A Free Kashmir: Random Thoughts-52

Liberate Kashmir Muslims!

As the New Delhi bosses put their, rather weak, feet down and refused to endorse his claim to be the next chief minister of Jammu Kashmir, which is now under Indian military occupation, the three time CM and the NC patron Farooq Abdullah's is now out of the contest; but he has, very carefully, pushed the CM's chair towards his own son, Omer Abdullah, to enable him to occupy it eventually once coalition politics settles down for ministry formation.

I - Verdict for Freedom Unity

The fractured JK verdict and the zealous overtures made by the two regional parties, the National Conference and the People's Democratic Party to the Congress has once again given an opportunity for the Kashmiris to dilute their independence resolve and attack each other in due course. PDParty, alarmed at the prospect of its main rival, the NC, coming to power in Jammu and Kashmir, is trying every means possible to prevent that happening. The PDP appears so desperate to keep the NC out that it has even offered to the Congress, which has got fewer seats, lead the government. If this idea finds any appeal at all in the Congress, it has further expressed a clear preference for PCC chief and Union water resources minister Saifuddin Soz as the new chief minister. The PDP is even prepared to let Prof. Soz remain chief minister throughout the Assembly's six-year tenure, and not, as coalition partners increasingly do these days, share the chief ministership for three years each. The Congress has, meanwhile, indicated it would prefer an alliance with a party which would offer the first three-year term in power so that it could complete ongoing development projects and rebuild its image in the state. The PDP will agree to this, but the NC will definitely not. But the matters don't end there.

Lack of transparency has stood Indian policymakers in good stead all through. It was the case in Kashmir polls too. Even though it knows the world considers the current polls in Jammu  Kashmir, being conducted hurriedly, as a sheer joke in the face of popular uprising and peaceful demonstrations for independence, India still goes ahead with the elections to showcase its power to suppressed Kashmiris and its "democracy" credentials to the West or supporting Indian occupation. Kashmiris have voted now thinking that at least the pro-India Kashmiri leaders would lead them to independence soon after the polls.

II- India wants to be firm with Kashmiris

Some hard-line military strategists-cum-Indian media favorites argue that now that poll was held "successfully", India should be firm with Kashmiris and put an end to their dangerous drive towards re-independence. They say though the pronouncements of the new US president-elect Barack Obama on Kashmir could muddy the waters further, India must make it clear to the "separatists" that secession is not an option. They argue that hoping by freedom leaders for a well-orchestrated fight for an autonomous Kashmir and a struggle to protect "Kashmiriyat" is a mere dream which should be driven out of the Kashmir psyche.  

Jammu Kashmir is a Muslim majority state. Before 1947 it was an independent nation with a Hindu king controlling it. Kashmiris have lost their right to defend themselves from Indian oppression and genocides. Indian terrorist methods provoked Kashmiris to take defensive measures and India readily called the Kashmiri terrorists.  After indulging in human rights violations, New Delhi had now started to "˜violate' religious rights of Kashmiri Muslims. They are entitled to exercise their religious traditions, laws and rights.

India has been making deliberate attempts to clip the Kashmiri wings. Kashmiri Muslims have been hurt due to continuous intervention of the State administration into their religious practices. Addressing a Friday congregation at  Srinagar's historic Jamia Masjid after a gap  of nearly two months, Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq termed the restrictions stopping people from perform their religious obligations as government's "anti-Muslim" policy. "Do you have the courage to represent the real aspirations of Kashmiri people?" Mirwaiz questioned the pro-India politicians. 

III- Anti-Islamic India

Apart from raking up the illegal Amarnath land scam, India was also trying to split the Kashmir Muslims along Pundit and non-Pundit lines; It seems India is keen to rekindle the illegal land issue for Hindu shrine. India is now busy insulting Kashmiri Muslims by creating another sentimental issue. In India the extremist Hindu elements throw dead pigs or their parts into mosques in order to evoke communal passions and flare-ups and boost BJP vote bank among the communal Hindus. Similar strategy is being tried out in Kashmir too, not by BJP but its supporter and promoter- the Indian government.  

