Free Kashmir is a myth

Kashmir issue is getting renewed attention due to the recent conflicts between armed forces and the people of Kashmir. 24x7 media and Pakistan has been trying to cash in on it. However, does anyone understand what is it that Kashmiris are fighting for? Freedom for Kashmir? Will this ever be a reality? Let us imagine for some time that India decides to let go Kashmir and the people of Kashmir form an independent nation. How long will their independence last?

Pakistan is definitely not supporting the Kashmir struggle because of love for the people of Kashmir. The very reason Kashmir became part of India was that Pakistan tried to conquer it. If freedom of Kashmir would have been their aim, then there won't be talks of hoisting Pakistan flag in Srinagar. The masked men protesting on the streets are swaying either Pakistan or ISIS flags. The freedom coming out of efforts by these people will never ensure a free Kashmir. They will only cause greater pain and agony to the people of Kashmir.

Keeping the Kashmir issue burning is also a ploy of the Pakistani army and their government for deflecting the focus from issues like poverty and poor economic conditions. The youth of the country could be easily lured for money and fake propaganda that fellow Muslims are being killed. People of Kashmir just need to peek into Pakistan Occupied Kashmir to understand that “Azad Kashmir” is nothing but a myth. The people of Kashmir should understand that it is in their best interest to stay with India where they will get opportunities to prosper. A free Kashmir may be a reality for few days but in the long term, it will always be facing a threat of being controlled by Pakistan if India chose to ignore Kashmir. If both Pakistan and India are considered as evil by the Kashmiris, then they will have to choose the lesser evil which happens to be India. One just has to re-visit history to understand this.

There will always be so-called liberals trying to fight for freedom of Kashmir. Some will even defend terrorists just to ensure that they portray themselves as guys who keep a different opinion from that of the government. It does not matter whether they are stating the facts correctly or not. They will cry for freedom but at the expense of the nation’s integrity.

Let Kashmiris fight for better opportunities for education or jobs for the youth. They will get better support from fellow Indians than for a failed cause like freedom of Kashmir.