How the Hurriyat lost it

The election results to the J&K assembly polls must have come as a great surprise to the All Parties Hurriyat Conference. It had long nursed...

The election results to the J&K assembly polls must have come as a great surprise to the All Parties Hurriyat Conference. It had long nursed the illusion that as the people of Kashmir were totally disenchanted with the central and state governments, their stance of championing the right of the Kashmiris to determine their own future would command mass support. It therefore gave a call for the boycott of the elections in the certain belief that people would stay away from the polls, thus discrediting the electoral process and openly demonstrating the alienation of the Kashmiris from India.

But a voter turn-out of nearly 44 per cent has put paid to their hopes. This election, therefore, is not only a slap on the face of the separatist elements, it is a solid testimony of the secular and democratic faith of the people of the state. The Hurriyat Conference leaders must be seriously debating their decision to boycott the elections. They have lost on several counts as a result of this ill-advised move. First, it has exposed the hollowness of their claim of being the true representatives of the Kashmiris. Secondly, the prediction that the elections would be rigged has fallen on its face. Thirdly, the impressive voter turn-out has refuted its claim of the Kashmiris having become totally alienated from India. Fourthly, as failure is an orphan, the Hurriyat may now develop fissures.

The Hurriyat has not only lost much of its credibility, it has badly hurt the larger interests of the state. Consider the present case. The Congress and the People’s Democratic Party together do not have the numbers to form a government on their own and they would come to depend on the support of splinter groups and independents. This hotchpotch would result in a weak government. If, however, the Hurriyat Conference had not given its boycott call and joined the electoral fray, it too would have won a sizeable number of seats and could have partnered a more stable alliance.

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In fact, the whole agenda of the separatist groups and azadi seekers has been wholly misconceived. What, after all, are the highest priorities of the people of Kashmir? Revival of tourism and the promotion of local crafts is of the greatest importance to improve the economy. And this cannot happen unless peace returns to the valley. There are also basic needs to be attended to. That is, the provision of adequate educational and health facilities, upgradation of the rundown infrastructure, and the creation of new job opportunities by attracting entrepreneurs to the state. The attainment of these goals requires good and stable government and not the pursuit of chimeras.

If the Hurriyat had adopted a more pragmatic approach and, following Gramsci’s strategy of moving ahead one step at a time, gaining one concession after the other, they would have not only substantially strengthened their position, but greatly benefitted the people of the state.