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DOST KHAN
JAMMU: Finally, realisation has dawn on New Delhi about futility of interlocution or track-two diplomacy on Kashmir. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has been forthright in saying that appointment of interlocutors had been ‘non-productive’ in the past. He has gone deep into the malady inflicted to self-styled Kashmir experts who keep on harping on opening the channels of dialogue with separatists, which burnishes their (Hurriyat and other chronic India bashers) own political image. The message is required to percolate down the rank and file of administrative set up in Kashmir, from Governor to a minister, who tend to give undue leverage to people heralding in manifestation of peace pigeons, civil society groups and conscience keepers.
In these columns over three months back, immediately after Narendra Modi took over the command of the nation, this writer had questioned the efficacy of track-two engagements with a lot who make no secret of their hatred with even the symbols of India in Kashmir. They keep waiting for humiliating New Delhi by rejecting offers of talks publicly, whenever made by the Kashmir leadership or someone in New Delhi as a ritual on the occasions of Republic Day or Independence Day. On the contrary, they keep on waiting for invite from Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi and take pride in getting audience. This is their way of provoking India.
Interlocution or track-two diplomacy is actually the brain child of outdated retired bureaucrats or self proclaimed experts on Kashmir, who are known for seeking post retirement rehabilitation. In the process, they complicate the problems than solving any. It is ironically this set of peace brokers who have kept ‘Kashmir issue’ alive by providing much needed oxygen to secessionists. How embarrassing it was for the mighty Indian government when its three interlocutors, appointed in 2010, virtually begged for an appointment with hardcore hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani, a person ought to have been behind bars for preaching open sedition and challenging sovereignty of the nation. Unfortunately he, and his ilk, remained most sought after entities for New Delhi’s ‘peace-pigeons’.
Successive Indian Governments have used Kashmir as a laboratory where everybody was welcome to carry out experiments, no matter how much these undermined the pride of 1.25 billion nation. It would have been still acceptable had the approach not further worsened with week-kneed and vision-less political bosses resorting to adhocism and indulging in appeasement of chronic anti-national forces to while away time and buy peace, whatever the price. This escapism has cost the nation dearly. It has not only witnessed valiant soldiers offering enormous sacrifices but the Kashmir heritage getting disarray on fast pace. Net result is that the Valley has become out of bounds for lakhs of its natives, who were forced to live life as refugees in their own country.
There seems to be no end to persecution, subjugation and annihilation of nationalistic forces in the Valley of their ancestors and not of those who claim to be the clan of Gilan in Central Asia. Unfortunately, the persecutors are, or were, being portrayed as the stake holders.
Engaging with chronic secessionists like Geelani or Yasin Malik, who are allegedly on the rolls of Pakistan’s ISI and part of its terror regime, is like the US talking to aides of Osama bin Laden. New Delhi has all along given undue weight to anti national elements. The sight of Yasin Malik rubbing shoulders with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is still haunting the nationalist forces across the country. By putting red mark to any appointment of interlocutors, the Modi Government has sent a terse message to all those vitiating the atmosphere by becoming unnecessary stake-holders in what they keep on harping ‘Kashmir imbroglio’. The Home Minister has shown political sagacity and high degree of understanding by saying that time had come to rethink on appointing interlocutors, an exercise used by anti-national elements to boost their own political image. Had this realisation dawned on the Indian leadership earlier, the non-entities of Kashmir would not have turned larger than their size.
It is the attention chronic secessionists like Geelani, Mirwaiz or Malik were getting from New Delhi that gave them the feeling of being indispensable in finding solution to the so-called Kashmir problem.