Why are Kashmiri politicians obsessed with Poster Boys of Militancy?

Why can’t they motivate them to join the mainstream?

How long will they keep tasting blood of innocent civilians?

Majority of Kashmiri politicians, including some of the mainstream stalwarts, are more or less obsessed with poster boys of militancy in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

…their handlers sitting across Pakistan are channelising hatred against India by using social media platforms…

Every time a young militant is killed by security forces these politicians flock together to demand initiation of dialogue process to resolve the issue of Kashmir.

But soon after the mourners, chanting slogans of ‘Azadi’, vanish from their graveyards these politicians also beat a hasty retreat with a promise to resurface again. They seldom talk about their own failures and how poor governance in the state has lead to mass alienation of common people.

At the peak of militancy some of the mainstream politicians used to attend the mass burials of top militant commanders and grieved over the loss of precious lives.

But nowadays the politicians shed ‘crocodile’ tears on their social networking pages and various other digital platforms to send across a message that they continue to support their struggle.

This is happening because the entire propaganda machinery working at the behest of their handlers sitting across Pakistan are channelising hatred against India by using social media platforms and even inciting violence through the same medium.

The trend started when Parliament attack convict Mohd Afzal Guru was suddenly hanged to death by the Congress-led UPA govt on February 9, 2013.

Kashmir valley witnessed sporadic protests and politicians of every hue cried foul over the manner in which he was hanged to death without even informing his family about it in advance.

Politicians across Kashmir Valley played competitive politics to gain sympathy of the masses. The same politicians had dumped him when he was in need of a good lawyer to plead his case before the court of law.

As he caught the imagination of the Kashmiri youth more radicalisation started happening and politicians once again sensed an opportunity to keep the pot boiling.

Afzal Guru was replaced by another poster boy of Hizbul Mujahideen Burhan Wani.

He became a household name after he successfully created an internet friendly army of young recruits who were experts in creating buzz in the social media than carrying out real life operations against the security forces.

After tasting success for some time when he was killed by a joint team of security forces on July 8 in 2016 the entire Kashmir valley erupted in anger.

More than 76 civilians lost their lives in an unending cycle of violence which consumed whole tourist season and resulted in loss of crores of rupees as businesses remained shut and normal life remained paralyzed.

Hundreds of government buildings were damaged and set ablaze and weapons were looted from security forces by an angry mob to target the security forces. After Burhan Wani, Zakir Musa and more recently LeT Commander Bashir Lashkari remained in the news and attracted large crowds during their funeral processions.

None of these politicians ever talked about bringing these youth back into the mainstream. They continue to thrive on prevailing circumstances and playing ‘dirty politics’ over the dead bodies of innocent civilians.

Veteran Congress leader Saif Ud Din Soz claims he would have preferred dialogue with Burhan Wani

Coming out of self-imposed hibernation a close aide of Sonia Gandhi and former Union Minister Prof Saif Ud Din Soz Friday went ballistic by openly suggesting that he would have preferred to hold a dialogue with Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani than killing him.

“Mere bas mein hota toh Burhan Wani ko zinda rakhta aur unse dialogue karta (If it were up to me, Burhan Wani would have been kept alive and a dialogue would have taken place), said senior Congress leader Saifuddin Soz on Friday.

In April, Soz said the current problem in Kashmir was created by India and not Pakistan.

Speaking to a news agency on the sidelines of a seminar in Mumbai the Congress leader said, ” I would have made him understand that a bridge of friendship between Pakistan, Kashmir, and India can be built and he could also be useful in that. But now he has died. We should understand the pain of Kashmiris”.

“The problem today is not in Jammu and Kashmir but in the minds of the people there, who feel alienated. Youth in Kashmir cannot be termed as misguided and stone pelters.

His comment comes a day before Hizbul Mujahideen ‘commander’ Burhan Wani’s death anniversary on July 8.

In April, Soz said the current problem in Kashmir was created by India and not Pakistan.

