Should Kashmiri Pandits Think of Return to Kashmir, today? 

 

To January 2025, 1 received a call from an acquaintance heading a KP Group, informing me that a housing society has been registered in Mik for building a Housing Society for KPs who had to leave Kashmir in 1956-96 period due to militancy. The mitiative is being taken on behalf of "Displaced Kashmiri Residents Housing Cooperative Society Ltd (DKRHCS) My acquaintance was very excited about the prospect of having, in near future, a house in Kashmir again. Incidentally he comes from a rural background and has landed property in his native village in Ananinag, Kashmir. He was quite persuasive in his presentation, terming it as a novel and noble idea the house can become a 'summer holiday home for our children and grandchildren, he gushed. I promised to look at the website to gain further information. Even as I was studying the proposal, another news item caught my eye Mir Waiz Umar Farooq who balances several hats on his delicate head, had sent out an invitation to Kashmiri Pandits living in Delhi-NCR for a meeting. The meeting took place in a prominent five Star Hotel in Delhi (JW Marriott) on Feb 1 and was attended by some groups like the JK Peace Forum and the leader of DKRHCS, Mr Ashok Manvat, even while all major KP Groups like Chai pe Charcha for KP Future 26 the AIKS, Panun Kashimit, KSD boycotted the meeting The outcome of the meeting was expressed by the IKP'F in the following words. The meeting resulted in a historic agreement to form an Inter-Community Committee under the leadership of Mirwaia Umar Farooq This committee willrepresent all communities of Kashmir and will focus on facilitating the safe return of Kashmiri Pandits to their ancestral homes Mirwaiz reaffirmed that the plight of Kashmiri Pandits is a humanitarian issueand must be addressed with care and urgency," the forum said in a statement. "Kashmir is incomplete without Kastumiri Pandits" Who is Mirwaiz Umar Farooq: A very interesting question, indeed! As the title suggests, he is the Chief Islamiccleric of Kashmir Valley. The word Mirwaiz means the Head Friest or the Chief Preacher a hereditary institution that is unique to Kashmir. The current holder is the 14 Mirwaiz, having got the post following the assassination of his father, Maulvi Farooq in May 1990. The traditional role of the Mirwaiz was to provide religious instructions (Islamic) in mosques and shrines, over the years, however, Kashmiri Mirwaizes started dabbling in politics in the name of socio-political and cultural activities. Apart from being the Chief Cleric, Umar Farooq is also the head of Awami Action Committee, an outfit set up by his late father Since 1993, he has also been periodically heading the separatist outfit APHC (All Party Hurya Conference) that challenges J&K's accession to India. Incidentally, South Kashmir boasts of its own Mirwaiz and does not accept the fiefdom of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq! The Legacy of Sher-Bakra Rivalry: The credit for politicizing the position of Mirwaiz must goMirwaiz Mohammad Shah 2006 grand unaided of the cent Miwat. He became the Mirwaizin in April 1931. This ens sew Koran quoting Sheikh Abdul Abbas and Smirch Abdullah saw the establishment of Kashmir's first political party the Muslim Conference in 1912. S Shiekh politically ambitious and was to control of the pulpit at Jama Mond, which saw the biggest congregation of the fathul every led to bad blood between the two. Shirkh forced to shift his hase to Herrat Bal on the banks of Dal Lake that houses the relic called Moye-Moggadas (hair of the Islamic Prophet). Thus began a rivalry between the Abdullah family and the Mirwaia Family-snit that ran for over three generations! In 1934, Abdullah renamed his political outfit as National Conference. Mirwaiz Yousuf and Ch Gulam Abbas revived the Muslim Conference in June 1941 in opposition to Shiekh Abdullah, In September 1947, Mirwaiz Yousuf Shah travelled to Lahore to meet finesses. By the time the dust settled in Kashmir post the October 1947 Qabaili attack, Abdullah was firmly in power and he never allowed Mirwaiz to return to Kashmir. In fact, grapevine has it that he forced Mirwaiz's immediate family to migrate to POJK - something that followers of Mirwaiz never forgave him for! sher an mergence (with blessings of the Friday: Mir wait never allowed him that and th Supporters of the Abdullah Family started calling themselves Sher (Lion), since Abdullah was called Sher-e-Kashmir. Supporters of Mirwaiz family were derisively given the sobriquet Bakra(goat) and the rivalry became sharp, with frequent street fights where stones, Kangris and abuses would be exchanged freely, During my childhood years, I have witnessed several such cock-fights in the downtown area where the Bakra group had a decent presence! The two groups would not even have matrimonial relationships, such was the bitterness! It was during the 1963 Moye- Muqqadas agitation that a 19-year-old Farooq Committee chief and Head Priest of Jama potion to the Abdullah an illa espenat Far Abdullah, betrayed by his own brother Movie Fame in 10 Maid Marwal Most Faso command hoe While Mirwaiz Moulvi Farooq wa was staunch Islamist and had understated peo politics, not given to the violence that was let loose on the hapless Panditin 19- envelloped Kashmir and was eliminated by three was then May 21, 1990 to pive the Indian State a bad name. Moulvi Faro special enclosure called Mazar-e-Shouda (Martyrs Graveyard), designated for top ranking people asecrated with the serwit movement; ironically in the same row is the grave of the military commander of the Hate who ordered his assassination, Abdullah Bangrool The strange politics of Kashmir's secessionist movement has