Kashmiri leaders would be well-advised to become contributors to the peace process rather than its disruptors. leaders must stop threatening the administration and strive for peace instead
Recent statements of two former Chief Ministers of Jammu & Kashmir are similar in content and tenor and amount to threatening the authorities in case they chose to take a particular course of action.
There is no difference between Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, the two political rivals, in their approach to the union Government in New Delhi. When in power, they resort to emotional blackmailing and when out, they begin to threaten openly. This has been a trait of opportunistic Kashmiri leaders since the fall of Maharaja Hari Singh.
While Mehbooba has publicly acknowledged the extremist ideology of her party, Omar Abdullah challenged the state Governor’s administration.
It is a time tested formula of Kashmiri politicians to sing paeans to the Union Government and the ruling party when in power and blame it for everything that happens in Kashmir when out of power. They have mastered the art so well that they take no time in changing colours. In fact, this trait has been passed to them down the generations.
Unwilling to accept her failure to keep her flock together, Mehbooba, like the Abdullahs, chose the time-tested technique to shift the blame to the central leadership and also threatened dire consequences if her Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) splits.
The imminent split in PDP is an internal matter of the party. Some legislators, unhappy with Mehbooba Mufti’s style of functioning and dynastic rule and her preferential treatment to a favoured few, have openly revolted against her.
Besides, she lacked the basic leadership instinct and maturity to control such rebellion because she believed in ‘kitchen cabinet politics’. Parachuting her brother into the inner core of the party and tight control of party affairs by her maternal uncle did not augur well with many PDP legislators who felt left out and cheated.
Rather than accepting the challenge of setting her own house in order she chose the easier path of threatening the centre with “return to 1987 era.”
She should have refreshed her knowledge of history before making such a reference, because among the actors involved in 1987 were her own father, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.
She is now in an open competition with the Abdullahs of Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) as a consequence of which the separatists are going to have a field day. The administration would need to keep a close eye on her activities.
Coming to Omar Abdullah, the J&K National Conference (JKNC) leader, he questioned the administration’s decision to skip Martyrs’ Day function in Srinagar, and threatened the Governor’s administration by stating, “If you want to take this out of the list of state functions, then we will also see.” He also questioned the administration’s decision to convene a meeting in the state secretariat on a state holiday.
In the first place, Omar Abdullah must explain why July 13 should be celebrated as a State holiday when two of the three regions of the State do not agree with the false narrative of the events of July, 13, 1931, as propagated by the Valley’s Kashmiri leadership.
Secondly, what mandate does he enjoy to threaten the administrationij The role played by the JKNC’s leadership and cadre in events after Burhan Wani’s killing and resurgence of stone-pelting, with active support from his party, are well known. Is Omar Abdullah threatening the administration with re-emergence of the JKNC’s destructive politicsij The people of Jammu and ladakh will not bow down to this threat and will give adequate response, if needed.
Omar Abdullah’s contention that the July 13, 1931, uprising was not against any individual or religion is wrong and unsupported by facts. It was, in fact, a communal uprising by Kashmiri speaking Muslims against a Hindu ruler and the Hindus as part of an Anglo-Muslim conspiracy. Even within the State, only Kashmiri speaking Muslims formed part of this communal rebellion.
While the JKNC mourns the deaths of rebels, why do they not speak against brutal attacks and murders of innocent Kashmiri Pandits and Hindu Dogras in other parts of the Stateij
If they were protesting against the autocratic rule of the Maharaja, as claimed by Omar Abdullah, why were the properties of Kashmiri Pandits looted and why were they attacked and killed at the same time as the attack on the Central jailij
The people of Jammu and ladakh do not recognise it as Martyrs’ Day but as a Black Day and do not want a holiday on this particular date. In fact, truly speaking, July 13, 1931, is the harbinger of communal violence and radicalisation in Kashmir.
Giving it a State-level importance acts as a motivator for those who do not want the return of Kashmiri Pandits to retain its monolith character and warning to the minorities to be prepared to bear the consequences if the will of the goons is opposed.
Apart from the two regional parties, the PDP and the JKNC, the event is not patronised by others in the State. The Congress as usual is a divided house.
While its Kashmir unit joined the State function, its Jammu unit was opposed to it and remained away from it. It goes to the credit of the Governor’s administration that it chose not to observe a holiday in the Civil Secretariat and held a meeting of secretaries instead. Jammu Bar Association also set an example by declaring to continue to work and not observe a holiday. This should motivate others to emulate and surrender the holiday so that it loses its relevance.
Peace and normalcy must be restored. Kashmiri leaders would be well advised to become contributors to the peace process rather than disruptors. They must be careful with their statements, they should be conciliatory and not provocative. Sensing the anger the Kashmiri people have against them, their provocative statements may do them more harm than good and they may gradually lose their political relevance.
(The author is a Jammu based political commentator and strategic analyst. The views expressed are entirely personal)
