On May 25, a National Investigation Agency court convicted Yasin Malik and sentenced him to two life terms. Malik is the leader of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), which seeks independence for Jammu and Kashmir from India and Gilgit-Baltistan from Pakistan. Apart from the two life sentences that will run concurrently, Malik has to pay a fine of ₹10.65 lakh for funding terrorists and violating sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code.
Malik’s conviction has been hailed by some observers as a victory against separatism in Kashmir. The reality, however, is more complex.
Malik, 56, grew up at Maisuma, a densely populated neighbourhood in Srinagar, and studied arts at Sri Pratap College, Kashmir’s oldest institute of higher education. A violent altercation in Srinagar between cab drivers and security forces in 1980 provoked him to take the political plunge. He joined the Tala Party, a separatist group of mostly young people that stoked public anger by staging protests, such as the one in Srinagar in 1984 against the hanging of JKLF founder Maqbool Bhat.
In 1986, the party renamed itself the Islamic Students’ League, and Malik became its general secretary. The league campaigned for the Muslim Mutahida Mahaz (Muslim United Front, or MUF), a separatist coalition that challenged the dominant National Conference in the 1987 assembly polls. But the elections were rigged, the NC retained power, and MUF leaders and supporters were arrested and tortured.
Esta historia es de la edición June 12, 2022 de THE WEEK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 12, 2022 de THE WEEK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.