A post-mortem of the Kashmir politician’s tongue Phrase is the index of mind ?

By Ahmed Ali Fayaz

There may be nothing in the name. But, there seems to be a lot more than nonchalance in the phraseology used by Jammu & Kashmir’s politicians over the years. It appears that very few leaders, like Dr Farooq Abdullah and Syed Ali Shah Geelani, are committed to their divergent ideologies and others are in this "business" just for fun, luxury and grandeur. Some of them seem to have adopted politics as their profession for their inability to lay hands on a government job. Of course, a many have been illiterate and unqualified for all other professions and business activities. Even their rape of linguistics is understandable. However, when even the most educated of them use the vocabulary, which actually should have been picked up by their adversaries, it sounds as Freudian slip and not a mere slip of the tongue.

There’s no denying the fact that the armed strife in Kashmir had begun with all the trappings of a freedom struggle. Notwithstanding the fact that the bomb blast at the Central Telegraph Office (CTO) and looting of a petrol pump on Maulana Azad Road of Srinagar happened simultaneously. The most dispassionate description is that the strife has been an incongruous blend of militancy and terrorism. Sometimes, it contains 90% of the "freedom movement" and 10% of "terrorism" and sometimes it is vice versa. Even the hardcore Indian nationalist, Jagmohan, named it "turbulence" in his book, in 1991. The same BJP leader calls it "terrorism" nowadays.

For New Delhi, it has been the worse transit from "turbulence" to "terrorism". For Islamabad, it is "Kashmir banega Pakistan". For JKLF, the movement has derailed to the extent that it was high time to wind up the training camps and set up the blood donation camps. For Hizbul Mujahideen, it continues to be a "movement for Azadi and Islam". And, for Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, it is Jihad and part of the "global struggle of Islamisation which has no geo-political boundaries".

But, what’s it for most of the mainstream politicians. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and his ebullient daughter, Mehbooba, have grown notorious for selectively visiting the houses of those killed, or suspected to have been killed, by Police and security forces. It is a fact that they turned a blind eye to the Gujjar family wiped out by militants at Batkoot, near Pahalgam, but the duo was quick to visit the site at nearby Khayyar, where some militants and civilians died in an army operation. They pleaded "a political process, involving the Hurriyat and all militant groups". They even chose stars and the green colour for their party flag and adopted "human rights violation by Army and Task Force" as their slogan. But, what about Dr Abdullah’s firebrand and smoke-brand lieutenants?

It was understandably the question of survival when most of the NC leaders, who did not migrate to Jammu, cursed their "Baba-e-Qaum" Sheikh Abdullah in paid advertisements and waived ‘V for Victory’ in the March 1990 Azadi processions. All but one NC leaders in Kupwara district became Azadi activists overnight. They all rushed headlong to the NC camp when militancy emaciated and it was poll time in 1996. An MLA in Budgam district became "District Administrator" for a pro-Pakistan militant organisation. Another activist changed half-a-dozen Tanzeems in six years and finally contested elections on NC’s ticket. A senior Cabinet minister’s son crawled to an outfit’s "Supreme Council". Same was the case in other districts. After all, everything is justified in the game of survival.

However, it has been remarkably interesting that all the three junior Home Ministers in Dr Abdullah’s council of ministers have been loudly using the phrase "renegades" for all those transformed militants who helped security forces in creating conditions conducive to conducting of elections. In Kashmir, the phrase was contemptuously coined by the senior separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone to denigrate anybody helping the Government of India. It may be still reassuring for New Delhi that one of those three ministers has not compromised to the extent of calling the insurgency as "Tehreek" (movement) and the militant as "Mujahid" (crusader).

The other day only, even a ruling party MLC, whose son is allegedly running a training camp in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (read Azad Kashmir), was heard condemning the October 1st blast, in the state legislative council. Ask him and he will say it is all unfounded. Prove it to him and he will retort: How Vijayaraje Sindhia was in BJP and her son Madhav Lal in Congress? After all, India is a great democracy!

