When the Vice-President of a country accuses another country which claims itself to be the sole super-power of the world, of unilateralism giving impetus to terrorism, it is not a small event. This is especially so as the country of the Vice-President has already signed a long term strategic nuclear deal not withstanding the fact that deal has become controversial and is presently pending for ratification. Such a declaration in such circumstances demands possession of courage of conviction regardless of the consequences and more so when the person belongs to a minority community. Usually people of minority community who have risen to high places in the Government try to be more loyal than the king. It is exceptional to belong to minority community and then have the courage to speak against the declared policy of the government while holding a high government position. For this outspoken and forthright manner of calling a spade a spade, the Vice-President deserves all praise and appreciation. It shows there are still people of conviction with certain basic principles in India. However, all these principled stands seem to strangely disappear when the question of Kashmir comes up. One can vividly see the “Double Standards”. Kashmir becomes India’s dirty backyard, the phrase coined by western media because of the gross human rights violations committed by Indian security forces here. The last two decades have alienated Kashmiris from the Indian main stream because of the actions of the security forces. Mr.Hamid Ansari has been very much involved with Kashmir. He has been heading one of the working groups which had been constituted following the Prime Minister’s visit to Srinagar. During his recent visit to the valley while delivering the convocation address of the Agricultural University, Mr.Ansari did call a spade a spade while describing the economic situation. He asserted that agriculture and horticulture are the mainstay of Kashmir’s economy rather than much touted about tourism. The rulers who have been claiming tourism to be the back-bone of Kashmir economy must have felt very uncomfortable. He emphasised that agriculture is the future of Kashmir and the second green revolution should start from here. Will he muster the same courage in calling a spade a spade in regard to the actual ground situation in Kashmir? However, Mr.Ansari refrained from making any comments about the political situation. Economic development will come after the basic problem is settled as otherwise all our grandiose plans are bound to go up in smoke as per past experience. A very genuine grouse of Kashmiris apart from the alienation caused by brutal treatment of the common people by the soldiers, has been the total apathy of the national level intellectuals and other personalities to the actual happenings in Kashmir. Everything in Kashmir is viewed through glasses coloured by the Indo-Pak traditional prejudice and bias. Severely castigating the US global policies, Mr.Ansari had said, “The policies of unilateralism, creative destruction, and pre-emption have faltered. The US has been mauled by non-state actors in Iraq; its policies have given impetus to terrorism; it has lost domestic support for its Iraq policy; its unpopularity levels are alarmingly high in Arab and Muslim countries and its intentions are suspected.” What about India’s own role in Kashmir for last six decades? The very same policies of US which are being criticised have been adopted for keeping Kashmiris under forcible occupation. Unilateralism, creative destruction, pre-emption, and regime change have been the main tools used by Delhi over these years to keep Kashmiris on a leash. Whosoever refused to go along or protested has been incarcerated or even liquidated. Even at present the ground situation is quite alarming as regards the basic human rights but no one seems to take notice. No doubt there have been many intellectuals in India who have spoken about the real issues especially those concerning the minorities. They have come out openly in support of minorities be it Gujarat, Nandigram, or even their overall general living conditions. Justice Rajinder Sacchar did not mince any words when he declared in his report that the Muslims were worse off than even Dalits. Many people have criticised the role of Narinder Modi who exceeded even Himmler in the execution of the “Final Solution” of Muslim problem on the pattern of the Fuehrer’s “Final Solution of the Jewish Problem”. Even the Marxists are facing the ire for Nandigram as the bulk of the affected population in this particular area of “Communist” West Bengal are Muslims. However all these people for some strange reasons have a blind spot and that is Kashmir. Even Justice Sacchar faced the same blind spot while dealing with Kashmir. In his lengthy report on Muslims of India he virtually omitted everything about the present human rights conditions in Kashmir. Somehow Kashmir has become a raw nerve not to be touched. Thanks to Indian Media who have created such an image of Kashmir in the minds of the Indians that they have come to believe that the very existence of “Secular” India depends upon retaining Kashmir against all odds whether Kashmiris are there or not! The focus is on Kashmir and not on Kashmiris. For no fault of theirs, Kashmiris are taken to be the extension of the problems which resulted in the partition of India. Kashmiris have had no role in this senseless division of the sub-continent but Pakistan’s continuous support for the Kashmir cause has bracketed them with the centuries old prejudice and bias which initially was responsible for this division. Every Indian Government has invariably pursued this line. Regardless of affiliations, ideologies, convictions, and even religion, all Indians have a common strategy towards Kashmir. They all support the Government line as part of their “National Interest”. From the extreme right to the extreme left, all political parties become one when confronted with Kashmir question. The same is the story of media both electronic and the print. The present turmoil which started in late eighties has seen horrendous acts of barbarity and torture. However, there are no Simone de Beauvoirs in India who could pen down the stories of Kashmir’s Djamila Boupachas and Kashmir has had many of those during last two decades. One wonders if it is the same India where Tagore, Iqbal, and Gandhi lived. The words from Tagore’s Geetanjali, “Where the mind is free and head is held high….,” Iqbal’s, “Sarey Jahan Say Acha Hindustan Hamara…,” and Mahatama Gandhi’s, “Ahinsa Parmo Dharma…,” seem quite out of place in present day India especially in relation to what is happening in Kashmir. The severity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that the persons who had all their lives sworn unflinching loyalty to Indian cause are faltering now. They are questioning the very rationale of Kashmir’s initial link up with India. Still it is not moving the Indian intelligentsia. All of them seem to operate within the same basic premise that India’s stand is right and is based on principles. Whether it is the people attempting reconciliation and dialogue, conflict resolution or any other non-governmental organisations, they all seem to overlook the basic fact that the Kashmiris have been deprived of their fundamental right to life. Contrary to taking a stand against the gross human rights violations in Kashmir, Indians have been preaching Gandhian philosophy to school children. It is like parents administering some bitter medicine to a young child for which one has to keep his nostrils closed with fingers to ensure he swallows it down. Otherwise, he may keep it in his mouth and throw it out as soon as his parents are out of sight! This is what has been happening to all the preaching being done to common Kashmiris through Sadhbhavana, and Gandhi. It will continue to be the same situation and may get worse unless some intellectual stalwarts of India boldly come out to take the side of suffering masses in Kashmir and end the double standards being followed in regard to happenings in Kashmir by one and all!