He walks slowly and looks up once in a while. His calm eyes win immediate sympathy. His demeanour which has been peaceful since he started idolising Gandhi Ji is impressive. Overall, you develop a soft corner for him and wonder if his viewpoint will be understood.
He claims to have renounced violence and seeks a second chance like anyone would get. He opines that renouncing violence for a long time should erase his sins from the social conscience. I think you are getting convinced but wait a minute what if I told you that he killed a number of people in cold blood that he introduced the Kalashnikov culture in Kashmir which is getting Kashmiris killed till now ? that he got large number of young people killed by leading them on the path of violence? that he took active part in pushing out Pandits from their centuries old home? Now now you will find his eyes not calm but scheming....his peaceful demeanour, a strategy to gain sympathy.
Now, you may want harsher punishment for him and why not? Along with the people he killed or got killed by spreading violence, their families suffered an endless agony.
Death and destruction started in Kashmir because Pakistan brainwashed the youth, trained them in the camps in POK and sent them back in Kashmir to attack security forces, subvert the administration and create a serious law and order situation. The state responded befittingly as any state would do and situation was brought under control. The pro-azaadi voices were soon silenced by the Pakistan based tanzeems who wanted Kashmir to merge with Pakistan. Kashmir, which Pakistan could not take by force, was subjected to a vicious and treacherous proxy war. Thousands of youth were made to pickup weapon and go the harm’s way. All perpetrators who are in any manner connected in encouraging violence are guilty and should be punished. Their pasts will catch up with them and law will take its course. Renouncing violence after murders cannot be their escape route to freedom. Ask the families of those who got killed if the perpetrators should be left free. Forgive and forget is not applicable when it comes to murders and abetting murders. Also, go and see the dilapidated houses of Pandits that once had happy families living in them, where children played and elders laughed...where a part of Kashmiri culture breathed till early 1990’s when they were treacherously scared away, never to come back. There was a detailed planning done by the perpetrators including threatening announcements from mosques like Ralive, Tsaliv ya Galive (convert to Islam, leave the place or perish). Tens of thousands of fellow Kashmiris had poured into the streets of the Valley, shouting ‘death to India’ and death to Kafirs. Now the perpetrators of that injustice exhibit an innocent face and feign being ‘oppressed’.
The death and destruction did not finish with the exodus of Pandits, it continued and thousands of Muslims too became a victim of these. The process of violence started by terrorists turned peaceniks is the real reason behind woes of Kashmir.
Now that Kashmir has tasted new freedom and development in recent years, our appetite for violence has diminished considerably. We want the life to go on. We want our children to go to schools. We want trade to flourish. We want a Kashmir where one can go to the market without having the fear of getting killed by terrorists' grenades. We do not want terrorists to come into our homes at odd hours and ask for food. We don't want people who have led an entire generation on the path of death and destruction to gain sympathy, just because they have 'renounced' violence. Law will catch up with them and the facade of being a peaceniks won't erase their past crimes.
Perhaps the often repeated complaint of common people is the number of ‘nakas’ (checkpoints) on the roads. Were they there before terrorism started in Kashmir? No, they were not there. In fact, there was tourism, cinema halls, beauty parlours, and cafeterias markets used to open till late people of all religion stayed together in harmony. Then ISI and Pakistan Army started their treacherous proxy war. The forces that you see in Kashmir were in response to that.
The terrorists turned Gandhian's should remember what Gandhi Ji said– “I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.”
JO AAG LAGAYI THI TUMNE WOH JALA CHUKI HAI KITNE ASHIYANE
JO UJAAD DIYE TUMNE KITNE KHUBSOORAT THE WOH ZAMANE
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