Hi, I just heard about this gentleman by his recent poetic article he wrote in economic times. And I can’t tell you how absurd it is!
when india got its freedom nearly half the states wanted to form a separate country and not join india. At some point of time, they have realised that it is impossible and most importantly it is beneficial to join India. So they did.
But here is a set of people who keeps fighting their government and keeps killing their neighbours and the soliders of their own country!. And they protest for every reason they can imagine! and what do they do during a protest? do they do a march peacefully and let the government know about their requirements? No they go demolishing everything! beating up the police and killing Soldiers! This is an act of terrorism and not a struggle! This is a self imposed plight they are crying out with.

I understood a lot about Kashmir from Basharat Peer’s book – I found it tough going emotionally too. But when I discussed the things he mentions with people around, they say it’s all wrong, and we don’t think the freedom movement is justified (the opinion voiced above). It shows how completely the waters have been muddied, how irreconcilable the positions are, how much propaganda on both sides has vitiated what Tagore calles `the clear stream of reason’. Now one can’t even talk about these things without sharp antagonism. Please do let’s listen to each other. Can’t Kashmiri muslims understand that other muslims also live in India, and India has room for them? Can’t Indian people understand that the Kashmiri people have suffered and their traditions destroyed and that their many rulers were cruel to them? Can’t Kashmir be a place within India where there is acceptance and toleration – like Switzerland? Can’t they take the Pundits back? Kashmiris should also be realistic now and understand that `azadi’ is very vague – is it for only Indian Kashmir, or do they think Pakistan will give up their occupation and give them a united independent Kashmir? And can’t the Indian government for once forget its tradition of misrule and be sensible about use of the forces that they are using exactly like the colonial rulers – but then have the Abdullah playboys ever done anything except live it up in foreign capitals and play golf? If anything, Peer should have made an even more forceful case indicting these guys.