Just a few don’t represent Kashmir
Post 10/11 Delhi blast, Kashmir is passing through turbulent times. All the positive narratives that it had sent to the nation after the Pahalgam carnage of April this year, have been punctured by the blast in the union capital.
Kashmir had sent a unequivocal message across, from its streets and homes that “Pahalgam” is not our doing. They knew that the massacre in Baisaran in Pahalgam Valley not only undid the normalcy and hospitality of Kashmir, but also besmirched its image, a land that was coming out of the dark era of violence and courting peace in a mission mode.
From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to leaders of the valley, everyone amplified Kashmiris’ resistance to terrorism and Pakistan’s designs on Kashmir. The raw courage of local pony ride operator Adil, who sacrificed his life to save more tourists falling prey to the terrorists’ bullets, exemplified the real Kashmiriyat.
That demonstration of Kashmir was showcased as the real face of the Valley against all sorts of violence and extremism as the locals had not only distanced themselves from the act of terror but also opposed it. Their slogans for punishment for the perpetrators and their backers resonated all across and were captured as rare clips to show how Kashmir has come out of the fear of yesteryear and stands for peace for one and all. Kashmir crowd had spoken – all faces and voices were against terrorism.
Now when Delhi blast of November 10, officially declared as “ heinous terror incident”, with a spotlight on a few doctors from the Valley, post-Pahalgam narrative suffered a setback. The three to four doctors were not scanned as few but the blame was put on the whole of Kashmir. It is sort of a return of the tragedy of Kashmir where vast peace-loving majority is condemned to be seen as part of ecosystem of terrorism. Ecosystem is a fashionable term, but it is becoming ubiquitous, without giving a thought to the whole dynamics.
Kashmir could not have given better example of its devotion to peace and thumbs up for the action that nation thought of and executed to avenge the Pahalgam – the very name is now synonymous to the act of terror of April 22, 2025. This narrative needed to be built upon. But Delhi blast has halted it, because the Indian nation has not been educated and informed about what Kashmir is. It is unfortunate that despite the change of the past five-six years that is hailed as historic transformation, the majority in the country continues to view Kashmir as a proxy of Pakistan.
Delhi blast had a follow up tragedy. The accidental blast at Nowgam Police Station claimed nine lives and left many more injured. Thirteen lives were lost in a deliberate act of terror in Delhi, and nine more in the explosives in an accidental blast in Nowgam, Kashmir. The deliberate blast combined with the accidental one claimed 22 lives.
This is a heart-wrenching moment for the nation. Kashmir has seen and endured it for decades. It has been living on the hope that one day this curse will end, but that day is yet to visit them. All the normalcy and the daily work moving like it does in the normal places elsewhere. That has been credited to the immense and intense anti-terror actions by J&K police, army and other wings of security forces. That element of truth is reflected the way security forces took action against terrorists, terrorism and the ecosystem in which it operates. This ushered in an era where stone pelting, as deadly as the bullets – disappeared and the school children accessed their schools without any interruption on way to school and interruption in their academic calendar.That made life easy for children, their parents and teachers and society as whole. The children celebrated their return to school with a dream in their eyes, which three preceding generations missed. It was a profound message from Kashmir that it is not only partner in peace-building efforts but wants to be architect of new dreams of new era.
This particular aspect has not been highlighted as much as it deserved. The statistics do convey a message that terrorism is on decline and peace is getting wide headroom to claim its space. The sentiments of the people and their commitment to peace needed to be appreciated . That has not been done in adequate manner.
Home Minister Amit Shah has promised all angles of Delhi blast would be studied and probed and those involved would be warded punishment that will ring across the world. This should be sufficient ground for one and all to trust the system. Official investigations, now being handled by NIA, should be allowed to proceed in the scientific and professional manner without interrupting it with the crowd mentality and narrative that these unfortunate incidents are inseparable from Kashmir. Such interruptions have an ill-consequence, there is a counter narrative. That delays investigations. No particular line should be set for the investigators because they only know how to get to the roots of the conspiracy and its execution.
The directions of Home Minister are very clear: bring out the truth. No angle should be missed, because one angle leads to the other networks. Delhi blast has multi-dimensional incident. It cannot be concluded in a day or two. NIA knows how to proceed and when to draw a conclusion that its investigations have reached conclusion.
What is at stake is the credibility and prestige of Kashmir. It wants to be placed and viewed in proper perspective. Its leadership has stated it very clearly, almost echoing Home Minister that thorough and fair investigations be conducted to bring out the truth. As neither they want to hear the explosive sound of car blast in Delhi, nor viewed as sympathizer of those who plotted and executed it. An evil shadow has been cast on them and their land because few faces from the land chose a path that besmirched the image. Listening to the voice of majority of Kashmir will be a best counter-terrorism operation. They won’t mind culling few from the crowd in Kashmir because their actions have defaced their image.
