Advani unveils new J&K plan

By Harish Khare

NEW DELHI, AUG. 9. Arguing that the militancy in Jammu and Kashmir was a special case of state-sponsored terrorism and that there were bound to be ups and downs in the battle against Pakistan's proxy war, the Union Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, today sought the ``support and cooperation'' of all political parties as he unveiled (in both the Houses of Parliament) the Centre's new plan to meet the terrorists' challenge in the State.

Mr. Advani made identical statements on the ``recent killings in Jammu and Kashmir'' in the two Houses and later responded to the discussion and criticism of the Vajpayee Government's handling of the situation in the troubled State. However, the Opposition parties remained unimpressed with the Minister's arguments and staged protest walkouts in both the Houses. For good measure, demands were made for Mr. Advani's resignation.

The burden of the Minister's remarks was that the recent spurt in the terrorist attacks should be seen in an overall perspective, and that the militants were picking on ``soft'' civilian targets because they themselves were being hit hard by the security forces. He cited figures to support his claim that the militants indeed had been on the run and it was out of desperation that they were now targeting the civilian population.

As per Mr. Advani's analysis, the militants' renewed attacks were meant (a) to stretch and dispense the security forces to newer areas, thereby lessening the forces' presence from the Kashmir Valley; (b) to create a communal divide, with possible repercussions in and out of Jammu and Kashmir; (c) to force the minorities to flee from the State; and (d) to attract media attention. But Mr. Advani also assured the House that the Government was wise to the terrorist designs and would not allow ``the counter-insurgency grid to be thinned out''.

In his statement, Mr. Advani listed the steps of a new approach that was agreed upon on Wednesday in a high-level meeting. These include (1) the State Government's decision to declare as ``disturbed areas'' under the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990, the entire Jammu province; (2) the Unified Headquarters would ``initiate fresh tactics and modified dynamic deployments''; (3) special intelligence-driven security forces operations (English translation: a pro-active campaign against terrorists); (4) upgrading of Village Defence Committees; (5) enhanced security and patrolling at the Jammu railway station; and, (6) action against ``the overground supporters of the terrorists''.

During his intervention, Mr. Advani made three interesting points. In the Lok Sabha, to a demand from the BJP benches, he said the Government was not averse to re-examining the feasibility of a new anti-terrorist law, on the lines of the lapsed TADA. In the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Advani said that though the Vajpayee Government had rejected the State Assembly's ``autonomy resolution'', it was open to suggestion from the Chief Minister as to what additional powers he would want for the welfare of the people. And, third, Mr. Advani rejected Gen. Pervez Musharraf's comparison of the militants' activities with the Mukti Bahini; he pointed out that the Mukti Bahini never indulged in terrorism and had the overwhelming support of the entire population in the erstwhile East Bengal.

Mr. Advani had a difficult time in both the Houses, though he managed to stand his ground against sustained attacks from the Opposition.

He was painfully reminded of his many previous statements (in and out of Government) of tough intentions, and his Ministry's inability to meet those standards. A somewhat self-assured Mr. Advani acknowledged that he was painfully aware of those previous statements.

At the end of the day, the Government can have the satisfaction of expression of support from the two Houses in the battle against terrorism, but despite Mr. Advani's efforts it failed to overcome the cumulative political embarrassment of a ``failed Agra'' and the unequal response to the militants' overheated violence.

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