Shiban Khaibri
Following stormy discussions on the Kashmir situation in Rajya Sabha recently, it was decided, preceded by suggestions by the Honb’le members that a high level All Party Meeting be held to evolve a consensus as to how the situation could be redeemed so that normalcy could prevail in the valley. As and when the current monsoon session of the Parliament gets concluded on its last working day of the session on Friday, the Prime Minister is likely to chair such a meeting to reach out to the protesting sections of Kashmiri people following the killing of a terrorist in an encounter. If any decision to evolve some solutions politically within the ambit of the constitution is taken, it is incumbent on the government that it takes all stake holders on board and not just separatist representatives of five districts of the valley as if that part of the whole state of Jammu and Kashmir was the voice of the entire Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. More about it in the following lines but first of all, let the speeches and opinions delivered by those members of the House be referred to who spoke on the issue, there was more or less “unanimity” among the members to have such meeting by the PM and send a delegation to Srinagar to talk to the “People” spearheading the current unrest which under the alibi of the “martyrdom” of a terrorist looks nothing less than an organized and properly planned move to bring about total anarchy in the valley.
It is without any doubt that the current turmoil, its spearheading, its monitoring and its objectives are all outside the “control” of the “Conventional” separatists, yet they pretend to be in the driver’s seat and the “agitation calendar” issued by them is a mix of religious exploitation, violent protests, road blockades, sit in Dharnas, willful violation of curfew restrictions, mass marches to and fro etc”. Now, novel methods of protest and to prolong it are devised and along with small boys and girls, women are “forced” to come out to serve as shield to the unruly mobs to disrupt all that comes in their way and stone Police indiscriminately, yet cry hoarse of the use of the pellet guns.
This writer was watching the entire day, August 9, the speeches by the Honb’le members on the Kashmir violence in the Rajya Sabha. Those from whom facts and clarity about the whole issue should have come in the spirit of sincerity did not or dared not speak what proper diagnosis of the malaise would lead them to say , some of them perhaps withheld that for reasons better known to them resulting in causing frustration to many holding firm and clear views about the problem. There are numerous Kashmiri people in small trade and commerce, daily wagers, artisans, shopkeepers, craftsmen, transporters, students etc who are mortified and threatened the 1990 way to toe to the lines of these saboteurs and Pakistani agents to freeze all normal ordinary activities and made to suffer for the sake of illusory “Aazadi”. Objectionable frenzied sloganeering; displaying rather brandishing lethal weapons etc are all done in the name of this elusive “Aazadi”.
Tossing the issue in the august House by a few who tried only either to blame rather attack the Prime Minister ( Jab say aap aaye hain, aap nay aag laganay ka he kaam kiya hai ) or the “unholy” alliance between the BJP and the PDP to be the real “villains” of and the root cause of the stone pelting getting reorganized, now with more teeth and with more religious support. In other words, now it is made “obligatory” for the Imams to do simultaneous job of “Aazadi propaganda” side by side their religious routine preaching in all Masjids. Yet many secularists mislead themselves with hollow axioms like “Kashmiryat” and quote in the House from the poems of Mehjoor whom those who quoted could not pronounce his name even correctly. In Kashmir, these extremist elements have legitimatized the terror philosophy of Hafiz Sayeed and Sallah- ud- Din , most of them do not want to know Mehjoor.
Kashmiri separatists right 12 hours before the start of the scheduled All Party meeting have “rejected” it and are emboldened to “instruct” the Deputy Commissioners across the valley not to hoist any “Indian flags” or be part of any celebrations. Instead, the recently formed separatists’ umbrella group in their Protest Calendar has asked the Kashmiri youth to block roads, lanes, sub- ways, across the valley on August 15 to prevent people from reaching various venues of the celebration of the Independence day. In other words, our stand gets vindicated that they have the lurking fear in them that despite nakedly dancing on the tunes of Pakistan and enforcing shut downs and taking out violent processions , there are larger sections of the people who hate them , despise their negative and destructive politics to ruin others while amassing wealth and fortunes themselves and sending their children to schools and colleges of repute across the country while the children of general public are made to suffer and denied their constitutional right to education. These people have “warned “the parents not to send their little children to the venues of the celebration of the independence day, instead they have issued religious diktats to the “people” to offer “prayers” for the stability of Pakistan on the day it took birth as a hate monger and theocratic country believing in religious exclusiveness.
This fact either is not known to those law makers in our Parliament who charge the Prime Minister with “Bahut dair say boley aur bahut thoda bolay” (spoke belatedly and that also not much) and do not introspect that in 2010 alone, under Congress and National Conference rule, as many as 120 precious lives were lost as a result of Police action against organized “Sangbaazi” . At that time, Dr. Manmohan Singh did not speak at all even belatedly and lollipops of interlocutors just “killed time” for three years in the valley to submit a report which was not even owned, let alone implemented by the Congress government. Therefore, the criticism by Gulam Nabi Azad against this government for having done nothing on ground and allowed to slip the situation is an allegation. It is the split “raitaa” of seven decades of the Congress rule right from 1947 Kabayli cum Pakistani attack on Kashmir till 2014 which this government has inherited and may perhaps succeed in bringing normalcy back in Kashmir.
The Rajya Sabha debate on Kashmir on Aug 9, saw Honb’le members like Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav of Samajwadi Party speaking as if he only knew the actual nuts and bolts of the entire problem. His knowledge of the causes and effect was superb and apt. He was upbeat in his deliverance on pure facts and realities. Swapan Dass Gupta dissected the problem to show the inner as well as the outer. Dr. Jatinder Singh alone pleaded for including stake holders like hounded out Kashmiri Pandits, Refugees of West Pakistan and Gulam Kashmir languishing even for citizenship rights, the people of Jammu, of Ladakh etc. He spoke eloquently on the problem, so did Shamsher Singh Manhas also. Whatever the outcome of the Prime Minister’s meet with All Parties, the group formed or likely to emerge, should not talk to those only who are spearheading violence rather an upheaval in the valley who cannot be termed as lone stake holders but anyway, it should talk to all stakeholders who are either victims of or hostages with the handful separatists of just 5 districts of the entire state , the ethnic minority of hounded out Kashmiri Pandits whose fate of return under whichever acceptable plan is threateningly stalled by these Pakistani hawks, then there are nearly over 5 lac refugees from West Pakistan and Gulam Kashmir whose fate hangs in balance, there are people of Jammu, people of Ladakh who have all to be taken on board and must all be heard at Pari passu basis and any decision , any proposal , any agreement must be with the overall support and approval of these stake holders and each must get its legitimate due .
It must be borne in mind that Jammu and Kashmir is a large state comprising Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh , let us keep other parts out of reference which are under illegal occupation of Pakistan and where anti Pakistan and anti establishment sentiments are getting deep rooted and in most of the parts there , even people reeling under the Pakistani Zulum have burned Pakistani flags and are eager to join democratic India. Ladakh is the biggest area , followed by Jammu and then comes Kashmir . So it comes to less than 15% of the state in trouble while 85% is all normal and proud to be the citizens of this state and more proud to be Indian. Please do not try to make 15% look as something whole.
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