Geelani passport: BJP falters again

 

With every passing day, the shamelessness of the Bharatiya Janata Party goes up a few notches. Even as it has become abundantly clear that its ally, the PDP, is treason-friendly, if not downright treasonous, the supposedly nationalist party persists with its political marriage with the PDP. The passport issue of hardcore Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani is yet another addition into the long series of outrages perpetrated by the PDP.

The man openly traduces everything that is Indian, be it the Army, government, Constitution, or civilization; he praises the murderous jihadists and lauds Pakistan; he strives to end democracy, pluralism, liberalism, and tolerance in the Kashmir Valley; he wants Jammu & Kashmir to become Dar-ul-Islam: he is a traitor plain and simple.

Yet, he wants an Indian passport, though he doesn’t want to mention that he is an Indian. This is obvious because how can accept to belong to the country he hates so much?

Unsurprisingly, this man enjoys the sympathies of the BJP’s partner. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said, “This issue [passport to Geelani] has to be dealt with from humanitarian point of view and we will pursue the matter with the Union home ministry… We will tell home ministry that Geelani must be given passport along with his wife and son so that he could visit his ailing daughter in Saudi Arabia. His daughter must not be deprived of seeing her father.”

From the PDP’s perspective, only terrorists and their supporters like Geelani have human rights; the Indian soldiers and paramilitary troopers whom jihadists murder don’t have any.

What does the BJP do? Its spokesman R.P. Singh practically bats for Geelani on Times Now. Singh puts words in the mouth of Maroof Raza, the channel’s strategic affairs expert, to the effect that ‘You want Geelani to be shot dead in public.’ Raza never said that, though he had spoken strongly against the separatist leader—something which was rational, for no sensible Indian can support Geelani’s treasonous statements and actions. But, such is the confusion and degeneracy of the BJP, that it bristles at any adverse remark to its preposterous Kashmir policy. Perhaps, criticism acts like salt to the wound, reminding them of the blunder they made by allying with the PDP, by trying to bring the north and south poles together.

The saffron party is not just being cantankerous but also stupid, for it is not getting anything from the alliance. Even the PDP’s deceit and vileness could have been tolerated had the BJP been able to further any its own agenda. Article 370? They don’t even talk about it. Rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits? The proposal has fizzled out, with the Central government denying any move to set up exclusive zones in Jammu & Kashmir to resettle the Pandits. Replying to a question asked by nine Parliamentarians about the subject, Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said on May 6, “No proposal to create separate zones exclusively for Kashmiri Pandits in the state of Jammu & Kashmir is under consideration.”

Actually, there was such a proposal, but it was dropped in the face of intense resistance from the National Conference and separatists. The BJP dropped the proposal to appease Kashmiri Muslims.

The events in the last few months have proved beyond reasonable doubt that the PDP has not, cannot, and will not change; it will continue to flirt with traitors and jihadists; it is determined to transform Kashmir into an Islamic state. If the BJP thought that it would be able to win over the PDP with its cultural nationalism, its hopes and estimates have been belied. The sooner the BJP realizes this truth, the better it would be for it.