Tourism in Kashmir is cultural invasion? How National Conference MP Ruhullah fuelled hatred against ‘outsiders’, and stoked separatism in an interview
Terrorists opened fire on a group of Hindu tourists in Pahalgam of Jammu and Kashmir, killing at least 28 people and injuring many others. This is among the biggest terror attacks after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. Six foreign terrorists, clad in army uniforms, reportedly used religion to identify their victims by asking them their names and identity cards. They were told to recite Islamic scriptures and even take off their pants before they were sprayed with bullets.
In light of the shocking and distressing event, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) leader and Srinagar Lok Sabha MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi also condemned the “barbaric attack on tourists and locals in Baisaran.” He stated that mindless acts of violence are an insult to common humanity and “stain the conscience of our society.” He added, “Kashmir has always opened its arms to guests. Those who seek to poison this bond only betray the values we hold dear.”
Notably, three months ago, during an interview with Nous Network, Mehdi articulated his profound disdain for the expanding tourism in Kashmir, referring to it as a cultural encroachment. “What is happening right now, which is being called tourism, it’s not that in my view. This is a cultural invasion. It’s happening by purpose and by design. A particular set of people are being brought intentionally, by design and for specific activities which are executed as part of a cultural invasion that is currently underway in Jammu and Kashmir, deliberately, with the aim of disturbing the environment,” he conveyed in the video which was released on 4th January.
He further complained about alcohol consumption in the region and claimed “it was unheard of” in Jammu and Kashmir and added, “The people of Jammu and Kashmir have always respected the choices of others. If someone came from outside, as a tourist, and belonged to a different faith than ours, maybe in their faith, alcohol consumption is not forbidden. There were confined areas and arrangements specifically for them, so they could consume it. Similarly, they also understood that in this society, in this culture drinking alcohol might not be considered appropriate.”
“I’ll name some specific areas, though it’s happening in many places, but these are known hotspots, which will give you an idea: the Dal Gate area, the area around Dal Lake, Boulevard Road. These places are now flooded with tourist activities. There, people come in shorts, sometimes even barely dressed and openly drink alcohol. They consume it to such an extent that alcohol-related abuses start to appear. You must have seen this during the summer, read reports, observed cases as many incidents came to light. People drink openly on the roads, in shikaras (houseboats) and even take it out into restaurants and consume it there. Videos of many such individuals have been recorded intentionally, and yes, these are tourists,” he further expanded his anti-tourist rhetoric. Obviously, the grand ideals of liberalism, tolerance and acceptance are eliminated by the harsh blade of Islamic extremism.
“There are many such examples which, in the current climate, people outside may not fully grasp. But the people of Jammu & Kashmir will understand the kind of apparent changes they’re witnessing. Changes in attire, in consumption habits and in behavior, an entire pattern of objectionable behaviour is imported in the area. A type of conduct that’s considered inappropriate even in places like UP or Bihar,” he added exposing the deep-rooted racism as if Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are inferior states.
“A person with the right mindset could never appreciate that kind of behaviour or appearance even in those places,” he declared and then disseminated a conspiracy theory indicating that the young people of Kashmir are being systematically led to substance abuse. He asserted that the entire system, encompassing the government, defence forces and administration, is accountable for the drug issue in Kashmir.
“This has consistently been a part of the strategy behind cultural invasions, power invasions or takeovers. Punjab is a major example of this within our own country. When you want to attack a society, when you want to take it over in any form, this is no hidden or secret matter, the RSS ideology aims to take over Jammu & Kashmir, specifically the Kashmiri Muslim identity. There is a direct move towards that goal and one major component of such invasions is to weaken or destroy a generation, to annihilate it. One of the key instruments used to achieve this is drug abuse. We’ve seen this happen in Punjab and now we are witnessing the same happening in Kashmir and it’s happening by purpose,” he claimed and even asserted that individuals are receiving calls from police stations if they prevent anyone from using drugs.
India wanted real estate, Kashmir a different civilisation
The MP described the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India as unethical, asserting that India exploited the circumstances in the region for its own gain. “India took advantage of a pressing situation. It assumed control of a territory, capitalising on the vulnerability of its inhabitants. This was not a charitable act. It was a strategy for land acquisition. Therefore, it can be interpreted as a geopolitical arrangement. They obtained a piece of real estate by preying on the helplessness of the community. I recognise this reality and have come to terms with the pain as well,” he declared.
His disinclination to view Jammu and Kashmir as part of India is distinctly reflected in his statement and it is particularly alarming that he pledges allegiance to the constitution of a nation he evidently despises. He subsequently complained about the absence of a plebiscite in the territory, portraying it as a betrayal of its people. “Hand over your real estate to us, or else we’ll leave you to the dogs and throw you under the bus. So, if you want to survive, give up your area,” he added, claiming this is how Maharaja Hari Singh was blackmailed by the Indian state. The politician is unabashedly revealing his aversion to being part of the nation in which he holds a parliamentary seat.
