Independent India: Panun Kashmir Movement for Homeland (Political Empowerment) Colonial India: INC Movement for Independence from British Rule: Lalit K Kaul
Independent India: Panun Kashmir Movement for Homeland (Political Empowerment)
Colonial India: INC Movement for Independence from British Rule
Lalit K Kaul
Second one was the civilizational
imperative and First one is the National Shame. Yes, an unprecedented one at
that because nowhere in world of Nations, citizens have become refugees in their
own country.
Yet, there are
many similarities between the two Movements.
Colonization
of Indian subcontinent:
Mughal Emperor Jahangir allowed the
British East India Company to trade and set up its first factory in 1613 at
Surat. The Company grew so strong as to militarily challenge the then Nawab of
Bengal on June 23, 1757 and under the leadership of Robert Clive defeated the
Nawab to take complete control of Bengal. Over the next hundred years, it
continued to expand its control over vast territories in the rest of Indian
subcontinent and Burma.
Post first war of Independence in 1857
which was lost to British army, in 1858 the British Crown took charge of the
areas under the Company for administrative and political control via the
‘Government of India Act’.
Both the battles were lost mainly due to sabotage
from within and not because of the superiority of East India Company and
British forces.
Thereafter it took 89 years for Indians to
get freedom from Colonial rule and be masters of their own destiny in their
Motherland, truncated though because of the separatist politics of Muslims inspired
by irrational world-view of Islam.
Genocide and Exile of Kashmiri Pandit
Community from Kashmir:
Genocide of Kashmiri Pandit Community has
been a never ending process and continues to be under the very supervision of
those who day-in and day-out swear by Indian Constitution and untiringly
proclaim to be its best guardians.
The process started with the advent of Muslim/Islamic
rule in Kashmir in 14th Century CE. The Muslim dynasties which ruled
in Kashmir were, the Shah Mir dynasty (1339-1561), the Chak dynasty
(1561-1586), followed by Mughal rule (1586-1752) and Afghan rule (1753-1819).
During the centuries of Muslim rule, the
people of indigenous faiths were subject to forced conversions, sexual assault
on their womenfolk, mass scale destruction of their temples including
annihilation of culture and places of heritage. Such inhuman acts, at the
instance of Sufis, carried out by the Muslim Kings led to their genocide and
forced them to flee their place of birth, culture and heritage to other parts
of India. The motivating factor for all such barbaric acts was the Ideology of
Islam which professes intolerance to and hatred towards non-Islamic faiths and
belief systems.
The reign of terror that was unleashed
upon such of those unrelenting Kashmiri Pandit Community members/families resulted
in their six exoduses from the Valley during the Muslim/Islamic rule and
carrying over the legacy of the Muslim/Islamic rule in Kashmir, the Kashmiri
Muslims- who had converted from Hinduism to Islam under duress and/or for greed
of power- perpetrated genocide on a miniscule Kashmiri Pandit community and
forced them into seventh exile from Kashmir beginning 1986 and extending to
21st century. This time around the entire Kashmir Valley was cleansed of Kashmiri
Pandit Community. A fully Muslim/Islamic Kashmir was the dream of Aurangzeb which
couldn’t be realized in his time, but Kashmiri Muslims realized it under the
supervision of the institutions of ‘Democratic and Secular” India.
Political Assertion of Kashmiri Pandit
Community:
Post mass scale exodus; thrust upon it by
the political and religious leadership of Muslims, inspired by Islam’s Ideology, by carrying out its
genocide through its cadres fed and bred on the Islamic doctrine of hatred
towards “dis-believers”; of the members of Kashmiri Pandit Community from the
Valley in January 1990- reducing its numbers in the Valley to mere 3% of what
it was- its intellectuals, historians, political scientists; experts in legal matters
and Indian Constitution, all came together, deeply conscious of seven exoduses
from Kashmir due to barbarism of Muslim rulers and their supporters, to figure
out a dispensation living under which would not only rule out another genocide
in and exodus from Kashmir, but also empower their community politically and
economically so that the community becomes master of its destiny and feels free
to secure its culture, places of worship, belief systems and places of
heritage.
This exercise led to Margdarshan’91 which
was held in Abhinav theatre, Jammu on 27th 28th,December,
1991and in which the community unanimously resolved and voted for creation of
Homeland (Panun Kashmir) UT to the North and East of river Vitasta.
