Why Indians are silent

We have no hesitation in recognizing India as a country that has successfully evolved into a functional state where democracy has become a permanent feature of its governance and has struck deep into its political ethos. Making and unmaking of governments here solely rest on the sweet will of the people. A raised-eye brow wobbles and pulls down the power-intoxicated. A fortunate grin perches a lesser mortal atop. That democracy brings variety which is the spice of life, Indians have demonstrated it in bringing to power “jolly” Lallus, and social caste Mayawateees and wresting it from the “iron willed” Indras and “sagacious” Vajpayees. Wedded to this principle this state has remained immunized against any threat of military dictatorship.
But this beauty of India gets tarnished when it comes to Kashmir. Here democracy runs off its steam. “Sovereignty” belongs to people concept of democracy it peddles differently. “His Majesty’s” secular claims lose sheen and wear communalist trappings. Reneging from plebiscite pledge has generated a sense of betrayal and sown seeds of alienation. A true democratic face put up by Delhi would have, to a certain extent, mollified the resentment. But unpopularity of India has largely been the result of its wrong policies it followed and super-cop attitude it behaved with. Every succeeding generation had grown old in witnessing India playing the role of a conquer. We need not exhume the past. It is all told, all known. A legacy we are the victims of. Even today.
The Raj Bhavan stepping out of its constitutional authority, Shrine Board challenging the writ of its creator, state legislature, a petty State bureaucrat’s flexing his arrogant muscles, environmental vandalization and dangerous implications of land grab; in all these the offending silence of the Indian media, political leadership, civil liberty unions, environment sensitive groups , NGOs; and above all tacit support of Indian state for all this has again encrypted into the DNA of Kashmir that Delhi is not sincere and has something dangerous up its sleeves.
Sincerity and trust are not abstract propositions you can dole through Door Darshan, Radio Kashmir, news channels or news papers. Nor parroting Kashmiryat and “Rishi-sofi Islam” from Raj Bhavan and pro-Indian rhetoric of coalition government and of those hungering for power win you trust of the people. Sincerity and truth demands siding with truth, gravitating to the just cause and protesting against the forces hell-bent on carving a parallel authority in the state and intending to change the demography of the state. How many from Indian state have, at this moment, when Kashmiris find besieged from all sides, shared our woes? Except one honorable exception of Gautum Navlekha, a famous writer and human rights activist-before whom we salute for his courage?
Of late thousands unmarked graves have surfaced up in Uri Kashmir and Rajooree Jammu. Had only one-twentieth of these been reported, hell would have unleashed in India. There a child slipped in a pipe-hole gets the live coverage and keeps the media channels, army and executive glued. Here thousands are buried in nameless graves, none looses sleep. There a deer poacher is imprisoned even if he is a film ”star”. Here killers of thousands of innocent unarmed people remain untraced. Are Kashmiris worse than creeping insects? Why double standard?
Kashmiris are not against Amarnath Yatra. From the beginning of last century when ice Lingum (stalagmite) was discovered by Muslim shepherded and journey to the cave has assumed religious sanctity for Hindus, Kashmiris have been providing every possible help to pilgrims and have actively remained involved in the yatra; carrying Hindu pilgrims on palanquins, riding them on ponies and offering other assistance. There is no question of whatsoever, as being alleged by communalist forces, in causing any obstruction in the holy ritual. What worries people here is the manner and sinister design behind in turning a matter of spiritual belief and conviction into jingoistic exercise with dangerous implications on both environment and Muslim majority character of Kashmir.
