Readers Column: Don’t Forget Kashmir
Posted on 25 August 2008 by Shama Naqushbandi
I am writing to express my heartfelt sadness at the death of media coverage on the world’s oldest unresolved international conflicts, Kashmir.
To relay the words of French Author and Nobel Prize Winner Andre Gide: “Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again.” The facts on Kashmir speak for themselves: it’s the world’s most militarized zone with one soldier countering every 10 civilians, the subject-matter of a possible South Asian nuclear catastrophe, over 60,000 people dead, at least 10,000 further “disappearances” and a growing generation of no fewer than 10,000 orphans.
Over the last few days, having watched the tragic unraveling of events in Georgia, I found the absence of any proportionate coverage of the recent civilian uprisings and relentless daily protests in the Kashmir valley, along with the economic blockades, heavy-handed army violence and human rights violations personally heartbreaking.
As a western educated liberal British-Kashmiri, with no dabblings in the political world, I write this message to urge the media to evaluate its heavy responsibility in ensuring fair, accurate and objective reporting in today’s world. The sentiments of the Olympics cannot be more relevant: “One world, one dream”. All too recently we have felt the after effects of tragedies being fought on foreign shores. The media simply cannot afford to be seen as selective in its criticism of democracies when it comes to maintaining ethical and humanitarian high-grounds. The world community’s decades-old indifference to the Kashmir problem along with the absence of any credible reporting on the ground has been and continues to be a grave irresponsibility.
I urge you to bring Kashmir back into the public eye. Dispatched to anonymity this patch of land, once sought-after for its religious tolerance and cultural harmony, would be an insult not only to the hope of the one world dream remembered and once lived by our grandfathers and their forefathers, but ill-fated negligence to our world at large. Please, don’t forget Kashmir.
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August 25th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
It is very sad, but it appears the world and the people (leaders) in it do not want to see peace. We have become numb to all the human rights and civil liberty violations; Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Zimbabwe, Burma and a countless few other hundreds. If only we all could come together and put aside and accept each others differences, but where there is money, there will be power and we all know that power corrupts.
How can we make a difference?
August 25th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
As Kadija alludes to, this sought of injustice by the media is not limited to Kashmir. The Palestine issue - possibly the biggest injustice of modern times - gets highly obscure and biased coverage. There are civil wars in parts of Africa that many of us don’t know about because of the lack of reportage. There is Chechnya, another grave injustice of the 21st century. Add that to the countless human right violation being committed throughout the world, including but not limited to Guantanamo Bay, Secret European Prisons, Abu Guraib, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Egypt, Algeria etc etc.
In conclusion, we can’t be selective when we make such accusations of media, this issue spreads well beyond Kashmir.
August 26th, 2008 at 12:42 am
Why is it that articles about Jade Goody and Lady Jalebi get more comments, when the issues covered in here is much more serious and need and deserve a far greater response? This is evidence that we as the general public just do not want to care / can’t care. We rather focus on who is dating who, then trying to help our fellow man. It’s not just on InisdeDesi, it is everywhere. Thank you for this reminder.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:58 am
It is an informative article overall, despite media bias stretching far beyond Kashmir.
In response to tick tack, perhaps the general public lack basic political intellect to comment on such matter; on the flip side, are the voices of the masses heard when it comes to a political debate?
Articles on Jade goody, and Madam Jelabi’s woes, could easily reach out to the crowd as it is life’s dilemma on a domestic note. I wonder if the woman and her children in Kashmir gives a shit about Ms Goody & co.
August 26th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Its called the CNN effect. Some things just get greater coverage and response by the media and the public just fall into the realms of critic so easily - e.g the Jade fiasco - it was all over the papers and online news etc etc and being a subject that many find easy to comment on, it is disected and analysed from every angle. Whereas you bring forward teh issues of war, conflict, poverty and oppression, a tumbleed rolls by. I guess the balance of public interest does not exist and nor does the balance in Media coverage and therefore, there will always be frustrated people, like you Tik tak (and myself) who are continually infuriated by the lack of interest in ‘real’ issues and ‘greater’ struggles which get marginalised by our shallow, fluffy and cacooned little minds and worlds.
August 26th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
To make a difference, sign up to the petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/jkhr2008/petition.html
August 27th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
You’re right - not enough coverage is out there and not enough is being done.
Solutions?