Apartheid
The
situation
for the Kashmiri Pandits has reached such a pass
that they have become the victims of the worst
apartheid in their own country - India, which has
been in the vanguard of the battle against
apartheid. Even the white minority regime of South
Africa would take comfort looking at the treatment
given to the exiles from the valley as they face
apartheid in social, educational, legal and
bureaucratic institutions of the State.
Far
from lending a healing touch to this wounded
community, it is being treated like a pariah as it
has been segregated in schools, colleges and other
institutions and made to accept subhuman living
conditions. The schools for the children of the
community have been housed in tents which get
blown over with the strong breeze, which leak even
during a drizzle, where heat strokes and related
problems are galore during summer. Our daughters
in these camp schools are exposed to the greedy
eyes of the lechers. The school drop-out rate is
on an alarming increase. University admissions
have been denied to the youth and their academic
career has remained frozen for four years. The
examinations for all levels are still being
conducted for the exiles in Jammu and other towns
by the Kashmir University from the valley. The
examination process has become more and more
prolonged, halting and painful as the date-sheets
go on changing at the whim of the University
authorities. Some examinations which were due for
months and even a year have yet to be conducted.
Similarly, the results are not declared for
months. The youth feel helpless, frustrated and
depressed.
The
employees amongst the exiles are idling. They have
not been adjusted against any posts. The
professionals are rotting, the farmers of the
community are withering away in the tents. The
trader community has been deprived of all avenues
and has no avenues to start even petty business
anywhere in the State outside the valley. There
have been no recruitments from the community to
the State government services whereas thousands of
vacancies have been created for and filled up by
the Muslims. The community thus faces a terrible
doom as a result of this monstrous conspiracy
between the terrorists who drove it out of its
habitat in the valley and the adrninistration
which rules it in exile, to ensure that it does
not get any foot-hold anywhere.
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