Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah's Reflections on Kashmir

Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s Reflections on Kashmir Nyla Ali Khan Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s Reflections on Kashmir Nyla Ali Khan ISBN 978-3-319-50102-4 ISBN 978-3-319-50103-1 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50103-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017963298 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institu- tional affiliations. Photograph is property of the author Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland PRAISE “An important collection of Sheikh Abdullah’s speeches and correspondence, it provides solid evidence for the distinctiveness of Muslim political thought outside the Pakistan Movement, which has generally been dismissed either as inconse- quential or entirely dependent on the Congress. The volume forces us to recon- sider the dualistic narrative which has dominated India’s modern history until the present.” —Faisal Devji, Reader in Indian History, University of Oxford, UK “This exceptional book should be taught at all institutions of higher learning in India and Pakistan, as it recuperates and reintroduces the erased voice of Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, the founding father of a pluralist and progressive Kashmiri nationalism. For the Pakistani readers, Khan’s book will provide a necessary and enlightening antidote to the often maligned and unjust representations of Sheikh Abdullah in the Pakistani media and historiography.” —Masood Ashraf Raja, Associate Professor of English, University of North Texas, USA “Nyla Khan had done vital service to our understanding of the plight of the Kashmiri people by putting together the writings and speeches of Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah. Sheikh Abdullah—decades after his death—remains an important voice for justice and peace in the region. Any observer of the region who ignores his words will fail to grasp the possibilities for Kashmir’s future.” —Vijay Prashad, author of No Free Left: The Futures of Indian Communism “This book reflects Dr. Nyla Ali Khan’s meticulous intellectual engagement with the larger-than-life Kashmiri leader Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah who was much more than a politician. Abdullah opened up the possibilities of imagining v vi PRAISE a different Kashmir than what the nationalism projects of India and Pakistan dictated. His speeches, letters, and interviews explain why Kashmiri voices have been subsumed by jingoism in the subcontinent—to deflect and undermine the inclusive and pluralist Kashmiri identity. This is an invaluable resource for stu- dents, researchers, and all those who wish to understand conflict-ridden subcontinent and its elusive Paradise called Kashmir.” —Raza Rumi, author, journalist, and editor of Daily Times, Pakistan “Nyla Ali Khan’s record of publication stands in opposition to the erasure of Kashmiri history, and this latest and very welcome addition positions itself as a bridge between generations, preserving the writings of a role model for “pluralism in the face of divisive politics.” Collecting the speeches of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah between 1953 and 1976, Khan argues for a Kashmiriyat that, in his words, finds room for “the freedom struggle of Kashmir” in the midst of (and not in opposition to) “the independence movement of the Indian people.” Against monolithic nationalism Khan emphasizes that these mutual ideals are still realiz- able, and that the younger generation requires hope, beyond anger, and a practi- cality that can be recuperated from Abdullah’s writings. As President of the South Asian Literary Association, I am impressed by this collection as a potential peda- gogical tool in classes on the Partition, on border frictions, and on contemporary nuances of nationhood and globalization.” —John C. Hawley, Professor, Santa Clara University, California, USA “Nyla Ali Khan’s Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s Reflections on Kashmir passion- ately invokes Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah as one of the original voices in the high-stakes debate on the right of the Kashmiri people to determine their own political future as an independent state. Planned as a compendium of the Sheikh’s speeches from the 1930 to the 1970s, the book also functions, in effect, not just as the intellectual and political biography of one of the principal actors in the Kashmir issue, but also as a critical narrative that traces the origins of the “Kashmir issue”—its status as a disputed region claimed by both India and Pakistan over which three wars have been fought.” —Rajender Kaur, Associate Professor of English and Director of Graduate Program, William Paterson University, New Jersey, USA “This collection of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s speeches and letters is indeed an urgently needed work of recovering historical memory to resurrect the concept of Kashmiriyat, a species of cultural nationalism that recognizes and embraces the heterogeneity of the Kashmiri people in the cause of their right to self-determination. Guided by Professor Khan’s lucid and eloquent preface that explains the gen- esis and exigency of this work, and her informative and illuminating introduction establishing the historical context within which the great Kashmiri leader’s words PRAISE vii and ideas need to be understood and appreciated, the readers are presented with a treasure trove of political wisdom that seeks in its pluralistic approach not only ideological and cultural inclusiveness but also “unity among all socioeconomic classes” of Jammu and Kashmir. Among the foremost scholars on Kashmir in the world, Professor Khan is committed to the idea of a grassroots’ social movement that finds its fulfillment in democratic political institutions. “I believe,” she writes, “without a shred of doubt, that in civilized societies, political dissent is not curbed and national integrity is not maintained by military interventions.” She confronts the political situation of her native land candidly and impartially, marshals the facts with skill, and presents her argument with rare clarity and perceptiveness. In more ways than one may imagine, she is the true heir of her maternal grandfather, the inimitable Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, whose words come alive and find perti- nence once again through her timely retrieval and persuasive advocacy.” —Waqas Khwaja, Ellen Douglass Leyburn Professor of English, Agnes Scott College, Georgia, USA “Dr. Nyla Ali Khan has written an important book that shows how one person can have a huge impact on the lives of millions of people. She shares stories of her grandfather, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, who worked tirelessly for social justice in his homeland of Kashmir & Jammu. Among his many endeavors was the realiza- tion and promotion of universal rights for women. Abdullah also advocated for universal education in Kashmir. In that part of the world, both of these ideas were unheard of at that time: Abdullah began a civil disobedience movement. After reading Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s Reflections on Kashmir, I now have a better understanding of Kashmir’s complicated history.” —Michael Korenblit, author of Until We Meet Again and President of the Respect Diversity Foundation AUTHOR’S NOTE This compendium is an emphasis on the significance of constructing a politics that would enable the rebuilding of a pluralistic polity and society in Kashmir, furthering the progress of indigenous institutions and pro- moting democracy as well as demilitarization. The author is fully cognizant of the collision of the ideas of self- determination, identity, and unity propounded by the young members of the Reading Room Party and the Plebiscite Front with the brutal force and suppression wielded by the Indian and Pakistani nation-states. The author has appraised not just the history of the Kashmiri nationalism dominated by the elite, but she has also carefully looked at the politics of the people and the political mobilization engendered by such politics in her work. Popular mobilization in Jammu and Kashmir during the 1930s and 1940s took the form of uprisings, which was a primary locus of political action. This potent political resistance was led by people like Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas, Mirza Afzal Beg, Maulana Masoodi, and Kasap Bandhu, who did not have access to the echelons of power and spoke vociferously from the margins. Their activ- ism made substantive forays into established discourses and structures of power. A consciousness cannot be built without a mechanism of political train- ing, ideological education, and progressive action, which a close study of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s speeches and interviews would enable. ix x AUTHOR’S NOTE A Foreword by Ashis Nandy was supposed to appear in this book, but unfortunately was not ready at the time of publication. In order to view Professor Nandy’s comments, please visit: https://www.palgrave.com/ us/book/9783319501024.

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