B L Saraf
It is not an overstatement that, after the partition, Jammu’s has been a tale of woes. True, other parts of the state also suffered but the region’s loss in terms of administrative and political influence is immeasurable. History has devastated Jammu but the geography, too, has not been kind to it. Post independence this region had to pay dearly for the sins committed by others. However, to Jammu’s credit, despite the grave provocations it stood steadfast on the principles of secularism and syncretism: so much so that people from all corners of the state and of all the beliefs found peace and solace here and took to it as a second home.
People in the Jammu region are crying in pain as they feel cheated by the Central government’s move to bye- pass it while sanctioning AIIMS in the state, and by the state government’s decision to discontinue the construction of the Tawi Lake . Some may tend to see the government action purely in administrative and financial terms. But a medical institute, equipped with modern facilities, would be a boon for any place; more so for a one like Jammu whose geographic terrain is so treacherous and the poverty of the populace so abject . And, a lake near the city would definitely add grace and charm to the ambience, sufficient to attract tourists which in turn will create economic avenues for so many unemployed. We are sure PM Narendra Modi understands it better. So should CM Mufti Sayeed know the importance of one more tourist destination in the State. Moreover, the experts tell us that the such a lake would enrich the ground water table and be a help in irrigation .
It is to state the obvious that there is a huge trust deficit between Jammu and the Kashmir Valley. Even a genuine administrative or an economic step taken for one region is considered an undue largess for the other. Unfortunately, Governments (of all hues) revel in heightening the suspicion . They see political prosperity in it. Mughal Road and the Kishtwar – Anantnag Road could be the examples. What could be a boost for the economic prosperity of the underdeveloped areas and a much need alternative to the BC Road has got enwrapped in a suspicion. Some elements in Kashmir project it as their effort to enlarge Valley’s social ,cultural and political influence over some strategic areas in the Jammu region. It t is tragedy that nothing is being done by the responsible quarters to dispel the impression. People in Jammu region, rightly, get the feeling of being squeezed out. Perception, as a rule, outplays the reality, though the latter does not lose the ground. But when nothing is done to clear the air, the perception entrenches itself as the’ reality’.
Nobody should fault people of Jammu for having resorted to a peaceful protest to press their demand. We may recall that after creation of more Districts, in 2006, the previous government instituted Committees headed by senior bureaucrats (Retired) to re-organize and rationalize the existing revenue and rural development units across the state and recommend creation of more units , wherever required. There was a furore all over the state against the recommendations of the Committees. Residents of one area complained against the other and started a protest. Bowing to the electoral compulsions, particularly in the Valley, the state government superimposed a third Committee of the Ministers, headed by the then DY CM, to look into the matter a fresh. So, we got a set of recommendations which played financial havoc and made mockery of the whole exercise with creation of far more units than were necessary-often overlapping one another. Comparisons are not good but, given what is at the stake, people in the Jammu province have a hugely justifiable cause to agitate. Care, however, is to be taken that the protest does not turn into an animosity between the two regions. Trust deficit should be minimized.
Coming to the larger point, for Jammu it is not just a question of missing one medical institute. It is about region’s ‘perceived ‘fall off the national radar and of a feeling of being treated as an object of ‘adjustment’. When something major is in the offing for other part of the State Jammu gets crumbs as an ‘accommodating’ measure. People in Jammu have myriad reasons to feel hur. The region’s geographical spread and the population dispersal do not find commensurate representation in the Assembly. We have people from POK and refugees from W. Pakistan denuded of their basic human rights. In life reality can sometimes be a brute. In the context of J&K state the pre-eminence of the Valley to attract near total national attention is the example. May be the relation of state with India, brought about in peculiar circumstances, and the regional and demographic character of J&K has something to do with it . In that case one has to endure the bitter truth-in all pervading ‘national interest’. But everything has a limit !
Everybody talks about aspirations of the Kashmiris. So have the people in Jammu . Both must be addressed concurrently. Most people had welcomed the formation of PDP- BJP Alliance for governance in the state. Precisely, for the reason that coming together of two political formulations, with their different regional vote base, will be a bridge between the regions and the development would happen on even scale. They still retain the hope . However, if the people in Jammu feel repeatedly slighted and ignored the optimism of the admirers will wear thin .
Jammu is endowed with a hugely accommodating nature which we experienced in the trying times. Together, with its strategic placement in the region Jammu can act as a countervailing force to thwart the sectarian and fissiparous tendencies. A destabilized Jammu, therefore, will have serious national implications. Jammu’s tale of woe must come to an end. That may pave a road for us to walk side by side peacefully and in dignity. May be therein lies the J&K’s salvation!
(The author is former Principal District & Sessions Judge).
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