A Look Through the mist
The so called separatist leadership has lived comfortably over the years in Kashmir Valley. New Delhi has been directly or indirectly providing them material and social support. The main reason one could see behind this had been intentions to find some means to stand politically before the tallness of Sheikh Abdullah and hence his National Conference. The Congress and other parties well knew that they can not win against Sheikh Abdullah. Sheikh Abdullah had ofcourse pioneered the cause of Kashmir as a special segment of India and had won the heart support of the locals. Hence to keep Sheikh and later on his National Conference weak some methods had to be used by other political parties. The advisors to New Delhi on Kashmir affairs included a good number of Kashmir Hindu also. The most of the counsel that Indian leaders received was to keep the anti India elements/ insurgents/ separatist leaders survive so that they cause some weakness to Sheikh and his National Conference. It is also a hard reality that it was Congress leadership at New Delhi that had made the leadership of Sheikh Abdullah to grow tall over the head of Maharaja Hari Singh . Later it was not easy for Congress leadership to contain Sheikh Abdullah´s personality.
New Delhi has kept the displaced persons from Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Kotli etc hanging in space for last six decades. The properties of DPs have not been registered by GOI nor have they been paid any claims as were paid to those who moved to India side from Pakistan in 1947. India has all these years called that part of J&K as Pakistan occupied Kashmir ( J&K) and has been telling the POK DPs that they will be taken back to Mirpur/ Muzaffrabad and their properties would be restored to them. Even Sheikh Mohd Abdullah´s government had written to New Delhi in seventies that the possibilities of POK DPs going back to their homes in near future seem remote, even the Mirpur town is submerged due to Mangla Dam. It was proposed by J&K Govt that the property claims could be paid .J&K Govt even raised the point that after 1947 India has handed over even more areas of J&K in Chamb sector to Pakistan. But Government of India did not accept since it treated Pakistan as an aggressor on India Territory. The POK DP´s are still crying. Most of them have even lost the details/ descriptions of the properties left behind by their elders 60 years back. And Mufti Mohd Sayeed has so easily called POK as Pakistan Administered Kashmir .
Mufti Mohd Sayeed has interfered in the foreign affairs of India . He has gone to the extent of even calling Pakistan Occupied part of J&K ( POK) as PAK Administered Kashmir. Where as for India Pakistan is an aggressor and a part of J&K was militarily occupied by Pakistan in 1947. The question indirectly raised through the proposals of PDP is not simply on the sovereignty of India or Pakistan. The question is that does J&K have a special sovereignty in comparison to other Indian States . Surely Mufti Mohd Sayeed has suggested some thing like this. And Congress by not condemning Mufti has insulted the blood of the Indian soldiers as was shed in 1947 . The Indian army was given no time to prepare for working at no notice through the roads & lanes so unknown to the Indian forces . The raiders had reached strategic positions and the local State forces had been nearly wiped off.
I would ask the supporters of Mufti that why did not he suggest for testing the dual currency use in all the Indian and Pakistani states ? Why did he talk of only J&K ? This way Mufti has surely joined those who call accession of Kashmir with India as a dispute between India and Pakistan
Some have started arguing that in case GOI genuinely wants region specific cross- J&K LOC trade to take off the geography of money or the territoriality of currency has to be softened . And a s per them this could be done only through the dual currency proposals as made by Mufti Mohd Sayeed . Such people have failed to understand the impact of the dual currency hypothesis on sovereignty. It is politically wrong for Mufti Mohd Sayeed to argue that let the SAARC proposals be tested in J&K.
Earlier also Mufti Mohd Sayeed had talked indirectly of some thing like joint control over J&K by Pakistan and India. No doubt his and his daughter´s proposals fell heavy on PDP leaders from Jammu Province as well as ally of PDP in Congress . .
PDP think tank has been practicing new architecture in it´s efforts to give new face lifts to the party programmes with an eye on gaining scores over National Conference . Particularly in Kashmir Valley.
The local leaders of J&K have directly or indirectly kept the common Kashmiri in doubt as regards the total and truthful integration of J&K with India through the 26 Oct 1947 instrument of accession as signed by Maharaja Hari Singh .
Over the years those at New Delhi have always seen J&K only in Kashmir Valley. The affairs have been so mishandled that Kashmir politics after 1965 remained centered around making efforts to win the support of leaders from Kashmir only. May it be through appeasement, tolerating the leaders who openly advocated and preached against the trueness of 1947 accession , may it be by making efforts to win the Kashmiri people through unchecked flow of central grants, may it be through ignoring the misuse of official position and funds by the leaders in J&K, may it be through non enforcement of tax collection laws or may it be through giving priority to people of Kashmir Valley even over the Muslims of Jammu and Ladakh Regions.
The result has been that the supporters of two nation theory , if not accepted by all in Kashmir Valley , have also not been firmly & out rightly rejected by all at social and political levels. Ofcourse the people did not totally reject even those who talked of even independence of J&K.
