Dated : 01-07-2010

Issue  : July 2010

This has reference with the views of various people including noted columnists about the Hartals- that Hartal should be avoided or substituted by something else as a tool of resistance and a mark of protest. The columnists and commentators often criticize the Hartal politics but fail to come up with an alternative method or tool of resistance. The view point of these people is that Hartals have been badly affecting the economic strength of Kashmir and as such should be avoided or minimized at least. There is no denial from the fact that Hartals affect the economy of Kashmir particularly the livelihood of the small business vendors and daily wagers but on the other hand we happen to observe Hartals desperately as there is not any other standard tool of resistance. As per the burning of candles, blackouts, human-chain making and other such tools are concerned these do not serve the purpose sufficiently as these are only token type and symbolic type of tools. At a time when Shopian like tragedy has occurred, nobody can withstand these types of tools, it is the Hartal only that suffices the need because Hartal is an established tool of resistance and it involves everybody from laborers to leaders. Infact, nobody is happy with frequent and indefinite strike calls but at the same time when the chastity and dignity of the women is outrageously tattered, no conscientious person can afford to enjoy his routine business. In a situation like that of Kashmir the dignity is the supreme thing, second the life and then come the other things. Anything can be compromised but not the dignity and chastity of the women. One more problem with us is that we hold responsible profreedom leaders for everything and expect even the basic amenities, say the food articles from them only during the hartal times! Strange!
True, that prolonged strikes and hartals cause many types of crisis but we should come to each others rescue and help. Indeed, in Nineties, emergence of such a helping committee- Hilal-e-Ahmer committee was a good gesture but unfortunately that did not last long. Here comes the role of NGO’s and other such groups and organizations and at present there are such (though few) potential NGO’s (Trusts etc) working in the valley. People, by and large, must extend their all time support of muscle and money to these NGO’s, no need to name them as people know them by their work and contribution, it is worth mentioning that these NGO’s commendably worked in the earthquake hit areas of Uri.
My humble suggestion to all is that we must not indulge into mere debates sometimes on stone pelting and sometimes on hartal issue. We are a suppressed nation to us sun rises with confusions and it sets with atrocities, what else we can do except the calm hartals and peaceful protests. Though hartal results into our economic losses but at the same time it represents us before world on the political front. Another thing is that hartal becomes the base for the other types of protest methods as we have experienced in Nineties also and lately in 2008 mass uprising. Thus we must coop up the drawbacks of hartals but not uproot the hartal as a tool itself. However it is the duty of the profreedom leaders to make the long and indefinite hartals ‘porous’ so that livelihood can be earned simultaneously.

Ahmad Kashmiri
ahmadkashmiri@gmail.com