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| Kashmir issue a Muslim issue by any yardstick - I | | | RUSTAM
EARLY TIMES EPORT
JAMMU, Mar 30: APHC (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Saturday claimed before media persons in Srinagar that "Kashmir issue is not Muslim Kashmir versus Hindu India". "Unfortunately, some groups in New Delhi are treating Kashmir issue as Muslim Kashmir versus Hindu India. This is not true thinking. The Kashmir issue is not an issue of Muslims only. All the religions are associated with the movement…"
The Mirwaiz reflected on several other issues. But four of his observations were noteworthy - (1) "his faction is preparing an agenda, which would be discussed with the government of Pakistan during my coming visit to Islamabad"; (2) "armed struggle, strong political leadership and diplomatic support are imperative for every movement" and "our movement is effectively moving on this front"; (3) "our movement is indigenous and New Delhi is blaming Pakistan of whatever in Kashmir"; and (4) "there are conflicts where third party played an important role; the role of third party was used in Irish conflict".
First a reflection on his observation that "all the religions are associated with the (ongoing separatist) movement in Kashmir. This observation could be at once termed as highly ludicrous and a white lie. It's a false claim and it is calculated to hoodwink and mislead the international opinion, which is already biased so far as the Indian position on Jammu and Kashmir is concerned. It is biased because it is against the idea of India becoming an important global actor or world leader. India nation has the capability of attaining that status. Since it has that capacity and capability, the American-guided international opinion is unwilling to adopt a dispassionate attitude towards the India-Pakistan conflict - conflict behind which is irrational and ambitious Pakistan.
However, the issue under scrutiny is the Mirwaiz's assertion regarding the nature of the separatist movement in Kashmir. He says all the religions are associated with the ongoing secessionist movement. This is patently wrong. The fact of the matter is that even the bulk of Shiite Muslims are not with the movement. Leave aside the likes of Abbas Ansari whose constituencies and spheres of influence are rather limited. They derive inspiration from Tehran and not from Islamabad.
It is important to note that all or nearly all the Kashmir-based separatist and militant organizations are controlled by non-Shiite Muslims. Even the so-called mainstream Kashmir-based organizations are controlled and run by the non-Shiite Muslims. Some of these organizations include APHC (M), Tehrik-e-Hurriyat of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, JKLF of Yasin Malik, Democratic Freedom Party of Shabbir Ahmed Shah, People's Conference of Lones, Hizbul Mujahideen and United Jehad Council of Syed Salahuddin, Dukhtran-e-Milat of Ayesa Andrabi, People's Democratic Party of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, National Conference of Farooq Abdullah, CPI-M of Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami and CPI. The composition and complexion of the Kashmir High Court Bar Association and similar other organizations is also identical.
As for Buddhism, all of its followers in the cold-desert Ladakh are the bitter critics of the separatist movement in Kashmir. They have been seeking their merger into India ever since October 1947, when the state acceded to India. They have been demanding Union Territory status for their strategic region. Significantly, the Muslims of the area, with a very few exceptions, are also with the followers of Buddhism. They are also for the separation of their region from Kashmir and they stand for Union Territory status.
Similarly, the Hindus of Jammu province, who constitute nearly 40 per cent of the state's population and occupy an area almost two times that of Kashmir province, are, like the over three lakh internally-displaced Kashmiri Hindus, are against those demanding separation, merger with Pakistan, autonomy and self-rule. They, like the Buddhists and Kashmiri Hindus, are for their full integration into India and the application of the Union Constitution to the state in its entirety. A vast majority of them even oppose Article 370 of the Indian Constitution under which the solitary State of Jammu and Kashmir enjoys a special status within the Indian Union. They denounce Article 370 as communal, separatist, divisive and mother of all ills facing the state. So much so, an overwhelming majority of them are for a dispensation that empowers them to manage their own affairs themselves. Their political demands range from statehood to regional autonomy to adequately empowered regional councils.
The attitude of the Sikhs to what has been happening in the Kashmir Valley, particularly since 1990 is also not different. They are fed up with the ongoing orgy of death and destruction in Kashmir and they all want to lead a peaceful and dignified life. Most of the Sikhs, who were opposed to the separatist movement in Kashmir, have, like the Kashmiri Hindus, migrated to Jammu and other places in India. Many Kashmiri Muslims have also left their homes and hearths in Kashmir in order to save their lives.
All this should establish that the ongoing separatist movement in Kashmir is sectarian and that its influence is limited only to a few pockets in the Valley. It's true that Kashmir observes shutdown time and again. But it is also a fact that the common people in Kashmir participate in the politics of shutdown only to escape the militants' wrath. (To be continued)
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