KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
Union Home Minister is in town after Kashmir lowered 47 young men and women in their graves. There are more than 3000 persons left injured since popular militant commander Burhan Wani was killed on July 08 evening in Kokernag area of South Kashmir.
Mass protests erupted in South Kashmir and spread to other parts of valley. It is 15 consecutive day that Kashmir is shut and government enforced curfew is in place.
After protests and killings didn’t stop, beleaguered J&K Government appealed “all shades of opinion”, which included separatist Hurriyat Conference as well, to help restore normalcy. Even BJP’s youth face and BCCI president, Anurag Thakur, from parliament appealed Hurriyat to control the deteriorating situation in Kashmir.
At a time when it is being felt that separatists have not taken any political step with regard to restoration of normalcy, Hurriyat patriarch Syed Ali Geelani, unlike 2010, dispatched letters to world bodies listing six pre-conditions for any forward movement.
In a statement Hurriyat Conference (g) issued on July 17, Geelani said, “we (Hurriyat Conference) believe a good beginning could be made to create an atmosphere conducive for peace and resolution if you use your good offices to urge India to take the following few (six) Confidence Building Measures (CBMs).”
The pre-conditions set by octogenarian leader included:
1 Accept the disputed nature of Jammu and Kashmir and announce the acceptance of the people’s Right to Self Determination.
2 Announce rapid demilitarization process of population centers.
3 Repeal draconian laws like AFSPA and Public Safety Act that facilitate the arbitrary and irresponsible behaviour of an already hostile army and that provides them with the legal immunity against heinous crimes like extra-judicial killings, rape, torture and arson committed against a defenceless local population.
4 Release all the political prisoners from prisons, detention centers and house arrest and restore their right to free political activity.
5 Allow UN Special Rapporteurs and all international human rights and humanitarian organisations to work in Jammu and Kashmir, so that the iron curtain of the occupation is lifted.
6 Announce and ensure free political space for all the parties to the disputed Jammu and Kashmir, particularly those advocating the Right to Self Determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Before flying to Kashmir, Rajnath Singh while responding to debate on Kashmir in Parliament on one hand said that his government stands by party ideologue AB Vajpayee’s slogan of ‘Insaaniyat, Jamhooriyat aur Kashmiriyat’, however, he did not stop blaming Pakistan for Kashmir uprising.
Rajnath Singh in his Parliament speech maintained that Kashmir was “its internal issue” but his predecessor, P Chidambaram, in a TV interview negated it saying “Kashmir was betrayed time and again”. He even advocated for “more autonomy” to the region.
In 2010, when Kashmir was shut for over four months, then UPA government sent a delegation of Parliamentarians who held talks with separatists followed by visits of three-member Interlocutors but no recommendation, whatsoever was discussed or implemented.
Today, when GoI is again extending appeals for peace and is expected to reach out to separatists, it is to be seen whether the pre-conditions set by Geelani will be taken in to consideration or not.
The post Eid-ul-Fitr Kashmir crisis saw divided separatist camp “coming together” during holy Ramzan. The it was “issued based” unity revolving around Sainik and Pandit colonies and New Industrial Policy but as the situation escalated post Eid, it issued its protest calendar which has now spanned to over 15 days.
It is second time that Union Home Minister flew to Kashmir to review the measures of security establishment. It was major highway attack in Saffron town Pampore which saw eight para-military CRPF men dead and scores injured that Rajnath Singh rushed to Srinagar and visited the spot as well.
Indian politicians are not sincere in resolving Kashmir issue. They only want land of Kashmir.