Kashmir Needs Composite Society, Not Secluded Townships

Kashmir needs restoration of its centuries-old, composite society and not clusters of imprisoned citizens acting as perennial sources of friction

The idea of “composite townships” for Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley has renewed tensions between the communities rather than create an atmosphere conducive for their return. Kashmir boasts a 5,000-year long history and one of the unique attributes of the local people has been their tolerance and peaceful communal living.

Some of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad ideologues recently observed that the Pandits had “owned” Kashmir for the past 5,000 years. It is true that Kashmiri Pandits (Brahmins) did constitute the ruling elite of Kashmir for its 5,000 year old history.
There is a written record, the only of its kind in the sub-continent, in the form of Kalhana’s Rajatarangni which in Sanskrit means the “River of Kings”. It details minutely the history of the Kings of Kashmir till twelfth century AD from the earliest times. The ruling Pandits comprising the upper caste Brahmin class constituted only 2% of the population.
The origin of Kashmiris is an interesting topic. The Neolithic dwelling pits and implements found at Burzohama and many other places in the Valley confirm the beginning of human life in Kashmir like the rest of the world.
According to Kalhana, the early dwellers of Kashmir were Nagas and Picasas. Then Aryans are supposed to have come from Central Asia and subdued the local Nagas and Pisacas. There are also theories about the coming of Israelites to Kashmir. After the destruction of the second temple, the twelve tribes of Israelites were dispersed all over the world. Kashmiris are supposed to be part of the missing twelfth tribe.
According to some legends, Jesus Christ and Moses are buried in Kashmir. There are many stories about early arrival of Jews in Kashmir. Interestingly, Kalhana mentions in Rajatarangni that the Kashmiris in earlier times were very restrictive and would not allow outsiders to come into the Valley.
The only exception was the Jews whom he calls “Maleech” (unclean or unholy) who were off and on allowed in. Some researchers have also observed many cultural and traditional similarities between the Kashmiris and Jews. Incidentally, Israeli tourists are fond of Kashmir Valley and according to some; they feel at home in Kashmir.
Religion wise, after the initial Naga worship, Kashmiris started with the Saivite Hinduism of Trika School of philosophy. This school believes in monotheism which has been one of the important factors in their mass conversion to Islam. The Saivite School of philosophy of Hinduism in Kashmir received much acclaim. It was studied at the famous Sharda University which became known all over the world as an important seat of learning and people from far and wide came here.
After Saivism, Buddhism also flourished here and the fourth Buddhist Council was held here. This unique conclave of Buddhist philosophers was responsible for changing the basic philosophy of Buddhism from the strict Hinayana School to the moderate Mahayana School.   Subsequently, Saivism again gained ascendancy.
Finally, the advent of Islam through the spiritual preachers like Bul Bul Shah and Mir Sayed Ali Hamadani changed the whole scene. The entire population except the ruling Brahmins, the Pandits, converted to Islam peacefully. The Pandits virtually lost the Kingdom after the last non-Muslim (Buddhist) King Rin Cin Shah also embraced Islam.
Till that time the Pandits had been ruling Kashmir with the force of their swords but then on they took the “pen” in their hands and ruled over Kashmiris for almost 800 years. Thus they still continued to be the Kings (rulers) of Kashmir even after losing their physical hold on the government through the power of their pen. They became the ruling elite, the landlords and the money lenders and had the Kashmiri society in their strong grip. Nonetheless, the bonhomie between the Pandits and Muslims remained strong.
In 1947, Sheikh Abdullah through his unique legislation in the entire sub-continent called for giving the “land to the tiller” and the freezing of all debts. It resulted in the Pandits losing their rich estates, landholdings and money power. Yet they remained a harmonious part and important segment of the Kashmiri society. However, their mass migration in the turmoil of 1990 deprived them of all their power and they truly lost the 5,000-year old Kingdom.
No wonder most of the prominent Kashmiri Pandits including the stalwart Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, pined for the lost Kingdom. They refused to accept the ground reality that Kashmir, now a Muslim majority state, could never become a Hindu Kingdom again.
Majority of Muslims in Kashmir never wanted Kashmir to be an Islamic state but as an independent, sovereign republic where all religions are respected equally. The Pandits instead of joining their Muslim brethren most of whom may have the same blood flowing through their veins and with the same basic DNA have been trying to reverse the history. They are now being used by Hindutva chauvinists with their inherent hatred for Muslims to settle the scores with them.
One cannot, however, reverse the march of history. Civilizations come and go and the world moves on. Panun Kashmir, composite townships and the artificially carved settlements cannot bring back the ancient Hindu Kingdom of Kashmir.

