Arvind Kumar
A wolf, wearing sheep skin, is far more dangerous. This fake attractive, nonviolent and friendly sheep proves to be a two-pronged sword and is far more dangerous for a careless extra liberal sect of the society. People; too, with hazardous intensions, become caretaker or holy observant. A lot of people in the Jammu-Kashmir administration and politics are behaving on this line. Here wolf are who (1) want to change the demography of the state to help radical Islamism (2) want to destroy age old culture of Jammu-Kashmir in order to set up theirs. And skinny are who, knowingly or unknowingly, make conditions favorable to them.
Not far behind in the history, the culture and border areas of Jammu-Kashmir used to be different. Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir area of the Jammu-Kashmir has already been lost culturally. We will lose more if we do not understand and oppose the policies which eventually are going to help Islamic radical sect. Alarmingly today too, the Anti-India voices are raised in the Muslim-majority area of Jammu-Kashmir. Two administrative steps by the Jammu-Kashmir government made the above thought process to generate. First is the announcement of the list of the “Backward Areas” in Jammu-Kashmir entitling their inhabitants 20 percent reservation in the government Jobs and 10 percent reservation in the promotion. Second is Creation of New administration units in Jammu-Kashmir.
Points of concern about the announcement of “Backward areas” is that out of 45 villages declared backward, 28 villages of Kashmir region declared backward as against just 17 in Jammu region (approximately twice larger area than Kashmir). Surprisingly not even a single village in Ladakh region, which is largest region of the Jammu-Kashmir. Amazingly in Jammu region out of 17 of them declared as backward, all villages fell in the constituencies represented by Congress. Much to the surprise, out of 17 villages declared as backward in Jammu province, 15 fell in just two districts of Doda (Muslim majority) and Ramban (Muslim majority) and two in Akhnoor.
Technically, a village is to be declared backward by the Government only on the recommendations of State Commission for Backward Classes (SCBC) on the basis of 52 indicators including progress in social sectors like health, education and accessibility. But, Some villages which were declared backward as early as in 1975, continue to enjoy the same status and privileges even today since there was no revaluation of their status undertaken for the next 30 years or so.
Much humane concern cannot be expected from the government who continuously from last 66 years has ignored it’s badly ill-being of refugees and SC/ST sector of the state. Therefore, it’s doubtful that this decision is for the help of underdeveloped people. Policies are made such that the funds could be used in the Muslim majority areas, above details and statistics forces this suspicion.
As far as the decision for creation of additional administrative units is concerned, we must take a note of the statement of BJP State President Jugal Kishore Sharma. In his statement on Jan 7 he said “the reported move of the Congress to create three regional council in Jammu province, one each for three districts of Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar, two districts of Rajouri and Poonch and Jammu plains, is fraught with dangerous consequences and this move will be defeated comprehensively”. He also said “The whole idea of creating three regional councils in Jammu province is based on former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf’s four-point formula, ”Break-Jammu” Dixon Plan and insidious formulation of Chairman of Minorities Commission Wajahat Habibullah and is designed to help the supporters of Greater Kashmir achieve their age-old objective. This is not acceptable to the people of Jammu province and the nation as a whole.
In the new kind of warfare we must look at the pattern followed. The way Jammu-Kashmir state government is using its schemes, projects a pattern, which coincides with the plan of Islamic elongation. It’s not all! We haven’t talked about electoral patterns in the state yet, which has more to disclose about the mallacious intensions of JK government.
