‘We all have a stake in Jammu & Kashmir’

Pic/PTI

The fires still burn in Jammu. Fires from the funeral pyres of those who lost their loved ones, killed by Pakistani terrorists in uniform. The silence cannot be filled because there is little to say that will be of any comfort to families who have lost a loved one in the recent drone/missile attacks by Pakistan. Places on the border like Poonch, right up to Kathua, have seen unprovoked shelling on residences, commercial establishments, temples, and Satsang Ghars.

The international community must understand that Bharat is fighting two kinds of enemies: those in uniform and those in civilian clothing who have infiltrated this space. A teenage brother-sister duo was killed in shelling while travelling in a bus.

The villages in Manjakot, Rajouri, which are predominantly Hindu, were targetted. There is a ray of hope as the Indian defence forces have given an answer of a huge magnitude.

The inevitable questions come with this ceasefire. People are asking whether Pakistan will stick to the ceasefire. They are also asking whether the Kashmir region will see the return of Hindu Pandits who were forced to flee. Something that was looking like a possibility until Pahalgam. I am telling the Hindus to come back. We are reclaiming legally and socially lands that had been left behind while fleeing or taken over through illegal encroachment. We are legally reclaiming illegally sold Hindu migrant property.

There are still some who find reasons to justify such terror attacks. Kashmir does not belong to them only.

The development in Kashmir has come through taxes that people like you, Mumbaikars and all else pay; in that way, you too have a stake here. The government must declare all those locations where soldiers have died in the line of duty or tourists sacrificed their lives as Tirth Sthal.

It will not be challenging getting the tourists back here, but I urge all to look at hotel room tariffs in Kashmir even before the Pahalgam attack. Tourists were heavily overcharged for hotel rooms and other tourist facilities.

The Muslim diaspora of Kashmir must come forward to encourage people from other parts of India to open businesses/shops in Kashmir, just like Kashmiris can do anywhere in Bharat. We need to create a reciprocal, conducive environment, especially in Kashmir.

There are instances where elected political representatives from Kashmir have exposed themselves, terming tourists as ‘cultural invaders', some elected representatives questioning the issuance of domicile certificates, and the Pakistani army chief openly advocating his hatred for Hindus in a similar timeline. The stoic silence on it from the Chief Minister of J&K, Omar Abdullah, and his National Conference party colleagues is deafening.

In the end, it is about bringing all into this beleaguered but beautiful land we call home, one that sings the song of our soul.

As told to Hemal Ashar

The columnist is chairman of Tourism Federation of Jammu, member of J&K Economic Growth & Development Dialogue Board and VHP President of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh