Representational photoBy Moin S. HakakReading Wajahat Qazi’s article on Orientalism in Kashmir Observer led me to a simple but consequential question: Should postcolonial critique become a substitute for self-criticism? ADVERTISEMENTWhile the article engages with the concepts of Orientalism and postcoloniality, it features abstractions that distort the analytical lens of Orientalism. However, the thematic scope of Qazi’s Orientalism discourse is confined to the degeneration tropes, and this response restricts itself accordingly. The author exclusively selects the negative traits by asking “…can any of us claim that there is a robust work ethic in Kashmir? The rhetorical question of ‘robust work ethic’ falsely assumes that the personality of the entire population of Kashmir is measurable, or singular (hasty generalisations).