Kashmir, the “Final” solution!

(Reportedly, Prime Minister Modi is going to announce the “Final” solution of the Kashmir problem before 2019 elections!)

Recently there was a news report that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to announce the “Final” solution of the Kashmir problem very soon. In fact, the Eurasian Times on September 12 carried an item titled, “PM Modi will divide Kashmir in three parts before 2019 elections”. The writer poses a question, “Is Delhi planning to divide Jammu and Kashmir into three parts i.e. Hindu Majority Jammu, Buddhist and Shia Muslim dominated Ladakh and Sunni Muslim dominated Kashmir Valley? As per reports in a local Jammu and Kashmir daily, Indian PM is keen to change the political map of J&K before Indian elections of 2019”.

“Quoting the sources, the Jammu based paper reported that the PM Modi wants to resolve the Kashmir issue during his first-term itself. “It is possible that the PM may himself in a month or so declare division of Kashmir into three parts,” it said. According to PMO officials, Delhi was working out a plan that would lead to the trifurcation of the J&K state. “If all goes well, the Kashmir map would be changed and Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh would be created as the union territories,” they said.

The report claimed that the ‘division’ of the J&K territory would lead to the ‘resolution’ of many obstacles. “BJP knows that it cannot form a government in Jammu and Kashmir on its own and that it has to depend either on the National Conference or the People’s Democratic Party if it wants to come in power. Under such a situation of joint power-sharing with NC or PDP, Delhi cannot abrogate Article 370 of the constitution. An Indian official at the PM Office claimed that the Modi government would divide the J&K state before the general elections of 2019”.

The word “Final Solution” gives one creeps because of an ominous ring  which reminds one about the “Final Solution of the Jewish Problem”, mentioned by Adolf Hitler in his autobiography, Mein Kampf. That final solution which he had designed resulted in the death of six million Jews and created the most notorious concentration camp of Auschwitz! Probably, some of the fanatic followers of Hindutva may be thinking on those lines in regard to Kashmir. Kashmiris to be reduced to a minority in Kashmir! However, the division of the state will not result in that. It will on the contrary create a unit of Kashmiris only with hundred percent Muslim population. Jammu will lose its importance as it is known only because of its association with Kashmir. Jammu as Jammu on its known is not so much known not only abroad but even in India itself. Ladakh does have an independent recognition as the “Little Tibet”. Incidentally, a famous statesman from Jammu, Balraj Puri died with his dream of Regional Autonomy. He did have a viable preposition but no body listened to him. Giving three regions internal autonomy within the overall State of J & K should not have been a problem. It would fulfil the regional aspirations without changing the overall character of the state.

The division of the State into three union territories would change its status in relation to the UN Resolutions passed regarding the final disposal of the erstwhile State of J & K. The case is still on the agenda of the UN Security Council and the UN observers continue to be stationed here. Unilateral division of the State without asking the people their choice violates the UN Mandate. It should normally invite immediate UN intervention. In fact, on the other side, the people living in the former Northern Areas now known as Gilgit-Baltistan had been clamouring for a long time to be declared the fifth province of Pakistan. The same could not be done by the Government of Pakistan because of the UN resolutions on the subject. Reportedly, the feeling there was that such an act would weaken Pakistan’s case. Accordingly, Pakistani’s gave them some sort of autonomy on the pattern of the Ladakh’s Hill Development Councils.

The recent contradictory declarations regarding holding of Indo-Pak foreign ministers meeting in New York and then its abrupt cancellation by India does not augur well. Additionally, the two Army Chiefs have issued somewhat belligerent statements. That straightaway forestalls any “Final Solution” as has reportedly been envisaged by the Prime Minister. That solution, if attempted, may be the spark not only to light a fuse of an unmanageable Indo-Pak conflict but may be the beginning of disintegration of the whole sub-continent.

Political Uncertainty, the main problem!

