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| Elections & Kashmir issue two different things, says CM | | Complicating Situation | | Rustam
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, June 23: Kashmiri separatists are down and also virtually out. The reason: The people of Kashmir no longer pin faith in them. They want peace and tranquility. They want an environment that enables them to undertake economic and social activities without any fear. They also want good, fair, transparent, accountable, people-centric and humane administration. They have finally realized that the separatists have only exploited them for years only to further their personal agendas, amass wealth and lead a luxurious life. They have realized that the separatist leadership was never committing to what it had been saying since years. They also realized the demands ranging from Azadi to merger with Pakistan are unrealizable goals. But more than that, they have realized that Pakistan, which has been fomenting trouble in Kashmir since long, is a failed and rogue state and that it is just not in a position to de-link Kashmir from India.
The people of Kashmir, in addition, want to become part of the democratic processes, as they believe in participatory democracy. That's the reason they participated in the just-concluded election process with enthusiasm and in large numbers ignoring the militants' threats. Over 80 per cent people took part in the panchayat elections and demonstrated their faith in the system, notwithstanding some serious flaws in it, including the culture of nepotism and discrimination.
It was hoped that the Chief Minister would appreciate their participation in the election process and set the record straight by saying that the people of Kashmir want to be an integral part of India and that their participation was an indication that they do not consider Kashmir a disputed territory.
Unfortunately, however, the Chief Minister took a line similar to the one the PDP leadership has been pursuing ever since November 2002. The Chief Minister complicated the situation by saying that elections to the panchayats and the Kashmir issue are two different things and Kashmir needs a political solution. He made this unwarranted statement yesterday during his interaction with media persons. The Kashmiri separatists must have heaved a sigh of relief. For, the Chief Minister's statement was nothing but a vindication of the stand of the Kashmiri separatists.
The Chief Minister would do well to review his stand on the whole issue and take on those who want to communalize the Kashmir's situation and create instability in the state in general and Kashmir Valley in particular. Elections are the only exercise through which the people express their will. It is a fact and it needs to be recognized. It should also be acknowledged that politics of competitive communalism only create problems. |
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