What do Kashmiri people want? Join Pakistan or be an independent nation? What exactly is your personal vision for Kashmir?Sandip AgarwalPeople of Kashmir are in search of eternal political salvation. They strongly feel that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir, presently under Indian and Pakistani occupation is a disputed territory. Kashmiris want to be allowed to decide their own destiny. Vast majority of the Kashmiris want an independent state of Jammu and Kashmir. Pro-Pakistan sentiments do exist but are statistically insignificant. It will not be surprising to find traces of Pro India sentiment too. My personal vision of Kashmir is a democratic, secular, independent state dedicated to peaceful co-existence with its neighbours and strict adherence to barrier free international trade. Why is that people like you who honestly wants to see peace in the Valley often take the back seat?JK SinghViolence determines the political clout in Kashmir. The monopoly of perpetuating violence is reserved with India and Pakistan. When violence intensifies, political elements get crowded out. It is difficult to stay in news in a world where violence dictates the media headlines. I am convinced that violence is an interim phenomenon and civilised methods of conflict resolution will prevail once India and Pakistan abandon their primitive and savage mindset. Can’t you see the futility of the Kashmiri separatist movement? Cant you see how rest of India have moved far ahead of JK and how the Kashmiris are still suffering?K NaveenIt is not a matter of the futility of the separatist movement. On the contrary is it futile for people like me to believe that the day will arrive, when the people of India will understand and acknowledge the high moral costs of holding on to Kashmir against the will of the people of Kashmir. It will be the day when the people of India will refute the national version of Kashmir issue fed to them by politicians and stop endorsing murder and mayhem in Kashmir in the name of patriotism. The people of Pakistan would have to replicate such behaviour in order for the Kashmiris to live in peace. Are we asking for too much from the people of India and Pakistan? J-K is certainly lagging behind economically. It is a war between economics and psychology. People of Kashmir are sacrificing economics in the short run in the anticipation that in the longer run their psychological aspirations of being a free nation will be fulfilled. May I add that economics is important and it is never too late for nation building. Don’t you feel that the political leadership of Hurriyat has to formulate short, medium and long-term strategies to achieve its goals? With a rigid posture and a divided rank it seems to be difficult for the Hurriyat to live up to the expectations of Kashmiri massesIajaz NaqshbandiLet us make something clear about Hurriyat. Hurriyat is an advocate of a sentiment. A sentiment, which embodies the struggle of a nation to determine its own future. A towering figure like Sheikh Sahib once advocated this sentiment. He abandoned it and yet the sentiment flourished. The sentiment is not the slave of Hurriyat. Hurriyat is the slave of the sentiment. It is up to Hurriyat to continue being relevant by sincerely trying to live up to the expectations of the Kashmiri masses. If Hurriyat fails to deliver some other advocate will take up the cause and defend the sentiment. How will you teach ‘‘Kashmiriyat’’ to future generation of Kashmiris after ethnically cleansing Hindus who were a part of parcel of this doctrine?Sanjay JalaliDestruction or erosion of the concept of Kashmiriyat was a joint venture between a tiny minority of Kashmiri Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits. People who killed or kill Kashmiri pandits are terrorists. And terror has visited the Kashmiri Muslims as frequently, if not more, as that of the Kashmiri Pandit. I will teach the true version of Kashmiriyat — People who killed Kashmiri Pandits, Kashmiri Muslims including my father are terrorists. Uniformed gunmen viz. the Indian security forces who killed civilian Kashmiri Muslims are terrorists. The section of Kashmiri Pandits who after migration tried to paint the whole Kashmiri Muslim community as a bunch of terrorists are over ground terrorists and like their radical counterparts among the Kashmiri Muslim community have developed a vested interest in the continuation of violence.Don’t you think that you are following a dual policy? On one side your party calls upon people not to participate in electoral process and on the other side you take part in election with the help of a proxy candidate. So what exactly is your policy?Rohan Naik Proxy was a surreal concept created by the media. I am not personally against the concept of elections. I am against willful attempts to confuse elections with the endorsement of Kashmir’s accession to India.
