The “Connected Kashmir” youtuber and some members of elite classes and patronage-based Pakistani political parties have described the educated Kashmiri youths as “unpatriotic and selfish” who they say go to settle in Europe, where they work hard to serve the host societies, but not their own homeland. An example was given of several British-Kashmiri ministers in the UK and activists in the Western Europe. I find the accusations completely unfair and unjustified. Let me say why?
There is no doubt that society’s progress depends on educated and healthy youths, but the question is why our educated youths are forced to leave their homes and families? According to my qualitative and quantitative research, our youths leave the country due to a corrupt economic, political and judicial system. No matter how educated and skillful someone is, professional departments are not allowed to employ anybody without the permission of the minister of the department, who does not care about the merit, but political loyalty of the applicants, unlike Europe. If any applicant seeks judicial redress, the government uses delaying tactics and the courts do nothing.
Those who settled in Europe are employed on merit and allowed to participate in politics. The candidates in the elections are selected independently on the bases of their services for the party. Whereas, in Azad Kashmir, one has to be a member of the branches of Pakistani political parties behaving like franchised companies. The Act 1974 does not allow any pro independence candidate to participate in general election and get a job in any state institution despite the fact that article 257 of the constitution of Pakistan says that the people of Jammu Kashmir will freely determine their relations with Pakistan after the UN promised referendum has taken place.
There are many well-educated and well-settled Kashmiris, who returned to Azad Kashmir to both in order to invest and serve the independence movement of Jammu Kashmir. I was one of them, who was held in British custody extra-judicially for 22 years due to my loyalty to the Kashmir Cause. The ordinary people gave me a hero’s welcome, which scared the undemocratic and anti independence forces, who described the “Military Democracy” as inevitable. I had graduated in Psychology and postgraduate in Social Sciences from the United Kingdom, but on my return home, I was confronted by undemocratic and occupational forces, who tried to force me to compromise my stance on the reunification of my homeland. As a result of my refusal, I was denied to be employed as a lecturer in a University and later my business was also clandestinely destroyed. Worse to come, someone tried to assassinate me in Mirpur, which has obliged me to flee home again after 20 years. If this is the fate of the patriotic people, how can they go back home? The fact is that it is not the overseas Kashmiris, who are unpatriotic, but those corrupt and non democratic politicians imposed on Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
