A Free Kashmir: Random Thoughts-54

A Great Betrayal?

International, national and regional politics have a common strait of irrationality, as politics, they say, makes strange bed-fellows. History cites instances to prove that any unprincipled alliance is bound to face stresses and strains at every stage and cannot be expected to fulfill the electoral mandate and deliver the goods. The story of Jammu Kashmir ruling coalition is also interesting in that respect. National Conference that opposed Congress until the poll and during the polls has clinched a post-poll alliance with Congress. The fractured verdict in the just concluded JK election, under Indian terror security control, with no party securing absolute majority had necessitated the formation of a coalition to rule in the State for next years. It was the National Conference has emerged as the largest single party, though much short of even a simple majority, has, in a way as to outwit PDP, taken initiative to forge alliance with the Congress which ruled the state with PDP before the poll.

Even with lesser seats Congress has the power to dictate terms to Kashmiris. Like the DMK and ADMK in Tamil Nadu, the PDP and NC are vying with each other to woo the Congress party to outsmart its local opponent. Congress seeks such opportunities to ruin the Kashmiriyat. Since the coalition is only a marriage of convenience rather than unity forged on the basis of shared ideology and program the NC had no alternative but to accept the conditions laid down by the Congress.

The new regime would prefer to indulge in blame game with the previous regime even though Congress id a common factor. That fact that national and regional parties don't concentrate their attention on welfare measures benefiting the people, they just loot the nation. Even communist ruled states are no better in that respect; not even minimum civic amenities are provided and roads are not properly maintained; every where water logs and dirty collections. By making use of price rise prices and services charges are increased, but not brought down even when the oil prices have come down internationally and nationally, .

Indian leaders consider that democracy demands that leaders give preference to their own sons and daughters and JK has also done the same. Without sons and daughters and other close relatives India democracy would perhaps collapse. One can't just find fault with Omar emerging the only aspirant in JK government. This is the essence of Indian politics from North to South and from East to West.

I

Already, it is clear that Congress party with its HQ in New Delhi would decide the JK administration and politics. Congress agreed to join in an alliance with the NC only on the condition that the new government will be headed by Umar Abdullah, thus leaving little choice for the NC legislature party to decide. The NC president said that a Common Minimum Program CMP will be formulated after the government formation. Even as no date was given for oath ceremony but Omar hinted at having it before January 6. He also said that his party would formally write to the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Chairman Rajya Sabha and Speaker Lok Sabha to recognize his party as part of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) ahead of next Lok Sabha session. With this the PDP which was part of UPA will be out of the alliance.

With paucity of clean politicians without corruption scandals and practices, Congress party is in a fix to find untainted elected leaders to be nominated for ministerial berths, as the major alliance partner National Conference (NC) is insisting to work only with uncorrupted and unspoiled faces. Omar said he would take oath along with two other NC representatives initially. He asked Congress party to nominate three representatives to take oath with him to form a six-member Cabinet. The expansion could take place later at a convenient date, he added. Congress insists on a deputy CM and a Hindu being the deputy CM but decision on the deputy chief minister or either on rotation of the chief minister would taken after some time. Let the government come first then we will decide on the CMP. We will sit together at an appropriate level and complete the CMP. When it has been decided to sit together and form government, there is no issue of the CMP."

Both NC and Congress have agreed to constitute a mechanism to review the functioning of coalition government on policy matter as and when found necessary. Having 'succeeded' in JK poll, India is now keen to go for the Parliamentary election as well along with NC. Omar announced that both parties would contest next Lok Sabha polls together. He also said that his party would formally write to the UPA chairperson Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Chairman Rajya Sabha and Speaker Lok Sabha to recognize his party as part of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) ahead of next Lok Sabha session.

II

India perhaps thinks escalation of violence and tensions with neighbors would benefit the Indian cause in Kashmir. On the contrary, prolonged tensions would run the nation. By using the tensions between India and Pakistan, Indian leaders would pressurize the new regime in Sri Nagar to follow Indian line and fulfill its demands, including the illegal Amarnath land deal. Omar's run towards Congress HQ in New Delhi explains it all.

