By : Malik Mehraj Khalid
Scraping of Article 370 / 35A for Indian state will not solve anything for RSS, BJP & other right wing Hindu organizations other than poor illiterate vote bank. It will be all time biggest failure of Indian state. Poor ignorant Indian right wing Hindus & Kashmiri innocent Muslims should not be happy & sad respectively for these future unreal settlements. Let’s analyze this threat created by some politicians on both sides with the help of paid media. Let’s take an example of valley Kashmir.
- Approximate Total present Kashmir Population = 8000000
- Approximate Kashmiri Muslim (KM) Population = 7750000
- Approximate Kashmiri Hindu (KH) Population = 250000
- Approximate increase of Indian Muslim (IM) population
@15% X 8000000 after Scraping of Article 370/35A = 1200000
IH = Indian Hindus, KH = Kashmiri Hindus, IM = Indian Muslims, KM = Kashmiri Muslims
IH + KH = IM + KM
IH = (IM + KM) – KH = (1200000+7750000) – 250000 = 8950,000 – 250000, IH = 8700000
So, these right wing Hindu groups need to transport 8700000 Indian Hindus to make it 50% VS 50% or 1:1 ratio here. And the total population only for Kashmir will shoot up to = 7750000 (KM) + 1200000 (IM) + 250000 (KH) + 8700000 (IH) = 17900000. Which will be more than double (100%) increase. For this extra population you need minimum 1980000 (9900000/5) housing units if calculated one housing unit@5 members/family. Thousand of new Schools, Shops, Masjids, Temples. Hundreds of new Colleges, Playgrounds, Diary Farms, Hospitals, Industries, Graveyards, Cremation Grounds, Gavshalas, Roads & Parking. Dozens of new Universities, Public Parks, Cinemas, Towns/Cities & Roads & other many new Government/Private offices & facilities. The expenditure only to construct housing units will be minimum 500 Billion US dollars {(1980000X20000000)/70 = 514.30 Billion Dollars ~ 500 Billion Dollars}, if calculated@2cr/housing unit . The prices will shoot up & because of Seismic Zone – V and other local mandatory Building Bye-Laws will not also allow our cities & towns to grow vertically. For a country like India. It will take minimum 50 to 60 years to complete this size of mega project. Imagine the price changes of Manpower, Machinery, Material, Land Prices & Population Increase another couple of millions in this period. It’s like to build another small country. This is another story, if currently you need a piece of land with cash in hand available for to construct a new house in Srinagar or any other city/town in valley you will have to try your luck for minimum two months. Also, no one sells here the properties as per the government fixed rates. Currently, very little to no land is available. Due to the non availability of land for the construction of houses & for kitchen garden type things, in most of the cases even current subjects have illegally occupied the forest and other government lands. Impossible to encroach now the left over forest / government lands recorded in digital formats now. Also, Kashmiri Muslims in majority will prefer to sell properties to Indian Muslims only. And Muslims living in mainland India are the victims of targeted violence by Hindu mobs will love to settle in Valley. Very challenging to impossible task for any Town planner / Engineer or Architect to accommodate these new 10 million emigrants next to the original inhabitants with no land available, having almost nothing in common and to carry out the demographical calculations for the right wing Hindu forces. To destroy all & rebuild all is possible only on TV channel debates & on desktop screens. All existing facilities like drinking water, electricity, roads, medical & other facilities will collapse. The total project cost (building of housing units + other facilities) will be approximately 1 Trillion US Dollars (Jammu & Ladakh project cost not included). The Government of India’s biggest project till date is Bharatmala Pariyojana highway project with 74 billion US Dollars as initial project cost. The project is of top priority & most advertised one by the present government backed by right wing hindu groups hit by many delays due to the shortage of funds.
