What after Wani’s death anniversary

The first death anniversary of Burhan Wani, the commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, was observed on July 08, 2017. He was martyred last year in held Kashmir. Since his martyrdom, the Valley erupted in massive protests. The consequent turmoil in the Indian-held Kashmir took the Indian politicians, armed forces and the establishment by surprise. Then the perpetual cycle of violence aggravated the situation. While more than 200 people have been killed, several thousand injured and a large population under curfew, the confusion and uncertainty continues to mount in the Valley.

Indian security forces, worried over the protests on the first anniversary of the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani, took precautionary measures and deployed large number of personnel in the held Valley. An Indian home ministry official was quoted as telling the media that all threats were being analysed and precautionary measures taken. Adequate security personnel had been deployed to deal with any situation. He claimed that as the Kashmir Valley continued to face threats, the Indian government had enhanced the counter-terror mechanism over the years. He added that especially four districts of the state, Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian and Anantnag, had been on the boil since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Wani in an encounter with security forces on 8 July, 2016.

Meanwhile, the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik, most of the top leaders either been detained or put under house arrest, had issued a protest calendar in connection with the first death anniversary of popular militant commander Burhan Wani. Separatist leaders called for a strike and protests to honor Wani. They called for complete shutdown on July 8 and July 13 and planned to bring out rallies at all district headquarters and elsewhere in the world where Kashmiris are residing. The leaders urged the people to visit the Burhan Wani's residence on July 9 and participate in an online “Kashmir Awareness Campaign” on July 11. 

As it is, Indian politicians, whose strength lie in twisting facts and obscuring truth, have failed to control the situation. It is apparent that the Kashmiris’ quest for freedom and the home-grown militancy will not die down even if the use of force is ended. Last year, when the Valley was engulfed in flames, the Chief Minister of held Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, claimed that the recent bout of violence in Kashmir was “orchestrated by vested interests with stakes in Kashmir unrest”. She claimed that “whenever economic activity starts picking up in Kashmir with encouraging increase in tourist arrivals as had happened this year, several quarters with vested interests in Kashmir turmoil seem to have ganged up to orchestrate another spate of deadly violence and push the people towards further economic deprivation.” Mufti of course lives in a world that is far from reality and has a skewed view of the situation.

Nevertheless, on the martyrdom anniversary of Wani, the Indian forces opened fire on unarmed villagers of Azad Kashmir to suppress the protests, killing many women and children. 

The unfinished agenda of the Partition of India survives the brutality unleashed by the Indian forces. The Kashmiris had never decided to accede to India while the so-called Kashmiri instrument of accession is altogether missing. Will India ever be able to make the held Kashmir a part of its country? The answer is simply no. Kashmir is a disputed issue between the two countries and has to be resolved on the negotiating table. The situation in held Kashmir requires an honest appraisal of the roots of the problem and quick solution, not self-created Indian fallacies bristling with deceit.