Col J P Singh, Retd
The lesser known town of Kishtwar, ‘Kashmir within Kashmir’, was ravaged in broad day light by the radicals on the holy day of last Eid. It took almost whole day for the Govt to realise that it had a constitutional duty to protect life and property of its citizens. It took so long while its own Minister of State for Home, ‘the govt itself, happens to be present on the spot besides the District Magistrate and security forces including the army already in situ. Yet there was no response to the constitutional obligation by any of the above authorities. The minister, govt officials and the security forces personnel are all under the oath of allegiance to the constitution of India wherever they may be. Still they chose to close their eyes. Why did they not respond to the call of the duty? If they are not held accountable, then let us not have the constitution. If they were restrained because higher ups had a personal agenda, they must say so. It seems that we have forgotten the tragedies of Kashmir and lost touch with realties which have been staring at us since partition.
Kishtwar is South Eastern extension of Kashmir Valley. It lies across the Symthan Pass of Pir Panjal Range which hems the valley from the South. Kishtwar falls in Jammu region. It is a beautiful landmass; no less than the mythical paradise; though not said in so many words. It is a mosaic of religious, linguistic and social identities and is known for not only its inclusive social and cultural life but also for its shared religious spaces. Hazrat shah Farid-ud-Din Bagdadi, a Sufi saint is known to have brought Islam to Kishtwar. Kishtwar has a distinct history of communal harmony. During the 1947 communal riots, conscious and collective efforts were made by the elders of both communities to maintain peace and existing brotherhood. While the communal riots took place at many places in the region and in the nearby town of Bhaderwah, Kishtwar remained unaffected. This township was so safe that Muslims from other parts of the region sought refuge and thereafter continued to live there. Unfortunately this little Kashmir chose to go the Kashmir way on 9 August 2013.
History of a nation, a race or the people follows a chequered pattern of extinctionism or existentialism. The history of Jammu & Kashmir is exactly the same as that of rest of India or of many other nations. The colonial legacy of ‘divide and rule’ was pursed in J&K till eighties. In the nineties it became ‘terrorise and drive out’ due to which minorities were driven out of the valley. In the recent Kishtwar riots it was ‘strike and scare’. Kishtwar was struck perhaps because the minorities could not be scared away otherwise.
There have been periods of bitter confrontations in the history of J&K depending on the path chosen by various segments of the society. Bitter confrontations started in the valley with the ‘quit Kashmir’ movement launched by the National Conference before independence. Periods of war and peace, stability and turmoil, consolidation and division, hope and despair had come and gone in the nascent history of J&K. But the trend of ethnic cleansing, the worst of all, in places considered remote for communal tensions, is alarming. The scenario in Kishtwar today is of similar hopelessness and insecurity. All this is due to the influence of radical outfits proliferating world over at an industrial scale with no end in sight. Such radical elements are directing the course of history of J&K. In 1947, J&K chose a particular path and decided to throw its lot with secular India rather than theocratic Pakistan. Today unfortunately it is drifting away from that path and is choosing an altogether a different path.
One is awe struck by looking at the ways in which religion is being relentlessly used as tool by the radicals and the politicians to promote their communal agendas which pit communities against each other. This enables them to promote hatred and provoke conflicts. I am astonished by the fact that various religions are interpreted and understood by their adherents in remarkably diverse ways that completely belie the simplistic notions of all religions as enshrined in their treatise and it is not being resented by the society.
While the root cause of the conflict is being investigated by the judicial commission, religion cannot be delinked from it. Secular India considers Kashmir dispute as a political issue. What is conveniently ignored is the religion, particularly in the case of Kashmir dispute, involving Muslim majority Pakistan and Hindu majority India. After all the Kishmir issue emerged directly out of division of India on the basis of religion. Hence an effort must be made to analyse religious dimension of Kishtwar conflict. I start with the premise that kishtwar riots are continuation of pan Islamisation of J&K. I consider Hindu chauvinists, Islamist radicals and various politicians as the greatest enemies of Hindu-Muslim amity and consolidation of ethnic diversity of the state.
The return of ethnic amity in the valley is now unimaginable. It is gradually disappearing from other parts of the state. It is happening because certain new norms of religion are being pushed in from outside. Such alien dictates are playing havoc with traditional understanding of communal harmony. These days large number of Mandirs and Masjids are having priests / clerics from Andhra, UP and Bihar. Such clerics are ardent followers of unorthodox right wing ideologies and disdain of other religions. Lots of Burmese and Bangladeshis are illegally entering the state and are being sheltered by clerics and politicians. Ironically religion is increasingly being marshalled by both Hindu and Muslim priests as prime mover to foment communal hatred which is being exploited by inimical forces from other side of the LOC.
Jammu region was known for considerable harmony between Hindus and Muslims at the social level. With the hateful propaganda and opression unleashed at the behest of outside clerics and vested interests, a fear psychosis had cropped up in the civil society. The rest of Jammu, considered to be religiously tolerant was getting affected by the happenings of Muslim majority areas. Incident of Kishtwar consequently agitated Jammuites. This led to few incidents of retaliation and subsequent curfew in eight districts of Jammu region.
Kashmiri Pandits, Jammu Hindus and Buddhists of Ladakh have been skeptical of intentions of Kashmiri rulers. Hence they have been resenting their hegemony since independence. This sentiment is shared even by Jammu Muslims. To think that Hindus, Buddhists, Shias and Rajput Muslims of J&K would not resist Kashmiri agenda of ethnic cleansing, even to the point of violence, would be to admit the oblivious. Continuation of curfew for 13 days in Kishtwar and many days in other places has revealed the obvious. The coming days have cast their shadow. While India is championing the cause of Sri Lanka Tamils against Sinhala hegemony, why is it silent about Kashmiri hegemony and forced migrations / ethnic cleansing all these days?
Ethnic cleansing from the valley is now an irreversible event. What is left must be protected. What can be prevented has to be done. What is the solution to the future conflicts. The solution has to be found within. Ethnic distribution and political affiliations are such that they cannot be disassembled on religious lines alone. Kashmiri Muslims though majority in population but are confined to a limited geographical area. Hindus though majority in Jammu region are scattered throughout while Buddhists are in majority in Leh and Shias are in majority in Kargil. Poonch and Uri districts are inhibited by Rajput Muslims, closer in race and language to Hindu Dogras. Whereas in Doda and Kishtwar region the Muslims speak Kashmiri but in ethnicity they are akin to Dogras. The Bakerwals migrate between Jammu and Kashmir every season. Thus the ethnic spread is such that it necessitates communal harmony. Therefore the inter region and inter religion cooperation is inescapable.
Dialogue can play a vital role in bringing about a peaceful resolution to the religious and ethnic discords while the political process follows its own trajectory. A road map for this is said to have been framed by the Interlocutors. Checks and controls over alien clerics and illegal migration is the responsibility of the govt lest the anarchy of the eighties overtakes. And then the Sufism, which has deep roots in Kishtwar psyche Civil society can still play a valuable role in promoting Sufism thereby promoting inter faith harmony.
Islamist and Hindutva militancy feeds on each other’s religious turfs and both need to be resolutely contested and neutralised.
Hence it is necessary for the govt of J&K, the security forces, and the politicians to rise to the occasion, catch the bull by the horns and take corrective measures to prevent Kashmir type situation in Jammu region. Above all the constitution must be followed in letter and spirit and the rule of law must be strictly enforced.
Nothing should be subordinated to the whims and fancies of individuals howsoever high or mighty they may be. If this message goes down the streets, there will be peace and harmony in the state. We want the govts which can enforce the rule of law.
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