Amarnath land row: Is it about the land?
Has anyone wondered how come just a piece of land can cause so much unrest amongst the otherwise peace loving population of Jammu, so much so that despite many efforts to suppress the movement, it refuses to die down. Is it only about the land?
The spirit of nation can be seen in Jammu when India wins a cricket match against Pakistan. People come out on streets with the Tricolur’s and fire crackers are burst every where, giving it a semblance of Diwali. And what happens in Kashmir? The scene is exactly the same, only if Pakistan has won the cricket match and the flag out in the streets is not the familiar tricolur but a Pakistani flag…. crackers are burst all over, just like Jammu and the genuineness of the happiness is not hidden, it is more than evident. Over all these years since Independence the people of Jammu have loved their Nation and people of Kashmir have always been demanding Azad Kashmir, siding completely with the Pro Pakistani stand. The entire nation knows that if ever a Plebiscite is held in Jammu and Kashmir what will be the outcome. The Kashmiri’s would go with Pakistan without any doubt and people of Jammu will always stand by their tricolur. I ask, even when the majority people of Kashmir have a separatist and a anti national stand why have the patriotic people of Jammu been suppressed and only the voice of anti national Kashmiri’s and their parties like PDP and National Conference is heard, even at Delhi? Why is a policy of appeasement followed by the Centre towards the anti national leaders like Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah? Why don’t the people of Jammu really matter and their voice is not heard even when they shout and on the contrary, even a whisper of Kashmiri’s is heard without fail? Even in the present land row it was visible.
It just took three days of protesting by Kashmiri people to get the order for land transfer reverted and here on the other hand it has been more than a month and even after a loss of seven lives that the voice of Jammuites is not heard. It was only yesterday the Prime Minister called for a meeting of parties on this issue after more than a month has elapsed and seven lives have been lost but still the reason is not Jammu, it is Kashmir again. Because so called economic blockade of Kashmir valley has taken place and the essential drugs are not reaching the beloved valley, the beloved anti national people of Kashmir are in discomfort. The Kashmiri’s have even threatened to open the Muzzaffrabad axis if the road to Kashmir through Jammu is not opened. They have no problems with Pakistan, it is their beloved nation, their loyalties are with Pakistan and it is visible in this stance of theirs. I ask, Can any true Indian belonging to any other region or state of India even think of such an option of resorting to opening of a route through Pakistan?
It is not that people of Jammu believe in regionalism, but the fact is that they have been forced to speak out because enough was enough and the years of suppression and regional discrimination at the hands of Kashmir based leaders and Kashmir based state government could not be taken any longer; the elastic had been stretched too much and it was forced to break. People of Jammu do not believe in fanaticism of any kind either. It is visible from the fact that despite emotions running high over incidents of violence against Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir recently, there was no religion based rioting in Jammu.
The fact is that it is not even a political issue and no political party really matters for an average Jammuite as far as this issue is concerned. Jammuites stand united on this issue, cutting across all party lines. The Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti which is leading this cause constitutes of leaders and members from all parties including Congress. It is a people’s movement where the people of Jammu stand united for the first time since Independence and they have raised their voice as a community. These people will not be pacified and can not be muted till their demands for equality are met. "Please do not take our silence for granted and don’t push us against the wall….. Please do not alienate the patriotic people of Jammu" this is the message of an average Jammuite.
One has to understand that it is not about the land only. Land is only the issue that tipped it over for the Jammuites and the fact is that, there are so many issues that need to be addressed when it comes to Jammu and (or under) Kashmir. Take for example the famous Article 370. People of Jammu have been demanding removal of Article 370 for so many years now but to no avail. "If Jammu and Kashmir is part of India then why can’t people from other states of India come and buy property in Jammu and Kashmir and settle down here?" I am sure that this question must have crossed the minds of so many Indians. What is the relevance of this Article in our democratic and secular nation? Should it be there at all? By still continuing with this Article in Jammu and Kashmir are we not accepting that it is not an integral part of India? If that is so why sacrifice so many valuable lives of our brave men in uniform, in Kashmir? If we are accepting the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by continuing with Article 370, then Pakistan has every right go around telling the world that it is IOK (Indian Occupied Kashmir) or Azad Kashmir or whatever but least of all another state of India just like Punjab or Gujarat. The struggle for removal of this Article has been continuing for many years in Jammu.
