Story of Kashmir: (The Last Smile: A Father’s Love Story by Jeevan Zutshi-4)

(Looking back at the untimely death of a promising young man by his father Jeevan Zutshi of California-2; see the link for the forward below)

The Last Smile: A Father’s Love Story by Jeevan Zutshi

Chapter One (part 3)

Following The Footprints Of My Origin

The international community should work on helping the two countries find an accord, for the consequences of neglecting this issue could be costly. With the likelihood that Pakistan will continue to foment division and enmity among Kashmiris, another Indo-Pakistani outbreak could be triggered at any time. Washington would then be required to step in to try to keep the situation from escalating.

Meanwhile, there is some danger of dwindling investment in India, although investors should be heartened by India’s resiliency in the face of the conflict. In spite of the unresolved situation over Kashmir, and the insurgency there that has not abated, India has continued its rise to prominence on the world stage.

Ganguly notes that India has done exceeding well given the dour predictions of commentators in the world community that India might collapse due to rapid increase in population, slow economic growth, newly formed communist groups, and ethnic, religious, and caste strife amongst its population. He notes that India has shown itself to be “remarkably resilient, and apart from a brief suspension of political liberties in the late 1970s, it has managed to handle crises without abandoning its commitment to democratic practices.”

Although it’s within India’s interest to bring the conflict with Pakistan to a speedy resolution, the avenues toward peace are hard to discern. Solutions have been offered, starting from creating plebiscites within the region to help decide its own fate, to granting independence for Kashmir. Ganguly suspects that any solution will have to give all Kashmiris, whether they are Muslms, Hindus, or Buddhists, the ability to “exercise their right of determination.”

But he adds that even a plebiscite on Kashmir’s fate would not necessarily address the needs of its minority groups. A Sunni-dominated independent Kashmir would not be welcomed by Hindus, Buddhists, or even Shiite Muslims for that matter. Their misgivings about such a development would not be not out of place given the “tragic experience” of minorities in Pakistan and the “Sunni-Shiite violence in Iraq.” Ganguly believes that Kashmir’s minorities would fare best “as part of India’s multiethnic, multireligious, secular state,” but this would not be likely to sit well with Pakistan.

Pakistan would rather see Kashmir within its own borders or separated from India as an independent Muslim-dominated state, which could be predicted to be sympathetic to Pakistan. Although Pakistan purports to be interested in the rights of Kashmir, as Ganguly notes, its record on upholding minority rights and democracy has been “abysmal.” Since 1947, the governing structure in Pakistani-controlled part of Kashmir has been marked by the absence of democratic institutions and practices, which raises the question of how an independent Kashmir could function.

India also is unlikely to concede any territory and does not wish to see the effects of an independent Kashmir on other “secessionist movements” within India. Ganguly reasons that negotiations must begin with the notion that giving up territory is not on the table for India. Any viable resolution would need to address the grievances of the Muslims in Kashmir as well as protect the rights of all the minorities. Among those are Kashmiri Pandits, who are the aborigines of Kashmir and who have suffered to a great degree in 1989 when 350,000 of them had to flee for their lives. Many of these Pandits are still living as refugees in their own country.

Their issues must also be addressed. Civil society plays a critical role in nation building and human development. Local societal issues in Kashmir, unrelated to regional politics, cannot not be ignored until the Kashmir Problem is resolved. The civil society in Kashmir faces a challenge in reorienting its agenda to address a wide spectrum of local issues and thereby enhance its appeal and relevance to various sections of the society. To build a violence free and tolerant state, the government has to take steps to work seriously and in good faith on a solid plan.

I agree with Dr. Amitabh Mattoo’s, former Vice-Chancellor, University of Jammu And Kashmir, plan, called 5 R. That comprises of: reconciliation between all stakeholders, (2) revival of composite culture of pluralism, (3) rehabilitation of internally displaced people, (4) reconstruction of the economy, and (5) restoration of faith in the system.scriptures from 7th century AD onwards and about 18 magnificent temples were destroyed, property confiscated and ladies abused.

Thousands of Brahmans killed themselves to evade this horrific barbarism and thousands migrated to other places, resulting in their third tragic mass exodus from the Saffron Valley of Kashmir. According to Schofield, from the 16th to 19th century the Mughals and Afghans ruled.

The Mughals conquest denotes Kashmir’s entry into modern history. As part of a large empire, Kashmir was administered by magistrates from a distant ruler. This was not the best state of affairs, but the Mughal and Afghan rules are thought of as periods of stability, although the latter was among the most brutal. The Pandits fared well under the hands of Akbar, the great Mughal emperor and his successor.

Ganjoo, cites the records of Abul Fazl, who recorded his favorable impressions of the Hindus: The most respectable class in this country (Kashmir) is that of the Pandits, who, notwithstanding their need for freedom from the bonds of tradition and custom, are the true worshippers of God. They do not loosen their tongue of calumny against those not of their faith, nor beg, nor importune.

They employ themselves in planting fruit trees and are generally a source of inspiration for others. Accordingly, Akbar removed the unjust system of taxation that had been placed upon the Pandits, and he was so interested in restoring their rights that he vowed he would “instantly pull down the houses of those who would demand the annual tribute from them.”

