Syed Ali Geelani is the senior-most resistance leader in Kashmir. His uncompromising position on the status of Jammu and Kashmir is perhaps matched only by Masarat Alam Bhat among the next generation of separatist leaders in the embattled state. Many in Kashmir have begun to see Bhat as Geelani’s political heir.
On Wednesday, when Geelani arrived in Srinagar after spending more than three months in Delhi, thousands of his supporters brought him from the airport to his home in uptown Hyderpora in a procession that looked like it was celebrating a hero’s return. Some were surprised that the security establishment, or the government in which the Bharatiya Janata Party is a partner, did not detain Geelani at the airport and put him under house arrest straightaway, as has been the norm for years now.
The buoyant crowd chanted “jeeve jeeve Pakistan” (long live Pakistan) and pro Azadi (freedom) slogans, with many waving the flags of Geelani’s party, the Tehereek-i-Hurriyat. As the procession passed in front of the state police headquarters, some also held Pakistani flags as a show of defiance. Perhaps to avoid confrontation, there was no police deployment along the route, except a few security personnel in civilian clothes. No stones were thrown, no tear gas was sprayed, no bullets were fired. No one was hurt. It was as peaceful as a public rally could get.
The defining image of the rally
Not many knew that Bhat, who was released last month after nearly five years in jail, was also present. The previous day, the police had detained him when he attempted to visit the southern Kashmir town of Tral where the brother of a Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander was killed by the army in controversial circumstances. The killing on Monday fuelled outrage across the Kashmir valley, forcing Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Syeed to describe the shooting as “unfortunate”. That is as far as the chief minister of the state can go. But TV news channels debated the incident. No news anchors shouted for justice.
On Wednesday, Geelani’s spokesman had said the ailing octogenarian leader would make some important announcements on his return. As Geelani appeared atop a neighbor’s terrace prepared for him to deliver his speech, Bhat accompanied him, along with his other senior aides. Bhat, like Geelani, never hides his position that Kashmir should merge with Pakistan, but contrary to news reports he did not wave any flag at the event.
The audience listened with rapt attention, even as it was raining. It was a standard Geelani speech. This time, he trained his guns on Chief Minister Syeed, who Geelani said was "befooling the people" by promising to work towards resolving the Kashmir dispute while strengthening the status quo. Geelani spoke about return of Kashmiri Pandits, the powerful Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh entering Muslim-majority Kashmir, and ended his speech by reiterating the demand for right to self-determination and total demilitarisation of the state.
No one else delivered a speech but as Geelani was leaving, a large group of youth, excited at Bhat’s presence, dragged him in their midst to lead the sloganeering. Bhat is widely admired for his ability to pump enthusiasm into a crowd. All the TV cameras turned to him, making the few minutes of passionate pro-Pakistan and pro-freedom sloganeering the defining image of the event.
Outrage on TV
Soon, in a competing display of nationalism, TV news anchors were shouting breathless, drawing spokesmen of political parties to condemn the sloganeering and the PDP-BJP coalition government for allowing it on Indian soil. Demand for Bhat’s re-arrest were repeated by each party spokesman. Congress party’s Manish Tiwari went to the extent saying that the Governor should dismiss the state government for allowing "the single biggest challenge to Indian sovereignty and integrity since 1990" when the armed rebellion erupted in the state.
Not a word of what Geelani said was telecast. TV newsrooms kept the entire focus on Bhat’s round of slogan shouting and the earlier waving of Pakistani flags by some activists. The image was not an aberration. Raw sentiment is on display every time people in Kashmir are allowed an opportunity to assemble freely in a political gathering.
Wednesday was perhaps the first such opportunity since the summer of 2010, when hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris poured out on the streets for months, defying curfew and bullets to declare that the status quo was unbearable. Bhat was one of the main mobilisers of protesters during that bloody summer, when 120 people were killed in the firing by government forces.
Geelani's successor
It is no secret that Bhat is loved by Kashmiris and loathed by the political and security establishment of the country. He is a possible young successor to the ageing Geelani. People in Kashmir generally understand that this is the reason Indian politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were outraged at Bhat’s release from jail in March.
Since then, Chief Minister Syeed has been under pressure to re-arrest Bhat. But Syeed desperately needs to rebuild his soft-separatist image, which received a severe blow in the Kashmir valley after he tied up with the BJP to gain power. The BJP also needs Syeed’s credibility to be somewhat restored in order to justify their alliance with his PDP.
So the manner in which the BJP-PDP combine would like to deal with the separatist challenge has become a Catch-22 for both the parties. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh called Syeed twice after the Hyderpora rally asking for stern action against Bhat. Syeed, whose party would taunt his predecessor for taking diktats from Delhi during similar circumstances and vowed to restore the power and dignity of state chief minister’s chair, is likely to be cringing at the turn of events.
For now, in order to deflect the TV-fed national outrage about Wednesday’s rally, yet another case under unlawful activities act has been registered against Geelani, Bhat and others. The state police have added one more separatist politician, Masarat Alam Bhat, to the list of those to be kept under house arrest to avert mass protests. Syeed appears to have fallen short in his “battle of ideas” while balancing between separatists, BJP and the nationalist media.
