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Updated August 5th, 2022 at 19:09 IST

OPINION: The tryst with destiny moment of Jammu & Kashmir

Article 370 was misused in every possible way. It was a wall within which everything that was against India, against minorities of J&K and against humanity.

Reported by: Digital Desk
Article 370
Image: PTI | Image:self
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August 5th, 2019 is a date that will be etched in the mind of every resident of Jammu & Kashmir. While the rest of India got its freedom in 1947, the residents of Jammu & Kashmir were liberated in real sense only in 2019. A provision that was extracted from Nehru by emotionally blackmailing him, was misused to create a ‘Sheikhdom’ by Sheikh Abdullah and his family and later by Muftis.

Article 370 was misused in every possible way. It was a wall within which everything that was against India, against the minorities of Jammu & Kashmir and against humanity was being promoted. It was being used to give immunity to corruption, religious hatred, persecution of minorities and a free hand to all the jihadis, who wanted to destroy the idea of India and fulfil the dream of ‘Gazwa-e-Hind.’

Articles 370 & 35A were used to violate every basic norm of the Indian constitution. It violated Article 14, which gives equality to every citizen of India. It violated Articles 19 and 25, which give citizens the right to settle anywhere in India and to profess their religion without any fear. The Indians from other parts of India were not allowed to settle in Jammu & Kashmir and the Hindu minority was treated as ‘Dhimmi’, by denying them equal opportunities. Every opportunity was used to deny the Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and others a right to freely profess, practise and propagate religion. Every progressive improvement in Indian laws, was blocked by misusing Article 370 to keep the people of Jammu & Kashmir both socially and economically backwards.

The idea of Gazwa-e-Hind is to convert entire India into a shariah-following Islamic nation, which has no place for non-Muslims. The regions of Jammu and Ladakh which have a sizeable non-Muslim population were openly discriminated. All the development was happening in the Kashmir valley because after the ethnic cleansing of Hindus, it was almost a 100% Muslim province. The laboratory in Kashmir under the protection of Articles 370 & 35A, experimented fully, by not only persecuting the minuscule Hindu minority of Kashmir valley, but by also ethnic cleansing the abiogenies of Kashmir; the Kashmiri Pandits. Almost an entire community was wiped out of the valley in one single night of January 19. 1990.

While one can understand the reason why Abdullahs, Muftis and separatists were opposing the abrogation of article 370, what is beyond comprehension is why successive governments till the present government, failed to take any steps to do away with it and at the same time continued turning a blind eye to the brewing storm in the valley.

The valley was in the clutches of these corrupt politicians, separatists and terrorists before the abrogation of these articles. Violence, bandhs, stone-pelting, arson was promoted as day-to-day affair and the central government was blackmailed to extract the pound of flesh to keep the trio of politicians, separatist and terrorists happy. The rest of India was made to believe by this corrupt trio, that abrogation of Article 370 will lead to civil war and Jammu & Kashmir will burn like never before. Thankfully, the Modi government took the bold step and ignored these veiled threats and fake alarms.

Today after three years of abrogation, one can see the change in the state. The valley after many decades has not seen, what had become daily rituals like bandhs, blockades or stone pelting calls for almost two and half years now. Even if there is a bandh call, the same is ignored by the people, because unlike earlier, the fear of these crooks has diminished and faith in administration increased. The state has seen heavy private investments in various sectors in both the provinces of Jammu & Kashmir. The tourist season this year has broken many records and people are enjoying the fruits of increased economic activities after many years. While the return of the displaced Kashmiri Pandits will take time because addressing the radicalisation of youth that was promoted under the cover of Articles 3760 &35A, will take time. But sooner or later these radicalised youth will understand that plurality of Kashmir is its real beauty. And that’s the day, they will realise that why 5th August 2019 was a ‘tryst with destiny’ moment.


The Author of this article, Amit Raina is a well-known Kashmiri activist and Spokesperson, Roots in Kashmir.

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Published August 5th, 2022 at 17:49 IST

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