The once beautiful Dal Lake with the shikaras gliding on it now seems like a distant memory. The Dal, with filth floating on it, in fact has become a metaphor for the turmoil that’s been gnawing away into the innards of the Kashmir Valley. Notwithstanding the “packages” and “promises” that the Centre has been announcing from time to time, including the latest eight-point initiative on Saturday, the azadi sentiment among the common man remains stubbornly strong in the Valley.
“We want azadi, nothing more,” says Mohammed Iqbal Wagey from Badgam. Echoing his feelings, Mohammed Amin Wani from Shopian says, “Hum alag hukumat karenge.” Mohsina Ahad, 17, from Badgam, whose mother’s hand was allegedly fractured when it was hit by a security personnel in their village of Badgam Choon, declares, “We want only azadi...so many zulum (atrocities) are being committed against us.”
But it’s a sentiment fuelled in a large measure not only the secessionist leadership of the Valley but also by the sheer lack of governance that the Valley has seen despite the huge promise with which young Omar Abdullah took over as the J&K chief minister in January last year. Here’s what a young Kashmiri, Tanvir Ahmed Bhatt, standing outside the government hospital for Bone and Joint Surgery in the Barzulla area of the city, said, “Uske Papa usko chalate hain” (Omar’s father, Farooq Abdullah, is the one who dictates to him what he should do).
Mushtaq, a Kashmiri in his mid-20s with a management degree from Delhi, seems to put things in sharper perspective when asked what is the solution to the frequent disturbances in the Valley. Sketching out a rough map, he points to India, Pakistan and China and remarks, “There’s a war going on between the three over Kashmir with each trying to take as much of share as possible.”
Once living and working in Delhi, Mushtaq deeply regrets his shift back to the Valley saying, “It’s a disaster in Kashmir.” He’s now applying for jobs to get out of the Valley where he’s only seen curfew and hartals (strikes) these first three months besides a 50 per cent cut in salary in the last two months as his employer too is suffering losses.
Bilal Ahmed, who belongs to Anantnag, which, like several other towns across the Valley, has been witness to the recurring cycle of violence and curfew, doesn’t sound too happy with the state government either. Asked about the Centre’s Saturday package, he remarked, “Omar Abdullah will get packages but nothing more will be done.” He then adds for good measure, “Stop this atank (terror). A lot of blood has flowed already,” in an indirect reference to the over 100 persons who have been killed in the Valley since early June.