Importance of Phrasology For Political Narrtives

‘Dynamics’ of Political Phraseology

Z.G. Muhammad

Kashmir politics has its own dictionary. Every year new words and phrases are added to it. After every mega and mini political event or development a newer word or phrases creeps into it. Some of the phrases after remaining in currency for sometime lose their sheen, luster and relevance. Then they are relegated to the pages of history but they do remain a part of this dictionary. Some do survive longer and retain power of whipping public sentiments as and when required.
Let me call this dictionary, for its distinctiveness of the words and phrases that have been added to it during past seventy six years as ‘politico-lexicon-Kashmiri.
The words contained in this ‘politico-lexicon-Kashmiri have their own etymology. This etymology in fact is as good as an index to Kashmir history and a single word and phrase speaks about an event and political development in the state. This dictionary is also like Darwin’s Origin of Species which talks about the evolution of humans, this dictionary provides an insight into the evolution of Kashmiri’s own political breed- different from rest of the world. True, majority of the words and phrases that thundered people’s ears for years together have now been entombed but their recounting and analysis is of relevance for all students of Kashmir politics even today. It will not be possible to encompass all these political clichés in this column but I will try to look at a few that I believe would unfold the seamy side of Kashmir politics and also provide pointers towards the failures of the ‘pro-right to self-determination’ politics in the state.
The “dynamics of politics” is the latest phrase in currency in Kashmir politics these days. The author of this phrase like many other recent phrases is the Professor leader of the APHC (friendly). This phrase often finds its place in the press notes released by this party on important occasion like the one it issued at the time of holding of the Round Table Conference by Prime Minister in which it had stated that dynamics of Kashmir politics suggested that the APHC should not share table with ‘political hypocrites and Ikhwanis’. This faction of Hurriyat has been taking shelter under this phrase, for most of its actions including talking to various official and unofficial committees and groups constituted by New Delhi from time to time. This phrase that caught imagination of the APHC leaders after the 9/11, is a big a canopy that has helped it to cover up departure from the traditional stand of ‘pro-right to self-determination’ and make themselves look more progressive. This phrase whatever its meaning in the dictionary found a new meaning in ‘politico-lexicon-kashmiri’. The meaning that got attributed to it has been ‘retracing the steps’. Seen in a proper perspective it has been attribution of meaning to this phrase that in fact has resulted in the fragmentation of the APHC into as many as five factions. The APHC (geelani/bellicose) believed that the phrase “dynamics of Kashmir politics’ is pregnant with many more meanings than in Oxford, Cambridge or Webster dictionaries and these meaning are fraught with dangers that have the potential of ‘derailing the on going movement’. It is a matter of analysis if the frequent use of this phrase suggests a change of mood in the APHC or not. But, there are some evidences that corroborate it that it does suggest a change in the mind set. The changed phraseology of the APHC could be taken as important evidence. The question that will continue to haunt the public mind as to when will this phrase steer the APHC (friendly) to some destination or will this phrase also end up like many others pass-out into the Kashmir dictionary as a trite.
The birth of new political phrases awfully suggests changing political moods of the political parties. The spontaneous people upsurge in 1990 in support of ‘exercise of right to self-determination as contained in the United Nation’s Resolutions” that not only shook the state administration but swept away many a traditional political stalwarts of their roots like ‘ wood-drifts’ caught up in gushing waters. This force with which the people upsurge was moving had become a cause of concern for the two power centers in the sub-continent whose stability hinges on Kashmir situation and to provide it direction the idea of launching a strong political front was mooted. Whether the idea of launching APHC was mooted in Manadi Jail where the top leadership of Kashmir was under detention in early nineties or it was imported from outside is not at present my concern. The APHC after its birth also introduced a phrase to the ‘politico-lexicon-Kashmiri’. This phrase ‘negotiated settlement’ at the face of it, was quite innocuous but when seen in the context of the history of birth of Kashmir problem which Alastair Lamb has called as birth of a tragedy was as good as betraying the history of Kashmir dispute. It was as good as negation of the United Nation’s Resolution. I once asked the ablest of the then United Hurriyat Conference Kh. Abdul Ghani Lone as to how this phrase had crept into the Constitution of the conglomerate and if there was an explanatory note attached to this phrase with regard to its limits. He too had not a clear idea about the incorporation of the phrase in the Hurriyat Constitution. The impression I gathered (may be wrong) was that this flexibility in the traditional stand by the APHC leaders was brought in at the behest of some American and European diplomats that frequented the state during those days. Looking at the incorporation of this phrase in the Hurriyat constitution amply proves that the conglomerate had diluted its stand much before the changed mood in Pakistan establishment particularly general Musharraf. True, the phrase ‘negotiated settlement’ is not in currency these days with any of the Hurriyat leaders (friendly or bellicose) but continues to be in the constitution of the both the factions. I do not know if the phrase exits in the JKLF (Yasin) or not but practical dispensation and disposation of this group also suggests that it also believes in the negotiated settlement which could be anything like ‘accepting status quo’ , ‘autonomy’, ‘some alterations in LoC’ , ‘division’ or whatnot. I think none of the groups have clarity of mind about the ‘negotiated settlement’. It is a very vague term dotted with many pit holes.
History bears testimony that in Kashmir, change of phraseology has always been a prelude to some or the other political compromise. As a precursor to the 1975 Indra-Sheikh Accord, Sheikh Abdullah and Mirza Mohammad Afzal Beg changed their political phraseology. The phrases ‘we want plebiscite’ or ‘our birthright self-determination’ were replaced by ‘azat-abru ka muqam’ “position of dignity and honor’. This new phrase was coined much before the ‘dismemberment of Pakistan’ and birth of Bangladesh, it was born during the State People’s Convention in 1968, which in my view was an important benchmark in the changed mood of Sheikh Abdullah. After the birth of Bangladesh this phrases got another dimension ‘place of dignity and honor within the framework of Indian constitution’. This dimension culminated into six-point accord- between Sheikh Abdullah and New Delhi. Ironically, this accord also failed to grow beyond textbook relevance.
It will be too early to say that when the ‘phrase dynamics of Kashmir politics’ metamorphoses into “Understanding the ground reality” , then accepting the situation as it obtains “fait accompli’ and ‘steer clear of Kashmir problem junk’. Let us wait and watch and what new phrases and words are added to ‘politico-lexicon-kashmir’.

First published in Greater Kashmir 5 June 2006