Pictures from Rytu Coolie Sangam AndhraPradesh State Conference

Kashmir in Turmoil:

NOTHING LESS THAN NATIONAL SELF DETERMINATION CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEM

Once again Kashmir is in turmoil. Young boys-even

of 8 years old-are dieing like birds on the streets hit by

the police bullets. The streets in Srinagar, Kupwara,

Baramulla, Pulwama, Anantnag and several other towns

were reddened by and drenched in the blood of

protesting people.

The present wave of protests in Kashmir began in

April 2010 when the people of Shaopian village saw the

dead bodies of two women of their own villages floating

in a river. The people were deeply pained and intensively

angered when they learnt that the men of armed police

had committed brutalities, killed and threw bodies of

said women in the river. The attempts by the authorities

to shield the culprits and crush the just protest had

stoked the flames of protest further. The cycle of

innocent boys being killed by the men of armed police;

the people coming into protests against it and the

armed police again killing more boys forcing the greater

number of people to take to the streets…..continued in

Kashmir with no end.

The protests which had begun to demand justice in

certain specific acts of crime by the armed police had

eventually developed into a powerful and Kashmir-wide

popular movement to demand the withdrawal of CRPF

and other para-military forces together with the Armed

Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Kashmir. The

present protest movement has brought the national and

democratic aspirations of Kashmir people, once again,

to the fore as expressed in the demand for azadi.

The present protest movement in Kashmir has

revealed certain signifant and welcome features:

Firstly, it has brought all sections and ages of people

into action, with the youth playing a pivotal role in it.

Secondly, the protest has assumed the character of a

political movement. With people taking part in

unrelenting and Kashmir-wide protest actions defying

the curfews, imprisonment and bullets and waging

pitched battles with stones as a form of self defence

from the armed police. Thousands of people threw

themselves into the protest actions and the protest

movement has acquired the nature of a popular upsurge.

Thirdly, earlier it had been an usual habit of the armed

police and the Government. to pick up the youth from

their homes or isolated places and hush up their killings

or justify the same as deaths of a ‘suspected terrorists’

in an encounter. But now as the people have moved in

thousands into militant protest actions and are reacting

against every crime and atrocity in any corners of the

state it is becoming extremely difficult for the armed

police to act in the old fashion. Fourthly, the Indian

rulers as well as their counter-parts in Kashmir wait

not even for a second to reject the demand of Kashmir

people for national self determination as anti-national

and pro-Pakistan etc. But they are finding it difficult to

dismiss the present protest which raised the slogan of

AZADI so because of its mass character and the

participation of the people in it in several thousands.

The present movement is compared by many with the

“Tehreck”- a mass upsurge that swept Kashmir in 1990s

with the demand for independence. Some see the

possibility of this movement assuming the nature of

Palestine people’s intifada if it was sought be crushed

by force. Of course, the rulers complain that the

‘separatists’ are attempting to use the present

movement to push through their slogans.

The Way Rulers are handling it

The Indian Government used heavy hand to suppress

the protest movement. It rejected the long-standing

demands of Kashmir people to withdraw the central

para-military forces and AFSPA from Kashmir. It justified

the killing of several dozen’s of youth, and the arrest of

hundreds of protesters by the armed police. It had turned

almost the entire Kashmir into a territory virtually

occupied and ruled by the armed police. The never

ending curfews, the sounds of marching armed police,

gun shots, threats of police raids and interventions in

private lives had seriously disturbed the peace and

normal life of the people for days together. The Prime

Minister and the Union Home Minister had received the

so called Track No.2 efforts and dialogue process. But

this process has only revealed its lack of honesty of

purpose and, therefore, its futility. This has become an

exercise to buy over the sections of political

organizations and isolate the sections who seem to be

firm in their support for the demands like national selfdetermination

rather than striving to understand the

genuine aspirations and finding proper solutions. These

methods are only further alienating the Indian rulers

from the Kashmir people.

The present Omar Abdulla led Government in

Kashmir stands as a most discredited one. Omar

Abdulla’s National Conference is divided while the

Congress is waiting in its wings to grab power. In its

mad chase for power NC leadership had gone a long

way in its shameful degeneration, surrender and betrayal

to the cause of Kashmir people championed by Sheikh

Abdulla in his early political life. The people of Kashmir

see the Omar Abdulla’s Govt. as nothing but a tool of

Indian rulers to impose the anti-people and repressive

policies on them. In the context of the present

movement it got itself further alienated from the people

because of its all out support to the policy and moves

of the central govt. to suppress the Kashmir people.

