Chinar Valley and the Kashmir Spring

Mesmerised by Bollywood and the sweet of Hindu Baniya, it appears that we have lost sight of the issues of life and death for Pakistan. No wonder, the Arab spring seriously followed by the Indian print and electronic media as well as the South Block, has been almost ignored by Islamabad and most of the Pakistani media. But it could be the best time to support the Kashmir Spring. The question is: Why the Indian media and the South Block are following the developments in the Middle East? Surely, it is not for supporting the Arab youth or devising the future strategy, but for one single reason: The simmering currents of freedom in the Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir are getting moral fillip from the Arab Spring and the Indians can feel the heat of it and read the writing on the wall. Can Islamabad fathom the reality and take advantage of this fleeting opportunity? I dont think so Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi and even Muzaffarabad are so numb and have, probably, lost the lustre of ghairat. If the things were in the hands of our bureaucrats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our political leaders, this God-given opportunity would have gone waste in the dustbin of history. Fortunately, they are not in the hands of these useless entities; this time it is the Kashmiri youth that is calling the shots - are we listening? The Kashmiri youth are busy building up their case for a Kashmir Spring. As far back as March 14 this year, Seema Mustafa in an article titled Will Kashmir see an Egypt-like Uprising published on a website, Reddif com, wrote: Facebook and the Internet are buzzing about the possibility of an Egypt-kind of uprising in Kashmir this spring. The government that has allowed the time to go by without stirring a finger to address the concerns and aspirations of the people, now is supporting a massive crackdown in the valley where hundreds of Kashmiris, mostly young, are being arrested in midnight swoops by the security forces Omar Abdullah, who has lost all contact with his people, has been ruling through the police force, a fact that has only added to his unpopularity in the valley. The success of the people of Egypt is being projected as a major inspiration by the young Kashmiris, who are giving vent to their views on Facebook. The foolhardiness of the governments in both the state and New Delhi was completely exposed last year, when it compounded the situation by directing the police to fire at protestors with the result that 112 boys were killed and the Kashmiris were completely alienated. What should be the role of Pakistan in this hour of freedom when winds of change are blowing across the shores of Mediterranean as well as the lofty Himalayas? We need tons of ghairat. I can feel the simmering currents under Srinagar, Jammu and Doda, I can see the fire in the eyes of stone-pelting Kashmiris as well as the perspiring forehead of the Hindu Baniya. I have lost faith in the leadership of Islamabad, their. I dedicate this piece to the Kashmir Spring and make the time witness to watch its ferocity and fanfare: Chinar Valley and the Kashmir Spring From the glittering peaks of snow, Through the simmering Chinars that glow, I see the minarets of liberated Cairo, As wind whistles past my thatch hut, I see an Indian soldier with a rifles butt, An alien in my land claiming of possession of my soul, Thinks he has leased my life on parole, Looking across the line of control, and glancing at Faisal Mosque, Not a single eye watches my spring, alas Muzaffarabad and Islamabad, too busy in babbling, bickering, With tall claims of all support, cant see my spring its so sickening, Six decades and still counting, my destiny buried in the dustbin of history, Drunken besots and traders of my soul, you are too pathetic to fight, its no mystery, Benghazi, Cairo and Tunis, new beacons of my hope and bliss, For braking the shackles of tyranny of Baniya, For wresting my right from the jaws of hyena, Muzaffarabad and Islamabad, too busy in babbling, bickering, With tall claims of all support, cant see my spring its so sickening, I gaze through the morning mist of Wular Lake, And prism of time spread over six decades, My daughters dishonoured by Baniya, My sons slaughtered by Baniya My waters polluted by Baniya Your waters choked by Baniya, My dead mutilated by Baniya, My graver pulverised by Baniya, And folks from Jslamabad, So mesmerised by Baniya, Muzaffarabad and Islamabad, too busy in babbling, bickering, With tall claims of all support, cant see my spring its so sickening, Its a clarion call, its a clarion call, From Poonch, Nowshera and Srinagar, Get up and throw the Baniya, beyond Ravi and Basanter, Out of Jammu as well as the proud city of Gandarbal, Beyond the glaciers of Laddakh and foothills of Parmandal, Beyond the apple orchards and majestic walnut jungles, Beyond the peaks of Pir Punjal, beyond cedars of Bannihal, Beyond the lake of Wular and beyond the pines of Achabal, Get up and throw the Baniya, beyond Ravi and Basanter, Beyond the glaciers of Laddakh and foothills of Parmandal, Muzaffarabad and Islamabad, too busy in babbling, bickering, With tall claims of all support, cant see my spring its so sickening. (Falling short on vocabulary in explaining ghairat, I take help from the ultimate saint Allama lqbal - Rahmatullah Alaeh.) An advice by an old Baloch to his son Ho tere bayaban ki hawa tujh ko gawara, lss dasht se behtar hal no dilli na bukhara, Jiss simt mein chahe sifat-e-sail-e-rawan chal, Wadi yeh hamari hal yeh sehra bhee hamara, Ghairat hai bari cheeez jahan-e-tag-a-dau mein, Pehnati hai darwaish ko taj-e-sar-e-dara, Allah ko paamardi-e-rnomin pe bharosa, lblees ko Europe ki mashinon ka sahara, Taqdeer-e-urnam kb hai koi keh nahin sakta, Mor in kofarasat ho to kaafi hai lshara, Ikhlas-e-arnal seekh naya goon-e-kuhan say, Shahan che ajab gar ba nawazand gada ra. n The writer is a freelance columnist and A-levels student.