The Indian government has for quite some time been talking of holding elections in Kashmir. The aim is to Neutralize the growing international sympathy for the freedom movement. It has to be remembered that while Kashmir’s freedom movement is more than 40 years old, it received a powerful fillip only in the wake of the struggle for Khalistan in the neighboring Punjab, India succeeded in putting down the armed struggle in Punjab about two years ago. No wonder, it has been trying to draw heavily upon its Punjab experience. There has been a merciless campaign of elimination of Kashmir youths in encounters, fake or otherwise, for the past two years. At the end of the tunnel, India has in mind the same sort of political deals for Kashmir as it had for Punjab, There could be a phase of a Longowal, with or without an agreement, or a Beant Singh being inducted into power.
India has been adopting familiar tactics. A few pro-freedom leaders like Lone, Malik, Geelani, Shah and others have been released, in the same way as certain A.I.S.S.F. leaders were released in Punjab, Secret talks are being held to pave the way for elections. Just as talks with A.1.S.S.F. leaders were held to blackmail leaders of Akali Dal (Longowal), similar tactics are on to make Dr. Farooq Abdullah fall in line. In Kashmir’s context, India will perhaps eventually bank on Abdullah alone. In the meantime, Lone and other leaders have been released to serve as sounding boards to find out what the Kashmir militants will do if elections are held.
Seemingly wiser by the Punjab experience, Dr. Abdullah has put forward the view that a political package for Kashmir should precede elections in the state. Dr. Abdullah’s explanation of the package is a return to the pre1953 constitutional arrangement for Kashmir when there was a Substantial measure of autonomy available to the state. But Dr. Abdullah’s view has not with hostility from the Indian government which, does not want any political reform in respect of Kashmir, That is exactly how India dealt with Punjab. The Indian home minister issued a strongly worded Statement criticizing Dr. Abdullah, The prime minister did not respond to a request for a meeting from Abdullah.
A section of the pro-establishment media has come out with editorials threatening Dr. Abdullah with the repetition of the fate his father, Sheikh Abdullah, had met when in 1953 he had been imprisoned for years. But India has to contend with a changed Kashmir and the world. Then the freedom movement in Kashmir was at an initial stage while the world has not seized of the problem. Now Dr. Abdullah does not represent the real sweep or intensity of the movement, Putting him behind bars will mean nothing to the freedom movement.
It is entirely possible that India may skip over the RajivLongowal phase in Kashmir and go over straight away to the Beant Singh phase. In other words, even if Kashmiris boycotted the elections, some Muslim leader will be discovered and installed in power with Jammu’s Hindus providing him with a symbolic mass base. The Kashmir freedom fighters will have to devise a wise strategy to defeat India’s game-plan, Elections provide an important ‘opportunity to advance ones politics. One could achieve the aim cither by boycotting or contesting and winning elections. The question is how one conducts and uses the political platform. In all’ probability India will not hold elections if it becomes known to it that Kashmiri freedom fighters will join the fray. But if the Kashmiris decided to boycott the poll, then India will hold the election and try to repeat Punjab in Kashmir.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 14, 1994
