Introduction to KashmirForum.org Blog

I launched the website and the Blog after having spoken to government officials, political analysts and security experts specializing in South Asian affairs from three continents. The feedback was uniformly consistent. The bottom line is that when Kashmiris are suffering and the world has its own set of priorities, we need to find ways to help each other. We must be realistic, go beyond polemics and demagoguery, and propose innovative ideas that will bring peace, justice and prosperity in all of Jammu and Kashmir.

The author had two reasons to create this blog. First, it was to address the question that was being asked repeatedly, especially, by journalists and other observers in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, inquiring whether the Kashmiri society was concerned about social, cultural and environmental challenges in the valley given that only political upheaval and violence were reported or highlighted by media.

Second, the author has covered the entire spectrum of societal issues and challenges facing Kashmiri people over an 8-year period with the exception of politics given that politics gets all the exposure at the expense of REAL CHALLENGES that will likely result in irreversible degradation in the quality of life and the standard of living for future generations of Kashmiris to come.

The author stopped adding additional material to the Blog once it was felt that most, if not all, concerns, challenges and issues facing the Kashmiri society are cataloged in the Blog. There are over 1900 entries in the Blog and most commentaries include short biographical sketches of authors to bring readers close to the essence of Kashmir. Unfortunately, the 8-year assessment also indicates that neither Kashmiri civil society, nor intellectuals or political leadership have any inclination or enthusiasm in pursuing issues that do not coincide with their vested political agendas. What it means for the future of Kashmiri children and their children is unfathomable. But the evidence is all laid out.

This Blog is a reality check on Kashmir. It is a historical record of how Kashmir lost its way.

Vijay Sazawal, Ph.D.
www.kashmirforum.org

Friday, July 18, 2008

Either Way a Civil Dialogue Trumps Over Fanning Flames of Anarchy

Jammu Civil Society (unlike their counterparts in the valley) led the effort to denounce anarchy and mayhem. No one stood more tall than the old stalwart named Balraj Puri

(Mr. Balraj Puri, 79, was born in Jammu city and attended the Ranbir High School and the Prince of Wales College in Jammu. He is a journalist, human rights activist and a writer who has been an eye witness to the turbulent history of the State. He has written 5 books, including the historical "5000 years of Kashmir" in 1997. He is the Convenor of the J&K State branch of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), and the Director of the Institute of Jammu and Kashmir Affairs, based in Jammu.)

Why Jammu burns after Kashmir burnt?

Soon after taking over his assignment as the Governor of J&K state NN Vohra, made first overture to ease the situation in the valley by offering to surrender the land the state government allotted to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board of which he is the ex-officio head. It immediately caused a backlash in Jammu region when the BJP and other Hindu organizations called for a Bandh and led protest marches. When the State Government formally decided to revoke the land deal and took upon itself the task of providing all facilities to the pilgrimage excepting the religious rituals, bandh in Jammu was extended for 72 hours. Meanwhile the BJP National President gave a call for All India Bandh on 3rd July though BJP’s Prime Ministerial designate LK Advani maintained a meaningful silence. The local leaders have threatened to extend the agitation till the state government takes its decision back. The situation in valley is back to normal but in Jammu mass scale spontaneous protests are going on which led the government to impose indefinite curfew. The moot question remains that why Jammu is burning after Kashmir burnt for ten days. Is it purely a religious issue or there is more to it?

Apparently turmoil in both the regions is over a trivial issue. As long as the pilgrims are assured of all facilities, it should not have mattered much how the task is shared by the Board and the Government department. There is a need to understand the political dynamics about the manner the events have unfolded in both Jammu and valley. The significant fact in this context is that the trouble in Kashmir started at a time when there was confusion and demoralization in the separatist camp. And new Pakistan government is very conciliatory towards India. The obvious conclusion from this fact is that alienation in Kashmir valley is not entirely an imported phenomenon ; the indigenous causes need to be studied and remedied.

Likewise Jammu’s discontent which is mainly political is long standing. It just needed a flash point to explode. The foremost problem in the state is to evolve a constitutional system which can reconcile diverse interests and aspirations of the three regions in the state. Otherwise tensions between regions will continue to feed extremist sentiments in all the regions. In Kashmir, they seek secessionist and anti-India outlet. In Jammu, reactions takes communal or integrationist (abrogation of Article 370) form. The divergent reactions form a vicious circle reinforcing each other. In 2002 Assembly elections, Congress projected Ghulam Nabi Azad, a Muslim belonging to Jammu region as its Chief Ministerial candidate. The Congress swept the poll in the region and the BJP was marginalized and its strength in the assembly was reduced to one.

But change of guards at the helm proved to be temporary palliative. Not only disillusionment soon started in Jammu region, complaints of discrimination were raised in Kashmir also. Occasionally echoes of regional tensions were heard in the cabinet which was divided on regional lines on many issues. The People Democratic Party leader and Finance minister in the state government, for instance, publicly raised the issue of discrimination against Kashmiri Muslims in the recruitment by Service Selection Board and by the State Vigilance Organizations. It is in this context the PDP which was party to the land deal decision of the cabinet joined the popular agitation for revocation of that decision.

J&K state which is the most diverse state of India , has ironically most centralized system. Not to speak of regional autonomy that was promised by Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah in July 1952 , which was never implemented, the state does not have even institutions of democratic decentralization i.e. Panchayat Raj which is in vogue in the rest of the country. The Chief Minister spends a lot of time in receiving complaints over problems in a village and in redressing them which should be legitimate domain of Panchyats. Likewise there is no regional board no district board and no block board which can provide institutional arrangements to attend to the grievances of the people at the respective level. Development is the main plank of the Congress government. But it is no substitute for urge for empowerment and identity. There is a need for secular institutional forum of the people at various levels for this. The unrealistic approach of the Congress has led to its gradual isolation firstly in Kashmir valley and then in Jammu. It has lessons for the party as it has to reshape its J&K policy by understanding the grass-roots realities of the state. Otherwise its future is doomed in the border state.

Coming to the current turmoil in Jammu it is regrettable that leaders of Congress took four days to visit Jammu since turmoil started in Jammu. The situation was left to be handled by bureaucrats to assuage popular sentiments who are ill equipped for the task. Even the agitators in the larger interests of Jammu must try to prevent religious polarization. Secular traditions and secular identity of Jammu have been its greatest strength since post-Independence era despite many provocations. By raising religious slogans and making the land deal a Hindu problem they are damaging the cause of Jammu. Muslims of Jammu are as much politically and socially alienated in the centralized political setup as their Hindu counterparts of Jammu. Already communal clashes have reported to have taken place in Bhaderwah, Rajouri, Banihal and Samba areas of Jammu. If communal tension spreads it may lead to division of the state and Jammu region which is neither in the interest of Jammu nor of Kashmir nor of India. In this sense even Muslim extremists were more tactful. They repeatedly assured that they were neither against the Yatra nor the Hindus but only against the government.

Jammu is a vital geopolitical bridge between the people of Kashmir and the rest of the country. While they have a right to express their ire against leaders of the agitation in Kashmir and the state government, as good patriots they should draw a distinction between them and common Kashmiris and not take the onus of weakening their role as a bridge. Lastly Jammu must realize the potentiality of disciplined and peaceful methods of struggle which can sustain it much longer and are much more effective with far less damage to society, if at all, than violent demonstrations can do.

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