Amid Bold headlines, token photographs, the four former Chief Ministers of Jammu Kashmir could not bring smiles to the faces of the distressed public waiting in anticipation of a positive outcome of the All Party’s meeting held in Delhi on June 24.
The People of the region have been struck with a spell of distress, most still in utter disbelief of the region’s autonomy being stripped on the 05th day of August in 2019. The unilateral decision of Abrogation was followed by a massive crackdown and a lockdown of several months. Among the arrested was the former Chief Ministers of the erstwhile state, Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. A Complete clampdown was imposed in Kashmir, communication was downed and people were forced to indoors. “We still are unable to come out of the trauma we faced post abrogation, families were shattered along with the hopes,” Nasira, a student pursuing B.COM from Chandigarh said.
After more than 22 months of denouncing, demonizing and ridiculing the former Chief Ministers, the Bhartiya Janta Party invited them to an ‘Al party meeting’. After a while, Kashmiri people had something to discuss beyond the daily subjugation and harassment, they face. ‘Politics is back to the table”, people said. Anticipation and expectations bloomed around the much-hyped meeting, however after a “cordial” exchange of ideas for more than three hours, the meeting failed to come up to the expectations of Kashmiris across the ideological and political spectrum.
The meeting ended with no assurances from Prime Minister Modu over anything including the restoration of statehood, restoration of special status or any of the issues the former chief Minister appraised PM Modi with, including the new land and domicile laws or the release of political prisoners. At the conclusion of the meeting, the expectant faces turned grim and anger was soon visible in Kashmir, from its streets to its social media.
“We thought the former chief Ministers would at least come with an assurance of statehood, leave abrogation aside, however they failed us yet again and this has brought back the memories of their regimes in Kashmir. We know we have fewer alternatives, but banking upon them is nothing short of stupidity,” Nadeem Ahmed, a Local from Srinagar’s Nawakadal area told The Kashmiriyat
While many have not stopped ridiculing the participants of the all parties meet, several others called it “match-fixing”, “Rehabilitation Policy”, which the local politicians had been longing for.
A Twitter user, Kuchhay Muzaffar quoting Ghalib tweeted a photograph from the meeting and wrote, “Kaaba kis moh se jaoge Ghalib sharam tumko magar nahi aati.”
Kaaba kis moh se jaoge Ghalib sharam tumko magar nahi aati. https://t.co/TrmobCpypo
— Kuchaymuzaffar مظفر حسین (@Kuchaymuzafar) June 24, 2021
“The Modi-Government wanted to tell the world that he has Kashmir on board and he proved that with a photograph that will be circulated and blown out of proportion for a long time from now on. New Delhi has a record of deceit. They did not spare Sheikh in 53 or Mehbooba in 2018, who gifted them free access to Kashmir, Our politicians are power-hungry. They do not know that our identity is at stake,” Mohammed Abbas, a small shopkeeper from Anantnag told The Kashmiriyat.
The views were reflected by the former Member of Legislative Assembly, Agha Ruhullah Mehdi. In a possible reference to the meeting, he tweeted, “A human does not turn himself into a dog for a piece of bone”!
“A human does not turn himself into a dog for a piece of bone”!
— Ruhullah Mehdi (@RuhullahMehdi) June 25, 2021
Showkat Ahmed, another social media user, wrote, “Centre has created different goalposts for us. They will keep us busy in demanding the restoration of Art 370. Until now we used to say pre-1953 position, now we will be demanding Pre 05 Aug position. Our leaders never project the feeling of the people they rule. They are dual.”
Echoing the same views, Sakee Ishfaq, a Twitter user said, “What will our expectations, as Modi already murdered our expectations earlier. So far this meeting is concerned, The demands and suggestions of our mainstream leaders who, present in the meeting Will be futile and useless. No one from the ruling party will address their concerns.”
“Dr. Farooq should have forced his agenda before the meeting. There should have been Sapertists Alongside mainstream. There should have been young blood in this meeting. We see same old shit every day,” Arif Akhoon wrote on his Twitter page.