He even went as far as to characterise India and Kashmir as two separate civilisations. The name Kashmir, rooted in Indian culture and historically ruled by significant Hindu kings, was represented as a distinct entity only due to demographic shifts that have caused the genocide and exodus of Kashmiri Hindus. “A particular culture, a society, a civilisation is handing itself over to another civilisation. This is not an interaction. This is an unwanted deal forced and pushed by circumstances between two civilisations,” he maintained, while shrewdly arguing that it is not a religious matter. However, what sets Kashmir apart from the rest of the nation, if not its predominantly Muslim population and Islamism?
Propaganda of demographic change accusing BJP-RSS
Mehdi claimed that the centre has orchestrated demographic changes in the area and remarked, “14 million cannot consume 1.4 billion in any way. I, coming from Kashmir, cannot consume the whole of India. I cannot change its identity. I cannot change its language. I cannot consume its land. I cannot consume its jobs. I cannot consume its resources. Now reverse it. Leave all those doors and gates, whatever you want to call them, open. Leave Kashmir, with its population of 14 million, open to 1.4 billion people. There can be demographic change, linguistic change, cultural change and religious changes. Your land will go, your jobs will go, your resources will go and we are already witnessing it.”
Echoing the sentiments of fellow Islamists, he wants to use India as a cash cow and a realm of opportunities for the people of the vallery, however, envisions Jammu and Kashmir as an independent state within the country that possesses its own autonomy and sovereignty, restricting entry to individuals from other parts of the nation. He fundamentally desires Kashmir to exist as an independent entity from India, which is merely recognised as part of the nation on paper, yet is completely disassociated in every practical sense.
Mehdi, in a bid to create a false equivalence, then stated how powerful countries, such as the United States, issue their own constitutions and flags and hand over special authorities to their states. However, he neglected to address the profoundly distinct historical backgrounds of the two countries. The United States was never divided along religious lines, nor has it encountered the magnitude of jihad and terrorism that India has been enduring to this day.
He asserted that Article 370 represented the limited leverage that the residents of the region possessed in their otherwise disadvantageous negotiations with the Indian state. He asserted that the homes and properties of Muslims were destroyed in various regions under the guise of beautification during the 1970s and 1980s and even blamed Jagmohan Malhotra, former governor of Jammu and Kashmir for it and accused him of sharing the ideology of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
As anticipated, following his vitriolic remarks against India, he commenced his agenda of playing victim while disparaging a democratically elected party and a social organization for not aligning with his ideology. He even made considerable efforts to portray India and Pakistan in a similar light, asserting that the terrorists who resorted to violence, along with stone pelters and others of their kind, did not wish to be associated with either nation.
The statement is quite in contrast to the ground realities, as Pakistan has been instrumental in perpetrating terrorism in Kashmir. Moreover, public declarations by hardliners like Syed Ali Shah Geelani about their love for the neighbouring country along with the display of Pakistani flags during protests and on the corpses of terrorists as well as substantial evidence indicating that the Islamic Republic has been fostering terrorism in the area, points towards the same.
India is not secular, shocking analogy with Draupadi
“Now, after 50 or 60 years, India is neither secular nor pluralistic. Neither does it behave that way, nor does it celebrate diversity. There is no right to equality,” he parliamentarian ironically voiced after stating that he does not want other people from other parts of India in Kashmir, as he desires the region to maintain its Muslim identity. He referred to the Indian administration as ‘trigger happy’ in relation to Muslims and spread the same untruths about police killings of Muslims during the Sambhal unrest, last year. Nevertheless, the authorities confirmed that they utilised only rubber bullets and conventional anti-riot equipment like tear gas and sticks.
“After 2014, they began to enforce things forcibly using the government and institutions to do so,” he charged as if evreything was honky dory in the valley and every issue originated after the BJP-led government came to power at the centre.
“I had heard, or read in school somewhere, the story of Draupadi, that episode where she was being humiliated and disrobed. I believe that’s the word used in Hindi, Vastraharan and the Kauravas were sitting there, laughing. What was done to us in the name of religion, what happened in 2019, was exactly that for me. Kashmir was Draupadi and her honor was being torn apart. This entire ecosystem, I’m not just talking about one moment or one act, but this entire idea, the right-wing ideology, and its ecosystem: the media, mainstream media, social media, all of it has been compromised including the institutions, the government and ministers,” he alleged.
It is strange that the violent killings of Kashmiri Hindus in the valley do not provoke any strong feelings, whereas a governmental effort to assimilate the area into the country triggers such vehement sentiments. He even denied the involvement of locals in the oppression of Kashmiri Pandits, claiming that more Muslims had lost their lives. He failed to mention that Pandits were specifically targeted due to their religious beliefs and were dubbed as agents of India.
The entire conversation was a thorough assault on the Indian government and its influence in Kashmir. He dismissed the developmental efforts undertaken by the center in the region, which are even envied by the people of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He conveniently omitted to mention the number of Indians who purchased property in Kashmir and subsequently settled on the land as this would have revealed his falsehoods.
Nonetheless, his present opinions are not unexpected, as he made similar comments during an interview with The Wire’s Arfa Khanum Sherwani, last year. He warned the Indian government that the discontent among Kashmiris regarding the abrogation of Article 370 could resurface at any moment, similar to the events that unfolded 40 years post-independence. This “Indian leader” appears to act as a mouthpiece for Pakistan, consistently taking the chance to denounce his nation and instigate discord in the valley.
News