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| If Kashmir is not security related issue why is AFSPA in force? | | | The Finance Minister, Haseeb Drabu, has lost his job after he was sacked by the Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, for his (Drabu's) controversial statement stating that Kashmir is not a political issue. His statement runs counter to PDP ideology.... The Finance Minister, Haseeb Drabu, has stated that the Kashmir issue was not political is given credibility by the Government of India's (GoI) special envoy for talks on Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, when he said that he was "pained" by the cycle of violence in the Valley but is hopeful of a peaceful summer this year as "many people, especially the youth, had assured him of working as peace ambassadors in the state." Ahead of his maiden visit to Leh and Kargil, Sharma said the youth will work for peace as they have understood that all problems can be addressed only when there is peace. The youth, Sharma believes, is sure to assume the role of ambassadors of peace. That is to be seen as the summer season is just to set in Kashmir. Well chances for peace seem to be remote because of the ongoing proxy war from Pakistan. And those who question the statement of Drabu should know that since Pakistan exported terror to Jammu and Kashmir in 1988-89 the vale of Kashmir has ceased to be a political issue. Yes, there is no doubt that the issue of Kashmir is political by nature an d needs to be settled through talks between India and Pakistan. What seems to be strange is the roar of the separatists over Drabu's statement. But these very separatists do not want peace to return to Kashmir as long as they display pro-Pakistan sentiments.
These separatists do support bilateral talks but want their involvement in the parleys to make it triangular talks. It is a matter of amazement that these very separatists have joined hands with the mainstream political parties like the National Conference and the PDP. Both the leaders of the NC and the PDP berate Drabu for his sermon that Kashmir issue was not political. He seems to be right because during the last 27 years peace has been derailed making the Kashmir an issue of security related problem. If it is not the case why then the Government of India is opposed to repealing of AFSPA? Why the Disturbed Area Act is enforced in J&K? And neither the separatists nor Pakistan wish to see peace to be restored to Jammu and Kashmir and if this happened Kashmir issue will remain under the carpet. Hence Pakistani troops resort to repeated ceasefire violations and the militants pushed into Kashmir get killed everyday in encounters with the security forces. If the Kashmir issue is political why then the Army and the paramilitary forces have to be deployed within the state ? Had the Kashmir is been political why the Army and the paramilitary forces are not deployed only on the LoC and on the IB.
"Although I am pained by repeated cycle of violence in Kashmir, I am quite hopeful of a peaceful summer this year. I have full faith in people of Jammu and Kashmir particularly the youth," he said ahead of his visit to the Valley which would be his sixth since taking up the assignment of being the Centre's special representative in October last year. Sharma, a former Intelligence Bureau Chief, seemed upset with the recent violence flare-up in the Valley. While I have been advising security forces to exercise utmost restraint, there are some stray incidents which will also end immediately," he said. He made it clear that the security personnel in the Kashmir Valley were doing exemplary work in countering terrorism actively sponsored from across the border. Even if the PDP chief, Mehbooba Mufti, has described Drabu's statement out of context but Drabu has a sound wisdom and has the capacity of holding the sieve in his right hand and filter the rubbish from the grains. And the same Mehbooba has not been fully using the two routes for trade and people to people contact because people have lost interest in meeting their estranged relations and the trade could not get a boost because of the limited number of items meant for import and export and that too when the barter system is in force giving traders hardly any benefit. |
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