Kashmir was and has been brought to a stage where when some one talks of special rights of Kashmiri, the goods of two nation theory, Pakistan being a Muslim State, liberation of Kashmiri and the like , the sentiments / emotions of the common man are raised.
As on date we have reached a stage where the underground insurgent leadership does not face total rejection. The over ground so called mainstream leaders too fabricate direct or indirect methods to woo the innocent sentiments. Slogans like autonomy, greater autonomy, self rule, erosion of autonomy, human rights violations, the rehabilitation of the families of those who were involved in militancy , safe return of the misguided youth who had gone to Pakistan or across LOC for taking to anti India insurgency operations, and the like are the tools that even the over ground mainstream leaders are finding to be of use to take lead over their political opponents in the name of special rights of Kashmiries.
They have brought the Kashmiri to a stage where from a U turn can not be so easy and immediate. The return has to be a long term process, may take even 10 years of hard work. But the greedy politicians can not afford to stay out of power for 5 to 10 years to suck the distrust towards India they have been directly or indirectly injecting in the Kashmir veins. It is for these reasons that new proposals like use of dual currencies in Jammu & Kashmir are achitectured. It has been another false missile set by PDP to simply touch the sentiments of the people of J&K.
Mufti Mohd Sayeed has named his suggestions as pious and said that such alliance between two nation States ( Indian & Pakistan ) by allowing the co-circulation of their currency in two parts of J&K would amount to pooling rather than a surrender of sovereignty. What a new theory Mufti is trying to developing . Mr. Mufti has tried to trap the common man in net of words and has also tried to save his self from any action against him by GOI. Mr. Mufti should know that there are people in India and J&K who can understand the real meaning of sovereignty and that of Mr. Mufti calling POK as Pakistan Administered Kashmir.
The Congress lead UPA government at New Delhi is mum. The dumbness of Man Mohan Singh´s government would surely add firmness to the doubts in the minds of the common man of J&K as regards the trueness of 1947 accession. Government at New Delhi appears prepared to pay any price for keeping the Congress lead government in J&K safe and to keep Farooq´s National Conference away from power. The way New Delhi has been handling J&K affairs it will not surprise me in case Mr. Mufti proposes to call J&K as Indian administered part of J&K..
It is no way different than Geelani or Yasin or Shabir or Omar Farooq .
(Daya Sagar is social activist and leading scribe on Kashmir affairs dayasagr@yahoo.co.uk)
The so called separatist leadership has lived comfortably over the years in Kashmir Valley. New Delhi has been directly or indirectly providing them material and social support. The main reason one could see behind this had been intentions to find some means to stand politically before the tallness of Sheikh Abdullah and hence his National Conference. The Congress and other parties well knew that they can not win against Sheikh Abdullah. Sheikh Abdullah had ofcourse pioneered the cause of Kashmir as a special segment of India and had won the heart support of the locals. Hence to keep Sheikh and later on his National Conference weak some methods had to be used by other political parties. The advisors to New Delhi on Kashmir affairs included a good number of Kashmir Hindu also. The most of the counsel that Indian leaders received was to keep the anti India elements/ insurgents/ separatist leaders survive so that they cause some weakness to Sheikh and his National Conference. It is also a hard reality that it was Congress leadership at New Delhi that had made the leadership of Sheikh Abdullah to grow tall over the head of Maharaja Hari Singh . Later it was not easy for Congress leadership to contain Sheikh Abdullah´s personality.
New Delhi has kept the displaced persons from Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Kotli etc hanging in space for last six decades. The properties of DPs have not been registered by GOI nor have they been paid any claims as were paid to those who moved to India side from Pakistan in 1947. India has all these years called that part of J&K as Pakistan occupied Kashmir ( J&K) and has been telling the POK DPs that they will be taken back to Mirpur/ Muzaffrabad and their properties would be restored to them. Even Sheikh Mohd Abdullah´s government had written to New Delhi in seventies that the possibilities of POK DPs going back to their homes in near future seem remote, even the Mirpur town is submerged due to Mangla Dam. It was proposed by J&K Govt that the property claims could be paid .J&K Govt even raised the point that after 1947 India has handed over even more areas of J&K in Chamb sector to Pakistan. But Government of India did not accept since it treated Pakistan as an aggressor on India Territory. The POK DP´s are still crying. Most of them have even lost the details/ descriptions of the properties left behind by their elders 60 years back. And Mufti Mohd Sayeed has so easily called POK as Pakistan Administered Kashmir .
