Now that the
article 370 & along with that the draconian article 35A are abrogated by a
bold move by the Narendra Modi government, it is a celebration for entire India.
Kashmir Muslims in small number are rejoicing, but a large section is yet to realize
the fruits of freedom. Surely soon they will start realizing it and embrace it.
The 3 families – Abdullas, Muftis and Geelanis are the only mourners. Of course,
some sympathizers of those families across India are also hurt.
The real jubilation
is amongst the Kashmiri Hindus, although it may take more time for normalcy to
settle for their return to their ancestral land. They have gone through the
worst. India is with them. Concerted and continuous efforts to give them
dignity and independence is yielding now. One day they will become legislators,
judges, and head of institutions in their own land. India is with them.
It is important
to know the history of the Kashmiri Hindu Genocide in the recent history.
Did the
Exodus happen by Design?
The Islamic
Fundamentalism started it all:
The over
appeasement of the JKLF and various separatist groups by Farooq Abdulla, the
then chief minister of the state of J&K in the 1987 time frame started
emboldening the militants. What started as a Liberation movement for J&K
slowly morphed into Islamic Caliphate. Different groups including Hizbul Mujahideen
supported and incited by the Pakistan formed Muslim United Front, which is now
called as Hurriyat Conference. Their common enemy became India, Central
government, Security forces, Kashmiri Hindus. The Kashmiri Hindus became easy
and plum targets. The first victim was Pandit Tika Lal Taploo, who was an
advocate and a BJP member. The terrorists murdered him in his home in Srinagar.
After that Nilkanth Ganjoo, Srinagar High Court Judge was shot dead. These
happened in succession in 1989 sending fears amongst the Kashmiri Hindus as
they were targeted by the terrorists.
Then the politics
played its part.
-
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed fell out
with Farooq Abdulla who was in alliance with Rajiv Gandhi’s INC. Mufti won MP elections
and became the first Muslim Union Home Minister in VP Singh Cabinet
-
2nd Dec 1989 he
becomes Union Home Minister. 8th Dec his daughter was kidnapped and
released on 13th Dec just in 2hrs after the terrorists were released
in exchange. How did she appear from his home in 2hrs after terrorists’
release?
-
Subsequently some more drama of ‘important’
people’s kidnap and terrorists release in exchange happened in a flurry.
-
While all these happened where
was Farooq Abdulla? He resigned, as Chief Minister for a petty reason that the
Governor appointed was his bete noire. Mufti Sayeed perticulary chose him and
VP Singh approved for this reason. So Mufti got full free hand on Kashmir
politics through the Governor.
Then the Society
& Administration played its part:
-
Terrorists got emboldened.
Mosques started giving a call for expelling the Kashmiri Hindus. The local muslim/
urdu news papers called on expulsion of Kashmiri Hindus.
-
The Muslim neighbors were known
for their soft Islam. Kashmir was known for its Sufi Kashmiriyat. But they
turned hostile. They started alienating Hindus. They stopped shopping with them,
stopped visiting them, stopped selling things to them.
-
They bought into the narrative by
the mullas and politicians that India is our enemy and Hindus are their agents.
-
The administration didn’t take
any action on the murders of Taploo and Nilkanth Ganjoo.
-
The open threat calls in street
pamphlets, in news papers were not heeded to by any police. The department shut
its eyes and ears for any complains of threat and intimidation on its citizens.
-
The administration played its
part with the Mufti, Abdulla and Geelani politics. Nobody cared for any citizen
rights and peace
The exodus
happened by lakhs. The figures put are anywhere between 2 lakhs to 6 lakhs. The
exodus happened by design. Was Mufti Mohammad Sayeed the Architect? Did the others
just played their part as per the design?
Where was
BJP while Exodus happened?
BJP was busy
with the Ramjanmabhoomi agenda. The Advani Ji’s ratha yathra was in full swing.
The BJP with its 80+ seats in parliament did not join the National Front of VP
Singh in Government. It supported Government from outside. Had it joined, may
be Advani Ji would have become Home Minister and this sinister design of Muftis
would not have happened. But alas!
BJP did take up
the plight of the Kashmiri Hindus on later days. Ektha Yatra of Murli Manohar Joshi
in which Narendra Modi also played significant part as a grass root level
organizer took up the task of Unfurling the National Flag in Lal Chowk of
Srinagar. It created the awareness of the plight of the Hindus as refugees in
their own country.
