By not allowing Million March, Mufti will alienate Kashmiris more

-
If RSS is allowed to walk in the Jammu region, why is the Hurriyat treated differently in the Valley

Daanish Bin Nabi

With curbs on the Hurriyat leaders, arrest of hundreds of youth and activists and pulling down Facebook and Twitter pages to foil the proposed Million March called by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Prime Minster Narendra Modi is all set to address the so-called "Kashmiris". Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's mantra the "Battle of Ideas" is falling apart like a pack of cards. 


The arrest spree that Kashmir witnessed this week is unprecedented. Frisking and checking of all passers-by has increased. From buildings to security vans, the streets of Srinagar and other districts of Kashmir have been flooded with CCTV cameras to avoid any "untoward" incident. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh had visited Kashmir several times, and this is Narendra Modi's fourth visit to the Valley. But this time, in the words of Mufti, seems to be "historic" in every manner. If reports are to be believed, mobile networks and trains will be suspended. National Highway, the only lifeline to the Kashmir Valley, will be closed for the entire day. Isn't the Modi's visit "historic"? Indeed it is.

Going by what we see, one can expect strict curfew on November 7. The situation has been well described by The Hindu's correspondent Peerzada Ashiq. He wrote on Facebook, "Normalcy has a new definition in Kashmir: Undeclared Curfew and Un-owned harassment."

All these developments in Kashmir come at a time when 69 per cent sane Indians did not vote for the pseudo-Hindu party, namely the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Scores of public intellectuals and leading artistes are up against growing intolerance in India. But Mufti is all praise for Modi, which is strange. Is this a political gimmick by the J&K CM to lure Modi to announce the much awaited flood package and talks with Pakistan and Hurriyat? This way, back home Mufti can sell the relief package as his "achievement" and fool Kashmiris once again.

News reports say the PDP and BJP leaders have directed their party men, including ministers, legislators and parliamentarians, to ensure an impressive gathering at the Sher-e-Kashmir cricket stadium, venue for Modi's rally. One wonders if Modi is going to address Kashmiris or his coalition government to ensure absolutely a hassle-free rally. Reports add that at the rally which Modi addressed at the same venue on December 8 last year, Sajad Lone's party had to ensure participation. This time around, the PDP has been used to arrange the numbers. They all will be projected as poor Kashmiris.

As for the "Million March", one fails to understand that if the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is allowed their marches in the entire Jammu region, why is the government shying away from allowing a march here? The Hurriyat patriarch Geelani had said they would ensure that no untoward accident happens during Million March. At least, the Kashmiris would not have been wielding guns, swords or lathis for their march. The obvious reason for foiling the Million March is the so-called "disturbing peace" of Kashmir. Mufti, who was seen as a ray of hope by the Kashmiris because of his 2003 stint as chief minister, has let them down and miserably failed.

As for the "Battle of Ideas", it is losing sheen with each passing month and exposing Mufti.

Not allowing this Million March will alienate Kashmiris more. The head of law faculty of Central University of Kashmir, Sheikh Showkat Hussain, amply summed up the situation of Kashmir in following words. "When you talk about integration but resort to annihilation, the result can be nothing other than disintegration."


Published in DailyO on November 06, 2015

Popular posts from this blog

Denial of democracy has been the ongoing story of Kashmir: Jalal

-
Image
Newsroom Trial You have to choose your method of struggle intelligently: Bose  Ayesha Jalal  and  Sugata Bose , two noted scholars and historians and renowned academics and authors from America visited ‘Rising Kashmir’ on June 21 to interact with members of the newspaper’s editorial staff and reporters. The duo delivered brief talks which focussed on the politics of identity, regional identity, the question of minorities, intellectual history of ideas in South Asia, the K-issue and the way forward,   ‘rise of religious majoritarianism in India’, and China’s economic expansion, etc .    The session was moderated by  Editor-in-Chief  Dr Shujaat Bukhari . Ayesha Jalal, a Pakistani-born American Professor and Director, Center for South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies, Tufts University, said that Kashmir was not a question of religion for her. Jalal is grandniece of the renowned Urdu fiction writer Saadat Hasan Manto and a recipient of ‘...
Read more

House of Mirwaiz

-
Image
The first family of Kashmir Daanish Bin Nabi Kashmir has a number of religious institutions. One among them is the seat of Mirwaiz —which literally means head-preacher. In contemporary Islamic world this seat of “power” does not exist nor does it exercise so much influence as it does in Kashmir. This ‘Seat of Power’ is almost seven hundred years old and was recognized soon after the Muslim rule was established in Valley. There are no authentic sou rces during whose rule ‘ title Mirwaiz’ was officially introduced. Though many imminent contemporary Kashmiri historian are of the view that the title was introduced during Afghan regime. Conversely, the term Mirwaiz is not mentioned in Sir Walter Lawrence Classic, The Valley of Kashmir published in 1895, which is considered to be one of the authentic sources on modern Kashmir history. On other hand noted writer Zareef Ahmad Zareef says, “Ancestors of Mirwaiz travelled to Kashmir with caravan of Mir Syed Ali Hamadani (com...
Read more

Kashmir has an excellent future: Vijay Dhar

-
Image
Family of   Vijay Dhar   is one among those few who chose to return couple of years after the migration of Pandit community in early 1990 from Kashmir. Vijay is son of well-known Kashmiri politician Late Durga Prasad Dhar. He studied at Jamia Millia Islamia Delhi and has remained active in politics and social life. He came back to Kashmir in 1992 and settled here only after 1998. He decided to set up DP Dhar Trust in the same year to contribute in the field of education. By now Delhi Public School which he established in Srinagar a few years ago has made a mark. In an exclusive interview to  Rising Kashmir's   Online Editor,   Daanish Bin Nabi , Dhar talks about his homecoming and setting up of DP Dhar Memorial Trust. ·          Pandits have to come back ultimately; Valley is safe ·          We should introspect rather than blaming others     ·  ...
Read more