Pakistan and Kashmir : Wronged for love

Having a McDonald's burger today at the airport with my parents, my eyes caught sight of the television screen. A political party had won the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly's election. Joy for them and agony for the others. We did not have time to sit and see who puns who or who blames the other for rigging the elections, though what I did have time to see, was that nobody at the airport seemed to care about the result. I understand the result did not affect the people here, but after all, it was an election, it was a process of democracy, a process for which we have burnt down tyres, closed down the streets, create havoc and chaos and eventually gave in precious lives.

Kashmir has been a bone of contention between us and our partner in crime, poverty and intellect, India. While we may often scream, 'Kashmir hamari jaan', or some other patriotic phrase, which gets us excited for a minute or two, we have almost failed our brothers. 51 and counting, in "Makboozah Kashmir" and we spend our resources on a television ad. It's quite funny, how the people of Kashmir still hold the Pakistani flag up high, while we argue on how Brexit will turn out to be or how unsafe Europe is becoming. Don't get me wrong, these are issues of international consequences and while discussion on every issue is a way to progress forward, we must remember a famous proverb, "Pehle jaan pr jahan". 

Pakistan and Kashmir make the greatest of love stories ever written and like every love story, when connection is lost, everything is lost.

You look at the history of Kashmir and take in account world history on similar matters and the human brain blows up. For at times, Pakistan has made terrible mistakes on their part, which had it not, Kashmir might have not bled so much. On other occasions, India, the largest, not greatest, democracy in the world has carried out unimaginable acts of terror as a nation in Kashmir, yet resistance has always grown. Eight Hundred Thousand, if my figures are not wrong, is the amount of Indian Army personal that is on duty in Kashmir and on its borders. That's a mind blowing figure. It certainly scares me, I wonder how it hasn't frightened the Kashmiri awaam. The international community is truly a wonderful character in this play. They are neither the good guys, nor the bad. They pass acts and condemn, then they stop. Then comes a part where they become proactive and then they go into hibernation. I would reference them to "winne the pooh" , but I adore him, so very much.

It is a depressing story, a depressing live play. It really is. And though it has been going on since 1947, what I fear today is that the Pakistani awaam, not Pakistan's government but the people, especially the newer generation is losing its connection with Kashmir. In world politics, arms and diplomacy do the magic, but in cases such as this, a populations committed to the other and a populations support, can very well do wonders. Pakistan and Kashmir, have always shared that. They have lost blood for us and we have spent nights and days praying for them and wishing that the cruelties end. If this ends, I fear the resistance will lose its strength and we'll lose our jaan.