The Tale of Two Kashmirs |
The visuals emerging from across the LoC in the other part of Kashmir are not only deeply disturbing but also profoundly surprising to me. I had always believed that, despite all our grievances in Jammu & Kashmir, we were comparatively better off. While our political aspirations were repeatedly ignored, we nevertheless had far superior infrastructure, educational opportunities, medical and engineering colleges, IITs and other institutions. Across the LoC, the first medical college was established only in 2009, and development has lagged far behind. I assumed that despite these limitations, people there were relatively content. The recent protests, and the brutal force used to suppress them, have shattered that perception. In many ways, the scenes unfolding there resemble what we have endured here for decades.
These developments raise difficult questions that both India and Pakistan must confront.Why did Kashmir, often described as paradise on earth, reject the two nation theory and choose secular India over Pakistan? In 1947, Kashmiris resisted the tribal invasion with extraordinary courage, embracing Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of a pluralistic India while rejecting Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s Pakistan. Besides Maharaja Hari Singh and Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, Jawaharlal Nehru’s deep emotional bond with Kashmir played a defining role. He envisioned Kashmir as India’s “show window” to the world because he understood its unique character a Muslim majority........