Mufti Mohd Sayeed has interfered in the foreign affairs of India . He has gone to the extent of even calling Pakistan Occupied part of J&K ( POK) as PAK Administered Kashmir. Where as for India Pakistan is an aggressor and a part of J&K was militarily occupied by Pakistan in 1947. The question indirectly raised through the proposals of PDP is not simply on the sovereignty of India or Pakistan. The question is that does J&K have a special sovereignty in comparison to other Indian States . Surely Mufti Mohd Sayeed has suggested some thing like this. And Congress by not condemning Mufti has insulted the blood of the Indian soldiers as was shed in 1947 . The Indian army was given no time to prepare for working at no notice through the roads & lanes so unknown to the Indian forces . The raiders had reached strategic positions and the local State forces had been nearly wiped off.
I would ask the supporters of Mufti that why did not he suggest for testing the dual currency use in all the Indian and Pakistani states ? Why did he talk of only J&K ? This way Mufti has surely joined those who call accession of Kashmir with India as a dispute between India and Pakistan
Some have started arguing that in case GOI genuinely wants region specific cross- J&K LOC trade to take off the geography of money or the territoriality of currency has to be softened . And a s per them this could be done only through the dual currency proposals as made by Mufti Mohd Sayeed . Such people have failed to understand the impact of the dual currency hypothesis on sovereignty. It is politically wrong for Mufti Mohd Sayeed to argue that let the SAARC proposals be tested in J&K.
Earlier also Mufti Mohd Sayeed had talked indirectly of some thing like joint control over J&K by Pakistan and India. No doubt his and his daughter´s proposals fell heavy on PDP leaders from Jammu Province as well as ally of PDP in Congress . .
PDP think tank has been practicing new architecture in it´s efforts to give new face lifts to the party programmes with an eye on gaining scores over National Conference . Particularly in Kashmir Valley.
The local leaders of J&K have directly or indirectly kept the common Kashmiri in doubt as regards the total and truthful integration of J&K with India through the 26 Oct 1947 instrument of accession as signed by Maharaja Hari Singh .
Over the years those at New Delhi have always seen J&K only in Kashmir Valley. The affairs have been so mishandled that Kashmir politics after 1965 remained centered around making efforts to win the support of leaders from Kashmir only. May it be through appeasement, tolerating the leaders who openly advocated and preached against the trueness of 1947 accession , may it be by making efforts to win the Kashmiri people through unchecked flow of central grants, may it be through ignoring the misuse of official position and funds by the leaders in J&K, may it be through non enforcement of tax collection laws or may it be through giving priority to people of Kashmir Valley even over the Muslims of Jammu and Ladakh Regions.
The result has been that the supporters of two nation theory , if not accepted by all in Kashmir Valley , have also not been firmly & out rightly rejected by all at social and political levels. Ofcourse the people did not totally reject even those who talked of even independence of J&K.
Kashmir was and has been brought to a stage where when some one talks of special rights of Kashmiri, the goods of two nation theory, Pakistan being a Muslim State, liberation of Kashmiri and the like , the sentiments / emotions of the common man are raised.
As on date we have reached a stage where the underground insurgent leadership does not face total rejection. The over ground so called mainstream leaders too fabricate direct or indirect methods to woo the innocent sentiments. Slogans like autonomy, greater autonomy, self rule, erosion of autonomy, human rights violations, the rehabilitation of the families of those who were involved in militancy , safe return of the misguided youth who had gone to Pakistan or across LOC for taking to anti India insurgency operations, and the like are the tools that even the over ground mainstream leaders are finding to be of use to take lead over their political opponents in the name of special rights of Kashmiries.
They have brought the Kashmiri to a stage where from a U turn can not be so easy and immediate. The return has to be a long term process, may take even 10 years of hard work. But the greedy politicians can not afford to stay out of power for 5 to 10 years to suck the distrust towards India they have been directly or indirectly injecting in the Kashmir veins. It is for these reasons that new proposals like use of dual currencies in Jammu & Kashmir are achitectured. It has been another false missile set by PDP to simply touch the sentiments of the people of J&K.
Mufti Mohd Sayeed has named his suggestions as pious and said that such alliance between two nation States ( Indian & Pakistan ) by allowing the co-circulation of their currency in two parts of J&K would amount to pooling rather than a surrender of sovereignty. What a new theory Mufti is trying to developing . Mr. Mufti has tried to trap the common man in net of words and has also tried to save his self from any action against him by GOI. Mr. Mufti should know that there are people in India and J&K who can understand the real meaning of sovereignty and that of Mr. Mufti calling POK as Pakistan Administered Kashmir.
The Congress lead UPA government at New Delhi is mum. The dumbness of Man Mohan Singh´s government would surely add firmness to the doubts in the minds of the common man of J&K as regards the trueness of 1947 accession. Government at New Delhi appears prepared to pay any price for keeping the Congress lead government in J&K safe and to keep Farooq´s National Conference away from power. The way New Delhi has been handling J&K affairs it will not surprise me in case Mr. Mufti proposes to call J&K as Indian administered part of J&K..
It is no way different than Geelani or Yasin or Shabir or Omar Farooq .
(Daya Sagar is social activist and leading scribe on Kashmir affairs dayasagr@yahoo.co.uk)
