Thursday, March 3, 2011

An Identity Deleted : The silent betrayal.


The Kashmir has been a big issue in India. It gets the Media coverage and a lot of attention from the Mainstream. It is a disgraceful example of miss-governance Government of India has done over the time. And it tries to hide it with big numbers in the Budget and Five year plans. But there has been a story that has been suppressed or disregarded by the media even. The silent and painful story of Kashmiri Pandits has always been neglected. The community which is fighting for its existence since it was pushed out of the valley nearly two decades back.  They have been fighting for their cause continuously. But the mainstream media along with the Human Rights class have denied the space to them.

This unspoken story has been an example of selective media approach. Their quest for Secular “TRP’s” has caused a lot to this community. They have been subjected to huge amount of Pain and suffering. But nobody is giving the right attention and value to these tears. The Government of India is more interested in dousing the anti-Indian flames in Kashmir than listening to the pained nationalist voices. The arrogance and ignorance towards the Kashmiri Pandits has challenged the basic principle of governance in India which promises equal opportunities to all. The soul of constitution is at stake, but nobody seems affected. The role of Journalism is in question. Journalism is the medium to make people aware and responsible, not to sell news. And unfortunately, the principle of Journalism seems lost in this case.
Who in the world becomes a Refugee in his own country? There has been a misconception that Refugee’s have been settled in Jammu. They have not been settled but thrown into the refugee camps like cattle’s. They are deprived of basic right of hygiene and shelter. When we are showed the songs of “Bharat Nirman”, this community is silently dying. They are still where they were in 1990’s.The state has moved on, but they haven’t. Actually they have not been allowed to move on. They are being pushed into the dark ages. And unlike the Pro=Pakistani separatists, they are not asking for anything related to constitution. They are only asking for their human rights. They are asking for their home and their life. But the very basic right has been unlawfully denied to them. The politics of the State has become separatists centric rather that development oriented. And sadly, government of India and its soft attitude towards the (mis) Leaders is responsible for that. The ongoing drama of “Aazadi” and “self rule” has become an excuse of Indian and state government to shy away from its responsibilities, especially towards Pandits.
But the community is still hopeful of a resolution.They have their faith in India and its system. They continue to fight against their plight under the constitution of Indian union. Sadly,this also has a "But". The question is “how long”. How long they will follow the constitutional path in quest of their revival of the deleted identity. How long?