[Reader-list] Thinking Through Figures on...

[Pawan Durani]

To start with can the members of SARAI run a campaign to bring to justice
people like Yasin Malik and Bitta Karate ? Are there volunteers ?

Will Shuddha and Shivam take the lead ?

Pawan


On 11/3/08, Kirdar <kirdarsingh at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Dear Pawan, Aditya and others
> Sorry to butt in again, but I was wondering if you folks saw my last
> mail (titled: one more....email) in which I made a couple of
> submissions. The aim of my message (excerpts of which I am giving
> below once again) was to take this dialogue towards a more practical
> and proactive direction rather than the present status quo of
> mud-slinging match between the two parties. Can we, for some time at
> least, become more serious about this and stop doubting each other's
> intentions. And this request is also for other members of reader-list,
> such as Aarti, Inder, Shivam etc., to kindly refrain from only a
> reactionary feedback and personal attacks, and look for possible
> solutions (although I know some of you are trying hard to resolve
> things). So, to begin with, I want to ask both the parties, if they
> agree to the following statements which I had given in my last email.
> If there is anything you want to add, or disagree with, please let us
> know. Shuddha, I know you took pains to give contrary statistics about
> some of the following, and while I agree with you, I want to ignore it
> for a while, in order to bring some order to the reader-list.
>
> (1) I fully realize and SYMPATHISE with the plight the migrant
> Kashmiri Pandits have gone through.
> (2) I  CONDEMN the "Muslim" extremists who have used violence and
> torture on Kashmiri Pundits.
> (3) I agree that Kashmiri Pundits have the right to return to their
> homeland, and all possible efforts should be made for their safe
> return and livelihood.
> (4) All Kashmiri Pundits persecuted and uprooted from their homeland
> should be fully compensated
> (5) Those who incurred the violence on Kashmiri Pundits should be
> punished according to the law.
> (6) I am ready to help or contribute in any way towards the betterment
> of the current plight of migrant Kashmiri Pundits, and appeal others
> to do the same.
>
> If there is anything else anyone wishes to add to the list, which is a
> sensible demand/request, I would be ready to endorse that as well.
>
> One of you said that "we'll not sit quitely until the murderers of the
> Kashmiri Pundits are not hanged in Tihar jail" or something like that.
> Fine, are you in the process of fighting a case against those
> perpetrators? Or do you want an help in that regard from the Sarai
> members. Tell us, what exactly do you want us to do. How can we help
> in bringing justice to you.
>
> Kirdar
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 1:55 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul <kauladityaraj at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > Yes, they are not communal, they are just blood red.
> >
> > Its sheer wastage of time to argue with people like Inder Salim. Their
> mind
> > revolves only in one direction, you may go to the extent of twisting your
> > neck, but nothing would help change such extreme hate mongers. They are
> > unfortunately Indians, with no love for the country. They are too Arty
> just
> > for their hate campaign against the country and its citizens..
> >
> > Jai Hind. Hai Panun Kashmir.
> >
> >
> >
> > On 11/3/08, Pawan Durani <pawan.durani at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> hello Tara ,
> >>
> >> The only party not communal is the party with leftist badge.....
> >>
> >>
> >> Bright star
> >>
> >>
> >> Pawan
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On 11/3/08, taraprakash <taraprakash at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> >
> >> > O no. Jay Maharashtra is no more Shive Sena slogan. At least they
> don't
> >> > have
> >> > the monopoly. As they moved to Hindu Rashtra and with that to
> parliament,
> >> > Jay Maharashtra became redundant to them and so available for new
> forces
> >> to
> >> > appropriate. The already muddled political scenario is going to get
> >> messier
> >> > as the communal Shiv Sena will again join hands with the communal BJP
> and
> >> > Congress and MNS, who are not communal because the term communal in
> India
> >> > is
> >> > reserved for a particular kind of ideology, will form an alliance. As
> it
> >> > gets messier, the political landscape will become fertile for military
> >> > intervention. After which perhaps, we will be united again. Till then
> let
> >> > us
> >> > observe the political engineering.
