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| Vohra has kept the confidence of both Vajpayee & Manmohan | | No Vote bank politics at the cost of the sentiments of the innocent | | Daya Sagar
A look through the mist
Mr. N. N. Vohra was appointed GOI’s interlocutor on J&K by Vajpayee Government. Mr. Vohra later resigned on 25 May2004 .But UPA Government did not accept his resignation .Then it appeared that UPA government was serious to settle the flares in J&K. Mr. Vohra has since remained associated with the affairs of J&K for over 5 years. He has been the part of PM’s round table conferences and working group meetings . The specific role Mr. Vohra played as internal interlocutor on J&K affairs has not been made public during all these years. Priority need be set on eradicating the elements who are bent upon communalizing J&K affairs. Governor designate N. N. Vohra has been presented a basket full of hard tests
It has to be kept in mind that over last 3 to 4 years the anti India elements in J&K have been becoming more and more vocal . The role that PDP, the Congress ally in J&K , has played has rather strengthened those who have been questioning 1947 Accession of J&K .Since Mr. Vohra has remained closely connected with internal affairs of J&K for nearly 5 years I would expect him to effectively contribute atleast for settlement of doubts and disputes in the minds of people of J&K. But the way Mr. N. N. Vohra has been working behind the scene all these years, how far Mr. Vohra would be able to form his independent opinions will have to be tested. It has also to be kept in mind that Mr. Wazahat Habib Ullah , an otherwise very soft spoken J&K Cadre ex I.A.S officer, too has remained in news. He had attracted some controversies and had been in race for Governorship. The thing that still gives some hopes is Mr. Vohra having kept the confidence of Vajpayee as well as Man Mohan Singh Governments.
All these years the anti 1947 Accession and separatist elements have comfortably survived to challenge the nationalist leaders of J&K like Farooq Abdullah , Ghulam Nabi Azad & Ashok Khajuria Omar Farooq lands in Lahore on 21 June to so simply tell the Pakistani media that Human Rights situation in Kashmir Valley had not improved. So simply the separatists accept the invitation of Pak Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and also dare comment on the internal affairs of India on a foreign soil where they visit on a valid Indian passport. Qureshi has told in Islamabad on 22 June that he had invited Omar to Pakistan to discuss Kashmir affairs and will also discuss with other separatist leaders of J&K before he meets Pranab Mukerjee in Hydrabad House in New Delhi on 26 June .Where have Kashmir affairs landed ? Hence Mr. N. N. Vohra will not find it all that easy to save his image of a wise bureaucrat turned statesman
Ofcourse one thing that may help Mr. N. N. Vohra to expedite his efforts for normalization of ground conditions in J&K is the troubled Pakistan after the killing of Benazir. The Pakistan government of the day has no foot hold even on the soil of Pakistan. President Parvez Musharraf though under challenges from Nawaz Sharief and Zardari, still is not that weak. Nawz - Zardari combine is not a truthful alliance. It is only dangers from Musharraf that has made Nawaz Shrief to stand along side Benazir’s PPP. Baluchistan and the NWFP are standing to nail the Pakistan Government. Pervez Musharraf swore in Yousaf Raza Gilani ,a loyalist Benazir Bhutto ,as prime minister on 25th March this year . But the same day two top US envoys also held talks with Pakistan’s old and new leaders . The militant and so called Islamic fundamentalists are all out to challenge the Pakistani leadership. Some Militant training camps and hide outs in POK and along Afgan borders are threat to even the Pakistan army. More so some elements in the Pakistan Army are also sympathetic towards the fundamentalists. Pakistan Afganistan borders too are militarily tense.
In just three months ,Pakistan Prime Minister Gilani, PPP Chief Zardari and PML ( N ) Chief Nawaz Sharief appear to have lost hopes of democratic government staying long in Pakistan. Hence like their predecessors Gilani, Zardari and Nawaz have started again laying hands on the Kashmir dispute of 1947 times and have started talking of the UN Resolutions, plebiscite and the rights of Kashmiries to divert the attention of average Pakistani. Although they will not now get that much open support from USA and Britain , still these two super powers would not openly snub Pakistan.
