Seething Valley, No Takers

For my first article of July,I have picked quite a deep, controversial and chronic issue. But any newspaper ,magazine I pick,I am sure to find an article or two everyday on the ongoing recent crisis in Jammu and Kashmir.The valley is boiling once again,this time its own people are in a fit of rage,the reason being the covert killings of several "innocent" civilians.

It has been a month since these protests started but the administration is still miles away from finding any concrete solution.All have their different version of the story.Govt. report says that "Ahmad Mattoo" a 17 year old boy whose death started these protests was killed by his girlfriend's co-lover.However, the authenticity of the report could not be established. Local residents allege that he was killed by the tear gas shell thrown by the police that hit his head,killing him instantly.A student who was preparing for the medical exam entrance suddenly became a martyr and was even buried in the Martyr's Graveyard in Srinagar against his family wishes.

Hearing such events everytime , I always think the same that why do people have to include a communalism angle to each and every incident. Instead of creating it a bigger issue ,they could have waited for the real sequence of events to be unfolded. The subsequent killings of more than 15 people as a result of violence due to death of one boy is inexplicable. Both the police and the civilians need to maintain some patience and tolerance. To add fuel to the fire, Omar Abdullah has been inefficient in managing the events. Consequential actions taken by him proved futile. Transfer of top level police officers and hush-hush meetings of top officials were not only inadequate but were criticized by one and all. With the main opposition refusing to cooperate with the govt activity at any level, there is little ray of hope for the Kashmiris.

I recently read about a survey conducted on the people of Kashmir -both the PoK and the Indian occupied.It was surprising to see the results in terms that the majority of people in both the sections were of the opinion of a independent state, "Independence from both India and Pakistan".This illustrates their frustration from both the states. The Indian Govt has entangled the Kashmir issue to such an extent that a possible solution in the coming time is completely unexpected and Pakistan is too busy in its internal issues to look into the miseries of the general public . Its merely a matter of ego now for both the nations to extend their control over Kashmir. and its quite unlikely that there is any respite for Kashmiris in the near future...