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| Aspirations of K youth mean aspirations of all, suggests Omar | | Insulting Jammu & Ladakhi Youth | | Neha
Jammu, Feb 2: Political aspirations of Kashmiri youth mean the aspirations of the entire youth in Jammu and Kashmir State and, hence, it is time "for a political solution to Kashmir problem as advocated by majority of youth of the State in a survey conducted by a national agency recently". This is what Chief Minister Omar Abdullah yesterday suggested yesterday on the sidelines of State-level teachers' conference at Zorawar Singh Auditorium, University of Jammu. "The survey (conducted by the Delhi-based Institute for Research on India and International Studies on behalf of the Union Home Ministry in 2011) has pointed out the issues like good governance, (but) it has also highlighted that majority of the youth wanted political settlement to Kashmir problem…We are also working in that direction (the political solution to Kashmir problem), which was a good idea. The youth have asserted that they were strongly in favour of a political solution to Kashmir problem. The State Government was already in favour of the idea and had taken it up at various levels. We are working in that direction and would continue to do so. Political solution to the Kashmir problem (is) a healthy option," he, among other things, including the need to revoke AFSPA, reportedly said.
This shows that the Chief Minister has misrepresented the findings as contained in the survey report and sought to mislead the public opinion saying that the aspirations of the Kashmiri youth and the aspirations of the youth of Jammu and Ladakh are identical. Remember, the Chief Minister didn't tell media persons that the survey was conducted only in six districts of Kashmir, two each in North, South and Central Kashmir -- Baramulla, Bandipora, Srinagar, Budgam, Anantnag and Kulgam. The survey team did not visit any other place in the State, a fact the Chief Minister, along with former interlocutor Dileep Padgaonkar, Nidhi Razdan of NDTV 24X7 and the team head Professor Navnita Chadha Behera, himself acknowledged on January 29, when the survey was released at the India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi.
Which political aspirations the Chief Minister talked about and wanted the Government of India to appreciate and accommodate? He did not leave any one in any doubt. He unambiguously expressed himself in favour of "Azadi".
What did the survey suggest? Let me quote verbatim the relevant portion from the January 29 report from New Delhi. It read like this: "Interestingly, just 1% of the youth saw Kashmir problem's final solution in its 'merger with Pakistan' (slogan of pro-Pakistan groups headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani), 1% voted for J&K's 'merger with India' (slogan of BJP and other groups based in Jammu and Ladakh) and remarkable 54% voted for Azadi. However, results were again surprising when the youth were asked what exactly they meant by 'Azadi'. Giving conflicting interpretations, 20% of them said Azadi means 'political rights'. Only 11%, out of 54%, said that Azadi was 'freedom from India'. While as 8% defined it as 'sovereign state including Azad Kashmir' (read Pakistan-occupied-Jammu and Kashmir), 10% viewed it as 'a separate, independent State' (Only the Valley). 'Civic rights' was defined as Azadi by 14%, 'Withdrawal of Army' by 10%, 'Economic rights' by 3%, 'political and civil rights' by 4%, 'political and economic rights' by 2%, 'civic and economic rights' by 2%, 'Islamic Shariat' by 6% and 'partition of Kashmir' by the highest of 30%. Five per cent said that they did not want 'Azadi' and 2% refused to give any interpretation. Significantly, neither PDP's 'self-rule' nor National Conference's 'greater autonomy' had been flagged as an option by conductors of the survey. It was not clear whether the definition options were the creativity of the enumerators or these had been randomly given out by the youth".
The report is unambiguous and self-revealing and, hence, it is not necessary to reflect on what exactly this survey suggested. By saying that the youth of the State has expressed themselves in favour of "Azadi", Omar Abdullah has virtually caused an affront to the self-respect of the Jammu and Ladakhi youth known for its deep and unflinching faith in the unity and integrity of India. Will he withdraw his controversial statement to apply balm to the hurt feelings of the Jammu and Ladakhi youth? And, will the already decaying and under-severe-attack Congress clear its position on what the Chief Minister said in the University of Jammu, the house of learning? |
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