 Indian Pigs have become a problem in Kashmir Hurting the sentiments of Muslim community, the State administration has given permission to establish a pig farm unit in Bathuni-Muradpur, a Muslim majority village of Rajouri district. The rearing of pigs is objectionable for Muslims and has become a reason of communal discord between Muslims and Sikh community in the village. Muslims in the area today staged a protest against this farm when these pigs entered their houses and places of worship. About 150 Muslim families who inhabit this village said they were having a tough time as the pigs in the farm wander in front of their houses, mosques and vegetable plots. Pigs are reviled by Muslims as most Muslim sources cite pig's habit of wallowing in its own filth as the reason for abhorring it. Furthermore, no law allows establishing a pig farm in the State, Jammu and Kashmir being a Muslim majority state. After at least a dozen pigs entered into the houses of Muslim community in the area, creating a sort of commotion among the Kashmiris, Muslims are annoyed over Indian pig attitude to Kashmir. It is national shame that the district administration under instructions from governor Vohra, who in turn, advised by New Delhi, has given permission to some Sikhs to establish such a farm in the Muslim majority village.

India has been quite bold evading Human Rights in Jammu Kashmir, a Muslim majority state and once an independent nation. After indulging in human rights violations, New Delhi had now started to "˜violate' religious rights of Kashmiri Muslims. They are entitled to exercise their religious traditions, laws and rights. Kashmiri Muslims have been hurt due to continuous intervention of the State administration into their religious practices. Addressing a Friday congregation at  Srinagar's historic Jamia Masjid after a gap of nearly two months, Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq termed the restrictions stopping people from perform their religious obligations as government's  "anti-Muslim" policy. "Do you have the courage to represent the real aspirations of Kashmiri people?" Mirwaiz questioned the pro-India politicians.

IV- Congress-BJP communal Nexus

Rise of BJP in this Muslim dominated state and the only state that can have a democratically elected  essentially secular, Muslim chief minister, has more with the Congress game plan than its own Hindutva or anti-Islamism plank, though without them this party simply cannot exist. Secularism is a must any Muslim in India a Muslim chief minister in JK cannot evade that by citing the anti-secular, anti-Democratic or anti-Muslims or pseudo-Patriotic or pseudo secular, Hindus.

That BJP is just the Congress-B has been vividly demonstrated yet again in the JK poll where the BJP has made inroads into Congress vote bank of Hindus and India claims the Amarnath has blessed the BJP for its agitations in Jammu to get the illegal land deals for their NRI Hindu god . When the Central government nominee and JK Governor tried, unsuccessfully, to push ahead the illegal Amarnath land deal, created the standoff and helped the BJP to strengthen its stronghold in Hindu dominated Jammu region, the Hindu agenda of secular India became quite clear.

A pro-Hindutva Congress needs BJP to play communal politics against Muslims. Right from the Independence in 1947, the Congress party, a soft Hindutva organization, has used the Hindutva parties for vote feeder dam for the poll season. Congress continued to use it for various anti-Muslim purposes successfully. BJP outsmarted the Congress by controlling the Congress vote banks and formed governments both at the centre and in several states, but Congress has not learned its lesson, but, rather, it thinks that is the right thing to do.

Lakshadweep is the smallest union territory of India, a group of islands 200 to 300 km off of the coast of Kerala in the Arabian Sea. These islands were attached to the Malabar district of the Madras Presidency. In 1956, the States Reorganization Act separated these islands from the mainland administrative units, forming a new union territory by combining all the islands. The people of Minicoy, the southernmost atoll, speak Mahl, a variant of Divehi, the language of the Maldives. The islanders are ethnically similar to coastal Kerala's Malayali people, and were influenced by Arab traders. Inhabitants of Minicoy, the southernmost and largest island, closely resemble Maldivians. Over 99% of the indigenous population is Muslim; they were converted by Arab traders.

The total population of the Lakshadweep territory was 60,595 according to the 2001 census and most of them are Muslims. Lakshadweep, an autonomous territory of Union Government on Arabian Sea, very close to Kerala state in the South India, is inhabited exclusively by Muslims and is represented by an MP too. Lakshadweep has military outpost. Congress has been dominant there, but BJP was pasted there by the government and it represents the constituency. How? Indian government decides which party should play what role and how and accordingly parties are born in the country, flourish or die down in due course. India wants to promote Hindu communal outfits on Arabian Sea, including Lakshadweep.

Similar to the BJP rise here, another rise has been registered in Jammu Kashmir as Congress covertly assisted its sister party BJP to make its presence felt in JK to get the illegal land deal clinched for the Amarnath Hindu god.

