Outlook – July 06, 2019

NEW FRONT

by Naseer Ganai in Srinagar

S

INCE IAS-officer-turned-politi-

cian Shah Faesal entered into an

alliance with former Kashmir

legislator Engineer Rashid on

June 18, the footfalls in the for-

mer bureaucrat’s office in Rajbagh have

spiked. Some expatriate Kashmiris

were also seen in the office. Some of

them see fresh hope in the alliance

called the Peoples United Front (PUF).

But the Valley’s political parties are

skeptical. People’s Conference (PC)

leader Imran Reza Ansari describes it as a

“Sadbhavana Alliance in the making.”

Sadbhavana refers to the Indian Army’s

‘operation goodwill’ to win the ‘hearts

and minds’ in the restive State. Alluding

to the alliance, National Con ference

spokesman Imran Nabi Dar says: “Since

1953, a constant effort is being made by

the forces inimical to the state’s special

status to scuttle a united Kashmiri voice

by propping up ‘alternative’ fronts.”

Kashmiri intellectuals like Siddiq

Wahid have also raised questions. Prof­

essor Wahid asks if Faesal and Rashid see

their party as an ‘alternative voice’, what

alternatives have they articulated until

now? “How is it different from the NC,

Awami National Conference (ANC), the

INDIE ALLIES Shah Faesal (left),

Engineer Rashid (extreme right)

Alt-Engineering

This new political alliance in Kashmir is making

waves in the face of criticism from other parties

in Rajbagh, Faesal is unfazed with the

criticism of mainstream parties, but he

takes seriously what intellectuals like

Prof. Wahid have to say. “Whenever there

is a new idea, it is challenged. When the

NC was formed, it was accused of being a

creation of forces outside Jammu and

Kashmir. NC was seen as an extension of

the communist party in Kashmir. PDP,

formed in 1999, was also accused of being

created by security agencies. The PDP

was formed in a vacuum, people accepted

it and welcomed it,” he says. “Those who

describe us as the Sadbhavana alliance

were first to ally with the BJP in the recent

history of Kashmir. And everyone knows

their other dealings,” Faesal adds.

In the parliamentary polls, Rashid, an

independent candidate from north

Kashmir, secured an impressive tally of

1,01,500 votes, just 31,192 votes behind

the NC candidate. He got only 827 votes

less than Sajad Gani Lone’s candidate.

That makes Rashid—a two­time legisla­

tor—and Faesal serious contenders in

Kashmir as the PDP’s decline has created

political vacuum in the Valley.

Faesal believes that Rashid’s election

performance has unnerved their oppo­

nents. He says that unlike the Jammu

region, Kashmir Valley is fertile ground

for new ideas and new pol itical parties.

According to him, people in Jammu have

ignored their Dogra identity in favour of

Hindu identity and have end orsed the

larger national narrative in favour of PM

Narendra Modi. “While in Kashmir, pol­

itical identities are still superior to reli­

gious identities. Politics is alive here and

it is highly competitive. In Jammu, reli­

gious identity has wiped everything else,

including ethnicities.”

Faesal feels it is necessary for Kashmiris

to engage with New Delhi. “The BJP is

talking about ruling India till 2047. We

shouldn’t dismiss that assertion. The

Nehruvian era lasted for many decades

because it was the extension of the prin­

ciples of India’s freedom struggle. Now,

Hindutva is the assertion, and it’s not

going away because there are elections to

come. We need to engage with them while

maintaining some distance from this

Goliath,” he adds. Faesal has also clarified

that despite his party being the antithesis

of the NC and the PDP, it’s open to alliance

if it is to save the special status of J&K. O

Rashid, a two-time

legislator, and Faesal

are serious contenders

in Kashmir as the PDP’s

decline has created a

political vacuum.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the PC,

the BJP and other parties? They all prom­

ise ‘development’, corruption­free gov­

ernance and civic amenities. If this is

what Shah Faesal is also offering, then

what’s the need for another party? If his

party is offering more, what is that offer?”

Prof. Wahid adds that just saying that

they are representing the “sentiments of

the people” won’t do. “By now, people’s

sentiments are well known. They are,

variously: dignified inclusiveness, maxi­

mum autonomy and independence. So,

mere sentiments don’t need more rep­

resentation. Can Shah Faesal, and any of

the parties I mention, represent the

frustration, distrust, anger of the people?

Can they be distinctive from Delhi­based

parties? Also, can they afford non­cooper­

ation and non­alliance with Delhi­based

parties? If so, then how do they articulate

such representation?” says Wahid.

While meeting delegations at his office

8 July 2019 OUTLOOK 19

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