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| According respectability to politics of communalism, separatism | | Outraging sensitivities of Jammu, Ladakh | | Neha
JAMMU, July 8: The problem facing the nation in Kashmir is not Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and others of his ilk, including some so-called mainstream Kashmiri leaders, who regard Jammu & Kashmir a disputed territory, seek its separation from India on the basis of two-nation theory and consider the people of Jammu and Ladakh as their slaves or dismiss them as no more than subjects of Kashmir whose only duty is to serve the Valley's leadership. Mirwaiz and others of his ilk, whose number is not more than one dozen, are not the problem. They can be tackled in no time. The law and order authorities simply have to enforce the law of the land to bring them to justice. They may face some problem to be created by their followers for a few days, but it should not be a cause for any worry. The states do face sometimes law and order problems. Did the nation not face problem in Kashmir in 2008 and 2010? Did not we tackle it?
The real problems in Kashmir are two - the utter failure of the political establishment to discharge its obligations towards the state and peace-loving people and the rat race among some journalists and commentators. During the past two days, two developments took place which must cause worry among the people of Jammu and Ladakh and Indians as a whole. On July 6, a 16-member delegation of journalists from Mumbai Press Club met with Mirwaiz at his Nigeen residence in Srinagar and obviously discussed with him what ails Kashmir and what should be done to cure the ailment. During the meeting, Mirwaiz, whose area of influence is confined to Jamia Masjid area of Srinagar and who is looked down upon even by other Kashmiri separatists believing that he does politicking to remain in limelight at the cost of the "movement", asked the visiting delegation to give prominent space to the ongoing anti-India movement in the Valley and help in weeding out negative propaganda promoted by the state among the Indian people regarding Kashmir. "Kashmir is neither a regional issue, nor a religious issue. It is a political and humanitarian issue which should be addressed in that particular context," he told the visiting delegation. What these journalists told Mirwaiz is not yet known because they, unlike Mirwaiz's outfit, didn't issue any statement on what transpired during their meeting with the separatist cleric. Only one version is in public domain.
On July 7, a similar development took place. The only difference was that this time there was a telephonic conversation between Mirwaiz and his interviewer. During the interview, Mirwaiz claimed that for the Modi government the "Hurriyat Conference is the best bet for the resolution of the Kashmir issue, which traveled far beyond the economic matters and development". "The Kashmir issue has an overwhelming political content and it should be addressed politically…The first thing that should be recognized by one and all is that Kashmir cannot be read without its political dimensions. There is an urgent need to recognize that there is a sentiment in Kashmir and Kashmiris cannot be Indianised by the rail and road links. They want their sentiment to be recognized…Modi ruling India with a strong mandate has a unique opportunity to seize the moment and spell out his government's Kashmir policy. Vajpayee's formula of talks within the ambit of humanity is the best that we have heard so far. It needs to be carried forward…If Modi has some other policy (on Kashmir), he should spell it out. We believe (in) the four-point formula of (former Pakistan President) Pervez Musharraf - open borders, demilitarization from both sides of the LoC, joint rule of J&K and self governance…This could become a basis for a triangular dialogue between Delhi-Islamabad-Srinagar...All parties in Pakistan are interested in change. They want Kashmiris should get something," he, among other things, told his interviewer.
The issue is not what these commentators/journalists/interviewers did. The issue is the manner in which they did and the approach they adopted. They simply created an impression that Mirwaiz is the chief determinant and his association with the dialogue process would lead to the resolution of the Kashmir issue. From the reports, it didn't appear that these commentators or interviewer put Mirwaiz some relevant and searching questions or also talked about the people of Jammu and Ladakh, internally-displaced Kashmiri Hindus and other minorities and their aspirations and religious sensitivities. They would have been appreciated had they also talked about Jammu and Ladakh, the social composition of the separatists' amalgams, POJK and Gilgit-Baltistan, the meaning and implications of UN resolutions on Jammu & Kashmir and so on. By focusing only on what Mirwaiz thought about Jammu & Kashmir, they didn't do justice to the noble profession. They simply accorded a dangerous legitimacy to Mirwaiz, who, along with other handful of Kashmiri separatists, has brought death and destruction. Such approach must be avoided. For, it is their fundamental duty to expose the misdeeds of the likes of Mirwaiz. |
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