Media ignores pro-India Kashmiris

The support for secession in Jammu & Kashmir is largely limited to the non-pastoral Sunni Muslim population of the Kashmir Valley who constitute 22% of the state's population, (or about 1.9 million people). While it is this segment that dominates every public domain, our media has made them its face, ignoring the fact that there are divisions on the lines of pro-Pakistan, pro-independence and pro-India. Of the State's 49% who reside in the Kashmir province, about 13% are Shia Muslims who do not wish to have anything to do with Sunni-dominated Pakistan, knowing full well the life that awaits them there. J&K is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious state with 64% Muslims, 33% Hindus, and 3% Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians and others

Friends who call from Kashmir are quite insistent. They don't rest till the calls are answered. When one responds to the ringing mobile or landline, there is this standard conversation from the other end: How are you? How is bhabhi? How is papa? How is mama? How are the kids? Invariably, the conversation concludes with the following query: Shall we send you something? Please let us know.

For outsiders it may sound strange. But, it is this Kashmiriat in them that makes one love them so much. Even when the valley was flooded the last time, they were making these calls, not to complain against the authorities, but to know whether everything was OK with the rest of India.

Whenever, there are ceasefire violations to push militants across, heated debates on our TV channels underline the potential threat from the hardliners to India. The images that beam across somehow project every angry young man in the valley as a pro-Pakistani or an anti-Indian. The level of ignorance is painful.

No doubt, since 1989, when Pakistan started its proxy war with us, terrorist violence had taken a toll of more than 20,000 innocent lives. More than 3,00,000 Hindu and Sikh minorities from Kashmir valley and border areas have, in addition, been displaced. Terror and intimidation have wrecked the peaceful civilian life in the State. Unemployment and corrupt governments have played havoc with the Kashmiri society.

The turmoil caused in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) by this terrorist violence has given Pakistan and the secessionist groups in the State an excuse to demand a plebiscite in Jammu & Kashmir as envisaged in the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) resolutions of August 13, 1948 and January 5, 1949. Now we are coming across ISIS plans for India.

There need be no such concerns of an entire population turning anti-India or the valley becoming a hot-bed of ISIS activity if one understands how much civilized or varied the Kashmiri society is. A couple of regional channels went overboard with their stories describing the valley as being ready to embrace ISIS and join the Caliphate.

Why don’t we take a look at the ethnic representation of various demographic segments in Jammu and Kashmir before jumping to such foolhardy conclusions. J&K is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious state with 64% Muslims, 33% Hindus, and 3% Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians and others. There are three distinct geographical regions - Ladakh (with 58% of the area, and 3% of the population), Jammu (26% area, 45% population) and Kashmir (16% area, 52% population: of which over 90% of the region's minorities, i.e., 3% of the state's total population, have been driven out).

The primary languages of Ladakh are Ladakhi and Balti, of Jammu: Dogri, and of Kashmir: Kashmiri. In addition, Gurjari, Pahari, Punjabi, Shina and various dialects and mixed languages are also spoken by different ethnic groups. Fifteen per cent of the state's Muslims life in the provinces of Jammu and Ladakh. They are non-Kashmiris and by and large, they stand behind J&K's association with India (there are a few small exceptions in some towns of Doda district).

Of the State's 49% who reside in the Kashmir province, about 13% are Shia Muslims who do not wish to have anything to do with Sunni-dominated Pakistan, knowing full well the life that awaits them there. Any Shia residing in Kargil will tell you how much their siblings are suffering in Baltistan, part of PoK now, and which is referred to as the Northern Areas.

Then again, 14% of the people in Kashmir province are the pastoral nomadic Gujar (or Gurjar) and Bakarwal people. They are strong supporters of association with India and have demonstrated this by organising the Militancy Mukhalif Morcha (Anti-militancy front) to assist the security forces in surveillance of terrorist activity since long.

As far as the non-Muslim groups are concerned, there is not a single reason for them to even think about living outside of the multi-religious and secular India, say several studies compiled so far by the Institute for Defense and Security Analyses (IDSA). From the above it is clear that the support for secession in Jammu & Kashmir is thus largely limited to the non-pastoral Sunni Muslim population of the Kashmir Valley who constitute 22% of the state's population, (or about 1.9 million people).

While it is this segment that dominates every public domain, our media has made them its face, ignoring the fact that there are divisions on the lines of pro-Pakistan, pro-independence and pro-India. This is the ruling class here and corners every benefit denying others of the same.

An interesting compilation was made by the IDSA researchers sometime back which stated, if self-determination is held in the undivided state (including the Pakistan occupied regions of Kashmir which Pakistan refers to as "Azad" Kashmir & "Northern Areas") under truly neutral supervision, and the people were given three options – join India, join Pakistan or be independent – the results might be shocking to the votaries of secession. The majority could very well go with India, because the separatist vote would be split between the pro-Pakistani and pro-independence groups.

On the other hand, if the people of the state are given only two choices - join India or join Pakistan - the majority vote could still go in India's favor. Of the 12.8 million people in the undivided State (1999 estimates), J&K's population is 8.5 million, "Azad" Kashmir's is 2.8 million and "Northern Areas" is 1.5 million. If 1.9 million from J&K and all of "Azad" Kashmir and "Northern Areas" vote for Pakistan, it still gives India a vote of 6.6 million and leaves Pakistan with 6.2 million.

Life is not rosy in the PoK. The Northern Areas of the region are in total neglect. Literacy here is hardly 6 per cent compared to 60 per cent of the J&K. Infrastructure is virtually absent here with no schools, no hospitals, no roads and no power. The inhabitants live a degraded life carrying identity cards always. If they try to go to Islamabad or Lahore, they need stringent clearances. They cannot own property or businesses.

Above all,. since the population of the eastern part of "Northern Areas" is Balti speaking Shia Muslims, their sympathies lie with their siblings of Kargil in India. Also, one should note that a Punjabi speaking Pakistani won't accept a Kashmiri speaking or Urdu speaking Muslim from the valley as his equal.

This is well-known to Sunni Kashmiris here. There are always murmurs and hushed discussions in our part of Kashmir about the oppression and fanaticism sweeping across Pakistan and the fate of women. Individual liberty and freedom are far more cherished here than across the border.

Once while covering border trade at the 'Aman Setu" (Freedom Bridge) in the Uri Sector (just across lies Muzaffarbad of PoK), Kashimiri drivers from the other side were seen asking "janaab, unhe (your Kashmiris) hamaare yahaan bhejia aur hamein waapas leejiye. Izzat se jiyenge tho sahi" (please exchange your Kashmiris with us.

At least we live with respect here). “Our counterparts got work to do here. Our children could go to school and there is medicare for them here. There is nothing over there except abject poverty”, they explained. Therein lies the story!