Brig Anil Gupta
Dr Farooq Abdullah on December 12, 2023 accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of turning the erstwhile state into “hell” by downgrading it to a Union Territory. Not very long ago the same Farooq Abdullah had said “let Kashmir go to hell” while talking to a news reporter. Why the State was made a UT is a separate subject, which would need a separate article, but was this the reason of the Valley becoming a hell implying that prior to August 5, 2019, everything in J&K was perfect like the heaven is the subject of discussion in the instant article. When did the Heaven on Earth actually turn into a hell? For this one need to dwell in the past and rekindle the memory of those who were witness to those events and educate those who are unaware of the happenings. While the stage for burning the erstwhile state was set by Sheikh Abdullah with active connivance of Congress, the final obituary was written by his successor who is asking this question albeit again with full support of the Congress party. To this end they enjoyed backing of many splinter groups and organizations inimical to the national interest.
“When Rome was burning Nero was fiddling”, similarly when Kashmir was burning Farooq was bike riding and golfing and was popularly called the Disco CM. Having set Kashmir on fire he fled to London leaving J&K rudderless for crucial 48 hours but yet Dr Farooq says, “I have not set Kashmir on fire.” The happenings of the late eighties bear testimony to the fact who set Kashmir on fire? Two major political dynasties and their political parties stand out as the architect of separatism, terrorism, radicalization, discrimination and nepotism in the troubled history of J&K.
Like fish cannot survive without water, no separatist or terrorist movement can sustain or survive without local support and political patronage from the regional parties. A source of funding is also important and Pakistan played that crucial role. Pakistan backed Jihadi terrorism in Kashmir was also clandestinely supported by regional political parties, and financed from Pakistan and other countries. Surprisingly, the Congress led Central government under Rajiv Gandhi ignored various intelligence reports and personal letters from the then Governor Jagmohan highlighting the inefficiency of Farooq led state government.
G M Shah, installed as chief minister in 1984, released a White Paper against Dr. Farooq Abdullah on his acts of omission and commission in relation to the security of the state, communal harmony, and national security. It was presented before the state cabinet for consideration on September 3, 1984. The report further confirmed that Dr. Abdullah himself had taken and administered to others the oath of allegiance and dedication to the cause of the so-called liberation of Kashmir with Maqbool Bhat in PoJK.
The report further adds that the double Farooq accord, in 1980 created an impression in the Valley as if there was need to fight against India. “In that process, all the anti-national and secessionist organisations in the valley like Mahaze-e-Azadi, People’s League, Jamat-ul-Tulba, and Kashmir Liberation Front came to the surface in support of Dr. Farooq Abdullah projecting assembly elections as a fight between Kashmiris on the one hand and India as a sovereign country on the other.”
The other regional party Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) founded by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was also equally responsible for supporting the secessionists. Mufti Sayeed after his resignation from Congress in August 1987 after the signing of Farooq-Rajiv accord promoted Muslim United Front (MUF) a polyglot coalition of Islamic Kashmiri political parties that contested the infamous 1987 elections. The party was launched by his friend Qazi Nisar of Anantnag. He later founded his own party Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It enjoyed the support of Jamat-e-Islami and other radical and separatist outfits.
The accord between Mirwaiz Farooq and Dr Farooq Abdullah, known as the double Farooq accord, in 1980 created an impression in the Valley as if there was need to fight against India. In that process, all the anti-national and secessionist organisations in the valley like Mahaze-e-Azadi, People’s League, Jamat-ul-Tulba, and Kashmir Liberation Front came to the surface in support of Dr. Farooq Abdullah projecting assembly elections as a fight between Kashmiris on the one hand and India as a sovereign country on the other.” The result of the election for the first time resulted in the political polarisation of votes on communal lines. While NC won all the 46 seats from Kashmir, Congress (I) swept the Jammu and Ladakh regions winning 26 seats. Farooq Abdullah became the Chief Minister but the victory of NC promoted the rise of secessionist and separatist parties that had remained dormant for quite some time and gave further boost to communal politics.
In February 1986, massive communal attacks occurred in South Kashmir. Muslim mobs looted and plundered or destroyed the properties and temples of Kashmiri Pandits. The army was called in to curb the mayhem since Gul Shah’s government failed to bring the situation under control. He proved no different from his brother in law as far as “exclusivity” in politics was concerned.
Gul Shah’s Government was dismissed in March 1986 by the then Governor Jagmohan. It was reported that Mufti Sayeed, then a Congress leader, had instigated the violence as he was keen to be the Chief Minister and replace Shah. PM Rajiv Gandhi gave Mufti a seat in the Rajya Sabha and also made him a Union Minister. In November 1986, after months of hectic parleys, Rajiv Gandhi and Farooq Abdullah signed an accord and the latter was reinstated as the Chief Minister. The disputed elections of 1987 and its subsequent fall out that led to hordes of youth moving to POJK for arms training is well known to all. Abdullah’s tenure from November 1986 to January 1990 was the worst period of J&K’s history which is well documented and is the harbinger of the dark era which literally turned the Heaven on Earth into hell. It was this period that saw the build-up to the pogrom. NC and Congress cannot absolve themselves of their roles in the same.
While the role played by Dr Farooq Abdullah is quite intriguing to the extent that was it his incompetence or a deliberate approval to the ongoing killings and kidnappings of the Kashmiri Pandits as well as movement of youth in hordes for arms training? But more perplexing is the role of Congress party and its leader Rajiv Gandhi who turned a deaf ear to the warnings of Governor Jagmohan.
Former Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir, Shesh Paul Vaid, in one of his tweets wrote “Many people in the country do not know this #KashmirFiles fact: first batch of ISI trained terrorists were arrested by J&K Police but ill-thought political decisions had them released and the same terrorists later on led the many terrorist organisations in J&K.” He also added in his tweet, “Some of the notorious names: Mohammed Afzal Sheikh of Trehgam Rafiq Ahmed Ahangar Mohammad Ayub Najar Farooq Ahmed Ganai Ghulam Mohammed Gujri Farooq Ahmed Malik Nazir Ahmed Sheikh Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Teli. Could this have been possible w/o the knowledge of the Union Govt of 1989?”
While Farooq and Rajiv ignored the intelligence inputs failing to take any action, Rajiv Gandhi paid no heed to the repeated warnings given by Governor Jagmohan in a series of letters written to him as disclosed by the latter in his book My Frozen Turbulence.
“Need I remind you that from the beginning of 1988, I had started sending ‘Warning Signals’ to you about the gathering storm in Kashmir? But you and the power wielders around you had neither the time, nor the inclination, nor the vision, to see these signals. They were so clear, so pointed, that to ignore them was to commit sins of true historical proportions,” Jagmohan wrote in the letter.
Farooq had also ordered release of the terrorists as exposed by none other than Mr Vaid. While Kashmir was burning right under the nose of Farooq, Mufti Sayeed was the Home Minister at the Centre. His role in the entire gory saga is also suspect.
There is lot more to be exposed to determine who turned J&K Heaven on Earth into a Hell. But the constraint of space is a limiting factor. I am sanguine that the readers will not be left with any doubt or apprehensions about the real culprits.
Congress-NC accords/alliances in the past have been disastrous for the unity, integrity and peace of J&K. My humble appeal to the people is to not let the history repeat itself. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it and face the consequences that are likely to be worse than before.”
(The author is a Jammu based veteran security & strategic analyst)
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