{"id":1259,"date":"2012-11-19T11:07:07","date_gmt":"2012-11-19T05:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/?p=1259"},"modified":"2012-11-27T20:15:02","modified_gmt":"2012-11-27T14:45:02","slug":"hurriyat-m-going-pakistan-what-for-is-the-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/editors-take\/hurriyat-m-going-pakistan-what-for-is-the-question\/","title":{"rendered":"Hurriyat (M) Going Pakistan What For Is The Question."},"content":{"rendered":"<\/fb:like>

\"\"<\/a><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

Story of Paradigm Shift<\/h1>\n
Z.G. Muhammad<\/address>\n
\u00a0<\/address>\n

Are we a paranoid people- you and me included? \u00a0Is it, \u00a0\u00a0fear rooted in my mind that makes me ponder over something, I would in normal course dismiss as nonevent and of consequences.<\/p>\n

Chairman APHC (M) and four other members of his executives\u2019 council are visiting Pakistan in November. \u00a0What is \u2018big deal\u2019 about it? \u00a0\u00a0For past many years, these leaders have been visiting Islamabad and meeting men in power. Now their visits to the country and meeting leaders\u2019 is no news. Why should it engage my attention, is the question.<\/p>\n

There were times when Kashmir leader visiting Islamabad made big news. In 1964, when Sheikh Abdullah \u00a0\u00a0at the behest of Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru visited Islam it made big news on two counts: one, Sheikh was visiting \u00a0the country he abhorred and opposed from 1947- 1953 \u00a0for the first time and second he was travelling with a brief or formula \u00a0from Prime Minister of India for President Ayub Khan.\u00a0 Nehru\u2019s \u00a0\u00a0formula continues to remain classified document to date. \u00a0And if Stanley Wolpert in \u201cZulfi of Pakistan\u201d is to be believed it revolved around division of the state along the Chenab, a step further to the discussions \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0between Swaran Singh and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto from December 1962 to May 1963. \u00a0This visit of Abdullah being first such visit after the birth of problem finds a mention in footnotes of Kashmir history.<\/p>\n

In 2005, when leaders of this umbrella organization travelled through the Jhelum Valley Road to Islamabad for meeting then \u00a0\u00a0President General Musharraf, there was no element of surprise in it. \u00a0The purpose of the visit was more than obvious. The President wanted their nod for his half-baked 4pt formula. He also wanted to take on board Kashmir leaders and parties believing in finality of accession of state with India.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I have earlier also written that General Musharraf had not authored the document but it was broadly discussed in a 60 page booklet, \u201cIndia Pakistan and The Kashmir Tangle- What Next\u201d by Pran Chopra in 1994. And \u00a0further \u00a0amplified by Eqbal Ahmed in a couple of articles published in the Dawn Pakistan in nineties. \u00a0Chopra had written about making LOC porous, allowing people to travel and trade across it with ease. He had also talked about joint management. He however had\u00a0\u00a0 doubted if Pakistan would \u201cagree\u201d as it would be a major shift in its Kashmir policy but he was certain \u201cIndia would.\u201d agree.<\/p>\n

Talking about Sino-Indian and Indo-American relations he had further said, \u201cIndia and Pakistan relations should also cease to be hostage to the disputes between the two countries, and while both the countries should certainly chisel away at disputes, the scope of agreements in uncontroverted areas should be allowed to rise to its full potential.\u201d \u00a0Doubting Pakistan agreeing to this proposition \u00a0as it would go against its \u00a0\u201cstated position\u201d , \u00a0at that juncture Pakistan\u00a0 saw \u00a0the \u2018resolution of core issue- Kashmir\u2019 \u00a0\u00a0as gateway to the resolution of all other disputes. On reading, the 1994 essay of Chopra it can be construed that 4pt formula originated from New Delhi and not Islamabad.<\/p>\n

The apprehension \u00a0expressed in \u00a0essay written under the aegis of India\u2019s Centre For Policy Research have now been set at rest as \u2018not \u00a0making India-Pakistan relations\u2019 hostage to Kashmir\u2019 is now the policy plank of the government in Islamabad. Some Pakistan commentators see it as, \u201ccountries diplomatic retreat\u201d.<\/p>\n

On a number of counts, the proposed visit of a faction of APHC (M) looks different from that in 2005: one, the timing. Two, it making a departure by talking about the visit to people outside the caucus and \u00a0inviting LOC traders, some professionals and activists for drafting a \u201cblue Print\u201d for talks, third suggesting that it has no set agenda for the talks and\u00a0 fourth the phraseology used with regard to resolution of the Kashmir dispute in the party press notes.<\/p>\n

