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| Amidst raging criticism, Omar’s demand for autonomy little too early | | |
Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 6- Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah’s demand for initiating dialogue with various political parties on the issue of restoration of autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir sounds pre mature as the Sagir Committee report has evoked wide spread criticism and given rise to regional tension. By making this demand the Chief Minister has tried to feign ignorance about the pronounced stand of different political leaders on the issue. He seems to have remained ignorant of the reaction from the Jammu and Ladakh regions to Justice Sagir Ahmed's report.
As Chief Minister he is supposed to know the pulse of various politicians. Inside reports said that Omar Abdullah is already aware of the response different political parties, including the separatists, have showed to Justice Sagir Ahmed's report. The BJP and the Panthers Party have gone to the extent of describing the demand for autonomy nothing short of secession and antinational in nature.
People in the Jammu region reacted against the Report by organizing a daylong Bandh on last Monday and since then the state's winter capital and other towns have been witnessing anti-report demonstrations where copies of Justice Sagir Ahmed's report are set on fire. The Ladakh Buddhists have rejected the demand for restoration of greater autonomy. They have renewed their demand for grant of Union Territory status for Ladakh.
Majority of people in the Kashmir valley, including the separatists, have shown no interest in autonomy. They favour settlement of the Kashmir issue instead of restoring greater autonomy to the state. Even Pakistan since 2,000, when the National Conference submitted the autonomy resolution, which had been adopted by the state Assembly, had been describing adoption of autonomy resolution as part of the Indian conspiracy to delay specific talks for resolution of Kashmir issue. In the context of these developments the Chief Minister was not expected to rake up the issue of restoration of greater autonomy. Reports said that he wanted to keep the autonomy issue alive so that the centre may ultimately realize the genuineness of the demand for the restoration of autonomy. Critics of the Chief Minister say that autonomy could simply be an internal political and administrative arrangement between the centre and the state. They say it had no potential to address the external dimensions of the Kashmir issue and as such if Omar wanted peace to be restored to the state he should create conditions for the resumption of dialogue between the centre and the separatists and between Delhi and all mainstream political leaders.
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