In 1996, Kashmir scripted a new history. It was the yearwhen a long spell of no-elections was broken in Jammu and Kashmir for over sixyears. It is not all about the Assembly elections, but also about theparliamentary polls – the combined might of the government of India and thenElection Commission of India, could not hold the parliamentary elections in thesummer of 1991. Perhaps for the first time in the state’s history this kind ofsituation had arisen where even the polls for the Parliament were not possible.
The situation was really bad, more than that there was ascare in the minds of policy makers in Delhi that kept J&K out of map ofpolls in 1991. But these polls were held in April-May 1996 and theparticipation was so high that the world was surprised. A senior governmentfunctionary while reeling out the percentage of the voters in the electionssounded so unconvincing not because the voters had not voted but because theywere taken to polling booths at many places. The rest is history.
In August 1996, Kashmir sent a powerful message to theworld. New Delhi was engaged in promoting the narrative of participation in theAssembly elections and was determined to provide all the necessary security toenable a fearless environment for the elections, but nature intervened in itsplans. The tragedy struck Amarnath pilgrimage – more than 242, mostly pilgrimsand Kashmiri porters were waylaid by the unseasonal snowfall, avalanches andrains. These were the days when phoneswould work rarely in the Valley, and floods had played havoc with thecommunication system. Pilgrims who survived the nature’s fury had no place to go.They were hesitant, scared and thought that they were in the land of militants– no fault of theirs, they were fed with all this back in their homes.
Kashmiri Muslims in Anantnag – most of the pilgrims used toprefer the traditional route from Pahalgam to reach the shrine – opened theirdoors to the pilgrims. The pilgrims were made comfortable and feel safe.Kashmiri Muslims sheltered and fed their honourable guests, but they didsomething more, they made their phones available to them to call home and saywhere they are, and how they are. Phone was a luxury but allowing someone touse the STD calls was generosity. But the local population asked the strandedpilgrims, not to hesitate and all their home any time. This reads like a fairytale. It is a fact that many pilgrims wrote in different newspapers even in theplaces where they were told that things in Kashmir were bad, really bad. Whatthey experienced was angels in Kashmiri Muslims.
A footnote to this reportage is that in 1990 when themilitancy erupted and the Kashmiri Pandits were moving out of the Valley afterselective killing of their community members. It was an atmosphere of completefear all around. Amidst this atmosphere some die hard devotees of Lord Shivaembarked on a journey to the cave shrine of Amarnath. Mind it, there were nocavalcades, no convoys, no escorts for their security. One of the bus carryingpilgrims rolled down into a gorge, many were injured seriously. Locals spottedthe accident victims and rescued them risking their own lives to save them.This is Kashmir. They are not waiting for others to tell them that what rolethey have been playing in the conduct of the yatra, their commitment to theirtradition of respecting and guarding their guests runs in their blood. Indeed,few bad incidents took place in 2000 and thereafter, but Kashmiri Muslims werethe ones who condemned these in unequivocal terms. Even as late as in 2017,they had donated their blood for the pilgrims injured in a road mishap.
In 1994, a militant outfit called Harkat-ul-Ansar- theoriginal version of Jaish-e-Mohammad had threatened to attack the yatra if thegovernment failed to lift the BSF bunkers around the most revered Hazratbalshrine in Srinagar. Militants had occupied the shrine in October 1993 for a month, they were tired out and they weremade to vacate the shrine without firing even a bullet. The responsibility ofthe shrine was handed over to J&K police and BSF. The BSF had set upbunkers to ensure that there was no repeat of the October 15, 1993 episode whenthe militants had occupied the shrine.
The HuA issued a statement threatening attack on the yatra,it came under sharp criticism from Hurriyat Conference. The separatistconglomerate condemned it and said that yatris would not be harmed. And theywere not.
Why I wrote this? Certain times re-open the times andtraditions. Kashmiri Muslims have a rich history of hospitality and I felt thatthere is a need to retell it once again, as the traditions are living despitethe hard times they have seen for the past 30 years.