The Hindu Business Line : Kashmiri students `more relaxed, more secure'

THE visible, perceptible change in Srinagar where the tourists are back, the atmosphere is much more relaxed and the marriage season is in full swing, has its echo in the Kashmir University too. In the last few years one had always found most of the students at the University a depressed lot, talking of jihad and flaying the "people of India for not caring" for them while they continued to live under hellish conditions.

But this summer the mood is different. Samina Basheer, a first year sociology student is all smiles as she tells you, "Yaha key halaat tau bilkul badal gaye hei... (things have changed drastically here.). We are much more relaxed and feel much more secure than we ever used to." Her classmate Shimayi Wani agrees.

"Actually all our life, we have been brought up in an atmosphere of fear and violence. Things used to be so bad and we used to be terrified to go out in the evenings." Samina adds, "Take for instance the marriage scene. Earlier the baraat used to come in the day and would return before dark. But now till 10 or 11 pm there is no hurry... There have been many changes and we are feeling very secure now."

So how did all this come about? Perhaps due to the change in Government, say these students. "Illegal constructions have been brought down, the streets are cleaner and the city a much better place to live in," says Samina.

On the militancy front, she says, it has come down drastically in Srinagar, though "from the villages we do get reports that it continues unabated and there are human rights violations there too. But here, the tourists have started coming back which is good for the economy of this place." Both the young women are happy about the Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee visiting Srinagar and announcing a Rs 1,000-crore package and one-lakh jobs for Kashmiris.

But Shimayil is cautious. "Till now we have only heard Vajpayee say this... and words have no meaning in Kashmir. Earlier too we had been promised a lot of things which did not materialise. If he actually does what he said, that will be fantastic." So now would youngsters like them feel happy to remain with India and forget all about independence? Says Samina, "Well, earlier too we were with India and we were happy. Now too it looks as though things are fine. But we have our own problems and demands, which should be addressed. If that is done I don't have any problem in remaining with India."

Shimayil sees the whole situation as "two sides of a coin. If we see one side, our future with India looks dark. But if you flip the coin, the other side shows us a bright future. Only time will tell which side is giving us the right picture." But their friend and classmate Subiya disagrees about Kashmir youth being happy to remain with India. "there are lots of difficulties with India. There is a Muslim majority in Kashmir and in many places of India Muslims are discriminated against. Take a place like Gujarat... Are Muslims really free to lead the kind of life they want?" Do these youngsters believe in jihad? "Yes, very much so. But the true meaning of jihad is not tod phod, maar ya loot (destruction, violence and looting). It means to fight for your rights. But to get something by murdering somebody is not jihad," says Samina. Elsewhere on the campus, Juhi Mubeen, a first year economics student is also happy that things have taken a turn for the better in the Valley. Her father is in the carpet business and she thinks with the return of the tourists to Kashmir, things are certainly looking up. "But though things have improved in the cities, in rural areas, human rights violations and army excesses are still taking place. Even in Srinagar, last month, for the first time our house was searched twice. I was quite scared and hid behind my mother, but the BSF people did not misbehave with anybody and went away after the search." But her friend Fehmida who lives in Gundipur, Beerwa, about 80 km from Srinagar and is a student in the Education department, has a distressing tale to relate. Two years ago both her grandfather and her uncle were gunned down by the militants. "My grandfather was a member of the national conference and even today I can't forget that day. After some time they returned and threw a grenade on our house. But luckily we managed to get out before it exploded. Things might be different in Srinagar, but in the rural areas, nothing has changed." So how does she look at her future in Kashmir? "Well, I'm training to be a teacher, but God alone knows if there will be a job for me when I graduate... or I too will have to join the ranks of the unemployed in Kashmir" is her terse comment.

Dr Mohammed Amin Bhat, Lecturer in Sociology at the Kashmir University, feels that though things seem to have improved, "I feel these are cosmetic changes. Where is the healing touch talked about so much by the Chief Minister? Custodial killings are taking place even today as also human rights violations. The only difference is that the media's coverage of Kashmir has reduced." He says that if militancy has come down "it may be because they might have had some directions from Pakistan. But God forbid, if once again the talks fail, there will be hell let loose here. The backlash will be terrible."

Response can be sent to rasheeda@thehindu.co.in

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