[Reader-list] Two Sad Incidents

Tue Feb 23 11:05:28 IST 2010

Dear Jabbar,

"An overwhelming majority 71 per cent of the Valleys population is under 35. An estimated 74 per cent of the youth are educated. But as a result of the strife, stagnant economy and absence of industry there are no jobs. The unemployment figure has touched 4 lakh half of them are college graduates."

Problem with article/law 370 that no one than local Kashmiris buy land there. If it is removed made free for all Indians, then you will see how industries will set there and employment problem will solved definitely. But, it is unfortunate that few (very minor) separatists dictate the terms there. 

Thanks
Bipin

-----Original Message-----
From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net [mailto:reader-list-bounces at sarai.net] On Behalf Of S. Jabbar
Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 9:59 AM
To: Shuddhabrata Sengupta; Sarai
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Two Sad Incidents

      MAIL TODAY ePaper

Copyright © 2008 MAIL TODAY.

Feb 20, 2010 
'It is stifling to be young in Kashmir'
by Sonia Jabbar 
( As told to Neha Tara Mehta)

THERES a major difference between 1990 and 2010. In 1990, Kashmiris really
believed azadi was around the corner. Two historic events ‹ the withdrawal
of the Soviet army from Afghanistan and the fall of the Berlin Wall ‹
convinced people that great powers were not invincible and the
demonstrations in Kashmir, though full of anger, had a great degree of
optimism. Today, the demonstrations flow from a deep well of nihilism and
the reason for this is also located in recent history.

>From 2000 onwards, when the Vajpayee government initiated a series of
movements towards reconciliation with Pakistan on Kashmir ‹ the ceasefire in
2000 and the Lahore Pact ‹ it created a very positive atmosphere. Everyone,
from General Pervez Musharraf on the Pakistani side to the mainstream
political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, and the Kashmiri separatists, were
outdoing each other to come up with creative solutions. There were talks,
both public and secret, Track II meetings and round- table conferences at
the highest levels. The 2002 elections were very successful and all this
generated a great degree of public confidence and optimism.

Both India and Pakistan failed to take advantage of the tremendous goodwill
that they had generated. Nothing happened. By 2007, peoples hope started
dwindling. There was no alternative but a life of constant tension
between the guns of the army and those of the militants.

Most young people in Kashmir view the Indian military presence from two
perspectives: one, as an army of occupation, and two, as an irritant you
have to negotiate with every day when you come across road blocks and
bunkers. What do you do with a life that's continually disrupted by hartals
and curfews? Young people in the rest of the country have no idea of just
how stifling it is to be young in Kashmir. There doesnt seem to be a way
out, so young people are filled with suspicion and cynicism.

The Amarnath issue in 2008 was a non- issue. It was an excuse for the
volcano of disappointment and frustration to erupt. The separatists took
advantage of the groundswell. At that time I spent some time in downtown
Srinagar. Though I found the stone- throwers employed by separatist groups
as agent provocateurs, most of the demonstrators were young and gullible
boys. These I found to be extremely frustrated youth who took to the streets
at the slightest provocation. For some, it was a rite of passage to prove
ones masculinity. It was considered an act of bravado to have taken on the
police. 

These are young people who have grown up in the last 20 years, their
movements constricted by the military presence and restriction on movements.
An overwhelming majority ‹ 71 per cent of the Valleys population ‹ is under
35. An estimated 74 per cent of the youth are educated. But as a result of
the strife, stagnant economy and absence of industry there are no jobs. The
unemployment figure has touched 4 lakh ‹ half of them are college graduates.
And because they cant settle in life financially, they marry much later. So
you have young people who would normally have married in their early 20s,
are now marrying in their late 20s or early 30s.

This large population of frustrated, nihilistic young people is most
susceptible to being drawn into another cycle of militancy. Death has more
meaning for them than life. The only way this situation can be salvaged is
if they see some forward movement on the Kashmir problem.

> From: Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net>
> Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:19:12 +0530
> To: reader-list list <reader-list at sarai.net>
> Subject: [Reader-list] Two Sad Incidents
> 
> Dear All,

Two bits of news that came in, of a Taleban beheading of two sikhs
> in  
Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, and of the death of an 11  
day
> old infant in Kashmir, during a scuffle between a group of  
protestors and
> the infant's parents, who were being apparently  
prevailed upon to join their
> protest - are shocking.

The Taleban's beheading of the two Pakistani Sikhs is
> barbaric and  
needs to be condemned in the strongest possible words.

And the
> mindless hot-headedness of those who precipitated the infants  
death in
> Kashmir also points to the fact that the pro-Azadi camp has  
a great deal of
> introspection to do about how it handles the day to  
day aspects of running a
> protest movement.  I think that the 'stone  
pelting' protests become in
> several instances, episodes for lumpen  
young men to let off their macho
> steam. The second Palestinian  
intifada degenerated into something that the
> Israeli Armed Forces  
could completely crush because the twin tactics of
> 'stone pelting'  
and suicide bombing totally alienated both public opinion
> across the  
world, and also ensured that ordinary citizens found it
> increasingly  
intimidating to be a part of the protest process. Protest
> became a  
young men and adoloscent boys fantasy of militancy, not a serious
> and  
non-violent challenge to state power. There is a real danger that the
> 
same might occur in Kashmir.

I remain convinced that the end of the military
> occupation of the  
Kashmir valley is a worthwhile goal. I am also fully aware
> that the  
pro-Azadi camp is fuelled at present by little other than rage. I
> do  
not think that rage alone is a basis for a worthwhile political goal.  
I
> find the incident in which the infant died, as regrettable as  
instances
> where children have either died or been severely injured by  
police,
> paramilitary or army actions in the recent past in the  
Kashmir valley.

The
> absence of a vision can never be made up for by a surfeit of
> stones.

sadly,

Shuddha

Shuddhabrata Sengupta
The Sarai Programme at
> CSDS
Raqs Media 
> Collective
shuddha at sarai.net
www.sarai.net
www.raqsmediacollective.net

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