Our Bull vs Hizbul

[Prakup]

The situation at the LoC continues to worsen. The latest being a militant strike on the Red Fort...

[Prakup]

Sitting in the safety and IT security of far-away Hyderabad, is it possible for a couch potato like me to ruminate over the disturbances at the LoC. Buses came and went, talks to determine talks were conducted and died away, Jehadis even stormed the Red Fort. But the situation at the border continues to be volatile. It has all turned into a case of our bull vs the Hizbul. Who’s bullshitting who remains the vital question.
Are we being bullshitted to by the Government which on one hand talks about peace in the valley in jingoistic terms, and on the other bombs the unsuspecting with suddenly manifest hidden agendas? Are we being bullshitted to by the media, which is prone to blow things out of context and proportion? Are we being lulled into a false sense of national security even while the opposition is raking up resources and garnering international support to officially carve out a part of our nation? More importantly, do we even care?
I am fortunate in that I study at an institution where students from all corners of India and the world congregate to procure higher education. Aamir, a Kashmiri, is one among them. Aamir and me spend long hours discussing the happenings in remote Jammu and Kashmir. He has a pertinent observation to make. As he says, “How much does one really know about the situation? All the reports which are generated are doctored and thoroughly wetted by the government before they see the light of day. Even television crews don’t get to see the reality. All they are shown is a doctored version of the situation. Why go all that far, even the native Kashmiris are unaware of what goes on around them. Everything is garbed in secrecy and confusion reigns supreme.”
To give Aamir his due, there’s no way in which he could know what’s happening back home, as he’s safely ensconced in Hyderabad. But by the same logic, no one else is in a position to present the facts! All that is known is that the Laskhar has struck on our national monument. And I find myself offended by this act. It is not the strike that is important, but the significance of the structure. By hitting out at the fort which is dear to our freedom struggle and is a symbol of the pride in being Indian, the Lashkar has hit out at our collective pride. In a way, they have hit out at our very existance. Is it time to hit back, or to take stock?

[Prakup]

A whole lot of things have happened since I wrote this. A couple of militants have been killed, the ineptness of the Delhi Police exposed, the sieve that our border is exhibited to all and one of the key members behind the attack nabbed. However, sadly though, I must say that this is one of the boards that has elicited near zero response for you guys. And like I said before, It\'s no fun for me to keep writing to myself. So I propose to do away with this board, which is in any case, deader than a dodo!.................................. Only until something else happens to keep me interested that is! )

[conscious]

I think no matter how democratic our values are, and how seamlessly we expect public information to be available to all our citizens, there will always be blockades to that freedom in the name of national security. I guess the question is whether we really do trust our Government to behave the way it should (- in the interest of it\'s people). If we do, then whether or not we get all the information, we know we are doing the right thing. Especially in the case of Kashmir, let me raise a different perspective - how many of us know how we are handling the Kashmir situation? We all know what happened with the IPKF in Sri Lanka. The people (including my very good friend from Moratua) do not appreciate what we did in the name of peace-keeping. Frankly, I do not think we are any more crusading than the \"jihadi\'s\" are. We are all fighting for a cause and everyone one of us is biased in our own perspectives. We think everyone from Pakistan is a terrorist, and what\'s even scary is that we believe it. I think rational thinking does not apply when we are exposed to only one side of the picture, like I feel we Indians are in India on Kashmir. We think we know everything but frankly we know as much as the guy next door that reads the daily newspaper and watches the news. I feel we need to open up and think outside the box to find out what the root of the problem is and what needs to be done.