Kashmir: Paradise Lost

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Kashmir: Paradise Lost

The disputed territory of Kashmir has been at the center of strained Indo-Pak relations for decades now. Both nuclear rivals have fought several wars over this predominantly Muslim region, which is currently split between them. Each country believes that Kashmir is rightfully theirs. Since the late 1980s a reign of terror was unleashed here and dozens of militant outfits operated out of this region fighting for independence or a merger with Pakistan. There are nearly 600,000 Indian security forces in the Indian-occupied part of Kashmir, home to some 8.5 million people. It is the highest soldier-to-civilian ratio in the world. A decade after it exploded into full-blown violence, the paradise is hell. At least 300 people are killed on an average every month. Many more maimed and missing. A generation rendered with wounds that run deeper than the Jhelum. There is very little to be happy about or celebrate in Kashmir. Every smile is under the shadow of the gun. The 10 years have even robbed the Kashmiri of his capacity to cry. Now there is indifference to blood. Death is more familiar than life.

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