Ravinder Jalali
Former Chief Minster Dr. Farooq Abdullah once again appealed to the Centre to hold talks with the Pakistan (Herein after called Papistan) and include Kashmiris to find out a solution to the Kashmir problem. He also accused the Centre of trying to address the situation through force instead of dialogue. He is not the only leader who has expressed similar point of view on the Kashmir Issue. He made a statement that India and Papistan should sit together along with the people of Kashmir and work out an acceptable solution to the Kashmir issue. According to Abdullah and so many politicians, Kashmir is a political issue and only politically it can be resolved, but what is that resolution no body gives it. They only make camouflage statements and buy time, because they know, once the issue is resolved all the parties become irrelevant and may have to come on the road side. The fact of the matter is that sincerely no body is interested in its solution. Had they been sincere and serious, the solution would have been found as it is widely being said that no lock is with out a key and the key is exchanged among all pseudo secular mainstream and non-mainstream parties, even separatists to serve their ends like a musical chair game.
The tragic part is that centre is not well aware of the affairs of J and K and its demography. They still feel and accept that the Kashmir is J and K and all the people of J and K speak Kashmiri and that is why all these leaders including central, frequently say that the problem is to be resolved by including Kashmiri people. The important fact is that the most of our MPs in Lok Sabha may not be aware of the geography, history and culture of Kashmir. First let me put it straight for them that Kashmir is not the entire J and K State but is a small part of J and K and does not represent the aspiration of the entire J and K state. The majority of the Indians take Kashmir for J and K as the entire State. The same perception is about the political class of India also other wise the Congress leaders and the left would not have made vague statements. They visit Kashmir during summers as members of some parliamentary committees and stay for a few days and return to Delhi with a lot of free gifts and presents.
The unfortunate part is that there is no leadership in Jammu who can effectively confront these Kashmir centric leaders who launch misinformation campaign.
Another significant point is that all Valley people are not involved in it. There are Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs, Shias and other silent Muslim majority who believe in Indian ideology, who are not part of this vicious agenda. It is only separatists who at behest of Pakistan are fomenting trouble in the Valley. Do they represent Kashmir Valley? If they represent Valley, whom do they (PDP, NC etc) represent then?
The recent expose that a large sum of money running in hundreds of crores of central funds is distributed to these separatists. Perhaps India will be the only country in the world where the people who act against the sovereignty and integrity of the country are being financed by the same Govt. The close nexus between the so called mainstream politicians and their parties with separatists is quite clear because the separatists are always defended by these leaders in any debate or at any forum.
Another important dimension is that it has never been a political problem as propagated by so many parties who are Kashmir based. Had it been a political one then all the people irrespective of their faith should have been part of it which is not. It is only a section of Muslim people in Valley who are playing in the hands of Papistan and are their paid agents. Had it been so sacred, then their member of their families would have joined the struggle but they are in other part of country or outside the country. The stone pelter hired by the separatists are from lower strata of society. If you will know the background of these separatists, they all had marginal or no background but today they have large empire and asset worth crores of rupees, the origin of which is unknown. If it would have been a political problem then the KPs would not have been hounded out of their hearths and homes. It is purely a religious problem based on two nation theory, which resulted into partition and creation of Papistan. The religion is the only bondage between Kahmiri Muslim separatists and Papistan.
The Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also vowed to pursue the agenda of political resolution. What is that resolution? No body knows. This is a vague statement unless some clarity is brought out. Even the separatists also talk of political resolution. The national parties who do not have the slightest idea of Kashmir also talk of Political resolution. It reminds me of a conversation between delegations of KPs with central leaders. When the KPs were telling them that there is problem in Kashmir and we (KPs) are threatened and killed in Kashmir, one of the central leaders who was a part of delegation immediately agreed and said,” Why do not you go to Srinagar? It will be safe.” It seems to them that Srinagar and Kashmir are two different places. Same is the case at this time also. For them the Kashmir is entire J and K.
The different people have different solutions to the so called Kashmir problem. The NC gives the formula of going to pre-1953 position. The PDP talks of Self -Rule. The separatists talk of plebiscite. The hardliner Geelani talks of merger with Papistan. He openly defies Govt. and challenges the sovereignty and integrity of India. Huriyat moderate led by Maulvi Omar Farooq wants right of self determination. Congress wants a political solution without giving the details of such a solution. These are all vague statements and are only misleading. Those who talk of political resolution have a myopic view of Kashmir problem. There are two aspects. One is if you address it as a Kashmir problem, be specific to the Kashmir region only. Don’t thrust it on entire J and K State. If the political solution is sought as by the so called mainstream problem then the entire J&K , which involves Jammu, Ladakh, KPs and others in Kashmir including Sikhs and Shias need to be included. The approach as adopted by the Centre is in ignorance and is misguided by the Kashmir centric politicians as evidenced by the visit of APD to Valley only and then a flash visit to Jammu mere as an eye wash and to have a face saving because they had to suffer humiliation in Valley at the hands of separatists. These separatists did not lose any time in meeting the Pakistani leaders when former knock at their doors but here our Indian leaders do visit their homes but do not talk to them rather don’t open their doors for them. These leaders are shame proof and it does not affect them; rather they will like to make further visits to Valley as a part of excursion at Govt. exchequer.
(The writer is a Social Activist)