WHEN KASHMIR WAS SLAPPED

(Note: Only Kashmir may be or may not be agree views expressed in this post. The views expressed in the post are the writer’s own.)

By: Tahir Muzter

It was in 1963--- Consequent upon Kamraj Plan of Indian National congress, in August 1963, Late Bakhshi Gulam Mohammad resigned as Prime Minister of Jammu &Kashmir and Kh, Shamus-Din took over as his successor. There was some topsy-turvy in the corridors o f power in Kashmir. Late Bakhshi Gulam Mohammad had promised to the Prime Minister late Pandit Jawaharlal Lal Nehru that he would see to it that G.M.Sadiq was elected the chief Minister , but in Kashmir the strongest contender against Sadiq becoming the Chief Minister was Bashki Abdul Rashid, the then General Secretary of the National Conference---

A move started to persuade Bakhshi to withdraw his resignation. That was the time that late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was still in Jail, and there was a strong demand emerging in rational political circles of the country for his release. However it is along and separate story Here it isjust a cursory mention of the then situation prevailing in Kashmir, though kh. Shamas-din- took over as the Prime Minister of the state in that situation. As a researcher on the subject, my opinion is that the mysterious disappearance of the Holy Relic and consequent upon sea change of Kashmir politics is not possible to understand without going through deep in the situation prevailing then.

It was in this background that the Moi-i-Muqaddas (Holy Relic of Prophet Mohammad (SAW) was mysteriously found missing on the morning of 27th December, 1963 from Hujrah Sharif of Aasari—Sharief Hazratbal(old building),obviously being politically motivated. But it was the biggest torture of the extreme love and regard Muslim have with the Prophet Muhammad (saw) and within no time of this shivring news, lakhs of people came on roads throughout length and breadths of Kashmir, mourning and weeping. This continued till 4th January , when recovery of Moi-i- Muqadas was claimed officially.

Mysteriously disappearance shook not only Kashmir but it proved a trembling news for Delhi also. With this the politics and history of Kashmir turned a new leaf. It is only to recall here that the Centre opted to remain criminally silent with regard to the conspiracy that worked behind the removal of the Holy Relic, and the culprit from whom the investigating agency recovered the Holy Relic.

It happened despite the fact that the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Lal Nehru broadcasted to the people of Kashmir, that he was sending his senior Intelligence Officer B. N. Mullick to Srinagar to take charge of the case and to recover the Holy Relic and also promised to punish the culprits.

It was a unique occasion after 1953, when the people of Kashmir trusted the Government of India and demanded the exposure of the wicked culprit and the vicious conspiracy, as it had hurt gravely the sentiments of lacks of Muslims throughout the state of Jammu & Kashmir. Indeed the movement for recovery of the Holy Relic was joined by the non-Muslims including the Hindus at Jammu. Instead of exposing the conspiracy and punishing the culprits as promised by the Prime Minister Nehru publicly the then Chief of the Intelligence Bureau of India, Mr. B.N. Mullik, , who on the directive of Pt. Jawaharlal investigated the mysterious episode, delivered a blow on the face of Kashmir is when he recorded---“Recovery of Moi-Muqaddas (Holy Relic) was an intelligence operation never to be disclosed. I cannot describe the process which led to its replacement at the place from which it had been removed on December 27. (My years with Nehru by B.N. Mullick -1972, Page142).

o give here the details of the “Tahreek Baazyabi Moi-Muqadas (SAW) (Agitation for the recovery of Moi-i-Muqadas) and its gravity is not within the scope of this brief write up but Mullik himself has confessed saying that---------- “What I saw in the town was something which I had never seen before thirty-five years of executive service dealing with law and order. Every thing was closed: offices, schools, shops, cinemas, restaurants. Langers (eating places) had been set up at various places in the town. Large crowds were coming from villages, carrying food, bedding and even fuel for warming their bodies. There was no end to the stream of people and the smallest procession was at least a mile long covering the entire width of the road including the footpaths” There is much more to tell about the Tahreek –i- Moi Muqadas (SAW) and the demand of exposing the conspiracy and punishing the culprits. But ignoring all that and against their commitment to the people of Kashmir. The Govt. of India slapped down the lakhs of people belonging to Kashmir and B.N.Mullik’s above mentioned book is a documentary proof of it. Probably it would expose some pro –India Kashmir leaders, and their political game of power struggle. Anyway, the Holy Relic episode wholly decided, directed and administered by the Central Home Ministry did not prove a hard nut for Kashmir to crack as they soon realized that the drama was enacted to hoodwink them and bring about a political change in the State that would not be as abhorrent to the people of the ill-fated State as the 1953 episode had proved.

( In this picture Late A . Ahead Lone then a sectary, J &K Mahaz-Rai-Shumari is pointing out on the door of “Hujrah Khas of Old Hazratbal , which was broken’”)

The wtiiter can be reached at: tahirmuzter.s@rediffmail.com