NOT LONG AGO, NC PRESIDENT USED TO SAY THAT INDIA SHOULD BOMB PAKISTAN AND MILITANT CAMPS AND ALL SEPARATIST LEADERS SHOULD BE THROWN IN SEA SO THAT KASHMIRI PEOPLE WILL GET RID OF THEM.
Asem Mohiuddin
Srinagar: Last week National Conference president Farooq Abdullah who is the senior most mainstream politician of the Jammu and Kashmir asked NC cadres not remain ‘’out of current struggle’’ perhaps he was referring to the ongoing agitation in the Valley that began soon after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Burhan Wani in South Kashmir’s Bumdoora village in July. Toeing the line of separatist the former J&K chief minister even asked the separatist leaders to continue their struggle against India and described the current agitation that claimed more than 90 civilian lives as Justice Struggle.
This is the first time when senior most mainstream politician and three time former J&K chief minister and former Union Minister has thrown his weight behind the separatist trio – Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik.
Senior Abdullah who is known for courting controversies made these remarks on the 111 birth anniversary of NC founder and his father Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah. NC president even asked the separatist leadership to move forward and his party is with them till they can take the nation forward in a right manner. He even said that NC that is the largest cadre based mainstream political party in the state is with the Hurriyat till they are on the right track and will not follow any wrong path. “I want to tell Hurriyat leaders not to go separate ways, be united and we are also standing with you. Do not think of us as your enemies, we are not.’’ The former Union Minister also said that from past five months people have been fighting for their rights and scores of people have been injured and jailed. “The fire that has started will not be extinguished until India and Pakistan do justice with us. The more they suppress it, the more it will rise.” He even lashed Prime Minister Modi for saying that water to Pakistan will be stopped though he said that all issues between India and Pakistan could be resolved through dialogue. “I hope that one day he (Modi) will talk to Pakistan. Both the countries should exhibit restraint. When border skirmishes happen, people on both sides suffer losses.
The remarks of Farooq Abdullah are contrary to his earlier statements as he was always on the forefront in criticising separatist leadership and Pakistan. Though Farooq Abdullah is known for making statements that generate controversy, however, this time he has made these statements keeping an eye on two parliament seats – Anantnag and Srinagar that fell vacant with the resignation of chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti as parliament member after he decided to contest from Anantnag assembly seat after his father’s demise and resignation of another MP Tariq Hamid Karra from his parliamentary seat of central Kashmir.
The NC leader is now eyeing on these both seats so he has started wooing separatist leadership and has changed his tune as well as his stance vis-à-vis Pakistan and separatist leadership. The statement of Farooq Abdullah has come at a time when situation in Kashmir is still volatile and separatist leadership is still rolling out weekly protest calendars. Despite heavy crackdown from the government and fatigue that has set-in among the masses still protests take place in different parts of the Valley.
Farooq’s remarks will only aggravate the situation in the Valley and even this could also led joining of NC cadres in the protests that could give rise to an alarming situation. Not long ago, NC president used to say that India should bomb Pakistan and militant camps and all separatist leaders should be thrown in sea so that Kashmiri people will get rid of them. In the last assembly elections that NC fought under the leadership of Omar Abdullah, the NC could only bag 15 seats it’s all time low tally in the assembly.
PDP-BJP Coalition
After PDP joined hands with the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and with the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and now the five months long agitation, the NC president feels that he should adopt such a tone that will fetch his party sympathy in the Valley, especially in those areas where elections will be held in the coming months. Senior Abdullah also feels that PDP gained the public sympathy in the last assembly elections only after the party adopted reconciliatory tones towards Pakistan and the separatist leadership and finally PDP emerged as the single largest party in the state and managed to grab power with the help of PDP.
