Geelani’s Ram katha to Ram Vilas Paswan

APD greeted with pro-Azadi slogans at SMHS Hospital

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Sep 21: Beleaguered Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s long, dark night did not seem to be shrinking around this autumnal equinox. But, does the separatist hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s? Perhaps not. There’s a striking similarity between the 40-year-old and the 80-year-old. Born to a Christian mom and married to a Hindu, Omar needs a Karakuli and the front-row niche at the Hazratbal congregational prayers to assert his Muslim credentials. Islamist Geelani needs Valmiki and Tulsidasa to drive home to a benevolent Hindu guest how deities of his dharma had kept sanctity of a promise.

Since mid-summer, turbulent downtown Srinagar has been out-of-bounds for grandson of the charismatic Sheikh Abdullah who created Hazratbal into a splendid architectural monument. Notwithstanding the highest level of security and a strictly enforced curfew, Omar was conspicuously absent when a troupe of Parliamentarians---BJP’s Sushma Swaraj and the unfaithful communist Sitaram Yechuri included---descended on the Valley’s most revered shrine to pay their obeisance and pray for restoration of peace in Kashmir.

Even his father, Farooq Abdullah, who was prominently present at a similar ritual at this spot on 11th July, 2000, alongwith his NDA colleagues---Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Home Minister L K Advani and Defence Minister George Fernandes---was nowhere in sight today. But, someone least acceptable to the Brahmins, Lok Janashakti patriarch Ram Vilas Paswan was. So was an illustrious Sushma, who taunted Pervez Musharraf with being ‘unblessed’ when the General had to wind up his Mission Agra while skipping his itinerary of a pilgrimage to Ajmer Sharief.

Paswan’s advantages in a Muslim land are galore. While Farooq and Omar stood clung to the NDA for latter’s unenviable ministerial slot after Advani’s contemptuous treatment to the NC’s political Bible of autonomy in 2000, followed by Narenda Modi’s genocide in Gujarat in 2001, then JD(U) leader and Minister in Vajpayee’s Cabinet, Paswan, quit the power in a jiffy. Previously in Deve Gowda’s Cabinet, he played a key role in getting railway track to Kashmir. Minister in Manmohan Sigh’s previous UPA government, Paswan also laid Rs 108 Crore steel plant at Lassipora in Pulwama district.

It was not without reason when Paswan broke away from his entourage---Sushma, Yechuri, Shahid Siddiqui and Guru Dasgupta---at SMHS and drove straight to Geelani’s Hyderpora residence. Finding him absent in Yechuri-led team, that called on the Hurriyat (G) Chairman yesterday, the octogenarian made it a point to call Paswan for a Kehwa, if not politics. It was late in the night that Geelani’s son, Naseem, rang up the LJS supremo and wished him to catch up with his father at a breakfast. According to family sources, Paswan had used his good offices to ensure the country’s best possible treatment to Geelani in New Delhi two years ago.

Before setting out for Hazratbal, Paswan got his exclusive trip to Geelani’s home “cleared” in a 5-minute chat with Home Minister Chidambaram.

Geelani expressed to his guest that he was “surprised” on finding him absent in the group of Parliamentarians that interacted with him last evening. He revealed that calling on the bereaved Yasin Malik family was a little more compelling the other day. Both agreed to “strengthen the personal liaison” in future, both in Srinagar and New Delhi. Paswan wished Geelani’s cooperation in restoration of peace and resolution of the Kashmir crisis, though making it clear that he was on a “purely goodwill” visit at Hyderpora and had no political agenda.

Known for religiously pursuing his goal of “Azadi Bara-e-Islam”, Geelani used the opportunity to explain to his guest how the “Indians” had always broken the promises made to the Kashmiris. He seemed to have done meticulous homework to pick up favourable references from Nehru’s speeches to argue that implementation of the 1948 UN resolutions---granting a right to state subjects to determine J&K’s accession to India or Pakistan by Plebiscite---was an obligation to be fulfilled by New Delhi. According to him, that alone was the “lasting solution”.

Geelani eloquently narrated to his Hindu guest how the deities had always kept their word. He also referred to Lord Rama’s 14-year-long vanvasa and asserted that the banishment was just his father’s fulfillment of a promise made to his spouse.

En route from Hazratbal to Hyderpora, Paswan, Yechuri, Sushma, Shaid and Gurudas, crashed into Ward No: 16 of SMHS Hospital to interact with the victims of the Police firing of last three months and their attendants. As soon as Yechuri accosted an injured student of the University of Kashmir and asked as to what went wrong, the angry young man shouted: “We want nothing short of freedom. Your Police and troops are merciless. They shot at me when I was walking to my home. They kill unarmed civilians”.

With that outburst, all 50-odd patients and their attendants raised the slogans: “Ham Kya Chahte, Azadi”, “Aadhi Roti Khayenge, Sar Nahi Jhukayenge” and Geelani’s 2010-model “Go India Go Back”. That was exactly what Omar had been greeted to at SKIMS over a month ago. Those critical of Omar’s staying away from the dead and the injured in the three-month-long turbulence stood humbled in seconds. The delegation vanished without proceeding to Bone & Joint Hospital that, reportedly, had been bedecked since yesterday for a worse demonstration.

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