OMAR’S
TEARS AND POLITICS BY DR.ABDUL MAJID SIRAJ
India
is no doubt the largest democracy on Earth and by its own definition democracy
integrates opinion of a system of government by the whole population. The National Conference leaders like Dr
Mustafa Kamal and Omar Abdulla are making news by asserting their right to be a
part of that whole population. National
Conference proclaim as a policy that Jammu & Kashmir has been given an
adversarial treatment by the Indian government time and over and no progress made in implementation of legally
mandated pledges given to the State. Logic
of cause and effect would leave unscathed voices and tears well up in
frustration. NC responsible for seminal politics in
Kashmir carried the mantle of restoring the historical title through right to
self-determination.They used Indian
foreign policy decree of a plebiscite and fought elections on the back of that
manifesto. They were rebuffed and their
leaders banished to exile.
National
Conference’s current platform on autonomy spawned from the letter that Abdullah
wrote to Mrs Indira Gandhi Prime Minister of India on Feb. 11, 1975 in which
Abdullah reiterated that the constitutional relationship between India and
J&K should be what it was in 1953. This paved a legitimate pathway for a democratic demand that could not
be construed as blames worthy or anti-Indian or an act of sedition. 1953 Agreement for NC ossified A-370 vehicle
in the wedlock between India and Kashmir. 370 was not only a statute in Indian constitution but also unshakable
because of its endorsement by J&K constitution (1975) that made no
provisions for its dilution or removal when confirming accession.This posture in India Kashmir relationship
encouraged further parlays by NC leaders to press for removal of Armed Forces
Special Powers Act and withdrawal of armed forces from Jammu and Kashmir. The current NC leader in power Omar Abdullah
also voiced these demands from an official platform. It may be Dr Mustafa’s conception of an
egalitarian and tolerant form of society has been his misfortune that
repeatedly lands him in the battle of harsh critique but from his rebellious
disclosures he underscores the axiom that a democracy in real terms cannot
exist if it is not run on veracity in democratic principles.
National
Conference is synonymous with the life history of Sheikh Mohammad Abdulla. In 1931, in an all-out revolt against
autocracy he rose to reform governance of a brutalised society and assertion of democratic right in a
totalitarian harsh regime. His journey
was momentous, full of hazards, trials and tribulations and encounters with
fierce resistance from the ruler. He
came through as a strong and prodigious leader, known the world over. Mustafa lives in his father and derives
guidance from his teachings.It is
Abdulla’s Rambir Singh Pora speech on April 10, 1952 that crystallized for him
a clear stand.India was communal
Abdulla had said and Kashmir was wedded to secularism. The two ideologies stood symbolic of
anti-thesis.Soon after that the working
group of NC top leaders had met and decided on supporting a plebiscite to
include choice for independence for the whole State, with joint control of
defence and foreign Affairs from India and Pakistan. Sheikh Abdullah declared on July 13, 1953
that Jammu & Kashmir can be independent and is not an appendage of India or
Pakistan. In a dovetail development NC
General Secretary Moulana Syed Masoodi warned India of a demand for third
option if pressure for a total merger with India was allowed to mount. It is the intensity of such landmarks in
the genesis of NC party that brings tears and impels them to say that if
autonomy was not conceded, India may have to give independence.
NC
has been a drone with its controls in New Delhi. Sheikh Abdullah made an
all-out effort to pilot the governance of the State and spent 20 years in
jail.His son Dr Farooq re-invigorated
an autonomy drive and tried to resist the drone culture and met his fate by
being unseated from power by using associates close to him.The grandson Omar has a grooming in the wider
Indian constituency and he made his efforts at withdrawal of draconian laws and
withdrawal of army from the State.He
was disappointed and as reported by Early
Times Jammu (March I, 2013) the response he got was deployment of more
troops on LOC and IB. That would
inevitably increase tension and more harsh treatment for the masses.What else would he expect except tears? I take exception with people who say that he
must resign if he finds himself ineffectual.
What would be the aftermath sequel following his resignation? Would India then concede to demands; current
or past? It was apparent to him that
while screaming for redress of massive criminal violations against people in
the State one more young man Tahir Ahmad was killed in cold blood. ‘We had to cross so many rivers of fire and
blood’ written in memoirs of Sheikh Abdulla remind him of where history has
landed the nation.
A
critique on the genesis of catastrophic conflict that is devastating the
subcontinent is valid and NC has a widely held share to bear.Related views are
expressed in the recent publication of the book ‘The Unwritten History’ by
Chrsitopher Snedden who claimed that if all 77% Muslims in 1947 were united, and
then the Maharaja would have found it difficult to accede the whole State of
J&K to India. This has an oblique
reference to the role National Conference played at the crucial juncture in the
history of Kashmir. NC functionaries
like MP Gulam Nabi Ratanpuri who pledged support for restoration of people’s
democratic rights and claim openly that self-determination is a legal right
that must be accorded to the population made observations on the role of their
seminal leadership with flaws and failures (GK March 1).
NC
member Dr Mahboob Beg tried his hand at petitioning before Home Minister Mr
Shinde for bare minimum considerations towards Kashmir and return of the dead
body of Kashmiris buried in Tihar jail. This was a plea that Omar as CM had
openly made. In a critical analysis a
contrast is made with the powers of Mr. Narinder Modi the Chief Minister of
Gujarat, who is openly dictating the terms to powers in centre and runs his
state like his country. Kashmir is
subservient and Omar may posture as being in command but makes it known that
there are immense structural obstacles that define his state, a statement made
by Tanvir Sadiq his political secretary (GK 9 march, 13).His tears will remain his mate with each
tumble the political upheavals take and Kashmir surges on suffering unabated.
DR
Abdul Majid Siraj nova.academia89@gmail.com www.kashmir-caselaw.com
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