Generally, when a Congress leader is elected the CM, the incumbent leader would make a courtesy trip to New Delhi and meets the leaders there and obtain their blessings and necessary guidelines for the rule: what and what not he or she does as CM. The CM-elected would return to home state fully conversed in "governance" and dressed up with Congress party messages. Even the non-Congress national parties also call the CM-elect or CM-in-trouble to New Delhi for advices.

It is crudely strange, or just a mere coincidence or absent-mindedness that NC chief Omar Abdullah, the CM- designate man hurried up to Sri Nagar airport to take the first available flight to Delhi to meet the Congress High Command and decide the matters there. But National Conference is a JK party bred in Kashmir and as such the leaders should have the freedom to decide matters in the head quarters in Sri Nagar. Before meeting leaders inside the party as well as from other parties, Omar jumped over to New Delhi to meet the Congress leaders for advices and list of "dos and don'ts" from the bosses there. He perhaps wanted to make sure he is safe and Congress does not create further hurdles in his candidature for big office by using the PDP as a bargain chip.

Muzaffarabad match took the pro-India elements by shock and the resultant popular uprising sent shivers not only to New Delhi which remote control Kashmir, but also the pro-India leaders and they wanted to deny any advantage of the developments for the freedom groups. Inspired by the freedom movement and shocked by the popular uprising in Kashmir, the pro-India outfits in connivance with New Delhi strategists hatched a suitable strategy to make fullest possible use of the uprising and hence they also began issuing statements for independence, sovereignty, freedom etc and even published a their memorandum on the issue.

On the one hand, by these overtones the pro-India politicians quickly embraced, at least temporarily, the mood of the uprising and impressed the freedom leaders about their own resolve for independence struggle and would join the mainstream freedom groups; on the other, they were garnering the votes of the freedom groups as well. But after the poll outcomes favoring both NC and PDP they did not open their mouth about independence and Omer's running towards 10 Janpath New Delhi, shows the hidden agenda of both India and pro-India.

Then, is Omar betraying the Kashmiris, both pro-India and pro-Kashmir? Senior freedom leader Syed Geelani has asked Omar to keep his pledge before the Kashmiris on independence issue.

III

As the media in Muslim nations are managed by non-Muslims they are indirectly controlled by US-led anti-Islamic forces also. When media in Muslim nations, controlled by Muslims themselves, also try to appease the anti-Islamic nations like the USA, Israel or India, situation becomes complicated for global Muslims. That exactly has happened now. The fact that bulk of English newspapers and electronic media are controlled by non-Muslims indicates the priorities of the Gulf nations. Opinions are tailored to prolong the gulf conflict and portray Kashmiris as terrorists.

Whereas the global Muslims are badly divided, Muslims in India Muslims in Kashmir, Pakistan, Bangladesh and, funnily enough, hate themselves, thanks to the powerful Indian media in English, Hindi and other vernaculars filled with powerful anti-Muslim propaganda of all sorts. India, like the US-led anti-Islamic forces, utilizes the internet services to insult Islam and Muslims even when Muslims are at the receiving end because of their religious identity. Many Muslims in India and abroad, out of fear, consider alternate non-Muslim name to protect their interests.

The actual plight and conditions of Kashmiri Muslims are equally bad. Like Indian media, media in Muslim world try to portray Muslims as terrorists and undesirables. India perhaps is overjoyed over its "excellent job" in Jammu Kashmir by cunningly using the self-centered Kashmiris, both Muslims and Hindus, and others, by making the pro-India outfits betray the Kashmiris and their freedom leaders. During the just concluded Indian poll drama after sufficient rehearsals in New Delhi's corridors of power and JK governor's campus, patriotic Kashmiri freedom leaders decided to skip resort to measure to oppose military postures in Kashmiris streets, and hence the poll was by and large peaceful.

