This is how Kashmiris pay to their well wishers

Shri Balraj Puri is a veteran journalist and a seasoned champion of civil liberties. He stood by the side of Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah alongwith Mridula Sarabhai in those turbulant times and had all along been pleading the cause of human rights of the Kashmiris. But in the end he had to cry foul and ask a few questions to his Kashmiri friends :

(From Greater Kashmir, Srinagar on August 14, 2008)

Do I deserve sweeping condemnation?
COUNTERPOINT
BY BALRAJ PURI
I was pained by the way Firdous Sayed, whom I have treated like my son, tried to malign my secular image in his article in Greater Kashmir 9 August . I welcome criticism of my views but sweeping condemnation of my comments on the current situation in Jammu and my motives is simply not done. I need not recount the role I have played in the last over 66 years of my public life in combating communal forces, without caring for not only abuses and threats that were hurled on me but also grave risks to my life, form blobby days of 1947 till recently. Not only in Jammu region but also rushed to contribute my mite to stop communal assaults on Muslims at places like Meerut and Aligarh. But I can not use the type of language, Firdous has used against me, in offering my explanation. Coming to the present trouble in Jammu, I immediately issued a statement on behalf of 16 eminent personalities, warning against consequences of an attack on Muslims. It was followed by another meetings of representatives of 20 organizations, reiterating the same warning and also an appeal not to treat Kashmiri Muslims as enemies but as friends. Another meeting of prominent citizens, which unfortunately clashed with a similar meeting called by the governor, but still was attended by 70 persons, where we also strongly opposed blockade of Kashmir. About 200 persons enlisted their names for a peace march in Jammu city next day which had to be abandoned on account of curfew since then. I spoke to the Prime Minister and leader of the opposition and cited specific instances of attacks on Muslims and blockade of Kashmir. These efforts were not in vain. The president of the state unit of the BJP condemned any attack on Muslims. The national president of the party had a meeting with Muslim leaders of Jammu and appreciated their role. Meanwhile the so called secular organizations like the Congress joined the fray. All of them, including the BJP, Sangarsh Samiti, Bar Association and traders organizations opposed the blockade. The government and army authorities have announced that blockade had failed. Whenever any attack takes place on Muslims or Srinagar bound truck drivers, I get immediate report and take up the matter with authorities and the leaders of the agitation. On my persuasion , some of them visited a Gujar Basti, where some huts were set on fire in the initial days of the agitation and apologized to the community. In some cases they were accompanied by Muslim leaders. There are regular meetings between the leaders of the two communities. In many places joint protests of both communities—against what they call continued discrimination against Jammu region—have also taken place. It is gross over simplification to describe the current turmoil in the two regions as entirely motivated by religions sentiments. Accumulated regional tensions also contributed to current turmoil. It should be possible to devise constitutional and institutional arrangements to reconcile regional aspirations. The plain fact is that the movement has gone out of the control of its leaders as it has been joined by many organizations and anti-social elements (what else I should have called them)who joined the demonstrations and committed some excesses. But immediate condemnation by all responsible leaders did have a salutary effect. I am in regular touch with what is happening in Rajouri, Poonch and Bhaderwah. Those who are leading efforts for maintaining harmony are my close esteemed colleagues. All the three towns have mixed population and separate protest demonstrations did tend to create tension. Instead of blanket condemnation of an entire community , effort should be made to isolate anti-social elements therein. Moreover, instead of engaging in blaming game, we should not absolve the government for its bungling in first creating turmoil in Kashmir and in mishandling the situation in Jammu thereafter. As far as disillusionment in Kashmiris is concerned, I have pleaded their case and suffered for their cause no less than any Kashmiri leader. I do not seek any appreciation for what I did for Kashmir and am doing in the current situation in Jammu. I have done it for my satisfaction. I might have some limitations but the way I have been maligned and ridiculed by Firdous only shows how wide is the gap between us.

(Balraj Puri is Director Institute of Jammu and Kashmir affairs)

Exerpts from Greater Kashmir dated 09-08-2008
In this melee the pants of Charaks, Mangats, Harsh Dev’s and numerous others are down, but it is not politicians alone who are caught red handed, wearing “Khaki Knickers’ of RSS beneath their pants. So called intellectuals and media personalities are also in the mad rush to get them registered as the champions of ‘Hindu cause.’ But what pains the most is one-sided and inaccurate reporting of the events from a well known writer like Balraj Puri, who has been singing the paeans of secularism for whole of his life. Balraj Puri in Hindustan Times (6/8/08) writes— “Anti-social elements who took no time in joining the agitation, have attacked Muslims at many places and communal clashes have taken place in Muslim-majority areas”. Wah, Mr.Puri one should learn art of distortion from you. While huge crowds of thousands who burned police posts, lynched police personnel, attacked mosques, set to blaze Gujjar dwellings. And have effectively carried out economic blockade of Valley, Doda, Poonch and Rajoori for a fortnight now, is handiwork of some “Anti-social elements” and not by the protestors on the whole. Minor protests of Muslims in Rajoori and Bhaderwah against the Police failure to rein in Hindu rioters, is termed as “communal clashes” in Muslim-majority areas. It is a strange logic. Hooliganism by the majority has been turned into “Anti-social elements joining the agitation” in a vain bid to paint a notion of “few.’ And protest by few is turned into a major clash. Otherwise wherein J&K a communal unrest has taken place in a Muslim majority area? The incidents of past one month have shaken badly the confidence of Kashmiri Muslims. The economic blockade and siege of Muslims in and around Jammu city has removed the mist of ambiguity. For a common Kashmiri the reality of secularism is today bare and open