Kashmiri squeezed between ‘jugular vein’ and ‘attot ang’ ‘Nicest, gentlest, kindest, sensitive human being is Kashmiri: Dulat

Highlighting the plight and nature of Kashmiri people in detail, former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) head Amar singh Dulat in his memoir ‘Kashmir:Vajpayee years’ has maintained that Kashmiri is the nicest, gentlest, kindest, most sensitive of human beings and yet he can also be devious and prone to exaggeration. Dulat writes that Kashmiri is a most complex character, and not easy to fathom or engage with.  “The Kashmiri rarely speaks the truth to you because he feels that you are lying to him.”

Dulat at the same breathe blames India for this mess and adds that, “it is we who have made Kashmiri that way. The problem with Delhi has been that it sees everything in black and white, whereas Kashmir’s favourite colour is grey.”

Ruing the fate of Kashmiri people, Dulat according to CNS, writes Kashmir remains an issue and is even talked about as a possible nuclear flashpoint. And a poor Kashmiri finds himself squeezed between Pakistan’s ‘jugular vein’ and our (India’s) ‘atoot ang’.

Castigating state political leaders for befooling common Kashmiri for their vested interests, A.S. Dulat who spent a lot of time in Kashmir during the hey days of militancy writes that politicians in Kashmir resort to double-speak and that’s why Kashmiri don’t trust anybody. “Sheikh Sahab (Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah) was said to have spoken in different voices in Srinagar, Jammu and Delhi. After his arrest in 1953, the founder members of his party National Conference formed Plebiscite Front and resorted to double speak, the most famous example being Sheikh’s closest lieutenant Mirza Afzal Beg, who went around holding Pakistani noon (rock salt) to demonstrate Kashmir’s affinity with Pakistan.”

Dulat writes that to befool people and to play with their emotions, almost all the political parties except NC and People’s Conference contain party flags as green to symbolize Islam. “When Muslim United Front (MUF) was formed in 1987, it chose green as its flag’s color. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s favourite color is green, which she uses while campaigning. All militant organizations make free use of green,” Dulat writes. (CNS)