We should be thankful to India, Irfan Ali

We should be thankful to India, Irfan Ali
Posted by K4Kashmir on September 30, 2010 in Kashmir | 0 Comment Edit
We should be thankful to India
Thank you for awakening us from the deep slumber we are in, for altering the very meaning of our lives, for making us overcome the fear of death
Irfan Ali

http://www.risingkashmir.com/news/we-should-be-thankful-to-india-1944.aspx

The imposing curfew and restrictions in Kashmir will certainly end up isolating its architects and enforcers. It will spawn more anger and violence on the already blood bathed streets of valley. For a commoner certainly it means living in a climate of sickening uncertainty. It is absurd for government to even toy with the notion that it can stamp out violence and protests with more violence and oppression.
Protests are the symptoms and not the disease. After all will burning haystick find you the needle? Or will it escalate anger and deepen alienation? The theory of curfew is just like, to quote the celebrated author-intellectual Arundhati Roy, “theory of nuclear deterrence which is nothing but a perilous joke in a world where iodine pills are prescribed as prophylactic for nuclear irradiation”. At present without any prejudices it is quite vivid that the dictatorship of an nuclear democracy and hegemonistic elite is trying its level best to coerce we Kashmiris into submission and at the same time is also hoodwinking the international community as well as its own people into believing that the protests for self determination are the machinations of the foreign elements. What a great deception! Even they are not sparing their own people. They care a hoot for them not to talk of us. We shall be thankful to India for shedding our blood. Thank you for awakening us from the deep slumber, for altering the very meaning of our lives, for making us overcome the fear of death. Yes its happening. It’s all happening although slowly but surely. After all if protesting against dictatorial rule is anti-national, then I secede. I hereby declare myself independent. I own no land. I have no house, I have no assets. I have no bank balances. I have no cars and luxuries. I have nothing. All that I have is freedom to live with dignity and honour which I cherish and revere the most. Thus, theory of curfew has miserably failed in deterring me in declaring myself independent.
As far as the Hurriyat Conference (both factions) are concerned, I although am in my twenties and naïve to politics, I very humbly appeal to both S A S Geelani Sahib as well as Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq that they immediately reconcile and unite together once for all. The Hurriyat leadership needs to understand that nationalism is always a political movement by definition. It requires political organisation, skilled political leadership and resources to gain support to make successful demands in the political system. Moreover, the movement must be able to compete effectively against alternative regimes and must be strong enough to withstand government efforts to suppress it or to undercut its other supports which may be political as well. Take example of the Akali Dal in Punjab, they built an unshakable base of nationalist support through its ability to call upon the resources of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee(SGPC), a body that manages all the Sikh temples in the province, the Zionist movement in Europe and America was able to call upon, if not command, the financial resources of its bourgeoisie. Also, the resistance movement in Kashmir has now reached at such a critical juncture that it must now be able to withstand the changes in leadership as well. Most successful nationalist and freedom movements are led by strong, dynamic and sometimes charismatic leaders but such leadership may not be sufficient to sustain a movement to the end. Prominent leaders may die or be killed or may turn away from the pursuit owing different reasons or may get assassinated as happened with the senior Mirwaiz in 1990’s or in 2008 with Sheikh Aziz sahib during Amarnath land protests, before our goal of self determination is achieved. There must, therefore, be a clear successor or a second rung of leaders who can affect a succession without dividing the movement. The more successful nationalist movements, such as those of Jews have been provided leadership continuity and have coped with succession problems while black community in the United States lost much of its unity and the momentum of the movement after the death of Martin Luther King.
The only panacea out of this quagmire as I see and analyse per se is to execute a United Nations (UN) mediated solution which in the first instance should involve the simultaneous withdrawal of claim on Kashmir on both sides of ceasefire line from both the India as well as Pakistan and then unification of two Kashmiris and holding of plebiscite under the aegis of United Nations (UN) as was ratified by the leaders of both the countries in 1947. As confidence building measures India needs to immediately withdraw forces from civilian areas and confine them to their barracks, cantonments and borders, release all the youth and political prisoners without any precondition, revocation of draconian Armed forces special powers act which has elevated the Indian forces in valley to the status of a sacred cow who is accountable to none, trying those guilty of human rights violations in valley in the International Court of Justice, rehabilitation of victims of terror etc.

At the same time our youngsters should not resort to violent mode of protests rather protest peacefully. I realise it is easy to write here because the pain inflicted is deep and wounds are not healing but then violent protests damages Kashmir cause in the sense that it gives Indian administrators a pretext before International community as well as before its own people to execute killings of Kashmiris in the name of restoration of law and order. Moreover it helps the people who are against our cause and struggle in maligning it and makes the movement for right to self determination more vulnerable to hegemony and oppression. My salutes to all the brave children of Kashmir. You are not alone. Intellectuals, writers and scholars all are with you. You go on marching and protesting but peacefully. We are with you till our last breath. I urge upon other intellectuals, writers and scholars to come out of slumber and write your protest for the Kashmir cause.

To conclude, all I can write and say here to every Kashmiri whether a man, woman, child, young or old, literate or illiterate, scientist or philosopher, doctor or engineer, writer or journalist, rich or poor, just stand up and say something wherever you are and in whatever position and capacity you are in this world. Never fear the oppressors. On the day of judgement you will be asked by Almighty that you had the power to speak, write, think or at least pray against oppression. What will you answer to your Almighty Allah on that day? Never mind if it has been said before. Speak up against killings, violence and mayhem on your own behalf. Take it very personally. I hope this write up will act as a wakeup call from this overwhelmingly complex troublesome matrix and quagmire for all the stakeholders. May Almighty rise the sun of freedom on the soil of Kashmir soon. Ameen!

Feedback at irfanfpr@yahoo.com.