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Current Issue: July 2009

Designs Of Separatists Sinister

The Omar Abdullah-led National Conference-Congress coalition government's plan to initiate people-friendly developmental measures has come under stress because of the agitation for the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), writes long time Kashmir watcher M L Kak

The 39-year-young Chief Minister Omar Abdullah-led government had assumed office in the first week of January with the promise of bringing about radical changes in the development scenario in the state. To start with, it did frame its priorities, covering industrial growth, steps to resolve problem of unemployment, electricity and drinking water shortage and improve medicare facilities.

However, something or the other has been coming on the way. First, the five-phased Lok Sabha election stopped it from making policy announcements and changes practically for two months.

But lately, the state government's plans to initiate people-friendly measures again have come under stress because of the 'Intifada (peaceful resistance) agitation launched by the separatists Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the opposition PDP intensifying its campaign for demilitarisation and repeal of the Armed Forces (Special powers) Act (AFSPA).

From the first week of June, the controversial AFSPA has snowballed into a major controversy much to the embarrassment of the state government, which wants to focus on developments. The PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti has alleged that the National Conference-Congress coalition government has pushed the state back to the dark days. Pointing towards the Act, often also a bone of contention between civil and military officials, she said that the state government is "compromising" on the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Protesting against "excessive use of forces against un-armed protestors", her party has been holding statewide rallies demanding what they say, "demilitarisation" of the state.

Things have turned worse for the state government as the PDP campaign line has only boosted the spirit of separatists like Geelani, who too is now clamouring hard for the repeal of the AFSPA and reducing of central forces. Adding to the woes for the newly installed regime led by a young Chief Minister, Geelani and other separatists have raised the bogey of

army excesses and custodial deaths of civilians.

In this context, Geelani has said that a comprehensive programme for taking the freedom movement to its logical conclusion "will be worked out shortly."

In short, the state government has problems to handle. While there is no much gainsaying to suggest that a thin border line divides the positions of PDP and separatists on these vexed issues, even as one can make out that the PDP, which has not succeeded in its mission to

share power with the Congress after the 2008 Assembly election, plans to make life really tough for the NCCongress ruling coalition.

Apparently, the PDP leadership seems to be of the opinion that growing failure of the NC-Congress ruling coalition may, sooner or later, force the Congress high command to revert to the 2002 experiment when the Congress shared power with the PDP; and such thinking has come to stay not without good reasons.

In clear indications that more trouble areas could open for the Omar Abdullah regime, senior APHC leader Prof Abdul Gani Bhat has said that the recent Assembly and Lok Sabha elections have once again established that polls can never ensure peace. "Unrest in the valley will continue till the main Kashmir issue was settled," he has said suggesting certain ominous contours.

All these combine towards the crucial debate, what really the state government should do - on priority basis - so that the developmental activities can be given the necessary push.

Analysts say that it could be possibly better for the state government to experiment with partial withdrawal of troops from those civilian areas where the graph of militancy related activities had taken a downward curve.

Some are going a step further and suggesting that they could also "experiment" with the repeal of the AFSPA as there were other laws that could be used during search operations.

In fact, police officials have also suggested that withdrawal of forces should not be viewed in larger than life concept. When school buildings, orchards and agricultural lands were vacated sometime back, quite contrary to the apprehensions nothing unusual happened. Moreover, as a police official pointed out that withdrawal of forces did not automatically imply sending them out of Kashmir as they could be retained within the state in barracks. The pressure on the Omar Abdullah regime is perceptible, more so, as the militancy has seen somewhat a nosedive. If the government further delayed demilitarisation and the repeal of the

AFSPA, it could only give a handle to the separatists and the opposition PDP to keep the cauldron of conflict in Kashmir boiling.

As far as the withdrawal of troops and the repeal of the AFSPA are concerned, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, during his visit to Kashmir, said, "we will prefer baby steps and watch the situation for a few months." He has not said "NO" to the issue of repeal of the AFSPA, a request for which has come from the state Chief Minister also.

Known for his administrative acumen and making politically correct statement, the Home Minister has said that the matter would be discussed with the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister. This way, he is indicating the central government's willingness to at least review the issue of repeal of AFSPA and the overall demilitarisation in Kashmir. It's time to keep a watch on how things unfold in Jammu and Kashmir in the near future.

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