RIZWAN RUMI
Srinagar: A deep agony and discomfort has made home in our hearts, a persistently odd sense of uneasiness and sometimes guilt agitates our soul and wrenches our conscience, thinking about the ones who spend each day in relentless fear of loosing their loved ones; of their homes being razed to ground in a jiffy; their miserable lives hanging by a thread, moving unsteadily in the desolate unknown future with little hope.
Here we are talking about the people living on both sides of the Line of Control which divides the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Everyday we hear news of civilian killings due to ceasefire violation on the Line of Control. People inhabitating the LOC on both sides, have been forced to bear the brunt since long, more so in the recent years. Breathing in the air of constant trepidation, every morning sun sees bloodshed, every starry night ends with ceaseless bereavement.
A mother readies her little daughter for another day at school, who never comes back but only her bloodstained tattered clothes and mangled small innocent frame.
A daily wager starts another tiring day, earning with his sweat and blood for his family, doesn’t come back but only his dead body, left for the loved ones to wail and scream their hearts out.
The tireless efforts and emotions invested in constructing a house are squandered completely in just seconds. What’s their fault? Is there any rule of law that justifies killings of innocent people in the name of protecting their lands? What is the philosophy behind providing security and ensuring dignified life to all at the bereft of killing and destroying that of others?
LOC shellings, an immensely unfortunate, unpleasant, almost diabolical outcome of a long drawn out struggle between two countries. I Am sure the word rings a bell in every genuinely concerned observant ear.
Lifeless mangled bodies of innocent countrymen, modest houses razed to grounds in a jiffy seem just another thing, just another news we come across almost everyday.
Every incident quickly becomes a memory with a few sad sighs and maybe prayers follow, sometimes, from the common lot and vague assurances, transient consolation and condolences pour in from the people in power. Then, done and dusted. We forget all of it.
When it comes to exchanging respectful salutes and sweets at Wagah border, everything seems impressive and amicable like what is expected of good, friendly neighbours. Then why isn’t the same attitude followed in our beloved Jammu Kashmir ?
This diplomacy is uncalled for and against the relevant goals, strategies and other manifestations of a foreign policy that guides a country’s rendezvous with the world.
Both countries desperately need to iron out the differences, disentangle the knots and noose of violence and fear choking the innocent inhabitants, frequently. Isnt the indiscriminate targeting of civilians against the standard ethos and values that countries all over the world have set for themselves, internationally?
Our endeavour should be directed on how not to metamorphose the beautiful valley into an ideological battlefield, with shellings and blitzing sucking the very life out of peace loving people, who are equally entitled to living with dignity and security, coz THERE LIVES MATTER TOO, equally, as yours!.