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Hurriyat divided

The Asian Age 13-11-2003

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference in Jammu and Kashmir is in shambles. A divided house, it is fast losing its credibility amongst the people of the state who have little confidence in the Hurriyat's ability to express their point of view at any forum. Mr Syed Ali Shah Geelani, always pro-Pakistan, has parted ways with the rest to set up his own organisation that he claims is the "purified" Hurriyat. The other leaders, caught in a crisis of identity, are now sounding less like an organisation and more like individuals, each pursuing their own agenda. Pakistan, of course, is playing its usual games with the APHC and by "recognising" Mr Geelani as the chairperson of the APHC, is seeking to send out a message to the people that the others are working in tandem with Delhi. APHC chairperson Maulvi Abbas Ansari has been placed outside the loop by Pakistan that is reluctant to relinquish its hold on the Hurriyat, even if it means promoting factionalism within. The APHC demise started after it refused to contest the Assembly elections in the state at the instance of Pakistan and the militant leaders. Those who wanted to participate either did so under cover, or opted out of the process under pressure. A free and fair election in Jammu and Kashmir provided international legitimacy to the elected government, with the APHC finding itself on the periphery of state politics. It was from this time on that the Hurriyat became victim to internal factionalism, with fights breaking out inside the meetings, and the battle lines finally being drawn with Mr Geelani's decision to move away. Of course he denies this maintaining that he has not moved away, he is the Hurriyat and the others like Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, Professor Abdul Ghani Bhat and Maulvi Ansari are those who did not work in accordance with the will of the people. In this scenario it might become difficult for these leaders to carry on talks with deputy prime minister L.K. Advani without earning the charge of working in tandem with Delhi. This is a charge that the Kashmiri separatists have always tried to avoid. It is, therefore, imperative that the Centre, if it is serious about the talks, does not make matters more difficult for the APHC at this stage by imposing conditions that will either force them to back out of the proposed dialogue, or further fuel the suspicions that are bound to be articulated by Mr Geelani and his new outfit. The talks will create their own dynamics in the state, and these will be beneficial for those seeking peace within the Srinagar-Delhi context, provided Mr Advani and his advisers toe the delicate line without throwing the Hurriyat off the tightrope.