A Look Throgh the Mist
The foundation of the Amarnath Jee Shrine Bhoomi Andolan was rather laid by leaders like Maulvi Farooq and Ali Shah Geelani when they raised the question of Hindu and Musalmaan so openly in the name of land to SASB and the increasing number of the Yatries. They tried to misguide the common Kashmir Muslim by saying that if the Yatra will go on swelling ( i) for two months the people of Hindu belief and those practicing Hindu ways of worship would be a so common sight in Kashmir and this would deface the muslim majority image of Kashmir valley (ii ) SASB will extend its activities to setting Hindu signs, Hindu institutions, and Hindu traditions would start re establishing in valley ( iii ) it was also advocated internally that since the chairman of SASB has to be the Governor , it is more likely that the Governor of J&K will always be a Hindu.
J&K has suffered enough materially . But now an attempt has been made to attack the Hindu Muslim brotherhood and the same has to be strongly un done by all the people of J&K. Ministry of home affairs GOI must come out of the illusion that the movement in Jammu is restricted to only some local leaders of Jammu city and has no support of the masses including the traders. The horse can not avoid the dangers from the claws of tiger by simply shutting its eyes. Muslims leaders from Jammu must make the Kashmir Muslims to understand that the discrimination of the Hindu in Kashmir valley is not just
In case we go by the 28th July reporting of Raj Kishore from Delhi in Dainik Jagran then it becomes clear that those sitting at Delhi have been still guided like as in past by advisors who had been professing that people of Jammu are divided and it is only the Kashmiri Muslim who has to be taken care of. While deciding J&K affairs. It has also been said that Ghulam Nabi Azad had while presenting the draft / proposal for taking back the use of 800 Kanals of land from SASB in cabinet told his colleagues that it had the approval of higher ups ( Sonia Gandhi Jee / Man Mohan Singh Jee ) . And the manner in which Shri N. N. Vohra Jee simply wrote to Ghulam Nabi Azad ( Vohra had taken over as governor only 2 days earlier on 25 June ) that SASB does not need the 800 kanals of land under question clearly shows that Ghulam Nabi Azad / UPA Govt were of the belief that the separatist leaders have been able to sow the seeds of islamikaran in the minds of the common Kashmiri people worth pressuring the government to even take such like critical decisions ; and the so called mainstream leaders can not dare to work on ground to undo the propaganda lodged by the anti India and separatist / fundamentalist elements.
It is also a fact that parities like National Conference , Congress and PDP did not work at ground level to properly educate and motivate the common Kashmiri. It was on 25 June 2008 that the grand mufti of Kashmir , Bashir u Din , in a meeting of J&K Muslim Personal Law Board passed a fatwa on the Shri Amarnathjee Bhoomi issue .
Shri N. N. Vohra so surprisingly did an act on the advice of Ghulam Nabi Government and those at New Delhi that surprised any well meaning person. The same Ghulam Nabi Azad and ex ministers of his Government are now defending their 1st July order on the land by quoting the letter dated 28th June of Mr. Vohra as Chairman of SASB. . Vohra had written to the government that in case the Government can manage the conduct Yatra along the route , SASB would not need the 800 kanals of land . Ghulam Nabi accepting the communication ordered that the yatra will be managed now by Tourism department and the 800 kanals of land will be used by Tourism department for making arrangements. How strange , it meant that when the Tourism department will use land no pollution / damage to environment would be caused, and if SASB will use it will cause damage to environment. An unsound mind would also not believe this logic. This clearly showed that the objections raised by the Kashmir leadership were no where environment related or out of any technical requirements ( non state subject etc ) and instead were related to communal mind set of the fundamentalist muslims who believe that Kashmir should have only Islamic look..
It was so surprising for a person like me that an experienced elder in Mr. N. N. Vohra who had remained connected with political affairs of J&K so closely since 2003 so easily fell into the trap. This also makes clear that all those who are advisors to GOI are only Kashmir centric in their approach. Had it not been so then all the Muslims of Jammu province would not have opined against the 1st July order and supported the demand for retaining the use of 800 kanals of land under question with SASB.
It is painful and worrying for all that Sh Kuldeep Verma jee ended his life at dharna site on 23 July in Jammu and likes of Sh. Kamaljeet (a sentimental person ) attempted to end their life in the cause of land for SASB . This clearly shows that the SASB land movement has sentimentally hurt the Hindu and it will be dangerous to casually handle the movement .
It is true to some extent that this movement has got some fuel from the heart burning in the common man of Jammu province as has been there due to the neglect in the fields of administration and development irrespective one being a Hindu or Muslim belonging to Jammu region. But it will also have to be kept in mind that in case the movement is further linked by the local leaders with the general neglect to Jammu region , the movement may weaken and energies may get diverted ; and then the people who are connected with the movement simply for the reasons of religious faith ( aastha ) will not allow any one to trade the land issue for any other local political advantage and the movement may start again after some time. It will be more damaging. Therefore the movement should not be dragged into legal and administrative technicalities.
