The political experiences of the Kashmiris for the last more than five decades has moulded their psychological attitudes towards India and Pakistan. The division of the state and thereby the division of its people, has only helped to promote a feeling of being besieged between  two powerful countries. The unpleasant political experiences of the Kashmiris with the Indian State has made them sympathetic to Pakistan. These factors have also led to undue expectations from that country, and created some emotional solidarity in the Kashmiris vis-à-vis Pakistan. However, the Kashmiris have independence as their primary goal.

The recent visit of a delegation of Pakistani journalists to Kashmir must be seen against this backdrop. The response to them has been varied. The coming of their delegation to Kashmir raised expectations in the people, which received more attention than it would have in normal circumstances.

We also need to appreciate the plural social composition and political thinking in J&K. In Jammu the majority of people welcomed the delegation, symbolizing reopening of interaction across LoC and International Border. During their stay in Jammu, many people demanded  opening of the border with Sialkot. The visit was confined to different sections within Jammu city. Only Kashmiri Pandits, supported by communal elements, used the occasion to express their resentment against the Pakistani State. The delegation had been at pains to explain that it did not represent the government of Pakistan, and was on a mission to gain first hand knowledge of the situation here. In fact, the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits in migrant camps at Jammu disturbed the delegation.

In Kashmir, the response was much more complex. Many people in Kashmir could not understand the delegation receiving security escorts and official hospitality. They had historically developed great expectations from Pakistan. The delegation was  very warmly received. However, this warmth was accompanied by queries about the credentials of the delegation and the purpose of their visit. Official interactions went reasonably well. But, independent agencies of the press, university community, and the people from the Bar and the political leadership from the separatist camp asked the delegation unpleasant questions. The feeling in Srinagar was that the delegation had no proper understanding of the ground realities in Kashmir. The queries of some of the members of the group reflected their limited understanding of the complexity of the Kashmir situation and its humanitarian facets. Since the delegation moved under security cover, people doubted their credentials, as it was assumed that they had come to enjoy official hospitality and not to see the pain which Kashmiri society had undergone. Kashmir University students while raising slogans for freedom inquired why the delegation did not interact with common persons.

The journalistic community in Kashmir expressed resentment about some of the activities of the group that included participation in official gala events. It was generally found that the group was not sensitive to the pain and misery of the common Kashmiri, something an ordinary Kashmiri could not expect from anyone coming from Pakistan. Some of the senior members of the delegation were everywhere at pains to explain their credentials of being independent journalists committed to report things as they were, and not being a party to the peace process between India and Pakistan. In spite of these clarifications, many people continue to believe that the move was part of a process that aims to promote peace without addressing the issue of Kashmir. This perception led to the angry responses which the delegation had to encounter in its meetings with the Bar, students, political leaders like Yasin Malik and journalists. To rectify this impression the delegation later visited martyrs' graveyard at Eidgah. Perhaps due to paucity of time they could not do anything more than this.

Ordinarily if a delegation had come from some other country, not many people would have taken it seriously, nor would it generate the debate this visit gave birth to. For the people of Kashmir, Pakistan is not just another country. Wrongly or rightly, Kashmiris have been socialised to consider Pakistan as the bedrock of support for their struggle for the right to self-determination. It is against this backdrop that a cross section of society in Kashmir, apart from official and semi official circles, was disappointed by this visit. The absence of empathy exhibited by members of the delegation was not expected from them in the context of Kashmir, its turbulent history and traumatic present.