NEW DELHI, Apr 3: Distancing himself from the issue of migration of Kashmiri Pandits and massacres of protesters in 1990, former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Jagmohan today said that 'minority fear' was the reason for exodus of the community and he didn't order killing of any innocent. Jagmohan said, "Vested interests blame me for the exodus of the Pandits. But matter of the fact is that when I assumed charge as Governor in third week of January 1990, 25,000 Pandits had already migrated and were living in camps in Jammu." "When I took over as Governor, a Pandit delegation called on me and I urged them to stay back. I told them if they feel insecure I'll make special camps for them in the Valley itself in Srinagar, Baramulla, Anantnag and Budgam," he said.
Lashing out at those who blame him for the exodus, he said, "They want the nation to believe that it was not the ruthless Kalashnikov, bomb explosions in the second half of 1989, the sinister design of killing one and frightening one thousand, but some unspelt inducements that had impelled the Pandits to abandon their homes and hearths in the Valley and move to the inhospitable camps of Jammu."
"How is it possible that a community will leave on the instructions of a single person? If the Kashmiri Pandits had come away from the Valley at my instance, why did they not return after I demitted office in May 1990? Why could they not be sent back either by G.C. Saxena's or by General Rao's administration?" he asked.
"Determined efforts were being made by me to instill confidence in the public by re-erecting the collapsed structure of administration. But killings of eminent Kashmiri Pandits, including poet Sarvanand Koul and his young son Virender, engineer B K Ganjoo, Doordarshan Station Director Lassa Kaul and Prof Ganjoo had sent shock waves among the community," he added.
Asked to comment about the propaganda launched by some Pandit organizations that massacre of the community was carried out by the Kashmiri Muslims and in the backdrop of recent reports that 209 Pandits were killed in the Valley from 1989 to 2008 while as thousands of Muslims got killed, Jagmohan said, "Do you want to say every Pandit should have been killed first and then they should have migrated?"
Asked about his role in the massacres carried in Kashmir when he was the Governor, Jagmohan said, "Do you want to say I should have allowed rioters to take over Secretariat and other institutions. Aren't rioters being killed now"?
The former Governor grew angry when this reporter asked him to comment on Hawal massacre in which more than 60 people were killed on May 21, 1990 during funeral procession of Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq. "Do you want to say I ordered the CRPF men to kill people? I had no information and it was only after DIG called me that I came to know about the incident," he said.
"Why don't you ask who killed Molvi Farooq," Jagmohan asked.
"As my track record as an administrator during my first term was excellent, pro-Pak elements were afraid of me and they launched propaganda against me. I didn't order killing of any innocent as killing one innocent person is killing whole humanity," he added.
The former Governor has recently completed second part of his book on Kashmir "My Frozen Turbulences".
"I've also written seven other books and these days writing is my main job," he added.
The latest edition of "My Frozen Turbulences" touched issues from stone pelting to Amarnath Shrine Board land transfer issue and killing of former Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto.
Jagmohan has word of advice for Kashmiri youth. "Go by records and don't believe in rumors." (KNS)
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