> >> >
> >> > Jai Dilli and Jai Florida (why not?)
> >> > ----- Original Message -----
> >> > From: "inder salim" <indersalim at gmail.com>
> >> > To: <reader-list at sarai.net>
> >> > Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2008 12:33 PM
> >> > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Thinking Through Figures on Internal
> >> > Displacementfrom Kashmir
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > > >
> >> > >>
> >> > >> Pawan
> >> > >>
> >> > >> Jai Maharshtra - Jai Hind.
> >> > >
> >> > > forget about  what i am doing, dismiss my actions as crazy or mad or
> >> > > anything stupid. i will not complian, i am certainly not angry/
> >> > >
> >> > > but for the sake of your own self , please answer what is is Jai
> >> > > Maharashtra,
> >> > > and what was the relevance when you answered to following mail ( to
> >> > > Shudd's ) which ended with Jai Maharashtra,
> >> > > why not Jai J&K, or Jai Tamil Nadu etc..what is your relationship
> with
> >> > > the slogan which is Raj's,
> >> > > are you a Marathi or a Kashmiri?  tell me if you can ?
> >> > >
> >> > > yes, your friend, Dharti ji , and Aditya ji, can help you too,
> >> > >
> >> > > all  i want is to know why this Jai Maharashtra suddenly, when there
> >> > > is so much hate in Maharashtra against North Indians,
> >> > >
> >> > > or you think that it only poor people from Bihar and UP who are
> >> > > targeted by Raj, and you proudly join this national agenda of Raj's.
> >> > >
> >> > > I said, National, because you ended your mail with Jai Hind,
> >> > >
> >> > > so, my dear, please take a long breath, and have courage to say Jai
> >> > > Maharashtra again, but add, Jai Raj as well.
> >> > >
> >> > > I know, you will tell me and the whole List, that it is only because
> >> > > of Inder Salim, that  Pawn Durani joined Shiv Sena,
> >> > >
> >> > > you know, there is lot of humour in it.
> >> > >
> >> > > so, let us laugh,
> >> > >
> >> > > without malice towards one and all
> >> > >
> >> > > love
> >> > > is
> >> > >
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >> On 10/29/08, Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net> wrote:
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> Dear All,
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> Apologies for what will be a lengthy posting. And those driven to
> >> > >>> exasperation (like me) by the repeated monopolization of this list
> by
> >> > >>> matters 'Kashmiri' may not want to read this. But, those who are
> >> > >>> interested in more general matters to do with the politics and
> >> > >>> rhetoric of the representation of victimhood, might.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> I have read with interest the ongoing discussion on the plight of
> the
> >> > >>> displaced Kashmiri Pandit community in India. I totally agree with
> >> > >>> Kirdar Singh's recent declaration of sympathy for the displaced
> >> > >>> Kashmiri Pandit community, and hope that an improvement in
> conditions
> >> > >>> on the ground in Kashmir and India will enable displaced Kashmir
> >> > >>> Pandits to return to their homes in safety and dignity. I support
> the
> >> > >>> implementation of whatever practical and fair measures that can be
> >> > >>> taken to ensure that this can happen.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> It needs to be recognized that there are significant voices in
> >> > >>> Kashmir that insist today (both within and outside the movement
> for
> >> > >>> liberation from occupation) that a future for Kashmir without
> >> > >>> Kashmiri Pandits is not worth fighting for. Those who refuse to
> >> > >>> listen to, or acknowledge these voices, live in a denial of their
> own
> >> > >>> making.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> Having said that, I need to point out that a large number of those
> >> > >>> who speak for Kashmiri Pandits on this list and on other public
> fora,
> >> > >>> and the organizations that they represent, such as Panun Kashmir
> and
> >> > >>> Roots in Kashmir, are in my opinion, part of the problem, not of
> the
> >> > >>> solution. Their aggressive efforts to monopolize the public space
> for
> >> > >>> discussion of the displaced Kashmiri Pandit question is
> obstructive
> >> > >>> and loaded with a deeply divisive and communal agenda that
> >> > >>> perpetuates a cycle of hate and prejudice.They are committed to a
> >> > >>> politics of confrontation and antagonism that makes it more, not
> less
> >> > >>> difficult for Kashmiri Pandits to return to the Kashmir valley.
