Hurriyat : The Possible 3rd Front

Hurriyat : The Possible 3rd Front
25th March,2009
The recent interesting news merging out of the Valley was not that All Parties Hurriyat Conference is developing a strategy to counter the upcoming Parliamentary election, but the organization is in the process of laying off people and shutting down district offices across the Valley.

A sudden change in their strategy? One may think.

The reason for such a radical shift in it’s policy could be because it’s office bearer’s have realized that it is futile to go against the might of India – economic, military or political. The information flowing in is indicative that the support Hurriyat has been enjoying from across the border and various Muslim nations is waning. The fact that it’s inability to develop a clear cut strategy and a message for the people of Kashmir and for its members - is the reason for such an impasse.
Formation of Hurriyat on March 10, 1993 was an opportunity for the disgruntled and few other emerging / wanting to emerge politicians to create a niche for themselves in the State politics. However, the Hurriyat leaders seemed to have failed in their inability to create a consensus to develop a single leader during the turmoil in the Valley - a leader with a mass appeal.
Eventually, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was given the opportunity to head the loosely knit organization. The members and some prominent leader of Hurriyat and Kashmir did not allow his brand (read name) to supersede their geographic influence. Despite his efforts to resolve the internal issues, he remained a poster boy for Hurriyat and his image to a large extent can be credited with keeping the Organization alive, beside the support of interested parties in New Delhi and across the border.

In the last two elections, there have been reports about the active members of Hurriyat, not supporting the elections boycott at the ground level at their home base. With such an-half hearted approach, it is but obvious that for one eyebrows will be raised and questions will be asked, and two over a period of time the Orginasation would lose control over the people of Kashmir Valley.

By nature – the people of Kashmir are secular, the escapade of Amarnath, which was led vigorously by both the factions of Hurriyat Party further created a fake sense of victory within the party to an extent where Umar Farooq ended up with a statement suggesting the division of the State on religious grounds. Only if the secular foundations of Kashmir would have been weal, today we would not have 64% of turnover, or voters speaking out openly about their desire for change and of economic amenities.

The objectives on which Hurriyat Party was created are in itself questionable. Peaceful struggle to secure the right to self determination of the people of Kashmir (and not that of the State). How peaceful was it ? How many lives have been lost?

Find an alternative solution to the Kashmir problem by involving India, Pakistan & Kashmir (and not the rest of the State), under the aegis of United Nations or any other friendly country. The fact is that Hurriyat is no where near this objective either.

And promoting a society based on Islamic values keeping in mind the Muslim majority character of the State. While safeguarding the right and interests of the non-Muslims of the State. The facts have been glaring at us for some timenow.

The Hurriyat Party on all the above three counts have failed.

One of the most important task in which Hurriyat failed is that it did not expand beyond the Valley or the religion. While according to sources within the Organisation, the suggestions regarding these issues were raised by some senior members. Nothing happened.
Despite the fact that Hurriyat has intellectual capital, it could not learn from history. Ironically, the leaders associated with the Party take pointers out of the history of Kashmir to further the cause of Kashmir. They could not take lessons from the history. Due to this reason today, the Party is at such a juncture. But as it is “it is never too late to reposition its stand in the politics of the State”. There is still scope to be the 3rd Front in the State, provided it is willing to reinvent itself.

This could start with developing some key acceptable messages for the population of Kashmir under the new political scenario. Utilizing the reach of each member who decides to stay with it, learn lessons from the National Conference – which at one point of time in history was a Muslim Party: but with due to circumstances in the State in 1947, NC changed to a large extent.
Foremost, the members of the Hurriyat Conference should release that the Party, initially an alliance of 26 political parties formed to materlise the right to self-determination according to the UN Resolution, stands null and void due to the political ambitions of Pakistan.

It is time to wake to the reality.