In an interview given to BBC about his recent visit to Kashmir and his meeting with the Hurriyat top brass, Congress leader Manishankar Aiyar said that if dialogue did not begin now, Kashmir would face acute devastation. Aiyar went on to stress sarcastically that if one didn’t meet Syed Ali Shah Geelani, should one meet Zakir Musa? It seems, either Aiyar has not heard the monologue floated by the then Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Zakir Musa or failed to understand the root cause of such rampant abomination in the valley. He probably failed to understand that the 22-year-old Musa is the face of those misled youth, who are just bait for some who relentlessly employ resources to aggravate the situation in Kashmir. Zakir Musa, in an audio clip released some days ago, warned Hurriyat leaders not to term Kashmir’s “freedom struggle” as a political movement and threatened that he would chop off their heads and display them at Lal Chowk in Srinagar if they did otherwise. He went on to say that “we have been hearing slogans from childhood that relationship with Pakistan is in accordance of what Allah wants. If this is a political struggle then why have you people been using the mosques for politics? Why have you been using pulpits of the mosques for a political struggle?”
This audio was yet another confirmation of the latest revelation made on television by innocent pro-Indian Kashmiri youngsters—who face constant threats—that some mosques under the Hurriyat had become platforms for inciting peaceful worshippers to turn into mobs.
What followed the release of Musa’s audio clip was even more alarming. The Hizbul Mujahideen distanced itself from the audio clip and sent a categorical reprimand to its soldier gone “astray”. It’s a different matter that Zakir Musa refused to adhere to the Hizbul’s directive and formed his own organisation. Is it difficult to understand why the Hizbul treats its own commander in a hostile manner after he releases an audio threatening the Hurriyat? Is it tough to comprehend the allegiance of these groups?
It’s a pity that Manishankar Aiyar and the likes of him find talks with the Hurriyat a remedy to the situation in Kashmir. Aren’t such “peaceniks” thus adding to the unrest? Recent exposés have shown how Hurriyat gets its funding from Pakistan, and yet Aiyar and Co. have cordial meetings with Hurriyat leaders. Video footage from the valley shows how Aiyar is laughing at Geelani’s comment “aapne to fauj se Kashmir ko kabu mein kar rakha hai (you have controlled Kashmir with the help of the forces)”. Isn’t it ironic that a simple pro Indian Kashmiri boy is not safe in the valley, while people like Geelani make a mockery of the whole situation, while staying and flourishing in Kashmir? And then we have leaders like Aiyar flying to Srinagar to add fuel to the fire by making irresponsible statements that can be detrimental to the efforts being made by the government to normalise the situation there.
We lost a hero, Umar Faiyaz on 10 May. He is a hero because he had the courage to join the Indian Army in spite of the turmoil in Kashmir. Nothing deterred this 23-year-old from his resolve—not the aggression of the separatists, not the threat from the militants. He could have done anything else, but he chose to serve the nation. He was killed in his own land for serving his own country. How many of these peaceniks found their way to his home, to console his family? Not one. Not the author speaking for “peace”, not the politician travelling for “peace”. Was this because they feared they would lose their “friends” by mourning his death?
Maitreyi Tripathyi is a Senior Producer/Anchor with India News.