Kashmiris Demand a
Homeland
By Vijay Sazawal, Ph.D.
 VIJAY
K. SAZAWAL, is a founding member of the Indo-American Kashmir Forum
(IAKF)
and its past President. He is currently the Overseas Coordinator of
three Kashmiri expatriate organizations: the U.S. based IAKF, the
Indo-Canadian Kashmir Forum (ICKF) based in Ottawa, and the
Indo-European Kashmir Forum (IEKF) based in London and Geneva. These
organizations are recognized non-governmental organizations (NGO) which
participate in the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR)
Working Group on Minorities. Dr. Sazawal is also a member of the
Interfaith International, which is an accredited organization to the
UNCHR, and frequently speaks on the human rights issues in Geneva. Website:
KashmirForum.org |
Introduction
The
year is 1492. King Ferdinand of Spain has given the Jews of Spain a choice -
either convert to christianity or leave the country. Some 200,000 Jews flee for
their lives. Half a world away, in Kashmir, the Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) are
faring no better. It is 22 years since Budshah Zain-ul-Abdin has died and the
throne of Kashmir is passing back and forth between Fateh Shah, Badshah's
grandson and the 12th Sultan of Kashmir, and Muhammed Shah Hamadani, whose
family came from Persia and settled in Kashmir about 120 years earlier. Sultan
Fateh Shah, like his ancestor Sikandar (6th Sultan), has unleashed tyranny on
KPs, imposed "jiziya tax", destroyed temples and religious books, and
forcibly converted 24,000 KP families to Islam. Some KP families who had
returned to Kashmir during Budshah's reign are forced to flee the valley again.
Time marches on. Five centuries
later, King Juan Carlos of Spain "apologizes" to Jews and holds a
reconciliation meeting with the Israeli President Chaim Herzog in a synagogue on
March 31, 1992. However, for KPs the history has come full circle, and the
painful memories of Sikandar and Fateh Shah are brought alive by the rape,
torture and death of KPs, resulting in an unprecedented mass exodus of the
community from the valley since 1990. On the very day the Jews and Catholics are
celebrating their reconciliation in Madrid, in the Nai Sark locality of Srinagar
one of the very few KP holdouts in the valley named Shri Mohan Lal Braroo, his
wife and daughter are killed by two Muslim militants who rape the two women
prior to their murder. Instead of receiving an apology, the community continues
to be decimated by the alien forces that have controlled their destiny since
1320 A.D.
Indians, in general, have been cool
to the idea of a secure homeland for KPs, because on the surface it appears to
be a solution of convenience, and hence "not right." To comprehend
this idea fully, one has to learn about the slow extinction of KPs and their
culture, the realities of the world political situation today, and the
geopolitics of the subcontinent. The homeland for KPs mav be the only viable way
now to secure a cultural outpost for a community that traces a proud (and well
documented) history of 5,000 years as the cradle of Hindu and Buddhist
philosophy, but today is on throes of extinction.
Journey into Oblivion
Kashmir's coversion to Islam began
with Shah Mir's regime in 1339. This paradigm, that has been entrenched for 650
years, is unlikely to change drastically even under pressure from the mightiest
military and political forces in the subcontinent. Consequently, the KPs have
been reduced to a minority in their own land, and today even with "four
Indian soldiers for every KP" in the valley, KPs have been tortured, raped,
and killed in the valley by the Muslim militants and most KPs have fled in fear,
leaving their lands, homes and religious ties behind.
The real tragedy is that it is
history repeating itself over and over again. As far back as 1400, there were
only eleven KP families left in the valley as a result of Muslim atrocities and
forced migration to the rest of India. Apart from a few families returning now
and then, particularily during Budshah's time (1420-1470), the migration of the
KPs from the valley has been basically a one way journey into oblivion. Over the
last 650 years, the repeated exodus has decimated the ethnic identity of the
community, its population and culture. Once having left the valley, KPs have
shown little inclination to return mainly because of what they see as insecure
life with dwindling economic and political upportunities in a hostile Islamic
fundamentalist environment. While it is easy to dismiss such a belief as an
over-reaction, the truth is not far behind as borne by repeated waves of forced
migration from the valley since the beginning of Islamic rule.
The concept of the KP homeland is
the first viable alternative to interrupt this paradigm and hence the most
revolutionary KP idea in the last 650 years. The homeland will put KPs on par
with other ethnic communities in the subcontinent, who have maintained a
historical right and access to their land of origins.
