Commemorating Black Day in Kashmir, Silent Agony

If I die in exile, think of me…there is a corner… out there in Kashmir…where my soul sill comes to rest.

History is mother of all social sciences. In short, the knowledge of history is made of billions of strands woven together of human achievements, suffering, economic prosperity and downfalls. It is a catalogue of political rise and fall of various regimes, detailed accounts of various wars and pacts of alliances. It is also a reflection of rejoicing or triumphant moments of happiness and tragic episodes since ages. In the chain of events, the sacrifices made by the 22 Kashmiri Muslim on July 13, 1931 proved a turning points in the annals of major historic developments that subsequently erupted like a volcano of pent up public anger. The wounds, it inflicted still bleed and are posing critical risks to the regional and world peace, even after the passage of 77 years. The pulse and pain of the bygone days still haunts Kashmiris’ spirit, when this black day is commemorated with the same zeal to pay homage to their heroes. Special editions, published by the Newspapers and magazines, full of memoirs about martyrs’ sacrifices hold the torch of valiant deeds to inspire every youth of the Kashmir Valley.

Good old days in Kashmir or a blissful aura during the Muslim rule in India has left its indelible imprints on the Kashmiris’ reminiscence – a glory of most fascinating tradition of complete harmony during Muslim and Sikh rules. As the time passed, the insurrection and rebellious movements sowed the seeds of communal sentiments. The silence of Muslim majority reeling under the economic dominance of Maharaja Hari Singh, forced them to remain subjugated and yoked with indignation. They perhaps had no other choice except to bear this silent agony due to multitude of other factors e.g. trauma of over-whelming British rule, lack of unity among various factions, leadership dilemma, culture of intrigues, complexity of relationship among various ethnic and religious entities, double standard of the ruling elites and certain religious bodies like Ahmadis, sheer poverty, impending fear of unknown and mist of skepticism that helped the rulers to keep their subjects firmly under their thumbs.

During this most ordeal moment, Muslims bore this silent insult, with patience; not knowing what all conspiracies are being hatched. Their sixth sense, a virtue of Almighty Allah transcended, what all was being conspired against them. A stage reached, when trouble mongers and power hungry oligarchs set on fire Kashmir, every now and then with dubious motives. The recent jargons of track II or back channel diplomacy, plans of creating soft borders, placing Kashmir under the UN trusteeship and of finding some amicable solution, prescribed by the United Nations during 1948, through plebiscite are nothing but to betray the Kashmiris, or dupe the people of Pakistan. This is the jugglery of political spin-doctors, to steal the show of freedom movement under one pretext or the other to set the regional peace in tail spin once again. .

The tides of events, narrated above, took a strange turn when on 19 April 1931, Choudhri Ram Chand banned the Eid and Juma Prayers’ congregational address in Jammu. Later on, Dogra troops indulged in the desecration of the Holy Qur’an. In Srinagar, people demonstrated against growing tendency of blasphemy practices and demanded appropriate action against the culprits. To register their feeling against the ongoing government policies, a public meeting was organized in Khankah-e-Mo’ullah in Srinager. During its proceeding one Qadir Khan – a cook/ servant employed by one of the ruling families, pointed toward Maharaj’a official residence and angrily shouted with full throat to crush every brick of his palace. He was arrested, charged under the sedition act and locked up in the Central Jail of Srinager. On July 13, 1931, around 5000 people thronged to the Central Jail to watch the court trial, which were arranged there, in view of impending threat of Muslim attack on the court premises. On the orders of Dogra Governor, police contingents opened indiscriminate fire that resulted into the martyrdom of 22 Kashmirs, while dozens of other sustained injuries. Carrying the coffins of the dead and the injured, angry protestors paraded through the highways and streets of Srinagar, chanting slogans against the Hindu Dogra misrule. This tragic episode precipitated into `Quit India Movement’.

Muslim martyrs of Kashmir laid the foundation of freedom movement to make the independence of India a reality with their own blood. It is significant to mention that Indian media campaign against Pakistan, over the change of heart of Kashmiris is in fact an attempt to turn public sentiments against our leaders by creating disillusionment among youth, by harping on the theme, such as dichotomy of words and deeds of our rulers – which in reality is a product of different anomalies, lack of confidence, double speaks or standards of have and haves-not, poor governance, prevailing injustice and total hotchpotch created out of selfish and eccentric outlooks, due to capitalist bent of mind of decaying social values. The side of story being painted by the Indian intellectuals, in reality, paints far more agonizing picture in India than Pakistan. But the young readers are shown only one side of the picture for their brain-washing and radicalization. It is like a drop of rain gushing into the streams to join the furious flood to create havoc with all its fury and devastation. It is time for our media managers to highlight the inner dynamics of Indian society to dispel negative bearing of Indian blame game and keep the valley freedom movement in its true perspectives.

By Ibn-e-Rehmat