Kashmiris Plight :

No one can fully fathom the trauma to the 8 million Kashmiris, living for years now with gunfights between warring militant groups or between insurgents and counterinsurgent forces an everyday occurrence. A new generation is being brought up in the shadow of the gun, deprived of a normal social life, and often of education. Thousands of Kashmiris risk growing up with no skills other than fighting.
With no plan for addressing the real needs of the people of Kashmir, the new government will probably fail even sooner than the one before it. And the semblance of normalcy that hovered on his
horizon has vanished. 

Yet, the Indian government maintains that Kashmir is on the path to peace. "The locals don't support militancy anymore," officials tell you. "The situation has improved." Then how do you explain the recent wave of violence? The daring attacks on army camps? Heightened security operations? The recommendation to move in more troops each passing day? 

Left : An injured civilian being led away from the site of a bomb explosion in Srinagar on August 10,2000. Nine security police personnel (mainly muslims) and one journalist were killed in the attack. Hizb-ul Mujahideen and lashkare-toiba claimed the responsibility for the blast. Right : A wailing kashmiri women surrounded by the paramilitary forces during search and cordon operations that usually follow after such blasts. The photo captures the essence of Kashmir's tragedy here.

The above images underlines the fact, that no matter if it's the liberation antic of the so called, 'Jihadis', or the security operation of the Indian defense personnel, the sufferers are none but the local innocent population.  Is there an end to this blood game? Can India bring the alienated Kashmiri Muslims back into it's fold?

Three caveats: First, fundamentalist influences-whether 'Hindutava' or so called 'Islamic fundamentalists' -must be jointly discouraged from clouding negotiations on Kashmir's future. Second, the task should not be left only to politicians, but should draw upon a cross section of Kashmiris, including academics and businesspeople. Finally, all parties must realize that human rights abuses lie at the root of much of the resentment that has fueled the conflict. No just and lasting settlement can be achieved unless the abuses are ended and those responsible brought to justice. India and Pakistan must begin this process on their own; the United States is monitoring the Kashmir situation but is not interested in interfering. Past visits by American officials have raised the hopes of Kashmiris who expect wonders from Americans, but most Americans are not concerned about Kashmir. Officially, Washington doesn't want to take sides; unofficially the United States is trying to apply pressure on India and Pakistan to start negotiations. To keep the country united, we Indians have to strengthen the nationhood among our people, not just station soldiers in troubled regions. Because armies do not make a nation!

Let's all pray for Peaceful, Just and Lasting solutions.

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