Spirit of Islam, Oct 2014

Kashmir was almost under water. A massive rescue and relief operation by the Indian armed forces is on in the state. It was this same Indian Army which was subjected to stone-throwing that is now dropping food packets, saving the lives of people and extending all possible help. For a very long time, Kashmir had been a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity. A large number of Hindus used to visit the Sufi shrines in Kashmir. There was an ideal relationship between the Hindu Pandits’ and the Muslim Kashmiris. In the whole state of Jammu and Kashmir, Hindus and Muslims lived with brotherly relations and cooperated with each other in every field. Kashmir was in an ideal state of communal harmony. There was absolutely no problem between the Kashmiris and the Hindus. Perceived by many in the Kashmir valley as an “occupation force” in the 1990s, the Indian Army is now seen as a “humanitarian agency”. But, due to misguidance from rabble-rousers, the Kashmiri people temporarily became negative towards India. This kind of negativity was totally against the spirit of Kashmir. Now, nature, through this calamity and the help provided by India, is giving a strong message to Kashmiris: ‘See the realities and change your mindset.’ This “change” is not merely a change—it is a return to their own past. Under the influence of their so-called leaders, Kashmiris had become negative towards India. However, India is the only country which has rushed to their rescue. A crisis reveals a person’s friends and enemies. This calamity has clearly shown that the Indian Army is a true friend and well-wisher of the Kashmiri people. This was a new experience in the recent history of Kashmir. According to my assessment, it was a message from nature. Nature is telling them: ‘Discover your real friends.’ The fact remains that, after Independence, there was a great chance for Kashmiris to develop and build a great future for themselves. But, because of misguidance from some leaders, they were living in a state of indecisiveness. In this natural calamity there is a lesson to the Kashmiri people: ‘Decide your future without delay, so that your