Smoking the Peace Pipe

In the bleak harsh Kashmir winter, Hurriyat factional leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is also the chief Muslim priest in the valley, suddenly shifted his Friday religious sermons from matters ecclesiastical to modern concerns like bijli, sadak, pani (BSP) at Srinagar’s historical grand mosque, once the launching pad of pro-freedom and anti-Indian activists.

 

In a departure from the bloody past, the Mirwaiz talked about 'restoration' of peoples' civic rights and delved at length into growing unemployment, shortage of essential commodities and irregular power supply. In one of his famous Friday speeches, Mirwaiz went so far as to declare that "political freedom is meaningless without economic freedom".

 

Since Hurriyat leaders have traditionally declared that economic and social issues are secondary and could be solved after the final settlement of Kashmir, the change in Mirwaiz's perspective caught Kashmir watchers by surprise.

 But Mirwaiz, a moderate, is no exception. Even an arch hardliner like Syed Ali Geelani, who is in New Delhi for the past few months to avoid the harsh winter, appears to be softening. Once keen to avoid any Indian connection, Geelani's Delhi residence is an open house for leaders, politicians, lawyers – notably Ram Jethmalani – retired officials and members of civil society. “I am trying to convince Indians that our movement is for self-determination,” 

Geelani told TSI over phone, adding “there are many Indians who are convinced by our genuine arguments.”

 

Clearly, Kashmiri hardliners are turning soft. Analysts say there are many factors which have compelled separatists to rethink their strategy.

 

Firstly, having tasted the fruits of relative peace in the form of a thriving tourist season and its ensuing economic benefits, inhabitants in the valley are in no mood to upset the apple cart. The valley saw a high turnout in the panchayat polls held last year, violent protests and curfews are at an all time low and so are incidents of alleged human rights violation by security forces.

 

More importantly, factors like growing sectarian violence in Pakistan and trouble in Balochistan (the US Senate has admitted a resolution demanding self-determination for the people of Balochistan) have forced separatists to re-examine their Islamabad-based support. Whispers in political circles indicate that given Pakistan’s worsening domestic situation and increasing pressure from the US, Kashmiri separatists have been asked to lie low by Islamabad. Not that separatists in the valley need a prod or a nod from Islamabad to understand the fast changing ground realities. “There has been a huge change in mindsets. All of them realise that for a better and safer future they need to come closer and that hostility will not work anymore. Pakistan and India have also realised it. I believe this is a positive change and will bear fruit,” Abdul Ghani Bhat, senior Hurriyat leader of the Mirwaiz-led group, told TSI. This statement comes on the back of media reports suggesting that New Delhi may again invite the separatist leader for a dialogue. "We will not shy away from talks. We will talk with India and we will talk with Pakistan. We have a strong case and we should not lose any opportunity to put forward our point of view,” Ghani adds for good measure.

 

It is pertinent to recall here that militant violence has dropped to its lowest in the last 23 years of insurgency. According to official figures, violent incidents have dropped by 47 per cent in 2011, making it the most peaceful year since 1989.

 The Kashmiri separatists' latest change of heart is in good measure prompted by media reports which suggest that India and Pakistan are working on a peace plan which actually does not suggest a solution to the 63-year-old Kashmir imbroglio but proposes placing the issue on the back burner for 10 years. Till then, Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) like softening the borders with emphasis on economic development will be taken to normalise and improve the low-trust deficit between the two nations. If media reports are to be believed, the plan has the approval of the Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat.

 

Pakistan too has shown signs offlexibility by granting the most favoured nation (MFN) status to India despite objections raised by Kashmiri separatists and militant groups. Reliable sources told this magazine that the Hurriyat conglomerate has also decided to open offices in New Delhi and Islamabad. Islamabad has also invited separatist leaders from both sections of the Hurriyat Conference to hold talks on its changed perception on Kashmir.

 “There are many good things coming up from the valley but I personally believe that for a lasting peace and to create a conducive atmosphere the government needs to reach out to the people of the Valley. Panchayats need to be given more powers so that people realise that they are owners of their own destiny. The separatists also need to play their role in a broader perspective for the betterment of the common people. Most Kashmiri separatist leaders are my friends and I have been advising them to participate in the assembly elections so that they can deliver in a broader perspective,” former civil servant and renowned Kashmir hand, Wajahat Habibullah, told TSI in an interview.

 

In an attempt to further allay fears and reduce the footprint of security forces in the region, the government recently removed 39 bunkers, de-linking three battalions of CRPF from Srinagar and also vacated 52 buildings held by security forces. Chief minister Omar Abdullah has in fact informed the state assembly that his government has identified 15 more bunkers to be removed from the city.

 

 Political analysts believe Kashmir is heading towards change and have forced the involved parties to think differently. "Without any doubt there is a change of attitude and behaviour in all stakeholders. I am hoping this will lead to a final solution of the problem,” said Noor Muhammad Baba, head of Kashmir University’s political science department. According to him, “It seems all parties have finally learnt a lesson: rigidity and hostility will not do. Pakistanis have seen how violence becomes a Frankenstein and Indians have seen that arrogance is not workable.” Let’s hope the stones in the valley continue relating to ‘resting’ and not ‘pelting’.