RPK
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First Kashmiri Pandit woman wins panchayat polls in J-K
In a first for Kashmir, a 52-year-old Kashmiri Pandit housewife has been voted as a panch by a predominantly Muslim village -- and says she wants all members of her community displaced due to militancy to return to their homes in the Valley.
Wussan, a small village on way to the famous Gulmarg tourist resort, has come into spotlight after it voted for Asha Ji, the lone Kashmiri Pandit candidate for the post of Panch, against her opponent, a member of the Muslim community which forms nearly 90 per cent of the electorate in her constituency.
Abdul Hamid Wani, a neighbour, says while there was no deliberate intention of making a statement through Asha's election, it should remind people that "humanity is still the best virtue".
"Other consideration like religion and region should be subservient to it," he says.
An estimated two lakh Kashmiri Pandits fled the Valley after outbreak of militancy in late 1980s. Wussan village, which had 10 Kashmiri Pandit families before militancy erupted, has only five left now but Asha, a mother of two who came from Doda in Jammu region after she married Radha Krishan in 1984, says she never felt like an outsider.
"In fact, the relations between the two communities are so strong in our area that we never felt the need to migrate out of the Valley," she says.
"Our Muslim brethren assured us that we were as secure as they are and they will take on any problem coming our way," she says.
Asked if she felt scared in view of militant threats to people contesting panchayat elections, Asha said she was a firm believer in destiny.
"Life and death is in the hands of God and a person dies only once.
"If I die for truth and on the right path, I will have no regrets," she says.
Asha says she was never inclined to get into electoral politics but the local leaders egged her on to contest the polls.
"A lot of people came to me asking me to contest the polls.
"Initially, I was little nervous but I decided to contest after more support poured in," she says.
Out of 98 votes polled in her constituency, Asha got 54 votes while her opponent Sarwah Begum got 43. One vote was rejected.
"We have lived like a family all these years in this village and I have never felt different from other people.
"The people have reposed trust in me and now it is my turn to serve them," Asha says.
The jubilation is evident on the faces of her neighbours.
"We supported her because we felt she can serve the area better. We will continue to support her in her endeavour to serve people," Halima, who campaigned for Asha, says.
And the gritty Asha's message to the community-- "We would want all Pandits to return to Kashmir... not to the camps or colonies set up by the government but the places which they called home."
In a first for Kashmir, a 52-year-old Kashmiri Pandit housewife has been voted as a panch by a predominantly Muslim village -- and says she wants all members of her community displaced due to militancy to return to their homes in the Valley.
Wussan, a small village on way to the famous Gulmarg tourist resort, has come into spotlight after it voted for Asha Ji, the lone Kashmiri Pandit candidate for the post of Panch, against her opponent, a member of the Muslim community which forms nearly 90 per cent of the electorate in her constituency.
Abdul Hamid Wani, a neighbour, says while there was no deliberate intention of making a statement through Asha's election, it should remind people that "humanity is still the best virtue".
"Other consideration like religion and region should be subservient to it," he says.
An estimated two lakh Kashmiri Pandits fled the Valley after outbreak of militancy in late 1980s. Wussan village, which had 10 Kashmiri Pandit families before militancy erupted, has only five left now but Asha, a mother of two who came from Doda in Jammu region after she married Radha Krishan in 1984, says she never felt like an outsider.
"In fact, the relations between the two communities are so strong in our area that we never felt the need to migrate out of the Valley," she says.
"Our Muslim brethren assured us that we were as secure as they are and they will take on any problem coming our way," she says.
Asked if she felt scared in view of militant threats to people contesting panchayat elections, Asha said she was a firm believer in destiny.
"Life and death is in the hands of God and a person dies only once.
"If I die for truth and on the right path, I will have no regrets," she says.
Asha says she was never inclined to get into electoral politics but the local leaders egged her on to contest the polls.
"A lot of people came to me asking me to contest the polls.
"Initially, I was little nervous but I decided to contest after more support poured in," she says.
Out of 98 votes polled in her constituency, Asha got 54 votes while her opponent Sarwah Begum got 43. One vote was rejected.
"We have lived like a family all these years in this village and I have never felt different from other people.
"The people have reposed trust in me and now it is my turn to serve them," Asha says.
The jubilation is evident on the faces of her neighbours.
"We supported her because we felt she can serve the area better. We will continue to support her in her endeavour to serve people," Halima, who campaigned for Asha, says.
And the gritty Asha's message to the community-- "We would want all Pandits to return to Kashmir... not to the camps or colonies set up by the government but the places which they called home."
