[Reader-list] Kashmir story from the Urdu press in Kashmir

[SJabbar]

Kashmir story ­ tragic, pathetic and sad
Manzoor Anjum

It is almost one month, life in Valley is frozen. Tourists have abandoned
Kashmir; hotels are deserted; shops and other business establishment are
shut and schools are closed. Most of the people are confined to the four
walls of their homes; play grounds are missing the jolly kicks of local
footballers and ebullient hits of young cricketers. And little kids,
confined to their homes, are wondering why they are not allowed to go to the
schools. This is happening so because the Hurriyat Conference led by senior
separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani {and thus known as Hurriyat (G)} is
issuing weekly strike and protest programmes. People are asked to observe
strikes and take to streets in protest and they do so. Government retaliates
by imposing curfew and restrictions; people defy curfew; clashes take place;
bullets are fired and people die.

People adhere to Hurriyat (G) calendar and therefore the conglomerate is
genuinely happy that its writ runs and that it has made the state government
a failure. The leadership of the amalgam would be proud that it has
succeeded in making things difficult for the government. This success
demands that the pot is kept boiling and that is what Hurriyat (G) is doing
right now.
The government, both state as well as central, agencies have failed to find
any trace of Massarat Alam and Asiya Andrabi, who are busy issuing fresh
progammes of agitation. Government claims that there are just a few stone
pelters disturbing the peace but fact of the matter is that ³these few² are
strong enough to keep thousands of police and CRPF personnel on tenterhooks.
So it is Hurriyat (G) that runs the show and is in full command of the
situation. And the way the conglomerate¹s programmes are success, one can
conclude safely that people of Kashmir are with no one but Hurriyat (G) and
this separatist amalgam is proving a success story. However, this is only
one side of the story.

When indefinite strikes started telling upon peoples¹ nerves; when their
stomachs started churning for food; shops of essential commodities started
opening by fives and tens in different markets. People, desperate to get
eatables, rushed to these shops; some public transport including
auto-rickshaws started plying on roads. And that was it!
Groups of youth emerged on streets and forced the shopkeepers to pull the
shutters of their shops down. They attacked vehicles and thrashed auto
drivers. Private schools were warned not to open and Srinagar Municipal
Corporation (SMC) trucks, that dared to venture into old city to clean it of
thousands of MT of garbage that has piled their during protest and curfew
days, were attacked and one truck set ablaze.

So much so, in a shameful act, stone pelters thrashed some women with nettle
near Handwara who were on way to some wedding and had thus defied the
Hurriyat (G) protest orgramme. In interior localities of Srinagar, young
boys attacked shops raising slogans ³Deen Ke Aage Duniya Kya² (How does
world matter when it comes to religion). And thus Hurriyat (G) programme
becomes a grand success. This is another side of the story. In one month, 17
precious lives have been lost; the academic career of children is
devastated; Valley has suffered loses of nearly Rs. 8000 crores and what has
been achieved? When protests in Kashmir were at the peak, foreign ministers
of India and Pakistan met in Islamabad. Given the situation in Kashmir, one
would have expected Kashmir on the top of the agenda. But Pakistan foreign
minister himself admitted that Indian side showed no interest to talk about
this issue.
Despite the troubled situation here, Kashmir has hardly found any mention in
international media and even Indian and Pakistani media doesn¹t give a hoot
to whatever is happening here. Neither UN has taken any note, nor European
Union, OIC or any other world body. Yes, if anything has been achieved that
is a statement from Amnesty International seeking release of arrested
lawyers and establishment of juvenile homes for younger prisoners. And
tragic side of the story is that innocent people are made to believe that
this agitation will get them freedom.

As the chaos and confusion lingers on, voices from the very separatist camp
are being raised against the frequent strikes. United Jehad Council (UJC)
chief, Syed Sallahudin counseled the Hurriyat (G) not to go for indefinite
strikes and while agitating, remain mindful of economy and education. Though
the counsel was not taken well by stone pelters who even resented it but the
question is why Sallahudin take one month to come out with such a sensible
statement. Jamaat-e-Islami, that happens to be a constituent of Hurriyat (G)
too has come out with identical statement asking Œleaders¹ to issue
programmes in such a way that people are not stretched beyond their
capacity. Jamaat and Sallahudin could have issued the same statements a few
weeks back. Why did they not do so? Is it that they too were in the illusion
that the agitational calendar of Hurriyat (G) will fetch Azadi? If yes, it
could be termed as the saddest side of the whole story.

And the dangerous side of the story is that following Syed Sallahudin¹s
statements, newspapers received emails from anonymous people using
derogatory language against him. In some parts of Valley, his effigies were
burnt and a group of stone pelters addressed a press conference saying those
who oppose the present strike and agitation are traitors. It indicates that
there is a strong voice within separatist camp that is interested in
continuation of strike. Earlier, the separatists would be seen in two camps
­ hardliners and moderates. But now it is clear that there are groups within
groups. There are hardliners and ultra hardliners; there are moderates and
pseudo-moderates. The divisions within separatist ranks have already
resulted into deaths and destruction. One wonders whether a new phase of
infighting is in the making.

History tells us that when oppression and suppression reaches its all
notorious heights, nations revolt. People ready themselves to do anything
and everything to break the chains of slavery. They burry the apprehensions
of death, destruction and defeat and revolt with full force. And at such a
stage, the nations need leadership of wisdom and foresight. Such a
leadership channelizes the peoples¹ sentiments and emotions; polishes their
anger and directs them in the right direction. And when such leadership is
not in sight, the anger turns into madness and people inflict more wounds to
themselves. They enter a self-destructive mode and do everything that makes
suffer none but the revolting people. History has so many such instances to
teach us but unfortunately we are reluctant to learn. Freedom is a
consensual ideal of a people. Without having a consensus and by imposing
dictates, only disastrous results are to be expected.

Na Kissi Pe Zakham Ayaan Koi, Na Kissi Ko Fikr Rafoo Ki Hai;
Na Karam Hai Hum Pe Habeeb Ka, Na Nigah Hum Pe Adoo Ki Hai.
(Neither anyone looks at our wounds, nor anyone tries to heal them; we are
bereft of the love of our beloved and even the scorn of our foe).
The author is the editor of Urdu daily Uqab and the article is translated
from Urdu.