The Hindu : Needed: a free hand for Mufti Govt.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 03, 2002

Opinion

Opinion - News Analysis

Needed: a free hand for Mufti Govt.

By Shujaat Bukhari

The Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which invited attention from all over the world, enhanced the credibility of the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, in that he kept his word of conducting "free'' and fair elections", considered a remote possibility in the trouble-torn State. The elections, albeit without the participation of the separatist parties, opened a new window of opportunity with the new dispensation led by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed trying to provide a healing touch to the people. But hardly after a month, history started repeating itself with the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) playing spoilsport.

The attack on the Raghunath Temple in Jammu (the second this year) came handy for the BJP-led Government, which criticised the State Government for releasing moderate separatists from jail. Even as Mr. Advani and his party raised a hue and cry, the differences within the NDA came to the fore with the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, refusing to comment on the issue during his visit to the temple. The outburst of the National Conference, a BJP ally, was along expected lines. The release of political prisoners was listed in the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of the PDP-Congress coalition Government. And the Chief Minister rightly pointed out that political prisoners were not being released in the State for the first time — the previous Government had been doing this from the time it came to power.

Also, all those released have shunned violence for long. The JKLF chairman and Hurriyat executive member, Mohammad Yasin Malik, had announced a unilateral ceasefire in 1994 to join politics as part of his attempt to end the crisis in Kashmir. Showkat Bakhshi and Nazir Ahmed Sheikh, who had been jailed for 12 years, had transformed themselves into political activists. Altaf Fantoosh, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat and Mohammad Ayub Dar were also released by the courts.

What made the difference on the ground was the gesture of the Government towards the alienated masses not only in the political sphere but also in governance. Improved power supply, speedy relief for victims of militant activities and the setting up of an Accountability Commission all point to the Government's determination to go by the CMP and is destined to show positive results. By appointing Sudhir Singh Bloeria as the Chief Secretary, the Government has made it clear that appointments in the State administration, plagued by corruption and irregularities, would solely be on merit. The coalition Government has been in office for just a month and is yet to go through the expansion business and the shake-up in the administration. But its attempt to provide a healing touch to the people should not be frustrated for the benefit of a particular political party, in this case the BJP. Wholehearted support on both the political and the economic fronts is what the new Government needs. The release of moderate separatists can in no way be detrimental to the security of the State.

It is time New Delhi recognised the clear message from the elections that the people desire peace. There is a new atmosphere in Kashmir, even though militant violence and alienation among the people remain. A soft political approach will make the difference.

In the past, a number of initiatives were taken by New Delhi to address the problems in the State but they proved a damp squib as they lacked direction. The K.C. Pant mission, the unilateral ceasefire, talks with Hizb-ul Mujahideen commanders and the appointment of Arun Jaitley failed to make any headway. Only the "unofficial" Kashmir Committee was able to break the ice and was able to bring the Hurriyat Conference to the table. Any such process can yield positive results only when a free hand is given to the State Government to change the situation on the ground, not only militarily but also politically. This reality has been accepted by the Kashmir Committee's members as well.

If New Delhi's tainted image of thrusting "decisions and people" continues, it will be tantamount to slamming the doors on attempts to restore peace and reconciliation in the violence-ridden State.

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Needed: a free hand for Mufti Govt.