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| Self-serving and corrupt practices of Hurriyat leaders exposed | | | Jasbir Sarai | 2/10/2015 11:35:28 PM |
| The advent of normality in Jammu and Kashmir, espe
cially in the Kashmir valley, has brought about a marked
change in the perception of the youth of the region. They are impatient to set aside the shadow of the gun and concentrate on their professional progression.
Unfortunately, inimical forces look upon the youth as a prime constituency for their objective of destabilising the State of Jammu and Kashmir. They come up with various means to attract the youth and then exploit them for their evil ends.
In a misplaced attempt to show allegiance with the young people of the Kashmir valley, the Government of Pakistan has instituted scholarship schemes for "deserving students' in Medical and Engineering streams. The selected students are given admission in various universities of Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan has given a free hand for selection of the candidates to the separatist Hurriyat Conference leaders.
A recent news report has alleged that leaders of the Hurriyat Conference are using these scholarships for personal gains. The Hurriyat leaders purportedly charge 10-15 lakhs for the "sale" of each scholarship. They also set up their close relatives and family members to avail the facility. The report has sent shock waves across the valley and also in Pakistan. An attempt is being made to keep the matter under wraps but the sudden resignation of some Pakistan based Hurriyat functionaries like Mehmood Sagar establishes the veracity of the report.
Government of India is conscious of the aspiration of the students to move on to greener pastures and become a part of the India success story. An expert group was constituted on 18 August, 2010, to identify methods for enhancing employment opportunities for the youth of Jammu & Kashmir. A key recommendation of the expert group was to offer scholarships to encourage the youth of J&K to pursue higher studies outside the State. Accordingly, a scholarship scheme entitled "Special Scholarship Scheme for Jammu and Kashmir (SSSJ&K) was launched by the Department of Higher Education, Government of India, from the academic year 2011-12 onwards. 5000 students of the state avail this facility every year; applications are filed on line and admissions are done through a process of comparative merit. The opportunity is being utilised extensively by the youth, especially of the Kashmir valley, and the seats are filled to capacity.
Kashmir students are coming out in droves to avail of the education facilities available across the country. A very encouraging sight is that of Kashmiri girls availing of coaching facility in Kota, a small town in Rajasthan famous for preparation for competitive examinations. Special facility is being extended to these students by the institution of follow their traditional dress pattern of Hijab and offer Namaz at the prescribed time so that they do not feel insecure in the new environment and concentrate on their studies.
The result is there for all to see- more and more Kashmiri youth are taking up jobs in various companies and organisations in all metropolitan cities of the country, especially Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
Against this backdrop the few dozen seats offered by Pakistan are not even a drop in the ocean. What is significant, however, is that the unholy, self serving and corrupt practices of the Hurriyat leadership stand exposed. It is evident that the Hurriyat leaders have an obsession to rake in money by whatever means possible; they also leave no opportunity for advancement of their own family. It is no wonder that children of Hurriyat leaders are out of the Kashmir valley and onto lucrative jobs across the globe. They have made good use of all facilities that were extended for the common Kashmiri by Pakistan and other Islamic organisations.
The youth of the valley are also being targeted by spread of drug abuse that can destroy entire generations. On February, 6, 2015, Police recovered 10 kgs of narcotics from a Pakistani truck near the line of control in Uri. This is not the first time that the cross border trade facility is being used for such illegal activity that is ruining the very fabric of the youth of the Kashmir valley.
According to a United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP) sponsored survey, Kashmir division alone had 70,000 drug addicts, including 4000 women, in the year 2008. Another survey titled, "Community drug abuse study survey in Kashmir" by a renowned psychiatrist, Dr Mushtaq Margoob, asserts that in Kashmir there are lakhs of opium and cannabis addicts and thousands of alcohol abusers. According to this study, around 35% school boys indulge is drug abuse. Statistics issued by the lone drug de-addiction centre at Police Control Room, Srinagar reveal that in 2013, the centre received 1441 drug addiction cases which are more than double the cases registered in 2012.
It is well known that drugs smuggling from across the border is being conducted by the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of the Pakistan army. ISI also handles the separatist and terrorist movement in the Kashmir valley and provides for it funding through Hawala and other illegal transactions. Narcotics smuggling is being used to fund separatists and terrorist activities in Kashmir. Logic therefore dictates that narcotic smuggling, terrorism and the separatist movement are interlinked.
The recently held assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir have reaffirmed the faith of the people in the democratic process. As the new coalition government gears up to take on its responsibility of governance it will need to take note of the manner in which the youth of the state, especially the Kashmir region, are being exploited by inimical forces both within and outside the state for personal ends. Reigning in this evil agenda and punishing the perpetrators under the law of the land should be a priority for the new government.
(Jasbir Sarai is an activist of Aam Aadmi Party) |
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