Mir Gowhar
“Behind every statistic lies a shattered family. Mothers buried sons who never returned, and children grew up without fathers. What was falsely projected as a ‘movement’ was, for ordinary Kashmiris, a project of fear imposed without consent or dignity.”
For decades, Kashmir has endured a conflict it neither created nor desired. The violence that scarred its mountains, towns, and homes did not arise organically from its people. It was carefully engineered, externally sponsored, and ruthlessly sustained. At the heart of this prolonged suffering lies Pakistan’s deliberate strategy of exporting terrorism into Kashmir, turning a peaceful society into a theatre of bloodshed for geopolitical ambition.
The blood spilled on Kashmiri soil was not accidental. It was the outcome of a calculated campaign that used terror as an instrument of state policy. Thousands of lives have been lost over the years. Security personnel laid down their lives defending the nation and protecting civilians, but alongside them, countless innocent Kashmiris—elders, women, children, labourers, traders, teachers, and students—were brutally killed. Graveyards expanded as terror outfits, acting as Pakistan’s proxies, transformed villages and towns into conflict zones.
Behind every statistic lies a shattered family. Mothers buried sons who never returned home. Children grew up without fathers. Fear entered everyday life and became normalised. This violence was often misrepresented as a “movement,” but for ordinary Kashmiris, it was nothing more than a project of death imposed upon them. There was no consent, no dignity, and no choice.
Pakistan’s strategy was neither accidental nor humane. It was systematic and cruel. Young boys were radicalised through distorted religious narratives, trained across the border, armed, and pushed back into Kashmir. These youths were not treated as human beings but as disposable assets. Their deaths were celebrated in propaganda videos and speeches, not mourned. Each funeral was used to recruit another teenager. Kashmir lost its sons; Pakistan gained footage.
The most tragic aspect of this campaign was the deliberate targeting of young minds. Teenagers at an age meant for education and growth were misled and indoctrinated. They were taught that violence was heroism and death was glory. Once radicalised, they were pushed into encounters where survival was never the goal. When they died, Pakistan’s handlers moved on without remorse, leaving behind grieving families and broken communities.
It is also important to confront a truth that is often ignored in selective narratives: Pakistan-sponsored terrorists did not only target security forces. They killed innocent Kashmiris indiscriminately. Shopkeepers who refused to shut down markets, labourers trying to earn a living, teachers shaping young minds, political workers participating in democracy, and even ordinary citizens who chose neutrality were targeted. Terrorism in Kashmir was never selective or principled; it was ruthless and coercive. Silence or non-cooperation was often punished with death.
In recent years, however, the situation has undergone a significant shift. Through intelligence-driven operations, improved coordination, and focused counter-terror strategies, the Indian state has dismantled large parts of the terror ecosystem. Importantly, this has been achieved without widespread civilian casualties. The decline in killings and terror incidents is not coincidental; it reflects sustained and strategic action against networks operating with Pakistan’s backing.
Yet Pakistan has not abandoned its failed approach. Despite facing economic collapse, political instability, international isolation, and dependence on foreign bailouts, it continues to pursue the same destructive agenda. A state that struggles to feed its own people and maintain internal stability has no moral authority to claim concern for Kashmiris. Its interest has never been peace or welfare. Its objective has always been instability, because unrest serves its strategic narrative.
In contrast, India has increasingly demonstrated restraint and responsibility. Misguided youth have been given opportunities to return to the mainstream. Rehabilitation, surrender policies, and avenues for education and employment reflect a belief in reform rather than revenge. This difference is stark and revealing. While Pakistan pushes Kashmiri youth towards death, India offers them life, dignity, and a chance to rebuild.
The time has come for clarity—moral, political, and social. Pakistan’s terrorism has destroyed families, futures, and trust. It has eroded social bonds and delayed progress. There is no romance left in this violence, no heroism to glorify, and no justification to defend. The youth of Kashmir must recognise this reality and reject those who wish to keep the Valley burning to serve someone else’s agenda.
Peace in Kashmir will not arrive through guns smuggled across borders or ideologies rooted in hatred. It will come when terrorism is named honestly for what it is: Pakistan’s war on Kashmiris. Only by rejecting violence, confronting truth, and decisively defeating terror can Kashmir finally move towards healing, stability, and a future defined not by graves, but by hope.
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