Pune’s ‘Sarhad’ and other patriotic NGOs should establish ‘Kashmiriyat Sabhas’ to strengthen a people-to-people bond to help end the alienation of the Kashmiri people.

Kashmir is today an integral part of India only because of the stellar role played by the civil society of Kashmir during two critical episodes in Indian history, in 1947.

In October 1947 itself, India would have lost Kashmir when Pakistan tried to seize it forcibly by sending in armed tribals on October 18. Before the Indian army could be airlifted to decisively repulse the tribals, it was the Muslim residents of the Valley “who maintained law and order, provided transport and guides and guided vital installations”, helping the army thwart this attempt.

About three weeks later, Maharaja Hari Singh signed Kashmir’s accession to India on October 27, 1947. This was endorsed by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the immensely popular founder-leader of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, reflecting public sentiment.

Recalling this critical role played by the Kashmiri civil society, the late journalist Ajit Bhattacharjea has described in his book, Kashmir: the Wounded Valley, how Sheikh Abdullah was attracted by “Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, both committed to secularism and socio-economic change, if in different ways.”

One shining moment in India’s history last week was the united face of the nation, presented most eloquently by Col Sofiya Quraishi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh........

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