Page 43 - 15MAY2019E

society
difficult situations and realities we and
our families go through in the Valley.”
And when I had asked these
Kashmiri students if they had talked
about these ‘ realities’ to the Kashmiri
politicians based in New Delhi or in
Srinagar, they gave those looks as
though I should be aware of the politi-
cal complexities of the day, along the
strain that gone are those days when
there existed that connect between the
rulers and those ruled. Not just layers of
security that come in way but also their
genuineness to try and reach out.
That’s a different matter altogether
that the politicians are more than
aware of the trauma that the Kashmiris
faces once he or she ventures out of the The politicians are
Valley but they have tried to do very
little to lessen it. One news report after more than aware of
another of the different chief ministers the trauma that a
of J&K holding meetings with their po-
litical counterparts , on this very aspect. Kashmiri faces once
In the summer of 2006, it was reported
in almost all dailies that Ghulam Nabi he or she ventures out
Azad had asked “the chief ministers of of the Valley but they
11 states not to harass or take any action
against traders and students of Jammu have tried to do very
and Kashmir, without consulting the little to improve the
Director General of Police, to ensure
that innocent persons are not harassed situation
Tehelka / 15 may 2019 43 www.Tehelka.com
• Lonely living Kashmiri students generally
keep to themselves in educational institutions
on the pretext of questioning in event
of any terrorist act in their respective
states.”
In spite of Azad’s efforts, there
were disturbing news reports from
Gujarat. One such news report was
not just disturbing but shocking, but
then these dark happenings have
been on and ongoing, even as sit like
mute spectators. To quote from this
news report :“The crime branches of
the Ahmedabad and Mumbai police
are exchanging detainees, who are
later used as targets for encounters...
Following the encounter with four
men, believed to be Kashmiri militants
in Vatva in Ahmedabad, highly placed
sources say they were detainees who
had been with the city police for the
last four months.”
And the late Mufti Mohammad
Sayed had told me during the course of
two interviews (when he was the Union
home minister and then when he was
the chief minister of J&K), that he was
well aware of the treatment meted out
to Kashmiris once they ventured out of
the Valley.
“I’m aware of the kind of harassment
some Kashmiris are facing outside the
state… I have openly talked at meet-
ings about the dangers of looking at all
Indian Muslims with suspicion…”
He was categorical in stating, “don’t
link all Indian Muslims with the likes
of Dawood Ibrahims. I have cited
instance after instance of the loyalty of
the Indian Muslim and yet I fear some
polarisation is indeed taking place.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Today, when divides and divisions
are so very writ large, tell me who will
believe any of the assurances that these
politicians come up with? In fact, politi-
cians from Kashmir should make sure
that no Kashmiri trader or student is
hounded when he leaves the Valley, to
study or trade in the towns and cities of
the country.
letters@tehelka.com