Little did I know that when I would open my own IRC channel it would yield such amazing possibilities as interviewing somebody at length from inside a war zone! (In fact, I had no idea that my blog was read in such places…).
Taimur agreed to be interviewed in very bad conditions, the electricity supply on his side was iffy, and the 10 hours difference means that he was typing his answers very late a night. We lost our connection several times and the time lag between each question and answer was long. Still, it is a huge pleasure for me to be able to share this interview with you. I believe that to listen to the point of view of somebody actually living in a conflict area is a great privilege and I am deeply grateful to Taimur for his time and patience.
I suppose that some readers will take issue with some of his statements, and that’s fine. I ask them to post their comments and criticisms below, or to directly ask a question to Taimur who kindly agree to be available to provide his answers.
One particular request to my Indian readers: please contact me if you want to share with us your perspective on the topics discussed here. I would be delighted to interview you either by email or by IRC.
One of the primary aims of my blog is to provide good information, but good information is often also biased (there is nothing worse, at least in my experience, then the so-called “objective” or “non-biased” info we are fed by our corporate masters). This is why I often post stuff I don’t agree with.
In this case, as with the case of the Kurdish conflict, I am too ignorant of it to really have an opinion. All I have is a strong desire to listen to all the sides.
Here is the *very minimally* edited transcript of my chat with Taimur (I just don’t have the time to do even a halfway decent editing job now).
For convenience purpose, I am also including two maps of the region. Please click on them to get a useful resolution. BTW – maps are also a highly controversial subject in this conflict and, needless to say, I am presenting the two maps here purely FYI – without in any way endorsing anything in them.
The Saker
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The Saker: Hi Taimur : could you please introduce yourself in a couple of words? Where are you chatting from, how old are you, what do you do in life?
Taimur: I am 24 years old , doing my Engineering in Jammu and Kashmir. (On the Indian Side)
The Saker: What is your ethnicity and religion?
Taimur: I am Muslim and Asian
The Saker: Would you describe yourself as a Muslim by birth only, or a practicing Muslim?
Taimur: I am a Muslim by Birth and to some extend i do consider myself as Practicing Muslim
The Saker: Most of my readers know in the general lines about the long conflict in Kashmir, but in your own words, how would you describe it? What lies at the core of it?
The Saker: Is it about religion, politics, ethnicity? How do you, as a Kashmiri Muslim live it? What does this conflict mean to *you* personally?
Taimur: Yes it is combination of all of them. Kashmir is a Muslim dominated state and according to plan of partition of India, which divided the United India into a Muslim state and Hindu state, it should have acceded to Pakistan. But the ruler of Kashmir never wanted this to happen. So people in Jammu and Kashmir started to protest and demanded that they should be allowed to accede to Pakistan without delay but Maharaja Hari Singh the ruler of Kas ordered to crush the revolt against him. It was reported that around 200’000 people were massacred by Maharaja’s army in Jammu. Then Pakistani tribesmen came to rescue Kashmiri Muslims but Maharaja sought help from India, India accepted on the condition that Kashmir be acceded to India which he did against the wishes of people of Kashmir. India had then promised plebiscite under UN supervision but never allowed it to happen. So the core of the conflict is this Right of Self Determination which India has denied to people of Kashmir since then.
Taimur: How do you, as a Kashmiri Muslim live it?
Taimur: It is very hard to live in an environment where you have 700’000 Indian Occupational forces always present to harass you every now and then. ID checkings, house searches, getting stranded on highways for hours due to Army convoy, curfews… every day you see unarmed civilians being killed because they demand their Right of self determination. It is really hard to resist such a torture.
The Saker: are there any Hindus or Buddhist where you live? If yes, how is your contact with them?
Taimur: No there are no Hindus in the area where i live, as all of them fled when the armed struggle against India started they now live in Jammu and in some parts of India. Buddhist live in Leh which is some 200 km away from Kashmir valley.
The Saker: are there local people who support the various security forces? are there Muslims inside the forces deployed in Kashmir?
Taimur: There are many agents who help the deployed forces, but they do it in a secret manner. But there are people who belong to pro-Indian Political parties, and they mainly provide the help that Indians need to prolong their presence in Kashmir.
