The state of frenzy generated in India and Pakistan over Amanullah Khans call to Kashmiris in Pakistan to cross into India should not obscure the fact that both governments are in reality firmly opposed to conceding regional rights. to their respective peoples and more so to the people of Kashmir There are various forces operating in the Kashmir Valley and in what has come to be known as POK, But there can be no gain saying that the JKLF has emerged as a Popular and strong force on both sides. In this context the governments of India and Pakistan are equally guilty in presenting a deliberately distorted image of the JKLF,
The Indian government through the BIP loyalist and despotic Governor, Jag Mohan, as well as through the present Governor, Girish Saxena, thought it prudent to club the JKLF with certain pro Pak elements in order to pursue its ruthless anti people policies. It preferred to the fast that pro Pak elements in Kashmir, irrespective of their labels, could never muster below marginal support. These elements have been trying to throw their weight around by obtaining modem armaments and other resources.
Our government, while knowing the sources and channels of such supplies and loudly proclaiming them to this effect, never took effective steps to stop them. Instead, the Indian establishment, which includes major political parties in opposition, in its wisdom (or lack of it misused this situation in a vociferous denunciation of Kashmiri Muslims as a whole as anti-national, unpatriotic and what not, despite their proud record to the contrary during the last four decades, particularly during three short lived Indo Pak wars.
The establishment, always apprehensive of this, painted the JKLF as secession is cum communal organization, thus vilifying the positive aspects of regional rights. It has been resorting two identical disinformation in the contest of the northeastern states, Punjab and elsewhere. To mix up regional aspirations and urges with communalism or secessionism, has always been its game.
Then came the phase of undermining the JKLF through the well or chest rated propaganda that it was losing its grip everywhere in the Valley among the people and that other pro Pak groups were gaining, in strength, In this process, the authority appointed through its governors picked up the best, brilliant and most dedicated among, the JKLF leadership and had them either arrested without trial under any of the draconian laws or got them eliminated in notorious encounters.” But a new leadership always sprang up in the JKLF to consolidate the organization. The Indian establishment knowingly ignored the positive aspect of the JKLF, based on its secular and democratic approach and its openness to learn from its mistakes, as and when made.
“The JKLF regularly appealed to Kashmiri pand its not to leave the valley by playing into the hands of Governor Jag Mohan and his honey assurances. It further appealed to them to play a positive role in the struggle for the democratic and regional rights of Kashmiri people in unison. The KLFs appeals to this effect appeared on the front pages of local newspapers, but they never found pace in national media,
The JKLF made categorical declarations that guarantees for democratic autonomous rights for the people of Jammu and Ladakh regions was a matter of principle of it. The firm declaration that Kashmiris will never accept any form of domination by Pakistan there was overlooked and obliterated by the Indian establishment. Rather, its unhealthy practice of, keeping insignificant pro Pak groups in the limelight continued unabated.
This factor was further misused to communalize the Indian political scene to serve the dangerous and nefarious ends of divide and rule. The Indian establishment’s questionable record in this respect goes back to the period when certain chief ministers Heading corruption ridden and election rigging National Conference governments had floated pro Pak lobbies themselves with the ulterior motive of extracting maximum funds from the Central government under this pretext. This manipulation was also conveniently overlooked by the Center
Our establishment has 30 far stubbornly refused to see the writing on the wall. Although it hastened to recognize the new republics in Russia, it remains obsessed with the retention of highly centralized power in its own hands, It not only rejects the concept of real federalism and devolution of power up to grassroots level, but believes in relentless inhuman repression against people involved in mass struggles for regional rights which today are a vital part of basic human rights.
True federalism will obviously mean structural changes in our colonial policies of a centralized economic administrative Setup. It will also mean a total change in present day priorities which makes a handful of power wielding rich people richer and render the teeming millions poorer. Now, when awakening is growing among the have not’s the establishment reacts through brutal atrocities, instead of gracefully conceding their genuine demands.
It has already dehumanized the forces used against the people, which are actually meant for the country’s defence and to provide security to harassed citizens. Our establishment has been calculatingly communalizing, criminalizing and commercializing the country’s politics and institutionalizing corruption to retain the present system based on black money and muscle power oriented to a sordid electoral process and ruthless human exploitation.
But the people who are increasingly anticipating in organized struggles for their fundamental rights have amply proved that they have seen through such intrigues.
When the Indian establishment maligned the JKLF as a pro Pakistan body, the establishment in Pakistan felt elated tits job being done by its counterpart in India. Pakistan did not want to comprehend the democratic forces for federalism in Kashmir or within Pakistan itself.
It may be recalled that ever since Zulfikar Ali Bhuwo resorted to the aerial bombardment of Baluchistan to crush the movement for region a rights the people there have been further steeled in their determination. There is also a strong identical movement in Sirid, North West Frontier Province and in Punjab from where every ruling Junta in Pakistan derives its strength. These movements are not highlighted by the Pak media. They either remain blacked out or misrepresented through officially distorted versions. Unleashing disinformation is one common factor between the Indian and Pakistani establishment.
The other common factor has been to suppress ruthlessly all movements for human rights particularly regional rights with an iron hand, Heavily armed forces with unlimited powers and which are not accountable to anyone have been let loose against the struggling people in both counties.
Both establishments do not want to believe that the people are wide awake and their struggles for federalism and other human rights cannot be undermined or disrupted through hackneyed colonial intrigues, The people of Kashmir have taken a lead in this respect on both sides simultaneously. All the loud protestations by the Indian and Pakistani establishments in an arbitrarily created warlike situation notwithstanding, they are likely to come to a clandestine understanding to resort to a mindless onslaught against their respective people, particularly from Kashmir. Human Rights activists and organizations are also coming under heavy fire. The cacophony of war has always come handy to both the establishments in diverting people’s attention from crucial manmade socioeconomic exploitative disparities. It is not going to last.
On the other hand, people in both the countries, while retaining their independence and sovereignty, are already coming closer and cannot be terrorized into submission by any means.
Any overt or cover deal between the two establishments is bound to be exposed and eventually defeated. The need of the hour, however, is statesmanship based on a sighted realistic approach.
But the present both establishments are interested in possessing the territory of Kashmir with no concern for the people. The geographical entity of Kashmir has to stay where it is. Eventually, Kashmir will emerge as a bridge of lasting peace through a solid understanding between the people of the subcontinent brought closer through struggles and sacrifice. “The people of Kashmir will have the last word on how and by whom their homeland is to be governed. This has to take its own time, as there is no shortcut
The tide of peoples movements for just causes has never been stemmed anywhere, and more so today when the level of political consciousness is higher than ever before.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 28, 1992