On one side, it had indulged in such provocative talk

as “the cycle of violence must end, otherwise the

consequences will be tragic and serious” and on the

other side, it had set various teams into motion and

sought to convene the all Party meet to mobilize the

support to its moves to put an end to the protest

movement. Here is an instance of the methods it used

to bribe the political forces. The Kashmir Govt. has

arrested a Veteran Kashmir leader, Syed Ali Shah

Geelani, Tehreek-i-Hurriyat on June 20, 2010 on the

charge of fomenting trouble in Kashmir. State officials

had later approached him in jail with an offer to release

him on one month’s parole. But he demanded the

release of hundreds of youth who were put in jail on

various false charges. Later, the authorities informed

him that he was a free person now. On Aug 3, 2010,

Geelani revealed to the Press: “CM Osama Abdulla’s

Political Advisor Dharidra Rana met me while I was

lodged in Chanchamashahi sub jail saying a political

space could be created for me provided I lend a hand

to the Govt. He appeared to be under the notion that I

was interested in power politics which I am not. I told

him that the people of Kashmir want an end to Indian

occupation and no force, how so strong it may be, can

stop their achieving their goal.”

Ever since the present wave of protest movement

began, the Central Govt. held the Cabinet Committee

on Security (CCS) meetings and has co-ordinated its

moves with the Kashmir Govt. while using the heavy

dose of force to suppress the moves it also talked about

the dialogue process, political packages to woe the

political forces in Kashmir to its side and made

exercises such as consultations and all party meeting

to involve and take the help of other ruling class (BJP,

etc) and parliamentary parties in putting an end to the

protest movement in Kashmir.

Different Evaluations and Solutions

Certain types of ‘criticisms’ and advice to the Indian

Govt. has come in this context. Some see it as a result

of ‘Political naivete’ and indifference, etc on the part of

Kashmir Govt. together with the Indian Govt’s

complacency, indecision and break in the dialogue

process. Some say the youth had taken to the road of

protest because they are frustrated with the problems

of unemployment and lack of opportunities and the

separatist and anti-Indian slogans. Some say that the

protest is an expression of anger against an extremely

corrupt and unpopular Omar Abdulla Govt. Some like

the PDP in Kashmir say that the reliance on force

excessively rather than on the dialogue process has

worsened the situation. Some suggested that it is not

too late for the main stream parties to reach out to the

moderate elements like Mirwazi Moulvi, Farooqui and

Yasin Malik co opting them in the project of bringing

peace. Now it is time to work on a frame work for

autonomy for the state. Some suggested to include

Kashmir as an issue in the composite dialogue with

Pakistan. Vikram sood, a former head of the RAW

suggested, “We must engage Kashmir’s elected

representatives in a continuous dialogue….. Make

people like Ali Shah Geelani irrelevant refuse to give

importance to those like Mirwaiz Omar

Farooq……Unless these elements are put to pasture,

they will keep reinventing themselves under the

guidance from Pakistan.”

All these criticisms or advice sound pleasant to the

ears of the Indian ruling classes. Because, they are

aimed at helping the Indian Govt. in tackling the Kashmir

problem in the way it had been dealing with it in the

last more than six decades. But, the hard reality is,

they are evading to face the real cause of turmoil in

Kashmir.

Where lies the root of the problem

History tells that Kashmir (together with the part

ruled by the Pakistan) was an independent princely

state when the British colonial rule ended. The king

Hari Singh wanted to remain independent. But he was

faced with two serious problems. One: A powerful antifeudal

and democratic movement was sweeping in

Kashmir pushing the Raj on to the brink of collape.

This was a life and death problem for him. Second: The

newly emerged Indian and Pakistani regimes who

engaged in the attempts to integrate Kashmir in their

countries. Both the regimes saw the possible

emergences of a democratic and independent Kashmir

as a serious threat to the social system they inherited

to protect. While the Pakistan rulers sought to use the

troubles in the tribal areas of Kashmir to realize their

aim, the Indian rulers made use of the tottering state of

kingdom and troubles in the tribal areas to force the

king to sign the instrument of Accession, and militarily

intervene in Kashmir. The Kashmir people had no role

in this development. They also had no role in the politics

of control and division played by the rulers of both

countries and for the unending tensions and hostilities

between the people.

The people of Kashmir, however, continued to love

their own distinct culture, language and way of life. The

disputes between India and Pakistan – a product of

colonial rule-and the hostilities, tensions and wars

nurtured and continued by the imperialist, the US

imperialists in particular caused much strain to the life

and struggle of Kashmir people in defence of national

and democratic rights. Sheik Abdulla stood in the fore

front of this struggle for over a period of time.

The Indian ruling classes were never in agreement

with the idea of a Kashmir outside the Indian Union. At

the same time they found it difficult to reject the people’s

national and democratic aspirations altogether. As a

result an agreement was signed by the Indian Govt.

and Sheik Abdulla. It was given the shape of Article

370 of the Indian constitution.

