Two days after Pakistan’s decision to clamp down on the Hizbul Mujahideen in the process of clearing decks for an Indo-Pak peace process, voices of introspection emerged from Ground Zero here — and from a separatist platform.Addressing thousands of supporters of the Peoples Conference gathered to commemorate the first death anniversary of its founder Abdul Gani Lone, his son and party chairman Sajjad Lone said: ‘‘A new world order has emerged, forcing India and Pakistan to come closer. We Kashmiris too need to show flexibility. We (Kashmiris) need to understand the rules and regulations of this new world order’’.India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers, had to show flexibility in their approach to fit into this new order, Lone said. ‘‘We Kashmiris too should do a reality check, see our position and bring about moderation in our approach’’.In an apparent dig at Pakistan’s policy shift on Kashmir, deemed to have taken place under the doctrine of ‘‘Pakistan first’’, Lone said: ‘‘For us it is Kashmiris first, Kashmir first. Hum na kisa ki shah rug hain, aur na kisi ka atoot ung (We are neither anybody’s jugular vein nor integral part)’’. Referring to Al Qaeda and the US-led war on terror, Lone said that there was a war going on across the world but ‘‘we (Kashmiris) are not a part of it and involving ourselves in it is not good.’’ India and Pakistan inching towards dialogue, Lone said, was a ‘‘golden opportunity’’ for the people of the state. ‘‘If we show rigidity and miss this bus, it won’t run again,’’ he said. ‘‘We always demand a role. Have we Kashmiris ever thought as to what is our role in an Indo-Pak peace process. And if there is a role, how would we Kashmiris benefit from it?’’Taking a dig at the leadership of the Hurriyat, of which the PC is a member, Lone said there were leaders ‘‘who want their sons and daughters in medical colleges and universities but when they see the children of poor Kashmiris, the only thing they remember is the martyr’s graveyard’’.This massive show of political strength, at the Sher-E-Kashmir Park here, had another point of significance for the PC. Soon after Lone’s assassination last year, the party was caught in a web of controversy when Sajjad, who’d just taken over the reins, blamed Pakistan for the murder. The party remained in the Hurriyat’s seven-member executive but shifted its focus to what they call an agenda of peace and moderation and even distanced itself from Pakistan.Then, last October, the party fielded proxy candidates in the Assembly polls without changing its official stand. This widened the gulf between the PC and hardline Hurriyat leadership, which alleged a sellout. With demands being raised for the PC’s expulsion from the Hurriyat, and with Pakistan’s recent policy shift on Kashmir, the shape of separatist politics in Kashmir now depends greatly on the fate of Lone’s party within this camp.
