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Journalism of Courage
Okay, while the Hurriyat Conference is adamant about not participating in the state elections, it appears that it is willing to enter into a dialogue process. Whether this slight thaw was brought about by the Hurriyat8217;s own desire to appear politically correct in the eyes of the world, or whether it was former law minister Ram Jethmalani8217;s indubitable skills of persuasion that did the trick, is difficult to assess. Suffice it to say that it is a movement forward, albeit more in the nature of a stir rather than a sprint. While the modalities of this process are yet to be worked out 8212; and they may well prove difficult for New Delhi to concede to entirely 8212; some good would have come out of it if it ensures that the Hurriyat Conference will at least desist from calling for a boycott of the forthcoming elections in the state.
There are several reasons why Jethmalani appears to be more successful than the numerous interlocutors who have preceded him. For one, he seemed to have the renewed mandate of the NDA government, with Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani having specifically authorised Jethmalani to go ahead and engage with the separatists. For another, Jethmalani 8212; helped no doubt by his decades-old law practice 8212; is an old hand at the art of negotiation, which is all about opening doors rather than closing them, all about knowing when to give in and when not to. This is also a moment, remember, when world pressure is also on the Hurriyat Conference to appear sensitive to democratic concerns, something that Jethmalani has utilised to create a momentum for talks. This should, if all goes well, help the fence-sitters to make up their minds. Earlier, Shabir Shah8217;s Democratic Freedom Party had expressed its willingness to negotiate with Jethmalani8217;s Kashmir Committee and, yesterday, the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Forum welcomed the prospect of talks between the Hurriyat and New Delhi. Hopefully, more groups and factions will join in. The big test, of course, is public opinion, if the ordinary people of the Valley are convinced that the dialogue process is authentic, they may come to have more faith in the electoral process as well.
