Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A BIOGRAPHY
By
This book is, dedicated to the youth of Kashmir who will not rest
until they realize the dream envisaged in the “Naya Kashmir”
Manifesto to make Kashmir a Nation where individual freedom
and collective responsibility conjoin to bring about a flowering of
human potentiality ; A Switzerland of Asia where diverse creeds
and cultures intermingle and where borders become irrelevant. A
Nation worthy of respect of the comity of Nations that historians
tell us it once was in the distant past.
Look...If you try to find me only in books and files of documents you
will lose your way...My life has been tempestuous like the ocean...No
one man can grasp it in its entirety...take my advice...limit the scope
of your enquiry. ] Sheikh Abdullah’s advice to his biographer M.Y.Taing
who wanted to write his biography which was published after his death
under the title Atish e Chinar
just scratch us
Are we real or
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE ......................................................................................................... 4
11│BACK IN JAIL........................................................................................... 87
BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................ 148
PREFACE
We are fortunate in that only a few years before his death Sheikh
Abdullah entrusted the noted Kashmiri writer M.Y.Taing with the job
of committing to writing his recollections, which were published
after his death under the title “Atish e Chinar”. It is based on
extensive interviews that Taing had with Sheikh Abdullah. It
provides valuable information on Sheikh Abdullah's family
background, early life, ringside glimpses of happenings in Kashmir
at a crucial juncture in its history, and his viewpoint about the
political events in Kashmir in which he himself played a central role.
People often refer to it as his autobiography as Taing claimed that
he only acted as an amanuensis. Sheikh Abdullah himself in his
foreword to the book refers to it as his memoirs.
faire that leaves us gasping, they are not the proper concern of this
work.
1│THE SAPLING
Family Background
His mother was keen that her children should receive a proper
education and so as a child he was first admitted to a traditional
school or Maktab where he learnt the recitation of the Koran and
read some basic Persian texts like Gulistan, Bostan, Pandnama etc
THE SAPLING│10
That all was not well in Kashmir was evident to Sheikh Abdullah from
some events that took place while he was still a college student. In
the spring of 1924, the laborers of the Government Silk Factory for
the first time made an organized protest against the working
conditions in that factory. They assembled in the parade ground of
Hazuribagh to launch a struggle for acceptance of their demands.
The government responded by calling troops who attacked the
unarmed laborers with spears wounding a large number of them.
The laborers took out a big procession to protest this outrage and
this was the first such procession in the State. The sight of laborers
raising slogans against the excesses of the Maharajah’s government
deeply affected the young Sheikh Abdullah.
A PETITION FOR THE VICEROY
ECHOES AT LAHORE
Khawaja Saduddin Shawl and Khwaja Noor Shah Naqashbandi after
being exiled from Kashmir took up residence with Mian Nizamuddin
at Lahore. Mian Nizamuddin was the scion of a very respectable
Kashmiri family of Lahore. Sheikh Abdullah had also gained
admission in the Islamiya College located in the same city. As this
was the first time that he was away from his family, he felt homesick
and so whenever he had time he went to Mian Nizamuddin’s house
to spend some time with his exiled compatriots.
One day the two complained that the Kashmiris had forgotten them.
Sheikh Abdullah disagreeing with them said, “While submitting the
memorandum you kept the public unaware of your project and they
could not even understand why you have been exiled. Had you
mobilized public opinion before submitting the memorandum the
government would not have dared to exile you.” Mian Nizamuddin
and some others present there supported Sheikh Abdullah’s view.
The Khwaja Sahibs retorted angrily “Let us see how you will do it”
Sheikh Abdullah replied “God willing I will show what I can
accomplish at the proper time!”
WORKERS AGITATION
The workers of the factory had gone on strike as far back as the
26th of March 1920 and had submitted this representation to the
Chief Minister Raja Hari Singh(who became the Maharajah on the
death of Maharaja Partap Singh in 1926).
“By the direction of the late Director and by the Governor of His Highness
Maharaja Sahib Bahadur and his Minister our daily rates had been
increased upto annas four and now owing to the scarcity of all things we
were in great hope, that we shall get progress in the rate as
deceased,Incharge Director was efforting about this.Now-a-days when
BACKGROUND:THE SILK FACTORY AGITATION│17
public coolies are getting high rates and all officers and common servants
of the State are granted high rates and all officers and common servants of
the State are granted allowances by the State for the famine, we are the
unlucky employees of the Silk Factory to whom instead of increasing rates
decreased by the present Incharge Director,for which we submitted him a
request,he answered that ‘ I will beat you,if you will come to my office,for
this case and I will close the factory for ever’… If the State will not decide
our case,we shall be obliged to leave the work of this factory praying for
your long life and prosperity”(Jammu and Kashmir Archives File No.26 of
1920).
Reeling silk was the job of skilled workers and hence the reference
to increase in wages of unskilled coolies while the worker's wages
had been reduced. From the above representation it seems that
because of the efforts of a former Director the wages of the workers
had been increased to four annas per diem but after his (sudden)
death some person whom the workers detested was appointed as
an Incharge Director.The repeated use of the term Incharge
Director shows that the workers considered him unfit for the post
and it also appears that he was a bully and as per another
representation was also corrupt as the workers complained of
being forced to pay bribes to officers of the Factory out of their
meager wages. On July 19 1924 the Deputy Director Sericulture
lodged a complaint with the District Magistrate in which he alleged
that
“The labourers(meaning workers) gave out open threats that they would
set fire to the houses of some officers of the Department and would not
BACKGROUND:THE SILK FACTORY AGITATION│18
spare their persons too if they could catch hold of them.”He further alleged
that ”All Communications of the office with outside were cut off and it
became impossible even to send a message to the District Magistrate or
the Police.”
Following the complaint and taking into view the urgency of taking
action as requested by the Deputy Director Sericulture military
troops were ordered to be moved to the Silk Factory on 20th of
July. The Colonel Commandant was requested to place the Infantry
and Cavalry in immediate charge of the factory.Twenty five of the
total of twenty seven persons who seem to have been involved in
this crisis were arrested and four of them were lodged in Police
station Shergarhi while the rest were taken to Central Jail.Next day
on the 21st of July about two thousand persons gathered outside
Shergarhi Police Station demanding release of the arrested
persons. The police on the pretext that the protestors were trying to
force their way into the police station opened fire on them killing ten
of them on the spot and injuring twenty as per the official version.
The wounded were taken to the mission hospital by the local
people while the dead bodies of those killed were taken away by
the police in a lorry.(National Archives of India,Foreign
Department,Political,1924 No19(2)) Some people even sent two
telegrams to the Viceroy clarifying that the protest was against
bribes demanded by the officials of the factory from the poor
workers (Because of the lopsided employment policy of the State
Government the workers were all Muslims and the employees
Hindus as Muslims were practically excluded from government
jobs. Thus the word Hindus in the telegrams refers to government
BACKGROUND:THE SILK FACTORY AGITATION│19
“It will be desirable to remedy any real grievances and to promote some of
the educated Musalman workers to posts of responsibility”(Johnwood to
J.P.Thompson 4th August 1924,National Archives of India,Home.)
