Why Khan Can’t win AJK?

By: Imran Khushaal Raja On: 03 July 2014

It was reported that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has formed its 10-member executive council on Wednesday to revive workers activism in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK). The council will organize and mobilize the party in the AJK within six months.

According to the news report Dr Latif-ur-Rehman has been made the president of the council, Sardar Abrar Javed senior vice president, and Sardar Babar Hussain has been designated as General Secretary.

Alright here’s a million dollar question, who these guys are? Frankly speaking I don’t know the answer. (Divulge me if you know any.) But what I know is, PTI can’t trigger a tsunami in AJK. (Yes, you heard me correctly.) Why it is so? The answer is; Kashmir is not Pakistan. Hang on, don’t take me wrong. It is its jugular vein as they say. (But let it remain for another discussion.) What I mean to say; it’s not Pakistan is; it’s not like Pakistan. The politics there is much more different than it is in Pakistan. Individual’s opinion can’t surpass the clan’s decision. I know this same thing also exists in Pakistan but let me tell you the difference.

Clans or BRADRIES are supreme political institutions in Kashmiri (AJK’s particularly) society. Every Clan has its own political association or you can say every political party depends on a particular clan to run its matters. Traditionally Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Muslim Conference (MC) were two major parties in AJK’s electoral Politics. PPP would depend on Choudhries (Gujjar + Jat) plus Minorites (Sayyeds, Mughals like Douli Sardars, Maldyal, Hoteel, Baig, Mirza, Mir, Banday and Chughtai) plus exceptions (Less in number but Influential clans like; Sudhans) all the time and MC’s vote bank used to be Rajpots plus minorities plus exceptions almost all of the time.

But with the passage of time a very complex but interesting situation has been developed over there. Now a political party can only generate its impact with the help of a particular clan and that particular clan can’t move the earth without the party it has been associated with. Chaudhries are now bounded to PPP and PPP can’t win even a tehsil’s election without them.

Same thing has also been proved about MC in last elections. When Pakistan Muslim league N (PML-N) replaced MC, more or less all of the Rajpot’s voted for PML-N instead of MC and eventually MC couldn’t won anything. Now PPP and PMLN are two major stake holders.

And as we all know khan couldn’t replace PML-N in Pakistan how he can replace it in AJK? Whereas in AJK he has to win a major clan at the same time. Even though his flirtatious banters and a little left charisma could make people to listen him but it seems impossible for him to win a clan.

Secondly; the youth in Kashmir which don’t obey their clans are mostly Nationalists or Socialists. They are either active in Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party(JKNAP), Jammu Kashmir Peoples National party (JKPNP) or in a Marxist Leninist Socialists group like National Students Federation (NSF) or Peoples Students Federation (PSF). And believe me they don’t take Khan or PTI seriously.

According to one of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Students Federation’s (JKLSF) Mirpur district leading activist Adeel Khan “PTI can’t solve Kashmir issue and we are fighting for an independent Kashmir.” Comrade Taifor chairman of JKPNP’s students wing Jammu Kashmir Peoples National Students Organization (JKPNSO) says “For us politics is a matter of life and death. Our destination being youth of Kashmir is a Socialist Independent Kashmir and we are convinced that Khan or PTI can’t distract our comrades.” And Sajid Kashir who is leading one of NSF’s group says. “No, doubt Kashmiri youth has a lot of potential but they are politically much more advance and aware that neither Imran Khan nor Tahir Ul Qadri can address their problems.”

Thirdly; If Khan goes for a long term cadre building and donates some cancer hospital or university /college in Kashmir, even then the chances are very low for his success. Because this same method has been used by Jamat-E-Islami (JI) and Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) in their separate projects namely Read Foundation Schools and Minhaj Ul Quran schools accordingly but couldn’t help them politically.

So in short, in general no Tsunami in Azad Kashmir and particularly one which Khan is trying to export is possible. People will listen him. They will join his rallies in case he will be able to lead some but they will remain Chaudry, Rajpot and Sudhan.  That’s mean they will never abandon their parties because they are “the parties”.