Honourable President,
Namaskar.
While taking the oath “India is my country”, many a times we prefer to wear the mask of a powerless citizen, as we have no idea of our own strength.
Though we long for constructive change to take place in our country, we expect someone else to make the efforts.
While working for our organization aptly named “Aseem”(Meaning ‘The Borderless’ or ‘ The Undivided’), we have complete faith in the ability of a common man to take thoughtful actions. While working for last 12 years in the Border areas of India – especially in Jammu-Kashmir and North-Eastern States – we realized that the real issues had different facets and dimensions compared to the traditional viewpoint. Though the development in Jammu-Kashmir and its return to normalcy is crucial for the development of India as a nation, it is turning out to be crucial that we should solve the entanglement created because of the malignant activities of a neighbouring nation and some staunch and contradictory opinions held by citizens of Jammu-Kashmir and those from the rest of India about the region.
The region inheriting “Kashmiriyat” – the tradition and culture of tolerance – saw the spread of religious fanaticism after 1989 and hence the situation in the region became more sensitive and complex. We can not look at it with a restrictive viewpoint of a border dispute with a neighbouring nation or a situation of a war. India has never viewed at it from that perspective. Yet we want to share key findings and facts from our work and understanding which demand your keen consideration.
On 22nd February 1994, the Indian Parliament passed the resolution that the entire Jammu & Kashmir – including the region occupied by Pakistan and China - is an inseparable part of India. But many a times Indians think and make statements assuming that the Line of Control is the actual border. Essentially we need to find a way of overcoming the communication gap that exists between the citizen of Jammu-Kashmir and those of the Rest of India. While contemplating about Jammu-Kashmir and the common Kashmiri, it doesn’t help to take extreme blind love or irrational hatred. We need to understand the issue after considering the sensitivities on the both sides and understanding the inter-relation between them. It is our duty to build bridges of friendship and trust with the Kashmiri brothers through continuous dialogue, while taking them with us on the path of development. While paying respect to the resolution passed by our highest legislative assembly on 22nd February, we are taking extra efforts to remember this resolution and remember this day as “as the day of solidarity of Jammu-Kashmir”. The dialogues taking place in that region at the governmental level can solve issues of management as well as that of law and order, but they are insufficient for the overall development of that region. Once the people from this region establish an easy and healthy relationship with the people from the Rest of India, it will lead to the decrement of the wedges of miscommunication and hatred.
It is the duty of our Armed Forces to maintain impermeable borders and frontier forces are doing their duty round-the-clock, with a sense of supreme sacrifice. They have to undertake this task with utmost awareness in area like Jammu-Kashmir, which is at the confluence of geographical borders of multiple nations. At such times, it is the duty of every citizen to ensure the moral support. When are taking extra efforts to remember these incidents, we should remember that it woukd weaken the moral strength of jawans and officers. At the same time, it is the duty of the government to develop and sustain the trust for the system through increased transparency. The stance of Armed Forces to look at the incident that took place in Machil is certainly commendable in this context.
But Jammu-Kashmir is not only about the Armed Forces. Even this area has a common face like that of other states and great imbroglio of the Kashmir has so many knots. To understand them clearly we must be concerned about the problems faced by our brothers not only from valley but also from Jammu and Ladakh in the mix. We want to turn your attention to the fact that the common man has joined to achieve the goal of “Development though Friendship” , supplementary to the efforts being carried out by the government.
Hence on the eve of 22nd February, we – the common citizen of India – have taken the efforts to understand the mindset and issues faced by the citizen of Jammu-Kashmir while understanding Jammu-Kashmir as a whole. Various other like-minded organizations have signed it to show their solidarity. We are trying to convey this effort to you as you are the first citizen of India.
We request your kind consideration and approval of the same.
With Best Regards
Aseem and every other like- minded citizen of India
www.aseemfoundation.org
While contemplating about the solidarity of Jammu-Kashmir, we strongly recommend contemplating about the following aspects:
1. After 1984 the situation in the State became more and more restive and the divisionary forces took the benefit of it. The incidents in this era gave rise to armed militancy in the Kashmir Valley, who got an indirect support from across the border. To minimize this armed militancy in the State, a large contingent of military was deployed in the State and was given special powers. While they were trying to bring the situation under control, some organizations repeatedly allege that a large amount of people disappeared from the Valley during the 90s and claim that those people are still traceless. Though these organizations and the Government differ in terms of the number of disappeared persons (The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons claims the number close to eight thousand while the official count seems to be ranging from 3000 to 4000.) still we cannot deny the fact that there were incidents of people getting disappeared from the Kashmir Valley. The Government agencies have not been able satisfactorily answer the questions incessantly being raised regarding disappeared persons. These questions get even more intense when they are coupled with more questions. There are some areas in Kashmir Valley where there are mass graves. There is no record of the people who got buried there. The information available from local population is insufficient. The wives of people so widowed have no place in the society or even in their own family. They have to live with the slur of a “half-widow” and suffer from both sides. They neither have the respect and right of a married woman, nor they have the minimum benefit of Government schemes as a widow to carry out their responsibilities or the authority to take decisions. While analysing the situation in the Kashmir Valley we point of fingers to the youth taking up the path of armed violence. The young generation in the valley – who has seen armed forces around them since their birth and whose mindset was cultivated as they were trying to make sense of the incidents around - seem to have lost their way due to the propaganda of the half-truth. All of us need to take positive steps while shunning the extremities – of unnecessary sympathy for everything and extreme hatred with no logical reasons.
