As if Farooq Abdullah’s recent statement over “Regional” autonomy within J&K state was not bad enough, his recent election campaign lollipop on promise to make an “announcement” for setting up of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in the J&K state to probe 2016 killings, if the National Conference comes to power with full majority in J&K assembly elections to be held in few months is pathetic.
TRC is a sacred institution of justice, reconciliation and healing of pain and suffering of masses who have endured injustice, violence, death and destruction. Setting up of a TRC is a serious endeavor that provides a sense of closure and justice to people, who have been wronged. And to see Farooq Abdullah Sahab using the phrase “Truth & Reconciliation Commission” in such a loose manner as a political gimmick was truly disheartening, sickening and disappointing, all at the same time.
The million-dollar question is that – Should TRC be constituted only and only for 2016 killings? The answer to that question is that 2016 did not happen in isolation, it came on the back of 1987, 1989, the entire dark decade of 1990s, 2008 and 2010 – the time period that was mostly heralded by Farooq Sahab’s party that violently thrust Kashmir valley into deep cores of dungeons of death and a complete social, economic, cultural and civilizational collapse of a land with thousands of years of proud and glorious history.
Even before the setting up of a TRC, what the people of J&K deserve is actually a “White Paper” on how Kashmir valley degenerated from being one of the most peaceful, prosperous and bountiful regions before 1982 to a corrupt, violent, lawless, socially & economically collapsed and ravaged backward region that it has been reduced today – the credit of which for most part goes to the days since the enthronement of Farooq Abdullah Sahab as CM of J&K in 1982.
Farooq Sahab, whose political initiation began in 1980 after he was elected “unopposed” from Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, took over as the CM of J&K in 1982, gave one of the most inept, corrupt, inefficient, misgoverned, nepotism infected and non-merit-based governments that J&K had ever seen till that time – so much so that when his government was undemocratically dismissed by Mrs. Indira Gandhi and replaced by G.M. Shah, no one in the entire J&K and least of all in Kashmir valley shed any tears for his government’s unjust dismissal. There was in fact a general sense of relief among the people of J&K at having gotten rid of the miserably failed government of Farooq Sahab.
The opportunistic alliance of NC & Congress (Rajiv – Farooq accord) in 1986 further accentuated the continuing governance crisis, when such an alliance effectively finished any political opposition to the ruling duo, thereby eliminating all checks and balances on the misdeeds of the ruling alliance. The final nail in the coffin was the collaborative rigging of 1987 J&K state elections alleged to have been orchestrated jointly by Congress & NC party to usurp the power and to stop the rise of Muslim United Front – a fledging urban Kashmir’s student driven political initiative that was trying to find its place in electoral democratic space of Kashmir. What unfortunately followed the 8 years of misgovernance and dirty political shenanigans since 1982 was the entry of guns in Kashmir valley and her unfortunate plunge into abyss of death and destruction ever since 1989.
Both Farooq Sahab and Omar Sahab have periodically been “demanding” the setting up of TRC various point of time, but never do they include in the parameters of probe of such TRC, the dubious role that Farooq Sahab, Rajiv Gandhi and Congress & NC played in laying foundation for advent of guns in Kashmir in 1989 and the resultant death & destruction in subsequent period onwards. Both Farooq & Omar Sahab, conveniently cherrypick only certain aspects of Kashmir’s post 1989 destruction for feeding their half-hearted rhetoric on TRC with the sole aim of capturing power rather than genuinely being concerned about facilitating justice and closure for the victims of Kashmir conflict through such TRC.
Farooq Sahab forgets that if a TRC were to be constituted to probe happenings in Kashmir, it will not just be restricted to just one year of Farooq Sahab’s choice but the same shall look into the entire gamut of post 1982 political shenanigans that led Kashmir to 1989. Such a TRC will also probe into why Farooq Sahab instead of providing leadership to the people of J&K, Kashmir valley and workers of his own party to sail through their toughest times actually left Kashmir valley to burn to ashes by cowardly escaping to the safety and luxury of foreign lands along with his family.
Farooq Abdullah Sahab since winning his first “unopposed” Lok Sabha election in 1980 has been enjoying an almost uninterrupted perks of power as Chief Minister, Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha member and a Union Minister in Congress government, exhibiting little signs of trauma that general population of Kashmir valley endured all these years and the least that was expected from him was to show compassion and sensitivity in talking about the genuine need for TRC for victims of Kashmir conflict in a serious manner rather than using it as a political jumla. Setting up of TRC is an important endeavor, about which there is a complete unanimity across the social and political spectrum of Kashmir valley. It is a sacred task that must not be politicized or used as a petty vote catching tool, as doing so, would tantamount to extracting benefit from the misery of Kashmir’s ever suffering masses.
JAVAID BEIGH is a Political Activist and has worked as PRO to Ex CM of J & K. Has done MBA, MPA degrees besides many years of corporate work experience from some Multi-National companies like INFOSYS Technologies BANGALORE…Views expressed are personal
javadbeigh123@gmail.com