The real jihad and the death of Manan Wani

Hashim Qureshi
“Truth will always be truth, regardless of lack of understanding, disbelief or ignorance.” Let somebody become the voice of truth to save future generations? Those carrying out the business of corpses have got another corpse for transaction. Alas! This is actually the corpse of the consciousness of Kashmiris.
An occupying entity which the propagators of separatism do not consider an occupier is placing guns in the hands of Kashmiris. Gun wielding is branded something glamorous for a handful of people. Through these guns an atmosphere of fear has been created by the illegal occupants and their cohorts. Those provided with guns by their handlers are not only motivated to take up the gun but even the enemy is identified against whom they are to unleash gun battles. The glamour infused in them is that they are the soldiers of Islam fighting a freedom movement in the part of Kashmir under Indian occupation. The tragedy is that these gun wielders who fight the Indian security forces fail to understand that they are fighting not for the Jihad or freedom of Kashmir but for promoting the interests of Pakistan which provides them with arms and motivation.
No recognized Muslim Scholars worth the name in the world has appreciated militancy in Jammu Kashmir. In fact none of them has called Kashmir militancy as Islamic Jihad? From an early date the Muslim law has laid down jihad in the military sense as “one of the principal obligations” of both “the head of the Muslim state”, who declares the jihad, and the Muslim community.” No Head of any Muslim State out of sixty of them declared that a jihad was being waged in Jammu and Kashmir. Even Pakistani President never declared it so. When no Head of any Muslim State or any recognized Islamic religious authority in the world declared the struggle in Jammu and Kashmir a jihad, how come some self-styled leaders in Kashmir have given militancy the name of jihad against all recognized definitions of jihad.
The three premier armed organisations namely Lashkar, Jaishe and Hizb are provided logistic, moral, financial and diplomatic support by Pakistan. The gun wielders are armed by the Pakistani secret agency ISI.
Not only this, even the Imams of Makkah or Medina, whose word is highly respected by the Muslim community all over the world, have not categorized the proxy war in J&K as a Jihad?
The three organizations named above have let loose the engines of murder and mayhem in which innocent, unarmed and defenceless people including women and elderly people are liquidated on unsubstantiated charges of being informers (mukhbir) Is this jihad and does it fulfil the conditions laid down about the characteristic of Islamic jihad? Women returning to their homes after day long toil and labour, harming none and hurting none, are charged with the accusation of being mukhbir (informers). Is this jihad?
As a Nationalist we can’t consider the ongoing violence in Jammu and Kashmir anything like national freedom struggle because the militant organizations that have sponsored and are conducting the violent movement are openly and proudly declaring that they fight for accession to Pakistan? They make no secret of their intentions and we do not need any proof as we find them hoisting Pakistani flags on the dead bodies of innocent people who meet with their death in the course of action of the gun wielding people.
The fact is that Pakistan is fighting its battle against India by using the Kashmiri youth. So what we see in Jammu and Kashmir is a proxy war between India and Pakistan and not a jihad. They use the people of the State as cannon fodder.
If this is jihad, then obviously, according to Islamic tradition and Quranic injunction every Muslim has to contribute to the success of the jihad. It is not only the ordinary youth coming from ordinary labouring classes in society who are to volunteer and join the rank and file of jihadis. The foremost to join their ranks have to be the wards of the leaders who are the lodestar of separatist movement in Jammu and Kashmir. Why did not the high profile leaders of Lashkar, Hurriyat, Jaishe and Hizb as their children to join the “jihad” and take up the gun and rub shoulders with people like Burhan Wani and others who fell fighting the Indians?
They are Muslims in letter and in spirit and as true Muslims they have to be in the battle shoulder to shoulder with the “jihadis” But the fact is that their wards are studying far away from the scene of so-called jihad in colleges and universities not only in different parts of India or Pakistan but also and perhaps mostly in western countries enjoining the life of ease, plenty and tranquillity. The Jihad Council based in Muzaffarabad and Geelani Sahib enjoying the best of both the worlds in his cosy bungalow in posh locality of Hyderpora is prompting the Kashmiri youth to take up the gun and join militancy and strengthen the separatist movement. But for their own children the hostels and guest houses of various universities and colleges in or outside India are the destinations where they make their career and occasionally read in newspapers about the death and destruction of Kashmiri youth only to shed crocodile’s tears and render lip service to the gun wielding youth.
