Ms I S Qazi

Madam Mehbooba Mufti, what gap you want to fill up between Jammu and Valley? What you mean by Jammu? Do you mean by Jammu the erstwhile Jammu District having an area of 3097 sq kms with a population of more than 16 lakh, at present, out of it more than half of which are refugees from West-Pakistan and non-state subjects from adjoining Punjab and other parts of India, majority of whom have obtained state subject certificates by fraudulent means.

If you mean by Jammu, the entire Administrative Division having 10 geographically distinct Administrative Units called Districts, than the appropriate term to be used is to remove the hostile discriminatory treatment meted out by successive Rulers from Jammu and Srinagar Cities with the backward Hilly areas of Jammu province, particularly with the distinct geographical regions of Chenab Valley and Pir Panchal having five districts units.

The so-called Kashmir experts who say that the problem of Jammu and Kashmir is complicated, perhaps, it appears that they are ignorant about the geographical regions and composition of the J&K State and are in fact twisting the issue under the guise of complications by looking at the problem from the angle of majority population of Kandi region consisting of plains of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, part of erstwhile Udhampur District and in addition Leh districts.

From your statements it appears that you are ignorant about the composition of State and its history and so are the other self-styled politicians from Kashmir, in fact, whose role as collaborators of Delhi leaders have acted as robbers, who have helped the rulers from Delhi to rob the State of its Autonomous Status, thus complicated the Kashmir issue.

Geographically the Jammu and Kashmir consists of four Natural regions i.e. (1) plain Kandi belt consists of plains bordering the Punjab and broken masses of foothills and comprised of whole of erstwhile District of Jammu, plain area of Udhampur and Kathua District; (2) outer Hill Region which is mountainous region. It  comprises of erstwhile District Doda including Gool Gulab Garh (Chenab Valley) and Districts of Poonch and Rajouri ( Pir Panchal ) and hilly areas of District of Udhampur & Kathua; (3) Jhelum valley comprised of whole of Kashmir valley; and (4) Tibetan and semi-Tibetan Tract or Indus Valley Region comprises Gilgit, Ladakh, (Leh and Kargil District) etc.

At present, the State of Jammu and Kashmir has about 22 Districts which have been recommended by Justice Sikri Commission as development units, and out of these 22 districts the Muslims are in majority in 17 Districts.

These two regions i.e. Pirpanchal and Chenab Valleys with Muslims majority have been neglected in every field whether it is economical developmental and  appointment to Civil Services, Judicial Services, opening of Professional, Technical Educational Institutions and admission to Technical and Professional Colleges, appointment of high court and subordinate court Judges and Housing of State and Divisional level offices.

The entire fault of this discrimination is the misconception of treating administrative provinces as region, by Srinagar and Jammu-based politicians, and by those so-called intellectuals and social activist who have no knowledge of J&K State composition, its area, Geography and Demography, and diverse cultures.

In fact, the Pirpanchal and Chenab Valley regions have been mortgaged by Srinagar based politicians to the leaders of Jammu in order to continue plunder of the resources of these Regions in Collaboration with their collaborator operating from these regions as well as from Jammu.

The Muslims of Jammu Province are the most affected by this discrimination because of myth about geographical regions.

The uniform policy of development and equal distribution of State resources are required to be followed for ensuring socialist pattern of development in the State without discrimination. That will be called Healing Touch.

(The author is an advocate from Mohalla Faridia, Kishtwar)

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