In one brief post, you summarised almost the entire litany of epithets usually direccted at the Indian state on Kashmir (from the usual suspects!) – “Occupation force”, “humiliating”, “brutal”..

Not surprising given the ideological group think, but I found this intriguing:

“..for keeping somebody in your family against their will, holding them by their throats, at gunpoint, for decades”….

Just curious, who do you include in this “family” that is being held against her will…Are the Buddhists and Shias \of Ladakh included in the family? Or the Hindus and Gujjar muslims of Jammu? Are the Kashmiti pandits still included in your “family”, given that they are not “there” anymore to voice their opinions? Or is the family restricted to sections of the valley muslims?

Given that neither the Ladakhis, nor the Jammu-ites, certainly not the Pandits have any great enthusiasm for the “azaadi” movement, seems that you have bestowed the family decision-making rights only to the Kashmiri muslim…So will the Kashmiri muslim decide only for the valley? PResumably yes, given that the others are unlikley to suddenly develop affections for Pakistan or an “independent Kashmir”…Stretching the point, will the Indian nation (state) now give the right of seceding from the “family” not just to states, but regions? why stop there? Why not to individual mohallahs? And streets? Why not down to the family and individuals? In fact, the precedent has already been created – Ms Arundhati Roy has publicly “seceded” from India!!

Intriguing, isnt it?

Occupation force…Frequently used term…It must be the only occuopation force in recent history that is nothing more than a light infantry force..the ones we have seen in Afghanistan (SU and now US), Tibet and Iraq are armoured forces backed by chopper gunships and combat aircraft and heavy arillery…The heaviest weapon used by the Indian forces (and bulk of them are paramilitary police, not Army) is a grenade launcher…The state says that te force is only there to fight terrorists, hence the lightly armed nature of the it…But the consensus is that it is an occupation force!!!!Quite incompetent, no?

And of course, so brutal is the regime that it provides security cover, medical cover and pension (at the Indian taxpayer’s expense) to those very people who advocate war against it…so brutal is the regime that policemen/army personnel accused of harassing civilians are suspended and sent to jail…Soemtimes even if “it” was part of an anti-militancy operation..Strange….

But hang on..Isnt it a bit surprising given the brutality of the occupation forces, these stone throwing incidents started happening (only recently, another curious development) in the district of Srinagar (and a couple of adjoining ones)??How come kids in Doda, Kishtwar, Kargil not coming out to throw stones? The iron fist in Srinagar suddenly transforms into kid gloves and more outside?

Intriguing….Dont you think so?

I am convinced that the medieval period was freer than our times – stone throwing at the King’s parade was considered normal, even expected. It is in the nature of the ruled, especially the unjustly and brutally ruled, to hate their kings. Adolescent boys will hate power sooner than anybody else, whether we like it or not. But when they take their rage out in a gaming parlour in Bangalore, or in a biker gang in Delhi, or in being addicted to action movies, we tolerate them indulgently. But if they grow up in a military occupation, and god forbid, actually hate the real thing, we put them in chains and drag them weeping to a courthouse. Hurrah for the modern system of law, for nationalism, for keeping somebody in your family against their will, holding them by their throats, at gunpoint, for decades!

Will rational Indian citizens form solidarity for Kashmiris? Highly unlikely, even the rape and murder of two innocents in Shopian or the recent killing of Zahid did not evoke any solidarity among Indians, we did not see any word of sympathy from India, save a few forums who then have to bear the burnt of anti national stigma.

The JK Police is turning into a brutal machinery, there is no doubt in my mind about that, that metamorphosis of JKP started a a long time back.