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| Omar Abdullah playing the opposition's role | | | RUSTAM
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Aug 3: What Chief Minister Omar Abdullah says about the AFSPA, the CRPF and the Army is what the PDP has been saying after November 2, 2005 and the Kashmiri separatists and Pakistan have been saying since years, thus establishing that the Chief Minister and other Kashmiri leaders are sailing in the same boat or they are on the same page. In other words, the Chief Minister is going beyond the confines of his political and constitutional mandate and spoiling the Indian pitch in Kashmir.
True that in New Delhi, on Monday, the Chief Minister urged the Union Government to "augment" security forces in Kashmir, as also urged the authorities in New Delhi to send Rapid Action force so that he is able to tackle the situation. His argument was that "we are stretched" and "we need more forces to deal with the situation." But it should be remembered that took this complete U-turn under compulsion: His very chair is at stake. More disturbances in the Valley would compel New Delhi to intervene - New Delhi which has told Omar Abdullah in clear terms that he has enough of security forces at his disposal, that he has to reach out to the people; that he has to restore normality at any cost and that New Delhi will not deploy Army in the civilian areas of Kashmir to help him out.
True that the alarmed and shaken Omar Abdullah on Monday told media persons in New Delhi that the people of Kashmir have to abandon the path of confrontation and that his government would take action in case the people continue to indulge in violent activities, break curfew and attack public property, police stations, railways stations security forces and other symbols of the state. It's also true that he told media persons that the people of Kashmir have to end the "vicious cycle of violence" failing which they will have to face the consequences; that the curfew, when imposed, will be strictly enforced; that the police personnel are not "saints"; that restraint cannot be one-sided; it has to be on both sides; and that clashes with security forces and the police will lead to serious consequences. But it cannot be denied that the Chief Minister had to take this tough line under pressure from New Delhi and also because he wants to save his coveted chair.
That the Chief Minister, the PDP leadership and other Kashmiri separatists are on the same page can also be seen from three other glaring examples. One, he, like them, doesn't regard Jammu and Kashmir a settled issue. He, like them, says Jammu and Kashmir is a political problem. Two, he, like them, wants New Delhi to rehabilitate former militants, whose number is approximately 25,000, who had "served their jail sentences and are unemployed." His government says that the "majority of stone-throwers are those who have been former militants, now unemployed." Three, He, like them, wants New Delhi to work out a "comprehensive policy for those youths who are willing to return from the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir."
The Chief Minister has created serious difficulties for himself and his government by playing the role of opposition. It is this game of one-upmanship and competitive politics of communalism and separatism that has landed him into a serious trouble. The position is that even Srinagar, which used to be the NC's very strong and stable support-base, notwithstanding the fact that all the separatists have their offices in Srinagar, has revolted against him and his government. In other words, the NC's workers and cadres in Srinagar have left him in the lurch. That he has not been able to make the civil secretariat functional in Srinagar is an indication that the NC leadership has lost the confidence of its supporters and cadres. The possibility of the NC becoming a story of the past cannot be completely overlooked.
Everything is not lost. The Chief Minister can still retrieve the situation and he can do so by distancing himself and his government from such policies and formulations the PDP and other Kashmiri separatists have been advocating since long. To be more precise, he must act as Chief Minister; he must stop playing the role of opposition. (Concluded) |
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