Geopolitical Realities
The two neighboring countries outside
of India and Pakistan that can influence events in Kashmir are Afghanistan and
Kazakhstan. Here the unfolding events are a bearer of bad news for the
subcontinent, and it is getting worse by the day. Afghanistan has emerged after
14 years of civil war very much like Lebanon. The departure of the Pathan leader
Najibullah and his communist structure (Watan Party) has given way to a three
way tussle between Uzbeks (led by Turkic-speaking Abdul Dostam), Tajiks (led by
Persian-speaking Ahmed Shah Masood) and Pathans (led by Pashtu-speaking
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar). At this time, the world spotlight is on Masood and his
Jamiat-e-Islami party, but even if he were to emerge as the victor in the United
Nations (UN) sponsored political negotiations currently underway, it is unlikely
that various ethnic groups in Afghanistan - Tajiks, Uzbeks, Pathans, Baluchis,
Turks, and Hazaras - will work towards unification. The underlying strategy of
Hekmatyar and his Hezb-e-Islami movement is that only Islamic fundamentalism can
provide the "political glue" that can bind the nation together. Hence
Afghanistan is bound to emerge as a militant Islamic state in the future, if not
in the next few months.
Kazakhstan is an Algeria in the
making. The President, Nursultan Nazabaev, basically oversees the defunct
Communist apparatus, and is personally committed to a secular state. However,
the political dissent arising from the economic subservience experienced by
Kazakhs at the hands of the ruling class in Kazakhstan, who are people of
Russian and German descent. The political aspirations of Kazakhs, already
reduced to a minority, are represented by the nationalist movement called Alash
which is advocating revival of the Islamic way of life. Nazabaev has quelled
Alash and jailed its top leaders, but if western style casinos open in Alma Ata
(the capial of Kazakhstan), as planned, the movement is bound to grow in
strength. Kazakhistan represents a plum for the Islamic fundamentalist movement,
since it is the only Muslim country with nuclear weapons production facilities
and ballistic missile launch sites. The latest published figures show that there
are 104 ICBMs (with 1040 nuclear warheads) and 40 strategic bombers (with 360
nuclear warheads) based in Kazakhstan.
The sum total of the geopolitical
realities today is that Islamic fundamentalism has or will spread to countries
that surround Kashmir. It is expected to sweep the valley, which is full of
welcome believers, in spite of the efforts by the Indian government to turn the
tide and change the course of history. Thus, the prudent thing would be to not
only try to contain the Islamic militancy but also to plan for alternative
strategies, if the valley is finally overrun by competing political and
religious forces
Superpower Play
From the halls of the European
Parliament in Strasbourg to the back rooms of the United Nations in New York,
big powers are urging India and Pakistan to resolve the problem of Kashmir.
There is ample evidence pointing to a developing consensus to bring Kashmir back
into the world focus which will eventually lead to increasing the number of
external (UN or otherwise) observers in the valley. Such a move is bound to give
psychological boost to anti-Indian elements, thereby propelling them to champion
their agenda with renewed vigor. This chain reaction will lead to increased
militancy, subversion, terrorism, abuse of human rights, Islamic fundamentalism,
and possibly a nuclear war.
In order to prevent this
catastrophe, great emphasis should be placed on the recent writings in the
Washington Post and the New York Times on Kashmir reflecting the future
direction of the U.S. foreign policy. The solution - which will surely please
neither India nor Pakistan - is to split the state, integrating most of Jammu
and Ladakh with the Indian Union, and creating a new Indian state consisting of
the Kashmir valley along with bordering Muslim pockets in Jammu and Ladakh
regions. The line of actual control (LAC) will become the international border,
allowing both India and Pakistan to retain sovereignty over the existing
portions of Kashmir under their authority. However, both countries would
demilitarize the region under the UN supervision and create a porous border to
allow Kashmiris free travel between the two areas. The two Kashmirs will be
given equal autonomy by both the countries which will be established during
negotiation.
The above scenario may appear
far-fetched today but it can happen in the new world order where the United
States has emerged as a sole superpower and the UN has taken the role of
enforcer. The concerns that must be addressed are: What if it happens? What
recourse do KPs have? Where will they end up? Should such a proud community with
a 5,000 year old past end up as dinosaurs in the new world order?
