Kashmir ! At What Cost ?

I have never been to that place. Ever since I stood on my own feet to think of  holidaying in this snowy heaven  it was troubled.. I was told that  it was an exquisite piece of work by the almighty. Hindi movies with breath taking view of Kashmir valley  added  my passion towards it's  pristine beauty. I fancied to see the most beautiful people of the place.  I dreamed  of Apple  Trees heavily flowing to the gentle breeze. I wanted to feel  the streams noisily gliding over the pebbles. I wanted to sway in those beautiful boat houses. I thought of owning few wooden  filigree tables in my drawing room. I could even  move out of the country for my dream holiday in some places. Yet  I could never materialize my dream of visiting Kashmir.Now I think it is never  possible.

In my child hood I over heard my father talking about "plebiscite" and Shaik Abdulla though I did not really  understand them. After watching a movie about  Lord Mountbatten I guess I formed some idea about the origins of Kashmir problem. I read. Tied to understand at the skeletal level. Yet there is some thing which goes beyond my grasp. The turn of events, mishandling,  bad policies, continued military presence,  corruption, every thing put together we created a monster in the valley of pristine beauty. We could never take  a place in the hearts of those poverty ridden beautiful people. Millions spent on guns could have created scores of industries up there  much to the deviant of growing frustration among the disgruntled locals. With habitual apathy we messed up the whole issue. Millions poured with  no return in literal terms.   We created LeT, and in a way paved way for universal terrorism. We fold like 'touch me not plant' whenever the Kashmir issue is put on the universal platform. We are scared of the solutions.

To day with women and children on the streets pelting stones on the security forces, India is never seen before as unfriendly as of now.  What is Indian in Kashmir? Only  Indian  security  forces with their tents and bunkers. The sense of alienation is total and strong in the minds of the residents.  Billions gone  down the drain  for decades just to control the  population unwilling to collaborate. The suppression is too harsh to the extant of human rights violation. When are we going to negotiate peace? We are too late. Our late  nine stitches are not worth one stitch in right time. We messed up with many issues in our new  experimenting democracy. Now  after decades of bad governance and institutionalized corruption and over play by the  hyper vested interests in public life,  peace in the valley is a too distant a  dream. 

I might in all probabilities visit Switzerland, but however I wish,  never to  Kashmir which was said  to be an integral part of India.!!  It took me five decades to realize the fact.