New Delhi - India’s Prime Minister, reverted to the standard Indian position of J& K being an ‘integral part of India’ during his recent Kashmir-visit.  Since the world never expected of him just to repeat the old standard slogan of Kashmir being Integral part of India, President Musharaff, Hurriyat and other Kashmiri leaders were disturbed. International Reported also re-acted in its editorial since Manmohan Singh’s statement was damaging and dragged one step backward in Indo-Pak peace talks.

It was on the inaugural session of SAFMA’s 4^th regional conference that Musharaf declared that Islamabad would demand implementation of the 1948 UN resolution , prescribing a plebiscite in J&K, if New Delhi insisted on calling the state as India’s ‘atoot ang’ (integral part of India).

India has been strictly adamant on their stand that J&K is an integral part of India. How to justify?  Simply by saying that it is integral part doesn’t mean that it became the integral part of India! The opinion of the Kashmir people is a vital factor, which the so-called general elections do not reflect, because general elections for them is only an administrative convenience and does not reflect their genuine mind.

With passage of time, the situation could have changed if India had regarded the sentiments of Kashmiris in the right spirit and treated them at par with other Indians. Govt. of India gave J&K a special status, while an Indian, even the President of India, could not purchase an inch of land over there. How could it then be an integral part of India?. About 73% Kashmiri families have lost their loved ones in many years,  over 100,000 young men and women from their families were killed and they became the victims of terrorists, which the Kashmiris cannot forget.

Finance package and flowery language cannot satisfy them. They are not heppy within their hearts. If they apparently look happy does’t mean they are really happy were impressed by Manmohan Singh.  The people of J&K  pretend to be so just to hide the real state of  their injured minds, which the Indian Govt. should have analyzed.

Whenever any VIPs visited J&K, he tried to please them with some package like Manmohan Singh, which did not satisfy them, it is not a charity that the State begged of the Governmenmt.. The state lacked in many areas, no employment, no security, no Industry, the state lagged behind other Indian States in many important areas with no progress either of the people or of the State.

 The Kashmiris just wanted real integration with the country, which never was given to them. They were kept aloof and other Indians were not allowed either to mix with them or to settle in J&K.  Had it been allowed, the situation in J&K would have been identical to other states of India.

 Kashmiri Pundits were forced to leave the State and they had to live in India as refugees.  After several years you cannot dislocate them from their present profession in other States which they have adopted with the struggle of many years and cannot ask them to shift to J&K now, simply because our Prime Ministers wants them to come back to J&K and resettle.. In fact, J&K is a backward state and our political leaders are responsible for their pitiable conditions.

In NDTV programmed on the Sunday night, the majority of people who participated gave their opinion that the statement given by Manmohan Singh in J&JK has simply put the Indo-Pak peace talk one step backward rather than one step forward.

Remember, India should be practical and ought not to repeat the standard slogan of integral part every time. If India is genuinely interested to sort out the Kashmir solution, the final formula shall naturally demand some re-drawing and adjustments, or full, or broader autonomy as mutually agreed upon by both the countries and the local leaders of Kashmir. What has India gained from Kashmir?.  Thousands of Indians were also killed by terrorists for the last several years along with more Kashmiris in J&K.  Who is responsible for all?

Terrorists have not only been enrolled for several years by Pakistan secret agency , but there were also terrorists who emerged from the local groups, great in numbers,  which grew day by day just because there were no employment opportunities and security in the state. This is the situation that India overlooked.

We are not late even now inspite of the heavy cost that India and Kashmiris had to incur  in terms of sacrificing over 1 lakh lives and over 7 billion of rupees that India spent on the military forces for so many years  to protect the state from terrorists and extremists without any practical use..

India should get ready to come open minded and think of the right type of autonomy to J&K or some adjustments which may be acceptable to both the countries, because this is the only solution in the larger interest of Kashmiri people. J&K is divided into different political groups whose sentiments must be taken into consideration before the final go.. Or what the Kashmiri want, let there be an opinion poll to know their personal views.

Our leaders should refrain from giving loose statements, let us be practical, India won’t lose anything but would gain peace and the goodwill of the people of J&K. Let the two countries live like good neighbors because neighbors cannot be changed.