Then the Sangh
Pariwar put up concerted efforts to trumpet against the article 370. It was
recognized that article 370 was the root of the problems perpetrated. Its
draconian design was to keep the Kashmiri’s under duress all the time with no
political freedom.
The VHP and
others lent a hand for the Hindu refugees to set up their camps and provide
shelter. Some of these were activists in AAP storming to power too. Although
Prashanth Bhushan the SC advocate & close aide of Kejriwal of AAP, fights
for the Kashmiri Muslims, AAP stood by the abrogation of the article 370.
How will abrogation
of Article 370 help the Hindus now?
It is not due to
Article 370, that the Hindu exodus happened.
The Kashmiri
Hindus exodus happened mainly due to the following:
-
Islamic fundamentalism, Kashmiri
Muslims paying into the sinister design and
-
The Politics by 3 strong families
of the valley
-
Entire India’s apathy towards
Kashmir, Jammu & Ladakh
The abrogation
of Article 370 addresses only the last reason. It has raised the awareness
across India 4 Kashmir. But that can kill the other 2 above reasons as well over
time. Firstly, the rest of India will show empathy towards alternative politics.
It gives raise to political freedom. Already the victims of terrorism are
standing for elections. Some of them through BJP ticket! While BJP is
untouchable for the rest of Indian Muslims, nearly 200 Kashmiri Muslims are panchayat
presidents in the valley through BJP ticket.
In the 1990s the
Hindus were tortured, torched in broad day light. Through the 2000 till now,
tens of thousands of honest policeman who tried to capture terrorists were
brutally killed. Their families are intimidated. Those youth who go to join
terrorism & die are hailed as martyrs, while the policemen who died in the
operation are forgotten. In this land of fear and intimidation, imagine someone
standing for an election which is boycott by the 3 powerful families in the valley
and threat by the terrorist organizations! Imagine the plight of the family members and
friends. Imagine how they campaigned? Which printing press would have dared to
print their pamphlets? Who would have opened the BJP office in the valley &
run it boldly?
If alternate
leaders can come up and give a fitting fight, that’s it, the democracy will be
established. The real transfer of power to the people would happen. The Kashmiri
Muslims would come out of the clutches of the Islamic Fundamentalism. They
would come out of the clutches of the 3 patriarch families.
Then it will
lead to the real integration of Kashmir into the principles of freedom &
democracy of India. Then integration of Hindus into the valley is just a byproduct.
Relevant Links:
While all the facts and figures are taken from internet,
profusely from Wikipedia, the inference and story line is by me. Am particularly
inspired by this bold man called – Pushpendra Kulashreshta. He through his NGO
has filed PIL about the validity of Article 35A in Supreme court. The verdict
was supposed to come in late 2018 itself but was pushed for unknown reasons.
The case is still pending for verdict. But now that it is abrogated, passed in
parliament more legitimately than it was constituted through only presidential
order, it should be an easy case for SC.
Another great gambler in the game is BJP s Ram Madhav. PDP
says he is the BJP’s face. NC, Hurriyat and even the Pakistanis say he is the
BJP face for them. The foreign media BBC, CNN call him for BJP views and stand
on the Kashmir. But he is not the face of BJP cabinet! It is Amit Shah who
stole all the lime light & may be rightly so.
RSS has done a great thing. It has formed various forums,
NGO s to fight and bring about the Kashmiri plight to end. The J&K Study
centre has done a tremendous job of bringing in all constitutional experts,
advocates, historians, students, university professors to debate and come up
with solution. Abrogration of 370 through a simple presidential order, was widely
debated in these forums. It was not a surprise for those who knew the process.
But it is the guts of Modi and Shah which was the need of the hour to abrogate
it. And they did it! Kudos to India for having such great guns at the helm! Kudos
to India to entrust the job to them democratically.
Another influence is Shefali Vaidya. She in her talks in the India4Kashmir forum has told we must recognize all India's indigenous groups as Hindus. By differentiating our own Hindu brethren as Kashmir Pandits, Kannada Lingayats, Tamil Jalli Kattu Warriors, Ayyappa devotees, we are letting the Secularists, Communists, Islamists and Christians to separate each of us, ridicule and erase our culture easily one by one. I have personally seen Ayyappa Devotees ridiculing VHPs efforts to rebuild Ram temple. I have heard the RSS karyakarthas in UP showing indifference to the Sabarimala issue. It is our disunity which will cause our own downfall. Hence in this article I have referred Kashmiri Hindus as Kashmiri Hindus & not just pandits.
