The identity comes from the country. Nobody outside will ever identify you as a Kashmiri, only as a Pakistani. The world recognises you because of your passport. Our ethnicity is our lineage, our history and our sub-culture, all protected by our family names and practices, but what it is not is our primary identity, not anymore at least. Our physical characteristics are just that, physical characteristics. They are the most fickle and inconsequential of anyone's being. The outsider can't tell a Korean from a Japanese, a Chinese from a Vietnamese, and for that matter, a Pakistani from an Indian. Our future, our present, our interests, our economic well being, our safety, security and freedom are all tied to and guaranteed by the state, our nationality, our true identity, not by our ethnicity.
All the more reason for us to provide the first drop. This rigidity against all reason has never been our people's trait, let's not start following the blind man now. Our people have always been progressive in thought and culture. Besides, every Kashmiri that marries outside breaks an equal part of the other ethnicity away. All ethnicities evolve, genetically and culturally. The Pakhtuns are a far cry of their Turko-Aryan decent, the Hazaras are a shadow of their Mongol roots, the Baltis are not Tibetans anymore, even the Kashmiris are not true to their aboriginal past anymore. The trend of the world is assimilation through pragmatism. What is useless is discarded, what is pragmatic is adopted. Education will change everything, it's only a matter of time. Happened to the west, will happen to us as well.
The only time when ethnic identities need be defended is when those ethnic identities are truly being systematically and overtly targeted against by the majority. Us Kashmiris in Pakistan and all the rest as well, thankfully, are not in this situation at all, despite what some illiterate loudmouths would wan't you to believe.
We all are, only very slowly. The newer generation, progressively, has lesser time for these archaic ideas.
@Zibago
