India: 'Jai Shri Ram' coercion by security force official on elderly Kashmiri sparks row in Valley | The Telegraph

 https://twitter.com/ttindia/status/1755475798578921763

Kashmir Imbroglio: Attempt to create Binary between Nehru and Patel | Ram Puniyani

Kashmir Imbroglio: Creating Binary between Nehru and Patel!

 

by Ram Puniyani

 

 

As Bharat Jodo yatra, in its final phase is in Kashmir, there is an overwhelming response. At the same time some writers and commentators are using the occasion for Nehru bashing, blaming him for the difficult situation created there. Some are using this to create a binary between Nehru and Patel yet again, stating that had Patel handled the issue it would have been ‘solved’. This understanding is not only naïve, accusatory but also far from truth. This only aims to further the BJP-RSS narrative on the troubled past and painful present.

 

As India was to gain Independence from colonial rule, the princely states were given the option to either merge with India or Pakistan or even to remain Independent. Most of the princely states could be merged with ease. The problem remained with Hyderabad and Kashmir. Hyderabad was merged to India through the police action (Operation Polo), while issue of J&K became more complicated due to its geographical proximity with Pakistan and majority of its population being Muslims.

Maharaja Harisingh wanted to keep J&K independent. He also offered ‘standstill agreement’ (status quo with use of facilities with India and Pakistan) to India and Pakistan both. Pakistan accepted this and her flags flew over the Post offices in Kashmir, as postal system was being run by Pakistan. India did not accept this agreement. There was another factor in the state. Anti-Muslim violence was engineered by Maharaja Harisingh. His understanding was that he is ruling over a Muslim majority state, so there should be at least one area in the state where Hindus are in majority. This violence led to the massacre of nearly two lakh Muslim in the state. Saaed Naqvi writes,  “To quote a 10 August 1948 report published in The Times, London: “2,37,000 Muslims were systematically exterminated – unless they escaped to Pakistan along the border – by the forces of the Dogra State headed by the Maharaja in person and aided by Hindus and Sikhs. This happened in October 1947, five days before the Pathan invasion and nine days before the Maharaja’s accession to India.”  And it is this massacre which made Jammu as Hindu majority and partly triggered the Kashmir problem.

Using this as a pretext the Tribal supported by Pakistan army launched the attack on J&K. The state was unprepared to face this assault and wanted India to send its armies to quell this aggression; it was in this backdrop that the treaty of accession was signed.

Earlier Harisingh had refused to merge with India. Also Jinnah had commented that Kashmir is in his pocket as it a Muslim majority state. National Conference, which was earlier Muslim Conference, led by Sheikh Abdullah had launched a democratic agitation against the Maharaja’s rule to end the feudal structure of society. That apart as the three states (Junagadh, Hyderabad and Kashmir) were not willing to merge with India; Sardar Patel was willing to let Kashmir to go to Pakistan if Junagadh and Hyderabad merge with India. Rajmohan Gandhi in his book “Patel: A Life”, tells us that Patel was thinking of making an ideal bargain: if Jinnah lets India have Junagadh and Hyderabad, Patel would not object to Kashmir acceding to Pakistan. He cites a speech by Patel at Bahauddin College in Junagadh, following the latter’s merger with India, in which he said: “We would agree to Kashmir if they agreed to Hyderabad.”

As far as handling Kashmir was concerned, unlike in other Princely states, here Pakistan was also involved and so Nehru, being Foreign affairs minister also, had to lead the issue. Patel and Nehru were on the same page in this endeavor. Patel was more interested in Junagadh and Hyderabad, while negotiations of Article 370 and the steps in handling the same were happening with him being very much around. He may not have been central figure in drafting of 370, but was very much in the know of the same and there is no evidence of Patel opposing it in any way. “Patel was neither central to Article 370 as …(some) suggests, nor is there any evidence that his centrality would have ensured full integration of Kashmir with India, as is assumed by the governmental narrative today.”

Also those suggesting that Patel would have taken the army further rather than call for ceasefire should know that Patel in a letter to Gopalswamy Ayyangar on 4^th June 1948 wrote, “The military position is not too good and I am afraid that out military resources are strained to the utmost” (Sardar Patel’s Correspondence)

The march of Indian army did save Kashmir from the marauding tribal’s (supported by Pakistan army). The cease fire was declared to protect the civilians and also to ensure that a peaceful solution will emerge through the United Nations. The matter being taken to United Nations has been criticized but that must have been the best option in that circumstance.

Patel very much approved of it, “As regards specific issues raised by Pakistan, as you have pointed out, the question of Kashmir is before the Security Council. Having invoked a forum to settlement of disputes open to both India and Pakistan, as members of the United Nations Organisation, nothing further need be done in the way of settlement of disputes than to leave matters to be adjusted through that forum.” (Patel’s letter to  Jawaharalal Nehru dated 23 February 1950, page 105-106,  of the book  “Sardar Patel’s correspondence 1945-50 Volume 10 Navjivan publishing house, Ahmedabad, 1974).

The attempt to create a binary between the line taken by Nehru and probable line of Patel is figment of fiction for political considerations of sorts, as Nehru and Patel both were on the same page on the issue. As far as Kashmir is concerned, as people have welcomed Bharat Jodo yatra, it is yet another occasion to introspect and restore democratic norms in the state.

India: KPSS on the damaging role of the film Kashmir Files

Kashmir Files: Pandit wing counts cost of film on the ground Pain loses its meaning and becomes valueless when it is sold for commercial and political beliefs and benefits, says Kashmir Pandit Sangarsh Samiti https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/kashmir-files-pandit-wing-counts-cost-of-film-on-the-ground/cid/1901213

India: ISIS video of Srinagar attack portends ill | Bharat Bhushan

Deccan Herald

ISIS video of Srinagar attack portends ill

Bharat Bhushan

The Islamic State has announced its presence in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) by releasing an alleged live video recording of the shooting of a police officer on Tuesday July 12 in the heart of Srinagar. The incident left one police officer dead and two injured. The video was released by Amaq news agency, an online news outlet linked to the IS. It has been described by the New York Times as the “first point of publication for claims of responsibility” for terrorist attacks.

The video shot with a body camera worn by the attacker shows him shooting at a police officer, changing the magazine of his pistol mid-way through the shooting, attacking a stationary police vehicle and showering bullets on a policeman standing under a Chinar tree vainly trying to shield himself with his arms covering his face.

Up to now, angry youngsters used to wave the IS flag to rile the Indian security forces. Now it would seem that the IS had made inroads into Kashmir and is willing to declare its presence. This has serious security ramifications. It has the potential to  shorten the ongoing Amarnath Yatra as well as the postponement of the proposed legislative elections in the Union Territory.

There is no central authority which grants membership of the IS to any terrorist outfit. Any militant group can in principle join it online. It is quite another thing, however, for the IS to claim a group and its activities as its own. The terrorist attack in Srinagar’s Lal Bazaar has also been claimed by The Resistance Force (TRF) associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba but the self-styled Islamic State (Hind Province) have threatened it for doing so.

