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| Non-Muslims constitute 40 per cent of state's population | | Kashmir Not Mirwaiz's Fiefdom | | Rustam
JAMMU, July 7: The discredited and highly opportunist Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who heads the divided All-Party Hurriyat Conference-M (APHC-M), is, like his bitter critic Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Shah Geelani, not feeling comfortable these days. The reason is that the State Government has, according to him and Geelani, sent a high-level team to Tel Aviv (Israel) to encourage Israelis to visit Kashmir as tourists. His opposition to the Israelis is based on the fact that the Israelis are anti-Muslim and that maximum Israelis are linked with Mossad (Israeli spy agency). His opposition is also based on the fact that Tel Aviv is willfully changing the demography of Palestine by settling their Jews with a view to establishing its stranglehold over this territory.
"The Government knows that Muslims all over the world have problem with Israel due to its anti-Muslim policies and issue of Masjid Aqsa is not only the issue of Palestine, but it is an emotional issue for entire Muslim ummah…We are not against tourists coming to Kashmir, but there definitely is some ulterior motive behind encouraging Israelis to Kashmir," Mirwaiz said on Friday while addressing a religious congregation. His opposition and the opposition of Geelani to the otherwise well-meaning official move is as senseless as it is communally motivated.
It bears recalling that Director Tourism, Kashmir Division, Talat Pervez, had last month at a press conference, among other things relating to tourism development, said: "Israel has not issued any travel advisory for Kashmir and a number of tourists from that country have been visiting the Valley and Ladakh in the past. We are keen that maximum number of tourists from Israel should visit Kashmir. That is why we are visiting the country and we would do a road show in Tel Aviv." There was nothing wrong in what Pervez said. After all, India has not excommunicated Israel. And, why should New Delhi blacklist Tel Aviv. It is not an enemy country; it is a great friend of India. Israel has umpteen times offered its support to New Delhi to tackle the menace of terrorism and secessionist violence. Besides, Israel is one country which has been supplying sophisticated arms to India and the relations between the Indian Army and Tel Aviv are more than cordial. Hence, the State Government has taken a right step to re-assure the Israelis that Kashmir is peaceful and that there would be no threat to the Israelis visiting Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. As for Kashmir, it is not the fiefdom of Mirwaiz or any other Kashmir. Kashmir is part of India and anybody can visit Kashmir.
Mirwaiz not only opposed the official move saying that it is fraught with dangerous ramifications and that it is calculated to "hurt the sentiments of Muslims", but also said that Jammu & Kashmir is a Muslim-majority State, which needs to be treated as such. Yes, Jammu & Kashmir is Muslim-majority State. But it is equally true that the non-Muslims in the State do not constitute a microscopic minority. The non-Muslims constitute no less than 40 per cent of the State's population. In other words, the proportion of Muslims and non-Muslims in the State is 60:40. To be more precise, the Muslims and non-Muslims in the State are almost evenly balanced.
But more than that, Jammu Pradesh is overwhelmingly non-Muslim. Over 70 per cent of the Jammu Pradesh's population is non-Muslim and the Muslims of Jammu Pradesh, like the non-Muslims, are highly patriotic, liberal and democratic. Besides, they are ethnically non-Kashmiri, with an overwhelming majority of them not part of the ongoing secessionist and communal movement in the very small Valley. Ladakh, like Jammu Pradesh, is also a region where non-Muslims (read Buddhists) constitute majority. And, as far as the Muslims of Ladakh are concerned, they are rabidly anti-Pakistan and intensely pro-India. All, barring a few hundreds, are Shiite Muslims. Besides, they are ethnically non-Kashmiri and they are extremely angry with the Sunni leadership of Kashmir for the simple reason that it has failed to protect the Shiite Muslims of Gilgit-Baltistan against whom Pakistan has let loose a reign of senseless brutalities.
What about Kashmir? Kashmiri society is fragmented; it is highly diverse. The Sunni Muslims do constitute a majority in the Kashmir Valley, but the Gujjar and Bakerwal Muslims, Pathowari-speaking or Pahari-speaking Muslims, Shiite Muslims, Dard and Balti Muslims, Pathans, Kashmiri Hindus and Sikhs, who do not support the ongoing secessionist movement in Kashmir in the real sense of term, constitute almost 35 per cent of the Kashmir's population.
These are some of the hard realities in the State. Even a naive cannot overlook these facts. The problem is not Mirwaiz or Geelani; the problem is the failure of the authorities to confront the undesirable with these facts. They must do so to cut Mirwaiz and Geelani to their size. But will they? |
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