Sometime back a fellow columnist observed that there is no disunity among the leaders of Kashmir’s popular movement for freedom. The disunity projected to the outside world is only to confuse the growing public opinion in the west favouring a solution in keeping with the aspirations of the local people. The main aim is to create confusion about the real aspirations of the people. Well, there may be some truth in this assertion as regards confusing the outside world but one has to admit that locally the entire population is confused by the umpteen road maps and solutions put forth by these leaders of all hues and shades which are making rounds among various groups and are regularly projected from different platforms. There are no two opinions that the basic goal of all Kashmiris is same. To get ultimate emancipation from the centuries old bondage so that we can lead a life of honour, dignity, and self respect in peace. This is more or less an abstract of the goal in general terms. The moot point is how we can attain these ideal living conditions? To achieve a solution which can lead us to that goal we have to first understand how we got into the present mess? This is a story which has been repeated endlessly through dozens of books on the subject written by authors from all over the world. For centuries Kashmiris had been aspiring to regain their freedom which they had lost four hundred years back and when they were almost near the goal, they fell or rather jumped, in terms of the famous English proverb, from the frying pan into the fire. They got stuck in a centuries old ideological conflict of the sub-continent from which they had all along remained aloof because of the totally land locked nature of their country. There cannot be a greater misfortune than that! Even after a lapse of 60 years there seems to be no escape from this unsolicited captivity. Every Kashmiri in his heart knows this basic fact but he is still not ready to give up his urge for total release from the bondage, and generation after generation has been bidding its time. People have even willed that on the day of attaining this absolute freedom from the shackles of slavery someone should go to their graves and shout that we are there! Unfortunately our new leaders are not able to deliver this message in clear and lucid terms. Even if they stick to one clear cut and substantive goal, they keep on wavering or changing tactics so frequently that a common man gets absolutely confused about the goal as well as the road leading to it. Let us study some of these confusing goals. One party which appears to be very clear and consistent says that there is only one goal and that is the basic right of self-determination. This is our inherent birth right and no one can take it from us. The whole world has recognised this right through the UN Resolutions. Again merely claiming the right is only half the goal. Once the right is accrued, what next? Joining Pakistan, or joining India, or remaining totally independent. We cannot say that we will decide once the right is given to us. We have to be clear about our true aspirations right till the end. Let us say we are crystal clear about the ultimate goal which we will achieve after getting our basic right to decide about it. So far so good. However, what is the way to get this right? Bandhs and Hartals will not take us anywhere. These have failed to register. The true leader must show a practical way forward to achieve the goal and then personally lead the people on that way. This is especially true for those professing non-violent means to reach the goal. The violent ones are loud and clear. They are following the traditional way followed all over the world by similar movements for national liberation. The only reservation in our case is whether in this situation of trilateral conflict manipulated by international players is it possible to prevent hijacking and criminalisation of a genuine freedom struggle?
Then there are other groups. Some believe in four point proposals including self-rule and joint control, some set autonomy within India as the goal, and some are pleading for outright independence. Here again, it is not clear whether it is independence of a particular area or the whole state. This keeps on changing. Some have set a road map of an achievable nationhood without defining the unachievable part! Nations are complete nations. There cannot be part nations. Although one can feel that there is a universal desire for “Azadi” in the sub-conscious of a Kashmiri yet there is no overt unified expression of that. In the present global scenario absolute “Azadi” may seem out of tune as nation states have virtually ceased to exit. The trend is for bigger and bigger economic blocks. However, even to decide that one has to be given the basic “Azadi”. But right now the slogan of “Azadi” is more used to pressurise authorities to take action in many routine affairs totally unconnected with it. One can easily observe that whenever there is any public grievance which the authorities fail to address, people start asking for “Azadi”. It sometimes boils down to “Give us good governance or give us Azadi!” Unfortunately, the so called mainstream leaders who are for good governance have miserably failed to deliver as the ultimate goal for them has been their own self. We are presently facing the worst ever governance in the entire history of Kashmir. The whole society is in shambles and all the institutions have gone for a six. On the other hand, people fighting for “Azadi” have been in the field since 1931 and seem nowhere near the goal. In fact some of them have started doubting whether it is achievable at all? This is because they have always dreamt of achieving this in their own lifetime. They have been behaving as if the goal is not the emancipation of the common people but the freedom to hold power as and when “Azadi” comes along. They are in the fray as if “Azadi” is another election promise. This confusion of goals with missing roads to those goals is equally a headache for the Indian authorities who may have initially encouraged such a scenario. If at some point in time they genuinely want to settle for peace, with whom will they do it? The worst case scenario is of the so called mainstream parties. After having enjoyed the goodies of power for more than half a century they seem to have suddenly woken up to the sufferings of the common people. They are now pleading for succour to common Kashmiris being crushed under jackboots. They are now revising their goals and roadmaps. Where were they all along? Where was their conscience all these years? Or rather do they really have something called conscience? God must have cauterised that part of their brains where conscience is supposed to normally reside in a human being. Is it really their missing conscience or the fear of ultimate retribution staring them in the face? Writing on the wall! This then is the totally confusing state of affairs in Kashmir right now. People are faced with confusing goals with missing roads. A common refrain is what next? However, there is a silver lining to the whole episode. The two countries which have put them in this logjam are in a total mess themselves. While one side is getting confused day by day because of their nuclear deal like the moving electrons inside an atom trying to break the orbit, the other side is not sure whether to get out or get in the uniform while holding a sceptre. The internal problems of both the countries which are holding Kashmiris hostage are getting messy day by day. The drain on their economies due to Kashmir is pulling them down. Both are ultimately bound to get so confounded that they may be forced to get rid of Kashmir along with Kashmiris to save their own skin! That may happen sooner than later. Perhaps, a wishful thinking by a fatigued Kashmiri? Surely not, rather a lesson from our long chequered history, which has the habit of repeating itself. So no cause to get disheartened. Let us be the optimists that we have been for last couple of thousand years. Freedom could be just round the corner, provided we merge our goals and take a common road!