Pir Panchal :The Sentinel of Kashmir identity.
Another World Refugee Day was celebrated on 20 June by the migrants in pain and anguish, by the Kashmiri Pandit community diaspora world over. They have been doing it for three decades without fail .Exodus keeps them on march, through a long dark tunnel of uncertainty, chasing a dangling stick put in front of them. where it shall lead them , how long more it will take has become a matter of speculation. This long arduous unending journey carried in a fervent hope it may end in the near future. Believing in good faith a promise by any Tom, Deck and Harry who matters. For the safe return of the Kashmiri Pandit migrants to their homes and hearth with dignity.
The prime factor that the assurances in all hue and colours comes from those whom they call their messiah. That is the reason for them to move on with hope; a day shall come sooner or later to be back to Maouj Kasheer. Migration en-mass broadly speaking has a number of factors that induce it against wishes, one climate related, where drought forces people to migrate to escape starvation , hunger deaths, second is the contagious incurable disease during that time, and last but not the least . to escape tyranny of the rulers for survival with dignity and honor.
Kashmir valley bears testimony to all these scenarios . Kashmir's unique identity and character, must owed to its natural barrier the Pir Panchal Range that has granted it that historical isolation to remain distinct and unique both in historical and geographical sense. Because of it developed its own culture, tradition, though foreign influence did made in roads but got absorbed never was allowed to ride it over its own culture. To understand a Kashmiri by an outsider is a hard nut to crack, reminds of a diplomat once stationed in Moscow, who found two absurd statements in his life that, Liquor do not affect me and that I understand a Russian.
The Brahmins of Kashmir are as any other Brahman in the world . Yet they are called Kashmiri Pandits . It has its own Sivism cult, developed Sufism that suited its culture, chanted Kashmiriyat, in a unison. Religious places are revered by all irrespective of caste colour or faith, Desecration was Ruler sponsored , tentatively started by the king Harsha (AD 1089-1101) was first to desecrate temples , that ended with the Afghan rule. Kashmri Pandit suffered worst over the centuries at the hands of tyrant rulers, who desecrated, demolished, converted their religious places besides other unbearable sufferings and torchers perpetuate on them.
In spite of it prevailed upon the Sikh rulers to agree the places of worship had to be revered not desecrated. This legacy has been carried by Dogra rulers. Kashmir Muslin has also taken every care to preserve the sanity of the religious places of Hindus.
On record seven migrations have taken place in the history of Kashmir. All under tyrant rulers barring the last one in the democratic set up. Democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where 51% of the people may take away the rights of the other 49%" or any of its listed variations. All earlier six exodus were valley based and exclusively of the Kashmiri Pandits. The recent one both sides of the Pir Panchal were affected. From Kishtwar, Doda, Raman, Gool Gulabgarh,Reasi , Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Samba and Kathua. Has left deep scars of death and destruction everywhere here .Became opposed and resisted too . One thing deliberately avoided to mention that in all these migrations locals in general were against it, before gun helplessness, all that they could do, facilitated their migration in secret, parting with tears.
Another
undeniable fact is that the Muslims from the valley also faced
the entire brunt after the KP migration .Their predicament was where
to escape , crossing the lines not permissible, coming this
side of the Pir Panchal was not a better option, with a general tag
they are the reason. Unlike earlier migration, this one has an
element where care for Kashmiri migrants was initiated and provided
by the Government , in the shape of relief though a nominal one ,
government accommodation for which colonies were raised , migrant
status to the government Employees for the purpose of drawing salary and being
treated on duty in absentia . Besides internal political migrants, the
government allotted accommodation in posh hotels in Srinagar with migrant
status, incl all benefits and that still goes on. And the Prime
Minister’s package .
Hasty
adding there has been many gray areas in the deliverance sector of
favoritism , nepotism, stinking corruption exploitation incl baser
one. While as it has become a deep introspection why Jammu
province migrants have been discriminated against. What can be sauce to Kashmir
Migrants could not be for the Jammuites.No Prime Minister's Package,
no job reservation, no multistory colonies for them, no clusters at home for
them to go back. When both suffered and migrated
for the same reasons . in comparison much more and
sacrificed a lot , took guns to fight it, some with hand and even ladies
with sticks. Suggested to form a Special Police officer, and youth took to guns
to fight insurgency.
Never cried or asked for pity .Never
asked in the name of exodus, that government should fight and protect them in
every step of life and migrants shall only hold migrant cards for sops. Instead
proved up to the mark far ahead of others at the call of duty to
protect sovereignty and integrity of the nation .Kashmiri Pandit migrants only
beast the chest being Hindu they suffered ignoring all those who also
suffered far in numbers, irrespective of caste creed and
faith, region.Yet parochial mindset on the part of those at the helm of
affairs made them struggle every inch for relief on similar lines without much
success.
It
needs intense research , who and how the migrants were treated and helped
to settle and start life anew under unfamiliar land in earlier six
migrations. Kashmiri Pandit Shabas are a century old concept, what before
that.
The
recent migration referred by various names such as holocaust,
genocide, internal refugees in their own land, ethnic cleansing etc
has every element that the Government failed first to perceive it and
second had either no intention to stop it to project it as ethnic
cleansing before the world. From the migrant camps in most pathetic
conditions migrants were put. Deserve a threadbare discussion in the
National interest. Taking into the consideration the resources
were there with both the State as well as that of the Government of India
at that time . Through a number of intrusions from across the
border, firsthand knowledge about the loopholes in the defence network were
well known, perfected from time to time as faced .
First Pakistan
–India war, October 1947- December 1948 till ceasefire was declared.
Another one called Guerrilla War, of 1965 when insurgent reached up to
Batamalo, Srinagar, it was Late Ch, Ghulam Mohammad Chechi, of Dara Kasi,
Tangmarg who was first to inform of the infiltration was awarded Padm Shri,
had to pay price, with death, murders in 1989, again it was 1971,
when Smt Mala a Gujjar lady informed Indian Army in Poonch
sector was awarded Padam Shri. Again history was repeated when at a place
called Hill kaka in Poonch where entrenched insurgent hard to eliminate
were liquidated by locals who also became migrant under the charged
scenario.And the Kargil war.
To
sum up those who migrated in any migration from valley never returned,
this time too is may not an exception, unless proved wrong wish so,
to those who cry or who lend ears both know the reality. Yet it suits
both, the more you beat the walnut tree more it yields
the sops in return Politicians project them as festering
wounds on Hindutavata victimization to remain in power. In each of
these conflicts right from 1947, 1965, 1975, Kargil, migration has
been a regular feature for those who live on borders.
fleeing at odd hours for safety under intense fire has
become a way of life .
The
Kashmiri Pandits known for their brains world over and had created a niche
because of it, in earlier migration , helped them to overcome the crisis,
ith it developed and maintained a spirit to help each other. It no longer
sees the zeal to excel or carry the spirit of brotherhood. On the other
hand migrants of this side of the Panchal without sops , produced scores of
Administrative Officers, in the Indian Foreign Services, Indian
Administrative Services, Indian Forest Services, Indian Police Services,
and all India basis Service, besides JK Administrative Services.
By- Bushan Parimoo