KARGIL, JULY 25: The stern face of the Ayatollah stares down from the wall as a thousand Kargilis kneel down after the Friday namaz. They then congregate and the chairman of the Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust addresses them, prays for their health and the safety of their property in the shelling, that has intensified.Mohammed Hussain Zakiri, chairman of the trust, too prays that Allah give some sense to Pakistan so that normalcy may return to Kargil. "Religion plays a very important role in the lives of the Kargilis. Even the new generation here is very religious and the writ of Ayatollah runs large in the district," the chairman told The Indian Express.The unsmiling face of Ayatollah Khomeini the erstwhile religious leader of Iran can be seen in every shop and house in Kargil. Eighty-five per cent of the population here is a follower of the Shia sect and the Ayatollah."The people of Kargil have always been with India. Though Kargil is close to the Line of Control and there have been attempts to incitethe people against India on the basis of religion, this will never succeed. Kargilis are an integral part of India and being Shias, dislike the Sunni-dominated Pakistan. Shias are persecuted in Pakistan. Here, at least they have religious freedom," Zakiri said.Both he and the trust's vice-chairman Shaikh Mohammed Muhkaik, while addressing the people, encourage them to help the Indian soldiers in all possible ways as porters, informers and guides. They vow to help the Indian Army to their last breath. But what they would like most is to join the Indian Army as soldiers. Despite being firmly behind India, we cannot understand the step-motherly treatment being meted out to the Shias in Kargil. The young men here want to be a part of the Army. They are the Ladakh Scouts, comprising youths from Ladakh. The Buddhists are trained and employed as informers by the Special Security Bureau. "Though the Kargilis help the Army in every way, they are still not treated on par with the rest," said Muhkaik. MohammedRahi,m a Shia businessman, suggested that if forming a Kargil Scouts was a problem, the people could be used a militia and paid better.In a worried tone, Zakri said if the Government did not pay attention to the Shias of Kargil, the young may just get attracted towards Pakistan for money. "Anyway, the Pakistanis try to use the Muslim card, telling people here that they are Muslims first and then Shias, so they should support Pakistan. The Indian Government too does not seem to trust the people. The Intelligence Bureau and the Criminal Investigation Department keep tabs on their movements," he said.Though the Kargilis were anti-Pakistan, he said they could not speak openly against the country. "The militants in Srinagar are Sunnis and support Pakistan. For the people of Kargil district, Srinagar is the lifeline. Students go there, their business interests are there and so are other facilities like health care. If they speak against Pakistan, the Sunni militants will choke their lifeline," explainedZakiri. Kargil's Shias, he said, perhaps never got their due because they were peace-loving. "The Buddhists protest in Leh and get whatever they want. The Sunnis protest in Srinagar and get their demands fulfilled. It is only the Shias who have never protested and never got anything. One thing is certain - they will never pick up guns. But for that, the Government has to ensure that the young generation does not feel alienated," says the trust chairman.