Many political parties have come and gone but none of the political parties including BJP (which went to the voter with the removal of Article 370 in its agenda) ever tried doing anything about it, even while they were in power. Sad but true, that there is not even a single political party in Jammu region which can meet the true aspirations of the people of Jammu. The irony of the situation is, that the Anti National parties like PDP and National Conference calls the shots in the state and also represent Jammu and Kashmir at the Centre, where as they actually represent only Kashmir and not Jammu or even Ladakh. There has been a constant and large scale discrimination against the Jammu region since Independence. One such glaring example of regional and political discrimination against Jammu is the imbalance in distribution of Assembly constituencies between Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu region in spite of having a larger area and population has been allotted 37 constituencies where as Kashmir has 46 constituencies.
Similarly, the rationale behind allotting just six seats to Doda district (part of Jammu region) which has an area of 11,000 sq km and the valley on the other hand with an area of 15, 000 sq km, being allotted 46 seats could never be explained. One can’t help but wonder what kind of logic or mathematics could explain such distributions. Maybe 2 + 2 = 5 theory could explain it. However if someone thought that "What’s the problem with these Jammuites?" Maybe some statistics and imponderables stated below could explain where exactly the shoe pinches.
| | | Kashmir | Jammu |
| 1 | Area | 15948 sq.km | 26293 sq.km |
| 2. | Govt (Revenue) | 20% | 75% |
| 3. | Voters | 2288395 | 3059986 |
| 4. | Assembly Seats | 46 | 37 |
| 5. | Lok Sabha Seats | 3 | 2 |
| 6. | Cabinet Ministers | 14 | 5 |
| 7. | Unemployment | 29% | 70% |
SEE IF SOME LOGIC COULD BE APPLIED!!
1. Why was the order revoked in the very first place? The government could have stood by it. Was it a secular action on part of the government?
2. Why should transfer of Land to Amarnath Shrine board not be acceptable to Kashmiris?
3. Why cry for secularism only when Hindu’s raise their voice?
4. Are we really a secular nation? If yes, then is it the responsibility of only Hindu’s to be secular?
5. Why kill people who are staging protests with Indian flags in their hands? Is British Raj back again?
6. Why is a total black out of Jammu being attempted?
7. Why the ban on media? Is freedom of Press in democratic India not applicable to Jammu?
8.Why ban SMS service?
9. Why can’t Article 370 be abolished?
10. Why did the government try to cremate the body of Kuldeep Verma at night?
11. Why was the land for Budh Shah Ghulam University and Islamia University given free any cost? (Whereas Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University had to pay Rs 12 crore for the same)
12. Why can’t the government control Kashmiri hardliners? Why are we accepting nonsense from anti- national leaders and people on our own soil?
13.Why aren’t people who unfurl the Pakistan flag in Lal Chowk not arrested?
14. Why was Omar Abdullah not arrested after he made the statement in parliament that even one inch of land will not be given to Amarnath Board? Whose land was he talking about? Who does it belong to Kashmiri’s or India?
15. Why do Kashmiri leaders threaten to use the Muzafarabad Road?
16. What is the reason for the appeasement policy of the Centre towards anti-Indians?
17. Are Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah really nationalists? Does entire India not know what these leaders actually are? Why are we accepting nonsense from people who are pro-Pakistani and fanatics themselves?
.This all the so called secular media houses which actually are biased should read it and publish it in their news papres and broadcast in their news channels ,,,where does being secular means u keep on hurling on hindus and keep on suppressing them for each and every thing, i mean if u talk about secularism than y political parties are worried about muslims only
This is such a cancer worsen by politicians by calling them self secular and favoring one certain religion , it was started by none other than our very much beloved mahatma of nation and every one is just following it
10 points to this article ,,,,many of such articles should come out , media persons made a lot of biased reporting in case of Gujrat as well, and now Nanawati commission has given Gujrat Govt a clean chit ,,,,,,,,but again Congress is not willing to accept it
This is India and u can be a good politician only if u openly favor a certain religion and call ur self secular
.We need more of such articles to open the eyes of out national media who has been suppressing the news from Jammu. I would like to know the answer to this - why is our media giving so much coverage to seperatist leaders and the so called economic bloclage which exist only in the imagination of separatst and our media. None of the channels tried to showcase the ground reality to the whole nation and the whole world. May be I'm wrong when i thought. the role of the media is to present both sides of the story.
