Causes of Kashmir unrest

As per the legend, the first known king of Kashmir was Gonanda, a friend of Jarasandh and father-in-law of Lord Krishna. However, the recorded history of Kashmir begins from emperor Ashoka’s time (273-232 BC). It was Ashoka who founded the pre-historic city of Srinagri (now called Srinagar) in 250 BC. Its ruins can still be seen at Pandrethan, a location approximately 5 km from Srinagar on the Baramulla - Srinagar highway. He built many stupas and viharas and had the credit of organising the first international Buddhist conference at Srinagri. He introduced Buddhism in Kahmir in the third century BC.  The Kushans succeeded the Mauryas who ruled over the entire north-west India and Central Asia. Kanishka was the most authoritative sovereign of this dynasty. Buddhism being the state religion during the Kushans’ reign, Kashmir became the focus of Buddhist activities. The missionaries from Kashmir carried the message of Buddhism to Tibet and China. Huen Tsang, the eminent Chinese traveller who visited India in the 7th century A.D., spent two years in Srinagri from 631 to 633 A.D. In his chronicle he has written that emperor Harshavardhan brought to bear a form of sovereignty over Kashmir and a king of Karakota dynasty who had dominion over Rajouri, Poonch and Taxila was its ruler. He also mentioned that the populace of Kashmir at that time followed both Hinduism and Buddhism. The most prominent king of this Karakota reign was Lalitaditya (697-738 AD). His kingdom stretched up to Bengal in the east, Konkan in the south, Turkistan in the north-west and Tibet in the north-east. He built a majestic sun temple at a place called Matan. Its archaeological finds are still the most conspicuous objects of the antiquated architecture of Kashmir. Mehmood Ghazni made two futile attempts to overrun Kashmir in 1015 and 1021A.D. It was in 1223 AD that a Tibetan named Rin Chan conspired the killing of the then Kashmiri monarch Ram Chand and occupied his throne. He converted to Islam under the influence of a Sufi saint and assumed the title of Sadar-ud-Din Rinchan Shah.  For more than a thousand years until the arrival of the Muslims in the 14th century (1320-1819) Kashmir was regarded as a great seat of learning. Shaivite philosophers like Abhinav Gupt and Vasugupt propounded a new theory on Shaivism. Sanskrit scholars like Panini and Patanjali lived in Kashmir. It captivated scholars from all over India and abroad. Students from Afghanistan and Central Asia came to Kashmir for studying mathematics, astronomy and philosophy.  In 1587 AD Kashmir became a part of the mighty Mughal empire. But the dignity of its administration was severely jolted by Aurangzeb. Traumatised by his despotic and unjust rule under his deputy, Iftiquar Khan, the pundits of Kashmir approached Guru Tegh Bahadur, the contemporary Sikh Guru, and brought to his notice the untold atrocities they had been subjected to because of Aurangzeb’s misplaced religious zeal. In the 14th century the sufis or rishis (saints) of Kashmir had introduced the traditions of love, amity and compassion. The sufis were mainly from Persia and Central Asia whereas the rishis were from the Valley. The most celebrated rishi Lal Ded, Habba Khatoon, Mehjoor and Sheikh Noor-ud-Din alias Nund Rishi alias Almadar-e-Kashmir made an abiding impact on Kashmir. They hypothesized that God is one and omnipresent. Only through total submission one can comprehend Him.In 1752 when Ahmad Shah Abdali was returning home in Afghanistan after ravishing Delhi, he was invited by some Kashmiris to save them from the persecution of the local rulers. Kashmir thus fell from the frying pan into the fire and was subjected to the dictatorial rule under the Afghans who occupied Kashmir till 1819 AD.   In the last 10 years Kashmir has passed through turbulent times. Its pro-Pakistani leaders have been spearheading a violent secessionist movement echoing Jinnah’s rhetoric that the Kashmiris are a separate entity from India and nearer to Pakistan. It is pitiable that they have not learnt any lesson from history. They have failed to see how Pakistan disintegrated in 1971 despite Jinnah’s two-nation theory based on religious intolerance. They have easily fallen in Pakistan’s trap which itself is struggling to save its own identity as a nation now in view of the developments in Afghanistan. Kashmir belongs to the Pundits and Sikhs as much as it does to the Muslims. Because of its unique geographical location the Kashmir Valley has been a meeting ground of diverse races and cultures through the centuries. As a consequence, all religions have flourished there. Kashmiriyat does not believe in the kind of fanaticism that organisations like the Jamait-e-Islami espouse. Zealots must remember that Pakistan would never succeed in its attempts in proxy war against India by whipping discord and hatred among the Kashmiris against India. They are as inseparable a part of this country as anyone else.