Some Food for Thought October 20, 2010
Posted by chitranshu in Society & Politics.trackback
Two interesting articles.
The first one is for those who think that our armed forces are the biggest human rights violators in Kashmir, and also for those who think that they can do no wrong. This one tells you that they have indeed made some mistakes, but thankfully, they still have the guts to admit them, as well as the processes to address them. This also tells you that they have been accused of much more and much worse than what has actually happened. These accusations have been a handy tool for those who want these forces out of Kashmir for their own ulterior motives.
The second one lends an interesting viewpoint to the debate on capital punishment. I do not have a strong opinion on that, but I have heard of people who claim that death might be preferable to a long life in prison. One such person is Gregory David Roberts, the author of Shantaram, who spent years in solitary confinement in Australia and India and saw some of his prison-mates trying hard to kill themselves in any way possible to escape a long life in prison.
Hi Chitranshu! Good to see you’re back to blogging.
Regarding the first link, it’s encouraging that the army is attempting to deal with human rights violations, but it doesn’t really make sense for us to take the word of the accused over that of the victim, no?
Demilitarization in the valley is not just about this sort of thing in any case. Kashmir has the highest troop-to-civilian ratio in the world. How long can the Kashmiris be expected to accept a situation of constant siege?
Did you see Pankaj Mishra’s article on Kashmir? http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/aug/14/silence-over-kashmir-conflict
This article is also worth reading:http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/article822141.ece
[...] 28, 2010 Posted by chitranshu in Society & Politics. trackback In the few days since I last posted on this blog, with a link to an article on human rights abuse cases against the Indian Army in Kashmir, a new [...]
@ Yohan
Thanks. And it’s good to see your comments on my blog again.
As you might have noticed, I have indirectly responded to your comment through my next post.
In short, while I agree that we need not take the word of the armed forces as gospel truth, I do not believe that we should take the word of any other party or agency blindly either. There are many who would like to inflate the numbers and allege much more than the reality, for their own narrow self-interest.
Secondly, it is clearly understood even by the Indian government that this extremely high troop-to-civilian ratio and this state of constant siege is not only bad for Kashmir, but also bad for the rest of India, which is exactly why they keep trying to work out a solution, although the sincerity of efforts may vary from time to time. The issue was complicated to begin with and has become even more so over the years, and it is not a simple case of oppressive occupation by a ‘colonizing power’.
[...] happened earlier when I posted on this blog with a link on cases of human rights abuses against the Indian Army in Kashmir, and the very next [...]
Hi Chitranshu…
Wat Is Ur Opinion Abt…Kashmir Being Last In List Of “Top Revenue Contributing State”..? If We Include Bombs, Granades, Riffles..Pistons…n Now STONES In List Of Export-Import..Kashmir Can Top The List…
My Other Point Of View Is Dis…
Kashmir Being An Aching Part Of India & Now A Global Problem..1000s Of Crore Are Spended On Tat Particular State Daily & Wat Indians Are Getting…Stones???
They Smuggle Stones Like Weapons At Night..It Gets Distributed In People & Dramatic Protest Starts In Morning…Isnt It Sarcasm???
Pakistan Supportive Chants Are Heard Now & Den In D Valley..Is Dis Right To Speak??
I Donn Understand Why Kashmiris Are Soo Dissatisfied??
@ Ankit and Yohan
An interesting update on the Kashmir situation, which can offer some answers:
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101108/jsp/nation/story_13151169.jsp
Two more articles on Kashmir:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Pak-govt-completely-aware-of-intelligence-agencies-financing-militants-in-Kashmir/articleshow/6899908.cms
http://www.moneylife.in/article/11053.html