Jammu and Kashmir has been savagely mauled by nature’s fury and recovery will be a long and painful process. Political and personal antagonisms between the Centre and the state government seem to have been papered over in the face of the all-pervading catastrophe. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a personal visit to the state, during which he addressed an impromptu press gathering on the runway at Srinagar with the state chief minister, Omar Abdullah, standing by his side, sending out a heartening signal of solidarity — that the Centre and state stood together during this national calamity.
At the same time, Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), too, has been hit by the same calamitous forces of nature that have ravaged the Indian side and messages have been exchanged between the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan offering condolences and cooperation on the joint tragedy in both countries. Perhaps there is still a flicker of hope that the train wreck of the Narendra Modi-Nawaz Sharif talks can yet be lifted back on tracks and can resume their normal service as another “Samjhauta Express” between the two countries.
The Kashmir floods simultaneously hit both sides of the Pir Panjal, the Valley as well as the Jammu-Rajauri-Poonch region. As always, the Indian armed forces rushed in to help. “Their shoulders held the sky suspended” as they went — oblivious to praise or criticism, with their unique blend of compassion, devotion to duty and stolid efficiency — to towns and villages, some right on the Line of Control, providing relief to dazed survivors, rescuing the aged on their shoulders, cradling infants, besides restoring road and telecommunications links, launching Bailey bridges and providing medical relief.
In the middle of all this, the Indian Army also took time off to engage and kill Pakistani infiltrators along the Line of Control who were attempting to take advantage of what they had thought to be a situation of chaos. The danger to India obviously remains clear and present. In the middle of this whirlwind, the media could not resist the opportunity to quiz Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Maulvi Umar Farooq, somewhat impishly, about the work being done by “India’s Army of occupation” i.e. in carrying out such a massive relief operation.
Twisting his features into a bitter grimace, the chagrined Mirwaiz managed to spit out a few words through clenched teeth about this not being the proper time to go into the matter. Thereafter, Mirwaiz and the rest of the Hurriyat, quickly adopted a new slogan — India must go to the international community appealing for humanitarian aid. They have been put firmly in their place by a distinguished veteran of the Indian Army, a former general with wide and indeed unique experience of the Kashmir Valley and its people.
The foregoing not withstanding, it has to be accepted that in the harsh world of realpolitik, bonhomie and camaraderie, especially between Pakistan and India, are not yet all-season commodities. Their shelf life is limited, so, opportune moment or not, attention has to remain focused on the many issues that are still outstanding. Amongst these, none is more important or emotive or simmering unnoticed on the backburner for longer than the “Right to Return” of the Kashmiri Pandit community to their homes and homeland.
The recent “suggestion” in this context to the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir by the Union home minister, to identify and set aside secure enclaves within the Valley for resettlement of the minority Kashmiri Pandit population, is a vital necessity which requires early implementation. Kashmiri Pandits were driven from their homes under threat from separatist militants, covertly encouraged by a crypto-communal administration and a pathological anti-India feeling that has always pervaded the Valley.
Hypocritical platitudes about “Kashmiriyat” and the long-standing bonds of brotherhood and kinship between the Kashmiri Muslim communities in the Valley and those whom they regard as their “Hindu brethren” have been long exposed as superficial, insincere and false. The problem of resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits within the Valley is not a mere academic exercise, but a real-life problem in community security which is of vital relevance to the country’s national security, and one which has to be resolved within a finite time-frame. At the core of the entire “Right to Return” process has to be the safety and security of those returning. This will require a makeover on the part of both the parties primarily involved Kashmiri Hindus and Sikhs who are eager to return, and Kashmiri Muslims who must genuinely welcome them back.
Unfortunately, the Kashmiriyat of fables now lies visibly in such tatters that a makeover, though highly desirable, is also highly unlikely. Consequently, the Centre and state governments must consider establishment of “strategic settlements” in pre-selected areas for returning Kashmiri Pandits, under the protection of Central forces if necessary.
The Kashmiri-speaking Sunni Muslim population forms the majority in the Valley, as distinct from other non-Kashmiri speaking Sunni Muslim groups like the Gujjar and Bakarwal communities, and Kashmiri-speaking but non-Muslim communities like the Kashmiri Pandits. The larger issue before the country now is — will the Great Flood of 2014 and the Indian armed forces’ response to it bring about any change of attitude in Kashmir towards the “Idea of India”?
It would appear, now that the worst is over, the instinctive anti-Indian hostility embedded in the Kashmiri psyche is reasserting itself, as demonstrated most recently by an assault on a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) party on flood relief duty. Three NDRF personnel were seriously injured, one critically. The hearts and minds of the aam Kashmiri Muslim still seem out of reach, flood relief or not. Patience seems to be the only option even if it frequently wears pretty thin.
The writer is a former Chief of Army Staff and a former member of Parliament
