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Hurriyat becomes

almost invisible

By detaining top separatist leadership, the
Centre has crippled Hurriyat’s organizational
ability, writes riyaz wani

ike their mainstream counterparts, major separatist
leaders in Kashmir have also been under detention
since the scrapping of Article 370 on August 5. They
include top Hurriyat leaders like Syed Ali Geelani
L and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, both of whom are under
house arrest. The JKLF supremo Yaseen Malik who is a part of
the Hurriyat triumvirate along with Geelani and Mirwaiz was plan of action in the wake of withdrawal of Article 370. Inter-
arrested and sent to Tihar jail in the run up to August 5 move. mittent protests notwithstanding, Kashmir Valley remained
So, unlike during extended 2016 unrest following the kill- eerily calm. Markets remained uninterruptedly shut for four
ing of militant commander Burhan Wani, Hurriyat has been months. Public transport was off the roads. But in recent past,
conspicuously absent from the scene. The separatist amalgam the businesses have started tentatively re-opening and public
has been unable to issue hartal and protest calls. Even the few transport has returned to roads.
leaders who have not been detained have stayed short of doing Kashmir is now largely normal. Rather the Valley has lapsed
it, in the absence of a direction from the top leaders. A few calls into normalcy following a drawn civil disobedience. Both Hur-
for hartal which were attributed to Geelani are believed to have riyat and mainstream leadership have remained disconnected
been issued from across the border. from it. It is difficult to say how the two ideological camps will
So, people in the Valley were by and large left without any react once the leaders are released. More so, the Hurriyat which

Politics revives in Kashmir Parliament Hasnain Masoodi said that
the Gupkar declaration will be the basis
of a future course of action by the Kash-
mir based political parties.
First stirrings of political activity senior leaders who are house arrest. There are many forms of political
in the Valley as NC and PDP Between 200 to 250 workers attended. response in the Valley currently being
According to the party’s spokesperson
bandied about. Once released, these pol-
reopen offices, reports riyaz wani Imran Dar, the meeting shouldn’t be iticians could decide to unite and launch
deemed as the resumption of political a mass movement for the reversal of the
ational Conference and the activity. Article 370 revocation. Considering the
PDP, J&K’s two major region- Government’s main concern seems mood in the Valley, such a movement
al parties, have once again to be the form the response of these is likely to witness an overwhelming
dusted off their headquar- leaders to the withdrawal of Article public participation. And should this
N ters in Srinagar and started 370 will take. The leaders have bitterly happen, the long running movement
holding meetings. This has created some opposed the repeal of the state’s special for freedom in the UT will meld with the
political buzz in the Valley, even though status and vowed to fight for its restora- struggle for the restoration of special
there is still no such activity visible on tion. In the run up to the abrogation of rights under India’s constitution.
the ground. Major politicians includ- the Article 370 on August 5, all main- “For once, both separatists and
ing three former Chief Ministers — Dr stream parties had closed ranks against unionists may define their politics in
Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and such an occurrence but to no avail. adversarial terms to New Delhi, if not
Mehbooba Mufti — continue to be under On the eve of August 5, all major sharing the same platform,” says Naseer
detention. And there is still no telling mainstream leaders had gathered at Ahmad, a columnist. “And this can pose
when or if the government will release residence of Dr Abdullah to formulate New Delhi its biggest challenge in Kash-
them anytime soon. a joint response against the withdrawal mir. For the first time in seventy years,
The NC meeting at its Srinagar office of Article 370. This came to be known it may find no Kashmiri leader is on its
was chaired by a mid-ranking leader as Gupkar Declaration. In a recent in- side in J&K”.
Showkat Mir, in the absence of the terview, the NC leader and the Member But seized of the potential implica-

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