Under the changed scenario the separatist elements in J&K too are some what frustrated. They fear that GOI may not be that liberal with leaders like Ali Geelani and Omar Farooq in near future.
But the separatist leaders of Kashmir Valley still have some hopes. They rest their hopes in the fact that due to the mishandling of J&K Affairs by the Indian leadership enough doubts about J&K being total India have been created in the minds of common people. And hence they may for atleast their survival locally attempt again to play more with the sentimental and communal cards. The way the Hurriyat leaders have protested against the increasing number of Amarnath Shrine pilgrims and transfer of land to Amarnathji Shrine Board surely shows that they are bent upon to exploit the sentiments of local innocent muslims. Indirectly the separatist leaders have gone to the extent of professing that Kashmir Valley is culturally a muslim land. They have alleged that efforts are being made to undermine the muslim identity of Kashmir. They have even tried to ignore the fact that Sri Amarnathji Shrine Board is a State Subject. The land has not been transferred to a foreigner or non State Subject institution. And to add to this the way the Ministers and leaders of PDP have reacted is more unfortunate. Politicians have linked the land allotment issue even with the Mughal Road and accused Congress party of being anti Muslim. The way the local parties and BJP have reacted to the calls and protests by Kashmir based leaders, it is for the first time that openly the questions on Hindu or Muslim Dominated areas are being raised. S.A. Geelani has again dared to ask non State Subjects to leave J&K. It is really dangerous. No doubt elections to assembly are also in sight. But vote bank politics should not be at the cost of the sentiments of the innocent.
How far the religious sentiments work in Kashmir valley could be well seen from the behavior of Farooq Abdullah. While at Jammu he criticized PDP for making allotment of land to SASB a political issue . But as soon as he reached Srinagar on 19 June the political compulsions for safeguarding the interests of National Conference forced him to declare that in case his party comes to power the land will be with drawn from SASB. Azad need to stand firm before PDP so that National Conference for its political survival is not forced to dilute its stand even on firmness of 1947 accession.
Though the role of Pakistan can not be ignored but it has to be kept in mind that Pakistan has gone very weak internally. To settle the flares in J&K internally there is hence no need for involvement of Pakistan. It has to be understood that the internal problems like migration of Kashmiri Pundits & overtones of separatists are not due to economic reasons . India need to deal firmly with the separatist leaders of J&K. I am not able to understand that why the wise men at New Delhi have so far failed to understand that majority of the so called separatist leaders of J&K do not want Kashmir to go to Pakistan, or even stay independent. India is heaven for them. Even Farooq Abdullah had said in 1997 that those who do not accept 1947 accession could go to Pakistan and his government would open borders for them. India is a heaven for all of them where they can promote insurgency but still live lavishly without doing any work. How only God knows. This need be taken as hot priority.
I am sure Mr. Vohra knows the ground realities better. His task in J&K would be harder than that of Lt Gen ( Retd) S.K. Sinha. Rather it has become more more harder after 28 June .But it will have to be seen how New Delhi writes the script for Mr. Vohra. Priority need be set on eradicating the elements who are bent upon giving a communal look to the J&K affairs. Congress has to stand bold before PDP so that National Conference for its political survival is not forced to dilute its stand on firmness of 1947 accession. Mr. N. N. Vohra has taken over as the Governor of J&K and government of India has not yet named any one else as the interlocutor on J&K. The socio political conditions in J&K today are very complex. To quote, Relief Commissioner Migrants had arranged only around 5000 application forms in his office for issuing to those who may like to return to Valley. Issue of forms to intending migrants has started from 17 th June as per reports. It has been learnt that the applicants are being asked to also mention the preferred conditions under which they would like to return. This means GOI is still not sure about immediate return of even 1000 migrant families to Kashmir Valley. |
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