G L Raina
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was elected to Rajya Sabha in 1962. On November 29, 1966, he asked a question why AIR’s station was called ‘Radio Kashmir’. He was told that the issue of changing the nomenclature was under consideration. Remember the year was 1966. But that promised change did not happen all these years, till 2019.
Like discriminatory and constricting Article 370 it was left to globally popular leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to effect that much needed change. But we are being told now that this alteration may be overturned.
INDI Alliance partners and Kashmir centric parties including Congress, PDP and National Conference are harping on a narrative undermining historic changes that were carried out in a most democratic manner in August 2019.
PDP chief Ms Mehbooba Mufti while releasing PDP Manifesto titled “Apna Vote Apno Kay Liye” said that they will raise their voice against the “onslaught” on the “collective identity” and rights of the people in J&K post-2019 on the floor of Parliament. Other parties also try to equate the now scrapped Article 370 with an imprecise identity of Jammu Kashmir. Rather, not Jammu Kashmir as a whole but Kashmir to be precise.
Historic Distortions
Post 1931 mobilisation on communal lines in Kashmir, territory of valley of Kashmir was added to it for further consolidation of a narrow political base. Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah was presented as its sole champion, who transformed his Muslim Conference into National Conference. Once in power after 1947 by justified/ indefensible help and support from Congress party and first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the National Conference and its leadership managed to keep Jammu & Kashmir out of the constitutional mechanism found suitable for the entire country.
In later years this separate legal mechanism was used to cultivate separatist tendency on fallacious interpretations and fake opinions. Generations were nurtured on this unsubstantiated and imaginary narrative. Strangely a former Minister in a write up published by national Daily on December 12, 2023 wrote, “For Kashmiris, Article 370 was more than a law – it was an identity”.
Another leader’s worry stems from a kind of politics whose limits have been set by New Delhi, which “denies space to ideological concerns of Kashmiri identity and politics” in his words.
The Home Minister spoke about a range of issues on Jammu Kashmir. However, the threat to the identity of Jammu Kashmir in general and Kashmir valley in particular needs to be scrutinised further.
Glorifying Sheikh Mohd Abdullah as a sort of cult figure, one of his biographers observed that no one person and no one organization had copyright over Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, and that a revival of the discourse of Kashmiri nationalism, which he symbolized, would repair the damaging divides.
Which Identity
The identity is the distinguishing character or personality of an individual, legal entity, community or a nation. What are, therefore the distinguishing characters of Jammu Kashmir that is being talked about by these political organisations?
Normally identity of a place is deeply rooted in its socio-cultural, economic and political aspirations of the people. In that sense the identity of Jammu Kashmir is a highly contested concept. There are varying aspirations as well as claims and counter claims. Politics of the identity has also seen sharp divisions. The erstwhile Jammu Kashmir state was forged together very recently (19th century) into a political and administrative unit. It comprised of distinct and diverse regions, ethnicities and social and religious communities. Their habits, dresses, language and faith were also dissimilar.
Unfortunately no effort was put in to construct J&K identity to facilitate a common desired and integrated future. That effort would have required an accommodative approach to carry together people of various backgrounds and aspirations so as to make it a win-win situation for all of them.
Instead what was witnessed in Jammu Kashmir post 1947 was the bulldozing of others’ identity and aspirations. Narrow, myopic and highly biased ruling elite’s concept and outlook of the political dominance was imposed on rest of the population. It was based purely on construed regional and religious superiority.
Jammu & Ladakh Omitted
Apologists of identity narrative would like us to forget the situation before 2019, when Article 370 was in operation and the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir was enjoying all its so-called benefits. Where was Ladakh in this identity? Leave aside the recognition of culture, language, tradition and customs of the region its existence was not recognised in spite of having largest size area wise. It remained a part of Kashmir division including in its administrative set up and planning process.
Ladakhis struggle for freedom from Kashmir’s dominance is well known and documented including their demand for a UT status. That they are now expecting much more like statehood and benefits of 6th schedule is a different topic beyond the scope of this article.
Was Jammu treated in a better way? The region was looked down upon in real meaning of the term. That is best answered by the nomenclature of Radio Station of Jammu. It was known as Radio Kashmir Jammu before 2019 constitutional changes. Jammu per se may have been included into the name of the state but that was it. State administration and political class treated it as a colony. State administrative service was known as KAS or Kashmir Administrative Service. Similarly Police administrative cadre was KPS or Kashmir Police Service.
This elimination of Jammu identity from state’s design, vision and execution was spread to every aspect of human activity including Dogri Language, culture and traditions. Greater Kashmir design vs two and half district political sarcasm by so called tallest leaders is not forgettable in this regard
Autocracy to Dynastocracy
National Conference and its leader Sheikh Mohd Abdullah professed to fight against what he called the autocracy of Maharaja Hari Singh. But his utterances were always communal. He also talked about democracy but in practice ensured dynastic rule in the party and also in the polity. He was very intolerant against political alternatives before and after 1947.
In pre- 1947 era National Conference used every trick to deny Kissan Conference any political space. In post 1947 period the party employed same tactics with political rivals including its alliance partner Congress party. Social Boycott or Tark-e-Mawalat was part of this eliminate opposition politics. Even their love for Kashmir and Kashmiri identity is conditional. Real love for Kashmir would have made Kashmiri language the official language. But that did not happen. Kashmir’s proud past was also ignored to extol one person. Regions within Kashmir valley were also discriminated against on the basis of loyalty to dynasty.
Exclusion from Mainstream
Even a cursory review of the state of affairs in Jammu Kashmir from 1947 to 2019 shows that Article 370 was used as a shield against rule of Law, scrutiny, accountability and transparency. In the words of External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S Jaishankar extending Article 370 created an ethos of separatism, violence and terrorism. He said it prevented very progressive laws from being extended to Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh at that point.
“In our times Soviet Russia has demonstrated before our eyes, not merely theoretical but in her actual day to day life and development, that real freedom takes birth only from economic emancipation’ Sheikh Abdullah wrote in introduction to New Kashmir manifesto. But the party and its leadership denied people of Jammu Kashmir the same real freedom by closing doors to economic emancipation. This was done under the garb of Article 370 to serve the Dynasty, not the people of Jammu Kashmir.
That has changed for ever in 2019. The radio stations in Srinagar, Kashmir and Leh have been now renamed to All India Radio, Jammu; All India Radio, Srinagar; and All India Radio Leh, respectively. Will these Radio Stations be rechristened as Radio Kashmir? Your vote will decide it.
(The author is former Member of Legislative Council of Jammu Kashmir and spokesperson of BJP JK)
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