Kashmir Freedom: Tasks Ahead

OBTAINING freedom from a colonizer or occupier or even from a parent nation is not very easy to happen and in regard to independence of Kashmir sought by Kashmiris from the occupying India, it is a case in point. Independence doe not come so cheap as to gain it from an aggressor just by making a few loud speaker shouts or breaking the window panes of some vehicles and building. And not even by bull-dozing any thing the angry protesters come across. Primarily because India has enormous muscle power in terms of cash, weapons and combat-ready military forces in Kashmir and the valley has already been converted into a strong cantonment, upgraded continuously. Since India over decades have cunningly divided the Kashmiris to fight with each other, rather than fighting for freedom from India, the job India is very easy now to use their network to kill members belonging to one group by member of others. This is apart from the usual genocide of Kashmiris by the Indian forces having the node from the government at Sri Nagar also. Many Kashmiris have joined the so-called national Indian parties and that has in fact wrecked the freedom movement.

Kashmiris should keep in mind the reality of Indian psyche:

1. India suffers from false image and prestige and could harm if Kashmiris are split as they are today. Considering the fact India treats the Muslims like their servants who should just obey to their masters. Even during the “British Raj”, Hindus pretended to be the real masters of Muslims while British people were the rulers. The same mentality has prevailed and become more acute because of the selfish and egoistic Muslim leaders who continue to cheat the Muslims by using them as a mere vote banks for making wealth from the money and privileges received at New Delhi and the state capitals. The India mentality could be seen in its attitude to Pakistan and Bangladesh; both are treated like small and weak nations and try to boss over them. Indians cannot accept defeat at the hands of what they think as “small guys”.

2. India deliberately keeps military personnel as Governor of JK so as to oversee the military operations in Kashmir and unleash terror on Kashmiris. India spends a huge amount on military equipment annually and amazed quite a lot of arms and ammunitions from abroad too, mostly form Russia, Israel, South Africa, UK, USA and France etc. The Kashmiri movement cannot compete with the cash rich India having now the support of even USA.

3. Kashmiris should form one all-Kashmir working group consisting of leaders belonging to all factions of the movement in Kashmir and they should have collect leadership and united responsibility. The notion of having a president/vice-president/secretary/members formula would work against the collective spirit of Kashmir movement and eventually wreck the movement in favor of Indian strategists who work over night to thwart any attempt to gain independence from India.

4. They should not go by what Indian Muslims are dong now : they are divided by groups and consider each other their first enemy and they are being cheated by their own leaders for few coins and other privileges from governments, central and regional.

5. Kashmiris need to organize themselves as single political entity with one single voice for Kashmir independence.

6. Kashmiris should involve all political parties and co-opt them in the Kashmir High Command group that would eventually conduct negotiations with Indian side and form the government as and when they get freedom.

7. Indian media just don’t want Pakistan and Bangladesh to exist and Kashmir to be independent. Even the newspapers and visual media in regional languages don’t have any sympathy for these peoples.

8. The freedom fighters should go by number of points for agreement or otherwise. But the success of their goals should be their only objective..

FIRST MOVE

It is noteworthy that senior freedom fighter and Kashmiri leader and president of Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) Shabir Ahmad Shah mooted a six point proposal for the reunification of Hurriyat Conference and making it broad based. People, who have been offering great sacrifices for the movement, are very keen for unity among the separatists. "The people are upset with us for disunity as they rightly believe that disunity is harming the interests of our movement. The people are eager for our unity and based on their eagerness I have again started my unity efforts and mooted the proposal. Without unity we can not take the movement to its logical conclusion," he said. The DFP president rightly alleged that Kashmiri Pandits were made to leave Kashmir under a conspiracy. That is part of Indian hidden agenda against Muslims in general.

The first point of Shah's unity proposal favors acceptance of united Hurriyat Conference as political platform by all the parties in the conglomerate and suspension of their political activities at their individual levels. The 1993 constitution of Hurriyat Conference would form the basis of the unity. The 1993 constitution revolves round the demand for right of self determination or meaningful, extensive and result oriented tripartite talks for the solution of Kashmir issue. The political activities of religious and educational parties should be made through Hurriyat Conference only.

Those working in foreign countries like America, Britain, Brussels and other places for the ongoing movement in Kashmir would be the working committee of Hurriyat Conference. The DFP president viewed that a united Hurriyat Conference under its constitutional head would unite the disintegrated political forces to take the ongoing movement to its local conclusion.

Asked as to how does he expect a united Hurriyat Conference to run smoothly when its different leaders were working at cross purposes as some were indirectly taking part in elections through proxy candidates and others running anti-election campaigns, Shah said, "Let us forget the bitterness of past. The more we would look towards the past, the more we would drift from each other. We will have to look towards the future and see how better we can strengthen our movement to take it to its logical conclusion and come to the expectations of people. However, if required, the Hurriyat constitution needs to be amended so that the past mistakes are not repeated and nobody is allowed to weaken the movement intentionally or unintentionally."

He also appealed certain persons from the state in foreign countries that are "running shops" and having links with both-governments of India and Pakistan- and indulging into anti movement activities to close down their "shops". He alleged that even mainstream parties are trying to befool Kashmiris by raising issues like human rights violations and solution of Kashmir. The hands of these mainstream leaders are stained with the blood of Kashmiris. If they are really sincere they must give up mainstream politics and join the "freedom" movement.

It also encouraging that Mirwaiz Umer Farooq chairman Hurriyat (M) has welcomed the six-point proposal mooted by Shabir Ahmed Shah president Democratic Freedom Party for bringing about a rapprochement among the Hurriyat faction. Talking to KTNS the Mirwaiz said that the proposals are good and worth considering. He added that Hurriyat (M) executive council will meet discuss the proposal and take an official view in this connection.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani, chairman Hurriyat Conference (G) was quoted by various news channels as having correctly said that unity should be based on principles and not on contradiction. He added that on one side the right of self-determination and talks with the Government of India and Musharraf's four point formula cannot be carried forward together. No solution of Kashmir issue within the frame work of Indian constitution would be acceptable to Kashmiris. Hurriyat is for right of self-determination and solution of Kashmir issue through talks and does not advocate talks with Government of India.

AN OBSERVATION

Struggle for independence is highly celebrated, noble idea and it should be launched unitedly. Some Kashmiris might look against any freedom, but that is pressure tactics tactfully employed by India. In this context, the call by DFP chief to all freedom fighting factions unite under one umbrella is the most welcome move and first step in the right direction. Kashmiris should not put strict conditions for regrouping the freedom fighters- that could be misused by India against Kashmiris.

The negative elements like egoism, personal rivalries and self-centered activities, only to boost one leader, could cause enormous difficulties for any collective movement as Kashmiris are prone to this menace and India has exploited maximum from this weakness among the Kashmiris fighting for independence thus far. India not only successfully divided the Kashmiris, converted the valley into a cantonment, killed over 80,000 freedom fighters, but, more cruelly, it also branded the Kashmiris in New Delhi and abraod as the so-called “terrorists” and they are bold to arrest the Kashmirs on false charges.

Hence the Kashmiris should move ahead unitedly, forgetting the personality clashes within. Collective leadership is the need of the hour and only that could lead the Kashmiris to ultimate victory in their resolve to regain freedom from hegemon India. They should also stipulate 2009 as the year for declaring independence from India, as Palestine might also be created in the same year.

(DR.ABDUL RUFF Colachal is an Analyst, Researcher & Columnist based in India)