The State of J&K as it needs attention to day
Daya Sagar Sharma
March 08, 2009
A Look Through the Mist
GOI can no more afford working with a policy that takes J&K affairs so casually and looks only at Kashmir Valley. Anti India elements need to be crushed in the corner . Otherwise the pro India minds could too consider that J&K may not be a dispute. No extra importance need be given to separatist groups like Hurriyat Conference since it would more confuse the common innocent Kashmiri masses of J&K. As on date Kashmir valley has almost total Muslim population. All energies must be concentrated on taking back the Kashmiri Hindu migrants to Kashmir Valley. Any delay would allow more and more exploitation the local innocent common Kashmiri masses by the separatist view point. .Pakistan would keep on making further inroads thereby providing enough ground to pro Pakistan elements to inflict internal insurgencies in J&K in one form or the other. Construction of permanent colonies ( like in Nagrota Jammu ) by Government for allotment to Kashmiri Pundit migrants have sent enough wrong signals regarding disturbed conditions in Kashmir Valley.
Simply extending money support would never win against anti nationalistic view points . Rather doubts and confusions in the innocent rural/ poor/ god fearing Kashmiri Muslim regarding 1947 Accession of J&K with India could seed. Those who have been talking of use of currencies of both Pakistan and India in Kashmir only are in a way suggesting of negation of the Accession of J&K with India as of 1947. Had they suggested the use of currencies of India and Pakistan in all the states of India and Pakistan it would have been appreciable. Similarly suggesting trade across LOC without any document would only encourage / has encouraged separatist ideology as long it is only across LOC and for the products of J&K only. Why not they work as hard for trade across International Borders at Sialkot ?.
The Kashmir affairs have not to be simply looked from the material angles only. Had it been so then the cash flows from New Delhi over last 60 years would not have simply inflated the purse of the elite class but would have yielded some firm support for India against the separatists. As on ground even the so called main stream political parties can not afford openly negating the agenda of separatist ideologists. The present day demography of Kashmir valley of J&K state would disturb any considering , nationalistic and caring mind. It would even force those from foreign lands to go for researching why the mass migration of Kashmiri Hindu ( pundits ) from J&K has not been kept as priority number one by GOI for its reversal.
Earlier the political affairs were mostly discussed by the people of Kashmir valley. And now the people from Jammu region too are showing some resentments for having been taken politically non sensitive . No doubt it has been only from Kashmir Valley that some elements have questioned the 1947 accession of J&K with India. All these years GOI has been extending preferential attention to the people from Kashmir valley . But still the political affairs have landed in an environment where even the so called main stream political parties too appear talking very much near to the demands of the separatist or anti accession elements. This day, some Nationalist Kashmiri leaders do not hesitate to even suggest that it is beneficial to question the trueness of the intentions of GOI since it easily draws attention. .Regular wars do not consume so much of blood of soldiers as we have been consuming in J&K Some .Local Kashmiri leaders so casually lay allegations of human right violations on the Security forces .Such casual remarks need be checked and those unduly using authority should punished through special courts.
No doubt , in the past , it has been also the Kashmiri Hindu who has been source of information/ assessment of Kashmir affairs for Bharat Sarkar . They too can not escape the responsibility for the wrong assessments of ground conditions in Kashmir .No doubt Kashmiri Hindu did work hard after 1989 to project the political ground realities of Valley . But it was only after they were socially discriminated . Earlier the budding anti India culture was concealed and any disturbance was wrongly shaded as economic problem /unemployment / lack of opportunities for earning livelihood. All "expert" assessments have proved wrong .Billions of money flow to Kashmir valley has failed to check the resentments. Rather micro elements believing in two nation theory appear to have taken the shape of macro elements strong enough to keep the nationalist stream leaders like Dr. Farooq Abdullah too under the pressure .
It is still not very late for reconstruction of demographic structure of Kashmir and this way India could save the new generation of local Kashmiri Muslims getting more and more misinformed about Bharat .Atleast Migrant State Government employees who are being paid wages against special unlimited leave must be asked to work in Kashmir. But for doing so the security , law & order and honourable stay in valley would have to be ensured for the returning migrants Hindu non Kashmiri state government employees in Srinagar, particularly moving departments, should be given accommodation in regular colonies so that they live amongst the local Kashmiri muslims there. Their families when live with in local muslims many misgivings about India and her intentions could be set aside . Only then reconstruction of the communal matrix will start. Simply the holidaying couples visiting Kashmir can not restore the confidence of the World for Kashmir being India.
Ladakh region has been surely neglected by ruling elite of J&K. The CROWN leading the State Government after 1947 has always been on Kashmir Region. Ladakh region remains cut off from the other parts of the State for Six months during winter . This region has no agriculture and industry that could provide economy worth survival. Till recently the students have been coming out of Ladakh to Jammu or Srinagar even for basic college education. The subsidies from GOI on freights, GOI sponsored projects with NGOs and the money spent on defence forces has so far provided the surviving ground there.
