“After 2008, Geelani was able to reign in warring factions of separatists to adhere to him. The 2008 agitation and the unrest after that in 2009 and 2010 helped him yield more power as he issued ‘protest calendars’ which were abided by the people. All other separatists had to take a back seat. The Pakistanis realised he is their biggest asset in Kashmir,” said a retired IPS officer who had served in the Intelligence Bureau.
Source : ANI NEWS
Years Before
Militancy in Kashmir emerged in 1989 post defeat of the separatist parties in the 1987 state assembly elections. Pakistan, which had been licking its wounds since 1971 War and was wary of a full scale war against India, found this to be an opportune moment to start a proxy war in Kashmir and put into action its strategy of ‘Bleeding India with a thousand cuts’. Numerous Islamist groups, formed in early nineties, emerged and advocated theso called Nizam e-Mustafa (Rule of Muhammad) as the objective for their struggle.Kashmiri Hindus, intellectuals, liberals and activists were persecutedto create fear and panic.Militant training camps were established on Pakistani soil whereyoung men from Kashmir, mostly hailing from humble background, were lured and made to cross the LOC, where they were trained, armed and inducted back in the valley.Soon Jammu and Kashmir became a bleeding ground harvested by Pakistan’s nefarious designs.
The Foundation
After initial three years of militancy, Pakistan realized that the people of Kashmir had got fed up with the militancy and everyday killings. It changed its strategy and established the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), an alliance of 26 political, social and religious organizations. Formed on 9 March 1993, it was projected as a united political front to raise the cause of Kashmiri separatist movement on the directions of Pakistan. The main objective behind the formation of amalgam was to reignite militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, which was losing its ground.
(Mis)leading the Way
Most of the leadership of Hurriyat was from the Muslim United Front (MUF) which was defeated in the 1987 state assembly elections. With the formation of Hurriyat, Pakistan put in place local handlers of terrorists who were working on the directions and payroll of Pakistan. Radicalizing the youth and luring them towards the militancy was their prime responsibility.Through their provocative speeches and false promises, they successfully brainwashed the gullible uneducated youth from humble families to pick up arms. Issuing calls for strikes was yet another responsibility of Hurriyat. Since 1989, almost 1500 days of strikes have been observed in Kashmir. Till Aug 19, they have been issuing shutdown calendars spread across the year. With close to five years lost in strikes and shutdowns, the Kashmiri economy paralyzed which in turn resulted in high rate of unemployment and lack of economic opportunities.
In his resination letter to Hurriyat, Geelani accused Pakistan-based Kashmiri separatists of “heinous acts of immorality, indiscipline and non-cooperation”.
Post 2008 Amarnath Land Row, the Hurriyat Conference began to organize violent stone pelting protests. These protests lured the unemployed youth, who were, as it is, bereft of a steady income due to unemployment. This worsened the civil unrest and ensured that even companies willing to invest in Kashmir were kept away. Keeping the valley in ruins and denying any economic progress to the locals was a pre-requisite for these mercenaries to sustain their murderous movement.
Privileges Galore
The Hurriyat Conference leadership is on the payroll of Pakistan. The leadership receives huge sums of money through Hawala and money laundering racket. They themselves are leading a comfortable life with their children living luxuriously in other parts of the countryor abroad. On the other hand, the misled youth economically weak are being used as fuel to keep the agitations and militancy alive.
The Surprisingly Oblivious Next Gen
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, a four time MLA now drawing pensionfrom J&K, is the topmost leader of Hurriyat. His eldest son NayeemGeelani and his wifeare doctorsin Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Geelani's second son lives in New Delhi. Izhaar, his grandson, is a crew member of a private airliner in India while his daughter Farhat is a teacher in Jeddah; her husband is an engineer there.
Asiya Andrabi is a founding leader of a banned terrorist organization, Dukhtaran-e-Millat. Her
eldest son Muhammad bin Qasim, lives with her sister in Malaysia. Most of her relatives are in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, England and Malaysia. Her nephew Zulqarnain is in the Pakistan Army while her second nephewIrtiyaz-un-Nabi, an aeronautical engineer,is a lecturer at the International Islamic University, Islamabad. Syed Salahudeen, head of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, also heads the United Jihad Council, a Pakistan- based conglomeration of jihadist militant groups sponsored by ISI. His sons are in cozy government jobs in Kashmir. Syed Shakeelis a medical assistant at Srinagar's Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences whileJaved works at Soibagh's Zonal Education office.
Bilqees Shah, wife of Shabir Ahmad Shah, founder/ president of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) is a doctor by profession and his daughter SamaShabir is studying law in Manchester, United Kingdom.
The Increasing Irrelevance
Hurriyat leaders have adopted hypocritical stancewho preach terror in the guise of “azadi” to the youth of the Kashmir but fail to enlighten their own kin about the “bigger cause”.Story behind Syed Ali Shah Geelani’srecent Hurriyat exitblows the lid off Pakistan induced medical college racket, corruption and the shadow war within Hurriyat.
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