(Lack of accountability, lopsided governance, dishonesty and corruption in every field stem from the basic malaise which is the perennial political uncertainty)

During last 70 years or so Kashmir has off and on faced one or the other turmoil. In fact, it has seen four wars between its neighbours. There have been some periods of apparent calm but the uncertainty has been always floating under a calm surface. All these years have seen improvement in the living conditions, economic development and a rise in the standard of living of the general population. Apart from that it has also seen growth of a capitalist class where some people dealing in various commercial concerns have made considerable amount of money. Till the start of the nineties various upheavals were not so disruptive except the one witnessed during the holy relic agitation. There would be some turmoil and after some time the things would settle back. However, after the violent turmoil of nineties which resulted in the death of over 50,000 people the things have never been normal. Especially, after the Amarnath land row, there have been violent agitations in 2008, 2010, 2012 and the worst one was in 2016 on the killing of Burhan Wani. After the election of 2014 with the subsequent formation of a coalition government, the entire valley has been functioning like a simmering volcano which keeps on erupting off and on.

Kashmir has now become a virtual prison. The ground reality of Kashmir was described by the European Union delegation some years back. They called it a “Beautiful Prison”! Kashmir has been given many other names and attributes in the recent times. It is called a nuclear flashpoint, most dangerous place on earth and a troubled paradise. It is supposed to be South Asia’s hot spot. The most militarised place on earth. In fact, most of the western countries advise their nationals to avoid travel to Kashmir. They all believe that the ground situation in Kashmir is highly combustible notwithstanding the government’s exaggerated claims of a tourism boom ushering in normalcy. Even the propagators of tourism normalcy sometimes refer to the volatility of the situation. One may not claim it to be a powder keg which would blow up by the lighting of a single match yet no one can dispute the discontent and alienation simmering under the calm surface. There is a sense of general unease in the air itself. This is due to a situation of perennial uncertainty. This uncertainty has given rise to the absence of accountability in every sphere. There is a virtual free for all! Corruption at all levels rules the roost.

Kashmir is supposed to be the most militarised area of the world. During the last elections, Chris Morris, the BBC correspondent had reported from Srinagar that he had never seen so many soldiers in civilian areas in any part of the world. The number of soldiers deployed in Kashmir was more than those deployed for elections in the entire length and breadth of Bangladesh at the same time! No one can dispute the fact that Kashmir is the highest militarised area in the world when one compares the number of uniformed people to the local population. There is army, paramilitary troops, and the local police. Even the number of local policemen exceeds a hundred thousand. Apart from massive cantonments housing headquarters of various corps and divisions, the entire area is dotted with army and security camps. Even deep inside civilian areas one finds security camps, bunkers, and check posts. It is because of this heavy security presence that the local population especially in the rural areas has got very much alienated.

The ground reality is that the entire effort in Kashmir is on managing a conflict on the basic issue rather than resolving it to the satisfaction of the people. The aim is to somehow buy time. Prime Minister’s Group, Parliamentary Delegation, Interlocutors and so on are all meant to manage and somehow buy time. Over the years, a colossal administrative set up has been created for this management which is disproportionate to the population of the area. There has been a tendency to somehow provide government jobs almost to everyone even though sometimes on casual or stipendiary basis. The set up comprising almost half a million employees of all hues and shades has become thoroughly corrupt and totally unaccountable. In fact, major chunk of state’s funds goes into the salaries of these employees leaving very little for development. This administrative giant created for the management of the basic conflict has a vested interest like the mainstream politicians to maintain the status quo at all costs. It is the stark truth that everything in Kashmir has to have a clearance from the Union Ministries of Defence and Home Affairs! Without their specific overt or covert clearance nothing can happen in Kashmir in any sphere of activity. However, it would never be possible to manage the conflict by engaging an entire generation in government jobs or some other non-governmental activities. According to available figures, the number of educated unemployed has already crossed half a million.

