A Rejoinder To Jug Suriya
By Abdul Majid Zargar
20 August, 2010
Countercurrents.org
In a combo pack of rage & satire, Jug Suriya, noted Journalist,Colouminst & Associate editor Times of India, has delivered a sermon exhorting Kashmiris to Go to Pakistan in his Editorial Piece titled “ Kashmir Wool” published in TOI of 11th August 2010. In a true Jug Suriya Style, he has mocked Kashmiris for opting Pakistan on the basis of its shoddy Democracy & lop-sided Development.
Jug Suriya, whom Khushwant Singh once referred to as “our own Art Buchwald” (A great American humorist) is known for his writing full of Satire, wit & humor. His regular Column “Jugular Vein” is a satirical column that skewers everything, from the mundane to the serious. I value & respect his creative writing and it will be a proverbial “showing candle to moon” to attempt a rejoinder to his write-up “Kashmir Wool”.
But candle must be held & lit, when there is darkness around. When false records are allowed to pass in history. When events are seen through colored glasses, conclusions are rooted in preconceived notions and heroes and villains are identified within the false concepts of Patriotism.
Let me take up the first argument which annoys Jug Suriya & that is about Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s advocacy for Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan. Without holding a brief on his behalf, let me say without any fear of contradiction, that Mr. Geelani has made it clear on number of occasions that though personally he is in favour of accession of Kashmir with Pakistan, yet he will settle for any other arrangement, properly determined through a plebiscite as mandated under relevant UN resolutions. This averment, does not exclude even India from the show, if so determined upon a plebiscite. It, is, therefore, highly unfair to demonize Mr. Geelani, merely for holding a view which is contrary to a majority of Patriotic Indians.
The importance of Geelani can be assessed from the fact that even unblushing Omar Abdullah without even endeavoring to exculpate himself from the crimes, he committed in Kashmir, endeavored to reproach Geelani to buy peace to perpetuate his rule.
Instead we must take some positives out of Mr. Geelani & appreciate them. As Mr. Bhushan Lal Saraf, says in his article “ Ideology Apart-he has shown Courage“ ( Greater Kashmir dt. 12th August 2010) It goes to the credit of Mr. Geelani to be honest, steadfast & committed to his cause . It is Mr. Geelani who has referred to Minorities as parts of his body putting to shame the pseudo-secularists whose priorities are determined by the exigencies of power.
The second argument of Mr. Jug Suriya is about shoddy Democracy in Pakistan. Conceded that democracy has not taken roots in Pakistan. But then to be fair and to draw meaningful comparisons, one must also consider the record of democratic India in Kashmir
. In 1948, following a one-sided & dubious accession entered into between India & Mahraja Hari Singh, power was transferred to the Kashmir’s most popular leader, Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah. In 1953 he was dethroned for no rhyme or reason. Bhakshi Gulam Mohd. , who had no popular support or mandate, was installed in Chair. In 1964 when Bhakshi was firmly in the saddle, he was removed under Kamraj plan. Thereafter non-entities like G.M. Sadiq & Mir Qasim were put in place. Elections held during the interregnum were farce & rigged. Come 1975 & sheikh Abdullah was again put in Chair by ordering Mir Qasim to vacate. Even the sanctity of rigged election, which had thrown Qasim as Chief Minster, was violated for Sheikh Abdullah because New-Delhi wanted him to be made a Chief Minster.
The face of democratic India is again on fore on the streets of Kashmir which we are witnessing each hour & each moment. Zero-tolerance of human rights violations reiterated umpteen times by a Person,no less than Prime Minster himself, has become a big Joke. The way a stone -pelter or an unruly mob is showered with bullets speaks volumes about the mindset of the soldiers & rulers in New-Delhi. That Delhi uses the terrorism issue to "legitimate its repression of the Kashmiri people and traitors and terrorists have become the template for the disproportionate violence unleashed in Kashmir to perpetuate its rule- is a face of democratic India, which we had not even dreamed for.The soldiers of this great nation which positions itself as a champion of “respect to Women” have left bitter folklores of disrespect to them from “Kunan poshpora To Shopian”
When cries of mothers for her son’s bones to be hugged one last time & the attempt of fathers to shield the dead bodies of their sons from desecration by soldiers invites further bullets from them, and such actions are approved under the false pretensions of patriotism, I think both Democracy and humanity have made an exit from India.
And while I am concluding this rejoinder, there is a news that both Houses of Parliament have been adjourned over the incident of killing of two farmers in police Firing. Nearly Sixty people have been killed in Kashmir in firing by Police & Security Forces over the past two months and parliament did not have even two minutes to observe silence in memory of those Killed in Kashmir. And this is the Parliament to which we have also contributed six wise men.
Mr. Jug Suriya, I find no reason for your rage towards we hapless Kashmiris. The satire you have made does not inspire any joyous or wonderful awe this time.
(The author is a practicing Chartered Accountant & can be contacted for feed back at [email protected])