If Kashmiri Pandits want to be back in Kashmir as an inseparable part of the society, they have to follow the teachings of Nund Reshi and Lal-Ded and not the commands and directions of Praveen Togadia and Ashok Singhal. They must remember the famous saying of Pandit Kalhana, “The country of Kashmir may be conquered by the force of spiritual merit, but not by the force of soldiers”! Kashmir needs restoration of its centuries-old, composite society and not clusters of imprisoned citizens acting as perennial sources of friction. A composite society of all Kashmiri groups and sections, not Israeli style settlements, is the way forward.

The Uneasy Hug!

The hug between Modi and Mufti seems to be turning uneasy like the hug in the Kashmiri proverb, “Kakun Haaputh”!

A picture of Narendra Modi hugging Mufti Sayed was splashed all over the media just before the swearing in of the new PDP-BJP government in J & K. It represented something like a Bear Hug! The very first hug of these two ideologically opposed leaders seemed an uneasy one and not a normally warm human hug! The picture reminded one of the very common Kashmiri proverbs, “KakunHaaputh”! The story is about a father and a son going into woods and then getting separated. Suddenly, the father hears cries of his son calling him to save him. The father asks what has happened. The son agonisingly cries back that a bear has hugged him. The father shouts, leave the bear. The son shouts back, father I am trying to leave it but it is not leaving me! 

There were a lot of expectations both developmental and political. The moot point is whether the hug was really a positive bear hug and a lasting one and is any of the two leaders really acting as the proverbial bear? Both leaders took a pretty long time in preparing to hug each other. If one minutely observes the facial expression of the two leaders, it appears that Mufti Sayed was not very comfortable in hugging Narendra Modi who on the contrary seems happy and contented. While as Modi is holding him tightly in terms of a true bear hug, Mufti Sayed's hands are open! It may appear that the proverbial bear is Modi but on second thoughts after seeing the recent happenings, the reverse seems more plausible! Especially the uproar and subsequent threats to leave coalition followed by a climb down makes one think that it is now Modi who will be unable to un-hug himself from Mufti Sayed!

Having kept the controversial issues of the north and the south pole on a temporary hold, the first and foremost need of the people in the valley was not only rehabilitation and restoration after the most devastating flood of the century but the fool-proof prevention of future floods and the perennial water-logging of most of the city and other areas. There have been many plans including some with the help of Asian Development Bank executed through the Economic Reconstruction Agency for some of these projects. Unfortunately except a few, most of the projects get allotted or sub-let to small contractors for financial and political gains. The result is disastrous implementation and management of these projects whether connected with drainage, road construction and so on. The living example is the drainage in Srinagar city and the four-lanning of the highway from Qazigund to Srinagar. For a change, the basic infrastructure projects need to be allotted to some of the reputed national or even international construction agencies to ensure implementation and completion on turnkey basis within a definite time-frame. Some examples of the work executed on these bases is the surfacing of some Srinagar roads during governor's rule in mid-eighties and the commissioning of the Uri Power Project during the most disturbed years of the militancy of the nineties.

There were many possibilities in the sphere of good governance and development in all the three regions of the state. The million dollar question was whether the present set up clobbered together after putting a temporary lid on some very controversial and disruptive issues could firmly put its feet on the ground and get a strong hold on the situation. Unfortunately, the reverse seems to be happening. One after the other controversial issues are being deliberately propped up. The return of Pandits has been hanging fire for last 20 years while as the West Pakistan refugees have been waiting for more than 60 years! The refugee issue is more volatile than the Pandit issue. However, the Pandit issue is more sensitive in regard to the valley. There seems to be deliberate attempt to inflame the sentiments and passions of the valley dwellers.Can it be construed as an attempt to get un-hugged from one of the two sides?

