A Look Through The Mist Kashmir
Daya Sagar
Government of India after launching a crackdown on some leaders and activists across the Valley has also banned and declared the Jamaat-e-Islami an “unlawful organization” on last Thursday ( for five years by declaring it as an “unlawful association” under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. ) and signals have also been aired by some media the day after that Hurriyat Conference or some of its constituents which believe like relooking at/ reviewing 1947 accession or independent / buffer ‘state’ of Kashmir may too be named as a banned organization/ groups.
Surely it is time to strike but without any doubt whatever approach is adopted that has to be honest rising above any political targets that primarily aim at winning the vote games/ short term measures.
Of course government of India / National level parties like Congress / BJP will have to make their understanding of separatist ideologies clear in simple words w.r.t the likes of those profess Kashmiriyat like a Nationality, who profess solution to “Kashmir issue” of their imagination in joint control of India and Pakistan on some affairs of J&K, etc but opinions will have to be taken to common man in the ‘streets’ by making the political cadres / leaders amongst the ‘community’ on day basis.
No use recollecting wrongs done by others over last 7 decades, instead “YOU” do not commit more mistakes.
It is time for Government of India to even do a rethinking on reconsidering the ideologues / parties /leaders as mainstream which preach that there exists a “ Kashmir issue” of international dimensions like calling a part of J&K as Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PaK and not POK) ; profess for a New Political super structure in devising an improved constitutional, political and economic relationship between the two parts of the State and their respective mainland’s ( Indian and Pakistan) ; who demand a new system of “Dual Currency” allowing circulation of the Pakistani rupee in the Indian part of J&K and circulation of Indian rupee in the Pakistan administered Kashmir; suggest that J&K issue requires a combination of intra-state measures (across India and Pakistan) with inter-state and supra-state (international) measures; who demand and see return of peace in Kashmir valley in “autonomy” is political context i.e Autonomy they want for J&K is autonomy from the Nation-state of India and not for the local government from Government of India ; and like.
The anti India elements / institutions / organizations directly operating from within the country even using military methods for terrorizing the local population can of course be handled / eliminated / booked by force of military might & the existing laws of the land and resisted to a great extent by making the common masses ideologically firm through common awareness about the unbiased policies of the Government as regards the social, communal, economic, cultural , historical identities & needs of the common masses beyond any individual ethnic / communal/ sectoral/ regional considerations. The security forces can surely make the local environment free of the militants & enemy agents but it is only the political leadership that has to ultimately seal all the channels that the enemy can use for cultivation of ideological pollution/ separatist view points amongst the common masses, surely that has been and is the need of the day too, particularly as regards the Kashmir valley of the Indian state of J&K. So regretfully the local political cadres have all these years failed to deliver the worth even after 1996. So, I have been all along saying that Government of India must set the immediate priority on clearly naming the silver line between the Separatist and Mainstream ideologies & people.
Mooting resolutions against Pakistan, seeking custody of the likes of Masood Azhar, eliminating Pakistani military posts along the LoC & camps across LOC/IB, isolating Pakistan diplomatically through ensuring more economic sanctions from. UN, US, European Union (EU) and even China & OIC could be the available options with India to work with against Pakistan & perpetrators of terrorism as well ‘anti Indian’ activities in relation to Indian state of J&K. But at the same time internal factors have to be kept in regular immediate focus and it appears, though late, Government has started taking to J&K affairs very seriously rising above petty political interests.
Those from within the country (particularly from within J&K)
- Cultivating controversial information about the historical events /facts & the governments of the past
- Particularly the 1947 partition of India, the two nation theory, Oct 1947 accession of J&K with India & choices before Maharaja Hari Singh after passage of Indian Independence Act 1947
- (ii) Indirectly cultivating divisive ideologies by talking more of sectoral / regional/ ethnic identities
- (iii) Required to out those cultivating wrong or divisive information but may not be doing their duty truthfully and effectively on ground thereby allowing the common people to become soft targets of those who directly work to weaken the integrity and economy of India through separatist ideologies and game plans.
To be brief it could be said that as on date even ideologues who profess.
- (i) Autonomy for Kashmir( J&K) from India Nation State or
- (ii) profess that solutions to the “Kashmir issue” of their imaginations are lying in proposals like ‘Achievable Nationhood’ or
- (iii) those who still even after nearly 7 decades declare even on the floor of Parliament that they may be witness to fact that in October 1947 Maharaja Hari Singh of J&K had only acceded to India and had not merged with India like it was done by other princely states of British India Empire after they acceded to India dominion in 1947/48 i.e others signed two documents with India but J&K signed only one document and like are still treated as main stream individuals / groups / by the National leadership ( government of India) as well as the local government. Even 27th Oct 1947 has been referred on the floor of Rajya Sabha as date of signing the instrument of accession by Maharaja Hari Singh and has gone adequately / timely uncontested till date by the Government of the day. What to talk of immediately rejecting such persons / statements the same have remained uncontested even for years. Whereas, such opinions / solutions and ideologies / belief are no less than what can make the common masses to fall prey to separatist’s ideologies / plans.
So far Art35A is taken as a valid constitutional safe guard against any challenges to “J&K” making laws / provisions that appear violating the fundamental rights of Indian citizens other than those who are put in the category of ‘Permanent Resident of J&K’ (as defined in section-6 of J&K) to the extent like reserving all the jobs in state government departments only for the PRs of J&K but it has been found that “ State “ has carried on with some provisions under the cover of Art35A that are even harming the PRs of J&K like the woman permanent residents of J&K, the Schedule tribe Permanent Residents of J&K , the Schedule Cast Permanent Residents of J&K and the ‘distantly/ backward area’ placed permanent residents of J&K inspite of their being suggestions / provisions with State for making immediate legitimate corrections. Instead they could make better laws & provision than what are there in other Indian States but that has not been done .One would ask why? That way it will not be wrong to say that even Art-370 and Art35A of COI have been given some ‘distancing’ look from Indian point of view by some ‘mainstream’ leadership instead of making fair use of such like provisions.
Even in recent times some senior political leaders have so erroneously gone to the extent of saying that Kashmir acceded with India in 1947 on the condition that J&K will be maintained to remain as muslim majority state. Not only that a leader of mainstream political party had said in 2014 in Srinagar that in case Art-370 is removed ( “art 370 hum kashmirion ka hai , isko koyi hum se sheen nahin sakta , jis din koi hum se sheene ga , mein pehli hoongi jo bandook oothayoon gi ) ‘she’ will be the first to pick up a gun and she is still the unquestioned part of that party. Surely such environment can pollute information bank of the new generations. Damaging utterances from the ‘mouth pieces’ of even national level leaderships have been found remaining un contested even after 2014 and that could make innocent common masses not to see even some separatist slogans and demands as separatist expressions from the view of Indian nationality. Loose handling of J&K affairs government of India / by the National leadership has been providing some easy fields for cultivation of separatist ideologies, growth of myths/ controversies as regards J&K being total India / Accession 1947 being legitimate and total . Of course even some local pockets could be created in Kashmir valley which even if not for separatist may also not be for India.
Hence let us hope that, though belated, Government of India will set it as the first priority to isolate the opinions & men that could even appear towing minutest of the minute separatist ideologies amongst the soft local generations. And of course the local cadres of the mainstream parties too will have to be asked to get down from “twitter” and move amongst the common people of Kashmir valley in local lanes & ‘ways’.
(*Daya Sagar is a Senior journalist and a social activist and can be reached at dayasagr45@yahoo.com–9419796096}
Disclaimer: The views and opinions in the article are authors own and don’t necessarily reflect the editorial policy of The Legitimate.