Department,Political,1924,File No:25,Fortnightly Report for Second
half of August).
Thus the Resident was of the view that to prevent future unrest the
grievances regarding corruption should be addressed and the
lopsided policy of the State Ruler in appointing only Non Muslims to
responsible posts should be rectified by appointing educated
workers of the Silk Factory to responsible posts. Mr.B.J.Glancy the
president of the grievances commission established in 1931 must
have kept this in view when making his recommendations about
giving special attention to recruitment of Muslims in Government
jobs.
Rule that ordinary workers raised their voice against corruption and
denial of rights by their employers.
This was also the first time that the protest was suppressed by an
inordinate show of force and use of firearms against unarmed
workers in which many workers were shot dead and their bodies
taken away instead of being handed over to their families for
decent burial.
It was also the first time when the police tried to give a communal
color to the workers agitation by trying to show it as a Hindu Muslim
conflict but this allegation could never stand up in a court of law
and indeed was so unfounded that the police kept it out of public
view in their secret files. While the agitation was suppressed the
pent up resentment remained simmering below the surface as
there was no educated leader among the workers who could lead
the agitation to a proper conclusion.
education and employment to Muslims but also led to the first ever
establishment of an elected legislative assembly the Praja
Sabha.(See Below)
LANDMARK STRUGGLE
1. Mirwaiz Ahmadullah.
2.Mirwaiz Hamadani
3.Mufti Sharif-ud-din
4.Saad-ud-d-n Shawl.
4│PROMETHEUS UNBOUND
Sheikh Abdullah’s home in Soura was six miles away from his
place of employment. In those days when public transport was
not, so easily available this was a considerable distance and so
he obtained lodgings in the locality of Fateh Kadal, which was
adjacent to his place of employment. A rich person of the locality
considering his status as a schoolmaster, allowed him to occupy
a room above his garage without rent.
Nearby in the same locality an eminent Kashmiri polymath and
lawyer Molvi Abdullah was giving daily public lectures at his
house that were very popular among the educated youth. Sheikh
Abdullah too started attending these lectures. In “Atish e Chinar”
Sheikh Abdullah writes that his lectures touched topical national
issues and his sincere words filled the hearts of his listeners with
concern. His lectures would strike a spark of consciousness
regarding public issues in the heart of his listeners and then he
would nurture the spark until it became a raging fire. He was
deeply concerned about the miserable state of his compatriots
and his sincerity struck a sympathetic chord in the hearts of his
audience. It was at these lectures that Sheikh Abdullah met and
became friends with his son Molvi Abdul Rahim who was
studying law at Lucknow University. Later the two were to
become close political collaborators.
PROMETHEUS UNBOUND│40
Condemnable Incidents
Jammu around this period witnessed a series of incidents that
greatly hurt the sentiments of the Muslims of the State. The
Muslim festival of Bakar Eid fell on Wednesday 29 April 1931.
When the Imam Munshi Mohammed Ishaq started reading the
prayer sermon or Khutba after the Idd prayers in the Municipal
Ground Jammu a Dogra sub inspector Babu Khem Chand
moved forward on the orders of the DIG Chaudhary Ram Chand
and haughtily asked the Imam to stop reading the sermon. The
police officer accused him of making remarks against the
government. This incident caused widespread resentment
among the Muslims of Jammu who took this as interference in
their religious affairs. The incident was strongly condemned in
protest meetings of the Jammu Muslims.
This incident was still fresh in the minds of the Jammu Muslims
when a constable Labhu Ram desecrated a copy of the Koran at
the police lines Jammu after removing it from a box belonging to
a Muslim constable who was busy performing his P.T. in the
ground outside. As the news of the desecration spread among
the Muslims of Jammu, it rubbed salt into their already wounded
feelings. To add insult to injury the administration prevented
Muslims at Daghore, a locality fifteen miles distant from Jammu,
from saying their Friday prayers.
PROMETHEUS UNBOUND│41
The backlash
These repeated insults provoked the Jammu Young Men’s
Muslim Association to publish a poster detailing these insults
and asking the Muslims throughout the State to hold strikes and
demonstrations to protest these incidents. This party had already
established contacts with Sheikh Abdullah’s Reading Room
Party and so sent a big bundle of these posters to him.
Sheikh Abdullah decided to send two men to every locality of the
city for pasting the posters throughout the city. One of the men
would paste the posters and the other would keep a watch with
instructions to inform him, if, the man pasting the bills was
arrested.
As luck would have it, police arrested Mohammed Ismail, the
man pasting posters in the very locality where Sheikh Abdullah
lived. He, was being taken handcuffed to the Police Station
Zaina Kadal, when Sheikh Abdullah hearing the sound of
commotion looked out of the window and saw him with a large
crowd following him. When people saw Sheikh Abdullah they
insisted, that he too should accompany them. Sheikh Abdullah
had only recently been appointed to a government job, and so
hesitated briefly before deciding to accompany the crowd. As
they reached the Police Station, the officers there got frightened
on seeing the sizable and angry crowd and set Mohammed
Ismail free. This encouraged the demonstrators, who now
started taking him in a procession to the Jamia Masjid. More and
PROMETHEUS UNBOUND│42
Sher e Kashmir
To celebrate his release from bondage his companions called a
public meeting at Khanqah e Moalla. When he arrived, he found
a huge crowd had assembled to hear him. Addressing them, he
apprised them of the reasons for his resignation and then
spontaneously burst into tears as he announced of his
resignation from government service. He emotionally declared
that the sacrifice of the government job was not a big thing as he
was ready even to sacrifice his life for the cause that he
espoused. His speech filled the hearts of the people with fervor
and renewed determination. Filled with affection for him they
literally carried him on their shoulders. Probably it was while
reporting this that the Lahore paper “Inqilab” used the moniker
Sher e Kashmir (Lion of Kashmir) for him and this title remained
with him for the rest of his life.
47
5│THE CONFRONTATION
see that the law is upheld at all costs, and where the law is
defied, its authority will be restored.
It is the duty of the Police to act impartially and with calm
judgement in such emergencies and I wish to assure them that
they will be supported by myself and my Government in the due
discharge of their duty and will not be sacrificed to unjust
clamour or intrigue.”
The Maharajah on the advice of his Political Affairs Minister
G.E.C. Wakefield also expressed his desire to hold talks with a
representative delegation of the Muslim residents of the State.
