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| Remember Other ‘Stake Holders’, Also | | 
By B L Saraf
Yet another all-party delegation is on the way to Srinagar , to talk to the ‘ stake holders .’ We have lost count of such delegations making , fruitless , trips to the riotous Valley . One that , visited last , comes to the mind was led by P Chidambaram , Home Minister in UPA -2 , in 2010 , when Kashmir saw emergence of a stone pelting phenomenon . Thereafter , we had a three member inter-locution team , constituted to find ways and means to address the political issue and sooth the ruffled emotions . The team came up with a report called “ New Compact .” Nobody knows about fate of the report .
Kashmir is going through the cyclic turbulence . Teenage boys are on the streets pelting stones on the police and passer byes . Life has come to a standstill .
Understandably , for peace to return urgency is to have talks with the “ stake holders .” Everybody , who has a pie in the Kashmir imbroglio – talks about accumulated anger and disillusionment of Kashmiris ( read Muslims ) spilling over in the shape of stone pelting . The say , Kashmiri youth want to be heard but nobody is listening . The ‘ liberals ‘ find “ independence ‘ a huge pull for the Kashmiris . Some grudgingly admit that “ Islamization is also taking place .”
There are number of stake holders in the state ( ignored in the past ) who need to be talked to , for the resolution of the issue and restoration of peace . Displaced Pandit is one among them , who , in wilderness , stands devastated and abandoned . Probably , on the flattering belief that “ he is our own .” Chidambaram snubbed Pandits in 2010 ; the inter-locutors played cruel joke on them . Their main report didn’t have a word on the exile’s plight, despite so many representations . When Pandits brought the lapse to their notice , the inter-locutors compounded the joke by mentioning them in a foot note of the supplementary report .
The displaced community has great faith in PM Narandra Modi and is eagerly waiting for his call . Pandits have a vital stake in the socio-political affairs of the Valley . For some , it may be psychological and political issue ; for the displaced community it is existential matter . Community is uprooted and marginalized . Its youth is languishing unemployed and disempowered. Spiritual and civilizational Sign posts of the displaced community are vandalized . It is no exaggeration to say that Pandit community is on the verge of extinction ; demography is deserting them , fast .
It is essential for those who care for J&K to know that somewhere underneath there is hint of mechanics of two- nation theory at work . Global Islamization factor is acting as a catalyst . We understand that a claim premised on that pernicious theory will remain intractable . Be it so , the homeless Pandits - the original inhabitants - remain a necessary party . Their inalienable right to the home land has to be recognized . We hope that emancipated elements in Kashmir society and those in the seat of power understand it .
Opposition parties have shown concern for the situation in the Valley and expressed willingness to help the government to formulate and implement a “ policy for the change .” Pandits hope that will find due place in that ‘ policy ‘. So should other sections of the JKian society have a space in the policy . It has been the tragedy of the state and its people that Kashmir Valley has always dominated the narrative . The so-called liberals and the opinion makers in the country tend to see the state and its people through the narrow prism of the Valley and one section of its people . True , some people in the Valley have political cum aspirational issue which needs to be redressed , urgently . But it should not be at the political and aspirational cost of other people of the state .
The displaced community is faced with myriad problems: that it will require series of serious interactions, at various levels , to have some closure . One audience with the upcoming delegation won’t suffice . Nevertheless , the meeting would set ball rolling to instill confidence in the deprived community . A well settled and empowered Pandit may prove instrumental to the advancement of nation’s cause ; provided , he is considered integral to the Kashmiriyat , Jamhooryat and Insaniyat ; and not a foot soldier or an apologist of a ruling party at the Centre .
A redeemable feature of the gloomy situation has been the retention of some personal contacts by the Muslims and the Pandits . Pandit medical practitioners and the academics , in Jammu , have retained faith of their Muslim patients and the wards , which may help build a bond of inter-dependence between the communities in the Valley . A repaired social fabric in Kashmir could augur well for the state and the country .
PM Modi has rightly said “ J&K is not only a matter of our territorial integrity but also defines our nationality .” Pandit , in Kashmir , is essential ingredient of that nationality . Upcoming all party delegation should evaluate his ‘ stake ‘ in proper perspective.
(The author is a Former Principal District & Sessions Judge.Feedback- [email protected] )
(Photo Courtesy Ajay Bharti)
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