There comes a time in the history when a powerful nation state decides to shed the so called baggage of the past and comes to terms with the present realities. The incumbent leaders acknowledge the wrong doings of their predecessors and apologise for certain acts that may have earned a bad name for their country. Jallianwala Bagh massacre was one such incident in the history of the British Empire in India which not only created shock across the world but also became an example of the ruthlessness and barbarism of colonial regimes. For a long time, India was waiting for the Britishers to come to terms with the reality and it seems the moment has finally come. Ahead of the 100th anniversary of the massacre, UK Prime Minister Theresa May has regretted the worst bloodbath committed by the British Army and termed it as a "shameful scar". In a gracefully worded statement, May said: “The tragedy of Jallianwala Bagh of 1919 is a shameful scar on British Indian history. As Her Majesty the Queen (Elizabeth II) said before visiting Jallianwala Bagh in 1997, it is a distressing example of our past history with India." Indeed, there can be nothing more distressing for humans to kill each other and with such brutality. By apologising for the massacre, Britain has grown in stature. The country has come across as a mature nation and this example needs to be emulated by other world powers also who occupied foreign lands with sheer force and repression in past. Apology for a misdeed doesn’t reduce the status of a man or a nation. If anything, it shows not only that one has acknowledged the wrongs but also that such acts will not be repeated in future. India rightfully deserved this apology and this dark chapter must be closed now. However, the apology also brings into focus the wanton abuses committed by armed forces in Kashmir. Like Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Kashmir has its own list of massacres where ordinary and unarmed persons were killed just because of their belief in a particular ideology. Be it the Gawkadal massacre or Sopore bloodbath, both of which took place in early nineties, or other such incidents where civilians were killed with brute force, these acts are also ‘shameful scars’ that have sown the seeds of hatred in Kashmir against India. The least New Delhi can do so that the people of Kashmir, the victims of these massacres, their families and the survivors, feel a sense of closure, is to apologise. That will be the biggest confidence building measure India has ever taken in Kashmir.