It would be unwise to dismiss the July 12 incident as a minor attack using a pistol. If the IS has indeed made inroads in the Valley, then not only could such attacks go up but there could be bigger and qualitatively different attacks in the future. Jammu may be particularly vulnerable. Experience elsewhere in the world shows that the capacity of IS to wreak havoc cannot be underestimated.

If the terrorist activities of the IS increase in J&K, the carefully managed narrative of Delhi that everything is “normal” in the Union Territory stands in danger of falling apart. The anti-India narrative in J&K has been contained up to now by cracking down on the media. While the pro-establishment journalists in J&K today are afraid of moving out of their homes, the independent or critical journalists are not allowed to operate freely. This way the Indian public is denied knowledge of the ground situation in Kashmir.

The government may now also find it difficult to hold elections to the UT legislative assembly any time soon. Neither the pro-India mainstream politicians nor the pro-BJP politicians created by the establishment would be able to move about freely. Not  many amongst them would be willing to contest legislative assembly elections putting their lives at risk. It could become next to impossible for the administration to provide security for all politicians in Kashmir including District Development Council members, sarpanches and panches, already holed up in secure hotels away from their constituencies.  

Meanwhile, the security forces may continue shooting  militants few days after every terrorist strike, claiming to have killed the ‘mastermind’ of the attack. Nonetheless, the narrative that the administration has the situation in Kashmir fully under control and terrorism has been eliminated is likely to become less and less credulous.

That is not all. The targeting of minorities in the rest of India by Hindutva activists, often with the connivance of the official machinery, may facilitate the entry of IS outside Kashmir as well. When political doors are shut on a minority community, its grievances not addressed by the state and the civil society is prevented from assuaging its sense of injustice, the ground is fertile for extremism.

Another major consequence of an increasing presence of  IS in terrorist activities would be that the Indian establishment would have no one to negotiate with. Unlike a  political or sovereign entity, the IS cannot be engaged in a dialogue. India would no longer be able to blame Pakistan for every violent incident in J&K (or even elsewhere) as it can be no one’s case that Pakistan controls the activities of the IS. Such claims, even if made by the Indian government, would not hold much water with the international community.

Even changing the Lieutenant Governor of J&K to a Muslim face will not help. The immediate issue is not whether a Manoj Sinha can be replaced with, say for example, a Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi or another minority leader acceptable to Delhi. It is the suffocation that the Kashmiri society feels after the cataclysmic events of August 2019 – the subjective perception of the people that they have been wronged -- which needs to be addressed.

India: On the Killings of Kashmiri Pandits and suppression of civil society in the Valley leave little space for public protest | Bharat Bhushan

 Business Standard

Flight of Kashmiri Pandits: The aftershock of destroying civil society

Bharat Bhushan

Representatives of Kashmiri Pandits and anchors on prime time are being more than disingenuous in demanding protest on the streets against the recent targeted killing of Pandits from Kashmir civil society and its political parties. The presumption is that there is still room left for public protest in the Valley. But having been relentlessly cowed down by government measures, public protest will neither be easy to revive, nor will it respond selectively, only to issues where it will suit the government.

Large sections of the Hindu majority in India maintained a strategic silence when Kashmiri civil society activists and media practitioners were locked up on unsubstantiated charges. Even when a gentle soul like Khurram Pervez, coordinator of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society was put behind bars, few spoke up. Khurram Pervez worked very closely with Sanjay Tickoo, a Kashmir Pandit leader whose family stayed on in the Valley despite the turbulence of the 1990s and since. Sanjay Tickoo heads the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti which today is pleading with the judiciary to allow Pandits to flee the Valley.

Anyone in Srinagar would swear that the two social activists – Khurram and Tickoo -- were like peas in a pod, working closely to bring a semblance of sanity to Kashmiri society. With Khurram Pervez in jail and Sanjay Tickoo in hiding under police security, it makes little sense to ask what Kashmiri civil society is doing. It has been frightened, silenced, and criminalised. Having pushed civil society organisations to the wall and poisoned the well of public opinion with communalism, it is pointless to wonder where Kashmiri civil society has disappeared. It has been destroyed, as it has been in the rest of India.

Even beyond Kashmir the media has targeted civil society activists, in cahoots with the majoritarian ruling dispensation. Anyone who dared to speak up for minority rights -- their choice of food, the way they choose to dress, the way they pray or their demand for equality in citizenship laws – has been dubbed anti-national and seditious. They have to face trial both by the law and the media.

Suppressing civil society, however, has been far easier in the highly militarised conflict zone of Kashmir. Action against civil society activists and journalists is justified by suggesting that they are ‘over-ground workers’ or OGWs of militant organisations.

Now when it needs civil society on its side, the State is unable to invent a new “people” and a pliant ‘civil society’ at will. Apparently, the Indian Army, tried to engineer ‘civil society’ protests in Srinagar against growing incidents of violence in the Kashmir Valley recently. An eyewitness report of one such incident (in The Caravan magazine) described the arrival of an army truck at Srinagar’s Pratap Chowk from which soldiers unloaded and put up a hoarding that said “Akhir kab tak (How much longer)?” with hashtags #VoiceAgaisntTerrorism, #StopKillingKashmiris, #KashmirBadalRahaHai and #KashmirForTiranga. It exhorted people to call for unity – “Kashmir, let us unite”. They then apparently lit candles in front of the hoarding, several BJP leaders and retired civil servants in the gathering bowed their heads and an army officer handed out flaming torches to members of the motley crowd cobbled together for the occasion.

Such theatrical enactments are unlikely to revive civil society in Kashmir. Civil society organisations comprise non-governmental organisations (NGOs), independent mass media, think tanks and universities as well as religious and social organisations that come up organically by citizen initiatives in a democracy. Instead of seeking political power for themselves they aim at monitoring and restraining the unbridled power of the State. The word “civil” in civil society, political scientists point out, also implies tolerance of pluralism and diversity. Civil society cannot play a constructive role under the shadow of the gun or where pluralism and democracy are clouded by a revanchist majoritarianism.

Without freedom of speech, the guarantee of a fair trial or freedom to participate in a fair competition of ideas and interests, why will citizens come forward to protest injustices against minorities? That will only endanger their own lives. Despite this, an Imam in Anantnag’s Jama Masjid in his Friday sermon dared to condemn the targeted killings. He reportedly appealed to the majority community in the Valley to denounce the killings and to offer protection to the minority community.

In a similar vein, expressing shock and distress, a prominent business body, the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry has publicly declared that violence against innocent civilians was “unacceptable and against humanity.” It claimed that these incidents have “dented the image of Kashmir again” and that they are “against its cultural ethos.” Contrast this with the deafening silence of prominent all India trade and business bodies on the targeting of Muslims in the rest of India by Hindutva goons. Clearly, goodness is not dead in Kashmir yet and the warmth of its glowing embers can still be felt.

