The Mughal Road That May Never Be

Regional interests coupled with communal considerations have weighed heavily against this ambitious project that many fear would bring Kashmiri Muslims nearer both politically and economically,

Tanvir Sadiq comments 

It was way back in 1989 that we decided to go by road to Jammu, the winter capital of J&K State. We had informed all our relatives of our proposed departure and despite the pouring rain and slush they all had kept the tradition of assembling at our home to give us the customary hugs and repeated kisses. Considering the undependability of the Highway, we had decided to leave at eight in the morning but by the time the rituals of tying Imam-Zamins and old aunts swirling bowls of uncooked rice with some coins over our heads or chanting of some prayers, it was almost noon. It was a wonderful feeling for us children to feel that every one cared for us. It included some uncles and aunts we had never seen before. All of them had some piece of advice- drive slowly, don’t eat at the wayside joints, don’t drink water from dhabas and all that blah blah blah. We were anxious to leave and everyone around, wanting to delay us for a little while longer as if this would be our last journey. Weather had started getting nasty and there were suggestions that we should postpone the journey. Dismissing all unsolicited advice the decision was taken- we shall be going. 

 Driving by road to Jammu is always an adventure and a treat to the eyes. Meandering narrow roads, the gorges, the deep slopes, sharp curves, scores of water falls, armies of monkeys, and a never ending mountain range - these are some of the precious incentives you get traveling by road. You are suddenly reminded of Suratul Rahman and all the blessings Allah has bestowed upon us ungratefuls. Peak after peak and scene after scene it is nature in its abundance for us to behold.
 My youngest uncle Manzoor has always been very protective of us and a little sensitive about his age. Lest someone would take him as our driver, whenever and wherever he would stop, we would address him as Pilot uncle. When on the steering he ensures that the car is under his total command. Although it is difficult to sift fiction from the fact, he has an uncanny gift of keeping you engrossed with humorous stories, describing how from a cart Road it became the Highway, how the Valley’s economy received a setback when Muzaffarabad Road was closed or why the State needs to concentrate on the Moghul Road and provide an alternate route so important for both the forlorn and landlocked areas of Poonch, Doda and Rajouri and the Valley itself. He would make us laugh at the wrongly written signboards on the National Highway like “Blind Cow(curve) Drive Carefully”, “SLOW Men at Work” and tell us that he really used to wonder why has a blind Cow been left unleashed on the Highway or why should they engage slow men.
 Coming back to the story, Nashri was a place that sent a chill down the spine of even the best men on the steering. It continues to be highly vulnerable and when we were about to reach the spot, the car stopped with a screeching sound and Pilot uncle terrified us with his army like command ,”Ya Ali Madad, Get down all, fast”. He took us to a safer spot and suddenly it looked as if hell had broken loose. It seemed as if the whole mountain was coming down. So many years have gone bye and yet we still remember vividly that fury of nature. While we as kids were fascinated with this splendor, all the elders were busy reciting all the prayers they could remember to please the Divine As young children it was an exciting experience for us little realizing that every year Nashri devoured human lives, old and young alike. The Border Roads personnel somehow cleared the road and we were lucky to proceed but by the time we reached our destination we learnt that heavy rains had been followed by a non stop snow fall. The Highway was closed for traffic and the Valley remained cut off from the rest of the world for almost two weeks.
 I am now in my late twenties and attained adulthood but the Highway is almost dying. We hear and read stories of her health every time it rains. The confusion and chaos it creates every winter and the pain it causes to stranded passengers is sickening. It has become an annual event for people selling their clothes or ladies their ornaments to feed themselves and their children or buying medicines for the old and sick. I still remember my Uncle buying half a dozen eggs for 50 rupees. The media was not so advanced and the Government controlled sources would try to cover up any incident that projected the administration black. When it comes to Kashmir, I wonder if there is any perceptible change at the developmental side. While Jammu presents a picture of affluence, economic prosperity and modernity, Kashmir continues to be sliding on the graph. For rulers it has become a compulsion to succumb to the political pressures from Jammu and Leh. If someone in Leh or Jammu sneezes our Chief Ministers go running to pacify them. They get the best of development and we continue to get death and detentions. The Highway stays open more because of defense needs. Isn’t it a fact that Jagmohan was toying with the idea of blasting the Tunnel and “teach Kashmiris a lesson”! We continue to be at their mercy.

