Arundhati Roy on Kashmir: My speeches were fundamentally call for justice

Oct 26 (FLS): Defending her controversial statement regarding the crisis on Kashmir and supporting Geelani’s separatist view by questioning the status of Kashmir whether it was a part of India, booker prize winner Arundhati Roy defended her statements and said that she was only speaking the feelings of millions of people in Kashmir who are crying for it since years.

Falling hard on government Ms. Roy said that people should pity the nation that has to silence its writers for speaking their minds. She further said that nation should be pitied that jails those who ask for justice.

Highlighting the discrepancies in the Indian government she said that the communal killers, mass murderers, corporate scamsters, looters, rapists and those who are harassing the poor are free to roam while those who ask for justice are treated ruthlessly.
Earlier at a seminar on Kashmir Sunday, writer Arundhati Roy made comment that Kashmir has never been an integral part of India which is a historical fact and this was even accepted by the Indian government.

Sources have reported that earlier, Geelani too, made such a comment in New Delhi.

Sharp reactions evoked in the capital city by BJP and VHP in response to such an irresponsible comment. In fact, VHP demanded to book Gilani, Jilani & Arundhati Roy under NSA & advise central Government to Send Padganvkar to Pakistan.

At the convention on ‘Azadi – The Only Way’, Geelani shared the stage with writer Arundhati Roy and pro-Maoist leader Vara Vara Rao among others. The audience heckled Geelani with one of them throwing a shoe.

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Comments/Queries

( 2 Comments so far )

• seema
  
  Oct 26, 2010 at 07:16:pm

  Such people should think before commenting on sensitive national issues
• Vidyut
  
  Oct 26, 2010 at 08:39:pm

  Arundhati is trying to whitewash her story. No one wants her jailed for being alive to the plight of the Kashmiris. In fact, people up and down India have expressed concern at how much suffering of the Kashmiris is now coming to light and there is widespread criticism of the governance and Army high handedness. The Army has already started to take actions against offenders, while the government is now forced out of their apathy and is answerable to the nation for their handling of affairs in their state. If her words were about the plight of the Kashmiris, she would have been one of hundreds who are voicing the concern of the nation instead of causing outrage. Both the outrage and the charges of sedition are about her misrepresentation of history, accusations against the country as an intentional oppressor, and calls for continuing protests and separation of the state from the nation. This is only aggravated by her history of speaking in favour of armed insurgency in other parts of India and consistent anti-national stand and an encouragement for violence as a means of protest. Suffice it to say that this democracy that she calls a sham believes in dialogue and is outraged to see an area in conflict encouraged to ignore attempts being made for its well being and to continue fighting the country. This, in any country is sedition. She also has a history of taking an anti-national stand, in the sense that she calls Kashmiri Hindu organizations fake and her calls of separation do not consider the interests of entire regions of the state who are prospering and wish to remain with India. Indeed, who fear for their safety if Kashmir were independent or merged with Pakistan. Apparently, they are not tortured enough (read “in the limelight” enough). She is not fighting for her own rights either, and the people who may end up hurt or dead as a result of continued resistance are not her concern, apparently. Once dead, they are a more useful statistic of oppression than alive. Shame on Arundhati Roy for her sedition. Shame on her for encouraging a tormented people toward further misery.

  The only blessing is her track record of joining movements at their peak in media attention and the subsequent discrediting of them after receiving her support in all its hysterical (her words) glory. So, perhaps her support for the Azadi movement may well end its story.