Kashmiri struggle and
traitors, Dr Shabir Choudhry
03 January 2012
Traitor is someone who
knowingly and deliberately involves in actions that are detrimental to
interests of his/her nation, a tribe or a community. In other words, a traitor
commits acts of treason by betraying. This betrayal or treachery does not have
to be for the sake of monetary gains, as people do it for different reasons.
Some do it for money; others do it for ideological or religious reasons. Some
may do it for political gains and social status; and some may do it to take
revenge from some perceived injustice to his/her family or tribe or for being
let down.
In contemporary
history of Jammu and Kashmir Sheikh Abdullah was the first leader to be called
a ‘traitor’, fact, however, is that he was a great leader, and he pursued pro Kashmir
policies, which were not appreciated by rulers of Pakistan. He was a Kashmiri
leader and promoted pro Kashmir policies. He did not want Jammu and Kashmir to
become either part of Pakistan or India. He wanted Jammu and Kashmir to become
independent, detached from India and Pakistan that they can have separate
existence and promote their history and culture.
Rulers of Pakistan did
not want Jammu and Kashmir to become independent. Despite Standstill Agreement with
Kashmir they blocked food supply to Jammu and Kashmir and on 22 October 1947 managed
a naked tribal aggression against Kashmir and killed innocent people, raped
women and looted citizens of Kashmir.
The forces of Jammu
and Kashmir were unable to defend this aggression; and dream of Sheikh Abdullah
and the Maharajah of Jammu and Kashmir to remain independent was shattered.
Fearing capture of Srinagar– summer capital and the main city of the State, the
Maharaja fled to Jammu– the winter capital and requested India for help. India also
wanted Jammu and Kashmir to become part of India; and this naked aggression
provided India with an opportunity to gain accession of the State with India.
The Maharajah of Jammu
and Kashmir had no choice but to accede to India in order to seek military help
and save his state and citizens. This accession was provisional in nature and
had to be ratified by the people of Jammu and Kashmir; and to date we had no
opportunity to express our view on this matter.
Sheikh Abdullah, on this
occasion, decided to side with the Maharajah and people of Jammu and Kashmir;
and fought those who came to occupy his motherland. He was, no doubt, pro
independent and not pro India, but when he was insulted by Mohammed Ali Jinnah
fourth time in October 1947, he had made up his mind that he would not support
State’s accession to Pakistan. However, the situation imposed on him and on Kashmir
by Pakistan’s unprovoked attack, forced Sheikh Abdullah to support this
‘provisional accession’.
The Pakistani rulers
failed to capture Kashmir and held Sheikh Abdullah and India responsible for
this; and it was at that time they called Sheikh Abdullah a ‘traitor’; and many
people under propaganda of Pakistan viewed him in that light. However, the
situation changed when the same Sheikh Abdullah showed signs of rebellion and
was paving way for an independent Jammu and Kashmir, he was sent to jail by
India; and at that time Pakistani government forgetting what they called him in
past, promoted Sheikh Abdullah as a ‘Lion of Kashmir’.
The point to be
remembered here is that it was our Muslim brothers and neighbouring Pakistan
that attacked us on 22 October 1947 once we became independent after lapse of
the British Paramountcy on 15 October 1947; and it was the rulers of Pakistan
who gave a title of a ‘traitor’ to a towering Kashmiri leader of Jammu and
Kashmir. Furthermore, it was this attack that forcibly divided our country,
hence our miseries on both sides of the divided line since 1947.
Since that date our so
called ‘advocate’ and ‘liberators’ issued many fatwas (edicts) telling us who
is a ‘Kashmiri traitor’ and who is a ‘Kashmiri patriot’; and while doing this
‘great service’ to the people of Jammu and Kashmir they applied a simple
criterion: a Kashmiri who was loyal to Pakistan was a patriot; and those who
earnestly opposed accession to Pakistan were declared ‘anti Pakistan’ and
‘traitors’. This policy has not changed since that date.
