The Tragedy of Kashmir

Jasbir Sarai One would have expected Omar Abdullah to be more restrained in his rhetoric given the fact that a truce was slowly emerging. His statement has once again flamed emotions and has caused immense damage to the already fragile social and communal fabric of J & K J ammu and Kashmir is once again enveloped by violence due to the unseemly controversy over transfer of land to the Sri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB). The recent instance of a young man Kuldeep Kumar Dogra from Jammu committing suicide by consuming poison in protest against the statement made by Omar Abdullah in Parliament during the trust motion on July 22 that Kashmiris will die rather than allow transfer of land to SASB, has added yet another tragic and unfortunate dimension to the controversy. One would have expected Omar Abdullah to be more restrained in his rhetoric given the fact that a truce was slowly emerging. His statement has once again flamed emotions and has caused immense damage to the already fragile social and communal fabric of the State.The most unfortunate part of the whole issue is that a shrine that has for centuries been revered by both Hindus and Muslims, has been dragged into an unseemly controversy by some shortsighted and opportunistic politicians for partisan gains. Even more painful is the fact that the people have fallen into the trap and are allowing themselves to be sucked into a situation that may result in a terrible and avoidable cycle of violence.This is the time to reflect upon the secular and holy credentials of the legend of Amarnath and draw inspiration from the same to give rise to the voice of moderation and patience. The Amarnathji Yatra is a symbol of harmony and religious tolerance that epitomizes the true spirit of Kashmiriyat, the bedrock of the Kashmiri way of life. The cave which has existed for times immemorial is believed to have been rediscovered in the 18 century by a Muslim Malik family from Balkot. For ages, this Malik family has played a prominent role in the pilgrimage and its successive generations have completely dedicated itself to the shrine. Despite the turmoil of terrorism, the importance of the Amarnathji Yatra never diluted and lakhs of pilgrims visit the shrine every year. The Muslim population joins the Hindus to participate in the pilgrimage with traditional fervour, despite threats from terrorists. Hotels, shops, pack ponies, porters and all other related services gear up to welcome the pilgrims. A festive air is prevalent in the area. The guides and porters of both communities are equally conversant with the legend and mythology and narrate the same to the pilgrims. Anybody requiring assistance finds hundreds of hands extended towards him, without knowing whether the hand belongs to a Hindu or a Muslim. The security forces deployed in the area, also participate with utmost enthusiasm and energy. Army units in conjunction with other paramilitary forces/central police organizations and J&K police personnel endure the adverse terrain and weather conditions to put up an exhaustive security umbrella for the pilgrimage and also look after the necessary medical amenities and crisis management.The threat of terrorism to the Yatra has not abated, yet a record turnover of pilgrims has been witnessed this year. Under the circumstances, the timing and the ferocity of the protests over a minor political issue lends itself to deep introspection of the causes thereof. In a democracy every political segment has the right to express its opinion and agitation. However, the process of democratic dissent has to follow some civilized precedents. First and foremost, it should be non-violent. Second, it should give space to the government to redress grievances or negotiate through the political process. Both conventions have been broken in this case.This is in line with the tragic manner in which anti-people and anti-development events unfold in the Valley. An analysis of the pattern indicates that whenever the media highlights any aspect that is paving the way for prosperity and development in Kashmir, the same tends to get targeted and derailed. Last year the media carried great copy about the large number of tourists who had flocked the Valley in the wake of improved conditions. Within a few days a spate of terrorist killings of innocent tourists led to a general exodus that left the buoyant tourism industry in a state of desperation. This year the Amarnathji Yatra was heralded by the media as the biggest so far and, lo behold, a frivolous political issue has been blown out of proportion.It is time for the people of Jammu and Kashmir to understand the diabolic designs of a few anti-social elements who are bent upon keeping the State away from progress and development. There is a need to isolate such elements so that the development of the people is not made hostage to irrelevant and extraneous factors. Only a complete understanding of the evil designs of a few groups that function on orders from foreign inimical forces and proactive action to counter the same can avert the tragedy that continues to encompass Kashmir, despite the people’s overwhelming mandate to shun violence in pursuit of the path of democracy, development, peace and prosperity. (ADNI)