In brief, this article 370 embodied six special

provisions for Jammu-Kashmir, namely (1) it exempted

Kashmir from the provisions of Constitution of India

which provide for the governance of the states. It allows

Jammu-Kashmir to have its own Constitution within the

Indian Union, (II) It restricted the Parliament’s Legislative

power over Kashmir to defence, External Affairs and

Communications, (III) Prior concurrence of the State

Government was required if the other provisions of Indian

Constitution or Union powers were to be extended to

Kashmir, (IV) The concurrence had to be ratified by the

State’s Constitutent Assembly, (V) The State Govt’s

concurrence lasts only until the States Constituent

Assembly was convened, once the Constituent

Assembly was dispersed, the President’s extending

powers end completely, (VI) It empowers the President

to make an order abrogating or amending the Article

379. But even for this the State’s Constituent

Assembly’s recommendation was necessary. The

Article 370 cannot be abrogated or amended by

recourse to amending the Indian Constitution.

It must be noted that the Indian Ruling classes had

to agree to accord this special status to Jammu and

Kashmir because the people’s aspirations for an

independent and democratic Kashmit were so powerful

and irresistable at the time and no other move could

have confinced them to arrive at an agreement with the

Indian rulers. It must be noted that, at that time, Sheikh

Abdulla carried immence respect and confidence among

the people of Kashmir and this had contibuted a lot in

rallying the people with it.

But the people of Kashmir had only gone through a

tortuous, frustrating and betraying experience in the

subsequest years.

While the BJP (at one time Jana Sangh) and some

other parties and organizations had been and still are

tirelessly opposing the speical status to Jammu and

Kashmir and campaigning for the abrogation of Article

370, the Congress Govts from Nehru onwards had all

along been doing everything to water down in practice

and make ineffective this Article without, ofcourse,

removing the Article 370 from the pages of the

Constitution of India. For this, they used the methods

of pressure, manipulation, back doors, slander and the

repression. In the course of this, Sheikh Abdulla had

suffered imprisonment for more than a decade for his

‘crime’ of making weak attempts to retain the main

content of Article 370. Yet, he went on giving up one

position after the other extremely weakening the

autonomous status of Kashmir. The National

Conference led by him which had enjoyed highest

respect and confidence at one time had in the course

of time and towards the end of Sheikh Abdulla’s life

saw a serious erosion of credibility and support among

the people of Kashmir because of its surrendering the

rights of Kashmir people in its quest for power. The

subsequent leaderships of the National Conference only

went down further on the road of degeneration.

The Indian Government and the parties of ruling

classes saw to it that they weild the real power in

Kashmir. They rigged and manipulated elections, floated

coalitions and imposed the Governor’s rule for this

purpose.

The Indian rulers never tried to understand the

genuine feelings and aspirations of Kashmir people.

They viewed the demands for the withdrawal of Central

armed police, AFSPA, the punishment to those who

committed various types of crimes against the people

and the demands of independence and the preservation

of special status as provided originally in the Article

370 with suspicion and rejected. They saw the influence

and hand of anti-Indian, Islamist, terrorist elements and

Pakistan agents behind these slogans and sought to

suppress with iron hand. They sought to sow divisions

among the people in an attempt to malign, divide and

isolate the people and political forces who were

ventilating the democratic and national aspirations.

They took every care to keep out the political forces

that they identified as the champions of national and

democratic rights from the electoral process and the

corridors of power. The Govts that had ruled Kashmir

so far with the blessings of Central Government had

only set the worst examples of corrupt, anti-people and

repressive rule. All this had only further alienated the

Indian ruling classes and the Indian Govt. from Kashmir

people. More significantly the systematic and

conspiratorial moves on the part of the Indian

Government to water down and make ineffective whatever

the autonomous status the Article 370 has originally

assured, the endless attempts to reduce Kashmir just

into a tool of Central rule and endless attacks on the

rights and lives had only strengthened the feelings of

humiliation, alienation and betrayal among the Kashmir

people. The present trend of thinking and moves on the

part of Indian Govt., the Indian ruling classes and the

Kashmir would only further alienate them from Kashmir

people.

In this situation, the solution to Kashmir question

cannot even be imagined if the Indian rulers evade the

following demands that are raised by the Kashmir

people in various and on various occasions:

1. Stop all repression and repressive moves in

Kashmir.

2. Withdraw the CRPF and other Central paramilitary

forces and repel AFSP Act.

3. Release all those who were arrested under various

false charges in the context of present protest movement.

4. Punish those who are

responsible for the killing of

Kashmir people on various

occasions.

5. Shun the methods of

maligning, buying and dividing

the Kashmir people and the

political forces.

6. Ensure peaceful and

democratic atmosphere and

conditions where the Kashmir

people can express their

views and feelings freely on

the future status of Kashmir.

Solution to Kashmir question

must be found by accepting

and honouring the Kashmir

people’s right of national selfdetermination

in deciding the

future of Kashmir.