Normally, the two sides should have gone full steam ahead in rehabilitation and restoration. The infrastructure is in shambles. In fact, one of the Bollywood heroes recently remarked that Kashmir has everything except the infrastructure! The three most important and urgent tasks to be taken in hand were the restoration, rehabilitation and construction of standard basic infrastructure. This had to be coupled with lessening of the harassment by security personnel of all shades and hues. While the first tasks are still going on at a slow pace, the reverse is happening on the last one because of the new fuel being added to already simmering fire. In fact, a fellow columnist had recently observed that the present phase of Kashmir's popular movement appears to be fizzling out. He should rest assured that the present central government will not allow this to happen and they are renewing the same with their periodic inputs. May be they are regretting the hug and want to end it sooner than later?

A bear hug!

Hope this Mufti-Modi meet turns out to be positive and does not end in the proverbial endings!

At long last after a wait of more than a couple of months, J & K has an elected government. According to Mufti Muhammad Sayyed it is the meeting of the North Pole and the South Pole. Hopefully it does not turn into an equatorial meeting which would be too hot and uncomfortable! A picture of Narendra Modi hugging Mufti Sayed was splashed all over the media just before the swearing in of the new PDP-BJP government in J&K. It represented something like a Bear Hug! Both the parties are attaching great importance to a first historical alliance between the two regions of the state. There are a lot of expectations both developmental and political. The moot point is whether the hug is really a positive bear hug and a lasting one and does not turn into the proverbial bear hug? 

Both leaders took a pretty long time in preparing to hug each other. If one minutely observes the facial expression of the two leaders, it appears that Mufti Sayyed was not very comfortable in hugging Modi who on the contrary seems happy and contented. While as Modi is holding him tightly in terms of a true bear hug, Mufti Sayed’s hands are open! 

There have been many opinions and comments about this ideologically incompatible alliance. On the positive side, it is said that this is for the first time that the two regions have come together to fulfil their aspirations notwithstanding the fact that some of the aspirations are diametrically opposite. It has been claimed to be respecting the mandate of the people of two regions. Others have opined that a strong and stable state government backed by equally strong and stable central government can do developmental wonders. Well, that may be true if both have the sincerity of purpose and honestly implement their mandates. On the negative side, it has been alleged that both the sides have receded from their main agendas simply to capture power at all costs. For BJP it was an excellent opportunity after the Delhi debacle to show some positive gain. 

Kashmiris have been extremely alienated and this was an excellent opportunity for the ghar wapsi of the estranged people even though not in terms of the declared long term agenda of the RSS. For PDP the realisation of its long term agenda of self-rule seemed a tall utopian order and the least they could show as an achievement was going in a big way on the developmental agenda including relief and rehabilitation of the flood affected. The common people, who have been suffering during Omar Abdullah’s comatose administration, expect relief and rehabilitation on a war footing. Everything in Kashmir from electric power to roads and above all the environment is in shambles. The most immediate task is prevention of future floods which has so far been totally neglected resulting in some fresh breaches and water-logging of the city. Another nightmare which has visited Kashmir recently is the swine flu! It has created worse scare than the unprecedented flood. 

Both sides have agreed to put the controversial issues on the back burner. Well, that will not be difficult for the ruling set ups to do if they have the honesty and the sincerity of purpose. It is not difficult to control the state machinery if the rulers really want to do it. After all they are constitutionally supposed to control the state actors. However, the main headache would be controlling the non-state actors who will have prompting from a number of sides. This too can be done if the two sides are sincere and do not score points over each other. To ensure honest implementation of all these measures and give succour to the troubled and suffering people, they have to first of all tackle corruption head on without any fear or favour. Honesty like water flows from top to down below. If the top is honest, the people below will too have to become honest. If the top is corrupt, the honest people below cannot survive. 

One can forget the movement forward on the ultimate solution to the political problem in Kashmir. It too has gone to the back burner. People having expectations of the final solution from the mainstream parties are being hypocritical. Their maximum contribution is lessening the harassment on the ground and improving the day to day living conditions. On this count one would have to watch the performance. It will not be fair to pass the judgement regarding the governance and stability of the set up at the moment. However, they need to understand that there are many pitfalls and they would be doing a tight-rope walk. The swords of Damocles would be always hanging over their heads. Mufti Sayed who affectionately hugged Narendra Modi needs only to be reminded about the Kashmiri proverbs, “Kakun Haaputh” and “Haapath Yarazz” which for him needs no explanation!

