Our Blood is Boiling, Let’s Get It Over With!

This is not a religious war but a bloody act committed by monsters. It must be brought to an end. It must be brought to an end.

Even in difficult situations, I usually remain calm and act with reason before reaching any conclusion. But the bloody act committed by Pakistani demons in the Kashmir Valley has made my blood boil and I am sending this message to our government: Enough is enough! This time, there must be a decisive action! The main culprit this time is none other than the Pakistani army chief General Syed Asim Munir, who had spewed venom only recently.

Poison is not only in his words but also in his very blood, because he received his early education in such an atmosphere in Rawalpindi that filled his mind with hatred. He has also served as the director of the notorious intelligence agency ISI, which means conspiracy runs in his veins. He could not digest the fact that Kashmir was moving towards peace and that tourists from all over the world were flocking there. The lives of Kashmiris were starting to change. Seeing last year’s figure of 2.35 crore tourists must have certainly filled him with hatred. But he could not act because many problems within his own country stood before him. He had to first deal with Imran Khan and he did so.

Later, at the Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad, among Imran supporters, he openly expressed his hatred against India, saying, “We are different from Hindus in every aspect. Our religion, customs, traditions, thinking and goals are all different.” He also declared that Pakistan would never leave Kashmir alone. India and Hindus were mentioned because Munir had no real issue to rally around! The country which has been turned into a factory of terrorism by its own army and ISI, where people are standing in long queues for flour, what more effective weapons could have been there to suppress public discontent than religion and the Kashmir issue?
Mr Munir, I want to ask you one question: Which community are you talking about? In 1971, when the Pakistani army carried out a massacre and committed rapes in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), weren’t those victims your own people too? And the 10 lakh Afghan refugees who have been living in Pakistan for decades and whom your army is now driving out, aren’t they your own people as well?

Religion does not permit the way you are exporting terrorism across the world! It is people like you who have nurtured Hafiz Saeed and countless other terrorists. In fact, you are suffering the consequences of this yourself too. That’s why Hillary Clinton had said, “If you raise snakes, they will eventually bite you too!” But we are not scared of such snakes. We know how to kill the snakes and how to cure the poison too. And about what you said that no power in the world can separate Kashmir from Pakistan, let me tell you that you are deluded. Kashmir was, is and will always be a part of India. The part of Kashmir that remains under your occupation is now seeing uprisings from its own people. How long will you be able to suppress that rebellion, Mr Munir? No external force will be needed and that part will come back to us on its own. That’s exactly why we have reserved 24 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for the areas currently under your illegal occupation. Mr Munir, Balochistan too will eventually break away just like Bangladesh owing to the kind of massacre your army is carrying out there. And your statement that “India’s 13 lakh-strong Army couldn’t scare Pakistan, so how will the Baloch scare us?” is only indicative of your weak memory. Let me refresh it for you: It was December 16, 1971, at 4.31 pm, when Pakistan’s then eastern command chief Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi surrendered with 93,000 Pakistani soldiers in Dhaka before India’s Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Arora. You remember Kargil, don’t you? Or have you forgotten that too?

We are fully aware that your mercenaries committed brutal killings in Kashmir Valley by asking victims’ names and forcing them to strip in an attempt to ignite hatred within India. But remember, we are wise and composed people. We worship in temples and offer chadars at shrines too. Our thinking is not narrow like yours! Your evil deeds will never succeed. You must have heard about the young man named Syed Adil Hussain Shah, who stood bravely before the terrorists saying, “Do not kill the tourists, they are our guests.” The entire Kashmir Valley is agitated over the Pahalgam incident. Newspapers there have expressed their sorrow and anger by printing their front pages in black. You talk about the ‘kaum’ or community but you are trying to create a condition where Kashmiris are forced to starve in the absence of tourism? As for Pakistan’s actions, we have so far only spoken about stopping the flow of Indus river water, closing the Wagah border and halting visas. We know how to show our enemies their place, Mr Munir. Also, think about the poor Pakistani citizens who used to come to India for medical treatment and now they won’t be able to do so! You are responsible for that too, Mr Munir! And yes, we Indians are not afraid of empty threats. We proudly say:

Jai Hind!
Jai Jawan!

The author is the chairman,  Editorial Board of Lokmat Media and former member of Rajya Sabha.