India, Pakistan and the Kashmir dispute

Recently, I have been an avid reader of the online edition of Pakistan's leading English newspaper - "The Dawn", as I was curious to know about the viewpoint of things from the other side of the border. Quite a few things surprised me when I read through the Pakistani perspective of domestic and international affairs.

One, the Pakistani press is surprisingly free and critical of the government, despite the military rule. I would say that they are as much free as the press on this side of the border.

Two, they view Pakistan's stand on Kashmir as legitimate. They consider the Kashmir issue as a genuine freedom struggle and consider the Indian government as an invader.

Three, the Pakistanis consider Indian Muslims as an oppressed lot. In some of the articles and letters, they were of the opinion that Muslims in South India were much better off than those on the North.

Four, the Pakistanis are extremely critical of the Hindu religion. This is quite natural, as I have noticed that whenever Pakistani press report on anything related to Hinduism, it is predominantly the oppression of Dalits or the isolated attacks of the Sangh parivar on Muslims or Christians. There are almost no articles describing the richness or other positive aspects of Hindu philosophy or culture.

Five, the Pakistanis have a tendency to glorify Muslim rulers and denigrate Hindu ones. They, as a rule, believe that only Muslim dynasties in India have given any viable cultural contribution to the Subcontinent. There is a widespread ignorance or disregard of the pre-Islamic culture.

Six, there is a tendency among the Pakistanis to identify themselves with the Middle-Eastern culture rather than that of the Indian subcontinent.

Seven, religion is given excessive importance in Pakistani life. Any article related to social, economic or political issues have an Islamic perspective or tone, with constant references to "Islamic Ummah" and world-wide Islamic unity.

Eight, Pakistanis stand by the "Two nation theory" with ever greater conviction (no doubt influenced by the stories of Muslim persecution in India). They genuinely believe that Muslims and Hindus constitute two separate nations, with nothing in common between them.

Nine, they perceive Hindus as very much intolerant (especially North Indian Hindus) and absolve the subcontinental Muslims from any acts of intolerance in history. This includes Muslim rulers as well.

Ten, they believe that Gandhi, Nehru and other members of the Congress were unfairly biased to the Hindus. They believe that the Congress wanted to avenge the thousand year Muslim rule in the subcontinent by ensuring a Hindu rule in post-independent India and that Jinnah saved them from Hindu persecution.

It is a fact that truth is uncomfortable and disturbing at times. I do not wish to start a flame war here. But this is my perception of what I could learn from the Pakistani press.

Indian press is equally free and is equally critical of the government. But I do see an equal bias against Pakistan in the Indian press as well. For instance, Indian press generally reflect views that reject the two nation theory. They consider the partition of India as a tragedy on an epic scale that could have been avoided. They standby the Indian stand that J&K is an integral part of India. They condemn what they perceive as Pakistan's hostile intentions and tacit support for "Pakistani terrorists" ("Kashmiri freedom fighters" in Pakistani view) in Kashmir. But a religious dimension is by and large absent in such criticisms, unlike in Pakistan. The reason is evident. India being a secular republic (or striving to be one) cannot afford to have religious dimension to the State. India has numerically large religious minorities. As a result, the respected Indian newspapers and media takes care to never publish chauvinist views as that might harm the social fabric of the nation. Therefore, criticisms of religion are, in general, rare in the Indian media (except in media owned by the right-wing outfits). The only religious discrimination that the Indian state can practice officially with the sanction of the constitution is the "reverse discrimination" - special privileges and reservations for the members of backward castes or religious minorities, some allege at the expense of the majority communities.