No Ghar Wapsi for the PDP if it Fails to Deliver

Two political parties with totally incompatible ideologies are going to very soon announce the formation of a “popularly” elected government after reportedly agreeing for a common minimum programme. One wonders what can be the common minimum programme between such diametrically opposed parties. Probably some secret understanding as is usually common in different “family” members in the American context? They help each other to stay relevant as otherwise there is likely hood of theirs being swept away by the flood of popular sentiment as happened in Delhi. The virtual tsunami which swept away BJP from the “heart” of India, Delhi, needs to be offset. There is no better choice than to capture the “crown” of India at all costs! The present Indian state can put all the controversial issues on the back-burner temporarily, of course after having a tacit understanding with its mentors that the non-state actors can continue the refrain till a suitable and conducive atmosphere is attained. Losing Kashmir after having lost Delhi may start a tide in the reverse direction which BJP can ill afford at the present juncture. Because of this reality they seem to have agreed to all demands except the controversial ones which form their long term agenda. These have been reportedly shelved for the time being and this is being conveyed in a very diplomatic language leaving the door open for their resurrection at an appropriate time.

But the question is what PDP would be getting out of this alliance? The main plea has been that an alliance with a strong and stable central government alone has the possibilities of solving Kashmir’s immediate problems. Of course, the past experience has shown that Delhi can put the local government in Kashmir in a squeeze especially regarding funds for development as well as for day to day running. Whichever government comes to rule in Delhi has a different yardstick for Kashmir than all other states. There are no two opinions about it. But that is true for the governments which have been virtually installed by Delhi. A supposedly “popular” government should not normally have any such apprehensions as they can always take Delhi head on! However, it is also true if any government releases the purse strings, they do take their pound of flesh! PDP will have to bear in mind that they are borrowing money from Shylock!

With contentious issues on a temporary hold, there may be appreciable thrust in restoration and development as happened after the dethroning of Sheikh Abdullah and installation of Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad in 1953. However, the basic discontent will remain simmering under and could burst out like molten lava as happened in 1963/64 notwithstanding the fact that the trigger for such upheaval may be totally different. PDP will be doing a tight-rope walk and would have the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. Their chief spokesperson while commenting on Omar Abdullah’s accusation of a sell-out, has said that the previous NC and Congress governments have left nothing in Kashmir to sell. He has promised to retrieve most of the sold things. One wishes him good luck especially in view of the ghar wapsiprogramme of the Hindutva brigade!

Kashmir could be once again at the cross-roads of history. In the recent times, it has been happening like that quite often since 1931. It is a fact that the 1931 agitation for basic rights was by the Muslim masses who were the sufferers for centuries. However, the movement was turned by the “leaders” into a nationalistic movement in 1938. That was the first cross road where they took the wrong turn as has been amply demonstrated by the happenings since then. Even now, it is the Kashmiri Muslims who are a worried lot. None of the present so called “leaders” have the courage to declare that the present problem principally pertains to the Muslims of Kashmir valley. It is they who are scared of BJP because of their declared intentions to integrate Kashmir fully and turn India into a Hindu State. These intentions have already been demonstrated by some actual happenings across India which has created apprehensions in the minds of the people. If PDP is able to stop this process as regards Kashmir and also end harassment of the people on the ground by the security forces armed with AFSPA, they may bring in some relief notwithstanding their lofty slogans of self-rule and so on. People opposing the alliance have to bear in mind that no mainstream party is in a position to demand fulfilment of the ultimate aspirations of Kashmiris. These parties can only try to end harassment and give good governance. Nothing beyond that! If they fail even in this, then they will have no ghar wapsi for themselves in Kashmir!

A “POPULAR’ GOVERNMENT? “KEJRIWAL STYLE!

Cambridge dictionary defines the word “Popular” as “liked, enjoyed, or supported by many people”. As per this definition can any of the governments in Jammu and Kashmir since 1947 be termed as “popular” governments? 

