Why I am under attack again? Dr Shabir Choudhry

Why I am under attack again?
Dr Shabir Choudhry 25 January 2012

Once again I am under fire, not because I have done something against unification and independence of Jammu and Kashmir, but because I spoke truth about role of some JKLF leaders, which despite its track record of promoting agenda of secret agencies of Pakistan claims to be a ‘nationalist’ party. Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) said: "Say what is true, although it may be bitter and displeasing to people."

Background

Some old colleagues of JKLF contacted me and asked: ‘in view of Dr Fai’s admission that he worked for ISI and received around 700,000 dollars annually to promote Pakistani interest on Kashmir, how do you see leaders of JKLF’s attempt to defend him and promote him as a Kashmiri patriot’?

As a person, I find Dr Fai a very decent human being; and despite his admission, I have never said anything on this issue, or said anything to belittle him. However, when more than one person requested my opinion on this I asked: ‘How do you view Dr Farooq Abdullah’? Reply was that he is an ‘Indian agent’ and ‘defends interest of India’.

I further asked: ‘What if Dr Farooq Abdullah gets in to trouble and some leaders come out to defend him and promote him as a patriot Kashmiri; and how would you see those leaders’. Instant reply was that ‘only Indian agents will defend him’. I said you have solved the problem. You know what Dr Fai did; and you also know who is defending him; and in view of that you can decide for yourself what is role of these people who defend him and promote him as a ‘patriot Kashmiri’.

I further said, with ISI training, money and guns JKLF introduced gun culture in Kashmir with disastrous results for the ordinary people. It provided Indian troops a reason to enter Kashmir homes and commit human rights violations, degrade women and inflict pain and suffering. Furthermore, Pakistani money and support created Kashmiri politicians and diplomats who promoted Islamabad’s vision of Kashmir inside the State of Jammu and Kashmir and on the international level.

I said, whereas militancy caused pain and suffering to the ordinary people, some people have become very rich as a result of this, as they regarded this as a business, and not a struggle for unification and independence of Jammu and Kashmir. Now, once again, Pakistani money will be used to defend and target people liked and disliked by Islamabad.

These people agreed with what I said, but felt that they have to remain quiet because of the party discipline, fear of reprisals and threat of expulsion and allegation of being an ‘agent’ and a ‘traitor’ is too much to put up with. I knew sooner or later, I would have to pay price for this honesty, as secret agencies and their touts don’t like to be exposed and criticised, hence the present wave of personal attacks and abuse against me with fake names and some of their blind followers and beneficiaries.

One critic, without going in to any background said ‘Yasin Malik kicked you out of JKLF’. JKLF has suffered many splits. More than four splits were caused by dictatorial and unconstitutional decisions of Amanullah Khan; and three by Yasin Malik. In each split opposing groups expel each other and then work separately with JKLF name. In 1995 when they clashed with each other both groups of JKLF (Yasin Malik Group and Amanullah Khan Group) accused each other for working for RAW and ISI. At that time we were working as Younis Group of JKLF and sided with Yasin Malik.

Amanullah Khan has been expelled from JKLF many times. Once he was expelled by two third majority of the Central Committee in 1990, and once he was expelled unanimously by JKLF Revolutionary Command Council in 1995, but he still operated with the name of JKLF, and with help of Pakistani establishment and some followers he managed to survive each time. So after expulsion no one is out of JKLF until that person decides to say good bye to JKLF.

When Pakistan started Mangla Dam upraising project to meet water and energy needs of Pakistan, which were to uproot tens of thousands of Azad Kashmiri people for the second time, Central Committee of JKLF (UK and Europe) decided to speak against this exploitation and injustice. Our argument was that Pakistan should construct dams inside Pakistani territory to meet their water and energy needs; and not uproot people of Mirpur.

In line with the Central Committee decision, Abbas Butt and I went to the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva, and I spoke against Pakistani injustice and exploitation. This was bitterly opposed by Pakistani secret agencies and their touts; and their angered transpired in expulsion of both of us; and as this was totally unconstitutional act, JKLF Central Committee rejected this and in retaliation expelled Yasin Malik and some of his colleagues.

Outcome of this illogical and unconstitutional act of those who acted in name of Yasin Malik was that the JKLF got split again, and we worked as a separate group of JKLF until we dissolved it in May 2008. However, what does it speak of Yasin Malik? Was he there to safeguard interests of people of Jammu and Kashmir (Azad Kashmir is also part of Kashmir) or he was there to protect interest of ISI and Pakistan? He did that on clear instruction of the ISI; and after the event, in a telephone conversation with one senior colleague he said: ‘I was under pressure to take this action. Option was to take this action or get few of my senior colleagues killed in Srinagar. I chose the first option.’

