‘Our leaders
like a blind rider on a lame horse don’t know where to take it’
Speaking at launch of his autobiography, Prof Bhat calls for ‘light of
the vision’ to take struggle
MUDASIR YAQOOB Srinagar, Publish Date:
Nov 11 2016
Striking the first
discordant note against the Hurriyat response to the current unrest, former
Hurriyat chairman Prof Abdul Gani Bhat today said that leading the freedom
struggle calls for a solid strategy than “jumping into river without knowing
how to swim”.
He also departed
radically from the conventional Hurriyat thinking by calling on all mainstream
and separatist parties to “break the walls” and join heads to pressurize India
and Pakistan to resolve Kashmir issue.
"Our leaders
are like a blind rider on a lame horse. Horse cannot run and they also don’t
know where to take it," he said at the release function of his
autobiography ‘Beyond Me’ at his residence in Jawahar Nagar. “"Our
strategy is like jumping into a river. But before doing so, we don't even
pause to think how to cross it".
He said that the
leaders should not only be honest but also sagacious who are clear about the
goal, the challenges associated with it and how to lead people there.
"Those who
lead should do so in the light of a deeper and a clear understanding of what is
needed to be done. He should possess the light of the vision, the light of the
mind which is sharp and penetrating," he said. "In darkness, our
heads can collide. We can lose ourselves. This is why we need leaders who
can see and understand what is at stake".
Former Hurriyat
chairman also questioned the authority of the “leaders of two-member parties”
to decide on behalf of the people of Kashmir. “We have now become a community
of leaders. There are now leaders for every two people. We have no common men
left among us,” Bhat said in what was seen as a comment at the recent meeting
of the Hurriyat with the civil society groups.
Bhat said that all
mainstream and separatist parties should break the walls and join heads and
pass a resolution appealing to India and Pakistan to initiate a peaceful and
result oriented dialogue viz-a-viz Kashmir issue.
“People of India
and Pakistan also should build pressure on their governments to resolve this
issue. People elect governments. An elected government cannot say people to
shut mouths. It is people who elect governments. So people are sovereign and
supreme powers than the elected governments,” he said, adding, “All parties
including PDP, BJP, National Conference, Congress and other leaders of
recognized parties are claiming to be well wishers of people of Kashmir. If
that is true, why they cannot make collective effort to end the miseries of
Kashmiris?”
“I am not asking
them to merge all parties to form one party. They should join heads without
disbanding their own parties but only for the resolution of Kashmir issue,” he
said.
He added that
collective soul of Kashmiris is wounded. “We are challenging second largest
democracy of world. It shows that we have courage and confidence. It can only
be done by the people who have sharp minds and understanding.”
He said that one of
his Indian friends asked him why people of Kashmir are seeking Azadi when India
is filling their pockets and stomach. “I replied to him that India has entered
into our pockets and stomach. However, it has failed to enter into the scared
chambers of our heart,” he said.
He said that people
of Kashmir are well wishers of India, Pakistan and entire South Asia. “India
and Pakistan, both are nuclear powers. They cannot go for war. But to end the
all dangers and adopt the dialogue that would lead to permanent peace in entire
south Asia in the interest of all. We will support and show the both countries
the way to move forward,” he said.
He added that water
issues between India and Pakistan would turn in dangerous confrontations in
next few years, if remain unresolved.
He said that he was
sacked as a professor for speaking truth. “The then authorities thought by
their action I would stop speaking truth. But Allah had other plans. After that
move of authorities, I rejuvenated Muslim Conference,” he said.
He added that he
was sacked on the grounds that “I was threat to the security of state.”
“I was speaking
truth that Kashmir issue has to be resolved and India and Pakistan must
initiative dialogue to resolve it. Kashmir is issue and this truth was spoken
by one of India’s great Prime Ministers Jawahar Lal Nehru and Atal Bihari
Vajpayee. UN resolutions, Shimla and Tashkant, are evident of this truth.
Everyone in the world can call Kashmir an issue but for a common Kashmir,
calling it an issue is a crime,” he said.
He said that India
entered into the Kashmir with soar of guns, amid the claim of democracy. “It
wounded the souls of Kashmiris. But they remained silent at that time. Nehru
was also a Kashmiri. He knew Kashmiris are sharp. So, he made promise in the
historical Lal Chowk that people of J&K will express their political will
through plebiscite,” he said.
He added that Lal
Chowk has witnessed promises made to people of Kashmir and blood oozing. “We
should rename it Istiqlal Chowk,” he said.
He said that India and
Pakistan will have to address collective soul of Kashmiris.
Stressing Indian
and Pakistan to devise a mechanism for result oriented talks in respect to the
resolution of Kashmir issue, he said that the lingering Kashmir issue has been
the main cause of tension and instability in the South Asian region and has led
to armed conflicts between India and Pakistan in past causing enormous problems
for the smooth and peaceful development of this region.
“We (Kashmiris)
would support such a process provided both the countries take into account the
aspirations and emotions of Kashmiris,” he said.
He said that
America is in Afghanistan and China is in Pakistan. “If these two world’s
supreme powers will go for a war, both India and Pakistan will be affected and
it will have also adverse affect on Kashmir issue,” he said.
“My book Beyond Me
is a confession of things which I couldn’t do but were doable. It is about the
events upto 1986,” he said.
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