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| Hurriyat (M) on the verge of disintegration | | Time To Strike | | RUSTAM
JAMMU, Jun 1: The Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led Hurriyat Conference (HC-M) is a divided house. What happened on May 21 at the headquarters of the HC-M at Rajbagh, Srinagar, clearly reflected the rift. That day, violent clashes erupted between the supporters and followers of J&K Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) president Shabir Ahmad Shah and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Shah and his supporters had demanded action against former Hurriyat chairman Abdul Gani Bhat for his statement on UN resolutions on Kashmir.
On May 6, in a rally, held at Sopore, Abdul Ghani Bhat had, it may be recalled, dumbfounded everyone in the presence of the Mirwaiz and a few other members of the APHC's executive by making a negative statement on the UN resolutions. He had said: "The UN resolutions on Kashmir cannot practically be implemented with reference to the language of the resolutions which, in my opinion, is complex. That means probably these resolutions may not be implemented at all. We have, therefore, to explore the possibilities of finding a solution to the problem through dialogue." Besides, he had suggested that the four-point as put forth by former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf as a solution to the Kashmir issue needed to be taken up "systematically". Not only this, Bhat had also urged the so-called mainstream parties in Kashmir to join hands with the separatists and form a united front. "The National Conference talks about autonomy and the People's Democratic Party talks of self-rule. Why should we not move together with a common minimum political agenda and push it ahead. Let us talk with one voice and follow one single agenda," he had said. What Bhat said had created a commotion in the Hurriyat camp, with some of the executive members demanding his expulsion from the amalgam.
Under fire the APHC's executive under the chairmanship of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq yesterday decided to proceed against Bhat and at least two other members of the executive council, Nayeem Khan and Azam Inquilabi. In fact, the HC-M issued notices to Abdul Gani Bhat, Nayeem Ahmad Khan and Azam Inquilabi for their statements and acts of "indiscipline". Bhat has been issued notice for his statement at Botengo, Sopore, in which he had described the UN resolutions on Kashmir "obsolete" and Khan and Inquilabi have been asked to explain their acts of "indiscipline" during the meeting at Hurriyat Headquarters in Rajbagh. All the three leaders have been asked to explain their "behavior" within 10 days as to why they should not be suspended from the Hurriyat Executive council. Besides, the Hurriyat (M) in a letter to Shabir Ahmad Shah expressed displeasure saying the latter committed a mistake by going public with the internal matters of the Hurriyat Conference or by demanding a public apology from Bhat and withdrawal of his statement on the UN resolutions.
The rift in the Hurriyat Conference is not a new phenomenon. It has been happening since 1993, when it was formed. At the time of its formation, it consisted of seven major separatist outfits plus a number of other associations, all rabidly anti-India. In fact, 26 separatist and pro-separatist social and religious organizations, joined hands and formed the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC). It was formed to achieve the right to self-determination according to the UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu & Kashmir. The parties which formed the APHC included the Jamaat-i-Islami of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the People's Conference of the late Abdul Ghani Lone, the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, the Muslim Conference of Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, Ittehadul Muslimeen of Maulvi Abbas Ansari, People's League and the Awami Action Committee of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Bhat had defeated Abdul Gani Lone in July 2000 and became chairman of the Hurriyat Conference. Geelani and Lone had no love lost for one another. They had fallen out. In 2003, Geelani left the Hurriyat Conference and formed his own Hurriyat Conference. In other words, in 2003, the APHC split into the Mirwaiz and Geelani factions. In June, 2008, Geelani and the Mirwaiz did agree "to evolve a joint mechanism for attaining the right to self-determination through plebiscite or, alternatively, through tripartite talks" and "review the 1993 constitution of the APHC and implement it with amendments, if necessary", but nothing came out of the understanding between the two. In fact, Geelani, who earlier had said that "we have reached the conclusion that we will unite", made it public that "there was no basis for unity". In between, the JKLF had also left the Hurriyat Conference and Shia leader and former APHC-M chairman Abbas Ansari had been rendered ineffective.
All this shows that the APHC has split a number of times in the past and that the latest developments within the amalgam suggest that all is not well within the separatist camp and that this outfit of disparate element might disintegrate sooner than later. The fact of the matter is that most of the Hurriyat leaders belonging to the Mirwaiz factions are working at cross-purposes and that left to them they would not mind lynching and liquidating the likes of Bhat who have been exposing the weaknesses of the separatist movement, rightly opining that the UN resolutions just cannot be implemented and publicly saying that "we the Kashmiris killed separatists like the Mirwaiz's father and Abdul Gani Lone". As for the Mirwaiz, he has over the period lost his sheen and appeal. The bulk of Hurriyat leaders and common masses have come to believe that the Mirwaiz represents only his own interests and that he is misusing the APHC only to further his own personal agenda. He, like Geelani, is pro-Pakistan but he, unlike Geelani, does not say so in many words.
To write all this is not to suggest that the Mirwaiz is wrong and other Hurriyat leaders are right. None of them is right. Each one of them represents his/her own interests and each one of them is interested in minting money and enjoying worldly life at the cost of the people of Kashmir. The worst aspect of the whole situation has been the failure of the official authorities to rein in and bring to justice these anti-India elements in Kashmir. The Hurriyat leaders are as they are and it is time for the authorities in New Delhi to act against them and rid Kashmir of all such elements who foment anti-India troubles in the Valley.
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