letters
A Way of Words
GUWAHATI Ashim Kumar Chakraborty : Your cover story , Let ’ s Talk Kashmir is indeed thought provoking and conclusive ( July 16 ). Kashmir has been ruled by parties like the Congress , National Conference , BJP and PDP since Independence , but no party has actually realised the right course of action to be taken for the sustainability of the region . The draconian AFSPA ( Armed Forces Special Powers Act ) has trapped the state in its perennial clutches , layering peoples ’ lives and memories with never-ending narratives of violence . It is nothing but a permanent solution to a people ’ s doom . Lives on either side will continue to be lost when the security forces and the people are at war with each other . First step : we have to revoke AFSPA . Then , the central government should start a conference with political parties , student organisations of Kashmir , separatists , and the other big and small stakeholders to find a way out of this bloody quagmire . If the people of Kashmir demand self-governence , exc luding the power of defence and foreign policy and agree to be ruled by tenets of the Indian Constitution , then this must be granted without delay . Only this can begin to quell the problem of militancy . We have to lend a humanitarian hand to the public of Kashmir . Merely criticising militants and killing them equals to working against the spirit of democracy .
ON E-MAIL Neeru Mishra : There is nothing in the world that can ’ t be resolved . Like everyone else , the people of Kashmir want to live a life without fear . But the current situation doesn ’ t allow for even a semblance of normalcy . The needful must be done : isolate and check the elements spreading poison and thwarting peace efforts in the state and strengthen the Kashmiri people through focussed development efforts .
July 16 , 2018
SECUNDERABAD Padmini Raghavendra : It ’ s an open secret that Pakistan remains a key spoiler , encouraging and abetting terrorism in Kashmir . What Kashmir needs is the deepening of democracy , not tactical , cynical political alliances .
DEHRADUN Richa Juyal : Barkha Dutt was an apt facilitator for the Kashmir round table . From her role in the Radia Tapes — none other than Outlook ’ s legendary founder-editor , Vinod Mehta , confirmed it — to covering the Kargil war , she has covered the whole spectrum in journalism .
ON E-MAIL T . Santhanam : No wonder that the Kashmir fiasco has worsened under Modi ’ s governance . The BJP started their alliance with PDP arrogantly , assuming that Kashmir would be an easy target for them . Under former-PM Manmohan Singh , Kashmir was just a problem . But under Modi , it has been cultivated into a leviathan .
ON E-MAIL M . A . Ahad : The cover story , read with the Homeward diary doesn ’ t offer an impartial app roach . The problem has been created and kept aflame for seven decades by politicians of all shades with the sole intention to gain political mileage . Thousands of precious human lives have been lost and crores of rupees wasted in Kashmir without any tangible benefit to the country as a whole . Moreover , who will listen to your ‘ human ’ voices in this wilderness !
COIMBATORE Sankar Ganapathi : The Diary page by Siddhartha Gigoo was an impactful read . It succinctly described the Kashmir situation . If only the armed forces were moved out of the troubled land .
BANGALORE Rangarajan : Kashmir is a state which , though very much a part of India , is still alienated because of the sinister nature of geopolitics and the lack of cohesive development . The Kashmiri people , especially the teenagers , are longing for a permanent solution and want a peaceful and prosperous life . But , is the State even listening ?
MUSCAT Ramachandran Nair : Unless a consensus is reached among all stakeholders for unity and peace , the state of Kashmir will always be an isolated and hostile spot in the country .
The initiatives and actions implemented by successive governments have not reached the core of the issue , where politics is not the key for the people . Almost three decades of insurgency has already claimed the wealth of Kashmir and its people . The lesson learned from the past is that whatever has been done so far was not the right option for settling the issue , and a new formula of open talk , without military intervention , might be helpful in res- one-liner
PUNE0 Anil S .
Let ’ s also talk to Pakistan about Kashmir , since it has a part of it that we don ’ t show in our map .
4 OUTLOOK 30 July 2018