Ravinder Jalali
The Kashmir unrest enters seventh week after the killing of dreaded terrorist, carrying a reward of Rs.10 Lakh, who has now become darling of militants and separatists including so called pseudo secular mainstream politicians. The Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in a meeting in Jammu vowed to pursue the agenda of political resolution. What is that resolution? She does not elaborate, for the reasons best known to her. This is a vague statement unless some clarity is brought out. She also said to script a new chapter in the political history of the State by removing trust deficit among different regions. Who creates trust deficit among the people in different regions or religions? She needs to clarify it. What is the role of BJP? Is BJP also pursuing the same agenda of political resolution which PDP advocates? They are silent for the obvious reason of the fact that the political resolution as envisaged by PDP may be different from them. Each party keeps their cards to their chest to see which way the wind blows.
This is not the case with PDP only; rather every party comes out with a statement which does not have any relevance or substance except to please the militants and the separatists and does not help the Govt, the administration, common masses in any way except providing all type of support to anti-national elements. Take the case of Congress. Its senior leader Gh. Nabi Azad wants to start dialog process for peace in Kashmir immediately. He has gone to the extent of saying that the dialogue is the only process to attain peace in Valley and not the Lathi-charge, guns or pellet guns. This statement has come after the opposition parties in J and K met the Prime Minister and the President in New Delhi. The statement itself is meaning-less and illogical when they do not specify whom to talk and what to talk. Who are the stakeholders in J and K? What is the Agenda of Alliance. If pellet guns and Lathi charge are not to be used, then how the security people will defend themselves and those whom they protect like leaders, politicians, ministers and all those who are getting protection, which includes even the separatists. If the convoy of the Gh. Nabi Azad is attacked with stones and petrol bombs, how he will respond? Shall he receive these stones with bouquets?
NC wants the Govt. to talk and stop using the force against those who attack police personal, police stations and army installations and patrolling. After all why these security forces are there? The same forces are protecting those who want them not to retaliate. I would like to ask these selfish politicians and leaders why not they give up the security. After all these stone pelters are innocent and at least are not going to harm them because they are their own children. What they did not specify is how the security forces should respond when they are attacked by the militants by pelting stones, petrol bombs, acid attacks. Why do not they join the forces as a sort of demonstration to see how thing actually happens on the ground when these attacks are carried out on them. More ever these stone pelters are not Satya-Grahi of Mahatma Gandhi era who were non-violent. The stone pelters are throwing stones on the security people with the intention of killing them and if it is not retaliated, then they have to get killed at the hands of these mischievous stone pelters who are no less than Jihadis and terrorists. Those who advocate their cause are no less than Jihadis.
After all why these stone pelters are throwing stones on these forces? No body in Valley, even so called mainstream politicians have asked these stone pelters why they are throwing stones on the forces and police personnel. No body has appealed to these stone pelters not to resort to stone pelting. The opposition is behaving in a very irresponsible manner. The opposition did not meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Srinagar when he visited the Valley. Had they been serious in finding solution to the problem, they would have met the Home Minister in Srinagar when he himself visited Kashmir. But no!, because of arrogance on their part. Is Kashmir a political problem? Absolutely a Big no. Then entire J and K would have been a part of it. One more thing is that the media is projecting the image as if entire J and K has a problem. To whom the Govt. should talk? And what to talk? The opposition wants that talks should be held with separatists. Whom the separatists represent? Suppose the separatist represents Valley, which is not, then should we talk to these people who are the real trouble makers in Valley and whose hands are soaked in blood. Then whom these so called mainstream parties represent? The agenda of these separatists are pro-Pakistan not even Pro-independence. Those who talk of independence like JKLF, is fraud. Actually all separatists are talking in one voice that is Anti-India and Pro-Pakistan. The so called political parties who claim to be the champions of Kashmir and pretend to be loyal to New Delhi, are opportunistic also following the agenda of separatists. It seems that these mainstream political parties have become the political wings of these separatist groups. They are loyal to New Delhi as long they are in power and once they are out of power they have a different face with different tone.
PDP is no exception to the present crises. We can not exonerate PDP in the first count. What role National Conference is playing today as an opposition, is the same role that has been played by PDP in 2010 when during NC rule some odd 100 people died in stone pelting incidents. The NC Govt. said that those stone pelters are paid agents and justified the killings at the hands of security forces. The Omar Abdullah at that time said that there was no excess use of force by the security forces and it takes two to make a row. PDP encashed and instigated the people in the Valley in the name of self rule, bla bla. At than time the dead were innocent and the security forces were committing excesses.
The same story is being repeated with change in role. But the mystery with the Kashmir politics is that, to be relevant in Kashmir one has to be anti -India and pro-Pakistan and how can the mainstream politicians lag behind. Kashmir centric leaders irrespective of their party affiliation and ideology converge on one single point of opposing the Centre and the central forces just to be in the good books of the separatists and militants. The net result seems to be that the militancy has got a new lease of life and the issue has been successfully internationalised by the vested interests and Pakistan has a big role in it that has pumped plenty of funds in keeping the issue alive. Govt. must be very careful in taking the feedback from the Valley based politicians who have just one point agenda of blackmailing India and getting funds to remain in focus. No body can afford to annoy the separatists because they will have to face a wrath from them. That is why the PDP Govt. on assuming the power thanked the separatists and Pakistani establishment for smooth conduct of poll process in State and Masrat Alam was released immediately. It is irony that a normal person’s health deteriorates in prison while as the health of these terrorists and master minds improve as if they are in health club at a Govt exchequer.
Government of India must remember that the Kashmiri Pandits are the real and the only stake holders in Kashmir and without KPs no resolution can be found to the Kashmir problem which is just a communal problem and not a political one.
(The writer is a Social Activist)
