We did not force kashmir pandits to Migrate

by: Naqshab Afra

I wish Kashmir was not under curfew for six months in 1990-91, I wish Kashmiri Muslim were not imprissoned in their own homes by Indian BSF & CRPF. I wish we could have understood the communal plot of jagmohan there and then, who wanted to ...malign our national struggle against autocracy and occupation as an extension of 1947 partition, I wish section of people from Pandits and Muslims were not acting as collaborators for India and pakistan, I wish these Kashmirs didnt have extra terrtorial loyality towards neighbouring states than their own motherland. And finally when some of the Indian collaborators decide to shift their families out of valley, I wish majority of kashmiri pandits and some muslim families did not have accompained those who had ever reason to leave kashmir...because of their fatricidal adventures...!! After Chotta Bazar and Natipora mass molestations by Indian forces and subsequant Gowkadal massacre in 1990's, I wish kashmiri Muslims, Sikhs and Pandits where not scared of killings, rapes, loot ...ironically which they all later became used to...

When Kashmiri families started migrating out of valley(Muslim aas well as Pandits but Pandits predominantely), I wish Kashmir was not under curfew then. Please go through the police record and curfew details in newspapers. For six months completely kashmir was under curfew. Curfews were lifted up only for two hours on different times for different mohallas after 24 hours curfew shift. I svear by the very freedom movement (for which we have sacrificed our everything) we did not force kashmiri families to migrate, we did not kll innocents. This is a baseless propaganda against us. In the dead of the night Army would arrange military trucks and collect kashmiri pandit families shift them out side. I was in a school then. My winter vacations had just started. We all were scared. I remember my parents and grand parents the rumour that some famlies of pandits are packing and moving in Army trucks. First we ignored the news as rumor later we thought these are the Darbar move families who shift every winter and spring with the shift int eh capital Srinagr to Jammu and back. Then at the end of december when we realised that many more Kashmir falimies are moving out we became scared that there is something fishy. There were rumors that India is planning to bomb whole valley but befroe that India wants to save Kashmiri Pandits. I was very angry. My parent s also decided to move to Jammu but our relatives stoped us ....But we did move to Jammu little later when when one day curfew in our area was lifted in the arly hours of winter motning perhasp 7 to 9 am. My father was beaten up by the soliders for moving with a besatarband and a trunk. BSF soliders straight away told us that why were we leaving Kashmir because only Kashmir Pandts have the right to move to India. When my father explained to that we are only going upto jammu that is pasrt of the state and he works in the Civil secretariate that we were allow to move. My mother cried all throught the journey for her parents and other relatives were back in Kashmir and we were not sure whether we can again meet them again. .... Those who migrated some of them did by their own choice, some very mislead by their community leaders and the state assurances (that they will return to thier homes within a year) and some were really scared because of rampent killings. In the atmosphere of anarchy and choas there were people with criminal bent who settle personal vendata under the garb of political unrest. Not only the collaborators were killed both muslims and pandits but some militants even killed innocent muslims and pandits. We muslims in valley know for sure that out of 249 kashmir pandits killed almost half of them were definitly innocents, killed by some one with personal grudge. There was no communal killing form militants side. Other wise innocent muslims would not have been killed by militants. The militants we considered mujahids, not every one was fighting for freedom, that became clear in 1994 in group clashes many upright militants were killed by these a criminals bands of Koka paray, papa kashtawari, jamshed Khan, Asgar khan etc You know them very well, your elders know it very well....but still you became part of Indian efforts to maligen our freedom struggle. But when my family returned back in the middle og 1991 we could not face our neighbours our relatives. I could not face my friends. They thought we had left them behind to be bombarded by india and watch them. I remember my grand mother taunting me " aiwa hindustanuk baati keth.....Wochu Khuda yan taw asi toothi zind " I lowered by head in shame. They had every reason to hate us. People who stayed back in kashmir had seen the worst of india. ....There own people had left them behind and the fredom movement was labelled as communal by the very communal country which is facist at the core. In those six to ten months there were at least a dozen attemos of rape and molestations by Indian troops. There were scores of massacres. The number of kashmiri killed had already touched 10,000....People will never forget that.
However there are hundreds of Kashmiri pandits who lived side by side with Kashmir Muslims. Kashmir Slkh population stood in every think and thin with rest of kashmiri muslim and Pandit families . We are indebted to all them. And those ehp became part of tarnishing the image of kashmir also know it better what India did for them. Poor migrant families continued to rotten in the fithy camps. Camps were delvberately kept filthy to use it as a propoganda against kashmir, other wise it was not a big deal to construct good flats for them where decent family could stay comfortable during a transitional phase. If india could construct 10,000 flates so quickly for Asian games it was not a big deal for them....kashmir pandits were misused. kashmir Muslims were abused. it was a ploted migration. J&K belong to the people who are from jammu and kashmir only...irrespective of theri religion or region.