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| Centre releases over Rs 3,366 crore to J&K | | Economic benefits must reach Jammu, Ladakh also | | B L KAK
NEW DELHI, AUG. 12: O
ver Rs 3,366 crores have been released by the Centre to the Jammu and Kashmir government as reimbursement for its security-related expenditure (SRE). The reimbursement relates to the period from 1989-1990 to 2004-2005. Following the eruption of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, the expenditure involved in combating militancy and terrorism was debited to the State every year. The reimbursement of the expenditure has reduced the burden on the State.
The budget estimate towards security related expenditure for 2005-2006 was Rs 159 crores and for relief and rehabilitation Rs 140 crores. Going by the Centre's annual plan for the year 2005-06 for Jammu and Kashmir, finalized at rupees 4,200 crores shows an increase of Rs 1,192 crores over the previous year's plan of Rs 3,008 crores, which is inclusive of Rs 75 crore allocated for assistance to the dislocated and the families affected by militancy.
What has these days become the topic of hot debate in the restive State is the continuance of New Delhi's official policy to attach more importance to the Valley of Kashmir than to Jammu region and Ladakh. There is no denying that the Muslim-dominated Kashmir Valley has been greatly shattered in terms of loss of human lives and economic losses since the outbreak of insurgency and militancy towards the last quarter of 1989. This does not call for little attention to the State's two other regions, Jammu and Ladakh. There is discontent in the Hindu-majority Jammu region and Buddhist-majority Ladakh territory.
If the Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, was asked during his none too old visit to Jammu as to why Central leaders first set their feet on the soil of Srinagar and then stir out on a vist to Jammu, there was obviously sufficient reasons and provocation behind the question of this nature. Numerous, indeed, are the instances to substantiate the grievance or discontent or hurt feeling over New Delhi's greater attention on the Valley of Kashmir.
This kind of approach and attitude, apart from far-from-effective handling of the affairs of Jammu and Kashmir by Delhi for years together, only contributed to the growth of regionalism in the troubled State--Muslim regionalism of the Kashmir Valley, Hindu regionalism in Jammu and Buddhist regionalism in Ladakh. Valley's sectarian regionalism is so potent and combustible that pro-India Muslim leaders and politicians appear afraid of openly propagating or justifying the relevance of the accession of Kashmir to the Union of India.
Of all these leaders and politcians, Farooq Abdullah alone has had the courage and conviction to uphold the State's accesion to India. The Congress party, which is heading the present coaliton Government in J&K, has an unenviable task while meeting the threat or challenge from Muslim rebels and separatists.
The Centre will have to re-structure its approach and attitude towards the people of Jammu and Ladakh. Their expectations and requirements should neither be ignored nor underestimated. Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and the government he heads at present will have to realise and admit that the problem of the organisation of a region is that of the relationship between its subjects and the administrative apparatus.
Since the Kashmiris alone do not constitute the population of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, New Delhi cannot and should not accord lesser atention to the equally important regions of Jammu and Ladakh. If the ill-advised policy pursued by New Delhi could not help the Indians win over the Kashmiri Muslims' hearts, the people of Jammu and Ladakh should not be further provoked to further promote their respective regional and communal feelings. And if little effort was made to make the people of Kashmir understand why secular democracy is preferable to theocratic system, the pro-India feeling and stand of the most people residing in the regions of Ladakh and Jammu should not be allowed to fe underrated or ignored for the sake of the 'unwilling' groups of Kashmiris in the Valley.
What is needed is New Delhi's intervention in ensuring that economic benefits now and later will also travel to Jammu and Ladakh without any bias or prejudices. New Delhi's 'Kashmir card', one expects, is also meant for these two regions.
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