P L Khushu
The self-styled People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) has urged Kashmiri Pandit employees not to leave the Valley as it was their home and it would be painful for all, after the community demanded their relocation following the killing of Rahul Bhat. What a joke with KPs, who are now shedding crocodile tears for Kashmiri Pandits. While as this hollow alliance was nick-named by some people as Gupkar Gang, but decent cult of journalism does not demand to call it a ‘Gang’, which is always a constituent of persons of variegated speech and falsified minds, most of the times trying to take recourse to unnecessary aggression towards others. The behavioral approach of this gathering of just three or four persons, has often reciprocated their thinking with repulsive approach, based on imaginary and negative optimism detrimental to the cohesive culture of secular character of Jammu and Kashmir which has still some base, though diluted to its funeral with the mass exodus and killings of Kashmiri Pandits, for which these very persons are responsible if not by design, but by default. Their conspicuous and mysterious silence at the time of the genocide and the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley at the hands of the Islamic fundamentalists, Jihadis, borrowed for this purpose from across the border with silent abetment of some sections of Muslim society of the valley, speaks volumes about their hidden role in the mass massacre and displacement of Kashmiri Pandits from their original places of homes and hearths. The breast beating of Gupkar Alliance, now at this stage for the Pandits of the valley has probably again some diplomatic intentions to exploit the devastated conditions of the Pandits, for want of their home land. Probably with such ludicrous statements at this point of time is probably a ploy of these politicians of Kashmir, to make a dreadful scenario about the security of KP’s in valley so that they dare not venture to get settled back in the valley. One of the leaders of this Gupkar Parlor says that while a Kashmiri Pandit has been killed, alongside a police man too has been killed. Should it mean that their call to the migrant Kashmiri Pandit employees is with a rider that they can be killed too? Before deliberating further on Gupkar Alliance statement for the migrant employees not to leave the valley, let it be analyzed as to what constitutes the ‘Gupkar Alliance’. Is it a real conglomerate body of the actual representatives of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who could claim to have a distinct mandate to issue specific statement or statements in the interest of the public or for public use? It is a congregation of hardly five or six persons, when most of them belong to one family only. The major participants are the father, son and the sister’s son trio. Similarly, a member or two from PDD and some members of parliament who owe allegiance to NC. Equally there is a senior member of another political party in it. There is no other cognizant member from the civil society of Kashmir in it. Similarly, this group has hardly any prominent member from Jammu who could be rated as a politician of repute in this alliance, when it could be authoritatively called as the “People’s Alliance”. This alliance is the alliance of those very political leaders who have ruled Jammu and Kashmir for almost decades with dynastic base and are thus evidently squarely responsible for the mass exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits in 1990 from the valley along with being the silent spectators of the brutal genocide on the KPs at the hands of the terrorists. It is does not need any proof to say that some of the most senior members of this alliance who were heads of the governments of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir after the terrorism erupted in the valley and around, these politicians cajoled and mocked the return and the rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Pandits in clusters to be accommodated at secured locations in the valley. “Quoting from their press statements in this regard, The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) urged Kashmiri Pandit employees not to leave the Valley as it was their home and it would be painful for all, after the community demanded their relocation following the killing of Rahul Bhat. The appeal by the PAGD was made after a delegation led by its president and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah met LG Manoj Sinha at the Raj Bhawan. The meeting was over the issue of security of Kashmiri Pandit employees in the aftermath of killing of Bhat. Briefing reporters after the meeting, PAGD spokesperson, M Y Tarigami, said the Valley is as much the home of Kashmiri Pandits as it is of Kashmiri Muslims.