The correct attitude for all the sides is to face the ground reality and not escape from it. Kashmir has a problem. A deep rooted problem which is political in nature and has been further compounded by all the wrong initiatives and measures taken to douse the flames rather than remove the cause of the fire! Unless one directly addresses the problem, the things are not going to improve. Unfortunately, the only people directly in the line of fire getting singed every minute are the poor Kashmiris. The two neighbours are only getting indirectly affected. It is a pity that they do not understand that the fire burning deep inside is ultimately going to engulf them also. Their mutual mistrust is worse than the directly burning fire. It is consuming them from within! However, there is always an approach or process for the final settlement of any problem whatsoever. The least the two neighbours can do is to honestly and sincerely trust Kashmiris and allow them the freedom to breathe freely. They had initiated the so called confidence building measures but these are only symbolic and not really substantive. Keeping security forces everywhere breathing over the necks of Kashmiris with zero accountability through the internationally acclaimed draconian legislations. Allowing absolutely no freedom of expression even through peaceful protests. Allowing couple of thousand people to travel across LOC in 10 years or so. Having stone-age barter trade in 21st century without any communications and banking. These are not confidence building measures. Rather these are steps to increase alienation and reinforce the mistrust. The least the rulers on two sides could do is to allow people on both sides to at least enjoy the same basic rights as their own people enjoy. These measures if taken in earnest could be a good beginning to start the process for the ultimate resolution of the problem taking away slowly the entire sub-continent from an avoidable catastrophe!

Cross LOC Bus, an ordeal!

(The most important confidence building measure between India and Pakistan initiated in April, 2005 has virtually become an unbearable ordeal for the passengers!)

It was for the first time since the establishment of a ceasefire line in 1947 (present LOC or the line of control) that people were allowed to cross from both the sides in April, 2005. Even though the Buses did not actually cross because of the narrow bridge on Jhelum and the travel was through transhipment, yet the event received worldwide coverage. It was hailed as a breach in the Sub-continents Berlin Wall. The Bus was started on a fortnightly basis with 30 odd passengers travelling from either side. The travel of the first Bus was telecast live. The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flagged it off from Srinagar. Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, the then Chief Minister had himself gone to LOC to receive the first batch of visitors from the Pakistan Administered Kashmir. There was euphoria all round and people expected that the decades old problem was on way to resolution. Some of the relations on two sides of the divide travelling by the Bus had met after 60 years or so. The measure was the beginning of détente between India and Pakistan which had been initiated by Atal Bihari Vajpayee by extending a hand of friendship to Pakistani leadership from Kashmir. 

Simultaneously, cross LOC trade was also initiated. The trade did pick up and goods were exchanged from two sides. However, it was more or less a barter trade as there were no arrangements for cross LOC banking. Both the bus and the trade are continuing on a virtually nominal basis. One had expected that after initial hiccups there would be virtually free flow of the people across the artificial barrier. Unfortunately, that has not happened. We still have a miniscule number of people travelling to and fro. Firstly, to get a ticket on the bus first involves clearance from the intelligence and security agencies of both sides which takes months. Only blood relations on two sides get the permission. Common Kashmiris on two sides do not get the permission if they are not related. Permission wise it may be easier to get a normal visit visa from the respective embassies and the travel by air or even by road through Wagah is much easier and smoother. The worst part of the travel as related by some people who have crossed on the bus is the checking on two sides of the line of control. The buses do not cross but people have to walk across the Domail Bridge along with their baggage and take the buses of either side to reach Srinagar or Muzaffarabad.

The actual travel itself is tiring and quite long. Some relations who recently came on the Bus had started at 6 am in Muzaffarabad. They reached Chakoti at 8 am. Till 12 noon, the Pakistani authorities completed their verification procedures at the line of control and they crossed the line at 12.30 pm. On this side the Indian authorities completed their procedures by 3 pm when they finally left for Srinagar. They reached Srinagar at 7.30 pm. A normal drive of three and a half hours took them thirteen and a half hours and they were really tired when they reached their destination! They were also very upset about the facilities provided on the Indian side. These were, according to them, virtually non-existent. On the contrary the Pakistanis have provided excellent facilities on their side. It would send a message of goodwill across if the civic and other facilities on our side are upgraded and improved.

These people also disclosed that in the past they would travel through Wagah border. That travel is easier and smoother. Those days they would start from Lahore at around 7 am and would be in Amritsar by 11 am. They would take a direct flight from Amritsar to Srinagar and would reach their destination by 2.30 pm or so without any problem. The confidence building measure has virtually become a confidence shaking measure for the actual users. The only advantage has been that many people who had been cut off on two sides for almost half a century have been able to meet each other. One great consolation is that the bus has continued in spite of many hiccups caused by tension on the border and within Kashmir. There have been disruptions but the bus has not been totally discontinued.

