Vote of Gratitude

“I don’t know who is contesting. I don’t understand politics. I have come here only because my husband directed me to. He told me the symbol and number I should choose.”

As I watched a group of sheep grazing next to the pooling booth, I was forced to ponder over the words I had heard, from the only woman who had dared to defy the norms and accompany her husband to the polling station, in my area. I wondered whether I could dare to compare the two.

This couple riding on a motor bike, breaking the deafening silence, had emerged out of nowhere towards the polling booth, raising many brows as to who was daring to defy the norm. Their faces were half-covered as though, in embarrassment, to hide the shame of going against the tide, to exercise what is believed to be the democratic right of any citizen – they had come to vote!

The woman was sheepishly following her husband making me wonder whether she really knew what she was going in for, or was she a disciplined wife, just following her husband’s wishes.My wandering thoughts caught the attention of these lines written on a wall, “To get something you have never had – You have to do something you have never done.” I wondered at the reasons that could have prompted different people to come out and vote, especially the woman. I decided to ask the couple. Both seemed visibly embarrassed at being cornered. I assured them the reason was purely survey and assured of confidentiality. The man admitted to vote for a “particular party” as local MLA had been of help to him for setting up his business (unaware that these were Parliamentary elections where the local MLA has no entry) So his reasons for voting were clear- gratitude!

I asked his wife why she was voting and for whom? She said she was just following her husband’s wishes and had no idea for whom. She said her husband had instructed her at home which symbol she needs to select and that’s what she had done. So her reason to vote was clear- ignorance and subordination. I decided to survey this further – A brief scan of the news portals showed long queues’ of women waiting for their turn to vote. Mostly hiding their faces, either by turning their backs to the camera or using their head scarf, the scare of the dangers involved in defying the dictates of the prominent voices of boycott, visible on their faces. I wondered how they were planning to hide the indelible ink mark on their index finger. I came across some bold faces too, showing off their voter slips. Most of these were elderly people. They were voting for their local leader, irrelevant which party he belonged to, as he had been helpful to them. So here again the reason was clear – gratitude! 

At many other places where the voter turnout was reported as high, the reason for voting was given as – voting for a better capable candidate who would work for betterment of society. These people had reasons to vote. They were voting for change! But what interested me most was the reason being quoted by women.

Majority admitting to being persuaded by the male members in the family to cast their vote against specified symbols or numbers, chosen by the male members in the family, these women were just being “herded” by the males and had no choice of their own. They weren’t even aware of who the leader was for whom they were casting their vote, or what the Party mandates were. They had no knowledge about the NOTA (None of the above) option, except in one case where a woman had chosen this option to register her protest against the Government for their “callous approach” in tracing her father who went missing few years back.

So in the above case the reason was clear: they were ignorant and lacked freedom of choice.

Then there was the example of women, mostly elderly, who had been convinced that wasting a vote would tantamount to committing a sin and on Doomsday they would be answerable for the sinful act of wasting it. Their reason was clear- Ignorance and vulnerability to exploitation based on religious sentiments. There were also examples of many women, mostly mothers who were voting because they wanted their wards to be employed and some who wanted their wards or brothers to be released from jails – they had been promised so, by the contesting parties. The reasons here were very clear- Expectations. 

This being one side of the story, the flip side being, at many places, people, including many women knew what they were doing. They admitted to doing “tiie ye paet waeth aai karaan” (what we have been doing earlier) these were the age old loyalists, the ones who always believed, “… jo karega; soe karega ….” the Die-hard fans – for them the reasons were very clear- Loyalty. It may be pertinent also to mention here, majority of the people did not exercise their democratic right and had different reasons for the same. 

Many quoted disillusionment with the system that hadn’t provided the promised development and dignity as the reason for opting not to vote. Some quoted failure to revoke the draconian laws like AFSPA as the reason. Many quoted the manner of handling Afzal Guru’s hanging as the reason (as executions in similar cases were prevented and felt this indicated double standards in dealing with Kashmiri’s). Some cited disappointment at closure of Pathribal case as the reason. Many cited the gunning down of 120 unarmed civilians in 2010 in street protest as the main reason. Along with this, some cited disappearances, custodial killings and other forms of abuse as their reasons for lack of interest. There were also many, mostly youth who quoted “azadi” and not voting for democracy as the reason. 

There were also cases quoted by some where some political parties were accused of shedding crocodile tears to “appease people for their political benefit” though Afzal Guru’s wife told them they had no right to use his name during election rallies, to gain sympathy votes. Now this being the different angles of the voting scenario, especially in case of women, one is forced to wonder how and when we will reach a stage where women in Kashmir will realize their basic RIGHTS – the right to Participate in decision making and demand their claim as 50% stake holders of Peace. 

There are many International laws that guarantee this. The UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) is one such example which echoes the main provisions of Participation, Protection and Prevention and states that when women gain knowledge and access to resources, they can make lasting social change. This resolution re-affirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction and stresses on the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security. It calls on all parties to conflict to take special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse, in situations of armed conflict.

The resolution provides a number of important operational mandates, with implications for Member States and the entities of the United Nations system (India being a signatory). This Resolution hopes to give women the voice to articulate their concerns and demand a seat at the peace table. However, despite the obligation to promote women’s participation in the different phases of peace processes found in this and several subsequent UN Security Council Resolutions, women’s inclusion in peace processes has continued to be limited both in numbers and in roles. 

In Kashmir, we have a long way to go. Despite the various UN Security Council Resolutions in place, in support of women, India doesn’t act on it as it remains in denial of a conflict in Kashmir. Under these circumstances, quoting all the Resolutions becomes irrelevant. On the other hand, the social structure in the State is patriarchal; women in Kashmir have been victimized both socially as well as politically. The larger identity of the women, as Kashmiri has superimposed their gender identity- as such many are not even aware of their gender rights.

No doubt, it is an admitted fact, that, most women cannot be, or are not, gender experts and not all women are interested in their community, more than, in their personal interests, but it has also been seen and acknowledged worldwide, that wherever, women have been involved, they have brought different views and experiences to the table and have richly contributed to better and more inclusive agendas. For example, in the Peace Agreement in Guatemala (1996), the gender equality commitments are largely attributed to the only female member Luz Mendez of the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca delegation and her links and continuous communication with the women’s movement of her country (this has also been highlighted by the UN Secretary- General in his report on Women, Peace and Security).

As such, while talking of theories of change to the women, there is an urgent need to start a strong women’s movement to have an influence on the promotion of gender equality in Kashmir –some successful models of which are available across the globe and we can tailor ours, as per our requirements.

Women can and do have a role as leaders, in changing the Power structures which underlie violence and oppression and we can just start by raising the awareness amongst the women at the grass root level on their basic rights – Maybe starting from the right of choice – The choice to say “Yes or No” to “boycott or to Elect”.

“Ishq Qatil se bhi, Maqtool se Hamdardi bhi,

Ye bata kis se Mohabbat ki jaza maangay ga…

Sajda Khaliq ko bhi, Iblees se yaarana bhi,

Hashr mein kis se, aqeedat ka sila maangay ga.”

Allama Iqbal

Translation: (You love the murderer and have a soft corner for the murdered one. Just tell me, who will you ask for the reward of your love? You prostrate before the creator and are good friends with the devil. On the day of the judgment, who will you ask for the reward for your piety)?

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The original article can be seen here

Ezabir is one of AMAN's contact in Kashmir, who have been advocating women's rights in Kashmir. She is very active in peace campign, violence against women etc. 

You may also contact her directly at ezabirali@gmail.com