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COVER DEC 31st 2009

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EDITORIAL
RANBIR MANHAS

Dialogue offer and separatist response

The Prime Minister has extended invitation to all those who believe in non-violence to participate in a dialogue process with concrete suggestions to solve ‘Kashmir Problem’. The offer is not new; the history of dialogue rather is long.
After harping on self determination demand for more than two decades the then voice of Kashmir Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah had agreed to shun his divisive slogan and settle the dispute once for all in 1975 under ‘Indira-Sheikh Accord’. Prior to this all disputes between India and Pakistan including the ‘Kashmir Dispute’ were agreed to be settled through negotiations vide Shimla Accord that had taken place between Indira Gandhi of India and Zulfikar Ali Butto of Pakistan. It was under this agreement that India had freed nearly one lakh prisoners of war captured by Indian Army in Dhaka during Indo-Pak war of 1971. But what happened? Neither use of force to settle ‘disputes’ was abandoned nor was the slogan of self determination buried. Pakistan not only begun an un-ending proxy war in Kashmir to give one thousand cuts to India it also went for a full fledged war in Kargil and the Kashmir dispute continues. In this backdrop laying much hope on the fresh dialogue initiative by Indian government to bring peace in Kashmir can not be justified. There is an inherent problem in Kashmir. Kashmiris are not one. They are rather divided in groups and sub-groups though in the struggle phase they look apparently united. But once the time to reap the fruit of struggle comes the unity disappears and Kashmiris once again become a disintegrated lot giving benefit to their so-called ‘enemies’. Though Kashmir is known for quality apple crop, the crop of leaders also grows at a higher pace here. There are leaders, leaders and leaders in Kashmir with every leader having its own fistful of followers. The past history suggests that all of them have been more serious about their own glorification rather than solving the Kashmir Dispute around which their individual or collective struggle revolves. Most of the leaders and groups are more interested in keeping the pot of trouble boiling because it gives them both fame and finances. Obviously when the aims are different how can the results be same? One wonders if the Kashmiri struggle could not yield positive results even when Sheikh Abdullah was considered as the lone leader of Kashmir how the results can be positive when the whole Kashmiri polity is divided and fragmented.

Politics in Kashmir mainly is divided in two schools of thought—mainstream and separatist. The mainstreamers are further divided—total integration of Kashmir with India and partial integration with India. Those belonging to this school of thoughts are further divided — some advocating greater autonomy whiles others demanding self-rule within Indian framework. The separatists are also divided in moderates and extremists. There are those who want accession with Pakistan; there are those who want independence from India whiles there are those who talk of total independence from India and Pakistan. The moderates under the leadership of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq though have accepted the invitation of talks extended by Indian Prime Minister the fishers between them have also begun becoming visible. The leadership crisis is deepening that may lead to disintegration of the moderates. After all Mirwaiz’s Awami Action Committee is just one out of 21 odd groups that comprise the Hurriyat Conference (M). In this backdrop how successful the talks would be is not a difficult question to answer. Time for finding a consensus on Kashmir solution seems to be far away. Till then the oven of Kashmir problem will continue burning in which Kashmiri population will be used as firewood on which the leadership would keep baking bread for its progenies.

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