“We appeal to them that this nation is yours as well as mine. Do not leave your home. It is very painful for you and us,” he said. He said if Kashmiri Pandits want to leave Kashmir in the wake of Bhat’s killing, then what about the families of slain Kashmiri Muslims. “If Rahul was killed, Riyaz (a policeman) was also killed. Where will Riyaz’s family and relatives go? You (Kashmiri Pandits) do not have to leave your home. This is your home, this is my home. We will bear this tragedy together and try to safeguard each other,” he said. Probably after the delimitation exercise is over and it gets the nod of the parliament, the elections are probably on cards in this union territory. As such these leaders have started to choose a path of friendliness towards the KPs and exhibit solidarity with them for election consumption across the union territory as also across the country as a whole. Their statement which is full of agonizing and wound inflicting words now ask the KPs, that let us live together. Where were they so far, for these last 32 years of great anguish and despair of KPs? In fact they should feel shy to issue statements as they are the people responsible for creating hurdles and bottlenecks in the proper rehabilitation of KP’s back in the valley when in the past during their rules they opposed tooth and nail the proposal of the rehabilitation of KPs in secured clusters in the valley. Let us ask these leaders who were chief ministers amongst them for long periods after the terrorism invaded Jammu and Kashmir, as to what measures did they take to bring back KP’s back to valley during their tenures as chief ministers. How many economic packages of getting the KP youth jobs in Kashmir were introduced by them during their rules. Did these leaders who are now bragging about the plight of the KP migrant employees’ safety ever visit the migrant camps pf KP’s in Jammu, Udhampur or Katua. No never. Why so. Yes due to their vote bank politics as general masses in Kashmir would get annoyed with them
The dark night of January 19, 1990, shivering with cold, is remembered by all KP’s, as it was the worst nightmare for the Kashmiri Pandits living in the valley. Screaming from loud speakers and crowded streets was a message for KP’s living in Kashmir, which said, Ralive, Tsaliv ,Neti- Galiv. (It meant that either convert to Islam or leave Kashmir and in the alternative face death). Even after about 31 years, Kashmiri Pandits shiver remembering the night which forced them into exodus and a life of exile within their own country. Jehadi cum communal speeches from mosques were put on loud speakers meant for ‘Azan & Namaz’, which would say ‘Yeti- Bani Pakistan, Bhatov Bhegeer the Bhatenen-San’, meaning there in that the Kashmir will become a Pakistan without male Kashmiri Pandits, but including women folk of Kashmiri Pandits. The prominent prey in this regard among Kashmiri Pandits were the persons of immense repute, writers, community elders, legal luminaries, press and media personalities, government officers/officials who were on prominent positions in the state administration or were known prominently. Where were all these leaders that night or on subsequent such occasions. They would usually say that Kashmiri Pandits were made to leave the Valley by the then Governor Jagmohan. Why did not all such secular half patriots stop KP’s from fleeing from the valley. How many strikes, protests and public gatherings did they hold against the migration of KPs? How many statements in the shape of admonishments did they release against the terrorists responsible for the mass exodus and genocide of KPs? How many terrorism affected were sheltered by these opportunist dynasty-based leaders in their own homes as a measure of social good will and sympathy. One of the political leaders of a prominent political party in July 2016 said on the floor of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly about Kashmiri Pundits return to valley that they (Kashmiri Pandits) cannot return to their original homes in the current atmosphere. This political leader likened their home coming to ‘throwing pigeons among cats’. This speaks enough about the communal passion and kinetic gritty of sick mind of such Kashmiri leaders about the members of KP’s community. Kashmiri Pandits are highly obliged and thankful to Jammu and its people who accommodated them with warmth in Jammu, in that hour of their devastation, where they could find a first place of solace to exist and live. Even as on day most of the displaced KPs are now living in Jammu and its surroundings with the passionate coverage of Jammu people. All the KPs are thus very much indebted to the people of Jammu in this regard. It is now a full-fledged ethnic cleansing of the Pandits from the valley? One of the apex leader of Peoples Democratic Party said very recently that Kashmir Pandit employee, Rahul Bhat’s killing is being used to spread hatred between Hindus and Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir. What a diseased statement from the mouth a leader known to be head of a political party. Now after visualizing the uproar in the country after seeing the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’ the frustration of some of such top political leaders from Kashmir have started bullying the makers of this film which is showing the actual genocide and devastation of KP’s due to terrorism in Kashmir. A prominent political leader of Kashmir recently called The Kashmir Files a propaganda movie and said that the violence of 1990 affected Hindus and Muslims alike. He slammed Vivek Agnihotri and ‘The Kashmir Files’ – calling it a propaganda movie. This has been the attitude of these political leaders towards the plight and the miseries of the displaced and genocide faced KP’s. In fact, while being in power in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, these leaders could have got a commission of enquiry instituted about the genocide and the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley. They did not do so , as with their conspicuous silence about such a tragedy of KPs, right from the start of such a tragedy, they suspect that they will be held as silent abettors of this genocide of KPs, if not by design, but by default equally. These handful leaders of a chosen small gathering living in the cozy green pastures of Gupkar an elite location of Srinagar, should not show any sympathy towards Kashmiri Pandits now, when much water has flown down river Jhelum after the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits .
(The author is a Chartered Consultant Civil Engineer, who loves his motherland the Union Territory of
Jammu & Kashmir).
