Polling has polarised J&K - This is blessing in disguise

Prof R N Kaul

Geonquests by "foreigners' and especially because of Dogra rulers, conquests and purchasing of the state (along with its people by the Dogras), the state has three distinct regions- the Valley of Kashmir, the Jammu sub mountainous region and the mountainous wildernesses of Ladakh Because of climatic differences etc, the three regions possess distinct ethnic, racial, cultural, religious and linguistic identities. No doubt in course of time, populations have got mixed up, but the majority of people in the regions maintain major differences. The mixing up has, no doubt, been also due to trade, administrative contingencies and movement from one region to another. Three major languages are spoken in the three distinct regions-Kashmiri (and Urdu) in the Valley, Dogri in the Jammu region and Ladhakhi in the Ladhakh area. Of course many dialects, also, are spoken by the people. Three major religions are professed - Islam in the Valley, Hinduism in the Jammu region and Budhism in Ladhakh Of course, people of diverse faiths have also got mixed up Thus the state has a unique structure. We could call it a mini India And throughout its chequered history, its poor people have been exploited by 'foreign' aggressors. Only the Dogras gave it some period of peace, though exploitation continued unabated by the rulers, by the absentee landlords and by useres (money lenders).

And there appeared on the political firmament of the state a star in the human form, a man of moral integrity and a passion to free the poor people from the shackles of poverty and political slavery. This man, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, started voicing the tyranny perpetrated on the people from the early thirties of the last century. Jailed by the Maharaja Hari Singh for many years in inaccessible forts of the state for his 'rebellion', Sheikh Abdullah continued to struggle for secularism, socialism and democracy. In this he followed the ideals of the Indian National Congress which had been struggling for decades against the British tyranny under the leadership of such self-sacrificing leaders as Gandhi, Nehru, Azad, Patel and Gaffar Khan.

Sheikh Abdullah's own ideals were strengthened by his close contacts with these great leaders. Nehru took special interest in Kashmiris struggle for freedom and Gandhi could see a ray of hope only in the Valley while thousands of Muslims and Hindus were being killed in the Punjab following the partition of India on communal lines.

This background has been given in order to comprehend fully the state's uniqueness and complicatedness. The geographical position of the state has added the most strategic complication to it. The state has borders contiguous with China, Afghanistan and Pakistan. There has been decades' long trouble in Afghanistan, first its occupation by Soviet Russia, then by the Taliban helped both by USA and Pakistan. China and Pakistan have been anti-India. Pakistan has waged wars to grab the Valley by hook or by crook, by giving military training to thousands of militants who unleashed a jihad resulting in arson, rape and murder and in the bargain losing more than 50,000 young Muslim mujahidin in the Valley.

The most intricate problem is the porousness of borders, thousands of trained militants sneak into the Valley and in the Poonch region and create havoc. There has been one more problem that has added to the woes of the State: the popular governments in the state, whether headed by Sheikh Abdullah or Bakhshi Gulam Mohammad or G.M. Sadiq or Mir Qasim, worked with a communal and regional prejudice so that the Jammu region was not given full share. in developmental activities. Funds provided by the Centre went to the coffers of politicians or bureaucrats or technical personnel engaged in the development work. This created a sharp divide among the three regions, taking a communal complexion. This led to hatred and alienation. And hence the polarisation in the latest elections.

But it appears that this apparently great hurdle to government formation has been a Godsend, a blessing in disguise. A great opportunity has come, a great chance for reconciliation and mutual cooperation. It is time to catch time by the forelock. The PDP, with 28 and the BJP with 25 legislators, can work together to give the state a stable government. They can provide peace necessary for development. The state needs no politicking, but an assured road for onward march to progress. Leaders of both parties should demonstrate maturity and statesmanship. The BJP is undergoing a silent and subtle transformation and may soon shed its deadwood of a communal origin and RSS support. This can happen under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, As Mr. Baig, a senior member and ideologue of the PDP, has said the BJP is not an untouchable party. In fact both parties have to be pragmatic and justify the mandate given to them by the people.  I close this plea with a quotation from Shakespeare: There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood leads on to fortune... Such a tide has come indeed for the political parties in the state. 'Fortune' will mean development and stability.

(The writer lives in Nonyata, Bengaluru).

 

Courtesy:- Prof. R.N. Kaul and February 2015 Koshur Samachar