I believe that Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistani Occupied Kashmir (PoK), Gilgit Baltistan are inseparable parts of India. No foreign power has the right to prevent India from making legitimate claims on these territories. Without a doubt, Jammu and Kashmir, which has suffered immensely in recent decades due to misguided government policies and political class mistakes, both in the valley and beyond, deserves our special attention. I have met a cross section of people in the valley over the years and know that one section harbors a deep sense of alienation and that there is a huge trust deficit. We will have to restore the trust of the people and address the genuine demands of the people.
Next, the government will have to restore the Kashmiri faith in India and we will have to open channels on multiple fronts to win over the people who hold us great resentment. We are geographically linked to the Valley, but we will also have to link it to the rest of India emotionally and socially. Various programs and policies need to be prepared to integrate the people of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India. I believe that dialogue is the best way to eliminate mistrust and misunderstandings. We must initiate dialogues both at the government level and by private citizens. Kashmiri students studying in other states should feel confident and secure, and small valley traders working in other states should also have a sense of security. Strong and exemplary measures should be taken against those who harass Kashmiris who study or do business in other states of the country just because they are Kashmiris. They should be made to feel that India belongs to them and they belong to India.
It goes without saying that education has collapsed in the Valley due to both government apathy and closures. Young people should have the option of choosing careers through education, away from the destructive path of terrorism and extremism. To reactivate the educational system, the government must open educational institutions in the valley. Additionally, Kashmiri students should be encouraged to study in educational institutions in other parts of the country.
The health infrastructure in the state is in shambles. You need several good hospitals and medical research institutes. A chain of good hospitals and medical dispensaries should be established in the Valley. I have traveled into the valley and seen how people are in dire need of good health and medical facilities. Private hospitals and research centers should be encouraged to open their units in the valley.
Kashmir is endowed with natural beauty and a rich harvest of fruits and vegetables. Local industries, agribusiness, horticulture and the fruit trade need to be promoted in a big way. I have seen boxes of fruit go bad due to the lack of an efficient transportation network. Perishable fruit spoils if stored in boxes and trucks for days. An improved transportation network can help farmers get their produce to market easily and early.
Kashmir has a rich tradition of craftsmanship; The shawl industry should be encouraged as there is a great demand for these products in India and abroad. In addition to shawls, there is also a high demand for products such as kahwa, dried fruit, and obstacles in their production and sale must be removed.
Kashmir is a land of rishis, munis and Sufi saints. Sufism took root here long before spreading to other parts of the country. Sufism flourishes in peace and Kashmir, before militancy struck in the 1980s, was a peaceful land. Here we must revive the culture of Sufism. Sufi lectures, meetings and lectures, as well as Sufi music programs, should be held to instill a sense of hope and positivity. I am willing to support these efforts.
Corruption is endemic in the valley and corrupt politicians have held people hostage for decades. A dynamic leadership rooted in Indian nationalism, patriotism, justice and equity must be promoted. People should have the option to choose good leaders.
The Center has dedicated huge funds to the Valley, but these funds have not been spent in a prudent and judicious manner. There is abject poverty in the corners of the Valley. Development escapes part of a land that deserves good roads, electricity and rail networks.
The repeal of articles 370 and 35A are in favor of the people. Kashmiri people should know that these items were obstacles in the Valley’s integration into India. His future is in India and not in a separate homeland. They must use all the democratic spaces that the Constitution of India makes available. Terrorism, extremism and militancy will not help them. They will bring further impoverishment.
I remember how former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee spoke of the healing touch of Kashmiriyat, Insaniyat and Hindustaniat. We need to review the very principle of Kashmiriyat and try to bring the healing touch. This must include the rehabilitation of Kashmiri pandits uprooted decades ago. They want to return to the Valley that is their home and their rehabilitation will open a new phase of peaceful coexistence.
In my visits, I have discovered that thousands of women live depressed lives as widows and wives. Apart from the women who lost their husbands through militancy or operations, there are hundreds whose husbands are missing. They are half widows. His rehabilitation is a big problem.
Last but not least, disgruntled and wayward youth must be brought back into the national mainstream. These wayward youth must be given a purpose in life. His future is in India. They must be told to use the infrastructure that is being created in the country and move on.
(Mufti Manzoor Ziyaee is a Sufi scholar from Mumbai, director of the International Sufi Caravan and president of the All India Ilm wa Hunar Foundation).
As Mohammed Wajihuddin was told
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