The Saker: how much support do you think organizations such as Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish e-Mohammed or Hizbul Mudjahedeen have among Muslims in Kashmir? Do most Kashmiris support the armed resistance groups, whether locally based or based in Pakistan?
Taimur: Yes they support them because they came into existence for the cause of people that is to free Kashmir from Indian Occupation.
The Saker: Does that, in turn mean, that most Muslim Kashmiris also support the type of Deobandi Islam or Wahabism which the Taliban and a strong segment of the Muslim population of Pakistan seem to adhere to?
Taimur: No, these organizations are what Hizbollah is to Lebanon or Hamas and Fatah are to Palestine. In Pakistan Lashker may have different agenda but here People only support them because they are liberators for them.
The Saker: But do you not fear that, as has happened in Bosnia and Chechnya, a Muslim national liberation movement might get taken over by Wahabi elements which would, if successful, push Kashmir into the type of nightmare which “free Republic of Ichkeria” in Chechnya turned into?
The Saker: Would they not “Talibanize” Kashmir if given the chance to?
Taimur: Kashmir is different from these “Talibanised” places it is spiritually secular, and they are mostly tolerant towards other religious minorities their present struggle is first for the liberation of Kashmir and then to establish a just-socio-monetary state. The Talibanised kind of mentality is not found in Kashmir except in small minorities.
The Saker: What is your understanding of what has really happened in the Mumbai attacks? What was the reaction in Kashmir to these attacks and did these attacks impact your daily conditions?
Taimur: It is very unfortunate that so many innocent people have been killed due few maniacs. It has in effect Kashmir because it has derailed the peace process between India and Pakistan, which in no way is good for the cause of Kashmir and if God forbid there is Kashmir will be devastated badly.
The Saker: Do you believe that Lashkar-e-Toiba was behind these attacks? Some people, many in Pakistan, have claimed that these attacks are a “false flag’ operation by the CIA, Israel or the Indians themselves
Taimur: Kashmir was shocked like rest of the world and these attacks have created anxiety in the people of Kashmir about their future. It can’t be proven [who is responsible] before a proper judicial investigation is done. We can just speculate. But as far as the ideology of Lashker-e-toiba goes they don’t believe in targeting civilians even in Kashmir they have never targeted Indian forces near civilian population.
The Saker: how about the attacks on the Indian Parliament? was that not the action of Kashmiris?
Taimur: Could have been but no evidences has so far been found.
The Saker: you are a student, right?
Taimur: Yes
The Saker: what percentage of students do you believe are involved in political actions (whether peaceful or armed)?
Taimur: In the recent uprising which was termed as second Intefada of Kashmir….there were hundreds and thousand of young students who came out in support of Azadi (freedom)… from that i would put the number in between 50-75%
The Saker: how about those who never were involved in *any* way. have they also be detained or interrogated by the security forces?
Taimur: Yes, there are many incidents were minors of age 8 were picked up by Army and they never returned. Civil societies say that there are some 10,000 people who have been picked up or arrested by Army which never returned back and neither their whereabouts could be verified.
The Saker: I am going to ask you a cruel question: how many people do you *personally* know who were a) killed/disappeared b) detained/kidnapped and released c) tortured d) lawfully arrested, interrogated by not mistreated
Taimur: How can i say there are hundreds of them…..
The Saker: no, I mean among people you know personally, among your relatives, friends and neighbors and fellow students
Taimur: My paternal Uncle was arrested, tortured and then released. My friend was arrested during a protest and lated released with broken rib and arm, One of my neighbors throat was slit during a curfew when he was moving out to get some food for his family. there are many I cant count them all
The Saker: would you say that this also applies to most families in Kashmir?
Taimur: Almost all, everybody has lost someone and everybody has been tortured in one way or other, One of my cousins was burnt alive on National Highway, far back in early 90’s
The Saker: is the situation different in Jammu and, if yes, in what way?
Taimur: Yes, it is different because it is a Hindu dominated area. before 1947 it had some 60% Muslim population but on October 10, 1947 the Maharaja, under `his own supervision, got assassinated 237,000 Muslims, using military forces, in Jammu area. The editor of “Statesman” Ian Stephen, in his book “Horned Moon” wrote that till the end of autumn 1947, more than 200,000 Muslims were assassinated. Rest fled to Pakistan. Now there is only 30-40%
Taimur: population in Jammu which lives in villages and far off places.
