Srinagar, Jan 2: The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik Sunday said that writers and intellectuals can’t be impartial as “they have to either side with people or the state.”
 Addressing a seminar on ‘Role of Intellectuals in Freedom Struggle’ here, Malik said: “The writers and intellectuals cannot be impartial. “Either they are state-centric or side with people. An intellectual’s role is to represent people on a stage. There is no space for non-partisan. Impartiality is hypocrisy.”
 The seminar, organized by JKLF, was attended by several pro-freedom leaders, intellectuals and members from the civil society.
 Presently, Malik said, 99 percent intellectuals work on the ‘government aid’. 
 He however said that leaders should always consult intellectuals. “They should go against the tide. They can only represent people. If any nation lacks intellectual guidance, it’s hard for its people to achieve its goal or reach its destiny.”
 He said the intellectuals and leaders should present themselves as “victimsed”. “The role of intellectuals is to present various facets of Kashmir conflict on different platforms in their real perspective,” he said. “This would help in raising awareness and garner mass support for Kashmir resolution”.
 Malik said Kashmir issue is far bigger than perceived by people. “The intellectuals should refer to the external and internal dimensions of the Kashmir conflict. Internationally we need diplomatic support and internally we need to change the public opinion in India towards Kashmir. So the intellectuals need to change the public opinion outside and inside India,” he said. “Due to recent uprising the extremists in India are frustrated because they fear that the public opinion now sees Kashmir sympathetically”.
 Malik said “we need to introspect why we fail after every agitation. Why we don’t move forward.”
 The seminar was held to observe the martyrdom anniversary of noted legal luminary, Professor Abdul Ahad Wani.
 Malik said Prof Wani was an unmatched personality. “He was an encyclopedia of world constitutions,” Malik said. “He demanded Independence for Kashmir and that is why he was killed. The British Foreign Minister who met JKLF delegation in 1994 termed him an intelligent man. A UN General who met JKLF delegation in 1993 said if there were 18 men like Wani Sahib, they would bring revolution in the entire world”. 

TIME TO INTROSPECT: MIRWAIZ
The Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said there was need for introspection at individual and collective levels.
 “Since 2008, there have been ups and downs in the Kashmir struggle. We need to know why this happens,” he said. “Why we are not able to take the sentiments forward to achieve the results”
 He said the intellectuals should think and write about it. “If intellect and politics are forged together, surely the outcome would be fruitful”.
 Mirwaiz said every section of the society should play its role in achieving the “ultimate goal of right to self determination.”
 “Sacrifices for the cause are huge. We desperately need a direction to reach our goals,” he said, adding, “The leaders alone cannot take the struggle forward. We have to move collectively and every individual has a responsibility to contribute towards the cause”.
 He said leaders have “not been able to capitalize on the successive three years of peaceful resistance in Kashmir.”
 “I don’t know whether it is lack of understanding or something else. The intellectuals should reflect on this,” he said.
 Mirwaiz said apart from Jamiat Ahl Hadith there is no organization that discusses other issues facing the Kashmir society.
 “We have to counter the state discourse,” he said. “The state is now being divided into minority groups like Shias, Gujars, and Baltis. We have to stand up and oppose this.”
 He said for better results on Kashmir resolution “we need to be collective and leaders cannot alone do everything.”
 Mirwaiz said the leaders should be open to criticism. “Columnists writing in newspapers thrust on history. Those who write on current issues only point out mistakes in leaders,” he said. “Nobody says what the leaders should do. There is no proposal or suggestion coming from them which could guide the leaders to move forward”

‘INTELLECTUALS MUST SPEAK TRUTH’
Senior Hurriyat leader, Professor Abdul Gani Bhat said intellectuals need to speak truth.
 “We should speak out who killed Abdul Ahad Wani, fathers of Mirwaiz Umar and Bilal Gani Lone,” he said.
 He said there should be a well thought-out strategy behind any struggle. “At the end what did we achieve by blood letting and strikes for months,” Bhat asked. “Intellectuals should not maintain silence. They should speak out”
 In a veiled reference to Hurriyat Conference (G), Bhat said “they tell us not to talk to India. But when the Indian Parliamentarians arrive, they hold meetings with them. You call me infidel when we enter into any sort of negotiation. When you do the same, you roam free. Why this contradiction? This dichotomy should end.  
 On unity among separatists, Bhat said it should be purposeful. “Unity should be for aggrandizing and not for one person’s hegemony” Bhat said.
 Speaking on the recent unrest in Kashmir, Bhat said they had asked traders to open shops but they refrained from doing so “as they were afraid.”
 He said the geo-politics on Kashmir is favoring the resolution of Kashmir solution. “If leadership and intellectuals unite, it would surely benefit in its speedy solution”

‘WE ARE POLITICAL SLAVES’
Peoples Conference (B) chairman, Bilal Gani Lone said the separatist leadership has no political view even after 25 years of conflict. “We are political slaves. We have no political ideology. Our politics is dictated by a phone call,” Lone said. “How can we be independent”.
 He said before reaching out to intellectuals, leadership should form its political thought.
 “Politically ideology then has to be supported by intellectuals. When we learn to work as a Kashmiri, without any aid of agency, then we would succeed,” he said.

‘INTELLECTUALS VICTIMIZED’
Senior counsel, Advocate Zaffar Shah who presided over the seminar said intellectuals need to be politically committed to the cause. “Only then we can move forward,” he said.
 He said they tried hard to forge unity, but it never happened. “There are no chances of unity as such,” Shah said. “Each separatist party we met had their own proposal for Kashmir solution and they were the best”.
 Brushing aside the arguments that Kashmiris need not to protest for their rights as geo-politics was favouring them, he said if “we don’t agitate the status quo would remain for decades”.
 He said intellectuals have always advocated the Kashmir issue at various forums and through their write-ups as well.
 “But they have always been victimized. The leadership has to protect them,” Shah said. “Intellectuals have been terrorized and they feel sense of insecurity”.

OTHER VOICES
Dr Altaf Hussain, an author, said intellectuals should provide content to the ongoing struggle. “It is in history that Kashmir was an independent nation,” he said.
 Dr G Q Allaqband said there should be unity in diversity. “There should be a think tank to take it forward
 Columnist Dr Javed Iqbal appealed to separatists to unite. “We met Mirwaiz, Malik and Geelani sahib and pleaded to come on one stage to take the struggle forward,” Iqbal said. “They did not decline our plea. But practically nothing happened. It’s a blot on our chest”.
 Political analyst Dr Noor Baba said intellectuals have expertise and leaders should know how to utilize it. “Unfortunately leadership has not come forward,” he said. “Why blame intellectuals then for not taking the case forward. Leaders need introspection and decide what they need”.
 Senior leader from Democratic Freedom Party M Abdullah Tari, Poets Prof Rehman Rahi and Zareef Ahmed Zareef, advocate Nazir Ahmed Ronga, Prof Zafar Mehdi, Chairman Jamiat Ahl -e -Hadith Showkat Ahmad Shah and Moulana Abbas Ansari also spoke on the occasion.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 2 Jan 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 2 Jan 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 3 Jan 2011 00:00:00 IST