Occasionally in the legislature but frequently in public meetings, most of the ruling party’s ministers and legislators have been making abundant use of the phrases like "Azad Kashmir", "Tehreek", "Mujahid", "Jihad", "Shaheed" (martyr) and "Renegade" (armed forces’ helper). We have never heard them say "Ghulam Kashmir", "Terrorism" and "Terrorist". Nor have they ever called the surrenderees as "Ansaar" (helpers). Recently, three of the MLAs__ one from Kupwara, two from Srinagar__ stopped inches short of describing the security forces as "occupational forces".

For a change, an NC leader, who has been invariably referring to "before the Tehreek", "after the Tehreek" and "during the Tehreek" in his conversation, has made a slight amendment to his pro-freedom lexicon after the militant attack on the state legislature. He now pronounces as "Tareeki" (darkness). Quite a number of ministers and government officials too have been labeling those mediapersons as "pro-militant" who have refused to write eulogies in their favour. At the worst, it can be the kettle calling the pot black.

Recently, while asserting that there was no line of demarcation between the criminals and the militants, Director General of Police, A K Suri, said that the term "militant" had been coined by the media. But, nobody told him on the occasion that the daily bulletin of J&K Police Headquarters has been using the phrase "militants" for the last 13 years, including the eventful 11 months of his own stewardship.

From day one of Kashmir’s current spell of violence, all ministers, legislators, mainstream politicians and government officials have been using the word "innocent", whenever militants killed any civilian not associated with the government, security forces or the mainstream politics. Isn’t that, in itself, suggestion (though not confession) that all those working with the government, security forces and mainstream political parties are "guilty"? When they call Kashmir’s Pakistan-administered part as "Azad Kashmir", don’t they declare that India is an occupational country and they themselves are her stooges and mercenary minions.

The Hurriyat leaders too are no different lot. When the question of filling up the column of domicile on Passport forms arose first, Mr Abdul Gani Lone pleaded that there was no harm in writing as "Indian". He justified all "evils" with his theory of de jure and de facto. Within days, all but Geelani got their passports. Then came the question of accepting the "protection" of the "puppet government". Even those "men of ultimate faith and unflinching belief" put up Police guards at home, who had been grumbling how Indian guns could protect any man of conscience in Kashmir. After all, you can partake a dead chicken when one is likely to die of hunger! On such occasions, one does conveniently refer to the Quranic relaxation which puts just one rider: "But not too much in quantity, and not in a manner of enjoying it" (gaira bagin wa la aad).

As a matter of policy, the separatist leaders have not been filing suits in Indian courts in Jammu & Kashmir. However, of late, it became public that the Hurriyat had filed a petition in a New Delhi court, seeking passports and travel documents as a matter of right. In Hurriyat, there is little scope for listening to Indian Penal Code etc notwithstanding the fact that the representative organisation of the lawyers practicing the Indian law, happens to be a constituent of the Hurriyat. Dichotomy, de jure or de facto?

(The author is a political analyst and Srinagar Bureau Chief of Daily Excelsior)

After Bombings, What..?

By M. Rama Rao

As the US-UK air forces contain use to pound the Taliban counttryside, one myth is shattered. Another myth is born. The first has to do with the Americans. And the second with the Osama.

The first 10 days of carpet-bombing has reinforced the perception that the US is comfortable as the master of the sky. So does the plan for helicopter assaults to locate Taliban ‘cave" hideouts.

There is the talk about a ground assault from the northern side but there are no takers for the plan from a country known to loath body bags. At least till the time actual action" is seen on the small screen!

Unlike Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, Taliban's air power, airports and command-communication structures is not the envy of the neighbour at the best of times. The loss or damage, whatever is the reality to these rudimentary facilities, doesn't make the Taliban miss their heart beat. But the chilling reality is core of the enemy strength is still in tact.

And this core comes from the Madrasas of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan. Arab Afghans and mercenary groups provide the teeth to the fire-power. The spate of bloody demonstrations and the reports of Jehadis flocking to the front line show their power and reach.

