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| Rehabilitation of refugees can wait but not that of militants | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 20: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, is not the first politician to think of the rehabilitation of those youths who had crossed into Pakistan for arms training and were wishing to return to Kashmir without weapons. His immediate predecessor, Mufti Mohd. Sayeed had been favouring it since 2002 when he had assumed office as Chief Minister. During the last 20 years of turmoil in Jammu and Kashmir the successive state Governments and the centre had been supporting the ideas on relief and rehabilitation of militants, misguided youths and those who surrendered before the security forces.
Not a bad idea provided the Government is confident and sure that those who were rehabilitated would neither indulge in any subversive activities nor use their surrender as a camouflage for intensifying their operations against the security forces and the civilians. The National Conference leadership has reports that the PDP won 21 Assembly seats in 2008 against 16 in 2002 because its leadership had supported the rehabilitation policy for the militants and had favoured "Boli for Goli" instead of "Goli for Goli" policy. Possibly with this in mind the National Conference leadership plans to hijack the PDP agenda on giving gainful jobs to those who have been involved in recent incidents of stone pelting against the security forces in various areas of the Kashmir valley.
The Chief Minister announced in the Assembly, the other day, that the Government had not yet framed any rehabilitation policy for the Patharbaaz (stone pelters) but it would be done shortly. He also hinted that in the same way the rehabilitation policy for those militants who had gone to Pakistan for arms training and were keen to return to Kashmir after bidding adieu to the gun culture would also be framed. Yes, so far so good. But has it struck the National Conference and its partner, the Congress, that there was need for rehabilitation of refugees from Pakistan who have settled in Jammu for the last 60 years. It is irony of fate that these refugees can participate in the Lok Sabha elections but not in the Assembly poll. These refugees are eligible for seeking jobs in the central Government offices but not in any state Government office in Jammu and Kashmir. Their children cannot seek admission in any professional colleges in Jammu and Kashmir. They can neither own nor buy any immovable property in the state.
They have been denied these rights because they do not have state subject certificates. Again it is either irony of fate or a political prank that while the successive state Governments have been shouting loud while affirming that Jammu and Kashmir continues to be part of India and in the same breath they have not treated these refugees as citizens of Jammu and Kashmir but only citizens of India. Does this mean that Jammu and Kashmir is not a part of India ?
The successive state Governments have not shown as much interest in rehabilitating those civilian families that had migrated from some areas in Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Reasi and other belts of the Jammu region to safer places after their ancestral villages were troubled by the activities of militants as they have been demonstrating in rehabilitating militants and the Patharbaaz. Why so ?Only Farooq Abdullah, Mufti Mohd. Sayeed and Omar Abdullah are competent to answer this question.
It is for the first time that during the last five years the state and the central Government have been talking about rehabilitation of displaced families of Kashmiri Hindus. But the rehabilitation policy for Pandits is conditional. Educated youths belonging to these displaced families are to get Government jobs provided they agree to work only in the Kashmir valley. Anyone found unwilling to move to Kashmir even after having received the appointment order will lose the job. There is no such condition imposed in the proposed rehabilitation policy for the militants and the Patharbaaz. Why so ?Only the Congress and the National Conference leadership can answer this question.
One does agree with the opinion of some security experts when they say that once most of the militants and Patharbaaz were rehabilitated militant outfits will have no manpower to measure swords with the security forces. They say rehabilitation of militants is likely to hasten the return of peace to Jammu and Kashmir.
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