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"The worst thing that can happen in a democracy-as well as in an individual’s life – is to become cynical about the future and lose hope".
George Bernard Shaw in one of his beautiful sayings tries to sum-up the meaning of election. To quote Shaw "An election is a moral horror, as bad as a battle except for the blood; a mud bath for every soul concerned in it." Coming directly to the by-election in our state, it seems Bernard Shah is quite relevant, the elections in Jammu and Kashmir are held right from 1952 i.e. from constituent assembly to current parliamentary one.
People carrying coffin of Ali Muhammad Dagga, a driver who was on election duty when he was hit by stone and later succumbed to his injuries. (KL Image: Bilal Bahadur)
The rigged and manipulated elections of 1987 become the bedrock for the insurgency in the state and at the same time the people’s non-violent movement from 2008 to present era has shaped the politics in new directions. The political developments in the state from time to time have given shape to new trends like we witnessed in 2016 revolt and the emergence of new militancy. The more recruits and peoples participation in funeral prayers end the fear among the people. There was a time in 90’s when the news of an encounter or crackdown was heard in any area, people would rush to other safe places, but now the brute force and suppression have ended that very fear and now seems people are used to it.
Killings in Kashmir on daily basis have deeply affected the psyche of the people, the prime and living example are the killings in the bi- election in central Kashmir. The trauma of horrible curfews and Killings of 2016 are still haunting the people and may remain in the memories of the people for a pretty long time. Kashmir has rarely seen the democratic way of culture as boasted by their masters in New Delhi. The state from 1947 was always ruled on the under the shadow of a gun instead of democratic ideas and principles. Hillary Clinton one of the liberal voices in USA once remarked that, "The worst thing that can happen in a democracy-as well as in an individual’s life – is to become cynical about the future and lose hope".
Police and paramilitary personnel chasing protesters (KL Image: Bilal Bahadur)
Author
The people in Kashmir have lost the hope in the name of so called Indian Democracy. The nature of the state and its institution from all fronts is anti-people and anti-Kashmir, be it legislature, executive and judiciary. All have played their respective role in shaping the dirty politics of the state. The state can’t spread democracy with a barrel of a gun argues the leading intellectual and social scientist Helen Thomas. However in case with Kashmir, in the name of democracy the Indian state has used the gun as a primary source which resulted in thousands of innocent Killings right from 1989.
Benito Mussolini seems quite relevant here when he puts his gorgeous words on democracy, "Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is a fallacy".
On Sunday, April 9 in Parliamentary by-elections in Kashmir, mayhem was still to come as the ideals of democracy crushed 8 innocent people and injured dozens. This day will be remembered as one of the bloodiest days in the democratic history of India. Commenting on the Election Day, former CM of the state Omer Abdullah tweeted, "From 26% in 2014 to 6.5% in 2017 who should we blame for the mess Kashmir is in? In another tweet he wrote, "Have contested 6 elections over 20 years & have never seen this level of violence in elections in Kashmir".
If the PDP led coalition government is responsible for the present mess, then at the same time the leaders of both NC and other parties too are responsible but they too are responsible for present mess in the state. Omer Abdullah perhaps has forgotten the role he played during the mass uprising of 2010, in which hundreds were brutally killed and injured. It would have been a good gesture had he made the forces accountable
George Bernard Shaw in one of his beautiful sayings tries to sum-up the meaning of election. To quote Shaw "An election is a moral horror, as bad as a battle except for the blood; a mud bath for every soul concerned in it." Coming directly to the by-election in our state, it seems Bernard Shah is quite relevant, the elections in Jammu and Kashmir are held right from 1952 i.e. from constituent assembly to current parliamentary one.
People carrying coffin of Ali Muhammad Dagga, a driver who was on election duty when he was hit by stone and later succumbed to his injuries. (KL Image: Bilal Bahadur)
The rigged and manipulated elections of 1987 become the bedrock for the insurgency in the state and at the same time the people’s non-violent movement from 2008 to present era has shaped the politics in new directions. The political developments in the state from time to time have given shape to new trends like we witnessed in 2016 revolt and the emergence of new militancy. The more recruits and peoples participation in funeral prayers end the fear among the people. There was a time in 90’s when the news of an encounter or crackdown was heard in any area, people would rush to other safe places, but now the brute force and suppression have ended that very fear and now seems people are used to it.
Killings in Kashmir on daily basis have deeply affected the psyche of the people, the prime and living example are the killings in the bi- election in central Kashmir. The trauma of horrible curfews and Killings of 2016 are still haunting the people and may remain in the memories of the people for a pretty long time. Kashmir has rarely seen the democratic way of culture as boasted by their masters in New Delhi. The state from 1947 was always ruled on the under the shadow of a gun instead of democratic ideas and principles. Hillary Clinton one of the liberal voices in USA once remarked that, "The worst thing that can happen in a democracy-as well as in an individual’s life – is to become cynical about the future and lose hope".
Police and paramilitary personnel chasing protesters (KL Image: Bilal Bahadur)
Author
The people in Kashmir have lost the hope in the name of so called Indian Democracy. The nature of the state and its institution from all fronts is anti-people and anti-Kashmir, be it legislature, executive and judiciary. All have played their respective role in shaping the dirty politics of the state. The state can’t spread democracy with a barrel of a gun argues the leading intellectual and social scientist Helen Thomas. However in case with Kashmir, in the name of democracy the Indian state has used the gun as a primary source which resulted in thousands of innocent Killings right from 1989.
Benito Mussolini seems quite relevant here when he puts his gorgeous words on democracy, "Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is a fallacy".
On Sunday, April 9 in Parliamentary by-elections in Kashmir, mayhem was still to come as the ideals of democracy crushed 8 innocent people and injured dozens. This day will be remembered as one of the bloodiest days in the democratic history of India. Commenting on the Election Day, former CM of the state Omer Abdullah tweeted, "From 26% in 2014 to 6.5% in 2017 who should we blame for the mess Kashmir is in? In another tweet he wrote, "Have contested 6 elections over 20 years & have never seen this level of violence in elections in Kashmir".
If the PDP led coalition government is responsible for the present mess, then at the same time the leaders of both NC and other parties too are responsible but they too are responsible for present mess in the state. Omer Abdullah perhaps has forgotten the role he played during the mass uprising of 2010, in which hundreds were brutally killed and injured. It would have been a good gesture had he made the forces accountable
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