I am not trying to paint a rosy picture of the Indian system vis-a-vis Pakistan's. But I do believe that the concept of a theocratic state in this age is reactionary, faulty and utmost ridiculous. Being raised in a society which tries its best to not define a person in terms of his religion (though obviously unsuccessful at times), I have a question to ask the Pakistani intelligentsia. Why do countries like Pakistan try to define themselves in terms of religious dogmas? From my very limited knowledge of religions, I understand that no religion is perfect or of divine origin. Considering one as more true or better than the other is simply myopic. All world religions, and I mean ALL world religions, were merely humanity's answers to the unknown. Since different cultures developed under different circumstances, they developed different ideas regarding these. Being creations of humans, they are beautiful yet imperfect. In this age, when we have discovered over 200 planets orbiting our nearby stars, and scientists are more confident than ever in finding extra-terrestrial life, holding on to obvious human creations as divine revelations and creating dogmatic societies based on them, is nothing short of monumental folly. I am glad that independent India did not commit this mistake, despite pressure from right-wing Hindu groups. Wake up and face the truth, people of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Or be prepared to have soon the ignominious distinction of becoming an esteemed member of the most reactionary societies on Earth.

Now, let us come to the polarization of the Indian subcontinent on the issue of Kashmir.

The Pakistani version of the Kashmir dispute is as follows. The people of Kashmir is overwhelmingly Muslim and they wish to join Pakistan. But India forcefully annexed the kingdom and pressured Maharaja and Sheikh Abdullah into signing the instrument of accession. After that, Kashmiris have been silently suffering the oppression by the Indian state, believing that India would give them their right of self determination under international pressure by conducting a plebiscite. But when India showed no such intention and began to repeatedly manipulate polls in J&K to their own designs, Kashmiris rose up in revolt. India has since been violently suppressing the Kashmiri revolt and is committing numerous human right violations in the valley. When the Kashmir issue was brought to the UN after the war in 1948, UN instructed India and Pakistan to demilitarize the regions of Kashmir under their control and hold a plebiscite so that the people of Kashmir can decide whether they want to join India or Pakistan or remain independent. Even though Pakistan is ever ready to do this, India has consistently dismissed this idea by citing lame excuses. Pakistani point of view is that Pakistani and Indian Kashmir must be demilitarized and a plebiscite be conducted to decide the future of Kashmir.

The Indian point of view is simple. At the time of independence, the rulers of the princely states were given the right to decide whether their state should join India, Pakistan or remain independent. The Maharaja of Kashmir, Hari Singh, with the support from Sheikh Abdullah, the leader of the popular National Conference party signed the instrument of accession to India after tribals aided by Pakistan invaded Kashmir to annex it to Pakistan. Therefore the whole of Jammu and Kashmir belongs to India - including Jammu, Kashmir valley and Ladakh that is under Indian control, as well as Pak-occupied Kashmir (Azad Kashmir and the Pakistani province of Northern Areas to Pakistanis). Religion cannot be used as a factor in deciding whether a state should join India, as India is a secular republic. To capture Kashmir, Pakistan has been infiltrating militants to the valley and waging a proxy war against India. The plebiscite cannot be conducted under the current circumstances as Pakistan has diluted the demographics of Pak occupied Kashmir (PoK) by bringing in Pakistani residents. Therefore a plebiscite under the current conditions will not reflect the true will of the people. Though India has never adopted such tactics on its side, the demographics of the Indian part also was altered by the Pakistan-supported terrorism in the valley as Kashmiri Hindus had to flee due to attacks from militants. In India's point of view, a plebiscite is out of question.

Usually in such bilateral disputes, the thumb rule is that the truth is somewhere in between. Lets see what might be the reality. The Indian media stick to the official Indian view, by highlighting the "plight" of Kashmiris under militants and scarcely turn their attention to the excesses that possibly are being committed by the Indian security forces in Kashmir. And the fact that Bollywood continues to churn out crap, hollow patriotic flicks for morons, usually maligning Pakistan, doesn't help either. So there might be truth in the human rights violations that Pakistan allege. (It is difficult for any Army to remain efficient in their job if they start to give emphasis for human rights.) Maybe what Kashmiris really desire today is independence, irrespective of whether they had a pro-India sentiment at the time of accession. They might have been disillusioned by the violence of both militants and security forces on ordinary Kashmiris. So, what could be the way forward for them? Independence for Kashmir is something the Indian state can never accept, even if Kashmiris genuinely desire it. That would mean that the "heroic deaths" of Indian soldiers fighting separatists in Kashmir was all for nothing. If a plebiscite is indeed conducted, and if the Kashmiris vote for independence (which I believe they will), India will be obliged to accept it. Kashmir's loss is something that any right minded poltical leadership in India cannot even comprehend. If they do so, such a leadership will be discredited in the eyes of the public and will fall. There is a strong possibility of an even greater, sinister repercussions should a Kashmiri secession from India come to pass. There will be widespread riots and communal violence across India. Hindutva fundamentalists, emboldened by the popular discontent, will unleash large scale pogrom against Muslims far surpassing any which happened Indian history. This is not a mere possibility, but a certainty. Can India afford it? Never. Both Indians, Pakistanis and Kashmiris might find this hard to digest. But Kashmir is the glue with which Indian secular fabric is maintained. A loss of this glue would be nothing short of catastrophic.