Denying Hindus space

Denying Hindus space

5 Jul 2008, 1201 hrs IST, Tarun Vijay

The Amarnath land row in Kashmir has proved that if Muslim politicians of the valley feel strongly about something they can make the government bend and accept their demands. So it is hypocrisy when they complain in some summits in London that Delhi doesn't heed them or they have less power to rule the valley 'appropriately' and hence need more autonomy. They fought on the streets and denied a piece of land to Hindu pilgrims to be used for facilitating a night’s stay and food in that snowy area just for two months. The land was barren; not a single tree grows there and not one person was to be stationed there permanently. Yet the votaries of Kashmiriyat , who would announce day and night how keen they are to see Kashmiri Hindus return to their localities and how their religion stands for love, compassion and peace, stood firm, spreading lies to ensure that Hindus do not get an inch of space for a temporary shelter. They said it is a place which will be used to reduce Muslims in the valley to a minority. The land is forest area, Hindus will destroy the environment, they said. It's a plot by Indians to assault Muslims of the valley. Hence, land will not be given at any cost, the politicians said. They won. And they knew what they are saying to defend their indefensible position are all lies. The first thing the new governor N N Vohra was made to do was to take back the proposal on behalf of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board for the acquisition of approximately 100 acres of land. He didn't begin his tenure trying to see Kashmiri refugee Hindus are returned with honour and safety to their homes. Nor could Vohra hold any meeting to ensure the valley is free from jihad and that developmental plans are executed to benefit all patriotic citizens. The first move that a Hindu majority country's constitutional appointee took was against the interests of Hindus. I am sending this column from Kolkata where, being involved in a seminar on security, I saw a message from the then Governor General Sinha wishing that the seminar goes off well. It is the kind of message that holders of gubernatorial posts often send but there is a difference: while all constitutional authorities use just one symbol of the state insignia – that is, the replica of the Sarnath pillar with four faces of the lion – in Jammu and Kashmir, another state insignia is used parallel to the Indian one, representing Jammu-Kashmir. The only state in India which has a separate flag and a special power bestowed on it by the constitution is Jammu and Kashmir. On an average it gets 10 times more grants compared to any other Indian state yet it complains a hundred times more about Delhi's discrimination and prejudice. The jawan who protects the people and the territory with his sweat and blood is not allowed to buy an inch of land in the state due to the constitutional provision of Article 370 which bars any Indian from settling down in Kashmir. source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

More protests over Kashmir land

Hindus have held more protests in India against a decision not to transfer land to a Hindu shrine organisation in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Four people died in Indore, in Madhya Pradesh, when police opened fire during clashes between Hindus and Muslims, officials say.

They say that another person was badly injured in other clashes in the state.
There were also violent clashes between protesters and police for a fourth day in the Hindu-majority region of Jammu.

A curfew remains in place in the area - in the southern part of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The state government rescinded its decision to grant land along a Hindu pilgramage route to the Amarnath Shrine board after several days of protests by sections of Kashmir's majority Muslim community.

Correspondents say that efforts by the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party for a country-wide protest over the issue met with a relatively muted response.

In Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, strike supporters shut down transport and businesses. Some roads were blocked, cars were smashed and trains disrupted.

"The response to the strike shows the anger of the people against the government's attack on secular fabric of the country," Prakash Javdekar, a senior BJP leader, told the Reuters news agency in Delhi. source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7487609.stm

Land and blood

The independence campaign flares up in a row about land for Hindu pilgrims

FIRE crackers and scattered cheering dotted the night on July 2nd in Srinagar, as Kashmiris celebrated a rare victory over the Indian government. Hours earlier, after a week of popular and violent protests, Kashmir’s government had rescinded a gift of protected-forest land to Hindu pilgrims. In response, local Muslim separatists called off the protests they had organised. But after this triumph, which followed a year or so of relative calm in the troubled valley, fresh agitation seems likely.

