s we see it the events in Kashmir need to be analyzed in a realistic manner. The locally invented political system by a domineering majority and the phenomena of political correctness, have brought about this shortcoming. Yet these events have had profound and lasting impact on the non-Muslim minorities of J&K.
In fact most of these events were conspicuously unidirectional enriching the ruling community while depriving the weak minorities. The obvious result of this one way flow was that the power in totality became concentrated in the hands of a single community. The Pandits being a minuscule Hindu minority, scattered all over the valley were on the receiving end of the authoritarian regime born out of this power grab. They were battered, terrorized, driven out and treated as the Indian fifth column by the Muslim majoritarianism in 1931, 1967, and 1986, 1989-90. In modern times these are a few of the significant assaults perpetrated by the agents of the Islamic civilizational conquest. In view of the oft-repeated assurance by the national leadership, the faith, trust and confidence of the Pandit community in the Indian political class was full, complete and unfettered. They had believed in the promise of building a multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic plural society with equality and protection for all. However, under the cover of nationalism and secularism while Srinagar proceeded to enforce an Islamic agenda, Delhi started drifting from its original commitment to the KPs living in India’s only Muslim majority state. The working of the Muslim majoritarianism led to their complete political marginalization and economic deprivation. It also denied minority or majority status to them. The bubble of superficial and phony secularism in Kashmir burst in 1989-90, and the Pandit community became the main target of the Islamic jihad. The unidirectional political system, oppressive social relationships and communal administration wedded to the Islamist policies, uprooted almost the entire KP community from the valley. This turbulence led to:
(Five lack Muslims in Srinagar showing Pak-flags shouting “We are Pakistanis”)
More often than not such demographic subversions are motivated by the lure of physical occupation of land and properties owned by “infidels”. The regimes following such philosophies have shown a remarkable inability to co-exist with other religious formations and function democratically under a constitution guaranteeing freedom and equality for all. It has happened in India’s immediate neighborhood –Pakistan and Bangladesh. And now J&K has fallen prey to this imperialist system. |
*Dr. Jagan N Kaul has served in faculties and administrations of numerous universities in the American Mid-West. He has advised US Congressional stalwarts and public organizations on Foreign Policy and International Affairs. Until recently he also served as a Consultant with UNIP a division of the UN. A decade ago he was instrumental in getting a proclamation of support adopted by the South Dakota State Legislature (USA) for the struggle by KPs and other non-Muslim minorities of Kashmir against the Islamic tyranny. It was Dr. Kaul's efforts that motivated US Senator Tim Johnson to ask Prime Minister Vajpayee of India to explore the possibility of establishing an autonomous homeland for KPs. The US Senator was the first international leader to suggest such a course of action.
Similarly Dr. Kaul successfully used his power of persuasion in bringing the local government of Roseburg on board in supporting the struggle for a homeland by non-Muslim minorities of Kashmir and recognizing September 14 as Martyrs Day to pay homage to the people who lost their lives in this struggle. Now the State Legislature of Oregon (USA) has on its agenda a Joint Resolution of support for the creation of an autonomous Homeland to rehabilitate the Non-Muslim minorities of Kashmir region. The Resolution has been adopted by the Judiciary Committee and its chairman Sen. Floyd Prozanski is scheduled to move it for passage by the Joint Session of the Legislature. As a public citizen Dr. Kaul is behind this significant move as well. At Dr. Kaul's initiative the entire Democratic Legislative Party of the state of South Dakota represented by Sen. Jim Hutmacher and Rep. Pat Haley, the Senate & House Minority Leaders respectively, in an important missive to President Bill Clinton asked that like Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo the people who committed "hate crimes" in Kashmir should be punished. They strongly recommended the creation of a self governing union territory for Pandits as that was the most pragmatic and a viable solution to their current dispersal throughout India. They requested the President for taking up this issue with the Indian Prime Minister during his visit to India. In mid-eighty's, Dr. Kaul is one of the oldest active members of the KP community in the US. Currently he serves as the Chairman, Diversity-USA, A National Democratic Think Tank on Minority Affairs. |
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