Not as black as painted

Journalists are not ‘angels’ from heaven. You can’t ignore the good work they have done in harsh conditions and label them whatever you want, writes Zulfikar Majid.

“Sentiment doesn’t belong to any particular individual, group or banner, but it belongs to whole Kashmiri nation. It has no exclusive copyright.” These were the words of Kashmir’s prominent columnist, Aijaz-ul-Haq in a seminar tilted “Kashmir - A Way Forward” organized by Greater Kashmir Foundation. Well said Mr Haq. Kashmir needs realistic people like you who can show the way to the suffering nation.

Unfortunately, over the years an environment of mistrust has been created here, where labelling others as traitors, agents, assignment holders and so on have become a routine. Initially, labelling was limited to militants and militancy itself, but now it has left almost no person and no profession untouched.

In a recent write up in Greater Kashmir, one of the prominent columnists of the Valley had left no stone unturned to demean journalists and journalism in Kashmir. Agreed Indian TV channels remain indifferent towards the sufferings of Kashmiris at the hands of troops. But that doesn’t give you authority to tarnish the image of whole community. I don’t agree with your viewpoint that journalists of the Valley have been coerced to submission. Then who are the people who have been reporting relentlessly for the past 20-years highlighting the atrocities committed by Indian troops on Kashmiris? Kashmiri nation should be proud of many journalists who despite pulls and pressures never compromised with ethics.

Nearly a dozen journalists have lost their lives while performing their professional duties in the last two decades of turmoil, while many more have been tortured, jailed and humiliated by the police and troops. Calling them incompetent, roadside vendors and motor mechanics is immaturity on part of the writer. Journalists put their lives at risk to give due coverage to the events when police and troops unleash reign of terror on people. Last hope in the hour of crisis for most of the people is to call journalists and narrate their sufferings to them. Recently when a women’s protest rally was being held in Lal Chowk, a police officer passed an indecent remark on them. A photojournalist who was covering the event couldn’t tolerate it and dared to ask the officer to mend his ways. He had to pay a price for it, as the policemen beat up him to pulp. There are hundreds of such examples where journalists have put their lives at risk while caring for the honor and dignity of their nation.

Agreed, journalists too might have committed mistakes at times, but they aren’t angels from heaven. They are humans and to err is human. You can’t ignore the good work they have done in harsh conditions. For God’s sake don’t doubt on the integrity of every Kashmiri. Everybody has an opinion. You may agree or disagree with others viewpoint, but that doesn’t give you authority to label everybody. Hartal is a tool of resistance, but it’s over use is a self-destruction.
The author in the recent GK Foundation seminar in his forceful speech quoted Mahtama Gandhi’s Non-Cooperation Movement. The movement was to be nonviolent and to consist of the resignations of titles, the boycott of government educational institutions, the courts, government service, foreign goods, and elections and the eventual refusal to pay taxes. But somewhere we need to do self-introspection. When vice-president, Hamid Ansari was scheduled to attend Kashmir University’s convocation function on June 20, separatists had called for a complete strike. Whole Kashmir observed a strike that day, but there was overwhelming response to the convocation function in KU. Nobody dared to talk about Shopian rape and murder incident before the vice-president. Nobody raised a voice against the human rights violations. Hardly anybody boycotted the function.

Those who forcefully advocate for strikes were part and parcel of the function. Why didn’t author dare to write about such episodes? Isn’t their need to prepare the nation for Non-Cooperation movements, before calling for a strike? Whose role it is? Who should take the lead? If someone dares to talk about such things, you label him and try to shut his mouth.
He calls journalists as assignment holders of status quo, who according to him, resort to proxy writings to malign the resistance and genuine leadership through their write ups against stone pelting, hartals and every other mode of resistance. Another prominent writer in his recent write up ‘in defence of hartals’ had lashed out at those, who had dared to write against hartals and making veteran pro-freedom leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, in person a target of this issue. He had also quoted last year’s example when Coordination Committee headed by Geelani had given “breathing space” to the people from long spell of hartals which later on became topic of discussion. Why are we people so afraid of debating and discussing vital issues pertaining to the nation? Geelani is a symbol of resistance. Nobody abuses him or screams at him. But, if at times his policies or politics isn’t suited to the nation, everybody has a right to criticize him. I don’t understand why some intellectuals are behaving like intolerant people? Geelani is a matured and seasoned leader and he should take criticism in positive perspective.
You call people who are with National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party, Congress and other mainstream political parties as ‘traitors’. Then you don’t also like people like Sajjad Gani Lone who contested elections. Moderate separatists are also under you scanner. Gujjars, Bakerwals and Paharis have no stakes in freedom movement. Then same applies to nearly one-lakh families of policemen. More than 60 percent people who voted in last year’s Assembly elections, according to your logic, are also anti-movement. Then what remains left for whom you are seeking Azadi? Don’t divide Kashmiris in the name of party, region and allegiance to a particular ideology. Freedom movement is as dare to every Kashmiri as it is to you. One-lakh people who offered their lives for the cherished goal weren’t from a particular ideology. They belonged to every party, ideology and region.