HVK Archives: Response to "The nowhere people"
Response to "The nowhere people" - Weekend Observer
Posted By ashok (ashokvc@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in)
Sun, 02 Jun 96 18:49:37 PDT
From:
ASHOK V. CHOWGULE
Kanchan Junga
72, Dr G Deshmukh Rd
Mumbai 400 026.
May 16, 1996
Sir,
This has reference to your cover story "The nowhere
people" (May 12-18) by Ku Namita Bhandare. It is indeed
a poor reflection on the quality of our media that the
plight of the Kashmiri Pandits has been recognised six
years after their displacement from their homeland in the
Kashmir Valley. They have become refugees in their own
country, and the reason for this is due to religious
persecution. In the past, there was a canard against
Shri Jagmohan that he asked the Pandits to leave the Val-
ley. In his interview in The Times of India (July 18,
1993), Shri V S Naipaul said, "I read in The Independent
(of London) its correspondent in Delhi reporting that the
Indians removed the Hindus from Kashmir to give their
armed forces a free hand. So the expulsion of the Hindus
was self-done; it had nothing to do with the attacks on
them."
It would be very interesting to read how Sunday re-
ported on this matter in the past. I would not be sur-
prised if it had not towed the Independent line, since
the practice of secularism demands that it be done. Any-
way, one is grateful to Sunday for realising the truth,
albeit belatedly.
However your secularism comes through because you
have not pointed out that no minister or prime minister
has ever visited the Kashmiri camps. And you are wrong
when you say that except for Shri Jagmohan, few politi-
cians have bothered about the plight of the Pandits. The
BJP has done tremendous work in trying to offer succor to
the refugees, as well as protecting them from the merce-
naries in the Doda district and other places. In fact,
quite a few of the BJP leaders have been killed by the
terrorists. Again secularism demands that you do not
recognise this role.
Yours Sincerely,
(Ashok Chowgule)
To:
The Editor, Sunday,
6 & 9, Prafulla Sarkar Street,
Calcutta 700 001.
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