"Agar
firdaus bar ru-ye zamin ast,
Hamin ast o hamin ast o hamin ast "
"If there is
a paradise on earth,It is this, it is this and it is this."
These beautiful
words about Kashmir were written by the grate Persian poet Amir
Khusro.
When Emperor Jahangir was asked
on his death bed about his cherished desire he is credited to have
said: "Kashmir", the rest is worthless.
These lines and words about Kashmir are
now stories like "Once upon a time".
Situation has changed.
Now Kashmir means fear. Everyone knew about the Kashmir issue but
very few are aware about the exact issue and what the issue is all about.
I know if I will write
an elaborate one then no one will read the whole thing. I will try to make as
short and simple as possible. Briefly I will cover from the past to present.
Origin of kashmir :
Legends say, the word
"kashmir"has came from the name of the great sage
"kashyapa", Son of Marichi. Starting from vedic period to next 4000 years, Kashmir was
one of the primary hub and learning center for Shaivism and Buddhism.
Islamic Rule in Kashmir:
( Local Muslim Shawl Makers doing some work)
Till 1320 AD Kashmir was ruled by Hindu Kings and demographically the valley was dominated by pandit population.
During the 11th century, Mahmud of Ghazni made two attempts to conquer Kashmir. However, both his campaigns failed
In 1320 one Buddhist prince named Rinchan came from
Ladakh and became the king.
This Buddhist prince
has converted in to Islam and started the Islamic rule in Kashmir. There
is a interesting story how he got converted.
The story is like this: The king Rinchan was very confuse about
which religion he should follow so that his dynasty will last for long. Then
his minister Shah Mir convinced Rinchan that he could choose to convert to
Hinduism, Buddhism, or Islam by tomorrow morning.
Shah Mir suggested to
Rinchan that he could convert to the religion of the first person they
encounter next morning.
The next morning when
they left the palace the first person they met was Sufi mystic Syed Sharafuddin
Bulbul Shah who was performing his morning prayers. Rinchan converted to Islam
and adopted the title of Sultan Sadruddin Shah. 10,000 of his subjects,
including is brother-in-law Ravanachandra, converted along with him.
The Sultans were
tolerant of other religions with the exception of Sultan Sikandar (1389-–1413
CE).
Then came the Mugulas
and after that Afghnas.
Afghan rule in Kashmir
was extremely cruel and oppressive, particularly for the pandit community. Locals were
extorted from, captured and forced into slavery during this period. Afghans
ruled Kashmir for around 70 years
Come Back of Hindu and Sikh rule
In 1819 sikh warrior
under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit singh has conquered Kashmir
from afghans and they started sikh kingdom in the valley until 1849.
In 1849 Maharaja Gulab
singh sat on the thrown of Jammu and Kashmir with the help of
Britishers. He started the Dogra(Hindu) Dynasty in J & K. This Dynasty
lasted till division of India.
( Pandits are writing some religious text during 1890)
Division of India and creation of Pakistan :
When Britishers left
India in 1947 they have divided into two parts. But there were around
547 princely states (Princely State: a state having its own King)
and Kashmir was one among them.
Those princely states
were free to decide if they want to merge with India, Pakistan or remain
independent.
At that time Maharaja
Hari singh was the king of kashmir.He decided to remain independent. His
attitude towards Muslim population was not so warm and he was not so popular
among the Kashmir population.
Invasion of Pakistan into kashmir :
In October 1947,Pashtuns
with the help of Pakistani army, invaded Kashmir. They allegedly incensed by
the atrocities against fellow Muslims in Poonch and Jammu. The tribesmen
engaged in looting and killing along the way.The ostensible aim of the guerilla
campaign was to frighten Hari Singh into submission.
Hari singh shouted
help from India. That time Indian govt agreed on the condition that the ruler
accede to India.Once the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession, Indian
soldiers entered Kashmir and drove the Pakistani-sponsored irregulars till the
present LOC.
The Pakistani
government immediately contested the accession, suggesting that it was
fraudulent, that the Maharaja acted under duress and that he had no right to
sign an agreement with India.
Mistake By Prime Minister Neheru :
While Indian forces
was fighting with the invaders, Neheru sought resolution of the issue at the UN
Security Council and he presented himself at UN And agreed with the terms that
laid by the united nation. Neheru declared the ceasefire.
Ceasefire means : No
further war. The armed forces will stop where they are at that moment.
This how LOC came
between India and Pakistan and India has lost half of the Kashmir to
Pakistan which is known as POK.
Many Believes, If
Neheru would not had declared ceasefire the Kashmir issue would may
had resolved at that time only. Nehru was very concern about his image out
side India.
Kashmir insurgency (From1990 to now)
From 1948 to till 1989
kashmir was largely peaceful. But it all started when Afgan war end.
Insurgency was largely
started by Afghan mujahadeen who entered the Kashmir valley following the end
of the Soviet-Afghan War. The then prime minister of Pakistan Benazir bhutto
and ISI chief had played a larger role for creating an uneasy situation at the
valley.
Around Five lakh
kashmir pandits were thrown out of the valley, by the Pakistani sponsor
terrorists. Indian army took some hard decision and fired
at Kashmir population which resulted casualties. Situation
became bad to worst. Trust deficits has grown between Indian govt and people
of Kashmir..
Till now more than
70000 people(including all) has been died since 1990.
Now.. We all know
where we stand.The paradise has turned into a fear zone.
We are losing our very own kasmir..
We are losing our very own kasmir..
I Know. I have not
covered everything. But it is not possible to explain the whole history
of Kashmir to present day in 3 pages.
I have tried my
best..
