The people of Kashmir should think with their head, not their heart

The Indian government has decided to hold elections in Kashmir. One reads and sees on the telly massive demonstrations by Kashmiris who clamour for "azadi" (freedom).

Many Indian commentators have thrown up their hands. Their advice: Give the independence to Kashmir. India cannot sustain the massive drainage of resources in maintaining a strong military presence in the state. If they hate us so much, let them go, these guys say.

Things are not so simple. The headaches for India will not end by letting Kashmir go. The jihadis in Pakistan are waiting with an open mouth to swallow it up. I am sure Kasmiris are much better off in India than turning into a talibanised state. The jihadis are using the emotional call of Islam to foment hatred amongst the people towards what they consider as a 'Hindu' India.

First things first. India is not a Hindu country. It is a secular country, where the Constitution guarantees freedom to practice any religion one pleases. Warts like VHP and Bajrang Dal apart, India is a secular country.

The simple-minded Kashmiris have been brain washed by the jihadis and Pakistan that they cannot live in India, that they will continue to face persecution from India. An independent Kashmir is a cure for all evils, they say.

But is it? Ask any Afghan woman how she felt during the Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Kashmiri women face a similar fate in a "azad" Kashmir.

Kashmir is located near three great powers, India, China and Pakistan. If India stays away, the other two are not going to altruistically applaud the freedom of the Kashmiris. They will try to make it their sphere of influence. An independent Kashmir is an impossibility.

The Kashmiris should decide what they want. Turn into another Tibet under China's influence? Or into a Talibanised Afghanistan under Pakistani influence?

The Indian Muslims are much better off than Muslims in many other Islamic nations. They can improve their condition even more if they reform their community into modernity and shake-off the Pakistan-Laden fixation that many of them have. this fixation is giving Hindu hardliners a stick to beat them with.

Kashmiris, think again before you rush out on the streets of Srinagar for demonstrating against India. Things are not so simple. Think with your head, not your heart. The heart often leads one astray.