Kashmiri Sikhs in Distress

Sikhs considering the possibility of migrating from the valley

Sikhs In Kashmir

Early Times Report Jammu: Miniscule minority of Kashmiri Sikhs has finally decided to take on head on the authorities in the State and at the Centre and attract attention of those who matter to the problems they have been facing since decades. They may even decide to quit Kashmir, as the miniscule minority of Kashmiri Hindus did more than two decades ago to save their religion, culture, life and dignity and completely identify with the nation. It all depends on what transpires in the two-day-long "Ethnic Sikh Conference", which will commence tomorrow at Dr Sir Syed Iqbal Mini Complex, Rawalpora, Srinagar. Prominent Sikh leaders and several lawmakers from Delhi, Punjab, Jammu and other places will participate in this crucial ethnic Sikh conference. The decision to hold ethnic Sikh Conference was made public last week by chairman of the All-Parties Sikh Coordination Committee Jagmohan Singh Raina. Addressing media persons, he, along with other Sikh leaders, had catalogued the woes, problems and demands of his community and threatened that the entire Sikh community will quit the Valley in case their demands were not conceded forthwith. About 50 to 60 thousand Sikhs still live in different parts of Kashmir, especially Baramulla, Anantnag and Srinagar. Raina had accused the authorities of destroying the Sikh community socially, economically and politically and asserted that it was being done as per a plan. He did give everyone to understand that his community in the Kashmir Valley was facing persecution, neglect and marginalization and that the situation in Kashmir had climaxed to the point that the entire Sikh community could migrate from the Valley. He had, in fact, revealed that many Sikhs had already migrated from Kashmir villages to cities. His message was loud and clear.  Things in Kashmir have deteriorated; it is difficult for the Sikh community to live in the Valley in the prevailing hostile environment. Raina had that day put forth four specific demands - grant of minority status to the Sikh community, reservation for the Sikhs, appointment of Punjabi lecturers in colleges and security.It is obvious that the participants in the scheduled Ethnic Sikh Conference will discuss all these and the related issues in minute detail. The very fact that Raina warned that his co-religionists in Kashmir could quit Kashmir indicated that they were passing through critical times like the minority Hindus and Sikh in Pakistan. Hence, one can expect a very serious debate on the issues confronting the helpless and abandoned Sikhs in Kashmir.