Lessons to learn

As the tricolour fell off the flagpole when Chief Minister Mehbooba tried to hoist it at Bakshi Stadium, the incident reminded Kashmiris of Murli Mahohar Joshi. Joshi, former BJP stalwart, arrived 26 years ago in Srinagar in a defiant mood to unfurl the Indian flag on the Ghanta Ghar (clock tower) in the curfewed central square of the summer capital. Surrounded by a bevy of saffron clad right-wingers and a large number of armed forces personnel, Joshi’s challenge of hoisting the flag in the heartland of Kashmiri insurgents turned out a failure because the plag post snapped just in time and fell down on his head. When the indignant Kashmiris heard of what had happened at the Ghanta Ghar, they cooled off.

Just around the time when Mehbooba experienced the embarassment of having failed to unfurl the Indian flag on Independence Day 15 August 2016, Curfew Day in Kashmir, Indian media aired a video showing an army man atop a mobile phone tower in Tral bringing down a Pakistani flag and displaying an Indian one in its place. They telecast the video dozens of times. The media people called the event a morale booster for the armed forces who otherwise were working in tremendous pressure in Kashmir.

One media man made it a point that the soldier, while bringing down the Pakistani flag, did not disrespect it.

What if he had disrespected the Pakistani flag? Why should a media person be keen to insist that it was not disrespected?

The reason be very simple. Insulting Pakistani flag on camera might have led Kashmiris to yet another protest march against India because they happen to love Pakistan.

But, why do they love Pakistan?

Kashmir is a Muslim country. Kashmiris want to be part of the larger Muslim world. They have been forcibly put within the sovereignty sphere of a country in the non-Muslim world. Surrounded on two sides by India and China, the only link that Kashmir has with the larger Muslim world is through Pakistan. So, of all the Muslim countries in the world Kashmiris love Pakistan the most.

Moreover, Pakistan and Kashmir share natural links. Kashmir receives cloud-bearing winds from the sea that travel over Pakistan. Its waters flow back into the sea through River Jhelum via Pakistan. Pakistan’s port city of Karachi is the nearest port to Kashmir. Jhelum Valley route is the only natural land link it has with the outside world, the immediate outside world being Paksitan. So Kashmiris love Pakistan.

One of the factors that contributes to this Pakistan-Kashmir love affair is their mutual hatred for India, the latter having kept Kashmiris forcibly without first seeking their consent. Given this dispensation, bringing down one Pakistani flag signifies nothing. There are hundreds, even thousands, of such flags waving on mobile towers throughout Kashmir.

The video showing the bringing down of Pakistani flag in the home place of resistance icon Burhan Wani was filmed, according to the media channels, by army-operated drone aircraft. Understandably there must have been drones flying in the air space of Tral area at that time. There must have been foot soldiers deployed for miles around that particular tower. Plus there must have been snipers on mountains nearby to prevent Kashmiris from launching an attack on the soldier for bringing down Pakistani flag.

Thus it is under the umbrella of army that an Indian tricolour could be displayed in Kashmir.

On the other hand Kashmiris display Pakistani flags by choice, even risking their lives while doing so.

Lessons to learn!