The Young Men’s Muslim Association of Jammu nominated the
following four members for the talks 1) Mistri Yaqoob Ali. 2)
Sardar Gohar Rahman 3)Chaudhary Ghulam Abbas Khan and
4) Sheikh Abdul Hamid Advocate. A small committee of their
party had chosen these members. Sheikh Abdullah and his
companions decided to adopt a different procedure. They
decided to choose their members at a public meeting and obtain
public approval for the chosen delegates. Sheikh Abdullah, was
influenced while taking this decision by remembering how the
people quickly forgot Khawaja Saiduddin Shawl and his
companions after their exile from the State, because they had
failed to obtain public support for their protest. Another reason
was the desire to get leaders of different factions of the Kashmiri
Muslims to endorse the chosen delegates to prevent any future
controversy. Khwaja Ghulam Ahmed Ashai and Khwaja
Saiduddin Shawl (who had returned from exile) played a key role
THE CONFRONTATION│49
.The massacre
Sheikh Abdullah and his companions had requested the crowd
to stay away from the venue of the trial at Central Jail Srinagar.
Unfortunately, three self-styled leaders Syed Maqbool Baihaqi,
Syed Mohiuddin Andrabi and Mohammed Yahya Rafiqi
reportedly instigated the mob to go the venue. The result was
that on the day of the trial a big crowd assembled outside the
Central Jail. Molvi Abdullah was entrusted with the job of
defending Abdul Qadeer before the trial court. As Molvi Abdullah
entered the Jail, a big crowd forced their way inside but later left
at Molvi Abdullah’s request.
In the afternoon when it was time for afternoon prayers a large
crowd entered the Jail premises for saying prayers. As the
people started arranging themselves, someone informed the
Governor, Raizada Trilok Chand who arrived with a posse of
armed police. He started arresting the people who were
peacefully standing outside the gates. This irritated them and
they started pelting stones. The Governor ordered the police to
open fire and they started firing at the persons praying inside the
compound of the jail. The police shot dead a person who was
saying the Azan on the wall of the jails’ compound. Another
person jumped up and resumed the Azan. He too was shot and
killed, but was immediately replaced by another man. This, gory
drama went on until twenty-two of the worshippers were killed,
and scores injured
THE CONFRONTATION│53
.The government now imposed martial law in the towns and their
suburbs. Army men armed with spears started terrorizing the
innocent public. They forced people to crawl on the roadside
while uttering the slogan “Maharaja Ki Jai”. The government
made mass arrests. Ruffians in those areas where the Muslims
were in a minority were encouraged by the police to attack
houses belonging to Muslims, loot their property and dishonor
the inmates. In spite of these repressive measures, the
shopkeepers refused to open their shops and paralyzed the
entire city by their general strike.
Incarceration in Hari Parbat fort
Unaware of the happenings in the city Sheik Abdullah and his
two companions who were detained in the Badami Bagh
cantonment were one night ordered to come out of their
barracks, handcuffed and taken to the fort situated on the hill of
Hari Parbat and locked up in a damp room in the fort. Next day
they were, allowed to come out into the compound and from
there could see the leaders from Jammu Chaudhary Ghulam
Abbas, Mistri Yakoob Ali and Sardar Gauhar Rehman, who were
also, imprisoned in a lower terrace of the fort. A doctor who used
to come for the daily check up of the imprisoned leaders secretly
informed them of the strike that had paralyzed the city. The strike
AN HONORABLE AGREEMENT│57
the government did not fulfill its promises within the stipulated
time.
Hari Krishan Koul now felt that time was opportune for removing
Sheikh Abdullah from the political theatre. He did not reckon that
Sheikh Abdullah by his charisma had worked his way in the
hearts of the Kashmiris and was well on the way to becoming
the most popular Muslim leader since the time of Sultan
Zainulabidin (1401-1470 A.D.) still remembered affectionately by
Kashmiris as Budshah (The Great King).
Arrest and after
On 21st September Sheikh Abdullah was arrested as he was
returning from a fund raising trip and was straightaway taken to
the Badami Bagh cantonment for detention. News of Sheikh
Abdullah’s arrest spread quickly across towns and villages and
led to mass protests. A “War Council” was made to organize the
protests. It published handbills giving instructions to the
protestors and workers pasted them throughout the city in the
darkness of the night.
The “War Council” decided that volunteers named Dictators (so
called because unlike normal law-abiding members they had the
authority to defy the law) would court arrest at Khanqah e
Moalla. A young man Mufti Jalaluddin was the first to court
arrest. By now, a crowd of nearly twenty five thousand had
assembled at the mosque. As only the east-facing gate of the
mosque was open, there was a great rush of people at that gate.
A MACHEIAVELLIAN PLOT│65
The Maharajah now sent his minister Nawab Khusro Jang and
Chief of Military Staff, Brigadier Sutherland who was an
Englishman to Khanyar where they invited Khwaja Saduddin
Shawl, Molvi Mohammed Yusuf Shah, Molvi Ahmadullah
Hamadani, Molvi Abdullah, Agha Syed Hussain Jalali and other
leaders for talks.
As emotions among the public were running high they at first did
not permit the leaders to accept this offer but after they assured
the people that the results of the talks would be placed before
them for approval they relented and allowed the leaders to go for
talks.
Talks with the Maharajah
The Maharajah made the leaders to wait a long time after they
reached the palace and when he finally came to meet them, he
was in a very bad temper. Speaking in Kashmiri he threatened
them with dire consequences. Nawab Khusro Jang now advised
the leaders that it would be wise for them to advise the people to
disperse peacefully. The leaders had nothing to show for their
efforts so they announced to the assembled public that they
would provide them with instructions for the future course of
action in due course and somehow prevailed upon them to
disperse peacefully.
That very night Khwaja Saduddin was arrested and brought to
Badami Bagh , where he was detained in a guardroom. Khwaja
REVOLT AND REPRESSION│69
9│A MEMORANDUM
While the valley was in turmoil, Sheikh Abdullah was kept locked
up in a guardroom of the Badami Bagh cantonment. The
guardroom had a bare floor made of bricks. He was not
permitted to shave or wash. A tin can in a corner of the room
served as a urinal. If he wanted to go to the toilet, armed guards
first handcuffed him and then took him to the toilet.
One day a whipping post was erected in front of his room on
which the guards tied a person who had been stripped naked
and then started lashing him .Sheikh Abdullah realized that this
was being done to break his spirit. He was apprehensive of
himself too being lashed, and tortured in a similar fashion. It was
under these conditions that he decided to pray to God for succor
A dream and its aftermath
As he had finished saying his prayers, he was overcome by
sleep and in a dream saw a stranger come in with a fresh suit of
clothes. He said “Get up. I have brought warm water for you. A
barber has also come with me. Wash, shave and change your
clothes”. After saying this, the stranger vanished.
Sheikh Abdullah woke up with a start and felt that the dream was
a good omen as he had a strange peaceful feeling. Sometime
later, he found the Governor of Kashmir Thakur Kartar Singh
standing outside his window. He said, “How are you? Sheikh
A MEMORANDUM│73
was not very good and he felt that the salary he would get as
member of the Commission would help to alleviate his difficulties
The Middleton Commission
On fifth of December, the government established another
Commission under the Presidentship of another Englishman Mr.
Middleton to investigate into the disturbances at Srinagar,
Shupiyan and Islamabad following Sheikh Abdullah’s arrest for
the second time on the 21 September.