So, what is the way out? The Indian government cannot budge an inch from its stand on Kashmir. It is prepared to go to any extent to keep Kashmir firmly within Indian control. This determination is reinforced by the popular sentiment and support. People in the Indian states may bicker with each other over petty issues. But when it comes to the question of Kashmir, they speak with one voice - "Kashmir belongs to India. No one can snatch it away from us". Equally, chances of India securing PoK from Pakistan is unrealistic as well. So, the only plausible solution is to maintain the status quo. India will keep its portion and Pakistan will keep its portion, and Pakistan could keep Kashmir problem in the back burner for the time being. Both sides could provide greater emphasis on economic cooperation. When the militancy wanes in due course of time, tensions will ease and the presence of military can be decreased on both sides. In such a situation, the Kashmir issue could be addressed again. The border can be made porous to facilitate free movement of people between two sides. I believe that only such an approach can bring lasting peace to the Indian subcontinent. Its true that even in this case Kashmir people will be held hostage by both sides, against their wishes. But there is no other way. If the Kashmiris aspire for independence, they do have the right to fight till the end for it. But they must keep in mind that the Indian forces will be equally prepared to fight till the end and they will have the moral support of the whole Indian nation. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Parsis of India will unanimously support the Indian claim on Kashmir, irrespective of their religious affiliations. The end result will be that Kashmiri separatists will probably reach nowhere despite heavy losses on both sides.

For the time being, a compromise solution could be providing greater autonomy to Kashmir within the federal India. But the demand for autonomy is based on the assumption that the Kashmiris have an identity of their own. But so do all Indian states, with their distinct language, culture, customs, traditions, dress and cuisine. Therefore, the question of greater autonomy for Kashmir should be viewed in the larger perspective of granting greater autonomy to all Indian states. Personally, I am of the opinion that Indian states (including Kashmir) could be given far greater freedom in dealing with their affairs, in recognition of their distinct identities. But this still has to be within the framework of a strong Indian Union. I think India will be prepared for such a solution once the militancy wanes. But as long as the Kashmiri militants continue their violent campaign, expect the Indian stand to remain stubborn.

I am not defending the Indian actions in any way. India has committed a lot of mistakes in Kashmir, I know. I, for one, am a person who sincerely believe that Kashmir's accession to India was a big mistake. But just as Pakistanis say that the partition of India cannot be undone, Kashmir's accession to India equally cannot be undone as well.

Take my word for it. The Indian government is never going to give up on Kashmir issue as long as they have the support of one billion Indians behind them.

The ITeMs of Bangalore

Its time to take a break from Communist theory, and analyze some realities. I work in an IT company in Bangalore (Yes, I know.. I'm a hypocrite.. :-) ), often referred to as the "Technology hub of India" or "India's Silicon valley" (Silicon Plateau is more accurate, as Bangalore lie right on top of the Deccan plateau) and is in many ways the "United States" in India. On the outset, it is probably one of the most Westernized of Indian cities and is the melting pot for people from across India. You can see Biharis, Maharashtrians, Bengalis, Gujaratis, Punjabis, Oriyas, Tamils, Telugus, Malayalees and a large number of Tibetans, Nepalese and people from the Seven Sisters of North-east. Sadly, we have everyone here except the native Kannadigas. I do understand why they become violent sometimes. How would I feel when all these refugees from across India (myself included) come and flock to Thiruvananthapuram, with scant regard for the local language, culture, customs and traditions, and take our capital city away from us?

