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| Is Kashmir part of secular India or part of Islamic Republic of Pakistan? | | Holy Amarnath Yatra-2013 | | Neha
jammu, Feb 2: Notwithstanding Governor NN Vohra's negative role during the 2008 Amarnath land row and his controversial views on the so-called Kashmir problem as well as his failure to rein in the NC-led coalition Government which went beyond constitutional confines and created doubts in the minds of the majority community about the political status of the State vis-a-vis India several times during the past more than four years, he and the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board of which he is the ex-officio chairman deserve appreciation for their positive decision on Shri Amarnath Yatra-2013. The duration of annual Yatra this year will be 55 days, as against the last year's 39-days duration - a decision that had provoked widespread protests in Jammu and elsewhere.
Immediately after taking over as State, Vohra, whose 5-year term will expire on June 25, 2013, had written a letter to the then Ghulam Nabi Azad-led coalition Government asking it to take back the peace of land at Baltal (Kashmir) which it had diverted to Shrine Board as per the directions of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court on a temporary basis for creating some additional facilities for Amarnath Yatris suggesting that the SASB didn't require the land anymore. It is obvious that he had written that controversial letter at the behest of the Congress-led UPA "secular" Government. The Congress-led coalition Government in Jammu & Kashmir had taken no time in withdrawing its order under pressure from fanatics in Kashmir ignoring the fact that its action would be construed as a contempt of court. Indeed, it was. It is a different story that no one knocked at the door of the High Court. However, Azad did pay a very heavy price on July 7, 2008, when the prevailing volatile situation in Jammu province and across the nation left him with no other option but to tender resignation. He outraged the sensitivities of devotee of Lord Shiva and paid the price.
Now that ex-officio chairman of the SASB and all members of the SASB have shown respect to the sensitivities of the devotees of Lord Shiva across the world and announced 55-day-long Yatra, it is hoped that they would welcome the decision, notwithstanding their demand that duration of Yatra should have been 60 days. In fact, a number of Hindu organizations have already welcomed the decision of the SASB.
The decision of the SASB needs to be appreciated all the more because it also shows the fanatics and extremists in Kashmir their rightful place. In fact, it is a big slap on the face of fanatics who want New Delhi to consider Kashmir as part of Islamic Republic of Pakistan where minorities are treated with contempt and also persecuted; where there is no religious freedom; where the members of a particular religious sect dominate and control the establishment, the Army, the land, the natural resources and what not. The decision of SASB to extend the duration of Yatra from 39 days to 55 days would surely keep the fanatics in Kashmir awake in the night, as they would take it to mean defeat of fanaticism. As a matter of fact, the decision has already angered the fanatics and pro-Pakistanis in Kashmir.
Tehrik-e-Hurriyat (TeH) of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, which wants the State's merger with Islamic Republic of Pakistan, for example, has upped the ante and denounced the otherwise very rational decision of the SASB overlooking the sensitivities of the Hindus and devotees of Lord Shiva. The Geelani outfit has described the decision as offensive and unfortunate. "This is so unfortunate that SASB has extended the Yatra duration up to 55 days. The decision is offensive. We will convene a session of the executive council to discuss the issue and to formulate our strategy," a Hurriyat (G) spokesman said yesterday, adding that "the SASB decision has also made it clear that J&K authorities are just stooges before New Delh" and that "it is so unfortunate that instead of raising voice against the move, the authorities here have maintained a silence." The Geelani outfit termed the SASB as a "State within the State". "New Delhi doesn't care about the aspirations of the people of Kashmir. We consider the issue as of a serious nature. It is a matter of dignity and prestige. We won't allow the 55-day Yatra as it would prove disastrous for us in future…we won't allow anything that would harm the state's interests," he also said.
What the Hurriyat (G) spokesperson shamelessly said was outrageous, highly provocative and a direct interference in the religious affairs of Hindus. Let him and others of his ilk cry, chaff and shout. It hardly matters. Jammu & Kashmir is not part of Islamic Republic of Pakistan where the writ of fanatics runs; it is part of secular and democratic India where things have started changing dramatically with the fed-up-majority-community taking on and exposing fake secularists and demanding a dispensation that treats all equally, irrespective of their caste, colour and creed, and discards the pernicious policy of appeasement. It is hoped that the SASB will stick to its decision and take to task the fanatics if they dare to create any trouble during the upcoming Holy Amarnath Yatra. |
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