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| Sinha: Mufti had agenda of pleasing militants | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | July 14
After several rounds of veiled attacks on the Peoples Democratic Party, the former Governor Lt Gen (retd) SK Sinha has come openly with allegations accusing the Muftis of having a sinister design in Kashmir.
Gen Sinha has asserted that the former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has a communal agenda and is always ready to further the cause of separatists and Pakistan in Kashmir. To make a point he said that the healing touch policy was solely aimed at benefiting the families of militants –something which has never happened in any part of world.
About the land allotment controversy, Gen Sinha told news agency in Delhi, that the proposal was cleared by two top PDP Ministers –Muzaffar Hussain Baig and Qazi Mohammad Afzal –but later PDP made it an issue with an eye on the forthcoming elections. Explaining the whole story, Gen Sinha said, "I asked for the land in 2005 after we gave our pre-fabricated shelters to the quake victims in Tangdhar and Uri. We realised that dismantling of the huts costs a lot, so why not have temporary structures for the pilgrims. For over 100 years this land was used for the pilgrimage and the rest of the year it remained under snow. My proposal was sent for scrutiny to the empowered committee of the Supreme Court. In May 2008, I got a pleasant surprise from the government, which said the land would be transferred to the shrine board. The proposal was cleared unanimously by the cabinet.
He added, "interestingly, it was the PDP's law minister, Muzzaffar Hussain Baigh, and Forest Minister Qazi Mohammed Afzal, who cleared the proposal. Now Baigh is saying that the J&K government was threatened that if it does not clear the project, funds for the Mughal road will be stopped".
Brushing aside the allegations that the SASB under his chairmanship forced the government for land allotment, the former Governor said, "anyone who knows the Indian system of governance would laugh at this. What powers does a governor have anyway? When Mufti Sayeed did not let the shrine board set up the facilities, what could I do? Also, this was happening at the fag end of my term, when I would hardly have any authority. The Mata Vaishno Devi board has been given land, Reliance has been given land for setting up a communication network, all government departments get land. Why single out the Amarnath shrine board?"
He said that the land allotment issue should not be seen in isolation as there were many reasons building up against him. "As chairman of the Amarnath shrine board, I had taken it upon myself to promote "Kashmiriyat," a tradition of religious tolerance and brotherhood that got eroded with the advent of militancy. I made it a practice to visit the dargah of Sheikhul Alam, the patron Saint of Kashmir at Charar-e-Sharif, after inaugurating the Amarnath pilgrimage. The shrine board organised a festival of Sufi music every year. We had the famous Pakistani band Junoon play sufi-pop music this year. Then the board set up a centre for Kashmiriyat at the University of Kashmir. This was deeply resented by the separatists and the militants, whose movement is based on hardline Islam", said the former Governor.
Linking the whole controversy to his penchant for promoting Kashmiriyat, Gen Sinha said, "the separatists and militants were furious at the success of Junoon. They tried to scuttle the band's visit to Srinagar from Islamabad. They failed and gave a strike call in Kashmir on the day they were to perform. When the leader of Junoon told the 10,000-strong audience that his concert was a "musical jihad for peace,'' they went mad. They picked up the shrine board and the outgoing governor as convenient targets to whip up communal sentiments".
Mincing no words on the PDP leadership, the former Governor said, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed always had his communal agenda. As separatists spread stories that the shrine board would settle Hindus on the land to change the demography of Kashmir, the PDP jumped into the agitation probably with an eye on the coming election. The NC (National Conference) opposed the land allocation but was more sober in its approach"
Gen Sinha said that unlike the Mufti, Ghulam Nabi Azad is a really secular person. He had an impeccable record and never interfered in the functioning of the shrine board. On June 25, my last day as governor, he told me he would counter the propaganda. Probably he came under pressure.
"The PDP, I must put this on record, has sinister designs. In the name of healing touch, the PDP-led government granted subsidies to the families of the killed terrorists. Has it happened anywhere in the world? Do the families of the Naga insurgents, the Ulfa members or the Naxalites get benefits like this? Mufti openly propagated the idea of joint control of the Baglihar project with Pakistan. Then he endorsed Musharaf's proposal for joint control of Kashmir". |
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