Leaders of mainstream political parties in Kashmir could have been important instruments for mobilising public opinion against targeted killing of minorities. However, they have been systematically hobbled and delegitimised by the government in Delhi. Despite this, mainstream political parties in Kashmir have spoken up against the violence. The National Conference, the Peoples’ Democratic Party, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) among others have unequivocally condemned the attacks on Kashmiri Pandits.

The Modi government’s own fight against violence in Kashmir has been aptly described by Sajjad Lone of Peoples’ Conference as a “people-less fight”, depending only on the bureaucracy and the security forces. Most formal political and informal civil society forums for people to express their views have been shut down or ceased to matter. It is unrealistic to expect them to revive over the matter of Pandit killings. More importantly, can we expect the majority to defend the minority in Kashmir, when Kashmiris can clearly see that the majority does not stick its neck out in the rest of India?

Kashmir Today: Are Pandits secure? | Ram Puniyani

Striving for Peace in Strife Torn Kashmir

Ram Puniyani

Killings by Pakistan trained; pro- Pakistan terrorists have been unrelenting in Kashmir. When Modi announced demonetization one of the arguments was that this is aimed at containing terrorism in Kashmir. Later even while abolishing article 370 and 35A this was to be one of the aims. In this background we get the disturbing news of the killing of Rahul Bhat (May 2022), A Kashmiri Pandit (KP) by Kashmir Tigers, a militant pro Pakistan outfit. The loud mouths from the ruling establishment are silent on this while the Whatsapp University got one more point to blame the Kashmiri Muslims for this brutal killing. As such the brutal act has been done by the terrorist outfit, trained into inhuman methods by the Pakistan based training camps funded by America.

The Kashmir issue has multiple factors contributing to the present turmoil. The alienation of the locals due to erosion of autonomy has been the fertile ground on which the crops of terrorists were grown by the neighbor fully backed by America. America’s goal was to keep control on the oil resources of West Asia. The complementary aspect of geographically strategic importance of Kashmir was also one of the reasons for America to operate through its vassal Pakistan.

Earlier attempts were made even by Atal Bihari Vajpayee to have dialogue with diverse groups of Kashmiri dissidents. He very aptly said that the solution to the Kashmir issue lies in ‘Insaniyat, Jamhoriyat and Kashmiriyat’ (Humanism, Democracy and Kashmiri culture). Later Dr. Manmohan Singh also attempted to have dialogue with dissidents to solve the problem. Today while Vajpayee’s meetings with dissidents are put under the wraps, the meeting of Dr. Singh with Yasin Malik is highlighted to project as if Congress has encouraged such dastardly actions.

The act of releasing the terrorists took place when Rubaiya Saeed was kidnapped (VP Singh Government), are put under the carpet and Congress is blamed for the present plight in the region. The most needed process is of course that of rooting democracy and restoring autonomy. In turn what is being imposed is the Central rule and undermining the democratic process. The presence of the military in the area is the constant eye sore for civilian life. After 2014, with Modi coming to power the process is going in a reverse direction as far as democratic mechanisms are concerned.

One recalls that during the UPA regime there was a sincere effort to make the Pandits go back to their beloved land. A process was conceptualized to rehabilitate a few pandit families back in the Valley. Good deal of monetary allocation was also provided for this work. One of the most important steps, which by now have been frozen, was the interlocutors report. The team of interlocutors sent by the UPA, was constituted by Dileep Padgaonkar, M.M. Ansari and Radha Kumar. The team travelled extensively and recommended the gradual restoration of autonomy.

Abolition of Article 370 has been always on the agenda of BJP and was supposed to be a solution for all problems related to Kashmir. Two years down the line the civic life is much worse and democratic voices do not have much place in the policy making in the state. The murder of Rahul Bhat has underlined the continuing issues which dog the state.

The state of democracy can be gauged from what happened to the protestors who were trying to meet Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha. He did not turn up to meet KPs and other protestors, so they planned a march to the airport. The police fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. The manner in which the state is dealing with issues is well summed up in the tweet by Omar Abdullah, who called the move shameful “It’s shameful that legitimate & justified protests are met with a heavy-handed response. This is not new for the people of Kashmir because when all the administration has is a hammer every problem resembles a nail. If the LG’s Govt can’t protect KPs they have a right to protest,”   

The perception is created all over the country that Kashmir issue is a Hindu Muslim issue, with Hindu minority being oppressed by the local Muslims. This is what was forcefully presented in the film Kashmir Files, approved by bigwigs of rightwing. In contrast the reality is very different. Protesting Pandits in Anantnag on the killing of Rahul Bhat question whether this is the new Kashmir Modi is talking about.  KPs also are thanking Kashmiri Muslims for supporting them in their hour of grief.

While the claims of efficient administration abound, the agitating Pandits highlighted the state of security of the civilians where the militants can enter the Government building and kill the employee. Rahul Bhat’s widow Meenakshi Bhat said that PM Modi and Amit Shah are using KP’s as scapegoats, they are using KPs as cannon fodder for their politics. I challenge them to come to Kashmir and roam around without security. “At the same time 350 Pandit employees tendered their resignations for security reasons.

It is not that only Pandits have to face such a plight. In the aftermath of Rahul Bhat’s murder Riyaz Ahmed was also murdered. An RTI activist’s inquiry is very revealing. Terrorists in Kashmir killed 1,724 people - of whom 89 were Kashmiri Pandits and the rest were "people of other faiths", including Muslims - over the past 31 years. This information comes after a wave of civilian killings in parts of J&K, including Srinagar, in the past few months, in which Kashmiri Pandits as well as many from other communities, including Muslims, and those from outside the union territory, were shot dead. Those killed are mostly pro-India elements.

The communal forces have totally misrepresented the complex processes of Kashmir imbroglio. The killing of Rahul Bhat and Riyaz Ahmed is to be seen as a part of the same process. In the light of the support of Kashmiri Muslims to Rahul Bhat’s murder we can clearly see the reality of local population Hindus and Muslims are together at social level.  

 

Film Kashmir Files: Divisive Agenda - Film Kashmir Files’ Negative Role | Ram Puniyani

Divisive Politics: Alarming Scenario

Film Kashmir Files’ Negative Role

Ram Puniyani

The incidents from Ram Navami to Hanuman Jayanti have more than shaken the nation. The ‘bulldozer of Hate’ demolished not only several households but also our Constitutional values. Backing up on this now loud speakers in Mosque is being made an issue by divisive politics. While most Muslim groups are for abiding by the instructions of Courts, the BJP-MNS (Raj Thackeray) are bent upon walking the communal path. They have threatened recitation of Hanuman Chalisa in public places and particularly in front of mosques. On the lines of Maha Aarti’s which were invented in the wake of post demolition violence in Mumbai (1992-93), Hanuman Chalisa is being made the vehicle of the divisive politics.

