Free Hand

Ratul Mukherjee

BURY THE HATCHET SHARE THE FUTURE

“Wine breaks my resolve, resolve breaks my cup; broken cups lay in heaps all around me, here.”

NEARLY FOR MORE THAN 60 YEARS WE HAVE BEEN PART OF THE PROBLEM…

Fifty plus years of Indo-Pak talks are little red with heaps of shattered talks, resolves and
intentions. Nehru-Liaqat talks in fifties, Shastri-Ayub talks in sixties, Indira-Bhutto talks in
seventies, Rajiv-Benazir talks in eighties, Vajpayee - Nawaz talks in nineties; Vajpayee-Musaraf
in early two thousand all broken, littering the storehouse of fledgling Indo-Pakistani history.

Everyone on both sides of the India-Pakistan border wants a peaceful life. Kargil or no Kargil,
everyone in both countries hankers to sit down and listen to Lata Mangeshkar or Ghulam Ali.

We celebrated the 61st anniversary of Independence of India and Pakistan. India and Pakistan
have deep bonds of common culture and civilization and a shared history that goes back several
years. Actions of the governments of India and Pakistan such as the development of nuclear
weapons threaten the peaceful co-existence of not only the two countries but of the entire region
of South Asia. I believe that the current hostile climate can only undermine the national security
of the two countries and that the only way to ensure peace and prosperity in the region is to
garner greater economic and cultural ties across border.

We the concerned citizens should make an earnest appeal to the Governments of India and
Pakistan to exercise restraint, stop hostilities, on the Kashmir front, and save our valuable
resources for the betterment of the people, specially the poor and the needy of both countries.
Both the countries cannot afford such adventures. Millions in both countries want bread not
bombs. Want education and not guns. We are not a poor sub-continent but we have poor people
because we are wasting resources firing guns at each other. And for this you, me and all the
people of this sub-continent are responsible.

It’s time to act. To appeal to the men and women of both the countries to build up a strong peace
initiative to bring moral pressure on their respective Governments. Human life on both sides is
precious; any killing is a loss to both our countries. Every drop of blood counts. Let us follow the
path of sanity and develop good neighbourly relations in order to solve our problems. A war, after
all, has never produced any winners.

Things are getting better. But will this able to make a positive crack for peace? Will this meet
harvest anything substantial to the two countries and the troubled state of Jammu & Kashmir?
Will the extremists in both countries give peace a chance? Can we lay the old ghost to rest? Or
will we see history repeating itself, a few moments of euphoria followed by a long spell of
hostility?

We therefore should call upon the two governments to:

1. Work toward joint solutions of shared problems of economic and human development.
Seek greater cooperation in trade and promote cultural and intellectual exchange between
the two countries. Especially youth exchange programs.
 2. Seek a peaceful resolution to their dispute over Kashmir with genuine representation and
active participation from the diverse people of Kashmir.
3. Respect the Human Rights of the Kashmiris.
4. I have a strong belief that amidst of heavy smoke and gloom the sun is bound to rise in
the valley once more, the streets are going to be filled with laughter and the shikaras on
the Dal will float on water and not blood. Let us give peace a chance for once and always.

LET’S START BEING PART OF THE SOLUTION…

PEACE!

I Told Her A Lie!

I met a little girl

searching for her parents,
from the wilderness of
the world.

I took a paper and

I pointed to the sky.
Rolled it,
and through it I saw a star.

I told her
that there they were
and looking happy.
They will come back soon.

She stared at me
I was on my knees to see
a smile on her lips
and it happened.

She was happy,

there was no doubt.
But I tasted some salt
in my mouth.
Through my wet eyes
I could not see.
As I knew it was a lie.
Words from my eyes did start.

Blood burnt
around my heart.
Will love’s bed be
always snowing here?

She seemed to hear

my silent voice.
But deaf were the mature.
Not love appeals to know peace.

KASHMIRI FRIEND

I have a Kashmiri friend whose Web pages are full of nostalgic memories of his once beautiful,
now bloody valley. His small brother stares in wonder when he points out his land in old Hindi
movies. He has many friends, Kashmiri friends. There is no religion on the line. There are Sikhs,
Hindu Brahmins and Muslims who ran away from terrorism. They all have one thing in common;
there is no place they can call home.

How do I console my friend, whose eyes well up when he talks about the friends left behind, his
fears when he was there? Should I take India's side or Pakistan's? How do I tell him I really do
not understand his pain? I do not. I know and have a place I can call home. I know I can show my
kids my great grandfather's house. I know I will swell with pride when I show my kids my
school, my playground, my trees... I take for granted that my kids would always know the land I
come from, the culture, the language, the festivals, the smell of my place. I do not know the pain
of not having a home. I have not lost any of my close friends to terrorism. I have not felt the fear
when you don't have a place to go.

Well, then, how do I share his pain? With what words do I console my friend? Should I tell him it
is getting better? Indian and Pakistani governments are talking now. How do I make sure he
doesn't see it's all a political game? What words do I search for when he tells me no one
understands his pain? No politician, no journalist, no soldier, no militant, no other Indian other
than they themselves who lost everything? Should I be cruel and tell him to thank God for saving
his life?

Can I tell him with sincerity that one day he will be able to show his kids the apple trees, the
snow-covered mountains and the beautiful Dal Lake of his valley? When I see the pain in his
eyes, I somehow feel I am at fault. I feel guilty. I feel guilty for having that false pride, the false
patriotism I share. Does patriotism mean I have to hate someone? I am not sure. But this is the
way it is in India and Pakistan. I hope I can find some words to console my friend.

In an atmosphere of violence where killings and counter killings have become the norm, the first
casualty is the right to life of the ordinary citizen in Kashmir. And unless these assaults on human
rights and dignity are reported and judicially remedied, there is hardly any hope for the thousands
of children orphaned by violence, the widows, and the victims of torture. I strongly believe we
need peace in Kashmir and not pieces of Kashmir. This peace can only be achieved through
restoration of the dignity and rights of the people.

BOTH INDIAN AND PAKISTANI GOVERNMENTS OF THE PAST AND THE PRESENT
ARE AT FAULT. BOTH INDIAN ARMY AND PAKISTANI ARMY ARE VIOLATING
HUMAN RIGHTS IN KASHMIR.EACH AND EVERY INDIVIDUAL OF BOTH
COUNTRIES ARE TO BE BLAMED FOR IT.

Lastly, to those of you who think that the actions of the violence in Kashmir symbolize their
strength and patriotism, I would just say: "If these are patriots, I would prefer being a traitor." I
wish to pray: "If this is strength...please God, give us weakness."