Nobody is prepared to listen to the truth and sensible talk. If somebody speaks out the truth, these cowards take upon them the task of silencing his voice.
The defiant people with a live and responsive conscience are indirectly intimidated by asking them to bring to their memory the tragic story about the fate of Shujaat Bukhari?
Let us talk of the other occupier also. It snatches the gun and creates facilitators from among the Kashmiri society. This drama continues to be performed through the instrumentality of local agents and sympathizers. The drama is intensified or strengthened by the fatalities of Kashmiris. Thus we find that in decimating Kashmiris both the countries have a concerted programme and their feigned bitterness appears nothing more than a drama.
The question is whether what we are doing is worth calling national freedom struggle? From the viewpoint of international law all these killings and hoisting of Pakistani flags by the paid agents of Pakistan is termed as blatant “interference by Pakistan.” and facilitating disruptive elements to spoil the peaceful life in Kashmir
Recently, India has been given a seat in the Human Rights Commission for three years. She got 188 votes out of 193. We ask whether this is the way in which our sacrifices are recognized and we are compensated for the sacrifices of our martyred youth. Is this the way in which our movement is shown recognition by the international community? Let us make some introspection and ask the question whether what we are doing deserves to be called “national liberation struggle”? Does it meet the pre-requite of a freedom movement? Is it a jihad or economic proxy war? The gun wielders become victims of a specific culture floated by Pakistan.
There are no more unfortunate people in the world than those in the valley. A country in illegal occupation of 42 per cent of our homeland has floated the armed insurgency for grabbing the rest of the land which hitherto is not in its hands. Pakistan has used religion to promote insurgency and the terrorist groups from Pakistan like Lashkar and Jaishe have also joined the struggle. Leaving aside sentimentality and emotions, in a situation of war imagine the destruction that will take place on both sides. India is not getting blackmailed for last thirty years meaning that she is not joining Pakistan for talks on Kashmir. India is engaged in an economic proxy war with Pakistan just as the US is engaged with Russia? Conditions on the ground show that India is making steady progress in achieving its objective? The question is that during thirty years of war not even ten percent of success has been achieved by the gun? Has any Islamic country or even the smallest country of the world endorsed what we call freedom struggle more out of glamour than out of hard facts on the ground??
Manan was a scholar and he could have been the torch bearer of knowledge for others. He took up the gun. Has he been able to throw out the Indian army? He became the source of emotional slogan mongering for the people of his locality and the valley? Some will have extracted the price from the external sympathizers by making a video of Burhan’s and Manan’s elimination? The money thus raised will be utilized for recruiting more Kashmiri youth to meet the fate of Burhan or Manan? What is happening for last thirty years is encounters with security forces, killing of the gun wielding youth, call for strike by Hurriyat all leading to another encounter and another killing. This is what is happening. I do not know what has been the gain by hoisting Pakistani flag on the dead body of Manan? However, we know that the martyrdom of Kashmiri youth has brought no gain to the Kashmiri nation?
Some sources say that no activist of JKLF has been staking his life for the movement, but they are supporting gun culture as they say:”Manan Wani represents passion for dignity and freedom.” JKLF forgot that Hizb’s passion and freedom are “Accession to Pakistan” and not a national freedom and United Jammu Kashmir? We want to know whether JKLF is asking the Kashmiri youth to follow the ideology of Manan who, in turn, has been the custodian of the ideology of militant organizations based in Pakistan. Imagine the ideology of Lashkar and Jaish etc? The tragedy is that gun wielders and Hurriyat shun a logical discussion of issues on their merits. This has been their way for last thirty years and I am sure for another thirty years they will continue to tow the same line. We pray that God Almighty give patience and fortitude to the parents and brothers and sisters of Manan to bear the tragedy. His father knows the pain which is inflicted by the death of a son for whose education great effort was made and his father knows what he has suffered.
(The author is Chairman JKDLP)
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com

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