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| Empowerment, Political Solution -- III | | Issues for the interlocutors' consideration | | Rustam
JAMMU, July 9: 8. As mentioned yesterday, it is Kashmir and the people it houses which have been playing all the shots. It is obvious that the state's other two regions have suffered enormous socio-economic and political losses. Neither the people of Jammu province, including Hindus, Sikhs, Gujjar and Bakerwal Muslims and Pathowari-speaking Muslims, nor the people of Ladakh have any say in the governance of the state, notwithstanding the fact that there are Jammu and Ladakh-based ministers in the council of ministers. They are virtually non-existent. They only sign on the dotted lines. In fact, they, like their Kashmiri counterparts, take pride in catering to the reasonable and unreasonable needs of Kashmir and its people. The truth, in short, is that Jammu province is the most neglected region in the country. Neither Kashmiri leadership nor Jammu leadership considers the people of Jammu province worthy of rights and privileges the people of Kashmir enjoy. They were for Kashmir, they are for Kashmir and they will for Kashmir in the future as well. There are reports and reports which candidly acknowledge the neglect of Jammu province. Take, for example, the 1967 Gajendragadkar Commission Report, the 1981 Wazir Commission Report and the 1999 RP Singhal Committee Report.
9. As for Ladakh, though treated shabbily by the state government, it has two advantages. One, the people of Ladakh have the option to administer such threats as "we will look towards" others. It bears recalling that in 1949 the Head Lama of Ladakh Kushok Bakula had administered threat to the effect that "they would look towards Tibet in the event of New Delhi granting autonomy to the state at the behest of the National Conference." Tibet was independent in 1949. It may also be recalled that in the 1980s Rani Parvati of Ladakh, mother-in-law of Thupstan Chhewang, now in BJP, had threatened that "they would look towards China in the event of New Delhi not conceding their demand for Union Territory status." It was this threat, plus the violent 1989 October, that had clicked and the result was an agreement under which they were to get an autonomous hill development council. The other advantage of Ladakh is that it has two autonomous hill development councils, one each for Leh district and Kargil district. Though the people of the trans-Himalayan region are not fully satisfied, yet it can be said that these instruments have helped the people of the region a lot. Yet another plus point is that the Ladakhi leaders, unlike the Jammu-based leaders, are a homogeneous lot. They work as one man for the region and the people they house.
10. Jammu province houses about 1.5 million refugees. It houses more than 100,000 refugees from West Pakistan, all non-Muslims. These hapless refugees do not have citizenship rights. Since they have been denied citizenship rights, they cannot take part in the state's political processes. They have the right to participate in the parliamentary elections but they do have the right to take part in the assembly elections and local-bodies' elections. They have no right to property in the state. Nor can they obtain government jobs. They are leading a wretched life since 1947. Jammu province houses almost one million refugees from POJK, all non-Muslims as well. They are confronted with serious problems. Their claims have not been settled even after 63 years of forced migration. Then, Jammu province houses about .3 million refugees from Kashmir, all non-Muslims, plus a few thousand Sikhs and Muslims. They are victims of militancy. They are victims of secessionism. They are victims of worst form of communalism. They, like the refugees from West Pakistan and POJK, are victims of official apathy.
11. The failure of the authorities in the state and New Delhi to redress the grievances and meet the demands of these refugees have put pressure on the local population and the pressure is of an extreme nature. However, the most inspiring aspect of the whole situation is that the refugees and the locals live in perfect harmony. They share each other's joy and grief and their complaint is one: New Delhi has abandoned them and discarded them to appease and please Kashmir and its people. They consider New Delhi as the main culprit.
12. The people of Jammu and Ladakh stand for their total merger with India, as also for the Indian Constitution, barring Article 370. They are of the firm view that it is Article 370 that has harmed them and their interests. They also hold the view that it is this Article that has raised a high wall between the state and New Delhi. They have made it loud and clear umpteen times that they would accept only that solution that merges them completely with New Delhi and empowers them to manage their own affairs themselves in a meaningful manner and as per their needs and they would not deviate from the path come what may.
These are some of the issues which warrant the interlocutors' consideration. One can only hope that they would not ignore these issues while working out a solution to the issues confronting the people of the state in general and the people of Jammu and Ladakh and refugees in particular. The people of Jammu and Ladakh and refugees deserve compassion and a preferential treatment, of course, not at the cost of Kashmir and its people. They want to obtain what is their due.
P.S. The state cannot be maintained as one political unit. It needs to be trifurcated taking into consideration the irreconcilable contradictions between Jammu and Kashmir and between the latter and Ladakh. Kashmir province also needs to be reorganized so that the displaced Kashmiri Hindus are able to return to their original habitat. Such a reorganization of the state would limit the area of contention and strife and help New Delhi resolve the issues to the satisfaction of all. (Concluded) |
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