Daya Sagar
J&K Revenue Department had ordered for issue of Dogra certificate vide Order No. Rev.(LB) 69 of 2011 dated: March 25, 2011 to people belonging to Jammu Division of J&K. Dogra Sambhag is known for its warrior inheritance. The order had to face ‘serious’ objections as made by some ‘subjects of J&K’. What was there in Dogra Certificate that disturbed some Kashmir Valley leaders? Dogra certificate Mein Aesa Keyaa Hai Jis Se Geelani Aur Mehboob Baig Jaesae Log J&K Kee Ekta Ke Liyae Etnae Chintit Ho Geyae The? Etna Jaroor Tha Ki Dogra Certificate se Oon Logoan Ko Jaroor Dhakka Lga Thai Jo Jammu division Ko Hindu Aur Muslim Bahul Elakoan Mein Bantna Chahtae Hain.
To be brief the Dogra Sambahg/region is bound on the north by the Pir Panjal Range of the middle Himalayas, in the south by Punjab, on the east by Ladakh and is bordering Pakistan.
Jammu Division Dogras though traditionally more inhabited the Shivalik range of mountains but they are spread over whole of Jammu region. Majority are followers of Hinduism but a large number of Jammu Dogras believe in Islam as well. The first Param Vir Chaktra of Swantra Bharat was also awarded to a Dogra from today’s Himachal Pradesh PVC Major Som Nath Sharma. Demands have been regularly made over last one decade for honoring the descendants of family of atleast the first Param Vir Chaktra decorated soldier of Swantra Bharat Maj Som Nath Sharma, a Dogra, with Permanent Resident of J&K Status and for naming the Srinagar International Airport as PVC Maj Som Nath Sharma International Airport Srinagar, it is hoped that what the earlier J&K State Government could not do will surely be done the present J&K UT Government under President Rule.
Some people in Kashmir Valley including the separatists like late Ali Shah Geelani objected to issue of Dogra Certificate. No objections to the issue of Dogra Certificate came from any part of Jammu Division / Region. So strangely some so called main stream leaders and even a National Conference Member Parliament too stood with the ‘objections’. Even the Middle East’s English language daily Arab News said on 8 April that March 25th Dogra Certificate order of J&K Government may stir unrest in Kashmir. But the leaders from Jammu did not stand that firmly with Omar Abdullah Government that was under the pressures of Kashmir centric leaders.
With pressures mounting the then Omar Abdullah led NC-Congress Government issued another Order under No.. Rev (LB) 82 of 2011 Dated: April 7, 2011 informing that Dogra certificate would be issued to those who wanted to apply for jobs in security forces for some relaxations in recruitment standards. It all did not end there . It was on April 22, 2011 that Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order under the signatures of Director (Personnel) Ajay K Singh ordering that the relaxation in chest and height, which was earlier applicable to Kashmir, Leh and Ladakh regions of J&K would now be applicable to residents of entire J&K State. And J&K Government referring the MOHA orders in principle withdrew the orders of March 25, 2011 on April 28, 2011.
The leaders from Kashmir valley so often talk of Kashmiriat and Kashmiri interests. They do not see any dangers to integrity of J&K when they see J&K only in ‘Kashmiriat’. But when the then revenue Minister in NC lead NC-Congress J&K Government Raman Bhalla talked of DOGRA identity as whole Jammu Division , the Kashmiri leaders saw dangers to J&K.
How funny some Valley leaders were even quoted as having said that Dogra Certificate was intended to divide J&K on Communal / ethnic lines. Whereas Raman Bhalla had clarified that all the residents of Jammu Division (Jammu Province of erstwhile J&K State of Maharaja Hari Singh) whose elders were residents of J&K in 1944 are Dogras irrespective of the religion, ethnicity, even dialect but still the Kashmiri leaders echoed their objections.
It was not the job opportunities that disturbed some Kashmir Valley leaders. It was the definition of Dogra that had disturbed not only Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani but some Kashmir centric leaders even from so called main Stream parties who had succeeded in exploiting the innocent people of Kashmir valley in the name of Kashmiriat and Religion. The separatist leaders have used religion as one of the tools to misguide the people and to sow the seeds of communalism even in the Muslim majority pockets of Jammu Region ( DODA, Rajouri, Poonch, Banihal, etc) where they have not succeeded. There were some in NC and Congress who too internally worked with such policies. PDP leadership could almost speaks openly whether in power or out of power. So what disturbed them was that Omar Abdullah’s government had named all the PRs of Jammu Division irrespective of the religion, ethnicity, language etc as Dogra.
Many forces have been exploiting government of India in the name of disturbances / Kashmir dispute / Kashmir turmoil . Such forces would not like that the outside world knows that there is such a large DOGRA area of J&K as well (forming continuity with Dogriyat of Himachal Pradesh) where no one questioned the 1947 accession of J&K with India.
No doubt Sheikh Mohd Abdullah did start his public career with the socio economic welfare of the Kashmir Muslims but was surely not envy to the identity / progress of others. Later on Sheikh Abdullah’s National Conference identified her interests also in non Muslims / as well as people outside Kashmir Valley. The Government lead by National Conference had come up with the plan for issue of Dogra Certificates for the welfare and identity of the residents of J&K belonging to areas of erstwhile Jammu Province of the princely state of J&K outside Kashmir Valley.
Some did say that the orders issued by J&K Revenue Department headed then by Raman Bhalla were issued without the knowledge of CM Omar Abdullah. May be local pressures created from Kashmir centric elements / environment compelled the power centers to isolate Raman Bhalla. The local leaders of Jammu Division ( even from BJP) did not work that unitedly and logically on this subject . So no good political support was generated for Omar Abdullah from outside Kashmir Valley. Had it been not so Omar Abdullah would have surely stood against the pressures from ‘separatist’/ Kashmir centric leaders worth not consigning Dogra Certificate to files.
The Jammu Division leaders cannot simply skip their responsibility by saying that Omar Government had bowed before likes of Lt. Geelani. Such political gamesmanship sends wrong signals to world community. The then NC-Congress government surely needed support of all other parties to defeat the separatists and pseudo nationalist elements.
But with this the issue of Dogra Certificate should not have been shelved.
The people of Jammu Division should have regularly approached the revenue authorities for issue of Dogra certificate. And in case that was not to be issued in routine the government should be made to clearly come out with a order withdrawing earlier order stating that definition of Dogra as was made by Revenue Minister was misconceived and hence withdrawn.
(Daya Sagar is a Sr Journalist and known analyst of J&K affairs dayasagr45@yahoo.com).