Isn’t suppressing voice of Hindus in J & K a human rights issue?

Apparently the Government of India has agreed "in principle" to allow the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board to use the 100 acres of disputed land at Baltal during the two-month-long pilgrimage of Hindu devotees though the talks between J & K governor N N Vohraappointed panel and SASB are yet to take place. How this issue is finally resolved remains to be seen but what needs focus is the larger issue, the issue of human rights, the voice of Hindus in the Valley, who have suffered years of violence and ethnic cleansing by Islamic separatists.

Jammu and Kashmir became a part of India in 1947 when the Maharaja of Kashmir signed the Instrument of Accession to India. In a bid to appease the Muslim majority of the state as they joined a secular India, the Government of India passed Article 370 that allowed the state’s residents to live under a separate set of laws, including those related to citizenship, ownership of property and fundamental rights, as compared to other Indians. "India’s true potential as a pluralistic democracy can only be realized when all its people live under uniform laws and no state enjoys special privileges that exclude others," says Samir Kalra, Esq., coordinator of the Hindu American Foundation’s annual human rights report.

The recent spiral of violence arises from a toxic mixture of a proxy war launched by Pakistan, jihadi terrorists and an unusual clause in the Indian Constitution that grants "special" status to the region says a statement by the Hindu American Foundation. Over 400,000 Hindu pilgrims trek during two months of every summer to the holy Amarnath shrine, situated at over 12,000 ft elevation in the Himalayan mountain range in the predominantly Muslim region of Kashmir. Over the past twelve years, hundreds of pilgrims have died from snowfall and other natural hazards as well as terrorist attacks along the route.The New York Times article dated June 28, 2008 (Land Transfer to Hindu Site Inflames Kashmir’s Muslims) stated "in previous years, the pilgrims made tempting targets for militant Islamist separatists."

Separatist groups have carried out a terror campaign to separate Kashmir from India or merge with Pakistan since 1989.While the Government of India has not been successful in curbing these attempts, even in the Amarnath Shrine issue, the loss of life in Kashmir and Jammu regions of the state resulted due to series of poor administrative decisions executed by the State government.

Indo-American Kashmir Forum in a statement expressed distress in the manner the Central Government in New Delhi at first ignored mob politics by separatists and so-called pro-India political parties in Kashmir valley and the resulting backlash in Jammu. "The minority Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) state government, before stepping down and paving the way for the Governor’s rule, exercised poor judgment in rescinding a lawful cabinet decision on the land transfer by giving in to mob violence and threats, even though the land transfer approval had taken nearly four years of due diligence, and survived numerous legal challenges and official departmental reviews," said a IAKF statement.

The lackadaisical attitude of the government was evident from the fact that for nearly 48 days -- from June 23, 2008, when Kashmiri separatists led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq met with both the Pakistani Prime Minister,Yousaf Raza Gillani, and the supreme commander of the United Jihad Council (UJC), Syed Salahuddin, in Islamabad (Pakistan), marking the start of street demonstrations in Srinagar, until August 9, 2008, when the All Party Indian Parliament Team visited Jammu to initiate a dialogue with Jammu protesters -- the government in New Delhi was indifferent towards the people of Jammu.

In a secular and democratic India, all citizenry need to be treated fairly and religious sentiments of all the communities need to be respected. In the present case of the Amarnath pilgrimage, Indian Hindus have every right to expect safe and secure facilities along the treacherous route of pilgrimage. The land that was originally allotted to SASB for providing shelters to pilgrims was approved by the state government and then revoked without legitimate reason. High time voice of the Hindus, the minority in the state of Jammu & Kashmir is heard.

- Editor