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| Let change be given a chance in Kashmir | | | In a bid to destabilize peace and bring the Kashmir issue in focus again separatists continue to harp on the need for settling the Kashmir issue. On one hand Syed Ali Shah Geelani,who heads the conglomerate of hardliners among the separatists, has been on the move since the time the Government set him free from being under the house arrest and has addressed series of public rallies in the north and the south of the valley. And during these rallies he has focused on the need for the settlement of the Kashmir issue. While airing his support for granting to people of Jammu and Kashmir their right for self-determination, which he believes could be the only way to resolve the Kashmir problem, he does not forget appealing to people to boycott Assembly and the Lok Sabha elections. Even knowing that separatists calls for poll boycott, issued during several elections, including the Panchayat poll, since 1996 had not received any positive response from the people in the state Geelani has started giving various twists and turns to his cherished subject of inciting people to violence in the name of the Kashmir dispute. Other separatists too have been voicing their demand for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. But there is no unity among the separatists as far as their perception of the problem and its solution is concerned.
After Washington rejected Islamabad's demand for the US intervention for settling the Kashmir issue Geelani has been telling people to give teeth to the ongoing liberation struggle because Kashmiris should not expect any international help for resolving the core K-issue. He has been telling people that after the US refused to mediate on the Kashmir issue no other country was expected to intervene which leaves only one option open for people. He has gone to the extent of supporting the gun culture saying that any further delay in settling the Kashmir issue through a plebiscite would force the youth in Kashmir to take guns in their hands again.
He believes that "petty" interests prevent the US and other countries from mediating between India and Pakistan on settlement of the Kashmir issue. And again his views differ from the one held by the JKLF chief, Mohd. Yasin Mailk. While supporting international intervention Malik has said the European Union and Parliament could not evade its humanitarian obligation to resolve the Kashmir issue. "Peace is not established in vacuum. For establishing or restoring peace, the issues and problems detrimental to it have to be resolved first," according to Yasin Malik.
It seems that peace is inimical to the interests of Kashmiri separatists and that is why these separatists have been trying to exploit even a minor incident for inciting people to violence.Since these separatists have even rejected Pakistan's suggestion for bringing about unity among all the factions of separatist groups, each group is tying to score over each other cross limits while inciting people to violence.And Geelani seems to be in the forefront of those trying to derail peace and escalate the level of conflict and tension. It seems that these separatists misuse Government's liberal policy.
These separatists enjoy total freedom of speech and, movement. Freedom even for inciting people to violence. Freedom for destabilsing peace. Freedom for aggravating political and security uncertainty. What else these separatists can expect from a country that is wedded to true democracy ? If they believe that they can enjoy this freedom only in India and people of their breed cannot enjoy this liberty even in Pakistan which is the country of their dreams, they will carry out campaign for poll boycott or for settling the Kashmir issue within limits of decency. These separatists talk about excesses being committed by the security forces. They talk about killings of civilians in cross fire. They talk about enforcement of some draconian laws, including the AFSPA. They do so without trying to understand the genesis of the problem. Once they do so they will realize that incidents of alleged excesses, enforcement of draconian laws, killings, arson, abductions and other acts of violence gripped Kashmir only after Pakistan exported terror to the state and sponsored insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir. Enough is enough. Let the separatists follow the line adopted by Peoples' Conference chairman, Sajjad Lone, who has been telling people that change needs to be given a chance. |
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