European Migration Crisis

As we Kashmiri pundits are in our 25^th year of exile, my heart goes out to millions of people who are facing migration around the world due to civil wars, religious persecution and economic hardships. The “European refugee” crisis as they call it is one of the largest human displacements on earth since World War II. This crisis is reminiscent of our own situation in 1990’s, when approximately 3 lac KP’s moved out from their permanent abode to fend for their lives in Jammu and other different parts of India. None would know the pit falls of the migration better than us. One does not only lose one’s home, culture and traditions. But also gets robbed of one’s identity forever. The damage is permanent and beyond repair.

The 2015 European migrant crisis can be majorly attributed to the ever increasing number of refugees from Middle East, Africa, the western Balkan states and south Asia barging into different European countries to seek political asylum or better livelihood. Thousands of these migrants are dying daily in their quest to enter into Europe through popular refugee routes. An estimated 137,000 migrants tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea during April to June of 2015. These numbers are rising with each passing day and countries like Greece which are already under huge economic turmoil are facing the majority of the brunt as people from Syria and Iraq find it the easiest route to enter into Europe. Syrians, Eritreans and Afghans account for about 70% of these refugees. The situation is critical as the EU turns a blind eye to the great human crisis. A spokesperson for EU has termed this crisis as “Beyond Urgent” and called for a “collective response” to deal with the problem as thousands of people are trying to reach the European shores.

 According to United Nations high commission for refugees (UNHCR), the number of forced human displacement had reached 59.5 million worldwide at the end of year 2014.By latest estimates published by UNHCR in August 15, already 250,000 migrants had arrived in Europe through sea or by other means, of these around 124,000 have arrived in economically challenged country like Greece and 98,000 in Italy. Government of Greece which is reeling under a huge financial crisis, when even their ATM’s have run out of money, these refugees have been left at the mercy of few voluntary organisations who are organising aid, food, medicines, clothes and temporary shelters for them. Without any doubt the situation is getting out of control and there is total chaos in their country. Even UNHCR admits that the facilities in the country are inadequate to tackle the situation. Apart from Greece, Italy and Hungary have also borne the brunt of this huge human influx. The biggest irony today is that nobody knows how to tackle the situation.   

The picture of lifeless body of Alan kurdi , a three year old Syrian boy, on the shores of Mediterranean sea in turkey sent shock waves across the globe.  The photograph which was clicked by journalist, Nilofer Demir, spread around the world, prompting ordinary people like us to take note of the situation. It gave a chilling reminder to humanity about the magnitude of problem that exists and how human traffickers are weaving a web of death and deceit around these gullible migrants who in their desperation are putting everything of theirs at stake, even the lives of their own children. The situation is not only grim but real as well.

September 6, 1947

The dawn of independence in 1947 not only brought cheers and smiles on the faces of Indians, but also threw lot of challenges at our political leadership which was at the helm of affairs at that time. Exactly 68 years ago one such challenge came straight into the faces of Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar patel. The day was September 6, 1947. The partition had thrown open a can of worms and communal riots and violence on the streets of Delhi were threatening to bring down the capital itself. The situation in Punjab had become worse and the magnitude of migration on the borders was beyond anyone’s imagination.

On this day the most closely guarded meeting in the history of India’s political scene was held between three gentlemen.  Had the outcome of this meeting become public at that time, it would have proved catastrophic for the political career of both Sardar Patel and Jawahar Lal Nehru.

There were three gentlemen present in this meeting. Apart from India’s two greatest leaders, the other person present was the last viceroy of India, Louis Mountbatten. In this meeting these two leaders expressed their inability to control the situation and how they and their people were inexperienced to handle this huge catastrophe.

In freedom of Midnight, Dominique lapierre quotes Nehru who told Mountbatten that, “We have no experience. We have spent the best years of our lives in your jails. Our experience is in the art of agitation, not administration. We can barely manage to run a well organized government in normal circumstances. We are just not up to facing an absolute collapse of law and order”.

Louis Mountbatten sitting in chair in his magnificent study had no Idea till then what Nehru was going to say to him. All he could do was to listen patiently. Nehru had always admired Mountbatten’s administrative and leadership skills. Nehru and Patel who had devoted all their lives to India’s struggle for independence were about to make a startling proposal to Mountbatten and that was to once again take over the responsibility of running the country.

As Dominique lapierre would write in his book later, Mountbatten was aghast. ‘My God’, he said, ‘I’ have just got through giving you the country and here you two are asking me to take it back. However both Nehru and Patel kept on insisting. Mountbatten thought for a while and due to his personal respect and admiration for Nehru and Patel and his love for India, agreed to take on the responsibility. 

During next fifteen minutes India’s first emergency cabinet committee came into existence. All members of the committee were handpicked by Mountbatten himself including his wife, Edwina Mountbatten who took care red cross and other voluntary organizations. As fate would have it, after years of struggle and barely after three weeks of Independence, India was once again being run by an Englishman.

 

Grand Salam

Pakistan’s tryst with Kashmir although dates back to 1947, however it was on 1^st September 1965 that they gave their dream a strong push by launching operation “Grand slam”. It was a well drawn plan by the Pakistan military in which they wanted to bomb the vital Akhnoor bridge in Jammu and cut supplies to the entire Infantry division of the Indian Army. Simultaneously they wanted to threaten Jammu which was a vital location for Indian forces from the logistics point of view.

Akhnoor sector at that time was guarded by only four Infantry battalions and few squadrons of AMX 13 tanks. Pakistan at that time had superior M47 and M48 Patton tanks. With a clear advantage in favour of Pakistan, they made a fool of themselves by replacing their existing GOC  Maj General Akhtar Hussain Mallik by Maj Gen Yahya Khan. Due to this there was a day’s delay in attack and hence this change in guard gave India time to retaliate and send reinforcements to Akhnoor sector. On 6^th September Indian forces opened offensive from Punjab and therefore Pakistan forces had to retreat and send their forces from Akhnoor to save Pakistan’s Punjab. Rest is history.  As we celebrate 50 years of victory over Pakistan in 1965 war, let’s all pay tribute the soldiers who laid down their lives for protecting the pride and integrity of our nation. Jai Hind.