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| Appeasement yeilds no results | | | Sushil Vakil | 9/4/2010 9:16:37 PM |
| It is apparently becoming clear that government of India has neither any clear policy nor intent to frame an effective policy regarding Kashmir. The policy of appeasement pursued by centre since last six decades has yielded no results due to which the people of India in general and Kashmiri Pandits in particular are suffering. The people of India are at the losing end as the tax paid by them is mostly spent on maintaining armed forces stationed in Kashmir or offering huge financial packages to Kashmiris fighting seccessionist war with India since last twenty years. The Kashmiri Pandits are also at the receiving end as they are forced to live as refugees in their own country under hostile conditions. The irony of the situation is that UPA government is still persisting the policy of appeasement by doling out huge bounties to keep Kashmiris in good humour instead of dealing the situation with a rough hand. There are no two opinions that Centre’s persistent misadventure is costing country on all counts-economically and militarily.
Under its appeasement policy the UPA government is sanctioning package after package to J&K but with out any outcome. Their is no authority to check whether the funds are put to meaningful use or are being missappropiated. There have been complaints that the funds released by government of India do either end up in the pockets of influential politicians or land into accounts of Islamic militants. The funds released by the centre for the completion of various projects are spent either on anti-India propaganda or on purchasing weapons by the outlaws. There has been hue and cry over militants withdrawing huge bills from the government departments after submitting fake work completion certificates. This was in the knowledge of politicians, government officials, local police and intelligence agencies but no one dared to protest. As there role is limited to restore confidence in people and not to disturb the appeasement agenda set in motion by Central officialdom.
By turning a blind eye to what happens and let it happen funds worth crores have landed into the hands of top most militants.
The latest package of around 4 Billion Rupees for the restoration and beautification of Dal Lake is one more attempt to wane away people from stone pelting and coming out on roads. It is ironical that while the people of Kashmir are engaged in stone pelting the Government of India officials are working out financial packages for projects in J and K. It is another matter that right now Kashmiris are interested in Azadi and not in enhanced financial packages, jobs for unemployed youth or the development of the state.
Unarguably, situation is grim in Kashmir as most of the people are on the roads, lanes and bylines protesting against killings and vouch facing for Azadi. The situation has been never like before as it is for the first time that children, young and old and men and women are holding anti-India protests and pelting stones on the police and the security forces. By this new type of agitation of stone pelting the terrorists have virtually brought valley to halt for the last two months. Apart from that they have succeeded to internationalise the issue which had otherwise reduced to a local affair. For all the present mess government of India is more responsible than the state administration. The UPA has time and again indicated that it lacks a transparent policy on Kashmir as it agreed to review withdrawal of security forces, reviving autonomy and repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act despite the fact that all was not well in Kashmir. The weak and soft policy has lead to ongoing unrest in the valley.
The latest kneejerk policies pursued by the UPA leaders have emboldened the separatist leader Ali Shah Geelani to his stand that India must consider Jammu and Kashmir issue as an international dispute, but refrained from repeating his ususal demands about implementation of UN resolutions and involvement of Pakistan in talks. The other preconditions are “demilitarisation to be monitored by some credible agency; Prime Minister to publicly assure and ensure that henceforth no killings or arrests shall take place”, unconditional release of youths and political prisoners before Eid and withdrawal of cases against them; revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Public Safety Act and punishing those responsible for killing of people during recent protests.
Apart from destruction to life and property the 80-day period of shutdowns and curfews in the valley has dented the economy of Jammu and Kashmir by a whopping Rs 21,000-crore as the separatist sponsored agitation has affected every sector including tourism, handicrafts and the nascent industries. Well, it is not loss to the state as it is fully compensated by Government of India. It is quite baffling that despite valley remaining shut for two months how the people mostly poor and below the poverty line manage food and daily neccessities to survive.
The lackadaisical policies and inept action by the earlier regimes had led to the exodus of more than four lakh Kashmiri Pandits from the valley in nintees under the threat of persecution by militants. The prevailing situation and soft action by UPA is likely to cause migration of more than 60,000 Sikhs as they too were facing acute harassment at the hands of Islamic radicals. Besides threats to minorities the fury of Kashmir’s stone pelters has left nearly 1500 police personnel injured in just eight weeks of turmoil. As they nurse their wounds, police officers and their men are under strict orders to exercise restraint. It is amazing that instead of working out measures that could set valley in order and protect the minorities UPA leaders are pumping in money.
There is definitely weakness in security apparatus, structures and institutions at different levels of governance. Indeed, if there is any factor that can hold India’s grip in Kashmir back is to give free hand to Army and outrightly reject the demand for withdrawal of security forces or repeal of AFSPA at this stage. Moreover, any new policy must reflect the Government’s vision and action which could restore peace and harmony in the valley-action or persuasion. |
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