Time to fix Kashmir

This Monday, the Senior Legal Coordinator of my company said:

"Jo roti aj kal apko saath rupay ki milti hai, woh sub Kashmir ki wajah se hai." (The bread that you get for seven rupees these days is all because of Kashmir.)

Two days later, triple "terrorists" bombings in Mumbai killed twenty and injured several. By tomorrow morning, India will be pointing fingers on Pakistan for the trouble without any proper investigation. The accusation of "India being manhandled" would be talk of their media. However, no solid efforts would be made to reduce tensions.

Like it or not, Kashmir has been a bone of contention between the both of countries for almost six and a half decades. The countries spend exuberantly on their military forces only to keep "peace" intact. The problem has pushed both countries into wars and war-like situation, in almost every decade. Whilst the money goes to "peacekeeping", the poor of both countries are denied of their basic education and healthcare rights. India while being bigger is managing a bit better but the same could not be said for Pakistan.

An amicable solution to Kashmir will surely help both the nations. It will free up the reserves that are being used by the military forces of both the nations. It will make things better for the peoples living in both the countries. It will pave the way for better economic and cultural ties, and competition would more to better things than war. A majority of terrorism related issues will also be solved, especially for Pakistan where hardliners see Kashmir as a shortcut to heaven. A solution to Kashmir can be bring much needed peace in the region.

Here I would also like assert a point that Kashmiris (I presume that they are in their third generation) are now fighting for separation rather than being annexed to Pakistan. Furthermore, over the last decade, a lot of Pakistan have accustomed the idea of a separate Kashmir than it being a part of their country. And, a separate Kashmir would be as much beneficial as it being a part of Pakistan. Kashmir is a land-locked territory. The industries that would develop in this region would require seaports to ship there goods. The closest port for Kashmiri industries would definitely be the one in Karachi. Furthermore, a peaceful Kashmir would have the chance to get bigger investments from the neighboring China and India. The access for India to the markets in Central Asia and Afghanistan would be easier too. These might be the few apparent positive outlooks of a separate sovereign republic in Kashmir.

However, the status quo from the Indian side is a big hindrance. India needs to come of the delusion that it could benefit from Kashmir by keeping it occupied. It needs to do a little soul-searching and should give it away for the benefit of its people and the people of this region. Together, the republics in Pakistan, India and Kashmir would be far better than it being hanging in the balance between the two military.

But then again, what the military forces would do without Kashmir. Sit idle? All in all, time to rethink, reassess and fix this situation before it gets out of hand.