People say children get so many things from their parents, I agree. I think I got the love for Kashmir from my mother. I remember when I was little and news about Kashmir used to be aired on PTV daily. Every time with the news of killings and disappearing of Kashmiris, my mother would raise her hands and start praying for Kashmir. And as she prayed, tears would start flowing from her eyes. She would close her eyes and stay silent for some time. At that time I used to stare at her, without knowing the realities of life, without knowing the pain of losing the loved ones, without knowing how cruel this world is. But love for Kashmir was in my blood and as I grew up this love grew too. At times, I would imagine myself sitting on some mountain top in Kashmir with Kashmiris, being a part of their struggle. But even not being able to actually join them didn’t affect my love for them.
Kashmir is a forgotten conflict. The general misconception about Kashmir is that the sufferings of Kashmiris started after 1947. If you are one of them you should read about July 13, 1931. Britain’s Channel 4’s latest documentary on Kashmir; Kashmir’s Torture Trial is a brilliant effort to highlight the torture faced by Kashmiris. But Kashmiris will tell you that what’s happening in Kashmir is many times more than what this documentary shows. The worst is yet to be disclosed.
Despite all the love I have for Kashmiris, I think they have the right to be disappointed with Pakistan and Pakistanis, because we have not helped them how we should have. Giving India ‘Most Favourite Nation’ status made me feel guilty if I see through the eyes of a Kashmiri. We did nothing for them on the government level. Although people of Pakistan often talk about UN resolutions and that India should act upon those resolutions but we hardly hear such statements from our foreign office or any other representative of government. And recently Social Media Mela held in Karachi 2012 tried to made fun of Kashmiris by showing a ‘meme’ of Shakeel Ahmed Bhatt, distorting Shakeel’s story and giving it an ugly caption further humiliating the Kashmir cause. This not only hurt the emotions of Kashmiris, but it also made other Pakistanis guilty and embarrassed. We all love Kashmir conveyed this message to Kashmiris by trending #WeLoveKashmir on twitter. A common Pakistanis loves Kashmir, just like he loves Pakistan.
All Kashmir want from the world is to recognize their struggle for independence, their right of self determination, support them and see the ugly face of the so called ‘proud democracy’ of Asia. I’d leave you with the question, a Kashmiri asked at the end of Kashmir’s Torture Trial (Channel 4 Documentary),
“If the human being is one and the same, you have two eyes, I have two eyes, you have one nose, I have one nose, you have two ears, I have two ears, why is there discrimination of peace? You have peace, why don’t I have peace?”