Discourse on Kashmiri Pandits must move beyond ‘The Kashmir Files’

Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid’s remarks on The Kashmir Files, a film based on the persecution of Kashmiri Pandits by Islamists in Kashmir, at the 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa has raised a hue and cry in India. Lapid was the head of the international jury at IFFI, and singled out The Kashmir Files as a ‘propaganda, vulgar movie.’ The uproar elicited a strong rebuttal from Naor Gilon, Israel’s Ambassador to India, which was affirmed by other Israeli officials. Lapid made his remarks in the presence of several dignitaries, including the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Singh Thakur. That the said the ministry, which steers the film festival, or the Minister, who indulged in nationalistic politics over Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in the past, has not formally refuted Lapid’s comments tell us more about the government of the day than what an Israeli said at the festival. Expectedly, Lapid’s remarks were lapped up by the so-called liberals in India. They got another opportunity to target the Narendra Modi government and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). India’s liberal commentariat is always at the forefront of relegating the story of Pandits to the margins. Without a doubt, The Kashmir Files has put a spotlight on the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir in 1989-90. The film may not be an artistic masterpiece, but it is not propaganda. Saying that most of the Kashmiri Muslims directly or indirectly favoured the ethnic cleansing of Pandits for their larger cause of Azadi is not propaganda to demonise the Muslims of Kashmir. It is telling the truth like it is. However, the discourse over Kashmiri Pandits has not moved beyond the film. After the release of the film, the point of discussion is centred around the film — who said what and the ensuing arguments and counterarguments. The community’s plight is adduced for scoring points in the contest of narratives. Be it the Left or the non-Left, the film is used as an instrument of politics instead of an enabler for ensuring justice for the community. The refrain from the Left is that the Pandits deserve justice but the film promotes hatred towards Muslims. On the other hand, the non-Left argues that the Pandits did not get justice because the Left whitewashed their sufferings. The Left will continue to either deny or mumble the Pandit story because they are wedded to the idea of phoney pluralism (which essentially means appeasing Muslims in whatever way possible even if that means suppressing the truth). It is up to the non-Left whether they should only engage in a muddy debate with the Left or rise to the occasion and demand justice for the dispossessed community. The Indian National Congress (INC) has ridiculed the sufferings of Pandits on several occasions and kept the truth of persecution of Pandits under wraps in a bid to champion the cause of secularism, especially in a Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP, on the other hand, has vociferously advocated for return and rehabilitation of Pandits. Since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution of India, the Modi government has propagated an idyllic story of J&K where everyone wants peace and development. Why forget that certain sections in the erstwhile state favour an Islamic J&K over everything else — jihad being the leitmotif? The ruling party is running campaigns of ‘Naya Kashmir’ as Pandits and non-locals are attacked by terrorists sporadically. While the debate over The Kashmir Files continues, Pandits employed under the prime minister’s rehabilitation package have been protesting in Jammu for over six months. They are demanding relocation to Jammu as the situation in Kashmir has turned highly antagonistic to them. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has flashed the names of 56 Pandits working in Kashmir in its latest handout and asserted that attacks on Pandits and non-locals are going to continue. The terror outfit claims it has details of all the Pandits and non-locals working in Kashmir. The J&K administration has failed to resolve matters about Pandit employees. Added to that is social and bureaucratic hostility towards the minorities in Kashmir. In an interview with Dainik Jagran in September 2022, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that Pandits should show iccha-shakti for return to their homeland. In August 2021, the Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Meenakshi Lekhi, said that Pandits need to take some private initiative for the reversal of their forced exodus. This indicates the vacuous thought process of the top-level individuals in the government vis-à-vis ethnic cleansing of Pandits. The BJP seems to be interested more in a film on Pandits than the Pandits in particular. Ever since the party has come to the power, it has subtly maintained a distance from the minority community. Perhaps because the BJP wants to shed its image in J&K as a mere party of Hindus and woo Muslims in post-370 Assembly elections. The question of justice for the community remains unanswered under the Modi government. Justice is the first and foremost step for return and rehabilitation. Why hasn’t the Modi government constituted a judicial commission or a special investigation team (SIT) specifically for delivering justice to Pandits? Since Article 370’s invalidation, Pandits have become a soft target for Islamists in Kashmir. Why has the government failed to provide a sense of security to Pandits in Kashmir? What has gone wrong in policymaking and implementation of the same which has engendered attacks on minorities in Kashmir? In February 2021, the Home Minister of India, Amit Shah, proclaimed in Lok Sabha that the government will resettle 6,000 Pandits in Kashmir by the end of 2022 which will fulfil BJP’s pledge taken several years ago. Here is India’s home minister terming employment of mere 6,000 Pandits in Kashmir as return and rehabilitation of the entire Pandit community. The year 2022 is ending soon and Pandit employees, after being attacked by terrorists, are protesting in Jammu. If the BJP is serious about addressing the issues faced by Kashmiri Pandits, it needs to think beyond The Kashmir Files so that there are no more files to be made in the future. Apart from the lip service, the party is currently neither visible nor vocal when it comes to Kashmir’s minority community. The author is a writer and political commentator. He is the co-editor of book on Kashmir’s ethnic minority community titled ‘A Long Dream of Home: The Persecution, Exodus and Exile of Kashmiri Pandits’, published by Bloomsbury India. He tweets @VaradSharma _. Views expressed are personal._ Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .