Five Myths Indians Have On Kashmir

"In the last decade, the voices claiming Kashmir as an integral part of India have not only grown shriller, but more pervasive too. It should, however, not come as a shocker as a country that aspires to become a superpower is supposed to be more assertive in terms of wielding its authority and power in the region.

But Kashmir, even according to India’s constitution is a ‘disputed territory’ and the more than two-decade-old bloody conflict in the region has so far claimed at least 70, 000 human lives, including civilians, Kashmiri and foreign militants and government forces.

Just as we can’t deny that Kashmiris have a right to choose their future as promised when the state temporarily acceded to the Indian Union, we can’t gloss over the fact that people in the rest of India are growing more vocal against any sort of secession.

While the unfamiliarity of majority of Indians vis-à-vis Kashmir issue can’t be neglected, a major chunk, despite being aware of the legitimate rights of its people, are playing deliberate dumbs because of their ultra-nationalism.

In this article, we have highlighted five major myths of Indians regarding the Kashmir issue. The reasons, among others, are lack of knowledge about the events that led to the accession of the state with Indian Union and the geo-political events across the world in the last decade or so..." (Continue reading.)