> They
> >> > >>> are also more than willing to be used by right wing forces such as
> >> > >>> the BJP and other mainstream parties (including sections of so
> called
> >> > >>> secular parties such as the Congress) that want to keep the so
> called
> >> > >>> 'Kashmir question' alive as a means to blackmail Indians and
> >> > >>> Kashmiris into submission for the sake of their agenda of an
> >> > >>> extractive and authoritarian state.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> In fact, it could well be said that they have a vested interest in
> >> > >>> the perpetuation of the pitiable state in which the majority of
> >> > >>> displaced Kashmir Pandits find themselves in today. As long as
> >> > >>> Kashmiri Pandits can be projected to the world as in a permanent
> >> > >>> status of victimhood and abjection, organizations like Panun
> Kashmir
> >> > >>> (all factions) and Roots in Kashmir, and their political mentors
> will
> >> > >>> continue to be in business. The repeated and monotonous attempts
> by
> >> > >>> these individuals and the organizations and networks they
> represent
> >> > >>> need to be seen in this light.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> While expressing our full sympathy with the plight of displaced
> >> > >>> Kashmiri Pandits, it is important at the same time not to lose
> sight
> >> > >>> of the fact that the displaced Kashmiri Pandits are one, and only
> one
> >> > >>> of the many displaced communities in India.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> Also, it is important to keep in mind that no other displaced
> >> > >>> community in India has had as much attention bestowed upon it as
> have
> >> > >>> displaced Kashmiri Pandits. This does not mean that there should
> be
> >> > >>> less attention given to the genuine and legitimate problems and
> >> > >>> concerns of displaced Kashmiri Pandits, it only means the
> >> > >>> monopolization of the discussion on internal displacement in India
> by
> >> > >>> the monotonous repetition of the woes of displaced Kashmiri
> Pandits
> >> > >>> does a great deal of violence to other communities that have been
> >> > >>> displaced. It also prevents an effective solidarity from within
> >> > >>> internally displaced communities on the question of displacement.
> In
> >> > >>> the long term, this can only be a disaster for the displaced
> Kashmiri
> >> > >>> Pandit community. It is a disaster for which organizations such as
> >> > >>> Panun Kashmir and Roots in Kashmir are responsible, and many
> sensible
> >> > >>> displaced and other Kashmiri Pandits are beginning to see through
> >> > >>> this game today. Hopefully, it is only a matter of time before
> these
> >> > >>> organizations are exposed and isolated from within the displaced
> >> > >>> Kashmiri Pandit communities that they currently hold in their
> >> > >>> stranglehold.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> The current leadership of organizations such as Panun Kashmir and
> >> > >>> Roots in Kashmir, and their representatives on this list and other
> >> > >>> fora have displayed a degree of 'Kashmiri Pandit exceptionalism'
> that
> >> > >>> needs to be seen as deeply insensitive to the plight of all
> >> > >>> internally displaced communities in India, and ultimately damaging
> to
> >> > >>> the constituency that they claim to represent. One would have
> thought
> >> > >>> that the experience of speaking for and on behalf of one displaced
> >> > >>> community (the Kashmiri Pandits) would have sensitized them to the
> >> > >>> predicaments of other communities that share their fate.
