A Lion Uncaged
DAS, S. R. MOHAN
Behind the release of Sheikh Abdullah A LION UNCAGED By S. R. Mohan Das Bombay After four-and-a-half years in jail without trial, the still untamed Lion of Kashmir, Sheikh Abdullah, has been...
...Subsequently, the Communists set up their own party, the Democratic National Conference, and battle lines were drawn...
...In a triangular contest he could neutralize the Communists, who had turned upon him when he rejected the idea of union with India...
...If anything, he had become more convinced than ever that self-determination must be granted to Kashmir...
...He was openly charged with being a renegade...
...During his stay in prison, it was hoped, Sheikh Abdullah would "mend his thinking...
...In the end, however, he reluctantly agreed to Abdullah's incarceration...
...In the light of these facts, several theories have been advanced to explain Abdullah's release at this time...
...It seems clear that, in freeing the Lion, the Indian Government expected immediate negative results and long-range positive results...
...Although ample evidence was available, he scoffed at all criticism of the Sheikh...
...India's Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who perhaps more than anyone else was responsible for raising Sheikh Abdullah to legendary heights, found this difficult to believe...
...Given a new lease on life, the Bakshi group might be able to regain its popularity and the Lion, faced with this, might even calm down and become cooperative again...
...Then the only surviving party would be the New Delhi-supported National Conference...
...From a strong supporter of union between Kashmir and India, it was said, he had turned to consorting with the enemies of Indian nationalism by urging self-determination for Kashmir...
...Behind the release of Sheikh Abdullah A LION UNCAGED By S. R. Mohan Das Bombay After four-and-a-half years in jail without trial, the still untamed Lion of Kashmir, Sheikh Abdullah, has been released...
...Meanwhile, however, Sheikh Abdullah has taken up where he left off...
...Prime Minister Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed's ruling National Conference party split with its extreme left wing, a Communist gToup headed by G. M. Sadiq...
...He has branded the present ruling party a bunch of gangsters, and he has demanded self-determination for Kashmir's Moslems...
...But even before his release it was obvious that this had not happened...
...Recently, there has been a polarization of political forces in Kashmir...
...Thus, in any future election the only alternative to the Bakshi Government would be the Communists...
...The most logical would appear to be the following...
...With Kerala in mind, and realizing that there is some doubt about the ruling party's ability to maintain its popularity, the Indian Government apparently felt that it had to do something...
...In any event, in a region where "guided democracy" (Indonesia) and "controlled democracy" (Pakistan) are becoming serious political philosophies, India's decision to free the Lion of Kashmir is a healthy move...
...The question being asked here is: "Why...
...In 1953, the Kashmir Government, with New Delhi's approval, decided that the Lion was too dangerous to remain at large...
...Some have suggested that this might land him back in jail, but this is highly unlikely since his captors had no reason to believe he would act otherwise upon release...
...Further, it seems to have decided that releasing Sheikh Abdullah would be the best step to take...
Vol. 41 • February 1958 • No. 5
