Political Answers in Jammu and Ladakh UL

(Prof. Madhok with about 55 year long association with happenings in Jammu and Kashmir advocates statehood for Jammu, UT status for Ladakh and the necessity of a secure homeland for Kashmiri Hindus in the Valley Editor)

The basic mistake being committed by policy makers in New Delhi is that they equate the Kashmir valley with the Jammu and Kashmir state The valley is the smallest of the six distinct regions of the state of the remaining five, three-Gilgit, Balustan and "Azad Kashmir-have been under the illegal occupation of Pakistan since the ceasefire of January 1, 1949 India has no say in regard to the political set-up there Pakistan has extended its central rule over Gilgit and Baltistan and has set up a puppet government at Muzaffarabad, the capital of "Azad Kashmir" The people there have been denied elementary human rights by Pakistan all these years.

Of the three regions under the legal control of India, the biggest and strategically the most important is Ladakh. Even after the forcible occupation of about 14,000 sq miles of the region by China, its area is over 20,000 sq miles. The Buddhist people of Ladakh have been clamouring for a Union Territory status for the region after its delinking from the Kashmir valley. They are not interested in Article 370 as they want to be treated as equal citizens of India.

Indian Hands

Sheikh Abullah had other plans He wanted to Islamicize Ladakh on the pattern of the valley Therefore, he divided Ladakh by adding its Zanskar area which links Leh with Jammu to Kargil, the arca small part of Baltistan still in Indian hands. At the same time he took steps to increase the Muslim population in Leh. But Budhist Ladakhis have stood their ground in spite of the odds against them. They have now been assured of a regional council But that falls far short of their aspirations. The right thing to do is to reunite the Ladakhi region by adding Zanskar to it. This entire region should be made a Union Territory Till that is done, elections

can and should be held to the proposed regional council for Ladakh without delay.

The second largest region of the state on the Indian side of the cease-fire line is Jammu. It extends from Pathankot to the Pir Panchal range of the Himalayas which divides it from the valley. Its area is more than 10,000 sq. miles and its population exceeds 30 lakhs. Economically it is more viable than Himachal Pradesh. Its people have been clamouring for delinking it from the valley and making it a full-fledged sate.

Original Inhabitants

The Doda district in the Jammu region, now a hotbed of militant activity, is an integral part of Jammu. It is also separated from the valley by the Pir Panchal range. It was predominantly Hindu till a large number of Kashmiri Muslims took shelter there during a famine in the valley towards the end of the 19th century. They now constitute about 25 percent of the population. Other Muslims of this area are original inhabitants. They speak the Bhaderwahi and Kistwari dialects which are similar to Sanskrit. They have little sympathy for the Kashmiri separatists. Had Jammu been delinked from the valley in time, there would have been no trouble in Doda. But elections can still be held there. It must be remembered that the Hindu population in Doda is still about 50 per cent of its total population.

The restoration of democracy in Jammu and Ladakh will set the political process in motion and will have a salutary effect on the people of the valley. At the same time, attention should be paid to the return and rehabilitation of about half a million Kashmiri Hindus to the valley. They want a secure homeland in the southern part of the valley adjacent to Jammu with Union Territory status. This demand is reasonable. The Kashmiri Hindus are the original inhabitants of the valley. Their claim to it cannot be ignored.

Courtesy:- Balraj Madhok and December 1994 Koshur Samachar

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