Shiban Khaibri
After nearly six decades of their bidding adieu to their motherland under mortifying circumstances to protect their lives and honour and make Jammu and Kashmir as their destination, separatist and other valley based political leaders are against permanent status to be given to refugees from West Pakistan, as they claim them to be “our guests only”. At the behest of such leaders, protests and demonstrations have been organized in Kashmir against “any move” to “alter the demographic character of the state” and that “BJP’s mechanizations won’t be allowed to succeed”. This has gone further in its tone and tenor in advocating for “they should be sent back to Pakistan”. This follows union Home Ministry accepting most of the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) towards resolving the problems of these refugees settled in the state. Besides certain economic measures and career building opportunities of their children in technical and professional institutions in the country etc; the committee has also recommended their political empowerment and participation in political activities of the state. Towards this end, de-freezing of some seats in the state Legislative Assembly too has been mulled.
Instead of looking at the problem from humanitarian view and welcoming the initiative of the central government in the light of all governments at the centre all these years having done practically nothing in the matter, certain elements have strongly opposed the move to accord citizenship rights , voting rights and allied concessions to these refugees. The General Secretary of National Conference, Ali Mohd. Sagar on Jan 9 has termed the recommendations of the JPC as anti – state which aimed at changing the demography of Jammu and Kashmir. The former Minister has termed these recommendations as totally “unacceptable and a wicked conspiracy to change the demography of the state and to alter the special status enjoyed by the state”. Sagar has “smelt a rat” in these recommendations. What the hardliner Pro- Pakistan Syed Geelani said about the issue, needs no mention as it being purely looked at from rigidity and an ill cognitional perspective based on imaginary threat to “Muslim character” of the state , one is baffled over the rhetoric and logic put forward by such leaders. Some have termed it as an invasion of culture at its peak. While this is a debatable issue, nevertheless, can they clarify that when these people all these 67 years could not contribute even an iota towards taking part in the cultural invasion, how come can they do it now and where? Generally preferring dresses which are not conventionally Kashmiri, even renaming Kashmiri villages, mountains, hills, towns etc or preferring to go in for more of radical ways and adopting rigid fundamentalist approach than the conventional Kashmiri ones, perhaps, contribute to strengthening of the Kashmiri culture in the opinion of such leaders. How many local leaders have married outside Kashmiri society can better enlighten about their stand on culture and explain as to how granting voting rights to WPRs was dangerous for the Muslim identity and the culture of Kashmir valley.
It is stunning that a few leaders have raised their high pitch against granting political rights to these refugees and want the Government to “send them back to their country”. Do they want them to endanger their lives, faith, property, honour and dignity in a country where they were persecuted and forced to flee simply because they were not belonging to the majority faith there? Can this argument absolve those tribal and Pakistani attackers in 1947 which let loose a mayhem of all sorts, unprecedented in magnitude and manner, particularly against non Muslims , like in Muzzafarabad, Domel, Baramulla, Poonch, Nowshera, Pattan, to name a few and the barbaric massacres in Mirpur in particular? The mere saying that they should be sent back like those immigrants from Bangladesh, Myanmar and other nationals who enter the country unauthorizedly, smacks of total blindness towards facing realities and not making a difference knowingly between cheese and the chalk. The argument again that the demography was going to be “endangered” exposes the double standard of such political leaders who are not opposing permanent settlement politically of these refugees from WP and PoK etc; only but surprisingly even any move by the government to settle hounded out Kashmiri Pandits at one or more places in Kashmir, their motherland for thousands of years. This is ludicrous and therefore totally unacceptable.
It is surprising to see total silence of the Congress Party and other “secular” Parties on the issue of these refugees excepting the queer stand of the JD(U) whose “prominent secular face” K. C. Tyagi opposing the government move and endorsing the views of the separatists and others “fearing” the permanent settlement to be against the demographic position of the state. Not only this, the move of the Government in 2008 to construct temporary shelter for Shree Amar Nath pilgrims near Baltal Kashmir was opposed on this very silly ground.
Not only did these elements object to the move but even it became the alibi to shake the then state coalition Government by the other “mainstream” partner. It is evident that those misled ones who in hundreds, crossed over to the enemy’s side to wage war against their own country and people, are allowed rather are welcome to return along with their protracted families in the name of rehabilitation. Let spades be called as spades. The whole phenomenon centers around the diabolic attempts to reduce the state of Jammu and Kashmir – in particular Kashmir valley, to a place with no signs of pluralism and to carve out a cloistered radicalized state within an unprecedentedly secular, pluralist, free and democratic country . This country has civilizational rich cultural heritage of offering protection to those who faced persecution in their native countries. How can then, any one remotely think about the mischievous suggestions to send them back to “their country” as if someone had intruded into someone else’s field or house. Kashmir can never, not even in the least, be allowed to be treated as a fiefdom of a particular political or religious group as it is tantamount to creating wedges, distances and disharmony rather than building bridges to connect and integrate people. Let sense and compassion prevail upon those who are opposing settlement of 67 years old refugees living in our state. Cultures and traditions never get invaded like what is made out as a fear there from.
The issue of refugees gets further trivialized due to political uncertainty in which the state has been plunged in currently which otherwise too does neither auger well in terms of the rigid approaches adopted by the concerned parties nor does it in way exhibit any regard and honour for the verdict of the people. The time has come to shun both imbibed and the adopted approach of treating any political Party as “Touch not” under imaginary fears and illusions. The constitution of the country is supreme and a guarantee against anything attempted against its preamble or any of its basic characters like secularism, democracy, sovereignty and equality of all. If the PDP and the BJP are mandated to form the Government, so be it without any ado. If any alternative could lead towards making a stable Government, let that be explored but a state of political uncertainty cannot be afforded in this sensitive state. People are watching very eagerly.
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