Indian Freedom And Panun Kashmir
Movements:
The British had founded Indian National
Congress(INC) in 1885 to provide a forum for growing Native middle class to articulate
their aspirations/expectations from British Raj. This transformation of INC
from being a platform to redress grievances of emerging Native middle class to a
political organization which was to lead the freedom movement was brought about
by publication of a booklet ‘Hind Swaraj’ by Sri M K Gandhi in 1907.
Whereas the Kashmiri Pandit Community
founded its own organization ‘Panun Kashmir’ which was to lead its Homeland
Movement to secure a UT within Kashmir inspired by Margdarshan’91 Resolution.
The political intent to attain ‘Swaraj’ under
the leadership of INC didn’t remain confined to it alone, but this intent
enthused many to employ different methods to achieve the same aim. The movement,
led by INC on the principles of nonviolence (Ahimsa), was further strengthened
by “Revolutionaries” who didn’t subscribe to non-violent ways. Within INC there
arose difference of opinion on its methodology and that led to formation of
‘Azad Hind Force’ that believed in waging war against the British for attaining
‘Swaraj’. Yet, there was no conflict because the ultimate aim remained one and
the same.
The Homeland Movement too has had its
share of differences within Panun Kashmir organization on the methodologies to
be adopted for achieving the aim. Yet no activist, no leader has worked against
the realization of Margdarshan’91 Resolution. Panun Kashmir is the sole
political organization of Kashmiri Pandit Community while it has many
socio-cultural organizations spread all over India and abroad. All such
organizations have been contributing to the realization of Homeland by ensuring
that socio-cultural and socio-religious base of the community is not eroded and
such organizations have strived hard to recreate the ecosystem (as they lived
in Kashmir) in their places of exile by constructing temples, ensuring that the
socio-religious festivals continue to be observed with the same vigour and
faith as in pre 1986 days. Day to day problems of exiled ones living in
dilapidated camps have been looked into and addressed to the extent possible;
medical care, sports initiatives, engagement in theatre and arts, etcetera, by
various socio-cultural organizations go a long way in strengthening the Homeland
Movement because these initiatives bind the community together.
Split in the leadership isn’t tantamount
to weakening of the Homeland Movement, but choosing different means to achieve
the same End. It is further corroborated by the fact that every separated
faction has retained Panun Kashmir as the prime organization and not founded
any other with a different name.
Right to Self-Determination:
The right to self-determination is
recognised as a fundamental right of people by the United Nations. Professor
Salvatore Senese has provided very meaningful interpretations on the concept of
self-determination by dividing the concept of self-determination into external
and internal self-determination.
“External self-determination concerns the
international status of a people. It can be summarized as the recognition that
each people have the right to constitute themselves as a nation-state or to
integrate into, or federate with, an existing state”, he explains. Whereas
internal self-determination he describes as, “The right of peoples to
self-determination once they have achieved statehood (or state-like formation).
The right to internal self-determination means only that other states should
not, through appeals or pressure, seek to prevent a people from freely
selecting its own political, economic, and social system”.
The Homeland Movement is about External
Self-Determination of Kashmiri Pandit
Community in that it seeks a Nation State integrated into Indian Nation State.
India’s Independence Creation of
Pakistan and State of Israel:
The Indian Independence Movement had
succeeded in weakening the hold of British Crown and the World War 2 hastened
the process of Independence for India. Though Muslim League under Jinnah never
budged from its demand for Pakistan, yet Pakistan became a reality because the
US desired a pliable Nation State which could be used for keeping an eye on
Soviet Union, in the emerging cold war era; as it remained assured that INC
leadership wouldn’t be pliable. The State of Israel became a necessity post
dismemberment of Ottoman Empire because of oil and gas reserves in newly freed
and demarcated Arab states. Israel was to be the ambassador of the Western
powers in the Middle East. Both Israel and Pakistan have lived up to
expectations of their creators.
Therefore, there is No reason to believe
that in not so near or distant future such geo-political conditions shall not
arise that will make creation of Homeland for Kashmiri Pandit Community the
Imperative. Only condition is: The Movement should go on despite all hurdles.
And when third generation of exiled community volunteer to take up the baton,
The Hope Survives!
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