By YKA Staff:
According to latest reports, the violence in Kashmir has claimed 42 lives and injured over 2000. As clashes on the streets of Kashmir show little sign of abating, a different kind of battle rages on our mobile phones. While there are the usual fence sitters, belligerence on social media regarding Kashmir since the killing of 22-year-old Burhan Wani, a commander of the militant group Hizbul Mujahideen, has peaked. One the one hand, there are people who have pointed out the blatant human rights abuse by security forces, on the other, there are those decrying the growth of support for militancy, which, some might argue, stems from a lack of proper understanding of the ground reality in the state.
A new name has been dragged into this ugly and meaningless propaganda war. IAS officer Shah Faesal, who in 2009 had pleasantly surprised Indians by becoming the first Kashmiri to top the civil services examination, is now being used to argue against terrorism in the Valley. A recent meme shows two Kashmiris, Burhan and Faesal, side by side with a few lines giving details of their lives below their respective pictures. It tries to present Faesal as a hero that one ought to emulate and Burhan as an example of the misguided Kashmiri youth.
when life makes you kashmiri, be Faesal , Not Burhan ! pic.twitter.com/0C3PEPCMN6
— Shivam Choudhary (@shivam_chutzpah) July 14, 2016
With even some respected politicians sharing this meme, Faesal has chosen to speak out. “Have I joined IAS to do a job or to become a part of your sadistic propaganda machine?” he asks in a scathing Facebook post against the falsehoods being spread and the invidious role he feels the media is playing. Read the full post here:
[su_box title=” ” box_color=”#c6cec9″ radius=”0″]By juxtaposing my photos with the images of a slain militant commander, a section of national media has once again fallen back upon its conventional savagery that cashes on falsehoods, divides people and creates more hatred.
At a moment when Kashmir is mourning its dead, the propaganda and provocation being dished out from red and blue newsrooms is breeding more alienation and anger in Kashmir than what Indian state can manage.
Personal vulnerability apart, the very fact of becoming a part of a ridiculous debate is something which has disturbed me very much. Have I joined IAS to do a job or to become a part of your sadistic propaganda machine? In fact when I qualified this exam I never thought of spending my whole life scratching the desk and if this nonsense around me continues, I might prefer to resign sooner than later.
I am adding to what my younger colleague Yasin Chaudhary had said earlier in his Facebook post. ZeeNews Aaj Tak TimesNow and NewsX are not going to tell you the truth about Kashmir. Please mind your head.
No Government would want to hurt it’s people and when a state kills and maims it’s own citizens, it’s self-injury and self-decimation of the worst sort, it makes the body-politic bleed as well. So no Government can distance itself from the pain of it’s people and all out efforts are being made to contain this crisis and reach out to youth. It is going to take time.
Till then we have to steer safe from spoilers who want to set Kashmir valley on fire just for the sake of TRP.
Let’s pray for those who lost their lives and their eyesight in the ongoing turmoil in Kashmir and stand by one another in this moment of truth. I didn’t have net access all this while and today once I saw my timeline, I realised it was the time to speak up. Inalillahi wa Ina-ilaihi rajioon.[/su_box]
The original post can be found here.