Distorting facts about Kashmir both present and past has become a regular pastime with some people these days. However, there is a general complaint that the Indian media especially the electronic one quite often distorts the true situation on the ground in Kashmir to suit the “National Interest”! In fact some of the anchors just go on harping about 100 or so deaths in last couple of months. In fact, not only TV anchors but even some dignitaries including the Prime Minister express anguish and are appalled and shocked at these 100 or so deaths. Somehow they seem to have a memory loss about almost a hundred thousand Kashmiris killed during last two decades. Thousands of orphans, widows, and worst of all the half-widows are conveniently forgotten. Over ten thousand are still missing. A famous TV anchor had the cheek to call all this mayhem of last two decades as history now! As if the persons killed, injured, raped, and missing are not human beings but mere statistics. One cannot be more callous than that!

Well, one would not bother about this Goebellian tactic so much as there are many other independent channels depicting the actual situation to the outside world. In fact, there are now hundreds of internet savvy Kashmiri youth keeping the world in general informed about the real happenings in every part of Kashmir on a minute to minute basis. Facebook and Youtube are at the present moment the main source of information throughout the world about the situation in Kashmir. However, what pains one is the distortion of certain historical facts by some so called “Kashmir Experts”. These people often try to project historical events by quoting only those portions from different historical records which suit their postulations thereby completely distorting history. This distorted presentation of history is not a new thing but has been happening for a long time especially during such upheavals. The aim is to prevent any change in the status quo by quoting history in favour of maintaining the same. Usually such actions have been often undertaken by the erstwhile colonizers all over the world for the purpose of keeping the colonies under their control. They have always been supported by the so called “Experts” trying to be more loyal than the King!

One of the most distorted or incomplete representation before people is about the actual circumstances of the State’s accession to the Union of India. Mostly it is simplified in a manner that makes one think that the accession was signed naturally by the Maharaja in view of the tribal invasion threatening the state. People conveniently forget the role of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and Sardar Vallabh Patel in ensuring that the Maharaja had no choice but to accede to India. Not only were the Indian leaders responsible for motivating Maharaja to sign the accession but were also successful in getting it backed by the most popular leader Sheikh Abdullah. The airlifting of the Indian troops from October 27, 1947 was possible only because the Srinagar Airport had been secured by the Patiala Sikhs by October 17 itself. They had entered Kashmir in civilian supply trucks. In fact, 19 Kashmiris were killed by them near Srinagar Airport which resulted in popular uproar subsequently suppressed by Sheikh Abdullah’s men! In fact, regarding the accession letter Dr.Josef Korbel in his book, “Danger in Kashmir” written in 1954 questions the motive of Lord Mountbatten. Why did Maharaja have to accede to India in those unsettled circumstances?

Why could not the Government of India assist the State to fight the invading tribesmen without first asking it accede to the Union of India? Couldn’t the accession signing wait for more normal circumstances once the invaders had been driven out or stopped? Alistair Lamb even questions the very existence of the instrument of accession in his book, “Kashmir-the disputed legacy”. In fact, when the J & K Constituent Assembly was convened to ratify the accession after deposing and arresting Sheikh Abdullah in 1953, the UN Security Council made it clear that any action of the Assembly will not have any effect on the basic right of the people to decide their own future as stipulated in the UN resolutions. In these circumstances, the Indian Parliament’s resolution declaring the whole State of Jammu & Kashmir to be an integral part of India is meaningless under the International Law. Unfortunately, the subsequent circumstances pitting the two neighbouring countries against each other directly affected the fate of Kashmiris who got stuck in a logjam due to short sightedness and greed of their so called leaders. Even if, in spite of the peculiar or what some people call the unique circumstances of accession, one concedes that Kashmir had acceded to India in 1947, it practically relates to the people of that era. The new generations are free to either accept it or reject it. Thomas Paine calls these rights of every generation to decide its future as the natural rights. This is what the present generation of Kashmiris is trying to say in a loud and clear voice.

In his classic the “Rights of Man” he states, “There never did, there never will, and there never can, exist, a legislature, or any description of men, in any country, possessed of the right or the power, of binding, and controlling posterity to the end of time. Or of commanding, for ever, how the world shall be governed, or who shall govern it. And, therefore, all such clauses, acts, or declarations, by which the makers of them attempt to do what they have neither the right, nor the power to do, nor the power to execute, are in themselves null and void. Every age, and generation, must be as free to act for itself, in all cases, as the ages and generations that preceded it.

The vanity and presumption of governing beyond the grave, is the most preposterous and insolent of all tyrannies. Man has no property in Man-neither has any generation property in the generations that are to follow. A legislature, or the people of any antecedent period, had no more right to dispose of the people of the present day, or to bind, or control them, in any shape whatsoever, than the legislature, or the people of the present day, have to dispose of, bind, or control, those who shall live a hundred, or a thousand years hence!” Thus the Indian Government is not going to solve the present crisis by referring to the grossly disputed and controversial accession but by convincing the new generation in Kashmir by showing them practically on ground that they are honourable citizens of India enjoying all rights enshrined in the constitution!

There are many other distortions. Most common is about what is called Kashmiriyat. It is a word coined by those who want to find some justification for the Muslim majority Kashmir joining the Hindu majority India. The real Kashmiriyat is the unique language, culture, and history of the Kashmiri nation which has now been modified in every aspect to fit in with the Indian equivalent. One would welcome preservation of real Kashmiriyat but unfortunately, it is being continuously distorted in every respect. Even our children have been deprived of the knowledge of the history of Kashmir! There has been every attempt to find Kashmir’s ancient connection with Hindu India. Unfortunately, even in the ancient history of Kashmir there was not such a strong connection. On the contrary, Kashmir was more connected to Central Asia than to North India! Another distortion in relation to the Muslim population of Kashmir indulged often by the so called secularists and progressives is the holding of Kashmiris to ransom for the safety and well being of the Muslims in India.

This is shear black mail. Fate of Indian Muslims who decided to stay in India at the time of partition of their own accord is in no way connected with the final disposition of Kashmir. There was a movement for emancipation in Kashmir long before the decision of the partition of the sub-continent. Kashmiris have a long history of their own which has no connection with the Indian Muslims. There has been a continuous disinformation campaign to distort everything emanating from Kashmir. The sole purpose is somehow to maintain the status quo. However, all these distortions are not going to help in any way in convincing the angry youth to give up their present Intifada. The new generation defies one and all. Any temporary lull should not be taken as its end. Putting the “Kashmir Story”, both the present and the past, in correct perspective will help more to sort out the problem than distorting the history both the recent one and the ancient!