Sajjad Lone, leader of the People's Conference, which is an ally of Hurriyat Conference, has come to realise that bullet cannot defeat ballot. He has thrown his hat in the ring from the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency, north Kashmir, the stronghold of his father. Abdul Gani Lone, who was killed by the militants nearly a decade ago.
To argue that Sajjad has returned to the 'right path' is to misinterpret him, because many from the youth chose the gun when they found that both New Delhi and Srinagar had once again rigged the 1987 state elections. His faith in the Election Commission has been revived since it has held a free and fair poll for the 2009 state assembly only four months ago. He found how some 68 per cent of the electorate queued up before the polling booths in severe winter to cast their vote despite the Hurriyat call for a boycott. Sajjad too had lent his voice. He has felt from then onwards that there was a message in what the voters did. They wanted to convey that they were sick of violence and looked to a normal life.
Whether Sajjad wins or loses is not the point at issue. The point is the futility of violence. He has come out openly on the side of peace. By not giving the call for a boycott for the Lok Sabha election, the Hurriyat has also backed him in his initiative to voice the protest in the Indian parliament. It was reportedly an arduous task for Sajjad's brother, Ballal, a member of the Hurriyat executive, to convince the Hurriyat to keep quiet. But he won because it has come to the end of the road and does not know how to move forward. Yet, in a positive way it has prepared the ground for a serious talk on Kashmir with Delhi after the new government takes over.
http://newageislam.com/jihad--the-struggle-within---/islam,terrorism-and-jihad/d/1368
No comments:
Post a Comment