Kashmir's future

Fleeting chance

A brighter mood brings an opportunity. Expect India to squander it

See article

Readers' comments



Reading last few articles on Kashmir it looks like old style Raj peddling by Economist. Just reading this article feels like economist is missing mayhem in Kashmir and may that wish be fulfilled in London. It would not be wrong to think that most of phones owned by Muslims would be hacked by London police if those poor souls survived broadcast in CCTV.

British government seems to be slow in thinking that strong arm tactics of bring down suspects homes in heart of London has ensured that they have won Britain's defined and initiated Crusade has been won in London.

I hope Indian government can stand up to the rights of minorities in Nazi Britain as most are from Indian sub continent and Pakistani government is on British pay roll.


It's quite ironic how a few Hindus peeved at the exposure of stark truth by well-researched brilliant The Economist writers, are clamoring for people to shun economist yet themselves are continuing to contribute to the comments section!

A Bangladeshi

The point is, How long people's aspiration be suppressed? The Kashmiri people and their leadership has to work. Though unfortunate help from outside may not be forthcoming.


"though sullen-looking armed men in uniform are everywhere" .I just do not comprehend as to from where do these authors writing for prestigious magazines like economist get these wierd ideas. First of all, the amount of force used against militants in kashmir is bare minimal,mostly small arms, with hardly any collateral damage and compare it with US and allies are doing in Afghanistan. BRUTAL AND GROSS. (The innocents these allies in afghanistan kill in a day maybe less than what occurs in kashmir in entire year) . You see few armymen and you slander the entire set up. Get into the interiors where roads end and mountains begin and you shall see the support for India,Indian army and power of its democracy. DONT SLANDER FOR THE SAKE OF IT BY LISTENING TO FEW DISGRUNTLED SOULS IN VICINITY OF SRINAGAR.


It is disgusting that a magazine like economist uses obscene words for the highly sacred shivalingam. You should avoid making such statements even if made out of ignorance. If you are short of words, do a Google to get the correct vocabulary. This looked like a deliberate attempt to make fun of sentiments of a religion. Being well versed in English language you could have made several better comparisons. Such misstatements would only hurt your business in India at the least.


The economist beleives that a major reason why Pakistan breeds terrorists that affects the west is because of kashmir.

And to have some [eace for the West, they are happy for India to sacrifice Kashnir.
They are happpy to see the Christians, Budhists, and Hindus abandoned to the killers of Pakistan.
And why not ?
As far as the west is concerned India has a billion people, so why not sacrifice a few people for peace for the West.

NOW - what does the Economist have to say about sacrificing the Jews of Israel ?

No Mist

stop paying for this newspaper and you will see "penis" being transformed to deities in future. the protest which takes back the money is the best protest.


Pathetic choice of words by the author.

Saying "to a sacred penis-shaped lump of ice at Amarnath" is like portraying Jesus as "a half-naked man tied to a pole bleeding profusely".

I am not trying to hurt any sentiments here but even though both above are described correctly, it is the choice of words that matters. Economist editors should wake up to this fact.


The un-disguised disdain that this newspaper's correspondents have for non-Western indigenous traditions and belief systems comes across clearly when they describe a religious symbol (held to be sacred by a billion Indians) in a mischievous and erroneous manner. Christianity and many of its followers (some of whom work for this newspaper) seem to have not changed much in their thinking since the Inquisition & Crusade days!

@indica rightly pointed out the inherent lack of relevance that this silly remark has to the article's topic. And, of course, the factual inaccuracy is starking. Indeed, according to an academic I spoke to, the Shivaa-Lingam is a symbol, a marker for "that which cannot be defined as it is infinite". A very sacred, very evolved way of looking at things spiritual. One should expect nothing less from the world's oldest, most liberal, and most philosophically evolved faith that is Hinduism.

The discussion on Kashmir (in this article) itself reflects an utter disconnect with reality -- this is something that most Western observers tend to suffer from, when it comes to the Indian sub-continent.

Let's start with some basic facts (as opposed to baseless inferences). The problem in Kashmir is one of Islamists versus non-Islamists, as the jihadists have made clear many times in their manifesto (and demonstrated, by killing all non-Muslims there or chasing away the remaining few). The jihadis themsleves are propped up by the Pakistani establishment. And no, not just some rogue elements of the Pakistani government. Nearly the entire Pakistani government & its agencies are backers of the jihadi butchers active in various parts of the world. No wonder that (a) Osama was found to be relaxing, and finally killed by US forces, near a Pakistani military complex, and (b) the Americans did not forewarn any Pakistani about the imminent attack, knowing well that Osama would have been forewarned as well.

