By Daya Sagar
Militancy and terror affected people have not been only from Kashmir Valley. A very large area and population even in remote areas of Jammu region have been under the threats of militants since 1989/1990. Many people of these remote areas depend on the forest / pastures for their livelihood and comprise of Gujjars, Bakerwals, Gaddies and the like who are more exposed to physical dangers from the militancy. No doubt the Hindu there is more distressed and scared but even some Muslim majority pockets in the remote areas of Doda, Kishtwar, Udhampur, Rajouri, Poonch, and like are helplessly living there uncared over last two decades for being educationally/ administratively/ economically the weakest. Some people (including Muslims) may not be moving out from these areas since they may not be hoping for better economic activity and care outside. Some of them did flee from their homes / migrate to other areas but since they were poor, illiterate, lesser educated and mostly from , non-government service class they could not project their plight. It was on 9th March 2006 that National Conference MLC, Bashir Ahmad Naaz pleaded on the floor of J and K Legislature for granting migrant status like Kashmiri Pandit migrants, to migrated residents of Doda, Rajouri and Poonch. Naz went to the extent of saying that despite Court direction the migrants of these areas have not been treated fairly. The protests and demands are still being heard even in 2014.
What is the total number of terrorism affected people in the Jammu region of J and K State is not known. How many people migrated from militancy affected areas or due to militant threats from areas in Jammu region after 1989/1990 or how many migrated families went back is not known . How many families are still migrant could be another question.
On 14th August 1993 militants hijacked a bus JKU 2003 from Sarthalmorh (Kishtwar) and massacred 16 passengers. (Sham Lal Tagod, Dharminder of Chingam, Anu Kumar of Palmal, Devi Dayal and Dharam Chand of Barkoot, Shiv Kumar of Shalimar Road Jammu, Balwant Singh of Palmar, Rishi Chand of Jammu, Prem Nath of Kuntwara, Rattan Lal of Udhampur, Suresh Kumar of Subash Nagar Jammu, Jialal of Mulchitra, Bansi Lal of Kishtwar and four others.)
This forced a large number of people from Doda District Migrate to Chamba in Himachal Pradesh in April May / June 1994 and it was only after the Inspector General Police Jammu and Divisional Commissioner visited them in first week of June 1994 that they returned. What rehabilitation package they were given could be still a question since no public disclosures appear to have been made in this regard.
These incidents are quoted here just to show that many areas outside Kashmir Valley too got hit by terrorist culture at the times when Kashmir Valley was hit.
People from some districts of Jammu region had to migrate but later they returned. It has been alleged by some that since they were not looked after by the government they returned to their areas. Anyhow, may be the allegations against the government are false. Was any relief package given to such migrants for return ? If so,what was the value of that , government must make it public.?
There is no separate department created by J and K Government or GOI for looking after the needs of the militancy affected people of Jammu region like Relief Commissioner ( Kashmir Migrants).
Numbers of widows, orphan students, totally disabled persons waiting for rehabilitation,students who abandoned their schools and women who lost their honour due to terrorist acts in distant areas of Doda( Kishtwar, Ramban), Udhampur ( Reasi), Kathua , Rajouri, Poonch may not be less. Still some people who have been given relief have been complaining that they are not paid relief equivalent to Kashmiri migrants.
It has been given to understand that inspite of terrorist threats / militancy many people of distantly placed / remote areas of Jammu region have not moved out of their areas and have instead dared to stay back since they expected no support from government like that given to Kashmiri migrants. No special assistance has been given to people of militancy affected areas of Jammu region as regard education, employment, agriculture, horticulture, trade etc.
Earlier also these distant and remote areas have been facing all round economic neglect and after 1990 discrimination with the militancy affected people has added to their woes. It could be said that earlier it was the case of POJK DPs, facing continued displacement threats persons from LoC/IB and refuges from West Pakistan but a new addition has been the case of victims of migration in Jammu region. The number of such people, directly or indirectly affected due to militancy but staying in their homes could surely be not less than another 5 to 7 Lakh.
So in view of the continued disturbances ,that people in J and K have since 1947 lived in, and the prevailing conditions there is a need for constituting a separate migrant relief and local area welfare board / commission for militancy affected people of Jammu region in addition to the existing Relief Commissioner Migrants ( Kashmiri ) since so far they have not been duly taken care of under the present arrangements.
(Daya Sagar is a Sr coloumnist of Kashmir affairs and a social activist [email protected]).
