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| Missed opportunities to turn the tide of people's wrath against militants | | Four civilians’ killing in Sopore among many | | Early Times Special Correspondent
Jammu | Dec 5
In one of the rarest occasions even the terrorist friendly and pro secessionist sections of people in Kashmir have attributed the killings of four innocent Kashmiri youth to the militants and condemned the same. So much so that the hardcore secessionist and Islamic fundamentalist leader Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani who is otherwise supportive of the violence let loose by the militants has come out openly against the unabated spree of civilian killings in the wake of killing of four innocent civilians in his residential area of Sopore. It is still more ironical that the formidable terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba as well as United Jehad Council, an alliance of over a dozen Kashmiri militant outfits, have come out with outright condemnation of the brutal killing of four civilians including three young students in the last ten days. The general trend otherwise has been to attribute all the killings of civilians to the security forces, particularly when the victims are Kashmiri Muslims and absolve the militants of any responsibility for the same. The modus operandi with the militants has been to own any strike by them in which the security personnel or pro Indian politicians or the officials from the civil administration are the victims or some vital installations are involved and in such cases different militant outfits stake the claim for the same as being their handiwork. Against this whenever any civilian becomes the victim even in cross firing between the militants and the security forces, the blame by and large for the same is put on the security forces. Under this background the condemnation by even secessionist and militant friendly sections of Kashmiris of the killings of four civilians in Sopore, attributing the same to the militants is a rare reaction.
But what is unfortunate is that neither the mainstream politicians nor the government rises to the occasion to avail of such rare developments to their advantage and put the militants in wrong before the people at large. Many such opportunities to turn the tide of people's wrath against the terrorists and project them as the enemy of peace and of the people has been missed. As early as in 1990, the killing of Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq, which initially had sparked off Kashmiri's reaction against the militants was conveniently allowed to be turned into wrath against the security forces and the Indian establishment, particularly after the police firing on the mourning procession of the assassinated religious leader of Kashmir after the mob had turned violent. This inept handling of the situation by the authorities on the spot, whom the then Governor of the state Jagmohan had charged of running way from the scene and removing the then Director General of Police M N Sabherwal, ultimately recoiled on Jagmohan himself who was removed as Governor of the state.
Again an opportunity offered itself to the authorities to project the militants as killers of all the saner voice in Kashmir, when the mob had turned hostile against the militants after the killing of Mirwaiz of South Kashmir Qazi Nissar at Anantnag. There was an upsurge of anti terrorist and anti Pakistan demonstrations all over Ananatnag district, spilling over to other parts of Kashmir. But again the advantage was allowed to be missed and soon the Kashmiris at large forgot this heinous act believed to have been committed by the militants. Again the killing of Maulana Masoodi had also initially sparked of anti militancy reaction, but again the occasion was missed. Similarly many such opportunities that could be availed of to turn the tied of public wrath against the militants were missed—thanks to the lack of acumen, determination and will on the part of the ruling establishments.
In the context of the killing of four civilians in Sopore village, whose throats have been slit by the militants, dubbing them as the agents and informers of the security forces and who have been charged of informing the police about the presence of some militants in the area which led to the killings of the latter by the security forces in an encounter, the general reaction among the people against the militants has not been availed of so far either by the authorities or the mainstream politicians. The mainstream politicians are so self centered and escapists, always concerned for their own security and avoiding to incur the wrath of militants, do not arise to the occasion to turn such opportunities infavour of peace and normalcy in Kashmir. |
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