The Saker: do people travel from Jammu and Kashmir back and forth? have you been there? is there a contact between the Hindus from Jammu and the Muslims in Kashmir? And would you say that the situation is better or worse for Muslims in Jammu
Taimur: Yes, It is actually winter capital of Kashmir and all the Government offices are shifted to Jammu. I do visit Jammu and there are contacts between Hindus and Muslims. But Muslims of Jammu ( not those who go there during winters on official duty ) are not at all better because they are in constant threat of communal violence that erupts sometimes. During the recent uprising which occurred due to blockade of Kashmir by Hindus of Jammu, it was reported that many houses of Muslims have been burnt, many fled to Kashmir Valley. So, it won’t be correct to say that they are better off than Muslim from Kashmir Valley.
The Saker: what websites could you recommend to those who are interested in learning more about all the events you are describing and about what is going on on a daily basis in Kashmir and Jammu?
Taimur: There are many websites i will list some of them: www.kashmirwatch.com, www.kmsnews.org, www.hizbmedia.com, www. greaterkashmir.com, www.jkccs.org, www.jkth.org, www.kashmirobserver.com these are few of them where you can find about the history of Kashmir conflict and daily news.
The Saker: what do you think is the most important thing for us, outside Kashmir, to understand about what is going on?
Taimur: People living outside Kashmir should inform people about the Human Rights Violations in Kashmir, they should write letters to their leaders to pressure UN to implement the Resolutions passed by them about Kashmir, protest in front of Indian embassies in their countries and discourage Indian Occupation of Kashmir. They should show solidarity with the people of Kashmir whenever and wherever they can.
The Saker: What do you think is the most likely future for Pakistan, India and Kashmir? What do you think will happen in the next couple of years?
The Saker: best case? worst case? likely case?
Taimur: I would like to see Pakistan and India like America and Canada, neighbors and friends. But it doesn’t seem to be happening like that sometimes it seems that a war may start start any time, but the most likely scenario may be a status quo or a political impasse, in which nobody wins and everybody loses.
The Saker: what about your personal hopes, for yourself? how do you see your future? are you considering leaving Kashmir and, if yes, where would you want to go and, if no, then what kind of life do you hope for in Kashmir?
Taimur: After finishing my studies I would like to move abroad as there are no avenues here in Kashmir, there are no jobs, there are no companies where i could get paid decently… But at the same time I feel that if I move out I would betray the blood of those who have laid there life for the sake of Kashmir
The Saker: being an Indian citizen, do you think that you could find a better life in the rest of India, away from the conflict zone?
Taimur: I don’t consider my self as an Indian citizen…. but if I go out to India I would definitely find a better life …. but peace of mind ….i don’t believe that can happen ….. haw can have peace of mind when people would be dying in my own country…
The Saker: I understand. But how would you, a Kashmiri Muslim expect to be treated in the rest of India? Would most Indians welcome you as they would another Indian Muslim or do you think that being a Kashmiri the security forces would still see you with suspicion?
Taimur: Yes there have been cases where many Kashmiri Muslims were arrested on mere suspicion by Indian Intelligence Agencies and it can or i may say will happen to me as well , but being a Muslim it will be same all over the world ….Muslims around the world are seen as terrorists.
The Saker: You say that Muslims around the world are seen as terrorists, and you are obviously correct, but whom do you blame for this?
Taimur: Corporate Media….
The Saker: and not Bin Laden, al-Qaeda, the Wahabis in Chechnya, the Talibans ,etc. etc. etc.?
Taimur: They are all creation of America…. Bin Laden was made hero of Afghan war by Americans, Taliban was brain child of the war-lords of Afghan war, and Wahabis came into existence only after Saudis were given the Kingdom ship of Arabia by England.
The Saker: You are absolutely right, I fully agree with you. But still, Wahabism/Deobandism/Salafism/Qutbism etc. were not ideological creations of the USA, were they? So there was an ideological streak in Sunni Islam which was a good basis for the USA to raise up these groups and their followers, no?
