Jagmohan Sharma
The political parties based in Kashmir issued “Gupkar declaration” a few days back that was signed by members of Kashmir based political parties including NC, PDP, PC and Awami National Conference. INC – a national party was represented by their state president – again from Kashmir. The sole Kashmiri member of the CPI (M) from Kashmir also graced the occasion!! The participants have “vowed to fight collectively against the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status”. They reiterated that there can be “nothing about us without us”!!
This statement coming from a political tribe of Kashmir that “ran with India and hounded it with Pakistan since 1947 – enjoying pelf and power at the cost of both” wasn’t surprising.
Events of 5th of August 2019 had come as a bolt from the blue for them though this day will go down in the history of the country as a day of far reaching import. It was on this day that the “temporary special status” of J&K was revoked. The constitution adopted by the Nation in 1950 had provided for temporary provision for the state of J&K under article 370 whereby it was granted a status that was remarkably different from that of the other states of India.
The contention at the time of incorporating the temporary provision was that J&K being the only Muslim majority state with a “distinct culture, traditions and history” should be provided with special safeguards so that the “salient culture & traditions” of the state are not eroded.
Notwithstanding the compulsions of the time it needs no emphasis that the culture and traditions of peoples of all other states that were treated at par under the Indian constitution have not only flourished but have in fact found renewed strength & vibrancy.
As far as the Muslim population is concerned the Valley of Kashmir has a Muslim population of 7 million whereas the Muslim population of rest of India is 250 million who encounter same opportunities and face similar dilemmas and difficulties as any other Indian national in their lives irrespective of whether they are members of majority or minority community or any other miniscule communities that live in India.
While listening to the speech of the Home Minister in Parliament many a heart skipped the beat when it became clear that while Ladakh had been separated out as a union territory from the State of Jammu and Kashmir, the Jammu province was kept hyphenated to Kashmir. Jammuites were of the firm belief then, as they are now, that the prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir provinces of the Union Territory is possible only if they are de-hyphened from each other thereby providing an equal opportunity to the people of the two provinces. Hyphenated since 1947, the Jammu province has never been allowed a level playing field by the Kashmiri Political Tribe (KPT). This would also have brought in healthy competition between the two provinces and brought an end to the acrimony between them.
Before moving any further, it seems necessary to describe Jammu and what it represents – geographically and socially. This is essential as for many outsiders Jammu means Jammu city. This one can realize during travels across the country and interaction with well-educated and very successful as well as common people. Most of them don’t understand that Jammu region of J&K is a huge geographical area spread over 10 Districts. Consequently outsiders – Indian and foreign – club the people of Jammu, its geography, culture, tradition and narrative with Kashmir. Naturally it is Kashmir that steals the show.
Jammu province is mostly a hilly & mountainous region of J&K that is separated from Kashmir in the north by Peer Panjal mountains. In the east it is separated from Ladakh by the Great Himalayas. To the south are the states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. In the west and northwest is the territory of Pakistan and sliced in between are those areas of J&K that are under illegal occupation of Pakistan since 1947.
It is interesting to note that over time the migration of J&K residents, as mentioned, above has been from Kashmir to Jammu and not vice versa. One doesn’t come across many Jammuites of any religious denomination or any of its 10 Districts settling down in Kashmir.
There are more than 10 local languages and dialects that are spoken in Jammu province such as Dogri, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Hindi/Urdu, English, Bhaderwahi, Pahari, Pogli, Saraji, Ponchi, Bharmauri, Padri and Kishtwari. There is a marked difference between Kashmiri, Bhaderwahi and Kishtwari spoken by Hindus and Muslims of the region, which though can very easily be categorized as the offset of the same language.
Thus, Jammu province is a living organic entity that is multicultural in its character and truly secular. In-spite of the huge diversity the people are generally friendly and socially intermingle seamlessly. It is this character of Jammu that is its strength and inheritance. This is what they should genuinely feel proud of.
But then Jammu and Kashmir continues to be Kashmir too and unfortunate as it is, Jammu has always borne the brunt of the political intrigues and mischief of the Kashmiri Political Tribe.
