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Statement of Arundhati
Roy (Nov 2010), that Kashmir is not a part of India, did raise
more than storm in a tea cup. The BJP demanded that court case
should be initiated against her, BJP affiliate Mahila Morcha
vandalized her house in Delhi and BJP’s storm troopers, Bajarang
Dal, threatened her in various ways. This statement came as a
shock to many and talk of arresting her under the charge of
sedition was in the air for some time. One knows that Kashmir has
become a raw nerve in the emotional make up of the large section
of people for various reasons. There may be lot of differences
with Roy on the solution of Kashmir problem, but two points need
to be noted and conceded. Number one, Kashmir never merged with
India as it only ‘acceded’ with the proviso of total autonomy
except in the matters of defense, communication, currency and
external affairs. And two that the statement of Roy and her other
writings and speeches on the issue of Kashmir show the pain and
anguish of Kashmiri people as a whole.
The attacks and criticism of Roy are based on the ignorance about
the history of accession of Kashmir to India. The ultra
nationalists groups, especially the one’s who are followers of the
ideology of Religion based nationalism, and a thinking of a
section of people is guided by a sort of patriotism, blinded by
emotion. This patriotism wants to put the problems of people under
the carpet. How did Kashmir Accede to India? One does remember
that there were many princely states at the time of Independence.
Most of these states were merged into India barring the ones of
Junagadh, Hyderabad and Kashmir. The mandate to princes was that
they are free to merge with either India or Pakistan but while
taking such a decision they should keep the feelings of there
subjects and consider their geographical location. The princes of
these three states had their own calculations in not merging in to
India.
Junagadh Nawab wanted
to merge with Pakistan. Nizam Hyderabad wanted to remain
independent or at worse merge with Pakistan. Pakistan offered more
powers to the princes. Geographically also merger of Junagadh and
Hyderabad was a bit out of the place their borders were not
contiguous with border of Pakistan, and the composition of
population of the percentage of Hindu population in these states
was overwhelming. India closed the chapter in these states by
military means.
Kashmir was uniquely located in an area which had proximity to
Pakistan and India both, it had large communication with Pakistan
and 80% of its population was Muslim, fitting well into the scheme
of ‘Two nation theory’ of communalists.
Maharaja Harisingh refused to merge with either country. Pakistani
army disguised as tribal invaded Kashmir. The difference in
Kashmir was the presence of movement of National Conference which
was very secular and its leader Sheikh Abdullah recognized the
comparatively stronger presence of feudal sections in Pakistan
ruling classes. Maharaja Harisingh when faced with the aggression
left for Jammu for his safety and sent his emissary to Delhi to
request India to send army to dispel the aggression from Pakistan
soil. Indian Government wanted to have an agreement before sending
the army. It’s here that treaty of accession (not merger) was
devised giving full autonomy to Kashmir except in the matters of
defense, communication, currency and external affairs. By the time
Indian army began its work, 1/3 Kashmir was already occupied by
the Pakistan army. Ceasefire followed and later Indian part of
Kashmir went on to have elections, Sheikh Abdullah becoming its
first Prime Minister (not Chief Minister).
To understand the plight of Kashmiris, Pundits included, the
issues one needs to focus are, as to how the US had designs to
dominate this area through the proxy of Pakistan, were operating
all through. This was the major determining factor for things
which happened in this region. Kashmir was Central to US anti
Communist strategies- Russia on one side China on the other. US
kept supporting Pakistan through and through to keep its presence
in the area and to keep the issue on the boil. On this side of the
border the communal elements were assertive and demanded for full
merger of Kashmir into India. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, the founder
of Bhartiya Jansangh, the previous avatar of BJP was very
vociferous in demanding this total merger.
Shiekh Abdullah’s
trust in Indian republic’s secular values was shaken with the
murder of Mahatma Gandhi. Sheikh had great faith in the secularism
of India, in Gandhi and Nehru. After Gandhi murder and the
pressure built by communalists to forcibly merge Kashmir into
India further disturbed Sheikh Abdullah. He started introspecting
whether it was a mistake to accede to India. Nehru at this point
of time was saying that what is important is to win over the
hearts of Kashmiris, while ultra nationalists, pseudo
nationalists, wanted to forcible merge Kashmir into India. Sheikh
Abdullah started talking to US ambassador and also with China on
the other. Under pressure of Nehru got Sheikh Abdullah arrested
and put him behind bars, starting the process of alienation of
Kashmiri people at large.
Later Pakistan backed by US played its own role in encouraging the
dissident sections and by helping them in all the ways. The
problem really got worse due to the entry of Al Qaeda in the
decades of 1980s. With their warped training of distorted version
of Jihad and Kafir, in the Madrassas set up by US, to train Al
Qaeda, the situation got communalized. It worsened the situation
by communalizing the issue and by playing politics in the name of
Islam.
Indian army did the rest. Starting from trying to curb militancy,
it entrenched itself in to the civilian life of Kashmir. So many
incidents of killings of innocents at the hands of army have taken
place. Brutality of army is disguised as defense of Nation. Army
lives with the dictum that power flows through the barrel of the
gun. This dictum is glaringly obvious when army stays there for
long enough time in a civilian area. This army occupation acts as
a trigger to further alienate the people of the region. Victims of
army’s highhandedness are the innocents of the region, women and
children suffering the worst ignominies. The process of violation
of civic norms and disruption of civic life has led to a situation
where the average helpless person vents his anger by throwing the
stones.
Kashmir is a vexed issue defying easy solution due multiple
interested parties. US backed Pakistan army, the intense pain and
suffering of people of Kashmir at the hands of militants and army,
both. There is a need to respect the expression of pain and
anguish of Kashmiri people. Dialogue within and outside, reduction
of army’s presence, deepening democracy and understanding the
complex logic of the area is what could sooth the wounded psyche
of Kashmir. The aggressive reaction of the type manifested by
politics wearing the clothes of religion will add salt to the
wounds and worsen the problem rather than contributing anything to
its resolution. Layers of democracy, within the state need to be
strived for and people’s voices of dissent need to be listened
carefully rather than insulted and blindly opposed without
understanding the logic of their statements and suffering of the
people of Kashmir.
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