However, this tolerance would turn out to be short lived in view of the larger history, for a succession of Mughal governors began to tyrannize and terrorize the Pandits, according to Ganjoo. Brahmans sought the help of the ninth Sikh Guru, who resided in Panjab, who in turn appealed to the emperor to intervene. Apparently, this led to “the Guru’s martyrdom,” the creation of “the Khalsa to fight the oppressors,” and “the fourth disastrous mass exodus of the Aryan Saraswat Brahmans from Kashmir.”

Around 1720 AD, when later Mughals ruled, an extreme form of religious intolerance took the form of six commandments, which were part of a persecution of Kafirs, meaning infidels, which the Kashmiri Pandits were considered to be. These commandments forbade Hindus to ride horses, wear shoes, wear the Mughal costume known as Jama, visit gardens, or receive education. In addition, “they should not have tilak mark on their foreheads.”

When the deputy governor, Mir Ahmed Khan, refused to issue these commandments, the Mullah then whipped his followers into a frenzy of revenge against the Pandits. Ganjoo writes of what followed: The Hindus…houses [were] burnt and property looted. Hundreds of Brahmans were killed, prostrated, maimed and humiliated. They began to run away in large numbers and hide themselves in mountainous terrain.

This was the fifth dreadful mass exodus of the legendary Kashmiri Pandits from their mystic motherland. During the Afghan rule in Kashmir, from 1753-1819 AD, the Hindus fared no better. Ganjoo cites W.R. Lawrence, who called Afghan rule the “reign of brutal tyranny.” Apparently Hindus were drowned in Dal Lake having been thrown into grass sacks in pairs. In order to prevent the degradation of their daughters, Hindu parents would shave their heads or cut their noses and ears.

Shoes and turbans were forbidden, and “any Muslim could jump on the back of a Pandit and take a ride.” The Hindus who did not flee were forced to convert to Islam or be killed. In this way the sixth mass exodus of Hindus occurred, with many leaving on foot. Next to this history by Ganjoo, it is interesting to note Schofield’s lack of detailed documentation about Hindu persecution during the time. Her records indicate that many Hindus left the Kashmir valley during the 18th century, and that this emigration was regarded to have taken place due to persecution, although some believed they may have had greater opportunities in other parts of the Mughal empire.

The region passed to Sikh rule in 1819 and for 28 years was in the hands of Ranbir Singh, “the Lion of Punjab.” Ranbir Singh’s ruled from afar and neglected local affairs. It should be noted that natural disasters also occurred. According to the Europeans who traveled in the region at the time, the Kashmiris were not treated well and were on the brink of starvation.

At that time only 1/16 of the arable land was under cultivation. Although the laws under Ranbir Singh favored Hindus over Muslims in areas of religious belief, Sikh rule did not necessarily reflect a powerful Hindu populace. The positions of power were in the hands of a few select Hindu, or Pandit, families, which exercised authority mercilessly. Both Pandits and Muslims, who lived off the agricultural lands as bonded labor and were not connected to landlords, endured lives of poverty and suffering.

While Ranbir Singh lived, the British did not move into Kashmir, however, upon his death, they engaged in battle with the Sikhs over the territory. Gulab Singh, who presided over Jammu as a vassel of Ranbir, stayed on the sidelines during this war and the Sikhs were defeated. The British signed a treaty with Gulab Singh, who paid the British for Kashmir, Ladakh and Balistan, which he added to Jammu. Gulab Singh was a governor and a maharajah Because he was the king so, according to Schofield, “retained sovereignty of the province until his death on August 7, 1857…. [however, the] British pressured him to dispense with suttee, female infanticide and the killing of illegitimate children.” He allowed freedom of worship and tolerated Hindu-Muslim marriages, although he did not approve of them.

In May of 1857, a conflict began that the British referred to as the Indian Mutiny and the Indians referred to as the War of Independence. Gulab and his son Ranbir aided the British by helping to fund their troops and by not allowing the mutineers to seek asylum in Kashmir.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir had been independent of British rule thus far, but the British themselves considered it to be the northern frontier of imperial India. It was “technically a feudatory of the British” but the Treaty of Amritsar, which had essentially given Kashmir over to Gulab Singh, allowed him to conduct diplomatic relations independently. During World War I, Jammu and Kashmir, under the governorship of Pratap Singh, Gulab’s successor, aided the British. Kashmiris fought in East Africa, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and France.

In 1921, Majaraja Pratrap Singh appealed for the full powers of sovereignty over Jammu and Kashmir and these powers were granted. In terms of the status of Muslims and Hindus at that time, Schofield writes that a grievance was submitted to the viceroy that the Muslims of Kashmir constituted 96 percent of the population and had a 0.8 percent literacy rate. The grievance declared that the Hindus constituted four percent of the population but were the “undisputed masters of all departments.”

When the British forwarded this to Pratap Singh, the people who signed the grievance were reprimanded. The grievance seemed to portray a sentiment toward Hindus that overlooked the real status of their population, many of whom were poor and who also resided in Kashmir. This view of an aggrieved Muslim populace set the stage for the current conflict.

3 Story of Kashmir: (The Last Smile: A Father’s Love Story by Jeevan Zutshi-3)

2: Story of Kashmir

1)
see a forward by Maharaj Kaul