I'm not trying to describe the wonderful diversity of India or starting a flame war on regional chauvinism here. India is truly a nation of nations, where each State is in all practical terms a nation with their distinct language, culture, food and dress. Nevertheless, Indian states needs to forge national unity while accepting differences, in order to progress.

My focus in this article is about a particular class of people I have seen here.. a class of people I haven't encountered much in my home state of Kerala so far.

You can see them on streets, corporate office, pubs ... practically everywhere. You can recognize them by the following characteristics:

1. They speak English with American accent or Hindi with Bollywood tone.
2. They look as if they have jumped out of an American rock band or a Bollywood movie.
3. They prefer to read newspapers like Times of India (if they read newspapers at all), which carry information relevant to them like who attended which party where, where did Paris Hilton hang out this time, and the latest paparazzi scoops about Hollywood and Bollywood "celebrities".
4. They will probably shudder at the sight of boring papers like The Hindu or magazines like Frontline.
5. Guys (who prefer to wears jeans, T-shirts and sunglasses) prefer to "hang out" or "chill out" with their girlfriends (who prefer to wear... you know what).
6. Many have exceptional general knowledge in such important and relevant topics as Cricket, Football and Bollywood cinema.
7. They prefer nutritious, local foods like burgers and healthy, rejuvenating drinks like Cola.
8. They watch such informative channels like CNN-IBN where people actively debate for 8 hours at a stretch on topics of national and international importance like why Tendulkar was bowled in India's cricket match against Australia, who should be the next captain of the Indian team for the World Cup, and who is Aishwarya Rai's new boyfriend.
9. Their heroes are social activists like Mahendra Dhoni, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Mallika Sherawat, Bipasha Basu and Rakhi Sawant.
10. The ones you meet in offices read Economic Times and discuss about the latest fiscal situation in the country and the quarterly profit report just published by a multi-national. Their heroes are founding fathers of Modern India like N.R.Narayana Murthy, Vijay Mallya and the Ambani brothers.
11. They are experts in such things as Corporate values, Quality control, Optimum Resource (these "resources" happen to have the obscure scientific name of Homo Sapiens Sapiens) utilization and Value-adds in careers.
12. They know very well that Liechtenstein is the brother of Frankenstein who was the son of Einstein, that humans have landed on Jupiter, that China has an excellent political system that India should emulate for unhindered, all around development and that all Indians speak Hindi.

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the new flag-bearers of a fledging superpower, the one and only hope for this country : The Information Technology enabled Morons (ITeMs). They broadly fall under the category of Capitalism enabled Morons (CeMs). But I wish to use the phrase ITeMs for similar morons on other sectors of the industry as well, like media and fashion.

They constitute the council of wise who knows exactly what is good for this country and this world.

Who are these new species of Human race? Where did they come from all of a sudden?

These are the off-springs of Corporate Capitalism and its spin-off, Consumerism. They were created here by the 'IT boom' (an accurate phrase, as it is susceptible to go KA-BOOM at anytime..) and liberalization of the economy. They detest politics and seldom have any interest in History or the Social Sciences. Their GK is pathetic (except in Sports, Cinema or 'Celebrity' stuff) and are more interested in making Big Dollars than anything else. Their cultural skills are restricted to Pub dancing and singing Bollywood crap. The only culture that they are experts in is that of the United States. Their knowledge in religion are by and large restricted to those propagated by the great "Rich Man's Gurus" or Evangelists.

