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The lost paradise
They call it the paradise on earth. A poet has rightly said "If
there is heaven anywhere on the earth, its here, its here." But
...the last 14 years have seen kashmir bleed. Everyday scores of
people are killed, women raped and children orphaned. The present
crisis started in 1989 when the so called 'Liberation struggle'
began. The first and and the worst sufferers have been the Kashmiri
pandits ..Considered to be the original inhabitants of the valley (infact
the valley was named after a rishi known as kashyap rishi), they
were murdered in hundreds.
It all began with the threats from mosques through loud-speakers,
and then the selective killing of officials, intellectuals and
prominent community members. This was followed by the harassment of
women and young girls. Later, even the local media contained
announcements saying: 'Kashmiri Pandits responsible for duress
against Muslims should leave the valley within two days or face the
consequences.' The pandits had no option but to leave the place
where they were born, the homes, most of which were later burnt by
muslim extremists. This was one of the largest internal
displacements that took place in India since the partition of 1947.
The pandits suffered because they believed in the Indian
constitution, because they believed in non-violence and because they
saluted the Indian flag. But the response of the central and the
state governments was pathetic. They didn't even bother to what
happened to them. Eventually about 2,00,000 pandits still live in
make shift camps in and around jammu. These camps don't have basic
sanitation facilities, and about 5-6 persons put up in a 10x12 room.
Their cries for better facilities have fallen on deaf ears. So what
are they to do?
The silence on the plight of Kashmiri Pandits is deafening. Their
relatively small numbers, coupled with a tradition of non-violent
protest, has made them largely irrelevant in the political discourse
-- both within the country and internationally -- on Kashmir. 'Peace
processes' and 'political solutions' that are initiated from time to
time have little meaning until these include steps to correct the
grave injustices done to this unfortunate community.
In the last 13 years, governments have come and gone in India. Human
rights commissioners have come and gone. But none of them has given
any credence to the plight of Kashmiri Hindus. And why should they?
Kashmiri Hindus have been tolerant, non-violent, peace-loving
patriots. They have not and will not engage in any kind of violence.
And that
is what makes Kashmir a Lost Paradise ...!!
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