Now, with the change of government on the other side and possibility of a thaw in relations between our two neighbours, one expects that the Confidence Building Measures would not only be revived but made into real and practical ones giving some solace to the suffering masses. The most important first step to usher in real peace in the subcontinent is the demolition of the sub-continent’s Berlin Wall!

Partition and Kashmir, the British Conspiracy!

(Gurrinder Chadha’s film Viceroy’s House released last year reveals Churchill to be the real author of the conspiracy to partition India as well as Kashmir!)

Last year a British Indian Director, Gurinder Chadha released a movie “Viceroy’s House” about the partition of India. The feature film is based on the goings-on at Viceroy’s House (now Rashtrapati Bhavan) in Delhi. The film blames Winston Churchill for the partition of India. Chadha originally hails from Jhelum in Pakistani Punjab. She had to hurriedly migrate with her mother and spent some time in a refugee camp. Gurinder Chada in an interview to a movie journal says, “My film is based on Top-Secret British documents that look at what Britain and America had to gain from the Partition of India and the creation of Pakistan. As part of my research I read Narindra Singh Sarila’s The Shadow Of The Great Game, which exposes these Top Secret Government files that had been sealed for fifty years. These documents show that the decision to divide India was influenced by the World Map and who would retain power in the region”.

After the end of the World War II, the west was keen to restrict the influence of their war time allay Stalin. Both Britain and America wanted to restrict Russian approach to the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. They were keen to create a corridor by partitioning India to restrict the Russian advance. Lord Archibald Wavell at Churchill’s behest drew a secret plan to divide India. The war-time prime minister, who otherwise fiercely opposed the concession of freedom to India, analysed Jawaharlal Nehru as being pro-Soviet Union and therefore likely to give the Communist power access to the warm water port of Karachi and consequently an easy passage to the Middle East. In contrast, he assessed the Muslim leadership demanding Pakistan as being pro-West and therefore likely to be resistant to Moscow.

The partition plan was discussed and prepared in the War Cabinet Meeting held on May 19, 1945. In the movie Wavell gives a file to Cyril Radcliffe containing the secret note circulated after the cabinet meeting. The movie has some shots showing the actual file which is now declassified by the Home Office. Radcliffe had been sent to demarcate the border between the two new countries. He had never visited India before. He was given just few weeks to do the job. When he mentions to Lord Ismay that it is impossible to undertake such an assignment in such a short time, Lord Ismay shows him a map in the file where in the entire border is already marked in red! He tells Radcliffe that he has only to demarcate the border on the ground as already decided by the Cabinet Mission! Incidentally, the partition plan was given the name of Mount Batten Plan and ironically Mount Batten knew nothing about it. He was called to England just to give the impression that it was his plan! It was a plan already prepared by Lord Archibald Wavell at Churchill’s behest and handed over to him for implementation!

Ashish Ray in London Tribune writes, “In the “great game” of carving out spheres of influence between Britain and the Soviet Union, Churchill was attempting to checkmate what he perceived to be the United Kingdom’s post-war, Cold War rival; but at a heavy cost to the people of India. The fact is access to the waters of the Arabian Sea through Pakistan has been denied to Russia to date. But if Churchill’s objective was to thwart communist enlargement and hegemony, he has failed, for China is comfortably ensconced not merely in Karachi, but in Gwadar, which is even closer to the Gulf.”

Rakesh Ankit after studying the de-classified documents wrote a detailed research paper on the subject, “The Cold War and its Impact on the Evolution of the Kashmir Crisis, 1947-48” which appeared in the Journal of the Oxford University History Society in 2009.According to him, “‘Power Politics’ made a large contribution to the evolution of the Kashmir crisis. While the dispute emerged for local, regional and religious reasons its evolution and eventual ‘internationalization’ bears the stamp of concerns which had nothing to do with the individuality of the crisis and the merits of the cases of the two protagonists. In other words, while the events in and around the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir from August 1947 to January 1949, a period which saw an entire range of conflict, from local skirmishes to full-fledged invasion to pitched defensive warfare, were manufactured by a set of circumstances, personalities and concerns, which were all essentially local or regional and sub-continental or religious in nature, once the crisis erupted it was manipulated by the British-led Western Block, as far as possible, in the pursuit of its own vital interests stretching from the Middle East to Central Asia to the Far East.