I heard that a few of them recently did a 'candle-vigil' (that's the fashion nowadays) near MG Road, Bangalore (that's their haven) on the eve of Bhagat Singh's execution. There were lengthy talks inspiring today's youth to emulate Bhagat Singh. Wait a minute. Emulating Bhagat Singh's ideals? Which one? Bhagat Singh was India's first famous Communist. He wanted to emulate the Russian Revolution here. The last book he read in jail before he was executed was "The State and the Revolution" written by Lenin. He was the first one who shouted "Inquilab Zindabad" (Long Live Revolution) in India as a salute to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Maybe these ITeMs were seeing too much of 'historical' Bollywood movies. Of course, Bollywood makes great patriotic movies. The only problem is that they make ones with too little of history, too much of fiction and too much of sensationalism thrown in to make Indians stand up and shout "Jai Hind" and make them feel patriotic for an hour (after which its back to business, of course). The 'history' shown in these movies probably made the inncoent ITeMs believe that Bhagat Singh was a nationalist who sang and danced with his girlfriend, shouted "Jai Hind", and went on to fight the British imperialists. In fact, before he died, Bhagat Singh wrote a letter to his mother expressing his anguish that if a Socialist revolution do not happen, India would be ruled by our own "Brown Sahibs" after "White Sahibs" leave. Interesting observation indeed!

But the whole of the Indian industry from Media to Automobile, increasingly cater to ITeMs specifically. Moronic industries that thrive on Morons. Its the media thats most distressing. Take a look at the newspaper Times of India. Its not safe for a sane person to believe what is written on it. They sensationalize everything, knowing that it is sensationalism, not facts, that the ITeMs need most. Compare the quality of news reporting in "Times of India" to that in "The Hindu". Or compare the content of their supplements. No wonder that most people recommend one to read "The Hindu" and "Frontline" if they are aspiring for Civil Service exams (that's something ITeMs have little hope of ever achieving). Heard anyone recommending Times of India for this? Then we have the news channels like CNN-IBN who believe that the pressing issue that this country faces to day is that of Rakhi Sawant's legal suit against Mikha Singh for smooching her, or what Virendar Sehwag needs to do to get back to form in Cricket. Well, it true. These are the crucial things happening in the world of ITeMs. I once even had the previlege of watching the CNN-IBN reporting on GSLV's failed launch of the satellite INSAT-4C this July. One agitated reporter (undoubtedly an ITeM) was ranting about how the "spaceship" INSAT-4C (nice name for a satellite) fell into the sea. He prophetically predicted that this was a disaster of epic proportions for India and that India's ambitious space program has been ruined beyond any hope. I was following the launch updates minute by minute at office on The Hindu's internet edition. (I was, in fact, hitting the refresh button every minute to see if some update has appeared on the page). At around 7 PM, I was disappointed to know that India's string of successful launches in PSLV and GSLV has been broken when the news of failure appeared on the web page, especially since Agni-III test failed the previous day. But I knew that ISRO would soon figure out what went wrong, (which was probably something trivial on appearance, but trivial faults can mean a lot on risky, high-tech ventures like SLVs), make corrections and relaunch the SLV. Since three previous launches were successful, it was evident that there was nothing inherently wrong with the vehicle design as such. But I was very much amused to see the report on CNN-IBN on TV when I reached home after work. That guy's agitated rant on screen was really entertaining. But I really admired the ISRO chairman, Mr Madhavan Nair, when he calmly told reporters that they will go over the flight data to see what went wrong and that they will get the GSLV back up soon. That's how ISRO dealt with the failure. The Moronic media reported it as a catastrophe. Maybe ITeMs do not that when the Chinese (who are more advanced than us in the space program) tried to launch their brand-new 'Chang Zheng-3B' (Long March-3B) booster in 1996 (carrying Intelsat 708 as payload), it weered off-course immediately after clearing launch tower and flew horizontally like an aircraft and crashed on top of a neighbouring village killing many (Chinese officially say six, but most others feel it was much, much higher). The third attempt of the budding Brazilian space program to make Brazil a space faring nation received a setback in 2003 when their space booster VLS-1 exploded on launchpad killing many scientists and engineers. This was after the two first and second launches of VLS-1 ended in failure with the rocket crashing into the sea. Even they didn't contemplate an end to their space programs. But our dear ITeM at CNN-IBN did.

I am not singling out TOI or CNN-IBN for extolling the virtues of some other newspapers or channels. They were merely chosen as two cases to describe a larger Moronic trend that I see nowadays around me.

All this makes me wonder.. Are the ITeMs going to inherit Earth?