Fear Of Elections In Kashmir

After a lull of 26 months, the leaders of Jammu and Kashmir are dropping hint of their participation in the legislative assembly elections. Nowadays, mainstream leaders in every nook and corner of the valley talk about restoration of statehood and special status taken away by in a single stroke by the incumbent central government on August, 5 last year . They want to contest elections on these pretexts. It is a well known fact that all the leaders of this erstwhile state used to contest elections on slogans of autonomy, self-rule etc, etc. They are taking U-turns and giving new twists to the measures announced and implemented since August 5, last year. By doing so they roast their potatoes and have the facility of having a cake and eating it too. Since June 2018, the politics in Jammu and Kashmir has gone into a silent mode. The Government in Jammu & Kashmir was under the Governor’s rule and the President’s rule till September end last year. The Government now under LG’s rule has eased some restrictions on basic facilities with no bar on resumption of political activities by leaders of mainstream parties. After the resignation of the first LG of Jammu and Kashmir, Grish Chandra Murmu, the political activities are dropping signals of a much awaited revival of political process. The mainstream leaders are coming out of the dens but are fishing in the troubled waters. Absolutely amazing is the role of two new budding politicians. One is Shah Faisal and other is Iltija Mufti. They both don’t know even the alphabets of politics, but they again like others try to exploit people for their vested interests. They are driven by the ambitions of fame, money and power. For this, they can trample upon the laws of morality. They like Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, Sajad Lone and others can cross all limits and thump their chests in pride with the remarks “we are the proud citizens of India”. However in return, they are treated like a hair in milk. They are denied even basic rights of living. It is in this backdrop, I want to put some facts before you. I want people of Jammu and Kashmir not to fall in the trap again. I want them not to vote to power these politicians. They have sold us many times. They have stabbed us in the backs many a times in the past. Gupkar is a source of misery for us.
I, in particular, want Farooq Abdullah, Shah Faisal and Iltija Mufti to stop giving us lessons and talking about roadmaps. You are not our representatives. You keep amassing wealth. Last but not the least, Mr Omar Abdullah, we were happy when you were in jail. You have done nothing for us. Your double speak and double standards have been noticed. You come forward and seek apologies.
We remind the yesteryear’s meeting at Gupkar. All the murderers of public aspirations were present there. They were and are hand in glove with the killers of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and the unique political identity of the erstwhile glorious state. It is they who have given the murderers of special status and statehood a license to mutilate our distinct political identity. Today, they are promising us something charming. Their throats are sore. But we are not going to be deceived again. We know 2019. We know how on the pretext of a military attack, the whole of Jammu and Kashmir changed into an open cage. The annual Yatra was cancelled. The non-locals were taken to their homes in the dead of night. Petrol pumps saw scary scenes. Hysteria was created. Though such situations develop frequently only in Palestine, but now, Jammu and Kashmir also witnesses such situation. Please tell me where it happens. Do such situations have relevance in a country which claims to be the biggest democracy of the world? In the guise of democracy, dictatorship reigns in Jammu and Kashmir. Where were mainstream leaders when we were not allowed to sacrifice animals on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha? Where leaders were when students like me, were not able to submit their admission forms? Indian Government talks of education and development well, it is a nice gesture, but when it comes to reality, your way of handling the students of Jammu and Kashmir is unutterable. You force us to take guns. You blind our students. You slap PSAs on the innocent students. You restrict 4G to 2G. You snap internet now and then. You, on the pretext of the Covid-19, impose the severest curfew. You allow the non-locals to enter Jammu and Kashmir in the period of pandemic. Is it democracy or democrazy? I want our so-called puppet leaders to refrain from representing us. You are the leaders of none but collaborators of political helmsmen in Delhi. You were not, are not and will not be our leaders unless you seek apologies for all the crimes that you have committed. For the sake of conscience, avoid befooling people. We are mature enough to understand your camouflaging. Our destiny is peace, dignity and restoration of basic civil rights. It is not my word. It is the word of Jawaharlal Nehru and his several successors. Freedom of speech and expression is our birth right. No power on Earth can snatch it. Even UN having Kashmir on it’s agenda for last several decades is turning a blind eye to the situation in Jammu & Kashmir. Let even the world leaders sleep. God is not sleeping, he sees but waits. We have suffered a lot. We are bearing the brunt for none of our faults. I, in particular, want Farooq Abdullah, Shah Faisal and Iltija Mufti to stop giving us lessons and talking about roadmaps. You are not our representatives. You keep amassing wealth. Last but not the least, Mr Omar Abdullah, we were happy when you were in jail. You have done nothing for us. Your double speak and double standards have been noticed. You come forward and seek apologies.
( The author is a freelancer and writes regularly for “Kashmir Horizon”. Views are exclusively his own) [email protected]