After watching the former J&K Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah’s interview by Karan Thapar, I couldn’t believe the sense of entitlement and arrogance of the Abdullahs, Muftis as well as some of Kashmir’s mainstream politicians. It was interesting to witness liberal prejudice that Karan Thapar exhibited while framing his questions. Mr. Abdullah called Modi-Shah as fascists for abrogating article 370. He probably forgot that article 370 was abrogated not just by Modi and Shah but by majority in both houses of India’s parliament after due discussion/debate and Indian President signed the bill. Was Mr. Abdullah calling members of parliament as well as Indian President fascists for abrogating article 370? Does Mr. Abdullah understand that it is India’s sovereign right to give as well as take away special right to states whenever it wants? Even the architect of article 370, Pandit Nehru had described it as temporary and transient with full understanding that it will be abrogated in the future.
Mr. Abdullah was visibly peeved and upset that PM Modi didn’t give him a clue about the shape of things to come when he met him a couple of days before August 5th, 2019. Does Mr. Abdullah expect that PM Modi to divulge confidential details of his Government’s moves? One of Karan Thapar’s question was revealing where he asked Mr. Abdullah about almost all of J&K Governor’s advisors, Chief Justice of the high court and police chiefs being Hindus in a Muslim majority territory. Of course, Mr. Abdullah seized the opportunity to tell the viewers that as the CM of J&K, he would distribute high level jobs between Hindus, Muslims etc. so that there was balance. The point to remember here is that the question itself smacks of Muslim appeasement since merit and boss’s trust are two basic criteria that ought to matter and not caste or religion. After all, are the people of J&K hung up on bureaucrats’ religion or how efficiently appointed officials resolve peoples’ issues and make their life comfortable? Ultimately, public servants must be gauged on delivery of results and not on their caste or creed. One of the questions from Karan Thapar dealt with demographic change that Modi government is trying to bring about in J&K by giving domicile certificates to outsiders. One must remind Mr. Abdulla that Kashmiri Pandits’ genocide took place under his watch and he didn’t do anything to stop it.
These same people are accusing Modi government of demographic change when all that is being done is to grant residency permits to long time resident of J&K irrespective of religion. Shameless J&K politician will invite Rohingya refugees to settle in Jammu but won’t allow a Hindu Doctor or professor working in Kashmir valley for several years. How do they envision J&K’s progress without allowing professionals and business people from the rest of India to settle in the state? Hopefully, this will give you a glimpse of the sense of entitlement and arrogance of J&K’s politicians. The height of their intolerance is that these politicians still don’t want to talk about safe return of the Pandit families who fled from the valley in 1991. It is easy to see who is communal in Kashmir.
