By Farooq Wani
They say that anything can happen in politics and that’s exactly what one is witnessing in J&K. Firstly, former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Students’ Union vice-president Shehla Rashid who has been an out-and-out left-wing anti-Modi and anti-BJP-led government protester, has now not only openly voiced her univocal support for the central government’s policies and programs but has also joined.
Similarly, 2010 IAS topper (who resigned in 2019 citing “unabated killings” in Kashmir as one of the reasons on social media) and Jammu & Kashmir Peoples’ Movement (JKPM) founder Shah Faesal abandoned his grand political ambitions to re-join government service a little over a year ago. In March 2021, this one-time critic of the government took to Twitter and wrote “Friends let’s sort it out for once. I have always been pro-India. But now I am single-mindedly, shamelessly, helplessly and unapologetically pro-India. I stick to my side. It is a long story and I have to tell this story one day. But this is how it is going to be. Peace.”
This change of heart by Rashid and Faesal has expectedly stoked controversy. Columnist and educationist Arshia Malik, believes that this sort of “Ghar Wapsi” [Returning home] is dangerous, as it only provides fresh opportunities for Islamic resurgence of an unhealthy kind.
In her recent opinion piece published in the News18 web portal, Malik is direct in describing both Shehla Rashid and Shah Faesal as “part of the Intifada factory, waging a disinformation war against India”. She warns that they will never stop, or move away from “parroting ISI talking points on Kashmir and Pakistan’s relationship with India”.
Malik and many others of her ilk are convinced that a fundamentalist brand of Islam is too deeply entrenched in India and as such will never really go away. “It may change its appearance and camouflage itself into patriotism and sycophancy”, but will always keep “a door open” to collaborate with like-minded should situations not favour it in India, she maintains.
She is of the view that historically Islamists are opportunists at their core, biding their time for a disgruntled population to show signs of unhappiness with a ruling dispensation, and questions the need for the “Hindu majority” to work for the “empowerment of minorities (read Muslims and Christians).”
India, she feels, “is a victim of terrorism,” and, therefore, “shouldn’t be bothered about “Islamophobia”, or creating a space for “India Muslims” to avoid being labelled as “not being Muslim enough”. Such an illogical and absurd inference reveals a parochial mindset and promotes communal animosity that cannot be defended under the ‘right to freedom of expression’ and needs to be condemned most harshly.
However, another school of thought believes that “young and maturing” people like Shehla Rashid and Shah Faesal are enthused by the changes taking place in a “new and resurgent India” under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. They have jettisoned their antagonist outlook after realising that the present government’s policies are paving the way for a brighter future and a promising tomorrow.
There can be no two views that things today in J&K are far better than what they were in the 1990s. Rashid and Faesal belong to the generation that grew up during this period and lived through extremely difficult times, seeing their loved ones becoming victims of terror, and their lives spiralling downwards due to the unwanted tailspin of socio-economic distress with no light at the end of a seemingly dark tunnel. So, for them to have certain prejudices isn’t abnormal.
So, just because Rashid, was once critical of the government’s actions in Jammu and Kashmir, including the abrogation of Special Status Articles 370 and 35-A, should she be permanently ostracised for the views that she articulated in the past? PhD scholar Dr Maisar supports Shehla Rashid’s praise of the incumbent government, saying that the decline in terror incidents, stone pelting, and complete peace in J&K, reflects the success of the local and central governments. “The truth may be bitter, but we should acknowledge it with an open heart,” Maisar says.
Writer Fida Firdous mentions the Kashmiri or Persian couplet – “Deer Ayid, Drust Ayad”, meaning “Better late than Never”, to back Rashid, whom he describes as “a brilliant student who has faced hardships in life and needs to be supported for her bold admission about the achievements of the present government”. He believes that like Rashid, every other Kashmiri will soon realise the same.
Eminent Criminal Lawyer Mohmmad Javid Hubi further says that people like Shesha Rashid and Shah Feasal have inspired many youngsters in Kashmir and will again become role models for others in future. Quoting the old saying “Subah ka bhula agar sham ko ghar aa jayen to usey bhula nahi kehte (One who loses directions by day but returns home in the evening isn’t called a lost person), Hubi maintains that every religion provides space for atonement.
While everyone has the right to express views on the revised decisions taken by both Rashid and Faesal, to insult their progressive thinking by terming it opportunism or being motivated is grossly unfair. The human mind continues to evolve and the emergence of new ideas and thoughts based on experience and better perception that result in positive change a person’s outlook is something worth appreciating.
Unlike many who don’t have the pluck to admit that their outlook was myopic and greatly influenced by extraneous considerations, both Rashid and Faesal have exhibited courage of conviction by accepting that their earlier position on J&K-related issues was flawed. So, digging up the past and ascribing ludicrous motives to rational changes that people make in their viewpoint is a futile exercise that is best avoided.
The author is Editor Brighter Kashmir, Author, TV commentator, political analyst and columnist. Email: farooqwani61@yahoo.co.in
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