Is the UPA not bound by the Parliament resolution on Kashmir? Extracts from the speech in the Rajya Sabha.
Former Union Minister Dr Murli Manohar Joshi has asked the UPA government to make it clear whether it is bound by the resolution passed by the Parliament on Kashmir during the Narasimha Rao Government and what is its policy on Kashmir? Initiating a discussion on Doda killing in Parliament on May 15, he demanded the government to clear its stand on the reports of withdrawing Army from Kashmir. Expressing concern over the genocide of Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir, the senior BJP leader asked why the government is silent over the cultural and ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Doda and other parts of the state.
Dr Joshi urged the government to take effective steps to ensure that the incidents like in Doda recently are not repeated. ?The government must formulate concrete schemes in this regard. We shall also support it. The allegations and counter allegations do not produce any positive result,? he said. He added that the incident of mass killing in Doda should not be seen merely as a local incident. ?It is the question of national security, sovereignty, unity and integrity and also connected with the future of the country. It is not connected to any political party. I also do not look at it as the matter of a particular community and it must not be seen as such,? he said.
When Pakistan realised that it is difficult for it to snatch Kashmir through direct fight, it adopted other nefarious means and among them are terrorism and low-intensity war. Under this plan, it has tried to destablise the entire country.
Highlighting the background of the incident, he said since Independence Pakistan has been trying to occupy the whole Kashmir and for that it attacked the Valley immediately after the Independence. ?People of all the communities including Hindus and Muslims unitedly fought the battles and every time defeated Pakistan. When Pakistan realised that it is difficult for it to snatch Kashmir through direct fight, it adopted other nefarious means and among them are terrorism and low-intensity war. Under this plan, it has tried to destablise the entire country. ?it is under this background we should try to understand the motive of Pakistan. For the last several decades Pakistan has not brought any change in its motives and it is working on it with full preparations,? he added.
Dr Joshi pointed out that he met the late Rajiv Gandhi in1986 after an extensive visit of the state and had requested him to ?comb out the infiltrators and foreign elements from Jammu and Kashmir?. ?But the matter is continued to be neglected since then. It must not have been ignored. The perfectly borders of the country should have been guarded, was not done. As a result the infiltration continued and sincere efforts were not made to understand the practical difficulties. We have been repeatedly saying that there are efforts on the part of Pakistan to force the non-Muslims, either they are Hindus, Sikh or Buddhists living in Leh to leave the Valley. It is clearly visible even today. When terrorism was at its peak, lakhs of Pandits were forced to leave the Valley. At that time also we had pointed out its disastrous effects. Unfortunately, attention was not paid to our arguments and Kashmiri Pandits could not be stopped to migrate. This type of cultural and ethnic cleansing took place in the secular and democratic India. In fact, if any matter is to be raised in the UNO, it is the ethnic cleansing and genocide in Kashmir by Pakistan. The culture of Shaivism has been rooted out from the state and even today no arrangement has been made to restore that great culture in the valley,? he said.
When terrorism was at its peak, lakhs of Pandits were forced to leave the Valley.
He said Pakistan intends to create an atmosphere first in Kashmir then in Jammu and Doda through ethnic and cultural cleansing that all the nationalist people leave the state. The Doda killing appears the example of this policy. ?The situation in Kashmir is clear. Now neither Hindus nor Sikhs remain there. The Buddhist population too in Leh has become minority. It has been done under a well-planned conspiracy. The whole demography of Kashmir Valley and Jammu has been changed. The pro-India population has been forced to leave the region. Hindus are being singled out there. But I want to warn that tomorrow this situation may arise for pro-India Muslims also. If they were not provided protection today, the situation may become very critical.
Enumerating the recent incidents of terrorist attacks on Hindus, he said the villages of Hindus are being attacked so that they leave their villages due to terror. He said the BJP workers staging a peaceful dharna against the killing in Bahala, Kulhand or Vasantgarh villages were also attacked with grenades. He pointed out that in the villages, which were attacked by terrorists, the Village Defence Committees (VDC) were not formed. ?When we enquired about it, we were told that the district magistrate had refused to allow the formation of such committees and providing rifles to the villagers as he felt that it would further instigate the terrorists. ?An ordinary person like me fails to understand the logic behind this argument of the administration. I have been told that the VDCs have been formed in more than 100 villages. But in which villages they have been formed is unknown. Now after paying such a heavy price the army has reportedly intervened in forming the VDCs. I have information that the local administration had discouraged the villagers to form the VDCs. This is what the Pakistan pattern is. People are being terrorised in the region so that they themselves start fleeing,? he said.
He came down heavily on the intelligence failure. ?May be that it is a lapse on the part of the state government, local administration or the villagers, but what are the Home Minister, Defence Minister and the Security Advisory Committee doing? It is the duty of the Home Minister and Defence Minister to ensure proper security and it should not be neglected at the time when we are aware of the evil designs of Pakistan. Is the government waiting for the day when Pakistan, after forcing all pro-India people to leave the region, goes to UNO and demands plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir? If it happens who will be in Kashmir to speak and vote in favour of India? Can the government not formulate any concrete policy keeping in view all these facts? I want to say if Doda becomes Hinduless, the Jammu will not remain safe. The resolution passed by both the houses of Parliament is a guideline for the government headed by any party,? he added.
Talking about the recent misleading statements that Army is being withdrawn from Siachen, he said it indicates that the government does not have any clear policy on Kashmir. ?If the people of the region started believing that our Government cannot protect our children and our property, nobody will be able to stop their exodus from there. If migration begins from Doda, then it is the turn of Jammu,? he said.
At that time also we had pointed out its disastrous effects. Unfortunately, attention was not paid to our arguments and Kashmiri Pandits could not be stopped fleeing the Valley. This type of cultural and ethnic cleansing took place in the secular and democratic India. In fact, if any matter is to be raised in the UNO, it is the ethnic cleansing and genocide in Kashmir by Pakistan.
Highlighting the consequences of demographic changes in the region, he said then it wouldn'tmatter whether you keep the army there or not. ?The Kashmir will automatically slip from our hands. Whom will you defend there? Who will help you there? The people of the region then will stand against you. Even the Muslims who want to live with India today will not be able to support us. They will also vote in favour of the plebiscite. Will you be able to save Kashmir after arising of such a situation? I believe the incidents of Doda are not just an attack on local people, but it clearly exposes the Pakistan'sevil designs there, and not a good sign for India,? he warned.
He also termed the terrorist incidents as an onslaught on the life style of the country. ?It is an attack on the principles, which the Constitution promotes. Its negligence will be injustice to the original soul of the country. Therefore, instead of giving verbal assurances, the Home Minister should do something concrete in this regard,? he said, demanding the Home Minister to make it clear why he didn'tvisit Doda.
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