Mehraj ud din
History is a constant struggle of ideologies and narratives levying insurmountable conscientiousness on their architects. The indispensability of every society revolves round the question of polity? Are we supposed to have a political philosophy or prefer anarchy whether communitarian or market? The historical study of political philosophies in medieval, modern and post-modern world underlies the ubiquitous agreement of intellectual elite on the necessity of politics in our societies. This phenomenon is well grounded within the referential literature of western vis-à-vis eastern worldviews. The very question enquired since antiquity is the question of polity starting from Plato Idealism via Hegelian “grand Design” to late political Capitalism. Some of the well conceived and contemporaneous mature political phenomenons are Democracy and Secularism. The contending champions of these political philosophies are countries like America, India and undoubtedly Israel. The closer analysis of these political elitist countries opens up a diverse understanding of contemporary political discourse. Is it simply a fight of political narratives or worldviews? Is it a clash of material and sacred worldviews? Or is it clearly a clash between Muslims and the ‘Others’? Because, the epistemological connotations of politics were to ascertain Justice and not to entail humiliation and encroachment on human freedom.
Sharing the same plight in one of the most militarized zone and paying the price of fighting for Justice. Indian control over Kashmir, challenged by many on “moral” and “legal” grounds, adds one more question to the contemporary contending political narratives like Democracy and Secularism? Sometimes a colonized being tries to find the answer to unanswered queries. Whether politics is a tool to plunder or ascertain justice as expected from the stake holders of these political philosophies? As St. Augustine asked, nearly a millennium before, “justice removed, then, what are kingdoms but great bands of robbers?”
Kashmir as a nation has suffered and continues to suffer from intense political onslaught. The injustices perpetrated on the people of this society construed Kashmiri nation and made them conscious to strategize their resistance. Resistance movements became a common phenomenon after the colonization of different parts of the world against the illegal conundrums of power. Kashmir too has been resisting the unjust colonization.
Living in free and gratis FREE KASHMIR is a dream of every inhabitant of this nation. The political dynamics of Kashmiri freedom struggle has now turned into a positive critical phase which was not expected before 2008 and 2010 uprising. It is quite essential for every Kashmiri to consciously engage, analyze and question the political decisions taken by the resistance leaders. Somebody criticized me about my stand that Kashmir’s struggle has produced diverse responses at different stages. Don’t you feel that it is unfortunate that our intellectual class is still unable to decide the nature of Kashmir’s struggle? Some believe that majority voting will decide the fate of Kashmir? Some believe multi-religious nature of Kashmir will imply us to create a secular state? Are these confusions an outcome of colonization or continual delay on the part of the leaders of the resistance camp, is to be analyzed? The division of Hurriyat and their statements also need to be historicized for the critical evaluation of our resistance. Isn’t it a sheer blasphemy against the collective suffering of our society that the bureaucrats who are not re-employed by the state get adjusted as columnists? The ‘facebook fasting’ phenomenon is a new addition to this struggle which needs to be analyzed? Don’t you realize that the stooges who play with the emotions of Kashmir for their careerist opportunities should be identified and evaluated for shaping the resistance of Kashmir positively? Being silent in itself is a political act and you’re counted among the oppressors.
Mehraj ud din (ana fakeer ila rabee) is a doctoral candidate at University of Kashmir and can be mailed at [email protected]
{Ideas expressed are author’s own}
