Aman ki Asha is a unsuccessful attempt of rich south asians whitewashing the war crimes of the Indian state. The primary conflict between India and Pakistan is the Kashmir issue. Unless and until Kashmir issue is resolved the two nuclear powers are on a brink of war.

Cricket, Bollywood and socializing of Indian and Pakistani elite in the west is not a solution. Ind and Pak elites going on a vacation to LA is to regional peace what Ivanka trump’s success is to feminism. Both are just personal stories. Nothing good or nothing bad.

The problem is when it pretends to be more than what it is. Peace means justice and justice means justice for everyone, for the least privileged Kashmiri who you so conveniently throw under the bus. If you actually care about peace then you will share the grief of Kashmiri

mothers who lost their children, kashmiri children who lost their eyes. You will care about azad Kashmiris who lost lives to Indian bullets and who suffocate in bunkers to hide from Indian shelling. Anything less than that is just bluff, empty slogans, hashtags and no substance.

If you don’t care about any of this, that’s okay too. We all chose our battles and our battles are not yours to fight. But do not hijack our discourse. Do not pretend to be our saviours when you are not. Don’t pretend to peacemakers by ignoring the Indian occupation of Kashmiris.