Getting Our Priorities Right

The sustained campaign by the entire media including the digital, print, and online, for Shahrukh Khan and his film ‘My Name is Khan’ till just a few days ago, kind courtesy the questionable tactics employed by messers Shiv Sena, has been totally unprecedented.

While there was certainly some merit in opposing the public stand and tactics employed by messers Shiv Sena to oppose Shahrukh Khan and his film, yet the virtual monopolization of the entire media made one wonder, “ Was it akin to a national catastrophe or a question of our very survival, that the entire media literally went head over heels in such a sustained campaign, while relatively disregarding other events, which could have grave implications for our national integrity and security?”

The tragic killing of a Kashmiri teenager Zahid Farooq Sheikh by a BSF constable , near the Dal Lake on the 5th of February this year , is one such incident, which was a casuality in the media caught in the frenzy of SRK and MNIK. No doubt there was a mention of the same, but the news was soon overshadowed by the SRK and MNIK wave.

This tragic killing triggered off a wave of protest throughout the valley, so much so that the picture of a Kashmiri teenager aiming a stone at the security forces which was flashed in a leading newspaper, spoke volumes of the kind of deep embedded hatred in the psyche of an average Kashmiri against a very important symbol of the Indian state. Surprizingly and amazingly indeed, that photograph failed to capture the imagination of the media for obvious reasons as mentioned above.

The accused BSF constable has been arrested, and the law would take its own course, but then one question which should haunt our consciousness is, “ Are we really serious about retaining our side of Kashmir, not a yet another piece of land, but as a well integrated part of the Indian Republic?”

Twenty years have passed since the uprising in Kashmir began, thanks to the rigged elections of 1987, which gave Pakistan an opportunity to forment trouble and put the ‘K’ word on the center stage vis a vis India. Even though much water has flown since then, and countless lives have been lost unnecessarily, notwithstanding the psychological damage suffered by the Kashmiris who have had to pay a heavy price both in terms of bereavement, and having to live each day in fear and threat, we seem to be caught in an endless challenge, where Kashmir is concerned.

We seem to be nowhere to a permanent solution to this menance which reared its ugly head twenty years ago. To be fair to the security forces too, it must be admitted that due to the intense pressures on duty including the omnipresent threat of being shot by a terrorist’s bullet, some of them are indeed prone to taking leave of their senses and committing such disastrous acts like the tragic killing of Zahid Farooq Sheikh.

Such acts only serve to further alienate the Kashmiri population from the Indian state, which in turn would provide an excellent fodder to Pakistan to up their ante against India.

If we are indeed serious about retaining Kashmir as a well integrated part of the Indian Republic, then its high time that we the people of India , ably assisted by our media and online communities, moved heaven and earth to sensitize our political leadership and opinion makers of the need for drastic measures required to address this issue once in for all before it is too late. Specifically, apart from the appropriate confidence building measures in the valley, we need to equip our intelligence and security forces with state of art equipment to enable them foil all attempts to create mayhem both from across the LoC and within the valley.

It is here that the media can unleash a sustained campaign to ensure that it is done.

And finally, it would not be out of place to mention here that the blast at German Bakery in Pune, is yet another reminder of the fact that we still need to get our act together. This was one of the spots recced by David Headley, a fact known to all since quite some time.

The statement by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra , Shri Ashok Chavan, “ I will find out why no adequate steps and security was taken, “ when asked why the state had failed to react in advance to the security warnings issued by the Union Home Ministry says it all.

Initiatives like 'Aman Ki Asha' and a sustained campaign for issues like MNIK may have their own merits and are welcome. But however, they look out of place when our very existence and integrity is under threat, chiefly because of the sustained initiatives from across the border.