Taimur: next question
The Saker: ok
Taimur: Five hours from now Kashmir will be under curfew because people would protest against India after Friday prayers …
The Saker: what kind of curfew will that be? what kind of conditions are imposed during a curfew?
Taimur: we are not allowed to move out of our houses.. it not an officially declared curfew but an unofficial on… if people come out they are beaten especially young. old ones can come out and get the necessary food items….actually there are elections going on… tomorrow is not election but it is Friday a day when Muslims gather in masses in the mosques… so there are greater chances of protest … Indian forces simply impose curfew…
The Saker: but how do the authorities inform the population of an “unofficial” curfew?
Taimur: They don’t inform us …. Army persnonel are present on every nook and corner of the city special the old city…. from sunrise to sunset
Taimur: they just don’t allow us to move
The Saker: then how do you know they plan this for tomorrow? is that something which happens each Friday?
Taimur: Yes it happens on every Friday.. or some Leader visit from India … or during election…. anything when they fear that people may come out on streets and protest…….recently when a boy was crushed on Lawaipora Road by and Indian Army vehicle….. People came out to protest Police came fired some teargases and dispersed the crowd took the body and later gave it to there parents in the evening so that they can bury them….
The Saker: how often do Fridays turn into open clashes between the population and the security forces or between the security forces and the armed groups? How often do Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish e Mohammed or Hizbul Mudjahedeen attack the security forces?
Taimur: There are regular Friday protests and the are worst that those we saw in Greece at least they get media coverage here Media has been banned from showing that.. Lashker, Hizbul Mudjahedeen, and others don’t do that they attack Army sometimes in their camps or on an army convoy…. these protests are between unarmed protesters and Indian Forces And Police
The Saker: so all of Kashmir comes to a standstill each Friday?
Taimur: Not all but main towns, where there are big mosques and only at few places it is not like a Filmy war but Palestinian type of stone war …. ………Hundreds of boys get injured but they don’t provide us Ambulances people take them on bikes …. you see in Palestine at least there they have the Red Cross and Red Crescent
The Saker: do the security forces then raid the hospitals or clinics to arrest the participants?
Taimur: Not always because it will definitely create a chain reaction of protests…. During recent uprising I was present at SHMS hospital where hundreds of protesters were being treated who got injured in a rally…… Police threw teargas shells into emergency ward …Doctors couldn’t do anything… it was all smoke and tears…
The Saker: how is the situation with communications in Kashmir? Where does the population get most of its information? Can you watch Pakistani TV or Pakistani radios or at they jammed?
The Saker: how many people have access to the Internet and how many actually use it to communicate or get information?
Taimur: We have cable TV and those Direct To Home services available here……. we can get information from any part of the world Pakistani Radio is Jammed but Pakistani Channels can be watched but sometimes they are banned………. internet came only few years back …almost 3 or 4 years back…so internet penetration is less… cities have the facility….
Taimur: But the news from other parts of Kashmir is hard to get those news items are banned or blacked out…
The Saker: how about communications *inside* Kashmir? Do the armed opposition groups have any means to contact the general population? Underground papers for example?
Taimur: There are actually Political Wings and Armed Wings…. Armed wings do not communicate with people it is the Job of Political wings.
The Saker: ok. but are the political wings legal?
Taimur: I don’t know about their legality that is if they are registered with the government .. i will tell you later about that… but they do exist openly…. but mostly the Leaders of these groups are arrested or put under house arrest… they are not allowed to hold rallies when they do that … Army comes and disperses them by force and arrest the leaders…
Taimur: There is a single amalgamation of Rebel parties Known as All Parties Hurryat (freedom) Conference that leads the struggle
Taimur: by rebel i mean rebel against Indian Regime, of course
The Saker: In Turkey there is a law which actually makes it illegal to in any way undermine the unity of Turkey. How about India, which is considered the “biggest democracy on the planet”? If it legal to peacefully advocate a) human rights in Kashmir b) autonomy for Kashmir c) a secession of Kashmir?
The Saker: Are there laws (as opposed to policies) in India against separatism?
