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Panun Kashmir flays autonomy demand

Amberish K Diwanji in New Delhi

The Jammu and Kashmir autonomy resolution continues to stir up debate. The Panun Kashmir, an organisation of Kashmiri Pandits, most of whom have fled Kashmir, has opposed the demand and also demanded that the valley be divided to create a separate homeland for the Pandits.

It also supported the demand for making Jammu a separate state and granting union territory status to the Ladakh region.

Speaking to rediff.com, Dr Ajay Chrungo, chairman of political affairs, Panun Kashmir, said that the demand was nothing more than a stepping stone for secession. He also lambasted the Bharatiya Janata Party for succumbing to the talk of autonomy.

"Home minister L K Advani says that autonomy is akin to devolution of power to the states, something that the BJP has promised in its election manifesto. What he does not realise is that devolution is within the framework of the Constitution whereas the present demand, as raised by the Jammu and Kashmir assembly, seeks to do away with the Constitution. So where is the similarity," he asked.

At a press conference here, the Panun Kashmir warned of an international pan-Islamic and Anglo-American conspiracy to delink Kashmir from India.

Chrungo said that the demand was a serious threat to the unity of India. "Today Jammu and Kashmir is asking for it, tomorrow Punjab will ask for it, what then will happen to the unity of India," he asked.

Another concern of the Panun Kashmir is that the ruling National Conference is seeking autonomy on the basis of Muslim sub-nationalism. "It is what led to Partition. Jammu and Kashmir is seeking autonomy on the basis that being a Muslim majority state. All this has happened because our political leaders have pandered to Muslim identity politics," he said angrily.

Warning that this was a threat to the country's secular credentials, the Panun Kashmir leader said he found it strange that submitting to Muslim identity politics should be seen as a sign of secularism.

Chrungo said that only way out of the controversy is to divide Kashmir. "Let us remember that not everyone in the state wants autonomy. Only a section of the people want it. So let those who don't want autonomy be allowed to stay on as an integral part of India and let those who want autonomy go," he said.

Chrungo also flayed the National Conference. "The state government has already separated the Muslim-majority areas from the non-Muslim areas along the Chinar. Thus, Kargil was taken away from Ladakh and Doda has been separated from Jammu. This is all part of an pan-Islamic conspiracy to first grab the Muslim-majority areas and then penetrate into the non-Muslim areas," said Chrungo.

Asked if he had any proof to back his conspiracy theory, he said it was self-evident. Then he added, "Even if there is no proof, people should remain concerned. That is why in Ladakh, people are already agitating about the incursions of Muslims into their territory," he said.

Chrungo said the best way to fight this conspiracy was to quarantine non-Muslim areas from the rest of the state. "Thus we want that Jammu be made a state, Ladakh a union territory, and a separate province of Panun Kashmir be created in the homeland."

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