Sheikh Abdullah and his companions now established an office
on the Bund overlooking the river Jehlum to collect and produce
relevant evidence before the Commission. Two houseboats
were moored in front of the office for lodging lawyers sent by the
Kashmir Committee and other important guests.
As Mr. Middleton did not understand the Kashmiri language,
they had to tackle the problem of translating the statements of
witnesses and their replies during cross-examination into
English. A brilliant young Kashmiri graduate Mirza Afzal Beg
(who later obtained a law degree and became a close associate
of Sheikh Abdullah) offered his services as a translator and did a
very good job.
Molvi Abdul Rahim, Khwaja Ghulam Qadir (Sher e Gandarbal),
Mohammed Rafiq and Mohammed Yusuf were among the
young men who played a prominent role in helping the
Commission . The Commission made on the spot visits in the
city and outlying towns and recorded evidence. Three hundred
THE GLANCY COMMISSION│82
11│BACK IN JAIL
Protest in Srinagar
The people of Srinagar could not remain indifferent observers of
these happenings in Jammu. A protest meeting was held at
Khanqah e Moalla on 22nd of January in which Mufti Ziauddin of
Poonch made a harsh speech drawing the attention of the
government to the complaints of the people of Jammu and
Poonch.
The government, which was already furious, issued orders for
his banishment. Sheikh Abdullah was incensed at the
government’s action and went to the Governor Thakur Kartar
Singh with the demand that the banishment order be revoked.
Thakur Kartar Singh very craftily asked him to talk telephonically
to the Prime Minister Raja Hari Krishan Koul. Engaging him in
talk and pretending to repeatedly attempt contacting the Prime
Minister on phone, he made Sheikh Abdullah to sit in his office
for a couple of hours. During this time, Mufti Ziauddin arrested
and dispatched to Jammu in an army vehicle. Sheikh Abdullah
then met Mr.B.J.Glancy and protesting against the action of the
government asked him to intervene in this matter so that the
atmosphere in the valley that was showing signs of improvement
was not vitiated and the work of the Glancy Commission could
proceed unimpeded. Mr. .Glancy expressed his inability to do
anything in this matter and advised Sheikh Abdullah to exercise
restraint. When he returned to his lodgings, he was informed that
prohibitory orders under Section 144 had been promulgated in
the city.
BACK IN JAIL│89
relations . This later even led to communal rioting in the city with
unfortunate consequences(See below)
Establishing a political party
Sheikh Abdullah was released from Jail on 4 June 1932 before
completing his six months sentence. He and the other Muslim
leaders now felt the need to form a proper political party with its
own constitution and rules of conduct to lead the struggle for a
just government.
A meeting with Kashyap Bandhu
It was their sincere desire to include the Hindus in this party but
unfortunately a powerful section of the Hindus felt that this would
go against their interests. Neverthless Sheikh Abdullah and
Ghulam Ahmed Ashai met Kashyap Bandhu a prominent leader
of the Hindu Yuwak Sabha and expressed their desire to form a
joint organisation of Muslims and Hindus. Kashyap Bandhu while
expressing his personal support for their views opined that at
that time there was little possibility of the Pandits agreeing to sit
on a common platform with the Muslims.However they still
expressed their desire that even if Pandit and Muslim leaders
could not at that time sit on a common platform they should still
try to exchange views with each other
THE ROTI AGITATION│99
A communal riot
At this time the city was rocked by an unfortunate incident. A
procession of Islamiya School students taken out in connection
with a “cleanliness week” drive was attacked in the Ganpatyar
area of the city ,which was inhabited by members of the Pandit
community , in a preplanned manner.The timely intervention of
the school headmaster prevented the situation from getting out
of hand but relations between Muslims and Pandits became
tense because of this incident.A Pandit leader Jia Lal Kilam now
made a very provocative speech at Sheetal Nath locality which
incited the Pandits to attack persons of the Muslim
community.The Muslims retaliated and communal roiting started
in the city. The conditions became so bad that the Maharajah
cancelled his birthday celebrations scheduled for the 24th of
September.
Sheikh Abdullah helps a pandit family
Sheikh Abdullah at this period started touring the city in an
attempt to pacify the people. In Bohri Kadal locality he was
informed that a pandit resident Gobind Ram was unable to
cremate his daughters dead body who had died a natural death.
Sheikh Abdullah without caring for his own safety reached the
pandit’s home and took the corpse and some relations of the girl
in a boat to the cremation grounds at Chattabal.On the way
some Muslims saw him sitting with the pandit family and started
calling him names.Ignoring their abuses he remained with the
THE ROTI AGITATION│100
family till the completion of the girls last rites. The news of this
act spread throughout the city and had a great effect in
assuaging the angry feelings of the rival communities.
Restoration of communal peace and amity.
Sheikh Abdullah now met Mr.Jardin an Englishman who was
responsible for maintainig law and order in the city with a
delegation of Muslims. He explained to him that the Hindus had
started the trouble in the hope that this would give an opportunity
to the Maharajah’s army to take over the city and supress the
Muslims. He requested Mr.Jardin to establish police posts with
equal number of Hindu and Muslim policemen so that
confidence of persons of both the communities is restored.
Mr.Jardin agreed to his suggestion and this aborted the
mischevious plan for take over of the city by the Maharajahs
army .
The Pandits who had been confined to their homes and were
running short of rations also agreed to make peace with
Muslims. A joint appeal for Hindu Muslim unity was signed by
leaders of both the communities and published for public
circulation .
Sheikh Abdullah now along with other Hindu and Muslim leaders
toured the city and made speeches stressing the need for Hindu
Muslim unity. Thus peace and amity between Hindus and
Muslims was restored in the city
101
At the request of the Governor of Kashmir telephonic talks were held with the
Prime Minister. Subsequently the Prime Minister sent a written proposal
requesting me to hold further discussions .I agreed and held discussions with
him, which lasted nearly two hours. The Prime Minister admitted that the Glancy
Commission’s recommendations, had not been implemented but he said that the
reasons for the delay were beyond his control. He expressed his sincere desire
to find a solution of this problem.
On the way back Mirwaiz vented his anger against Iqbal in the
following words “He is himself not fasting and is smoking his
hookah with great enjoyment but tells me to embrace
martyrdom. He would not have made these remarks had I been
among his own relatives” Sheikh Abdullah assuaged his feelings
by telling him that a dignified person like him should not lose his
temper at such remarks.
Meeting of Working Committee called
The activities of the Young Men’s Association perturbed Sheikh
Abdullah and he called a meeting of the Working Committee of
the Muslim Conference at Sialkot to discuss this problem.
Twenty members including Chaudhary Ghulam Abbas attended
the meeting.
