The breeze that originates from Aligarh has potential of shaping the destiny of nations Kashmir can’t be an exception to this phenomenon
Dr Sheikh Showkat Hussain
I congratulate AMU administration for opening study centres beyond Aligarh. Previously we had claim of being the only Muslim University now so many Muslim institutions including universities are coming up across India. Expansion of AMU is indispensible for assertion of the claim of being the Muslim University and not one among these institutions. I thank you for launching an entrance test centre at Srinagar, Kashmir.
I congratulate AMU administration for opening study centres beyond Aligarh. Previously we had claim of being the only Muslim University now so many Muslim institutions including universities are coming up across India. Expansion of AMU is indispensible for assertion of the claim of being the Muslim University and not one among these institutions. I thank you for launching an entrance test centre at Srinagar, Kashmir.
Aligarh is a city of knowledge and today’s seminar is an attempt for understanding Kashmir problem in this context.
It is often conveyed to you that rise of fundamentalism is reason for separatism in Kashmir on contrary it is a fact that it was Ram Chandra Kak the Prime Minster of Maharaja Hari Singh who opposed accession of Kashmir to India .Kak was dragged handcuffed from his place of detention to Sadder Court Srinagar soon after Indian State assumed control of Kashmir. Same way Prem Nath Bazaz suffered exile and imprisonment for opposing the accession. They say Kashmiris are separatists how can we be separatists when their chief minister questions relationship of state with India on floor of the State Assembly by stating we have acceded not merged and Indian Constitution portrays the state as the one whose final disposition is yet to take place (Article 253). In law marriage is pre- requisite for separation among spouses. Where there is no marriage (merger) there can’t be divorce. No doubt instrument of accession signed by the Maharaja of Kashmir was same as signed by other states that acceded to India. Response to it however, was completely different. Lord Mountbatten in his response made it conditional to ratification of people. It was Pandit Nehru who took this issue to UN and UN endorsed that the issue be resolved in accordance with wishes of Kashmiri people. We are told that requirement of peoples’ endorsement of accession has been achieved through the Constituent Assembly of the state. How the assembly with 73 out 75 members elected un-contested can represent people of the state especially in a situation when both Nehru and UN contested validity of such an endorsement. It is an established fact that most of the elections in the state were bungled and manipulated (Bipin Chandra, India After Independence, Viking 1999, Page 323).
Indian state is not serious about Kashmir. When there is trouble in Kashmir, Indian government makes a lot of promises which are never kept. Nehru promised plebiscite; Narshima Rao offered anything short of azadi with sky as its limit. National Conference responded with an autonomy report while Peoples Democratic Party submitted a draft of self rule. Both these formulations were rejected despite being proposals of pro-India parties. When General Musharraf proposed four point formulae Indian government remained indifferent and refused to get engaged with a military dictator. Now we have a democratic government in Pakistan Indian government says negotiations with Musharraf was a better option. This is tactics of buying time pursued with an objective of getting Kashmiri exhausted.
In Kashmir harassment and killing are the order of the day. Last summer 120 innocent boys were killed. A case of rape of three generations of women by members of security agencies has been recorded in Shopian court. The victims included daughter, mother and grandmother. Muslims population of Jammu is showing a decline. From 39% in 1941 census it is now less than 10%. Our cultural identity too is at stake. Urdu which was made official language of the state by Maharaja Gulab Singh is sought to be driven out through manipulations in census. The language which dominates mass media is becoming extinct in official records. Census depicts 50% decline in Urdu speaking population whereas 2200% increase in Hindi speakers. This is far from realities result of manipulation of figures and enumeration of nomad Gujjars as Hindi speakers.