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On Wednesday, when Geelani arrived in Srinagar after spending more than three months in Delhi, thousands of his supporters brought him from the airport to his home in uptown Hyderpora in a procession that looked like it was celebrating a hero’s return. Some were surprised that the security establishment, or the government in which the Bharatiya Janata Party is a partner, did not detain Geelani at the airport and put him under house arrest straightaway, as has been the norm for years now.
The buoyant crowd chanted “jeeve jeeve Pakistan” (long live Pakistan) and pro Azadi (freedom) slogans, with many waving the flags of Geelani’s party, the Tehereek-i-Hurriyat. As the procession passed in front of the state police headquarters, some also held Pakistani flags as a show of defiance. Perhaps to avoid confrontation, there was no police deployment along the route, except a few security personnel in civilian clothes. No stones were thrown, no tear gas was sprayed, no bullets were fired. No one was hurt. It was as peaceful as a public rally could get.
The defining image of the rally
Not many knew that Bhat, who was released last month after nearly five years in jail, was also present. The previous day, the police had detained him when he attempted to visit the southern Kashmir town of Tral where the brother of a Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander was killed by the army in controversial circumstances. The killing on Monday fuelled outrage across the Kashmir valley, forcing Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Syeed to describe the shooting as “unfortunate”. That is as far as the chief minister of the state can go. But TV news channels debated the incident. No news anchors shouted for justice.
On Wednesday, Geelani’s spokesman had said the ailing octogenarian leader would make some important announcements on his return. As Geelani appeared atop a neighbor’s terrace prepared for him to deliver his speech, Bhat accompanied him, along with his other senior aides. Bhat, like Geelani, never hides his position that Kashmir should merge with Pakistan, but contrary to news reports he did not wave any flag at the event.
The audience listened with rapt attention, even as it was raining. It was a standard Geelani speech. This time, he trained his guns on Chief Minister Syeed, who Geelani said was "befooling the people" by promising to work towards resolving the Kashmir dispute while strengthening the status quo. Geelani spoke about return of Kashmiri Pandits, the powerful Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh entering Muslim-majority Kashmir, and ended his speech by reiterating the demand for right to self-determination and total demilitarisation of the state.
No one else delivered a speech but as Geelani was leaving, a large group of youth, excited at Bhat’s presence, dragged him in their midst to lead the sloganeering. Bhat is widely admired for his ability to pump enthusiasm into a crowd. All the TV cameras turned to him, making the few minutes of passionate pro-Pakistan and pro-freedom sloganeering the defining image of the event.
Outrage on TV
Soon, in a competing display of nationalism, TV news anchors were shouting breathless, drawing spokesmen of political parties to condemn the sloganeering and the PDP-BJP coalition government for allowing it on Indian soil. Demand for Bhat’s re-arrest were repeated by each party spokesman. Congress party’s Manish Tiwari went to the extent saying that the Governor should dismiss the state government for allowing "the single biggest challenge to Indian sovereignty and integrity since 1990" when the armed rebellion erupted in the state.
Not a word of what Geelani said was telecast. TV newsrooms kept the entire focus on Bhat’s round of slogan shouting and the earlier waving of Pakistani flags by some activists. The image was not an aberration. Raw sentiment is on display every time people in Kashmir are allowed an opportunity to assemble freely in a political gathering.
Wednesday was perhaps the first such opportunity since the summer of 2010, when hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris poured out on the streets for months, defying curfew and bullets to declare that the status quo was unbearable. Bhat was one of the main mobilisers of protesters during that bloody summer, when 120 people were killed in the firing by government forces.
Geelani's successor
It is no secret that Bhat is loved by Kashmiris and loathed by the political and security establishment of the country. He is a possible young successor to the ageing Geelani. People in Kashmir generally understand that this is the reason Indian politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were outraged at Bhat’s release from jail in March.
Since then, Chief Minister Syeed has been under pressure to re-arrest Bhat. But Syeed desperately needs to rebuild his soft-separatist image, which received a severe blow in the Kashmir valley after he tied up with the BJP to gain power. The BJP also needs Syeed’s credibility to be somewhat restored in order to justify their alliance with his PDP.
So the manner in which the BJP-PDP combine would like to deal with the separatist challenge has become a Catch-22 for both the parties. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh called Syeed twice after the Hyderpora rally asking for stern action against Bhat. Syeed, whose party would taunt his predecessor for taking diktats from Delhi during similar circumstances and vowed to restore the power and dignity of state chief minister’s chair, is likely to be cringing at the turn of events.
For now, in order to deflect the TV-fed national outrage about Wednesday’s rally, yet another case under unlawful activities act has been registered against Geelani, Bhat and others. The state police have added one more separatist politician, Masarat Alam Bhat, to the list of those to be kept under house arrest to avert mass protests. Syeed appears to have fallen short in his “battle of ideas” while balancing between separatists, BJP and the nationalist media.