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| Kashmiri leaders alienating Kashmiris from Rest of India | | Political future of J&K | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Nov 8: Kashmiri leaders and its supporters in Delhi and elsewhere, including Yashwant Sinha of the BJP, have been seeking to create an impression across the nation that Kashmiris stand completely "alienated" from India. They are suggesting that there is but one way in which their 'hurt feelings' could be assuaged and alienation ended and that is by granting them an absolute right to decide their political future. It is nothing but a misinformation campaign unleashed to mislead the nation and extract from New Delhi as many political concessions as possible so that they are able to play their nefarious games in the State unchecked and with impunity.
It would be a sin to dismiss all the Kashmiris as separatists and communal. The fact of the matter is that only a minority among the Kashmiris belonging to a particular religious sect hates India and Indian political system and demands separation from India on the ground that it constitutes a "separate nation". This minority is found in parts of the privileged and pampered Kashmir Valley that doesn't constitute even five per cent of the State's land area. It is under the baneful influence of the highly articulate, canny, powerful and well-connected Kashmiri leaders of all hues belonging to one particular section. These vested interests make mountains out of mole-hills and paint petty incidents of everyday occurrence in lurid colours so as to arouse popular passions to promote their selfish intentions and remain in limelight.
These vested interests, which are squarely responsible for raising a high wall of hatred between Kashmir and New Delhi, have been getting unqualified support from certain powerful sections of media. Paradoxically, the Government of India, which is fully aware of the ground realities in the State, instead of neutralising the baneful influence of the insidious break-India propaganda, also always happily walks into the communal and separatist trap of Kashmiri leadership. It has been behaving in a manner that further emboldens the Kashmiri leadership and demoralises the patriotic sections of society in the State.
It needs to be underlined that the State consists of three distinct regions - Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. The most laudable aspect of the political situation in the entire Jammu province is that the inter-communal relations there are very cordial. Jammu province has hardly witnessed any communal riot or even a single anti-India protest during all these more than 27 years of secessionist and communal violence in parts of the Kashmir Valley.
In fact, people of Jammu province have consistently rebuffed the vested interests in Kashmir and not allowed them to establish their foothold anywhere in this province. All the people of Jammu province, barring a few thousands, are ethnically non-Kashmiri, and they consistently complain that the Kashmiri leadership has always accorded them an unfair treatment because they have refused to join the anti-India crusade. Besides, the people of Jammu province, mostly Gujjars, Bakerwals and Pathowari-speaking have been struggling very hard since 1991 to persuade the authorities in New Delhi to enable them to enjoy all the rights and privileges the Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities have been enjoying in rest of the country. They are demanding an amendment in the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution so that they are treated at par with ST communities in other parts of the country. But more than that, the people of Jammu province have never charged the Army and paramilitary forces with violating their human rights. The truth is that they see in the Army and paramilitary forces their saviours.
The story of the trans-Himalayan Ladakh, is no less inspiring. The people are not only intensely pro-India and rabidly anti-Pakistan, but also ardent supporters of Indian Army. They have all along, like the Gujjar and Bakerwal helped the Army and paramilitary forces in their anti-insurgency operations. Jammu and Ladakh, which constitute over 88 per cent of the State's land area, are intensely pro-India.
Kashmir, like Jammu, also has ten districts and consists of a Valley and mountainous areas. Its mountainous and hilly areas constitute over 80 per cent of Kashmir's land area, basically house non-Kashmiri population, mostly Gujjars, Bakerwals and Pathowari-speaking. All, barring a few disgruntled elements here and there, have nothing to do with the ongoing separatist and communal movement in the Valley. They, like the bulk of Jammu people consistently urge the Centre to confer on them the ST status so that they obtain their due share in the political and economic processes in the State. It is not only the Gujjar, Bakerwal and Pathowari-speaking or Pahari-speaking in Kashmir whose participation in the separatist movement is almost nil. The people in Kashmir, barring a few thousands who are under the influence separatists and a couple of other leaders, are bitterly opposed to the Kashmiri leadership, both separatist and "mainstream". They say that the political elite, which controls power and dominates and leads all political and separatist outfits, have rendered them unreal and ineffective for all practical purposes and rigorously excluded them from all walks of life. Besides, these people Gujjar, Bakerwal and Pathowari-speaking who are ethnically and culturally different from ethnic Kashmiri there are other social groups among the Kashmiris. They include Dard and Baltis. They are also ethnically non-Kashmiri and a vast majority of them anti-movement.
It is important to note that the people of Jammu province and Gujjar, Bakerwal, Pathowari-speaking, Dard and Baltis in Kashmir constitute a majority compared to the ethnic Kashmiri-speaking people. Significantly, even they are not a homogeneous lot. They are vertically divided into five groups demanding merger with Pakistan, independence, India-Pakistan joint control, autonomy, self-rule and integration into India.
All this should clinch the whole issue and establish that a very vast majority of of J&K are with India. |
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