Kashmir Is Not Gaza: Ex-JNU Student Shehla Rashid Hails PM Modi, Shah For Peace In J&K

Shehla Rashid, once a bitter critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a former student leader at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), has hailed the PM and Home Minister Amit Shah for securing a "bloodless" political resolution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

In an interview with ANI, Rashid claimed that the Prime Minister is not affected by criticisms and hailed him for taking "radical decisions at the cost of his popularity".

She stated, "Right now, we see a really well-intentioned administration. The Prime Minister - he doesn't care about criticism. He has taken so many radical decisions, even at the cost of his popularity. He doesn't care about criticism. He is a selfless man who works for the national interest. You look at the Home Minister - he has ensured peace in Kashmir, regardless of what anyone criticised at that time."

It has to be noted that Shehla Rashid had criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, opposing the government's move to revoke the autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019, along with its subsequent bifurcation into two Union territories.

On asking whether if she sympathies with stone pelters at this stage, she said, "In 2010, yes" and further elaborated, "But today when I see it, I am much more grateful for today's situation. Kashmir is not Gaza, it has become clear that Kashmir is not Gaza, because Kashmir was just involved in these back-and-forth protests and sporadic incidents of insurgency and infiltrations."

She acknowledged the efforts of PM Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah for the progress witnessed in Jammu and Kashmir. She said, "All of those things, somebody needed to break the ice, and for that, I would like to credit the present government, especially the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. They have ensured a political solution to it, which I would say is bloodless."

Shehla Rashid also spoke about the changes that have taken at the JNU and the impact on the institution due to protests against India and the subsequent arrests of Umar Khalid, a former research scholar, and Kanhaiya Kumar, the then JNU Student Union president. They were charged with criminal conspiracy and sedition in connection to the anti-Hindu riots in northeast Delhi.

She said, "It was not just a life changer for the three of us, the entire university's life, the entire university sort of suffered the consequences of that incident because there was so much backlash against anything to do with JNU. So overnight, from being an elite university, the queen of liberal arts and social sciences, etc., JNU became a slur. It was almost like a cuss word. What are the usual slogans in JNU," she asked and added "Lal Salam. No such slogans as 'Bharat Tere Tukde Honge' have ever been raised at JNU."

Recently, she hailed the BJP government's stand in the Israel-Palestine issue. She said, "While narratives & counter-narratives muddy the waters, India's clear and principled stance emphasises the basics. Proud that Dr S Jaishankar an alumnus of our University is leading India's foreign policy under PM Narendra Modi."