Sheikh Abdullah pointed out that this agitation was diverting the
attention of the people from the real issues and weakened the
party discipline as the Young Men’s Association had started the
agitation without taking the party into confidence and there was
danger that divisive forces would follow their example weakening
the collective movement led by the Muslim Conference. Sheikh
Abdullah called for an immediate end to this agitation. The other
members of the Working Committee who had become very
emotional did not agree to this suggestion and instead decided
to suspend the Working Committee and hand over all decision
making to a Dictator. Following Sheikh Abdullah’s refusal to take
over as Dictator Chaudhary Ghulam Abbas took over as Dictator
A DIVIDED HOUSE│119
Nominations of Candidates
The Muslim Conference demanded release of all political
prisoners before the elections. The government at first agreed
but went back on its promise just a few days before the last date
of filing of nominations to provoke the Muslim Conference
members to boycott the elections. However, telegrams were sent
to all the candidates directing them to file their election papers
and all of them agreed. The Azad Muslim Conference of Mirwaiz
Yusuf Shah also put up its candidates to oppose the candidates
of the Muslim Conference. Sheikh Abdullah kicked off the
campaign in support of his party and within a few days, the tide
turned in favor of the Muslim Conference. The Mirwaiz now tried
to start Sher Bakra fights but Sheikh Abdullah wisely ignored his
provocations.
Muslim conference is successful
Elections to the Praja Sabha were held and votes cast on 4TH of
September 1933. .The candidates of the Muslim Conference
captured all the five Muslim seats of the city. The Azad Muslim
Conference of Mirwaiz Yusuf Shah did not win a single seat.
This was all the more remarkable as the Mirwaiz was a
respected religious divine while Shiekh Abdullah was until 1931
a political non entity and this victory testified to his political
genius. Sheikh Abdullah did not contest the elections himself but
gave all his attention to developing the party of which he was the
President.
PRAJA SABHA│123
Muslim, Hindu, Pandit and Sikh Members staged a joint walk out
from the Assembly to show their displeasure over some matter.
Pandit Amar Nath Kak was the sole elected member who did not
associate himself with this joint protest.
INFLUENCES│ 126
16│INFLUENCES
Pandit Prem Nath Bazaz was known to Sheikh Abdullah since his
schooldays as both studied in the same school. However, it was
only after Bazaz was nominated by the Kashmiri Pandits as their
representative to the Glancy Commission that Bazaz showed his
true metal as a leader. He refused to bow down to the demands of
some communal members of his community who wanted him to
resign from the commission to deny the grant of basic rights to the
Muslims who formed a majority of the State’s population. As
already recounted in an earlier chapter, for this Bazaz had to resign
from his party, and was forced to shift from his ancestral house to
INFLUENCES│ 127
the Punjab which does not experience the harsh cold that is
characteristic of the Kashmir winter. While returning to Srinagar the
next year he met the Nationalist Muslim leader Dr.Saifuddin Kitchlu
at Amritsar. Dr.Saifuddin Kitchlu was a prominent personality of the
Kashmiri Diaspora in Punjab. He retained his links with the people
of Kashmir and was sincerely concerned about their problems. His
advice to Sheikh Abdullah to adopt a Nationalist rather than a
communal approach to politics, as was done by his party the Indian
National Congress, reinforced Sheikh Abdullah’s determination
(formed during his meeting with Bazaz in 1932) to lead the struggle
of Kashmiri people on secular and Nationalist rather than
communal lines. After his meeting with Dr.Kitchlu, Sheikh Abdullah
called a press conference, in which he said:
“Putting aside any bitterness that previously existed between us I on behalf of the
Muslim inhabitants of this State appeal to my Non Muslim compatriots to
INFLUENCES│ 130
cooperate with us. I assure them that Muslims do not want to rob any community
of its lawful rights and want justice for all communities. Muslims demand only
their rights as citizens. Come let us all join in this struggle for our rights. I hope
the leaders of the Non Muslims will sincerely and courageously ponder my
appeal. They must realize that this would also be in the best interests of their
communities.”
“My struggle is for the progress and welfare of my native land. Come let us all
rise above our petty communal differences and work for the betterment of the
masses. I appeal to my Hindu brethren to put aside all suspicions and I assure
them that their cooperation with Muslims will in no way be detrimental to their
interests.”
Following this appeal the Prem Nath Bazaz who had already faced
the ire of his community for refusing to resign from the Glancy
Commission and Sardar Budh Singh a Sikh leader from Jammu
participated in this session of the Muslim Conference.
Meeting with Mohammed Ali Jinnah
Mohammed Ali Jinnah who had attained fame both as a lawyer and
as the most prominent leader of the Muslims of British India came
to Kashmir along with his sister Miss Fatima Jinnah in June 1936
as a tourist and was staying in a Houseboat at the Shivpora locality
of Srinagar. Mehar Ali a police officer of Srinagar, who was an
acquaintance of Sheikh Abdullah had got involved in a court case
regarding his marriage with a divorcee Hanifa Begum whose former
INFLUENCES│ 131
husband Abdul Kabeer Peer claimed that legally she was his wife.
This case was at that time in the court of the Chief Justice Sir
Barjor Dalal and had attracted considerable public attention.
On the date of the hearing, the courtroom was filled to capacity with
people who were eager to listen to his arguments. Basing his
arguments on a fine point regarding the Islamic Calendar he won
the case in a single hearing.
The Muslim festival of “Id e Milad” fell only a few days later and so
Sheikh Abdullah requested Jinnah to preside over one of the
meetings organized by the Muslim Conference at Shahi Masjid to
celebrate this festival. Jinnah agreed and on the appointed day was
welcomed by Chaudhary Mohammed Abbas read the welcome
address praising him for providing true guidance to the Indian
Muslims who would always be proud of having such an eminent
INFLUENCES│ 132
leader. He said that his “noble character, sobriety, love for Islam,
passion for freedom and desire for Hindu Muslim Unity had
endeared him among the hearts of the Kashmiris.’’
Jinnah in his brief reply first thanked the organizers of the meeting.
He then recollected that he had first come to Kashmir in 1926 and
was now pleasantly surprised by the awakening that had come
about among the people of the State during this decade and for
which he as a person who had all along been a votary of freedom
expressed his support and appreciation. Referring to the reference
to Hindu Muslim Unity by Chaudhary Ghulam Abbas he said
Mohammed Ali Jinnah was at that time the most admired leader of
the Muslims who considered him as their hero and his strong plea
for Hindu-Muslim unity and for assuring the minorities that they
would be equitably treated, had a great effect on Sheikh Abdullah.
It strengthened his resolve formed during his meetings with Bazaz
and Kitchlu to adopt a secular approach based on Nationalism and
join hands with members of other communities in the struggle for
obtaining a representative and just government. This resolve
crystallized after his meeting with Nehru a couple of years later.
immediately went there with Prem Nath Bazaz and Sardar Budh
Singh and remained there until peace was restored.
“Our standards for safeguarding the rights of the minorities are much superior to
those of The Indian National Congress. Unlike the resolution passed by the
Indian National Congress we have not used verbosity to de facto deny the rights
of the minorities or used logical niceties to hide this denial. We recognize the
rights of the minorities in unambiguous terms and invite them to join us. If our
Hindu and Sikh brothers still insist that they should be given exactly the same
rights as would be given to the minorities in British India we would have no
INFLUENCES│ 136
objection. It is now their duty to join us without wasting time in our struggle
against an unrepresentative government whose harsh policies are a source of
anger and sorrow for us all.”
