The Hindu : An outlandish move

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 14, 2002

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An outlandish move

IN SETTING UP what it calls an "independent and impartial" six-member "Election Commission", the separatist All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has sought to give the impression of being serious about its outlandish move with the stated objective of holding a "truly fair and free poll" across Jammu and Kashmir including the region under Pakistani occupation, and it has of course endeavoured to see that the panel's format and composition reflected that declared intention. At one level, the APHC initiative, coming as it does in the changed global context that placed Pakistan under tremendous pressure to move against terrorist groups and, more specifically, in the wake of Pervez Musharraf's recent decision to constitute a separate outfit called the National Kashmir Committee, is seen as a desperate attempt by the conglomerate to stay in the political reckoning by establishing its credentials as an authentic `representative' of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, a point on which it has often found itself challenged by its critics in Government and elsewhere.

As has been emphasised by the APHC leadership and some panel members, the parallel and evidently extra-constitutional `democratic' exercise is aimed not at choosing law-makers and power-sharers but only at electing a "body of representatives" for speaking on behalf of the Kashmiris in any negotiation for a resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir problem. To that extent, the mandate of the mock `poll panel' is quite different and very limited when compared with the Constitution-backed Election Commission of India. Admittedly, the APHC's "independent poll" initiative may well be a non-starter, given its outright rejection by New Delhi and the near certainty of a similar response from Islamabad. And there is no way such a huge exercise could be carried out in the face of a non-cooperative attitude on the part of the Governments and a possible attempt by the militant elements to sabotage the `process'. Should however the APHC choose to push ahead, there is a definite prospect of the `poll' losing all credibility and becoming a farce, with the whole exercise being turned into an exclusively APHC affair. In that event, whatever `mandate' it may secure by way of vouching for its credentials as a true `representative' of the Kashmiris will stand seriously undermined.

At another level, however, the "parallel election" move, despite all the `seriousness' sought to be imputed to it by the APHC, is attributable to the separatist outfit's difficulties in coming to terms with the new and still evolving India-Pakistan equations insofar as they related to the vexatious Jammu and Kashmir problem. In a way, the new initiative is a measure of the ideological disorientation the APHC camp has had to grapple with since Pakistan's emergence as a `front partner' in the global anti-terror campaign, what with the heightening of conflicts between the hardliners and the moderates in the 23-member group. Viewed against the backdrop of distinct indication that at least some sections of the APHC have shown an "inclination"' to participate in the regular Assembly elections, it could well be a case of strategic posturing on the part of the APHC aimed at securing as much political space as possible before agreeing to take part in the regular democratic process. Whatever the motive, the fact remains that the APHC's bizarre move has in effect queered the pitch for the Centre and the Farooq Abdullah Government to deliver, under the superintendence of the Election Commission, on their promise of ensuring that the process in the coming Assembly polls is absolutely free and fair. This indeed is the minimum necessary for countering the pervasive sense of alienation among the people of Jammu and Kashmir. After all, a truly participative democratic system is a fundamental guarantee against the terrorist menace.

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