Separatism lives after Geelani
The death of 92-year-old Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who was the charismatic leader and focal point of the pro-Pakistan militancy in Kashmir, on September 1, proved not much different from when he was alive, exposing the fears and the vulnerabilities of the Indian state in the handling of J&K even after it was converted into a territory directly administered by the Centre.
The stalwart gave lusty protest calls. He stood up for the homegrown terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen. His unbending public outlook and actions frequently led the authorities to clamp severe security lockdowns in the Valley. Ironically, this did not change even when he died.
Shortly after midnight, hours after the death of the severely sick leader who had been under house arrest for 11 years, his body was cremated in a local graveyard near his Srinagar residence in secretive fashion by the authorities. Journalistic coverage was barred. It is alleged that even the family was not permitted to be around. A communications blackout was imposed.
For the past two days cell phones and the Internet are down. The security forces are out in strength across the Valley. Ordinary people are prevented from moving around. The farthest the authorities go is to say that Pakistan was likely to create trouble and every precaution must be taken.
This is the kind of statement which can be pulled out of the mothballs any day of the year in Kashmir. Where does this leave the widely publicised official view that normality has returned to Kashmir, thanks to ending J&K’s autonomy in 2019?
The Union home ministry holds the view that the absence of mass protests after the effective ending of Article 370 was proof that the people would not any longer be stung by separatism. The Valley shutdown tells another story, besides being an infringement of basic civic rights.
Two years ago, the late Jamat-e-Islami and Hurriyat Conference leader resigned from the faction of the Hurriyat he had founded. He had practically turned into a vegetable, and had been ignored by Pakistan in recent years in spite of his publicised view that India was in “illegal occupation” of J&K. But his ghost evidently haunts the government, much as Banquo’s ghost did Macbeth. This is hardly a sturdy representation of the fight against separatism.