> >> > >>> Unfortunately that is not the case, neither organizations such as
> >> > >>> Panun Kashmir and Roots in Kashmir, nor their sympathizers in
> >> > >>> political parties such as the Bharatiya Janata Part and the Shiv
> >> > >>> Sena, nor their partisans in Hindutva outfits such as the
> Rashtriya
> >> > >>> Svayamsevak Sangh, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Bajrang Dal, nor
> >> > >>> indeed the many prominent writers and intellectuals such as Arun
> >> > >>> Shourie, Swapan Dasgupta, Sandhya Jain and others who have
> commented
> >> > >>> on the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits have ever thought it
> >> > >>> necessary to make common cause with other displaced communities.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> This means that as far as most of the above are concerned, the
> plight
> >> > >>> of displaced communities other than Kashmiri Pandits is of no
> >> > >>> consequence. My concern with the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits
> >> > >>> stems from the predicament of their displacement, not because they
> >> > >>> are Kashmiri Pandits. This is what makes it necessary to view
> their
> >> > >>> displacement and abjectness in a way that is connected to the
> >> > >>> displacement and abjection of the many other communities.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> We might consider also, that of all the internally displaced
> >> > >>> communities in India, it is the displaced Kashmiri Pandits who
> have
> >> > >>> had the maximum political leverage extracted for them and on their
> >> > >>> behalf. This 'leverage' ranges from -
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> a) special legislation to protect their rights to property left
> >> > >>> behind by them (J&K Migrants Immovable Property: Preservation,
> >> > >>> Protection and Restraint of Distress Sales Act, 1997)  to a stay
> on
> >> > >>> court cases and civil judicial processes involving displaced
> Kashmiri
> >> > >>> Pandits (J&K Migrants: Stay on Proceedings Act, 1997)
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> to a series of
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> b) administrative measures concerning health, housing, education,
> ex-
> >> > >>> gratia payments, stipends and employment enacted by central as
> well
> >> > >>> as state governments specifically with regard to displaced people
> >> > >>> from Jammu and Kashmir, the overwhelming majority of whom, happen
> to
> >> > >>> be displaced Kashmiri Pandits.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> In fact, the state government of Jammu and Kashmir had in 1997
> >> > >>> constituted an Apex Level Comittee under the chairmanship of the
> >> > >>> Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister to look into all
> aspects
> >> > >>> of the problems of displaced Kashmiri Pandits and suggest
> solutions.
> >> > >>> A sub committee headed by the financial commissioner (planning and
> >> > >>> development) was constituted to prepare a plan for the return of
> >> > >>> migrants. This sub committee finalized an Action Plan for the
> >> > >>> returnand rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants involving a total
> >> > >>> amount of Rs. 2589.3 crores.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> In the interim, many special relief packages have been announced
> from
> >> > >>> time to time from the discretionary funds of the Prime Minister
> for
> >> > >>> the upgradation of assistance to displaced Kashmiri Pandits living
> in
> >> > >>> camps in Jammu and Delhi Even the defence ministry has on occasion
> >> > >>> released funds from its 'Security Related Expenses' (SRE) fund for
> >> > >>> the improvement of camp infrastructure.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> [for details of all of the above, see 'Government Relief to
> Kashmiri
> >> > >>> Pandits and their Rehabilitation' - Annexure 1, pgs 91 - 101, in
> >> > >>> 'Kashmiri Pandits: Problems and Perspectives - A Dialogue for
> Dignity
> >> > >>> - Report  of the Conference on Kashmiri Pandits held at the
> Observer
> >> > >>> Research Foundation, New Delhi, 2003, published by Rupa & Co. in
> >> > >>> association with the Observer Research Foundation, Delhi, 2005]
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> I am not for a moment suggesting that these measures are adequate
> to
> >> > >>> the needs of the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community. What I am
> >> > >>> however acutely mindful of is the fact that no other internally
> >> > >>> displaced community in India has had as much resources spent on
> it,
> >> > >>> as many special measures (legislative and executive) taken on its
> >> > >>> behalf and attracted as much media attention as displaced Kashmiri
> >> > >>> Pandits have had. Compared to the conditions in which other
> >> > >>> internally displaced communities in India live, displaced Kashmiri
> >> > >>> Pandits are in a far more advantageous position. This ought to
> have
> >> > >>> made the most vocal amongst those who claim to be their
> spokepersons
> >> > >>> less aggressive, less narcissistic and more compassionate.
