Department of History, PU organises annual Hari Ram Gupta Memorial Lecture
Author(s): SK VyasChandigarh, October 7, 2015: Department of History, Panjab University (PU) today organised the annual Hari Ram Gupta Memorial Lecture. Professor Raghuvendra Tanwar from Kurukshetra University delivered the lecture on...
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Oct 7, 2015 12:30
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Chandigarh, October 7, 2015: Department of History, Panjab University (PU) today organised the annual Hari Ram Gupta Memorial Lecture. Professor Raghuvendra Tanwar from Kurukshetra University delivered the lecture on the topic of 'The Crisis in Kashmiri Public Opinion 1947-48'.
Chairperson Prof Reeta Grewal welcomed the audience that consisted of the researchers and faculty of different departments of PU including from the newly inaugurated ISSER.
Professor Ashutosh Kumar of the Deportment of political Science presided over the lecture.
Prof Tanwar in his presentation based on his ongoing research project funded by UGC argued that at the time of accession of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir to Indian Union, the public opinion in the Kashmir valley was in favour of merger with India rather than Pakistan despite the latter's better connectivity with the Kashmir in both geographical as well as economic terms of trade and commerce. commonality of religion also favoured Pakistan.
Prof Tanwar also contended that in case Plebiscite would have taken place, the Kashmiri people reliving the memories of the horrific incidents of the Pakistan backed tribal attacks on the valley would have sided with India. In order to suggest his contention, Prof Tanwar quoted extensively from the booklets published during the period in the valley as well as the public speeches delivered by the Kashmiri leadership.
Prof Ashutosh in his remarks referred to Sheikh Abdullah's writing in his autobiography 'Aatish-E- Chinar that Kashmiri people accepted accession to India because they thought that India would allow extensive land reforms to empower the landless Kashmiri Muslims; would grant special constitutional status to the state on the principle of asymmetric federalism; and finally that a multi-religious Jammu and Kashmir peoples' future would be secured in secular democracy like India led by the leaders like Nehru. On all the three counts, an Islamic and feudal Pakistan did not hold out much promise. However, Dr Ashutosh lamented that the promises have not been fulfilled in the sense that elections in the past have been rigged, puppet governments installed and the constitutional autonomy vide Article 370 has been eroded.
Prof Rajeev Lochan in his intervention recalled that Kashmiri people sided with India not only in 1947 but also in 1965, 1971 and then in 1998 Kargil war so there has always been peoples' support for India in the valley. The lecture ended with the researchers raising questions about the recent developments in the state.
Prof Reeta Grewal thanked the informed audience in her concluding remarks./ (SK Vyas, Jalandhar)
Date:
Thursday, October 8, 2015
