IS BEAUTY BEWITCHING ?

It is a tale typical of Mankind's dilemma everywhere .Mother Nature has endowed the good Earth with plentiful water,greenery and sources of energy for Life to exist on a planet which has only one natural satellite and no other celestial body to compare with.And,Man is the only creature who can think independently and discern the differences between what is good and bad ,pleasure and pressure,man and woman , bestiality and kindness .

Kashmir is as idyllic in its resplendence and natural surroundings as it is in having a set of human population who are endowed with robust personalities and sharp,marked features which set them apart from the rest of India,America or Russia.

It is stated by reliable historical accounts that the Prophet Mohammed had stayed for long there after he had left the Arabian desertland.

It has two lovely gardens developed by the Moghul dynasty-rulers' passion for enjoyment of India's bountiful treasures called Shalimar & Nishaat Gardens-still the envy of many a landscape artist and delight for any visitor from a warmer region of the globe.

It has in pre-independent India been a State ruled by a Hindu Monarch with a predominance of subjects who professed Islam as their religion.This was in contrast to the South Indian State of Hyderabad[Deccan]where the ruler was a Muslim but the predominant religious following of the ruled was Hinduism.

It is in this backdrop of things that one ought to view the strange and very eccentric manner in which the State of Jammu & Kashmir was accorded a special-status by the outgoing British Rulers of the Indian Sub-continent in 1947 .Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru 's ancestors hailed from this region of Kashmir whereas Mohd.Ali Jinnah was ordained the 'Father of Pakistan' which was a State carved on both the western and Eastern borders of the Republic of India by those who let the freedom-fighters of India believe that they won their Independence after two centuries of struggle.

Fact is that Mahatma Gandhi's fast for a united ,undivided India without partition on lines of religion went unheeded.Then came the test of sagacity of Sardar Vallabhai Patel who as the Home Minister was left to unite all the erstwhile Princely-States into the Union of India .He achieved great success whilst carving out the new States on linguistic lines as several tongues ,dialects and languages were spoken widely across the length and breadth .Even his voice was silenced as Nehru held reign and it was his rapport with the last Viceroy Lord Mountbattern that enabled the declaration of Independent Nations of India and Pakistan .

Kashmir soon came to be ruled by Sheikh Abdullah and his family members one after another with a brief change in between by others of the opposition.It has always been claimed by neighbouring Pakistan to be its own .In fact,a portion of Jammu & Kashmir has been occupied by Pakistan ,per Indian records of war and peace.

Article 370 was included in the Constitution of India to accord a special-State status to the north Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir so much so that all other laws applicable to the rest of India were not applicable to this place.Those living outside this State cannot buy or sell land.The rest of the nation were 'alienated' by such unjust,irrational and unhappy 'rule of law'.

Strangely,the espionage units of enemically disposed ,vested interests have been fomenting trouble in the Kashmir Valley in connivance with disgruntled and anti-social elements overtly as well as covertly.A major strategy has been planting of disinformation and misinformation stories in the campaign to malign India's non-aligned policy in the international arena .

Due to unrest and terrorist attacks, several innocents have died and millions rendered homeless forcing them to flee down southwards to rest of India and rehabilitate themselves with the help of Government relief-packages and assistance from good samaritan organizations.

A major casualty in the decades old episode has been the Army personnel and para-military and State Police-personnel who are targetted by the local mobs that get incited and resort to unbridled violence and dastardly attacks on the sentinels of peace.

True,police are often accused of 'inaction' if they exercise restraint and tolerance towards mob-violence but are more villified for 'over-action' if even a mild lathi-charge is resorted to quell such a mindless violence .

Who are the incitors, instigators and culprits of the evil one-sided war being waged from within its borders is not hard to grasp for even a novice in world politics.

Geo-political location of Jammu & Kashmir is of particular importance not only to its natural country,India but also to envious neighbours and those far and distantly situated to the valley-State.

Be that as it may, huge number of Sikh population were massacred during the 1947-partition period.Then,in last few decades,vast numbers of Hindus were driven away from the place by rebellious ,fanatical groups that attacked their existence and right to be alive.

Indian Army has faced accusations of excesses as well as inaction during the entire period of controlling the ground situation.Be it Indira Gandhi or be it Rajiv Gandhi or other Prime Ministers ,none was successful in abrogating article 370 according a special-status to this State nor in engaging in counter terrorism to counter terrorism in this State.

Reason?

In the garb of 'sensitivity' ,no sensible action was taken .One good administrator has been Governor Jagmohan who was shunted out of office just as he was gaining popularity among the majority population of Muslims who were by and large disgruntled earlier.

In recent years,especially after the dastardly attack on Mumbai City [on western shores of India]on 26/11 of 2008 by terrorists from across the border,world opinion came to rest wholly in support of India on the long-thought 'bone of contention',viz; Kashmir 'problem'.

In the result, political masters from across the borders of the anti-national and secessionist forces resident in the State ordered the local actors of the wicked game-plan to utilize women and youth [including minor children]to take to the streets and resort to 'stone-throwing' and attacking the security-forces [who are under strict orders to be atacked but not attack in face of gravest provocation]since the mobsters'are our own'.[sic].

As a result ,over the last fortnight,hundreds of Police officers and lower-level constabulry and army-officers and soldiers have all been subjected to heavy stone-pelting and being spat upon and even those attacked and killed are being undressed and subjected to barbaric 'war-crimes' heard about during the times of barbarians' attacks on Christian monasteries and Church in medieval world.

The word of order and strict instruction given to the security-forces is 'RESTRAINT'.

The war-cry of the attacking mobs is 'kill them infidels'.

Who is in fault ? Is it the Leadership who like Nero fiddling while Rome burnt is sitting pretty while the Nation stands burning and hurting from 'within' or is it the wily,cruel invaders sitting pretty across the borders and remote-controlling a 'civilian-mutiny' of sorts?

It is the local,Central Government which ought to no longer continue to provide free food and rations supplied since decades to local 'majority'-population in a short-sighted policy of 'appeasement to reform' .It is a fact that even as Rice [the staple diet]is sold @ Indian Rupees forty down under,south and in national capital of New Delhi too ,it is sold @ Rs.four only in Srinagar,etc?That it and vegetables and such other essential supllies of life are provided free of cost at their doorsteps in the middle of nights too since decades .That is the reason there is no report of a 'starvation-death' or famine from the valley-state which is supposedly in the brink of a tussle for existence and identity WHEREAS you have chronic famine in other parts as for instance in Orissa's Kalahandi district!

Most alarming is the latest cry of the local fanatically-disposed Muslim population in Kashmir Valley calling upon the Sikh community to either embra ce Islam or get massacred .Quite preposterous then is it on part of the Union Government of India to render its security forces 'impotent' and immobilized as 'sitting-ducks' for stone-pelters who walk up to the Army Brigadier and hurls stones and then spits at his face ,one after another fully conversant with the fact that the disciplined soldier will not retaliate as the order is to exercise 'restraint' in face of provocation.

Should not a democratic nation indulge in counter -terrorism to counter terrorism?

Unless this be done ;unless the special-status accorded to that particular State is not removed from the Constitution,unless a Common Civil code uniformly applicable to every Citizen of India[irrespective of religion professed]is brought in, such macabre crimes against Humanity,Nationality and the Sovereignity of a great Democracy shall but continue .

Is Beauty Bewitching or can witches be beautiful ?