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HISTORICALLY, Kashmiris have, in their own typically meticulous manner, divided their bitter winter months into phases. The Chillai Kalan begins on Dec 21 and ends on Jan 31. The Chillai Khurd which follows ends 20 days later. Chillai Baccha, the last, has 10 days of mild cold. The worst of the cold season is over now. There is, however, no sign of the merciless political winter ending. The government of India, which snatched away Kashmiris’ autonomy, or what little was left of it, in August 2019, has a different plan. Its home minister, Amit Shah, never tires of saying that the former status will be restored, but after the elections.
The plan is to rig the elections through a politically oriented redrawing of constituencies, throw up a Hindu chief minister in this Muslim-majority Kashmir, replicate the BJP, more precisely Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda at the centre, instal Hindu raj in Muslim Kashmir and recast its polity radically.
Simultaneously, with the abrogation of Article 370 of the constitution proving illusory the guarantees of Kashmir’s autonomy, the government of India set up, strangely enough, a delimitation commission headed by a retired judge of the Bombay High Court, Ranjana Prakash Desai, with no background or any knowledge of Jammu & Kashmir, its history, geography or politics.
The commission has five associate members. Three are from Dr Farooq Abdullah’s National Conference including retired justice Hasnain Masoodi. Two others are from the BJP. Dr Farooq Abdullah and Mohammed Akbar Lone are the other two members of the NC. The BJP’s two members include the viciously anti-Kashmir BJP leader of Jammu, now central minister in the prime minister’s office, Dr Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore Sharma. Reports have it that this hand-picked commission will increase Jammu’s seats at the expense of Kashmir’s seats.
The plan is to throw up a Hindu CM in Muslim-majority Kashmir.
The commission’s term expires on March 6. The NC is clueless about the commission’s odd ways of working despite its three associate members. “We don’t have any information, be it the case of its likely extension or its decision to share its interim report with its associate members shortly before putting it in the public domain, or for that matter any recommendation to increase Lok Sabha seats. Whatever we have come to know about it, it is through media reports like anyone else and not officially or through the commission by any means. Journalist friends deliberated on it. But we, as associate members, did not get any kind of information other than these inputs from journalists,” said Masoodi.
He said, “Even after National Conference associate members submitted their objection to the commission’s draft recommendations, we did not get any response from it. We did not get any information — neither verbally nor in writing”. Masoodi is an associate member.
In all this, the centre draws huge comfort from the fact there was no revolt in Kashmir. On the contrary, some notables proved to be turncoats. Earlier this month, Amit Shah said: “He (Akhilesh Yadav) stood in front of me and said that due to the decision (revoking Article 370) ‘khoon ki nadiyan bahengi’ (rivers of blood will flow) but Akhilesh Babu, leave that river of blood, no one had the courage to throw even a ‘kankad’ (stone).”
He asked: “Had SP, BSP, Congress been in power, would they ever have withdrawn Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir? When Modiji became PM for the second time, he withdrew it (Article 370) on 6 August 2019. Akhilesh Yadav was against it.”
The BJP will make good capital of it in the 2024 general elections. There is only one politician who might have led a revolt. But he cannot for reasons political and personal. He is Dr Farooq Abdullah, though he is battling for political survival. He is heading the only party with a mass base in both Kashmir and Jammu. He led others in 2019 to draw up the Gupkar Declaration. The biggest challenge he will face will be the next assembly election. A lot depends on Mehbooba Mufti. Will she cooperate with him?
The Jama Masjid in Srinagar has been closed for two and a half years. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been under house arrest all this while. It is well known that his moderation was stifled by the arrogant extremism of Sayed Ali Shah Geelani. The result is that Umar Farooq could not take any constructive initiative. He has met the prime ministers of India at least twice. Except for his family members and staff, none can enter his house. He cannot offer his prayers in the mosque. The people miss his Friday sermons. He is a man of impeccable integrity and great courtesy. He is uniquely qualified to speak on behalf of the people yet he has been kept under house arrest. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch should urge the government of India to release him.
The writer is an author and a lawyer based in Mumbai.
Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2022