As the Maharashtra Government tried to solve the issue by all party meeting, BJP made its intentions clear by boycotting the same. Raj Thackeray is also looking for the opportunity to make his space in the state politics by intensifying the issue, while two BJP leaders have been arrested on this issue on the ‘law-and-order’ ground on Hanuman Chalisa issue.

One can clearly see the worsening levels of Hate in last few weeks (April 2022). The continuously rising Hate levels have been given a big boost by film Kashmir Files, which is being sponsored by the state by making it tax free on one side and by encouraging the viewing of the film by BJP patrons, who bought the tickets an masse and distributed them among the people.

For those who have been en-cashing on the Hate and violence to increase their political power, to deepen the political agenda of authoritarian theocratic state in India, this film came as a big boon. The film was criticized by those who are being labeled as liberals; this word has been twisted to create a humiliating derivative.

 As per upholders of the film and the ideology which it promotes; secularism in India faces a grave challenge from Islamic fundamentalism of which the conflict in Kashmir is the most egregious example.

Right from the likes of Sri Sri Ravishanker, to RSS supremo Mohan Bhagwat and Prime Minster Modi highly commended the film as showing the real truth. Maker of the film Vivek Agnihotri himself says that he is not just a film maker, he has an agenda and no wonder the film pushed the society in negative direction as witnessed in the incidents of recent weeks.

The left liberal strands have been worried due to the negative impact of the film and its inadequacies, partial truth and one sided projections of the incidents and their interpretation. Kashmir did see separatism right from the decades of 1950s, but this had no base in Islamic fundamentalism or Muslim communalism to begin with. It was primarily due to suppression of the autonomy which was guaranteed to the people of Kashmir through article 370 and 35A. This separatism talked of Kashmiryat as its ideology in the beginning.

It was Kashmir where Vedanta, Buddhism and Sufi traditions integrated to create the unique culture: Kashmiriyat. To think that all conversions to Islam were through sword is a biased and motivated understanding of Islam in Kashmir and also in India as a whole. Islam spread in Kashmir not due to ‘Sufi Sword’ (Dialogue used in the film) but to escape the caste atrocities perpetuated by upper caste. Swami Vivekananda points out “Religious conversions have not taken place because of atrocities of Christians and Muslims, but because of atrocities of upper caste.” Ratanlal Hanglu (‘The State in Medieval Kashmir’, Manoharlal Publication Delhi 2000) affirms what Swami Vivekananda says. Hangloo points out those conversions to Islam in Kashmir were a silent rebellion against Brahminical atrocities.

Kashmiryat is not a fantasy. We know Nund Rishi (Nooruddin Noorani) and Lal Dedh or festivals like Kheer Bhavani celebrated jointly by people of Kashmir. We also know Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s famous statement that he wants to solve the Kashmir issue through Insaniyat (Humanism), Jamhooriyat (democracy) and Kashmiriyat (Kashmiri Syncretism).

Nature of terrorism, militancy has changed in the decade of 1980s. This has more to do with the training of youth in Pakistan Madrassas towards formation of Al Qaeda, Taliban. This was the project of America implemented through its vassal Pakistan. It is these elements which infiltrated in large numbers in Kashmir and wrought havoc; on Pro-India elements like the leaders of National conference (Mohammad Yusus Halwai) and later Kashmiri Pundits. The film paints the Kashmiri Muslims in the same brush with which they paint the terrorists trained in Pakistan. These Pakistan trained elements had the mindset where distorted version of Islam taught them to label all those differing with them as Kafir and killing them in the name of Jihad.

Film tries to blame Kashmiri Muslims; National Conference and Indian National Congress for the plight of Pundits. That’s where one has to remind ourselves about Jagmohan (Who later became Minster in BJP Government) providing the facilities for Pundits to leave the valley. It was VP Singh Government supported by BJP when this disastrous decision was taken. The right thing should have been to deal with terrorists and to provide protection to the Pundits.

The film totally ignores that even today 800 Pundit families are living in Kashmir today. Film totally blacks out that over 50000 Muslims had to leave the valley due to the acts of terror, and over 700 Muslims were killed along with nearly 300 Pundits.

Islamic fundamentalism is not changing the secular character of our country; it is being used as a pretext. What is eroding the ‘Democratic idea of India’ is the rising Islamophobia, built around myths of medieval history (Muslim kings destroyed temples, Islam spread by Muslim kings through sword) and other myths related to their population, the myths which by now have generated immense Hate and are inching to boycott them in trade. Our religious processions/festivals are being turned into occasions to provoke minorities and then rolling the bulldozers on their houses, as painfully witnessed in recent times. Public recitations of Hanuman Chalisa are a mere next stage in the march of Hate politics!

The Kashmiri Pandit leader says when a Hindu is killed in Kashmir, all Kashmiri Muslims must condemn it, just as all Hindus must condemn lynching of Muslims anywhere in India

newsclick.in 

Some Government Policies Broke Pandit-Muslim Relations in Kashmir—Sanjay Tickoo

The Kashmiri Pandit leader says when a Hindu is killed in Kashmir, all Kashmiri Muslims must condemn it, just as all Hindus must condemn lynching of Muslims anywhere in India.

Ajaz Ashraf

12 Oct 2021

File Photo.

Sanjay Tickoo is the president of the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti, which he established in 1995 to fight, non-violently, for the rights of his community members residing in the Kashmir Valley. When the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits began in 1990 because of the rise of militancy in the Valley, Tickoo, then around 23 years old, chose to stay behind.

Tickoo is widely respected among Kashmiris, Hindus and Muslims alike, for his formidable ability to conduct conversations with those he ideologically opposes. He is fearless in his criticism of the government for some of its flawed policies and the targeted killings undertaken by state and non-state actors in Kashmir. In this interview with Ajaz Ashraf, Tickoo analyses the impact last week’s killing of religious minorities in Kashmir has had on religious minorities residing there.

Do you agree with those who say the situation for Kashmiri Pandits is worse than in 1990, the year they began to exit Kashmir because of the rise of militancy?

I was around 23 years old then, old enough to remember what happened in that year and thereafter. Yes, the situation today is worse in comparison to the 1990s. I say this because of the manner in which the members of minority communities were killed last week. As in 1990, so in 2021, the majority community is on the backfoot.

Backfoot?

What I mean is that when a Kashmiri Pandit is killed, the majority community consoles his or her family. They have to console and instil confidence in the [Valley’s] minority population. The last massacre of Kashmiri Pandits took place at Nandimarg village, in Pulwama district, in 2003. Twenty-four non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits (a term used to describe those who did not join the exodus) were killed. Last week, for the first time after 18 years, Kashmiri Pandits were shot dead, beginning with ML Bindroo [a reputed pharmacist].

Why do you say the current round of targeting of Kashmiri Pandits is worse than even 1990?

I say it because my dear friends in the majority community have remained silent.

What would you have wanted them to do?

I live in the Valley. Kashmiri Muslims are my immediate neighbours. Sure, many among them condemned the killings of last week. But they need to do a bit more—for instance, come out on the streets. That would have made the minorities feel safe and secure. After all, we had stood by Kashmiri Muslims in 1990 and thereafter.

