Tikoo: What do the common people want now?

Ismael: The only thing people want today is peace. If there had been no militancy here in the last 16 years, Kashmir would have truly become the Switzerland of the East People realize that. Now they want to make up for the lost time. But the problem is that it is easier said than done. Today every party has its own terrorists. Who do you think burnt the Tourist Reception Centre, a great landmark of the valley. The government agencies did it . They wanted to turn it into a shopping complex so that the bureaucrats and the politicians could make hefty profits. Who do you think got Javed Shah killed? It was the government agencies that did it because he knew too much. So he had to be silenced. For example it was he who was involved in the killing of Sikhs in Chhitisinghpura.You know there are some self proclaimed maulvis who take money from both India and Pakitan and mislead the common people. I told one Mulla recently as to how did he think his prayers would reach the Allah, when the carpet on which he was offering prayers was stolen from an abandond Kashmiri Pandit (KP) house. His only reaction was to abuse me. Such is the state today

Tikoo: What do you have to say about Kashmiri Pandits?

Ismael: Kashmiri Pandits were asked by Jagmohan (the then Governor of Jammu & Kashmir State) to leave so that he could cleanse the valley of muslims. Today almost everyone is agreed that Kasmiri Pandits should come back, but at the same time everyone is also agreed that they will not come back out of fear. It pained me a great deal to see Kasmiri Pandits resorting to panic selling of their property at throw away prices. If govt is serious in getting them back then it must make a law that all those who had sold their property should get it back at the same cost at which they sold it. We want Kashmiri Pandits back ,but not in a separate zone but as part of us, as before. You know people are fed up so much of the corruption in the bureaucracy that they feel that Kashmiri Pandits in the government would have brought in some degree of transparency. Even if a Kashmiri Pandit accepted bribe, he would ensure that the work was done to a persona’s entire satisfaction.

Tikoo: What in your opinion is a lasting solution to Kashmir problem?

Ismael: Masla chhu wariyah pecheede. It is a very complex problem and not easy to resolve.
END
Source: tk_tikoo@yahoo.com