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| Divided, ambivalent BJP messes up the issue | | Passport to traitor | | Early Times Report
Jammu, May 21: The application of Syed Ali Shah Geelani and his wife for issuance of passport to them has led to a controversy. It was the BJP spokesperson of Kashmir region, Khalid Jehangir, who on May 17 asked Pakistani agent Geelani to tender an apology for the crimes he committed against India during the past several years and declare that "he is an Indian" if he wanted passport to visit his daughter, who is based in Saudi Arabia. It was this nice and bold but unexpected intervention that triggered a major controversy. Khalid Jehangir deserves appreciation for the stand that he took. Even on Wednesday, he stuck to his original stand.
As for the PDP, which is leading the state government of which the BJP is a coalition partner, its stand on the issue is very clear. Party president Mehbooba Mufti, Education Minister and spokesman of the Government and the Cabinet Naeem Akhtar, newly-appointed chief spokesperson of the PDP Mehboob Beg, who is also former NC MP, and MP Tariq Hamid Karra all described the whole issue "humanitarian" and urged the Ministry of External affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs to issue passport to Geelani, saying it was his "fundamental right", that "India being a democratic country cannot deny passport to him" and to not grant passport to Geelani sahib would be a gross violation of human rights". The image of India would get dented and its position lowered in the eyes of the civilized international community in case passport was not issued to Geelani, they also said on Wednesday. NC working president and former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, CPI-M state secretary Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami and chief patron of Panthers Party Bhim Singh too took on those who opposed the application of Geelani on the ground he was a traitor and anti-national and he could not be issued passport unless he declared his allegiance to India and fulfilled all the qualifications and requirements.
Unfortunately, poor Khalid didn't get the support he needed from others in his own party. MoS in the PMO Jitendra Singh, who was here in Jammu on Tuesday, made a vague statement when asked to comment on the issue that had generated heat and the stand Khalid Jehangir took on it. He only said the Ministry of External Affairs would take the final call. He didn't utter a word against or in favour of what Khalid Jehangir said. BJP national spokesperson M J Akbar on Wednesday also took the same line. He, like Jitendra Singh, also left Khalid Jehangir in the lurch. He said case would be decided on merit. Mos in the Ministry of Home affairs Kiren Rijiju also didn't give a straight answer when asked to comment on the issue. He said the ministry had not yet received his application and that decision would be taken after taking into consideration the national security concerns.
The Early Times in its story "what will the BJP do now?" on Wednesday had suggested that the BJP-led NDA Government would go with the PDP and embarrass Khalid Jehangir. Reports emanating from New Delhi do suggest that the PDP had an upper hand and Khalid Jehangir in for a major embarrassment. What a paradox! Khalid Jehangir would be treated in Kashmir like a black sheep is treated in case passport was granted to Geelani. Jehangir will now think a hundred times before making any nationalist statement in Kashmir which has virtually become a republic within the Indian Republic. There is the possibility of the BJP high command directing Khalid to keep his mouth shut like "it has", according to insiders, "directed all the Jammu-based spokespersons to keep their mouth shut for three months" or ask him to discuss issues with Hina Bhat before issuing any nationalist statement.
It would not be out of place to mention here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had refrained from raising "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" slogan when he addressed the sole election rally in Srinagar during the 2014 Assembly elections". It was the first election rally where he didn't think it proper to raise the "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" slogan and the entire country had noted this mind-boggling deviation. |
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