The political struggle launched in Kashmir by All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference in1932 was initially aimed at change of political system from autocracy to democracy in the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.The transfer of political power from autocratic ruler to the popular political leadership was the actual objective of the change of the system of governance in the former Dogra Kingdom.The conversion of All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference into All Jammu and Kashmir National Conference in 1939 by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah didn’t change the objectives of the party but its strategy to garner more people’s support in every region of Jammu and Kashmir State for the inclusive and secular political party.The clash of interests and divergence of political ideology between Mirwaiz Mohammad Yusuf Shah and Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah can be the personal reasons of the leadership for conversation of Muslim Conference into National Conference in late1930s.The Pakistan Resolution by Indian Muslim League in 1940 added the territorial dimension to the Kashmir politics as well. Because of ideological compatibility with Indian National Congress and personal equation with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah supported the accession of Jammu and Kashmir State with Indian Union whereas Mohammad Yusuf Shah was in favour of Muslim majority state’s accession with proposed Pakistan. India was an empirical reality whereas Pakistan was just an ideal of Indian Muslim League till the announcement of partition plan of British India by the British Crown on 3rd June1947.The approval of Indian Independence Act on 18th July 1947 not only concretized the partition of British India on the basis of religion but also threw an olive branch to the rulers of princely states by endorsing also the option of continuing sovereign control over the territory under their jurisdiction.Maharaja Hari Singh, the autocratic ruler of Jammu and Kashmir State was therefore initially toying with the idea of an independent country. POLICY OF MAHARAJA HARI SINGH:-
Maharaja Hari Singh wanted to retain his sovereign control over the Dogra princely state to further the interests of autocratic ruling dynasty, landlords and money lenders in the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. In order to give practical shape to his ideas well before the granting of freedom to the. Indian subcontinent by the British, Maharaja Hari Singh put both National Conference and Muslim Conference leaders in jail. Before the lapse of British paramountcy he sent the Standstill Agreement proposal to both India and Pakistan through an identical telegram on 12th August 1947,which Pakistan accepted in principle pending details on 16th August 1947. India wanted the details of Standstill Agreement to be finalized in advance. The Pakistani tribal raid on 22nd October 1947, the declaration of the formation of Azad Government of Jammu and Kashmir by Poonch-Mirpur warriors on 24th October 1947 and the deteriorating security situation in Kashmir compelled Maharaja Hari Singh to surrender his control over defence, foreign affairs and communication to Indian Union on 26th October to get Indian troops on 27th October 1947 to defend the territory of Jammu and Kashmir State from internal revolt in Poonch-Mirpur area and Pakistani tribal aggression in Kashmir Valley.The arrival of Indian troops in Kashmir Valley led to the revolt by Gilgit Scouts against the Maharaja’s Governor Major General Gansara Singh on 31st October 1947.
POLICY OF MUSLIM CONFERENCE;–
All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference led by Choudhry Ghulam Abbass was initially in favour of converting the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir into a constitutional monarchy. In May 1947 when Choudhry Hamidullah Khan was the officiating President of All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, the party leadership at a press conference in a Jammu hotel requested the Maharaja Hari Singh to declare the independence of his kingdom and be the constitutional head of the state. However, when All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference met at Srinagar on 19th July 1947, the Mirwaiz Yusuf Shah faction of the party was successful in adopting a resolution that called for accession of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan with respect to defence, foreign affairs and communication. Mohamad Yusuf Saraf who had put forth the proposal of his party, later admitted that many of persons who voted for the resolution were not the formal members of Muslim Conference but simply the followers in prayer of Mirwaiz at Jamia Masjid Srinagar. One Muslim Conference leader namely Ghulam Nabi Gilkar had even declared the formation of government in exile.The day Maharaja Hari Singh released Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah from jail on 29th September 1947, Mirwaiz Yusuf Shah left for Pakistan either out of fear or to enjoy political power in Azad Kashmir. Many Muslim Conference leaders left for Pakistan either to avoid persecution or enjoy political power in the green pastures.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE POLICY:-
