Ravinder Jalali
Kashmiri Pandits were a microscopic miniscule minority in a Muslim majority Kashmir Valley. They have distinct culture, race and language which find its traces to more than 5,000 years back. Most of the Kashmiri Muslims are converts and therefore resemble KPs in their traditions and language. Many of the Kashmiri Muslims have still Kashmiri Pandit’s caste/ title suffixed to their names. Though there are some similarities but there are many dissimilarities as well. The KPs have become the first victims of terrorism as a result of which they had to flee the place of their abode. They are a part of the Vedic heartland of India and have lived in Kashmir from times immemorial. In fact, they are the original inhabitants of the Valley of Kashmir, now reduced to an ethnic minority. While resisting the orchestrated moves fostered by Muslim communalists inside the State and their mentors in Pakistan to Islamise the State and snatch it from the Union of India, the KPs became the victims of communal hatred and faced hostility and ridicule.
On 4th January, 1990, a local Urdu newspaper published a press release issued by Hizb-ul Mujahedeen, to wage jihad for J and K’s secession from India and accession to Pakistan, asking all Hindus to pack up and leave. In the following days, there was near chaos in the Kashmir Valley with Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and his NC Government abdicating all responsibilities of the State. Masked men ran amok, waving Kalashnikovs, shooting to kill and shouting anti-India slogans.
Reports of killing of Hindus, invariably Kashmiri Pandits, began to trickle in; there were explosions; inflammatory speeches were made from the pulpits of mosques, using public address systems meant for calling the faithful to prayers. A terrifying fear psychosis began to take grip of Kashmiri Pandits. Walls were plastered with posters and handbills, summarily ordering all Kashmiris to strictly follow the Islamic dress code, prohibiting the sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks and imposing a ban on video parlours and cinemas. The masked men with Kalashnikovs forced people to re-set their watches and clocks to Pakistan Standard Time. Notices were pasted on doors of many Pandit houses, peremptorily asking the occupants to leave Kashmir within 24 hours or face death and worse. Some were more lucid: “Be one with us, run, or die!”
On 19th January,1990, which is being observed as Holocaust Day every year by our community, Farooq Abdullah the then Chief Minister, whose pathetic and whimpering, government had ceased to exist and had gone into hiding, resigns and goes into a sulk. Curfew was imposed as a first measure to restore some semblance of law and order. But it failed to have a deterrent effect. Throughout the day, JKLF and Hizbul Mujahedeen terrorists used public address systems at mosques to exhort people to defy curfew and take to the streets. Masked men, firing from their Kalashnikovs, marched up and down, terrorising Pandits who, by then, had locked themselves in their homes. As evening fell, the exhortations became louder and shriller. Three taped slogans were repeatedly played the whole night from mosques: ‘Kashmir mei agar rehna hai, Allah-O-Akbar kehna hai’ (If you want to stay in Kashmir, you have to say Allah-O-Akbar); ‘Yahan kya chalega, Nizam-e-Mustafa’ (What do we want here? Rule of Shariah); ‘Asi gachchi Pakistan, Batao roas te Batanev san’ (We want Pakistan along with Hindu women but without their men).
Whatever be the variations in the circumstances of the KPs’ history, be their fate might have brought to them in the past, these all become insignificant in comparison to what has happened to them in 1989 and 1990 and thereafter. The tragedy is compounded by fact that one of the intelligent subtle and proud community of the country is being virtually reduced to extinction in free and secular India and this has not happened under the tyrannical rule of ruthless rulers of Muhagl and Afghan Governors but under the leaders who are considered secular and liberal. Now we have to ensure that there is no more further exodus after it and let it be the last and final.
The return of KPs is not a matter of survival but is of their living with honour. Everybody survives even creatures but the question is of the living and that too with honour and dignity. KPs have survived for the last 26 years despite all the hardships and impediments and will continue to survive further but the question is whether they will be allowed to live without fear and a sword hanging over them. I don’t see any problem in separate homeland for KPs. Those who oppose for the fear of it becoming an Israel and changing the demography of the Kashmir Valley are deliberately misleading the people. How KPs can be relocated to their original places when these don’t exist.
Now why Separate Homeland? KPs do not want to go back to Islamic theocratic State but to a secular State as mentioned in the Indian constitution. In a separate homeland for KPs, as enshrined in the Margdarshan resolution of 1991, the ethnicity, culture and heritage of KPs can be protected and preserved. Once the KPs settle other things will follow in place. The mixing of other communities can take place automatically as a part of confidence building measure. Homeland will enshrine the free flow of Constitution of India where Tricolour will be unfurled without any restrictions, National Anthem and national song will be played. It will have educational institutions where the children will start the day with National Anthem and moral values will be imparted to the children. It will be place where no Pakistani or ISIS flags will be hoisted and no gun culture will prevail. It will be the place where the Tri colour will not be abused or desecrated. It will be the place where Republic Day and Independence Day will be celebrated with gaiety and full enthusiasm which is no where seen, felt or observed in the Valley unlike in other parts of state where people voluntarily, even people living in Jhuugis and Jhompris also celebrate these festivals. Whole of the J and K State and country except Valley, gives a festive look unlike in Valley where it gives a deserted look and a pal of gloom descends, rather the Pakistan’s Independence Day and National Day is celebrated. There will be no shut down or curfew in the homeland on the Independence and Republic Days in response to call of the separatists. People can watch a match between India and Pakistan or any other countries with out any fear or threat perception from any quarter.
Does the Govt. have answers to all these questions? Can Govt. ensure these things? Rather than ensuring, it should have been imbibed but alas we have to issue circulars for enforcing these things and strangely no body follows. These remain only paper instructions. If the Govt. can make all these happenings in Valley, we can consider the Valley as our homeland and then there is no need of setting up separate homeland for KPs. But all these things seem to be dream and that too not coming true because sometimes dreams come true.
The misfortune of our country is that we have leaders who have no regard for facts or truth and whose superficiality is matched only by their unprincipled politics. Poisonous seeds were persistently planted in the Kashmir psyche. And these were liberally fertilised. Those of whose obligation it was to stop these plantations and their fertilisation were nurturing and encouraging. When the PM of a country and CM publicly announced that Pandits will be rehabilitated in concentration in Kashmir, hell broke out in the Valley. There were shut down and protests in the entire Valley and the echo was heard in Assembly where the entire opposition along with those on treasury benches opposed with one voice. Even the Ex. CM Mufti Mohd. Syed opposed it saying, on the floor of the House, that we will not allow such Israel type of colonies in Valley. How just less than two percent of KPs of total valley population, will become Israel? This has exposed the tall claim of all Valley based political leaders, their parties and the separatists claiming of communal harmony in Kashmir.
Against the backdrop, there is no alternative but to have a separate homeland for KPs, where they can live with honour and dignity, and without Damocles Sword hanging at all times and with free flow of Indian Constitution. Those who oppose the separate homeland for KPs will be committing the sin of letting down India in Kashmir. Their conscious may condone their negligence but not condone their sins of becoming hindrance to the formation of a separate homeland for exiled community of KPs.