|
Burning Issue
Census In Our
Killing Homes By
Muhammad
Farooq Rehmani
Thousands of youthful Kashmiris have been forcibly disappeared by army, police and state sponsored armed gangs. Again thousands are languishing in jails or torture centres in or outside the state. No less than 20 thousand old and young with or without their families mainly from the rural and pastoral areas have crossed into AJ&K and are living as migrants in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. These are the figures of nineties only when the current campaign of ethnic cleansing was launched to crush the ongoing struggle for the freedom of Jammu and Kashmir. In the wounded Kashmir valley, army scared and frightened people or families have been displaced and they often wander from village to village to escape army’s wrath and humiliation of women folk. Is census justified under the given conditions of Kashmir? The head count
of a population should be just, fair, impartial and honourable, but who
will give that sort of guarantee and would any guarantee by Indian
officials be acceptable to the shaken public of Kashmir? It is strange
that the so-called state authorities have not penned public objections and
reasons against census after two decades in Kashmir, which indicates that
the top officials of the census department do not understand the
sentiments of their employees nor of the society in Kashmir. If in 1948, India did not agree to hold plebiscite in Kashmir, simply
under the pretext of tribesmen in Kashmir, how they would hold census in a
region which they are demolishing for the last 12 years with impunity. Is
India ready for a UN
supervised plebiscite in J&K, we are prepared for a fair count of our
population in the state. Census as a scientific practice studying ebb and flow of
population statistics to help in the overall economic and social
development and progress of the people, is of course an important field,
but in Kashmir it has never been carried out with the same spirit, rather
the people of Kashmir especially the intelligentsia showed disbelief and
doubt after every census by Indian authorities since 1951 in J&K. The last census of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir under the
dynastic rule of Dogra Maharaja Hari Sing took place in 1941. Then J&K was
a princely state owing her allegiance to the crown of British. In 48/49,
the state was divided under a
cease fire agreement between India and Pakistan and in 1951 the
first census of this part of Kashmir was carried out by new rulers of
Kashmir. It is noteworthy that in 1951, India’s sponsored government
headed by Sheikh Abdullah also held the drama of the first elections for
the so-called constituent assembly and after unparalleled terror and
unholy methods all the 75 candidates of the ruling National Conference
were declared unopposed. In 1951 census figures, Muslims were shown 70% of
the total population and in subsequent census years of 1961,1971 and 1981,
the percentage of Muslim population was reduced further, as 68% in 61, 65%
in 71 and 63% in 1981. The census figures of 1981, made people angry and
restless and they expressed their anger against the census authorities of
India who were responsible for releasing all the manipulated figures right
from 1951 in Kashmir. A mid decade census to remove the anger of people
was ordered by then government of J&K, but the decision could not be
implemented owing to uncertain political conditions and opposition by non
local bureaucracy in the government. This view was further stressed by Dr.
Bashir-ul-Haq(a Kashmiri scholar) in an article in 1995. As per the sources of the Public Record Office(pro)Census of India,
further decrease in the population ratio of Muslims in J&K by 1% from 1981
to 1991, i.e,62% was placed before the world in 1991, which shows Muslim
fall by 8% and Hindu rise by 7.5 percent in five decades by the end of
1991. What census figures would India place before the world by the end of
2000 could easily be guessed. It is strange and conspicuous that India withdrew her decision to conduct
mid decade census under the pretext of
unstable political conditions. But today Farooq govt in collusion
with the Hindu BJP led Government has decided to hold census despite
anarchy, and unprecedented bloodshed and demolition of social fabric under
army backed rule, which has remained armed with draconian laws over the
last 12 years to kill every Kashmiri who may have reached military age. The employees of J&K who have been trained for census task in the state,
should also remember that they are basically citizens of Kashmir and it is
incumbent on them to guard the mother Kashmir against the political
conspiracies of India. No
Kashmiri would shut his eyes to the following reasons and experiences at this precise moment of the history of
Kashmir:- 1.
According to the sources of the census of India birth rate of Muslims in
the state have remained higher in comparison to the average growth rates
at All India level. Therefore, the continuous decrease in Muslim
population in J&K is natural nor a demographic fact, but it is
manipulated, imposed and well planned to prove finally Indians false,
concocted and highly biased political doctrine on Kashmir, which remains
unrecognised before the world body till date. 2.
The collaboration between India and Israel in various fields, especially
in defence has rapidly grown during the
last 10 years. Israel, Zionists and RSS leaders equally believe in
bringing manipulated population changes in their occupied lands and
non-Hindu and non Jew majority regions or societies, to force unjust
solutions on their subjugated peoples. World Zionists movement did it in
Palestine after World War Ist and the Israeli Govt concluded the drive
against Palestine Arab majority after 1948. Pro Zionist lobby and Hindu
Raj revivalists share each others views over Kashmir and minority
issues in India and the Govt of India has learnt from Israeli experiments
of Holy Lands. 3.
India keeps a constant watch over the demographic character of J&K state
and in no way is ready to restore the pre 47 proportion of Muslims to
Kashmir. This became quite clear when in the last year of Sheikh
Abdullah’s life and CMship a law was passed by him, reaffirming the right
of refugees of J&K living in Pakistan to their citizenship of the state of
J&K. The piece of legislation recognises the JK refugees living in
Pakistan as the citizens of the state, which India does not like. After
the death of Sheikh Abdullah the Bill re-entered the state Assembly and
was passed on October 4,1982, from the state Assembly for the second time.
But in order to bury the Act cunningly, both the new CM Dr. Farooq and the
Delhi Govt sought the advice of the Apex Court of India, where the case is
still pending. This is how the resettlement Act was treated by the
communal chaunists of India. 4.
The Delhi Govt, wanted to confer citizenship rights on 1947 refugees of
West Punjab living in Jammu province and in 1969, the state govt, was
directed by the centre to initiate some solid measures in this regard, but
public agitation on this question in Srinagar frustrated the plan
temporarily. However, the practice of issuing state subject certificates
to non Kashmiris from Indian provinces is continuing over years and non
local bureaucrats in the state administration are fully backing the
nefarious designs of manipulating demographic changes against Muslims, as
has already been done to Sikh community in Punjab. These are overt and
covert methods by India to marginalize Kashmiri Muslims in their state. 5.
It appears that the govt. of India this time again after two decades
wants to hold false census to take full advantage of the extra judicial
emergency powers under the Armed forces special powers Act, ignore the
relevant census data, terror, trauma and turmoil in our society and thus
manipulate final results to suit her unjust political aims and objectives
in Jammu and Kashmir. 6.
This analysis is aimed at drawing the attention of the world community
and human rights agencies to illicit Indian plans in Kashmir, which at any
time may ignite the whole region resulting in mass disaster of humanity in
this populous part of the world. 7.
The time is running short and the people of Kashmir have to guard and
protect their national interests against India’s military and political
manoeuvring themselves without being caught napping. A sage can warn them
in his thoughtful verse:-
nikley jo mykadey say to dunya badal gayee.
#END#
|
||
|
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED KASHMIRIS.ORG |
||