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| A visit that showed Kashmiri separatists their place | | Tackling J&K through development | | Rustam
JAMMU, July 5: As expected, Narendra Modi's maiden visit to Jammu & Kashmir as Prime Minister has evoked a negative response from the Kashmiri extremists. Leave aside the hartal, as it has become customary with them to ask the unwilling people of the Valley to observe shutdown the day a national leader of the stature of President or Prime Minister visits Kashmir. These hartals are imposed on the people.
As said, the visit of Modi to the state has evoked a negative response from the Kashmiri extremists. They, without any exception, accused the Prime Minister of sidelining the Kashmir issue and stated that the developmental activities are no substitute to the right to self-determination. After flagging off the train from the Katra railway station in Jammu province on Friday, Modi said: "Our priority is to win the hearts of every citizen of this state through development." Modi did not talk exclusively about Kashmir. He talked about all the three regions of the state, Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. This approach did not go well with the Kashmiri separatists for obvious reasons. It's no wonder that they rejected Modi's developmental plank, reiterating that Kashmir is not an economic issue but a political problem requiring a political solution for peace in the sub-continent.
Fanatic and pro-Pakistan self-styled chairman of the Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Geelani charged New delhi with "trying to sideline the Kashmiri issue". "Indian Prime Minister preferred (Modi) not to speak about Kashmir issue and focused on inaugurating power project and railway line. He has pursued the policy of Government of India to neglect the sacrifices rendered by Kashmiris against India's forcible control of Jammu and Kashmir," he said, adding "developmental activities cannot be a substitute to resolution of Kashmir". "I want to tell Modi that rails, bridges, power projects and roads cannot deter us from pursuing our just cause.
As signatory to the United Nations resolutions on Kashmir, India is morally and legally bound to resolve the Kashmir issue according to the aspirations of the people of Kashmir. Even if roads in J&K are made of gold, Kashmiris will\ continue to fight for their right to self-determination," he was quoted as saying.
He also accused New Delhi of "exploiting natural resources in the state". In this regard, he said: "India has been exploiting our water resources to build power projects for its use. Kashmir would have been self-reliant in case these power projects were under its control. But India has been using cheap tactics to make Kashmiris dependent," he said. Geelani neither talked about Jammu province and Ladakh region, nor he talked about the aspirations of the people of these two regions.
It was expected of him, as he, like others of his ilk in Kashmir, including the so-called mainstream Kashmiri leaders, consider Jammu and Ladakh as the Kashmir's two important colonies. He also didn't refer to the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus and the problems they faced after their forced migration. He considers the Kashmiri Hindus fifth columnists.
Self-styled chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and a murderer of murderers Yasin Malik also said the same thing. "Modi is projecting Kashmir issue as a development problem. Kashmiris have been offering unflinching sacrifices for obtaining their inalienable right to self-determination.
Their sentiments and sacrifices are priceless and cannot be purchased by developmental activities," he said, and added that "it is high time for New Delhi to understand ground realities in Kashmir and resolve the Kashmir issue according to aspirations of Kashmiris". "Once Viceroy of India told Mahatma Gandhi that you need employment avenues, schools and other institutions for people. Gandhi had replied 'I will prefer poor government than better quality of life and amenities for people living under occupation.' I want to maintain that all developmental activities are meaningless for Kashmiris till they get the right to self-determination," Malik also said. He, like Geelani, did not refer to Jammu and Ladakh and their people as well as the hounded out miniscule minority community of\ Kashmiri Hindus.
Another fanatic Hurriyat Conference (M) chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also used the opportunity for India-bashing. He condemned New Delhi for what he called "ignoring political realities of Kashmir by focusing on secondary issues related to economy".
"This issue is neither an issue of economic concessions nor connected to steps like train service. caution New Delhi of serious repercussions if it repeats the political mistakes committed by the previous UPA government vis-à-vis Kashmir," he said. "The lingering Kashmir issue is a grave threat to the entire region," he was also quoted as saying.
He further said: "It looks the new government at New Delhi has decided to focus on the secondary issues like inaugurating power projects and rail links. We want to convey to them that ignoring the primary issue of Kashmir will have serious fallout.
It is high time for Government of India to understand ground realities in Kashmir, instead of indulging in inauguration of projects. We reiterate that no economic package, inauguration of rail link, power project would resolve Kashmir. Unless the issue is addressed in its historical perspective and in accordance with the political realities, there is no possibility of restoration of everlasting peace and ending uncertainty," he, in addition, said.
He, like Geelani and Malik, also dismissed the people of Jammu and Ladakh and internally-displaced Kashmiri Hindus irrelevant and focused only on Kashmi and the so-called aspirations of Kashmiri people belonging to a particular religion. A number of other self-styled freedom fighters of little or no consequence, chairman of National Front, Nayeem Khan, Hurriyat Conference Jammu & Kashmir chief Shabir Ahmad Shah, Salvation Movement activist Zafar Akbar Bhat and so on also talked Kashmir, Kashmir and Kashmir and Kashmiris' aspirations.
It is clear that all these so-called freedom fighters highly communal in their approach and that they want their will to be imposed on Jammu and Ladakh and various other religious and ethnic minorities. PM Modi was absolutely right when he said the best to address the problems in J&K is development. His approach and the approach of the BJP could alone restore peace in the state, ensure its all round development and maintain its unity and integrity, which is the need of the hour. |
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