Time has perhaps been one of the worst enemies of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It has had a lot of impact and has not even been blamed once by anyone. Whatever the people of the state are going through right now is because of this very dear enemy – time.
There is an old saying that time heals everything but in the case of Kashmir, this does not hold true. With time, the problems of the state have become worse and perhaps beyond cure. The problem is more than 50 years old and requires a mature solution.
Now, you may ask how time has affected the state. The problem started when the people of the state had to choose between two nations and thus become an enemy to one. Perhaps this choice has still not been made. With time, a third party emerged that opposed both the nations and demanded azaadi (freedom). Their idea of freedom makes the state an enemy to both the previously mentioned nations.
Then, as more time passed, yet another group entered the process. They stood for autonomy rather than freedom but even this suggestion could not achieve a permanent solution to the problem.
Meanwhile, amidst all the confusion, there was another group which wanted neither freedom nor autonomy nor slavery. All they wanted was peace. What they wanted was an end to the conflict. All they cared for was for the bloodshed to end. They wanted sympathy and kindness. These are the people who want normalcy but aren’t aware of how to achieve it. They cannot protest with stones in their hands but given a platform, they can surely make their voices heard. They are neither politicians nor separatists but ones who feel that time should not take away everything that they value.