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| Omar: Remove all bunkers, withdraw CRPF from Kashmir, release all unruly elements | | STARK REALITY-I | | RUSTAM
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Oct 2: The Unified Headquarters (UH) meeting took place on September 29. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah chaired the meeting as chairman of the UH. It was expected that the UH would, at the behest of the Chief Minister, take some controversial decisions and it actually happened. The expectation had stemmed from the 8-point package, which was announced by the Union Home Minister on September 25. In fact, the package, which was rejected out-of-hand by the people of Jammu and Ladakh and Hindu refugees from Kashmir, refugees from Pakistan-occupied-Jammu and Kashmir and refugees from West Pakistan on the ground that the package was Kashmir-centric and separatist and militant-friendly, had directed the Chief Minister to convene at the earliest possible meeting of the UC to review the prevailing situation in Kashmir and take decisions on the controversial demands put forth by him.
The demands were ranged from revocation of or dilution in the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) to withdrawal of the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) to release of the booked stone-throwers and those booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) to removal of bunkers to reduction in the number of checkpoints to the reduction in the number of paramilitary force personnel in the Kashmir Valley, especially major towns, including Srinagar, to financial relief to the family members of the slain separatists and unruly elements and to what not. The Union Home Minister had provided the Chief Minister an opportunity to accomplish what he wanted to accomplish and the latter took no time in convening meeting of the UH.
However, it can be said that the Chief Minister did not exploit the opportunity to the extent he should have. He should have ensured the removal of all the security forces’ bunkers from the Kashmir Valley. But, it appears, he didn’t insist. The UH decided to remove only 16 bunkers. The Chief Minister should have put his foot down and directed the Army and the paramilitary CRPF to immediately remove all the bunkers from the entire Kashmir Valley so that the people of Kashmir could find what PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti calls “breathing space.” It is unfortunate that the Chief Minister frittered away the opportunity and disappointed those whom he wanted to mollify through confidence-building measures. It is obvious that this decision of the UH would not be taken kindly by the alienated people of Kashmir. They would certainly accuse the Chief Minister of resorting to double-speak or accuse him of saying one thing in public and doing exactly the opposite in official meetings. Had he forced the UH to remove all the bunkers in one go from the Kashmir Valley, he would have surely won over the alienated people of Kashmir and expanded his constituency. He would have also silenced his critics in Kashmir.
The Chief Minister should have also ensured the immediate release of all the stone-throwers and those booked under the draconian PSA, but the UH decided to release only 51 youth, including 31 students, who had been arrested after June 11. They should have been released unconditionally, but the UH decided to handover these stone-throwers to their parents on the “assurance of good conduct in future.” It was not good on the part of the Chief Minister and the UH to impose this condition. You cannot think in terms of taking confidence-building measures and, at the same time, imposing conditions. If you really want to conciliate the alienated people of Kashmir, you should take bold steps. Had the Chief released all the stone-throwers without imposing any condition whatever, the people would have surely hailed his action, saying here is a man who is so kind to those who attack the paramilitary force personnel and policemen, burn down police stations and public and private property, take the law of the land into their hands and organize and take part in the anti-India activities. He should rectify the mistake by releasing all the detained stone-throwers. He can do so without taking into confidence members of the UH because these stone-throwers were detained by the state police under the state laws. He is not just the Chief Minister. He is also the Home Minister. He has all the powers. He simply needs to use these powers. The sooner he uses his power the better.
Similarly, the Chief Minister should have ensured immediate release of all those booked under the PSA, but he didn’t do that. Instead, he and the UH decided to set up committees to “review the cases of those persons detained under the PSA.” The 8-point package had given the Chief Minister a blank cheque in this regard, but he did not en-cash it. Even otherwise, the Chief himself was competent to release those persons detained under the PSA because the PSA is a state legislation. Has he not committed a faux pas by taking to the UH those issues that are his sole preserve? He has committed a serious mistake. He believes in greater autonomy or he believes in a system that is outside the constitutional framework of India. Why, then, this mistake? He should take corrective measures. The best course for him would be to order the release of all the persons detained under the PSA. It hardly matters if they, after their release, again indulge in the anti-India and anti-state activities and instigate the common people to create disturbances in the Valley. After all, they are freedom fighters and the freedom fighters must enjoy the freedom to carry on their struggle. (To be continued) |
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