Omar in Singapore, Rahul in Srinagar

‘I have my roots in Kashmir and I have suffered much like many of you did---my grandmother was killed when I was 14, my father was killed when I was 21’

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Sep 26: Over a year after the radical Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s address to a gathering of students at the campus, it was--- in contrast---turn of the All India Congress Committee General Secretary, Rahul Gandhi, today to reach out to an academic audience at the University of Kashmir. With Geelani languishing in ‘house arrest’ and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reportedly enjoying a holiday in Singapore on day one of the Legislature’s autumn session, Rahul also paid obeisance at the Valley’s holiest Hazratbal shrine.

Obviously, there were no security or law and order apprehensions as far as Rahul Gandhi’s arrival and departure at Srinagar Airport, his landing at Nehru Helipad, near Raj Bhawan, and his brief visit to a calm Kargil were concerned. There were no obtrusive security interventions as most of the incoming and outgoing passengers at Srinagar Airport had no idea of the presence and movement of one of the country’s most protected politicians. All the 20-odd flights operated without disruption. Even the SSP of Budgam district was on leave at his home outside the state.

Minister of State for Home, Nasir Aslam Wani, was the only government functionary who received Rahul when his chartered aircraft landed in technical area of Srinagar Airport at 10.05 a.m. He performed the protocol ritual on behalf of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Omar missed even the day one proceedings of Assembly’s and Council’s autumn session. Officials maintained he was in Singapore and would be reaching back home by late this evening.

Within minutes, Rahul and his thin entourage boarded a state aircraft for their onward journey to Kargil. They were also joined by J&K Pradesh Congress Committee President, Prof Saifud-din Soz, and Minister of health and horticulture, Sham Lal Sharma. Exactly an hour after, Rahul landed at Kargil to an animated reception at Public Park, in the heart of town. He took a brief meeting of his party workers and leaders at the airport before cruising to the venue of his public meeting in an SPG guarded motorcade. Nearly 5,000 people formed his first ever audience in the hilly township that became famous in the world on account of Indo-Pakistan skirmishes in 1999.

Local Congress leader, Asgar Karbalai, and Prof Soz had all the fun in leaving not a minute for other aspirants like former Minister Haji Nisar Ali, District President Ghulam Hassan Raza and former MP, Ghulam Hassan ‘Commander’. For around 20 minutes, Rahul promised the moon to his enthusiastic gathering, draped in colourful Ladakhi costumes. He spoke of their problems and assured them that he would do his best to ensure that Kargil got a better telecommunication, air and surface communication connectivity. “I’ll put in all efforts to see that your dream of a tunnel at Zijilla turns true soon”, he said to a standing ovation.

Contrary to many politicians showing the direction of Muzaffarabad and Rawalpindi to their listeners in Srinagar, Rahul pointed towards Delhi. He was so enthused by the response from the crowds that he broke the security drill on his return to Airport and walked over 150 yards to oblige his followers.

By the time, Rahul landed back at technical area of Srinagar Airport to board a waiting helicopter for Nehru helipad, a number of Congress leaders and Ministers had made a beeline to mark their attendance. From Nehru helipad, he drove straight to the most critical leg of his first remarkably noticed visit in the Valley.

Hazratbal being completely out-of-bounds for media spoke volumes of the uncertainty and apprehensions afflicting Rahul’s visit. MP and Rahul’s aide, Meenakshi Natrajan, appeared pretty concerned over reports in local newspapers that the AICC General Secretary would be beginning his party’s membership drive from the KU campuses. There were clarifications, more than once, as if to pre-empt much apprehended student convulsions at the University.

Senior Police officials remembered how Farooq Abdullah was once humiliated by a Professor of Law Department in presence of Governor N N Vohra. They also knew how angry students had booed and heckled even perceived sympathizers of the ‘Kashmir cause’ like Kuldeep Nayar over slight equivocations with regard to “freedom struggle”. But, they also knew that cameras were a bigger stimulant that the real outrage and sense of victimhood.

The strategy worked. Security, as well as University officials, maintained that as many as 1200 to 1500 Kashmiri students in a gathering at Convocation Hall interacted with Rahul. After a brief introductory by Vice Chancellor Prof Talat, Rahul spoke briefly about Jammu and Kashmir and rest of the country and the “fast changing political scenario”. He devoted much of his scheduled time to a question-answer session and appeared to be taking care to ensure that none in the audience was hurt or disappointed.

There were hands at work to disrupt Rahul’s visit. “It is tragic that University allows political activities of the parties which adhere to the Indian government's line while it puts curbs, threatens and bans the student welfare activities and political activism by the students”, read an email circulated under the banner of ‘Kashmir University Students Union’.

It added: “The distribution of the Youth Congress recruitment forms at the University campus is a grave provocation as hundreds of youths, many of them students, were killed by the Indian forces who enjoy the patronage of the same party. It is not righteous and moral for the youth of Kashmir to involve themselves in these activities when thousands of youth are languishing in jails.

 “The Students body also strongly condemns Rahul Gandhi's visit to Kashmir, and our campus in particular, to oversee the recruitment drive and believe it is a political gimmick to show the world that they are reaching out to the people”.

But a calm and composed Meenakshi Natrajan conducted the proceedings with aplomb. There were, of course, piercing questions over the death of over a hundred youth in last summer’s street turbulence in Valley, “treatment of traitors” being meted out to many of the Kashmiri students “all over your country”, New Delhi’s “policy of status qua”, discouragement of industry, absence of infrastructure and “little avenues of employment” besides “brazen corruption in public offices” and “poor services”.

Rahul shared his emotions with the visibly complaining questioners. “I do well understand and feel the agony you have gone through for years of your tender age. I’m a victim (of terrorism) like many of you. My grandmother was gunned down (in 1984) when I was 14. My father was killed (in 1991) when I was 21”, he said and sought to convince his young audiences that he would leave no stone unturned to terminate the demon of death and destruction in Kashmir. “I’m rooted in Kashmir. My great grandfathers were from this land”. He invited many of his audiences to New Delhi for a “more comprehensive and closer interaction”.

Contrary to speculations in media, there was no party recruitment drive, either in Kargil or in Srinagar. Rahul also paid obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum of Kashmir’s most revered shrine at Hazratbal and later attended a concluding session with his party leaders and workers, besides lately elected Panches and Sarpanches, at SKICC. He is staying for the night at Nehru Guest House but had no schedules of meetings with the senior government functionaries. He would be flying to Rajouri to cover the last leg of his whirlwind tour tomorrow before his departure from Jammu airport to Delhi.

Well placed sources this evening revealed to Early Times that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who was flying back home from Delhi, would call on Rahul at Nehru Guest House and possibly attend the dinner with the state guest.

END