On 26th October 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh signed the instrument of merger of Jammu Kashmir with India that is Bharat. The sole reason to turn Kashmir as the “problem” state is Muslim fanaticism and fundamentalism encouraged and abetted by Pakistan. Presently, let us know something about the history of Kashmir.
Majority of the temples in Kashmir are in shambles and this has happened during the last two decades of Muslim militancy in Kashmir. 170 temples have been damaged. This has been admitted in a written reply by the Government. In the wake of mindless violence and terrorism, by the Muslim fanatics in the year 1989, Kashmiri Pundits migrated to India in large numbers.
Kashmir has been the cradle of religious movements of Shivaism, Buddhism and Vedic Culture. This has been the land where Kings Chandrapeed, Lalitaditya, Avantivarman, Shankarvarman, Sangram Raj, and Raja Trilochan Pal ruled. Their benevolence is part of the recorded history. Several world famous temples were constructed here through the efforts of Sages and Kings, and they are in ruins today. The process of vandalism began in the year 1339, when the invaders from Muslim countries attacked the sacred places. With the cruel power of the sword, they forcibly converted Hindus to their religion.
Everything was worked out to a plan to destroy the cultural symbols and shrines of Kashmir. The process began and continued without intermission even since Kashmir was dominated by the Muslim invaders/rulers from the beginning of the first quarter of fourteenth century. Temples, educational institutions, ashrams and libraries that were the storehouses of meritorious religious texts were destroyed systematically. Gun powders were used to down the massive temples where huge block of stones were used for foundation and pillars. Wood from the nearby jungles was specially brought to set fire to the temples. The ruins of the famous Avantipur, Martand and Devar temples bear testimony to the religious atrocities of the Muslims.
Some of the glaring discriminative practices in vogue at present are:
- According to the Indian Constitution, every individual enjoys the citizenship of the country but the people of Jammu Kashmir enjoy dual citizenship. They are the citizens of both Jammu Kashmir and India.
- The Citizen of Jammu Kashmir is the Citizen of India as well, but the citizen of India is not the citizen of Jammu Kashmir.
- The Citizen of India cannot vote or acquire property in Jammu Kashmir. But a citizen from Jammu Kashmir can vote and acquire property in India.
- Every Government Establishment is credited with two flags. The National Flag flutters below the flag of the state of Jammu Kashmir.
- If an Indian Citizen marries a girl from Jammu Kashmir, she has to relinquish all rights to the property there.
- The President of India (the first citizen of the country) cannot become the citizen of Jammu Kashmir and buy property there.
- The burning of the National Flag is not treated as the legal offence in Jammu Kashmir.
- The President of India, as per article 356 of the Constitution cannot give any directions to Jammu Kashmir.
- The author of the Indian Constitution, Dr.Bhimrao Ambedkar had warned the then leaders of the Nation that the provision of Section 370 to Jammu Kashmir will encourage separatism and may lead to the fragmentation of the country.
- R. L. Stein who has studied Kashmiri literature extensively and translated Rajatarangini into English writes strongly about the conversion of Hindus by force.
I will go into the details of political aspect of the Jammu Kashmir “problem” in my next article.