World now knows, Kashmiris freedom leaders are not terrorists, but India has been one. India, its agents, pro-India elements and the terror forces occupying Jammu Kashmir have been skillfully playing mischief with Kashmiris by drafting and executing provocation strategies. Initially a peaceful movement for sovereignty, thus, was converted by India into the so-called "terrorist" activities by employing terrorist methods by India terror forces.

Kashmir region in JK registered about 20% votes and would not be considered legitimate for democracy claims, when 80% voters refused to vote in poll in spite  of the campaigns by Indian, pro-India elements and military perusals. Hindus, who insult Kashmiris and want the military to finish them off, should now ponder over the notorious Indian tactics harming the genuine interests of its neighbors. Hindus have been identified as the real terrorists in India and perhaps in Pakistan too. Defying the provocative terrorism methods of India, the Kashmir freedom leaders have adopted peaceful demonstrations in Jammu Kashmir to attain sovereignty form occupying India. It is shameless Indian government used military and other terror agencies to torture and put the activists behind bars until the poll was over. Do the hollow patriotic Indians consider this as good for any decent democracy, more a secular democracy; Indian says spun violence but it uses it when the freedom leaders don't use it. By employing all terrorist and provocative strategies India tried to provoke the freedom movement people to go violent. Is it not dirty democratic practice?

Who betrayed whom? is the question now! Obviously India betrayed Kashmiris. Congress and BJP are pro-Hindu parties; Why then NC and PDP are pro-India outfits? But what about so many freedom groups in Kashmir? Show a nation in the world that got independence from the colonizers where so many splinter freedom groups operated and tried to outsmart one another? Now the Hindu and pro-India parties would not hesitate to bang one group against another and stay on in power looting Kashmiris. Won't they?

Of course, now it is not the time to find correct answers to that question; now the freedom leaders to decide if they could forget the differences, if nay, amongst themselves and come together as one single forum to purse peacefully the freedom struggle. They have to first decide whether they seek independence from India or want to settle score with fellow Kashmiris, including the pro-India elements. If they prefer to outsmart one another, then, Indian terror forces would complete the hidden agenda of Kashmiri cleansing.  Meanwhile they should pursue support form nations that could help Kashmiris drive away the Indian terror forces form Jammu Kashmir. Already Indian crush in Sri Lanka has brought bad news for New Delhi. India might even think of similar action in neighborhood Kashmir.

The entire burden of the pro-India politics in JK now is to keep the freedom groups at bay and also share the fruits and other benefits in a peaceful manner. But Congress with support of BJP would like to rekindle the illegal Amarnath land deal. Optimism of Kashmiri youth, displayed since the Muzaffarabad March, would sweat away when Omar departs from fulfilling his promises. The same hold true of the freedom leaders. Freedom leaders must now convene a congress of young freedom people to discuss the future strategies with them as well, for, in due course a second and third line leaders have to be created to lead the movement town to town, village to village and street to street so that the Indian terror forces now occupying Kashmir streets run away on their own.

As the rulers of Kashmir now the pro-India leaders must shed their pro-India baggage and try to behave like pro-Kashmir and lead their people to ultimate independence. If the pro-India outfits separate the genuine aspirations of Kashmir from their rule and concentrate on money making and help India keep killing Kashmiri Muslims, history of Kashmir would never forgive them; people of Kashmir as well.

True, with a new JK government in office now, the senior freedom leaders including Geelani and Mirwaiz have got more responsibilities than they shouldered hitherto. Their constructive roles include guiding the new government which would be under constant pressures form New Delhi, towards the greater goals.

-----------------------

Yours Sincerely,

DR.ABDUL RUFF Colachal

Columnist & Independent Researcher in World Affairs, The only Indian to have gone through entire India
South Asia.

 

****This is from:Dr. Abdul Ruff*** Mob: 9349942532  

----

A nation that has enslaved free people is no democracy. "Democracies"  like USA and India have zero tolerance to any criticism of their anti-Muslim and other aggressive practices. Anti-Muslimism and anti-Islamism are as dangerous as "terrorism".