By Devika Bedi
The Hurriyat and New Delhi continue to maintain skirmishes at their political fronts. However, the Hurriyat must now look out for a stronger, more coercive legal battle against New Delhi if it wants to accomplish its electoral goals. Issues ranging from Indian sovereignty, terror funding, separatist movement, terrorism, and failed dialogue with Pakistan all overlap with each other to circumambulate the heartland of Jammu and Kashmir.
FIR against separatist voices
On May 30, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the separatist voices in Kashmir. The FIR included the names of several members of the Hurriyat Conference who are reportedly in cognizance and camaraderie with active militants of Dukhtaran-e-Millat, LeT, Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), and other gangs.
It says, The Central government has received credible information that Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, head of Jamaat-ud-Dawah and the secessionist and separatist leaders including the members of the Hurriyat conference have been acting in connivance with active militants of proscribed terrorist organizationsHizbul Mujahideen (HM), Dukhtaran-e-Milat, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and others for raising, receiving and collecting funds domestically and abroad through various illegal channels, including hawala to wage war against India.
The FIR is charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) is against Farooq Ahmad Dar, Aiyaz Akhbar Khaney, Shahid-Ul-Islam, Nayeem Khan, Mehrajudin Kalwal and Altaf Ahmad Shah.
Arresting those who ‘kept the valley burning’
In a recent development, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has conducted raids at office and residence of Devinder Singh BehalChairman of the Jammu Kashmir Social Peace Forum (an organ of the All Party Hurriyat Conference). Another prior raid at the residence of a businessman in Kashmir has also occurred. Seven separatist leaders have been arrested in the Valley (barring Farooq Ahmad Dar, who was arrested in Delhi) for allegedly creating unrest by their actions.
In an investigation, various official and financial documents, and electronic devices have been identified as evidence. Apparently, the ethos of this investigation is to trace not only the source of the terror funding, but also those who have kept the valley burning over the last decade.
We analyzed all the FIRs and videos related to stone-pelting incidents in the past one year. Those arrested for such crimes were interrogated and a lot of evidence was extracted from social media. When irrefutable evidence was gathered, we decided to arrest them, said Alok Mittal, Inspector General, NIA.
The path to peace?
Responding to the arrests, Sayed Ali Shah Geelani said, We express serious concern about the safety of these people after their sudden arrests as no one has been to establish contact with them and their whereabouts are not known. Separatists accuse the Indian government of misleading the nation by diverting the problem of an independent Kashmir, instead, making it a Pakistan-centered issue.
India is under global pressure to regain peace, but it is still not clear if Pakistanwith its official diplomacy and parasitic terror groupshas something to do with the event in the Valley. Will arresting voices of an independent Kashmir silence all the potential separatist leaders? Their demands are fundamental and perpetual. It will, and should, take more than the mere political show of arrests to put this issue to rest. This is not only a rough start to bilateral talks; it is also a rickety road to having the people of Kashmir adopt a sense of belonging as Indians. While those who advocate voices of Azaad Kashmir are under custody, Kashmiris continue to face a deeper existential dilemma.
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