Er P L Khushu
The apex leader of PDP, while taking name of Taliban, ‘threatened’ Center and compared J&K with Afghanistan situation. She further warned that if J&K people lose patience, you will disappear. Asking the Centre to learn a lesson from the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party president sounded a warning to New Delhi and said that if the people of J&K ‘lose patience, you will not remain – you will (also) disappear’. The said leader also had a word of caution for the Afghan Taliban, saying that the ‘role of guns is over’. It was said while the leader was addressing a public rally in South Kashmir’s Kulgam during a rare public outreach by mainstream political leaders in the Valley since the abrogation of J&K’s special status and downgrading of the state into two Union Territories in August 2019. This apex leader of a political party who ruled the state as its Chief Minister urged the Centre to take lessons from Taliban capture of Afghanistan and resolve the Kashmir issue through dialogue. ‘Understand what is happening in the neighborhood. Such a big power America had to fold their beds and return. You (the Centre) still have an opportunity.’ This ferocious statement of her is lectured by her in a place which is fully loaded with terror modules. Is it a ploy by her to show herself as the sympathizers of the separatists particularly the terror modules?
The leader appears to be confused with absolute illusion in her such utterances. Was she Talibanizing the so called Kashmir situation, or asking the Talibanis to give up guns, while addressing a public gathering of her selection and choice in South Kashmir. Did she try to make a balance between her seditious instigation of the innocent people in that gathering , with that of the Gandhian principles of peace, while advising Talibanis to give up guns. These are two controversial insoluble utterances in one voice by this self styled so called propitious political leader. It sounds like a heroic valor with a joker’s tail. It makes a mockery of such a leadership. Does it show the innate inadequacy of the potential support of the masses around such a political leader for leading them for a cause and that too without any political manuscript or agenda? Equally it shows the level of frustration of this political leader who has been deserted by most of her confident colleagues and committed party workers, for her ignominious statements here and there? This apex leader of this so called apex political party is reduced to a feeble consortium, when the veteran pillars of this political party have abandoned this party lock stock and barrel, for the insecure political noises which such an apex leader of this party is making day in and day out. More so such irrelevant statements from the dynastic politicians of the valley are nothing new to the nation as, such leaders usually say something in Kashmir and while reaching to Delhi, they speak a different language. We have heard some such leaders speaking for ‘Azadi’ in Kashmir and while reaching Delhi, saying ‘Jai-Hind’. This is where the proverb set by the English grammar saying that, ‘Empty vessels make much Noise’ fits in. Living in ivory towers of Gupkar, such leaders are in oblivion about their present standing in masses. Who bothers about them, except that their statements are self soothing balms to their psychological wounds of having lost power to rule J&K for good, under the new circumstances of the reorganization of Jammu & Kashmir? Still the area is open. Such leaders may try their luck again in the forth coming elections in Jammu and Kashmir, when ever these occur, for becoming the kings of their apparently inherited kingdom of Kashmir, by exploiting the poor Kashmiris for their selfish motives and gains. But that is not going to happen now. People are now conscious and alert. With the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, when such leaders were cooling their heels in detention no body amongst the masses turned on the roads to beat their breasts about them. Even after their release from detention, not a single mass public gathering could be seen or witnessed on any of the strategic road junctures, where gross public sympathy could be visualized about such leaders. Speaking in the corners of South Kashmir only and that too at specific locations does not show the mass leadership base of such leaders. Not to speak of Jantar-Mantar Delhi, come out and show your leadership of masses at Lal Chowk of Srinagar, by giving a call for mass gathering of your followers among Kashmiri people at Lal Chowk Srinagar and that of Jammu people at Parade Ground Jammu, as the veteran political leaders of the past did it to portray their popularity among the masses at such locations. To give such a statement in frustration about Taliban in Kashmir is quite ridiculous and seditious. Taliban is a brutal terrorist organization with an anti-women and a beastly medieval mindset. Supporting it and wishing for its arrival in Kashmir exposes her imbalanced leadership qualities. She should learn from her co-political collogues of the Gupkar Alliance, who while repeating their voice about the abrogation of the Article 370 and restoration of state hood to Jammu and Kashmir never made any such oblique and irrelevant reference to the Talibanis. It shows the excellence of their leadership qualities, when raising their concerns about the abrogation of Article 370 and restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is a fundamental right of theirs under the gamut of freedom of expression as per the constitution. In fact Gupkar Alliance should expel such political leaders from their alliance.