In what way did Kashmir Pandits stand by the majority community?

By choosing to stay behind in the Valley, by not joining the exodus, the 808 Hindu families stood by the majority community. Our decision to stay behind was our way of supporting the majority community. If we, too, had left the Valley, there would have been no Kashmiri Pandit left to kill. In fact, if they want Kashmir to become the paradise on Earth once again, they have to come out against the killing of all civilians, religious minorities and Muslims alike, by both state and non-state actors.

Have you opted for police protection?

For the first time in my 52 years, the police came to my residence on the night of 5-6 October and said that since I was still on the radar of terrorists, I must come under their protection. My family is still at our residence. There is no security for them.

Do you think we will see another round of exodus of Kashmiri Pandits?

If there is another round of killing, not only Kashmiri Pandits, but all minorities, I fear, will leave the Valley. That is why I requested today [10 October] in my social media post that all masjid committees should use the public address system to assure minorities of their support and protection.

In case there is another round of killings, would a person like you also move out?

Yes, even I will.

How many Kashmiri Pandits are there in the Valley?

There are, as I told you, 808 Hindus families. These include, apart from Kashmiri Pandits, social groups like Rajputs. In addition, there are another 5,000 individuals who came because of the jobs given to them in and after 2010, during the prime ministership of Manmohan Singh.

Some have already left the Valley for Jammu.

They have shifted temporarily.

Some say more Muslims than minorities have been killed. As a minority outside Jammu and Kashmir, I can understand the psyche of non-Muslims there. Yet, I would want you to describe the fear that religious minorities reel under in the Valley.

Out of 28 civilians who have been killed this year, 21 were Muslim. However, the onus lies on the majority community to come to the protection of religious minorities, to make them feel safe. It is natural for minorities to feel vulnerable in the circumstance prevailing in Kashmir.

This is true for India as well. Whenever a Muslim is lynched in India, all Hindus should condemn it. Whenever a Hindu is killed in the Valley, all Kashmiri Muslims should condemn it. We need to react as humans. I am opposed to the targeted killings of the innocent by both state and non-state actors. This approach of mine is reflected in the statements of my organisation, issued at every incident of targeted killing, regardless of the religious identity of victims.

Did you know ML Bindroo, the pharmacist who was shot dead?

Yes.

Is it correct that he was a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the reason cited for his assassination?

Even in 1990-91, whenever a Kashmiri Pandit was killed, he was labelled either an Army informant or Jan Sanghi. [Members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the earlier incarnate of the Bharatiya Janata Party, were known as Jan Sanghis.] This has become a convenient reason to cite for justifying the killing of Kashmiri Pandits. In fact, even when non-state actors kill a Kashmiri Muslim, he is promptly declared to be an informant of the government and its security agencies.

The statement of Bindroo’s daughter was celebrated in national newspapers as an example of courage.

I do not endorse her statement. Every Kashmiri Muslim does not pelt stones.

Has the situation in Kashmir worsened or improved after Article 370 was read down on 5 August 2019?

It is not a matter of just Kashmir but the entire Jammu and Kashmir, which from being a State has become a Union Territory. It has created a political vacuum. The government must come up with a plan to fill this vacuum.

But has the situation improved or worsened?

It has neither improved nor worsened.

Did your life change after Art 370 was read down?

There was a feeling of sadness in the air. It touched all. We were put in what you can call an open prison [a reference to the lockdown preceding and following after 5 August], and all communications links were snapped. I am living on Ground Zero, along with 808 Hindu, 17,000 Sikh and 602 Christian families. There are 75,000 minorities living in the Valley. As minorities, we have always been labelled as Indian.

So?

My question to Indians outside Jammu and Kashmir is: Why was I and others, Indians all, put into an open prison?

Why have Kashmiri Pandits been targeted all of a sudden?

There always existed this belief, even before 1990, that whatever Delhi does in the Valley, it is at the behest of Kashmiri Pandits. What we have faced in October is an offshoot of this belief.

What about the theory that the sudden targeting of Kashmiri Pandits is a reaction to the government establishing a portal where they can lodge complaints if their properties were either sold in distress or encroached or illegally occupied? It is said this portal generated tremendous anxiety among Kashmiri Muslims.

Yes, it is true. There was a demand from my community that their properties had been encroached over the years, and that despite their complaints to local authorities, they were, under pressure, not providing relief to them.

But the way the Union Territory government tried to implement the policy, it did break the relationship between Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims.

Can you explain how?

It can’t be said that all Kashmiri Pandits who sold their properties did so in distress. Such properties under the Jammu and Kashmir Migrant Immovable Property (Preservation, Protection and Distress Sales) Act, 1997 can be restituted to the seller/owner. However, distress sales were just 10% to 15% of all properties Kashmiri Pandits sold.

Where did the Union Territory government go wrong?

You see, even I can file a complaint on that portal by citing a fictitious khasra number. The onus lies on the government to check whether my application is genuine.

Were they taking action without checking the genuineness of the application?

Yes. In fact, we too expressed our concerns to the authorities on this issue. It is only now that they have stopped doing so.

With regard to the killing of teachers, some say it was a reaction to the pressure brought on by the state on school teachers to hoist the national flag on 15 August and ensure the participation of children. Those teachers, in turn, pressured parents to send their children for the hoisting of the national flag.

Yes, that is correct. But all school teachers are not from minority communities. Most of them, in fact, belong to the majority community. You perhaps know that Burhan Wani’s father [Burhan was known as the poster boy of militants and was killed in 2016] too hoisted the flag at the school where he teaches. A photo and video of that moment went viral. If the crime of teachers who were killed was that they had hoisted the flag, then Burhan Wani’s father should have also been killed.

In other words, you are saying why target teachers belonging to minority communities.

Yes.

Do you think the method of pressuring teachers to send children to participate in the unfurling of the national flag was flawed?

Yes, definitely, 100%.

How deep and real is the fear of demographic change in the Valley?

When the government of India announced in 2009 that it would bring back Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley, Hurriyat leaders feared that it was a ruse to settle Hindus from elsewhere in India here. They opposed the transit camps where Kashmiri Pandits who had got jobs under a scheme in 2010 were to be put up. The Hurriyat wanted them to live among the civilian population.

In 2013, I met some Hurriyat leaders. I told them that you all keep saying Kashmiri Pandits should return and that the idea of Kashmiriyat [or the tradition of religious syncretism] cannot be complete without them. In case they do indeed want to return to the Valley, where would they stay? Both you and I know most of them have sold their properties. Can you all get those who purchased their properties to vacate them? Can you give compensation to those Muslims who had purchased their properties? They kept mum. I told them they should devise a plan to rehabilitate the Kashmiri Pandits, who are a minuscule minority in the Valley. They said they had never given attention to this aspect. I pointed this out to civil society groups as well.

But people are very suspicious of the domicile certificate.

