Mujahid I Mughal
Respected Gentlemen, I am writing this to you as I believe that you constitute the most popular leadership of Jammu andKashmir. More popular than the leaders and parties that make governments in the state. I, like many others, also believe that people participation in the recent elections made no difference to your popularity. Respected Sirs,being the most popularalso makes you the most responsible. And being the most responsible, unfortunately you could notcarry the responsibilities which you were entrusted with. Your struggle for political Independence might be a success. But you have failed in building an egalitarian, unified, and morally sound society. Possibly you have never tried to make one.
I was born in a small village Mahra, in Poonch district. Possibly the most backward village in the most backward district of the state. I am the ninth orphaned child of myunderprivileged parents. I opened my eyes in a family which suffered acute destitution. When I came to my senses, I saw poverty and destitution hovering over the family like anything. The struggle for survival was further threatened by the violence of ninety’s all around. The memories still haunt me. Haunt me to the extent that, I avoid visiting my place that frequently. My story, if not a little more haunting, is as haunting as that of many other Kashmiri boys and girls. I too, witnessed the bloodshed, fear, insecurity, and violence of all sorts. I too started keeping my identity card with me since the time when I didn’t know what an Identity Card is. I too am in favour of a peaceful resolution of the long pending Conflict. But I differ you in vision. I differ in methods too.
Having said that, I must now draw your attention first to the vice, evil and immorality that has engulfed the state long. You must be aware of the fact that, we are the most corrupt society in the Indian sub-continent.Jammu and Kashmir is now among the leading corrupt states of India according to the recent statistics. We can’t put the blame on India or Pakistan for making our people corrupt. This is totally an indigenous phenomena. . It is also unwise to say that the present system of Government is responsible for this moral degradation. Under the same political and economic system, noblemen,many other societies are dwelling, growing and flourishing. The fact is that people are corrupt. Political and economic systems are never corrupt in themselves. So, we are required to reform the people. In this way we will also be reforming the system. To reform any system, we need to make change in the units. Also, to cure a disease we are required to accept the prevalence of disease first. So let us accept first ours is among the most corrupt societies of the sub-continent. Let us then work towards it.
Apart from corruption, respected leaders, Communalism, Casteism, Racism, Regionalism and Sub regionalism has further torn apart the state. You must be aware of the riots that took place in Kishtwar. Similar clashes erupted in 2008. Another incident which took place in Poonch city, in 2013, which you must not be aware of (as the region has been neglected so far by your visionary selves) where two school boys fought with each other was about to take the form of a Muslim-Sikh riot. We have become so intolerant that we see everything from the lenses of Religion. We have the potential to communalise just any issue. Be it a discussion on the abrogation of Article 370 or elections. Apart from inter-religious intolerance,distinguishedleaders, we havecollapses existing even within the religious communities. The differences are not merely ideological incompatibilities but have rather taken the form of an evil.Ethnicity too has become a deadly weapon to further collapse the society. We have Gujjar-Pahari Conflict, Kashmiri-Gujjar-Pahari-Jaat conflict and Dogra-Kashmiri Conflict to mention a few. The people belonging to the Pir Panjal region and some of the other parts of the Jammu region are always looked down upon. Not only them, but thosedwelling in the fringe areas of the Kashmir valley meet the same fate. They are all called Gujjars. No matter what religion and community they belong to. The irony is thatthese Gujjars (all the above mentioned communities) are looked down upon. Worthy leaders, we are also divided on the basis ofgeographical location and direction within the Kashmir valley. For instance, several incidentshave taken place in our universities, where the students of Kashmir valley fought in the name of North Kashmir and South Kashmir.
Casteism, Gentlemen is anotherdevil which hasbeen devouring the whole state. People belonging to almost all the communities became a victim of it. One example of this evil is the polarization of people in the name of cast in the recent assembly elections. Pir Panjal region, for instance, became the hub of castist politics. There are Kashmiris, Syeds, Khans Gujjars and Paharis in the Muslims. There are Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishya, Sudras and Dalits in the Hindus. However, in the recent assembly elections the Hindu community of the state overcame the old age Casteism and were united to vote collectively, even though the very basic structure of Hinduism is caste based. But this should also not be appreciated. As on the one hand, the state overcame Casteism in a particular community but on the other hand it was indeed heart breaking that people voted on the communal lines. Meagre cases of inter-caste marriages in the state is another example of flourishing Casteism.
Beside Casteism Sirs, our society is also disintegrated in the name of sectarianism. Let us take one example from the Muslim community of the state. EachMuslim sect believes that only they are theMuslims. We have Shias, Sunnis. Barelvi, Deobandis, Ahle Hadiths and so on. All these sects boycott each other in social milieu. In marriages and in daily life. On funerals. There has been rooted indeed intolerance to any kind of tolerance in the state.
Gender inequality is another major problem of the state. Women in the state suffer at each juncture. Be it literacy rate, sex ratio, employment, female foeticide, domestic violence,child marriage, recent and growing incidence of acid attacks, rapes and murders.
Apart from gender inequality Sirs, let us also focus on the increasing drug abuse. The youth of the state has become a victim to drugs as it has been a prey to the violence. Recent deaths due to drug abuse should be taken very seriously. Besides, I don’t think sir, I need to explain what happens in Allama Iqbal Park and Botanical garden. We must also not undermine it.
Gentlemen,mere circulation of power among elites makes no difference to the society. What difference will it make to the common people of the state if the powers are transferred from the elite Indians to the elite Kashmiris? It makes no difference to me at least. As the power circulation after 1947, among the British and Indian elites could make no difference. The dream of an egalitarian India and Pakistan could not be fulfilled even after seven decades. India and Pakistan although got the political freedom from Britain. But there is conspicuous inter personal, inter regional, inter community, and inter caste differences,whichhas indeed upset the whole socio political system of these two countries. They have become a hub of political upheavals, communal clashes, violence and haverather set a stage for a civil war.
Gentlemen, keeping this in mind, I urge you people humbly to work towards building an egalitarian society with utmost priority. Free the state from the clutches of Corruption, Communalism, Casteism, regionalism, sub regionalism, gender inequality and racism. Otherwise even if the powers are transferred from Indian elites to the Kashmiri elites the state will never attain the perpetual stability. So let us liberate ourselves from all sorts of evils prevalent in our society side by side if not first. I don’t think, mere political independence from India and Pakistan can lead our state towards affluence and prosperity. Mere implementing some age old laws cannot sort out the problems. Imposing laws forcefully is not fruitful at all. History bears the testimony to it. To abide by law we also need to make a law abiding society first. A beard always grows from inside. It can’t be pasted on the face with compulsion. Morality in the similar fashion cannot be imposed. It has to come from inside. It is high time that we make our mind to achieve the moral independence at theearliest. It is high time to work collectively towards this goal. As you worked for political independence, you ought to dedicate yourselves for moral independence too and that too meaningfully. Let us declare the Moral Independence todayitself. Moral independence, if not more important, is as important aspolitical independence. Without Moral Independence, Political Independence is meaningless.
(The author is Research Scholar, Department of Geography, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh)
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