The unity efforts among the separatist leadership in Valley are again gathering momentum. The fresh efforts began after the Mirwaiz Umar Farooq sent his two emissaries to his Hurriyat counterpart Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the JKLF chief Yasin Malik to express his desire to forge a common separatist platform to spearhead the current agitation. This has helped launch yet another effort to bring the Hurriyat leadership together. Geelani has sought to respond positively to the overture and for once expressed his Hurriyat faction’s support to this fresh attempt to align the goals of the separatist leadership. Malik, on the other hand, has also sent positive signals. The show of unity so far has generally been about a broad agreement on the rationale of the ongoing protests and the demand for a political response from the centre. Beyond that, even though, there is a tentative effort in progress to build bridges, there is a long way yet to be covered.  Though Malik has maintained a political equidistance from both the Hurriyat factions, Mirwaiz and Geelani have generally been at odds over their divergent approaches to settlement efforts on Kashmir. While Geelani is rooted in the traditional frame of reference on Kashmir, seeking a solution to Kashmir as per the United Nations Resolutions on Kashmir, Mirwaiz is considered as a separatist leader who has shown his readiness to accept a solution that could evolve out of a dialogue between India, Pakistan and Kashmiris. The talks with New Delhi have also been a major bone of contention between two Hurriyat factions on their road to merger, or even to forging a functional unity. While in the past years Geelani was seen as seeking an end to dialogue with Centre until it was accepted that Kashmir was a an issue pounding solution, through the implementation of UN resolutions and trilateral talks involving also Pakistan,  Mirwaiz Umar Farooq went on the path of dialogue in the hope that some solution might emerge. If one the side of Geelani's there was downright aversion towards resolution proposals flying across the space in and around Kashmir, the other side was  not dismissive about various proposals that came to surface during past many years. These differences bedeviled their relations for long. Even in 2008, when despite their best efforts, and even coming together briefly to lead Amarnath agitation, they couldn't fructify their alliance. Soon after the heady Amarnath groundswell wore off, the factions were back to taking potshots at each other. Now with the current protests already completing their three months and both sides having maintained a successful working relationship so far, there are again efforts underway to achieve unity between them.  Both Mirwaiz and Geelani have brushed away their differences saying these could be bridged in due course of time. But the anxiety remains over their ability to make a common cause. More so, when it is most needed. With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh working on a Kashmir package, both factions would be called upon to respond and deliver leadership. Besides, they will also be called to respond to the challenges thrown up by the current agitation and answer the questions raised by it. This needs all the separatists to close ranks and work on a joint political strategy that not only thinks in terms of steering the agitation, but also in terms of delivery. If seen in this perspective the initiative taken by Mirwaiz and the positive response given by the Geelani and Malik can only go well with the people. Since all the leaders have been all along saying that it’s a people’s enterprise and must be seen that way, it’s imperative to initiate a politics that could save people from any confusing differences. The   latest from Geelani that Eid prayers should be offered at Eidgah by all, which was earlier expressed by Mirwaiz, can be seen as a starting step in  this direction.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 8 Sep 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 8 Sep 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 9 Sep 2010 00:00:00 IST