Vijay Raina    

In the month of March 2018 (last month), two major developments took place in the Kashmir politics. One, Finance Minister of Jammu & Kashmir Haseeb Ahmed Drabu was sacked from the State Cabinet and two, Mohammed Ashraf Sehrai was promoted as the chief of the separatist Tehreek- e-Hurriyat — Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s own outfit.

Drabu, a key minister in the state government and one of the known architects of BJP-PDP agenda for alliance along with Naeem Akhtar, Ram Madhav and Dr Jitendra Singh, was shown the door after he made a remark saying Kashmir is not a political issue. I am reproducing the excerpt from his speech where he made this important revelation. “Don’t see J&K as a conflict state and as a political issue. It’s a society which has social issues right now. We are trying to find our own space. And we are going through a process, which many other countries are going through. It’s not like we are the only ones. It’s not a political issue as far as I can see. I think we have been barking up the wrong tree talking about for the last 50, 70 years talking about the politics of it, the political situation, how it has never been improved. I think we also seriously need to correct in terms of how it's a society in search for itself.”

In a way, he has endorsed what we Kashmiri Pandits have been saying and holding about the Kashmir issue since the day the princely state of Jammu & Kashmir signed the instrument of accession with India. What remains about the K- issue for us like Drabu said rightly are social and security issues. We wanted and want to live with dignity, religious and individual freedoms as guaranteed under constitution, co- create and participate in Kashmir’s economy and cultural mainstream like normal citizens. Our rights to live and serve in our ancestral land, our own motherland, have been time and again squashed and our psyche so bruised that most of us couldn't live up to our full potential in the valley.

The Geelani factor, which has been the channel of Pakistan’s proxy war through Islamic extremism and terrorism, is here to stay. Despite appointing Ashraf Sehrai, a long time associate and a firm believer of his ideology, in his place as head of his separatist outfit, Geelani himself hasn’t faded away and would continue to lead Hurriyat (G) separatist conglomerate. For us, this development means that the Geelani era, views and separatist action plans, would continue to radicalize Kashmiri society.

In the hindsight, it is my view that the separatist politics, including soft separatism, is a thriving industry in the Kashmir valley and the way a pragmatic voice like that of Drabu, the blue-eyed boy of late Mufti Mohd Sayeed, was miffed and not allowed to go for a debate, normalization prospects in Kashmir are bleak. Our psychological distance to our home return has not lessened. However, we, at Kashmiri Samiti Delhi, would continue to advocate and lobby for our rights and the rightful place in Kashmir, be assured!

On March 21, we lost a brave heart, SGC Deepak (Deepu) Thusoo while fighting terrorists in ther Kupwara forests. His supreme sacrifice for upholding national security of India makes us very proud. However, at the same time, our heart goes out to the bereaved family, especially the two young children, he left behind. On behalf of Kashmiri Samiti Delhi, we have made it known that we stand with the family, wherever needed, we’ll always support it. We also urge the Government to bestow gallantry police medal on late Deepu Thusoo, which, in a way, will be recognition for the whole of the KP community.

Also, our Hon’ble Chief Minister, Ms Mehbooba Mufti, on 31st March, came to Delhi and interacted with some of the community members. While we welcome any outreach by Central or State Government to our community and as one of the oldest and elected representative of KPs in Delhi, would support such initiatives, it was disappointing on the part of our CM not to spell any concrete roadmap on our fundamental demands including return and rehabilitation. Her suggestion that we should visit as tourists was in bad taste even though we fully support KP children going on education and heritage tours in Kashmir. This is something, which had been done in the past but needs sincere recasting. I would like to remind our Hon'be Chief Minister that she is welcome to come and meet us like her father late Mufti Mohd. Sayeed came to Kashmiri Samiti several years ago.

As stakeholders to normalcy in Kashmir we are as much interested as any normal Kashmiri is. You said Kashmir is incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits, let’s see some sincerity through deeds.

 

DISCLAIMER:

The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article.

Courtesy: Koshur Samachar, April 2018 and Vijay Raina Ex. President Kashmir Samiti Delhi