2. It is the duty of our Armed Forces to maintain impermeable Borders and frontier forces are doing their duty round-the-clock, with a sense of supreme sacrifice. They have to undertake this task with utmost awareness in area like Jammu-Kashmir, which is at the confluence of geographical Borders of various nations. At such times, it is the duty of every citizen to ensure the moral support. When are taking extra efforts to remember this incidents should weaken the moral strength of jawans and officers. At the same time, it is the duty of the government to develop and sustain trust for the system through increased transparency. The attitude of Armed Forces to look at the incident that took place in Machil is certainly commendable in this context.
3. While thinking about Kashmir Valley we cannot forget either of Jammu or Ladakh – which are equally big and crucial sections of the State.
If we keenly observe the Border area of Jammu, we realize that its problems are of a different nature. The issue always raised from Jammu is that of being ignored as compared to Kashmir Valley and the Valley getting more than its logical share in terms of representation and the opportunities for growth. The situation in other parts of Jammu district – apart from Jammu city – is sensitive as the population is divided into two groups and the divisionary forces can take undue advantage of it. We have realized it due to some incidents that took place last year. But we cannot continue to ignore the sensitivities of people residing in Jammu and their feeling of getting ignored. We have to keep the development of this region on track and its easy geographical connect with rest of India.
The section of Ladakh – a comparatively larger area with lower population density – has its unique culture and traditions. Its culture is very well protected here but most of its terrain is disconnected from the rest India for almost 6 months in a year due to the extreme weather and scarcity of the modes of communication and transport. The similarities of ethnicity and traditions of this region with the region outside India raises the question related to the “self identification”. Even in Ladakh there is a stark difference between the amount of development between Leh and Kargil. As a result of this there are no unified efforts to achieve and protect the homogeneity in the region. We have to give these people their due respect as they have shown the courage of fighting the enemy along with our armed forces during the war of 1999.
4. On 22nd February the parliamentary resolution for the inseparability of Jammu-Kashmir will be 20 years old. Still the information we have about the areas occupied by the neighbouring country has not got updated for last 20 years. There were tremendous changes in the area of Gilgit and Baltistan in last 65 years. But unfortunately the changes cannot be called developmental. Even this day, the basic infrastructural services like education and medicines are unheard of in this area. The democratic right of expressing opinion – as enjoyed by the people of the rest of India – is denied for the people of this region. People have to live under the system that exercises extreme control. After the 1948 agreement of the line of control - conduct plebiscite after bringing back the pre-war situation – was even agreed upon by India. But the neighbouring country never took any decisive step to re-install the pre-war situation and the onus of not conducting the plebiscite was blamed to be on India. After acquiring this area of Jammu-Kashmir; Pakistan divided this area into two. It named one section as “Azad Jammu-Kashmir” (Independent Jammu-Kashmir ) to create a façade on international stage that it has no intention of attacking and encroaching upon land. At the same time it kept the section of Gilgit-Baltistan in its control. The presence of China in this area goes back to some decades. But after the Karakoram highway, these two neighbouring nation grew even closer resulting in the increased number of Chinese troops in the areas of Jammu-Kashmir under Pakistan’s control, which may pose a grave security challenge for India. We have to consider the areas that have gone under control of neighbouring nations and their movements in our discourse of inseparability of Jammu-Kashmir.
5. Many a people might be of opinion that Article 370 is an important point while understanding the imbroglio. We feel that the statement of Article 370 is a judicial process. But it is perceived by the two sections from opposing point of view. The increase in the amount of opposition to Article 370 from the rest of India, will give a rise to the counter opinion that this article should be applied in its original form. According to us, the creation of laws won’t build bridges between people. If we have to unite people, their minds need to come closer and they have to empathize with each-other’s pain. If we change the mindset of people, there would not be any need of such laws - as mentioned above - for the citizen of this State. The Government has the duty to create laws and implement them, while the Administration and the Security Forces are responsible for law and order and security, respectively. But as a common citizen of this nation, we are supposed to keep our minds connected- by minimizing the aspects that give rise to discrimination and maximising the aspects that bring equanimity. We have to give assurance that we will fulfil our duty as a citizen of India.
6. One large section of people- having taken refuge in Jammu-Kashmir post the 1947 partition – are still called as the refugees from West Pakistan. Though they have got the citizenship of India, they are yet to get the citizenship of the State of Jammu-Kashmir. Due to that this section has not yet been privy to education and the subsequent modes of development. Because of the religious fanaticism that spread in Kashmir Valley after 1989, lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits had to leave their homes and properties, for the fear of life. They started to live as refugees in their own land. The grievances of both of these sections and the possible solutions are different. But we cannot deny that both of them are inseparable sections of Jammu-Kashmir.
***That is the reason why “Jammu-Kashmir Solidarity Day ” is not only about the thought of geographical continuity, but also that of an inclusive thought process that gives due consideration to every section of the population. We care for every section of society residing in this area. We are giving assurance that we are ready to walk the path of development, implementing the three-pronged formula of communication-trust and development.***
