"If you dont like this country, you are welcome to leave it" - seems to be an all time favourite with many Hindus while they discuss the Kashmir issue.  As a quote made famous in the movie "Roja", this seems to resonate with everybody.  The second favourite ex-pression is that we wont give up an inch of land.  I recently read these very same words in a comment by Premraj Tripathy on Dilnaz's blog.  Irritated me very much -so here is my take on this.

The dispute over Kashmir is not about land.  It is about ideology.  Pakistan is a nation that is founded on the false premise that Indian Muslims need a country of their own to  escape Hindu oppression. In the last fifty years, we have proved that Pakistan is founded on a lie and despite the occasional Hindu Muslim riot,  Indian Muslims are far better off in India than they are in Pakistan.  On the contrary, Pakistan could not create a safe haven for Muslims as the Bengal Muslims found out  and had to break up to form Bangladesh.  And Pakistan continues to be in denial.  They cant accept that their nation's raison de etre is a lie.  So they are trying to liberate the Kashmiri Muslim from Indian Hindu oppression. 

Its no surprise that the Kashmiri problem has become bigger after the 1971 war liberating Bangladesh. It is time for tit for tat. So they have gotten a few misguided youngsters on both sides of the LOC who believe that Muslims worldwide need rescuing and a global jihad is needed and started a terrorist campaign in Kashmir.  

Pervez Musharraff's new book full of lies is the best testimony of Pakistani mindset - Musharraff probably believes some if not all the lies he has written. Musharraff's book may not just be good propaganda.  Incidentally the Pakistani's are very good at propaganda because they have self hypnotised themselves on the justness of thier cause even if all the facts are to the contrary. Every aberration in our country - governing a billion people with a democracy is a mammoth task and we have had our share of aberrations - Gujarat Riots, Babri Masjid, the 1984 Anti Sikh Riots - makes the jihadi terrorist feel vindicated.  Every stupid comment we make about not giving an inch of land - further enrages them.  Most of our people live in their villages, never leave them even for travel as a tourist (if we do, we stick mostly to our own states), cant pick up where Srinagar is on a map - we come across as completely jingoistic and stupid when we say we wont give one inch of land.  A Kashmiri, even if he is reasonable and patriotic, who has half his family in PoK and half his family in the Indian side of the LOC is not going to relate to a Tamilian from Tirunelveli talking about leave my country if you dont like it or not give one inch of land.  He might put up with it if a Kashmiri Pandit says it but thats about it.  Its time people understand that this kind of talk is jingoistic nonsense (not many of us can pick Tirunelveli on a map either).

The dispute in Kashmir is for the hearts and minds of the people.  We may have made several mistakes there - our politicians may have rigged elections, may have allowed human rights violations in the name of fighting terrorism etc. But these actions are not our national character.  We are a  freedom loving and inclusive people - that is our national character.  We want to build a pluralistic society that has space for everybody - we will protect, preserve and cherish our peoples, our peoples' languages, our people's cultures and and our peoples' freedoms. The Kashmiris are better of in our democratic society - despite its many failures - because we will evolve and change to build a better society. We have evolved in the last fifty years and we will continue to progress.  Pakistan is a failed state - founded on a lie, struggling to find roots in theocracy and jihad.  It will be a no contest - if we reach out to the Kashmiri hearts and minds.