Jammu & Kashmir : a part or apart III

Continued from Jammu & Kashmir : a part or apart II ....

The story of Kashmir continues to section III in which I will narrate the journey of Kashmiri Pandits as regards to the dispute and the uncertainty of our return to the valley.

Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) in 1990 -

The hatred among Muslims towards Kashmiri Hindus in Kashmir grew more and more during 1980's and finally led to the rise of millitancy. Many Muslim youth were being distracted and were shown the path of millitancy as to be Holy war (Jehad), even in Madrassas - their teaching schools. Youths were sent to PoK to be trained in the art of war. The terrorist organisations like LeT, HuJI and JeM grew more in numbers and started committing attrocities on the population of Kashmir, especially Hindus (KPs). The militancy started in the form of threatening messages from loudspeakers in Masjids, every time Namaz was offered, asking the KPs to leave the valley in order to remain alive. This was followed by
flyers in Urdu posted on doors of houses of Hindu families with the same threat; women were either raped or were thrown acid at; even the children and the elderly population were not spared. Males were cut into peices and were urinated upon by the millitants chanting ‘Nara e Istakbil – Allah Hu Akbar’. Majority of houses belonging to Hindus were first robbed and then burnt. Hindus and Muslims (not supporting to so called 'Jehad') were thus forced to leave the valley in order their family members be spared. Only 31 Hindu familes were left in the valley. 

Leaving the valley was not the end of miseries for KPs .With no job and no place to live, KPs had now scattered to other parts of India (especially North India). Not a single person was happy to have left the valley and why would he/she be? Who would like to leave the place where many generations of their families have lived?

Different 'refugee' camps started in Jammu (as well as in Delhi) for KPs. (refugee-  a person taking refuge, esp. in a foreign country from war or persecution or natural disaster.) The local population (Dogras) never understood how and why pandits left the valley without giving Muslims a fight. They welcomed us with the following mocking lines:

Haath may kangri,

Mu may cholay,

Kaha say aaye Kashmiri lolay

(Kangri (Kashmiri firepot)  in hand,

and a mouthful of Cholay (a dish popular mostly in Northern India )

Where have they come from - Kashmiri lolay (pejorative term created just for Kashmiri Pandits))

With all this happening where was the govt.?? They became alive post this incidence when REDCROSS involved itself in this situation. Govt. proposed a relief package: In addition to basic dry rations, Kashmiri Pandits had been given Rupees 1,000/- per family member per month (subject to a maximum of Rs 4,000/- per family per month) . The families who sometime ago had a house to live, groves of Fruits (Cashews, Walnuts, Apples etc), garden full of colorful flowers, now had to start a life as refugees in Jammu ( & Delhi) ; most of them without job and money. .What I have told is based on the experiences of my community; after 22 years, KPs continue to live like that & with same relief packages in camps in Jammu. To add to this, if you see the size of rooms provided to KPs at camps and how those people are managing to live (infact survive), believe me your tears will break out. (Poonch House and Mutthi Camp).

Our community has seen Heaven as well as Hell in Kashmir. Can anyone imagine what KPs are going through? Coincidently my birth matches the period of migration of KPs and I haven't seen the situation by myself . When I started to sense my surroundings and got to know the reality, I swore I would take it back that once was ours.

What made (Kashmiri) Muslims so bitter against us? They always have reasoned it  "For the sake of Islam." In our religion, there is no such thing. We are always taught to respect other religions. Is Islam against the existence of other religions?  Does Islam say to kill people, rape women and burn their houses? Is this what the holybook 'Quran' guides? If this forms the base of Islam, what about Muslims (barring some exception) present in India? How do they live in peace and harmony and love the country against whom some have waged war? Haven't they got a chance to read the Quran or haven't the Kashmiri Muslims read it all? Do they have it in some different language/publication and some make versions of your own? Leave the famous names aside, I am friends (in Indian region) with some people who follow Islam. They would say the same what I have already said. Aren't they Muslims at all ? The @#$%&*  present in Kashmir and Pakistan, give me the answer! 

Struggle for survival -

Now, when the KPs had started living like refugees, parents felt the need to educate their children. Since the monthly relief fund was not enough, people started jobs that were just enough to satisfy family needs of food, education & medicine. Many youths graduating with first class at that time committed suicide as there were not any job opportunities for KPs. This struggle to live and to survive is still continuing back at Jammu.      

The KPs formed an organization ‘Panun Kashmir’ (meaning ‘Our Kashmir’) to represent the community which is also currently in action: Panun Kashmir (A) (Dr Ajay Chrungoo) and Panun Kashmir (C) (Dr Agnishekhar). Many new organizations have started for the same cause. Not only this, KPs across the globe are supporting the cause in every possible manner.

In an uncanny providence, Maharashtra ,under the rule of Balasaheb Thackeray was first to open the door of its Universities and colleges to Kashmiri Pandits giving an entry to gain decent technical degrees at very low fees. Now, the same has been extended to other parts of India (Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, U.P, Gujarat & Banglore) (Criteria of 1 seat in every department per college for KPs ; selection based on their performance in state board exams.)

One satisfaction that currently KPs have is that their children are receiving the education they always wanted to provide them as it is the only hope that is going to make a change (in KPs community) which we are waiting for - for the last 22 years.

  

When to return to the Valley??

Since most of the houses of people in our community were burnt and later illegally occupied by Muslims, how can we return to the valley? Govt of India around six years back passed a proposal of Rs 800 crores for rehabilitation of KPs which was dispensed to allocate flats to every family which lost their homes in the valley; because of unfavourable situations there, many KPs rejected this offer. The proposal was then changed to build flats at Jammu (at Nagrota and Mutthi). The work was somehow started in that year and I will let you know when it will end! In short, say, the local Govt as well as GoI, as it appears, are not in a mood to act regarding this issue. What lies inside the minds of politicians we still aren’t able to get? After this, under the pressure of REDCROSS, Govt. had to effect certain moves to show their interests of solving problems of KPs. Recently (a year ago), they have started a new plan for KPs regarding jobs. Every elligible youth is being given a job at J & K with an initial salary of Rs 20,000 p.m. (approx) It might sound pretty good but understand the conditions first:

1) The jobs will be in Kashmir province only. 2) Once accepted, they have to continue to stay in Kashmir no matter how worse the condititions of Kashmir would be in future. 3) In case someone leaves the job, the person shall not be permitted to work in Kashmir in the future.

About the houses to be built, it is the same. The KPs will be provided flats in Kashmir in a predetermined confined area , without any guarantee from the Govt. regarding our security.

This, in short, these are means to keep restriction on our community and our growth which is unacceptable to our community; however, as mentioned earlier, majority people of our community are not in a positon to make both ends meet. Human neccesities of food, water and shelter made some of us accept the Govt proposal. We are aware of the situation of those people and I dont believe that they have done anything wrong. Our community can pay scholarships for the education of Kashmiri youth but till now we have not been able to provide jobs. Our community's efforts are in progress to make opportunities of that too. (We can't expect it from our state govt.; ours  is a state where if a terrorist surrenders, he is given a compensation of Rs 2 lakh and a government job while a hindu graduate student is wandering around jobless) The International community still asks the question: So much time (22 years) and still the community is in the same condition as it was at the start of migration, why? Well, they dont know that the Govt. itself has no interest in the welfare of KPs. Inspite of this, the Govt has heaved a sigh of relief for sometime - thanks to the furthering of its proposal with the start of flat allotments to KPs recently at Jagti in Jammu; even so, this development would be treated as concrete if it occurs on a much greater scale.

(TO BE CONTINUED....)

Nikhil Bhan