Mohd. Akbar Lone’s outburst was emotional

Surinder Kaul 

Mehjoor, the romantic Kashmiri poet-laureate of the revolutionary days, forecasted the political predilection of the majority population of Kashmiris in the words: “zuv haa wandaha Hindustanas, ama dil adi Paekistanas see? (I want to die for India, but my heart is with Pakistan). This is being vindicated in the J&K Assembly by showcasing anti-India, pro-selfdetermination, pro-secessionist utterance in a fit of emotions by some of the elected representatives across the party lines intermittently.

Whether, it is engineer Abdul Rashid, independent MLA from Langate, who stands for the UN resolution against the Indian administration in Kashmir, or his flaunting beef dishes in the premises of the J&K Assembly, or tagging Syed Salaudddin, HM chief, noted terrorist, Hakeem Yassin, PDP MLAs, the posture of international settlement of “Kashmir”, or Ajaj Ahmed Mir, PDP MLAs the position regarding the slain militants being called martyrs - all are sailing in the same boat.

Shouting of Pakistan Zindabad slogan by Mohd. Akbar Lone, former Speaker, of the Assembly and ex cabinet minister under Omar Abdullah’s chiefministership, and currently, MLA of national Conference, a mainstream political party of the state, in the Assembly, was a treacherous act. Over and above his audacity to challenge the authority of the state and its constitution to which he is bound by the oath of loyalty and secrecy, it, further, affirms his scale of betrayal. The liberal brigade and the Left- oriented parties, in mainland India, which are in easy search for such anti-India outbursts, would not hesitate to shout from minarets that it is the freedom of expression in democracy, just to shield them, to bring them under the gloss of ideological canopy.

Here, Mohd. Akbar Lone had committed treason in an august house which passes laws for the welfare and economic development of the people to maintain equality, protection of life and property, irrespective of caste, colour or religion. So he should have applied his mind before spelling rotten beans in fit of anger and frustration. Today, a question mark is put before his loyalty? From the religious point of view it is a sin to deceive one’s own nation which is the home and hearth for each one. He had been drawing his salary, and other perks and benefits drawn from the Indian exchequer, but not realizing the repercussions of what he did - yell pro-Pak slogan. Jjunaid Mattoo, National Conference, spokesman, in his usual style, came out for damage control, while other members like Mohd Shafi Uri (NC), Mohd Yusuf Tarigami (CPM), in the Assembly, tried to mellow down the causticity of the slogan.

The leadership of the NC party distanced itself and BJP representatives raised their objections but none of them registered a case or any PIL against Mohd. Akbar Lone for his act of violation of the Indian Constitution.

Looking back at Mohd. Akbar Lone’s rise in the political sphere, he had a humble beginning from the agriculture background, hailing from the Naidkhai village in Tehsil Sumbal Sonawari; once a flood-prone belt, which was built as model township by late Bakshi Ghulam Mohd. In the late fifties. Mohd. Akbar Lone was upcoming, extrovert and progressive in attitude who started his career as a lawyer in the tehsil court of Sumbal Sonawari soon after his law graduation. Close on his heels, he was offered mandate by the Janta Party to contest elections from the Sumbal Sonawari constituency in 19.77, which he lost. In the following year, 1978, the late A.G.Lone, an innovative, skilful and sagacious politician, smarter than his contemporaries, hooked up Mohd Akbar Lone, Muzaffer Hussain Beigh, Bashir Khan and many brilliant young educated Muslim youths from Baramulla and Kupwara districts for People’s Conference which he floated after getting disgruntled with the politicking behaviour of the Congress and the NC in the valley. Mohd Akbar Lone fought another election in 1983 on the People’s Conference ticket from his native constituency but was declared unsuccessful along with other party candidates who too had lost except for Late A.G. Lone, a winning candidate from the Handawara Assembly segment. In furtherance of his political career, Akbar Lone chose to join National Conference in 1987 wherefrom his political graph ascended unstopped till date.

A question arises here, what forced Akbar Lone to make such a controversial slogan in the august body? It seems either pro-Pakistan sentiment among the public has gone so deep that he had to nurture his constituency or he, too, has got radicalized beyond control and in that desperation, he raised such a fissiparous, outrageous cry. Did he not introspect that by these fetid political postures, adopted by the political class in Kashmir, they are subverting and setting astray the minds of the young generation in the valley? Politically, he has not made any big leap forward but has come in the notice of Pakistan masters to carry their staff of political alternative of their choice.

Mohd Akbar Lone, the elected representative of National Conference, is not at fault because he has imbibed the character of controversies, double speak from his party bigwigs. His schooling in the Muslim Conference, from 1931 to 1939, can’t be undone from the preamble of the party which was exclusively communal against the Dogra rule. The first seed of secession was sown by late Shiekh Mohd. Abdullah after he was dethroned as PM of the state in 1953 for hobnobbing with the US to carve out his own sultanate in the valley. Sheikh Abdullah’s slogan of the Plebiscite Front, misled the people and poisoned the minds of Kashmiris against India. Eventually, it gave birth to many secessionist youth groups, cells thus resulted into indulgence of violence at the low ebb in the valley. Such groups had the tacit support Of Late Mirza Afzal Beg who used to carry rock salt in his pocket to allure voters by flaunting it in public gatherings. Beg was the right hand of Shiekh Abdullah who had whimsical and wobbling mind on most of the state affairs as he inwardly look on them from the religious angle. As a revengeful person, he did not permit the burial space to Late Bakshi Ghulam Mohd, at the Shahi Hamdan graveyard. He was the leader responsible for the economic and educational development in the state. Abdullah’s three generations ruled the state after the late Shiekh Was reincarnated on the culmination of Beg- Parthasarthy accord as CM. Dr Farouq, too, followed his father’s footstep of double talk to keep his constituency intact, whether in power or out of power. Since out of power, he, with vengeance, defended stone throwers of the valley who, according to him, were sacrificing for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. He suggested APHC to get united in the struggle and wanted third-party intervention for the solution of the issue.

So, the whole party is caught in its own contradictions and flickering policy with the result it is pushing Kashmir to further uncertainty.

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Courtesy: Sh. Surinder Kaul and Koshur Samachar April, 2018