The British Statesmen while drafting the Act have brutally trampled the rights of
the 80 million inhabitants of the Princely States underfoot and this will be
considered the blackest page in this black Constitution. The 80 million
inhabitants of the Princely States have been treated like dumb driven cattle by
the British Government which while giving no importance to their views has given
the right to choose their representatives to those very rulers whom they detested
as their oppressors.
Sheikh Abdullah met Iqbal for the last time in late 1937 and
according to him either by destiny or coincidence he also advised
him to open the doors of the Muslim Conference for the Non
Muslims. Iqbal according to Sheikh Abdullah said:
“The salvation of Kashmiris lies in all of them getting organized under the aegis
of a common organization. The doors of the Muslim Conference should be
thrown open for the Non Muslims. This is the only way in which Kashmiris can
obtain freedom else mutual differences will be exploited by vested interests to
frustrate their struggle.”
CHANGING PERSPECTIVES │140
“The time has come for all progressive elements of the society who are
struggling for a responsible government to unite under a common organization.
Hence the Working Committee recommends that in the next session of the
Muslim Conference suitable changes should be made in the name and the
Constitution of this party so that all people who want to take part in this struggle
irrespective of their color,race, caste ,creed or religion should have an
opportunity to become members of this party.”
We have already read how Raja Akbar Khan had lashed out
against the autocratic feudal rule of the Maharajah in the 1937
session of the Muslim Conference at Punch. In the Hindu rule of
the Maharajah slaughter of cows was a capital offence. To take
revenge the government charged him with making comments
inciting rebellion in a case of cow slaughter and for it he was
sentenced to a fine of Rupees One Hundred and three years
rigorous imprisonment. This caused great resentment among the
people of Kashmir and in protest the Muslim Conference called for
observing fifth of August as Responsible Government Day. As
already mentioned the Hindu leaders Kashyap Bandhu and Jia Lal
Kilam whose nominee had been defeated by Shiv Narain Fotedar
tilted towards the Muslim Conference and made speeches
supporting the demand for a responsible government from the
platform of the Muslim Conference.
Committee for drafting “National Demands”
National Demands
The “National Demands” document for the first time laid out in
clear-cut terms the goals of the National Struggle for a responsible
government in which all the oppressed people of the State
irrespective of their location, caste, creed, race or religion would
participate united by the quest for a responsible and just
government.
“It is clear that that in the State of Jammu and Kashmir a united movement
cutting across regional lines for the purpose of bringing about a revolution in the
Social and Political framework has come into existence. This movement is not
limited to any particular class or ethnic group... We at the outset would like to
assert our loyalty to the Maharajah …the purpose of this struggle is to attain a
fully responsible government under the aegis of the Maharajah…We want the
grant of basic and fundamental rights of citizenship to the residents of this
State…Our struggle will continue till the weakest of the Maharajah’s subjects
gets the right to play a role in the determination of his destiny…our demands are
reasonable and have the full force of justice and are backed by logical
arguments. We know that we are helpless and the government is fully armed and
aware of its capabilities but we would repeat that in the words of Pandit Moti Lal
Nehru “while it may be possible to crush the body it is not possible to crush our
spirit.” Our struggle is driven by the hunger and wretchedness of the subjects of
this State… Ever increasing unemployment, excessive taxation, unbearable land
CHANGING PERSPECTIVES │144
4.The members of the Legislative Assembly will be elected by adult suffrage but
due representation would be given to elected representatives of
Traders,Landlords and members of Educational institutions.
6. All the State Subjects irrespective of caste ,creed or religion would be netitled
to be recruited in the armed forces.
7.All the subjects of the Maharajah should be given freedom of speech and
association
Budh Singh,Pandit Jia Lal Kilam, Pandit Prem Nath Bazaz, Ghulam
Mohammed Sadiq, Molvi Sayeed Masoodi, Pandit Shyam Lal
Saraf, Mian Ahmed Yar Khan and Dr.Shamboonath Pishen, Mirza
Afzal Beg and Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed
The first session of the newly elected Praja Sabha was called on 7th
September 1938 in the Maharajahs palace RajGarh. The members
of the Muslim Conference walked out of the assembly after being
sworn in and declared that they would boycott the future
proceedings of the Praja Sabha till their demands are fulfilled
Support from All India State Peoples Conference
The All India States Peoples Conference held a meeting under the
Presidentship of Jawaharlal Nehru from 15-17th of February 1939.
Nehru in his Presidential address expressed strong support for the
struggle of the Kashmiri people for a representative government.
The delegates at the conference expressed their admiration for the
“National Demands” document
Sheikh Abdullah’s tumultuous reception
Sheikh Abdullah was released from Jail and after his release
arrived at Chattabal locality of Srinagr in a car. There tens of
thousands of people had assembled to receive him. He was made
to sit in a carriage yoked to nine horses. He first made a brief
speech from his carriage in which he thanked the people for their
sincerity and devotion towards him. He was then brought in a
procession to Srinagar. The procession was led in the front by two
rows of uniformed volunteers mounted on horseback (Drivers of
horse driven vehicles called tongas in real life) and behind them
there was a contingent of bicycle riders followed by tens of
thousands of Hindus ,Muslims and Sikhs expressing joy at his
CHANGING PERSPECTIVES │150
While the Indian National Congress and its leader Nehru were
playing an increasingly active role in Kashmiri politics its rival the
Indian Muslim League watched apathetically from the sidelines.
Perhaps Jinnah did not want to antagonize the Maharajah and the
feudal rulers who were important supporters of his party. The result
CHANGING PERSPECTIVES │152
was that the Indian Muslim League lost the opportunity to become
an important player in the Kashmir politics. When many years later
Jinnah made an attempt to introduce the Muslim League in
Kashmir in 1944 it was already too late and his efforts met only with
limited success proving the truth of the adage that “the early bird
catches the worm.”
General Council of Muslim Conference approves change
“The robe that our party donned eight years back has now become worn out and
obsolete. It is time that our movement changes it for another befitting its role…
Those who now oppose the change in the name of Muslim Conference to
National Conference are those very persons who opposed Muslim Conference
when it was first formed. The government also dislikes this change because it
feels that by this step the Muslims will ensure that their demand for a responsible
government meets with success … Rumors are being spread that Sheikh
Abdullah has sold himself to the Congress and the Party is being converted into
handmaiden of Gandhi. I want to make it clear that we are neither under the
thumb of the Congress nor that of the Muslim League. We have respect for both
Gandhi and Jinnah but we cannot surrender our fate in their hands. Gandhi says
that we should compromise with our rulers. We do not subscribe to this view
Jinnah says that the Majority Community of this State should gain the
confidence of the minorities. We are in full agreement with this view. We
welcome the support of Both Congress and Muslim League but we cannot
mortgage our conscience to any external party. It is possible that we have made
mistakes but compared to those persons who project themselves as self styled
custodians of the interests of the Muslims we are far more capable of looking
after the interests of the Muslims. It is ridiculous to assert that the 80% of the
Muslim population of this State is threatened its 20% Non Muslim residents. We
as true Muslims are fearless and this change reflects our courage and not fear.