.Hi! let me add a few points..since this is about economic blockade ..
1) 530000 pilgrims visited Amarnath shrine all Hindus bringing at least 100 million rupees to the economy
2)300000 Tourists all Hindus visited Srinagar and other areas of the valley both in winter ans summer filling up all those house boats.
3)The AHPC the political mask of the terror supported agitation says that this influx of tourists is polluting their cultural and religious beliefs because Hindus and Muslims can not live together and therefore Muslims of Kashmir should merge with Pakistan.
3)The economic blockade has shown up some more telling realities and that is without the supplies landlocked Kashmir would be at the mercy of its neighbours therefore it has to either remain with India or merge into Pakistan but can not have a separate identity on its own..
4)Kashmirs agricultural produce would not find a direct ready market in Pakistan because of competition from other fruit growing parts of Pakistan where infrastructure is even worse than India..
regards and god bless
viren Naik
.Its high time , Indian Govt. must take corrective steps on these issues. It is sure that majourity of polititions are just on the seats to target the revinew collection for themself at the cost of intigrity of India. we all including polititions must think of India first.
Its time for the people movement. We need strong pepole at centre.India need militay rule for 5 years to washout all kachara in political and govt. system.
Lets raise public voice to remove Art. 370
.dear Brave Mitu, it is wonderful artical . i appriciate ur views.
Note : One Muslim - Many Hindu then muslim stays with
peacefully
May Muslim - One hindu then hindu stays with fear
.All parties are involved in muslim appeasement( not all muslim but for some muslim leaders and for some anti-social element).100 acre land transfer is not a big issue in the country where our government are giving 10000 ares of land to big industrialist at throw away prices and at the cost of poor farmers(nandigram, goa etc.) which includes land of all community of our society (including muslim also). But none our so called secular leaders opposing this.
.This controversy have bring the "REVOLUTION" this time..To all jammuites 'United we stand now besides any ups and downs ,our faternity was beyond any doubt'...Its right time to stike. Shame to indian media for not supressing the jammu news ... who will give the answers to all these question in the articel? Are we expecting it from our state goverment? ...Not at all .. we dont need any compromise...we need answers to these question...
.first time it hapns in jmu...
first time peolple f jmu awake..... every time people f kashmir gets benefit regarding everything ..........
Its a wake up call for national news channels who are not flash d news of jmu......!!!!!!!!!!!!1 nd playing politics on it ..........!!!!!!!!!
.Well, hope you remember the comments of supreme court a few days back- "only God can save this country." They were just commenting upon the political atmosphere we have got in this country today. Only today the TOI carried out news about the first ever individual Olympic gold medallist -"Abhinav gets gold despite the system".
I would really like to congratulate you for bringing out facts which most of the people are not aware of. However, let me remind you that our country is a country of simply great politicians and statesmen who do not like even SIMI to be banned despite of the bloodbath this country has watched.
Our country once upon a time was famous for wisdom leaders like Janaka who would not get biased under any trying circumstances. But that is our past. Our past is being looked into and thoroughly investigated by westerners by understanding the benefits of the age old facts about the life achieved trough thousands of years of hard work by our traditional scientists whom we call Rishis and Munis. We started doing yoga asana simply by aping western world and not because this was what our forefathers were doing.
Our politicians barring exceptions (I believe there are some exceptions) know how to create personal wealth brazenly. So do you think that your piece of great work is really going to have some impact on them? A big NO is the answer that I will not hesitate in giving you.
However I am sure it will have a big-big impact on the society especially the middle class and let us not forget it is the middle classes who can create a new order, who can bring a revolution in the society.
Well done Mitu singh for your efforts.
.Dear mitu , you are really successful in projecting the cause of Jammu and its people.
Thanks
.Hi Satish...........keep the correct and unbiased information flowing so that people see and feel the correct picture.
hello satish,
I really appreciate your spirit and josh. It is our responsibilty to bring out the correct picture in front of the entire Nation. It is all the more Important in today's world where the preception of people can really be controlled and channelized away from the ground realities. Merinews is the greatest platform i have come across , where a spade can be called a spade. Thank you Merinews.
