Kashmir Images :: 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 “these few” 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 conglomerate’s 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 peoples’ 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 “Deen Ke Aage Duniya Kya” (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 doesn’t 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 ‘leaders’ 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 Sallahudin’s 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 peoples’ sentiments and emotions; polishes their anger and directs them in the right direction.
And when such leadership is not insight, 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.
u ll just piss in ur pants wen u hear bullets...
