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Statehood for Jammu

Sir,

The newly formed J&K Unity Forum has opposed the move to trifurcate the State (Excelsior of 16.10.2000). I am not one who holds a brief for those who support trifurcation. The demand is not a sudden development. It is the result of simmering discontent spanning over five decades. The NC and the Congress never gave Jammu region its due and it is too early to say about NDA. The leaders of the Forum demand implementation of reports of various commissions. The report of P B Gajendhragadkar Commission admitted discrimination and made certain recommendations but these were rejected by Sheikh Abdullah. The Sikri Commission found Leh, Kargil, Rajouri and Doda substantially backward whereas Kathua and Udhampur called for more attention. The Godbole Committee found overall development in districts of Doda, Poonch, Rajouri and Udhampur very low. Why the forum leaders did not demand creation of districts at Kishtwar, Reasi, and Samba so that pace of development in these backward areas could be accelerated. Even now, we do not have motorable road to Marwah Genlabgarh, Qastigarh to Ramban and Bhaderwah to Chamba. The people of Jammu have repeatedly proved their patriotism and made supreme sacrifices whether in Doda where a forest official was killed some years back and now recently an official hailing from Manohar whose almost total family boldly faced the wrath of militants. The commitment to secularism and belief in democratic values has been second to none. But why should occasion arise that they have to complain about unequal political power, development , employment etc. Their language Dogri is crying for status due to it. Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, once parts of Punjab have progressed faster. Today, our Chief Minister advises fruit growers to visit Himachal and see how successfully they face competition. Haryana has emerged mighter in the development of industries. It will be a centre of IT in north India. Two Haryanvis - Kapil Dev and Malleshweri have done proud to the country. The crux behind their achievement is the natives have political power to shape their destiny. Jammu has been deliberately made a weak partner. All its aspirations are subject to the whims of valley based leadership. If we would take the stock of various aspects, concerning to J&K State, we would definitely find the name of Kashmir/Srinagar and not that of Jammu. The reason is being that every and each Government at State as well as centre levels, may be from Congress or from NC have given importance to Kashmir only. In this regard, it would be very much correct to say and to point out here that the people who occupied the higher chairs have not cared for Jammu at all. The people of Jammu are very straight forward and gentle and moreover, no Jammu borne leader has raised the voice for the development of Jammu because of the fact that Muslim Majority Government has always dominated the Jammuites.

From the above mentioned facts, it reveals that it is better for Jammu to get separate from Kashmir and to get statehood. In case it gets statehood, it would be very much possible to step towards the development which it could not get since long i.e. right from the independence (1947).

It is hoped that the concerned authorities at the Central Government level may take cognizance of it.

Yours etc..
R. C Jandial
14-A, Gandhi Nagar,
Jammu.

Quest for peace

Sir,

Exactly with the onset of the new Millennium there has been a spurt in terrorist activities gaining currency, debated in all the speeches and functions, having wrought unimaginable havoc throwing all the developed and under-developed countries on tenterhooks.

Prejudices die hard and the prejudices tampered with religion die harder. Religious terrorism is more harmful than militancy. It may be Muslim or Hindu terrorists, both of them have the tendency to place everything in disarray causing unrest and rancour all around. People through religion have woven a web of indoctrination around themselves finding it difficult to disentangle from its clutches.

One religion is as true as another. Concept of all the religions is to love mankind. About prayed to Angel to register his name amongst one who loves his fellow-men and he led all the rest. Alas! we have enough indoctrination to make us hate and not enough to make us love one another.

Power brokers and war merchants should understand that days are not far when they will themselves land in soup if they continue to abet, support terrorism.

Terrorism will not die itself unless it is countered by bringing change in the thinking of people systematize pattern of education which alone can defeat their vicious mechanism.

The need of the hour is to revamp the educational pattern to educate children the horrors of terrorism.

Where we ask the children to learn by rote spellings of goat and rat, there it also needs to explain them the merits and demerits of everything where the economy of the nation is at stake and integrity of the country challenged.

My blood curdles when I find peaceful Kashmir turned into seething cauldron of intrigues and conspiracies, engulfed the orgy of violence and bloodshed. Prudence demands to search for peace somehow to free the Kashmiris from turmoil and trauma.

Concludingly, I would appeal to all the intellectuals to reflect the facts as per records of the history in the prevailing backdrop and ground realities to save the human beings from barbarism and brutality.

Yours etc...
P N Sus
129, Suriya Vihar,
Bohri, Jammu.