Crackdown on various separatist leaders was overdue. Now, go after the top leadership
The Modi-led Union Government should be complimented for its crackdown on separatist leaders in Kashmir valley. While the direct or indirect involvement of Hurriyat members in fomenting unrest and violence in the region had been known for years, no regime had bothered to take them to task. At the most, a few separatist leaders were placed under house arrest off and on. There never was a full-scale probe into their activities, ranging from their networking with Pakistani elements to their sources of funding. Therefore, when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) recently began inquiring into a gamut of issues, it had been expected that at least this time around, action would follow. The arrest of seven Hurriyat leaders on charges of illicit funding and creating unrest, is a follow-up of that probe, but it must not end here. The NIA must build a water-tight case so that the offenders do not get away. Besides, the probe must get deeper, because clearly even more-senior Hurriyat people are involved. Among those arrested is the son-in-law of Hurriyat boss Syed Ali Shah Geelani whose anti-India credentials need not be over-emphasised. A few of those arrested had been caught on tape in a sting operation by a section of the media, admitting to their role in the unrest and on the issue of funding from across the border. One of them actually boasted of having eliminated Kashmiri Pandits in the 1990s. This is the first time that a Central probe agency has established a connect between terror funding and the senior Hurriyat leadership. The Hurriyat's response is along expected lines — the arrests are part of the Indian Government's attempts to foil the “political movement and leadership in Kashmir” — and must be brushed aside with the contempt it deserves. All of the arrested have had close links with one top Hurriyat leader or the other, and, therefore, it is difficult to believe that the senior leadership was unaware of their activities. It is more believable that it was not just aware but also complicit in the actions of its subordinates. The NIA has established that money had been received through illegal channels to spread unrest in Kashmir valley following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani. Also, several stone-pelters who targeted Indian security forces and generally spread mayhem on the streets, were found to have been in close contact with Hurriyat leaders.
The Government's resolve to hold the Hurriyat accountable is also a clear indication of its determination to not fall in the trap of considering the separatists as ‘stakeholders' in the dialogue process. There are many mainstream leaders in Jammu & Kashmir who favour talks with the Hurriyat, but there should be no question of talking to people who are anti-nationals and are unwilling to accept the Constitution of India. Separatist leaders have refused to consider themselves Indians even. Given that this collaboration with Pakistani elements who want to break India, out in the open, mainstream politicians who have been soft towards them, must reconsider their position. In any case, the Hurriyat is no representative of the Kashmiris by and large.