Seated on a wooden bed inside his two-storey house in Shahabad locality of Bahu Fort in Jammu district, Sheikh Abdul Rashid popularly known as Engineer Rashid, an MLA from Langate constituency in Kupwara district of north Kashmir, starts his day with dozens of calls from his constituency seeking redressal of their grievances.
In an hour-long interview with Raqib Hameed Naik over a cup of ‘Nun-Chai’, Engineer Rashid spoke about the reasons behind the surge in educated youths joining militant ranks, his tryst with the NIA, Hindutva policies in some other state having a direct bearing on people in Kashmir, role played by Indian Muslims in Kashmir, and the role played by the national media.
Edited excerpts from the interview:
In the last few years, there has been a great surge in the killing of militants in the valley. Do you think this strategy of the government will work?
No. It will never work because you are just killing the militants with the hope that it will end the problem, but when you kill one militant you get another ten because eliminating militants and eliminating militancy are two different things. For eliminating the militants you have to kill them or do something else, but if you want to eliminate the militancy, then it comes from the brain. We have to kill the thought and for that to happen, we have to resolve the Kashmir issue, whether you like it or not.
The trend of educated youth joining the militant ranks has also seen a great surge in last few years. Last month, an AMU Ph.D. scholar also joined the ranks. What are the reasons you think are pushing youth with bright career towards militancy?
It should be a matter of concern for all of us. We should never support militancy but the issue has gone out of the hands of everyone. People don’t even listen to Syed Ali Shah Geelani. The main reason has been that they have seen that their political leadership, whether the mainstream or the separatist camp, have not been able to deliver. The ground reality remains the same. Out of desperation, those who are sensitive, educated people feel disappointed and unfortunately, some of them take up violence.
How relevant is the separatist leadership right now in the valley in the backdrop of some members breaking away from the camp?
Let us be honest, the first thing we should know is that Hurriyat is a creation of the sentiments of the people. As long as they catch the sentiments, they represent it. In return, the common people identify with the ideologies these leaders represent, and not their personalities. If somebody leaves a party or an association, I don’t think it will have much impact on the whole movement.
But don’t you think they have become less relevant? We saw in 2016 uprising that youths didn’t pay heed to joint resistance leadership protest calendars and instead went with their parallel protest programmes.
Of course! It is why you put up the first question for the reason that they have not been able to do anything due to their fault or due to no sincerity from New Delhi. Obviously, people are desperate and have lost faith, but people still respect them.
How do you view the National Investigation Agency and Jammu and Kashmir combination?
NIA should take care of their credibility. It is unfortunate and I have told it in the assembly also that NIA’s credibility should be kept intact as it falls under the larger interest of India, but the way you are using it to crush your opponents, it is not good. You should use it for terror-related things first but if you are using it to harass political worker, whether it is Engineer Rashid or Hurriyat, it doesn’t fulfil the purpose for which it was created.
How was your experience with NIA?
I have nothing with NIA but my point is that NIA was used just as a tool to suppress the voice. It is not the question of Er. Rashid. When you do not trust an MLA who is there sitting in the House as a part of the government and harassing without any reason despite the fact that everybody, even my worst enemy, will say that Er. Rashid is a very honest and upright man. Just due to my political views, if you are doing something wrong to me, it really hurts. I have a political stand, but I am not with the violence. I am not in favour of stone pelting…so this does not even raise the question that I will support militancy, but those who have taken guns that’s their choice and I am nobody to help.
What are your views on the role played by mainstream media in Kashmir and lately, why is Er. Rashid less visible on the TV debates?
India doesn’t need enemies from outside…it has enemies within. Unfortunately, the national channels are abusing Kashmiris everyday and spreading hatred. They don’t know even what to speak and they have been given complete freedom to do what they want to do. When it comes to Kashmir, you are not even allowing local channels to operate and newspapers are sometimes forced to shut their circulation…regarding my reduced presence on TV debates, first, it is the prerogative of channels if they wish to invite me for a debate. Second, I have decided to reduce appearances because they just spew venom at it…they have crossed all their limits of morality by abusing Kashmiris every night, so it doesn’t seem good to go every time and get abused there.
Do you think these debates help Kashmir in any way?
No, they don’t help. Rather they confuse things, they create a lot of confusion on the ground.
Do you think the “Hindutva” policy of BJP in some other state has a direct bearing on people in Kashmir?
Obviously. It has an impact and right now it is the main cause of the radicalisation in Kashmir because the people see that there is Hindutva agenda being propagated officially at the formal level everywhere and Kashmiris do react. To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction and that is not good for anybody. Religious extremism in any form must be condemned.
What role do you expect the Indian Muslims to play, when it comes to resolving the Kashmir issue?
My bitter experience says me that they have no sympathy with us. They have spent 70 years in proving their loyalty to the Indian state, despite the fact that they are being deprived of everything. See their percentage in the judiciary, Indian services, Indian politics, assemblies. I am not communal but they have been deprived and just for the want of proving their loyalty they are of the opinion that Kashmir issue be suppressed and they don’t care and don’t give a damn about it. But there are exceptions not only in Muslim but Hindu community as well. There are many people in Hindu community also who have a noble heart and want to help Kashmiris.
When it comes to politics and elections, what alternative do Kashmiris have other than regional and national political parties?
Kashmiris must create new regional parties which would speak for them but in a democratic way because the world has changed politically. People should enter assemblies in a democratic way and raise the voice and I am sure that their voice will be heard. They have given the world a notion as if we are puppets confined in our own thinking and ready to hear nothing which is not true. You are not allowing Hurriyat to come out of their drawing rooms, not letting them offer the prayers, suppressing the voice of mainstream people, the reasonable voices. So we have to be united and change our strategy, but we are not doing it.
Are you suggesting that Separatists should also contest elections?
I am nobody to advise them. But I will say if they really have some sense and if they really mean business, they must do that. Because you have to use options. We are dying, we are suffering, and we are getting killed. If one experience has failed, then you should go for another. You should enter the assembly so that world will hear you because the world has turned deaf and blind to our aspirations…due to many reasons, India has mislead the world and due to many reasons, we have not been able to clear our position.
Last year you offered to quit assembly and join Hurriyat. What happened with that plan?
I offered them because Geelani Sahab had said let mainstream parties join the Hurriyat. I offered them that if you have a roadmap, I am ready to join you because we want the resolution of Kashmir issue. But they never came back to me from that day.
What is the thing which you have realized in your political career, that doesn’t get Kashmir issue from getting resolved?
The main thing is that the Kashmiri leaders have miserably failed to fulfil their duties. Each of them wants to just enjoy the powers, they are scared of New Delhi and Islamabad. They don’t take an initiative on their own. Those representing the mainstream are unfortunately representing New Delhi in Kashmir rather than representing Kashmir in New Delhi and almost to a large extent the same is true of Hurriyat. Leadership is one which creates opportunities but our leaders grab the opportunities. Until and unless we stop doing it, we will always remain a failure.
What about the next assembly elections in the state? Is your Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) going to contest elections on all the seats?
Who knows? I am working locally and want good people to come and join hands without following me as a person. Let us be governed by some principles.
Are you contesting next Lok Sabha elections?
I can’t say anything at the moment. It doesn’t make any difference because I don’t have that much support with me. I am introspecting at the moment as well.