Aajiz Tufail Shah
I was not shocked or even surprised with the behavioral changes Geelani adopted because I was never accepted him as a leader but that does not mean he is enjoying a freedom and possessing license to declare people and nation I belong to; a failed one. We will not go through the pages of history but surely there is a need to shed some light on recent incidents or events.
On November 23rd, Geelani called for shutdown “to honor sacrifices of Bijbehara militants”, most people were surprised with the call given by most elder man among leaders.
Some described it unnecessary giving reasons that militants are the ones who believe in fighting during which fighters are prepared to get killed or kill opponents.
If critical analysis of this argument put forth by section of people is made – we may agree with them as militants are not controlled by leaders or even by people, they (militants) surely have different ideology and approach to resist the oppression and political leaders believe in political initiatives; rest are the common masses who have sympathies for both militants as well as political leaders because both claim of being involved in a fight against aggressors. Geelani might have rightly called for shutdown “to honor the sacrifices”.
Just three days after the martyrdom of Bijbehara militants, on November 26th, three more militants and a civilian attained martyrdom at Tangdhar in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district and this time no shutdown was observed, reason might be their affiliation with Jaish-e-Muhammad. Geelani might have best reason for not calling the strike “to honor the sacrifices of Tangdhar militants and a civilian”.
Coming to Geelani’s recent interview wherein he so artfully tried to make an attempt to shield his political failures and hold people responsible for not taking the movement to its logical conclusion. It’s not me, people or even militants who prompted him to speak his heart out, rather his egoistic political approach made him to do so. Had someone else mistakenly spoken so, he would have been declared as traitor, agent, anti-movement and pro-Indian.
Was it not a moral duty of the constituents of his group to issue show cause notice to their tallest leader Kashmir has ever produced, or they don’t have courage to question?
In the same interview, while putting on political cloak he advocated for violent means of resistance. If his calls and appeals are ignored by the people who he himself described has made him failed; what authority he holds now to opine or even suggest over the matters pertaining to the same people. As a political leader he has openly accepted this reality which others might not even imagine to speak about, that people has rejected him.
From year 2003, his political initiatives were only aimed at proving others wrong, but today he tries to absolve himself from his own political rhetoric by taking shelter under the words of same Musharraf who Geelani has blamed for U-Turn on Kashmir and today a secret is revealed that Musharraf has personally promised Geelani that demilitarization from PAK will be made possible if India accepts right to self determination. Can Geelani also speak about what U-Turn he called for?
I’m ashamed that I belong to a nation where its people accept someone their leader and he in turn holds people responsible for his own inabilities to deliver at the times which could have changed the scenario if others were considered equals.
One who cannot perform on political platform and is using “Sheikh Saadi” a tool to attract people cannot be a political man; one who uses military language to invite youth to take guns without convincing his own children and grandchildren for the same is someone whose political philosophy can be contested.
I was not so intelligent that I could have decided to join people and accept him a leader. But I may only consider myself luckiest that due to my clumsiness I lagged and remained out of the fold and am not disappointed like others are, at the moment. My simple request to Geelani would be to think about his political retirement to prevent people from receiving further disappointments as you disassociated yourself from them.
The author can be mailed at aajiz_tufail@yahoo.com
