Can ceasefire cease flame? - Early Times Newspaper Jammu Kashmir

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Can ceasefire cease flame?

Omkar Dattatray

5/19/2018 9:47:25 PM

What is there in a name as a rose smells the same if called by any other name is an old adage. A cease fire is ceasefire total and undiluted for all practical purposes. If a ceasefire is called by any other name, it will not change it nature and impact. The unilateral and unconditional ceasefire announced by Home Ministry of the government of India for the Holy month of Ramzan has been welcomed by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and by former Chief Minister Omer Abdullah. The cessation of anti-terror operations has been criticized by right thinking nationalist forces of the country. It seems that the Modi government has buckled under Mehboobian pressure tactics and has announced the unilateral ceasefire. The suspension of operations against militants is being pursued as a mark of respect to the holy month of Ramzan and should be reciprocated by the militants. But it is fraught with great dangers and will have negative impact upon the security situation of J&K. The present move of the centre is like the non-initiation of combat operations announced by the then NDA government headed by A.B. Vajpayee during the month of Ramzan of 2000. It takes two to make a row or a quarrel and the ceasefire if reciprocated will yield desired results but it seems that the ceasefire is not reciprocated by the militants and terrorists and in such a scenario the ceasefire will hardly cease the flames. It will rather give new oxygen and fresh lease of life to the militancy in the state. The present ceasefire will strengthen and embolden the terrorists as their sagging morale will be boosted and they will launch militant operations with the renewed zeal and vigor. The present ceasefire will amount to death knell to the achievements of security forces who with heavy sacrifices have maintained edge upon the terrorists and had dented their morale. Therefore unilateral ceasefire is not in the interests of the nation and it will bring havoc to the security situation of the state. The ceasefire experience of year 2000 shows that it did not work then and did not bear fruit in the past. It had witnessed killings of as many as 129 people including 43 security personnel. Since the militants' ranks have not reciprocated the goodwill gesture of the central government, it is likely that the unconditional and unilateral ceasefire will backfire and will damage the security situation of the state beyond repair. The Indian government has only declared ceasefire to win the hearts and minds of Kashmiris but has overlooked the greater national interests. But neither the militants within nor the masters of terrorist without have welcomed the unilateral ceasefire. Thus the ceasefire will have adverse ramifications for the security environment of the militant infested state and it will nullify the gains and the upper hand of the security forces and all this will add fuel to the already fire unleashed by the militancy. In fact militants will rebound and redouble their nefarious designs during the suspension of security operations. Thus ceasefire will hardly cease the flames but will brighten the flames and will give impetus to the militant activities and jeopardize the national interests. Not only militants and terrorists will get oxygen but the stone pelters will also get energized and it is fraught with great danger to the security apparatus of disturbed state. Neither the ceasefire of 2000 nor the suspension of operations of the present will do any good to morale of security forces and therefore all this will add to further troubles in the state and it will be very difficult for the security forces to control the situation. It seems neither the militants within nor their masters outside have any regard for unilateral ceasefire announced by government of India. The Pakistan government has shown no respect to holy Ramzan as per Mehbooba Mufti. Pakistan has violated ceasefire and martyred a BSF Jawan and killed our four civilians in border outposts in Jammu and this all in the face of our unilateral ceasefire. The Pakistan and Kashmiri militants have seen an opportunity in the ceasefire violations to escalate the tension and inflict maximum damage to the security apparatus. Thus central government should not have announced unilateral ceasefire as it will take us back to the days of 1990s and it will be very difficult to control the situation. On day one of the ceasefire terrorists have decamped with police weapons in Srinagar and on day second terrorists have looted a bank in Kulgam district. The NDA government headed by Modi has no coherent and consistent policy on Kashmir. The countries ministry of home affairs and defense Ministry have different perceptions on ceasefire. While defense minister Nirmala Sitaraman is against ceasefire and is for giving free powers to security forces, the home minister Rajnath singh has declared unconditional ceasefire. It follows that ceasefire is not in the national interest and it should not have been announced to placate Mehbooba Mufti and to keep the PDP in good humor notwithstanding its adverse effects upon the overall security environment of the state. The million dollar question is will ceasefire extinguish the flames of militancy and will it backfire. There is sure possibility that the ceasefire will backfire and escalate the grim security situation of Jammu and Kashmir. It will do enough damage to the troubled state for which all of us will repent in future. The central government has announced the ceasefire under pressure and to placate Mehbooba Mufti and the Indian government and the state establishment will have to pay a heavy price for this ceasefire. Let's wait and watch and hope for better.

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