These vital interests can be broadly categorised as defensive, strategic and geo-political (aimed at the former Communist USSR) and ideological or religious (aimed at the Islamic Middle East).” In fact, Rakesh has quoted extract from Bevin’s letter to Marshall which states, “Kashmir was on the Soviet frontier. Russia might well intervene as she had in Greece and China, playing on the tribes and on communal feeling. Whoever controlled the valley of Kashmir controlled the strategic and commercial communications between India, Pakistan and Central Asia.” The main western interest was the access to Central Asia and containment of the Communist Russia.

In fact, it was decided in a meeting in Paris between Bevin and Marshall that the Anglo-American interests would be best served by keeping the Kashmir corridor passing through Gilgit with Pakistan as India could create problems. The ceasefire and the extent of areas under each country too were decided by the western powers as both the armies at that time were controlled by the British Officers. The details of the intrigues, conspiracies or even the actual happenings on the ground have been put down by many authors like Lord Birdwood, Dr. Josef Korbel, Alistair Lamb and recently by Christopher Snedden. In spite of these vast resources about the happenings of 1947, to simply put all the blame on Mohammad Ali Jinnah is not fair!”

Incidentally, the so called Tribal Raid is also alleged to be a British Plan. They did not want the Maharaja to completely accede to India as it would mean loss of the strategic corridor. They wanted the Indian Army to be sent to Kashmir but there was no excuse to do that. David Devadas writes in his book that the Indian Army Chief who was British knew three days in advance that the Tribesmen were coming but he did not inform Nehru. It is also alleged that all the Tribesmen were not from the Pushtoon Tribal Area. There were quite a few mercenaries who were from Agha Khans Tribe in Hunza who indulged in loot and rape rather than complete their mission of capturing Srinagar! These were allegedly arranged by the British. The raid gave the Indian Army an excuse to land in Kashmir. Again the Indian Army did not go all the way to capture Muzaffarabad or even Gilgit which they could easily do but stopped leaving the strategic corridor to Pakistanis as had been envisaged in Bevin-Marshall meeting! 

  Adil Najam, Dean, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University wrote a detailed article on Errors of Royalty in the partition of India, which appeared on August 15, 2017. One would like to conclude with his last para.

“Nowhere does the unfinished business of partition bleed more profusely than in the continuing conflict between India and Pakistan over Jammu and Kashmir. Would a little more attention and a few more weeks of effort in 1947 have spared the world a nuclear-tipped time bomb that keeps ticking on both sides? We can never know the answer to this question.

Nor can, or should, I believe, India and Pakistan blame the British and Mountbatten for all their problems. Seventy-one years on, they have only themselves to blame for missing opportunity after opportunity to fix the troubled relationship they inherited.

However, maybe, today, on the anniversary of their birth, both India and Pakistan can take a break from simply bashing each other and recognize that at times history can deal you a bad hand in many different ways – in this case, due to the hasty and monumental errors of a British royalty. But also recognize, it is on you to learn from history and fix it”.

It is ironical that both the countries look towards these conspirators to bail them out of the mess in which initially they put them! The most surprising fact about the movie is its virtual ignorance among the people in India and Pakistan. Has it been deliberately suppressed by both the countries? May be because of so many uncomfortable questions it raises about partition!

The Cup of “Poison”!

(The cup of poison called “Hemlock” which Socrates was forced to drink has always turned out to be the cup of the “Water of Life” for the mainstream politicians of Kashmir!)

