Weakness of NC reflects when Omar too sees some "more draconian" aspects in AFSPA
Daya Sagar Sharma
August 01, 2009
What have you been doing as a main stream party leader Omar Jee?
NC need own some responsibility for Kashmir turmoil & fractured social matrix
Where from the people raising anti India and pro Azadi slogans flock on the roads.
Weakness of NC reflects when Omar too sees some "more draconian" aspects in AFSPA
The Government of J&K in its affidavit filed on Thursday ( 23 July) in SC through Anis Surawardy was reported to have said : " it is significant to point out that due to the conduct of these officials, unrest in the entire State of J&K has been witnessed for quite long and only after the intervention by the High Court , the situation has come under control," A bail application had been filed in SC by two J&K Police officers accused in Shopian rape and murder case. But the same day Times India reported Omar Abdullah as having said that there was nothing to worry about any surge in mass protests in Valley since none of these protests ( recent ) had more than 60-70 people.
I happen to read the interactions of J&K PDP Chief Mehbooba ( 2nd week of July) and NC Chief Omar Abdullah ( 4rth week of July) had with Times Of India . There was surely some thing to look into "strategically" in what Mehbooba said . But the way Omar was reported regarding happenings in Kashmir Valley , it did not appear that thoughtful .Omar Abdullah opined that protests in Kashmir Valley are centered on local issues. As per Omar Abdullah one could pin the localized troubled areas in old town Sopore and Baramulla, down town Srinagar and Shopian where the NC cadres are inherently weak. This raises questions on claims of National Conference for being the Voice of Kashmir . Rather NC cadre strength failed to undo even "micro" level pressures ( in the words of Omar Abdullah ) over last 60 years. If Omar Abdullah is to be believed then where from the people raising anti India and pro Azadi slogans flock on roads. Happenings in Valley have been enough to make world community think otherwise. It appears that the advisors of Omar Abdullah do not have a view of the reportings & writings in local Kashmiri print media on incidents like Shopian protests.
I would quote here Omar Abdullah as he spoke to Times India ( report Sanjay Sekhri 24 July ). TOI:::>"What went wrong at Shopian" : Omar Abdullah "There were flaws in the way the information was fed up the chain of command and checks and balances were not properly used. But mistake I made was in answering a question on the basis of initial findings." Omar Abdullah did admit his mistake but held others responsible for the boil that the Kashmir Valley saw since 30th May. Omar Abdullah also said that the way the army arrested a Dhooru youth was clearly against standard operating procedure that no over ground worker or suspect can be summoned by the army. Was this also not a hurriedly made comment by Omar Abdullah? May be it is experience and commitment that lacked since Junior Abdullah so casually touched some sensitive issues. He claimed credit to NC cadres for recovery ( after 3 days ) of a Dhooru youth but contradicted his own observation when he said that had the boy not been recovered there would have been heavy protests. Omar Abdullah on the one hand informed that the protests in Kashmir Valley were isolated local events unduly precipitated and on the other hand he also said that he had learnt his lessons from that (Shopian) experience and applied them while dealing with subsequent law and order problems in Baramulla, Kupwara and Maisuma. How could the protest go so alarming for the law and order machinery when only 60 to 70 people participate. How the " localized" protests are joined by the businessmen, students, professors, doctors and advocates who some times even take it to Supreme Court of India? Omar Jee failed to answer.
These days, the main stream politicians like Omar in Kashmir valley often appear responding to anti India / anti security forces protests of separatists without firm commitment. The main stream leader may be found discarding the manner in which protests are made but do not objectively discard the anti India protests. National Conference has been the strongest votary of 1947 accession and has in the past thrown extreme challenges on those who raised questions on accession. But now National Conference anchors appear loosening since NC are often quoted asking Government of India to also talk to those who defy 1947 accession for solution to Kashmir problem.
Omar Abdullah admitted that Armed Forces Special Powers Act was very much required in 1989/90 due to the unusual situation that had developed then . All along it has been National Conference and Congress holding the majority in J&K Legislative Assembly upto 1989/90 .Rather NC need to own the responsibility for the turmoil and fractured social matrix that we have in J&K today. National Conference must introspect why it could not win the confidence of the common Kashmiri masses in favour of 1947 Accession. Power seat should not be NC´s priority.
This day the Kashmiri masses may not be enmass asking for Independence, undoing 1947 accession , many may not be raising anti India slogans. But is an admitted reality that the common peoplr also do not condemn or totally reject people who profess "separatist" ideology.
Weakness of National Conference reflects when it joins the separatists / PDP to question AFSPA . Omar Abdullah has claimed that in the interim Home minister has recognized the need to modify "more draconian" aspects ( of AFSPA), like the freedom to break into any property without the owner´s permission and any sort of warrant. The way Omar talked about presence of Army in the Kashmir Valley it appeared that the Indian Army has come to Kashmir Valley on its own and local circumstances did not call for. He did also make reference to the position of Danda Man on army trucks, but in what i context did he say so , I failed to understand. His words surely hint to the outside world and the common man (who is this day under the stresses and strains of confusions regarding constitutional status of J&K w.r.t India ) that army presence in the Valley was" foreign". Omar Abdullah conveyed that there are sections of people in Kashmir who have been seeing the security forces ( Indian ) as an army of occupation since 1947 and will continue to do so till end of time. This surely in a way reflects total failure of the so called main stream political parties.
