Dost Khan
JAMMU: Grappling with demand for quitting their parliamentary and Assembly seats to demonstrate solidarity with Kashmir Sangbazes, the Valley based lawmakers and leaders, called mainstream in common parlance, joined by Congress and National Conference leaders from Jammu met President Pranab Mukherjee with a memorandum. So far so good. But what they were doing during all these 42 days, except issuing handouts, criticising security forces and belittling democratically elected governments from the confines of well-guarded and hugely protected residences.
One wonders, how these leaders reached Srinagar airport to board Delhi bound flights despite curfew, as they had failed to move out of their homes on Independence Day to be present at the national function held at Bakshi Stadium, Srinagar. While NC and other smaller political players preferred no alibi for their absence, Congress is on record having stated that their movement was restricted due to curfew. The party leaders missed the Independence Day function in peaceful and jubilant with patriotic fervour Jammu but ensured to reach Delhi. Wish someone in the Rashtrapati Bhavan to have raised this query. By boycotting the functions on 15th August, the Congress and others have demonstrated as to what side they stand.
As public representatives, did these Opposition leaders ever tried to reach out to their own electors, least to speak of the people, to diffuse the situation and work towards restoration of peace and normalcy? The ruling PDP leaders and legislators too failed in doing so. Why? After all PDP has got 26 out of 28 seats in the Legislative Assembly besides all the three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir, National Conference 12 out of 15 and Congress four of 12. These parties have bagged substantial number of votes notwithstanding intimidation by Pakistan, their lackey terrorists and their stooge separatists. All the appeals for boycott of polls were rejected with contempt by the people. With such a large support, why do the so-called mainstream leaders shy from reaching out to their people? If they can’t, how they expect the BJP’s central leadership to do so! The reality is that vocal majority of people in trouble-torn parts of the Valley consider the mainstream leaders as puppets of New Delhi-a favourite line of Pakistan. These are the people who did not even spare Pak apologist Mani Shanker Aiyer and his fellow pseudo liberals when they tried to visit injured in SMHS Hospital, Srinagar. They were booed by hostile crowds and had a bitter taste of what Kashmir is all about.
The Kashmir Opposition, in its memorandum, expressed concern over continued delay to engage with the people of the State through a comprehensive and sustained political initiative, saying it will further deepen the sense of alienation in the Valley and cast a shadow of uncertainty on its future generation. While Jammu and Ladakh have no problem in being proud part of this great nation, what does the Opposition actually want by seeking political initiative? They must spell that out. If they see the political solution in granting autonomy or self-rule, it is better for them to understand that those in command of the current unrest might be confused between Azadi and Kashmir Banega Pakistan but they have no confusion to get rid of India. The mainstream leaders should know that if the situation in Kashmir is allowed to drift further, they will have no role for much of time, like between 1990 and 1996. They will find themselves irrelevant in the situation. If they keep encouraging the Sangbaz agitation by putting the security forces and the State apparatus in dock, their very own existence in the Valley will be in jeopardy. Many of those in the delegation know how desperately they were made to issue paid advertisements about ‘Izhaar-e-Lataluki’ (pronouncement about no political affiliation) in 1990. Despite that they were hounded out of the Valley with bag and baggage.
Time is ticking fast and Kashmir is stepping towards devastation with rogue neighbour hell bent upon converting it into another Syria. This is mainly because of the so-called mainstream, which is not appreciating its responsibility towards the people in mistaken belief of scoring brownie points over their adversaries. They have faulted earlier and they are treading the same path even now. Had NC and PDP been clear about their commitments, they would not have been saying, “Kashmir is a political problem and needs a political solution”. Actually their deceptive policies have not allowed the people to come out of the shell of Azadi or Kashmir Banega Pakistan. They have been contributing to keep alive this sentiment in one manifestation or the other. Congress too has been walking in dark alleys of Kashmir. Kashmir has suffered more due to duplicity of mainstream leaders than terrorists, separatists or the current breed of Sangbazes.
