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| Omar hijacks Mufti's agenda to regain his lost ground | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, Nov 23: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, seems to be adept in hijacking the agenda set by the PDP and the Kashmiri separatists. When the state cabinet decided in favour of the policy on the rehabilitation of those Kashmiri youths who had crossed over to Pakistan and occupied Kashmir between 1989 and end of 2009 it spoke volumes about Omar's art of hijacking the goals set by either the PDP or the Hurriyat Conference leadership.
About eight months ago Omar Abdullah embarked on the course of hijacking the PDP and the separatists' agenda on the withdrawal of troops and the AFSPA. At one stage Omar was seen trying to convince the centre over the positive points of the troops withdrawal and the repeal of the AFSPA that the senior functionaries of the Army and the Paramilitary forces had to step in for preventing the Government of India from conceding Omar's demand. Omar wanted to outstrip the separatists and the PDP leadership in the task of keeping people in good humour. But the anti incumbency factor came in the way of Omar's bid to conquer the hearts of people.
And in order to make up for the loss of his face, that he suffered because of inordinate delay on the part of the centre to allow AFSPA to be repealed, the Chief Minister piloted the plan of providing for the rehabilitation and surrender of those Kashmiri boys who had crossed over to Pakistan and occupied Kashmir for arms training. The idea was initially conceived by Mufti Mohd. Sayeed about five years. Even as Chief Minister he had mooted the idea after a large number of parents met him and pleaded for adopting an amnesty policy. And after he lost power the Mufti has been articulating firmly in favour of the rehabilitation of the boys who have pledged to join the national mainstream after they were allowed to return to their parent state.
Rightly or wrongly the Mufti earned appreciation and support from those several hundred parents whose wards have been craving for returning to Kashmir. And Omar is keen to see the Mufti losing this public support. In order to achieve this he has sought approval from the Government of India, especially the Union Home Ministry, for the adoption of the new surrender and rehabilitation policy.
Rehabilitation of these youths is definitely a human problem. But what guarantee Omar and his fellow travellers in the cabinet have on the good behaviour of those boys who are rehabilitated after they are allowed to return and surrender? There are misgivings in several political quarters on the plea that all those local youths who had surrendered from time to time had not fulfilled their pledge and commitment of severing links with militant outfits. Senior police officers admit that a large number of those boys, who had surrendered before the security forces in various areas of the Kashmir valley, had again been helping militants, some directly and others indirectly.
Apart from this the main question that has assumed added significance after the cabinet nod to the surrender and rehabilitation policy needs to be kept in sight before giving practical shape to the police. The question is. Will Islamabad allow thee Kashmiri boys to return to Jammu and Kashmir? At present the possibilities seem remote unless Delhi and Islamabad reach some agreement on the matter. Islamabad may think twice before agreeing to repartriate those boys to India because once it favoured repatriation it would confirm reports that Pakistan trained Kashmiri boys and others and after training were pushed into Jammu and Kashmir for indulging in subversive activities.
When years ago a senior Congress leader started making announcements regarding the opening of degree colleges and steel mills besides rail coach factory during a public rally in a tehsil headquarter one of his colleagues wanted to know what had prompted him to make such a claim that was not only tall but impossible to get implemented. The congress leader shot back "it is all for local consumption."
And one should not be blamed if Omar Abdullah is accused of playing "local consumption card" to regain the ground that he and his party had lost during the last two years. |
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