The former Chief Minister after losing the seat of power by sudden and unannounced withdrawal of support by BJP to her coalition government declared that the initial alliance with them was like drinking a “Cup of Poison”. The allusion seems to be to the famous historical event of the Greek philosopher Socrates who too was made to drink a cup of poison. It would be interesting to reproduce the history of the event as given in Wikipedia. “The trial of Socrates (399 BC) was held to determine the philosopher’s guilt of two charges: asebeia (impiety) against the pantheon of Athens, and corruption of the youth of the city-state; the accusers cited two impious acts by Socrates: “failing to acknowledge the gods that the city acknowledges” and “introducing new deities”. The death sentence of Socrates was the legal consequence of asking politico-philosophic questions of his students, from which resulted the two accusations of moral corruption and of impiety. At trial, the majority of the dikasts (male-citizen jurors chosen by lot) voted to convict him of the two charges; then, consistent with common legal practice, voted to determine his punishment, and agreed to a sentence of death to be executed by Socrates’s drinking a poisonous beverage of hemlock”.

Socrates gave his life for certain principles. He refused to go along with the false Gods of the Greek Pantheon and spread the knowledge among the youth for which he had to pay with his life. On the contrary our Kashmiri politicians have been drinking from the cup which has virtually proved to be the water of life for them right from 1947. Like the proverbial cat they have nine lives and in some cases may be even many more! They have been doing so for hiding the truth! In spite of many upheavals, turn arounds and somersaults they continue to survive with vigour! From the first “Cup of Poison” taken by the Kashmir’s “tallest” leader in 1947 itself, there has been a routine of all the so called mainstream leaders drinking the cup of whatever potion one may say ostensibly for the sake of the public but in reality for their own self and their family’s sake!

In case of the last ruler who claimed to have taken a cup of poison by collaborating with BJP for the sake of people, Kashmiris faced the worst sufferings in the recent past. Scores were killed and wounded, hundreds were hit with pellets and almost a hundred people totally lost their eyesight. Dozens of houses were completely destroyed and village upon village was totally pillaged and vandalized. Kashmir’s biggest mosque remained locked up on umpteen Fridays and people could not offer prayers on scores of Fridays. A few thousand people especially the youth were detained and some were put under continuous detention under Public Safety Act. After her ignominious departure one would have thought that the others would take a cue and come on the straight path. Not at all. They seem to be eager to drink from the “Cup of Poison” even if they have to sell their mothers for a price! Somehow the so called poison in the cups of Kashmir appears to be a potion which turns these leaders into virtual blood sucking leaches. They fall only when they have sucked the blood to their fill! Unfortunately for the poor wretched people, they have been themselves picking up and putting these leaches back on their bodies to suck more blood!

So far these leaders have been leading Kashmiris like sheep from one pasture to other. However, there is a change now. Kashmir has a new generation. The generation which was born and brought up in turmoil. No matter how many cups of hemlock or honey or somras the Kashmiri mainstream politicians drink, they are not going to make any impression on this new generation! The new generation of Kashmiris is beyond their control. They do not follow any leaders. They are leaders in themselves. Their alienation from the mainstream appears totally irreversible. They have spread the infection of “Azadi” throughout the length and breadth of Kashmir. In spite of the use of maximum force, the authorities are unable to control or cow them down. There can be no solution unless a way is found to address this generation. All out operations are not going to solve the problem. These are rather compounding it. Every killing is giving rise to ten new recruits. The only way is to address the basic political problem in an open and unconditional dialogue. The first and foremost requirement is to create a conducive atmosphere for that. The threats of obliterating the very existence through repealing of different legislations are going to add fuel to the already simmering fire. Let us hope all the politicians will forget about drinking various cups and concentrate on somehow bringing peace to the troubled paradise!

The Threat to Kashmiri Existence!

(Unprecedented shutdown against Supreme Court hearing on Article 35-A shows Kashmiris’ concern not only to protect their unique identity but their very existence!)