Taimur: Kashmir is not technically part of India… It Holds a special status.. it has its own constitution and own flag….. It was temporarily acceded to India which was only responsible for Defense, External affairs and currency…. but they made it their colony…they promised a Plebiscite but they have denied it since then… that is what we are fighting for
The Saker: I understand. But would it be legal for an Indian political party *outside Kashmir* to advocate the secession of Kashmir? And what about a Kashmiri political party inside Kashmir, could is openly and legally advocate secession?
Taimur: No Indian Party outside Kashmir advocates secession of Kashmir…..and all those who advocate it inside Kashmir are presently in Jail … or under house arrest… rather whole of Kashmir is under house arrest ( a collective imprisonment) so where comes this legality . it is a mess out here there are no laws no Legalities nothing ……. it is a jungle…….
The Saker: In Palestine there is an amazing Israeli human right organization called B’Tselem which monitors the human right situation in occupied Palestine. Are there similar Indian organizations which monitor the human right situation in Kashmir and Jammu?
Taimur: There are activists like Arundhati Roy, Gautam Navlakha, and others who write about Human rights Violations in Kashmir. Many civil societies also do keep some kind of record but there is no such organization like Bait u Saleem
Taimur: In Kashmir there is one JKCCS.org but their activists are attacked by unknown persons and all sorts of things are done to them. One of their activists was Asiya jeelani killed in a blast in her vehicle …Parveez Imroz was attacked recently at that time activists from Delhi had come who also were detained for a long time……he heads jkccs
The Saker: one more question: after a publish this interview, would you be available to answer any follow-up questions to you in the comments section of my blog, under our chat?
Taimur: okay… i will be available
The Saker: Many many thanks for your time and patience!
Taimur: okay…bye
The Saker: bye and good night. Peace to you!
Asia/Pacific – Pakistan – Hinduism
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“Hindus rally for Muslim charity”
(BBC, December 16, 2008)
Islamabad, Pakistan – Hundreds of members of Pakistan’s Hindu community have turned out to protest on behalf of a Muslim charity accused by India over the deadly Mumbai attacks.
The protesters in the city of Hyderabad in Sindh province complained that Jamaat-ud-Dawa was not a terrorist organisation and should not be banned.
They said it was a “saviour” in providing food and water.
India says Jamaat-ud-Dawa is a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba which it blames for the attacks that killed more than 170.
Water wells
Many in Pakistan’s minority Hindu community are poor farm workers.
One protester, Biga Ram, told Reuters news agency: “How can an organisation be terrorist if it’s been providing food and water to us despite knowing that we’re not Muslims?”
She added: “They’re friends of humanity. We condemn the ban. It’s unjust.”
Some of the banners read: “Do not ban our saviour!”
Bhai Chand, a Hindu community leader, told Associated Press the charity had set up water wells in the desert.
Pakistan has yet formally to ban Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which has been put on a blacklist by the UN Security Council.
Its bank accounts have been frozen by the Pakistani government and a number of members detained.
India blames Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, for training the Mumbai attackers. The group and the Pakistani government deny involvement.
The Kashmir issue is a complicated one at various levels as opposed to others facing the world, I am sorry I dont have the time to dwell deeply into this.
But one thing is for sure, if India gives up claim for Kashmir and Kashmir becomes independent, Pak will drop it like a hot potato and start a proxy war in another part of India, which it will hype up as Kashmir-II. And Kashmir being a land locked part, will either have to depend on Pak or China or India for everything and Pak will not help them out since their purpose has been served. I hope Kashmiris realize that Pak is just using them. IMHO.
Islam has this great talent to start conflict…this is why the Zio-West loves Islam.
I am not sure how my reply is interpreted since I am an Indian. For most Kashmiris and Pakistanis – it means what ever I speak is gibberish and trying to justify Indian state policy. I believe individual can have different views than the state and I also know what most Indians think about Kashmiris and Pakistanis. I am sorry post became longer than I wanted to.
I am in my 30s – leading a middle-class life with my small family in one of the big cities in India. My ancestors were landless peasants – my grandfather first in our large family to learn to read. Thanks to struggle by my parents- me and my siblings have a comfortable life and I can plan the world for out children. I don’t say all of my relatives are doing well but at least some of us made it.
