Overwhelming majority of IoK want be associated with Pakistan: IHK-born Former Secretary AJ&K
“If you get a chance to spend even one day in Baramula in IoK, you will begin to realize the real value of independence and freedom.”
The thought was shared by IHK-born Former Secretary AJ&K Khwaja Muhammad Saleem Bismil during the twenty-sixth session of IPS’ oral history series ‘The Living Scripts’, which was held on September 24, 2021.
Speaking on the back of his experience and observations from his dual visits to the native occupied valley in 1990-91 and 2015, Bismil apprised that the roads and streets everywhere were over occupied with military and paramilitary forces, which were free to invade anyone’s privacy and break into any house without even the need of having a legit reason. There was checking every now and then on the roads and the fear in the eyes of local Muslims spoke volumes of their despair and frustration.
“You could easily understand the real value of independence and freedom merely by looking at the faces of these people, as an overwhelming majority of people I observed or interacted with, wanted to become a part of Pakistan, even though some did not have the courage to express this desire out and loud”, he added.
The speaker, who was born in the Indian Occupied Kashmir’s district of Poonch, earlier shared that many families from his native village had to leave their homes and migrate to Pakistan during the war of 1965 due to the excessive cross-fire. This relocation turned the Muslim majority area into a Muslim minority one, as many Hindus started occupying the abandoned houses. Bismil shared that his family initially resisted this demographic change, but eventually had to leave their native place and moved to Pakistan in December 1965.
Bismil informed the audience that having acquired his early education from his native village in IoK, he completed his intermediate from Pakistan, following which he joined Pakistan Air Force. He however continued his education alongside, and after acquiring his Master’s degree, left the Air Force and joined the Civil Services Academy. He served as a Returning Officer (RO) in the first elections of AJ&K in 1985, before moving on to hold the positions like Assistant Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner in many districts of AJ&K, Divisional Commissioner for Muzaffarabad and Mirpur Division, as well as having an additional charge of Relief Commissioner post-earthquake 2005. In addition, he has also served as a Secretary in the Government of AJ&K for 10 years in various departments.
The speaker also shared many stories from his post- 2005 earthquake tenure as a Relief Commissioner, stating that even in those testing times, on one hand he saw the heights of sacrifice, but on the other, also witnessed the extremes of greed and corruption.
Deliberating on the issue of prevailing corruption within the civil services and political circles, the former secretary said that not everyone is bad and you can find better people as well within those spheres. He said that the people having reached grades 21 and 22 are supposed to be strong enough to resist pressures, but unfortunately, some of them choose to act like common men. If they start taking an honest stand and begin to resist undue pressures, things can improve dramatically and start moving into the right direction, he affirmed.
