[Reader-list] Jammu agitation: Two-lakh court arrest, more to follow

[Shivam Vij शिवम् विज्]

'Now, people are leading the leaders'

Krishnakumar P & Mukhtar Ahmad | August 18, 2008 08:24 IST

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/aug/18amar.htm

Agitations in Kashmir are no more about the Amarnath land row or the
alleged economic blockade imposed on the Valley, hitting the fruit
industry. From the silent merchant, who sports a black flag on the
counter, to the slogan-shouting masked youth driving around town with
green flags, the protests are all about freedom now.

After the staggering turnout for the funeral of senior Hurriyat leader
Sheikh Abdul Aziz in Pampore on Saturday, leaders of the separatist
groups say they no more have any say in the scheme of things and it is
the people who are leading them.

"To be very honest, we never expected such a response. Now even our
leaders do not know what to do," senior Hurriyat leader Shahid
ul-Islam said.

"Even on the day Aziz was killed, our leaders were under house arrest.
People came in droves and dragged them out. There is nothing our
leaders can do now. We have realized that the people won't listen to
us even if we ask them to stop this. There is nothing we can do except
appealing to the protestors to carry on in a peaceful manner," he
said.

Asked if Hurriyat leaders had any solution to restore normalcy in the
Valley, Shahid said the leaders are trying to first channelize the
protests and then take it forward from there.

"The only thing we can do as of now is to channelize the protests and
ensure that things remain peaceful and don't get out of hand," he
said, adding that the first step is to internationalise the issue with
the march to the office of the United Nations Military Observers Group
on Monday.

"We have to take our message to the world," he said.

The sight of people from all walks of life spilling out on to the
streets of the Valley has stumped even those who believe nothing will
change in the Valley.

"Initially I thought this was another gimmick by the politicians. But
when I saw the response to the Pampore rally, I was convinced that
this is a people's movement," said Mohammed Sharif Baig, who is in the
construction business.

The moment he saw the Pampore rally, he bought tickets for his workers
from Bihar and other places outside the state and asked them to go
home.

"I realized normalcy wont return very soon to the Valley now. This has
gone out of the hands of the politicians and the people have taken
over. There was no point keeping my workers here," said Baig.

He had earlier been cursing the agitation. My company was involved in
the construction of a hotel, a bridge, a wall and a road. All the work
came to a halt. I was suffering huge losses on a daily basis. I had no
fuel for my cars and had to use the driver's scooter. I was totally
against those who had started this agitation.

"But when I see so many people braving the security forces that killed
25 people in two days, I no longer am bothered about business. This
time I want something to come off it," he said.

Many others agree that the recent protests are unprecedented.

"This is more important than the days when people believed in the gun
and took to arms," said Shahid, himself a former militant.

"I was one of those who believed in the gun in those days. But now
when I see these people on the streets, I think they are more
courageous and also believe in change now," he said.

Hotelier Gowahar Mir agreed: "These protests were totally unexpected.
And the most important thing is that these people are not armed. They
are out on the streets and raising slogans. Whoever is organizing
this, has to be appreciated for ensuring that the protestors do not
resort to violence," Mir said.

The administration has also suffered a lot from the week-long spell of
agitation. First, they were criticised for their alleged
highhandedness in handling the march to Muzaffarabad. Following the
criticism and the transfer of the IG, they had to cede the edge to the
protestors, inadvertently, emboldening the mischief mongers.

With the public mood favouring another march to Muzaffarabad following
Monday's march to the UN office situated in a sensitive area, the
administration is sitting with its fingers crossed.