With respect to the statement on the Assembly Elections in Jammu & Kashmir dated 22nd November, 2014 and carried in the December 1-15, 2014 issue of MEL, it is my view also that “Without repealing AFSPA and ending Army rule, there can be no solution to the Kashmir problem.”
With respect to the statement on the Assembly Elections in Jammu & Kashmir dated 22nd November, 2014 and carried in the December 1-15, 2014 issue of MEL, it is my view also that “Without repealing AFSPA and ending Army rule, there can be no solution to the Kashmir problem.”
There is a daily tragedy that unfolds in Kashmir, with countless lives lost and laid to waste by the brutal policies of what is essentially Army rule in the state, with periodic elections and the installation of puppet governments being a charade that is played out all the time. The statement points out the shocking truth that there is one soldier for every twenty persons in the valley, and that the “norm” in Kashmir is one continuous disruption of life, with continuous protests and firings becoming part of the said norm.
The statement describes in great detail how the struggle of the people of Kashmir is portrayed by the Indian state as merely something that is sponsored by Pakistan. This being the case, one may ask what it means to have elections in such a situation. Indeed, elections are just a way of legitimizing the illegal rule of the Indian state in the region, where it may be worth recalling the conditions of intrigue under which the accession to the Indian Union was made. The problems of Kashmir are rooted in this historical injustice, the key turning points of which have been documented once more in this statement.
The statement correctly points out that it is the struggle between the conscience of the nation of Kashmir and the imperialist jackboots of India that is the reason for the continuing tragedy. By not allowing any solution to emerge, the Indian state has simply resorted to brutal Army rule to ensure the mandate of the state. The solution to the problems of Kashmir will arise when there is a resolution of the problems of all the people of India who live under the yoke of its imperialist bourgeoisie. By carrying out a bold debate the CGPI is contributing to the discussion on the path forward. I am writing to congratulate the CC once more.
Sincerely,
A. Narayan, Bengaluru