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| PDP needs to look within | | | Sushil Vakil
There is no denying that after losing Lok Sabha elections to NC and Congress the PDP is flexing every muscle to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere and discredit the Omar led government.
An electoral defeat is not uncommon for a political party. Especially for the PDP which is yet at an infant stage. It is ironical that PDP leaders instead of introspecting the causes that led to its total defeat at just concluded hustings are toeing the earlier line of thinking- launching tirade against the Indian security forces, guarding people and property against Islamic terrorists in the populated areas. No doubt, the party's anti-India tirade can yeild it short term dividends but will not work in the end. As happened previously. The right thing to do for PDP is, invariably to work for the welfare and betterment of the people already battered by the two decade civil strife in the valley.
Not surprisingly, PDP has again started indulging in anti-India bashings at a time when the valley is limping back to normalcy due to the local police and Indian army's relentless war against terrorism. Undeniably, PDP's posture can causeserious discomfiture for Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who is already under flak. As a matter of fact, the Shopian incident has dwelt a serious blow to Omar's administrative capability as he miserably failed to handle the sensitive situation. It is unthinkable to expect return of peace and development if PDP and other secessionist organisations are allowed to communalise the situation by raising the volatile issues.
The PDP had fought Lok Sabha elections by highlighting the oft- repeated issues like demiltarisation and repeal of AFSPA. The issues unfortunately, din't go well with the masses and it led to its complete defeat and poor performance.. However, its main rivals National Conference and Congress emphasised on development and peace issues which attracted voters to its fold. As things are formally looking up, the PDP's latest campaign wouldn't serve any purpose to its leaders except disturbing peace and tranquaility in the state.
While on the one hand PDP is camapigning for armed forces withdrawal, on the other hand Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is urging investors to look into investment opportunities in farm, power, tourism, IT and handicraft etc. in the state.
It is quite unfortunate that instead of working on fresh and positive ideas the PDP is still experimenting with outdated and communal issues. The party needs to accept the reality of its electoral defeat and discharge the responsibility as a constructive opposition and not as a seccessionist party. Moreover, PDP leaders need to change their communal mindset if they want to survive in politics. Not yet ready to concile the humiliation, the party is starting a virulent state wide campaign for revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and demilitarization of civilian areas in Jammu and Kashmir soon.
The campaign is being kicked off by the party president Mehbooba Mufti and participated by Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, Mohammad Dilawar Mir, Peer Mohammad Hussain, Abdul Rehman Veeri, Aga Mehmood, Abdul Rashid Kabuly to garner people's sympathy. One wonders why the PDP has restrained itself to a sensitive matter when there are other important issues confronting the people. It is ironical that the people who are demanding demilitarisation are round the clock protected by the same forces. Would not be it better for them to give up the Z-catagory security apparatus before asking for reduction in armed forces strength?
There is no doubt that AFSPA and J and K State Disturbed Area Act give ample powers to the security forces with respect to arrests, search and firing but at the same time they have proved benificial in the states where the state machinery has failed to handle situation on its own due to shortage of men and machinary- like J and K and North-East. Though many human rights activists and political parties call these laws 'draconian' and have been demanding their repeal but the state government can't do away with it as it has become a matter of neccesity rather than choice.
It is also a fact that Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram recently announced that J and K police will be given primary responsibility for counter terrorism operations and the Indian army will continue to guard the states frontiers against Pakistani troops and Jihadists. He had also assured the state leadership that army would be removed from populated areas in the coming years. But at the same time he made it catagoric that army at present will remain in place. Despite the HMs assurance PDP is once again embarking on its pet mission-Demiltarisation.
Besides Chidambaram, Army Chief Deepak Kapoor also said that though the security situation has improved yet his force is not in favour of thinning down troops this time around. General Kapoor also made it clear that the issue would be taken by political authorities after the assessment of militant infiltration levels in the summer and the completion of the Amarnath Yatra.
There are no two opinions that that situation is not ripe for withdrawal of security forces as more than a thousand militants are still active in Valley while hundreds are waiting to sneak in at a given opportunity. Apart from that, the terror infrastructure still remains intact across the borders to train the new recruits. Moreover, infiltration is also in the progress. In this backdrop if the government will succumb to PDP's pressure and agree to dislocate armed forces from the areas vulnerable to militant attacksIt will be at its own peril.
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