Prospects of Cultural Awareness in Post Colonial World: A Case Study of Entitlement of Kohala Bridge, AJK

Mahwish Bakht
For the development of a state or any region, Cultural awareness and development play a significant role in the era of globalization. Cultural connectivity and cooperation are new tactics of the post-pandemic world order when security paradigms have taken major shifts and transformed into new forms and structures. For promoting social harmony, preserving cultural heritage, and encouraging economic growth, building and working on cultural discourse has tremendous potential in opening corridors for peace, economic prosperity, and people-to-people connectivity regionally and globally. Countries like Pakistan having multicultural societies and diversified landscape patterns offers greater varieties of enriched cultures and civilizations. In the case of Azad Kashmir, the impacts of cultural recognition and narrative building are significant and play a major role in the region’s development and state affairs. AJK consists of three divisions (Muzaffarabad, Mirpur &Poonch), and ten administrative districts are further divided into 29 subdivisions. All these facts show the deeply culturally enriched AJK society and its potential of connecting the young generation to the cause of the region’s development. But due to political tussles, administrative hurdles, scarcity of resources, and mismanagement the culture of local communities and areas is fading day by day. As culture is the title, tag, and face of any nation and ethnicity, therefore, any change that has any contrasting feature with the historical or cultural fact can bring the stage of identity crisis or cultural shock not only for natives but also for the new audience. Like Indian Administration has revoked Articles 370 and 35 (a) inIoK, it has not only deteriorated the political identity of occupied Kashmir but also snatched illegally its cultural uniqueness and recognition in the global world. More or less the same practice with a different style is being observed in the case of historical sites of AJK. The other major challenge faced by the AJK is the lack of coherence in various departments and civil society on the issue of cultural recognition and awareness. As there are many cultural sites in mainstream cities and peripheral areas in which the maintenance of those cultural sites along with the preservation of their historical background is hardly managed by local administrations in major cities. The issue of the declining condition of cultural venues in the peripheral areas is still unaddressed. Nations are recognized by their living cultures and practices. It is the responsibility of governing bodies to ensure the protection of culture and cultural sites as they are the natural precious resource and acts as a diplomatic venue in people-to-people connectivity. The history and timeline of the cultural sites also need to be preserved and shared for educating the young generations and a larger audience about the significance of the cultural site for society. But unfortunately, the lack of incapability of acknowledging local cultures and cultural sites in their original form and ignorance towards the diplomatic significance. Moreover, the trends of changing the historical names without doing substantial efforts in the preservation of historical sites and their cultural values also play a major role in promoting cultural illiteracy in young generations of AJK and tourists. The preservation methods also need to be improved as changing climate has far-reaching impacts on the entire AJK society and its localities. Therefore, building eco-friendly infrastructure and living facilities around cultural sites and repairing the damage to historical sites caused by climate change can vibrantly resume national and international tourism. Here, if we take the example of Kohala Bridge whose name is recently changed by Prime Minister AJK SardarTanveerIlyas Khan “Sohawa Bridge” has multiple social and economic impacts. The strong historical background and geographic positioning have valuable weightage in the AJK system. As the bridge is renowned for several political and social reasons: geographically Kohala Bridge is one of the oldest connecting points of Pakistan with Azad Kashmir, and also it connects the Pounch division with Muzaffarabad (Capital of AJK). The Political personalities had visited the Kashmir region through the same bridge: Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali visited three times Srinagar in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) through the same bridge, according to the Greater Kashmir news report Mahatma Gandhi had once visited the Valley of Kashmir (From Rawalpindi to Srinagar)in the first week of August 1947 through Kohala bridge,Pandit Nehru was arrested at Kohala to stop him to enter in the Kashmir during the peak time of Quit Kashmir Movement (1946) initiated Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah. In the presence of these historical shreds of evidence, the new entitlement of the historical Kohalabridgewill not deform the political and social roots but also promotes ambiguities in historical facts and its current associations. While presenting the historical sites without adherence totheir ground realities also gives the reflection of colonized mindset in the postcolonial era, an attempt of disconnecting the Kashmiri youth from the vibrant history. If we analyzed the global world, currently, states and nations only succeed in global governance, gaining their national interests via foreign policies or grand strategies and power politics in the absence of military means and with the use of smart approaches like cultural connectivity, building public opinion, promoting technological advancements, cooperation, and developing inter-state relations on complex interdependence. While keeping the above modern strategies, there are multiple effects of cultural education and the revival of historical sites: firstly, it can help create a sense of inclusivity, sense of social cohesion, harmony and respect for diversity among the citizens of a state. Secondly, it can also play a crucial role in preserving a state’s cultural heritage. Thirdly, it can also stimulate economic growth by promoting cultural tourism and cultural industries. Additionally, cultural industries such as traditional crafts, cultural music, historical events, storytelling, and folk dances can provide employment opportunities to uplift the talent and contribute to the state’s economy.The new name of the bridge also negatively impacts the tourism industry of AJK. Instead of renaming the bridge, there is a need to construct a Bab-e-Kashmir at the entry point of Kohala Bridgeas we can see the Bab-e-Khyber. As it will add more value to the bridge location and gain more attention from visitors. The local artist can decorate the Bab-e-Kashmir with the manifestation of Kashmiri cultural artifacts, traditional values, customs and paint the mesmerizing views of Kashmir regions.Also, there is a need to develop the picnic spot (encourage the local producers, skillful laborers, local commodities, traditional food spices/ cuisine,woodwork,and handicraft outlets) in the associated area of the bridge with all disaster and climate safety measures. The opening of a bookshop or mini library can further help in promoting the literary cultural assets and exhibitions comprised of small booklets, magazines, newspapers (old times and new), and primitive historical books about the region, multiple societies, and ethnicities. This literature platform around Kohala Bridge will support the local writers, folk singers, poets, and printing press to promote their ideas and educate the larger audience with historical-cultural knowledge, local languages, development in linguistics, society, demography, and facts about the region. Moreover, the Prime Minister of AJK through relevant departments can endorse the Vice Chancellors of AJK universities, heads of schools, colleges, and technical institutes, to initiate various pilot projects/ field research at faculty and student level on the preservation of heritage, introducing the educated youth with culture and historical sites of AJK with the help of digital media. The local media networks of Pakistan and AJK via short films/ documentaries and radio stations can produce a weekly program or initiate a youth competition on cultural content production for the promotion of historical sites and cultural developments. Moreover, according to Azad Jammu Kashmir Local Government Act 1990, it is the responsibility of District Councils (newly elected Local Government system in AJK) to play a vital role in the resumption of cultural education, events, and connectivity between government and the masses. All these reforms have economical nature and will enhance the beauty, cultural influence, and support in stabilizing the economy of AJK.