The Hurriyat’s crisis By A.G. Noorani

The APHC betrays the people by imprisoning itself in the old battered box of 1993. Consider this suggestion out of the box: “An autonomous region with the other side being a party to it could address the issue in such a way that India can sort of live with that, Pakistan can also live with that too, and Kashmiris can also get something they have been aspiring for. So we should be ready to discuss all the options and, as I have said earlier, autonomous identity for Kashmir could be the solution.” It was said by the Mirwaiz in a press interview published on Oct 10, 2002. This is azadi, real and achievable.

The APHC must unite, eschewing ego clashes, adopt a strategy of peaceful popular mobilisation without the hartals, and meet the people’s needs. It has to establish its credentials as a responsible and credible interlocutor in the peace process. The time for slogans and chants about the UN resolutions is over. The time has come for a constructive detailed elaboration of the consensus on the famous four points and the draft of a constitutional framework that would give it legal effect. The alternative is stark — irrelevance and rejection by the young. Their cry for azadi deserves a sound response.