Kashmir has always attracted kings, explorers, adventurers, historians, linguists, poets, etc. Very few could, however, scale the defensive wall of the Himalayas and survive the hostile winter climate of the valley.  Those who were able to stay, got absorbed into the local cultural streams, but Kashmiri identity, by and large, stood the test of time.

Kashmir has also been a crucible for three major religions, beginning with Hinduism, then Budhism and ending with Islam, bringing forth new religious thought streams like Trika Shaivism and Mahayana Budhism. Even to this day, Brahmins of South India, except those who have made a break with the past, observe Satpadi, reverentially walking seven steps northwards, everyday, in the direction of Kashmir.

The advent of Islam also saw the emergence of rishis and saints like Lalla Arifa and Sheikh Nooruddin Wali, Alamdar-e-Kashmir, whose vaks and shruks gave a syncretising flavour to the already inclusive thought processes that the people had evolved based on their newfound exposure to Islamic teachings.

In terms of natural beauty, Kashmir has earned many an appellation: the Switzerland of Asia, the Garden of Eden, Iran-e-Saghir, etc. Travelers to Kashmir have waxed lyrical about its enthralling beauty, inspiring Thomas Moore who had never had a chance to visit Kashmir, to write his famous poem ‘Lala Rukh’, comparing Kashmir to a bride full of blushes.
Good looks, in the case of both lands and people, invite covetous looks.

‘Territory of Desire’
Thus, while Kashmir became a ‘territory of desire’ for those who visited or aspired to visit, Kashmiris became objects, providing for and pandering to the desires and pleasures of their visitors, which brought them neither prosperity nor happiness. On the contrary, it brought them deprivation, travails and tribulations, described in the following verse of Hafiz Jallandhari:
 Sheer se mehroom hai malik hai joo-e-sheer ka,
 (The owner of milk is deprived of the milk in his stream)
 Ek Pehloo yeh bhi hai Kashmir ki tasveer ka.
 (This is another aspect of the picture of Kashmir)

Kashmir lost its independent character as a sovereign state a little more than four centuries ago and regained it only for a period of seventy three days, after the British vacated the seat of power in Delhi.

Alignment with National Movement for Freedom
One century of Dogra rule administered the final death blow for Kashmiris in social, economic and political terms. They stood excluded in government jobs because of low literacy, and also from other benefits. In the background of the agitation of 1931, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, later given the appellation of Sher-e- Kashmir, took charge of the struggle for freedom from Dogra Rule. After he took on a secular mantle and converted the Muslim Conference into National Conference, he aligned the movement with the national movement under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, who became his mentor and then friend and, ultimately, his foe when the latter incarcerated him in 1953.

Dithering on Accession to India
In the run-up to the independence of India, the Maharaja was required to make up his mind whether to join India or Pakistan or remain independent. Hari Singh dithered in taking a final decision in this regard, despite the fact that Lord Mountbatten undertook a special visit to Kashmir in June 1947 to exhort him to take a decision one way or the other.

Nehru was very emotional about Kashmir, the land of his forefathers. He had been closely pursuing the issue of Kashmir’s accession to India with Lord Mountbatten, so much so that in an official report the latter had described him as ‘pathological’. Nehru made an emotional speech to the Lok Sabha on 7th September wherein he candidly admitted his interest in and attachment to Kashmir.

The issue with regard to accession was clinched by the invasion of the valley by large number of tribesmen from the North West Frontier Province. The Maharaja was already tensed up after the revolt in Poonch. Thus, when the offer providing armed forces for repulsing the raiders was made conditional on the accession to India, he had no option except to sign on the dotted line. The only saving grace (and perhaps also the reason for subsisting dispute relating to Kashmir) was that the accession was made contingent upon ascertaining the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. For reasons and counter-reasons advanced by both the countries, the plebiscite never materialized.

Bonhomie and Subsequent Discord
Immediately after he became Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Sheikh Abdullah addressed a public meeting along with Jawaharlal Nehru in Lal Chowk Srinagar, where he made the famous remark that he and Nehru had become one person, he the body and Nehru the soul, and nobody should look upon them as two separate people.

Since both leaders were on the same wavelength, it’s quite baffling as to why New Delhi and Kashmir should have drifted apart so much only in a matter of a few years that Sheikh Abdullah had to be dismissed as Prime Minister and arrested in 1953.

Framing the Debate
A blunder often committed by the strategists in Delhi is  that decrease in the level of violence and increased participation in the official electoral process from time to time should not be taken as the consent of the people for continuance of the status quo. That such situations represent elusive peace has been amply demonstrated by the mood of the public protests of 2008 and 2010.

Even as the ground is being prepared for holding a dialogue amongst the stakeholders for resolution of the issue, it is absolutely necessary that the central and state governments should at least take the following steps for confidence building and removal of trust deficit:

• The state government should actually be seen to be in charge of the affairs within its domain. Commitments given by the Chief Minster for unbiased probes into innocent killings should be honoured.

• There appears to be no justification for the continuation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and the Disturbed Areas Act, as these were relevant for dealing with situations where guns were used.

•  Government should announce general amnesty for the political prisoners arrested during the recent protests, in particular, the arrested youth between the age of 9 and 25 years. 

• Security forces should be reduced to minimal levels and immediately sensitised about the accepted protocols for crowd management.

• Consensus should b evolved for a common minimum programme to be observed by all political parties across the spectrum, which would ensure that educational institutions and health care systems function in an uninterrupted manner. 

•  Good governance may not be germane to an issue, which is basically political but bad governance always leads to unrest. There is an immediate need to focus on promoting accountability and controlling corruption.

• Engagement of outliers seeking “Azadi” into the political mainstream of J&K is needed to define what “Azadi” means, as accomplished in other parts of the world. Dissent has to be shaped into creative and mutually agreeable solutions.

The present strategy of mandating hartals and bandhs , is self-defeating. The livelihood of the people, who are not government employees, is lost.
The opinion leaders of various hues, who have been calling the shots, need to think through as to how they can give a meaningful direction to the movement. People should be restored to their rightful position as masters of their own fate and inheritors of a rich and varied culture, with diversity of religions and regions.  

Riders hung in the air
The lack of effective engagement between the government and the separatist groups can be visualized as two riders, pedaling away on bicycles, hung in the air. A corollary to the well known scientific principle attributed to Al Jazari, an Arab scientist of the 13th century, is that resistance is an important ingredient of conversion of circular motion into linear motion and, by implication, it can be inferred that this can happen only on ground and not in the air. Resistance should therefore be seen by all parties as an essential element of forward motion.

Unfortunately, the young Chief Minister who sounds well meaning and is also articulate is still struggling to establish his score in the state, which, undoubtedly, is a complex one. This is despite his good performance in the past as a central minister. No need for disappointment. Let him take the recent challenges as an opportunity for reaching out to the hearts and minds of the people, with a focus on delivering on the promises he had made during the elections of 2009. His composure during the recent shoe-hurling episode was commendable. Let him continue his engagement with the people of the State following the philosophy of governance contained in the statement, which has become a classic: ‘Apply not your lash where your tongue suffices, nor your sword where your whip is enough. And if there be one hair, binding you to your fellow men, let it not break. If they pull, you may loosen and if they loosen, you may pull.’

(The author is the former Chairman of J&K Public Service Commission.. He currently serves as the National President, Youth Hostels Association of India, an organization dedicated to promotion of peace and understanding.

He can be reached at shafipandit@gmail.com)

Lastupdate on : Sat, 21 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 22 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST