S REHMAN

A lot of clamor is being generated over the return of Afzal Guru’s body to his inheritors, the Kashmiris. The Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir himself has been beating the drums in New Delhi, the opposition ‘PDP’ too seems to be desperate to score a point on the issue. The separatists, the silent burning hearts, the aching souls, the admonished brigade of stone pelters, and the family members of Afzal Guru are crying hoarse to make a mark in the whole conscious drama of collective conscience.

What do we expect from Mr. Chief Minister now when on 9th feb, 2013, while impressing upon his innocence on television screens he seemed as helpless as ‘Afzal’ himself while being driven to the gallows. The bigger establishment has reduced him to the status of a common Kashmiri who is supposedly an uncomplaining scapegoat to fill up the Indian jails to satisfy the collective conscience. On the slight whiff of son’s opposition to the acts and deeds of political bosses in the matter, the father shrugs away the ‘Afzal hanging’ as a ‘mere issue’ to just appease the political bosses, who don’t even trust him or his son for even the job of a postman. It is the same father who secured his son chair in 2010 after the latter was almost at the edge to lose his position in the wake of 110 kashmiri dead bodies.

Sending letters to the Prime Minister that too when everybody knows the fate of his other requests that had been just swiftly delegated to the dustbin during the past four years – be it the AFSPA revocation, issues of Hydel Power Projects, Choosing right ministers for his government or any other minor or major decision relating to his land or people is nothing but an attempt to extinguish the devastating fire with a bucket of water – the fire that has been ignited just when the party has started its planning process to embark upon the elections in the offing. How callous on the part of selfish bosses! Height of the matter is that this much ‘hyped out’ letter has not even an official receipt from the bosses; they don’t even seem to bother to sneeze out on it. Imagine the plight of a democratically elected head of a state.

The row between NC and PDP on being the first to write to the Prime minister requesting him to hand over the body of Afzal Guru to his family speaks volumes about both. While the hearts are burning and the pent up anger is denied any vent out, the politics over the issue is excruciatingly disgusting. Why didn’t letters go to save Afzal in the first instance? Why didn’t letter go in the mid of night to the family of Guru to inform them about Afzal’s impending hanging. 8 p.m of 8th feb to 8 a.m of 9th feb had a big gap of 12 long hours when it takes only 1 hour to physically go by road from Srinagar to Sopore and only 10 mins from the nearest police station to Guru’s house. Why didn’t a letter go to the Prime Minister asking him to formally convey an apology to Afzal’s son for not allowing him the last glimpse of his father? After all, Afzal for them was a criminal. Why didn’t a letter of resignation go to prove that Kashmiri’s can’t be taken for-granted and head of the state is by the side of his people?

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