The first government of Sheikh Abdullah who was given the title of the “Lion of Kashmir” was an emergency government set up to strengthen the accession which the Maharaja had very reluctantly signed in those compelling circumstances. Even at that time most of the people had hesitatingly sided with the Sheikh Abdullah under the belief that he would lead them to the ultimate goal of freedom. However, the government soon became the most unpopular and very harsh measures had to be taken to suppress the unrest. The Jammu agitation for total integration of the state with the Indian Union resulted finally in its dismissal in 1953. 

Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad installed by Delhi opened the gates for free flow of money and material to Kashmiris who had been starved by Sheikh Abdullah because of his programme of making the State self-sufficient. Money was available to purchase loyalties. After that one after the other governments were installed to toe the Delhi line and suppress whatever semblance of self-respect and dignity was left in a Kashmiri. 

It is claimed that the only free and fair election in Jammu and Kashmir was in 1977 during the premiership of Morarji Desai. All other governments are alleged to have been installed, manipulated and virtually run from Delhi. 

Interestingly, the popularity of our present day leaders can be judged from the security they are provided. Gone are the days of these political leaders mixing freely with the public. They are now everywhere under layers and layers of security. Black cat commandos, Z plus security, bullet and mine proof vehicles; closed-circuit TV cameras and so on are parts of the modern security set ups. The leaders have become distant from their followers especially at the higher level there is a wide gulf. In such circumstances, how can these leaders be called part of a “popular” government? 

In the present context of a fractured mandate, can a government formed by two ideologically incompatible groups be called a “popular” government? Half of the government would be popular in the Valley while the other half would be popular in Jammu! In reverse, the Kashmir part would be unpopular in Jammu and vice versa. 

The popularity thus, will have to be redefined in case of Jammu and Kashmir. One wonders what sort of a common minimum programme can two ideologically poles apart parties give to the people! Kashmir valley represents extreme alienation from the Indian mainstream while the Jammu majority desires total and complete integration of the state with the Indian mainland. 

This contradiction that influenced extreme positions by the BJP and the PDP during the election campaign will tear both apart, sooner than later. Should not then the solution be a re-election after a year, Kejriwal style? Meanwhile the political parties should work to integrate the regions on a workable common minimum program. 

Delhi has set a trend, and an example. Just a years wait made all the difference. The popularity of Aam Aadmi Party swept away all the others in the fray. In no earlier elections anywhere has a political party taken 96% of the seats in an Assembly! This shows that patience backed by commitment and hard work definitely pay dividends in the end. 

The only example of such a massive mandate in Jammu and Kashmir is Sheikh Abdullah’s Assembly of his early days when all the members were supposed to have been returned “unopposed”! Same thing had occurred in Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad’s time. It would be interesting to wait for the common minimum programme supposedly being worked out by the two political parties aspiring to install a “popular” government in Jammu and Kashmir. Whether the government stays or goes, ‘popular government’ is a term that will have to be re-defined.

Fresh elections- the only sensible choice!

The delay in government formation due to a fractured mandate and the doubts about the stability of an ideologically incompatible coalition leaves the only sensible choice – go back to the people.