When I read of “independence struggle” in Kashmir valley (or for that matter any where in the world), I wonder whether my father made a good decision in going for higher studies and toiling 20+ hrs a day (thanks to his lack of diet he looks 70 in his 50s) when he could have joined some underground struggle to liberate the peasants from clutches of state and rich.
Honestly, I feel that Kashmir has been a drain to Indian economy. India is constantly in war with Pakistan (a country about which my comments mean nothing since I am an Indian), India needs to maintain a huge army, India became a punching bag for all human rights group and target of Islamic fundamentalist. And worst part – so much ill-feeling has arisen among rest of Indians – who believe J&K get special treatment (they actually get that – see the article 370).
Frankly J&K can’t stay independent – it needs to join India or Pakistan to survive. And since J&K has a very significant non-Muslim population – who would prefer staying with India if it joins Pakistan it would be a Hindu/Buddhist student that Saker would be interviewing with.
The young people in Kashmir valley may not have noticed but they are very small fraction of Indian Muslim population – most of them don’t even care about Pakistan or Kashmir or any such topic. They are trying to reach the middle-class level from the peasant class. You know, this struggle is more important (and more fruitful) than the “independence”. Independence sounds fantastic – but from there , where would you go? Leave a third world country to join a failed state – that is not a great choice IMHO.
I wish 20 years from here Taimur’s son is able to tell his story to Saker how is father decided to fight for a cause which mattered and I do hope India let off Kashmir. IMO It’s not worth fighting for.
Hi Saker, a great interview. Amazing that you reach such distant places.
It is tragic that India, a poor country most of whose people live on $1 a day have stationed 700,000 troops in Kashmir. (That’s more than the US had in Iraq and Afghanistan.) This means diverting billions of dollars of development funds arming, clothing and housing these troops.
Arundati Roy has written painful accounts of the abuses (esp rapes) committed by the soldiers on the helpless Kashmiris. The conflict has been going on for some 50 years.
The Indians & Paks don’t seem to have the strategic vision to settle the dispute once and for all.
Pakistan was carved out of land of India for the Muslim invaders who started arriving since 1000 Ad and have been like pest on body politic of India.
Muslims wanted a diffetent state for themselves.
But thing is so many Muslims stayed behind in India instead of going to Pakistan which they had voted for.
In other words Muslims cheated Hindus by staying back and still taking our land.
So if you want kashmir I wouldsuggest you take all the Muslims out of India to Pakistan and then we will think abput it.
Mind it kashmir has always been part of ibdia we wete too generous to give you pakinst an even.
In the interest of full disclosure I am a Muslim with (part) Kashmiri blood and am married to a woman of Kashmiri blood.
The VAST majority of Muslims in India (pre-partion) are native to India. Their ancestors were Buddhists or Hindus or whatever religion that was practiced in their part of India. Of course some Muslims have foreign ancestory (Turkic, Persian, Arab) but most of them (racially) mixed with native Kashmiris, Sindhis Bengalis, Pashtoons, Gujratis etc. Now it is a misfortune that many Muslims feel ashamed that their ancestors were “idol-worshippers” and hence in an act of misplaced pride claim Arab or Persian or Turkic ancestry.
The Muslims in Pakistan, India, Kashmir, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka etc are not foreign! They have as much right to their land as do the Buddhist, Hindu, Jain or Sikh.
First, to dispose off Avatar’s comment:
“Muslims wanted a diffetent state for themselves.”
Not True. (a) Only Jinnah and the Brits wanted it. An impractical idea. Every village in India has both Hindus and Muslims. Plenty of Muslim leaders were against the two-Nation theory. Fazlul haque in Bengal had his own party, krishak praja party , distinct from both Congress and Muslim league. Fazlul Haque was Premier of Bengal after challenging the Muslim League leader in Bengal (Jinnah’s man) , Khwaja Nazimuddin, to contest against him and defeating him in Patuakhali constituency near dacca.
(b) Out of 11 provinces in British India, 5 were muslim majority.In 1937 election, Muslim League did not win a majority even in a single one of these 5 provinces. The biggest muslim majority, 95% Muslim was in Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), and that had a . congress govt led by Frontier gandhi, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan,Gandhi’s faithful associuate. Three Muslim Provincial Premiers , Fazlul Haque (Bengal), Allahbux (Sind), and Qayum Khan (NWFP) sent a joint telegram to Churchill in 1943 demanding immediate independence for India.(Allahbux was later assassinated in 1943 by suspected Muslim League-affiliated extremists.