You should not pay any heed to the allegations of the enemies of our Qaid e
Azam Sher e Kashmir (Sheikh Abdullah).
CHANGING PERSPECTIVES │154
struggle is like literally refusing to see the sun by keeping the eyes
shut. Thus in 1931 the Maharajah and his supporters blamed first
the Qadianis and later the Majlis e Ahrar for fomenting trouble in
Kashmir accusing Sheikh Abdullah of being a stooge of the
abovementioned parties of Punjab.
Sheikh Abdullah’s views brought him into conflict with the parties
of British India namely Majlis e Ahrar, Indian Muslim League, and
later Indian National Congress, which wanted to establish their
hegemony in Kashmir. Even before the formation of the National
Conference he earned the wrath of Majlis e Ahrar for refusing to
take sides in their fight with the Qadiani sect as he thought that
sectarian squabbles would only divide the Muslims and prevent the
adoption of a Nationalistic approach to political problems(Atish e
Chinar p.247).
Many Hindus who had joined the party also attempted to impose
their views on the party as they considered Kashmir to be a Hindu
State and did not want any steps that would hurt the interests of
their community, which occupied all the important offices of the
government. They objected to the recitation of verses from the
Koran at the meetings of the National Conference.
women who had no cash donated their silver ornaments (they were
too poor to wear gold) including the earrings and bangles worn by
them. The building was completed in 1935 and named Mujahid
Manzil. The Muslim Conference had a year earlier changed its
name to National Conference and so Mujahid Manzil became the
headquarters of this party.
Mujahid Manzil is attacked
Masoodi while officially the General Secretary of the party was also
according to him the incognito editor of a paper Khalid and Prem
Nath Bazaz was the incognito editor of another paper the Mirror.
Kashyap Bandhu accused Khalid of promoting Muslim communal
politics and Mirror of promoting Hindu communal politics. From
Kashyap Bandhus allegations it seems the Molvi Sayeed Masoodi
was the person referred to by him. Sheikh Abdullah in Atish e
Chinar mentions that Molvi Sayeed Masoodi was deeply influenced
by the doctrines of Majlis e Ahrar a fundamentalist Muslim party.
Sheikh Abdullah also refers to the penchant of Molvi Mohammed
Sayeed Masoodi for playing political games using other persons to
further his own designs.
Chaudhary Abbas supports Sheikh Abdullah
On 1st of August 1939 the Kashmiri Pandits came to know that the
Dharmarath Trust which was headed by the Maharajah was
planning to take over the Durga Nag temple which belonged to the
Pandits. The Pandits leaders Kashyap Bandhu and Shiv Narain
A CLASH OF IDEAS│168
BIBLIOGRAPHY
8.http://www.kashmir-information.com/Converted
Kashmir/Chapter17.html (A website alleging that Sheikh
Abdullah was a British Agent. See Chapter 11, page 66)
9.http://ikashmir.net/historicaldocuments/index.html.A
collection of documents including recommendations of
Constitutional Reforms Conference headed by B.J. Glancy,
and other documents related to establishment of Praja
Sabha.
Chattabal 99 curfew 65
Chaudhary Afzal Haq 83 Daghore, 40
Chaudhary Ghulam Abbas 23, Dastageer Sahib’s Shrine in
36 Khanyar 112
Chaudhary Ghulam Abbas Khan Dastageer Sahibs Shrine 67
48 death of his father 9
Chaudhary Niaz Ahmed 70 Deevan Jeevan Nath, 73
Chaudhary Ram Chand 40 demand for joint electorates
children 19 unnerves government ........ 147
Chinese silk 71 demands 13
Civil Services Recruitment DEMANDS 25
Board 29 Deobandi School 107
Col. E.J.D. Colvin 92 Department of Shali
Col.C.W.Colvin. 92 liquidation of ...................... 26
Colonel Commandant 18 Deputy Director Sericulture 18
Commission 81 lodges complaint against
committee 14 workers ........................... 17
communal riots descendant of a Kashmiri Hindu
in Poonch ......................... 134 (Pandit) 9
communal roiting 99 desecration 40
compulsory free primary Dictators 64
education 26 Director of the Sericulture
Conference of Vagabonds 113 Department 22
converted to Islam in 1722 A.D 9 discharge certificate
corruption 23 refusal ................................ 10
council 21 dismissed employees 62
cremation grounds 99
150
NAYA KASHMIR
GENERAL
Article1
Article 2
Article3
A: Freedom of Speech
B:Freedom of press
Article 4
Article5
Article6
Article 7
Article 8
Article 9
Every citizen would have the right to have leisure time. To ensure
this the working hours would be restricted to eight hours a day. For
artisans and laborers paid holidays would be specified and parks
to provide healthy environment and recreation centers for workers
would be established at all places.
Article10
Article11
Article12
Article13
All the children born in the State would have equal rights and equal
opportunities for development. None would be entitled to any
special consideration by virtue of his place of birth or parental
eminence.
Article14
Article 15
Article 16
Article17
The State of Jammu and Kashmir will provide asylum to such non
citizens who have been penalized for guarding public interests or
for academic works or far taking part in liberation struggles of their
nations.
Article 18
Article19
National Assembly will itself elect its president and other office
bearers and itself make rules for the conduct of its business. Every
bill which is passed by a majority of the members and then receives
the assent of the ruler will be deemed to be a law passed by the
national Assembly
The laws passed by the National assembly and signed by both the
ruler and the President of the Assembly would be published in the
Urdu language as well other regional languages.
Article 20
Article 21
Article 22
At the expiry of the term of the National Assembly the ruler of the
State would requisition the new elected National Assembly to hold
its session after one month of the date of expiration of the term of
the old National Assembly.
Article23
Article24
Article 25
Ministers will issue orders to implement the laws that are in force
and govern their concerned Departments and see that the orders
and decisions of the Council of Ministers are implemented at a
satisfactory pace.
Article 27
Article 28
B: Have the right to dissolve the National assembly and hold fresh
elections
Article 29
Women will have electoral rights equal and identical with those of
men for voting or seeking election.
178
Article 30
Those citizens who work in the armed forces would have the same
rights to vote or get elected as other citizens.
Article 31
Article 32
Article 33
Article 34
Article 35
Article 36
Article 37
by the Supreme Court and have a five year tenure. The “people’s
courts” would be elected by the Elected Panchayats for the
duration of five years.
Article 38
Article 39
Every accused person would have the right to defend himself and
he would be assured of the same.
Article 40
Article 41
Article 42
Article 43
Article 44
The Advocate General and government counsels will carry out their
responsibilities freely and without being influenced by any local
government authority whatsoever and the Government Counsels
will work under the Advocate General only.