> >> > >>> Unfortunately, that is not the case.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> Let us now turn to seeing exactly what the conditions of other
> >> > >>> internally displaced communities in India are like.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> I am going to quote extensively here from reports and facts
> available
> >> > >>> at the website of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, an
> >> > >>> international rights group that concerns itself with the situation
> of
> >> > >>> internally displaced communities the world over. Specifically, I
> am
> >> > >>> looking at the webpage within this site that concerns internal
> >> > >>> displacement in India.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> see - <www.internal-displacement.org/countries/india>
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> This is an excellent site, and is totally non-partisan. It
> highlights
> >> > >>> the plight of all internally-displaced communities, without biases
> >> > >>> and is a good place to get to know a balanced overall picture of
> >> > >>> internal displacement in India (as well as elsewhere)
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> ON DISPLACEMENT FIGURES
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> "The most common figure for the total number of internally
> displaced
> >> > >>> in India is 600,000. This figure comprises:
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> · at least 250,000 people displaced from Kashmir (government
> figure)
> >> > >>> · 45,000 people who are still displaced along the Indian side of
> the
> >> > >>> Line of Control between India and Pakistan and cannot return
> despite
> >> > >>> the ceasefire
> >> > >>> · 230,000 displaced in Assam due to the conflict between Santhals
> and
> >> > >>> Bodos during the 1990s
> >> > >>> · 31,000 Reang displaced from Mizoram to Tripura
> >> > >>> · 45,000 displaced in the state of Chhattisgarh due to insurgency"
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> (these figures at the moment do not include the large numbers of
> >> > >>> people displaced in the Kandhamal district of Orissa due to the
> anti-
> >> > >>> Christian violence there, of which the site has good reports and
> >> > >>> updates.)
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> The site goes on to say -
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> "These groups reside in camps and are therefore relatively easy to
> >> > >>> identify, but they constitute only part of the picture. The number
> of
> >> > >>> 600,000 does not include thousands of displaced in the
> Karbi-Anglong
> >> > >>> area of Assam and in Manipur where fighting between ethnic groups
> and
> >> > >>> counter-insurgency operations have displaced whole villages during
> >> > >>> the past few years. Many are displaced temporarily and are able to
> >> > >>> return after some weeks or months in displacement while an
> >> > >>> undetermined number are still displaced and receive no assistance.
> In
> >> > >>> Tripura, as many as 100,000-300,000 people of Bengali origin are
> >> > >>> estimated to have been displaced for the same reasons during the
> past
> >> > >>> decade, but no information exists about the return or continued
> >> > >>> displacement of this group (AHRC, January 2007, "Tripura"). In the
> >> > >>> state of Chhattisgarh, it is assumed that thousands have escaped
> the
> >> > >>> conflict between the authorities and Maoist groups by crossing
> over
> >> > >>> to neighbouring states, and they too are not part of the
> statistics.
> >> > >>> Nor does the figure take in the flight of migrant workers, as for
> >> > >>> example in Assam in January 2007 when Biharis were forced to leave
> in
> >> > >>> a matter of days due to threats and killings by local insurgents.
> The
> >> > >>> current estimate should therefore be seen as representing the camp
> >> > >>> population only and not those internally displaced who largely
> live
> >> > >>> unassisted with friends or relatives, or blend with other slum
> >> > >>> residents on the outskirts of the urban areas.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> It is therefore fair to assume that the total number of displaced
> is
> >> > >>> far higher than the figure of 600,000, although it is not possible
> to
> >> > >>> give a global estimate."
