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| Need for cultivating Kashmiri separatists | | | Nirbhay Jammual
The defeat of Sajjad Lone in the Lok Sabha election from Baramullah-Kupwara constituency,onc again,confirms that the separatists are yet to strengthen their vote bank.Kukka Parrey and Usman Majid have been one among a few former militants who could win the Assembly election. A large number of militants have,during the last 18 years,joined the mainstream politics but none has dared to enter into the poll fray.They do not want to expose their infirmity by losing the election.When the Muslim United Front(MUF) fielded its candidates in the Assembly election in 1987 it won four seats.They raised a hue and cry over what they termed as rigged election.They were not totally wrong.But they were not totally right in their allegations because a senior Front leader had predicted that the MUF may not win more than 11 seats.Yes,the then Government resorted to certain malpractices but that did not prevent the MUF leaders from forming the Government.Since then the separatists have been shying away from participating in the poll process.
They know that they may not get the mandate for running the Government and hence they prefer raising those issues that could help them register their pr esence in Kashmir.At the sametime Sajjad Lone deserves credit for having taken a bold decision by taking part in the election.His aim for fighting the Lok Sabha election was to highlight Kashmiris plight on the floor of the Lok Sabha.Had he won the election others in the separatist camp too would have been encouraged for contesting the elections.Though both the Nat ional Conference and the PDP leadership appreciated Lone for entering the poll fray it would have been better had the two parties wit hdrew their candidates to facilitate victory of Lone.It seems both the NC and the PDP leadership failed to keep the national int erest in its mind.Lone's victory would have p;roved a dampner for the separatists and their patrons across the LOC. Lone's success could mean many things for the people,the Government and those aiding militancy.If not anything else it could have motivated others to join the mainstream political activiities.
Sajjad's defeat has placed him in a deep predicament.He is now neither with the separatists nor with the nationalists.A situation has emerged in which Lone has become a loner.He had already been sidelined by Pakistan.This became evident when he was not invited to tea parties organised by the officials in Pakistan
embassy in New Delhi during the last t hree years.Like his father,Abdul Gani Lone,Sajjad too had been averse to playing pro-Pakistan tunes.He is married to the daughter of Ammanullah Khan,the JKLF supremo,whose cry for indepedence for the undivided state had earned Islamabad's wrath.It can be also one of the factors responsible for Islamabad to keep Sajjad at an arms length.It is now the duty of the ruling coalition in Jammu and Kashmir and the Congress led UPA Government in the centre to own Sajjad so that other separatists do not harbour fears of political eclipse once they give up anti-India activities.When four years ago Sajjad had a meet ing with Dr Manmohan Singh the Prime Minister had suggested to him to prepare a note on the possible solution of the Kashmir issue.Sajjad burnt the midnight oil and produced a voluminous document.He had expected that the Prime will invite him for a discussiont.That invitation never came.Such an attitude is unwarranted on the part of the Government of India.Instead it should promote dialogue with separatists and if Farooq Abdullah is able to implement his assurance that he would act as a facilitator for Delhi-Hurriyat dialogue he would further enlarge his political frame.
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