‘Don’t treat Kashmir as law and order issue, start dialogue with Hurriyat, Pakistan’
Opposition National Conference (NC) President and three-time chief minister Farooq Abdullah Monday presided over the meeting of the party’s 15-member Core Group that questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s handling of Kashmir issue through Army and urged New Delhi not to treat Kashmir as a law and order problem and start dialogue with all stakeholders.
The meeting attended by the Core Group members including NC Working President and former chief minister Omar Abdullah, General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar, senior leaders Mohammad Shafi (Uri), Abdur Rahim Rather, Chaudhary Muhammad Ramazan, Nasir Aslam Wani, Devender Singh Rana, Muhammad Akbar Lone, Sakina Ittoo, Javed Rana, Sajjad Kitchloo, Aga Syed Ruhullah, Khalid Najeeb Suharwardy, S S Salathia delved in the latest political situation in Kashmir and gruesome rights violations carried by the government forces including arrest spree of civilians and indiscriminate use of pellet guns.
Talking to Kashmir Post, NC General Secretary, Ali Muhammad Sagar said the meeting deliberated on the present situation in Kashmir and expressed concern over the recent statement of the Army chief, General Bipin Rawat of dealing sternly with those Kashmiris, who come out to protest during gunfight between troops and militants.
Rawat had said those Kashmiris would be considered as anti-national elements and that troops would go helter-skelter for them and their relentless operations against them would continue.
On February 18, protesting civilians from at least five villages in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district had hurled stones at troops who had cordoned off Urivan village for search operations, compelling them to turn back.
Sagar said the party leadership was unanimous in saying that NC always stands for peace and is opposed to violence but Kashmir issue was a reality and needed to be addressed sincerely and honestly.
He said the Core Group also took exception to the report of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that had been sent to National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and talks about controlling Masjids, madrassas, print and electronic media.
The NC General Secretary said the meeting also delved on the rejuvenation of militancy in south Kashmir.
He said the Core Group reiterated that despite meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Pranab Mukherjee, leaders of opposition in the Parliament, and making it clear to them that Kashmir is a political issue and not a law and order or security problem, New Delhi was once again dealing the issue as a law and order matter.
“We had made it clear to New Delhi that Kashmir is a political problem that needs a political solution and even during our meeting with the PM, Mr. Modi had accepted it,” Sagar said.
He said later, Yashwant Sinha and other civil society members had come to Kashmir and even the Hurriyat leadership had met them and they had taken the same feedback from Kashmir that the issue needs a political solution but at the end of the day there was no result.
The veteran NC leader said year 2016 had ended but the situation in year 2017 was again becoming restive with the government carrying mass arrests, conducting crackdowns, using excessive force including indiscriminate use of pellets guns, causing civilian casualties.
He said the Core Group called upon New Delhi to address the Kashmir issue politically and said that would be in the interest of both the State and India.
The NC General Secretary said the party calls upon New Delhi not to treat Kashmir as a law and order issue and engage in parleys with all the stakeholders on Kashmir including the Hurriyat leadership and the youth besides engaging in dialogue process with Islamabad.
Talking to Kashmir Post, one of the Core Group members said the meeting did not deliberate on the forthcoming parliamentary or local bodies’ polls as the members decided to meet again to discuss the strategy for the elections only after the government comes up with a notice about conducting the polls.
He said the NC President Farooq Abdullah passed instructions to the party leadership to connect with the people, not close their eyes to reality and convey it to the people, develop liaison with them, and make the party strong.
“The party was down even in the times of Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, the party was down even in my times but NC, being a peoples’ party, was back strongly,” the NC leader quoted Farooq as saying. “Gags won’t suppress us, and NC won’t succumb to pressures.”
The NC leader said the NC Working President and former chief minister Omar Abdullah briefed the party leadership about his visit to Boston, in the United States, where he, along with Indian, Pakistani and Kashmiri politicians and civil society activists discussed Kashmir issue at a panel at Harvard University.
“Kashmir is a big issue and it has to be addressed in the interest of South Asia,” he quoted Omar as saying.
The NC leader said Omar also asked for making the party strong urged the party leadership of highlighting the problems of the people.
“Our MLAs, MLCs, and incharge of constituencies should be the representatives of the people and highlight their issues,” he quoted the NC Working President as saying.