Why would anyone from India want to come and settle in a conflict zone?

Why did you go on a fast unto death last year?

I went on a fast because the Union Territory government had not implemented a scheme to provide jobs to the unemployed among the Kashmiri Pandits. We had submitted a contingency plan to the government that if it did not want Kashmiri Pandits to leave the Valley, jobs must be provided to them. Because of the surveys I have done, I know the economic position of each and every one of the 808 Hindu families.

After 5 August 2019 and the Covid-19 crisis, Jammu and Kashmir’s economy has stagnated. Many Kashmiri Pandits families called me for help. In one household in south Kashmir, where I had gone to survey their condition, I heard the sound of sobbing in a room next to where I was sitting. I asked them the reason why the person was sobbing. They said they had not had a meal for two days. I was so pained by their plight that I decided there and then to fast unto death. [Tickoo broke the fast on the tenth day, after assurances from the government that the KPSS’s demands would be met.]

But the Union government conveys the impression that it is doing a lot for Kashmiri Pandits.

They might be doing it for Kashmiri Pandits outside Kashmir, but certainly not for those living here. The government’s focus is all wrong.

Do you think the importance of the Kashmir card in national politics, particularly in the Hindi heartland, complicates the situation in J&K?

Whether it was the Congress and the Janata Party earlier, or the BJP now, they have all deployed [the] Kashmir [card] for their politics. Certainly, after the BJP came to power in 2014, it has played the card quite often. In both 2014 and 2019, the BJP turned Kashmir into an emotional issue to gather votes. But I think over the last three-four months, if you go through the statement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, you will find their rhetoric has changed. For instance, Bhagwat said in a recent seminar that there cannot be a Hindu rashtra without Muslims. But…

That is like the Hurriyat saying that Kashmiriyat cannot be complete without Kashmiri Hindus—and yet no one, as you seem to suggest, works for it.

(Laughs heartily) You get my point, then.

You are credited to have surveyed Hindu temples and caves considered holy. What were your findings?

Our survey shows that there are 1,842 temples, holy caves and springs.

Do people worship at these temples?

Not in all. As of today, about 154 temples, caves and holy springs are functional.

Are all the temples intact?

No. After the Babri Masjid was demolished on 6 December 1992, the majority community retaliated. A lot of these places were desecrated and burnt from inside. Again, after a security operation at our Charar-e-Sharif shrine in 1995, when it was heavily damaged, temples became the most visible target for the majority community, which, obviously, did not want to take on the soldiers with guns.

That said, I must point out that 40 out of the 154 temples have been restored and made functional with the assistance of Kashmiri Muslims and masjid committees.

Some aspects of Kashmiriyat still exist?

Oh yes, we have the same DNA. We belonged to the rishi cult. That became the Sufi cult. I am not bothered about what happened five centuries ago, not even about 1947. I am bothered about what happened in 1990 and after that. I blame the leaders of both communities for the brutality we have witnessed.

Do you and other Kashmiri Pandits feel discriminated against in your everyday living?

No, no, not by the people, but, yes, we do feel the administration discriminates against us.

(Ajaz Ashraf is an independent journalist. The views are personal.)

Eviane Leidig: The Far-Right Is Going Global | Foreign Policy, January 21, 2020

Foreign Policy

The Far-Right Is Going Global

An unofficial visit by nationalist European leaders to Kashmir highlights the solidarity of far-right movements across the globe.

By Eviane Leidig

| January 21, 2020, 3:49 AM

In October 2019, 23 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) visited Kashmir, just two months after the Indian government removed the region’s special autonomous status. The trip sparked controversy when it was revealed that most of the MEPs belonged to far-right political parties, including France’s National Rally (formerly National Front) and Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). It wasn’t just the affiliations of these visitors that drew attention: The MEPs had been granted access to Kashmir even as foreign journalists and domestic politicians were barred access to the region, and the Indian-administered government had imposed an internet shutdown since August.
This visit was the latest example of the growing ties between the far-right in India and Europe, a connection that is rooted primarily in a shared hostility toward immigrants and Muslims, and couched in similar overarching nationalistic visions. Today, with the populist radical right ascendant in India and in several European democracies, the far-right agenda has been increasingly normalized and made a part of mainstream political discourse.

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The link between far-right ideologies in these regions long predates the relatively recent rise of right-wing populist leaders. In the 1930s, Hindu nationalists collaborated with key figures in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany in order to help advance their extreme right-wing projects.

In the 1930s, Hindu nationalists collaborated with key figures in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany in order to help advance their extreme right-wing projects.

One of the pioneers of Hindu nationalism, V.D. Savarkar, once wrote that India should model its approach to its “Muslim problem” on that used by the Nazis to deal with their “Jewish problem.” Similarly, European ideologues like Savitri Devi (born in France as Maximiani Portas) described Hitler as an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. Nearly four decades after she died, her ideology remains popular among American white nationalists. The manifesto of Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian terrorist who killed 77 people in 2011, also expressed an affinity for the Hindu nationalist approach to Islam that highlights many contemporary European attitudes toward Muslim immigrant populations.
“The only positive thing about the Hindu right wing is that they dominate the streets. They do not tolerate the current injustice and often riot and attack Muslims when things get out of control, usually after the Muslims disrespect and degrade Hinduism too much,” Breivik wrote before bombing a government building in Oslo and killing dozens of children at a summer camp. “India will continue to wither and die unless the Indian nationalists consolidate properly and strike to win. It is essential that the European and Indian resistance movements learn from each other and cooperate as much as possible. Our goals are more or less identical.”
More recently, Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist and editor in chief of the far-right site Breitbart News Network, had considered creating a Breitbart India in 2015 after Narendra Modi became prime minister of India. Bannon has long admired Modi, once calling him “a Trump before Trump.” Meanwhile, European supporters of Modi and his nationalist message include the leader of the Dutch far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) Geert Wilders.
The MEPs’ visit to Kashmir sheds light on the solidarity of the global far-right. Although they were sent invitations on behalf of Madi Sharma, a Brussels-based entrepreneur and president of the NGO Women’s Economic and Social Think Tank (WESTT), the visit itself was funded and organized by an NGO registered in New Delhi called the International Institute for Non-Aligned Studies (IINS)—a group that shares the same IP address as the obscure news website New Delhi Times.
Steve Bannon has long admired Narendra Modi, once calling him “a Trump before Trump.”
This website, in turn, is connected to a global network of think tanks, companies, NGOs, and, significantly, over 265 local media outlets in 65 countries. EU DisinfoLab, which conducts research on disinformation campaigns targeting European Union member states, recently concluded that the media outlets tied to the New Delhi Times are attempting to influence international institutions and elected representatives.
While the ideological leanings of the New Delhi Times are unclear, its network of media outlets syndicate content criticizing Pakistan’s role in Kashmir, and they regularly take Islamophobic editorial stances. Although those positions are not unusual in the Indian media landscape, it is rare for such outlets to lobby on a global scale. Two notable websites in this network—EP Today and Times of Geneva—maintain strong connections to NGOs and think tanks in Brussels and Geneva, in effect serving as lobbying interests to the EU and the United Nations.
Sharma promised invitees “a prestigious VIP meeting” with Modi in addition to their trip to Kashmir. The MEPs stated that the purpose of the visit was to “gather information” on the situation in Kashmir. Although the MEPs were technically an unofficial delegation, they received clearance not just to tour Kashmir, but also to meet with several senior members of the Indian government and military. Government ministries have publicly stated that they were not involved in arranging the visit, although it is unlikely that such clearance could have been obtained without approval from high-level authorities.
Before visiting Kashmir, the MEPs went to New Delhi to meet Modi, who said that the delegation would gain “a better understanding of the cultural and religious diversity of the region.” While in Kashmir, the European delegation went on a guided tour through the capital of Srinagar before having lunch at the Indian Army Headquarters, where they saw maps of supposed terrorist training camps in Pakistan, where attacks in Kashmir are allegedly plotted.
Several MEPs, including far-right Czech MEP Tomas Zdechovsky and National Rally MEP Thierry Mariani, later used social media to share their experience meeting the prime minister; Mariani, for example, tweeted in support of the Indian government’s policy in Kashmir. Mariani also told reporters that “we stand with India in its fight against terrorists,” while AfD MEP Lars Patrick Berg accused the media of branding them “Muslim-hating Nazis.” Both Mariani and Berg have called for stronger border security in the EU, linking migration to potential Islamist terrorist attacks.