Before creation of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) by National Conference, to please his masters in Delhi, the yatra was smoothly being conducted by the state administration with local participation. Lust of power has blinded NC Walaas not to comprehend the devouring capabilities of the Frankenstein they had created. Puffing the arrogant stance of being ‘sovereign body’ with ‘arbitrary powers’ for ‘promotion of Hindu interests, the Frankenstein virtually went on hunting spree, with Raj Bhavan under Retd. General SK Sinha providing the milking udder. The Board started grabbing entire forest land en-route to cave from Pahalgam on one side and Baltal on the other side. It virtually took over the functioning of Pahalgam Development Authority and started constructing permanent structures even in Pahalgam Gulf Course. On June 3, 2008; Gh. Nabi Azad led Congress-PDP coalition, in a major blow to the interests of Kashmir, transferred 800 Kanal to the forest land to the board. Still insatiated, the bulky “stomach” of the Board wants another 3200 Kanals. To unveil itself, the SASB has staked claim to set up an ‘independent’ Amarnath Development Authority. So everything is going according to the “blue print” for raising Amarnath Nagar. The fate of Palestines having been deprived of their ancestral land sends Shivers and looms large on Kashmiris in light of SASB’s “sovereign” authority beginning to show Zionist like spots.
Can it happen elsewhere and can Indians digest the indigestible. In the latest session of legislative council at Jammu, an MLC from coalition dispensation was informed by SASB that law makers do not enjoy the powers to question the decision of a body headed by the Governor. The “law maker” had asked whether the SASB was charging rent for erecting tents and makeshift shops from the locals. It is worth reproducing an extract of the letter SASB shot to deputy chief minister to show the brazen arrogance of the Board: ‘Governor is sovereign ex-officio holder of the power…which acts on his own personal satisfaction and not on the aid and advice of the council of ministers… The member (of the legislative council) be explained that he does not enjoy the powers to question the decision of the body’. One asks where lies the much talked ‘sovereignty’ of the legislature? When Indian sponsored ‘representatives of people’ are debarred from the right of asking a question, what message Indian state is sending to Kashmiris?
We have to remember that serving Governor is a servant of Government of India and his principal secretary is the CEO of the SASB. Thus in grabbing land, in inundating Kashmir with Yatrees and bringing devastation of delicate ecology and adding element of patriotism to boost morale of troops ‘fighting the enemy’ in Kashmir (as news portal of Indian government, Press information Bureau, puts it), it is Indian state that leads the onslaught. Gangotri in Utrakhand is one of the most revered Hindu pilgrimage destination. But realizing damage to the ecology and Gaumukh-from which springs Ganga-the state has restricted pilgrim flow to only 150 a day. In contrast twenty lac pilgrims are expected to visit the Amarnath this year, about over ten thousands a day. This monumental increase in period (from three weeks it has expanded to two and a half mouth) and number (last year four lac pilgrims have had a darshan of the ice-lingam) and three layer deployment of security forces (12000), the fragile ecology of glacier and that of tourist destination spots of Pahalgam and Sonmarg stand threatened severely. Add to this 55000 Kg of waste generated and its draining into the fresh waters of Lidder River, and pollution caused by buses, trucks, and sorties of helicopters, the degradation of environment of “paradise” is all but complete. Why Indian attitude is discriminatory?
Growing resentment of people, angry protests of students in Kashmir University campus, massive street demonstrations and, most importantly, unification of Hurriyat on this issue, point to the volcanic nature of the issue. Before things go out of control it is time for the Azad dispensation to wake up and rescind the order of transfer of land and hand over the Shrine Board to local Hindu community. The custodian of holy mast (Charri-mubarak) Deependra Giri has held actions of board against the Hindu scriptures and raised voice at politicizing and commercializing a simple matter of conviction and piety as Yatra is by Raj Bhavan and SASB.
Tail piece: - ‘Imagine if someone were to ask for setting up an independent Ajmer Sharief Dargah Development Authority with say control over a large part of Ajmer city. What would be the response of Rajastan’s BJP government? All hell will break loose and it will be projected a diabolical demand and may be even treason. So why is it that India’s self-appointed champions of secularism keep mute in face of naked promotion of sectarian Hindu interests by the Indian state in J&K?’, asks Gautam Navlakha.

(courtesy: greater kashmir; hassan zainagree