The attention that the killing of the
terrorist, Burhan Wani, has received is less for the ideology he
purported and more for the “Rock Star” image that the media created of
him. His inevitable and predictably ignominious death has already caused
a lot of avoidable damage to life and property. It is sad that so many
lives have been lost for what is essentially a fallacious political
belief.
If
the media had stayed away from the death of the terrorist, the losses
would have been considerably less. It is the media attention that has
egged on the disruptive forces in the Kashmir Valley to play the
emotional and sensationalist card to the hilt. These elements know full
well that Burhan Wani will be history in a few days from now and they
wish to derive as much mileage from his death as is feasible.
Pakistan, of course, has been leading
the pack of Hyenas with one belligerent statement after the other. The
last and final card that the country could have played was a declaration
of a “Black Day” in protest of “atrocities” being committed in Kashmir;
it did so on 19 July.
The country’s ludicrous and infantile
psychological campaign has now run out of steam. The declaration has, as
expected, drawn no response from the global community. The world
leaders have, since long, seen through Pakistan’s stupidities with
regard to Kashmir. Nobody has any doubt about the hand behind the unrest
that has been engineered in the region.
Those from the community of wannabe
journalists and columnists, pseudo-intellectuals and so-called Kashmir
experts added to the confusion with their most hare-brained notions. It
is hoped that they are finally done with exploiting this opportunity to
derive their pennyworth of fame from the unfortunate state of turmoil in
the Kashmir Valley.
The most preposterous piece on the
subject by far was “Burhan Wani is dead but he’ll live on till we find
out what Kashmir really wants” by Shobhaa De, a Bombay-based socialite
and writer.
Her quirky and light prose, that sounds
so animating in light social pieces, came across as crude and obnoxious
in a piece that is dealing with the lives and suffering of human beings.
While addressing the country’s leaders
as “Dilliwalla’s (Delhi based people) she says, “When was the last time
you visited Kashmir? What have you done for the average Kashmiri — all
those lakhs of peace-loving citizens, waiting for respite after years of
blood and strife?’’
Madam De, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has gone to Kashmir umpteen times; in fact, he has visited the length
and breadth of Jammu and Kashmir, right from the Siachen Glacier to
Kathua and Poonch (in case you know where these places are) after
assuming office. So have his ministers, other party functionaries and
civil servants of his government.
The UPA government under Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh gave a Rs. 24000 crore development package for Jammu and
Kashmir; the present government is going out of its way to help the
people.
And you have the gumption of asking these leaders and others before them as to what they have done for Kashmiris?
What is more relevant is, “what have you
done for the people of Kashmir? How many Kashmiri Muslims have you
given employment to? How many Kashmiri students are pursuing studies on
scholarships given by your family?”
More importantly Shobhaa De - where were
you when you wrote this piece? In North Kashmir, South Kashmir,
Srinagar city, Srinagar downtown, where? What are the sources of your
information that make you such an authority on Kashmir?
For your information, Madam De, your
friends from across the border, with whom you attend Ghazal and Mushaira
evenings across the globe, are demanding plebiscite, not a referendum
as you have suggested. In future please get your facts right before
writing on such serious issues.
There is another interesting development
that has emerged in the media narrative during this incident.
Newspapers of Jammu and Kashmir that are sold out to Pakistan and the
separatists have started using pseudonym’s of Hindus to pen down their
pieces. The idea is to gain more acceptance for the misinformation that
they churn out at the behest of their foreign masters.
The focus is on depicting a resurgence
of militancy in the Kashmir valley. People are coming out in lakhs for
the funeral processions of “militants” scream paid columnists.
The very fact that such large
processions can be carried out in Kashmir without fear of the
authorities is a testament to the freedom that the people enjoy over
there.
So far as attending of funerals is
concerned, it is merely a manifestation of the mob mentality that is a
characteristic of the Kashmir people.
There is again talk of economic
backwardness and lack of development. The question is who is
responsible; the Government of India, State Government or the people of
Kashmir themselves?
If you do not allow the industry to come
to the region how will it develop? Is there any embargo on Kashmiris
going to other parts of the country for jobs? If Kashmir pundits, who
were thrown out from the Valley a few decades back, can be so successful
then why not the Kashmiri Muslims?
It is often said that the most complex
problems have the most simple solution. The same is the case with
Kashmir. The solution lies in the people of the valley walking one step
forward to integrate with the development story of the nation. When they
do so, the country will assuredly walk ten steps. When energy is
directed to gainful pursuits the problem will automatically vanish.
The people have to realise that they are
being manipulated and driven away from following this simple path by
the few who are earning fortunes by keeping them isolated from the
mainstream.
Colonel Jaibans Singh
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