AUTONOMY !!! WHO ARE THE CULPRITS? In 1986, Muslim United Front [MUF] comprising of pro-independent activists, pro-Pakstanis and other Islamic organisations came into existence in Jammu and Kashmir, who decided to participate in the election to the J and K Assembly election in 1987 in the State. It was alleged that J&K National Conference sponsored blatant rigging of the 1987 election and the MUF leaders were defeated followed by their mass arrest, which spawned the formation of numerous militant organisation leading to large scale militancy. The violence supported by Pakistan resulted into President rule in the State in January 1990. All Parties Hurryat Conference [APHC] an umbrella organisation of some 23 political and militant organisations formed in J&K to fight for independence. Pakistan sponsored proxy war waged against India on the soil of Kashmir caused vast devastation in Kashmir. The years long insurrection in Kashmir left Kashmiris in shambles. Between 70000 to 80000 Kashmiri youth died,12000 women have been widowed and 18000 children have been orphaned. Surfacing fatigue and futility of the violence in the minds of the common people, Government of India declared election to the J&K Assembly in 1996. National Conference jumped in the election fray with the promise to the electorate that if NC is voted to power, pre-1953 status of autonomy will be restored in the State and also provide political, economic, social and cultural autonomy to the diverse identities in the State located in regions, sub-regions and sub-areas thereby maintaining homogeneity of identity in a geographical location being the basic criterion of the formation of the regions classified as autonomous. National Conference won majority of seats in the election and Farooq Abdullah became the Chief Minister of the State in October 1996. A State Autonomy Committee and another Regional Autonomy Committee were constituted in compliance of its election promises vide Cabinet decision No.7 dated 13.11.1996 and No.11 dated 25.11.1996 vide Government order No.1166-GAD of 1996 dated 29.11,1996.The reports of the State Autonomy and the Regional Autonomy Committees were placed on the table of the two Houses of the J&K Legislative Assembly on April 16th 1996 which were subsequently adopted by the Legislative Assembly on June 27th 2000 and by the State Legislative Council on June 27th 2000 in a special session called for the two purposes only. The special sessions were held for 5 days each. The State Autonomy Committee had recommended a package similar to the one suggested by Sheikh Mohd Abdullah way back in 1953 and which had landed Sheikh Mohd Abdullah in jail for two decades. The Regional Autonomy Committee report seems to be an intrigue with a far reaching political purpose to pave the way for a potential plebiscite to send all the Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh to Pakistan besides a bigger purpose to Islamize whole of the State in years to come or just a smoke screen for a more deceptive plan. The Regional Autonomy Committee recommends: {relevant portion only} That the Kashmir valley be divided into three Provinces: KAMRAZ Province [ Baramulla and Kupwara ] NANDBAD Province [Srinagar and Badgam ] MARAZ Province [ Anantnag and Pulwama ] That Ladakh be divided into two Provinces : LEH Province [Buddhist regions north of Indus] KARGIL Province [ includes Buddhist Zanskar and regions south of Indus] That Jammu be divided into three Provinces : CHENAB Province [Doda and Mehar Tehsils] JAMMU Province [Jammu, Udhampur and Kathua] PIR PANCHAL Province [Rajouri and Poonch] The Committee has recommended Regional/ Provincial Councils [Model-I or Model-II] detailed in the report. Mr Pintoo Narbu from Ladakh was one of the members to the Regional Autonomy Committee but his signature on the report is mysteriously missing. The extend of laxity of the educated class who never bothered to go through the details of the report to blame or the clandestine intrigue by the erring politicians who mischievously covered up the dangerous intention of the National Conference Government planting far reaching conspiracy against the very future of Leh District, both are extremely unfortunate. The elected representatives of that time who have voted for the above report in the Legislative Assembly was Mr Chetan Namgyal MLA from Nubra. Mr Chering Dorji Lakrook, MLA from Leh who didn’t oppose the report in the Assembly and abstain from voting is equal to support despite his being from the opposition Party of Indian National Congress. The strong opposition and condemnation of the reports by the then Ladakh Buddhist Association in Leh who burnt the symbolic copies of the reports in public was conspicuously silenced with the abrupt formation of LUTF on 25th August 2002 followed by cornering of the then LBA president in the society. These reports were never brought to the notice of the general public domain by the then MLAs thereby committing the gravest crime against the soil of Ladakh. They are the real anti-Ladakh elements. Still Ladakhis are being fooled by these leaders. The two autonomy reports were never shown to the Ladakhis by these leaders but an article by a foreign researcher, a consultant to the Government of India, Ministry of Defence entitled “Kashmir Cries Out for a Solution “ was distributed in a symposium held in Gurgaun in November 2000 organized by the International Centre for Peace Initiatives on Kashmir imbroglio on the theme of “ Next Steps in J&K: Give Peace a Chance “ had exposed the contents of the Regional Autonomy and the State Autonomy reports. Latter on a Book has been compiled of the papers read out in the symposium by a number of experts and scholars belonging to India, Pakistan etc. and few other articles distributed during the symposium. The book has been entitled “ Kashmir- How far can Vajpayee & Musharaf Go ? “edited by Karan R. Sawhney, Director, International Centre for Peace Initiatives. Boundaries of proposed Leh and Kargil Provinces are at page 86 in the above Book in the article entitled “ Kashmir Cries Out for a Solution “ Now, what is hanging on the heads of the Ladakhis? The current status quo about Kashmir is said to be no solution and the approach to peace in Kashmir is utterly doomed. The root cause lies somewhere else having eyes of the Taliban and the al-Quedas on Kashmir. The longer the terrorism and the resulting anti-terror repression continues, the closer India and Pakistan get to major conflict. The chances of a solution are very slim. Unfortunately, the more likely scenario is that of a major conflict resulting possible outrage of the rest of the world forcing a solution on India and Pakistan left to talk providing open spaces for the whims of the Kashmiri leaders to prevail who have readymade formulas in their hands in the shapes of State Autonomy and Regional Autonomy resolutions duly passed in both houses of the Assembly way back in the year 2000. In the above circumstances, the geographical landscapes and the demographic condition of Ladakh will get changed overnight thereby major Gonpas of Leh District as Anley,Korzok,Thukjey, Skitmang, Hemis, Matho, Stakna,Stok, Chilling, Alchi, Mangyu, Lamayuru, Lingshet, Wanla and Ledo alongwith few dozens of Panchayat Halqas comprising of 75 to 80 Hamlets and villages with an area of 2/3rd of the present Leh District will be added to Kargil proposed Province and Leh Province is reduced to an insignificant entity with ulterior motives difficult to guess. The key to the future of both India and Pakistan is resolution of the Kashmir conflict. The status quo is said to be no solution at all. Either both Government get mature and
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 10:08:12 +0000