Even if India were to eventually
succeed in standing up to the world opinion, Kashmiri militants, and Islamic
fundamentalism, the KP homeland would still have served its purpose. Recognizing
that KPs cannot return to their homes immediately, the homeland will provide a
safe haven and a secure zone for KPs to maintain a critical mass and allow
continuity in their way of life.
KP
Homeland
The homeland for KPs is an idea whose
time has come and this concept should be given serious consideration by the
Indian government and its people.
The idea of the separate homeland
is endorsed by most KPs. As Indian citizens, KPs are exercisizing their right to
demand safety and security within the Indian Union that has been denied to them
for the last 650 years. Recently, the Indian government resumed political
dialogue with Kashmiri Muslims (with the release of five Kashmiri political
leaders from detention) to understand their aspirations. Time has also come to
understand the position of other rightful inhabitants of the Kashmir valley.
KPs have expressed their
aspirations for the homeland in a number of meetings held both in India and
abroad. For example, on July 14 and 15, 1990 at a two-day international
conference held in Jammu, the top intellectual and political leaders of the
community made an unanimous demand (named Resolution No 4), the lead paragraph
of which states:
"The scattered Kashmiri Hindu
minority should be re-organised in a manner that will create a securiy zone with
concentrated Hindu population in the valley, so as to accommodate seven lakh
Kashmiri Hindus including those who have migrated from Kashmir in the past due
to political and economic compulsions and having been deprived of their due
share in the affairs of the state especially Kashmir Province."
On November 14, 1991, at a meeting
held by the representatives of the Kashmir Overseas Association, Indo-American
Kashmir Forum and Panun Kashmir, a brief was released to the Press which
includes the following statement:
"We strongly recommend and ask
for the creation of safe areas, security zones on the same pattern as has been
done by the United States of America for the Kurds in Iraq. In the security
zones the Government shall have to give the displaced Kashmiris their
fundamental right to security, honorable living, and economic and ethnic
viability. This may necessitate constitutional guarantees for the displaced
population. we reaffirm our support to the deliberations carried out at the
Kashmiri Hindu Convention at Jammu in July 1990."
In a second convention held in
Jammu on December 26, 1991 called Margdarshan-91 that was attended by over 1,000
delegates from India and abroad, the KPs announced the following demands:
1. The establishment of a separate
homeland for Kashmiri Hindus in the Kashmir Valley, comprising the regions of
the valley to the East and North of river Jhelum.
2. The constitution of India be
made applicable in letter and spirit in this homeland in order to ensure the
right to life, liberty, freedom of expression, faith, equality and rule of law.
3. The homeland should be placed
under central administration with a Union Territory Status until the time that
it evolves its own economic and political infrastructure.
4. All the seven lakh Kashmiri
Hindus, including those who have been driven out of Kashmir in the past and
yearn to return to their homeland, and those who were forced to leave on account
of the terrorist violence in Kashmir, be settled in the homeland on equitable
basis with dignity and honor.
PANUN
KASHMIR: A Homeland for Kashmiri Pandits.
The KP homeland will consist of
areas north of the Pir Panchal mountains, starting from the Jawahar Tunnel and
comprising of portions of the following districts: Anantnag, Baramulla, Srinagar,
and Pulwama. The area will be carved out in a manner so that the Indian security
forces can maintain control of strategic locations in the event that the Kashmir
Valley is demilitarized under an international plan. Equally significant,
however, is that historically important Hindu holy shrines and cultural centers
in Anantnag, Verinag, Bawan, Mattan, and Amarnath will be saved from destruction
and come alive with the chants and fervor of the believers - a key ingredient in
alleviating the psychological pain and suffering experienced by the KP refugees
today. Once their hearts, home, and hearth are in the proper place, KPs will
surmount any problems related to the economic development of the region with
confidence as survivors of the holocaust.
Conclusion
The demand for the KP homeland is not
only just but also of strategic significance to India as the new world order
imposes the final settlement on Kashmir. The KP community has lost its identity
and is well on its way to extinction, unless their fate takes a new turn. The
idea of the homeland is a monumental step in reversing the historical trends
that have continued unabated in the last 650 years. The demand for the homeland
is based on the current geopolitical realities both inside and outside of
Kashmir and is the only way to save the Hindu people and culture in the valley.
It is a basic right of a community to survive as a cultural and ethnic entity,
and therefore the demand for a KP homeland should be affirmed by the government
that is sworn to protect the life and liberty of its citizens. We can wait no
longer.
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