Jammu's history of tolerance under strain

On the periphery of Jammu in a refugee camp for Kashmiri Pandits, the communal edge is sharper.

"Here people have faced oppression, and so are extremely bitter. We had to leave our homes behind, when we were thrown out of Kashmir in 1989. That anger remains intact," said a Jammu resident. Here the anger is less because of regional grievances and more as victims of communal violence in the Valley. In a country where it's often simply a matter of hours before an agitation converts into a communal flare-up, Jammu has remained largely peaceful. Is it simply because of the presence of the Army?

Or is it because of a history of tolerance during national communal flashpoints Jammu saw no violence. But that history of tolerance is now facing severe strain and Jammu Muslims confess these are trying times. "As a Muslim and as a lawyer legally I am convinced that this order of revocation is bad because it took more than three years to process this case. Our Law Minister Beg has given his opinion," said Sheikh Shakeel, lawyer from Jammu Region.

"We have been repeatedly asking Kashmiri Msulims to leave us alone. We want to stay with these people. We want to stay with the Hindus. We can't take a stand, apart from the educated Muslim, I am convinced, it is legal, and Jammu people and Amarnath Shrine Board is only requesting temporary shelters during the yatra period. So where is communal, what is communal in that? This I fail to understand," Shakeel added.

Shaikh Shakeel says, like other Jammu Muslims he does fear communal violence but has genuine empathy for the Jammu cause.

"No doubt the situation has acquired communal colour. It is because sentiments have been hurt. Jammu faces discrimination. We have more land, more population, we pay more taxes but they get all benefits. This is the entire story," the Jammu based lawyer explains.