The Hindu Business Line : `Give us azadi from poverty, unemployment'

THERE seems to be a dramatic change in the mood in the Kashmir valley these days. Not only do you have happy, smiling faces in the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, but drive 50 to 60 km away from Srinagar and talk to the villagers, the sentiment that "halaat sudhar gaye hey" (things have improved) gets echoed over and over again.

At Chakausa village, about 18 km from Srinagar, we encounter a group of agricultural labourers working in paddy fields, with a song on their lips and hope in their hearts. Unlike the last couple of years, when you would find it extremely difficult to strike a conversation with villagers who were reluctant to talk as they did not trust strangers, these labourers crowd around you to tell you that at long last their lives have improved.

Ghulam Mohammed Bhat is 50, and he beams as he tells you that he is working for a "very good zamindar, who is paying me a daily wage of Rs 120. I am very happy."

The rain has been copious and the paddy fields are green. "In the olden days they used to say that if the Badshah was good, he would get both good snow and rain. So with our new Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. For several years we had no snow, but this year we've had ample snow in the mountains and good rains too. So this year there will be no water problem," sayd Jehangir, another labourer.

Others in the group point out that the Mufti has kept at "least some of his promises. He had said that families which lost lives in the last 14 years, would get one government job, and we know some cases where this promise has been kept."

But what about the militants; do they still stalk their villages?

"Oh no," says Bhat, adding, "They are not to be seen. Half of them have been killed and the other half has disappeared."

In the village Goyegam near Tangmarg, about 45 km from Srinagar, Abdul Rasheed works as a tailor and he is euphoric about the return of some peace and security in their lives. "At long last, we seem to have the right kind of leaders in both Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir; Vajpayee sahib there and Mufti Sahib here. I and my brothers are able to make enough money to keep our families happy."

So what about the clamour for azadi (freedom) that one used to hear in Kashmir barely a year ago?

"Oh yes, we want azadi, but azadi from unemployment and poverty. Those were two of the greatest evils here. But if Vajpayee sahib keeps his promise to improve the economy of Kashmir and give us one lakh jobs, and Mufti sahib runs his government without corruption, we can look forward to a much better future," he says.

One asks him if Kashmiris like him have stopped looking at Pakistan as a saviour and does he think that Pakistan needs to have a say in deciding their future.

The reply is an eye-opener. "Pakistan kya karenga .. jo door ka dushman hota hey, woh kuch nahi kar sakta (the enemy who is far away can't do any harm) unless the local people help him.

If Mufti listens to us and we listen to him, what can Pakistan do? Pakistan's agenda works only when our own leaders don't care for us or listen to us."

So they'd not like to go with Pakistan?

"Hum kaisey jayenge, koi pagal kuttey ney kata hey humko? (How can we do that, have we been bitten by a mad dog?)"

He points to Saravanan, the BSF jawan from Chennai, who is standing in the field and listening to the conversation with a smile, even as the group of people listening in swells.

"He is my brother and if he treats me with love, I'll reciprocate. But if he shows me the gun, I'll stay far away from him and hate him."

He says that the people of Kashmir have suffered a lot for long years thanks to the indifference of leaders both in Delhi and Srinagar, but the Mufti regime has given them some hope.

The women, who are busy collecting water, keep out of the dialogue, and the language is a barrier too.

So are the Kashmiri women happy too, one asks Rasheed.

"Unka kya (what of them), if we are happy, they are happy," is his smug response.

When you protest at this, he quickly backtracks. "What I mean is that if either the militants or the Army people come and drag the men out of their homes and torture them or take them away, how can our women be happy? But these days, neither the militants are coming nor the army men, so all of us are happy."

He adds that earlier they would be visited by the militants almost every week. "Sometimes we would feed them voluntarily; sometimes we had to do that because they had the gun."

Once again pointing to the BSF jawan, he adds, "Now if a fouji comes to my house and says get me tea and snacks, can we refuse? If we refuse, his gun will do the rest of the talking. The same with militants... they too carry the gun and demand food whenever they come. There have been times when we've kept our children hungry, but fed them."

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

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