Harsha Kakar
It was well established, known to everyone, that Pak was funding the agitation in Kashmir. It was also established that stone throwing and violence was a paid enterprise, supported by Pak, funnelling funds through the Hurriyat. For years, the Hurriyat had been actively promoting anti-India activities and successive governments looked the other way, seeking to win them over, but to no avail. Another well-established fact is that the main Hurriyat leadership is losing its importance and control to a new breed of local militants and leaders, who are closer to the masses and supported by Imams belting Jihad from the Minbars of the mosques. The Hurriyat are only there to provide funds, issue calls for bandhs and be spokespersons for the movement. Their ideas and ideology had outlived its utility. The fact that they were threatened by local militant leaders is proof enough of their down gradation.
On one hand the Hurriyat calls for bandhs when top militants are killed and on the other it continues to exploit Government funds and resources for improving their own lifestyle, travel and medical care, benefits denied to the common Kashmiri, who faces the might of the Government machinery. They also exploit Government resources for securing safe government jobs for their kith and kin, forcing others to quit education and indulge in stone throwing and violence. They instigate closure of educational institutions, while their wards study away from the violence. It is also a fact that none of their family is involved in the agitation. Everyone is safely ensconced away,in comfortable locations, observing Kashmiri youth being converted into cannon fodder. Such an approach is not specific to Kashmir alone.
In every state where insurgency has taken root, Mizoram, Nagaland and ULFA being examples, the first thing that its founders do is move their own family to safe ground, away from the battlefield, flush with money either extorted or taken from sources, internal or external. Never do family members get involved and when they rarely do, due to the death of a leader, they take over at the top, never rising from the grassroots. The Government knows, but the youth are too brainwashed into trusting that these leaders would guide them and ultimately provide them with the final solution, that they ignore realities. The youth are made cannon fodder, while their parents look on helplessly, unable to change their mentality.
In the case of Kashmir, it was clear that stone throwing was funded, violence was funded even more. For Pakistan, this was a low-cost option, spend money, flowing in from multiple channels including West Asia, to engulf the Valley, without a care for the youth being brainwashed and used as cannon fodder. The preachers of Jihad only preach, never participate, using the under educated, religiously engrained individuals. It was a sting operation, involving some members of the Hurriyat, which gave the government an excuse to launch a crackdown, into the system. It was not that the Government was unaware, but it appears that it was unable to pin down the leadership.
Politicians from opposition parties, desperately seeking publicity to provide a boost to their flagging careers, travelled to visit the Hurriyat, despite proof of their anti-national activities. Their actions aimed to recreate the importance of an organization, which is defunct. Nothing flowed from such interactions as nothing new emerges, except possibly a few minutes of prime-time news.The Hurriyat continues to cry for attention, for talks, but are unwilling to change their spots, hence rightfully ignored. They seek to enhance the tempo of agitations, solely seeking to increase their own importance, which remains as low as ever before.
At the peak of the agitation last year, there was a national outcry for accusing the Hurriyat for sedition and incarcerating them away from the state. The government hesitated, for reasons best known to it. Even now, government action appears to be mixed. While an outcry continues for withdrawing the security and financial support being provided to the Hurriyat, it hesitates. Even when it was threatened by local militants, the Government failed to exploit the situation. Possibly it was afraid of being singled out and being held responsible for the death or injury to members of the Hurriyat, as if they are national assets.
The sting operation by a news channelled to the government ordering an NIA inquiry. Even in this case, the NIA team moved to Srinagar to question them. It has summoned two members to Delhi, whereas this was the moment for them all to be brought in for questioning and further investigation.It was an opportunity for the government to play its cards of changing perception, removing from the minds of the locals that their claims of azadi were being dashed and Pak was sponsoring, solely to gain control. The Government remains silent, reasons for which are presently difficult to fathom.
Simultaneously the Government claims that it is essential to isolate the Hurriyat for its anti-national strategies. This statement has flowed from none else, but the Defence Minister. Yet, it refuses to act, restricting the support which is being provided to the Hurriyat, moving them away from the state, albeit on the excuse of the NIA enquiry. Thus, there is clearly a mismatch between statements and action.
The Army has begun its process of employing measures for domination of the Valley. Stone throwing would continue unless the flow of funds is closed. The conduit is the Hurriyat. Synergy in Government action involves curtailing or limiting Hurriyat’s receipt of funds, while Army handles militants and police forces quell stone throwing. There is no reason for the Government to hesitate, unless it has other intentions. The Hurriyat can never be expected to change its spots, as its paymasters are across and most have family there, which would come under immediate threat. Internationally, no objections would arise, as Pak is a lost voice in the world.
Delay or non-action is illogical, unless the Government has a deeper strategy, which has still to emerge. It cannot be seen to be losing opportunities coming its way or failing to exploit the successes of the Army. Isolating the Hurriyat is a priority for winning the dirty war in Kashmir.
(The author is a retired Major General of the Indian Army)
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