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| Jammu Pradesh & Communalists' Critique -- I | | 2 and half districts propaganda ill-motivated, flawed | | Rustam | 7/11/2012 8:37:46 AM |
| Neha
Jammu, July 10: Kashmiri activist-cum-columnist-cum what not, Dr Javid Iqbal, who is always conspicuous by his presence in break-India debates and seminars has defended the Adbee Markaz Kamraz (AMK)-sponsored two-day conference on Kashmiri language in Poonch. Let him do so and put forth arguments to make people believe that the intentions of the organizers were pious. But the politically awakened people who know something about the nature of Kashmiri leadership and their stand on India, democracy and secularism will find it extremely difficult to share the views of Iqbal.
In an article contributed by Iqbal. He has said many things, not new, and, hence, deserve no recognition. However, there are two points which cannot be ignored. One, Iqbal is not feeling comfortable with those like Panthers Party chairman Bhim Singh and his colleagues, besides many others, who term Jammu region as Jammu Pradesh consisting of 10 districts - Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur, Reasi, Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban. He doesn't say that Jammu, Kathua and half of Udhampur districts are Hindu-majority where people support the idea of State's reorganization, but he actually means only this.
Two, the formation of Jammu & Kashmir State in 1846 has brought about cohesiveness between Jammu & Kashmir. "Calling Jammu a Pradesh smells of divisive agenda. Jammu and Kashmir in a unified form is a political and economic necessity, ethno-socio-cultural too. 166 years of living together since 1846 [the year of signing of Bainama Amritsar] has rendered cohesiveness to the State that needs to be respected. We may not subscribe to the often repeated call of two and a half districts going their own way. This is a note of exasperation rather than a clearly thought out scheme," he has said.
It needs to be noted that the State of Jammu & Kashmir came into being in March 1846 under the Treaty of Amritsar, which was signed between Maharaja Gulab Singh and British Government. Actually, Gulab Singh purchased Kashmir by paying Rs 75 lakh to the British Government. In other words, Kashmir became part of the Jammu Kingdom and not the vice-versa. Iqbal talks about cohesiveness. But where is that. Everyone knows that the people of Jammu Pradesh and Ladakh are conspicuous by their absence in Kashmir for reasons not really difficult to fathom. But no Kashmiri politician and no Kashmiri commentator will ever accept this fact. On the contrary, they will go on talking about the otherwise non-existent cohesiveness between Jammu & Kashmir and between the latter and Ladakh.
It is not the people of Jammu Pradesh and Ladakh who have been responsible for the age-old inter-regional animosity and bitterness. It is the politics of autonomy, Pakistan and independence that is being indulged in by the Kashmiri leadership, plus the discriminatory policies that are being devised and ruthlessly implemented by the Kashmiri-dominated State Government, which have embittered further the already bitter relations between Jammu & Kashmir and between the latter and Ladakh. It would not be out of place to mention here that Kashmiri leadership had from day one demanded abrogation of the Treaty of Amritsar, saying the British Government had sold the life and dignity of Kashmiris (read Kashmiri Muslims) to the Jammu Dogras for 75 lakh rupees. As late as in 1846, the National Conference had sought abrogation of the Amritsar Treaty and demanded that it should be "thrown out of lock, stock and barrel". It would be also not out of place to mention here that the NC had launched "Quit Kashmir Movement" in 1946 to secure Kashmir's separation from Jammu Pradesh. The rest is history.
The point is that the history of relations between Jammu Pradesh and Kashmiri leadership is one of bitterness and animosity of an extreme nature. Notwithstanding the fact that the people of Jammu Pradesh have always welcomed the people of Kashmir. So much so that they have sacrificed their legitimate political and economic rights to keep them in good humour. It would be no exaggeration to say that all of their sacrifices made in the name of national interest have gone down the drain. (To be continued) |
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