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| NC leaders need to seperate wheat from chaff | | | Union Minister and Chief of National
Conference, Dr Farooq Abdullah, has,
on one hand, advocated the need for upgrading the security grid in Jammu and Kashmir to meet any challenge that could be posed after the withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan, on the other, has pleaded in favour of withdrawing AFSPA from those areas where graph pertained to militancy related activities and violence has shown a marked downward curve. Is this statement contradictory ? Yes, there is inherent contradiction because he has asked the Government and the security forces to extremely cautious in the light of reports indicating major threat to peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir after the US troops withdraw from Afghanistan. Infact Dr Farooq has voiced fears that have been expressed by others regarding upsurge in the activities of the Taliban and the Al Qaeda after the US troops are no longer in Kabul and in other parts of Afghanistan to tame the terrorists. If the Union Minister is really concerned about political stability and peace in Jammu and Kashmir he should not campaign in favour of even partial withdrawal of the AFSPA. Yes, one may say that the security grid can be strengthened even without enforcement of the AFSPA but one need to differentiate between the level of threat, both internal and external, to Jammu and Kashmir State and the level of threat in other Indian states. Jammu and Kashmir is surrounded by India's two main enemy countries, China and Pakistan. Both the Chinese and the Pakistani Armies keep on needling the Indian troops intermittently. Besides this agencies in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir, including troops, are engaged in providing assistance to groups of militants, who have brought on the launch pads across the LOC and the IB, in sneaking into Jammu and Kashmir. For the last over 23 years Jammu and Kashmir state and its people have been reeling under Pakistan sponsored proxy war which has led to widespread destruction of the private and Government properties and claimed the lives of nearly 45,000 people, including women, children, militants and security personnel. If the security forces, especially the troops, have succeeded in curbing the activities of militants thereby bringing down the level of violence it is not the time to allow an opportunity to militants for raising their head again. Hence Farooq Abdullah's advice to the security forces to upgrade the security grid is genuine and reasonable but one is skeptical about his plea for withdrawal of the AFSPA. In fact withdrawal of AFSPA has been a pet demand and slog- an of the National Conference and the PDP. It has been a pet demand for the Kashmiri separatists. The demand is the outcome of a prolonged perception of leaders of the NC and the PDP that whatever excesses and human rights violations have taken place in Jammu and Kashmir has been the result of enforcement of the AFSPA.
Leaders of these two mainstream political parties and those belonging to the separatist camps need to know that AFSPA does not promote human rights violations. And such violations have taken place in other Indian states where AFSPA is not in force. These leaders need to know that over 90 per cent cases pertained to excesses and human rights violations have been found to be fake or concocted. The need also to know that withdrawal or retention of the AFSPA is not a political but security related issue. If the state needs to strengthen its security grid enforcement of the AFSPA can help troops to tame militants and other anti-India forces operating in Jammu and Kashmir. Sustained campaign against AFSPA from mainstream political leaders has simply encouraged Pakistan to demand immediate revocation of all draconian laws in force in Jammu and Kashmir and total demilitarization. And it may not be wrong if political leaders, especially those belonging to the National Conference, can be blamed for inciting Pakistan National Assembly for adopting a resolution which may invite major reaction from New Delhi. The National Assembly in its resolution called upon India to withdraw its forces from Jammu and Kashmir and quash "anti-human laws" enacted to empower the Armed forces in Jammu and Kashmir. In fact the contents of the resolution adopted by the Pakistan National Assembly are hardly different from the contents of speeches and statements of senior NC leaders, especially Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal, who has been campaigning in favour of withdrawal of troops from within the state, revocation of the AFSPA and end to human rights violations by security forces. Hence the NC leaders should separate wheat from chaff before they open their mouth. |
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