Immediately after the declaration of the election results it was very clear that the people have given a fractured mandate. Mandate showed a regional divide with a strong communal overtone. Even though there were possibilities of a regional combine setting up a government yet the clash of families with bloated egos prevented such an occurrence. People were claiming to be keen to uphold the peoples’ mandate but were in fact looking at all permutations and combinations to capture political power. Many track-II dialogues were going on behind the scenes to somehow cobble together a government. There were two considerations given out for urgency in government formation. One is the development side where huge amounts of funds are required on which state is being falsely projected by the politicians very eager to form the government at all costs, to be totally at the mercy of the centre. The other is the basic political problem pending for a solution for over 60 years or so because of the failure to fulfil the basic aspirations of the local people. Almost all the regional parties had touched both issues in their mandates given to the people before the elections. After having been convinced that all mainstream parties had failed to move on the basic problem, the main consideration for the people in voting was to effect a change at least at the governance level. However, the entry of BJP-RSS combine with their Mission 44+ gave a shot in the arm to the valley people for massive participation as they were determined in preventing the entry of the saffron wave into Kashmir. They did very well succeed in this as all but one BJP candidates lost their deposits. However, the BJP-RSS combine are trying to enter the valley through the backdoor as has been the perennial misfortune of Kashmiris right from the Mughal times!
The famous constitutional expert A G Noorani in a series of articles in Greater Kashmir has made startling revelations especially about the Vajpayee’s Kashmir policy touted by many as a practical way forward for solving the decades old problem. Quoting from a letter to Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh, he reveals how Vajpayee opposed the possible break through between Musharraf and Manmohan Singh on the issue! Vajpayee has only been a willing mukhota to hide the real intentions of BJP-RSS. According to A G Noorani if 1953 was a crime against Kashmir’s autonomy, 2015 would see a crime of saffronising the valley. A grand scale “Ghar Wapsi” for the “lost tribe” of the Hindutva whose present dwelling place is considered to be the crown of the Hindu Bharat Varsh! No doubt in earlier times Kashmir was a very famous Hindu Kingdom and the Saivite philosophy of the Trikka School was the highest spiritual thought in the ancient Hindu India. The famous Sharda University which was a seat of the highest learning especially the Hindu philosophy was situated in Kashmir. The RSS ideologues are not only dreaming about the glorious Hindu past of Kashmir but are seriously contemplating its resurrection through Mission 44+. However, they need to come out of their utopian dreams. Vitasta has turned into Jhelum and much water has flowed down the River. The ancient Hindu Kingdom cannot be resurrected by demographic changes. It has now become an abode of the saints who have been protecting it from all outside assaults through the ages! 
As pointed out by A G Noorani, there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind about the ultimate goal of the BJP-RSS combine. Their aim is to revive the Bharat Varsh, the ancient Hindu Kingdom of the Chandragupta Mauraya’s time and for achieving that objective, they have dozens of Kautaliyas working round the clock! This should be starkly evident from their campaign to remove the word “Secular” from the constitution of India. Even President Obama pointed out the fact of unrestrained Hindutva campaign in his speech quoting article 25 of the Indian Constitution which gives religious freedom to all the citizens. It was a subtle hint to Narendra Modi to restrain the Hindutva zealots running all over India to proclaim it as a country of Hindus only. According to Kuldeep Nayar, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi must be regretting why he invited Obama for the Republic Day. The latter made no secret of his distaste for the Sangh Parivar’s Ghar Wapsi slogan and the other programmes related to Hindutva ideology”.
While analysing various consequences of a BJP government in Kashmir, A G Noorani has very intricately outlined the possible consequences of a PDP-BJP (RSS) alliance for Kashmir and Kashmiris. He has made very damaging revelations about all Kashmiri leaders of different streams including the present group of politicians more than eager to get into the seat of power at all costs regardless of the long term consequences. The question is not whether a government can be clobbered together regardless of the ideological incompatibility of the alliance partners but how stable it would be and what would be its impact on the long term situation. It has often been opined that a strong and stable Central Government with Hindu leanings may be alone able to take decisive steps to solve Kashmir and other problems. This may be true but then the million dollar question is whether that government would be able to sell to the people of India the give and take which may be necessitated by such a solution? Leaving aside the long term consequences, the immediate fear is whether after the government formation, will the BJP-RSS combine be able to restrain the non-state actors from furthering their ultimate agenda regarding Kashmir? Mere intent of transferring land to Amarnath Shrine Board in 2008 toppled the then coalition government and created a massive upheaval. 
Any coalition government having BJP as a partner will have a Damocles’ sword hanging over their heads especially from the valley side. Any indication about the furthering of the controversial Hindutva agenda of the BJP-RSS combine will immediately trigger an upheaval in the valley. Fingers will have to be kept crossed for facing eventualities worse than 2008 and 2010. It has been observed by many that the militancy has been contained but the alienation is at the extreme. The Kashmiri youth are not only restive but have become very vociferous. They don’t even listen to the so called popular leaders at certain occasions and these leaders instead of leading have to follow the dictates of the youth. 
In view of these realities, it may be sensible to continue with the Governor’s rule for six months as provided in the constitution and then impose President’s rule for some more time to enable undertaking of restoration and rehabilitation work on a fast track without any political interference. We have already had six years central rule from 1990 to 1996. A couple of years more will not make a big difference. On the contrary, a capable and active governor with a dedicated administration can accelerate the whole process. After restoration and rehabilitation, one could go for fresh elections. It would be a better choice and one could   get a clear mandate from the people to have a stable government in future. The present plan of having a government at any cost will have a continuous suspense about various possibilities of sudden upheavals without any warning escalating into massive agitations. This would disturb the restoration as well as the peaceful atmosphere. The state politicians eager for government formation need to give a thought about these possibilities before rushing in to take over the seat of power! The Central Government if really sincere about Kashmir’s rehabilitation should keep their over eager followers to capture Kashmir at any cost for BJP-RSS combine on hold for the time being!

