TO GO BACK OR NOT TO GO BACK IS THE QUESTION This vexed question has been debated for over two decades. The perceived reduction in the scale of militancy in the J&K state probably prompted the decision makers and the affected individuals and families to consider the option of a return. The recent results of the general elections, the specifics of the BJP manifesto, and the persona of Mr Narendra Modi has given hope to the KP community of recovering their lost homeland. Mr Modi is visiting both Jammu & Srinagar Divisions as a show of solidarity with the KP community and at the same time our fractured community is trying its level best to try and come together to present a joint front. On the flip side we have regular utterances from various dramatis personae who give direction or otherwise to this rather macabre situation. Amongst the rise and fall of various ruling dispensations, the recorded history of Kashmir is replete with examples of one commonality and that is the persecution, conversion and deprivation of the Hindus. This continued till the formation of what we today understand as the state of J&K. The Princely State of Kashmir and Jammu was constituted between 1820 and 1858 and was artificial in composition and it did not develop a fully coherent identity, partly as a result of its disparate origins and partly as a result of the autocratic rule It combined disparate regions, religions, and ethnicities: to the east, Ladakh was ethnically and culturally Tibetan and its inhabitants practised Buddhism; to the south, Jammu had a mixed population of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs; in the heavily populated central Kashmir valley, the population was overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, however, there was also a small but influential Hindu minority, the Kashmiri Brahmins or Pandits; to the northeast, sparsely populated Baltistan had a population ethnically related to Ladakh, but which practised Shia Islam; to the north, also sparsely populated, Gilgit Agency, was an area of diverse, mostly Shia groups; and, to the west, Poonch was Muslim, but of different ethnicity than the Kashmir valley.. It is quite evident from the facts stated above that a antipathy of an extreme nature has existed between the original inhabitants of the valley the Saraswat Brahmins better known today as KP’s and usurpers from outside. Whether they were Muslims of any variety, Buddhists or even Hindu Dogras, with the exception of the Sikhs, (from whom the KP’s sought protection in the form of help from Guru Gobind Singh. This trust and a sense of protection exist even today). In short welcome by compulsion otherwise UNWELCOME on both sides of the Pir Panjal Range. The father of the Nation, the revered Mahatma Gandhi whose teachings and actions were followed by all Indians for almost four decades has been attributed for having gone soft on the Muslim community and have had a profound effect on ruling governmental policies long after he has gone and the World has moved on. This has created a feeling among a section of our society that Hindus are a pushover, accommodating and forgiving. An instance of the Mahatma’s follies that have commonality with the KP persecution in J&K and have led to the situation in J&K at partition and thereafter was when he advised Raja Hari Singh of Kashmir to abdicate (give up) Kashmir and settle down in Kashi, as Kashmir had a Muslim majority. At the same time, Gandhi supported the Nizam (Osman Ali Khan ) of Hyderabad to join Pakistan, even though the state of Hyderabad (Andhra, Telangana, Karnataka and Berar) had Hindu majority. A fact that stares any reader starkly is that in a state that was of made up of 100% Hindu majority at the time of the first recorded history has now become totally Islamised and the figures that follow tell their own silent story of centuries of persecution, genocide and deprivation of the worst kind. In the 1901 Census of the British Indian Empire, Muslims constituted 74.16% of the total population of the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu where Gujjar Muslims constituted 20% population, Hindus, 23.72%, and Buddhists, 1.21%. The Hindus were found mainly in Jammu, where they constituted a little less than 70% of the population] In the Kashmir Valley, Muslims constituted 95.6% of the population and Hindus 3.24%.These percentages had remained fairly stable for the last 100 years. Forty years later, in the 1941 Census of British India, Muslims accounted for 93.6% of the population of the Kashmir Valley and the Hindus for 4%. Hindu pundits were specifically affected in this region due to their status in the local society. After six migrations over the last 700 years according to political scientist Alexander Evans, approximately 95% of the total population of 160,000–170,000 of Kashmiri Brahmins, also called Kashmiri