In case the National Conference and Congress leadership has any bit of concern for the welfare of the people of J&K , then they should get down to the local streets of Kashmir valley and work to carry the message to the common man that the Amarnathjee Yatra is a issue of Hindu aastha ( Hindu faith ) and what ever land is needed by SASB for Yatra arrangements must be given to the Board.. Governor J&K should also try all possible channels and means to make the Kashmir muslims sentimentally accept the transfer of use of land to SASB , he should rather make efforts to prevail upon and motivate the Kashmiri leaders to carry the mission to the common innocent Kashmir masses who have been so far left by the elite Kashmiri political leaders exposed to the anti India and anti Hindu propaganda of the separatist elements. No doubt the mainstream Kashmiri leadership will have to work hard. This will also be in the national interest and help in making the tools of the separatist weak. Man Mohan Singh Jee too should seriously take this issue in his hand .
All Muslims, Christians, Sikhs can also come at the back of Hindu to prevail upon the government to undo the error . Rather they do not need any invitation for this since it is question of religious aastha and not a regional issue. More so it is not only an issue of J&K, it is of the Hindu of the world. Whole country has been affected with this. This will also have to be acknowledged that the Hindu of J&K and the people of Jammu province ( in particular ) have been discriminated and humiliated through neglect over the years ; and now some check would have to be put on this. J&K can not afford any more turmoil, Kashmir has already been under
All must accept that the religious beliefs do not set so ordinarily. One first gets information, then studies it, then tries to understand it, then analyses it, then reasons it, then believes it and it is at last that through the generations takes it to his aastha ( religious ) . Once it becomes aastha , the scope for arguments/ debates ( tarak- vitarak ) remains very less. Amarnathjee Shrine is a subject of Hindu aastha and the manner in which the right to use land has been taken back from the SASB under the pressure of the Kashmiri separatists like Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani, Omar Farooq, Mufti Basher u Din has sent signals to the common Hindu that the Kashmiri leadership does not want that Hindu dare live in Kashmir Valley with right. Such message is not in the interest of Bharat. . Even the muslims living in other states of India have been hurt with this. Government of India will have to rework on its approach towards the people of Jammu Region of J&K.
( *Daya Sagar is a social activists and senior coloumnist on J&K Affairs )
The foundation of the Amarnath Jee Shrine Bhoomi Andolan was rather laid by leaders like Maulvi Farooq and Ali Shah Geelani when they raised the question of Hindu and Musalmaan so openly in the name of land to SASB and the increasing number of the Yatries. They tried to misguide the common Kashmir Muslim by saying that if the Yatra will go on swelling ( i) for two months the people of Hindu belief and those practicing Hindu ways of worship would be a so common sight in Kashmir and this would deface the muslim majority image of Kashmir valley (ii ) SASB will extend its activities to setting Hindu signs, Hindu institutions, and Hindu traditions would start re establishing in valley ( iii ) it was also advocated internally that since the chairman of SASB has to be the Governor , it is more likely that the Governor of J&K will always be a Hindu.
J&K has suffered enough materially . But now an attempt has been made to attack the Hindu Muslim brotherhood and the same has to be strongly un done by all the people of J&K. Ministry of home affairs GOI must come out of the illusion that the movement in Jammu is restricted to only some local leaders of Jammu city and has no support of the masses including the traders. The horse can not avoid the dangers from the claws of tiger by simply shutting its eyes. Muslims leaders from Jammu must make the Kashmir Muslims to understand that the discrimination of the Hindu in Kashmir valley is not just
In case we go by the 28th July reporting of Raj Kishore from Delhi in Dainik Jagran then it becomes clear that those sitting at Delhi have been still guided like as in past by advisors who had been professing that people of Jammu are divided and it is only the Kashmiri Muslim who has to be taken care of. While deciding J&K affairs. It has also been said that Ghulam Nabi Azad had while presenting the draft / proposal for taking back the use of 800 Kanals of land from SASB in cabinet told his colleagues that it had the approval of higher ups ( Sonia Gandhi Jee / Man Mohan Singh Jee ) . And the manner in which Shri N. N. Vohra Jee simply wrote to Ghulam Nabi Azad ( Vohra had taken over as governor only 2 days earlier on 25 June ) that SASB does not need the 800 kanals of land under question clearly shows that Ghulam Nabi Azad / UPA Govt were of the belief that the separatist leaders have been able to sow the seeds of islamikaran in the minds of the common Kashmiri people worth pressuring the government to even take such like critical decisions ; and the so called mainstream leaders can not dare to work on ground to undo the propaganda lodged by the anti India and separatist / fundamentalist elements.