V- Post-script

 One does not know what is so strategic about Kashmir that India does not want to vacate that nation for good. Missiles of today could reach India without touching Jammu Kashmir, if India wants to keep Kashmir as a buffer zone to protect itself from "enemy". As it is slowly coming to the light, it is still the Kashmir issue that caused the latest Mumbai carnage because India wanted to stall the Indo-Pakistan talks between the foreign ministers of both sides underway in New Delhi.

The most unfortunate thing about JK poll is that people who aspire for freedom and permanent resolution of Kashmir issue were kept hostages to make the election drama a success with Indian military support.  Irrespective of who makes the government and be the CM of Jammu Kashmir, the independence issue is vibrant now and it has to be addressed and Kashmiris have to be liberated from Indian yoke once for all.  If, however, the new incumbent regime would ignore or play Indian tricks with the innocent Kashmiris, they would be doing so at their own peril and miserable end.

Kashmiri people have seen many governments since 1947. This nation is well aware of the fact that whosoever was voted to power represented New Delhi not the people. National Conference, despite having good numbers in the assembly, never pushed for Kashmir resolution, never represented aspirations of Kashmiris. The "mainstream" politicians are the ones who exploited the sentiment of freedom and Kashmir issue while campaigning for elections.

Indian rulers, strategists and media are good story tellers too, apart from being fine, high precision shooters, chess players and cricket bowlers/blasters on prior agreement; in essence Indians super tacticians who managed to keep Jammu Kashmir under terror custody. Incumbent JK governor Vohra is a good tactician too.

India thought it could continue to kill Kashmiris until every Muslim in Kashmir is killed but people's uprising and direct people involvement in struggles in a peaceful manner has taken the Indian strategists by surprise. Now India largely faces a different and potentially more challenging foe here: peaceful campaigners for self-determination, who borrow from Mahatma Gandhi's rule book of non-violent resistance. While the plight of Kashmir has galvanized Islamic struggle & radicalism across South Asia, the decades-long armed struggle is waning in the disputed region itself.

Clearly the pro-India ruling outfits that are used to be enjoying the fruits of partnership with New Delhi perhaps want to lead the freedom fight themselves by using the freedom groups as a powerful bargain chip, and don't want to be the followers of freedom leaders now. That has got some thing to do with inferiority complex they suffer looking at the strength of the freedom movement now  with mass uprising. If the pro-Indian outfits are keen to lead a fresh independence struggle now, it is better the freedom leaders also join them without losing their own identity in the process. What Kashmiris seek is full sovereignty from occupying India and  if the pro-India leaders mange it from an arrogant and tricky India, that could be welcome by all especially the freedom leaders; after all Jammu Kashmiri has  to be  independent all over again. 

Emerging war scenario on LoC has terrified the Kashmiri people on both sides of the Indian divide. After the increased activities of the ground forces along the border, the fighter jets of nuclear armed, India and Pakistan carried out recce close to Line of Control (LoC) in Balakote sector, causing panic among the people, who are planning to migrate towards safer places. Immediately after the terrorism in Mumbai the foreign ministers halted the talks and Pakistan's external affairs minister was asked to leave India. But can India continue this style of terror manipulations to keep the Kashmir issue at bay for ever? This question is being asked in Kashmir, Pakistan and elsewhere. UN, so far watching genocide show in Kashmir, should offer an appropriate answer.

Indian terrorism seems to have won another poll in Jammu Kashmir as always, with pro-India and India elements joining hands and Kashmiris are gearing up to form a government possibly to suppress the Kashmiris freedom movement; it cannot be other wise. But Indians know world cannot be fooled for ever and it has to surrender sovereignty back to Kashmiris, earlier the better and transplanting the Israeli or American terrorism in Kashmir again would end in Indian disaster. Year 2009 is on its way and Kashmiris need to frame a dynamic reformation of their own strategy rooted in today's realities, challenges and opportunities so that they could effectively fight further for their legitimate goals of independence from India.. If they need a suggestion: beware of Indian hidden designs and please unite! 

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Yours Sincerely, 

DR.ABDUL RUFF Colachal

Columnist & Independent Researcher in World Affairs, The only Indian to have gone through entire India

South Asia.

 

****This is from:Dr. Abdul Ruff*** Mob: 9349942532  

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A nation that has enslaved free people is no democracy. "Democracies"  like USA and India have zero tolerance to any criticism of their anti-Muslim and other aggressive practices. Anti-Muslimism and anti-Islamism are as dangerous as "terrorism".