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> ON RELIEF CAMPS
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> "The relief camps for internally displaced in the North-East are
> >> > >>> reportedly in a deplorable condition. Camps for the displaced
> across
> >> > >>> the region are said to lack adequate shelter, food, health care,
> >> > >>> education and protection. This pattern has been confirmed by
> earlier
> >> > >>> reports which have documented that displaced throughout the North-
> >> > >>> East face severe hardship. Many of them live in public buildings
> and
> >> > >>> makeshift shelters, with little health care and no access to
> formal
> >> > >>> education (SAHRDC, March 2001). Both in Assam and in Tripura,
> acute
> >> > >>> food shortages and lack of health care leave internally displaced
> in
> >> > >>> acute hardship (MCRG, December 2006; AHRC, January 2007, p.136).
> The
> >> > >>> state governments say they have no money to provide relief to the
> >> > >>> displaced population and that they depend on support from the
> central
> >> > >>> government. Furthermore, thousands of those displaced by local
> >> > >>> insurgent groups in the state are reported to have received no
> relief
> >> > >>> at all, and are camping alongside roads in makeshift houses seven
> >> > >>> years after having been displaced (Deccan Herald, 22 May 2005). In
> >> > >>> Assam, it has been documented that the relief camps in the region
> are
> >> > >>> a major recruitment ground for trafficking of women to other
> places
> >> > >>> in India (BBC, 10 April 2007; IRIN, 17 May 2006).
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> The same situation is reported from other relief camps for
> internally
> >> > >>> displaced in India. In Chhattisgarh, several reports have
> documented
> >> > >>> that the relief camps offer neither adequate assistance, nor
> >> > >>> protection to the internally displaced. In Gujarat, there are
> reports
> >> > >>> of immense trauma among children and women who witnessed
> atrocities
> >> > >>> or were victims of the 2002 riots (IIJ, December 2003, pp.64, 67;
> >> > >>> HRW, July 2003). Also, the displaced Muslim population faces acute
> >> > >>> poverty as their livelihoods were largely destroyed during the
> riots.
> >> > >>> Continued discrimination has left most of them unemployed, with
> >> > >>> female-headed households being particularly vulnerable. The relief
> >> > >>> camps have inadequate basic amenities such as potable water,
> sanitary
> >> > >>> facilities, schools and primary healthcare centres (AHRC, 10
> January
> >> > >>> 2007, pp. 19-20; Bisht, 16 January 2007; AI, January 2005, 7.6.c;
> >> > >>> IIJ, December 2003). "
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> ON INDIAN GOVERNMENTS POLICIES REGARDING IDPs
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> "The Indian government has repeatedly expressed reservations in
> >> > >>> international fora about the UN Guiding Principles on Internal
> >> > >>> Displacement, which it sees as infringing its national
> sovereignty.
> >> > >>> India has no national IDP policy targeting conflict-induced IDPs,
> and
> >> > >>> the responsibility for IDP assistance and protection is frequently
> >> > >>> delegated to the state governments. Furthermore, although it is
> well
> >> > >>> documented that Indian military, paramilitary and police forces
> have
> >> > >>> engaged in serious human rights abuses in conflict zones, there
> have
> >> > >>> been no attempts at transparent investigations or prosecutions of
> >> > >>> those responsible (HRW, 12 September, 2006)."
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> ON AD HOC AND DISCRIMINATORY TREATMENT REGARDING DIFFERENT IDP
> >> > >>> POPULATIONS
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> "Although the Indian government provides support to
> conflict-affected
> >> > >>> populations, such assistance is mostly ad hoc and does not
> correspond
> >> > >>> to the needs of the displaced. State governments are assigned the
> >> > >>> main responsibility to assist and rehabilitate the displaced, but
> >> > >>> practices vary significantly from state to state (Nath, January
> 2005,
> >> > >>> p.68).
