The Living Scripts | Saleem Bismil (Former Secretary, Government of AJ&K)

Overwhelming majority of IoK want be associated with Pakistan: IHK-born Former Secretary AJ&K

“If you get a chance to spend even one day in Baramula in IoK,
you will begin to realize the real value of independence and freedom.”

The thought was shared by IHK-born Former Secretary AJ&K
Khwaja Muhammad Saleem Bismil during the twenty-sixth session of IPS’ oral
history series ‘The Living Scripts’, which was held on September 24, 2021.

Speaking on the back of his experience and observations from his
dual visits to the native occupied valley in 1990-91 and 2015, Bismil apprised
that the roads and streets everywhere were over occupied with military and
paramilitary forces, which were free to invade anyone’s privacy and break into
any house without even the need of having a legit reason. There was checking
every now and then on the roads and the fear in the eyes of local Muslims spoke
volumes of their despair and frustration.

“You could easily understand the real value of independence and
freedom merely by looking at the faces of these people, as an overwhelming
majority of people I observed or interacted with, wanted to become a part of
Pakistan, even though some did not have the courage to express this desire out and
loud”, he added.

The speaker, who was born in the Indian Occupied Kashmir’s
district of Poonch, earlier shared that many families from his native village
had to leave their homes and migrate to Pakistan during the war of 1965 due to
the excessive cross-fire. This relocation turned the Muslim majority area into
a Muslim minority one, as many Hindus started occupying the abandoned houses.
Bismil shared that his family initially resisted this demographic change, but
eventually had to leave their native place and moved to Pakistan in December
1965.

Bismil informed the audience that having acquired his early
education from his native village in IoK, he completed his intermediate from
Pakistan, following which he joined Pakistan Air Force. He however continued his
education alongside, and after acquiring his Master’s degree, left the Air
Force and joined the Civil Services Academy. He served as a Returning Officer
(RO) in the first elections of AJ&K in 1985, before moving on to hold the
positions like Assistant Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner in many districts
of AJ&K, Divisional Commissioner for Muzaffarabad and Mirpur Division, as
well as having an additional charge of Relief Commissioner post-earthquake
2005.  In addition, he has also served as a Secretary in the Government of
AJ&K for 10 years in various departments.

The speaker also shared many stories from his post- 2005
earthquake tenure as a Relief Commissioner, stating that even in those
testing times, on one hand he saw the heights of sacrifice, but on the other,
also witnessed the extremes of greed and corruption.

Deliberating on the issue of prevailing corruption within
the civil services and political circles, the former secretary said that
not everyone is bad and you can find better people as well within those
spheres. He said that the people having reached grades 21 and 22 are supposed
to be strong enough to resist pressures, but unfortunately, some of them choose
to act like common men. If they start taking an honest stand and begin to
resist undue pressures, things can improve dramatically and start moving into
the right direction, he affirmed.