Question is who pressurised him? It can’t be India, as it was Pakistan which was upraising the dam in Azad Kashmir and we spoke against that action of Pakistan. So what does this speak about so called nationalism of JKLF? One can use all the resources of any secret agency to project that ‘pigs can fly’, but that will not change the reality. Promoters of this idea can hold conferences and host dinners for this purpose, and people will come to such dinners, listen to this ‘brilliant logic’, eat food and laugh at them.

Another critic, who did not deny about JKLF and ISI collaboration, but criticised me, as to why it took me eighteen years to discover that JKLF worked with ISI. He further claimed that Shabir Choudhry was a ‘confused person’; and that he built ‘own mosque KNP - Kash Net Party headed by Abbas Butt, and I am 100% sure that after 10 years Choudhry Sahib will say Abbas Butt is with ISI’.

When we set up JKLF in England in 1977, this critic was probably in nappy at that time, or not even born; and he could be excused for his ignorance about history of JKLF and history of Kashmir. JKLF and ISI collaboration started in 1987 when Amanullah Khan was expelled from Britain for alleged terrorism related activities. I was in Britain and our role was political and diplomatic.

We could not have predicted that Amanullah Khan would make this secret pact with the ISI in future, no one could. In any case I was in Britain, and was not aware of this secret deal; and no member of JKLF in Britain was aware of this, as only small circle associated with militancy knew this at that time. When I visited Pakistan and Azad Kashmir in 1991, I came to know about ISI and JKLF collaboration. It was an open secret; and no one felt anything bad about it, if anything, some JKLF leaders took pride in the fact that they had contacts with senior ISI officers.

Despite the prevailing mind – set, I and Chaudhry Qurban Hussain (now Lord Qurban Hussain) and few others challenged this in Central Committee meeting in Rawalpindi in 1991. We were assured that a detailed reply would be given in the next meeting; and new meeting was not called during my stay there. However, my disagreements were visible. Some sincere and senior friends acknowledged mistakes, (JKLF had suffered another split in 1990 when Amanuulah Khan was expelled for the third time, and the other group of JKLF known as Dr Farooq Haider Group and now known as Rauf Kashmir Group was strong) and said this was not the time to create more problems for beleaguered Amanullah Khan, and that we will resolve these issues internally.

It was logical that differences are resolved internally without making them public. I and my colleagues did the same. This is a very lengthy topic and cannot be appropriately covered in one article; in any case, for a sensible reader the above information is sufficient to understand the situation, and that I and my colleagues challenged this policy and that we tried to resolve it internally.

This critic also claimed that Shabir Choudhry is a ‘confused man’. At one time his elder brother was also a ‘confused man’. He published a ‘white paper’ against Amanullah Khan and charged him with many crimes including collaboration with the ISI, damaging the movement and betraying the struggle and true ideology of JKLF. He also charged Yasin Malik as a double agent who received help from both India and Pakistan.

This critic’s brother was on the verge of leaving the JKLF and talked to other estranged colleagues to set up a new party. At that time we were also thinking of leaving the JKLF and setting up a new party. Our colleagues were in touch with JKLF people in different groups who were unhappy with ISI and JKLF collaboration; and the way some top JKLF leaders were fooling people in name of ‘nationalism’ and promoting their personal and commercial interests. His ‘nationalism’ was worth no more than a car and a monthly allowance and he decided to stay within the JKLF, and now he promotes Amanullah Khan and Yasin Malik as great leaders and JKLF as a ‘nationalist’ party.

After following this debate on face book, those who are neutral, mentally mature and have ability to differentiate between good and bad; and are not on a pay role of anyone say this about me. Elizabeth Simon wrote: ‘I don’t think Shabir Choudhry is a confused person. I think, he and the movement to which he belongs, both have clever and progressive ideas about Jammu and Kashmir’s future, but also very difficult to carry out in an area where the influence of religion is a latent on society.’

Qaiser Gill wrote:

Brother these people are in a dark night, and are not capable of facing the first ray of sun light but we got to go further because its our duty towards our weak, frightened people of the fatherland Jammu Kashmir, I had same problem all the times and that was the reason I started using fatherland word with a immense of hate for these outsiders so it have worked and it is working. We are making progress as one may notice but it is a long way to go yet. Please I need you for the smile of my nation and you must keep on working otherwise you will be just like Aman Ullah Bhai. Do not let come that, please. I am proud of you, and I am willing to take your bullet in my chest’.

These sentiments are priceless. I am grateful to all those who have supported me on net or via private messages. Some acknowledged that they are afraid to support me openly because followers and agents of forces of occupation will turn their guns against them; and they are not in position to face them. It was not possible to include all the posts, but my hat is off for them in respect; and for Qaiser Gill, I have no words to thank him.

I even say thank you to these people who have started this barrage of attack with some fake names and some teenagers, as this has provided me with an opportunity to narrate some historical facts to this group, and to wider readers and expose some faces.