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The Kashmir issue is a rallying cry for much of Europe’s far-right. Europe’s nationalists share a deep concern over Islamist extremism, as well as an overarching vision of national strength. In many ways, they see Modi’s hardline stance in Kashmir as indicative of their own aims.
The latest crisis in Kashmir began when Modi’s government revoked Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, thereby removing Jammu and Kashmir’s special autonomous status. Wilders openly tweeted his support of the revocation of Kashmir’s autonomy the day it was announced. The British columnist Katie Hopkins also expressed solidarity and has more recently claimed that Hindus are the victims of ethnic cleansing in Kashmir.
The Kashmir issue is a rallying cry for much of Europe’s far-right. Europe’s nationalists share a deep concern over Islamist extremism, as well as an overarching vision of national strength.
The immediate pretext for Modi’s move was brewing unrest in the region. An ongoing separatist insurgency has gripped Kashmir since 1989, and Pakistan has played a substantial role supporting violent separatist groups in the region. Islamist terrorist attacks remain an everyday reality on the ground, and they have sometimes spilled over into India itself. This includes the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, a Pakistan-based Islamist group seeking Kashmiri unification with Pakistan, launched a massive attack in Mumbai killing 164 people.
The situation continued to escalate in February 2019, when Pakistan’s Air Force launched a series of airstrikes in Indian-controlled Kashmir, leading to Indian retaliation. Periodic airstrikes have been conducted intermittently since—arguably boosting Modi’s popularity with his base and helping him win reelection last year.
Although the pretext for the constitutional change was regional unrest, there are broader goals. Hindu nationalists have long sought to expand India’s territorial reach into what was once British-controlled India—including not only Kashmir but also Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other parts of South Asia.

Kashmir After Abrogation of Article 370: Lies and Propaganda Galore

by Ram Puniyani

It is over three months that the Article 370 has been abrogated. The procedure laid down by the law has been given a go bye and through a majority in Lok Sabha, bypassing the people of Kashmir the act has been done. While many a falsehood has been promoted, lately two such surfaced yet again. Paying tribute to Sardar Patel on 31st October, Sardar’s anniversary, Narendra Modi, dedicated the abolition of this article to him. Interestingly it was Sardar who was crucial part of the Committee which had drafted the said article. Also it was Sardar Patel who had moved the resolution of Article 370 in Constituent Assembly as Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru, one dealing with the issue as External Affairs minister, was away to US at that time.

With lapse of time not only the ancient and medieval history is being doctored to suit the communal politics, even the recent history is also under mutilation by likes of Modi who are currently ruling the roost. The other point which the Prime Minster and the other top officials are harping strongly is that it was this article due to which terrorism was getting a boost! The point they want to make is that with the abrogation of this article terrorism will be controlled in the troubled state. As public memory is short it is necessary to recall that while hurling the disaster of demonetization on the country, similar claim was made that counterfeit currency is fuelling the terrorism and demonetization will wipe out the militancy in Kashmir. As the matters turned out along with other claims about merits of demonetization even this claim turned out to be totally hollow and false.

As a blockade has been put on Kashmir, normal life brought to standstill, local leaders arrested and national leaders not permitted to visit the valley, in a very clever manner a delegation of some European right wing MPs has been put together by some business person, in the name of an NGO. The invitation to the MP, Chris Davies, who said that he will like to meet the local people on his own; was withdrawn right away and the compliant MP’s did come for a the trip. Their job was to give the ‘All is well’ certificate to the Modi Governments move after the ‘conducted tour’, which they enjoyed.

During this period despite the presence of military in large numbers, despite the claims that the abolition of this article will curtail terrorism in the valley, already disturbing killings have been taking place. In one such tragic incident five migrant workers from West Bengal have been done to death, shot dead in Jammu Kashmir’s Kulgam. Prior to this there was attack on people related to fruit trade. In another shocking and painful incident one person died and fifteen injured in a grenade attack in Srinagar, in a vegetable market where vendors were targeted.

On one hand the people of J&K are feeling humiliated as their state has been demoted to a Union Territory and on the other there are boasts that this is what was the dream of Sardar Patel!

The false hood that India has eliminated one big reason behind terrorism is totally away from truth. This understanding negates the facts of history and builds the narrative to suit the politics being pursued by BJP. Why was militancy there in Kashmir? As such the story begins with Pakistan’s attack on Kashmir, in the form of Kabayalis (Tribal), who were backed by the Pakistan army. Since Kashmiri people did not want to succumb to the “Two Nation Theory” propagated by communal elements, since they were more for secular democracy, they did request Indian Government to quell the Pakistani aggression. The complex process leading the treaty of Accession and later article 370 through Indian Constituent Assembly has been dealt with extensively by serious commentators.

The efforts of likes Shyama Prasad Mukherjee to put pressure to forcibly merge Kashmir with India, the rise of communal politics in India sent the feeling of disenchantment to Sheikh Abdullah in particular, the one who as such was instrumental in accession of Kashmir to India. To cut the long story short, Sheikh’s apprehensions were answered by putting him in the prison and this is what sowed the seeds of alienation among people of Kashmir. This alienation of Kashmir people duly supported by Pakistan is what has been the root cause of terrorism in Kashmir. Article 370 was the protective cover which by giving the autonomy to the state of J&K was a big obstacle to the proliferation of terrorism as such. Of course the global situation where by America sowed the seeds of Al Qaeda to fight against Russian army added on to the problem as the Al Qaeda and its clones, after defeating the Russian army in alliance with anti Soviet Forces, made their entry into the troubled state, and communalized the militancy. Thirty years down the line now the picture is being presented in an obverse way.

