Written by Saman Hasnain Shah (Pakistan Contributor)
I woke up this morning with a dreamy smile and a bright glow as my heart whispered, “Wake up Saman, it is another beautiful day in your beloved Pakistan, a bright, positive day of endless possibilities!”
The bright smile and positive glow evaporated in just a matter of seconds as soon as I pressed my TV remote and saw the news on every TV channel, headlines like Kashmir issue, Kashmir burning, Kashmir unresolved! My bright new day now turned into a bleak, gloomy day of hopelessness, for since I was a little girl, I have been seeing the same gloomy news, deeply feeling the pain and suffering of my Kashmiri Muslim brothers and sisters. Angry, confused and helpless as a little girl unsure of what I could do but not anymore!
Today I am a strong and an empowered woman of Pakistan, I cannot sit and feel sorry anymore, it’s time we take action, no more gloomy headlines, no more depressing stories, no more excuses over and over and over again! My blood is boiling as a Muslim and as a Pakistani woman, and it boggles my mind as to why these so called peace makers of the world cannot resolve, “Masla-E-Kashmir (Kashmir Issue).” It makes me doubt their their validity as the ambassadors of human rights, peace and justice.
Kashmir reminds me of “A pound of flesh “a story by a very well renowned writer Shakespeare. When the conniving Shylock created a public dispute and harassment and demanded a pound of flesh for a debt owed by Antonia. It seems to me that Kashmir has become that “pound of flesh”, between two countries’ tug-of-war of ego’s and attitudes, good versus evil, pure truth vs blatant lies, fair play versus foul tactics! And who is still suffering in all this? Every day, every hour, every minute and every painful second, while the battle continues? The innocent Kashmiris!
Kashmir for me is the pound of flesh dripping with the blood of thousands of innocent Muslims. Hear me when I say it, for this is the voice of my heart and soul “Kashmir is not just a land where victimized people live in terror. Kashmir is an independent nation of strong Muslim brothers and sisters, freedom fighters with great resolve! A nation that sacrificed more over decades than any other nation in the world!
Wake up Pakistan! The rising nation of Kashmir needs your support to a bright new day of independence with endless possibilities! “ To ignore evil is to become an accomplice to it .” Martin Luther King