BRP Bhaskar's note on ASHRAF

‘Difficult can be done now, impossible may take some time!’

The Zanskar Valley in J&K

New technology has helped me to re-establish contact with a friend after 36 long years.

Mohammad Ashraf was a dashing young officer in the Mountaineering Tourism division of the Tourism Department of Jammu and Kashmir when I made his acquaintance.

Established in late 19^thcentury, J & K Tourism is the oldest Tourism department in India. British officers used to visit Kashmir to escape the summer heat, and following their example Bengali babus started visiting the valley during the Puja holidays. (Kolkata was the seat of the British Indian government at the time.) The Maharaja’s government, recognizing the importance of tourism, set up the department to cater to the needs of visitors.

Mohammad Ashraf, IAS (Retd)Ashraf who had to leave engineering studies in unforeseen circumstances had joined the Tourism department after undergoing training at the Himalayan Mountaineerng Institute, Darjeeling, in adventure sports like mountaineering and skiing. In 1973, the government admitted his proposal to set up a division to promote adventure tourism, and put him in charge of it. That was when I landed in Srinagar. 

Then, as now, Kashmir was loaded with political stuff, and journalists in the state were too engrossed in political reporting to devote attention to other subjects. I kept in touch with Ashraf as part of my quest for non-political stories. He proved to be a very valuable news source. He appreciated my interest in his division’s activities as it helped it get some publicity.  

The most memorable of the stories I got from him was about the rescue of a young woman who went on a trek through the Zanskar valley not knowing that the pet dog which bit her had rabies. 

She was the daughter of an IPS officer posted in Mumbai. She met Ashraf at his office and sought help to plan a trek through the remote Valley. He helped her. The next day he received a frantic call from Mumbai saying her father wanted to contact her urgently. The pet dog that bit her before she left Mumbai had died, and she needed to take anti-rabies injections immediately.

Trekkers in Zanskar Valley

There was no way Ashraf could contact her. He told me about this. There was a human interest story in it. But my mind was working on how we could save her. I suggested to him to contact the Air Force authorities and seek help. He did, and they agreed to make an aerial search. As dusk fell, the search had to be suspended due to poor visibility.

I filed a report that night saying Air Force planes were searching for a young woman from Mumbai who was on trekking through the remote Zanskar Valley not knowing that the pet dog that bit her had died of rabies.

The next morning the Air Force resumed the search, and struck pay dirt, as the Americans will put it. The search party located the woman, a helicopter picked her up and flew her to Srinagar where she was given the first anti-rabies shot before being put on a plane to Delhi on way to Mumbai.

When I was leaving Srinagar after more than five years covering Kashmir developments – it was during this period that Indira Gandhi signed an accord with Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, paving the way for his return as head of the state government after 22 years -- Ashraf told me flatteringly that my departure was a loss to J and K tourism!

Ashraf later became Director of Mountain Tourism and then Director-General of Tourism.

Recently I chanced upon a link to an article by Ashraf. That took me to his website Kashmir First (http://www.kashmirfirst.com/), packed with his writings on politics, history, tourism, adventure etc. When attempts to reach him through the site failed, I sought the help of a mutual friend, Mohammad Sayeed Malik, Resident Editor of the Kashmir Times, Srinagar, who kindly provided his telephone number and e-mail address.

Ashraf, who writes regularly for Greater Kashmir, Rising Kashmir, the Kashmir Times, the Citizen, Countercurrents, the Caravan and the Khaleej Times of Dubai, says, “My motto is to speak the truth, regardless of consequences and I am always reminded of the Border Roads sign on the Leh Road, ‘Difficult can be done now, impossible may take some time!’”

All strength to MohammadAshraf's elbow.