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| Geelani's poll boycott call receives restricted JI support | | | On one hand moderates among the
Kashmiri separatists favour resumption
of talks with New Delhi on the other they support settlement of the Kashmir issue either through implementation of the UN resolution, providing for holding a plebiscite,or through triangular dialogue. As far as their bid for the resumption of dialogue with New Delhi is concerned a couple of senior Hurriyat Conference leaders have started reviving their links with those who had tried to narrow down the gap between the separatists and the Government of India.Eagerness for resuming the suspended process of dialogue with the Government of India is reflected in recent statements of Molvi Umar Farooq.The Maulana has avoided issuing a fresh call to people to boycott the Assembly and the Lok Sabha elections on the plea that he would think on the issue whenever the schedule for the general election was announced. Surprisingly the right wing Jamait-e-Islami leadership has come out in support of Molvi Farooq as far as the Maulana's sermon on settling the Kashmir issue either through the implementation of the UN resolution or through triangular talks.The Jamaat leadership too believes that Kashmir issue can be resolved through bilateral dialogue,that is dialogue between India and Pakistan,but through triangular talks meaning thereby that genuine representatives of people of Jammu and Kashmir be included in the Indo-Pak talks.
This is one side of the face of Jamat-e-Islami. The other is its support to Syed Ali Shah Geelani's call to people to boycott the Lok Sabha and the Assembly elections. At one stage sharp differences had surfaced between theJamat-e-Islami leadership and Syed Ali Shah Geelani despite the fact that Geelani has acted as the main face of the Jammat in Kashmir. These differences assumed serious dimensions when Geelani had been expelled from Jamait-e-Islami.But it seems that the wedge between the two has been bridged after the Jamat leadership realized that Geelani had assumed bigger political dimensions and status than he had been enjoying five years before.Still Jamat-e-Islami leadership has made it clear that its cadre will stay away from the poll process as it has been doing since 1987 but it will not campaign for enforcement of the poll boycott call. It indicates that Jammat leadership is not ready to face criticism in case its call for poll boycott too attracted weak response from people as had happened since 1996.Reports indicate that in case New Delhi initiated steps for resuming the process of dialogue with moderate element among the separatists the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), headed by Molvi Umar Farooq, may not lend any support to Geelani's call for poll boycott.
And some mainstream political leaders including the PCC chief,Saif-ud-Din Soz and Mufti Mohd.Sayeed,have renewed their support to the demand for resumption of separatist-Delhi talks.Soz has already appreciated Molvi Umar Farooq for his demand for the resumption of talks between the separatists and New Delhi.And Soz has done so because Molvi Umar has not,so far,voiced any favour to Geelani's support for those trying to take guns in their hands in the absence of any triangular talks or implementation of the UN resolution providing for a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir.
And Soz has indicated that he would try to facilitate resumption of the process of dialogue between New Delhi and Kashmir separatists. Soz has made no secret of his ire against Syed Ali Shah Geelani for terming gun as a possible solution to Kashmir issue. He has,instead, hailed Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq for advocating dialogue adding that Jammu and Kashmir does not need gun but peace, prosperity and dignity.
Soz is right when he says that gun has only brought destruction and choked the voice of Kashmiris.Soz has also criticized Geelani for, what he termed, boycott and hartal politics.It is yet to be seen how far Soz will succeed in facilitating resumption of the process of dialogue between the Centre and the separatists.
Soz is not alone in bridging the gulf between New Delhi and separatists because he has the support of Omar Abdullah and Mufti Mohd. Sayeed.But the basic question is if the resumption of talks can help settlement of the Kashmir issue. Possibilities are weak because separatists are a divided lot. Besides this the Congress led UPA Government will weigh all the pros and cons of reviving links with separatists because of the ensuing Lok Sabha election. |
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