Seeing Kashmir Without Indian Glasses
From the Blog Pak1stanfirstcom - Seeing Kashmir Without Indian Glasses October 30th, 2010 See this slideshow prepared by Foreign Policy magazine. It doesn't roundly condemn Indian atrocities, not yet at least. But considering the past, it is three-steps forward for the Am-Brit media, and hopefully the beginning of a trend that might help introduce the American people to unchecked Indian atrocities. By AHMED QURAISHI ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—For too long India misled the international community on Kashmir, claiming Kashmiris were eager to share in India's economic prosperity and that Pakistan was holding them back by infiltrating terrorists to spread mayhem. Two good things happened that India did not anticipate. It even welcomed one of those two things not knowing what was coming down the road. First, former Pakistani president Musharraf ordered all Pakistan-based Kashmiri groups to cease support for their kin in Indian-occupied Kashmir. This he did in 2004 as an exaggerated gesture of goodwill to make new peace talks with India a success. The Indians dragged the peace talks and rendered Musharraf's effort a failure. But they were jubilant nevertheless at this unilateral concession from Pakistan. What they didn't know is that something will happen five years down the road that will set New Delhi's Kashmir policy fifty years back. This is where the second good thing happened. In 2009, slowly the Kashmiris began coming out on the streets in mass protests. This unnerved more than half a million Indian soldiers crammed into the tiny occupied territory. Indian soldiers were used to confronting hardened Kashmiri freedom fighters. Ordinary Kashmiris provided the fighters all kinds of support but avoided direct clashes with the Indian military. Thanks to Indian soldiers going overboard in the organized rape of women as a tool of punishment, June 2009 saw the outpour of Kashmiri anger against the 63-year-old Indian occupation. It was even bigger than 1989, when Kashmiris began an armed struggle against the occupation. There were other triggers attributed to Indian arrogance, like gifting Kashmiri land to build Indian religious temples. By summer 2010, this turned into what many now call the Kashmir Intifada, likening it to the Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation. I remember a time when Pakistanis used to be rebuffed when they tried to make this comparison. Not anymore. Take a look at the 29 Oct. 2010 Foreign Policy magazine online cover . The world is taking note of the courage of unarmed Kashmiris, men, women and teenagers facing off a large organized force. Not just that. The world is also beginning to question why India is persecuting fair-minded Indians like novelist Arundhati Roy who questions India's unnecessary occupation of a land and people who are not Indian and do not want to be Indian. See this slideshow prepared by Foreign Policy magazine. It doesn't roundly condemn Indian atrocities, not yet at least. But considering the past, it is three-steps forward for the Am-Brit media, and hopefully the beginning of a trend that might help reduce Pakistani hostility to American double standards in the region. Pakistan First
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