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| Home Ministry playing with fire | | Report of DPG on J&K | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Mar 22 : There are, it appears, elements in the Union Home Ministry who are determined to complicate further the already rather complex situation in J&K. They are playing with fire to appease the secessionists in the Valley. It is also clear that they want to undo all that the Indian Parliament, the people of the state and the nation as a whole did after 1947 to integrate the state into India constitutionally, politically and economically.
It was on March 14, 2015 that the Union Home Ministry reportedly asked the J&K Government to give its views on the interlocutors' report so that an appropriate action was taken on it. The Congress-led UPA Government had appointed three interlocutors for J&K, including Dilip Padgaonkar, Radha Kumar and MM Ansari, in the wake of the unrest in Kashmir in 2010. Their duty was to look into the causes responsible for the rise of stone-pelters in the Valley in 2010 and recommend measures aimed at ending the unrest and resolving the issues facing the Kashmir Valley in particular. They submitted their report exactly a year later, which made unsettling recommendations.
The report recommended that Article 370 be made permanent feature of the constitution; that the AFSPA, the PSA and the DAA be withdrawn; that New Delhi should talk to Kashmiri separatists to resolve the Kashmir issue; that the LoC and international border be made porous; that all those booked under various charges, including the charge of sedition, be released; and so on. The report didn't really make any definite recommendation to end the alienation in Jammu and Ladakh and empower the refugees from Pakistan-occupied-J&K and West Pakistan. Besides, the report sought to divide Jammu province into sub-regions to satisfy the Kashmiri leadership which never considered Jammu Province as one organic political entity. The fact is that their report was fundamentally Kashmir and separatist-centric and essentially anti-India and anti-minorities.
It is still not known if the J&K Government has sent its views on the interlocutors' report. However, two former interlocutors Radha Kumar and MM Ansari, who always flirt with undesirable elements and have little or no regard for the Indian Constitution, gave their views on the disturbing decision of the Union Home Ministry to seek the views of the J&K Government on the report that was rejected by Jammu and Ladakh and parties like the BJP the day it was made public for public scrutiny. Radha Kumar commended the decision on March 15 and MM Ansari on March 16. Both asserted that their report suited the people of the state. Their views had evoked sharp reactions in Jammu with the concerned people lambasting the former interlocutors and their views and urging the Government of India to throw the report into the dustbin.
It seems the resentment in Jammu against the decision of the Home Ministry and views of Radha and Ansari was not taken a cognizance of by the powers-that-be in New Delhi. On the contrary, certain official in the Union Home Ministry sought the views of the Delhi Policy Group (DPG) of which Radha Kumar is the Director General. A report in this regard on March 20 said: "New Delhi has sought comment of Jammu and Kashmir Government on 2006 report of Delhi Policy Group (DPG), a New Delhi based think tank which had sought besides the improvement in the internal governance, strengthening of center-state relations and the dialogue with different stakeholders' as a move towards Kashmir settlement".
The media report further said: "A top government official said among the key issues that were discussed by the Union Home Ministry in a recent meeting includes the implementation of the recommendations of the Delhi policy group. We have sought the comments of the state government over the report…The Central Government is looking at creating conditions conducive for dialogue in the state".
Commenting on the report that the Union Home Ministry sought the views of the DPG on its 2006 report on J&K, Radha Kumar on March 20 said: "The main thrust of the report has been on initiating the dialogue between the different stakeholders in Kashmir and strengthening of Centre-state relations. The strengthening of the Centre-state relations and improvement in the governance at the local level is the key to the settlement of Kashmir problem. The important thing is that the state can even take the initiative to hold the dialogue with the Hurriyat Conference…Holding the dialogue was part of the common minimum program between the BJP and PDP and that the state government 'can act as a bridge to hold the dialogue between the separatists and New Delhi. Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is known for taking initiatives and he can start the dialogue with the separatists".
It is important to note that the report was co-authored by G Parthasarthy, former Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan, and Radha Kumar. The report had taken note of the "fears and aspirations" of all the groups in the state and suggested that the same needed to taken into account. Their report had, inter-alia, reportedly said: "There is a broad consensus that decline in the level of violence will help move ahead on the Kashmir settlement…The state should also upgrade the capabilities of the police force to deal with the incidents of militancy. The DPG report had further noted that the borders between India and Pakistan should become irrelevant…Addressing issues of self-governance and ending the violence constitutes the best hope on moving ahead on the settlement of Kashmir issue which will ensure that the solution is acceptable to all concerned. There is a need for inclusive discussions on Kashmir issue". Reports appearing in the media regarding the interlocutors' report and the report of the DPG have alarmed the nationalist constituency in the state in general and Jammu province in particular.
The Union Home Ministry needs to appreciate it and stop talking about the divisive reports of the interlocutors and the DPG. |
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