Kashmir- A Cradle of Civilization:
To apprehend the history of Kashmir one must expand his horizon by viewing it from a broader perspective. In a geographical perspective Kashmir is one of the most alluring places surrounded by ravishing mountains, crystal clear streams, bewitching greenery and a place of immense serenity often captivating even the brightest of mind like the great sage of Rig Veda Kashyapa to come here and engage in Tapasya that is to manifest his knowledge. Etymologically this is how Kashmir got its name. Not only him but many prominent men came to this place to obtain sublimity in different areas of education right from science to art and literature. This is why the Greeks named Kashmir as a cradle of civilization. It used to be the knowledge centre of our country, how ironic that today it has become a beacon of terrorism. The genesis of terrorism was not after independence but was even before independence. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are persistently subjected to terrorist attacks. The main focal point of this article is what happened to Kashmir after independence. During the time of independence Kashmir was given a chance to accede to either join with India or Pakistan, but the then ruler Raja Hari Singh chose to be a non-partisan fearing that he might need to compromise his autonomy and power. But to his appalment Kashmir was invaded by certain Pakistani tribes. Unable to contain the situation with his military forces he was pressurized to seek India’s help. This led to creation of an instrument of accession. The conditions in this instrument was rather unique, it allowed the inclusion of Kashmir to India while allowing it to maintain its autonomy. It is for this reason that article 370 was introduced in our constitution. It allowed Kashmir to have its own flag, constitution and retain its decision-making power. Our constitution makers took an impetuous decision leading to the formation of this article without being aware of the threat it would pose towards our national integrity. Instead of national integration it led to the upsurge of secessionist sentiment among people in Kashmir who wanted to disintegrate themselves from the federal structure of India. Many were extremist in their idea of disintegration which was the root cause of internal aggression. During this period there was a rise of protest within India to acquire full integration of Kashmir which was led by Mananeeya Shyama Prasad Mookerjee. Mananeeya Shyama Prasad Mookerjee strongly propounded and stood by his belief “Ek desh mein do vidhan, do pradhan aur do nishan nahin ho sakte” meaning there can’t be two constitution and two prime ministers in the same nation. To escalate this movement, he entered Jammu and Kashmir without a permit and sought to hoist the Indian flag with the intent to show his persistent opposition towards the Kashmir’s special status, for which he was arrested and hence became the martyr. Today all the struggles and voices of many has been heard and finally the special status has been revoked. It would always remain as a symbolic moment that would go down the history. The repealment of this article essentially leads to the integration of the nation as a whole, how ironic that India has finally obtained ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’. Further keeping in mind, the struggles and hardship that the people of Kashmir has been put through, Honourable Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul suggested a set up of truth and reconciliation commission. I believe that the Honourable Justice has taken the right step by suggesting this set up as it would be a good way to indemnify the damages caused in Kashmir. Kashmir over the years have been subjected to war, aggression and mutiny by both state and non-state perpetrators. The amount of wounds and human rights violations that the people had to face over the years is inexplicable. It is for this reason that the Honourable Justice has suggested the set up of truth and reconciliation commission. This commission would gather all the human rights violation by both state and non-state actors perpetrated in Jammu and Kashmir and would recommend measures for reconciliation. This could even facilitate the disclosure of many bitter truths of our society. Finally, the young generation would come know about the tragical history of Kashmir. Just like how Keshavananda Bharthi case became a historical judgement that changed the outlook of constitution, this judgement would imprint in history as an impetus that fulfilled the dream of Bharat. Nationalism has at last obtained its apogee. Strength in Unity, Progress in Diversity!” “One Nation, One Vision, One India!
By,
Soorya Gayathri.T.V
2nd year B.A.LLB,(Hons.)
