It will be too easy to read major political intent into an Iftar meeting hosted by the separatist leader of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, which also saw the presence of other separatists such as Mirwaiz Umar Farooq of the Hurriyat Conference and Yasin Malik of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front. The leaders, after all, reportedly called the meeting as “Unity Phase I”. Considering that such groups have various definitions of separatism and have significant differences in their approach towards Kashmiri nationalism, such a reading on the basis of political unity would be inaccurate. It is clear that the near-term reason for various separatist leaders meeting is a commonality of interests. First is the alleged threat from the obscure militant organisation that calls itself the Lashkar-e-Islam and whose targets included lower-rung Hurriyat activists. Second is the call from the militant and Pakistan-based leader of the United Jihad Council, Syed Salahuddin, for unity among separatists. The third is the fact that there has been a lull in separatist activity. This is in contrast to perceptions of more wind in the sails of the State government led by the Peoples Democratic Party in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The significant turnout in last year’s elections and the massive package now announced by the Central government for development in Jammu and Kashmir are clearly points of concern for the separatists.
That said, there are several differences within the separatist ranks that cannot be overlooked even if they have seemingly buried the hatchet and met at a social gathering. These persisting differences, which came to the fore even during the intense and nearly spontaneous protests in 2008, relate not just to ideology but also to questions related to leadership and tactics. Separatists belonging to the JKLF stream, for example, have clearly opposed the pro-Pakistan agenda of Mr. Geelani’s outfit and his supporters and rejected his claims of leadership of the separatist movement. There are few takers within the separatist stream in the valley for Mr. Geelani’s agenda of Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan. The slogan of azaadi itself has several nuances and meanings, not all of them related to the demand for self-determination. Another common thread among the separatists is their dismay over the resumption of India-Pakistan high-level talks following the joint statement in Ufa without any explicit mention of Kashmir. That said, the renewed potential of the separatists, working together, to create trouble for India should not be underestimated. While the Indian government has done the right thing in seeking to address its immediate concerns with Pakistan, which Islamabad has rightly sought to work toward in the joint statement, it would be prudent on the part of both to keep talking about Kashmir in the background, a process that has paid dividends in the past.
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