Neha
JAMMU, Feb 19: It was on October 12, 2011 that the three interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir submitted their report to the Union Home Ministry. It was a highly controversial report. Had the Union Government implemented it, the results would have been disastrous for the people of the state and nation as a whole. The NC and a number of Kashmir-based parties, including CPI-M, had virtually endorsed the report. In fact, they demanded its implementation forthwith. The stand of the Congress was, as expected, ambiguous. It neither opposed the report nor supported it.
On the other hand, all the non-NC and non-Congress parties in Jammu province and outside opposed the report, saying it was anti-national. The report had, inter-alia, recommended demilitarization, removal of AFSPA, permanent status to the divisive, anti-people and anti-democratic Article 370, general amnesty and so on. It was essentially a Kashmir-centric report and had dismissed the people of Jammu province and Ladakh region, besides the internally-displaced Kashmiri Hindus, refugees from West Pakistan and POJK, Scheduled Castes and other social groups, as irrelevant.
On August 4, 2012, as many as 10 MPs asked question on the highly despicable report of the interlocutors if it had "recommended review of AFSPA". The Home Minister had then said that "they were studying the report". Since it was an assurance, it went to the Assurance Committee of the Parliament. The report of the Assurance Committee was tabled in the House on February 17, 2014. The report put the NC-led coalition government on the mat, as it said that it had forwarded the interlocutors' report to the Jammu and Kashmir Government for "comments" which was yet to respond on the matter.
The state government was asked to send its comments in the matter to the Union Home Ministry "without further delay so that an appropriate decision on the report could be taken".
"The Committee (Parliamentary Committee on Assurances) was informed that a copy of report of interlocutors has been forwarded to the Jammu and Kashmir Government for their comments. The comments of the state government have not been received so far," read the Home Ministry's reply to the report of Assurance Committee which was tabled in the parliament on February 17. "Further, a view in the matter is to be taken by the State Government/State Legislature. As such fulfilling the assurance by the Ministry is dependent on the response of the State Government/consideration of the report by the State Legislature," the Home Minister's reply further read with the "request for dropping the assurance". "However, the Assurance Committee is of the view that the Ministry being the nodal authority, should pursue the matter with the State Government and impress upon them to furnish their comments in the matter without further delay so that an appropriate decision on the report could be taken by the government and the assurance in the matter is implemented at the earliest".
All this shows that the Jammu and Kashmir Government is taking its own time on the issue. It would be better if it writes to the Union Home Ministry that it is opposed to the interlocutors' report as it is against the interest of the people of the state as well as the country as a whole. Even otherwise, it has no other option but to respect the majority view in the state and the majority view is that the interlocutors' nasty report must be thrown out lock, stock and barrel. |
