NEWSLINKS US EDITION COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Basharat Peer in New Delhi
Firebrand Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Wednesday night called the present ceasefire in Jammu & Kashmir meaningless and limited to the media.
"The killings of innocents in Kashmir continue, the crackdowns by the security forces are on and Kashmiris are being subjected to insulting identification parades every day. Everything that was happening before the ceasefire in Kashmir is happening even now," he said.
Geelani was addressing a function to commemorate the silver jubilee celebrations of the Students Islamic Movement of India, an organisation of Muslim students which was set up on April 25, 1977, at the Aligarh Muslim University to 'shape the lives of Muslim youth according to the principles of Islam'.
Addressing the gathering at New Delhi's Ghalib Academy, Geelani denounced the offer of peace talks by the Government of India, calling it "the drama of talks".
Accusing India of oppressing and murdering Kashmiris, he said there was no point in talking now. He said the government was only trying to legitimize its "military occupation" of Kashmir with the charade of peace talks.
Geelani's hard-hitting statement is significant because it came just a day before the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference, the separatist conglomerate of whose executive council he is a member, is to decide whether to respond to the offer of talks made by the government's chief negotiator, Krishan Chandra Pant.
Geelani borrowed the Hindi phrase "attoot ang" (inseparable part) to say that Jammu & Kashmir is not an atoot ang of India, but is disputed territory. "Till the people of Jammu & Kashmir are given the right to choose their destiny as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions, they will continue to fight for their freedom, what India dubs terrorism," he said.
"I want to convey to the Government of India through you," he told the gathering, "that we are fighting for the implementation of our rights."
Justifying the secessionist armed struggle, he said, "I too fought the elections and chose the way of peace, but India rejected our demands by virtue of its force. Then our youth chose the armed option and without a care for their lives set out to fight for our rights."
He went on to compare the Kashmiri militants with freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, who died fighting British imperialism, and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, who raised the Indian National Army in pursuit of Indian independence.
Spitting fire, Geelani called the policies of the government "doghlee" (of double standards). He argued that when the people of the former East Pakistan asked for freedom, Indian forces went there and fought for them. So when Kashmiris demanded freedom, how could India justify using brute force to suppress them, he asked.
The recent killing and mutilation of 16 Border Security Force jawans by the Bangladesh Rifles also found mention in Geelani's speech. He condemned the mutilation, only to add, "But what is being done to the bodies of our boys, you cannot even imagine."
The teacher turned politician then aimed his rhetoric at the emotional chords of his audience. "When you are feeling sad about the mutilation of the bodies of your soldiers, why do not you realise that Kashmiris too feel this pain? Why do you continue to have double standards?"
Apart from Kashmir, the caste system also came in for fire from Geelani. He remarked that even 53 years after independence a shudra and a brahmin cannot drink from the same well in India. He further accused the country of trying to dominate the region with nuclear bombs and missiles when 32 million of its population are without clean drinking water.
He referred to India's annual expenditure of around Rs 16,000 crore [Rs 160 billion] on safeguarding its borders. Quoting a British Broadcasting Corporation report to say that the government was spending $1 million every day on this task, he said India should invest this money more profitably to improve the lives of its citizens instead of forcibly holding on to Kashmir, whose inhabitants do not identify with India.
Once his speech was over, Geelani made a hasty exit, leaving the crowd of journalists and television crews without a sound byte or a quote. He is expected to join the other members of the APHC executive council on Thursday morning to decide whether to talk to Pant.
The Government's Ceasefire: The complete coverage
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
