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| "Mainstream" Kashmiri leaders unable to decide what it really wants | | Relevance Of Indian Constitution | | Rustam
JAMMU, Dec 1: During the last few weeks, some "mainstream" Kashmiri leaders have made certain statements and put forth certain suggestions which clearly serve to demonstrate that they have still to decide as to what exactly they want from New Delhi. They appear to be a confused lot. Or, they have come to the conclusion that they are fighting a losing battle against New Delhi and that it would be better to compromise their respective ideologies to remain in the good books of the powers-that-be at the centre and enjoy loaves and fishes of office or official patronage.
That certain top ranking "mainstream" Kashmiri leaders have clearly indicated their willingness to accept the relevance of the Indian Constitution could be seen from the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's recent interview to New York Times in which he candidly acknowledged that the institutions like the Supreme Court of India, Election Commission of India and Comptroller and Auditor-General are people-centric and declared that he would be the first person to oppose those seeking withdrawal of the jurisdiction of these institutions from the state. It was a significant statement that came from none other than working president of the National Conference, which had invariable demanded wholesale withdrawal of the central laws and institutions saying their extension had eroded the state's internal autonomy. It can also be seen from his statement that New Delhi did a good job by bringing to justice the Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab, who was convicted in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. His father and Union Minister for Renewable Energy even went to the extent of saying that the perpetrators of the 2001 Parliament terror attack case needed to be brought to justice. Obviously, he referred to Afzal Guru, who ha been convicted in the said case. His statement, like the statements of his son, was very positive and no one had expected that the father-son duo would take the line hey took in the case of Ajmal Kasab considering the nature of their constituency in Kashmir.
Why only Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah? Even the votaries of self-rule and joint-mechanism sprung a noble surprise by taking the National Conference-led coalition government head on and denouncing it on the ground that it ditched the elected panchs and sarpanchs by not adopting and implementing the 73rd constitutional amendment in the Indian Constitution. The protagonists of joint-mechanism and shared sovereignty have been using all the available opportunities and forums since months now to castigate the coalition government over this issue, saying that those who have refused to empower the panchs and sarpanchs are anti-people and anti-democratic. JKPCC president Saif-ud-Din Soz had also been airing almost similar views till the other day. He has now taken a complete U-turn and started toeing the National Conference line for reasons he knows better.
However, to refer to the dilution ion the stand of the JKPCC chief is not to undermine the significance of the statements which have been made by the votaries of greater autonomy, shared sovereignty and self-governance. Their statements were significant and they did indicate some positive change in their attitude towards certain Indian institutions and laws. It is this change that suggests that certain "mainstream" Kashmiri leaders are still in the process of deciding their ultimate goal. |
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