Dubai meeting-other side of the story
Dr Shabir Choudhry, London
Dr Nazir Gilani needs to break free from the illusion that he is the brain
behind Kashmiri politics; that he has a monopoly on wisdom and the use of the
pen; and that only he knows the ‘jurisprudence’ of the Kashmir dispute. Many
are much wiser than him, and know better how to make use of the pen. However,
they might not have an army of fake IDs at their command to ridicule others.
Like many others in Kashmiri politics, I also
make a deliberate effort to avoid confrontation with him, as I believe I can
make a positive contribution without pulling someone’s leg and without
belittling anyone. Also, matters which he was highlighting in his own name by
telling half-truths and by taking things out of context, it also concerned four
other individuals and the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front as an organisation. I
thought someone would show him a mirror.
For reasons best known to the other four individuals, namely Raja Muzaffar, Barrister Majid Tramboo, Usman Rahim and Farooq Papa, have decided to remain quiet; and as the JKLF is still in more than one group and perhaps not sure what to say on the issue; I decided to tell other side of the story related to the Dubai meeting, which Dr Nazir Gilani has deliberately avoided.
After a long time, when he deliberately presented a
statement of the JKLF Central Diplomatic Bureau related to the Dubai meeting in
a negative way, I asked him to explain: who convened this meeting? What was its
agenda? And above all, who else participated in the meeting apart from the
names he had given out?
He went quiet on this, as he knew that a reply to
those questions would not only expose him but also many other things. However,
after two weeks of silence, he produced a press cutting of the JKLF CDB
statement published in the Kashmir Times on 28 April 2002. To advance his
agenda, he took things out of context and said:
‘It is relevant to point out that A.G. Lone was killed within a month on 21 May 2002 on his return to Srinagar’.
A few days after that, he wrote a lengthy
article titled ‘Time please’ which was published on 16 April in ‘Rising
Kashmir’. He is making desperate efforts to implicate the JKLF statement with
the callous murder of Abdul Ghani Lone. After reading that, despite my recent
health problems, I said to myself that the man needs to be shown a mirror and
set historical records straight.
After this introduction now let us analyse the
events. Dr Nazir Gilani, in his article mentioned above, writes:
‘The first serious and transparent move to debate the various aspects of the Kashmir situation began with the Dubai Meeting of mid-April 2002. Khawaja Abdul Gani Lone, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (APHC), Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, chairman National Kashmir Committee of Pakistan, Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai (KAC), Mushtaq Jeelani (KCC) and Syed Nazir Gilani (JKCHR) met in Dubai to discuss the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.’
He claims it was a ‘transparent move to debate the
various aspects of the Kashmir situation’, yet he is too afraid to tell who
organised that meeting. What was its agenda? And above all, who else was
present? Why is he not speaking the whole truth? The fact is that those who
arranged the meeting and paid for its expenses were also present in the meeting
to tell them what should be done in the name of the Kashmir dispute inside the
Valley of Kashmir and around the world.
Every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir knows that Dr Nazir Gilani’s JKCHR doesn’t have a second member, same is the case with KAC and KCC. All three organisations can fit in a Toyota saloon, and still there will be some space for another such organisation. So, with that kind of power behind them, who gave them the right to represent Kashmir?
Dr Nazir Gilani has worked hard over the past
few years to establish that Dr Fai, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and APHC work for the
Pakistani establishment to advance their agenda on Kashmir. The other
participant, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, openly says he works for Pakistan and
that he is an ‘unpaid soldier’ of Pakistan. Dr Nazir Gilani, at that time, was
also reported to be a senior stalwart of the Pakistani establishment, and he
proudly claimed that before he landed in Islamabad, his meetings with the
President and Prime Minister of Pakistan were scheduled.
So, one can safely guess who arranged the
meeting and for what purpose. I can agree that people of the Valley have
suffered immensely because of the militant struggle; and, from time to time, we
all claimed that it is ‘our struggle’, fact however, is that we only suffered,
struggle was in control of those who planned it and provided resources for it
to ensure that the Kashmir pot keeps on boiling to suit their agenda.
Those who called the Dubai meeting and paid for
its expenses, like always, came out with a list of demands – one can call it a ‘do
more’ list. This very senior officer of the Pakistani establishment, after
giving his briefing to a mainly subservient audience, promised them new rewards
and urged them to implement the agenda.
News filtered from the meeting was that Abdul
Ghani Lone spoke out against this dictation. He reportedly said, ‘Enough is
enough, we have lost a generation by following your instructions, and we are nowhere
near our destination. Your policies have only added to our problems and
miseries; and from now on, we will do what we think is in our interest. There
was a heated exchange of views between him and the big man from Islamabad.
Docile and subservient minds felt very
uncomfortable with the courageous stand of Abdul Ghani Lone. They had no guts
to oppose the boss, but didn’t want to fall out with Lone Sahib either. They
tried to cool down the matter, but Lone Sahib stood his ground. His view was
that the interest of Kashmir is paramount to the Pakistani interest; and the
meeting ended with a bitter taste in mouths, and some were subdued like
frightened rabbits. Some felt that the bold stand might cost Abdul Ghani Lone
his life, and he was advised not to go to Srinagar until the dust settles down.
Abdul Ghani Lone went to the United States and spent some time meeting the
Americans and the Kashmiri Diaspora.
The news cutting which Dr Nazir Gilani has
produced to implicate the JKLF reads:
‘JKLF joins Geelani in criticising Dubai
conclave’. The title of the news clearly shows that before the JKLF statement,
a senior Kashmiri leader, Ali Shah Geelani, also criticised the Dubai meeting,
and the JKLF only joined those who criticised that conclave. So, why is Dr
Nazir Gilani’s gun pointing towards the JKLF statement? Does he have some
personal agenda or an axe to grind? Is he advancing someone else’s agenda?
When Abdul Ghani Lone was shot dead in a public
meeting held to commemorate the death of Mirwaiz Mohlvee Farooq in Srinagar,
his politician son, Sajad Lone, openly said that the Pakistani ISI had killed
his father. Some tried to shift blame to India; however, Professor Ghani Bhat,
another senior leader of APHC, last year declared that it was wrong to accuse
India of the deaths of Mirwaiz Mohlvee Farooq and Abdul Ghani Lone; they were
killed by our own people.
So, it is clear that the JKLF statement had no
impact whatsoever on the life of Abdul Ghani Lone; however, Kashmir watchers
assert that what transpired in the Dubai meeting ultimately sealed the future
of Abdul Ghani Lone. Perhaps some of the participants have a guilty conscience
over this issue; maybe they have not, as tens of thousands of other innocent
Kashmiris have also lost their lives, and no one is prepared to acknowledge
culpability over this. Alas, it has become a business for some.
It might be interesting for readers to know that
one of the participants of the Dubai meeting was also having secret meetings
with the Indians and passing on the information. Pakistani scoops may have
formulated wrong policies, especially about the Kashmir dispute, but they are
not fools.
They soon found out the mole and sacked him from his post. The poor guy, out of favour with the Pakistani establishment, has been running from pillar to post since that date to get his job back. During his last meeting with them, he once again begged them for his old job or any job with reduced perks, but alas, to date, he has had no luck, hence his frustration and anger. May Allah put him on a right path?
The writer is a political analyst and author of
many books and booklets. Also, he is the Director Institute of Kashmir Affairs.
Email:drshabirchoudhry@gmail.com View:
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