These are unhappy times to be alive. We were deeply saddened by the news of the killing of Shujaat Bukhari along with his two police bodyguards in Srinagar. Bukhari was a familiar by-line in serious publications and a familiar face on our television screens and he made no bones about telling his audience, be they readers or viewers, exactly what he thought of the thorny Kashmir issue.
By his thoughtful reports and comments, he drew us in and won our admiration. He got to the heart of the Kashmir issue and made a case for dialogue to settle the dispute over the idyllic Himalayan region. But he paid with his life for his moderate views and peace activism. His family was waiting for his arrival for Eid celebrations. The searing image of his upturned bullet-ridden body inside the car has made tragically vivid the danger to journalists in the Valley. The pre-Eid killing coincided with the UN report on human rights violations in the Valley and its rejection by New Delhi was a shocking reminder that Kashmir remains a flashpoint in the conflict between the militants and the security forces with journalists getting caught in the crossfire.
Kashmir’s tragedy is that it has lost the space for different strands of political opinions and the sense of worth of human life. Here it has to be conceded that successive Central Governments have failed to satisfy Kashmir’s legitimate political aspirations. That Kashmir cries for a negotiated political settlement is self-evident. Admittedly, it is not easy to envisage how it can be reached. But it has to be reached through talks to avoid more bloodshed and bring peace to the Valley and the wider sub-continent, home to a huge mass of humanity.