Shiv Kumar Padha
The recent floods in Kashmir converted the entire Valley to a sea overnight, the unexpected floods took in its spate hundreds of precious lives both of the human and the livestock, destroyedthe property of the natives worth millions of crores of rupees and rendered many rich and poor homeless. Hats off for the Union Government in Delhi which immediately pressed into service the national disaster rescue operation teams which spared no effort in saving the precious lives and the property of the population affected by the wrath of the tsunami floods which, it is said, visited the Valley after a century. Rescue teams not only saved the lives and property of the flood affected people but air lifted the wounded and the sick, air dropped the food packets, bottles of potable water, medicines and shifted the people stranded in the flood to the safer places in the camps. While the rescue teams were busy in providing succour to the stranded people through land and by air some of the youth of the Valley, under the provocation of the anti-social elements, were seen involved in stone pelting targeting the rescue teams, choppers and vehicles engaged in the rescue operations. The stone pelting menace injured many persons including rescue teams, police and army jawans seriously. It is learnt that one of the cops Waseem Ahmed Bhat who was injured in a stone pelting incident at Duck Park Hazratbal in july this year succumbed to his injuries at SKIMS Soura Srinagar on 20th October.
This is perhaps the replication of the same stone pelting incidents which took place during the electioneering process for the 16th Parliament elections and in the year 2010-2011 which took one precious innocent life and left 1,500 cops injured during the scuffle between stone pelters and policemen during eight week long turmoil. Under the amnesty scheme for the stone pelters some 1,811 targeted youth were honorably released which was none less than a reward or the reinforcement for the stone pelters in lieu of their nefarious acts which, in the eyes of any law abiding citizen, were considered totally detrimental for the peace and tranquility of the State. According to B.F Skinner, a behaviorist and pioneer of operant conditioning “changes in the behavior are the result of an individual’s response to the events (stimuli) that occurs in the environment when a particular stimulus- response pattern is reinforced(rewarded or punished)”. It means whenever any act of an individual, good or bad, is reinforced (rewarded) the re- occurrence of that response is strengthened.
As per the recommendations of the amnesty scheme for the honourable release and employment of the stone pelters from the Srinagar city in Jammu and Kashmir Police, 1,811 youth involved in stone pelting incidents in Srinagar city were shortlisted. Under the confidence building measure an expert panel mandated by Prime Minister in august 2010 recommended a special employment drive to keep the Kashmiri youth away from pelting stones and agitating for Azadi. As per the recommendations the FIRs of 1,811 stone pelters were withdrawn as a legal requirement for verification for jobs, loans, admission for higher education, passport in future. Under the amnesty policy the shops will be constructed for the stone pelters. Accordingly a multi-pronged approach was adopted in 2011 for the on spot recruitment of stone pelters from Srinagar city. The main objective, as envisaged in the amnesty programme, was to increase representation of the Kashmiri youth hailing from Srinagar city in the constabulary for countering the terrorism and bridging the gap between police and public.There are lakhs of educated youth in Jammu and Kashmir who, in spite of reeling under poverty, want, hunger, un employment and deprivation, do not resort to those activities which are considered as detrimental to the peace, tranquility, integrity and sovereignty of the country.
No doubt the policy of surrender-cum- rehabilitation of militants and the amnesty policy for the stone pelters are laudable and appreciable because ‘it is always better late than never’. Meanwhile every right thinking nationalist and security experts are concerned that this policy has the potential to lure the local youth to take to militancy and stone pelting and later to get rehabilitated and employed. The peaceful citizens are skeptic about this reward and incentive policy for the antinational and disruptive forces hell-bent destabilizing the peace and tranquility of India.
It is the apprehension of the security forces and the intelligence agencies that the local youth will once again start joining militant ranks. The political analysts fear that such policies which ignore the rehabilitation of the West Pakistan,and Pakistan occupied Kashmir refugees and Kashmiri migrants, jobs for the peaceful citizens of the state, employment of lakhs of degree and diploma holders tend to sharpen the divide between Jammu and Kashmir regions and can have dangerous fallout in future. It becomes the moral duty of the elected government of Jammu and Kashmir to take along all the three segments of the state together and take some concrete steps so that the menace of stone pelting in the youth is checked and the avenues of employment for lakhs of youth are opened lest they should say ‘wish I were a stone pelter’.