A Message to Mutaida National Force

London         27 March 2009

It was pleasure to learn that some enthusiastic Kashmiris have set up a new platform in Pakistani Administered Kashmir with the name of Mutaida National Force.

The new platform – MNF aims to establish unity among all Kashmiri nationalists that the cause of nationalism could be articulated and advanced in such a way that it meets present day needs of the movement for united and independent Jammu and Kashmir.

The MNF has come in to being as a result of hard work of Abid Kashmiri, Ifzal Suleria and Pervaiz Magray. It is always very difficult to have unity among occupied and enslaved people; and it becomes more difficult when the people are forcibly divided and have strong allegiance to their parties, regions and tribes.

Unity among Kashmiri nationalists is desired and need of the hour, but it is extremely difficult to get them all on one platform. Apart from other issues a serious problem is to determine who is a ‘true nationalist’. Although all these parties have a ‘national hat’ on their heads and claim to be working for an independent Kashmir, but fact however is that some parties or senior people within those parties are considered to be allies of secret agencies.

Some of these senior people closely work with secret agencies of those who occupy us; and they under different pretexts formulate policies which promote and defend interests of either India or Pakistan. Yet their parties are labelled as nationalist parties, and they have help and support of establishment and media to ensure that they are always in limelight and are considered as senior leaders of the independence movement.

Abid Kashmiri, Ifzal Suleria and Pervaiz Magray are very committed and sincere people, but politics of unity and alliances is not that easy in Jammu and Kashmir. It is uphill struggle all the way. I have no doubt in their sincerity, commitment and skills but they have taken a gigantic task, and I wish them all the best in this endeavour.

They will have to ensure that personal interests, rivalries, ego, extremism, regionalism and ethnicity DOES NOT become obstacle in this good cause. They will have to be very tolerant, skilful and accommodating in order to get this new alliance of the ground.

At this stage I wonder what will happen to the other alliance – All Parties National Alliance. Do they have support of the leadership of APNA? Are both alliances going to work together or compete with each other? I hope that all these matters have been discussed and issues related to them have been resolved, if not then it could create problems in future.

Anyhow I want to congratulate all those who are spearheading the nationalist movement in Pakistani Administered Kashmir, Gilgit and Baltistan and on the other side of the LOC. Also I want to congratulate leadership of the MNF, and sincerely hope that they will be able to formulate a strategy to unite all genuine nationalists and advance the cause of united and independent Jammu and Kashmir.

We all have to work as a team to achieve our goal of national emancipation. Our role should be to promote and protect a Kashmiri interest. India and Pakistan are occupiers in the State of Jammu and Kashmir; and those of us who protect their interests are collaborators and traitors and not Kashmiri nationalists.

Furthermore both India and Pakistan have skills, resources and huge apparatus to protect their national interests, so we don’t need to worry about that, if anything we need to be wary of their policies that we can formulate appropriate policies to counter their moves.

Apart from that we need to ensure that our struggle is not against any religion or any community. Religion has no role in our struggle. Our struggle is for our inherent and inalienable right of self determination which has been denied to us. Our struggle is not against Pakistan or India or their people, but against their Kashmir policies. Once the Kashmir dispute is resolved according to the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, then we can all live side by side in peace and harmony; and promote political and economic stability in South Asia.

Friends and colleagues, last but not least, our struggle is on this side of the LOC. We were wrongly persuaded to follow the strategy of ‘liberating’ the Kashmir on the other side of the LOC first. It suited Pakistani establishment and some others, but it did help our national cause. Once we are organised on this side of the LOC, and are liberated then we will be in a position to help our brothers on the other side. But it does not mean that we don’t interact and coordinate our activities with like minded people in other regions.

Keep this in mind one slave cannot liberate the other slave, especially when he is forcibly divided and is on the other side of the barbed fence. Either both slaves have to work together to win freedom or one of them has to be free before he could help his enslaved brother. We have to work out a strategy which suits our needs and environment; and those on the other side can formulate strategies which are appropriate to their conditions.

As a Kashmiri nationalist who has sincerely advocated true Kashmiri nationalism through thick and thin, and during very difficult and trying moments, I want to express my profound appreciation for your efforts to unite Kashmiri nationalists. I also want to express my gratitude to the MNF leadership who have kindly provided me with this opportunity to write this message.

I hope this endeavour will help us to reorganise ourselves that we can establish a democratic, stable and prosperous society in an independent Jammu and Kashmir.

Writer is a Spokesman of Kashmir National Party, political analyst and author of many books and booklets. Also he is Director Institute of Kashmir Affairs. Email: drshabirchoudhry@gmail.com

To view other articles see my blog: www.drshabirchoudhry.blogspot.com