In the recorded history only Kashmiri Muslims & Kashmiri Pandits who share genetic relationship and minute percentage of Muslim Pathans & Hindu Khatris survived by passed the very hard & harsh physical tests of adaptation and acclimatization. Outflow is more than inflow. We can quote big names like Dr. Sir Sheikh Mohammad Iqbal, Pandit Jawarlal Nehru & Mian Nawaz Shareef who were/are descendents of common Kashmiri ancestry. But we can hardly find any big names who settled here from other areas. Almost no one like Pathans, Mugals & Sikhs/Britishers, who rule this place settled here. Thousands of both Kashmiri Muslims & Kashmiri Hindu families own houses/properties in Jammu. But Jammu Hindus & Jammu Muslims own nothing here in Kashmir. Even rich Kashmiri Pandits who don’t need any government support to settle in Kashmir are not turning back to their original places/roots. Only Kashmiri hindus, who can’t compete in open competition are taking jobs & other free perks in an easy & competition less government sponsored schemes meant only for Kashmiri hindu community. Not even a single Kashmiri hindu student or government school teacher stays here in winters in winter school vacations. Thousands of Jammu hindus working here in Summer capital for six months as Darbar employees never purchase properties in valley. While as around 80% Kashmiri Muslims working in winter capital Jammu as Darbar employees are purchasing the properties in Jammu. Moreover, Kashmiri Hindus & Kashmiri Muslims living together in harmony from centuries side by side in valley villages, towns and cities are more comfortable with one another than to live with Indian Hindus & Indian Muslims. Increase of Indian Hindu & Indian Muslim population will damage more to the age old practices of Kashmiri Hinduism, which is altogether very very different in its type & shape. The Kashmiri Hindus and Jammu Hindus living together this time in Jammu have multiple problems / issues with each other. Indian Brahmans will never be ready to immigrate to Kashmir in the name of nationalism. They are not even ready to serve Indian security forces. It can be either from low caste Hindus or Sikhs. Valley high caste Racist Hindus & Sikhs will not accept Untouchable Dalits and other low caste Hindus. More local law & order problems means more money needed from GOI. Kashmiri Hindus and Kashmiri Muslims can adjust with each other and will live side by side peacefully. But conflicts will surely erupt with other Hindu lot. Because Cultures & Religious beliefs are so different. For example, one party is eating the flesh of cows & bulls. The other party drinks its urine and treats her/him as her/his own mother & father respectively. For one party pigs and dogs are the dirtiest creatures and other party easily eat their flesh. Maximum problems will be for Jammu. Ladakh and Kashmir won’t get affected too much. Jammu had already emigrants like Kashmiri Hindus, Kashmiri Muslims, Ladakhi Muslims and Buddhists, Chenab Valley people & West Pakistani Hindus. When these laws to own properties for only JK residents will go. Jammu will get maximum inflow from mainland India because of many favorable conditions like weather, beliefs & faiths, festivals, culture and even languages. Many emigrants will love to settle in Jammu and will easily takeover the businesses of the local people. Most of the Jammu people will become landless laborers in their own lands. Hardly any Kashmiri Muslim will become landless. Even, people who can afford to sell some part of their excess property can purchase 20 times more properties in volume & area against what they will sell / loose here. Which will give them better revenue and a peaceful & comfortable living in inside or outside India. Kashmir is not good for almost any type of businesses. For example, Agricultural land cost at Kashmir is in some cases 200 times more than Indian Agricultural land cost. The main agricultural produce at single crop/year with less than half production & with three to four times more expensive labour in comparison to Indian Agriculture. Why anyone who wants to spend few good weeks here and to taste / enjoy the good weather of valley will spend millions on the construction of a house and its maintenance charges for another eleven months and similarly why should anyone invest@more here for less returns. Why Ambanis & other Bigshots will Prefer only Kashmir than the properties in Canada, America, Europe, Switzerland and when even whole Islands are available worldwide in the open market for sale. Indian middle class who can own@2 crore rupees house here can purchase two to three houses in Canada, Australia and in many other better places. Kashmir was once heaven for King families & Westerners and that too for three to four months only. Hardly 10% valley beauty & serenity left today, what it was century before. People who will migrate from mainland India will have to face Harsh winters, Safety & Security challenges, frequent Earthquakes, Snow Storms, Avalachis & Floods, Border Tensions, Riots, very Expensive Living, Little to no Entertainment. Nearly impossible for poor people/slums to settle here as people can’t stay here outdoors like Delhi, Mumbai & other Indian states. These land protection laws are also not in place in many beautiful, peaceful and prosprous areas like Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, some foot hills of Himalyas & other many beautiful North Indian Areas. Why people don’t purchase land / properties in these places and not mass migrate to these areas. Increase in population density will vanish the glaciers, which feed our rivers will lead too many downstream problems in plains. And if population will get doubled valley won’t remain heaven anymore. It will become like Bihar & Rajasthan. Imagine the problems of Air pollution / drinking water quality levels and many other environmental issues. International issues will also crop up for India. Even, its doubtful that Chinese will allow any type of construction / aggression on It’s volatile and peaceful Ladakh borders. Even minuscule percentage of valley Muslims who share good equation this time with Indian state will join back to their own people. If somehow GOI will be succeeded to bring this impossible majority of Indian Hindus to Kashmir. It’s not like government land on auction will be sold to only one particular group and also to get permanent resident PR certificates will have to pass certain tests & time limits. Will UN & International community accept the votes of original subjects only or also the votes of these fake settlers brought by right wing Hindu groups will be a big question mark.
