The British experts believe that the causes of gulf between British kashmiri parents and their children are parents traditional values rooted in conservative, collectivist cultures, religious differences, gender roles and respect for elders that clash with children’s perspective influenced by western norms, emphasizing personal choice, freedom, equality and individualistic thinking.
However, as some of us who have lived and experienced both western and Asian cultures, we think that importation of Pakistani and Kashmiri politics into the UK is another major cause. The Pakistani and Kashmiri children do like to uphold their cultural values, but not political values, which is destructive, disruptive and divisive. First, it affects their representation in British democracy. Second, people are naturally influenced and inspired by political vision and a cause. We have seen increasing number of British Kashmiri youths involved in a political campaign against the atrocities committed by Israel in Palestine, but the same youths play no part in the independence movement of Jammu Kashmir, because of elders’ unproductive political actives.
Our youths born and brought up in Britain see no future in tribal and personalised politics imported by the senior Pakistani and Kashmiri political activists. The youths see how the Kashmir issue is misused by the visiting Kashmiri politicians. They talk about the Kashmir Issue, but export their tribal and personalised politics.Their visits to UK do not unite but divide the British Kashmiri Community. If the British Kashmiri Community leaders have not changed their political style, the gulf between elders and youths will get wide and worse. It is about time the elders saved their children losing for ever.
The British Kashmiri Community has got two major issues to work on: their political representation in the UK and the Kashmir Issue. They are likely to be more powerful and effective for achieving both targets if they act as a Community rather than branches of imported Pakistani and Kashmiri political parties.