When asked regarding the people´s trust in the institutions of governance he instead talked of low credibility of the Indian security forces that reflected in the way people react towards instances where an army vehicle hits a vehicle and some person is killed. The Chief Minister opined that there could be similar incidents , but only incident that triggers protest is where the army is involved .His telling that he was working with Center to reduce the presence of uniformed forces in civilian areas does raise questions on the credibility of army in the eyes of common innocent Kashmiri as well the outside world. On the other hand Omar said that militancy is down but not over, there are reports of exfiltration of boys from here going for training and many are ready on launch pads ACROSS THE LOC. He admitted that though "they" are not getting as many local recruits as they used to but they are still getting some. Omar accepted Hizbul Mujahidin as indigenous group capable of providing logistical support to L e T and other anti India groups. Under the conditions prevailing CM should have instead told the problems CENTER has in reducing army in civilian areas and also his own difficulties to win the confidence of the common people over the separatist campaigns.
It was nothing else than the young experience of Omar Abdullah that REFLECTED when he still tried to link the protests and demonstrations in Kashmir Valley with the unemployment among the youth and poor saleable quality professional trainings the job seekers had.
And on the internal front the Chief Minister concluded that Jammu feels persecuted by Kashmir , where as Ladakh feels persecuted by Jammu and Kashmir regions; and Kashmir feels persecuted by the rest of India. Serious issues that this day raise complications of international level are attempted disposal so casually. The interaction as reported in Times India appeared not more than a media favour to a political leader.
No doubt Mehbooba Mufti and Mufti Mohd Sayeed have also been able to strain the internal matrix of National Conference . And now PDP has made Omar Abdullah to land in a new play field ( very marshy ) on day one of the Budget session. In his own words it shall be a hard task for J&K Chief Minister to prove his self clean. True for such allegations legalities do not matter, it is social acceptance that matters. What have "you" been doing as a main stream party leader Omar Jee? Has National Conference started feeling absence of Dr. Farooq Abdullah ?. May be Chief Minister needs an active team of advisors and guides like Mustafa Kamal, Abdul Rahim Rather, Chowdhary Ramjan, M. Akhoon,Ajay Sadotra and some non political thinkers.
NC need own some responsibility for Kashmir turmoil & fractured social matrix
Where from the people raising anti India and pro Azadi slogans flock on the roads.
Weakness of NC reflects when Omar too sees some "more draconian" aspects in AFSPA
The Government of J&K in its affidavit filed on Thursday ( 23 July) in SC through Anis Surawardy was reported to have said : " it is significant to point out that due to the conduct of these officials, unrest in the entire State of J&K has been witnessed for quite long and only after the intervention by the High Court , the situation has come under control," A bail application had been filed in SC by two J&K Police officers accused in Shopian rape and murder case. But the same day Times India reported Omar Abdullah as having said that there was nothing to worry about any surge in mass protests in Valley since none of these protests ( recent ) had more than 60-70 people.
I happen to read the interactions of J&K PDP Chief Mehbooba ( 2nd week of July) and NC Chief Omar Abdullah ( 4rth week of July) had with Times Of India . There was surely some thing to look into "strategically" in what Mehbooba said . But the way Omar was reported regarding happenings in Kashmir Valley , it did not appear that thoughtful .Omar Abdullah opined that protests in Kashmir Valley are centered on local issues. As per Omar Abdullah one could pin the localized troubled areas in old town Sopore and Baramulla, down town Srinagar and Shopian where the NC cadres are inherently weak. This raises questions on claims of National Conference for being the Voice of Kashmir . Rather NC cadre strength failed to undo even "micro" level pressures ( in the words of Omar Abdullah ) over last 60 years. If Omar Abdullah is to be believed then where from the people raising anti India and pro Azadi slogans flock on roads. Happenings in Valley have been enough to make world community think otherwise. It appears that the advisors of Omar Abdullah do not have a view of the reportings & writings in local Kashmiri print media on incidents like Shopian protests.