People of Jammu have been taken for granted to be with India .
Since the affairs have been handled badly for over past six decades the demands for splitting J&K like it was done for MP / UP / Bihar/ Punjab into two states and one UT to have come up. . Those demanding reorganization of J&K contest that Jammu State could extend over the area of Jammu Province of Maharaja Hari Singh´s pre 1947 days . They argue that even then Jammu Province/ Region t was under the charge of a separate Governor inview of the ethnic and geo administrative needs .Ladakh, though it was under the Governor of Kashmir Province, it was under a Wazir e Wazarat i.e a District Collector . Some leaders from Kashmir Valley call the demands for carving two states and one union territory out of J&K as communal . Such objections would not find trust vote since majority of Hindu belonging to Kashmir Valley is living in exile for last two decades.
Accusations are laid that there has always been a tailored injustice done to Jammu Region and even the Delimitation Commissions have unfairly treated the rights of the backward and remotely placed people of J&K It is true that the delimitation commissions have only completed formalities inspite of the fact that even I had put scientific, logical and facts based on law before the KK Gupta Commission in 1994..It was the first exercise of the type as was initiated by any one on the subject. Section 50 of J&K Constitution provides 14 elected Members to Legislative Council for the areas of Jammu Region and only 12 elected members to Legislative Council for Kashmir Region .So strangely the Delimitation commission inspite of my having provided a comprehensive note on the subject distributed only 37 Legislative Assembly Seats over areas falling in Jammu Region as against 46 seats over areas falling in Kashmir Region. My analysis called for over 44-45 seats for Jammu Region ( it reduced the seats for Jammu district but increased for seats for backward distant District like Doda) and not more than 38-39 seats for Kashmir Region. Similarly in 1984 Wazir Commission had recommended 9 District administrative Units for Jammu Province ( region) and only 7 District Administrative Units for Kashmir Region where as Ghulam Nabi Azad Jee , who was so passionately hugged as a first Chief Minister of J&K from Jammu Region carved 10 districts each both for Jammu and Kashmir regions over looking the Wazir Commission recommendation. Those asking for reorganization hence do have some logic and need be heard..
It has been the result of such neglects to the affairs of J&K that educational backwardness, administrative backwardness, infiltration across LOC in Poonch and Kupwara has grown. Even militancy infiltration from Kashmir valley to Jammu hills have grown over the period.. *( Daya Sagar is social activist and leading scribe on Kashmir affairs dayasagr@yahoo.co.uk)
GOI can no more afford working with a policy that takes J&K affairs so casually and looks only at Kashmir Valley. Anti India elements need to be crushed in the corner . Otherwise the pro India minds could too consider that J&K may not be a dispute. No extra importance need be given to separatist groups like Hurriyat Conference since it would more confuse the common innocent Kashmiri masses of J&K. As on date Kashmir valley has almost total Muslim population. All energies must be concentrated on taking back the Kashmiri Hindu migrants to Kashmir Valley. Any delay would allow more and more exploitation the local innocent common Kashmiri masses by the separatist view point. .Pakistan would keep on making further inroads thereby providing enough ground to pro Pakistan elements to inflict internal insurgencies in J&K in one form or the other. Construction of permanent colonies ( like in Nagrota Jammu ) by Government for allotment to Kashmiri Pundit migrants have sent enough wrong signals regarding disturbed conditions in Kashmir Valley.
Simply extending money support would never win against anti nationalistic view points . Rather doubts and confusions in the innocent rural/ poor/ god fearing Kashmiri Muslim regarding 1947 Accession of J&K with India could seed. Those who have been talking of use of currencies of both Pakistan and India in Kashmir only are in a way suggesting of negation of the Accession of J&K with India as of 1947. Had they suggested the use of currencies of India and Pakistan in all the states of India and Pakistan it would have been appreciable. Similarly suggesting trade across LOC without any document would only encourage / has encouraged separatist ideology as long it is only across LOC and for the products of J&K only. Why not they work as hard for trade across International Borders at Sialkot ?.
The Kashmir affairs have not to be simply looked from the material angles only. Had it been so then the cash flows from New Delhi over last 60 years would not have simply inflated the purse of the elite class but would have yielded some firm support for India against the separatists. As on ground even the so called main stream political parties can not afford openly negating the agenda of separatist ideologists. The present day demography of Kashmir valley of J&K state would disturb any considering , nationalistic and caring mind. It would even force those from foreign lands to go for researching why the mass migration of Kashmiri Hindu ( pundits ) from J&K has not been kept as priority number one by GOI for its reversal.
