DOST KHAN
JAMMU: The fanatic elements in Kashmir should take cue from Scotland and get settled and let others also to settle down to live in peace. They have had a lot of ‘fun’ in the past six decades in blackmailing New Delhi to seek loaves and luxuries for themselves. They have mastered in twisting arms and flexing muscles for deriving dividends. It would have perhaps been absolutely alright, had they at the basic niceties of human behavior like self respect or sense of gratefulness for being fed at the expense of Indian tax payer. These fringe elements have proved beyond any doubt that they were just parasites and not true to their salt, lest speak of loyal to the nation they live in. For them, all those having any connect with India are either puppets or pagans. Such is the depth of their ruthlessness that they take vicarious pleasure in the agonies and miseries of the fellow brethren they claim to be their Messiahs.
Even as the people of Kashmir were braving the brunt of floods and battling to survive aftermath of it, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq asked them ‘to remain steadfast in their struggle (for seceding from India)’ while referring and welcoming referendum accorded to Scotland. The humbug came at a time when every inch of receding water was unfolding a new tragedy in the form of decomposed body or rubble of a house. Those in need of succour are being given the dose of ‘independence’. It is an irony. What could be the limit of insensitivity or callousness of a man calling himself Mirwaiz to deliver a lecture on Scotland’s ‘independence’. He told the flood ravaged innocent Kashmiris that “Scotland’s referendum on independence shall pave way for other nations who have been oppressed including Kashmir” and urged them to remain optimistic and steadfast while striving for their birth right. He also made a quick appeal to international community, saying, “Britain along with other independent nations across the globe must prevail over Government of India to resolve Kashmir at the earliest so that bloodshed, mayhem and crushing of the dissent with the military might could end. It is the moral responsibility of Britain to use its good offices so that people’s aspirations could be taken into account for the early settlement of Kashmir dispute.”
A day after Mirwaiz’s day dreaming, Scotland announced its verdict against independence. With 31 of 32 constituencies declared, unionists won 55 per cent of the vote while separatists were on 45 per cent. Voters lined up at polling stations across Scotland to vote with 4.28 million voters, or 97 per cent of the electorate, registered to vote. Turnout had hit a record high. Soon after the results were announced, a legendary Scot Aistair Darling, who is heading an organization ‘Better Together’ declared, “We have chosen unity over division, and positive change rather than needless separation.” The common man in Kashmir understands well what separation means in larger context.
Mirwaiz and his bête noire hardcore hawk should understand that the people of Kashmir have already decided their fate by largely participating in successive elections to Panchayats, Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha despite their boycott calls and coercive tactics of Pakistan sponsored terrorists. The people of Jammu and Kashmir know the worth of handful but vocal anti-India Kashmiri-speaking elements living in erstwhile major towns of Baramulla, Anantnag and Srinagar who have exploited the huge mass of population spread in Jammu, Ladakh, Pahari areas for their vested interest and reached at this stage due to weak policies of New Delhi. They keep raising the bogey of Pakistan or ‘Azadi’ just to satisfy their greed and justify huge Pakistan funding that has been coming for the past over six and half decades. The generations of the present separatist leadership and some dubious leaders in mainstream camp have remained on the pay rolls of Pakistan, its sinister spy agency ISI and other pan Islamic organisations which want destabilisation in India. The outcome has been worst as huge number of people, most of them innocent, became fodder to Pakistani canons, especially in the past two and half decades.
The Scotland verdict is an eye opener for sagacious people of Kashmir who are politically enlightened and capable of taking their own decisions. Will these people believe ‘leaders’ like Mirwaiz Umar who have little appreciation of world affairs? Imagine, the so-called Mirwaiz seeking assistance and loans from World Bank and other global financial institutions to ‘rebuild Kashmir’. He should not make the mistake of treating the global institutions like New Delhi which goes out of way in meeting the unjustified demands emanating from Kashmir in a desperate bid to woo over a bunch of chronic India bashers that can never be won. The vested interests in Kashmir have tasted blood and it is now difficult to quench their thirst or to change them for good.
Mirwaiz puts damage in Kashmir at around one lakh crore rupees. This huge amount will surely be made available by none other than New Delhi despite being condemned and maligned, day in and day out. This is what has been happening for the past six and half decades and there seems to be no reason why this should not continue in future as well because of gutless Indian leaders.
