Recently a Kashmiri pandit, Dr. Rajindar Kachru, put out a video clip showing Kashmiri Muslims and ongoing freedom struggle in a bad light. The clip is based on lies and half truths to mislead people of India and International community just to damage the movement of freedom loving people of Kashmir. In 2006 Rajinder Kachru visited SKUAST in connection with some academic event and visited his ancestral house in Rainawari. The then Vice Chancellor SKUAST, Prof. Anwar Alam and me accompanied him. His Muslim neighbours received him with open arms and moist eyes. He was escorted to a residential house where traditional Kashmiri hospitality was extended to him by his neighbours. Later on he entered into his ancestral house, which he found was intact, but in a dilapidated condition. He was seen off by emotionally charged men and women appealing him to return to his home. In the evening Kachru made a special reference to his visit to Rainawari, in a Seminar and described it an exemplary gesture of brotherhood displayed by his Muslim neighbours. After this Kachru made several visits to Kashmir with his family and enjoyed his stay. The following account puts the record straight.
MYTH & FACTS. Kashmiri pandits like some caste ridden backward societies of India are prone to believe in mythologies of bygone era and take them as historical facts. Pandits believe that in Kashmir there was a demon named Jalodbhav who had created havoc in the whole valley. He was immortal in the waters due to the boon from Lord Brahma. Ultimately, Jalodbhav was killed by Lord Vishnu after drying up of the lake with the help of Lord Balram. It came to be known as Kashmir after the name of Kashyap Rishi who brought the gods to earth. In recent times Pandits have hammered out another myth they call as ” exodus”. This is being done to equate engineered migration of Kashmiri pandits with historic exodus of Jews from Germany. There is nothing common between the two. Exodus of Jews is a historical fact whereas ” exodus “of pandits is a myth created to gain undue benefits from powers that be at the expense of inhabitants of various States of India including Jammu. There is ample evidence that pandits have all along been migrating to Indian States in search of the greener pastures long before current freedom struggle in Kashmir.. The mass migration of Kashmiri pandits in course of current freedom struggle was engineered by Shri Jagmohan the then governor of J& K to pave the way for wholesale and relentless massacre of Kashmiri Muslims. That was era of myths and this is the reality. If one is put to stand in a witness box; one’s argument will start by “why exodus soon after Jagmohan stepped in & why not a few days prior to his taking over as governor’. (Though human lives have equal value but if figures matter, the death of some 23 Kashmiri pandits in course of uprising against Indian domination is nothing but a miniscule proportion of Kashmiri Muslims slaughtered by armed forces. The few Kashmiri pandits killed can be at the most described as collateral damage which is a sort of an aberration given to the ethos and peace loving nature of Kashmiri Muslims. This will be further detailed in what follows in this write up.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE. At the time of partition of India people of J&K like other princely states had to decide their future. During this period half a million Muslim men women children of Jammu region were massacred by Hindu ruler of J&K. Their residential houses were either burnt or forcibly occupied by Hindus. To avenge genocide of Muslims in Jammu some tribal men from NWFP of Pakistan entered into the valley. This was the time when tempers ran high and Kashmiri Muslims could have joined hands with these tribal men for a retaliatory action against killers. But while acting on noble commandments of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and holy Quran, Kashmiri Muslims restrained from killing of unarmed minority community of Kashmiri pandits in the valley and ensured their full protection at the cost of their own lives. This historical fact stands acknowledged world over including tallest leader of India, M.K. Gandhi..
This should be an eye opener for Kashmiri pandits like Sushil Pandit and many others who spread venom against Kashmiri Muslims through government controlled electronic media. For preserving Kashmiriyat which KPs usually refer to in their discussions debates and columns etc, the leadership of Kashmir during and after partition (1948-49) strongly resisted and opposed forcible occupation of J&K territories by India or Pakistan and offered priceless sacrifices. For this sacred cause may one humbly ask Rajinder Kachru and other KP friends what was their contribution towards this peoples struggle? Is it not a fact that KPs watched the situation silently till the local government came into being, enjoyed the government patronage, captured official positions and treated Muslim employees as their slaves. As pointed out in the foregoing Jagmohan under a well planned strategy arranged migration of KPs from Kashmir in connivance and consent of Political Pandits of Kashmir and Delhi to achieve two fold objectives of (a) defaming the freedom struggle and (b) massacring Kashmiri Muslims.
The civilized world has deplored these atrocities. None of the members of Kashmiri pandits voiced their concern on Gawkadal, Bijbehara, Handwara, Zakura massacres and Kunanposhpora mass rape, and wholesale killings. .
(For details refer human rights activists of India and published reports of Gautam Navlakha, Arundathi Roy, A. G. Noorani and others). One may not suggest KPs to refer to UN HR reports on Kashmir because they brand them as Pak agents.
At the time of migration all Kashmiri pandits employed with J& K Govt would get their salary dues even without attending to their duties because Kashmiri Muslims would take care of their assignments. Kashmiri pandits would relate their false woeful tales of so called eviction to inhabitants/officers of other states and they would get preferential treatment in their service careers, admissions in educational institutions in India and abroad and other facilities so much so that now being well tucked up in their places of migration they don’t want to come to Kashmir.
Kashmiri pandits and their supporters in media in India and abroad are well advised to stop spreading communalism through false and fabricated RSS supported propaganda against Muslims of Kashmir.
God fearing and peace loving Kashmiri Muslims have always displayed communal harmony and respect for other faiths. They have set glaring examples of humanity and brotherhood even during extremely critical periods of their sufferings and oppression. The bereaved Muslim families deffered the burial of their martyred dear ones till they first completed the arrangements and reception of baratis of non migrant kp girls on their marriage ceremonies in their localities Khrew, Shangas, Lassipora, Achabal, Habakadal are some recent examples.
Kashmiri Muslims in general, Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) and mainstream political parties in particular have been demanding migrant KPs to return to their home land, but they avoid to respond their call because they do not want to be deprived of the privileges and economic benefits which they are enjoying under the garb of being migrants. Morever, they do not like to act against politically motivated whims and wishes of their masters in Delhi.
Kashmiris possess individuality and national character which cling them wherever they go. We have seen men who have returned to the valley whose ancestors left the country 3 or 4 generations ago. Their dress was changed and their manners had changed yet they retained unmistakeable signs of Kashmiri origin, and their ways of thought and of speech showed their descent. Kahmiris are fond of their own country, its food, its water and its dress. Being the sons of the soil migrant kps are no exception to this. Observing hostile and hate attitude of RSS towards migrant KPs in different parts of India particularly in Jammu, several KPs have started realising the significance of the Kashmiri proverb; (tsari chu kand thari peth karar) which means that a bird [sparrow]is content when it is on its own branch. Many migrants have come back, with the exception of some who have assumed the role of advisors for present rulers in Delhi in dealing with mass struggle in Kashmir.
In the interest of communal harmony and brotherhood Rajinder Kachru and his like minded friends need to desist from befooling people and spreading hate by parroting same structured narrative and stop creating an atmosphere of fear and terrorising Kashmiri Muslim students presently pursing their studies outside the state, as evidenced in their recently organised conclave on J&K trifurcation held on January 14th, 2019 in Delhi.
(The author is retired University Professor and Chief Scientist SKUAST Professor Emeritus.)
sarvar.farooqi.75@gmail.com