SRINAGAR: The Denouncement of Geneva resulted in a pall of gloom descending over Kashmir last week. as residents expressed bitterness at Iran’s role in forcing the withdrawal of the Pakistan sponsored resolution from the UN Human Rights Convention,
Despite a sunny afternoon and the hustle-bustle of crowds in the bazaars shopping in preparation for Eid, the sole topic of discussion on the dips of professionals, hawkers shopkeepers, students and others was the resolution. People were so depressed that it seemed as if the Valley was in mourning. There was no attempt to hide the feeling of demoralization.
Here are some of the voices heard on the streets of Srinagar last week. “India has won Pakistan has won, but Kashmiris have lost.”
“Iran always spoke on behalf of Islam..but what is this they have done?”
“Diplomats are thieves.” “Politics is dirty.”
“The countries have lost sight of human rights abuses in Kashmir… Geneva focused attention on the bilateral dispute of India and Pakistan, but forgot about the reference to the wishes of the Kashmiri people in resolving the dispute.” “An Iran-India-China, bloc is being formed…it will have serious repercussion on this part of the world.” “We cannot rely on anyone else to help our movement.”
Some brought up the positive out- come of the deliberations at Geneva: the further internationalization of the Kashmir issue.
“After Hazratbal and Geneva, now even Venezucia, Peru, Norway. Canada and Aongelia have heard about Kashmir.”
This was the point emphasized by the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC). “There has been a temporary disappointment,” APHC Chairman Mirwaiz Omar Farooq ad- mitted. “But in the long run, with greater international awareness, if the resolution ever comes up again, we’ll be in a stronger position,” he added.
He felt that the international pres- sure built up had forced India to allow foreign diplomats and organizations such as the Red Cross to visit Kashmir. “Even though these diplomats visited Kashmir under the shadow of the Government, it was still a break- through for no one had been allowed here for the past four years.”
The Hurriyat, which has been guarded in its reaction to the developments at Geneva, will discuss the matter internally before coming out with a strategy during the afternoon prayers on Friday. A large crowd is expected at the Jarnia masjid as it is the last Friday before Eid.
In what may be a sign of things to come, the pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen, the most lethal of the militant outfits, echoed the sentiments of the people and came out with a statement blasting Iran. They pointed out that although Iran had claimed to work for its co-religionists, particularly the weaker sections around the world, their action in Geneva prove that this was not the case,
“It will not have any effect on the movement which will go on whether we get help from outside or not. The movement cannot be suppressed any longer.”
Not surprisingly, the administration heaved a sigh of relief. A senior ad- ministration source said it had been feared that passage of the resolution would have given a fillip to militancy. “This thing would have dragged on even longer,” he said. “Maybe now we can do something constructive soon.”
Article extracted from this publication >> March 25, 1994
