news details |
|
|
| Radha again becomes active, woos J&K legislators | | Delhi Meet On Kashmir -- I | | Rustam
JAMMU, Mar 12: Former Jammu and Kashmir interlocutor controversial Radha Kumar has once again became active in order to woo the Jammu and Kashmir legislators so that she and her supporters in and outside the Union Government are able to enable the fundamentalist and separatist forces to accomplish what they have seeking to accomplish since years. That she has been quite successful in wooing many a legislator could be seen from their participation in the two-day meet on Kashmir she organized in New Delhi on March 10 and 11. The meet on Kashmir was sponsored by the Delhi Study Group (DSG) which she herself heads. The theme under discussion was "Achieving Peace in Jammu and Kashmir: Options Today". It was not an ordinary meet. It was a meet in which not only legislators from Jammu and Kashmir participated, but a number of Members of Parliament belonging to different political parties, including Congress and NC, participated.
The prominent, among those who attended the meet included NC leader and Member Parliament Mehboob Beg, CPI-M leader and MLA Kulgam MY Tarigami, Engineer Rashid MLA Langet, BJP MLAs Ashok Khajuria, Jugal Kishore Sharma and Sukhnandan Choudhary, Panther Party MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia and legislators such as Shamima Firdous, Ajaz Jan, Nazir Ahmed Khan, Tsetan Namgyal, Chowdhary Mohammed Ramzan, Mir Saifullah, Rafiq Shah and Abdul Rashid Sheikh. At least eight MPs also attended the meet and they included PCC president Saifuddin Soz, H K Dua (nominated), Chandan Mitra (BJP), Mabel Rebello, Muhammed Shafi Uri (NC), Shashi Tharoor (Congress), Mahmud Madni and Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M).
Reports emanating from New Delhi suggested that "although the legislators belonging to different political parties of Jammu and Kashmir tried to stick to their stated positions on various issues concerning the state, but they broadly agreed to sit together and discuss a mechanism not only to address the problems related to the Centre-state but also the regional aspirations". Reports also suggested that the "legislators felt that the time is ripe to start talking about political resolution of Kashmir problem" and that "they also felt that there can be a combination of 'give-and-take' not only on Centre-state subjects but also those related to the regional and sub-regional problems of the state".
According to one report, "former interlocutor on J&K and head of the Group Radha Kumar said that there was a general impression in the conference that the three-pronged peace process should continue simultaneously and each track should support the other. Efforts should be made to give a fillip to Indo-Pak dialogue and talks with the Hurriyat Conference, it is also the right time to bring in the elected representatives into the picture, they further felt". The same report said: "Referring to the political session, she (Radha) said that a great positive was the readiness of different groups with diverse ideological backgrounds to start thinking about each other".
The meet on Kashmir, according to a report, not only discussed in detail the issues related to human rights violations, but also the issues of Armed Forces Special Powers Act and rehabilitation of former militants as well as the return and rehabilitation of the displaced Kashmiri Hindus, with "legislators from the Valley and Jammu region expressing divergent views". It was expected.
What did the legislators from Kashmir, including NC leader and Member Parliament Mehboob Beg, said during the meet? Beg reportedly said: "The Government of India has never considered Kashmir as an issue. It took them more than six decades to just acknowledge it as an issue. So I wonder how many more decades would it take them to resolve it. It was the former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee who acknowledged that until and unless Kashmir issue is resolved peace in subcontinent will be a distant dream…Peace in Kashmir is 'very much fragile' and even a small incident can 'spark off' the sentiment. Present calm can be a lull before a storm… The four-point formula mooted by the former Pakistan President General Parvez Musharraf, called Musharaff's formula, should be a launching pad to kick-start the process…Separatists are not coming on board as there is 'huge' trust deficit" between them and the Government of India.
MLA from Kulgam MY Tarigami, who also took part in the highly controversial meet, reportedly said: "It is good that some channels of communication with the J&K politicians have been opened. This will help us to clarify our positions on various issues…The entire exercise (meet on Kashmir) is positive. A new constitutional settlement is needed to resolve Kashmir issue and which should be made permanent…The new constitutional settlement should focus on granting substantial self-rule/autonomy and granting constitutional guarantees against its misuse in future".
MLA Engineer Rashid from Langate was also there in the meet. He said: "Peace cannot be established at the barrel of gun. Talks should be started with Pakistan and Delhi should develop a consensus on what they wanted to do and offer on Kashmir. Let BJP and Congress decide and see beyond the vote-bank politics…Pakistan cannot be ignored in any peace effort on Kashmir. Channels of communication should also be opened with militant groups and those lodged in jails…Bureaucrats and politicians should be made accountable".
Ashok Khajuria, Jugal Kishore Sharma and Balwant Singh Mankotia also spoke in the meeting. Khajuria reportedly said: "The entire gamut of the refugee issue should be one of the key issues while discussing the resolution of Kashmir issue…Complaints of regional discrimination against Jammu and Ladakh should also be addressed…Article 370 should be abrogated as it has only promoted separatist tendencies". Jugal Kishore said: "Not only the problem of displaced Kashmiri Hindus, but the problems of the 1947, 1965 and 1971 refugees should also be discussed and resolved to the satisfaction of these refugees…The plight of those displaced from the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir needs to be discussed and appropriate steps needed to be taken in this regard. The demand for the withdrawal of AFSPA will be vehemently opposed". As for Mankotia, he reportedly raised the issues of regional discrimination and highlighted the need to end discrimination with Jammu and Ladakh. (To be continued) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
