Tej K Tikoo
Gupkar is a beautiful colony located close to the base of Shankaracharya Hill on its east, where the Sheikh family owns a magnificent house. The Gupkar road, emanating from the city, passes through Gupkar and leads to the Mughal Gardens at the base of Zafarwan Hills, overlooking the magnificent Dal Lake. The colony traces its name to Gopadhari, the name by which Shankaracharya Hill was earlier known. This is where Farooq lives when in Kashmir. Ever since the emergence of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on the Kashmir scene in the latter half of twenties, nearly a century ago, some iconic buildings, mohallas and areas in Srinagar have had an umbilical connection to the momentous declarations, passing of resolutions, etc., which impacted the life and times of Kashmir, ever since. Mujahid Manzil, Jama Masjid, Lal Chowk and lately Gupkar road residence of Abdullahs, have been witness to such extraordinary developments. Latest in the list of such declarations is the ‘Gupkar Declaration’; the only difference is that this balloon will deflate far sooner than its proponents could have visualized.
Having led a royal life all through, while rarely losing hold on power (whether in the office or out of it), Farooq always succeeded in fooling all three entities involved in Kashmir imbroglio, viz., Kashmiris, India, and Pakistan. Not for nothing is he considered to be the smartest politician of the subcontinent! In Pakistan, he would certainly have met with the same fate as awaited so many of their top politicians. India, on the other hand, provided the right environment for his flamboyant lifestyle, marked with astonishing U-turns and yet not losing his credibility among the power elite and consequently his hold on power. Therefore, in the winter of his life, Farooq did what was expected of him; keep his vote bank happy. Knowing well enough that this declaration is meaningless in today’s India, he had nothing to lose. This declaration was signed on 4 Aug, last year. This year, on its anniversary, the Kashmiri leaders, including Congress, reiterated their commitment to the restoration of Article 370 and 35A.
It is a historic fact that declarations, treaties, agreements, pacts, etc., are all products of a given situation and serve only the immediate/limited purpose of addressing the prevailing concerns of the parties involved. The Treaty of Versailles, signed in June 1919 at the Palace of Versailles in Paris at the end of World War I, codified peace terms between the victorious Allies and Germany. The only purpose it served was to officially declare Allies as the victors. Far from ensuring lasting peace, it led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party, as well as the coming of a World War II, just two decades later.
Take Simla (now Shimla) Agreement. It served only one purpose; the wily Bhutto's agenda to get his 95,000 POWs back. He chose to forget other commitments, written or verbal, even before he reached Rawalpindi from Shimla. Wonder if you know how Field Marshal Sam Maneckshaw reacted when Indira broke the news to him? Same fate awaited Sheikh-Indira Accord of 1975. It was meant to address the ambivalent Sheikh Abdullah's grievances and perhaps, polish his ego, while Indira hoped that a mollified Sheikh will stop being a pain, particularly in view of India’s resounding victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war, only a few years back. But in less than 15 years Kashmir was embroiled in jihad let loose by the Pakistan-sponsored JKLF, some of whose cadres owed allegiance to Farooq Abdullah, who by then, in true subcontinental tradition, had replaced his father as the boss of National conference. While he played a significant role in setting Kashmir on fire, he abandoned both his own jihadis as also his other non-jihadi supporters, and took shelter in London, while Kashmir burned. Let us look at the much-touted U.N Resolutions on Kashmir that all anti-Indian forces in the subcontinent swear by. The U. N resolution of August 13, 1948, vide sub part (a) of its Part II, had mandated Pakistan to withdraw its troops, tribesmen and Pakistani nationals from the State of Jammu and Kashmir, before other clauses of the resolution could be implemented. Pakistan did not do so, and the result is there for all to see.
In South China Sea, China refuses to abide by United Nations Convention for the Laws of the Seas. It refuses to implement the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award, which is meant to be final and binding.
On the other hand, the only agreement that I see being implemented by both belligerents is the Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan. The reasons are not far to seek; it was a sellout, in true Nehruvian tradition.
Therefore, those who reiterate that they will stand by Gupkar declaration, will do well to just protect their Gupkar mansions. As far as the declaration is concerned, a Kashmiri friend sent a cartoon, which I am enclosing. It is in Kashmiri; translated, it means; The jackals ran away, and people are left to beat the riverbanks. |
