By Siddhant Mohan, TwoCircles.net
Boston/Srinagar – In an email conversation with Mehboob Makhdoomi, Expert on Kashmir situation and Socio-Political commentator from Harvard, American linguist and political activist Prof. Noam Chomsky compared the conditions in Kashmir to that of Palestine.
He called the current development in Kashmir as “shocking” and termed the discussion between Kashmir and the rest of the India as “hysterical”. He wrote that he has discussed this topic(Kashmir issue) in India in the past, where it aroused hysteria so much that his hosts insisted on police protection for several weeks of rest of his stay.
Earlier in July 2015, Chomsky advocated that Indian army should move out of the Kashmir. “Indian Army should leave Kashmir. Kashmir has had an awful story, especially since late 80’s after that fake election and that there have been horrible atrocities,” said Chomsky.
In the recent conversation, he had said, “the reason Palestine has been his priority is because of the crucial role of the United States, which means that the activists in the US can do something about it, which may not happen when in case of Kashmir.”
He has also called the atrocities of Army in the Valley has a “superficial gesture”. Chomsky said that he would have to do same on Kashmir, what he does for Palestine.
In the past, Chomsky has urged for a common federal arrangement by India and Pakistan for Kashmir, so that semi autonomous regions could loosely federated with each other.
The valley is tense after Burhan Wani’s death on July 8. In subsequent protests, 44 have lost their lives, along with thousands injured. Curfew is in effect in most of the areas of Kashmir.