Who plays ‘political games’?

Interlocutors's dig on reporters and writers is a good fact-hiding tactic

COMMENT

HASSAN ZAINAGIREE

‘Clock (of constitutional relationship) can’t be set back’ to pre-1952 position to help Article 370 regain its depleted masculinity and ‘honor’. That is the admonition delivered by the three-member interlocution team in its report made public last week. But on the other hand, they exhorted local media in Kashmir to get fossilized in their outlook and stop lending their ears to the fast changing events which tell a different tail breaking many shibboleths. They want our analytical clock stop where Indra-Abdullah jammed it and left it dead.

Their “advise” is that the reporters and analysts here must hide facts, camouflage the reality and build the political constructs so as nothing different the world might see. To them the media here inflicts “hitch slap” to their phantom projections. That is why the interlocutors spewed venom against writers and journalists of Kashmir. From Kaniya kumari to Kashmir they have ‘us’ to differentiate ‘them’. The report bears witness how Kashmir exposes the ‘imminent’ journalists, academics and the bureaucrats. You need not to have Aristotelian genius to demystify the ‘complicated’. Just have this:
                ‘The role of the ‘local’ media, too has been complex, combining positive peace support with mistrusts that undermine peace initiative’, the interlocutors headed by Dilip Padgoankar thus they whet the Home Ministry of the ‘constraints’ in the road ahead. The local media is alleged of creating ‘mistrusts’ to undermine the ‘peace initiative’. What does ‘peace initiative’ stand for? Does it mean elections? If yes, didn’t media here report it? Didn’t it show the people in long queues outside polling booths? If peace is just for the sake of peace and for maintaining status quo, virus of ‘mistrust’ itself intrudes in the very ‘peace initiative’. When no perceptible progress is seen in what is called ‘confidence building measures’, would the reporters cook their own stories and smite their conscience? The report chastises ‘a few journalists’ who ‘invented quotes for their stories’ which resulted in ‘stumbling block’ for peace makers. This implies that entire edifice of the peace process just caves in under the weight of ‘a few journalists’. The quotes invented are far more powerful to dread the ‘peace makers’ and pound them down. History is in making. Americans too should bid the tender and invite Kashmiri writers to Washington in Foreign office. The ‘invented quotes’ would give them a better replacement of drones. These fiery missiles would hit the ‘target’ without drawing condemnation for violating the sovereignty of a ‘friendly ally’.
          And who did invent the quotes: ‘constitution can be amended’ …. ‘We are ready to discuss any solution’…. ‘we want to visit other Kashmir’…. ‘Pakistan has a role in Kashmir settlement’…. ‘who did play the political game’ to buy time and who did cull the ‘facts’, the report authored by Padgoankar exposes the stink vividly.
         ‘To these few, journalism appears to be a political game rather than the pursuit of fact’, the report delivers the judgment. ‘The negative fallout from this kind of journalism’, the report adds, ‘is that it acts as a break on peace makers who wish to move forward for stated positions especially amongst the dissident groups’. This is a clear manifestation of frustration and anger. It is a tacit acknowledgement of the fact that the comments of these ‘few’ journalists are more convincing and truthful than their counterparts both here and outside the state. Otherwise how could these act as deterrent against the political ambitions of the leaders and unnerve the peace-makers. How could a ‘few’ dissenting voices in local media be in a position to blunt the formidable and all-resourceful media houses unless their reporting and analysis reflects the sentiments of the people. Political games are the pursuit of politicians and report clearly indicates Padgoankar team has jumped into the fray. They want the small-dissenting voice, in local media, must too be chopped to facilitate those who want to ‘move forward’ and make compromises. For this they suggest training of Kashmiri journalists to ‘hone their reporting and writing skills’. A prescription to wash the mind of the dissenting writers in valley and make them surrender their consciousness. The resonance of this idea is very vividly found in the George Orwell’s Big Brother and Jeremy Bentham’s Panapticon. Padgoankar wants us to forgo our claim on three centimeters mine-space too.

(Feedback at zainagiree@yahoo.co.in)

http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2012/Jun/8/who-plays-political-games--9.asp