Hurriyat hawks flap their wings

SRINAGAR, DECEMBER 5: As the chances of a direct dialogue between the Hurriyat Conference and the Centre have brightened after tacit appro...

SRINAGAR, DECEMBER 5: As the chances of a direct dialogue between the Hurriyat Conference and the Centre have brightened after tacit approval from Pakistan, fissures have began creeping in the separatist conglomerate.

Former Hurriyat chairman and Jamat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has openly come out against the Government8217;s unilateral ceasefire move,calling it 8220;a conspiracy to sabotage the movement of the Kashmiri peoplewhich needs to be looked into at all levels8221;. Geelani said: 8220;The onlyway to achieve peace is to resolve the Kashmir dispute as per the aspirationsof the people of Kashmir otherwise any peace will be like the calm of thegraveyard.8221;

Contrary to this stand is that of hardliner and staunch pro-Pakistan leader and Hurriyat chairman Abdul Gani Bhat who has welcomed the Ramzan ceasefire. Bhat, who had been in the Geelani camp and was even elected as Hurriyat Chairman with his support, is now rubbing shoulders with moderates, JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik, former chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone.

In fact, apart from Lone who is in Pakistan, all the other leaderssupporting the ceasefire are camping in Delhi. Malik even publiclypraised Vajpayee for his initiative and compared him with the formerIsraeli prime minister who talked peace with the Palestinians.

Bhat says the Hurriyat needs to break the ice. 8220;We have to give peace a chance. And if India backtracks, they will be exposed. We cannot say no to ceasefire. We cannot doubt the intentions without putting them to a test,8221; Bhat told The Indian Express.

Geelani, however, says: 8220;The movement is going through a crucial phase sowe have to be careful. We must look for a permanent solution and nottemporary peace.8221;

Another Hurriyat executive and chairman of the pro-Pakistan People8217;s LeagueSheikh Abdul Aziz echoes this. 8220;Peace will come only when thebasic Kashmir dispute will be resolved. Ceasefires have not taken usanywhere in the past so we must be careful. We have seen the ceasefires of1947, 1965, 1971 and even the recent one.8221;

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8220;If the entire Hurriyat leadership, including me, chant Hindustan Zindabad long live India here, even then nothing is going to change on ground. Permanent resolution of the problem as per the wishes of the people is the only way out,8221; he said.

Bhat has been pleading with the Centre to allow a few Hurriyat leaders tovisit Pakistan. His proposal of the Hurriyat talking to both India and Pakistan after splitting the seven-member executive into two groups of three and four respectively is seen as an alternative to the tripartite dialogue demand of Pakistan.

8220;We should be given an opportunity to travel to Pakistan to exercise apecularly delicate mission of convincing the mujahideen leadership toreciprocate the India8217;s ceasefire,8221; Bhat said. 8220;We will ask them abouttheir apprehensions. We will tell them that he entire world community was observing it. Let us give peace a chance and whichever party backtracks will get exposed,8221; he said.

Geelani, however, is strongly opposed to anything less than tripartitedialogue involving Pakistan. 8220;I want the Hurriyat constitution should notbe violated at any cost. Our constitution puts first priority on theresolution of Kashmir dispute through United Nations resolutions or thenthrough tripartite dialogue including Pakistan, India and representativesof Kashmiri people,8221; he said.

Muzamil Jaleel

Muzamil Jaleel is a Deputy Editor at The Indian Express and is widely recognized as one of India’s most authoritative voices on Jammu & Kashmir, national security, and internal affairs. With a career spanning over 30 years, he has provided definitive on-the-ground reportage from the heart of the Kashmir conflict, bearing witness to historic political transitions and constitutional shifts. Expertise and Investigative Depth Muzamil’s work is characterized by a rare combination of ground-level immersion and high-level constitutional analysis. His expertise includes: Conflict & Geopolitics: Decades of reporting on the evolution of the Kashmir conflict, the Indo-Pak peace process, and the socio-political dynamics of the Himalayan region. Constitutional Law: Deep-dive analysis of Article 370 and Article 35A, providing clarity on the legal and demographic implications of their abrogation in 2019. Human Rights & Accountability: A relentless investigator of state and non-state actors, uncovering systemic abuses including fake encounters and the custodial death of political workers. International War Reporting: Beyond South Asia, he provided on-the-spot coverage of the final, decisive phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009. Landmark Exposés & Impact Muzamil’s reporting has repeatedly forced institutional accountability and shaped national discourse: The Kashmir Sex Scandal (2006): His investigative series exposed a high-profile exploitation nexus involving top politicians, bureaucrats, and police officers, leading to the sacking and arrest of several senior officials. Fake Encounters: His reports blew the lid off cases where innocent civilians were passed off as "foreign terrorists" by security forces for gallantry awards. SIMI Investigations: He conducted a massive deep-dive into the arrests of SIMI members, using public records to show how innocuous religious gatherings were often labeled as incriminating activities by investigative agencies. The Amarnath Land Row: Provided critical context to the 2008 agitation that polarized the region and altered its political trajectory. Over the years, Muzamil has also covered 2002 Gujarat riots, Bhuj earthquake, assembly elections in Bihar for Indian Express. He has also reported the peace process in Northern Ireland, war in Sri Lanka and national elections in Pakistan for the paper. Awards and Fellowships His "Journalism of Courage" has been honored with the industry's most prestigious accolades: Four Ramnath Goenka Awards: Recognized for J&K Reportage (2007), On-the-Spot Reporting (2009), and Reporting on Politics and Government (2012, 2017). Kurt Schork Award: From Columbia University for international journalism. Sanskriti Award: For excellence in Indian journalism and literature. IFJ Tolerance Prize: For his empathetic and nuanced reporting in South Asia. International Fellowships: Served as a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley and worked with The Guardian, The Observer, and The Times in London. He has also received Chevening fellowship and a fellowship at the Institute of Social Studies, Hague, Netherlands. Professional Presence Current Location: New Delhi (formerly Bureau Chief, Srinagar). Education: Master’s in Journalism from Kashmir University. Social Media: Follow him for field insights and rigorous analysis on X (Twitter) @MuzamilJALEEL. ... Read More