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Though everybody tells me that the pass toward Leh is closed, I hop onto a local bus trying to reach at least Sonmarg, a town on the snow border. But, for some reason I will end up going in the wrong direction and enjoy myself anyway. For the moment I am, however, struck by the architecture of Kashmir. Multi-slanted, wooden roofs top the half-timbered brick structures. Fine carvings enhance the many closed balconies, niches and window boxes glued to the sides of the houses. Though they are, for the most part, on the verge of crumbling, the charm of the place captures me directly.
The mosques are capped by at least three roofs that become smaller and smaller towards the centre, reminding one of Chinese pagodas and Buddhist shrines. Clearly Kashmir is deeply influenced by the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and the Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism philosophy. And, like Tibet, they hunger for their freedom from foreign occupation. But, like Tibet, they will never know independence.
Locked in between light-eyed ladies with protruding ears I am thoroughly bumped about for 10 rupees, the ride from village to village. There seem to be two conflicting tendencies dividing the people, if one judges their sympathies by their attire. Some women wear the Hindu style, the colourful suit and shirts while others are covered from head to toe in plain, long-sleeved orthodox Muslim robes. But the political fractions are more diverse than that, I will soon discover. Three languages are spoken here: Kashmiri, Urdu and Hindi. It is a complicated case yet one point comes across clearly: each and every one wants autonomy for their region. Everyone wants the Troopers to go home.
Nine out of ten people questioned resent the Indian presence in their land. But the options are limited. Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan both claim Kashmir in full but rule it in part and have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region. In 1989, a further revolt broke out in Kashmir, killing tens of thousands of people. Finally, in 2004, the two Asian nations commenced dialogue and the violence declined.
Only half a year ago, on the 17th of November 2008, a seven-phase assembly poll had been launched which expected to draw 65,000,000 voters at 8,000 polling stations throughout the region. But, after the Mumbai attacks which where also, strangely enough, in November and which resulted in 166 deaths, New Delhi called a halt to these plans.
Pakistan continues to deny that any state agencies were involved whereas India accuses its neighbour of arming, training and sending militants to its part of Kashmir and Jammu.
As I ride on local buses and question the people, a young boy is killed once again by Indian troopers in a small village. At the same time a court suspends 4 paramilitary troopers, including an assistant commandant, pending investigations into the shooting of a south Kashmir villager from the day before.
However, the biggest slash of violence hits the region precisely on the day I leave. In the course of the five-day battle that ensues, 8 soldiers and 17 Islamic fighters are killed in the Shamsbari forest near the Line of Control, a ceasefire line that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. The militants were “well-trained, heavily armed and indoctrinated,” according to Mr. Singh from the Indian army, who adds that maps and communication equipment that indicated Pakistani involvement had been found.
The Islamic group Laskhar-e-Taiba (LT), which is also held responsible for the Mumbai bombings and has fought on the frontlines of a violent separatist insurgency for the past 20 years, has already directly claimed responsibility for the encounter. A spokesman said the group will continue to sacrifice for the freedom of Kashmir and that India should understand that the freedom struggle in the region continues. Lulled by the mild weather into crossing from Pakistan into Kashmir's Kupwara District, in the west of the Province, the freedom fighters were said to have been well trained and to possess sophisticated equipment, such as AK 47 rifles, pistols, and global-positioning systems.
Some of the people I speak to hold the U.S. indirectly responsible for the disputes, arguing that they are the ones secretly supporting the feuding parties with arms and logistics. Others are ready to believe that the new American president Obama will resolve the dispute and finally bring peace to them. The speculations about intrigues and illusions of harmony stand side-by-side.
I chat with two women teachers from the Tiny Stars School who wear long, black gowns. One of them has only her eyes, encircled by black kohl eye-liner, exposed. She tries to explain that, though her choice of dress is entirely her own, she is also required to present herself as she does. Another man I meet on the bus wants to found a school for the under-privileged and name it “The Little Dreamers”.
Somebody else I meet is dressed in Western gear but turns out to be the most fundamentalist person I will meet on the entire trip. Though he wears his longish hair stylishly drawn back with a girlish band he resents all Western influence and explains that it is his right to marry 7 women, while slyly omitting that he may officially only wed 4 wives at a time.
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Comments
Nice vision Nishant | Sep 15th, 2009
What you observe is something very rare and great. You showed the valley of Kashmir what it was and what it become now. Terrorism is a height of hatred...and hatred has evolved as an epidemic in every part of this blue planet. I work as a development professional and observe this everyday and feel ashamed of being Human... Fights, Terrorist attacks, genocides, these all are the means of getting Power as an end. I loved the way you observe things and write. I wish to meet You someday and show you the same in many part I visited... and its still going on and on...
Nice description Ikram Ullah | Aug 4th, 2012
I appreciate the way you have described Kashmir, My Land. I hope Indians understand how pathetic it is to see their ghostly looking soliders yanking at us each passing moment. But let me tell you, the dream of Independence which you thick as unrealistic is going to see the light of the day. We the young and intellectually more strong Kashmiris are highly inclined to see our dreams come true in a much different and effective manner. Surely, time is what it takes but hopes become the feeder of our aim.
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Contact the Great Mother Ella Bruce | Aug 21st, 2017
I made a promise to tell my testimony all over the globe once my man come back to me and my husband came just as Great Mother told me when she helped me. I made the right choice to have contacted Great Mother the great spell caster who is capable of helping you solve your problems. My man left me to suffer and i never believed that he will come back to me again but when i contacted Great Mother she assured me that my man will come again. She gave me some list of items to buy but i could not get them in my country and so i sent her the money and she bought the items and prepared the perfect love spell. My husband ran back to me in 3 days time begging for forgiveness THIS IS SO REAL AND GENUINE. NO SCAMS. I was so surprise that the spell worked just as she told me. This is so amazing and i want you to believe because Great Mother is so real and i urge you contact her now on her email so that she can also help you the way she helped me. Her email is Greatmotherofsolutiontemple@yahoo.com and you can also contact her with her phone number on whats app +2348078359876 you can also check and contact her on
Greatmotherofpowers.blogspot.com
Greatmotherofsolution.blogspot.com
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Disease Cure Aisha Kun | Feb 29th, 2020
Great Mother is Real... I am Aisha Kun and i want to testify about Great Mother how she cured me of hiv aids. I was diagnosed of this disease some time ago and i was worried. when i was searching the internet looking for a cure, i came across some testimonies of Great Mother how she has helped a lot of people and i decided to contact her on her info and explained to her. She laughed and told me that she will help me and i was surprised. She sent me the cure and it was a spiritual holy oil and water which is more than a medicine. She directed me on how to take it and i did. I took the cure for 3 weeks and i went to the doctor for check up and to my greatest surprise the disease was no longer in my system. I am so glad and i want to thank Great Mother for helping me. Contact her now on her email: Greatmotherofsolutiontemple1@yahoo.com you can also reach her on her whatsapp number +17025514367. If you have any disease, she can help you. Contact her now
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