by: Khwaja Kabir Ahmed
The real test of a state’s strength is not on the battlefield, but when its own citizens stand on the streets for their rights. A responsible government is not one that crushes every disagreement with force, but one that, despite anger, protest and disagreement, considers its people as its own family.
The situation that has arisen in Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir today should be a moment of reflection for any responsible government. When a region goes into a state of continuous siege, fear, uncertainty and tension, the first thing the government should do is look into its own pockets, not demonstrate its power further.
The state is a mother. Children sometimes get angry, protest and complain, but no mother sends armies against her angry children. A mother hugs them, listens to them and applies ointment to their wounds. If the state becomes a symbol of power and not of compassion in front of its own citizens, then the foundations of trust between the state and its subjects begin to shake.
If the government has made hasty decisions that have increased tensions, then the greatness lies not in sticking to those decisions, but in withdrawing them. Obstinacy does not strengthen governments, but rather weakens them.
What is needed today is for the government to take immediate confidence-building measures. The forces brought in from outside should be immediately withdrawn, all notifications issued against the Joint Public Action Committee that close the doors to negotiations should be withdrawn, the bodies of the martyrs should be handed over to their heirs so that they can be given a dignified burial according to religious and social traditions, the injured should be provided with immediate treatment, the arrested persons should be released immediately, while the unhindered supply of food, medicines, baby milk and other essential items should be ensured.
Those in power should never forget the fact that governments are formed by the people, for the people, and the people are their real power. If the people themselves fall prey to fear, deprivation, and distrust, the edifice of power will not last long.
This is also a moment of reflection for all state institutions. Power can create temporary silence, but it cannot create trust in hearts. Trust is created through justice, dialogue, and respect, not through force.
This is not the time for ego, but for wisdom. This is not the time to show strength, but to heal wounds. If the government really wants to end this crisis, it will have to take the initiative, because the initiative always comes from the powerful and responsible party.
Future generations will not care how much force the government had, how many powers it had, or how many notifications were issued. Rather, they will only see your role from the perspective of whether the state played the role of a mother or a witch when its own citizens were in trouble.
There is still time for the government to come to its senses, reduce tensions, restore trust, adopt the path of dialogue, and prioritize human lives over any political expediency. This is the way of a responsible, mature, and people-friendly state.
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