Kashmiris have been betrayed by their very own and such perpetrators need to be exposed so that the false image they have built among locals is shattered
A recent Home Ministry report has publicised a fact that was known to many but did not get due visibility in the media and hence remained confined to a few. It revealed how hardline separatist leaders received funds from abroad and utilised them for personal gains — from amassing properties to paying for foreign education of their kin. This has not only dominated the media but also raised a public outcry that the misdeeds of these leaders should reach every household in Kashmir, the people they claim to represent.
Ever since Amit Shah has occupied the all-important chair of the Union Home Minister, the Ministry has got a new fillip because of his perceived image as a doer. During his recent maiden visit to Kashmir, he minced no words in reiterating the zero tolerance policy of his government towards terror and terrorists, enunciating the need to crack down on terror funding first and ensure that the law of the land prevails.
Tightening its noose around those who were involved in terror funding, terror financing, money laundering and hawala operations, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), for the first time, under the directions of the previous Modi government, had arrested many separatist leaders, businessmen, hawala operators and close relatives of the Hurriyat leadership and put them through sustained interrogation to track the sources and origin of terror funding in Kashmir. NIA was successful in not only tracking the trail of terror funding but also revealed the beneficiaries and how terror was being sustained in the Valley apart from allowing the so-called leaders in Kashmir lead a luxurious life. The regional parties, who were heading the governments in Kashmir, turned a blind eye to this notorious malpractice because of their vested interest in continuation of terrorism in the state. How else can they explain cases of money laundering and hawala operations which were lingering on for decades together despite the registration of the cases?
This, in fact, has been the misfortune of Kashmir because the regional mainstream parties owe their political survival to separatist and extremist forces operating in the Valley. During their interrogation, the separatist leaders confessed that Pakistan was the main source of terror funding with the specific purpose of fuelling separatist sentiments among the people of Kashmir. Cross-LoC trade was one of the major sources of hawala operations and terror financing. During interrogation, Asiya Andrabi of the Duktaran-e-Milat admitted that she had been receiving funds and donations from Pakistan and other foreign sources for organising protests by Muslim girls and women in the valley. She has used part of this money to finance the education of her son in Malaysia while a major portion of expenses is borne by Zahoor Watali, a businessman arrested for terror funding. Watali is one of the main hawala conduits who received funds from Pakistan, ISI, UAE and had floated various shell companies to disguise foreign remittances for further transfer to separatist leaders and stone-pelters in the valley. Masrat Alam, the master-mind of stone-pelters, has confessed that funds were being distributed among various Hurriyat leaders including Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Shabbir Shah, another separatist leader, confessed that his hotel in Pahalgam and other businesses are financed through funds received from Pakistan. Yasin Malik, who brought together the various factions of Hurriyat under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), which became notorious for issuing “bandh rosters” in Kashmir, affecting the lives of common Kashmiris, confessed before the agencies that funds were received from big business houses in Kashmir and other “sources.” These sustained the bandh calls, disrupting economic activities in Kashmir, which also indirectly affected the trading community of Jammu.
These funds were used to fuel unrest in the Kashmir valley and organise violent agitations and anti-India activities, which resulted in large scale violence, leading to numerous injuries and deaths of innocent civilians and security forces personnel. The funds were also used to pay stone pelters, Friday protesters, those tasked to torch schools and government buildings, particularly panchayat ghars and the over ground workers. Pakistan has also entrusted Hurriyat the responsibility of financing “home-grown” terror groups from the funds received by them. Thus, apart from promoting and sustaining terror in Kashmir, these leaders were also involved in the killings of Kashmiris, closure of educational institutions and encouraging local youth to join the terror ranks. Among all this they also indulged in a luxurious life of their own and financing foreign education of their wards. According to the list released by the MHA, 210 relatives of Kashmiri separatist leaders currently live abroad. The documents also mention that 112 children of the separatists study in foreign countries, out of which 21 belong to 14 well-known separatists.
The MHA document also reveals as to how they spread hate and violence in Kashmir to further the Pakistani agenda of keeping the pot boiling and in perpetual turmoil. While they deny Kashmiris the right to live peacefully and decide their future as per their own wishes, they themselves lead a lavish lifestyle. While the separatists encourage the youth of the Valley to pick up stones and arms against security forces and join militancy, they seem to have no qualms in shielding their own family from the strife in the region by settling them not only in the metros but abroad as well. The hands of the Hurriyat leadership are soaked with the blood of innocent Kashmiris, who have the right to know about their misdeeds. This is the story of the great betrayal in Kashmir by their own and they need to be exposed so that the false image they have built in the hearts of the poor Kashmiri folk is shattered.
Sensing defeat in its design of annexing Kashmir through “religious militancy,” radicalisation and jihadi terror, it has now resorted to destroying the future generations of Kashmir by making them drug addicts. The frequency of seizure of drug consignments in the near past must have rung the alarm bells among the concerned authorities by now. Incidentally, drug menace is not confined to the Valley but has also engulfed the border districts of Jammu and is slowly penetrating other areas. It is more alarming in the Valley because the youth there is a vulnerable target due to the prevailing circumstances. The environment is such that the youth can be easily lured and the example of post-militancy Punjab is worth noting. Radicalisation and drug-addiction are the two major challenges staring in the face of the administration.
There is a desperate need to launch “Back to Village 2.0” in the State. While “Back to Village 1.0” was a massive outreach programme aimed at taking the administration to the doorstep of the villagers, its 2.0 version should aim at launching an effective information campaign and link it to a massive anti-drug and anti-radicalisation drive.
Apart from extensive coverage in the vernacular press, the campaign should also aim at educating the people and making them aware through audio-visual means. One is reminded of the good old days when the teams of field publicity division of the Government of India used to visit the villages with 16 mm projectors and screen documentary films. Now the technology has improved manifold. Rather than depending on in-house resources, the government should consider taking the services of professionals in the field. The films/songs should be in the local dialects to widen their reach. One should also revive local culture and use “bhands” to promote local folk art and messaging. Nukkad natak (street plays) can also be staged by professional groups to give voice to the youth angst. If terror has to end and lasting peace ensured in Kashmir, the terror support network, both local and Pak-sponsored, will have to be completely eliminated. Social awareness will ensure that such elements are exposed and are unable to mislead the simple Kashmiris with anti-India propaganda and exploit the Kashmiri youth.
(The author is a Jammu based political commentator, columnist, security and strategic analyst. He can be contacted at anil5457@gmail.com)
