Kashmiris, unwelcome guests!
Javaid Malik
Kashmiris have become soft targets and are unwelcome guests in any state. Kashmiris being treated as suspects is nothing new and they have accepted this reality. Every now and then Kashmiris putting up in other states have to face harassment on the pretext of security concerns. Kashmiris are humiliated, called all the names and are made to realize that they are “source of trouble.” It seems for Delhi only the land of Jammu and Kashmir is its integral part while the denizens of this unfortunate land are nothing more than second grade citizens who have no rights.
To ensure that they are able to prove their identity within Jammu and Kashmir and in other states people of this unfortunate land have made all the cards – from Election card to Aaadhar card as ID card during the past 25-years has been one of the most important tools to prove that person is not a militant.
Despite people of Kashmir carrying the identity card issued by one or other agency of Government of India they (Kashmiris) always remain under scanner and law enforcing agencies keep a vigil over them. Irony is that for security agencies no Kashmiri is “trustworthy” and no card is valid.
Recently media reports revealed that Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sought the details of the Kashmiri students studying in different colleges in Kolkata, and Anti-Terrorism Squad is profiling the Kashmiris staying in Goa and other states.
Kashmiris being hunted and hounded across India indicates that law enforcing agencies are of the firm belief that Kashmiris are “trouble mongers” and if anything untoward happens they should be treated as “primary suspects.” It looks like that for law enforcing agencies no Kashmiri is innocent and all of them should be treated at par with criminals. What an irony!
If law enforcing agencies consider Kashmiris as threat to national security they should ask the law makers to pass a law in the Parliament to bar Kashmiris from visiting sensitive states across the country. Once Kashmiris are stopped from pursuing their studies and do business in other states law enforcing agencies can heave a sigh of relief and can assure their political bosses that there is nothing to worry and situation is under control. The million dollar question here is if sensitive states in India are declared as “no-go zones” for Kashmiris would law enforcing agencies really relax. The answer is big no. The fact is that Kashmiris have been “demonized” and have been labeled as “anti-national elements” just to divert the attention from the real and burning issues. The voices of dissent within India and people openly revolting against the system have shaken the ruling class.
Recently a Member Parliament from Hyderabad Assadudin Owaisi challenged the RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat and refused to chant “Bharat Mata ki Jai.” Owaisi taking the RSS Chief head on stirred the hornet’s nest and extremist forces demanded that he (Owaisi) should be booked under sedition. It’s strange that Indian Muslims who at the time of partition in 1947 refused to go to Pakistan and negated Jinnah’s two nation theory have suddenly become pro-active and are leaving no chance to hit out at rulers. Is it that like Kashmiris, Indian Muslims too are feeling insecure and in coming days they too would have to carry all the cards to prove that they are not militants? It’s unfortunate that despite Indian Muslims remaining loyal to India for the past six decades they are being treated as aliens in their own country. The emerging situation across India can take a deadly turn and it has got the potential to burn the entire country.
People who are leaving no stone unturned to demonize Kashmiris and Indian Muslims are serving no one’s interest. If such elements are not reined in it can have far reaching consequences. India is a big country and its leaders need to show magnanimity rather than pushing the country towards the quagmire of uncertainty.
Kashmiri students or the businessmen who are in different states need to be treated at par with other citizens and should be allowed to perform their errands without any fear and threat as declaring all “Kashmiris as suspects” won’t help anyone’s cause and would add to alienation.