Last year, Soz had suggested the Centre scrap Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) as the first step in Jammu and Kashmir if it wanted to respond to the “grim situation” prevailing in the state.

When Politicians sing in chorus

To target the youth population in the strife-torn areas of the state these politicians also sing in chorus ‘chants of Azadi’ and if possible add fuel to the fire by claiming more and more radicalized youth are picking up guns due to growing alienation between the state and the common population.

Ever since BJP led NDA government is running the affairs under the leadership of Narendra Modi Kashmiri politicians have become more lethal in their utterances. Instead of joining the dialogue table they are provoking the common masses in Kashmir to join the protests to resolve the issue of Kashmir.

Two principal opposition parties Congress and National Conference which ruled the state in alliance between 2009-2014 under the leadership of Omar Abdullah, grandson of Sheikh Mohd Abdullah, are also guilty of triggering unrest in the state by not playing constructive politics.

Ever since Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) is running an alliance government in the state with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under the leadership of Mehbooba Mufti the agenda of both Congress and National Conference is to play spoilsport and not allow the ruling dispensation to normalize the situation.

These politicians deliberately ignore the security concerns and romanticize with them to remain in currency.

Farooq Abdullah also guilty of adding fuel to fire?

When former Union Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah was running his poll campaign during by-polls in Srinagar in April 2017 he triggered a controversy by claiming that the stone-pelting youth in Kashmir was laying down their lives for the resolution of Kashmir.

“Kashmiri youth is pelting stones for the nation. The young men throwing stones are sacrificing their lives for Kashmir resolution,” Abdullah said. Dr. Abdullah deliberately gave this tilt to his speech to win over the support of separatist leaders and prevent boycott threat during the polls.

“I want to tell the prime minister that tourism is our life, but a youth pelting stones is not bothered about tourism. He is ready to starve to death… but will continue to throw stones for his nation. This has to be understood,” Abdullah said, countering Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remark wherein he had asked the Kashmiri youth to choose tourism over terrorism.

While addressing party workers during the campaign Dr. Abdullah also went on to claim that “Kashmiri youth are picking up guns for freedom of Kashmir and not for becoming legislators. The younger generation of Kashmir isn’t afraid of death and is ready to give their lives of the cause…we can’t reach any solution on Kashmir until Pakistan is taken onboard; there is an internal as well as an external dimension to the Kashmir issues which need to be addressed,” he added.

Mehbooba Mufti too was ready to give Burhan Wani a chance than killing him?

Even J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti could not avoid making a passionate statement in a bid to control the emotions of violent protesters going berserk on the streets of Kashmir Valley in the aftermath of killing of Burhan Wani.

Mehbooba clearly indicated that had the security forces known about Wani’s presence the situation could have perhaps been controlled better.

She said had the security forces known about Wani being present inside the house in Kokernag area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, it would have been possible to keep the situation “from turning to what it is today.”

“I feel if they knew, perhaps we would not have such a situation when the overall situation in the state was improving, so it could have been a chance,” she told reporters.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is equally guilty of glorifying Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in death.

National Conference Provincial President Nasir Wani had earlier claimed that the chief minister was aware of the operation and had also rewarded the officials who led the operation in which 22-year-old Wani was killed on July 8.

“How can one know everything about every encounter?”

“As far as I know, what I heard from the police and the army, who said they only knew that there were three militants inside the house but did not know who they were,” she told reporters.

Burhan Wani had become a youth Icon: Omar

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is equally guilty of glorifying Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in death. Soon after he was eliminated he took to Twitter and said Burhan Wani, a Hizbul Mujahideen militant who was killed Friday by security forces, has become the new ‘icon’ of the disaffected community in the valley.

Abdullah had earlier, on Friday, tweeted that he could not find Wani’s link with any kind of militancy during his term in the office.

After many years I hear slogans for “Azadi” resonate from the mosque in my uptown Srinagar locality. Kashmir’s disaffected got a new icon y’day.

Mark my words – Burhan’s ability to recruit into militancy from the grave will far outstrip anything he could have done on social media, Omar had tweeted.