The truth about Kashmir?
Today Muslims of Kashmir as a class are trolled and damned as terrorists, stone pelters and worst kind of communalists
Kanchan Basu
It is said the perception can change History. Of course, history can certainly not be changed but can and is open to distortion and perversion through perception management. We have seen this happening in our own life time. Today Muslims of Kashmir as a class are trolled and damned as terrorists, stone pelters and worst kind of communalists unwelcome as tenants, neighbors and tradesmen and even in institution of higher learning.
Numerous cases of assault upon them in public for the mere sin of being Kashmiri Muslims have been reported. After Advisories from the Ministry of Home Affairs failed to have any effect, the Prime Minister had to intervene and publically issue a stern warning to those spreading ‘Hate’ against Kashmiris and subject them to unmerited violence.
The tragedy is that the vicious campaign is not confined to goons who indulge in abuses and violence. The atmosphere is also vitiated by some Ministers, MPs and MLAs who talk of ‘Muslim Mukto Bharat’(India without Muslim), ‘Ghar Wapsi’(Return of Own House) and insult and demean even Historical moments as if these carry a religious tag. What is the ‘Truth of Kashmir’?
Kashmir proved an epitome of Communal amity and Religious harmony at a time when the entire Indian sub-continent was going through the worst kind of Communal frenzy and streams blood were flowing across the length and breadth of the sub-continent.
People of Kashmir stood solidity by their faith in ‘Rishiyat’ – a version of Islam that incorporated its true Spirit, Values of humanism, defended their composite culture and inclusive traditions as propounded by Sheikh-ul-Alam Baba Noor Din Wali of Chrar-I-Sharief whom Hindus named Nund Reshi.
They fought against Pakistan Army led ‘Jihadi’ tribal brutes shouting slogan “Sher-Kashmir Ka Kaya Irshad –, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Ittehad”. Maqbool Sherwani and Mastar Abdul Aziz were killed while many workers of the ‘National Conference’ suffered torture and humiliation at the hands of intruders.
‘Muslims of Kashmir’ had rejected the two nation theory of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and cast their lot with Jawaharlal Nehru, Moulana Abul Kalam Azad and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan leading the Indian National Congress long before the demand for creation of Pakistan received serious consideration. When on a visit to Kashmir, Jinnah tried to use his influence in favour of the Communal and pro-Pak Muslim Conference led by Mirwaiz Muhammad Yusuf Shah. Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah publically showed him the door. A humiliated Jinnah left Kashmir fretting and fuming vowing vengeance.
Thus accession to secular, democratic India was thus the natural choice when the time of reckoning arrived. Sheikh Abdullah fully backed Maharaja Hari Singhs’ decision to accede to India. In fact, the scale on the issue of sending Indian troops to Kashmir was tilted in favour of the ‘Historical Decision’ to do so by its forceful advocacy by the Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah.
If Sheikh Abdullah was instrumental in securing the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India, Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad consolidated the union in his ten year tenure of ‘Peace and Prosperity’. He crafted a powerful and influential middle class through his pro-people ‘Economic Policy’ and promotion of ‘Education’ by making it free right up to Post-Graduate standard.
The upper and lower middle classes prospered in ‘Trade and Commerce’. Their children became Doctors and Engineers just for asking or even without asking. Many bright youngsters were picked up by him at random when he smelled merit and deputed for higher Education, which incidentally was financed by the State Government.
Corruption in the field of higher Education was unheard of. Those benefitting from benevolent and people friendly policies swore by their India nationality. He was succeed by Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq, a left leaning politician of deep and abiding political conviction who believed in healthy and democratic system and functioning institutions.
He viewed the constitutional, administrative and political issues from rational and national standpoint and refused to be hampered by petty local prejudices and feat of criticism. He glade ‘History’ by pushing though the State Legislatures “The Constitution of Jammu &Kashmir (Sixth Amendment) Act. 1965” changing both the nomenclature and mode of appointment of the ‘Head of the State’ from an elected ‘Sarda-I-Riyasat’ to ‘Governor’ nominated by the ‘President of the India’.
The ‘Prime Minister’ became the ‘Chief Minister’ Jurisdiction of the Central Election Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General (C.A.G.) and the Supreme Court were extended to the State. The first batch of direct recruits to ‘All India Services’ was allotted to Jammu & Kashmir in 1962. Number of ‘Laws’ passed by the Parliament concerning welfare of the people were extended.
The jurisdictions of the Supreme Court and Comptroller & Auditor General of India were also extended to Jammu &Kashmir. Thus were discarded symbols that were isolationist in nature. These measures empowered the People of the State to hold the Rulers accountable for good Governance, free and fair Elections, proper utilization of ‘Public Funds’ through Audit by the best professional Constitutional National Authority and opened up the doors of the Supreme Temple of Justice, the watch dog of people’s rights under the Constitution. It provided access to Justice through resort to writ Petitions and avenues of appeal to those aggrieved by Judgments passed by the Jammu & Kashmir High Court. There was no erosion of autonomy as alleged.
The right of the Jammu & Kashmir Legislatures to approve or disapprove extension of Acts of Parliament up covered by the subjects under its Jurisdiction by the Instrument of accession.
This is the unadulterated truth about Kashmir. The ‘History of Independent India’ and its integral part Jammu and Kashmir does not begin from December 1989. It is a sin to disregard the services of stalwarts who staked their everything to make J&K constitutionally and effectively an integral part of India. Those who swear by complete integration of J&K with India but blindly put their thumb print on the ‘political instrument of surrender’ in the name of Agenda of Alliance should turn their attention to the contribution of Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq in this regard.
We must ponder how come the people who fought for making Kashmir a part of India in 1947 fell victim to machinations of Pakistan which they had roundly rejected? Who permitted the ‘Salfi-Ahil-i-Hadees-Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) combine backed by the ‘Gun’ to compel the overwhelming majority of ‘Etqadi’Kashmiri Muslims to submit into silence and in many cases surrender?
How much is the National Leadership and political class to blame for this tragedy? Always remember that ‘Terrorism’ is a minority phenomenon that aims to bend the will of the majority through use of ‘Terror’ so as to achieve their ‘political objective’. It becomes more lethal when driven by ‘Religious Fanaticism and Jihadi’. The tragedy is confounded by a self proclaimed muscular but clueless Governments. Who facilitated the conversion of people from nationalists for thirty years after ‘Independence’ to be tagged as anti-nationals for last about ‘Twenty eight Years’?
It is in the above context that the political class, men in power, in opposition, the Media especially the electronic media and intellectuals need to revisit their attitude towards challenges in that troubled area, their past and present leadership and come up with a realistic, holistic, comprehensive political and governance response at the state and central levels.
(The writer is based in Kolkata. The views expressed are his own)
KV Network
