People of Kashmir, the Kashmiris, are looked down as traitors. Kashmiris are never looked as Indians because they don’t come under the general definition of an Indian.
This is the journey of a girl from being and “Indian” to becoming a “Kashmiri”.
I stumbled on an article about a Facebook post by a Kashmiri girl, Shazia Bakshi, who explains what makes her Kashmiri and not an Indian. Maybe you too, like me, will be able to understand her perspective.
“I am a Kashmiri.
Now that must come as a surprise to many, most of all me, as all my life I have strived and endeavoured to be an Indian. Taken pride in fact in being one. Not anymore.
Today the criteria for being one has been changed by the collective conscience of the majority of residents of the mainland and the government that heads it.
There is a good Indian today and then a traitor.
A good Indian by default is a born Hindu, non-beef (meat) eating, khaki shorts-clad, holier than saints who never questions the actions or the thought process of the state whatever they may be. Who worships the ground the Prime Minister walks on, never mind the fact that he is more out of the country than in. Who gives a carte blanche to the armed forces for any and every action they take. He is more patriotic than the next man, never mind that he always has a ‘jugaad’ for paying the taxes, if at all, which may actually benefit the country. A good Indian definitely must possess the mob mentality of going with the Diktat of the State and whatever the present government believes to be true .
Unfortunately, this does not go with my belief of being an Indian. My belief was based on a bigger picture laid out by the founding fathers of my country-My constitution, my Preamble – and let me repeat it to all what you have conveniently forgotten:
WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought , expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all.
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation.

Secular (?) - the Prime Minister and his good men have no time to give lip service or attend an Iftaar thrown by the President . A man is lynched because the mob thinks there is beef in his fridge.

Democratic (??)  - what a laugh …ask this to a Hardik Patel, Kanhaiya or an Umar.

Justice (?) - 30 young kids shot in last two days in the madness of killing a FaceBook Terroriser (not a terrorist)…the guy was yet to fire a bullet! Think about it logically, every young angry man with a radical idea and a fan following does not need to be eliminated!

Liberty (?) – yes, I need to post this from a city which has been under curfew for the past 4 days, with net available in select pockets.

Equality (?) – Anybody but a right wing Hindu, in today’s India is a child of a lesser God.

Fraternity (?) - My fellow Indians you do not even acknowledge let alone protest against the carnage and terror that has been unleashed on my state and people.
Because we people choose to voice our dissent on this treatment we cease to become Indian in your eyes. Because we refuse to die, you by turning your face away from us try to obliterate our existence. Because we mourn a Burhan Wani and other 2 lakh young ones disappeared or slaughtered, we automatically become terrorists. We mourn the idea of an India lost, a promise from none other than the first Prime Minister of the country yet to be fulfilled, we become anti-nationals. Because we demand a retribution for a Kunan Poshpora or a Tufail Mattoo 2010 we become ”Pakistani”. Because we ask for the revocation of AFSPA we become in your eyes an enemy of the state. Because we refuse to be the present day Indians like you,we become Kashmiris.

So I have become a Kashmiri today.

I refuse to be like you.

I have a conscience and I have a voice.

You may stifle me, but you will never make my voice silent.

There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people - not even the Indian Flag.”

– These were the words of a Kashmiri Girl, Shazia Bakshi