16,000 Kashmiris Languishing in Indian Jails on Dubious Charges

[vineshvk]

@janab-e-ali

But throwing him in jail for twenty years without a trial, installing a rubber stamp government under the wildly unpopular Bakshi Ghulam Muhammad, and having them abolish Kashmir’s autonomous status…that was the smart way to keep the separatists in check?

20 years wasnt the time he was in Jail. Few years after 1953 he was released when he went to Pakistan to meet Ayub Khan and Bhutto.

@janab-e-ali

The JKLF fell out with Pakistan well before they renounced violence because they supported independence over joining Pakistan. In any case, your earlier statement about their being a terrorist organization is false anyways.

No Pakistanies wanted to make Kashmir a muslim struggle rather than an independent movement. They were supporting all the muslim outfits like Al fatah and likes.

@janab-e-ali

Pakistan has no reason not to accept this, as by now, the government has come to terms with the fact that there’s no way Kashmir will ever be an integral part of their country. Most Kashmiri Muslims already support this (the 1987 elections, and multiple subsequent polls are evidence)…as for the Hindus, they would be more than welcome to return to an independent, secular Kashmir, but at just 4% of the total population, they don’t have enough clout to democratically outweigh the nearly unanimous will of the Muslim majority. As for India…decolonization is never easy for imperialist states…but its a reality they all eventually have to come to terms with.

Pakistan always has kashmir in her radar. How can you explain the incursion of Kargil. Dont say it was kashmiris on top of the mountains.

@janab-e-ali

Kashmir’s situation is different…no other state was forced to merge into India or Pakistan so clearly against the will of most of its population. In any case, I would hope that the democratic credentials that you people are always bragging about would be strong enough to prevent the states that have actually benefited from being a part of the Indian union from wanting out. I think these arguments against the independence of Kashmir (the spontaneous balkanization of India, the massive anti-Muslim holocaust in India that would follow, etc) are mostly ridiculous and unfounded.

Ha ha, that would leave only UP and Bihar with India..
:). Politics in India is less mature. People still have caste and regional affiliation.When such things exist it is not reasonable to allow for a state to be separate giving the small percentage of disgruntled people in other states to have a voice of their own and exploiting some sentiments to get a more popular vote. Kashmir struggle itself started with a small group. Sikh group wasnt satisfied either and had a very violent struggle but now they have renounced the violence and are in the Indian union, just like many other states.