I would quote here Omar Abdullah as he spoke to Times India ( report Sanjay Sekhri 24 July ). TOI:::>"What went wrong at Shopian" : Omar Abdullah "There were flaws in the way the information was fed up the chain of command and checks and balances were not properly used. But mistake I made was in answering a question on the basis of initial findings." Omar Abdullah did admit his mistake but held others responsible for the boil that the Kashmir Valley saw since 30th May. Omar Abdullah also said that the way the army arrested a Dhooru youth was clearly against standard operating procedure that no over ground worker or suspect can be summoned by the army. Was this also not a hurriedly made comment by Omar Abdullah? May be it is experience and commitment that lacked since Junior Abdullah so casually touched some sensitive issues. He claimed credit to NC cadres for recovery ( after 3 days ) of a Dhooru youth but contradicted his own observation when he said that had the boy not been recovered there would have been heavy protests. Omar Abdullah on the one hand informed that the protests in Kashmir Valley were isolated local events unduly precipitated and on the other hand he also said that he had learnt his lessons from that (Shopian) experience and applied them while dealing with subsequent law and order problems in Baramulla, Kupwara and Maisuma. How could the protest go so alarming for the law and order machinery when only 60 to 70 people participate. How the " localized" protests are joined by the businessmen, students, professors, doctors and advocates who some times even take it to Supreme Court of India? Omar Jee failed to answer.
These days, the main stream politicians like Omar in Kashmir valley often appear responding to anti India / anti security forces protests of separatists without firm commitment. The main stream leader may be found discarding the manner in which protests are made but do not objectively discard the anti India protests. National Conference has been the strongest votary of 1947 accession and has in the past thrown extreme challenges on those who raised questions on accession. But now National Conference anchors appear loosening since NC are often quoted asking Government of India to also talk to those who defy 1947 accession for solution to Kashmir problem.
Omar Abdullah admitted that Armed Forces Special Powers Act was very much required in 1989/90 due to the unusual situation that had developed then . All along it has been National Conference and Congress holding the majority in J&K Legislative Assembly upto 1989/90 .Rather NC need to own the responsibility for the turmoil and fractured social matrix that we have in J&K today. National Conference must introspect why it could not win the confidence of the common Kashmiri masses in favour of 1947 Accession. Power seat should not be NC´s priority.
This day the Kashmiri masses may not be enmass asking for Independence, undoing 1947 accession , many may not be raising anti India slogans. But is an admitted reality that the common peoplr also do not condemn or totally reject people who profess "separatist" ideology.
Weakness of National Conference reflects when it joins the separatists / PDP to question AFSPA . Omar Abdullah has claimed that in the interim Home minister has recognized the need to modify "more draconian" aspects ( of AFSPA), like the freedom to break into any property without the owner´s permission and any sort of warrant. The way Omar talked about presence of Army in the Kashmir Valley it appeared that the Indian Army has come to Kashmir Valley on its own and local circumstances did not call for. He did also make reference to the position of Danda Man on army trucks, but in what i context did he say so , I failed to understand. His words surely hint to the outside world and the common man (who is this day under the stresses and strains of confusions regarding constitutional status of J&K w.r.t India ) that army presence in the Valley was" foreign". Omar Abdullah conveyed that there are sections of people in Kashmir who have been seeing the security forces ( Indian ) as an army of occupation since 1947 and will continue to do so till end of time. This surely in a way reflects total failure of the so called main stream political parties.
When asked regarding the people´s trust in the institutions of governance he instead talked of low credibility of the Indian security forces that reflected in the way people react towards instances where an army vehicle hits a vehicle and some person is killed. The Chief Minister opined that there could be similar incidents , but only incident that triggers protest is where the army is involved .His telling that he was working with Center to reduce the presence of uniformed forces in civilian areas does raise questions on the credibility of army in the eyes of common innocent Kashmiri as well the outside world. On the other hand Omar said that militancy is down but not over, there are reports of exfiltration of boys from here going for training and many are ready on launch pads ACROSS THE LOC. He admitted that though "they" are not getting as many local recruits as they used to but they are still getting some. Omar accepted Hizbul Mujahidin as indigenous group capable of providing logistical support to L e T and other anti India groups. Under the conditions prevailing CM should have instead told the problems CENTER has in reducing army in civilian areas and also his own difficulties to win the confidence of the common people over the separatist campaigns.
It was nothing else than the young experience of Omar Abdullah that REFLECTED when he still tried to link the protests and demonstrations in Kashmir Valley with the unemployment among the youth and poor saleable quality professional trainings the job seekers had.
And on the internal front the Chief Minister concluded that Jammu feels persecuted by Kashmir , where as Ladakh feels persecuted by Jammu and Kashmir regions; and Kashmir feels persecuted by the rest of India. Serious issues that this day raise complications of international level are attempted disposal so casually. The interaction as reported in Times India appeared not more than a media favour to a political leader.
No doubt Mehbooba Mufti and Mufti Mohd Sayeed have also been able to strain the internal matrix of National Conference . And now PDP has made Omar Abdullah to land in a new play field ( very marshy ) on day one of the Budget session. In his own words it shall be a hard task for J&K Chief Minister to prove his self clean. True for such allegations legalities do not matter, it is social acceptance that matters. What have "you" been doing as a main stream party leader Omar Jee? Has National Conference started feeling absence of Dr. Farooq Abdullah ?. May be Chief Minister needs an active team of advisors and guides like Mustafa Kamal, Abdul Rahim Rather, Chowdhary Ramjan, M. Akhoon,Ajay Sadotra and some non political thinkers.
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