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| Kashmir wounded once again | |
By Amit Kushari
Kashmir’s tussle with India does not seem to end. It actually started on 26th January 1989 when the JKLF gave a call of Yom-e-siah (black day) , an appeal to the Kashmiris to launch a struggle against the Indian authorities. I have argued with many of my Kashmiri friends many times asking them as to why they cannot live in peace in India. I used to tell them that India is a joint family of 29 brothers who live happily with their wives and children in a perfectly secular democracy. All differences are ironed out in a democratic way and it is extremely profitable to stay in a joint family, sharing each others joys and sorrows. India is also developing and prospering at a very fast rate and it no longer can be considered a very poor nation as it was in 1947. Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists share the fruits of development equally with Muslims and Christians and every body should be proud and happy to be Indians. The percentage of Muslims in India has increased from 10% in 1947 to 15% in 2011. There has been no exodus of Muslims to Pakistan and Bangladesh after 1948 — rather a large number of Muslims are sneaking into India secretly every year through the porous borders , because of better economic opportunities in India. This clearly shows that Muslims are enjoying the fruits of progressive democracy in India. This is in contrast with our other neighbours. In Pakistan the Hindu percentage dropped from 15% to 1% and in Bangladesh it dropped from 30 % to 12%, indicating religious persecution of minorities.
My Kashmiri friends were not quite convinced with my logic. They would tell me that from their very childhood have been told by their mothers and grand mothers that they were not Indians and they must make all efforts to free themselves from the Indian yoke which has enslaved them for decades. We all know that it is extremely difficult for human beings to unlearn what was taught to them in their delicate years by their mothers and grandmas through nursery rhymes and lullabies. This is, in short, the political aspect of the Kashmir problem. The government of India has to address this political problem in Kashmir by acknowledging that the problem is there and this cannot be solved by sending CRPF troops in greater numbers or sending finances for development and employment. The Central Government’s understanding of the Kashmir problem has always remained faulty, as is evident from the erroneous policy decisions they have always taken on Kashmir. Take for example, their keenness to send back the hapless Kashmiri Pandits to the Kashmir valley without properly solving the Kashmir issue peacefully. The fact that today Kashmir is administratively a part of India does not make its position materially different from West Punjab, East Bengal, or Sindh. The idea of pushing Kashmiri Pundits to insecure Kashmir valley without the full consent of the Kashmiri Muslims is as dangerous and ridiculous as would be an attempt to send Punjabi Hindus and Sikhs to Lahore and Karachi or Bengali Hindus to Dhaka and Chittagong against the wishes of the Muslims over there. If in future, we can successfully solve the Kashmir problem peacefully within the frame work of the Indian constitution, then we will be able to send the Pandits back to Kashmir with security and dignity. Not only that, we will be able to bargain with the Kashmir government that Pundits be given financial assistance for re building their old houses or building new houses as well as a 2% reservation in Government jobs for Pundits.
However, the Muslims will ask us, “What will you give us in return?” The Padgaonkar Committee on Kashmir had suggested some solutions which were rejected by both UPA and NDA. Their basic recommendation was that the state of J&K be granted a high degree of autonomy , short of “Azaadi”, as has always been demanded by the the two Kashmiri political parties, NC and PDP. Obviously this will not be accepted by any Central Government in India. The state of J&K includes the territories of Ladakh and Jammu which have sent all BJP MPs to the Lok Sabha. BJP is a hard core nationalist party of India and this proves that Jammu and Ladakh are main stream territories of India. India will never accept a highly autonomous status for these two territories. However, India should not have serious objections to granting a highly autonomous status to the Kashmir valley. A dialogue should, therefore, be immediately initiated with the Kashmiri Muslim leaders to finalise the contours of this autonomous region of Kashmir, where the core of the Kashmir problem lies. Apart from Defence and external affairs all other powers should be given to the Kashmir govt. Indians should be able to travel to Kashmir without visa and vice-versa. Pakistan should also be involved in this reconciliation process. India should not normally object to Pakistani tourists and businessmen entering the Kashmir region…..but for entering Jammu and Ladakh they would require an Indian visa. India should immediately initiate a dialogue with Kashmiris on these lines and later involve the Pakistanis too. If we take such concrete steps the huge Kashmir problem could ultimately be sorted out.
(The author is a retd IAS officer and former Financial Commissioner, J&K.Feedback to the author at 09748635185 or [email protected])
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