Niloofar Qureshi
Two years ago the joint resistance leadership (JRL) of Hurriyat refused to meet an all-party parliamentary delegation without assigning any reasonable explanation and thus missed a golden opportunity to put across their point of view, but we didn’t complain. And neither did we raise any objection when the JRL recently called the center’s Ramadan ceasefire offer a ‘cruel joke’ and rejected it without even bothering to ascertain views of the people. Even if meetings and talks yield nothing they don’t do any harm either and when our leaders say that Kashmir has no military solution, the JRL’s aversion to any interaction with the center or parliamentarians is naturally quite perplexing.
Contrary to what the JRL says, our ‘freedom fighters’ seem to firmly believe that the Kashmir issue only has a military solution and thats why they have announced their outright rejection of the ceasefire offer known not only with hard-hitting statements also but by intensifying attacks on security forces using guns, grenades and even IEDs. Kashmir has been turned into a veritable battle ground this Ramadan and though we may try our best to shift the blame for the violence on the security forces, but with more than two dozen incidents of grenade attacks having had taken place after New Delhi announced ceasefire, I wonder if anyone would believe us?
Not to be left behind, the others took to the streets and videos of young boys attacking passing-by security force vehicles with sticks, stones, bricks and even hurling a bicycle have gone viral on social media. While our leaders may consider this to be an excellent exposition of public anger against the security forces, but the fact is that these videos will do more harm than good to the self determination struggle for a number of reasons. Firstly, crowds attacking the vehicles of security forces that were only passing by and in no way threatening or instigating the people conveys very wrong impression that Kashmiris aren’t the peace loving people but a violent society.
Secondly, the Hurriyat (M) statement after the death of a protester named Kaiser Amin Bhat who came under the wheels of a security force vehicle which was under attack in Nowhatta area of Srinagar reads, Such incidents exhibits open aggression and worst form of State terrorism unleashed on the people of Kashmir. It goes on to claim that it is because of the unbridled powers given to the forces and the lack of accountability; every day innocent civilians are brutally killed. However, no country (other than Pakistan) or any human right organisation has concurred with these accusations made by the Hurriyat (M) against the security forces and the reasons for this are obvious.
We must have the courage to accept facts even if they are unpleasant. And so, whether one likes it or not but after viewing videos shot by locals that vividly show crowds attacking security force vehicles what stands out is that inspite of being attacked the security force personnel travelling in these vehicles didn’t retaliate. Thus, while Hurriyat (M) may try to portray the death of Bhat as a preplanned and cold blooded murder but since the videos tell an entirely different story, how can anyone expect the international community and human rights organisations to believe what its statement says? After all, one naturally would believe in what is seen more readily than what is only heard!
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