So India or its government can do little but fight this out as any other war. Till the last jihadi. Not doing so would be to squander away the opportunity for lasting peace.


this is not the first time nor will it be the last.i've been following the economist keenly for the last one year and i have to say that i'm very disappointed with respect to its coverage on India and in particular with its' heavily biased perspective regarding kashmir. seems many of them UK types can't digest the fact that India and pak are no longer comparable to each other and India has emerged out as a nation with considerable international respect and clout unlike pak.i advise the economist to avoid such "foot in the mouth" comments on hindu faith and be more careful in future and be balanced in your assessment(the very reason i read the economist is i appreciate its well balanced and unbiased views in international politics.. but i'm sorry.. when it comes to India.. the economist is not being true to that) i hope you mend your ways ASAP.


The article is biased and uses unnecssarily offensive words.It is strange that the Chief Minisgter says that large voting favoring election organised by government is no vote for India while the Indian constitution governs them.No doubt some sikhs have been left in Kashmir but most of Kashmiris are refugees and it is just not mentioned. History of sufism and before that of Budhism and Hindu dominance has been forgotten. Kashmiris including fanatics are Hindus who were converted by But shikan in greatest respression let lose in history. The symbol of lingham is creativity worship and its asexual nature is known to people that Shiva himself did not have childern out of his secxual union. He represented sprituality of creation and destruction of universe.




In my limited reading around, I also found that during the height of 'Kashmiri Saivaism', the LINGAM in the Amarnath Shiva Temple and in many other then famous Shiva Temples spread through out Kashmir, to Gilgit and beyond into 'Kalash Valley' (Kailash Valley), were described as the 'FORMLESS FORM OF RUDRA'.

To reduce such a complex, almost mystical concept, to some 'phallus' worship is so ignorant.

Kashmiri Saivaism prided itself on it's MONISM, focusing on SHIVJI as the FIRST CAUSE. So many learned Kashmiris would not have built their MONISM on the foundation of 'Phallus' worship.

It is sad that in modern India too, so many Hindus don't bother to give enough credit to the intelligence and spirituality of their ancestors, stretching across so many generations.



I have not seen Hindu women 'kiss' Shiv Lingam in the hope of conceiving a child. In most Hindu temples, the main Deities cannot be touched by anyone other than the priests. There is always a space between the Alter and where the worshipers stand or sit.

Hindu women in different parts of India pray to local deities, Shivji, amongst them, to solve their problems. I don't know that they would choose Shivji as a Specialist Facilitator for conceiving a child.

If you are a Hindu, you would know that Hindus have the notion of 'jhoota' or 'taboo against saliva contact'. Therefore, no sacred object can be 'kissed' in the way you have described. In a Temple, it would be seen as an unclean act.

You are not a Hindu, are you? Just having some fun, I presume.


'Kashmir Solidarity'

I accept that India, along with all other countries of the world, MUST respect INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW.

Police, army and other security forces should be TRAINED well to use minimum force necessary to maintain order. Their obligation to provide safety to the public cannot be ignored either.

My reference to Pakistan-sponsored infiltration is highly relevant to peace in Kashmir.

My reference to Baluchistan is also relevant in terms of the International Humanitarian Law. In South Asia it should apply to Pakistan also. My question is: 'Why The Economist and Western governments are indifferent to the massacres perpetrated in Baluchistan by the Pakistan army?'

Indian media publicises every transgression by the Indian security forces. In fact, Suzannah Arundati Roy, Geelani & Geelani (old gentleman and the Delhi college professor) and a number of left-liberal Indians organised an open conference in New Delhi in 2010 with a banner reading 'Azadi the only way'.

None of them was imprisoned or 'bumped off', as has happened to Baluchi nationalists across the border.

Please look at the entire picture. That is my request to you.


I think a class action lawsuit is needed to hit them where it hurts!

Just because hindus don't go ape like the muslims doesn't mean anything goes!

You think Hindu myths are funny here are a few from Christianity:
1,Virgin Birth!(More likely Jesus was an illegitimate child!)
2.Eve came from adams rib
3.The world was created in 6 days
4.The world is flat!With Jerusalam at the centre

I won't even go into the religion of peace's myths because unlike christians or others in general I find them uncivilizable thus unworthy of arguing with!



How do such incompetent, culturally insensitive and ignorant turds find employment with The Economist? Is The Economist' editorial board sleeping on the wheels. The sun has long set on the British Empire, in case the author is unware.

The Economist is fast loosing its credibility with this reader who used to fork out $$ to subscribe to print edition. (Not to mention, they were massively wrong a decade back in cheering George Bush to Iraq). The intelligence and integrity is fast disappearing from this rag!


it always cracks me up to see the india posse get rabid whenever the country named after a river in pakistan is mentioned in the global online press. pakistanis tend to be a lot cooler in this and other ways :)



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