Before one delves on the threat to the existence and the identity, it would be worthwhile to describe the unique Kashmiri identity. There are many theories about the origin of Kashmiris. It is one of the most mysterious and exciting topics. Some say we are descendants of Aryans who came from Central Asia. However, one can say with certainty that we are not in any way very close to other inhabitants of the sub-continent especially those living in our southern neighbourhood. Physically we are of a fine stock, well built and tall. We have sharp and regular features. Generally people are lively and intelligent. Full of fun and fond of amusement. The beauty of our women has been well known and praised by writers and poets for a long time. We do look like an ancient race with complexions varying from very fair to ruddy and sometimes even blond. In Europe as well as in many other countries we are mistaken for Turks or Iranians or Greeks and in some cases as Spanish or Italians. Some people even call us the “White Indians”! Raj Tarangni describes original inhabitants of the valley as Pisacas and Nagas who used to create trouble for Brahmans. Kashmiri Brahmans popularly called Pandits form a distinct class of their own and can be considered to be the purest specimen of the ancient Aryan settlers in the valley. Rajtarangni also mentions that the valley was once a big lake (Sati Sar) which was drained by Kashyapa after killing the Demon Jalodbhava who was guarding its outlet in Baramulla. Well, the Geological formation of Karewas, layers of sedimentary clay deposits, found everywhere in the valley, does confirm the existence of a lake. There is only one definite and irrefutable scientific evidence about the beginning of human civilisation in Kashmir and that is the Neolithic (New Stone Age) dwelling sites in many parts of the valley out of which Burzahom site is the most studied and well known in the scientific community. The site is famous because it was the first such site discovered in Kashmir. It has dwelling pits, burial pits and some megaliths. The Neolithic (or the New Stone Age) Period of this site dates back to around 3,000 BC. In a way the place represents the site as well as the period where from the first inhabitants of our beautiful valley came. They could be termed the original Kashmiris who started inhabiting this valley like their counter parts in many other areas of the world. 

In ancient chronicles the land of Kashmir is extensively mentioned by Greek, Chinese, and Arab historians as a beautiful valley deep in the Himalayan Mountains. This Himalayan girdle very difficult to cross especially in ancient times has protected Kashmir’s unique identity for centuries. Mahmud of Gazhni and even Alexandre the Great could not cross the barrier! Kashmir has seen many religions through centuries. Saivite Hinduism, Budhism and finally Islam. All these religions had a peaceful and a very smooth change over. In ancient times and till sixteenth century Kashmir was an independent sovereign country. Mughals finally annexed it to their empire in 1586 by treachery after failing twice to subdue and conquer it by force. After that Kashmir went under Afghans, then Sikhs and finally the British sold it to Dogra Maharaja Gulab Singh of Jammu for rupees seventy five lakhs vide the infamous Treaty of Amritsar. During all these centuries of foreign rule, Kashmiris maintained their unique identity even though the foreign rulers turned them into miserable wretches draining out all civility and self-respect from them. All the foreign rulers like Mughals, Afghans, Sikhs and Dogras have gone into virtual oblivion. However, Kashmiris are still there with their unique identity.

 As revealed in the secret documents recently released by the British Home Office, as a result of the British Conspiracy hatched at the instance of Sir Winston Churchill when he still was the Prime Minister, the British divided the sub-continent and created the Kashmir dispute. This was done to forestall the Russian advance towards the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. A film on the subject is available on Netflix! The film is “Viceroy’s House”! Had this conspiracy not been hatched and put in practice, Kashmir may have emerged as an independent sovereign state in 1947 itself after the departure of the British! It has also been revealed that the so called tribesmen were not in reality Pathan tribesmen but mercenaries engaged by the British themselves from Hunza area. There are so many other revelations in the film made on the subject. As a result of this conspiracy and due to the blunder of their own popular leader, Kashmiris got themselves locked into a Gordian knot out of which they are unable to come out. During all these years there have been umpteen attempts to modify Kashmir’s unique identity linguistically, culturally and economically. However, all these attempts have failed. That has left only alternative of physically displacing them from the area. So far this has not been possible as the Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh in 1927 passed the state subject law to protect the identity of his subjects in all the three regions of the state. Maharaja in spite of his being a hereditary ruler loved his subjects and took care of them by safeguarding their future. The present attempt of repealing the Article 35-A of the Indian constitution is aimed at removing the state subject law thereby enabling the masses from the mainland to virtually drown Kashmiris in the flood of people which may come in by the removal of the barrier.

