Chidambaram need to get away from the traditional failed carrot and stick policy in Kashmir

This is appropos to the Indian Home Minister, Mr. Chidambaram's statement made by him in upper house (Rajya Sabha) Parliament. Some people here in Kashmir seem to be pleased with the statement of Mr. Chidambaram wherein he has desired to find a solution of Kashmir problem with equity, justice and honour. However our friends just try to attend the only part of his statement wherein he seems to be soft but donot peruse upon those parts which run contrary to his above so called goodwill gesture. In the same statement he has said that situation demands firm action by security forces. He has commended upon the role of the security forces that they are acting with great restraint. He continues to harp upon Pakistan's role of fomenting civilian unrest in the valley and above all that his immediate priority is to restore peace in Kashmir. On viewing the whole of his statement it is clear that there is nothing new what Government of India is offering to Kashmiris even after spilling so much of blood, around 50 deaths in only less than two months, thousands of arrests and almost two months complete dawn to dusk strike.

He is continuing with the Indian policy of buying time as they have been doing for last six decades and more. In late forties and early fifties Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India used to say that let the war get over in Kashmir, he will then move over to conducting of plebscite in Kashmir. Then in last twenty years they have been seeking laying down of arms by the Kashmiri fighters as a prerequisite for talks. When they were sucessful for getting assembly elections conducted here they forgot to talk on any thing. It is not that they are doing so with us. They have been seen playing similarly with Pakistan to delay solution of this vexed problem which has made the life of 13 million people hell. First they used to say them to stop exporting terror in Jammu and Kashmir as if there was nothing indigenous in Kashmir and after 7/11 in Mumbai, Indians have made it a point not to discuss Kashmir until they will not handover Hafiz Sayed to them whether he is proven guilty or otherwise. They are not ready to listen to their own people like Arundhati Roy who just recently in an Interview with Aljazeera TV network said that 7/11 episode in Mumbai has happened due to number of grievances of Indian people like genocide in Gujarat, demolision of Babri Mosque and festering sore of Kashmir. She asked Government of India to refer to the telephone tapes wherein the militants have been reported to assign revenge on above acts as a reason of their attack on Mumbai in their phone calls with their associates.

His priority is to return peace and he wants security forces to act firmly whereas the demand of Kashmiris is that the peace protests can end only if Government of India will take some immediate measures like withdrawl of draconian laws like Armed Forces Special Powers Act, getting out of security personnel out of J & K State, release of all political prisoners including the young boys arrested during the last two months, punishing guility security personnel at least those who have committed murder of youth in last two months to start with and last but not least accept Kashmir as an international dispute as it is as per the resolutions of United Nations which have been accepted by both India and Pakistan. Where is the meeting point, how can things melt down, Home Minister has a priority to get law and order problem settled whereas we wish them to first address our issues.

Home Minister needs to understand that he cannot continue to insult the people of Kashmir by saying that this native uprising is Pakistan instigated problem. Rather people seem to be angry with Pakistan that she has kept mum at the time when Kashmiris blood is running high. He needs to understand that Kashmiris are not so cheap to give thier lives for some sops or instigation. He and for that matter Government of India including all opposition parties in the parliament need to understand that Kashmiris are fighting for their right to self determination for last six decades and have time and again proved that Kashmir cannot be bullied or bought or fatigued for their justified demand which both India and Pakistan have promised to them before the United Nations. We demand without wasting any further time, Goverment of India should take immediate steps as given hereinabove and also putforth by the Kashmiri leadership time and again. This carrot and stick method has failed time and again here in Kashmir and Government of India should take cue from the past so that things doesnot go astray any further in future.

By Hamid Nilnagi
haamidi2003@yahoo.co.in