Taking the cue from PDP, the old politician is now playing the similar cards to strengthen base of his party. In fact, he was considered one of the vocal politicians of state who used to make dangerous statements about the Pakistan. However, with the passage of time, Abdullah has realised that after tie-up with BJP, the PDP has lost public support even in its bastion south Kashmir. NC president feels that reconciliatory statements towards Pakistan and separatists will help his party not only to regain its lost ground but also will save its cadres from the public wrath. NC workers have faced the brunt of the ongoing militancy that started 30 years ago with the killing of its hundreds of cadres and this statement is also an endeavour to create goodwill of NC workers in the militancy infested areas.
Mehbooba Aghast
However, NC president’s statement has not gone down well within PDP – BJP coalition government. The chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti blamed NC president and his workers behind the unrest in the Valley.
“Farooq Sahab’s statement proves beyond any doubt that, though we never said it, National Conference can go to any extent for grabbing chair,” Mehbooba told reporters on the sidelines of a function at the Indoor Stadium. Chief Minister said the situation that Kashmir witnessed during past five months is the handiwork of criminals. “The criminal elements are involved in it – those who burnt schools and pelted stones on vehicles and attacked camps – the statement of Farooq sahab proves that National Conference was involved in these kinds of activities,” she said.
After the killing of Hizb commander at least 96 civilians were killed and over 15000 injured in action by forces across Kashmir to quell the uprising triggered by the militant’s killing. More than 1200 of the injured persons, a majority of them youth, were hit by pellets in their eyes and face suffering partial or complete blindness.
“National Conference can go to any extent to grab chair,” said Mehbooba. “Today when the situation is improving, children have started to go back to schools and tourism is picking up, Farooq sahab has again ordered his workers to create disturbance so that the situation worsens again.” She accused Farooq Abdullah.
“They (NC) are least bothered about the situation or people they just want to grab power by playing politics.’’ Chief Minister even accused NC working president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah for being part of the NDA government.
No serious matter for BJP
BJP general secretary, Ram Madhav while taking a dig at NC president said that nobody takes him seriously and he is known for making such statements. Even the separatist leaders have criticised Farooq Abdullah for making such a statement and said that this statement has been deliberately given to win sympathy of the people and it is just a way of politicking that NC has been involved from decades.
Interestingly, this is not first time when mainstream politician have chosen separatist line, however, political analysts are of the opinion that top mainstream politicians tune always changes once out of power. Instead of criticising ruling party and government on developmental agenda and problems faced by masses on day to day basis they deliberately pick those issues that are termed as the agenda of separatists. “Farooq is doing same thing, what Mehbooba did when she was in opposition as they are politicians and they know how to play politics at the state level and also bring New Delhi under pressure,’’ says a political analyst on conditions of anonymity. With the fragile peace returns over the belligerent streets of Kashmir, what Farooq did is not new. In fact his son and first time Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah faced the same type of opposition by Mehbooba Mufti as the main opposition leader when she queered on the streets of Kashmir with hundreds of her supporters for revocation of AFSPA on which she herself fails now to progress an inch as state’s chief minister.
Ironically, the separatist politics deeply infused into the minds of people seems the only agenda for all these mainstream political parties to garner the emotional support by people. However, the massive scams, soaring corruption, abysmal development in the state due to inefficiency of successive regimes for which huge funding is pumped into the valley by New Delhi is diverted in a planed manner to evade public accountability. Even the people who brave boycott calls by the separatist camp and bullets of the militants to vote these political parties to power with the hope of getting their day to day sufferings mitigated are exploited on the political and religious sentiments.
Though common people are aware of the politics behind these remarks, however, they feel that senior politician could be only trusted if they resign from the assembly. “Farooq Abdullah’s statement is to get importance in New Delhi. Currently, NC feels that they have no takers at the national level. They also want to grab the two parliament seats to show that NC has regained its lost ground,’’ said Bashir Ahmad a resident of old city.
The netizens equally understood the hidden agenda of Farooq’s statement and reminded him of his past stance against separatists.
“In 1998, Farooq said let Huriyat people rot in jails, I don’t care,” a troll by the senior journalist Riyaz Masroor mentions.
The author can be reached at [email protected]
The story is from the print edition of Dec 14-20 2016.