Kashmiris are determined to change this situation. Our goal is parity of status which every nation irrespective of its size enjoys at international level. You see it when president of two hundred thousand Maldivian populations enjoys same protocol as is given to Indian president who represents more than one billion people. On contrary UP chief minister seldom gets appointment in Delhi despite representing one hundred and eighty million people. We don’t want you (Muslim Indians) to get involved in our political struggle. But you can’t and should not remain indifferent to human rights situation of Kashmir. We want your support in this domain exclusively. It is your moral responsibility. Monika Gandhi’s consistent assertions relating to safety of dogs of Kashmir makes us feel that Indians are more worried about non-humans of Kashmir than humans. We need your support in reversing these priorities. We know you (Muslim Indians) too are struggling for equality and identity. Your right to life, liberty, equality and identity is provided in your constitution. You are entitled to these rights as humans and citizens of India. These rights are not granted to you in lieu of hostage status of Kashmir. Given this fact all views expressed about safety of Indian minorities in the eventuality of separation of Kashmir sound absurd. We support your struggle for equality and identity. I, personally feel that this struggle has failed to make any headway on account of absence of political agenda with Muslim Indians. You have been on defensive bereft of any positive political agenda. This deficit of Indian Muslim politics needs to be addressed. Aligarh Muslim University Students Union (AMUSU) can trigger a discourse in this direction. You need to take queue from dalits. Twenty years back no one was ready to take risk of contesting elections as a candidate of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Today it is ruling the state of UP.
Previous decade has been a period of turbulence for Muslims. They were sought to be targeted in the name of war on terror both within India and internationally. Revolution in the field of information technology and oil boom of the Middle East has fizzled out the agenda of cultural proselytisation and economic deprivation against Muslims of India. Those who targeted Muslims stand exposed now. Futility of this exercise has dawned to the world. A positive atmosphere of reconciliation with Muslims is emerging. Formulation of a positive political agenda at this juncture can help you to avail the benefits of this atmosphere.
Towards the end I wish to convey the Kashmiri students Aligarh Muslim University to dedicate their energies in contributing to Kashmir cause in field of academics. In spite some nice attempts in the area of fiction there exists a huge deficit in the field of serious research. Fiction can’t be substitute for facts. Projection of facts demands dedicated research and Aligarh Muslim University provides an excellent atmosphere for it. Avail this atmosphere to the best of your abilities. The breeze that originates from Aligarh has potential of shaping the destiny of nations Kashmir can’t be an exception to this phenomenon. After all it happens to be land of maternal ancestors of SIR SYED AHMAD KHAN.
Note: This is the speech delivered Dr Sheikh Showkat Hussain on 15th March 2011 in a seminar organised by Aligarh Muslim University Students Union in Kennedy Hall Auditorium of AMU on Kashmir.
It is often conveyed to you that rise of fundamentalism is reason for separatism in Kashmir on contrary it is a fact that it was Ram Chandra Kak the Prime Minster of Maharaja Hari Singh who opposed accession of Kashmir to India .Kak was dragged handcuffed from his place of detention to Sadder Court Srinagar soon after Indian State assumed control of Kashmir. Same way Prem Nath Bazaz suffered exile and imprisonment for opposing the accession. They say Kashmiris are separatists how can we be separatists when their chief minister questions relationship of state with India on floor of the State Assembly by stating we have acceded not merged and Indian Constitution portrays the state as the one whose final disposition is yet to take place (Article 253). In law marriage is pre- requisite for separation among spouses. Where there is no marriage (merger) there can’t be divorce. No doubt instrument of accession signed by the Maharaja of Kashmir was same as signed by other states that acceded to India. Response to it however, was completely different. Lord Mountbatten in his response made it conditional to ratification of people. It was Pandit Nehru who took this issue to UN and UN endorsed that the issue be resolved in accordance with wishes of Kashmiri people. We are told that requirement of peoples’ endorsement of accession has been achieved through the Constituent Assembly of the state. How the assembly with 73 out 75 members elected un-contested can represent people of the state especially in a situation when both Nehru and UN contested validity of such an endorsement. It is an established fact that most of the elections in the state were bungled and manipulated (Bipin Chandra, India After Independence, Viking 1999, Page 323).
