AN OPEN LETTER TO MUFTI MOHAMMAD SAYEED BY TAHIR MUZTER

Srinagar Only Kashmir 22 Sep 2012
My Dear Mufti Sahib 

I think, I need not introduce myself   to you. Yes, the only difference ‘’Tahir Muzter”, then and now is--- I have now grown old.  My age now demands rest, but my political   consciousness     instigates me to   continue with writing. What I write now-   it is more as a son of Kashmir than as a   journalists. It is not without a reason.    2008, when  soft   and hard  Hindutva, swooped   down on  Kashmir, with  a  war  crime  “ECONOMIC BLOCKED”, I  came to know,  that  Kashmir  has virtually became  a  colony, that  too under he  cover of  democracy, and  it is at the verge  of becoming   a  new  Palestine , when  we study the  situation  with serious thought, 

Today I am addressing you, ,  as    I  said as a son of Kashmir , knowing   that  you   are the leader   of   the big, only   large opposition party in Kashmir –PDP,   undoubtedly with good public following. -------YES!  Mufti Sahib,    You are    well aware   that Amarnath is again in news.  Road or no   road.  But the    controversy is afresh.  Alarming apprehensions   of destruction of ecological situation. and  also  un-bridled  powers  to  the  Shrine  Board    are   under discussion  in  Kashmir  To  express their concern, the  people  0f   Kashmir observed  Hartal  on  4th instant  on the  Call of  Syed  Ali   Shah  Geelani, though   he did not take  notice of  this  dangerous situation    during  Amarnath  Land Row in  2008,  when he and   Mirwaiz   dominated    the scene.  But now, he too   see   situation alarming ------But why not you and your Party.

After Amaranth Land Row in 2008,     this time too as usual ‘’ Kashmir’s logical voice’   has again irked, right wing   Hindu Parties. They have warned not only the   separatist leaders only but    the regional mainstream parties too.           This is not   a mere   assumption something but they have declared in clear terms. —--------------“The Hindu bodies will forcefully counter the propaganda unleashed by separatists, their supporters and valley based main stream political parties against the facilities being provided to pilgrims of holy Amaranth shrine by the Government’’(Early Times, Jammu). 

The leaders of various Hindu organizations, social activists and intellectuals who participated in a meeting organized by Baba Amaranth & Buda Amaranth Yatri Niyas (BABAYN) on Saturday to frame a roadmap to counter the propaganda and misinformation campaign launched by the separatists of Kashmir valley, as they   put it. --- “We will not allow any one to interfere in the religious affairs of Hindus.”  (Early Times, Jammu)

All this clearly means that   KashmirisOr their leadership    will   not be allowed, to raise their voice   to protect   their interests of the people. They are talking again in terms of their mussel power   and their   majority-might.  In this situation, 2008 situation cannot be ruled out ---- In this situation   another blockade against Kashmir     can not be ruled   out.      If  the people  of  Kashmir  will go ahead   to raise  their voice , they  will , be as usual, dubbed  as   IslamisT5S, as separatists , as  militants and    Pakistanis----  This  is what happened in 2008.  

In   this situation Kashmiries   have the right to ask    you and your party ----as to why you and you party is mysteriously silent   on   the new development. YES! Kashmir’s eyes   are on you----because  they don’t  expect  even a Paper- statement    from  National  Conference  or Congress.----Whereas the  National  Conference  Government is factually  founder of this  serious trouble the Congress   has  been  a  collaborator  Congress  in  this  big conspiracy---And  you are  the  eye  witness to  al this----    but  still    mysteriously  silent-------------Why. Kashmir Want to know.

You are  the   first  man in  Kashmir,  who  had  understood the gravity  of the  issue  You  only  can  well understand,  the gravity ,of the issue,  when you were asked to keep mum , with  regard   to the the    extension of  yatra   duration   even as the elected  Chief Minster of the State ---- What  you desired   at that time  was mainly an administrative   viewpoint    or requirement.  But you   were made to surrender by Delhi, and Sangh lobby there.   You were   also heading the unified headquarters and the security agencies at that time. And even then you are mysteriously   silent. 

You  are the  first   chief Minister---who   has faced  the wrath  of   the  Chairman  of he  Shrine Board---And   out of  power , your political  expediency should not have barred you  from opening  you min  on he issue.

I   only   want to remind you   when finally   you bowed against, congress or Delhi pressure.   The then Governor –Chairman of the Shrine Board   S.K. Sinha prolonged Yatra and made it bigger and bigger with every passing year. Sinha challenged your writ and authority, but    you failed to resist in time and gave vent to your feelings publicly only when the people came on the streets. Had you resisted   the   Sinha’s dictatorial approach and his attempts to trample the rights of the State  under his foot  and taken the people into confidence on  this delicate issue,   no  transfer  of land would  have  been there    and              certainly  no land row would  have  followed   It would   have demoralized the  overambitious  Governor Lt. Gen. (Ret )S  K SINHA.   It was too easy for you at that juncture of the time. —but it needed guts or at the worst   sacrifice, which is unknown to all Kashmir rulers and leaders.

RE-LOOK AT THE   LEGISLTON OF SHRINE BOARD 

However that is past.     I know it is all in vain to discuss   it now. I mentioned it here, just to link   the events with the situation, prevailing today.  But Kashmir remembers   your promise,   made in view of the mass upsurge against the land transfer.  You      stressed the need for having a re-look at the legislation that led to the creation of SASB  under  the shadow  of   seriously flawed  Shrine Act of 2000  , but latter  did not  opt to  utter a word in this regard even not outside the Assembly after the elections were   over.    your    Dy. Chief Minister(PDP) in the   the  Azad  Government  Muzaffar Hussain  Beigh  in a big    crowded   press conference also promised that   in the next assembly session he would bring an amendment bill  in this   regard   But opted not talk about the issue   even casually thereafter.

Today ,  when a  new situation   has  emerged   ad  re-awakened     the people of  Kashmir ,    about    the    role  of tee  Shrine  Board , as the new   “EASD INDIA COMPANY- why    your   good self   and your party   is mysteriously      and  conspicuously silent. ------ With no opinion, with no   view point 

AFTER ALL WHY--????? WILL YOU    KINDLY     COME OUT WITH A STATEMENT----- WHAT   WILL BE YOUR LINE OF ACTION TO SAVE KASHMIR? –WHY CRIMNAL   DOUBLE STANDARD IN KASHMIR   AND   UTTRAKAND-----DONT YOU FEEL NEED TO RAISE VOICE AGAINST THIS CRIMNAL    DOUBLE STANDARD ----?     

Tahir Muzter is a well known Journo of J&K, He has been the first Editor of the Daily Chinar & Nawa-e-Subah. Tahir Muzter is also known for his poetry, he is the Author of the book "Neelam Ghar" a collection of poetry in Urdu, Tahir Muzter is one of the content contribution to Only Kashmir. He can be reached at:  tahirmuzter.s@gmail.com