Indeed, it may well spread beyond Kashmir and go national. On July 1st India’s main opposition, the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), called for a nationwide strike to put pressure on the state government—which, like India’s central government, is a coalition led by the Congress party—to reverse its reversal. Sticking up for Hindu pilgrims—hundreds of thousands of whom flock to a cave in Kashmir each year to pay homage to a giant icicle they revere as an incarnation of the god Shiva—is staple fare for the BJP. So is sticking it to uppity Muslims.

As BJP leaders issued their call in Delhi, 80 people were injured in rioting by Hindu activists in Jammu, the southern, mainly-Hindu, part of India’s only Muslim-majority state. With a general election due by next May and Congress in trouble on the back of soaring inflation and other woes, the contretemps is a godsend for the BJP.

It is also handy for Kashmir’s separatist leaders. The 19-year-old freedom fight has cost over 40,000 lives, by the Indian army’s count, and at least twice that by the separatists’; but the current death-rate, at a bit under 100 a month, is at an all-time low. That, and internal feuding, has taken the wind out of the separatist movement.

Fighting has flagged partly because Pakistan, which like India holds part of the historic kingdom of Jammu & Kashmir and claims all of it, has greatly reduced its former support to the insurgents. At the same time, Kashmiris seem increasingly resigned to the status quo. Some still hanker after the accession to Pakistan they feel was their due at partition in 1947; probably a greater number want outright independence. But many feel they have lost the battle. Turnout in local elections, which the separatists boycott, is increasing. By rallying support for their cause, separatist leaders may hope to dent turnout at the next state election, due by November.

Hence the vigour with which they pounced on the government’s decision to grant 99 acres (40 hectares) of land to a Hindu body that manages the icicle pilgrimage. This, it was explained, was to help provide temporary shelter for more than 400,000 devotees who visit the icicle shrine, a cave at Amarnath in south Kashmir, each year. Yet the separatist chiefs preferred to see it as a brazen effort by the government to shift Hindus into the Muslim-dominated Kashmir valley.

Thousands agreed. Beginning on June 29th, the state capital, Srinagar, and the rest of the valley saw their biggest protests since the early-1990s, when the insurgency was at its height. Five people were killed and hundreds injured in clashes between the army and stone-throwing youths. In this time of strife, two of the biggest of Kashmir’s many separatist factions, split over whether to negotiate with the government, were reported to have reunited.

Also on June 29th, after noting which way the wind was blowing, Congress’s main local ally, the People’s Democratic Party, quit the state government. Reduced to a minority, Congress is now looking for other allies to help it to hobble through to the polls later this year. The gleeful separatists are meanwhile plotting protests against the occupation of vast tracts of Kashmir by the army.

It may not stop there. Defying an unofficial curfew and a tear-gas bombardment by soldiers nearby, several thousand men gathered in Srinagar’s main mosque on July 1st. Despite a dozen huge green Pakistani flags hoisted above the throng, the speeches they heard, from local religious and political leaders, were mainly for independence. “The land-transfer deal has brought so many issues to light,” said one congregant, a local university professor. “In Kashmir, people are angry.” source: http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11671155

Kashmiri Hindus protest against Jammu firing : kashmirlive

Aastha Manocha Posted online: July 03, 2008 at 1135

Kashmiri Hindus protested in the national capital on the police action against those protesting against the revocation of the Amarnath shrine board land order, in Jammu.

New Delhi, July 3: Kashmiri Hindus from various organisations protested in the national capital on Wednesday evening on the police action against those protesting against the revocation of the Amarnath shrine board land order, in Jammu.

They alleged that the J&K government has different policies for Hindus and Muslims as it did not impose curfew in Kashmir even after eight days of violence and mayhem yet the very first day of protests saw police beating, shelling and firing at protestors in Jammu.

The protestors were especially angry over the targeting of the Kashmiri Hindu camps in Jammu in the crackdown over the protestors.

Traffic in Delhi was blocked for about an hour at rush hour and central Delhi seemed to have stood still with no traffic movement at all. The crowd swelled due to the fact that the local onlookers too joined the protests to burn tyres and shout slogans.

According to reports, curfew has been extended to new areas in Jammu and around 100 people were injured in clashes with the police.
editor@expressindia.com source: kashmirlive.com