Has the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) been able to sustain itself as a political force in its struggle for resolving the Kashmir issue, and what is its future? An analysis reveals that it has more weaknesses than strengths, especially after its senior leader, Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani termed the organization a failure and accused it of being lackadaisical regarding the Kashmir issue. The growing contradiction of ideas within the party is threatening its future survival. In an interview to the local weekly Chattan, another Hurriyat activist, Nayeem Khan, who heads the National Front, described the Hurriyat as having failed to live up to the expectations of the people in the Valley. Still, the organization has managed to keep going as a political force, despite all the odds threatening its survival.

The conglomerate claims to have the support of people in the Valley, but it is not all powerful. To become a potent force it needs to mend its ways and overcome the differences/limitations within the organization that could possibly split it anytime as its mass supporters are watching developments in the Hurriyat very closely. What must be upsetting the Hurriyat is that its support has lessened especially in its stronghold Srinagar as compared to its support in the mid-90’s. According to the IPCS survey based on an informal conversation with 92 people from diverse backgrounds in Srinagar, only 42 per cent believed that the organization represents public sentiment, but 58 per cent hold that it has failed to maintain unity and the internal conflicts within the organization need immediate redressal.      

People in the trouble-torn Valley have reposed faith in the Hurriyat, an amalgam of 26 parties with the recent addition of Azam Inqlabi’s Mahazi Azadi, and Nayeem Khan’s National Front. Over the years, there has been a visible change in the mindset of the people. They still observe hartals (protest strikes) in response to calls given by the organization but it should not be misconstrued as support for the Hurriyat. The public response is meager when APHC leaders visit any area; at times there is a great resentment against the party. People in Sopore recently chanted anti-Hurriyat and anti-India slogans on the occasion of Geelani’s visit. It moreover has no representation in Jammu, Ladakh or other Hindu-dominated areas for obvious reasons. There is not a single Hindu member in the conglomerate and the minorities do not appreciate what the separatists term a ‘freedom struggle’.

One reason that enables the Hurriyat to keep going as a political force in the Valley is its refusal to participate in previous elections; this will help the organization in the long-run. People believe that the Hurrriyat has made clear that it has no desire for power and that it represents public sentiment. But a closer look into the Organization unfolds some startling facts that could make people rethink and reevaluate their approach towards it.

The organization has been accused of minting money from different sources. The latest incident was the arrest of two activists in Delhi in this connection. Yaseen Malik, Chairman JKLF and Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani, senior leader of Hurrriyat and former President of Jamat-i-Islami, had of course been held for sometime on hawala charges. Fingers are being pointed at some top leaders though no charges have been proved against them so far. Due to such accusations, people realize that it is gradually deviating from its moral path and getting involved in trade rather than a resolution of the Kashmir issue. More perturbing is the contradiction between the leaders of the organization, threatening the unity of the organization. Currently, Geelani has sought an explanation from the Hurriyat for not being able to take action against the People’s Conference (late Abdul Gani Lone’s party) for its indirect involvement in the last elections. Geelani is now roping in a few separatist groups to launch a new party. On the other hand, the APHC has requested senior separatist leader and former People’s League chairman, Fazal Haque Qureshi, to persuade Geelani to participate in a general debate over this contentious issue within the Hurriyat Conference. It is apprehensive that Geelani’s exit from the APHC would cause a great setback to the organization and erode its claim that it is the sole representative of the Kashmiris.  At the same time, the Hurriyat seems to have lost its grip over militant outfits in the Valley, especially the foreigners who continue to fight and pose newer challenges for the security forces. The Hurriyat has not much say in the affairs of foreign militants. Their number is on the rise with each passing day. The Hurriyat must realize that  the people are fed up of violence and are desperate for the long-awaited peace to return to the Valley. The coalition government which might have brought about some changes on the ground has failed to live up to the people’s expectations.

Mufti’s announcement that the Hurriyat leaders need not to restrict their speeches to mosques and to come out to public places to voice out their concerns has left a good impression on the minds of people vis-à-vis the Hurriyat. People feel the organization has some standing in the government and they should extend support to strengthen its existence. This would definitely help the organization, and bring about a radical change in the manner of its functioning to serve the people yearning for peace, rather than enjoying trips to Delhi and other places. More importantly, the Hurriyat needs to tighten its grip over the self-styled foreign militants who receive more criticism than admiration from people in the Valley.

In a nutshell, the Hurriyat must work earnestly towards resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the aspirations of people of the Valley, without dancing to the tunes of Pakistan. It must realize that, unlike the early 1990s, the people of the Valley are no more chanting “Pakistan Zindabad,” but slogans of “Independent Kashmir”.