An Editorial in the Kashmir Images discusses moral bankruptcy in the Separatist Elite
It seems separatist leadership in Kashmir is hellbent upon humiliating the people of Kashmir and the recent statement issued by veteran separatist leader and portions of the resolutions passed by his Tehreek-e-Hurriyat are brazen examples of this reality. On way to New Delhi, where he would be staying for two months in connection with his health problems, Geelani told a local news agency that people, who voted during the just concluded elections, should perform Tauba (a Muslim ritual of repentance if some wrong is committed). In Geelani’s view people who have voted have in fact done wrong and therefore need to repent. Interesting to note that nearly 60 per cent of the voters exercised their votes and therefore Geelani wants almost the entire population of Jammu and Kashmir to perform Tauba.
Geelani is a senior and respected political figure of the state. He has represented his Sopore constituency in state’s Assembly for several years and is known to be an able parliamentarian. People respect him and have great regard for him. But that doesn’t give a leader of Geelani’s stature to issue Fatwa against his own people. If majority of the people are wrong, who has given a license to Geelani that he and his party alone are the right? People voted because they thought they need to vote. It was out of their free will and living in a democratic world, peoples’ will is to be regarded as supreme. Some religious zealots may argue that it’s God’s will that is supreme, agreed but God never asked Kashmiris not to vote. God made humans, gave them grey matter and allowed them to choose the right path.
More interesting were the portions of the resolution passed by Geelani’s Tehreek-e-Hurriyat. The resolutions tell Kashmiris not to think of “CONSTRUCTION”. “We are oppressed and the oppressor would continue to indulge in destruction. We should steadfastly continue our struggle for realization of right of self determination and not talk about construction,” the resolution said. Not only this, the resolution says that talking of construction in present scenario is killing for the freedom movement. The resolution doesn’t stop there but asks people not to strive for good roads. “Let us talk about god roads once we get Azadi.” One wonders how a party that is headed by a politician like Syed Ali Geelani should issue such absurd statement. Does the resolution want to tell people that they should not have goods roads to commute; not have good health care facilities to treat themselves; not to have good schools to get education…
What exactly is the resolution aiming at? Let Geelani, with due respect, be asked that if he wants people to live with bad roads, why is he flying to New Delhi for specialized treatment. Ordinary Kashmiris are not allowed to talk about roads and other basic facilities and leaders are free to get costliest and the best treatment in the reputed hospitals of India. Isn’t it an irony?
The voter turn out may have given some set back to the separatist leaders but that doesn’t mean that separatist leadership started humiliating the intellect of the ordinary Kashmiris. Leaders don’t exist in vacuum. They need people and if all the people are wrong, as Geelani is trying to convey, leaders should either quit or join the mob.