.Though i really dont know much abt the realities in J&K, i do know that whatever is said seems to be true, especially bcoz our politicians do not have a backbone...they simply lick the feet of communal & divisory parties....Esp the congress...they only want votes...they make us feel that being a majority religion is a fault .... If at all we want secularism, the govt shud not see religion at all, & ,let it not give anything free to any religion,any temple/shrine/mosque/church , for any purpose..
Anything given free be taken back..
Y does the govt need to know if i am a Hindu or a muslim, if all it has to do is ensure that i have food, water,shelter,freedom, and all the fundamental rights promised to me by the constitution of India?
.Dear Mitu,
Loads of congratulations and tons of thanks for coming out with this exquisite piece of journalism! A number of problems being faced by the nation canl get solved if our mainstream media take some lessons from people like you who report the facts, not propagandas.
I would also like to point that the current case of Amarnath Shrine Board is not actually the source of this entire protests, rather it represents the logical culmination of the discrimination being faced by the people of Jammu (which includes all the districts, all religions, all castes and all ethnicities) since last 6 decades. It also, is the result of the second class treatment being given to the Kahmiri Hindus who were forced to leave Kashmir and are deprived of their various Fundamental Rights since last 2 decades. Its great to see all of them united for this cause. The people and sections of media have tried their best to paint the agitation in the communal paint, but the discipline and the patriotism of the nationalists have proved to be the biggest deterrent in their way. I always believe that nobody's patience should be tried beyond a point. Because it will just lead to a revolution. And revolutions, we all know, can dethrone the most oppresive regimes. I think that sooner the Kashmiri leadership and the UPA government realise this fact, better it will be for everybody.
Jai Hind.
hi Pranav,
I am really touched by the response to this article and suddenly i feel that i have the entire world walking besides me. I would like to convey my thanks to you and all the people who have supported me and the people of Jammu in our struggle for EQUALITY. All the priceless comments of readers motivate me further to bring out more facts about this particular issue and in future address other issues too. Believe me i firmly believe in the power of people, and we are the power of India. We have to believe in ourselves and work for building our nation and speak out against injustice. Each one of us can make the difference in our small ways and we must do it. Our nation needs us buddy. thanks again , I am honoured
.I wish to congratulate the author for this wonderful expose of the anti-nationals who are getting everything from India but are such disloyal to their motherland. They should at once be thrown out from this pious land. This article should snowball into a movement which encourage average Indians to rise against such gross injustice. I am with the people of Jammu in these tough and testing times.
JAI HIND.
Dear Parveen,
I agree with your thoughts and would also like to congratulate this true, nationalist journalist. We need many more like him to come and control the reigns of the national media.
Thanks for your support to the Jammuites.
.A great attempt to bring up the ground realities for the rest of the world unlike the so called media.
I am sure, after readin this article, people will be forced to think about the real cause and shred their pseudoo pinions about Jammu and Jammuites. But they are not to blame. the facts after remain far away unless they have been brought up the at the right forum and with the right intention.
Hats off to you from bringing the true and unbiased reality.
Keep going buddy ....... every nation loving Indian will be with you always........
.hi Mitu
well said. I do agree with many points of yours.
But most relevant Q is
"Why should transfer of Land to Amarnath Shrine board not be acceptable to Kashmiris? "
Wats the problem with them?? what this barren land has to do with demographic or ecological issues?
how can they equate this to Isreali settlements. wat about Thousands of Muslims who fled Valley and were living in Jammu camps. infact they were more likely to stay there for ever. but no one from Jammu objected ! and now for giving temp facilities for Amarnath devoties they feel it will lead to increased hindu population ( which has already been wiped out ! ) Shocking blind support of NC and PDP was not expected !
But I feel Jammuites shd remove the ecnomic blockade. else things will worsen in kashmir where normalcy was already abck . let the agitation continue and increase , but it shd be peaceful. it shd not hurt the secular state of India and kashmir !
Sonu
PS : watever may happen ...we have to live together.....India and indian interests shd not be hurt !
Hello Sonu,
I would like to enlighten you on some of the points where you are not correct. But I would not blame you for that. You too, have been victimized by the media's propaganda.
