Kashmir: Our Broken Politics
#1 of The Big Picture
For over 70 years, the people across Kashmir have been suffering. Kashmiris at home and abroad have been proactive to stand up for the lack of human rights, justice, freedom, and equality. Despite all the efforts, why is Kashmir in a state? Why is Kashmir divided? What is behind the divide? Why on one hand there is a lack of human rights, justice, freedom of movement, freedom of speech and expression, and no autonomy. On the other hand, there is no local policymaking and governance, nonexistent economic activity, inadequate education, and health, lack of worker rights, nonexistent infrastructure, and environmental degradation? What does the divide mean for the people of Kashmir, how does it impact them, and most importantly you as a Kashmiri, what can you do to help play your part?
In this new series part of the #TheBigPicture, we will look at many failures of the Kashmiri movement politically, geographically, socially, and economically to understand this multi-faceted issue and draw conclusions from the failures of the Kashmiri movement to share with our ever-growing audience. This is to ensure in another 70 years, in 2090 our future will be proud of our decisions and course of action to address the issues we face today to have a peaceful, prosperous, and United Kashmir for all.
1 Million Voices for Kashmir Unity firmly believes a peaceful, prosperous, and United Kashmir is the only guarantee for the stability and growth of Asia. Any further delay in the Unity of Kashmir will lead to dire consequences for China, India and Pakistan giving space for external variables to pursue their own interest putting the safety, security, and prosperity of the region at risk.
Part 1: Broken System = Broken Promises
Politics is about delivering a better life for the masses. In a democratic political system, parties take part in a race to put forward ideas, policies, and initiatives to entice the public to gain votes. For the parties to operate fairly and understand the vote bank, individuals on the ground play an important part to hear the concerns of the public. Therefore, a democratic political system successfully uplifts ideas to turn into policies, and initiatives from grassroots i.e. ‘people’ to the power the discussions, debates, and work towards the betterment of society as a whole.
Ideas, policies, and initiatives vary from value-based debates to challenge the notion of equality, justice, freedom, confidentiality, privacy, transparency, and accountability. The political parties take up the challenge to question these in notions in each era to make them more relevant and more succinct and to resonate with the vote bank. Therefore, the policies are aimed at all parts of the society based on the value system of the party. In the UK for instance, a nation with a strong industrial background, working rights became a flashpoint in the 1800s leading to the formation of the labor party in 1900. Thus, the democratic system is as effective as the people i.e. vote bank, parties who hold and propagate values, and most importantly the vision of the leadership who drives the nation towards prosperity.
Broken Votebank: 1 Man =1 Vote and 1 Bardari = 1,000’s of Votes
On the surface, the political parties use various ways to attract vote bank in the West Kashmir. Religious parties highlight the importance of religion and promote religiosity. Ironically religious parties have never been in power in the history of Kashmir. A spectrum of vote banks holds socialist ideology however during the Afghan Wars with the Soviet Union, the appetite for socialism is somewhat nonexistent. The mainstream parties on the other hand thanks to their length of existence have lured individuals with political clout in their respective constituency offering them party tickets, budget to spend within their local constituency, and on the surface a win-win situation for the party and the political individual.
Nationalism is a key message during elections to rally support and attract voters. Before every election, the leadership makes elaborate promises for better human rights, more schools, more hospitals, more justice and equality, and warm the blood of tens of thousands of Kashmiris with the dream of ‘Free Kashmir’, a dream sold for over 70 years.
In reality, far from political ideology and party manifesto, the Western Kashmiri society is tribal/caste led in nature. Each tribe and caste have their own vested interests and despite living in the 21st century, there is an air of conflict during the elections among these tribes. Each tribe/ caste has a local unofficial representative ‘middlemen’ who have no accountability to the people they are representing within the constitution nor does he have defined role within the party governance. The ‘middlemen’ who secure their personal interests without following any political ideology. In many cases, the middlemen would take money and gifts to side with a party requiring votes and support to win the elections right at the last minute without any ethical framework nor following the religion of Islam.
Therefore the vote bank is broken by nature in the West Kashmir. The vote is broken on tribal/caste lines and 1 person does not represent 1 vote but 1 may represent Baradari or Tribe, therefore, manipulating the system for the gains of few powerful and their associates. Due to the broken nature, this vote bank can never succeed to work towards the interest of the people.
