The killing of yet another innocent member of the minority community in central’s Kashmir’s Budgam district should not just be condemned. The entire Kashmir society must register its disapproval and rejection of such cowardly acts. The time has come when the entire society must in one voice reject terrorism. Those who provoke, instigate and justify the killing on one pretext on the other must be isolated.
Silence – for whatever reason – is a crime. It is our silence which gives license to militants to kill innocent civilians. We rightfully seek our space in the entire country. We expect that the values of a secular democratic nation should be upheld everywhere.
Then it is equally binding upon us that the traditions and the culture of co-existence must be revived and restored in Kashmir. The acts of terrorism sought to erase our cultural values. Our silence emboldened the terror ecosystem.
Kashmir needs to speak up. If we don’t speak up today for our fellow citizens, we cannot complain tomorrow against those who don’t speak up for us. In our own interest, we must break our silence. Our silence can justify provocations elsewhere.
Such dastardly acts by the terrorists have earned a bad name for us as a society. Earlier people would talk of brotherhood, co-existence and tolerance in Kashmir. Now we are a society reeling under terrorism, extremism and exclusivism. Let us remove this blot upon our society. Let us reject violence in its all forms and manifestations. We are already late. It should not get too late.
