The reason they protest

• Give them their rights

“Have you ever been to Pakistan?” I frankly asked the girl clad in a flowery bathing suit, ready to wade into the sea water. We were staying there at Sharm-El-Sheikh, an Egyptian resort town between the desert of the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea. That place is known for its sheltered sandy beaches, clear waters and coral reefs. It was two years back when I had an opportunity of attending an international conference there. She, a lawyer by profession, was also one of the participants. A big ‘No’ was her reply. “Pakistan is a land of suicide-bombers, extremists, militants and terrorists,” she further said. I simply smiled at her innocence and asked, “Who told you?” She said, “The newspapers, the TV Channels and the social media.” I placed my hand on her shoulder and said, “Look at me. Do you find anything terrorist-like in me; do you feel any tinge of militancy in me; do you think I could be a suicide bomber?” Again a big ‘No’ was the answer.

Before diving into the water, she softly whispered with smiling eyes, “Gentleman, your gentleness is dragging me to Pakistan.” That was our last day there; I could never meet her again but those three days spent with her taught me a precious lesson; never ignore the importance of impression we leave on others. The words we utter, the thoughts we express and the pictures we paint for others have an immortal effect on the global society. This tiny world of us has confined itself to the android cellular toy in our pocket. Nothing is secret and nothing covert. Soon our dictionaries would be missing the word ‘secrecy’. The fact of the matter is that we all are standing in the very centre of a market-place where shoulders are touching shoulders. Just say something and see it spread on and on. So we have to be very careful even when whispering. The other side of the picture is that the mischief mongers, whether they are in media or in politics or in any other social set-up, exploit this closeness for their own vested interests. Usually this exploitation is termed as ‘propaganda-exploitation’ and the exploiters commonly use it for negative motives. Unfortunately the countries like Pakistan are the worst victim to this ‘propaganda-exploitation’ and the worst example of this exploitation, one could see at different Indian TV channels and in Indian newspapers.

The diseased brains behind this exploitation seem in a state of pain and agony after the peaceful and successful completion of election process in Pakistan. Seems they were ‘hoping’ for something like semi-martial-law in the country or they thought they would get an opportunity of maligning the pro-democratic face of the Pakistan army if the terrorists succeeded in delaying the election process but luckily nothing like that could happen. Now those mischief-mongers are in search of new avenues of their own desires. With the help of their facilitators in Pakistan they are trying to float an idea that the relationship between Imran Khan and the Pakistan army would soon end up in fiasco because Imran Khan has started talking about friendship between Pakistan and India. These mischief-mongers are simply trying to spread an impression that the Pakistan army is always in a capacity of creating hurdles in the way to democracy. Spreading this type of disinformation about the Pakistan army and other security institutions of Pakistan, including the ISI, is nothing new. Particularly the ISI has ever been the most favourite target for the Indian media.

On 4^th of this August, a report was published in different Indian newspapers which said, “While Pakistan prime minister-elect Imran Khan talks about friendship with India, the country’s spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, is building up elaborate plans to embarrass India during 71st Independence Day functions in London”. The report blamed that the ISI is using discredited Khalistani groups to further its agenda and backing them to organise pro-Khalistan rally in London during India’s Independence celebrations. The report alleged that a team from Pakistan, headed by Abbas Rana, is visiting Surrey and meeting pro-Khalistani groups to hold anti-India protests and raise Khalistan issue on the occasion. If the Kashmiris or the Sikhs are planning to register their protest in London, it is purely a personal issue of theirs. They along-with so many others from the Naxalites, from the Dalits and countless from the low-caste Hindus have been facing the worst kind of human-rights violations at the hands of narrow-minded Hindu extremists.

If a pro-Khalistan group ‘Sikhs for Justice’ plans to hold a joint press conference with Kashmiri freedom seekers in London, what has the ISI to do with this activity?

To raise their voices in protest against these atrocities is their basic right and certainly they do not need any support from the ISI. If a pro-Khalistan group ‘Sikhs for Justice’ plans to hold a joint press conference with Kashmiri freedom seekers in London, what has the ISI to do with this activity? It is the right of the Sikhs to get support of the other crushed ones of India for the success of their expected Khalistan Referendum 2020. Even last year, in the same days, the Sikhs and Kashmiris had registered their protest in London and same was the blame game played by the Indian media against the ISI and Pakistan. Instead of blaming Pakistan and instead of searching the links of ISI in every matter, the Indian media must try to tell the Indian government that human rights violation is the actual reason which compels the crushed ones to raise their voices of protest at international forums. Just give the Kashmiris, the Sikhs and the Naxalites their right of self determination and shower honour and respect onto the Dalits and other low-caste communities, the storm of protest and remonstration would simply settle down.