Did Kashmiri Hindu Genocide happen by Design?

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

-          2^nd Dec 1989 he becomes Union Home Minister. 8^th Dec his daughter was kidnapped and released on 13^th 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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ_4iY12cDI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1Wrr3baUcc

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.

Look at the spike in 1989; Kargil happened in 1999. Pakistan lost face; US put pressure; 9/11 happened in 2001 in US; US asked Pak to support Afghan rout and defocus from Kashmir. Insurgency declined post 2003; Again in 2013-14-15 insurgency raised. Then India did Demonetization; It was a surgical strike on terror funding; Stone pelting stopped. Now it is time to recover complete normalcy.

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.