Atif Lone | Journalism Student
We were five friends relishing the kebabs at the boulevard vendors sitting along the Dal. Topic veered to domicile laws and the attempts to change the demography of Kashmir. It got me worked up as a friend shared how first there were subtle attempts and now more brazen ones to change demography in Kashmir.
We were getting a little angry while we waited for the kebabs to be ready on the charcoal being fanned by the vendor. I recalled the long summers of 2008, in May that year I was fresh out of college and the Amarnath trust land row had burned the Kashmir valley for months. We had near daily dose of bandhs and deaths of Kashmiri men of my age. I frankly was bewildered at the cycle of events which just went on and on, for the first time the religious divide between Jammu and Kashmir came to fore.
I am part of the few Kashmiris who have never understood the so called trigger. The then Governor Jagmohan had decided to give some state land to the Amarnath Shrine board for construction of some temporary structures to be used in conduct of the annual yatra.
I had been to Sonamarg many times in summers before 2008. It is beautiful entry to the famous Zoji La link to Kargil and Ladakh. In winters it faces heavy snowfall and the passcloses for all movement. No one stays there in the winters due to the cold and threat of avalanche that follows heavy snowfall. I think the nearest permanent habitation in near Gund on the road to Srinagar.
I have never understood that how could temporary structures in such uninhabitable areas be a part of a conspiracy to change demography of Kashmir? I have never got a satisfactory answer to this query, but Kashmir burned to no end and it was probably the trigger for start of new wave of militancy. Though I want to blame Lt Gen Sinha, the Governor for the event but I am not too sure.
Second realization came when later in 2010 I was to write a paper for my masters. I was surprised to see the demographic data from 1947 to 2001, 2010 data was yet to be collated. realized that as a Kashmiri muslim I have never had a better demographic growth than in the period between 1950 to 2001 in all three parts of Jammu and Kashmir. The Jammu killings and mass migration during the partition of 1947 was before the data set. The data did not show any impact of any anti muslim conspiracy to change the demography of Jammu and Kashmir. At larger level to the percentages of muslims in India had increased from around 10% to 14%, while in comparison in Pakistan minorities had reduced from 24% to 3%, I am told it is down to 2% in 2010. I saw no data set that supported the demography change conspiracy that made Kashmir burn in 2008.
Coming to today, I worry about the abrogation of Article 370 and wish that it somehow gets back. About domicile laws I think it corrects some historical mistakes especially to Kashmiri women and West Pakistan refugees. I will worry only when someone provides proven data of at least a few hundred non Kashmiris settling in Kashmir. Till then I don’t think I will let the issue burn my blood.
What will make my blood burn will be when I see the local officials delay issue of my domicile certificate despite my have a permanent resident certificate. I will be angry, if I have to pay bribe to get my domicile certificate. That anger will be towards the central government that rules us today and it will also be at the local Kashmiri officials involved in the process.
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