Administrative
and State Conspiracy
The
State administration,
over the decades, since accession of Jammu and
Kashmir to India, acquiesced to the designs of
religious fundamentalists who gained entry in the
system and consolidated their hold on various
institutions of the State. This affected a total
metamorphosis of the secular-democratic character
of the constitutional, judicial and executive
apparatus of the State and recasted it into a
purely Islamic mould.
The
names of numerous towns, villages and institutions
which were of Hindu origin and even the names of
some Hindu pilgrim centres were rechristened by
the State government in the process of official
Islamization of the valley. In fact, the history
of the valley is being tampered with, redefined
and rewritten to give it an Islamic thrust. The
Kashmiri Muslims seem to feel contemptuous of
their proud Hindu origin and are bent upon
defacing and destroying its tradition.
As
a cover to these machinations the successive
governments of the State, by cunning, artifice and
deceit, managed to perpetuate a state of
uncertainty and waywardness in the politics of the
State, keeping alive the issue of accession of the
State to the Union of India and encouraging the
forces of secession in the valley. They have
nurtured fundamentalists and communal groups who
keep on drumming the slogan of plebiscite and
self-determination thus holding the Central
government on a tight leash. At the time of giving
accountability, the State government has indulged
in its favourite trick of browbeating the Centre
by asking for greater concessions to the State,
ostensibly to contain and muzzle secessionist
elements in the valley. In this battle of wits
there has always been a steady erosion of central
authority as the Central governments have
encouraged a policy of drift and appeasement and
turned a blind eye to the process of Muslimization
of the State and the ascendency of the
fundamentalists, revivalists and secessionists.
Muslim majoritarianism has been allowed to thrive
in the valley at the cost of the Kashmiri Pandits
who were marginalized from every sphere of social
and political life and reduced to a helpness,
beleagured community eking out an existence at the
mercy of the Muslim majority.
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