blurred the lines between a murderer and his victim. One wonders what the future generations will make out of the trend of the killer and the victim being placed in the same category! Interestingly, soon after his efforts to reach out to Kashmin Pandits became known, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq is said to have received death threats on line as well as off line, forcing the police to review his security cover! The point I am trying to make is that despite all the halo and pomp associated with his ceremonial position, Mirwair is an empty shell irrelevant in today's circumstances. Post Aug 2019 developments and the explosion of developmental activity in Kashmir, have made the old-style politicians or faces virtually irrelevant, including Mehbooba Mufti and Sajad Lone. Not for a minute am I saying that the populace in general has had a change of heartanti-India sentiment still simmers under the surface, it is just that the old political faces have lost credibility. Umer Farooq does not have the authority and comesand over public that his late father wed to have. His voice is not heard even by his cohorts in the much-fragmented APIC Therefore, his advocacy of the Retum of the Native' is an excellent sound byte or a click-bait in today's terminology, nothing more! Should KI's Start Planning Retum to the Valley? On principle, one just has to say an emphatic YES-KP's must retum to the Valley that has been our homeland for over 5100 years! That our community has faced waves of persecution leading to seven Exoduses since 1339 is a fact! That each time our people dawed back to reclaim what is rightfully ours is also a fact! Am sure, following each exodus there would have been some people who preferred to stay on in their new places instead of moving back to the valley. We find tell-tale signs of presence of KP community all along the tracks that led out of Kashmir-be it along the Devas -Kishtwar-Bhaderwah route or the Rigour Poonch route. We find signs of KP presence in certain villages of Jammu, Punjab, and plains of undivided India. Exoduses obviously would have made people move around, looking for opportunities. We were, after all, an educated community that was willing to adjust to meet challenges of survival. Is the time right for our retum? My emphatic answer is NO! In the following lines, I shall spell out my reasons. Lack of Acknowledgement by the Muslim Community: The statements issued by Midways and other dignitaries are belittling sufferings of KPs by equating the sacrifices and sufferings of KI's with those faced by the Muslim community. During his opening remarks. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq emphasized on the "shared suffering of both Kashmiri Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits over the decades. My objection is to this mindset, of equating KP suffering with difficulties faced by the Valley's Muslims, while KP's were driven out by gun-toting KM youth, our KM brethren faced bullets due to their defiance of the law-and-order authorities. Not a single KM lost his life due to a gun fired by a KP or a grenade thrown by a KP. The same cannot be said of KMs Our KM majority opinion leaders and common public need to acknowledge that KP's were driven out by a deliberate 'shock and awe plan, the noses from mosques were neither sudden nor unplanned. The posters that appeared on the lamp posts, on the doors of KP hosses, in the local newspapers-those all were meticulously planned. The targeted killing of prominent KI' leaders was planned to and out a signal to the KI's convert of get killed! The intellectuals' and 'opinion leaders amongst KMs need to acknowledge that Ki's were never a threat to them. Unless there is a quiet acceptance by our KM brethren, return to the valley would be yet another risk. Recent happenings in Bangladesh and Maldives have underscored the power of religion to fan anti-India (mad anti-Hindu) feelings Notwithstanding what the so-called 'leaders' claim or say, nobody is asking the most basic of questions do our KM brethren, the normal, ordinary people on the streets, really want KP's back. As a leamed Kashmir watcher observed after a visit to Kashmir recently-a Kl irve Kashmir was all along the ultimate utopia for our KM brethren. As of today, not only are they enjoying the entire cake (of opportunities) all by themselves but are also enjoying the fruits of development initiated by an overzealous Govt of India. Fost exodus, KMs flourished, financially as well as on the job and education front. They got to keep the entire cake in absence of any KP's as competition, KM youth started getting admissions across India for all kind of courses, including technical. In today's newspaper I read about a KM boy, studying in Al-Ameen Medical College in Karnataka who had filed a complaint against some senior students (all Muslims, incidentally). A visit to any of the 'tourist spots in India, be it Goa, Agra, Jaipur or even Cochin (Kochi) Old Quarters, shall reveal the kind of expansion our KM brethren have seen in their businesses. This network is to be seen to be believed. I have firsthand experience of not one spot but at least half a dozen places where I have seen them flourish! No objections to that except they do not want KP'e to operate any businesses in Kashmir! These facts must be acknowledged by the victimhood card playing 'ordinary' KM. their elites and secular intellectuals'! Changing geo-political realities: We are seeing a major global churn. Radicalization of youth in Kashmir was fuelled by money from the Saudi and Gulf countries in 1970s. India has strengthened its relations with the Muslim world in the last 10 years, leading to drying up of funds for subversion of India. Pakistan (1 prefer to call it Papistan) is facing massive turmoil, internal as well as external. The rumbles of disintegration of Pakistan are very real with TT Taliban having ignited their western borders. 