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| Kashmir not vulnerable to Taliban | | |
The developments in the neighbourhood are disturbing but fortunately for us in an important region which had been an area of operation for these elements, the emergency of Talibans will not have much impact is Kashmir. The reason being that the form of Islam practiced in the Kashmir valley is very different from the Talibans philosophy which have been influenced by the puritan approach adopted by them under the Saudi influence. Islam in Kashmir is of Sufi variety with many mosques linked with saints who command large following. The Jamait Islami which tried to adopt the puritan approach has not become a major force in the Kashmir valley, but only has pockets of influence. Some elements have tried to launch movements against watching of television, sale of liquor in bars and enforcement of women covering their faces when in public but did not succeed and the Kashmiri women continue to enjoy rights like education, free movement and even work as administrators besides occupations like working as teachers and doctors. Under the circumstances, one feels that the appeal of Talibans in Jammu and Kashmir will remain limited due to difference in their approach to Islam. More so , the State which has opened its doors again to new age tools like internet, and promoting tourism will not fall into a narrow path which will hurt its economy and deny jobs for youth who have suffered for want of opportunities in the State. The recent Assembly poll has shown that a large section of the population is tired of long years of insurgency in the valley and are keen to restore normalcy. In this context attempt by new Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to withdraw central forces from law and order duty in cities and replace them by State police is a welcome step There will however be a need to remain vigilant as people in valley are a highly emotional lot and have a short fuse as indicated by a recent incident when some verses from holy book on skies used by a foreign tourist resulted in widespread protests. India will have to fight the threat of growing influence of Talibans in Pakistan politically and ideologically. We will have to build public opinion against the attempts by some orthodox elements to re-write history. No enlightened element among Muslims will like to go back to age when women were confined to four walls of a house, denied education, freedom of movement or joining a profession. In this battle education of minorities and other forms of encouragement for minorities will play an important role. There will be need to end discrimination in giving jobs and other forms of incentives to make all as useful members of society. Care will have to be taken so that fundamentalist propaganda is met with strong arguments and facts. India has strong credentials as a secular country, but disparity in terms of education, employment opportunities create wrong impression. Admitting this reality, the country had made special provisions through reservation to enable people belonging to scheduled caste and scheduled tribes to grow. Same needs to be extended to other sections of society who are deprived of opportunities for some reason or the other including minorities. Such a policy is needed not as a part of appeasement or to build a vote bank but to build a happy society where no section feels neglected or denied an opportunity to grow.
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