(c) The scoundrels from Britain who were then ruling us were , of course, furious with all this..Jinnah fell into their trap. They got Muslim League (ML)to pass the resolution in favour of two-nation theory in 1940. Congress and Gandhi too made mistakes. Subash Bose, the spirited Congress leader wanted to support Fazlul Haque,. Gandhi was influenced by the industrialist, Birla, to refuse this.
(d) The Brits intrigued successfully to lie to Haque and get him to resign and created a ML govt supported by 25 “European” members in the Bengal assembly,.(Yes, those days there were “European” members, nominated by the British Governor or elected by the handful of “Europeans ” in the streets). The only ML govt was in Bengal and that had a majority only because of European members. Therefore, the Pakistan Movement had no legitimacy at all.British Governors intrigued ceaselessly. In Sind the ML-supported govt faced a no-confidence motion in 1946 and was saved by a single vote, cast by a nominated European member.
(e) Bengal Famine in 1943 saw off 5 to 6 million people.It is now clearly established that Churchill was responsible for actively b;locking relief to Bengal and thus was responsible for the genocide.Fist, the BRits seized all Indian-registered ships in 1939, at the start of WW2 for “strategic neccessities”. And then they used these ships to transport wheat to Britain from Argentina and build up by war’s end, a stockpile of 8 million tons of grain! While millions perished in Bengal . Churchill always said “there were no ships available”. Finally, the exasperated Americans under Roosevelt, offered to send grain to Bengal in their own ships. Churchill refused to permit it. He did not want the truth to come out at any cost.Then , in 1942 itself, the Brits adopted a policy of ric denial and boat denial in Bengal, because the Japs may come and should not use these resources. This was not genuine as the Brits had not supplied a single ant-aircraft gun in India. Gandhi and Congress on 10th July 1942, gave guidelines to the people of Bengal on how they should respond to rice denial and boat denial. “Demand compensatio before any seizure”. “If a village is fully surrounded by water, no boat will be surrendered”. It was very strong stand on a matter of real life and death. It recalls Martin Luther at Worms, “I take my stand . I can no other!” The Brits in internal cabinet notes in London called Gandhi an “enemy”. Entire Congress leadership was soon arrested. Brits went ahead and seized 40000 out of 60000 fishing boats in Bnegal. The hungry could not even fish.Brits also invaded homes of the poor and seized rice. When Congress leaders came out of jail in 1944, they shoiuld hve enquired into the Bengal famine. This was not done.The Brits had proved that our leaders could not protect us and they could kill millions with impunity. I believe that Congress and Gandhi lost credibility in the process, and in a reversal of what had happened in thhe 1937 election, in the 1946 election, ML did much better and formed the govt in Bengal, albeit with European support, which completely delegitimises it in Indian opinion.Even then, NWFP was still with Congress and in Punjab, a non-ML party ruled.
(d) Even as late as Jan 1946, Nehru wrote to Sir Stafford Cripps (a Brit minister) that “if the British stop supporting it, the pakistan movement will collapse.” But,the last thing the Brits wanted was for Pak Movement to collapse.
(e) Most Indians feel that partition was good, because, it allowed India to develop unhindered whereas pak has become a failed state. This ignores the fact that Partition of India was a compromise and every compromise isa crime.In the case of partition, the crime we committed was to betray our own Congress govt in NWFP. In fact, it can be said that the Brits under Mountbatten agreed to the division of Punjab only to get our assent for a referendum in NWFP< which , in my view they rigged.
(f) To return to Taimur and what he has said, one truth there is his assertion that Wahabi ideology is around only because the Brits supplied weaponry to Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud against rivals. Most Islamic societies are predominantly Sufi and tolerant. But, whereas Sherif Hussein of Mecca refused to become a British protectorate, the Saud family readily agreed.
(g) The problem is not a Kashmir problem. It is a Jammu&Kashmir problem.J&K has nowhere to go but to India as it is very plural. the final solution of J&K problem can come from resolving the Indo-Pak problem and greater integration of South Asia.
