AN HOUR BEFORE
DAWN ON 7 JUNE 2010, the day Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was scheduled to visit Kashmir, I drove to Geelani ’s home to meet him again. It was 4 am and Geelani was about to begin his
morning prayers. A white-bearded man opened the gate and led me to a mosque just inside Geelani ’s compound. Inside,
there was a small
gathering of bearded men, some old, some young, waiting for Geelani to lead their
prayers. I heard some tentative footsteps
approaching the mosque. It was Geelani. His nicely
trimmed beard, not the kind attributed to
fundamentalists,
complimented his
subtle expression and
appearance. He looked
extraordinarily fresh when he gazed at me through his moist green eyes. .Geelani finished his prayers
and led me inside his study room. He took down the Qur ’an from the bookshelf, sat down cross-
legged, and began reading the Arabic text until the morning sun breached the edge of the white
curtains. He slowly guided his index finger along the
written verses.
“*Each time you study the
Qur’an, you find new
things, new inspirations.”
Geelani said. “This book
guides you on how you
walk, how you treat your
neighbours, your friends,
your parents, your
brothers, your sisters. *”
“Is there any important
political decision the Qur’an
has helped you to
make ?” I asked.
“Yes, in every aspect,” he
said. *“It says sovreignty
lies with almighty
Allah. Sovreignty is not for
the people, not for any
dignity, or any family.
It only lies in the hands of
Allah. ” *
For a moment, the fiery old
man seemed like an
obedient student. Then the
conversation turned back
to politics. His demeanour
changed. His body
stiffened. “Just recently, I
heard the news that some
12 years ago, two
persons were arrested and
put inside the Tihar jail, ”
Geelani said. “Now
they have been proven
innocent. Is this a law? Is
this justice? It is very
unfortunate that Islam is
not seen as a complete
way of life. ” He was
advocating sharia law.
“How do you see the
Taliban?” I countered.
“They say that they also
follow
Islam. ”
“No, no, no... not at all,”
*Geelani said. “The Taliban
does not represent
Islam. Their actions are
based on revenge. ” He took
a deep breath. “Islam
doesn’t allow the killing of
innocent people.” *
He raised his arm toward
the ridge of the wall and
grabbed a portable radio
set. It was now 7:30, and
he tuned into a news
bulletin from Pakistan.
With
his head down, he listened
intently. As in India, the
stories covered
shortages of electricity, a
water crisis,
unemployment, etc. He
turned off
the radio.
Geelani takes his morning
dose of medication in the
study of his Srinagar
home. His health has been
failing him for the last four
years.He paused for
a moment to finish his
breakfast, two boiled eggs
and milk custard. He has a
history of chronic illnesses
— kidney cancer, heart
disease and bronchitis. He
often wears a surgical
mask to avoid the dust. He
began reading a
newspaper
before I again interrupted
him.
“What is your stand on
militancy?” I asked.
He paused for a few
minutes, seated in his
centrally heated room,
facing his
bookshelves. He finally
spoke. *“India denied
Kashmiris their right to
self-determination by
using their military power,”
he said. “Our peaceful
efforts were rejected. What
alternative is there apart
from fighting with
guns ?” *
I asked him about the
many foreign militants
active in Kashmir. He
invoked
Bangladesh ’s war of
independence: *“You
know, once upon a time
there was
East Pakistan, do you
remember? They raised the
voice for Independence
from
West Pakistan, and India
sent a regular army to help
them. What is the
justification? When we
people do it, how is
Pakistan wrong ?” *
Then the conversation
turned to Pakistan ’s covert
actions in Kashmir and the
idea that the UN ’s
plebiscite had become
irrelevant. “What else do
we have
without the UN’s promise?”
he asked, “and Pakistan is
in that promise” He
looked angry as he stood
up and asked me to excuse
him for a while. Soon he
re-entered: “Those people
[who given up on the
plebiscite] are tired, it’s
not their fault. Such things
happen in a freedom
struggle, that doesn ’t mean
we alter our history.”
A group of young men
entered the room. They
shook hands with Geelani.
A
short-bearded man began
to speak, but Geelani cut
him short.* “Last Friday,
you misbehaved in the
gathering, you chanted
slogans despite the fact I
was
speaking at the
microphone. You actually
disrupted my speech.”*In a
few
moments, Geelani seemed
happy again, as if nothing
had happened. His back
was touching the wall.
Behind him hung a
calendar inscribed with a
promise
from Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru, India ’s first prime
minister, to the people of
Kashmir. It affirmed their
right to the plebiscite.
