RETURN
OF KASHMIRI PANDITS, Adfar Shah
India’s newly elected Prime Minister
Mr Modi leading National Democratic Alliance (NDA=BJP+ other supporting
parties) at the centre seems committed towards ensuring the return of Kashmiri
Pandits (Hindus of Kashmir valley who had left Kashmir in 1990’s and when the
armed conflict broke out).
Though this is not the first
rehabilitation package for Pandits, it is certainly appreciable and unique as
the Prime Minister after having recently taken over is fast delivering on the
promises made in the election manifesto.
The whole Kashmiri Muslim society
seems equally happy about the idea, who have been communally labelled and even
sometimes treated as being responsible for the Pandit exodus, which is however
a concocted myth. The fact remains that when the turmoil hit the valley in 1989
and armed conflict started, law and order literally collapsed and the lives of
all became endangered.
Minorities in such a tumultuous
atmosphere turned doubly vulnerable and left their homes in distress. It is not
that Muslims wanted them to leave, but instead lamented their forced migration.
Not only Pandits, but many Kashmiri Muslims left the valley in panic.
Now the Home Ministry is set to
approve an enhanced package of Rs. 20 lakh per family for
re-construction of their houses in the Valley, which is a welcome step with a
human touch. Nevertheless, the question remains about the very design and
methodology of the idea of “making the return possible” after a gap of more
than two decades with lots of apprehensions still in the collective psyche.
The new rehabilitation plan should
not be merely incentive based — like the previous plans and packages — but the
top priority must be given to the very question of security and safety of the
human lives involved, as uncertainty has not left from the valley. Also there
has to be a holistic and comprehensive rehabilitation of not only Pandits but
all the migrant groups or individuals — be that Kashmiri Muslims, Pandits,
Sikhs, Christians or others. Even those who crossed the border for training as
militants, but never returned and settled in Azad Kashmir need to be given a
general amnesty and a chance to return back to their land with dignity. Also
all there needs to be ample compensation for those who lost family and loved
ones, or handicapped during the conflict. Additionally, there needs to be
helped for those whose businesses were affected due to the armed conflict.
Politicising the Pain of Pandits
Since Pandits left the valley, their
pain and collective suffering has been highly politicised by vested interests.
Instead of sincerely thinking about their true welfare and possible return, a
blame game has been launched and conspiracy theories abound along with a
plethora of self-fulfilling prophecies gaining ground.
Though the central and state
governments have tried their best to make the Pandit return a reality a lack of
proper policy and planning and consistent uncertainty and violence in the
valley has marred the whole dream. Whereas the politicians continuously
benefited by throwing blame on each other and by maintaining that the exodus of
the community from the Valley took place in 1990 when Mr Jag Mohan was the
Governor of the state, thereby passing the entire blame to one person. Another
blame mostly passed by politicians was that Mr Jagmohan (the governor) was
appointed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed (now the PDP patron), who was the Home
Minister of India then.
Some have blamed Pandits for their
migration, while others have blamed Muslims (being the majority community), and
indeed some have blamed the Indian government and even Pakistan and its
agencies. Who is to be rightly blamed is still to be discovered.
Discussing the exodus and playing
blame games and benefiting from it is an old trend in Kashmir. Politicising the
suffering and pain of communities like the Pandits and other minorities and
winning political brownie points is simply condemnable, but continues to the
present date.
The allegations and counter
allegations tend to either unwittingly overlook or wrongly simplify the complexity
of the situation which lead to a mass exodus from Kashmir. One that
included about 50,000 Kashmiri Muslims besides nearly 250,000 Kashmiri Pandits
in 1989-90 (who are now 6-7 lac in population).
The entire focus of inimical elements
was to eliminate any symbol or entity that represented secular Kashmir in any
way. As a result, the Kashmiri Pandits, the only Hindus of the Kashmir valley,
who had constituted approximately 4& to 5% of the population of the Valley
during Dogra rule (1846–1947), and 20% of whom had left the Kashmir valley by
1950, began to leave in much greater numbers in the 1990s. Statistics show
that, approximately 100,000 out of the 140,000 total Kashmiri Pandit population
left the Valley during that decade.
Other sources
suggest a much higher figure. It would be naïve to believe that a highly
organized and armed militancy surfaced all of a sudden. The fact remains that
the undercurrents of militancy took strong roots during Farooq Abdullah’s’
stint over several years as CM and the 1987 rigged elections proved to be the
last nail in the coffin. Besides Mr. Jagmohan can also be blamed for his
nervous knee-jerk reaction when instead of arranging adhoc safe
camps for Pandits somewhere in the Valley itself, he advised Pandits to leave
Kashmir, which added to the pain.