Pandits, (i.e. approximately 150,000 to 160,000) left the Kashmir Valley in 1990 as militancy engulfed the state. According to an estimate by the Central Intelligence Agency, about 300,000 Kashmiri Pandits from the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir have been internally displaced due to the ongoing violence as part of the seventh migration. Notwithstanding the silent migration between the period of 1971-1990. Some feeble efforts to resolve the KP’s issue have failed to yield results, with the Home Affairs related parliamentary committee going to the extent of calling it a nonstarter. It has been a case of lofty remedial measures not being implemented and moreover a lack of Political “WILL” to implement the same A look as to how these initiatives failed would be in order. This is based on the report of the parliamentary committee headed Shri Venkiah Naidu. These are:- From a package worth Rs 1,618.40 crore announced by the Centre in April 2008, only Rs 104.52 crore was extended as reimbursement to the state government till May 2013. The apex committee set up by the state to review the progress of the package has met only four times. Only four meetings are indicative of the state government’s sincerity behind the implementation of the package. Out of the promised jobs for 15,000 youths. 9,000 youths were to be incentivised for self-employment and the rest were to be given jobs in the ratio of 3,000 jobs in Central Government and 3,000 in state government. Of 3,000 Central jobs, only 1,446 have been filled. The state has not even created its part of the jobs. Under the self-employment component, not one claimant came forward. Of the Rs 5 crore corpuses, only Rs 57 lakh has been disbursed to 185 migrants in all these years. The pertinent question that arises is whether it is worth convincing a fear-stricken community to returning to its roots after having faced its seventh exodus in the past 700 years? An exodus triggered by a part of the fundamentalist Muslim community against a very secular, democratic, and peace loving community in a supposed secular democracy. It is sad that these repeated exoduses have happened again and again and there is no gainsaying that they will not happen again unless a complete stop is put to the very idea of propagation of one religious ideology despite a professed secular image. Surprisingly whereas the large numbers of Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists & moderate Muslims of this state have accepted, ensured and upheld the secular ideals as given in the constitution of the Country, a reciprocal stance has not been forthcoming from the ruling dispensations of the state irrespective of the political parties that they represent in the State and the Centre, aided and abetted by Pakistan overtly and covertly. Also, how can the KP’s go back to a state whose very existence is in question and where the 1990 conditions still prevail? The Ministry of Home Affairs recently invited a group of KP’s last week for comments on the return , where a detailed action plan was submitted. The features of this plan include the following: - • Initiating the process for political empowerment of the Pandits. • Implementation of certain difficult, but necessary confidence-building measures before any plan can roll out. • Reiteration of the existing Parliament resolution that says Kashmir is an integral part of India. • Vowing to reclaim portions of Kashmir in control of Pakistan and China. • A serious attempt to dismantle the existing terror infrastructure in Pakistan which runs a proxy war in Kashmir. • Setting up of a commission of inquiry headed by a Supreme Court judge to record reasons behind the exodus and fixing responsibility. • Constitution of a Special Investigation Team to probe the murders of Pandits; and special courts to bring the perpetrators of violence to justice. It is most fortunate to note that despite severe provocation and prosecution, most Pandits agree on returning but cite security as the topmost concern around the move. They say the atmosphere of radicalisation in the Valley needs to be addressed, resolved and banished forever to ensure a return to normalcy. But is it possible and therefore is it prudent to RETURN? Most readers after reading the factual part of my missive are likely to chide me by a remark of “So What” or better still “What’s New”. My answer would be that the factual part of my article may or may not be known to the immediate constituency that I am wanting to address, but would be definitely unknown to the larger environment in the country. It is therefore, imperative, in my opinion, that since the state of J&K is an “Integral” part of India as accepted constitutionally both by the Centre and the State respectively, that every citizen of India has a stake in the trials and tribulations of their fellow citizens. In