History has different narratives. And Taimur believes in one of the Narratives, propagated by the secessionist group of Kashmir. But it need not be the only truth.
Kashmir was once a Hindu Majority state. Islamic invasion took place in 1320. The Sultans between 1354–1470 CE were tolerant of other religions with the exception of Sultan Sikandar (1389–1413 CE). Sultan Sikandar imposed taxes on non–muslims, forced conversions to Islam, and earned the title But–Shikan for destroying Hindu temples. By the mid 16th century, Hindu influence in the courts and role of the Hindu priests had declined as Muslim missionaries immigrated into Kashmir from Central Asia and Persia, and Persian replaced Sanskrit as the official language.
Mughal general Mirza Muhammad Haidar Dughlat, a member of ruling family in Kashgar, invaded Kashmir in c. 1540 CE on behalf of emperor Humayun.[49][56] Persecution of Shias, Shafi’is, and Sufis and instigation by Suri kings led to a revolt which overthrew Dughlat’s rule in Kashmir
Religious intolerance and discriminatory taxation reappeared when Mughal emperor Aurangzeb ascended to the throne in 1658 CE.
In 1753, Abdul Khan Isk Aquasi, a general in Ahmed Shah Abdali’s army, invaded Kashmir and established rule of the Durrani Empire of Afghanistan. Afghan rule in Kashmir was extremely cruel and oppressive, particularly for the Hindus. Locals were extorted from, captured and forced into slavery during this period. Dominance of Afghans declined after Ahmed Shah Abdali’s death in 1772, but they ruled Kashmir for another 47 years.
The Kashmir went to Sikhs in 1819 -1846 and then went to the hand of Dogra groups. Sikhs ruled the state in somewhat mixed manner whereas Dogra group was pro-Hindu.
The above is from Wikipedia.
In 1947, many things happened. All princely states need to go either to Pakistan or India. JL Nehru, PM of India was himself a Kashmiri and had a romantic notion about what to do in Kashmir. Population was mostly Muslims. It wanted to go to Pakistan. Ruler Hari Singh wanted to remain free or join India. A popular movement was started by Sheikh Abdullah, a rich person in whose commercial company MK Gandhi was employed in South Africa. He was also very close to JL Nehru. He was put in jail but was freed by intervention of Nehru. In 16th August, 1946, Jinnah asked for Direct Action when Muslims attacked Hindus all over India/Pakistan and now Bangladesh. Hindus retaliated. Sikh groups bore the maximum brunt of these killings. When they came to J&K, narrated the incident, riots started in J&K. When seen in overall scenario, it was probably normal in those days. Poonch became a centre of Ázad Kashmir’ in October 1947. The Poonch leaders asked help from tribesman from Pakistan and they started looting and raping.
Frightened Hari Singh asked for help. Nehru dithered. He wanted that full Power of Attorney be given to Sheikh Abdulla by Hari Singh and then only he could help. However, Sardar Ballabh Bhai Patel pressurized vacillating Nehru and sent Indian Army. Indian Army, with help from local Kashmiri, drove the invading tribesman. But when only 24 hrs was needed to completely drive away the invaders, Nehru halted the Army. Then he took the matter to UN. God knows why.
India was convinced that plebiscite in 1953 would give J&K to India. But Pakistan was not interested then. J&K was mostly peaceful between 1950-1980. It may be noted that in subsequent Indo-Pak wars, whenever PAK army entered Kashmir, the locals have provided the information to Indian Army.
Mr. Taimur has a romantic idea about Taliban. But the world recognize Taliban in some other way. The Secessionists have driven away the Kashmiri Pundits, which is a Hindu group. Most Kashmiri Muslims, whose forefathers converted to Islam under sword, rejoices at the expulsion of Kasmiri Hindus.
To Understand Kashmir, please take a view of Kahmiri Pundit. It might be totally different to that of Mr. Taimur.
Yes, as an Indian, we would like to keep Kashmir within India. We would also like to see that Islamic insurgency does not succeed in India. The Muslim Youths might have many romantic notions about Islamic insurgents. However, most Indians recognizes the brutality of Islamic invasions and the high degree of intolerance it has towards non-Muslim groups. Also the internecine bloody infighting among Shia/Sunni etc.