 From time to time, many fictitious stories have been woven around the Mughal Road. First it was the “Defense Reasons”. It was followed by arguments like that it was not viable, it would not be an all-weather Highway, it will give a fillip to militancy, it will destroy the only compact forest cover, it will be like giving an open license to the forest smugglers etc. I haven’t heard anyone talking about the misery, isolation and economic depravity that this Hill Region has suffered or the suppression people were subjected to because they were the ones who rose against the Dogra tyrannical rule and sacrificed a thousand lives. Exploitation of any kind is against human spirit and the worst crimes against humanity yet the Jammu banyas have been exploiting their resource shamelessly. They get a pittance for their ghee, butter, cereals and other produce because Jammu is the only nearest market. When you have an economic interest you always invent stories. Americans saw WMDs in Iraq and the banya invented the “Defense” theory. It is the same underlying principle of self interest. Then at the political level, Jammuites feel that they will be reduced to one and a half districts and once the Muslim dominated hilly areas get closer to the Valley, their argument of population ratio, plan expenditure, geographical area and forest wealth will totally disappear from their political lexicon.
 It was easy to invent lies in the past. With media becoming more and more independent every day, it has become the most important pillar of our democratic system. There might have been a time when talking of human rights, economic and political exploitation would have been considered anti national. The information technology tools available now make it so easy even for small little children to go to the Google and find out how important it is to have an alternate Highway for the Valley as well as the Hill Region of Jammu. The essence of globalization is that it has made distances irrelevant. The Mughal Road stretches to around 84 Km, right from Shopian to Bafiliaz in poonch, while it will decrease the time from 24 hours to just 4 hrs, it will give a great boost to people trading in livestock, diary products, wool and woolen blankets, cereals, walnuts etc. While there is a large labour force from Bihar and UP involved in agriculture, brick laying, construction, etc this would open some opportunities for the idle unemployed and educational facilities to the boys and girls who can’t afford going to Jammu for higher education. The Mughal road will open up the entire area for the development of tourism. When I asked a senior functionary associated with the Mughal road about the tourist potential, pat came his reply, “Tanvir, People will forget Gulmarg, and I swear it will be among the best in Asia because it has some mesmerizing sites”. Then it has places of great historical importance like, Mughal Saria, Aliabad and Sokh Sarai, that could be developed and brought on the travel circuit. I am sure it will bring a revolutionary change in these backward areas. It is the constitutional obligation of the State to provide equal opportunities of development to all such areas that have remain neglected in the past.
 As I have explained above there is a politico-economic lobby that has consistently tried to subvert this project. Since all other arguments have not cut much ice, the latest is a PIL presented to the Supreme Court by someone who calls himself an environmentalist. He claims that it will be an environmental disaster if the Mughal Road is completed. And will destroy the National Park and affect our wild life. Other opponents of the project argue that places like Limber , Lachi-Pora and Naga-Nadi are near the LOC and if the Mughal Road passes through these areas it will compromise our security. It is a deliberate lie to create confusion because these areas are nowhere near the proposed Road. If one goes through the latest report of the Working Group for formulation of the 5-Year Forest Plan, it nails the lie that our forests are in danger. I ask this gentleman how come you don’t talk of vandalisation of the entire Trikuta Hill which has been transferred to the Shrine Board for development of a religious site. Why don’t you talk of the environmental disaster that the prolongation of Amarnath Yatra period has caused to the flora and fauna of the entire route or the construction of road via Baltal that has put to danger whatever remains of Hangul, Musk Deer, Black Bear and other innumerable plant species?
 It is high time that our higher courts took such PILs on merit and used a deterrent against people who are wasting precious time of our courts only to see their names in print. I ask this knowledgeable gentleman why did he remain silent about “danger to wildlife” when they were blasting mountains en route Chamba to Bhaderwah, Kishtawar to Pangay, or Leh to Manali, which stretches to around 400 Km,? How is Moghul Road different from the above? There is only one major difference, The Mughal road will remove the geographical barrier between the Muslim communities of the State and provide them some opportunity to better their living standards. By creating hurdles is like telling us “get lost. You are Muslims!” 
 Let me sum up some of the painful facts that are enough testimony to the fact that the Mughal Road has been a victim of political bankruptcy, lack of vision and a discriminatory attitude at every level: 
1. After the PIL was accepted the Hon. SC constituted a committee to look into the issue and submit a report. The Committee after prolonged deliberations drafted a report but it was never submitted. 
2. The SC has already cleared the bottlenecks but the project is being sabotaged by a vested interest. 
3. The proposed Highway once completed will connect three districts, Shopian, Pulwama and Rajouri and will provide easy access to other hilly areas of Jammu. 
4. Post 47, a survey was conducted to find out whether Markhor existed in this area, the habitat was found to be in the now PAK, and not in Lachipora or Limber. Yet people have been harping on the destruction of habitat. 
5.  Because of the change of Government the work was suspended and the most crucial stretch of 13 remains unattended. 
6. A vested interest in the wild life department is trying to subvert and sabotage the entire project. Why? They say the CM is not interested. If true, it is another testimony to the fact that all the Government in Delhi has an identical agenda when it comes to providing some space to the Valley and the Hill region.

 What is even more outrageous is the fact that the Bombay Based executing agency, HCC that was issued the tender continues to draw huge sums of money for the machinery they had brought for the constructing the Mughal Road. They have all the reasons to be happy as they are being paid for doing nothing. Some people know the art of making money out of thin air. This magic is visible in all the projects whether the project has already been delayed inordinately and the costs are escalating. Just imagine the kind of economic and social change it would have brought to the State had impediments not been created at every stage right through the 70s. It is an irony that Delhi’s faulty vision has only created losers, we in Kashmir, the Muslims in the Hill Region and ultimately Delhi itself. When I asked an important engineer about the effects of delay, his matter of fact reply was “Meter contractor ka Chal Raha Hai” whether the works starts or not, but in the same breath he added “ even if the project is started now, it needs a missionary zeal commitment we can achieve the impossible. I promise the first vehicle from Amira Kadal to Bafliaz can be flagged off next July!” Is he too optimistic? I don’t know. But given the human spirit nothing is unachievable, not even the Mughal Road.

This write of mine appeared in the Daily Greater Kashmir