All Jammu and Kashmir National Conference was established on11th June 1939 and five years later it released the “Naya Kashmir” Manifesto in 1944, which talked about converting the Dogra princely state of Jammu and Kashmir into a constitutional monarchy. The promises of land to the tiller, social, economic and political empowerment of the people were made to the people of the former princely state.On 20th May 1946, Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah launched his “Quit Kashmir”campaign against Maharaja Hari Singh, which led to the immediate imprisonment of National Conference leadership.On 27th September 1947 Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah wrote his much publicised letter of apology to Maharaja Hari Singh and two days later the autocratic ruler set him free. On 2nd October1947 Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah while addressing a public gathering at Hazuribagh Srinagar said, “As long as there is a single drop of blood in my body, I will oppose Jinnah’s two-nation theory”.Two days later Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah chaired the meeting of Working Body of National Conference which passed a resolution supporting accession of the Dogra Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir with Indian Union.According to Bilkees Taseer, Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah had visited Lahore to meet Mohammad Ali Jinnah in the first week of October 1947 but Jinnah preferred to talk to Maharaja Hari Singh or his any representative regarding Kashmir rather than Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah. Contrary to it, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru gave Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah the full recognition of being the genuine leader of the Kashmiri people.When Pakistani tribal raiders invaded Kashmir on 22nd October 1947, about 10,000 volunteers of National Conference defended Srinagar city against the invaders. Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah staying at Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s residence on 24th October 1947, supported the deployment of Indian troops in Kashmir on 27th October 1947.While addressing the UN Security Council members in March 1948 Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah publicly supported the accession of Jammu and Kashmir State with Indian Union. However, privately he met Warren Austin, the permanent representative of United States at the United Nations to point out the third option of an independent country for the people of the Dogra princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. National Conference workers protested against the two-option plebiscite recommendations of the UN Security Council.In 1949 four members of Constituent Assembly of India, namely Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, Mirza Mohammad Àfzal Beigh, Maulana Mohamad Syed Masoodi and Pandit Moti Ram Baigra all belonging to National Conference, represented the Jammu and Kashmir State and we’re signatory to the Constitution of India, implemented on 26th January 1950.Needless to mention it here that the 1949 Constitution of India considers the territory of Jammu and Kashmir State as a part of Indian Union and upholds the internal sovereignty of Jammu and Kashmir State under its Article 370. In 1951 the National Conference passed a resolution to demand the framing of Constituent Assembly for Jammu and Kashmir State to decide about the political destiny of the state.As a follow-up action the election for electing the 75 member Jammu and Kashmir State Constituent Assembly were held in the months of September and October 1951. Sheikh Mohammad and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru did sign up the ‘Delhi Agreement’on 24th July 1952 to spell out the centre-state relationship.Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah worked for the abolition of autocracy, landlordism, money lending system and promotion of democracy, asymmetrical federalism, secularism, socialism and pluralism. The Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly led by Bakhshi Ghulam Mohammad belonging to National Conference, ratified the accession of Jammu and Kashmir State with Indian Union, abolished the permit system, recommended the introduction of Article 35-A in the Constitution of India, extended the Indian currency to the state and adopted the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir State on 17th November 1956 and after the concurrence of President of India implemented on 26th January 1957.
POLICY OF GOVERNMENT OF INDIA IN KASHMIR:-
Indian National Congress led by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had categorically stated that the people of the princely states have the right to freedom within the framework of freedom of Indian subcontinent.The Government of India supported the abolition of autocracy, landlordism and provided funds for socio-economic development of Jammu and Kashmir State. However, New Delhi left no stone unturned to erode the internal sovereignty of Jammu and Kashmir State from 1957 onwards.The extension of the jurisdiction of Election Commission of India, Supreme Court of India, Auditor General of India, Indian Superior Services to Jammu and Kashmir State as well as the abolition of nomenclatures, method of appointment and powers of the Sadr-e-Riyasat and Wazir-e- Azam are some of the main amendments made in the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir State by the collaborators of New Delhi in Kashmir.The misuse of Article 256 to overthrow elected governments, imposition of Public Safety Act, Terrorist and Disruptive Act, Armed Special Powers Act, and other anti-Kashmir policies including rigging of elections have been the routine pattern of misgovernance by New Delhi in Kashmir during the Congress rule.During the BJP rule the Indian electronic media except for a few responsible T.V.channels has started an anti-Kashmir campaign.The Article 35-A and Article 370 of the Constitution of India granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir State has been challenged in the Supreme Court of India, Parliament of India and the Indian mass media.The efforts are being made to not only erode the internal sovereignty of Jammu and Kashmir State but to assimilate the Muslim majority state with the Hindu majority country against the spirit of state’s limited accession with India in 1947.
