Kashmiri Pandits launch political party in Jammu & Kashmir

Now this promises to be an interesting development in Kashmir. The launch of a political party which concentrates on Kashmiri Pandit's. For those 3 people in the world who have not heard about the Kashmir Problem, it relates to one of the unfinished items from the Partition of India. The ruler of Kashmir was Hindu, the majority of the population was Muslim. The Ruler signed over his state to India, but Pakistan sent in troops way back in 1948. And it got messy since then. From 1989, there is an intifada going on, and in the middle of this gigantic tragedy, the Kashmiri Hindu citizens, known as Kashmiri Pandits (KP's), were forced to leave Kashmir. And they have become a diaspora as well as living in refugee camps in India. They are one more of the forgotten refugee groups in the world and very tragic indeed.

But curiously, they have not really gotten organised since then. Some websites and stories have been circulated but they have not been really taken seriously by anybody, not by India, not by the Kashmiri politicians of every hue, not by Pakistan and certainly not by the international community. And who is to blame and what to do is submerged in a morass of claims, counter-claims and denials.

But a very interesting development has happened. The KP's have formed a political party. "We have launched a political party, the Jammu and Kashmir National Democratic Front, with the aim to fight for the honourable return and rehabilitation of Pandits in the valley and constitution of a development board for them in Jammu," its acting coordinator AK Dewani said.

Now, if those guys are smart, have some committed members, and have a good strategos in place, the best way for them to win back their lands, property and claims is to wage a non-violent struggle against militancy. If they can do it, then the Kashmiri militants will be caught between a rock and a hard place. They really cannot go against a determined non-violent struggle as that will violate the pure idea of Kashmiriat. Also see here, here, or here.

Yes, many Hindu's will be killed, but nobody said self determination was easy. And here is an idea, read up on Edward Said, read up on the variety of Palestinian works, their supporters. Those guys have made being a refugee a work of art. And they will succeed as well, against Israel that is. Learn how the Palestinians have managed to turn the tables. But the KP's have one advantage which they have not used, and that is that their enemy has Islamist terrorists in their middle. Too bad they have not utilised that angle, but hey, better late than never.

Now that would be really ironical and poetic justice. Best of luck to them.