With passage of time
Jammu and Kashmir became hunting ground for secret agencies of both India and
Pakistan where people were oppressed and intimidated for holding pro Kashmir
views; and some were labelled as ‘traitors’ by respective governments. Many
leaders and political activists of Jammu and Kashmir do not openly express
their views because of fear that they will be declared ‘anti Pakistan’ and
‘Indian agent’. It is ironic that those who work against interests of Jammu and
Kashmir and promote Pakistani interests are not considered traitors; if
anything, they proudly promote a Pakistani agenda and call themselves
‘patriots’.
In the past this task
of labelling ‘traitor’ or ‘agent’ was assigned to the secret agencies; but now
this task, by and large, has been taken over by people of Jammu and Kashmir and
especially people of Pakistani Administered Kashmir. Leaders and political
activists of the Valley can promote pro Pakistan policy or even division of
Jammu and Kashmir, and both of these positions are against genuine interests of
Jammu and Kashmir, yet they are considered patriots and no one from the Valley
call them ‘traitors’.
But if leaders and
political activists of Pakistani Administered Kashmir oppose accession to
India, oppose accession to Pakistan and promote united and independent Jammu
and Kashmir that caters for all its citizens irrespective of their religious or
ethnic background they are labelled as ‘traitors’ by Pakistani secret agencies,
and by some people with tunnel vision in Pakistani Administered Kashmir and in
the Indian Administered Kashmir.
This labelling of each
other as a ‘traitor’ and an ‘agent’ has made the task of dividing and governing
us easier for India and Pakistan; and weaken our struggle so much that despite
so many sacrifices there is no light at the end of tunnel. New Year has
started, and many have wished Happy New Year, but I cannot see any happiness
coming our way; if anything, I can see more trouble and misery descending on South
Asia.
Seeds of extremism,
communalism, hatred and violence sowed to destroy and unstable enemies of Pakistan
have torn the Pakistani society apart. Extremism, communalism and violence
which was, at one time, exported in holy name of Jihad has made Pakistan a
battleground for competing interests and militant groups, each calling the
other ‘Kaffir’ and in some cases enemy of Islam and Pakistan.
We Kashmiris protest
that Pakistan has stabbed our struggle for independence and have been
instrumental in division of our homeland that has brought misery and oppression
on both sides of the divide. But what can you expect from Pakistani rulers and
establishment? Those who have destroyed Jinnah’s Pakistan; and those who kill,
oppress and torture their own people cannot be expected to be nice to us.
In a country where
political culture is such that President, Prime Minister, Home Minister and the
Army Chief are accused of being ‘traitors’ and ‘agents’ of other countries and
working against integrity and sovereignty of the State; and where every leader
is perceived as corrupt and working against national interests what can you
expect from them? This political culture has filtered down to various parts of
divided Jammu and Kashmir; and people of Jammu and Kashmir have made task of
secret agencies of India and Pakistan easier because now we call each other
‘traitor’ and ‘agent’ of one country or the other.
This trend of
labelling each other with titles of a ‘traitor’ and an ‘agent’ has further
divided and weakened the people of Jammu and Kashmir; and people who are
divided are easy to control and oppress. If we are to make progress and achieve
our most cherished goal of independence, then we have to carefully analyse the
situation and see what went wrong. We are occupied by more than one country.
True, militarily we cannot fight them all, but we must not be promoting agenda
of those who occupy us; and say that one is an occupier and the other is not.
We must remember that Jammu
and Kashmiris a multi religious and multi ethnic State; and the Kashmir dispute
is not religious in nature. Kashmiri people on the Pakistani side of the divide
cannot practically and logically fight to liberate the people on the other side
of the divide; and they cannot come to liberate us or people of Gilgit
Baltistan. Whether we like it or not, the struggle has to be done by the local
people where they are occupied; and without fear of being called a ‘traitor’.
We can only be
traitors if we are working to divide the State of Jammu and Kashmir, either in
name of religion or some ideology. Our prime responsibility is to promote a
Kashmiri interest; and if that clashes with the perceived national interest of
those who occupy us then that should not be our problem. If we defend a
Kashmiri interest and promote united and independent Jammu and Kashmir then we
are Kashmiri patriots and not agents of any country; and those who view us like
that could well be agents of those who occupy us.
Writer is Director
Diplomatic Committee of Kashmir National Party, political analyst and author of
many books and booklets. Also, he is Director Institute of Kashmir Affairs.Email:drshabirchoudhry@gmail.com
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