What was needed was to instill more democracy in the state and involve the disgruntled elements into the process of dialogue. Of course the negative role of Pakistan, backed up thoroughly by America has been the major factor. The problems can be solved only when the correct diagnosis of the issue is made. The warped understanding of recent history by communalists, is dictating the current politics and so the blame of militancy is being put on article 370. Article 370 has also been blamed for lack of development in Kashmir.

The truth is that in social development indices Kashmir’s indices are better than many states and above the national averages. Time alone will tell how Pakistan behaves, how the cancerous Al Qaeda type elements will be tackled within the state. An all round process of dialogues on the issue is a must. Strengthening of democratic process seems to be the only way to restore peace and overcome the violence which is the tormenting the people of Kashmir!

India: Political Hinduism has won the day in Kashmir | Anand K Sahay

The Asian Age

Political Hinduism has won the day in Kashmir 

by Anand K Sahay

The ugly truth our citizens in Kashmir have been confronted with since the first week of August continues to grow hideously in size.

 Security personnel patrol the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Jammu on Friday. (Photo: PTI)

There are times in history when facts call attention to themselves; they assert their independence in all its amplitude and are in no need of the crutch of interpretation. Such a moment is visible in Kashmir now. Merely by being on the table, the facts there taunt the regime’s proclamations.
At such a time it ceases to matter that the Supreme Court should be unseeing and should conduct itself in unhurried, complacent fashion, mindful only of the technical routine, superficialities, and of the urge to be seen on the same page as the government, as though nothing exceptional occurred on August 5 and imagining that nothing came apart in Kashmir on that fateful day.

Thus, it is of little consequence to the top court that around 250 habeas corpus writs, many of them in respect of children, should lie with the J&K high court, practically unattended. A habeas corpus writ denotes urgency. However, at the current rate, their disposal could easily take a year or more.
By then the world for the people of Kashmir would have altered forever, with Kashmiris becoming indifferent not just to India but to the idea of India, to the foundational values of our republic in which they had placed their trust 70 years ago, instead of simply stepping over the line and joining the Islamic republic next door.
The ugly truth our citizens in Kashmir have been confronted with since the first week of August continues to grow hideously in size. The message they receive, subliminally, is that in their case the very idea of justice is no longer in the landscape of the possible.
This impression is reinforced by the fact that the country’s top court has not just waffled on habeas corpus, it has postponed hearing the constitutional petitions that challenge the Narendra Modi government’s jettisoning of the core of Article 370 and creating two Union territories out of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, a decision which takes effect on October 31, to mid-November, in order to be overly-solicitous of the government and give it one more month to frame its reply.
By then the decision to dissolve the state of J&K would, in effect, have become irreversible, making the constitutional challenge mounted against it pointless and irrelevant. This Supreme Court would be remembered in judicial annals for abetting the current goings-on, and overlooking the constitutional view that a state of the Indian Union cannot be dissolved.
An ordinary recitation of the facts should shake the government out of its slumber, but this seems too much to expect in the present case. This is because the government’s propaganda has prevailed, and that fills the government with hubris.
But the facts won’t go away — namely, that around 4,000 people in Kashmir — professionals, businessmen and politicians of every shade, and not just the separatist Hurriyat Conference — have been locked up. The Valley’s Juvenile Justice Committee has informed the Supreme Court that as many as 144 children were booked under the draconian Public Safety Act.
After weeks of shutdown, schools have been ordered open because the government is keen to advance the new surrealism that life is back to being normal. But children do not attend, partly out of fear of the men in uniform who are now thought to number a few hundred thousand in the Valley, and partly because, for Kashmir, quiet disobedience has emerged as the new paradigm of protest.
The matrices of defiance are changing when gun-toting men in uniform populate every street of every town in the Valley. At the present juncture, Kashmiris are unlikely to present themselves as objects for target practice.
In the eyes of sympathetic and unsympathetic observers alike, the Kashmir arena is apt to resemble a vast military encampment rather than a platform that instils amongst the populace greater security awareness and raises hopes of economic development in conditions of peace, the big promise made by New Delhi and touted internationally.
Mobile phones and the Internet still do not work 60 days on, and people are unaware of events taking place only metres from their homes. Landline phones have indeed been restored, but not many people have these outdated instruments. Severe restrictions in Kashmir, some of which will draw human rights concerns, are not Opposition propaganda, as some high political executives have maintained. They are frighteningly real.
But in the rest of the country, people are ignorant of the history and the current reality. With high-pitched, violent, religion-based nationalism being presented by the highest in the land, a whole new vocabulary is purveyed through the pliant sections of the media which reminds us of Orwell’s 1984.
Thus, Article 370 of the Constitution, which has been scrapped for all practical purposes, has been falsely converted into a “temporary” provision in public perception (and this is being canvassed abroad) by those at the highest levels of government, and is thus presented as a fit case for abrogation. Two judgments of the Supreme Court — the first by a constitution bench in 1968, and the second by a two-judge bench in 2016 — which have emphatically pointed out the opposite, are being suppressed. The Apex Court too is silent on this.
In order to kowtow to the political bosses, the media refuses to make a critical analysis because the people of Kashmir, doubtless on account of their religion (which is bad-mouthed by adherents of today’s dominant ideology), are practically been seen as “the enemies of the people” of India, and are therefore deserving of no consideration, let alone the protections available to all as a matter of right in a democracy.
A little-known fact is that the official doublespeak, dutifully reproduced especially in the television media, was being beamed to the people in the Valley day in and day out, right through the communications clampdown. In Kashmir, the people saw themselves being demonised everyday by high-pitched television anchors who assumed the mantle of religious warriors, not journalists discharging their professional responsibility with scrupulousness.
It seemed as if shades of the normative ethos of the Third Reich — which targeted people of a particular faith — and the Russian gulag — when Big Brother decided that being locked up, beaten, and denied basic rights — was best for the people, had been resurrected.
A perceptive Kashmiri fruit-grower said to this writer recently, “Over the years, the Valley has protested many actions of the government in New Delhi. But it is for the first time that the people of Kashmir have been depicted as antagonists of the people of the rest of the country. The story has been converted into people against people.”
In 1947, the dominant Hindu political elements in J&K did not urge Maharaja Hari Singh to merge his kingdom with India. Instead, they acquiesced in his ambition to try and remain independent. When that gambit failed after the attack by Pakistani raiders, the monarchy was ended, and political power passed to the people via Sheikh Abdullah’s National Conference, the Hindutva outfits violently agitated for Kashmir to be dissolved into India.
Seventy years on, that communal goal has been realised, riding roughshod over the Constitution. The so-called rationale of security and economic development being trotted out is for the birds. Political Hinduism has notched its most significant victory in independent India, surpassing the Ayodhya demolition.