Talks with palestine and silence over kashmir ?

Its quite ironic when you see at the first page of your national daily, two articles stacked side by side - the
first one talking about a late night attack by heavily armed terrorists from jaish-e-mohammad at an army
camp in jammu and the other showing a picture of prime minister narendra modi in a happy
conversation with president mohammed abbas of palestine, making this statement - " We hope for
peace and stability in palestine... We believe a permanent solution is possible with dialogue." After
decades of strategic silence and promotion of biased narratives regarding kashmir , its quite normal and
rightful of the kashmiri population who have lived and lost so many lives amidst a war like situation to
ask - what about us ? what about a dialogue that was promised to us and yet remains? For despite of
deliberations, bureaucratic visits and promise of stability by bjp, we have yet not arrived at a
"permanent solution" for kashmir.

Sharing undertones with the conflict in kashmir, Palestine has been in conflict with Israel since nearly 50
years now. Palestine has been fighting the forced occupation over gaza by Israel since the jewish
communities settled in then Ottoman empire, but the land being religioisly important to both of their
cultures, has become a bone of contention eversince. Just a week back, prime minister Modi went to
palestine and met president Mahmoud abbas to lend a hand of solidarity and strengthen diplomatic ties
with the country. He said that "only far sightedness can set the country free from violence and baggage
of the past. We know it is not easy but we need to keep trying as a lot is at stake". After recieving a lot of
criticism by liberals and left wing groups regarding Modi's strong embracement with Israel for buying
arms, this visit to palestine should be seen as a balancing act. Though modi's political history would
suggest further leaning towards Israel, but still prime minister NaMo should be congratulated for starting
a move of solidarity with palestine that is rooted in history of our country's international relation with
palestine since independence.

But when it comes to a state of our own country, where protest are fashioned in the nature of those at
palestine and uprisings are termed as 'intifada', our mainstream political parties have seldom a
"permanent solution". Both the Congress and BJP till now, have been unable to nurture a conductive
political atmosphere in the valley, and rather have used the state for their own political manouverings.
Though, the appointmemt of Dineshwar sharma as the centre's interlocutor for J and k, and modi's
independence speech can be seen as attempts to start 'talks' but a talk under a gunpoint, as Anirban
bhattacharya puts it, is quite impossible.

Just in the last year we saw thousands of youth being blinded by pellets in one of the most brutal phase
of repression on civilian protesters. Over hundred thousand kashmiri lives have been lost till now, and we
are still counting. Rather than fostering an environment for talks - the dominant nationalistic narrative of
treating kashmir as the crown of nation has gained strength in these times. Every talk about solidarity
with kashmir either diverges towards the valour of army fighting for our honour or the massacre of
kashmiri pandits. The idea, rather must be to create a democratic space for people, where political views
of every shape and sizes are welcome.
 But it seems the idea of talking itself has muddled up in these times. And while kashmir is still burning,
how can our prime minister promise ponds of water to palestine ? While there's so much talk going on,
the questions still remain.