DAWN ON 7 JUNE 2010, the day Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was scheduled to visit Kashmir, I drove to Geelani ’s home to meet him again. It was 4 am and Geelani was about to begin his
morning prayers. A white-bearded man opened the gate and led me to a mosque just inside Geelani ’s compound. Inside,
there was a small
gathering of bearded men, some old, some young, waiting for Geelani to lead their
prayers. I heard some tentative footsteps
approaching the mosque. It was Geelani. His nicely
trimmed beard, not the kind attributed to
fundamentalists,
complimented his
subtle expression and
appearance. He looked
extraordinarily fresh when he gazed at me through his moist green eyes. .Geelani finished his prayers
and led me inside his study room. He took down the Qur ’an from the bookshelf, sat down cross-
legged, and began reading the Arabic text until the morning sun breached the edge of the white
curtains. He slowly guided his index finger along the
written verses.
“*Each time you study the
Qur’an, you find new
things, new inspirations.”
Geelani said. “This book
guides you on how you
walk, how you treat your
neighbours, your friends,
your parents, your
brothers, your sisters. *”
“Is there any important
political decision the Qur’an
has helped you to
make ?” I asked.
“Yes, in every aspect,” he
said. *“It says sovreignty
lies with almighty
Allah. Sovreignty is not for
the people, not for any
dignity, or any family.
It only lies in the hands of
Allah. ” *
For a moment, the fiery old
man seemed like an
obedient student. Then the
conversation turned back
to politics. His demeanour
changed. His body
stiffened. “Just recently, I
heard the news that some
12 years ago, two
persons were arrested and
put inside the Tihar jail, ”
Geelani said. “Now
they have been proven
innocent. Is this a law? Is
this justice? It is very
unfortunate that Islam is
not seen as a complete
way of life. ” He was
advocating sharia law.
“How do you see the
Taliban?” I countered.
“They say that they also
follow
Islam. ”
“No, no, no... not at all,”
*Geelani said. “The Taliban
does not represent
Islam. Their actions are
based on revenge. ” He took
a deep breath. “Islam
doesn’t allow the killing of
innocent people.” *
He raised his arm toward
the ridge of the wall and
grabbed a portable radio
set. It was now 7:30, and
he tuned into a news
bulletin from Pakistan.
With
his head down, he listened
intently. As in India, the
stories covered
shortages of electricity, a
water crisis,
unemployment, etc. He
turned off
the radio.
Geelani takes his morning
dose of medication in the
study of his Srinagar
home. His health has been
failing him for the last four
years.He paused for
a moment to finish his
breakfast, two boiled eggs
and milk custard. He has a
history of chronic illnesses
— kidney cancer, heart
disease and bronchitis. He
often wears a surgical
mask to avoid the dust. He
began reading a
newspaper
before I again interrupted
him.
“What is your stand on
militancy?” I asked.
He paused for a few
minutes, seated in his
centrally heated room,
facing his
bookshelves. He finally
spoke. *“India denied
Kashmiris their right to
self-determination by
using their military power,”
he said. “Our peaceful
efforts were rejected. What
alternative is there apart
from fighting with
guns ?” *
I asked him about the
many foreign militants
active in Kashmir. He
invoked
Bangladesh ’s war of
independence: *“You
know, once upon a time
there was
East Pakistan, do you
remember? They raised the
voice for Independence
from
West Pakistan, and India
sent a regular army to help
them. What is the
justification? When we
people do it, how is
Pakistan wrong ?” *
Then the conversation
turned to Pakistan ’s covert
actions in Kashmir and the
idea that the UN ’s
plebiscite had become
irrelevant. “What else do
we have
without the UN’s promise?”
he asked, “and Pakistan is
in that promise” He
looked angry as he stood
up and asked me to excuse
him for a while. Soon he
re-entered: “Those people
[who given up on the
plebiscite] are tired, it’s
not their fault. Such things
happen in a freedom
struggle, that doesn ’t mean
we alter our history.”
A group of young men
entered the room. They
shook hands with Geelani.
A
short-bearded man began
to speak, but Geelani cut
him short.* “Last Friday,
you misbehaved in the
gathering, you chanted
slogans despite the fact I
was
speaking at the
microphone. You actually
disrupted my speech.”*In a
few
moments, Geelani seemed
happy again, as if nothing
had happened. His back
was touching the wall.
Behind him hung a
calendar inscribed with a
promise
from Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru, India ’s first prime
minister, to the people of
Kashmir. It affirmed their
right to the plebiscite.
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