Another notable instance to be quoted about the superficiality of such a leader is to make a reference of her statement in the past, when she said that, “If special rights and privileges to the people of Jammu and Kashmir are tinkered with, then there would be no one in the state to hold the tricolor”. Let this political leader living in slumber get a clue of her base, from the fact that on the occasion of 15th August, the recent Independence Day, the father of the most dreaded terrorist Burhan Wani, unfurled Indian flag at Tral. The Indian flag was installed atop famous Fort of Kashmir, when the Independence Day was observed by all the Kashmir’s with great fervor and gaiety. So stop linking Taliban’s with Kashmir situation. Do not equate the position of America with India in respect of Taliban occupying Afghanistan. Kashmir is an integral part of India through history and historical happenings of the past more than thousands of years. It is the land of the great saint the ‘Kashyap-Rishi’. Kashmir was a big lake known as ‘Sati-Sar’, thus full of water. The great Kashap Rishi drained out all this water from this ‘Sati-Sar’ the ‘Solemn Lake’, and made it worth living by killing the dreaded demons of that time and drained out the whole water from the valley, thus making it a heaven to be called as Kashmir. History is privy to it; let it be studied in its full formation. New demons like terrorists trained by Pakistan are bent to demolish and denigrate it again. Now if someone has an urge to invite Talibanies too, that will add to its complete devastation and demonism.
Inducing Article 370 in the Constitution was a mischief played by some vested politicians who were made to rule Kashmir after the Pakistani invasion on Kashmir in 1948, to remain as so called ‘Nawabs’ of Kashmir and rule it as their territorial legacy after the ouster of Maharaja Hari Singh. It has been undone with very good intentions for the absolute betterment of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Thus, please do not Talbanize Kashmir. India is a force to be reckoned with. It cannot happen nor will any mischievous force or country be allowed to do so. It will mean their extinction.
Referring to the abrogation of special status and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into UTs, this political leader further said, “What you have robbed us of illegally and unconstitutionally, e identity of J&K, that you have distorted, and the pieces that you did to J&K, correct this mistake, or else it would be too late,” she said. Warning of communal polarization, she said that if the BJP doesn’t mend its ways, India would break into many parts on communal and religious lines. While blaming BJP for such acts she should look to her face in a mirror. She has been a part and parcel of government with BJP. Similar is the case with the other prominent political party, viz, National Conference. It opted for making a prominent dynastic member of this political party as the state minister for foreign affairs in central cabinet, some time back during earlier NDA rule, knowing well the agenda of BJP about Kashmir and its autonomy. PDP framed a coalition government with BJP whose agenda was known from decades about the abrogation of Article 370. It is these political parties which have betrayed the trust and the confidence of the people of Kashmir by aligning with BJP from time to time. Why are they beating their breasts now? As regards the PDP leader who advocated for Talibans in Kashmir should know her base within the masses of Kashmir. In the latest parliamentary elections, she as the head of a dynasty political party tried her luck from the home turf, only to be relegated to the last position and was merely able to save her security deposit. All her nominated candidates who were fighting the parliamentary elections lost miserably. This electoral rout for the PDP came in the wake of rise in violence in the valley and a backlash from the voters after PDP aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2015 to form the state government. Does she still claim to be the leader of the masses of Kashmir? Her illustrious father Mufti Mohd Sayeed was Home Minister of India during V P Singh’s Prime Ministership, which was supported by BJP. So why blame BJP? You all as dynastic rulers of Jammu & Kashmir have been privy to all such happenings wittingly. Where is the place and space for Talibans now in Kashmir? The Government of India should give a direct message to such persons to behave and to mend their ways and stop speaking like irresponsible fellow.
(The author is a Chartered Consultant Civil Engineer, passionately attached to his Motherland -Jammu & Kashmir)