Peoplehood or Statehood ?!

This election was a people’s statement. It was not about Omar Abdullah. It was certainly not about National Conference. It was a silent substance in the people of Kashmir that spoke and created a political space for Kashmir. Omar Abdullah and National Conference are the visible political bodies floating in that space. The first thing anyone in Omar Abdullah’s position should do is to internalise this truth, and be faithful to it. His statements till now indicate an affirmative response. He and his party should be passing a resolution in their hearts and minds that what matters to Kashmiris as a people is the only thing that matters. Their conduct in the days to come would only tell.

And what matters to the people of Kashmir is their sense of peoplehood. Call us Kashmiris, brand us Kashmiri Muslims, or describe us as Muslims in Kashmir, our sense of collective is historically defined and in an active state of living. The abrogation of Article 370, and with it Article 35A, was apparently a constitutional amendment, but on the ground it was a denial of our peoplehood. The division of J&K state into two Union Territories was not about re-organisation of a territory as it was about miniaturing this collective called Kashmiri Muslims. Why Jammu was not sliced away at that time was again informed by the same mindset. If this small area called Kashmir valley becomes a separate territory, with whatever status, it may mean consolidation of a Muslim population.

Just think of this. When this population, through the instrument of vote, appeared to consolidate itself, it is now brought into a sort of confrontation with another such consolidation – Jammu’s Hindu heartland. Why? The reason is not just now, it has always been there. Jammu has always been configured as a ballast against the political weight of Kashmiri Muslims. The raging talk of taking Jammu along, that was wisely responded to by Omar Abdullah till now, is the manifestation of the same. The resolution passed in the Parliament of India in August 2019 was not an act, it was a culmination of a process where Hindus are seen as victims and Muslims as aberration and aggression.

Whether Omar Abdullah should first pass a resolution for restoration of statehood or a resolution dismissing the abrogation of Article 370 and article 35A is just about political symbolism. Unfortunately, we are a people that thrives in symbolism, whether it is our religious expression or political assertion.

Let’s momentarily forget Omar Abdullah and National Conference. If we bring back focus on what really brought politics to this stage in J&K, we can have better and enduring answers to our collective challenges. Despite wanting a result that could favour BJP to initiate a political manoeuvring to her advantage, it didn’t happen. The sense of being a collective with a common threat made Kashmiris vote in a particular way, and that is why Omar Abdullah is back – people are back. It means people have to think for themselves what can be the next best step. Rather than putting the entire burden on one man, or one party, people can now, in a similar way, silently consolidate their thinking.

This is not an easy task, and it needs leadership at different levels that knows the spiritual value of anonymity and doing it not for any material reward. Those in our society who care for the future generations, know it well that any confrontationist attitude is only to our detriment. In the current scheme of things Kashmiri Muslims are the most vulnerable people, may be at the weakest in terms of power calculus, and this cannot be the time to plunge into any dust up.

Rather than putting ‘atmospheric pressure’ on Omar Abdullah by each time bringing this restoration of statehood, and Article 370 into the centre-stage, wisdom demands getting Omar Abdullah and the National Conference to talk to people and create spaces for this conversation. Political negotiations are always a function of balance of power. If the J&K Assembly is powerless, why do we forget that Kashmiri people are even more powerless. And this powerlessness has definite reasons. As a people we need to do a serious rethink on what led us here. By creating a charged up atmosphere around the restoration of statehood, and by forcing this government to rake up Article 370, we are probably committing the same set of mistakes we have been committing all along.

If there is one priority for us as a people and for Omar Abdullah as the face of a new political atmosphere in J&K, it is to disallow this talk of Jammu-Hindu vs Kashmiri-Muslim gaining pitch. It is a lurking danger that can drown us into a far bigger crisis. Any misstep, in either direction, can have far reaching negative consequences. If we turn apologetic, and take the entire burden of the problem on our shoulders we will be doing disservice to Kashmiri Muslims. If we fall into the trap, by entering into a verbal duel with the BJP representatives form Jammu, who will rake it up like anything, we are running the danger of riots and that would close even that small political opening we got for ourselves in this election. Remember, when eyes turn red earth sees blood!

Our job as a people is not so easy as to simply choose between Statehood and Article 370; nor is Omar Abdullah’s. It is not the time for symbolism, our substance is endangered. Our peoplehood is at stake. As a people we need to watch for this: not to normalise the changes imposed on us.

Tailpiece: Meeting the fading stars of cricket and Bollywood may be OK for media consumption, but meeting people away from the gaze of cameras is what forms the political substance.