Article 45
If the date at which the a judge of the High Court or the Advocate
General is to be superannuated falls on a date when the assembly
has been dissolved then the date of superannuation would be
postponed till the new elected Assembly is constituted and appoints
officers in place of those who are superannuated
182
Article 46
Article 47
Article 48
Article 49
The State will aid encourage the growth and development of local
languages and especially those local languages which are more
undeveloped will receive all possible help to help them develop.
This will include the following measures:
Article50
Article 51
For the overall welfare of the state such industrial planning and
organization of means of production is essential. To discourage
harmful competition in trade the adoption of the cooperative system
would be encouraged. Markets and trade must be properly
organized and regulated. This is the only way of to deal with
imbalances resulting from surplus supply in one region and
demand in another and can overcome problems of local shortages.
3. Make the provision of the basic necessities of life for (a) children
(b) Students (c) Old and invalid persons by the State a fundamental
right.
12. To implement this plan the All Jammu and Kashmir National
Conference proposes to establish a planning commission which will
do its job with the full support and backing of the Jammu and
Kashmir Government. The National Plan of the Jammu and
Kashmir National Planning Commission which would be published
as a detailed document by the commission would have the
following Chapters and Sections:
1.Productions
A: Agricultural, B: Industrial
2.Transport
3. Distribution(Of produce)
4.Public Works
6. Women rights
Productions:
The term agriculture implies not only tilling of land and harvesting of
crops but also includes local and associated activities like dairy
farming and making of dairy products, industries based on animal
materials as well as forest productions and industries based on
them
Cooperative Systems:
The main aim of the agricultural plan of All Jammu and Kashmir
National Conference is to make the State self sufficient in essential
agricultural products, food and food grains and to attain it the
following steps would be taken:
1. Every peasant would have the right to possess land for tilling till
some practical alternative employment is provided to him.
3.In the interim period before the plan is fully implemented all fallow
land would be taxed progressively and no land would be exempted
from tax even if for some reason it is incapable of being cultivated
for some reason. Even before the chakdari system is abolished a
strict limit would be imposed on the maximum income that
absentee landlords would obtain from their absentee holdings.
6.It would be the goal of the government to rid the villages of the
curse of outstanding loans. It is essential to liberate every peasant
from this burden. Hence if the peasant has repaid the principal of
the loan to the lender he would be released from the liability of
making any additional payments to the lender.
8. The State would have the duty of taking all necessary steps to
protect peasants from natural disasters like floods, hailstorms, crop
diseases, diseases of livestock etc
13. Every farmer will have the right to obtain free medical advice
and medicines as per plan
14. Every farmer will have the right to be provided with clean all
weather houses with supply of potable water in villages.
198
15. Farmers will have the right to have a town hall with a radio set
and equipment for indoor and outdoor games so that they can lead
a proper social life.
16.Every farmer will have the right to obtain education under the
National education Plan and besides basic reading, writing and
arithmetic skills be also taught about agricultural subjects and this
education be provided to him to as advanced a level as he is
capable of.
2. All core and large industries should be run under the control and
supervision of the people friendly National Government. National
interest demands that all essential industries should be used for
national benefit and not for the benefit of the few and accumulation
of personal wealth
4.Forest wealth that serves as the basic raw material for large
industries as well as all types of mineral resources can be utilized
only by the permission of the democratic government of the State.
The industrial plan will use four criteria for selecting the sites for
locating different industries
1. Hydroelectric Projects
3. Metallurgical industries
201
7. Food industries
D: COTTAGE INDUSTRIES
Cottage industries which have made Kashmir famous all over the
world would be organized as Cooperatives as per the plan for
developing Cooperatives. The great experiments of Modern China
in this field would serve as a model for this purpose.
To ensure a bright and happy future for the Kashmiri artisans the
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference puts forward the
following basic principles for their organization.
The Industrial Cooperative Plan will have the following three points
enumerated by Professor J.B.Taylor (who was one of the great
advisors for the cooperative movement in China):
C: Wood working industry which would include all joinery and other
items manufactured from wood
F: Embroidery
Every citizen of the Jammu and Kashmir State has the right to be
provided employment by the State as per his physical and
intellectual capabilities
principles and attain a status befitting his pride and self respect as
a citizen
Every citizen has the right to have a standard of living much above
that of bare existence and this standard of living will have to be
attained by the government by following the guidelines laid in the
economic plan.
Every citizen would have the right to form an association and freely
express his views in the same
Every citizen would have the absolute right to leave any trade or
profession or join any trade or profession
Every worker will have the right of equality of wage with others of
the same cadre without discrimination on the basis of caste, color,
creed or gender.
Every worker will be entitled to leave with full pay for one day a
week and also fifteen days after a year’s service.
207
The practice of child labor would be stopped and children below the
age of 15 years will not be allowed to be employed as laborers.
Women workers will be entitled to all rights that are laid out in the
Charter of Women’s rights.(358)
Every laborer will be entitled to use cheap and fast load carriers
Every worker will have the right to have free treatment and care in
case of illness.
Every worker will have the right to social and cultural advancement.
Every worker will have the right to education. This eduation would
not be limite to the 3 R’s but would cover further professional
education in his field of interest to the extent he is capable of as
laid out in the National educational Plan.
Our party namely All Jammu and Kashmir National Conference has
come to the understanding that the primitive nature of transport and
highways is one of the main causes underlying the lack of
development of this State.Remote areas of the State lack these
facilities altogether. Hence the National Conference has come to
the conclusion that any major plan for the reconstruction and
reorganization of this State should pay attention to the step by step
development of transport and communication as detailed below:
Every village would be provided with a doctor and a first aid centre.
Educating the general public about health and hygiene with the
help of the National Educational Council
All Jammu and Kashmir National Conference feels the need for
providing the peasants and workers of the State with modern
hygienic houses. The Conference is of the opinion that this difficult
problem requiring far reaching efforts can be solved only by a
comprehensive national housing plan.
In the past the people of this State could not develop as a united
and coherent entity only because not only was no attention paid to
our heritage and culture but these matters were put on the
backburner. The National Conference plans to promote the
common cultural heritage and traditions of the people of this State
and this would include cultures of all the different communities
inhabiting the State. For this a multipronged programe would be put
into effect which would pay special attention to the following
3. The right to have all matters concerning women that are decided
by elected organs of the State to be adopted after due
consultation with the representatives of the women
Women would get the same wages as men for similar work. The
sole criterion for determining wages would be the type of job, its
nature and workmanship.
Women would have the right to follow any trade or profession that
they are capable of according to their will and interest
1. Antenatal care
5. Paid maternity leave for women six months prior to and six
months after delivery
7. Every nursing woman would have the right to avail half an hour’s
break after every four hours of work
Every woman would have the right to chose her husband according
to her will and discretion
Women would have the right to own and inherit property and this
right will not be affected by marriage.
NOTES