We have a role
One hopes that better sense would prevail over the politicians and they would give a chance to new blood to come forward and play their role in turning Kashmir into a better place to live.
Kashmiri youth have been pushed to the wall due to many reasons and mainstream parties are equally responsible for it. It’s unfortunate that none of the politicians have tried to make the youth understand that they are the future of the country and can play a vital role in shaping up the destiny of their own people.
During the past few years a few politicians have been creating a notion that sports are the only way forward and youth can build their careers by becoming sportsmen.
A few people had even started telling the leaders in New Delhi that sports activities could help in solving the Kashmir problem. The Government of India displayed generosity by providing all the possible support to the state government to give a flip to the sports activities in Kashmir.
The people who projected sports as a solution to the problems of the youth forgot that sports can just keep the youth busy and nothing else. No effort was made to make youth join the mainstream politics. They tried to strengthen the dynasty politics by projecting the members of a particular family as the people who are “born to rule.” Had young people been given a chance, today they could have become the Panchayat representatives and counselors.
The young people need to be made aware about the fact that they could choose politics as their careers and become the representatives of the masses. And politics is not the fiefdom of only a few families. Anyone with the political acumen can come forward and work for the people.
Kashmiri youth should realize that everyone cannot become doctors and engineers and they have to explore the other career options and politics could be one of the choices.
Since the day Governor’s rule has been imposed in Jammu and Kashmir mainstream politicians have been “beating their chest” over the issue of Article 35A. These politicians seem to have forgotten that they have played a pivotal role in eroding the special status of the state. For them Article 35A is a “fig leaf” and nothing else.
Times are changing fast and new faces are emerging on the political arena of the state. People who have always projected family members of a particular dynasty as the rulers are losing the ground and their credibility is at stake.
Sports activities are important but these cannot change the destiny of the youth. Kashmiri politicians should stop selling dreams to the youth and formulate a comprehensive plan to engage them. During the recent times many young people have joined newly floated political parties and have become the members of different NGOs active in Kashmir. These youth have rejected violence as an option and want to play an active role to transform Kashmir into “Naya Kashmir.”
Since the day BJP has pulled out from the PDP led government in Jammu and Kashmir the National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party have dropped enough hints to indicate that they could join hands to enter into an alliance with each other to “safeguard” the very concept of the dynasty rule. Today PDP and NC are leaving no chance to prove it to New Delhi that no one can rule J&K except them. But Delhi is not taking them seriously as the Government of India is firm on its stand to hold the panchayat and municipal polls in the state as the people sitting in Delhi have realized that they cannot just keep on depending upon the two families which have been ruling J&K for the past so many decades.
New options are being explored to handover Jammu and Kashmir to the new generation, who could become a part of the prosperous India and contribute towards turning Kashmir into a violence free place.
Young boys who have taken up the arms need to introspect and choose life over death. Violence and guns are no solution. Mainstream politicians should go beyond playing politics over the issues which have the potential to alienate Kashmiris further. It’s the duty of the mainstream politicians to rise above the party lines and come forward to save the generation next from choosing the path of destruction and devastation.
One hopes that better sense would prevail over the politicians and they would give a chance to new blood to come forward and play their role in turning Kashmir into a better place to live.
Article Source: https://www.greaterkashmir.com/todays-paper/we-have-a-role
