Oh, the Irony! (Shout-out to Koch, Gandhi, and The Greatest Democracy in the World)

The late American poet, Kenneth Koch, once stated:            

"Certainly, it seems true enough that there’s a good deal of irony in the world…I mean, if you live in a world full of politicians and advertising, there’s obviously a lot of deception." 

Interestingly enough, Koch’s words may be more relevant to the dispute in Kashmir than to any poetic prose.

Isn’t it ironic that the principal government involved in the Kashmir dispute, considered to be “the world’s greatest democracy,” has fallen victim to the caprices of ruthless use of military power, justifying its actions on the basis of sectarian politics and so-called national security interests?

My question is, what didn’t justify the occupation of East Timor and Bosnia that justifies the occupation in Kashmir? This is a question that continues to remain in the hearts and minds of the Kashmiri people, since both East Timor and Bosnia, with the support of the international community, gained independence from their oppressors only a few years ago.

For a more recent example, what didn’t justify the violence and bloodshed in South Sudan that justifies six decades of unnecessary conflict and ongoing blood baths in Kashmir?  

To all the democracies of the free world, and specifically the alleged “democracy” involved in the Kashmir dispute, please understand that it is natural and just for nations, peoples, and individuals to demand respect for their rights and freedoms and to struggle to end repression, racism, economic exploitation, military occupation, and alien domination.  

Mr. Kenneth Koch, irony is bittersweet. It should be left in poetry. But isn’t it ironic that a nation founded on the Gandhian principles of love, peace, and brotherhood, is guilty of withholding lifesaving medicine to Kashmiris?

With too long of a history of human rights abuses in Kashmir, universal respect for human rights must take precedence over egocentric and draconian government policies.