Earlier the political affairs were mostly discussed by the people of Kashmir valley. And now the people from Jammu region too are showing some resentments for having been taken politically non sensitive . No doubt it has been only from Kashmir Valley that some elements have questioned the 1947 accession of J&K with India. All these years GOI has been extending preferential attention to the people from Kashmir valley . But still the political affairs have landed in an environment where even the so called main stream political parties too appear talking very much near to the demands of the separatist or anti accession elements. This day, some Nationalist Kashmiri leaders do not hesitate to even suggest that it is beneficial to question the trueness of the intentions of GOI since it easily draws attention. .Regular wars do not consume so much of blood of soldiers as we have been consuming in J&K Some .Local Kashmiri leaders so casually lay allegations of human right violations on the Security forces .Such casual remarks need be checked and those unduly using authority should punished through special courts.
No doubt , in the past , it has been also the Kashmiri Hindu who has been source of information/ assessment of Kashmir affairs for Bharat Sarkar . They too can not escape the responsibility for the wrong assessments of ground conditions in Kashmir .No doubt Kashmiri Hindu did work hard after 1989 to project the political ground realities of Valley . But it was only after they were socially discriminated . Earlier the budding anti India culture was concealed and any disturbance was wrongly shaded as economic problem /unemployment / lack of opportunities for earning livelihood. All "expert" assessments have proved wrong .Billions of money flow to Kashmir valley has failed to check the resentments. Rather micro elements believing in two nation theory appear to have taken the shape of macro elements strong enough to keep the nationalist stream leaders like Dr. Farooq Abdullah too under the pressure .
It is still not very late for reconstruction of demographic structure of Kashmir and this way India could save the new generation of local Kashmiri Muslims getting more and more misinformed about Bharat .Atleast Migrant State Government employees who are being paid wages against special unlimited leave must be asked to work in Kashmir. But for doing so the security , law & order and honourable stay in valley would have to be ensured for the returning migrants Hindu non Kashmiri state government employees in Srinagar, particularly moving departments, should be given accommodation in regular colonies so that they live amongst the local Kashmiri muslims there. Their families when live with in local muslims many misgivings about India and her intentions could be set aside . Only then reconstruction of the communal matrix will start. Simply the holidaying couples visiting Kashmir can not restore the confidence of the World for Kashmir being India.
Ladakh region has been surely neglected by ruling elite of J&K. The CROWN leading the State Government after 1947 has always been on Kashmir Region. Ladakh region remains cut off from the other parts of the State for Six months during winter . This region has no agriculture and industry that could provide economy worth survival. Till recently the students have been coming out of Ladakh to Jammu or Srinagar even for basic college education. The subsidies from GOI on freights, GOI sponsored projects with NGOs and the money spent on defence forces has so far provided the surviving ground there.
People of Jammu have been taken for granted to be with India .
Since the affairs have been handled badly for over past six decades the demands for splitting J&K like it was done for MP / UP / Bihar/ Punjab into two states and one UT to have come up. . Those demanding reorganization of J&K contest that Jammu State could extend over the area of Jammu Province of Maharaja Hari Singh´s pre 1947 days . They argue that even then Jammu Province/ Region t was under the charge of a separate Governor inview of the ethnic and geo administrative needs .Ladakh, though it was under the Governor of Kashmir Province, it was under a Wazir e Wazarat i.e a District Collector . Some leaders from Kashmir Valley call the demands for carving two states and one union territory out of J&K as communal . Such objections would not find trust vote since majority of Hindu belonging to Kashmir Valley is living in exile for last two decades.
Accusations are laid that there has always been a tailored injustice done to Jammu Region and even the Delimitation Commissions have unfairly treated the rights of the backward and remotely placed people of J&K It is true that the delimitation commissions have only completed formalities inspite of the fact that even I had put scientific, logical and facts based on law before the KK Gupta Commission in 1994..It was the first exercise of the type as was initiated by any one on the subject. Section 50 of J&K Constitution provides 14 elected Members to Legislative Council for the areas of Jammu Region and only 12 elected members to Legislative Council for Kashmir Region .So strangely the Delimitation commission inspite of my having provided a comprehensive note on the subject distributed only 37 Legislative Assembly Seats over areas falling in Jammu Region as against 46 seats over areas falling in Kashmir Region. My analysis called for over 44-45 seats for Jammu Region ( it reduced the seats for Jammu district but increased for seats for backward distant District like Doda) and not more than 38-39 seats for Kashmir Region. Similarly in 1984 Wazir Commission had recommended 9 District administrative Units for Jammu Province ( region) and only 7 District Administrative Units for Kashmir Region where as Ghulam Nabi Azad Jee , who was so passionately hugged as a first Chief Minister of J&K from Jammu Region carved 10 districts each both for Jammu and Kashmir regions over looking the Wazir Commission recommendation. Those asking for reorganization hence do have some logic and need be heard..
It has been the result of such neglects to the affairs of J&K that educational backwardness, administrative backwardness, infiltration across LOC in Poonch and Kupwara has grown. Even militancy infiltration from Kashmir valley to Jammu hills have grown over the period.. *( Daya Sagar is social activist and leading scribe on Kashmir affairs dayasagr@yahoo.co.uk)
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