2250hrs:
At this mature stage of public interest activism on the ground, the most obvious barrier to change - that the majority of us aspire to - is how we think about public rights and our approach to obtaining them.
If we cannot convince our Pakistani neighbours to exploit us just a little less than they do, how on earth can we convince India or any major power in the world to give us political concessions?
In the last 72 years, we've grouped together with the Pakistanis - because they are nominally Muslim - and used the strength of our diaspora and devoted local resources to help Pakistan advocate on behalf of the Valley Kashmiris, on the perceived strength that they are majority Muslim too.
So, we clearly have a majoritarian Muslim lobby advocating in non-Muslim Western capitals for political concessions at the expense of another non-Muslim country, which could soon become the 3rd largest economy in the world and which incidentally also has a size-able Muslim minority that is larger than the population of AJK, GB, the Valley of Kashmir and Pakistan combined.
We are willing to sacrifice all aspects of governance in AJK to continue pursuing this illogical, mob-like stance to somehow 'pressurise' the world into accepting our demands.
Incredulously, we blame our absence of success thus far on an anti-Muslim bias in the West without as much as thinking twice about how we present 'our' case.
Our diaspora in the UK which constitutes the largest community of our people outside AJK are particular culprits in this regard.
They enjoy the fruits of 'rule of law' and economic opportunities there only to dissuade activists in AJK from struggling for the very same.
"Don't waste your time here. It is pointless fighting for rights here. The big powers will decide this issue whenever it suits them." So said someone in my village who has enjoyed the best part of 6 decades in the UK.
If we have no value for our own environment and public space, how can we expect the world to take us seriously?
If we don't give due attention to what is in our own capability, why should anyone else use their capabilities for our benefit?
Geo-politics doesn't do free lunches.
If we can't agree on the need of a consensus for a political process that could ensure AJK controlling its own public affairs, how can we convince any major power to force India to surrender the Valley of Kashmir, that which we have foolishly surrendered to our Muslim neighbour?
