Indian occupying force. Sixthly, the government must publish a comparative study and reports of Indian occupied and Pakistani administered Kashmir to show the world the actual picture of both the sides. Seventhly, The Kashmiris must be given the representation on national and international level to highlight the Kashmir cause on all forums. Being an independent state the government of AJK must independently appoint her ambassadors and envoys worldwide to represent Kashmiris nation on all platforms and forums. Eighthly, the state of AJK must ensure her sports teams represent Kashmir. We must also contemplate the Kashmir airline, though it may be federally controlled, it will play a vital role in highlighting the bone of contention between the two atomic powers. Ninthly, the government of AJK or Federal government must initiate an audit of all institutions founded in the name of Kashmir so that the exploiters can be brought to book who have been plundering public taxes for a long time. The lands, plots and buildings gained on the name of Kashmir cause are facing problems of land grabbers and mafia and some Kashmiri ministers are supporting them in this regard.
Lastly, the Kashmiri nation must be saved from ideological conflict which is being nurtured by Indian versions via propagation on various fronts. There should be only a single stance for the Kashmir resolution in accordance with the UNO resolutions. The nation must be saved from conflicting ideologies like affiliation with Pakistan or free independent state. Our first and foremost duty is to struggle and strive for Freedom of Kashmir and later on the Kashmiri nation will decide on whether they want affiliation with Pakistan or they want to make their own independent state. The conventional silence for a few minutes, the human chains, the programs luxurious rooms, the seminars and news cannot resolve the issue. We must revitalize Kashmir by evaluating ourselves through conventional and traditional means in the past more than seven decades. It is also important to get the consent, favor and support of Muslim states for Kashmir. If we can hold an OIC session for Afghanistan, why can we not manage it for Kashmir?!
The Writer is Prof. in English and Freelance Columnist, based in Lahore, Pakistan. He can be reached at [email protected]