To understand the point one needs to look at randomly chosen political events (from amongst innumerable such incidents) pertaining to the history of J&K that catapulted J&K often into turmoil and chaos:
* Jammuites had no role in deciding about accession of J&K with India in 1947. It was a decision guided and sealed by Jawaharlal Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah, who had developed bonhomie amongst themselves, cemented by “Kashmiri – Kashmiri; bhai – bhai” rhetoric. Because of his roots in Kashmir Jawaharlal Nehru was more passionate about Kashmir than Sheikh Abdullah was about India. The well-known political twists & turns of the Sheikh after Maharaja Hari Singh signed the instrument of accession with India confirm this popular belief.
* Sheikh Abdullah and his party, National Conference rigged the elections to constituent assembly of Jammu and Kashmir in 1951 and won all the 75 seats (under the watch of the Govt. led by Jawaharlal Nehru at the Center) with consequences that adversely impacted the incipient polity of the state, thus vitiating the atmosphere between the two provinces.
* Sheikh Abdullah’s “Quit Kashmir” movement in 1946 had already given enough hints of things to come for Jammuites.
* Rigging of Assembly elections in 1987 in Kashmir by National Conference, under the watch of Rajiv Gandhi as PM of India, sowed the seeds of terrorism in the Kashmir Valley and eventual exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Kashmir. Jammu suffered the consequence. The peripheral areas of the province abutting the foothills of the Kashmir Valley also faced the brunt of terrorism. Terrorism related incidents took place in Jammu too.
* Jammu and Kashmir has come under Presidents rule 10 times since 1947 including the present one as a Union Territory. Every time “President’s rule” had to be imposed in J&K it was because of the intrigues of the Kashmiri Political Tribe (KPT).
* The first and the only Chief Minister of J&K from Jammu region, Ghulam Nabi Azad was compelled to resign as CM of the state on 11.07.2008 because of the nefarious political games played by the KPT. Had Jammu been a state there would have been no need for him to resign or dissolve the state assembly or call for elections.
All the events mentioned above had far reaching political impact on the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state. Jammuites had no role in them but still faced the consequences. They have always felt betrayed, powerless and disillusioned in face of such events.
Add to it is the step motherly treatment meted out to them at the hands of the Kashmir centered political parties be it in the field of education, employment, infrastructure development or preservation of culture and traditions of the Jammu region. Jammuites had always to fight every step of their existence for each and every element of development or modernization – be it a university, college, road or hospital.
The political leadership of Jammu generally has been sheepish in standing up to ask as to why Jammu should be deprived of its legal, constitutional and democratic rights (provided to them by the Indian constitution) because of the acts of omission, commission and foolhardiness of the select few political tribes of Kashmir. They always seem to be reeling under “Stockholm Syndrome” – ever ready to please their Kashmiri counterparts’ in-spite of unbearable political and psychological pain and damage inflicted by them over the people of Jammu.
“Gupkar Declaration” is a wakeup call to politicians from Jammu as it has made it very clear that the interests of “Kashmiri Political Tribe” are not in sync with the political interests and aspirations of the people of Jammu. The meaning of that “there can be nothing about us without us” should be understood very clearly and categorically by everyone. As is the wont of the KPT they are self centered. They want their supremacy at any cost. The dignity and aspirations of the people of Jammu don’t matter to them.
There is no better symbolic representation of the plight of Jammu region than the tottering condition of Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex and Ranbir Library in the middle of Jammu city. This amply represents the condition of Jammu province under Kashmiri political dispensation. The systematic loot of forest and Government land in Jammu province under “Roshni Act” is another example of how Government machinery can been ruthlessly subverted by the “intelligent KPT” to empower themselves.
People and politicians of Jammu must understand that if they desire to live a life of dignity, freedom, prosperity and wellness – as enshrined in the Indian constitution – the only option available to them is to look for a state of their own – “the State of Jammu” – de-hyphenated from Kashmir that has its own legislature, Government, administration and secretariat. A state, the people of which are able to decide their own destiny and define their own prosperity and can elect their own Chief Minister be it a Bakarwal, Bodh, Christian, Gujjar, Hindu, Jain, Muslim or Sikh – man or woman as its Chief Minister – a Chief Minister who represents them and is one of them.
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