From:
India Awareness Foundation (IAF) - previously - Bharat Awareness Forum (BAF)
1765 Lazy River Lane
Atlanta, GA 30350
bharat_awareness@yahoo.com (or) baforum@aol.com
Petition submitted by: 'Kashmir Think Tank' of BAF and many other community leaders.
June 10, 2000
To:
The Prime Minister of India,
New Delhi - India
Subject: Petition for Abrogation of Article 370 as India's top most priority.
CONSOLIDATION and INTEGRATION FIRST!
Dear Honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri Atal-ji
We represent a large community of NRIs.
As in every other national endeavor, we are committed to stand by our motherland.
1. Abrogation of Article 370 is now essential and is also possible.
Over the past two months we have had a series of seminars on issues of direct relevance to India’s security and integrity and have held open debates involving concerned Indians across the world using the powerful internet media. After serious and extensive deliberations, we have arrived at a resolution to insist on a necessary first step to seek the Abrogation of Article 370 *and* satisfactory solution of the problems of the Kashmiri Hindus before the status-quo regarding Jammu and Kashmir is disturbed.
We consider this to be an extremely crucial requirement to address India’s international and domestic concerns.
Any international compromise, if required, that needs to be considered should definitely not precede consolidation of the integration of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. If this sequencing is not done correctly, centrifugal forces could produce a very devastating effect on India's integrity.
We have learnt from our very detailed analysis of the socio-political atmosphere over the past 50 years that although it may not have become apparent to everybody yet, conditions in India are most favorable now to promote a national consensus on the Abrogation of Article 370. If this issue is taken up, the whole nation will rally behind its sponsors.
2. Changing the status quo without addressing the real problems will be diastrous.
We have been hearing about a consideration of precipitating a decision on the Kashmir imbroglio, possibly under persuasion from some domestic and international agencies, that might involve
(a) tinkering, and subsequent acceptance of the LoC as the International border
and
(b) ‘Trifurcation’ of the JK state.
Neither of the above two possibilities addresses the important issue of bringing about demographic rationalization in the state, hitherto blocked by the Article 370. We are deeply concerned that unless a plan for population redistribution is FIRST placed into effect, the safety of the minorities cannot be guaranteed in a dreamland that may be given to them.
Arbitrary markings of international borders and/or religion-based composition of territories land-locked in hostile territories is neither constitutional nor holds any promise of providing sustainable security to the minorities in J&K. Its precedence holds the danger of escalating into a process leading to the balkanization of India.
3. Human rights of Kashmirir Pandits must be addressed.
Any quick-fix solution for the Kashmir imbroglio that does not address the plight of the displaced Kashmiri’s, provide for their immediate and safe rehabilitation in their homeland, and alleviate their sufferings and exploitation through economic attrition and inhuman torture they have been brutally subjected to, will leave the real human issues unaffected.
The detailed complex dynamics of demographic rationalization, following the Abrogation of Article 370 can be worked out, but it is clear that, the very first and immediate step, must be, the generation of a national consensus on the Abrogation of Article 370, preferably co-sponsored by the Leader of the Opposition in the Indian Parliament and the Prime Minister of India.
4. Why abrogation of Article 370 is possible now ?
India, now that it has emerged strong on economic and technological and military fronts, can dare to attempt where it failed before for fifty years.
Every senior political figure in India, including Pundit Nehru (in the LoK Sabha, Feb. 1964) has forcefully declared that the Article 370 is temporary, no longer required, and the process of its gradual erosion must be completed to complete abrogation.
We do not intend to study here why this has not happened, but we trust that in the absence of any sustainable argument that any political party or religious group can offer to demonstrate that the Article 370 actually offers national security and assists integration, its abrogation can be secured through a national consensus, by introducing a bill jointly sponsored by the Government and the Opposition in India’s national interest.
If this issue is decoupled from any other religious issue, it should be possible to build a national consensus on it. The question of getting J&K assembly’s ratification, if required, can be addressed subsequently and alternate constitutional procedures to bring the abrogation of Article 370 into effect can be explored.
Pending the developments that will be required to place the Abrogation of Article 370 into effect, a Parliamentary Consensus on the Abrogation of Article 370 will send a strong signal to disruptive and centrifugal forces and express the nation's resolve to strengthen its integral status.
We trust that if we take ingenious steps toward resolving the Kashmir issue, we can secure the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir (including PoK).
It is important and urgent at this stage to first prevent any precipitation of an irreversible and unsafe decision.
Posterity will not forgive us if we fail to provide for tenable and sustainable security measures for the minorities in J&K or if we allow our borders to shrink beyond they need to!!
With best regards,
Sincerely,
BAF Members
Atlanta - United States of America
Appended
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