Of all these, it is the phraseology used in the party press notes that caught my imagination. It reminded me how\u00a0 \u00a0phraseology has been a determinant in changing the contours and contents of the major Kashmir narrative and how it has delayed the resolution of the problem. In fact, change in phraseology has been a presage of change in the\u00a0\u00a0 narratives of political organizations in the state. History of phraseology changing the content and contours of political struggle can be traced to mid thirties. It is beyond the scope of this column to dwell upon how the Congress leadership more particularly Jawaharlal pushed in the communist ideologues into Kashmir to added a new phraseology to the \u00a0struggle in forties \u00a0and steer it in a desired direction.<\/p>\n

Let me start with the most recent period, from 1955 \u00a0to \u00a01968, the main narrative of the Plebiscite Front was \u2018right to self-determination for people of the state as enshrined in the UN resolutions and the catch phrase was \u201c \u00a0plebiscite.\u201d In 1968, by calling the State Peoples Convention for exploring \u2018alternative solution\u2019, it in fact questioned the very constitution of the organization. After 1972, it dropped phrases like right to self-determination and plebiscite and invented new phraseology, \u201cour battle with New Delhi is not over quality of accession but quantum of accession\u201d. This paradigm shift in phraseology led to the dissolution of the Plebicite Front and burial of old phraseology- like \u201cright to self-determination\u201d and \u201cPlebiscite\u201d and gave birth to \u00a0\u00a0many new phrases like \u2018Azat-Abaroo Kay Muqam\u201detc- which with all its vagueness died its natural death.<\/p>\n

In 1990, when a phrase Azadi- which was one word substitution for right to self-determination resonated allover the state \u00a0and it became the only political phrase which caught international attention. The political leadership felt the urge of articulating the new phrase \u00a0in an organized way . The Hurriyat Conference, a conglomerate of diverse political belief was born. In its constitution, it incorporated word \u201cnegotiated settlement\u201d, I saw this incorporation\u00a0\u00a0 as a paradigm shift for creating scope of flexibility in the main narrative and coining of new phrases.<\/p>\n

The APHC(M) in place of \u2018right to self-determination has now \u00a0coined a new phrase, \u201cK-resolution according to emotions and aspiration\u201d. T\"\"<\/a>his conjuration is not a part of any international lexicon about resolution of the disputes but a very vague term \u00a0\u00a0that could be stretched in any direction. \u00a0Is this changed phraseology indicative of any mindset with which the group is going to Islamabad? If it is an indicator, the scope of discussions is restricted to the strengthening of some Kashmir related CBM, like trade and travel across.\u00a0 If the travel is regarding CBM\u2019s, even then it raises some questions. Why discussion first with Islamabad and not New Delhi. \u00a0Is New Delhi privy to the agenda the five are carrying to Islamabad-\u00a0\u00a0 in other words is it in the \u2018loop\u2019- or do they at all have an agenda or they are going there to get some moot points- what could be those moot points. The visit cannot be without New Delhi\u2019s nod as a top leader of the group says, \u201cI do not know if New Delhi is informed about agenda but it is a long pending visit and it cannot happen without New Delhi\u2019s approving our travel documents.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the face of this visit of APHC(M) to Islamabad has all vagueness in it but still it needs to be watched if it does not mean presage a changing main discourse\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

zahidgm@greaterkashmir.com<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Article was published in Greater Kashmir on 19-11-12, unfortunately some typos had remained in the print edition which have been corrected,<\/p>\n<\/fb:like><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

 
\nStory of Paradigm Shift
\nZ.G. Muhammad
\n\u00a0
\nAre we a paranoid people- you and me included? \u00a0Is it, \u00a0\u00a0fear rooted in my mind that makes me ponder over something, I would in normal course dismiss as nonevent and of consequences.
\nChairman APHC (M) and four other members of his executives\u2019 council are visiting Pakistan in November. \u00a0What is \u2018big deal\u2019 about it? \u00a0\u00a0For past many years, these leaders have been visiting Islamabad and meeting men in power. Now their visits to the country and meeting leaders\u2019 is no news. Why should it engage my attention, is the question.
\nThere were times when Kashmir leader visiting Islamabad made big news. In 1964, when Sheikh Abdullah \u00a0\u00a0at the behest of Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru visited Islam it made big news on two counts: one, Sheikh was visiting \u00a0the country he abhorred and opposed from 1947- 1953 \u00a0for the first time and second he was travelling with …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[15,109,8,95],"class_list":["post-1259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editors-take","tag-book-srinagar-review","tag-hurriyat-conference","tag-kashmir","tag-mirwaiz-farooq"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1259"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1259"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1287,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1259\/revisions\/1287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}