Broken Party: Middleman Syndrome
The election is over, votes are in and counted, the winning party is announced. After celebrating a lavish dinner and feast for the win, the true cost of the election is calculated running in billions of rupees. Where do the billions of rupees come from for the election? If it is the government, why isn’t the money spent during the term to fix issues like the broken roads, contaminated water system, poisonous sewage system, and a list of issues affecting society as a whole?
Based on our research, billions of rupees are gathered through an elaborate net of ‘middlemen’ across Western Kashmiri communities in Kashmir and abroad, like a pyramid scheme. As these middlemen do not hold an official party position, nor checking of their qualifications and adequate vetting has taken place based on meritocracy, these individuals join the parties and based on nepotism and cronyism leading to a toxic internal political culture. As they do not hold party positions, they are above the law as they are not subject to checks and balances nor accountability within the party. Furthermore, the ‘middlemen’ rally the support of their family for a particular leader without the merits of the political ideology of the party, the political manifesto, or the credibility of the leader. These merits are overlooked in favor of personal interests and gains.
Based on information shared with us, greedy individuals in the baradari are lured by promising free plots, land, preferential treatment, and ‘get of jail free card’ in case they get on the wrong side of the law in Kashmir. For the baradari, due to financial support, unfortunately they are tied into the ecosystem of the party for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, the funds raised in Kashmir and abroad do not have a money trail therefore whether the money makes for the purpose is questionable. Due to lack of official party titles with roles, there is no accountability or transparency leading to the dilemma, what is the money spent on, and what can be seen to substantiate it. Furthermore, due to inadequate balance in place, the election commission has no controls in place on money bought in for the purpose of election and placing a limit and making sure the limit is adhered to for election funding making the election fair. Furthermore, it is also illegal to bring funds from abroad to fund a political party based on a Supreme Court judgment in 2017 however the money is bought into the country through illegal means facilitated by these middlemen.
If you know someone doing the above activity, please report here.
As most of the Western Kashmir population is Muslim, the corruption, nepotism, and cronyism are not only a crime against the state but against basic Islamic values and principles of truth, justice and betterment of Ummah. The broken system does not end and leaders have a bearing on the broken party and vote bank.
Broken Leaders: Yes sir, No sir, 3 bags Full sir
After taking the big chair, the winning party leader receives a call from the actual party head, yes the person you voted for from PPP, PML, PTI is not the actual head of the state nor therefore not fully responsible for the affairs of the state. An informal conversation at this stage is a key place to highlight the concerns of people, highlight their issues, and share the public temperature on various issues especially Freedom of Kashmir. Due to the broken vote bank and the broken state of the party infested with corruption, nepotism, and cronyism, the leader does not have a clear picture of his priorities.
During the term, most seasoned politicians who have been in the race for decades only mention the freedom and rights of Kashmir at selected events and rallies as nudged by their party actual party head. For the remainder of the term, the issue of Kashmir is forgotten unless the main leadership in PPP, PML takes interest in the issue of Kashmir. The culture of broken parties leads to broken leaders who champion the culture of yes sir, no sir, 3 bags full sir. Furthermore, the Western Kashmiri leadership lacks the vision, understanding, and most importantly experience to run in the big chair to leading to broken promises.
The Kashmir slogans are forgotten, the suffering of Kashmiris is ignored until the next election term after 4–5 years. This cycle of hopelessness and broken promises has led to a new norm, more and more educated and individuals who understand rights acknowledging the system is broken, the system serving a selected few who are powerful and rich. After years and years of government by PML and PPP, Kashmir remains under poverty, inadequate health and education system, joblessness and non existent infrastructure. The lack of delivery of ‘Free Kashmir’ has disappointed many Kashmiris leading to a rise of nationalism.
Conclusion: Rise of Nationalism
The broken vote bank, the corrupt middlemen party system, and the Kashmiri leadership suffering from Stockholm Syndrome have led the educated class to understand their situation and acknowledge the change awaiting before themselves. There is a sharp rise in individuals and new parties looking for a change, a change where Kashmir takes control of its own destiny and the Kashmiri political system works towards the betterment of Kashmir and fully accountable to it.
More and more new parties are putting forward ideas of Freedom. Due to the broken nature of the vote bank, the party system, and leadership, the nationalist parties have been able to grow in this space to challenge the status quo. The question is, will be new political force be able to tame the vote bank and gather enough educated minded individual to work towards a brighter future of Kashmir and raise the case of East Kashmir for Freedom on their own steam?
Our team prays for safety, security, and prosperity of every Kashmiri and we hope Kashmir becomes United to bring peace, prosperity, and security of the region.