Author: Mitu Singh
Publication: Meri News
Date: August 7, 2008
URL:
http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp;jsessionid=D3327BC40C350BEB8B4342E4DC452CBD?articleID=138953
The turmoil in Jammu has not been pacified
yet. Widespread protests, police and army action have worsened life. Beyond
the contentious Amarnath land row, ideological mutations among people of J&K
are equally responsible for the entire fuss.
Has anyone wondered how a piece of land can
cause so much unrest amongst the otherwise peace-loving population of Jammu,
so much so that despite efforts to suppress the movement, it refuses to die
down. Is it only about the controversial piece of land (pertaining to Amarnath)?
No, it is not. It is an example of a revolution that takes place when the
elasticity and flexibility of society to accept discrimination and exploitation
is stretched to its limit over a period of time. Since India's Independence
in 1947, people of Jammu have been meted out stepmotherly treatment and discriminated
in day-to-day life and also major policy decisions by all the state governments
that came and went.
People of Jammu are docile and patriotic with
most of them serving the armed forces and other security agencies. Jammu boasts
of producing many brave sons of the soil who have laid down their lives for
the motherland in past and will continue to do so. The love for the Indian
tricolour flag and spirit of India is always visible amongst them. Even the
protestors involved in the present Amarnath land row carry the tricolour flag
on their shoulders with pride and love. The spirit of patriotism can be seen
in Jammu when India wins a cricket match against Pakistan. People are out
on streets with the Indian flag and burst firecrackers with joy.
On the contrary what happens in Kashmir? It
is exactly opposite if Pakistan wins a cricket match. It is the Pakistani
flags, which are flaunted on streets, crackers bursting all over and the happiness
can't be concealed. Over all these years since Independence, the people of
Jammu have loved their nation and people of Kashmir have been demanding Azad
Kashmir (independent state) siding fully with a pro-Pakistan stand.
India can figure out what will be the outcome
if a plebiscite is held in Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmiris would go with Pakistan
without any doubt and people of Jammu will always stand by India.
I ask, when the majority Kashmiris have separatist
feelings, why are the people of Jammu always suppressed and only the voice
of Kashmiris and their parties like People's Democratic Party (PDP) and National
Conference are heard, even in Delhi. Why don't the people of Jammu really
matter and their voice is not heard even when they shout and on the contrary,
even a whisper of Kashmiris is heard without any fail?
In the present land row, this was visible.
It just took three days of protesting by Kashmiri people to get the order
for land transfer reverted and here on the other hand it has been more than
a month and even after a loss of seven lives the voice of Jammuites is not
heard. It was only yesterday that the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called
for a meeting of all parties on this issue after aggravation of the crisis.
But still, the reason is not Jammu, it is Kashmir again because the so-called
economic blockade of Kashmir valley has taken place and even essential drugs
are not reaching the Valley.
Kashmiris have even threatened to open the
Muzzaffarabad axis if the road to Kashmir is not opened. They have no problems
with Pakistan, they seemingly regard it their land. I ask, can people of any
other region or state of India even think on these lines?
It is not that people of Jammu believe in
regionalism, they have been forced to speak out because of suppression and
regional discrimination at the hands of Kashmir-based leaders and state government
could not be taken any longer. The elastic has been stretched too much and
it was made to break….
People of Jammu do not believe in fanaticism
of any kind and it is visible from the fact that despite such strong sentiments
and emotions having run high when Amarnath pilgrims were beaten and even killed
in Kashmir recently, there was no religion-based rioting! The fact is that
it is not even a political issue and no political party really matters for
an average Jammuite, it is a people's movement where the people of Jammu stand
united for the first time since Independence and they have raised their voice
as a community. These people will not be pacified and cannot be silenced till
their demands for equality are met.
One has to understand that it is not about
the land only. Land is the issue that got people together. But, there are
so many issues that need to be addressed. Take for example the Article 370.
People of Jammu have been demanding removal of this Article for so many years.
If Jammu and Kashmir is part of India, why the people from other states of
India cannot come and buy property in J&K and settle down here? I am sure
that this question must have crossed minds of so many Indians. What is the
relevance of this Article in our free and democratic nation? Should it be
there at all? By still continuing with this Article in J&K are we not
accepting that it is not an integral part of India? If that is so, why waste
so many valuable lives of our men in uniform in Kashmir. The struggle for
removal of this Article has been continuing for many years now in Jammu; many
political parties have come and gone. None of the political parties, including
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), tried doing anything about it even when
they were in power although initially they had gone to the voter with this
issue before elections.
I hope this issue of Amarnath land will be
resolved peacefully without losing any more human lives. I just hope the people
who matter understand these undercurrents and do something about them rather
than wishing them away. There are too many issues and unanswered questions
when it comes to Jammu and Kashmir.