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> The Indian government has been accused of discriminatory treatment
> of
> >> > >>> internally displaced because the displaced Kashmiri Pandit
> population
> >> > >>> overall receives much more support than displaced communities
> >> > >>> elsewhere in the country (NNHR, 19 February 2007)."
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> The Indian government has been accused of failing to adhere to the
> UN
> >> > >>> Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and other
> international
> >> > >>> human rights standards in its response to displacement in Kashmir
> and
> >> > >>> Gujarat (AI, January 2005; HRW July 2003, p.38; ORF, September
> 2003).
> >> > >>> One survey conducted among different displaced communities in
> India
> >> > >>> reveals that over 55 per cent of the internally displaced do not
> >> > >>> receive any support at all and only 13 per cent receive any
> >> > >>> assistance from the authorities. The report also reveals that more
> >> > >>> than 70 percent of the surveyed population believe that return
> will
> >> > >>> be impossible, a fact that underlines the need for the government
> to
> >> > >>> work out sustainable solutions (MCRG, December 2006, p. 16). In
> >> > >>> Gujarat, human rights organisations blame local authorities as
> well
> >> > >>> as the state government for failing to address the needs of the
> >> > >>> displaced altogether, despite promises made by the government with
> >> > >>> regard to rehabilitation (IIJ, December 2003; HRW, July 2003).
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT DUE TO DEVELOPMENT
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> "Available reports indicate that more than 21 million people are
> >> > >>> internally displaced due to development projects in India.
> Although
> >> > >>> the tribal population only make up eight percent of the total
> >> > >>> population, more than 50 per cent of the development induced
> >> > >>> displaced are tribal peoples – in India also known as Scheduled
> >> > >>> Tribes or Adivasis (HRW, January 2006). Ongoing research indicate
> >> > >>> that between 1945-2000 the number of displaced who did not receive
> >> > >>> rehabilitation could be as high as 50-60 million people."
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> Clearly, all of the above indicates that the problem of displaced
> >> > >>> Kashmiri Pandits in India needs to be seen within a larger
> >> > >>> perspective. And when we take that perspective into account we
> >> > >>> realize that displaced Kashmiri Pandits constitute what might be
> >> > >>> called the 'creamy layer' (by virtue of the disproportionate
> amount
> >> > >>> of resources and attention that they obtain) of the overall
> situation
> >> > >>> of internal displacement in India.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> Finally, a brief note on the extinction of cultures and human
> >> > >>> populations, a question that has been raised by Kshmendra Kaul in
> one
> >> > >>> of his recent postings. I fully agree with Kshmendra, we need to
> pay
> >> > >>> careful attention to the problem of cultural extinction. But even
> >> > >>> from that point of view, the situation of
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> According to census figures, Kashmiri Pandits constituted 15 % of
> the
> >> > >>> Valley's population in 1941. This came down to 5 % by 1981 and 0.1
> %
> >> > >>> by around 2003. While a significant proportion of the decrease of
> 4.9
> >> > >>> % (registered between 1981 and today) can be attributable to the
> >> > >>> political conditions pertaining since 1989-90 (the years that
> Pandits
> >> > >>> say there were targetted and forced to leave), to what can we
> >> > >>> attribute the 10 % decline (from 15 % to 5 %) in the Kashmiri
> Pandit
> >> > >>> population in the Kashmir valley between 1941 and 1981?
