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| BJP & PDP on different page on Geelani's passport issue | | | The latest issue that seems to have plagued
the BJP and the PDP, that share power in
Jammu and Kashmir, with differences relates to the issuance of passport to a senior separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
On one side, the PDP leadership is for issuance of valid travel documents to Geelani for the purpose of visiting Saudi Arabia to meet his ailing daughter.
In fact, the PDP Chief, Mehbooba Mufti, has said that the party leadership will plead Geelani's case before the Ministry of Home Affairs. Voices in support of Hurriyat Conference (G) leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani getting a passport to meet his ailing daughter in Saudi Arabia are getting stronger as the ruling Peoples' Democratic Party has said it would plead the case before Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India.
Several other mainstream leaders have also demanded that Geelani must be issued passport. Mehbooba Mufti has said that it is purely a humanitarian issue. She said PDP stand on the issue is clear that passport to Geelani must be issued as early as possible. However, the leadership of the state unit of the BJP is totally opposed to the idea of issuing passport to Geelani.
The BJP leadership in Jammu and Kashmir is of the view that Geelani should first of all acknowledge that he is an Indian and later announce that he will not carry out any anti-India activities. If he fulfills these two conditions the BJP leadership in Jammu and Kashmir will have no objection on the issuance of valid travel documents to Geelani.
However, Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the PMO has remained evasive on the demand for grant of passport to Geelani.
He has simply stated that there is mechanism in place. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) will take a call on the basis of whatever the facts. Government of India (GoI) and MEA will take a call depending on all the facts and figures, Dr Singh was commenting on Geelani's reported application for passport for travel to Saudi Arabia to meet his ailing daughter.
Dr Singh has said that the MEA will take into cognizance the issue and decide on it. When he said that he was not in a position to give a verdict on the issue itself indicated that Dr Singh preferred to remain evasive on the issue despite the fact that the PDP has made its stance clear. The state unit of the BJP wants Geelani to acknowledge that he is an Indian and "apologize" for his anti-national activities if he wants an Indian passport. Passport cannot be given to Geelani till he apologizes for the mistakes he has committed during the past 25 years. Passports are issued to Indian citizens and not the ones who don't believe in India and its democracy. If Geelani wants the passport, then he has to fall in the line and follow law of the land is the stand taken by the BJP.
Why the BJP is opposed to the issuance of passport to Geelani? The BJP has been forced to play the second fiddle to the PDP since March 1 when the coalition Government was formed in Jammu and Kashmir.
The BJP has lost its ground in the region of Jammu on the AIIMS issue. It has lost its ground on the issue of building an artificial lake on river Tawi.
It is a different issue if the lake project was abandoned because of objections raised by Pakistan under the Indus Water Treaty.
It is again a different issue of the project was not feasible. People in Jammu wanted the lake project through as it could create facilities for recreation.
Hence, the BJP does not want to lose whatever ground it had yet to lose by opposing its alliance partner, PDP, which is pleading for issuance of valid travel documents to Geelani.
There is no doubt that this time the demand for issuance of passport to Geelani is based on genuine factors as the senior separatist leader wants to meet his ailing daughter in Saudi Arabia.
If the Government of India and its intelligence agencies are sure that Geelani may not carry out any political activity during his brief sojourn in Saudi Arabia why should there be any hesitation or reluctance on the part of the Government in issuing the passport to him.
The leaders of the state unit of the BJP know that Geelani's demand for valid travel documents was based on humanitarian issue and the party leaders want the same issue to become a tool for infusing vigour in the BJP which has been ailing during the last three months.
The BJP does not want the nationalist forces to get demoralized and the anti-India elements to get encouraged if passport was issued to Geelani. |
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