The Task Ahead

minds. The Kashmiris were not trained along the lines of proper Islamic wisdom which might have enabled them to think and in the light of which they might have taken right decisions in different fields, in the spirit of Islam. It would perhaps be right to say that Kashmiris imbibed the religious aspect of Islam only in a very limited sense, but it never became a part of their rational process of thinking. The first instance in this regard is when the Kashmiris, incited by certain leaders, rose against the Dogra rule. From the Islamic view point, it was nothing but an emotional outburst. That is why we find that, in spite of achieving success, this movement made no contribution in the building of the future of Kashmiris. This movement against the Dogra rule was launched by leaders with political interests; it did not result from Islamic consciousness in the real sense of the word. After 1947, a new period of movements commenced in Kashmir. In this phase the Kashmiri people came under the influence of two big movements. One was launched in the name of secularism and another in the name of Islam. But both these movements were the products of the political ambitions of certain leaders. Neither was born as a result of Islamic consciousness, in the real sense. The secular leaders launched their movements after 1947 in the name of Azad Kashmir or Pakistani Kashmir. These leaders did gain materially and in terms of fame but, for the people of Kashmir, it amounted to running towards a target without a destination. These were movements which had a beginning but no end. Another class of leaders consisted of those who launched their movements in the name of Islamic The Task Ahead