Indian state is not serious about Kashmir. When there is trouble in Kashmir, Indian government makes a lot of promises which are never kept. Nehru promised plebiscite; Narshima Rao offered anything short of azadi with sky as its limit. National Conference responded with an autonomy report while Peoples Democratic Party submitted a draft of self rule. Both these formulations were rejected despite being proposals of pro-India parties. When General Musharraf proposed four point formulae Indian government remained indifferent and refused to get engaged with a military dictator. Now we have a democratic government in Pakistan Indian government says negotiations with Musharraf was a better option. This is tactics of buying time pursued with an objective of getting Kashmiri exhausted.
In Kashmir harassment and killing are the order of the day. Last summer 120 innocent boys were killed. A case of rape of three generations of women by members of security agencies has been recorded in Shopian court. The victims included daughter, mother and grandmother. Muslims population of Jammu is showing a decline. From 39% in 1941 census it is now less than 10%. Our cultural identity too is at stake. Urdu which was made official language of the state by Maharaja Gulab Singh is sought to be driven out through manipulations in census. The language which dominates mass media is becoming extinct in official records. Census depicts 50% decline in Urdu speaking population whereas 2200% increase in Hindi speakers. This is far from realities result of manipulation of figures and enumeration of nomad Gujjars as Hindi speakers.
Kashmiris are determined to change this situation. Our goal is parity of status which every nation irrespective of its size enjoys at international level. You see it when president of two hundred thousand Maldivian populations enjoys same protocol as is given to Indian president who represents more than one billion people. On contrary UP chief minister seldom gets appointment in Delhi despite representing one hundred and eighty million people. We don’t want you (Muslim Indians) to get involved in our political struggle. But you can’t and should not remain indifferent to human rights situation of Kashmir. We want your support in this domain exclusively. It is your moral responsibility. Monika Gandhi’s consistent assertions relating to safety of dogs of Kashmir makes us feel that Indians are more worried about non-humans of Kashmir than humans. We need your support in reversing these priorities. We know you (Muslim Indians) too are struggling for equality and identity. Your right to life, liberty, equality and identity is provided in your constitution. You are entitled to these rights as humans and citizens of India. These rights are not granted to you in lieu of hostage status of Kashmir. Given this fact all views expressed about safety of Indian minorities in the eventuality of separation of Kashmir sound absurd. We support your struggle for equality and identity. I, personally feel that this struggle has failed to make any headway on account of absence of political agenda with Muslim Indians. You have been on defensive bereft of any positive political agenda. This deficit of Indian Muslim politics needs to be addressed. Aligarh Muslim University Students Union (AMUSU) can trigger a discourse in this direction. You need to take queue from dalits. Twenty years back no one was ready to take risk of contesting elections as a candidate of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Today it is ruling the state of UP.
Previous decade has been a period of turbulence for Muslims. They were sought to be targeted in the name of war on terror both within India and internationally. Revolution in the field of information technology and oil boom of the Middle East has fizzled out the agenda of cultural proselytisation and economic deprivation against Muslims of India. Those who targeted Muslims stand exposed now. Futility of this exercise has dawned to the world. A positive atmosphere of reconciliation with Muslims is emerging. Formulation of a positive political agenda at this juncture can help you to avail the benefits of this atmosphere.
Towards the end I wish to convey the Kashmiri students Aligarh Muslim University to dedicate their energies in contributing to Kashmir cause in field of academics. In spite some nice attempts in the area of fiction there exists a huge deficit in the field of serious research. Fiction can’t be substitute for facts. Projection of facts demands dedicated research and Aligarh Muslim University provides an excellent atmosphere for it. Avail this atmosphere to the best of your abilities. The breeze that originates from Aligarh has potential of shaping the destiny of nations Kashmir can’t be an exception to this phenomenon. After all it happens to be land of maternal ancestors of SIR SYED AHMAD KHAN.
Note: This is the speech delivered Dr Sheikh Showkat Hussain on 15th March 2011 in a seminar organised by Aligarh Muslim University Students Union in Kennedy Hall Auditorium of AMU on Kashmir.
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