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| Kashmir challenge confounds Centre | | |
ABID SHAH
NEW DELHI: Escalating violence in Jammu and Kashmir despite Union Home Minister's offer to have quiet talks with any of the interested groups in the Valley has put the Centre in a fix where it appears to be at the mercy of the State Government.
Despite six deaths during wide spread protests in a couple of days where mobs also targeted some of the Government and establishment's property there was no comment from the Union Home Ministry today about the situation in the Valley.
This is unlike until yesterday when Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had once again backed the State Government and the Chief Minister in the hope that some order would come to the Valley making it possible to revive contacts with different political groups for quiet talks that were interrupted now months ago after being taken up at the Centre's initiative.
Though political gains are not expected to be made overnight, the worsening situation in the Valley has been robbing the Centre of hope that it has been trying to generate in order to defuse tense situation in the Valley and move towards more durable calm by talking to sections who could contribute to peace or initiation of a process towards achieving this.
Since with each passing day the possibility of calm is becoming more difficult if not distant, the Centre's concerns vis-à-vis Kashmir are bound to mount. And as for State Government that has been clutching the coattails of its Central counterparts through now about a month-and-a-half-long crisis the time is definitely running out.
This has already been made amply clear by the People's Democratic Party that had boycotted a recent All-Party meeting called by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Not only PDP leader Mahbooba Mufti declined to fall in line with the Centre on Omar's attempts to take others on board to meet the crisis, but other political forces have also upped their ante against the National Conference-Congress coalition Government in Jammu and Kashmir.
Awami National Conference leader Muzaffar Shah has planned a two-day intensive discussion of civil society in Delhi beginning Monday (August 2) mainly to impress upon the Centre to revisit and recast its Kashmir policy. Talking over phone to this correspondent a few days ago from Jammu, Shah termed State Government's policy and approach in tackling the present crisis as "disastrous".
The Centre, mainly the Union Home Ministry, which has thus far been supporting the State Government and Omar Abdullah unflinchingly, too cannot keep the Kashmir issue in its domain in case the situation shows no signs of let up in next few days. Congress president Sonia Gandhi who is now abroad had held a meeting about a week ago or so of what was called as Kashmir Committee of her party.
Obviously, as things stand now with curfew in all ten districts of the Valley, the arrival of the Congress boss from US where she has gone along with her son Rahul Gandhi to see her ailing mother would be anxiously waited. Now any major or significant decision regarding Jammu and Kashmir is fast slipping into the hands of top Government and party brass. Though the Home Ministry has its importance vis-à-vis Kashmir, the situation is turning out to be such where it may be forced to review its stance and weigh other options and possibilities together with PMO and Congress higher ups.
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