Democracy is the only solution for Kashmir, says Sanjay Kak

Hyderabad: Complete decimation of democracy in Kashmir by India has turned into a serious problem now which can only be resolved by talking to Kashmiri leadership, said Sanjay Kak, a well-known activist, writer and filmmaker on Sunday in Hyderabad.


Describing the abrogation of Article 370 A and Article 35 A as an ill-conceived move he said that this development has brought about unforeseen miseries to the people living there. It has also turned into a major problem for the government because it had not expected this kind of reaction from the people in Kashmir.

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The first move to be taken in Kashmir should be “restoration of democracy” and speaking with the people’s representatives to find out what the Kashmiris really want.


Sanjay Kak who himself is a Kashmiri was delivering the 10th Balagopal Memorial Lecture at Sundarayya Vignana Kendra in Bagh Lingampally.


Jammu and Kashmir that have been converted into two Union Territories has come to a standstill since the new government move on August 5.
No dependable prediction can be made with certainty about the situation in Kashmir. “The turmoil in Kashmir will be different from what we have witnessed in Punjab a couple of decades ago…This is completely insane. The craving for Azadi in Kashmir is much deeper than any other place in India..,” he said.


Now that they know that India has very brutal answers to all their efforts the Kashmiris are seriously looking into other options. “By the way, they are aware of international apathy to their cause and the inability of Pakistan to do anything worthwhile for them. Against this background they are pondering over other options..,” he said.

“I reject the box of Kahshmiriyat. The idea of being Kashmiri is something grander… I don’t even think of Kashmir in the past. I only think of it as an unpredictable future,” he said.

Mohammed Hussain, mohammedhussain.reporter@gmail.com