YUSUF JAMEEL
SRINAGAR
Oct. 4: Syed Ali Shah Geelani was released from a
235-day-old home confinement last week when the police contingent deployed
outside his Srinagar residence was withdrawn and a makeshift security camp to
enforce ‘house arrest’ orders on him disappeared all night. The octogenarian
leader is currently touring various parts of Kashmir Valley to reconnect with
the people with his long-standing viewpoint “elections held under the framework
of Indian Constitution aren’t and can’t be substitute to the promised right to
self-determination.”
The campaign was picked up from his hometown Sopore on
last Friday, an auspicious day for Muslims, and apparently with the purpose of
making his perspective stronger and leave no illusion in anybody’s mind he also
chose to visit the family of Parliament attack convict Muhammad Afzal Guru,
hanged in Tihar jail earlier this year, and reiterated “India may delay freedom
to the people of Kashmir but can’t deny it.” He was even sure of the delay
being only “fleeting” and pledged this in front of Guru’s teenage son Ghalib.
While Geelani is out and seizing his ostensible freedom
to convince more and more people on “futility of elections” mantra, a new political
controversy surrounding his ‘release’ has set off in Jammu and Kashmir,
bringing various mainstream political parties and leaders nose to nose. Several
opposition politicians have openly accused the ruling National
Conference-Congress coalition of “manipulating” Geelani’s release to keep
voters away from polling booths. “He has been released only to ensure he
reaches out the people with his election boycott call as they know it for sure
that he will find many takers,” alleged Abdur Rashid Kabuli, former MP who is
part of a recently launched ‘Third Front’ in Jammu and Kashmir comprising
communist parties and some regional groups to fight the forthcoming State
Assembly and Lok Sabha elections “collectively and coherently.”
Kabuli is concerned that a low turnout will only facilitate
“vote chori” and “it is anybody’s guess who will do it or benefit from it.” He
said, “It has happened in the past and it may happen again.” Some other
political parties also have questioned timing of ending Geelani’s home
confinement and said it could be a ploy. There has been no reaction to the
criticism by the government nor has it, so far, given explanation as to why it
suddenly decided to release the separatist leader and allow him to move from
place to place with his election boycott diktat.
Some officials, however, privately say that keeping
Geelani under house arrest for so long was only inviting severe criticism from
human rights groups within the country and abroad and recently several
newspapers having international sway also wrote about it. Also, the J&K
High Court had recently reserved
verdict on a contempt plea filed by Geelani seeking action against the
authorities for non-compliance of court directions on his house arrest. The
government’s counsel had informed the Court that the Srinagar District
Magistrate had passed a fresh order on April 20 against Geelani under Section
144 and pleaded that police deployed outside his residence he “is meant for his
protection.”
Nevertheless, what has mystified local watchers is;
some ruling coalition politicians including senior NC leader and minister for Rural
Development and Panchayat Raj Ali Muhammad Sagar, who would until recently
denounce Geelani and every action that he would take, publicly acknowledged his
leadership “qualities” and even called him a “mass leader”. While Kabuli has
urged Geelani to reconsider his poll boycott call, Moulvi Abbas Ansari, a
senior separatist leader from the so-called moderate faction of Hurriyat
Conference, has hoped his “freedom” would not be transitory and that he would
not leave any room for maneuvering by anybody.
All said, Geelani is pulling huge crowds wherever he goes but will the
people oblige him also when the elections to the State Assembly and Parliament
(sometime next year) are held or the separatists’ poll boycott call will once
again fall short or evoke encouraging response only in few cities and towns as
did happen on several occasions in the past is to be seen than speculated.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar
Abdullah said on Monday Geelani's release was not a political but
administrative decision. "Geelani was released after administration took
pros and cons into account and finally decided to release him.” He added that the past record shows wherever
Geelani addresses people, violence breaks out there. “Despite the negative past
record, the administration let him go,” he said. He also said, "People are
the ultimate source of authority and it is the people who can judge the
best.”
He,
however, hastened to add, "Geelani remains in lime light during
disturbance and everyone that time feels and thinks the he is the leader of
people. As peace prevails, people forget him." Before Abdullah same is the
case with mainstream leaders. "People forget them during disruption of
peace but revolve around them in the times of peace.”
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