The religious orthodoxy is very rapidly growing in the Indian subcontinent both within the Hindu and Muslim communities. The dilution of secularism in India, rise of Muslim fundamentalism in Pakistan and misuse of religion by authoritarian regimes in Bangladesh are responsible for growing religious orthodoxy in the Indian subcontinent during the post-partition period. In fact the Hindu Muslim civilizational differences were converted into Hindu-Muslim division by the British rulers and the partition of Bengal and Punjab on communal basis was its end product in mid-1947.The former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, was not technically speaking a part of the British India, but the competition between India and Pakistan to exert their influence in the Dogra kingdom led to its communal partition on 1st January 1949.The fundamental principles of Indian Constitutional that were the sources of attraction for Muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir State to ratify the accession of the state with Indian Union on 6th February included asymmetrical federalism, secularism, democracy and nonviolence. However, after the implementation of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir State on 26th January 1957 almost all the constitutional principles of the state and the country were violated by the power hungry politicians operating at Srinagar and New Delhi. The present paper is an endeavour to make a historical analysis of the compromise on secularism and nonviolence in Jammu and Kashmir State from eraly1930s onwards.
USAGE OF RELIGION IN KASHMIR POLITICS:-
In the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir the British disliked the demand for independence of princely states articulated by Maharaja Hari Singh during the Round Table Conference at London in 1930.The British misused one Peshawar based Abdul Qadeer to make firey speech during a Muslim Convention tea break session at Khankah Muella, Srinagar, against the Maharaja Hari Singh to create a gulf not only between the ruler and his subjects but also among the Hindus and Muslims. The Kashmiri Muslims were emotionally so much charged that when the on-spot trial of Abdul Qadeer was held inside Central Jail Srinagar, the Kashmiri Muslims in large numbers appeared on the spot to have defensive protest for their Muslim hero on 13th July 1931. Meanwhile one Muslim stood up to give Fajr Azan (morning call for the faithful to offer prayers), he was fired upon by the Dogra forces, similarly the other 21 persons who stood up one after the other to complete the azan were fired upon by the state forces. The human bloodshed on13th July 1931became the turning point in the Muslim religious and communal politics in Kashmir under the banner of All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference. Although Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah converted All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference into All Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on 11th June 1939, yet he could not secularise the mindset of his party workers. The Naya Kashmir Manifesto of National Conference released in 1944 was basically the contribution of Communist leaders and scholars because Kashmiri orthodox Muslims were not prepared to support the Atheism of Marx although the socialist slogan of ‘land to the tiller’ was music to their ears. Sheikh Abdullah not acknowledging the contribution of leftists to the National Conference related it to the Quranic injunction ‘Al ard lillah’ meaning the land belongs to Allah’s. In order to won the support of masses for National Conference, Abdullah used to recite Quranic verses and revolutionary poems of Islamic poet Dr Sir Mohammed Iqbal. The arrival of Mohammed Ali Jinnah in Kashmir in 1945 and his appeal to Kashmiri Muslims at Srinagar to support All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference in the name of Allah, Muhammad and Quran increased the popularity of the orthodox exclusive Muslim political party and dwindled the support base of Muslim dominated but inclusive National Conference. The National Conference workers angered by Jinnah’s support to Muslim Conference tried to misbehave with Jinnah. In order to have damage control, Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah launched his “Quit Kashmir” campaign against the autocratic Hindu ruler. On 19th May1946 Abdullah was arrested by the state police on his way to Lahore and Delhi.
Soon after his release from jail on 29th September 1947, Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah rushed to Lahore in the first week of October 1947 to mend his deteriorated relationship with Mohammed Ali Jinnah ever since the later was humiliated in Kashmir by National Conference workers. However, the Muslim League leader preferred to recognize Maharaja Hari Singh as the real authority of Kashmir rather than Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, the Kashmiri nationalist leader. The egoist attitude of Jinnah ultimately drifted Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah in the Indian fold. The Pakistani tribal raid in Kashmir on 22nd October 1947, compelled Maharaja Hari Singh to seek Indian military assistance on 27th October1947 after he signed up the limited accession of Jammu and Kashmir State with Indian Union, relinquishing his control over defence, foreign affairs and communication. Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah rendered his political support to the Indo-Kashmir legal and constitutional relationship in October 1947 to assume political power in the state with the help of New Delhi.
