A Free Kashmir: Random Thoughts-57

  Is Kashmir Changing?-II

It seems, Kashmiris are under no illusions now that India still is trying its tricks to retain Jammu Kashmir under occupation and for that it would hatch new designs and use the Omar government to delay the re-Independence issue further and further until the issue decays and all Kashmiris become pro-India and Hindu-minded and behave like Indian Muslims according to the whims of the Hindu leadership. But India is not too happy now either. India cannot claim any real victory in the Poll, as the freedom leaders generated good will and cooperated with Kashmiri leader in polls indirectly.  A senior freedom leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq aptly put it that even if India manages to show 100 voting as the record, Kashmiris still want to reclaim their lost sovereignty.

It seems there was a conspiracy against the PDP returning to power to save the illegal Amarnath land scam. Kashmir has pro-government militants Ikhwanis and SOG and during the NC rule from 1996 to 2002, the Ikhwanis and SOG got strengthened and they were above law. Enjoying unlimited powers, they resorted to worst kind of human rights violations, which became one of the reasons for common people distancing themselves from NC. The NC government also used these elements to enforce poll boycott and bogus voting for Lok Sabha polls held during its rule. SOG and Ikhwanis were not also in favor of PDP returning to power again. But that is past. Now the PDP is raising its voice for re-Independence.

As it stands now, Vohra-Omar-Chand combine would jointly rule Jammu Kashmir with regular directives from New Delhi and as such there is no much poor Omar could do to free Kashmiri Nation from the decades' long yoke of Indian military establishment and genocides. However, Omar could try to free himself from those who surround him and obstruct him from doing anything good for Kashmiri Muslims.

The installation of Muslim-Hindu government in Kashmir gives rise to some speculations about the Indian intentions, for future relations with Kashmir. Does India want to separate Jammu Kashmir into at least  two parts, namely Jammu and Kashmir and retain Jammu with India along with the deputy CM it has "appointed" for JK. Or does India want to let Jammu Kashmir cede and become a sort of secular Kashmir with Hindus also playing their role with remote control form New Delhi? Does India think in terms of a sort of autonomy with partial withdrawal heavily armed forces form Jammu Kashmir? Or Is India still dreaming about keeping Jammu Kashmir as Jammu Kashmir under Indian custody as it is now and for which it would use the elected "Hindu pilots" from Jammu with blessings from Amarnath, an NRI Hindu god? There is not evidential answer because the Indian leaders keep their mouth tightly shut and they open only to slam Pakistan.

Will Omar be a true Kashmiri leader and pursue the legitimate cause of freedom from an arrogant India acquiring newer weapons from all anti-Islamic nations? This is trillion dollar question now. With elections over, already the new chief minister has given a signal to the security forces to gear up against "militants". Omar should be grateful to them in stead of coercing them to appease the Hindus- the newly found allies against Kashmiris; the freedom groups had announced that they would not use violence during their pro-boycott campaign and kept their word even at the point of extreme provocation form the terror security forces in streets. Since they cooperated with Kashmiri politicians they now expect the ruling regime to fulfill its promises. And they kept their word thinking the Indians would grant sovereignty back to Kashmiris after the polls.

In a major twist to Kashmir politics, on Jan 13 the newly elected National Conference (NC) president patron Dr Farooq Abdullah said his party is ready to let go its demand of autonomy provided that a solution to Kashmir issue is found which would be acceptable to the people of the state. "NC believes that autonomy is the only solution to the Kashmir issue but if there is any other solution which is more acceptable to the people of Kashmir, our party will be the first one to endorse it," Farooq Abdullah told reporters after meeting a delegation of workers at his party office here. Reiterating that the Kashmir issue can be solved only when the voice of the Kashmiris is heard, he said, "If a long lasting solution to the Kashmir issue is arrived at, talks should then be held with all the groups but without it the whole exercise is futile."

Dr Farooq further emphasized that a solution to Kashmir issue would be unthinkable without the participation of Hurriyat and there was urgent need to engage all the groups in a meaningful dialogue. The second generation leader of the Sheikh Family, Dr Farooq said he would try his best to facilitate the Centre-Hurriyat dialogue for perpetual solution of the Kashmir issue.

Britishers had promised freedom to Indian separatists-cum-terrorists and they did grant it. The chief beneficiary of their principles stand was the NC and Kashmir parties. This was also acknowledged by none other than Dr Farooq Abdullah, former chief minister and National Conference (NC) patron. During an interaction with media in New Delhi recently, Dr Abdullah said militants did not disrupt the polls and he thanked Pakistan for the purpose. Director general of police Kuldeep Khuda, who has already presided over the death of several Muslims there, had recently stated that 8,00 freedom fighters or the so-called "militants" are still active in the state and India with Omar's help would finish them off. Obviously, Indian terrorists would plan to kill some more Muslims on terror plank. While in power, PDP did not pursue its troop reduction demand sincerely and effectively. What exactly Omar would do now under the New Delhi shadow remains to be seen.

India is also playing with the psyche of Kashmiris who have already suffered heavily on account of Indian terror designs in Kashmir with the help of Jammu Hindus and some other anti-Kashmir elements. Although India would not dare killing Afzal, it spreads false alarms in Kashmir about hanging him. On Jan 10, Chairman Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Syed Ali Geelani called for strike on January 26 and urged people to protest against the conspiracy of hanging Muhammad Afzal Guru, whose clemency petition is lying with President Pratiba Patil. Addressing a meeting at party headquarters at Hyderpora before flying to New Delhi for treatment, Geelani said the Congress led UPA government at New Delhi was conspiring to hang Guru for winning the coming parliamentary elections. "The statements of Indian politicians are hinting at the preparation for execution Afzal Guru. Nobody should be surprised if Guru is made a scapegoat and hanged like Maqbool Bhat," Geelani said. The Hurriat party met and called for a strike on January 26. "The people of the region have not been given up their right to self-determination for the past 62 years. We appeal the masses to protest peacefully and make the strike a success." Terming Israeli aggression over Palestinians Muslims in Gaza as cold blooded mass murder, the party resolved: "International community especially the United Nations is maintaining criminal silence and just condemning the situation. The Muslim world including the Arab nations is not taking any effective steps to stop the aggression, which is highly condemnable."

I keep receiving notes from several Indo-Kashmiri readers that Kashmiris are insincere about their freedom demand and Kashmir media also corroborate that hunch. If they are not 100 percent sincere why should harm the Indian interests there? They ask me. Then, why should the Kashmiris be killed on holocaust fashion and why should they die at all like this? they ask me. I agree with them partially: the media in Jammu Kashmir portray the freedom leaders in bad light and make a mockery of the freedom movement by calling it "separatists' terrorism". If Kashmiris don't want freedom and sovereignty back from an arrogant thief India how can I either defend or oppose them? Only the freedom leaders have to offer a convincing reply to their own people who love double-speak and want to serve the Indian appointees. The pro-Hindu parties like BJP and Congress could evade this question since it does not apply to them, but the NC and PDP and the freedom leaders have the duty to reply.  

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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.