The two days complete shutdown is totally unprecedented in the recent turmoil. Everything was closed and off the road. Even the raidee walas (carts selling eatables etc.) and the auto-rickshaws were off the road. Not a single shikara moved on the Dal Lake. Even in the peak of militancy one had not witnessed such a total shutdown! This has given a clear warning to the new conspirators bent upon dissolving not only Kashmir’s unique identity but the very existence of a Kashmiri.  A Kashmiri may tolerate all the suppression and oppression but when it comes to safeguarding his unique identity and the very existence he can go to any length regardless of the consequences. It would be in the interests of the entire sub-continent if the message given by this unprecedented two day shutdown is heeded and measures are initiated not only to protect Kashmir’s existence and unique identity of its people but to address the basic political problem which has been plaguing not only the sub-continent but the entire South Asia for last 70 years. The sooner the advice is heeded, the better!

Adulterated Food and Fake Medicine

(The worst calamities for Kashmir apart from natural disasters are the adulteration in food products and the sale of fake medicine!)

Kashmiris have now become used to both natural and man-made disasters striking one after the other. In fact, Nature has been rather very kind and it is the fellow human beings whose material greed has turned into the instruments of disaster for the entire society. The journal of the Indian Law Institute carries an article about the survey conducted regarding food adulteration in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The article is in vol. 31 of March-April 1989. (pp 91-105). The survey about food adulteration conducted at that time about sends shudders through one’s body. Imagine how much “progress” and “sophistication” has been achieved by these adulterers! There is a legislation to check food adulteration. It is the duty of the Health Officer of the Municipal Corporation to check food adulteration and take action under the act. The cases are tried in the Municipal Court. One does hear off and on about action taken to check adulteration. In fact, sometimes even major companies get hauled up. Unfortunately, the material greed has become so much widespread that it is impossible to fully check food adulteration. The worst suffers are the people from the lower strata of the society including the large number of slum dwellers. It is shocking how some of the human beings administer virtual poison to their fellow human beings just for material greed.

A few decades back in early fifties one would not hear so much about food adulteration. Yes, one would come to know about water being added to milk to increase its quantity. Even that too was rare. Those days the Municipal Authorities would be emptying pitchers of milk into River Jhelum because the milk in these was diluted with water! The Municipal Health Officer of those days was a nightmare for all these criminals! Not now! People can get away with anything because of corruption having entered the Kashmiri blood stream. There have been instances of detergent and blotting paper being added to milk, powdered bricks, saw dust and many other dangerous and poisonous materials being added to some spices. Even the bakers have been adding some chemical agents to bread and other confectionary to make it crisp and presentable.  Sometime back there were some cases registered against big firms dealing with various food products like milk and spices. However, after sometime the companies involved continued as before! One does not know what happened to those cases?

Adulterated food products are naturally bound to induce sickness among the consumers and they would need to be treated. The height of irony is that the drugs being prescribed for such and other illnesses too are fake! There is a massive racket of fake drugs in the State. There can be nothing more criminal than this! Again the cases of fake drugs have been there for quite some time. In 2013 there was a massive scam of fake drugs being supplied by the Jammu & Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation to various hospitals. Two major supplies of life saving drugs to Kashmir-based government hospitals - antibiotic Maximizen-625 and Curesef - were found unfit and spurious by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, Ministry of health and family welfare, and the local drug control department. In another case, chalk and clay were found mixed in these drugs which had been supplied almost for two years. In fact, 500 babies that had died could be because of drug adulteration. The medical superintendent of the Children Hospital had admitted that the babies could have died due to spurious drugs. Some of the well-known brands of medicine including anti-biotics are reportedly faked in Jammu and then supplied in the valley through various outlets. They are not ordinary criminals but real murderers! They deserve to be hanged in public. Unfortunately the procedures to prosecute these criminals are so lengthy that they have every chance of getting scot free. One cannot depend solely on the government for getting rid of the menace. It needs social awareness and a strong peoples’ movement not only to ensure the trial and prosecution of the caught criminals but a total social boycott and complete ostracization of these criminals from the society. All the Civil Society groups should take up these issues and ensure prosecution of the persons caught adulterating food products and manufacturing and selling fake drugs. There is also urgent need for not only political leaders but all the religious leaders to take up the issue of food adulteration and manufacture and the sale of fake drugs. People have not only to be made aware of the widely present menace but also motivated to ensure hauling up and prosecution of the persons found guilty of indulging in these offences.