Who failed whom - An Open Letter To Geelani Sahib
Irfan Gul December 07, 2015 Daily Kashmir Images
Dear Syed Ali Shah Geelani Sahib,
Hope you are keeping up with good health and doing well.
Being a firm believer of humanism, I respect you as an individual. There was a time when I was your staunch supporter. I fought numerous battles, both physically and ideologically and implemented your agenda with full letter and spirit. I, perhaps followed you blindly than trying to understand the root cause of the problem.
Later I came to know that my love for your personality was mere intoxication which had emasculated my rationality.
In 2008 when Amernath land controversy picked up momentum, I became an active participant of this exercise. During that movement there were two instances which forced me to rethink my support to you.
It was a bright sunny day when I along with some friends left Pampore to attend the rally and returned back home by 11PM. Our legs were fatigued and our faces were tired but that did not deter us from joining your TRC Challo Call.
When we reached, I saw that all Hurriyat leaders except you were in an open vehicle and putting up a united face. Your absence made me wonder and I thought where is Geelani sahib? He should have been with all other leaders as this is a crucial juncture of the resistance movement.
While resisting my odd thoughts from striking my mind, I devoted all my attention to your speech. I vividly remember that you started by saying, “I have a good news for you”. I became curious and expected something which would not be less than a freedom announcement. Contradictory to all my expectations you announced the resignation of Pervez Musharraf, the then President of Pakistan.
This annoyed and disturbed me and perhaps this was the time when rationality started doing rounds in my mind. Later I realized, that actually Pervez Musharraf’s resignation was good news for you as he had never considered you a serious stake holder in the Kashmir dispute.
Another point in your speech was, when you said: “Do you accept me as your leader”? You repeated it and people passionately replied; “Yes, Yes”. The same people were unhappy with your ridiculous question at the end of your speech.
This was the time when you stabbed the movement in the back and cracks started appearing. Although you apologized later but it was too late to pick up the threads again, as the damage was already done.
In the same year during my 10th Class exams, I tirelessly worked for your boycott call. In my village I resorted to stone pelting during an election campaign rally of a mainstream political party in which one person was brutally injured. That adventurism still haunts me and shakes my conscience.
I continued with the protests in 2009, when along with my friends we even protested during our exams.
Then again in 2010, we resorted to stone pelting against forces at Rambagh, Srinagar. It was again you who stopped the protests unilaterally and perhaps pragmatically according to your perspective.
Please don't blame the people who implemented your agenda with letter and spirit. You cited education as a reason, but I must tell you that college students of that time lost all three years as our curriculum activities lasted for only a few months in the Valley.
You talked of martyrs. Can you please tell me what measures you have taken to rehabilitate the families whose bread winners stood by you and sacrificed their lives?
If people have lost confidence in their leader it indicates that something is wrong with the leader not the people.
You said that people should give up roads and jobs. Before making such comments, devoid of any logic, you should know that humans always struggle for better lives. If you negate this fact then you are certainly bereft of any revolutionary vision.
You said educated youth should take up arms, but is this applicable to only people who live in deep penury. Can you cite how many educated youth of Hurriyat families have taken up arms?
In conclusion, I request your good self, please fear God. Islam teaches us to prefer for others what we prefer for ourselves.
Please rethink your policies so that God will have mercy on us. At last, I as a Kashmiri youth, request you to allow me and my people to read and educate ourselves in order to understand the true principle of Islam. Perhaps, we can then at least try to follow the footsteps of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
Yours,
Irfan Gul
0 comments:
Post a Comment