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> In those forty years, India's writ ran unchallenged in the part of
> >> > >>> Kashmir held by India,  and the Kashmiri Pandit elite was very
> much
> >> > >>> part of the governing equation, both in the Kashmir valley, as
> well
> >> > >>> as in India. Clearly, a significant section from within the
> Kashmiri
> >> > >>> Pandit population (which was highly educated and considerably
> >> > >>> affluent) did not, in those forty years care as much for the
> >> > >>> retention of its cultural ethos in the Kashmir valley as much as
> it
> >> > >>> did for the betterment of the material prospects of members of the
> >> > >>> Kashmiri Pandit community in metropolitan India and elsewhere.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> In other words, while I totally agree with Kshmendra that we are
> all
> >> > >>> diminished when a community as culturally and intellectually
> vibrant
> >> > >>> as the Kashmiri Pandits find themselves virtually effaced from
> their
> >> > >>> homeland, I do at the same time think that this condition requires
> >> > >>> Kashmiri Pandits today to do some soul searching as to why they
> were
> >> > >>> so eager to abandon the Kashmir valley in the years between 1947
> and
> >> > >>> 1989. Had they stayed on, or retained an interest in the way in
> which
> >> > >>> the valley was systematically misgoverned, under the aegis of the
> >> > >>> Indian occupation, then perhaps conditions might indeed have been
> >> > >>> different. '
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> I still think that there is hope, no sensible person in Kashmir
> (no
> >> > >>> matter what their politics or affiliation)  for a single moment
> >> > >>> refuses to recognize that Kashmiri Pandits are part of the
> cultural
> >> > >>> mosaic of Kashmir. In countless conversations that I have had my
> with
> >> > >>> who stay in Kashmir, I have heard people state that they yearn for
> >> > >>> the return of all displaced Kashmiri Pandits because Kashmir feels
> >> > >>> incomplete without them. Perhaps a new generation of displaced and
> >> > >>> other Kashmiri Pandits will reciprocate (over the heads of Panun
> >> > >>> Kashmir and Roots in Kashmir) and re-engage with what is going on
> in
> >> > >>> Kashmir in a spirit of solidarity. For this to happen, there needs
> to
> >> > >>> be a recognition of the difficulties that everyone in Kashmir has
> >> > >>> faced in the last sixty odd years, and a reversal of the cultural,
> >> > >>> political and demographic abandonment of Kashmir by a section of
> the
> >> > >>> Kashmiri Pandit elite that began, not in 1989, but much earlier.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> I hope that this helps us clarify the terms on which the
> discussion
> >> > >>> on internal displacement, and the internally displaced Kashmiri
> >> > >>> Pandits, and the politics of perpetual victimhood can ensure, and
> I
> >> > >>> hope that the exploitation of a vulgar quantification of pain and
> >> > >>> oppression, which I personally find deeply distasteful, may cease
> on
> >> > >>> this list. We do not need to prove to each other how much worse
> off
> >> > >>> we are in our individual capacities in order to develop an
> argument
> >> > >>> against oppression.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> regards,
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> Shuddha
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> _________________________________________
> >> > >>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
> >> > >>> Critiques & Collaborations
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> >> > >>> subscribe in the subject header.
> >> > >>> To unsubscribe:
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> >> > >> _________________________________________
> >> > >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
> >> > >> Critiques & Collaborations
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> >> > >> subscribe in the subject header.
> >> > >> To unsubscribe:
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> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > > --
> >> > >
> >> > > http://indersalim.livejournal.com
> >> > > _________________________________________
> >> > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
> >> > > Critiques & Collaborations
> >> > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
> >> > > subscribe in the subject header.
> >> > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
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> >> >
> >> > _________________________________________
> >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
> >> > Critiques & Collaborations
> >> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
> >> > subscribe in the subject header.
> >> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
> >> > List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>
> >> _________________________________________
> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
> >> Critiques & Collaborations
> >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
> >> subscribe in the subject header.
> >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
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> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Aditya Raj Kaul
> >
> > Freelance Correspondent, The Times of India
> > Cell - +91-9873297834
> >
> > Campaign Blog: http://kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com/
> > Personal Blog: http://activistsdiary.blogspot.com/
> > _________________________________________
> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
> > Critiques & Collaborations
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> subscribe in the subject header.
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>