What is Osama bin Laden’s goal?

It is to drive the US completely out of the Muslim World and give a honourable place to the Islamists. He thinks he can relly accomplish the task. He strongly believes that his jihadis can do to the Americans what the mujahideens did to the Soviet forces two decades ago. September 11 is the new benchmark for him.

Also, he still holds the view, as he did in his 1998 interview to ABC News that the struggle between America and Islam would result in the end of the United States as the United States.

Osama has another ace up his sleeve - the eve, smilingly willing for his mission the growing tide of anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism and anti-Western hate campaign has, certainly, buoyed up his spirits, wherever he is holed up now.

As Mark N Katz, Professor of Government and politics at the George Masson University says, how the US fights Osama could easily add fuel to the fire of Islamic Revolution he is trying to ignite. If the US is seen and is believed to be in war with the entire Muslim world, it is advantage Osama.

The US cannot hope to help its cause by dropping food packets in Kabul and Kandahar along with missiles, but by giving up the tendency to portray in the true Cold war style the West as the paragon of virtue engaged in a just battle.

On this yardstick, the American leadership has failed miserably.

Who believes President Bush today?

He declares his campaign is not targeted against Islam. He claims to have rallied behind the Western Alliance the entire Muslim world. But neither the governments nor the public opinion in the Muslim world is solidly behind him.

The 57-member strong Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) has done some plain speaking at its Doha meeting. That it has taken care to avoid the impression of indulging in the luxury of rubbing the Americans the rong way is a different thing. It is no consolation, nonetheless.

The OIC plea not to expand the theatre of conflict is understandable. But the echo of Taliban’s demand for "concrete proof of presumed perpetrates behind September 11attacks- is disturbing to the State Department.

Also a matter of dismay is the public opinion from Cairo to Beirut, Lebanon to Sana, and Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta that American retaliation is unfair and unjust and against the Ummah. It this mood persists, as it appears to, the threat of a contagion of Islamic revolution spreading through out the Sunni Muslim world will become a reality with or without bin Laden around.

Arm-twisting the ruling elite will not help. In fact, it may boomerang. More so, if the armed forces in these countries don’t defend their governments for one reason or the other.

This danger is very much present in our immediate western neighbourhoods in Pakistan. It will get aggravated as the days go by.

Pervez Musharraf is riding a tiger. He willingly mounted the wild beast to seize and remain in power.

The 'new look' America is exasperating him. So is the constituency he cultivated and regularly obliged right from the day he was deputed to train a few Osama Mujahideens over a decade ago.

As he gets increasingly sandwiched between an aggressive America with a demand - a - day and the firebrand Sunni vigilantes with blood in their eyes and on their bands, Musharraf's natural instincts for survival will make him bank on the silent majority of his countrymen. They are known to be unhappy with the prevailing situation, political and religious. They had welcomed Musharrafs arrival on the scene with unconcealed glee three years ago.

But the question is will they rise to his bait?

This section never mattered in Pakistani scheme of things. Not in the past. Not even in the present. Certainly. in the future too!

Because, in Pakistan only three "A"s matter: Allah, Army, America, not necessarily in that order always.

The American strategists are not coming to grips with this possibility. Not as yet anyhow. And this indeed is the flip side of the 'Catch Osama campaign.

In a manner of speaking, unlike the Western Alliance (WA), the Northern Alliance (NA) has reasons to feel satisfied. It has notched up some real gains against the Taliban. Troops under Ismail Khan have captured the airport outside Chagcharan, the capital of Ghor province even before the aerial bombardment of Kabul-Kandahar-Islamabad belt entered the second day.

Pressing the accelerator, they have since consolidated their hold over the central province. The Taliban have denied the Isrnail claims. The denial doesn’t appear to hold water. They are reducing their spread in a bid to fortify their positions and this has helped the NA forces no less.

The forces loyal to Gen. Dostum have also made in- roads into the Mazar-e-Sharif - Herat belt. It is difficult to quantify their progress. There is a spin on the stories coming in from the front with the American war machinery considering every one of us as a gobemouche.