151's capacity for mischief has been degraded considerably. Yet, the snake has only been rattled, not defanged! When would the time be ripe for our moor back? While there might be no 'perfect mahurat for our return, the current global chumming may result in disintegration of Pakistan over next 5 years. An assessment by an international security. think-tank has given maximum 5 years as the time by which Pakistan shall cease to exist in its current geographic form. This redrawing of boundaries shall be the most appropriate time for KPs to make their move to the Valley. For those of us lucky enough to have lived through the heady days of Liberation of Bangladesh (1970-75) can recall the impact Bangladesh liberation had on secessionist forces in Kashmit. It literally broke their spirit, forcing even the wily old fox, Shiekh Abdullah to forget his demand for plebiscite. He Aarted negotiating for a political rehabilitation deal with Mrs Gandhi and ended up becoming the Chief Minister in Feb 1975. What KPs should do till ther? KPs need to prepare themselves for a "Return to the Valley move. Post Aug 5, 2019 some very positive trends have become visible for KP Revival of Religious Tourism In the last 3-4 years, KP families have started visiting Kashmir in donot numbers. Religious tourism la an important aspect of such visits. In the ywars following Exodus, we would see a few KPs from Jarmanu and other parts of the country visiting Mata Kheer Bhawani on lyesth Ashtami. However, numbers have gume up considerably lately. Likewise, Vajras to various other religious artis including Tithwal Sharada Temple are being organized by some smart tour operators, induding KPs. Manný Sinha's administration has taken up the repair and nestoration of severat Temples and KP Shrines damaged since 1966, in the last 4-5 years. KP Community groups too are contributing to this repair and restoration process by renovating such asthapans at their village level. This obviously has helped restore our communities connect with the valley Some KI's, who had retained their properties, both in towns and in rural areas, have started visiting those again, living in old homes for a tew days. A friend of mine, originally from Baramulla, revealed that he had called a meeting of all his close relatives and cousins and they had taken a vow not to sell their lands and properties. In fact, he was planning to purchase more land if the prices were reasonable! While the administration is favourable, KP Shrines need to be made free of encroachments and fraudulent sales deeds made by some mean minded KP 'administrators of several of our shrines. The revenue records need to be updated to prevent such mischief in future! Lament of a Community: Alas, we KPs have NOT LEARNED ANY LESSONS from our tragedies. Absence of a pan-India KP umbrella organization that can act as a policy maker for KP's in today's political environment, where only numbers/ votes matter, is hurting KP interests. There is no representation of the KP opinion, nobody to advocate the KP requirement and aspirations. There, of course, is no dearth of KP organizations - hundreds, with big sounding names and pious intentions but there is NC COORDINATION. To quote MJ Akbar, "This community has a remarkable capacity of endless splitting, "That we have no central or umbrella body to coordinate activities of these diverse organizations and frame a unified policy for KP Welfare is a fact. That these organizations often refuse to act in coordination is a shocking reality. I was shocked to learn of some new divisions within the community-Rural v/s Urban, Jammu vs Delhi etc. A KP gentleman who retired as Relief Commissioner is on record saying that 95% of KPs come from Rural background but the 5% City bred ones, living in Delhi and foreign countries are trying to rule us! Ashek Kumar Fanda IKAS 95% KPs are from rural are but 5% are from city and dominating us from Delhi and foreign countries. If they cooperate us in returning to District Headquarters otherwise we are not with one place settlement 2420 As if this division was not enough, we have developed fresh fault lines Jagti vs Jammu- Delhi. KPs living in Jagti and other refugee colonies are up in arms with a feeling that Jammu/ Delhi based 'leaders' have been 'exploiting their plight and feathering their own nests in the process. With such fractures, can our community progress? The attempt to develop a private housing colony, as proposed by DKRHCS is a brave one that needs to be replicated. Yes, such clusters shall carry all the risks associated with an isolated island of KPs, surrounded by a sea of KMs who can turn against them any moment! Such clusters would be akin to establishing wildlife sanctuaries, if not the zoos where KPs can live 'safely. KPs have waited for three decades for resettlement initiatives by GOI or the State Govt but nothing substantial has emerged. It is time our people took an initiative on their own. The era of living in our old mohallas and townships, in mixed communities, may not be feasible anymore. We need to look forward to the time when the KM shall genuinely regret their silence in 1990. As and when Pakistan gets degraded, KMs shall need to give up their grandiose plans of a Pakistan sponsored Gazwa- e-Hind; they would need to learn to live in peace with their non-Muslim neighbours. By then, if our highly individualistic KPs would have imbibed some lessons from history, we might thrive again, as a community!

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Courtesy Sanjeev Munshi  and Koshur Samachar-2025 , March