B L Saraf
Cold blooded murder of Sabeen Mahmud, a Karachi based human rights activist, and a muted response from the Indian intellectuals and the fellow travelers, to the tragedy, raises few questions. She was gunned down in Karachi, a week ago , whileas as her mother was seriously injured and is battling for life in a hospital. Just before Sabeen was killed she and her mother had attended a talk she had organized for the activists from Baluchistan. The activist spoke on the subject of human rights violation in Baluchistan and missing persons in the province. Our ‘ bleeding hearts’ the self -appointed conscience – keepers of the society have acquired an uncanny sense of spotting an ‘ activist’ from Timbactoo and other god forsaken part of the globe and lap him up should he find some imaginary digression in the Indian state or the Government. They would jump up to speak for him, unsolicited, and hog the prime time of all the available TV Channels. Imagine, had such a kind of incident happened in India hell would have broken out, all round. We hear no word for the missing persons in Baluchistan. But there is a great cacophony when someone disappears in Kashmir, only to surface in the neighboring country to acquire arms for creating mayhem , on the return.
Strangely, to the “intellectuals” there are some good activists and some not so good . Though, both may be doing the same kind of work in different places. It can’t be “My Activist and Your Activist.” True, being humans we are expected to be contradictory . But to rationalize one description at one place and denounce same at the other place is to stretch the contradiction to the absurd lengths. When PM Narendra Modi talked of 5 Star activists raking up issues more as a fashion statement, or, to stall the growth process than for a genuine cause the chataratti class accused him of silencing the voice of dissent and drawing an artificial distinction between the activists. They said that all the activists were for a genuine cause, forgetting that the” well – wishers ” themselves have sought to mark the distinction. Then, came the contradiction. When animal rights activists in Maharashtra expressed happiness on the beef ban these’ bleeding hearts’ accused them of abandoning “the caste, nutrition and cultural values of minorities and Dalits. “Similarly, they found it” intriguing” how activists of organic living linked their movement to the Hindu religious superiority. And condemned them as right wing fundamentalists: because, according to them, Shudda Vegetarian’ or ‘Satvik food, Yoga and Ayurveda show themselves as signs of Hindu Culture. See the pathological hatred these’ conscience keepers’ harbor against any thing that smells Indian or has a connection with the belief which majority of the Indians adhere to.
It is no secret that some of the ‘activist’ become hypersensitive to the Indian Government’s actions resorted to restore the law and order . They feel it hurts their’ perceived’ sense of activism. At the same time they turn a blind eye to the ghastly deeds of the desperados. Mercifully, the veneer of high morality is falling apart. On number of occasions these conscience – keepers have battled out, in open, for a financial and political space . The recent example of two erstwhile comrades in AAP threatening to expose the ‘ murky ‘ deeds of each other and washing their dirty linen in public makes the point.
The case of some of the foreign libertarians is no better . We didn’t see much concern on their part on the brutal murder of Sabeen and near fatal attack on her mother. In contrast , they are up in arms when something bad happens in Jammu and Kashmir, as a collateral, while law and order is being restored. Even some foreign Governments have audacity to question the right of Indian Government to call for accountability of the NGOs whose funding comes from abroad. On the action of the GOI, to ask those activist to become rule compliant who get funds from the U S based Ford Foundation, the US State Department got so worked up as to observe,” We remain concerned about the difficulties caused to the Civil Society organizations by the manner in which Foreign Contributions Regulation Act has been applied.” We hear no such words when the’ activists ‘ are kicked out of the countries where their work is considered undesirable .
In a hope – tough false, someone had waited for the reaction of a ‘public intellectual ‘ from the Valley on the sad death of the Karachi based human rights activist. Predictably, none came forth. It would have done good to the credibility of Kashmir intellectuals if they had spoken up for Sabeen Mahmd; because, she had been working for the disempowered Baluchis who have raged a war in Baluchistan for self-determination. No! Kashmir intellectuals won’t have it. Their love for the freedom vanishes at the doors of a neighboring country. Contrast is glaring. They create hue and cry when someone in the mainland asks questions to an Indian or a foreign” activist’ whose heart, very conveniently, bleeds for a non-state actor when caught on wrong side of the law. Yes, genuine activism must be encouraged and appreciated for the larger good of the society. But, a selective appreciation will one day catch up with these ‘intellectuals’ and consume them. Be on guard-threat looms large from within .
(The author is former Principal District & Sessions Judge)
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