The secessionist space is gradually withering away in Kashmir. However, it does not necessarily translate into the mainstream parties occupying that space. While these parties will retain some space, there are other players as well, whose politics is marked with dissent, which are jumping into mainstream politics.
There may be multiple factors for the decline of secessionist politics in Kashmir, but it is the abrogation of Article 370 that sealed the fate and made everyone realise that the integrity of the country is non-negotiable. It took time for those advocating secessionism to reconcile to the new reality, so much so an organisation like the Jamaat-e-Islami sought the lifting of the ban to contest elections. The ban was however not lifted.
Recently a prominent former leader of All Party Hurriyat Conference Salim Geelani joined the People’s Democratic Party of Mehbooba Mufti. Geelani had parted ways with Hurriyat about ten years ago and formed his outfit, the National People’s Party.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), the central force behind the Hurriyat Conference has already expressed its wish to contest the elections and had urged the centre to lift the ban on it. The JI has decided to field candidates as “independents” in the ensuing elections as the ban was not lifted. It does have certain pockets of influence where it can make a difference and may even manage to win a few seats.
This marks a major shift in the political landscape of Kashmir.
Till now, the Hurriyat Conference/Jamaat-e-Islami would not only boycott the elections but would also work towards ensuring it. This has completely changed now, as the Hurriyat Conference remains merely a pale shadow of its past.
The All Party Hurriyat Conference was formed on March 9, 1993, during the peak of the secessionist movement, after 26 political and socio-religious organisations came together to fight for what they called, the “independence of Kashmir”.
The constituent parties included the Jamaat-e-Islami, People’s Conference, Awami Action Committee, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front and others. The prominent leaders at that time included Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Umar Farooq, Abdul Gani Lone and others.
The Hurriyat Conference first split in September 2003, within ten years of its existence between Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Umar Farooq factions. While the Geelani faction was known to be “hardline”, Umar was described as “moderate”.
Jamaat-e-Islami had always adopted a “hardline” posture under Geelani’s leadership. He managed to impose his hardline agenda in the Hurriyat for several years only to split eventually.
Right now, there are primarily two factions. One led by Masarat Alam, who is heading the Geelani faction, after his death and the Umarfaction led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
These groups have been completely marginalised and sidelined now and are desperately fighting for their survival. Their situation is more or less similar to what it used to be during the pre-militancy era of the 1980s. Jamaat-e-Islami dominated Hurriyat faction headed by Masarat Alam, is restricted to its limited cadre across Kashmir, Umar Farooq’s faction has also a very restricted following in the downtown areas of Srinagar city only.
The mainstream parties like the National Conference, the Congress and the People’s Democratic Party will have to face the new players, who have emerged from secessionist politics. Engineer Rashid, who won the Baramulla-Kupwara parliamentary constituency defeating former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of the National Conference, is a symbol of the same resistance and dissent against the traditional mainstream political parties.
His candidates are certain to pose a tough challenge to the National Conference-Congress alliance in north Kashmir.
While secessionist politics has definitely withered away from Kashmir, the politics of dissent does still prevail.
The Abrogation of Article 370 did prove to be the proverbial “last straw on the secessionist camel’s back”. It broke the backbone of the secessionist sentiment as it conveyed a categorical message that Kashmir is an integral part of the country.
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