In his recent work,
P. Parimoo (2012) titled Kashmir Sher-e-Kashmir argues, “The
nineties decade has been one of the Dark Ages for Kashmir as also for the rest
of the country. It began with the Pakistan instigated ethnic cleansing in early
90s of Kashmiri Pandits and those of the Muslims who did not conform to the
views of Pakistan backed elements. The period from 1989-90 witnessed the
targeted killings of Government officials, media personnel, members of the
judiciary, and members of the minority Kashmiri Pandit (Hindu) community.”
Of Pandit Return and Apprehensions
Why have the Pandits not been
returning to the valley back? The simple answer is that ‘fear cannot be without
reason’, so we need to see even after invitations by all sections of Kashmiri
Society, including the separatist brigade along with the Centre, why a total
return of Pandits seems difficult. It is not that they do not love their
motherland, but still they feel alienated and unless and until their alienation
especially within the political framework is not addressed, probably they will
not return.
That said, it cannot be argued at all
that their reverse migration is not possible now because of their settlement
outside. The plight of Kashmiri migrants, the historical wrong that has been
committed against them needs to be addressed properly. It is a fact that every
Pandit wants to return home back.
The forced displacement of about two
and a half lakh Kashmiri Hindus from the Valley has caused a number of
psychological and behavioral problems in them. The majority of them felt as if
they had been thrown away by a strong volcano, a storm of immense magnitude
into a state of wilderness and their roots almost cut off.
The policy of compensating the
security woes of the Kashmiri Pandits by doling economic packages and jobs only
indicates the insensitivity of the government. Instead of politicizing their
return, they needed to be genuinely empowered by creating secure environs,
integrating them back with Muslims and getting their property back to them. If
their migration or exodus was not triggered due to economic reasons then why
would they return for economic packages?
To get to the bottom of their
problems, there is a need to closely observe their problems, see their plight
in their settlements and understand the trauma that they have gone through. The
return of Kashmiri Pandits will not only benefit them, but the entire spectrum
of the Kashmiri population because they were one of the important pillars of
Kashmiri nationalism. Kashmiri Pandits were also part of the informal
educational institutions in villages and hamlets, thus keeping the secular
strands of Kashmir alive. Moreover, no individual or community can stay away
from their roots happily and not want to return. Becoming established at the
new place of settlement can never diminish the desire to reconnect with the
motherland. But then what needs to be understood is that they have already lost
a lot in life and have become risk averse. As such, many of them have hardly
enough to put at stake. Hence, it is only infallible measures and resolute
steps that can inspire confidence to take a chance.
Last Word
Let us not live in the old
deficiencies and blame of the past, but rebuild the pluralistic and secular
Kashmir and revive Kashmiriyat-our hallmark. Let us hope Kashmir prospers in
every way under the leadership of Mr Modi.
At the moment everyone in the
conflict torn state seems hopeful with the new establishment and expects a
breakthrough in the prolonged issue of Kashmir and the issue of Pandit
migration and pain, along with the killings of innocent Kashmiris and culture
of uncertainty and impunity.
Frankly speaking the state
governments have not been able to return the feeling of being secure to the
terrified masses for decades now, and the common masses have alone been
carrying the burden of the conflict. Mr. Modi and his interventions are
certainly relevant to Kashmir at the moment as he has promised the state
Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat that his government will win their
hearts and work for development of all. The Kashmir Valley needs economic and
peace packages to limp back to progress, peace and growth. Instead of
abrogating article 370-our identity, it badly needs the abrogation of armed
forces special powers act (AFSPA) and other draconian laws so that masses feel
a true relief. Rhetoric and blind blame game apart, the fact is that every
Kashmiri Muslim wants Pandits to return back their homes.
For the purpose of safety it is
desirable that they must be facilitated to build Pandit colonies, if they don’t
want to settle back at places where from they had left. There is no need to
politicise this issue and make it yet another crisis agenda in the valley that
now keeps waiting for a spur.
(Adfar Shah is
a Delhi Based Sociologist and Columnist on Kashmir affairs at pointblank7 and
various other national and international newspapers and media groups. Mail
atadfer.syed@gmail.com).
Adfar Shah shuttles between New Delhi
and Kashmir writing on South Asian societies and Politics for several
publications besides Eurasia Review like Analyst World, South Asian Idea,
Countercurrents, Amazons.com, Kashmir Monitor, Kashmir Images and other web
portals and newspapers. Adfar is a Sociologist and researcher (at SNCWS, Jamia
Millia Islamia, New Delhi) who continues to understand the Gender question,
South Asian politics, Kashmir in conflict, Military sociology and Indian
Military Apparatus, Af-Pak strain and Muslim identity issues. Contact him at adfer.syed@gmail.com
1 comment:
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