Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast,
Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast.
If there is a heaven on earth, it’s here, it’s here.. This line by renowned poet Amir Khusrau, is very often used to describe Kashmir, the most beautiful state of India. But, it has been evident that apart from calm breezy winds and the snow clad mountains, the state has faced extreme Islamist militancy in the 80s and 90s. The state was ruined for the vested political interests of some regional political parties who were supported the militants across the border from Pakistan.
During the 80s & 90s when this state was governed more by Presidential Rule than that of a democratically elected Chief Minister, it succumbed to the vile intentions of politicians who stood with the cross border sponsorship of terrorism instead of extending their focus on development of the state. The state’s economic, cultural, and geographic heritage has witnessed drastic transformation in the past four decades.
But the most stringent development of it was the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley between 1989-1991. This period witness forced exodus of Hindus residing in Kashmir valley to Jammu and other parts of the country. According to the Indian government, more than 62,000 families are registered as Kashmiri refugees including some Sikh and Muslim families. Most families were resettled in Jammu, National Capital Region surrounding Delhi and other neighboring states. These families since then have been waiting with a heavy heart to be back to their real homes.
Major contributors this devil idea of persecuting Hindus from the valley was planned by ISI with the alleged help of brain washed and mobilized Muslims of the state who lacked the basic acumen of social existence of humanity in themselves. Islamization of Kashmir valley began quietly during the 80’s when Abdullah Government changed the names of about 2500 villages from their native names to new Islamic names.In a tragic sequence of events in India’s democratic history, the then Minister of Home Affairs Mufti Mohammad Sayeed allegedly convinced then Prime Minister V.P. Singh to appoint Jagmohan as the governor of Kashmir. Abdullah resented Jagmohan who had been appointed as the governor earlier in April 1984 as well and had recommended Abdullah’s dismissal to Rajiv Gandhi in July 1984. Abdullah had also earlier threatened that he would resign if Jagmohan was made the Governor.
However, the Central government went ahead and appointed him as Governor on 19 January 1990. In response, Abdullah resigned on the same day and Jagmohan suggested the dissolution of the State Assembly. Jagmohan’s role during the Kashmir exodus has already been talked all around by historians, intellectuals and politicians.
This incident gave rise to widespread Islamist militancy in the state that has continued till recently until the Union Government dared to revoke the controversial and draconian Article 370. And since the revocation of Article 370, Kashmir as a part of the J&K Union Territory seems have to become the old peace-loving beautiful paradise on earth for the world.
