RIYADH: Saudi Arabia, like other states of the Gulf, is cosmopolitan in character where people from virtually all parts of the world live and earn their livelihood here. This includes even Kashmiris, though not in very large numbers, from the other side of the divide. While the issue of Kashmir may be under discussion in various world capitals, from Islamabad to New Delhi and even Washington, the viewpoint of the Kashmiris, the sufferers of this ongoing crisis for the last five decades, is very rarely heard of.
The world media may have started focusing on the issue, yet the plight of the Kashmiris is still shrouded in mystery. They are unfortunate in the sense that despite being the principal actor in the entire issue, their views are rarely incorporated into the process of resolving this decades’-old issue. During the Agra summit the issue of inviting the All Parties Hurriyet Conference leadership to the tea party hosted by the visiting Pakistan President in New Delhi almost but scuttled the process, even before it got under way.
In the plethora of propaganda it is thus difficult for an outsider to know what the actual sufferers of this crisis have to say about themselves. Five Kashmiris from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir had a personal story to tell: a close relative of one has been in prison for more than seven years whereas an aged relative of another was arrested some 12 years back but there was no news about him now. All the five hold the view that the movement in the Valley is indigenous, and any changes in Pakistan’s policy may not have any significant impact on the struggle for self-determination.
Describing the environment in 1987, when the armed struggle against the Indian occupation in Kashmir started, they reiterated that the armed struggle was initiated by the Kashmiri youths when they realized that they did not have any other option to voice their demands.
“The Muslims of Kashmir participated in the 1987 election under the banner of Muslim United Front. Even Syed Salahuddin, who now heads the Hizbul Mujahideen while staying on the Pakistani side of Kashmir, took part in those elections from a Srinagar constituency. After all the votes were counted, the local presiding officer declared him winner. But when the election results were announced later in the media, to the astonishment of many, his name was missing from the list of elected candidates.
Commenting on the possible impact of any possible success of the movement of self-determination in Kashmir on the Indian Muslims, all the five were of the opinion that it should not have any impact. Indian Muslims have nothing to do with it. Anti-Muslim riots in other parts of India was in the past never connected to happenings in Kashmir. Indian Muslims had no role in the Kashmir movement. They have no interest in it and it has never been their issue, they said.
Referring to the killing of two Dutch tourists recently, they said the daily Aftab of Srinagar had reported that the two were killed because they had objected to the humiliating treatment meted out to a Kashmiri woman by the Indian forces. They said over 30 per cent of Kashmiri families had lost at least one of their members in the ongoing struggle.
“Even when a Kashmiri holding an Indian passport reaches Delhi or Bombay to go to his native place, he is kept in a different queue. He has to undergo interrogation before he is allowed to enter the country after the formalities. He is also required to report to the police in case he enters any other city in India. Does he enjoy equal rights with other citizen?” they asked.