08 May 2009
An overwhelming participation of masses in the J&K assembly polls-2008
was a big setback for the separatists who had worked overtime advocating
election boycott. This slap on the separatist face was unnerving
and many of them including Geelani, Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Umar
deserted the valley for some months. Their politics of bandh calls
and duplicity lay unraveled by the disillusioned people.
Later, many of the separatist leaders publicly and privately admitted
that the poll boycott call was not an appropriate response. Prof.
Ab. Gani Bhat of APHC (Mirwaiz) openly admitted that the poll boycott
call was a fiasco and not in consonance with the aspirations of
the people. Sajjad Lone of People’s Conference also spoke on similar
lines and hinted at his participation in the future poll process.
The Achilles heel of the separatists had been exposed.
Then came the parliamentary elections 2009 and once again the merchants
of deceit, death and destruction started receiving instructions
from across the border to stem the rising tide of popular anger
towards politics of violence and their practitioners. However, the
Mirwaiz faction of Hurriyat decided not to launch poll boycott campaign
as it was wary of another humiliation.
Protests organized by hardliners obstructionists against APHC (Mirwaiz)
forced it to re-think its strategy and make a U-turn by subsequently
announcing its support to poll boycott call. Syed Ali Shah Geelani,
who was in Delhi for a long time, on his return to Srinagar announced
poll boycott and also justified mob violence on streets of down-town
Srinagar. His bandh calls which had discredited him earlier have
been revived. It seems that Geelani is not sure of the success of
the poll boycott call, otherwise why should he have resorted to
50 hours bandh calls on the days of polling. Lack of confidence
or height of arrogance, the choice is yours to term.
Sajjad Lone opted to fight from Baramulla parliamentary constituency
much to the chagrin of hard-line separatist elements. His was real
politik. The people may not turn out in large number this time as
in assembly elections but that does not translate into a vote for
separatists. After all, why did the poll percentage drop substantially
in Jammu region where there was no poll boycott. There is a general
disillusionment among people all over the country which has added
to the traditionally low turn-out in parliamentary polls as opposed
to assembly election, wherein issues are of immediate and local
relevance.
Bandh calls have already destroyed the economic fiber of the valley.
The poor denizens of Kashmir do not have alternate sources of income
in Delhi, Dubai or Saudi Arabia as is in the case of Geelanis, Umars
or such others. The days of opportunists seem to be numbered as
it has been appropriately said
You can fool some people all the time.
You can fool all the people for some time.
But you cannot fool all the people all time.
