Kashmiris are divided on the basis of their respective religion

Kashmiris are divided on the basis of their respective religion. While Kashmiri Pundits are for India, Kashmiri Muslims are against India. 1990 January, JKLF and other separatist parties did not take Kashmiri Pundits into confidence. Had these zealots not targeted Kashmiri Pundits exclusively, the Pundits had no alternative but to join voice of the majority to escape an onslaught.Like 1964 for restoration of the holy relic of Hazratbal about which they knew little, they would act in 1990 too. 1964, Pundits joined the massive Muslim processions under their own saffron flag and raised slogans 'Jai kara-hur hur Mahadev; Hindu Dharm ki Jai, Sanatan Dharm ki Jai; Moie Muqadus ko vapus kero; vapas kero a zalimo-moieay muqadus pak ko;(Return he holy relic, oh you cruels) Sikhs joined the massive Muslim procession under their Nishan sahab flag and raised the slogan "Bolay so Nihal Sat Sri Akal, Moie muqadus ko vapus kero Return he holy relic, oh you cruel).Muslims raised the slogan "Narie Taqbeer-Allah O Akbar Moie Muqadus ko vapus kero. The then IGP J&K L D Thakur joined the procession and claimed that he was equally pained and be allowed to express his grief while one from the procession. People carried him on their shoulders and added the slogan "L D Thaku zindabad.

March 1989, I too raised JKLF banner across the road at Chotta Bazar to escape an onslaught. JKLF teenagers rushed into my office with one meter green strip of cloth, a thin rope and asked me for one chalk to write JKLF on it and wanted to put it across the road. I gave them three meter green cloth and a thick rope lest I be accused of its giving way under any circumstances. Triloki Nath Ambardar, a Kashmiri Pundit, my neighbour joined their procession to save his life but was shot dead while leading their procession. My friend Bansi Lal Kaw a traffic officer also joined them; I was not an exception, I too would have joined them, but I had left Kashmir on 16th January 1990, three days before mass migration. Strangely rumour of my assassination was floated. People came to my residence at Srinagar and at Jammu to mourn my death. Muslim friends persuaded my elder brother to leave for some time. 18th June 2012 I was told that Ramzan Khosh who was assigned the duty of killing me rubbed his hands in regret that his target had escaped.

Dear Ravish, you brilliantly made visible the darkness on TV – but you got one detail wrong

In your seminal and tremendously significant telecast, you said: 'The Kashmir issue has got nothing to do with Islam.'

SCROLL.IN|BY RAJESH RAZDAN