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| Tinkering with AFSPA would mean tinkering Indian sovereignty | | | RUSTAM
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Sep 26: The beleaguered Chief Minister, who has created the whole mess, had perhaps entertained the belief that he would be able to hide his own misdeeds, failures and blunders and mislead the all-party parliamentary delegation and make members of the Parliament believe that the AFSPA, Army and paramilitary forces were responsible for what had been happening in Kashmir, particularly since June 11. This didn't happen. What happened was to the contrary.
If reports from New Delhi are any indication, then it can be authoritatively said that there is consensus among most of the members of the delegation that one of the major causes that led to the rise of a new situation in Kashmir was the manner in which the Chief Minister handled the situation. There appears also consensus among them that the Chief Minister had failed to deliver on any front, thus enabling the desperate and marginalized separatists like Geelani, Mirwaiz and Yasin Malik to took advantage of the situation and again come to the center-stage. In fact, most of the members of the delegation have held the Chief Minister responsible for most of the troubles New Delhi has been facing in Kashmir since June 20, when the separatists virtually established their control over everything in Kashmir and started playing their shots aimed at bleeding India and jeopardizing its paramount interests.
The extent of displeasure of most of the members of the delegation over the style of functioning could be gauged from the fact that they have "opposed Omar Abdullah's continuance." What they have said about Omar Abdullah and his style of function needs to be catalogued here to put things in perspective. According to reports from New Delhi, "the collective view of the members seems to be going against his style of governance and functioning." Earlier on September 13, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had censured Omar Abdullah in writing. It had said there was "governance deficit." It was a scathing attack. Had the Congress party not sharing power with the National Conference, the CCS would have surely recommended dismissal of the Omar Abdullah Government.
Anyway, the issue is not what the CCS said on September 13. The issue is what certain members of the delegation said about the Chief Minister. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj has reportedly described Omar Abdullah as an "escapist, who had no control over affairs in Kashmir." Her party colleague and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajy Sabha Arun Jaitley has said that no confidence-building measure will produce the desired results "unless the issue of governance" in the state is addressed. So much so, he reportedly told the Home Minister that 'it is a key to separate the separatists from the people."
What Swaraj and Jaitley said was significant. But what certain Congress leaders reportedly said was even more significant for the simple reason that the Congress is sharing power with the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir. According to reports, "the alliance partner Congress party both at Jammu as well as in Srinagar raised the issue of 'governance' and mishandling of the situation." However, what could be considered more embarrassing for the Chief Minister was the report that "even a top National Conference functionary, quoting police officials, confided here (in New Delhi) at a gathering of experts that 60 per cent deaths over the past three months were avoidable."
It was not only the BJP and the Congress leaders and the said National Conference functionary who have expressed their no confidence in the style of functioning of Omar Abdullah. Those who represented the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have also expressed almost identical views. For example, Mohan Singh of the SP has said: "He got the feeling that people were angry with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, which he believed has got transformed into an anti-India sentiment." Similarly, Narendra Kashyap of the BSP has asked the government to "invoke Article 355 and issue directions to the Omar Abdullah government to take specific measures to restore normalcy." They have not only censured Omar Abdullah and his government, but they have also suggested that the separatists must be dealt with sternly and urged the Centre not to touch the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. They have demanded "a status quo."
One may accuse the BJP and certain Congress leaders of adopting a biased attitude towards Omar Abdullah. But no such charge can be leveled against Mohan Singh and Narendra Kashyap because they belong to the parties that are known for their "minority appeasement policy." Their opinion could be legitimately considered as unbiased and objective for they have no axe to grind in Jammu and Kashmir.
This is the situation. It is obvious that that demand being put forth by the Chief Minister that the AFSPA be repealed or altered and similar other demands like the presence of the Army and paramilitary forces are political motivated aimed at deflecting the attention of the suffering people from the real issues of public import. It would be better if the Chief Minister stops talking against the AFSPA, the Army and paramilitary forces and focuses his attention on issues relating to governance. This would help him retrieve the ground he and his party have lost in the state. Besides, he would do well to stop describing Jammu and Kashmir as a political problem. He should remember New Delhi would not concede any demand that is designed to wreck the Indian State. He should also remember that it is always dangerous to interfere in matters relating to the defence of the country. He should know that tinkering with the AFSPA would simply mean tinkering with the Indian sovereignty. No country worth its salt ever allows anyone to do so. (Concluded) |
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