Nevertheless, there is no room for doubt that Kabul-Mazar-e-Sharif axis is with them. Evidence of this is the Taliban’s recourse to much longer road via Herat to keep up the supplies to the front-line in the Baghlan province.

Yet, the US led Western Alliance (WA) is reluctant to see the NA zero in on Kabul. One view, as articulated by noted Pakistani commentator Ahmed Rashid (in the Los Angeles -Times) is that the WA considers them as a rag-tag coalition of war - lords working in their own strongholds, and often at cross purpses at the national level.

Conventional wisdom suggests that the US target the Taliban armour and artillery positions both around Kabul and in Northern Afghanistan light from the word go. The Taliban have around 200 tanks and huge deployment of medium and heavy artillery in both regions.

Destruction of these targets would have set in demoralisation in Taliban cadres and set in motion a flow of defections. Fall of Kabul to NA forces would have been a natural corollary within days.

The WA is guilty of preventing this scenario by a myopic approach.

Agreed, there is merit in US - British effort to bring back King Zahir Shah from his exile in Rome. He is a Pashtun although his mother tongue is Persian. This fact should make his presence acceptable to Iran, who too has a stake in a stable Afghanistan.

Also, the emergence of NA, as the sole arbiters of Afghan future will not be to the liking of the majority Pashtuns. They live in the south of the country. The Taliban are drawn from them.

But the Northern Alliance is willing to accept King Zahir Shah. They were the first to make the moves for the King’s return from exile. Long years in wilderness certainly taught them a lesson not to repeat the unseemly spectacle they had made after the collapse of Afghan communism.

The unfolding scenario has unnerved the Pakistani establishment. It has begun to see an end to its rainbow in the pre-vinter fog and mist engulfing the hills beyond the Durand Line.

Hence, it is using its new-found leverage with the West on matters Afghan. At the same time, it is putting up all the pretensions of going along with the ‘current while openly embracing the long forgotten king as the unifymng force and the Afghan saviour.

The tough talking American president and his aid have fallen prey to the Musharraf guile. His rhetoric do you want to handover Kabul to tribal worldism once again has unnerved them. Ignorant of history, short of basics, and unfamiliar with the enemy and the terrain, the hi-tech Rambos have, therefore, become a curious meuniere.

Yielding to Pakistan objections is allowing Pakistan to re-gain a foothold in the New Afghanistan. Assigning any role to Islamabad Generals, whoever they may be, is allowing a spoiler in shaping the destiny of the proud Afghans.

Getting persuaded by the Pakistan logic is ignoring the harsh fact that the Pakistan junta has alienated the Pashtun elite and leadership of every other major ethnic group.

There are no moderate and hardliners amongst Taliban. There are only the Taliban.

The Northern Alliance sees the Taliban and Pakistan, who is under pressure to disown its own creation, as their enemy. Emergence of Pak fundamentalist proxies will not be to the liking of Iran, Russia, Central Asian Republics (CARS) and India. There can be no doubt that none of them would like to see Kabul as the breeding ground of fundamentalism and narco-terrorism.

So, these countries will do well to chart out a new course. It will call for by- passing the Americans and their Afghan proxy, Pakistan.

Since except Iran, others cannot afford to ignore President Bush, they should throw their collective weight behind the United Nations (where it is easy, with some solid groundwork to checkmate the master and the batman), and get a truly genuine UN mandate (in a fall-back to the fifties of sort!) to cater to Afghanistan till King Zabir Shah is able to put his act together.

The King has just set up the Supreme Council for National Unity. He is in the process of convening a conference of elders of various ethnic groups. The elders and the council will select the interim government, according to the present indications. This is a time consuming process. How much time it will take is any body’s guess.

Sadly, this exercise has come in the way of Northern Alliance’s triumphant march over a 30- km stretch from where they are now into Kabul.

As observed at the outset, this ‘halt’ and the ‘pounding’ unmask a mystery over a campaign that has created a new mysterious aura around a fugitive.

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