Kashmir’s fragile peace

India-held Kashmir saw a whole population rising against the state, demanding the right to self-determination

India-held Kashmir saw a whole population rising against the state last summer in the form of large demonstrations, demanding the right to self-determination. It all started when Burhan Wani, a popular rebel commander, was shot dead by the Indian forces in a village in southern Kashmir on July 8. Wani had become a hero for the new generation as they wanted a solution to the lingering Kashmir dispute. While Wani himself was from southern Kashmir’s Tral area, the ‘new age’ militancy run by local youths is also centered in the region and the summer uprising was also intense in this part of the Valley. Why was the held state’s south the epicenter of this uprising and the ‘new age’ militancy has been a question for long. Qazi Ahmed Yasir, the Chairman of Ummat-i-Islami Jammu Kashmir and Mirwaiz of South Kashmir, who was put under detention and released only after the situation had calmed down to some extent had claimed in a recent newspaper interview that the south had always played an important role in shaping up the political discourse in Kashmir. Indeed, in 1987 the Muslim United Front was inspired by an alliance formed in the south.

In 1990 militancy started here, then even resistance to the militancy began here in 1995 and the 2008 agitation started from here as well. Though the youth has shown a tendency to take up arms lately but in the opinion of Qazi Yasir most Kashmiris believe in a peaceful resolution of the issue. He believed religion had been misused by some elements during the struggle one tends to agree with him that some pre-requisites need to be fulfilled before launching an armed struggle against any nation.

He conceded that there were disagreements over how to conduct the freedom struggle but as he said this is where the leadership should temper the volatility of the young ones by teaching them the virtue of patience. We agree with him that peace in Kashmir is fragile and also that India and Pakistan should look at the problem from the Kashmiri perspective and try to resolve other issues between them in consultation with Kashmiris for lasting peace in the region.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2017.

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