* Why did leadership from Jammu Division not promote obtaining of Dogra Certificate? *
DAYA SAGAR
Earlier it was Gulam Nabi Azad who had talked of Dogriat but could not stand carry with it. But then it was Raman Bhalla in April 2011, the then J&K Revenue Minister (ofcourse with the support of Omar Abdullah), who had once again ventured into the subject in the name of Dogra Certificate for all the subjects of Jammu Division ( J&K Revenue Department Order No. Rev.(LB) 69 of 2011 dated: 25-03-2011 issued with the approval of the then Revenue Minister Raman Bhalla). But this time it had pushed the then government into some ‘regional’ controversies. On the call of Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani a strike was observed in some parts of Kashmir Valley from 2nd to 4rth April 2011. Even the Middle East’s English language daily Arab News said on 8th April that March 25th Dogra Certificate order of J&K Government may stir unrest in Kashmir.
Let us look at what had been reported. (i) the then Minister for Revenue Raman Bhalla asked the people of Jammu division to avail the benefit of Dogra Certificate ” (ii) sanction had been given by the government vide Order No. Rev. (LB) 69 of 2011 dated: 25-03-2011 (iii) residents of J&K ( PRC holders ) were eligible to get the Dogra Certificate (iv)Tehsildar (Territorial) shall be competent to issue such certificate (v) and above all residents of Jammu division irrespective of ethnicity, cultural background and mother tongue would be classified as Dogras , provided their forefathers were residents of Jammu Division prior to 1944 ( cut-off date of 1944 shall not apply to displaced persons from POJK ).
So in my opinion it was the definition of Dogra as laid by Revenue department that had disturbed some Kashmiri conservative mindset. Defining all people of Jammu Region / Province (irrespective of ethnicity, religion, cultural background and mother-tongue ) as Dogra is what appeared having disturbed only “the players’ of political games for securing to seats of governance ( belonging to Kashmir valley) .
The questions that I had asked in 2011 to ‘self’ were like i. Why objections to Dogra Certificate asking withdrawal of orders / policy of J&K Government had particularly come only from some belonging to Kashmir Valley ? ii Why were not there any noticeable objections to calling whole of Jammu Division as ‘Dogra’ from any part of Jammu region or Ladakh region ? iii. Why did some ‘leaders’ object to Dogriat who themselves talk of Kashmiriat ? iv. Why apprehensions for disturbance of even peace in J&K on the issuing Dogra Certificate had been expressed by some “leaders” from Kashmir Valley only, (v) was the common man in Kashmir valley like some leaders also that much agitated over calling whole of Jammu Division as Dogra ? (vi) how far some Valley leaders have been able to cultivate doubts in common man about the truthfulness of the people outside Kashmir Valley ( more particularly after 1990) ? (vii) why did/do valley leaders not react when New Delhi refers to J&K issues in the name of ‘Kashmiri’ only like Kashmiri youth unemployment or Kashmiri aspirations ? The answer I could ‘sense’ was that a definition parallel to Kashmiriat had been got laid down in Dogriat officially by the then government in 2011 in explicit terms extending over whole of Jammu Province / Division and that was surely going to weaken the evil designs of those who were/are working to divide the people of Jammu Region / Division on communal lines. So far, it were only the people of Kashmir Valley who were more known outside J&K and the basis / guidelines for issue Dogra Certificate had in a way disclosed to the outside world that there is a large part of J&K known as Dogra that extends from Kathua to Doda /Poonch/Rajouri/Mirpur lands of Jammu Division. Lets us not go into finer details/ technicalities and other administrative aspects of the said order of 2011
No doubt Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah before 1947 ( early 1930s) did start moment aiming at the socio economic welfare particularly of the Kashmir valley Muslims but he was surely not envy to the identity / progress of common masses of the then princely State as later ‘his’ National Conference ( NC) identified her interests also in non Muslims as well people outside Kashmir Valley too. Ofcourse after 1950 National Conference once again laid’ more priorities’ on Kashmir Valley which was surely more due the parliamentary system of governance adopted by India, manner in which the political affairs of J&K were handled by New Delhi over the years and the style of political culture that emerged in Kashmir valley after 2000. It was appreciable that still in 2011 the National Conference – Cong Govt. lead by NC had come up with the policy for issue of Dogra Certificates for identity of all the J&K Permanent Residents of Jammu Division outside Kashmir Valley. No doubt there were also some Kashmir Valley leaders who in low tones criticized Revenue Minister Raman Bhalla. calling whole Jammu Division Dogra but they did not have much political base in Kashmir Valley and for standing against the separatists they totally depended on goodwill of Dr. Farooq Abdullah or Omar Abdullah..
The Dogra certificate label may not bring much of extra employment benefits to the Dogra people of J&K but one thing is sure that with such like Identity the people of Jammu Division will stand firmly against the forces who may be there to weaken the socio religious ties amongst the simple & innocent Hindu and Muslim masses of Jammu Division.
But why did the leadership from Jammu Division not unitedly carry the provision for issue of Dogra Certificate further after that, which did make the J&K Revenue Department Order No. Rev.(LB) 69 of 2011 dated: 25-03-2011 regarding “DOGRA Jammu Division” a not much known identity , is another question to ask in 2023 ?
(The author is a senior journalist and analyst of J&K Affairs, dayasagr45@yahoo.com).