Kashmiri Hindus, collateral of civilisational onslaught: Surinder Ambardar, Former MLC

Jammu Kashmir Vichar Manch, a socio-cultural organisation working towards the cause of Kashmiri Hindus in exile organised a live webinar to deliver a more comprehensive understanding of the Domicile law and its implications on exiled Kashmiri Hindus.

Speaking on the occasion senior BJP member and former MLC Surender Ambardar made a detailed presentation on the political and historical requirement which necessitated the incorporation of such encompassing rules of Domicile for exiled Hindus of Kashmir. He revealed that the Department of Disaster Management, Relief and Rehabilitation is working on war footing to create a web portal for online registration of Domicile Certificate.

Terming the move as reversing historical aberrations which led to the slow but steady exodus of Hindus from Kashmir since 1931 in contemporary history, Surender Ambardar said 1931 stands as an epitome of barbarity and persecution of minority community in the Valley. He said, 1931 was a handiwork of British who in order to destabilise the Maharaja Government unleashed a communal bigot Abdul Qadeer. It was Abdul Qadeer who incited the masses against Maharaja whom he termed as a ‘Kafir King’. The loot and plunder carried by the frenzied mob after it attacked Central Jail in Srinagar city created fear in minority Hindu community to the extent that peace-loving Kashmiri Hindus started to leave Valley.

Another assault on Hindus of Kashmir took place in 1947 when Pakistan sent its regular army and Tribal mercenaries to plunder loot and kill the Hindus of Kashmir Valley. Terming himself as a direct victim of tribal invasion since his grandfather was martyred in the same raid; Surinder Ambardar narrated the gory incidents which led to a wide-scale massacre of Hindus and Sikhs in the Valley. Tribal raid and the events which immediately followed led to the mass exodus of Hindus and Sikhs from Valley.

Connecting the dots, Surinder Ambardar termed 1967 Parmeshwari agitation as another assault on the respect and dignity of Hindus of Valley in which a Hindu girl was forcibly kidnapped, married and converted to Islam by religious bigots. It was an incident which again stirred the consciousness of Hindus of Kashmir and the apathy and aggression of state administration led hundreds of families to leave Valley.

One of the gravest assaults on Hindus of Kashmir came in the year 1986 in which scores of villages and Hindu habitations came under vicious physical attack leading to arson and loot of hundreds of houses and temples in Valley, especially in South Kashmir. The horrific communal onslaught of 1986 shattered the Hindus of Kashmir, compelling them to leave Kashmir in hordes.

Terming 1986 as a full dress rehearsal which led to one of the biggest tragedy of this century in terms of Ethnic cleansing and genocide of Kashmiri Hindus in Valley. The forced human displacement in 1989-90, Surinder Ambardar said, was aimed at religious cleansing of Hindus who were nationalists of the highest order in Valley.

Appreciating the vision and historical understanding with a will to accord justice to the exiled Hindus of Kashmir Narendra Modi-led Government has customised the Domicile rules keeping in view displacements of the community since 1931. Issuing a fervent appeal to the community across the globe to get registered for the Domicile certificate, he said, we must avail this historic opportunity to undo the effects of past displacements which have led to political, social and economic marginalisation of community.

In his detailed address, Surinder Ambardar posted contours of struggle in front of the community and appealed the youth of community to draw a wider understanding of the struggle and events which led us into exile.

Terming this struggle as a response to civilisation onslaught of last 1000 years starting from Bin Qasim to and coming down to Mohd of Gauri and Ghaznavi, Surinder Ambardar said, the modern-day terrorists are nothing but the continuation of the same onslaught. Terrorist organisations, separatists and their overground workers are the foot soldiers of this onslaught. The purpose and goal of these foot soldiers right since last 1000 years stays to convert Dar ul Harab territories into Dar ul Islam.

Surinder Ambardar terming this as a battle of narratives said that the farce narrative which cast the day of blatant loot and plunder of July 13, 1931, as martyrs upon our memory needs to be dismantled. Similarly, various farce narratives were built like in the middle of massacres of Hindus and Sikhs in Kashmir a ‘ray of hope’ was raised to shroud persecution and genocide of Hindus in the Valley. The adversary has been on job-creating such narratives to subdue and sidetrack the truth in Kashmir. Even the crystal clear ethnic cleansing and genocide was marred by bigotry of the adversary who has been religiously peddling the fake Jagmohan angle in our forced displacement.

BJP leader without mincing words took a direct dig at Sheikh Mohd Abdullah. Considered as the tallest leader of state saying the contemporary onslaught on Hindus for last 70-80 years is directly linked to Sheikh Abdullah who right since his Muslim conference days has been peddling an anti-Hindu narrative. Sheikh Abdullah while using the term ‘Fifth Columnist’ for Kashmiri Hindus paved the way for negative classification of Hindus turning the err of the majority towards them.

Leaving no stone unturned in castigating the present-day leadership of Valley-based political parties and tearing through the recent statement of ex-Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu who had made unsavoury remarks against Hindus of Kashmir. Surender Ambardar advised him to peep into his incompetence as a Finance Minister of the state which led the state to the brink of bankruptcy.

Senior BJP leader and ex-MLC thanked and appreciated the role of all the community organisations who played a pivotal role in the framing of Domicile rules customised to reverse the displacement of Kashmiri Hindus. He expressed his special veneration towards the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, LG GC Murmu and Ashok Koul, Organizing Secretary, BJP (J&K) who make this epochal historic occasion possible. He made a repeated appeal to the community to register for the Domicile Certificate and expressed his whole-hearted support of assistance to any community member who faces any issues in going through the process.