REASSERTION OF MUSLIM IDENTITY IN KASHMIR:-
The opposition of Nehru-Abdullah Accord in 1952 by the Hindu nationalists led by Dr Shama Prasad Mukherjee casted its shadow on the Nehru-Abdullah friendship as well. On 13th July 1953 Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah while addressing a public gathering at Mujahid Manzil Srinagar declared, “In 1947 I had objected Kashmir’s accession with Pakistan fearing that they will not treat me well, but I was wrong, Indian rulers have backstabbed me and I part my ways with them”. He further made the prophesy by saying, “A day would come when the Kashmiri youth like Algerian Muslims would take arms in their hands to fight back against their enslavement”. Under domestic and foreign pressure Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah was dismissed from Prime Ministership and arrested at a Gulmarg Guest House on 9th August 1953. One foreign English language news paper published the headline, “Abdullah Arrested on His Way to Pakistan”. On 9th August 1955 Mirza Mohammed Àfzal Beigh launched his Jammu and Kashmir Plebiscite Front with financial and diplomatic support of Pakistan. The main slogan of Plebiscite Front was People’s Right of self-determination which as per UN Security Council Resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir State means two-option plebiscite. If Plebiscite Front was not happy over accession of Muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir State with Indian Union, it meant right of self-determination for merger with Pakistan. Mirza Mohammad Àfzal Beigh would at the peak of his public speech takeout green handkerchief and Rockdale from his pocket and display these to the orthodox Muslim gathering to reassure Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan. Although after the defeat of Pakistan in Indo-Pak War in 1971 the leadership of Plebiscite Front in a state of desperation dissolved the Muslim separatist organization and following the Beigh-Parthasarthy Accord made re-entry into the Indian political mainstream on 24th February 1975.
RISE OF ISLAMIC JIHAD IN KASHMIR:-
The creation of Mujahideen in Afghanistan- following the deployment of Soviet army in the country- by United States with the support of Pakistan offered an opportunity to the Pakistani agencies to launch guerrilla warfare, named as jihad against the infidel rule in Kashmir. The rigging of Jammu and Kashmir State Legislative Assembly elections by National Conference-Congress alliance against the Muslim United Front candidates in 15 Assembly segments in Kashmir Valley on 23rd March 1987, offered the conducive situation for rise of militancy in Kashmir. The fertile soil for Islamic Jihad in Kashmir was however prepared over a long period of time by Islamic fundamentalist organizations like Jamat-e-Islami and its youth wing Jamiat-ul-Tulba which controlled both public and private sectors of education in Kashmir both directly as well as indirectly. The life insecurity amongst Islamists started on 4th April 1979 when many Jamat-e-Islami leaders and members were attacked by the Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto sympathisers in Kashmir. Thus the religious fundamentalism coupled with a sense of insecurity and partly Kashmiri nationalism radicalized the Kashmiri youth to resort to extremism and violence. The mis-governance, unemployment and poverty became the other causes for Kashmiri youth opting for the path of death and destruction in the name of jihad. The main slogans of underground militant organizations and the overground pro-liberation groups have been, “hum kya chahtay, aazadi”, “aazadi ka matlab kya, la ilaha ilallah” and “yahan kya chalayga, Nizam-e-Mustafa”. All these slogans indicate the March of Kashmiri Muslims in general and youth in particular towards religious fundamentalism and extremism.
The proportion of Muslim youth keeping long beards, wearing the trousers above ankles and keeping the skull caps has increased quite drastically over the past three decades. Many Kashmiri youth join militancy not for Pakistan or independence but to become shaheed fi-din to land in the heaven. Some mothers encourage their militant sons not to surrender before the Indian forces but have shahadat. One mother during an encounter while bidding farewell on phone to her militant son has said, “Ok bye, will meet next in the heaven”. The narrative of Jihad fi-sabililah is being spread by radicalized section of the society through mosques and graveyards of the militants at the time of their funeral prayer or during the anniversary function of the slain militants.
CONCLUSION:-
The growing religious orthodoxy and extremism amongst the Kashmiri youth is a big challenge for the preservation and promotion of liberalism and secularism in the Muslim majority regions of Jammu and Kashmir State. The power hungry politicians and religious clergymen have misused religion for their political and economic gains. The teaching community in the state have failed in their duty to promote scientific temperament and rational thinking among the Kashmiri youth. The maladministration, mis-governance, unemployment and poverty have contributed in the production of injustice, insecurity and desperation amongst the youth ultimately resorting to delinquent practices such as drug addiction, crime or socially respectable and timely heroic act of militancy. Without understanding the geopolitical, socio-economic, educational, administrative and psychological dimensions of militancy in Kashmir, the Central Government at New Delhi and the State Government at Srinagar treat it simply as a law and order and national security issue. There is an urgent need to fully understand the causes and consequences of militancy in Kashmir to suggest pragmatic steps for checking the problem on permanent basis. The sooner the Kashmiri nation and the government of India understand their duty towards the Kashmiri youth, the better it would be for the state and the country.
Prof. G.M.Athar can be reached at ghathar@yahoo.co.in