Firstly, there is nothing what is termed as the 'economic blockade'. This Highway has remained closed for a number of times earlier also due to various reasons ranging from the agitations of the Kashmiris to the Militancy to the natural causes. So why this time only this new jargon has been invented by the 'intellectuals'? and if there is something like that(economic blockade), it is in Jammu where due to the curfew being imposed for several weeks now, even the chemists and ration shops are not being allowed to open. Moreover, even the portion of the NH1A that connects Jammu with Punjab has been blocked by the same people. My dear this is the Economic Blockade in the real sense.
Secondly, The agitation has so far remained peaceful only. But let me point out one thing. Peace is not unidimensional. You must have watched those videos where the brave nationalists waded through the Tawi river just to ensure that they should not come in direct confrontation with the forces. It was not out of fear but was the result of an unparallel will to avoid any clashes. I dont think that it will be right to term this as 'not peaceful'.
Finally, I would like to request you all that please stop giving undue 'care' for the 'Kashmir problem'. What will happen tomorrow if out of the fear of 'maintaing normalcy', the Government starts appeasing the Naxalites, Terrorists, other anti-nationals. After all they also have some 'sympathisers'.
I always believe that you can not make a region peaceful by taking the peace out of some other region. Lets not commit the same mistake here.
Jai Hind.
.Hi Mitu, The article touches the raw nerve of the current situation as prevails in Jammu and Kashmir. I am also a Jammu resident and although, currently I am living in Delhi, I feel that each one of us should contribute in every possible manner to the resolving the ongoing turmoil once and for all. It has been so many years since the Jammu province has been playing second fiddle in so many aspects. In fact, I completely agree with you when you say that it is not only a question of a piece of land but of equality that has been denied to us for so long now. I hope we are able to find the answers to the questions that you have raised towards the end of your article. Keep going...
.This has to be one of the best articles written on the Jammu issue so far, even among all the newspapers, magazines, journals and blogs in the country.
Such courage and clarity of vision. Congratulations to the author. We need more such information from Jammu. There is a complete backout by all our traitorous English TV channels and newspapers on Jammu. Even those who are covering it are giving us very filtered stuff. We know very little of the ground situation.
We in the rest of India fully empathize with the brave people of Jammu. You have all our moral support.
Enough is enough. Lets make our nation strong and get it rid of these anti-nationals. Jai Hind!
.Mitu Singh ji alias "A great Jammu guy" man you are doing a yeomans service. I am proud of you and will like to speak to you brother.
You have written a wonderful article and please continue to make people aware of our plight. thanks
.hats off to the Journalist......my take on the issue is- the government of India isn't acting responsibly enough to intervene in the issue. Probably whatever is being done from Government's side (i am referring to PM and other people from Centre) is done just for the sake of winning some votes......The government has completely failed to even address and realise the seaiousness of the issue......I wonder what International groups like UNO are doing to help with something in this issue. My take is that if the same government (full of yawning leaders) continues, the situation would keep going worse and worse by the day. And this is not just going to be a problem with J&K.......who knows tomorrow some other state of India is going to face the same fate as J&K...then what???
.this is a wake up call for those national news channels who are misrepresenting the jammu revolution to the rest of the country.
.Very True Indeed.. I am wondering if the situation will ever improve... I wish similar articles can be posted in the editorials of National News papers like TOI, HT etc... Folks please throw some ideas on how the voice of people can reach out to a bigger audience....
Hi Sonali,
I think you have made a very correct point that similar articles should find a place in the national dailies so that more and more Indians can understand the facts. I am sure that the situation will surely improve and it will improve soon.
Jai Hind.
.This is a gud article and infact these r the real facts of jammu.this is wht is happening in jammu rgt now.
.This is a gud article and infact these r the real facts of jammu.this is wht is happening in jammu rgt now.
.ater reading it , i was so shocked as to how ignorant we people in the other parts of the world are. life can be difficult, but the scene her is not only difficult, but its full of irony... we shall look forward such other works, by the active people of the society
.Really a gud article ...its a fact .. we need such articles from all section of the society .... carry on ....
.It is a good article but will the writer also get up and act. Will the writer make Jammu's problem his own?
hi, i fully appreciate ur concern. i am acting on this issue by writing about it and bringing out the real picture in front of the people. I will do everything possible to bring out the facts. Bcos this is not only about Jammu it is about our nation , we have to be a strong nation and we have to make an effort not to accept anything anti natonal. Merinews is a site which is giving us the power to bring out the facts. Its a great platform and helping in way for democracy to prevail in our nation. thanks guys!!!
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