Patriotic lessons have been seeded in our minds from time immemorial. Ever since we started school education, we were taught to be patriotic, through the sacrifices of great men who fought incessantly for the freedom of our country. Unfortunately, patriotism is taught only as a ‘concept’ of fighting an invader and the Patriots are only those who have fought the intruders. The evils within our own country and the system which made it accessible for ‘outsiders’ to conquer us is seldom educated. And the people who fought the internal system are never given the badge of patriots.
Our history lessons were of valiant emperors, ambitious to spread their empire. The history of the subjects who form the majority of the kingdom is largely ignored. We know how mighty an empire was, but never know how satisfied the people were under that rule. Thus, we have fundamentally gone wrong in understanding ‘patriotism’, for which we are paying a big price now. The recent terror attack at Pulwama and the repercussions that followed in the other parts of the country is alarmingly dangerous and best describes our hypocrisy guised as patriotism.
The Pulwama terror attack that slayed over 40 CRPF personnel is perceived as a huge setback not only for border security but also for the bonding between Kashmiris and the rest of India. At a time when the whole country should have stood in solidarity with Kashmiris for the terror that has shaken the state, we have failed them miserably by showing our nationalism in iniquitous ways. The Kashmiris being ostracised in the rest of India is a grave threat and warning for what might culminate as a civil war.
While some of the attacks were based on Kashmiris being vocal about their opinions and questioning the Indian government, some were generalized harassment and discriminatory acts against the people of the valley stereotyping them as anti-nationals.
A Brief History Of Kashmir And Its Protests:
The former princely state, Jammu & Kashmir, is the one that was merged with India under more terms and conditions at the time of formation of the Republic of India. Ever since, Kashmir has been the bone of contention for India and Pakistan. Kashmir enjoys more autonomy than other states, with a separate flag, constitution, etc., which was constitutionalized through Article 370, which was later reviewed and few, but not all, special features curbed. The regional identity is so deep-rooted with the Kashmiris and the constant police vigil has fuelled it further, alienating them from the mainland.
Apart from the cross border security concerns, the problems within the state and with the rest of India and with the security forces is hardly understood by people outside the valley.
In 2008, the Hindu populated Jammu and Muslim populated Kashmir were at loggerheads when the government decided to transfer 99 acres of forest land to Shri Amarnathji Shrine board in Kashmir to set up temporary camps for Hindu pilgrims. As a result of protests in the Kashmir valley, the order was revoked which infuriated the Jammu part as they demanded the land acquisition. Violent protests erupted across Jammu & Kashmir and the issue was finally settled by acquiring 40 acres of land temporarily only during the yatra period. Amidst this, in August 2008, thousands of Kashmiris demonstrated a march and gathered at UN office at Kashmir, demanding freedom from India, much to the embarrassment of the Indian government.
The year 2010 saw a major turn in the method of protests by Kashmiris as a young boy Tufail was killed when a tear gas shell exploded his skull. The event led to a series of protests, with the Kashmiris pelting stones and brickbats against the security forces. Tufail was only one among the many, considered to be martyrs by the Kashmiris and as a symbol of steadily growing dissent in the valley.
Later, in 2016, when Militant Burhan Wani, a household name in Kashmir was killed, violent protests erupted across the valley killing scores of citizens protesting the security forces.
The Pulwama suicide bomber, Adil, is a 19-year-old Kashmiri whose decision to join the militancy is attributed as a way to avenge the harassment he suffered. In the words of his father, “He was subjected to harassment by security forces in 2016 during a stone-pelting incident. He was detained by J&K Police and made to rub his nose on the ground and swirl around the police vehicle. After his release, Adil asked us why he was harassed, we had no answer but we calmed him. However, it was an extremely humiliating experience for him… ”
At this point, it is important to rewind our response to the brutal incident of a Kashmiri tied to the front of an Army jeep to thwart stone pelting. Most of the Indians celebrated it as if a Pakistani-terrorist was being punished that way. Little did they know, they were only nurturing terrorism and provoking Kashmiris to hate us more, by turning hostile towards their fellow countrymen being deprived of basic human rights.
“About 320 Kashmiri youngsters including some Ph.D. scholars have joined the militant rank in the valley since 2017. In most cases, the recruits faced harassment by the security forces in one form or another before joining” says a report on Indian Express.
Alienating Kashmiris and lynching them has become an easy way to display our patriotism. It is disappointing why the attack was not questioned as much it was condemned;
- Why were there security lapses in the first place? Even after the newspapers carried news on the part of the negligence of intelligence reports and the J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik accepting that there were security lapses, why is no one talking about that?
- Why has there been no elected government in the state for nearly 1 year? Why is the administration being played ‘ball’ between the Governor and the President? Does J&K not belong to a democratic system?
- If it was that easy to sneak 350 kg of explosives in a highly secured area under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, how good is our security? How secure is the rest of India not under AFSPA?
- If the suicide bomber is an Indian himself, why did he lose faith in India? Where have we gone wrong and are we repeating the same mistake?
- What must it be for a Kashmiri to live in constant fear and terror?
But, most importantly, the one question we should ask ourselves is, “Did we outrage at least half of this when the Kashmiris became pellet gun victims, becoming permanently impaired and blind, in which even kids were not spared; when young Kashmiris put their future at stake and turned militants; when the modesty of Kashmiri women was violated; when even basic human rights were violated for the Kashmiris?”
Patriotism, which is about displaying our love for the country cannot ignore the love for its people and the needs of the people. The tagline of Democracy, “By the people. For the people and of the people” definitely doesn’t mean holding people hostage for political opportunism. It is up to the people to decide for themselves what they want. Patriotism that shoves people undesired interests down their throats is not patriotism, but hypocrisy.