DELIMITATION ISSUE IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR IS TALK OF THE TON

 M. Iqbal Shawl, Rajouri

Before the celebrations of the Eid could bring warmth together with charms amongst the people of the state, the issue of Delimitation took the lead and occupied the front place in the social domains and engaged a majority of the thinking human minds to wrestle hard and squeeze out what is of value. Whatever is the outcome of this brain wrenching , the issue deserved to be brought to the people’s domain for the release of pent up emotions and arguments, in response to the frigid social concerns of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir , like other states of the country, is a living , growing demography , inviting all measures , opportunities and skills for designing , planning and then redesigning the approaches and means adopted for its forward journey on the route of progress with the passage of time and under the heat of the circumstances and aspirations.

The trouble torn state has witnessed a long period of deprivations( in rights ) , dejections ( in youth) and imbalances ( in political representations) since a remote past.

There is no denying the fact that its compact structure got loosened and fractured to become different demographies on the basis of treatment meeted out to the people of different communities, areas, ethnicities from time to time suiting to the politucal ambitions of those put on the saddle by the people themselves.

There are the loose joints and deep cracks , more than one in the entire structure speaking aloud of the evil intents .
Delimitation being one among them having currently boiled out of pan to fall in the public’s plate.

There is a strong support to the idea of Delimitation on one account and its bitter and tooth and nail opposition on the other account, reasons and arguments. Only a judicious , unfearing mind can and must come out to speak on it.

The point of rift, between the rival ideologies on DELIMITATION , is the shift of power centre in case the DELIMITATION takes place making Jammu stronger than Kashmir or the continuance of the conventional power centre if it does not, keeping Kashmir stronger than Jammu .

The facts and realities , if analysed through the scale of justice have enough to reveal , contrary to what is being held and advocated.

The fragmented demographics of the state do not consist of Kashmir , Jammu and Ladakh but two vital unignorable regions of Pirpanjal and chinab regions too, apart from them .

The political history of the state, for any study through a political analyst , shall reveal that these two important regions have always paid their price to supply blood to the entangled Kashmir and Jammu regions. Ladakh being a love for both of them.

Pirpanjal has suffered the incessant shocks of three wars, continued shelling day in and day out, a long bout of militancy and a torn geography with shattered educational system , economic devastation besides huge loss of men and material as a result of partition , the effects of which continue to shiver its denizens till date.

There is a hard fact related to it . Every support or concession that was obtained from Delhi in the name of reconstruction of the ruins of partition or making up the losses of the ailing , wanting humanity in the region were confined to Kashmir or a few trickled down to Jammu as a result of the struggle of Jammu leadership , which knows the art .

All universities , instead of getting place in Pirpanjal ( whose educational network tarnished after partition) got their settling places either in Srinagar or in Jammu, getting distributed between the two contesting power centres. Similarly, health , economics, culture, tourism , jobs, rehabilitation, industries, all centred themselves at two places of the vast geography of the state.

Not only this, Pirpanjal region was never considered an eligible demography for political representation. No strong voice to cry for its rights was allowed a berth in successive cabinets. This was not something unintentional or for the reasons that the region lacked the men of quality but purely aiming at keeping the region away from the decision making coteries so that the cries of the people could not reach to the world of reason and justice.

Who is to be blamed? Naturally those who steered the power centre over that long a period.

Every One knows that it was Kashmir politics that dominated the state nearly over a century .

If the Kashmir politics had been judicious and all caring, Pirpanjal would have had as many as twelve assembly constituencies on the basis of the vote numericals. . This would have strengthened the people of the region and pulled the region out from the present quagmire .

Coming to the representation in parliament, both Pirpanjal and chinab regions , notwithstanding their geographic, demographic combinations have remained annexed to jammu and udampur.

The statistical presentation would make the issue more lucid. Ladakh region consists of two small districts of Leh and Kargil with a population around three lacs or a little more . This region has its own seat in parliament.

Pirpanjal region also comprises of two districts of Poonch and Rajouri , with a vote share of around seven lacs but having no representation in parliament.

Similarly, only Rajouri assembly constituency has a registered number of one lac twenty thiousand voters with a single MLA.

Whereas , there is a host of references where the assembly constituencies have the voters in thousands.

The plight of Chinab valley is no different. Besides being a rich vote region, it is an annexure to the Udhampur .

The fault is not of Jammu based politics and politicians . it is evidently the Kashmir based power centre which bartered the region for its own political stability and domination. This would amply justify the claim that Kashmir politics has always played with the emotions of both the regions of Pirpanjal and chinab and also with the future of their generations .

If a power giant like Kashmir could not protect the sick , deserving regions of Pirpanjal and chinab , there must be no hesitations amongst their intelligensia , to voice their concerns, cravings , aspirations and displeasure when the time demands them all.

Like every growing demography, Jammu and Kashmir state also deserves to be delimitised . There is no genuinity in fighting against the concept, simply because it owes its roots to a particular sect, region or religion.

Instead, it must be taken in terms of the right of the people craving for equitable developmental opportunities for all regions, ethnicities of the state.

However, the effort and aim behind the concept and propsal , must be to extend the cover of the DELIMITATION to the regions and demographics qualifying for its benefits, not to settle the political scores between the contesting power centres.