There is hardly any comparison which many ignorant Indian Hindus & Kashmiri Muslims draw about this imaginary mass migration with 70 year earlier Jewish settlements in Arab lands. Some thousands not millions of German, Polish & other Jewish Holocaust & genocide survivors, who were having nothing to lose like families & properties were brought immediately after the world war II, from Nazi run death camps to Arab lands of Phalistine with the backings of world’s top economies, military powers and in agreement with the host country sharing borders with powerless neighbors. Here the story is very much different like no backings from anyone even Muslim world can easily afford to cut the ties with India, India itself not a big economic & military power & most important China+Pakistan are not its powerless neighbours. Another threat these Hindu right wing groups spread is that their governments are planning to settle ex-servicemen in valley. How many ex-servicemen are there in India and how many will/can leave their families/friends/kiths and kins & to sacrifice the good education, culture, festivals, facilities like cinemas, bars, religious faiths, languages for their families etc. And will their family members agree to leave everything behind and to settle in walled compounds. And in this project Government of India will have to be 100% on it’s own. Has to procure, purchase & construct the housing units & facilities from government reserves, which remain most of the time empty.
Can a country which has no money to feed 40% of its population and have no toilets for most of it’s population, afford the investment & running cost of this land locked area, not having even anything like big natural reserves buried beneath or on the surface. How can a Country who crave for the two meals, basic healthcare, sanitary and education like facilities will think to spend in an anger against a particular faith the future of millions of poor taxpayers. Double population means double trouble like double security challenges & double security budget. Despite both India and Pakistan have poor economic, political and social indicators of development, the graph of the planned violence / military spending is increasing year after year and a comfortable living of helpless taxpayer citizens of India & Pakistan is a distant dream. Because the priorities of these countries are to sign the Rafale and F16 fighter jet deals. All US, RUSSIA, CHINA, Europe and others are the direct beneficiaries of this mindless conflict of these two poor countries. When century before Britshers, didn’t like to rule Kashmir. Why these Pakistani and Indian governments are interested to rule these mountains and glaciers. India is spending 10% or more of it’s budget on less than 1% of it’s population (J&K Population) and in return no one in Kashmir is happy with india. On the other side, Pakistan is also having 90% of it’s problems, only because of this Kashmir conflict. There are only losses, losses and only losses for both these third world countries. We are now a “Single global Community” and are connected locally and globally with everyone through advanced technologies / seamless information transfer. So, no good things and violations can remain hidden from anyone.
The only good thing for the original state subjects about this Article 370 / 35A is that no any Indian hostile government against Kashmiri Muslims can ever afford to delete this Article from the Indian Constitution. Neither Judiciary nor the resources in hand will allow the enemies of peace to steal the properties and peace from helpless Kashmiris. So, no sleepless nights for Jammu & Kashmir state subjects & also no day dreaming for non state subjects to settle in Kashmir…it’s Next to impossible…Non state subjects can visit Kashmir as a tourist for any number of months & years. Kashmiris are worlds best hosts. Women folks from mainland India or from any other places can search matrimonial sites for Kashmiri husbands & live with them like queens after marriages. This is the only viable practical way to settle forever in Kashmir valley.
Malik Mehraj Khalid is B.E Civil – R.E.C Srinagar. For Feedback the Author can be emailed at ermmk@yahoo.co.uk.
(The views expressed above are the author’s own. Kashmir Patriot is not responsible for the same.)
