It has been going on for as long as we can remember and continues in different forms, ages, stages and played out by different actors. In the age of information technology then, it is obvious that information will play a key role in perpetuating this battle. Today, it is not an all-out battle with only bullets, bombs, and battalion but has a new dimension and flavour.
While information has been and is power since time immemorial, today with social networks such as Twitter & Facebook this power has been upgraded to a new level. Now, the weapon of choice is a news source, words and pictures are ammunitions and your mind is the battlefield.
If you can be charged emotionally and can be moved physically by these charged emotions, you are a pawn in the minds of those who play this game. And a pawn is the first and easiest to sacrifice as in any chess game for the players who wish to win the battle.
They understand that each one of us is like a computer, programmed to believe in different things, which is the main cause of conflict in this world. The best time to install a program is when the unit is new, most receptive with no other conflicting programs running in the background to abort the installation. Thus, the process begins early and with repetition. Add to that another layer of information and disinformation, which if accepted will clutter up the entire system and slow it down.
Which brings me to the current state in Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir and the ongoing information battle which is forced on everyone connected to the internet.
It is in times like these that it becomes imperative for me to dig deeper, to acknowledge and realise that the real empowerment from information comes from the concept of being in sync. To remind myself, that if it is not a message of unity and peace then it is best disregarded and I press the delete button. If for some reason a message takes hold in my mind which creates a sense of separation – a message of us vs them; then it is time to run a security scan and it must be discarded immediately.
With that understanding, when I look at the situation in Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir –
I am happy for those in Ladakh who have been demanding the status of a Union Territory.
I am happy for those Kashmiri Pandits who now have the possibility of going back to their homes after 30 years.
I am happy for the majority of the people of Jammu who welcome this change.
I am happy for those Kashmiri Muslims who want to live in peace, with equal rights for women, right to information and right to education.
I am happy for those communities in Jammu & Kashmir, who feel like they got their freedom after 70 years.
I am happy for the Indian government and those Indians, who feel that their tax money, lives and energy spent on Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir has not gone in vain.
As for the “separatists” or “freedom fighters” in Srinagar, if you wish to create an Islamic state in Kashmir then as a person who is programmed to uphold secular values, I have no time or interest to support or join in your pursuit. I do however pray for you that your religion/belief/program has means and methods to bring peace and harmony into your hearts and minds and not just for the Muslims but for everyone irrespective of their religion.
Thoughts, actions, and words of people who live there and those with a vested interest in the region will bring about the change. Whether it is pleasant, peaceful and progressive or that of turmoil, friction, inequality, suppression, separation or death – only time will reveal. I have no attachment to the outcome, no judgement or bias. Everything will be according to the laws of nature, which are above all religions and human-made laws. Whatever will be will be and we have no choice but to accept.
Finally, I don’t have any hatred or disdain for Pakistan or Pakistanis. Many were raised on a belief and a dream that Kashmir might one day be part of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. It’s so heavily instilled into their psyche that it’s become a part of their identity. If they disagree with this belief or have ideas that contradict, it will generate a feeling of guilt, akin to a sense of self-betrayal. So, understandably and probably when they see Pakistan losing its grip on Kashmir, for them it is like they are losing control over themselves. This does not make them good or bad, it is just the way they are programmed.
To end, I would say that inspite of the programming within and battles around, we all can feel the same universal energy that powers, sustains and keeps each one of us alive. That energy is the common thread which keeps us all together and in that knowing, we are all united.
