After Abrogation Of Special Status, Here Are Six Eminent Personalities With Their Positive Message On Kashmir

As India settles down after the passage of Constitutional Order (Jammu and Kashmir) 2019 which abrogates the special status of the state, and braces itself for bifurcation of the state, leaders around the world have also taken notice of the historic decision.

Here's a list of influential personalities and their take on the issue.

Rajiv Malhotra

Malhotra is an internationally known researcher, writer and speaker on current affairs as they relate to civilisations, cross-cultural encounters, spirituality and science. He in the brains behind the Infinity Foundation.

He is also a Visiting Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and serves as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Center for Indic Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.

After the government announcement on abrogation of special status of Kashmir, he tweeted, “Home of Shiva the Lord of Yoga, Dance, Shiva-Sutras, etc. Much of Madhyamika Buddhism was studied and exported from there. Home of our sacred rivers. Kashmir does not belong to Kashmiri Pandits only."

“I am going to explore buying land in Kashmir to settle down. Home of Siva & tantra. Toying with idea to start think tank located on some nice mountain. We should create a trust for reviving Kashmir into a center of learning once again. Bring together: Donors, scholars, students, volunteers, etc.”

Imam Tawhidi

The ‘Imam of peace’ replied back to Rajiv Malhotra’s tweet, saying “I am in”. The Imam had told in an interview that Kashmir was a Hindu land and Pakistan had no claims on it. He further said that Kashmir has been a part of India even before the Islamic republic was born.

Rev. Zenji Nio

Nio is a Japanese Buddhist scholar and eminent international thinker. He tweeted, “We Buddhists are celebrating - all of us who have fought for the rights of Kashmir Pundits - and the legacy of Kashmiri Buddhist icons Ashoka, Kanishka, Kumarajiva & Nagarjuna. We Buddhists are crying tears of joy with our Hindu brothers today. Bharat Mata Ki Jai!”

“Buddhists of Japan as well as Tiger Asia and worldwide stand with our Hindu brothers irt Kashmir & Ladakh. We salute Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for saving the land of Kanishka and Kumarajiva. Let's make Kashmir Paradise again!” he added.

In response to Malhotra’s tweet, Nio said in a tweet, “I'll represent the Mahayana Buddhist community in honouring the legacy of Kashmiri icons Kanishka, Kumarajiva, Nagarjuna et all who we revere in Japan and across Tiger Asian nations.”

“I'll explore building a temple on the site - where we will teach the Lotus Sutra in Sanskrit! I can also have reps from Japan as well as China, Korea, Taiwan, HK, Singapore & Macau to back me. Dharmaraja Buddha will return to his Indian throne!” he added.

Subhash Kak

Kak, the Regents Professor at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater is an author and scientist with a deep interest in history, culture and spirituality, to which he has contributed immensely, including several research papers.

Kak tweeted, “Now that the old debilitating political arrangement is gone, I trust Kashmir will focus on its numerous strengths of natural beauty, arts and heritage to become a vibrant economy. For centuries, Kashmir was a world-class center for learning and medicine. Why not again?”

Justice Chhittatosh Mookerjee

Mookerjee is the nephew of late Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee. “[It's] not a political decision for the family but consolation, not celebration. Consolation, perhaps a little bit of thinking of what has been achieved, perhaps not in the way it could have been done in those days," he said, clarifying that he didn’t belong to the world of politics. ''It is not a matter of celebration. We continue to grieve for him. He died in the prime of his life,'' he said.

S P Mukherjee was arrested upon entering Kashmir in May 1953 protesting against the “do Vidhan, do Pradhan aur Do Nishan” policy that, according to him, reflected Balkanisation of India. Mukherjee was arrested. The 51-year-old icon died as a detainee in June 1953 under mysterious circumstances.

Ranil Wickremesinghe

Wickremesinghe is the prime minister of the island nation of Sri Lanka with deep ties with India. On 6 August, he tweeted, “Ladakh will become an Indian State. With 70 per cent of Ladakh’s population being Buddhist it will be the first Indian state with a Buddhist majority. Creation of Ladakh and consequential restructuring is India’s internal matter, it is a beautiful region well worth a visit.”