It is also a fact that parities like National Conference , Congress and PDP did not work at ground level to properly educate and motivate the common Kashmiri. It was on 25 June 2008 that the grand mufti of Kashmir , Bashir u Din , in a meeting of J&K Muslim Personal Law Board passed a fatwa on the Shri Amarnathjee Bhoomi issue .
Shri N. N. Vohra so surprisingly did an act on the advice of Ghulam Nabi Government and those at New Delhi that surprised any well meaning person. The same Ghulam Nabi Azad and ex ministers of his Government are now defending their 1st July order on the land by quoting the letter dated 28th June of Mr. Vohra as Chairman of SASB. . Vohra had written to the government that in case the Government can manage the conduct Yatra along the route , SASB would not need the 800 kanals of land . Ghulam Nabi accepting the communication ordered that the yatra will be managed now by Tourism department and the 800 kanals of land will be used by Tourism department for making arrangements. How strange , it meant that when the Tourism department will use land no pollution / damage to environment would be caused, and if SASB will use it will cause damage to environment. An unsound mind would also not believe this logic. This clearly showed that the objections raised by the Kashmir leadership were no where environment related or out of any technical requirements ( non state subject etc ) and instead were related to communal mind set of the fundamentalist muslims who believe that Kashmir should have only Islamic look..
It was so surprising for a person like me that an experienced elder in Mr. N. N. Vohra who had remained connected with political affairs of J&K so closely since 2003 so easily fell into the trap. This also makes clear that all those who are advisors to GOI are only Kashmir centric in their approach. Had it not been so then all the Muslims of Jammu province would not have opined against the 1st July order and supported the demand for retaining the use of 800 kanals of land under question with SASB.
It is painful and worrying for all that Sh Kuldeep Verma jee ended his life at dharna site on 23 July in Jammu and likes of Sh. Kamaljeet (a sentimental person ) attempted to end their life in the cause of land for SASB . This clearly shows that the SASB land movement has sentimentally hurt the Hindu and it will be dangerous to casually handle the movement .
It is true to some extent that this movement has got some fuel from the heart burning in the common man of Jammu province as has been there due to the neglect in the fields of administration and development irrespective one being a Hindu or Muslim belonging to Jammu region. But it will also have to be kept in mind that in case the movement is further linked by the local leaders with the general neglect to Jammu region , the movement may weaken and energies may get diverted ; and then the people who are connected with the movement simply for the reasons of religious faith ( aastha ) will not allow any one to trade the land issue for any other local political advantage and the movement may start again after some time. It will be more damaging. Therefore the movement should not be dragged into legal and administrative technicalities.
In case the National Conference and Congress leadership has any bit of concern for the welfare of the people of J&K , then they should get down to the local streets of Kashmir valley and work to carry the message to the common man that the Amarnathjee Yatra is a issue of Hindu aastha ( Hindu faith ) and what ever land is needed by SASB for Yatra arrangements must be given to the Board.. Governor J&K should also try all possible channels and means to make the Kashmir muslims sentimentally accept the transfer of use of land to SASB , he should rather make efforts to prevail upon and motivate the Kashmiri leaders to carry the mission to the common innocent Kashmir masses who have been so far left by the elite Kashmiri political leaders exposed to the anti India and anti Hindu propaganda of the separatist elements. No doubt the mainstream Kashmiri leadership will have to work hard. This will also be in the national interest and help in making the tools of the separatist weak. Man Mohan Singh Jee too should seriously take this issue in his hand .
All Muslims, Christians, Sikhs can also come at the back of Hindu to prevail upon the government to undo the error . Rather they do not need any invitation for this since it is question of religious aastha and not a regional issue. More so it is not only an issue of J&K, it is of the Hindu of the world. Whole country has been affected with this. This will also have to be acknowledged that the Hindu of J&K and the people of Jammu province ( in particular ) have been discriminated and humiliated through neglect over the years ; and now some check would have to be put on this. J&K can not afford any more turmoil, Kashmir has already been under
All must accept that the religious beliefs do not set so ordinarily. One first gets information, then studies it, then tries to understand it, then analyses it, then reasons it, then believes it and it is at last that through the generations takes it to his aastha ( religious ) . Once it becomes aastha , the scope for arguments/ debates ( tarak- vitarak ) remains very less. Amarnathjee Shrine is a subject of Hindu aastha and the manner in which the right to use land has been taken back from the SASB under the pressure of the Kashmiri separatists like Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani, Omar Farooq, Mufti Basher u Din has sent signals to the common Hindu that the Kashmiri leadership does not want that Hindu dare live in Kashmir Valley with right. Such message is not in the interest of Bharat. . Even the muslims living in other states of India have been hurt with this. Government of India will have to rework on its approach towards the people of Jammu Region of J&K.
( *Daya Sagar is a social activists and senior coloumnist on J&K Affairs )