a democratic and secular country, public debate leading to a collective decision of what is the answer to this vexed problem is the only solution. It is more so because for the last 67 years the Indian security forces have paid a very heavy price in terms of the lives of Indian soldiers, sailors and airmen, policemen, and personnel in the civil services and common citizens hailing from all parts of this country including the state itself, to uphold the geographical, political and strategic integrity of not only the state of J&K but the whole of India from external aggression and internal strife. Needless to say that collateral damage in upholding the rule of law has to be accepted. The topics of such a debate have been discussed ad-nauseum for the past two and a half decades. It is now the time to act and resolve the issue once and for all. Because it is “Now or never”. One can rightly question the last phrase. The answer lies in the fact that today we as a country have voted for stability and good governance, The overwhelming majority in the lower house of parliament is evidence of the same. I say with concern as this aspect itself lends to taking the right and just decisions albeit after healthy debate and consensus of opinion of all stakeholders as per the time tested traditions of the World’s largest democracy without the baggage of coalition compulsions. These compulsions have led to little or no action towards resolution of issues in various states of the union, particularly in J&K. Under the circumstances: Would it be prudent for KP’s to return? Would a centrally administered union territory carved out of the valley be the panacea for their ills? Would their security and safety be guaranteed? If so by whom? Would the history of seven exoduses never be repeated? Would the return guarantee the younger generation employment in keeping with the standards they have achieved on their own outside of the state? Would our brethren now settled abroad return or treat these premises as another holiday destination? Most importantly would the majority treat the returning natives at par or as second rate citizens? My own view, is that all of the above is possible if and only if we were to follow a set of ground rules that I wish to submit and suggest. These are discussable, can be objectively opposed but with a logical alternative, discarded if found not workable and finally adopted for implementation after a conclusive debate in a given time frame. This is addressed to all members of the community and beyond. These are: - Conditional Parameters: Time for consideration: Up to 31 Aug 2014. Stake Holders to be included: - KP representative from those who stayed on. KP representative from those living in Jugti. KP representative from ALL KP ORGS PAN INDIA INCLUDING THOSE WHO HAVE NO LINK WITH J&K FOR LAST TWO GENERATIONS OR MORE. KP representative from those who have migrated abroad. Representatives of other displaced persons groups specifically in the Poonch, Rajouri, Naushera, Doda & Chaamb areas. Representatives from Jammu, Kargil & Ladakh. Suggested Action plan: - PHASE 1 Call for an immediate meeting of representatives as given above. Declare by consensus one Leader and three deputy leaders of this conglomerate/Alliance. Create an ad-hoc Alliance secretariat with temporary premises. Appoint Specific spokespersons for different segments. Initiate a fund raising drive for the alliance. All legal means to be adopted. NRI’s to donate liberally. Discuss, debate and finalize charter of demands. Specifically: - Pre-Conditions for return. Safety & Security guarantees. Employment at par with current status guarantees. Political empowerment. Reservation in all forms due to minority status. PHASE 2 Finalized plan to be submitted by Alliance to both Central and State Governments simultaneously. Publicise demands and strength through all types of media. Prepare grounds for participation in forthcoming state elections. (Details Later). Hold seminars, workshops and rallies pan India to convey the demands to citizens of all areas. PHASE 3 Participate in elections to Assembly. Once pressure group in the assembly is created rest would have to be agreed to by the ruling dispensation. Implement Charter of demands. I have tried to pen my thoughts and suggested a road map. The underlying thought has been, “CONSOLIDATION AND MAINTENANCE OF AIM”. I am certain my mentors, colleagues, dissenters, kin folk, authorities, nay-Sayers, peers, subordinates, enemies and everyone else would at least read, consider and perhaps implement my submissions. I too look forward to a secure and safe return with the aim of contributing to the greater glory of my Homeland. Col Anil Kaul, VrC A die-hard KP. © colanilkaul9714. 1.
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 07:25:38 +0000
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