DOST KHAN
Jammu: Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Geelani has never been as vociferous in his anti-India tirade as he is sounding now. His anti-national rave has become more venomous after the recent Assembly elections which ironically delivered a dangerously fractured mandate to the sensitive State, having potential to threaten its single-entity character. In the post poll scenario, Geelani is subtly emerging as a king-maker, with formidable claimants boasting about his ‘advice and interest’ in the formation of government. The gradual dilution of stand over Kashmir’s stated position by the Bharatiya Janata Party has further emboldened Geelani to call the shots.
The BJP might have lost its agenda in the din of excitement to scale the ladder of power, first time in Jammu and Kashmir, Geelani and his ilk, on the contrary, are sharpening their teeth to nail India left, right and front. In a latest verbal missile, Geelani’s Hurriyat has accused India of having direct involvement in the worsened internal situation of Pakistan, saying New Delhi is providing finance and weapons to the terrorists of this (Pakistan) country.
His close aide made a loud pitch in Srinagar saying Hurriyat strongly condemns the direct involvement of India into the terrorist activities inside Pakistan, adding that they (Indians) are supplying weapons and finance to destabilise this (Pakistan) country. The Hurriyat has gone a step further further in appealing the world community to take serious notice of the situation-supplying arms and providing funds to Pakistani terrorists. In the two and half decade terrorism, unleashed by Pakistan on Indian soil, especially in Kashmir, Geelani or any other secessionist had never mustered the courage to talk in such a harsh tone and tenor. How come such bravado? New Delhi will have to ponder. What pains the compatriots more is that those having been parroting, “Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan, Ek Nishan” ever since Shyama Prasad Mukherjee breathed his last on the Kashmir soil, were showing silence over such anti-national wrangling. This is hurting for millions of Indians who had envisioned an end to the policy of appeasement to the enemies of nation after emergence of Prime Minister Narinder Modi on the national horizon. They had visualized a humane approach in tackling situations like the one obtaining in Kashmir but at the same time adequate firmness in dealing with those challenging the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the Indian nation.
Syed Ali Geelani is just doing his job; saying openly what Pakistan’s Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz kept saying guardedly a week ago. This is the brief Kashmiri secessionists were getting from Islamabad, obviously for a price. Their coffers have filled over the years in sowing seeds of dissent across the Valley and promoting hatred towards India among innocent people of Kashmir. This is unfortunately the line a fringe section of contestants from the regional and national mainstream camps kept toeing while communicating to their electorate about the clandestine support granted by the Hurriyat hawk.
The allegations made by Hurriyat Conference, post-John Kerry and pre-Barack Obama visits, assume significance as Pakistan has been attempting to vitiate the growing Indo-US ties. The two countries are poised for a big role in galvanizing the civilized countries across the world in a decisive war against terrorism. Pakistan is epicenter of the global terror. It is in this backdrop that public statements are making rounds in Pakistan’s mainstream media against India. Sartaj Aziz is on record having stated that India was involved in acts carried out from Afghanistan’s soil in Pakistan.
Having said that, the Centre must not remain complacent to the machinations of Kashmiri separatists, who may go for a whole-hog war of words against, what they call, Indian ‘occupation’ of Kashmir and funding to terrorism in Pakistan. In this sinister campaign they are surely getting professional expertise, which is reflected in the venomous ranting issued by Hurriyat headquarters. The first in the series says, “The communal and the fascist forces of India have first time got a strong backing of the government and they want to have an optimum gain from this and they want to eliminate the international status of the Kashmir dispute on both internal and external levels. It is the most crucial stage and the Pakistani leadership should deal this situation with extra caution, courage and farsightedness”.