Self Rule

The half-clever stunt of withdrawing the support to Ghulam Nabi Azad over land transfer issue has not won Peoples Democratic Party any new sympathizers, for the party’s double dealing was too obvious to its own cultivated pockets of support not to talk of the rebellious masses. It was no less than an absurdity to sign the land transfer document, to be part of the process, and then quit the government for the same reason. The absurdity of the decision is accentuated by the cold reaction shown by the people to the downfall of the government and the imposition of governor’s rule. And this absurdity was turned into a bad joke when some PDP activists burst crackers outside the party headquarters. But the party’s exit has spared it of unveiling the ‘self-rule’ document. The party won’t have to plead its legal overlord Muzaffar Hussain Baig to work overtime and complete the ‘self-rule’ document if it was ever begun in the first place. For its imaginary preciousness the document was the most awaited political event before the widespread agitation jolted the pro-India politicians into irrelevance, however temporary that may be.  It seems unlikely that the party would salvage the ‘roadmap’ from the wreckage left behind by the events of the past month. In the fast paced political atmosphere of the state we have lost the count of the number of times the PDP leaders announced the self-rule document would be revealed “soon”. But it seems “soon” could be stretched to any amount of time. Ghulam Nabi Azad in plainest terms had refused to offer anything political, and like a true Delhi’s man he had told the legislative assembly that resolution of Kashmir was beyond the brief of state’s politicians. According to him it was a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan. Political observers had a feel of what New Delhi thought when Azad spoke. He rejected the PDP’s demand for relocation of troops to barracks because New Delhi wouldn’t approve of it. National Conference president Omar Abdullah and patron, and other leaders, have found refuge in frequent apologies for the past sins and in the autonomy document which can no more be milked for political brownie points. But the PDP had advertised its “soon-to-be-released” document as the one which would be revolutionary in its scope, which would resolve Kashmir issue with “dignity and honor” within “the ambit of Indian constitution” and which would devolve powers equitably to the three regions of the state (while Ladkah is already functioning as a state within state and under the very nose of PDP the former governor was able to create a mini sovereign dominion in the shape of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board.) The PDP dream document, its grand political vision was bound to fail because the party allowed it to be undermined by no other person with whom the party was sharing power. Many a time the former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad termed the self-rule as ‘deception’ and a ‘hollow slogan meant to fool people’.  Had it been a political roadmap carefully and sincerely prepared keeping in view the political aspirations of the people rather than an opportunistic grab of Musharraf’s proposals the document would have seen the light of the day by now. It would be wise to revise the document in wake of the tumultuous events of the past month.