thesolar65
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Perhaps it’s high time that we held a referendum on Kashmir. The proposal of holding a referendum within Kashmir has been there since the state’s inception, and has been shelved for one reason or other.
However, the referendum we should now have shouldn’t be restricted to the state but should include all of India.
Today, Kashmir is a deeply troubled, as well as a deeply troubling, state: The recent spate of violent unrest, which has already claimed more than 40 lives, has caused a lot of soul-searching not just in political circles but also among the so-called common people, the aam admi.
Kashmir’s problems may well be instigated by Islamabad, as New Delhi keeps repeating. But the more armed force that is used to keep Kashmir within the Indian republic, the more we play into the hands of the separatists, who hail every street protestor who is shot as a martyr to the cause of Kashmir.
Former home minister P Chidambaram has said that it is time that New Delhi review its Kashmir policy and not only grant greater autonomy to the state but also redeploy the army to the border with Pakistan so as to avoid confrontation with the civilian population within the state.
This raises a larger question which goes beyond Kashmir: Can a democracy use armed might to retain any part of itself without compromising its own democratic principles?
A lot of people in India see the Kashmir problem as a largely New Delhi preoccupation which is proving a drain on our national resources, in terms of money spent and security personnel deployed, at the expense of other parts of the country.
Perhaps it’s time to ask the Indian people – not just Kashmiris, and not just the political class – as to what they feel about retaining Kashmir, at any cost.
The UK has had its Brexit referendum, ill-advised though many fear it will prove to be. An all-India referendum on Kashmir might yield a similarly unpalatable result. But over the years, the ‘Kashmir problem’ has assumed the dimension of a national neurosis which needs to be exorcised, even if it means adopting out-of-the-box methods.
If a Kashmir referendum were to be held i know how i’d vote. Do you?
@Joe Shearer @ranjeet @jbgt90 @Levina @Parul @anant_s @Skull and Bones @SpArK @MilSpec @Abingdonboy @PARIKRAMA @AUSTERLITZ @ito @Stephen Cohen @SarthakGanguly @he-man and I will tag when I remember.
BTW I was thinking of the same thing since this morning and when I googled it I found a blog in TOI. I would like to also add. The referendum should also have an open vote as to we will be know who has voted and for who.....I mean yes or no. What's your take?
http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatime...-india-referendum-on-a-deeply-troubled-state/
However, the referendum we should now have shouldn’t be restricted to the state but should include all of India.
Today, Kashmir is a deeply troubled, as well as a deeply troubling, state: The recent spate of violent unrest, which has already claimed more than 40 lives, has caused a lot of soul-searching not just in political circles but also among the so-called common people, the aam admi.
Kashmir’s problems may well be instigated by Islamabad, as New Delhi keeps repeating. But the more armed force that is used to keep Kashmir within the Indian republic, the more we play into the hands of the separatists, who hail every street protestor who is shot as a martyr to the cause of Kashmir.
Former home minister P Chidambaram has said that it is time that New Delhi review its Kashmir policy and not only grant greater autonomy to the state but also redeploy the army to the border with Pakistan so as to avoid confrontation with the civilian population within the state.
This raises a larger question which goes beyond Kashmir: Can a democracy use armed might to retain any part of itself without compromising its own democratic principles?
A lot of people in India see the Kashmir problem as a largely New Delhi preoccupation which is proving a drain on our national resources, in terms of money spent and security personnel deployed, at the expense of other parts of the country.
Perhaps it’s time to ask the Indian people – not just Kashmiris, and not just the political class – as to what they feel about retaining Kashmir, at any cost.
The UK has had its Brexit referendum, ill-advised though many fear it will prove to be. An all-India referendum on Kashmir might yield a similarly unpalatable result. But over the years, the ‘Kashmir problem’ has assumed the dimension of a national neurosis which needs to be exorcised, even if it means adopting out-of-the-box methods.
If a Kashmir referendum were to be held i know how i’d vote. Do you?
@Joe Shearer @ranjeet @jbgt90 @Levina @Parul @anant_s @Skull and Bones @SpArK @MilSpec @Abingdonboy @PARIKRAMA @AUSTERLITZ @ito @Stephen Cohen @SarthakGanguly @he-man and I will tag when I remember.
BTW I was thinking of the same thing since this morning and when I googled it I found a blog in TOI. I would like to also add. The referendum should also have an open vote as to we will be know who has voted and for who.....I mean yes or no. What's your take?
http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatime...-india-referendum-on-a-deeply-troubled-state/
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