India and Kashmir

Put Out The Fire-Editorial-Opinion-The Times of India

Unless we integrate the Valley with the rest of the country, these issues are likely to continue forever into the future. Before Independence, the place was ruled by a Hindu king. Can we imagine a Hindu ruler now? Before independence, there didnt seem to be any communcal problems in Kashmir. Now since the last 20 years there are. Unless we try and integrate, things are not going to change. No point in saying that the Valley has special rights and is a special state thanks to its unique culture. The very culture we used to talk about has changed now. That culture was a great blend of Sufism and Hinduism - with both religions living together in peace and harmony. Now neither Sufism is left and nor is Hinduism. That is why even common discussions result in classifying Kashmir as the only state with a majority muslim population. I am sure that Gandhi, Nehru, Ambedkar, Patel and all the others never envisaged such a situation. The ground realities having changed so much, the case is for the integration of Kashmir rather than its continued isolation from the rest of India. We need a repeat of Punjab in Kashmir without continuing to harp on its long lost "unique" culture.