POLICY OF PAKISTAN TOWARDS KASHMIR:-
The Standstill Agreement of Maharaja Hari Singh had made Pakistan legally party to Jammu and Kashmir but by permitting the tribal warriors from Northwestern Frontier Province to invade Kashmir the country did violate the Agreement on 22nd October 1947.The UN Security Council Resolutions on the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir from 1948 to 1958, Shimla Agreement between India and Pakistan in 1972 and the Lahore Declaration between India and Pakistan in February 1999 have acknowledged the basic party status of Pakistan to the territorial dispute between the two countries. The Government of Pakistan has been insensitive to the people’s absolute right of self-determination to establish the sovereign Republic ofJammu and Kashmir State free from both India and Pakistan.The Muslim country has throughout maintained that Kashmir is an unfinished agenda for Pakistan. The biggest hindrance in the path of two-option plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir State as recommended under the UN Security Council Resolutions since 21st April 1948 is the reluctance of Pakistan to demilitarize the territory of Jammu and Kashmir State under its control. Since Pakistan has failed in its four formal wars with India since 1947 so it had launched the guerrilla warfare in Kashmir in 1988.However, after realizing the failure of its Kashmir policy, Pakistan is pitching for a negotiated settlement of Kashmir problem.Since Jammu and Kashmir State is a natural watershed for Pakistan because all the three major rivers of Indus basin, namely Indus, Jhelum and Chenab flow through the state, the importance of Kashmir for the country can be hardly overemphasied.The geographical contiguity of Jammu and Kashmir State with Pakistan and the Muslim character of the two political territories politically and culturally weds the two entities, even if the accession of Jammu and Kashmir State with Pakistan is resisted by the people of the state.
POPULAR ASPIRATIONS IN KASHMIRISTAN;-
The political aspirations of the people of Kashmiristan with respect to transfer of political power, territory and system of governance vary from person to person.The people of Kashmiristan can be divided into five broad categories on the basis of their political ideology.The Islamists of Kashmiristan want transfer of political power to Jamat-e-Islami and its sister organizations like Jamiat-ul-Tulba and Jamiat Ahli-Hadith etc.The Islamists are however constituting only the single digit population of Kashmiristan.Contrary to it the secularists of Kashmiristan want secular parties like National Conference, People’s Democratic Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee etc. to acquire political power in the state.The third category of people in Kashmir are neither wedded to secularism so intimately nor are they stuanch Islamists.They can be subdivided into two categories such as Muslim nationalists and Kashmiri nationalists. Such people are supporters of political parties like People’s Conference, Awami Itihad Party and Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement etc.The fifth category of Hindutva minority is supporting Hindu nationalist parties such as Bhartiya Janta Party and Shiv Sena etc. On the basis of political aspirations of the people with respect to transer of territory of Kashmiristan, three broad categories can be identified. The Hindutva minority wants assimilation of Kashmiristan with India whereas the secularists want the restoration of the internal sovereignty of the state.The Muslim nationalists and Islamists want transfer of Kashmiristan to Pakistan. The Kashmiri nationalists want freedom of Kashmiristan from India but are reluctant to have its merger with Pakistan. So far as the popular views with respect to the change in the political system are concerned, the people don’t exhibit any revolutionary trend. The Islamists want the enforcement of Nizam-e-Mustafa whereas the insignificant minority wants revival of Vedic glory of ancient Bharat. In between these two extremes the dominant majority of the people in Kashmiristan want promotion of Sufi Islam and syncretic culture.
CONCLUSION:-
The politics in Kashmiristan has passed through different stages of its evolution over the past one century in general and since partition of the Indian subcontinent in particular.The creation of India and Pakistan as two sovereign countries in the immediate neighborhood of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir created a situation of competition for influence and political control in the name of secularism and Muslim brotherhood at the cost of Kashmiri ethnolingual nationalism. The Muslim dominated Kashmiristan speaking Kashmiri, Pahari, Gujjari, Balti, Shina and other languages is not politically a homogeneous territory.The people range in their political views from religious orthodoxy to ultramodern secularism if not Atheism.However, the dominant majority of the population has moderate political views. An insignificant minority of people want assimilation with India or Pakistan whereas the dominant majority wants establishment of the sovereign Republic of Kashmiristan. The support base of Hindutva and Islamist parties is very thin whereas secular and moderate political parties enjoy the mass support.
Prof.G.M.Athar can be reached at ghathar@ yahoo.co.in
