Shopian being economically self reliant like Sopore and downtown localities of Srinagar, resisted and managed to mobilize whole valley in its favour. Think of those isolated pockets in far flung areas which remained economically dependent and communication wise inaccessible. People of such areas remain exclusively at the mercy of security agencies and unable to attract attention of authorities. These areas remain out of bounds for media as well, so their limitations go unreported. The only way out of this state of affairs is Complete Demilitarization.
De-militarization for Kashmiris means exit of armed forces and the paramilitary forces from every inch of the state. The demand of Mehbooba Mufti to dispatch them to barracks is not what Kashmiris perceive by demilitarization. Her demand is simply an attempt to pave way for Indian state to get out of the pressure to which it has come as a result of outrage in Kashmir and international pressure. The behavior of army within the barracks and beyond the barracks has always been offensive and humiliating for Kashmiris. They have been an instrument of economic deprivation to the people as well. Huge tracts of land remain occupied by them leaving no place for civilian population to live in other than crop yielding lands.
Pakistan by embarking upon huge operations against non-state actors has depicted its seriousness for containing terrorism. In action of Pakistan to dismantle the infrastructure of non state actors can’t be a pretext to evade inevitable de-militarization of Kashmir.
