The separatists do not want a Kashmir solution

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

Imagine this, the hardliners in Kashmir Valley want the Indian government to demilitarise the zone for peace in the valley. It is like asking fire tenders to quit the job when a building is burning. The recent spate of violence in the valley has polarised the people so much that an average Kashmiri youth is forced to believe that if Indian security forces quit the valley the entire place will become a heaven for peace.

The question however is why does India need to mobilise close to half of its active battle force alone in one state? Were Indian security forces always present in the valley in such heavy numbers? No, it was since the start of the armed separatist moment in the state in the 1980s that India mobilised so much of its security forces and turned it into a battle zone. What else could have a government done.

One of the major problem which prevents any solution to the Kashmir issue lies in the fact that the separatist leaders take their orders from across the border. As soon as Pakistan’s position falls weak on Kashmir, there are incidents of violence and a long propaganda that the ISI and the Pakistani government run. The ordinary Kashmiris are nothing but pawns in the hands of our western neighbours.

Pew Foundation an independent agency recently did an extensive survey on Kashmir and came out with some surprising results. A sizeable majority of Kashmiris want to become an independent nation whereas only 2% are interested in merging with Pakistan. This has come as a shock for the Pakistan backed jihadis and military commanders. This figure now questions Pakistan’s legitimacy to the Kashmir issue.

In such a scenario the best Pakistan and hardliners backed by it thought of instigating violence in the valley. It serves two purpose, shows India and the security forces in bad light and also gives Pakistan an issue to address the global leaders. The Pakistani administration is struggling hard to make the world believe that it is not a factory of terrorism for the world.