Jammu, December 21
During the past 24 hours seven civilians, including three women, besides one People’s Democratic Party MLA were killed by militants, in three separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir. Apart from this attempts were made to attack security camps with rockets, which included the one near Tattoo ground in Srinagar.
During these two days various parts of the valley witnessed demonstrations in protest against the court verdict of sentencing three Kashmiris to death on charge of having conspired in the terrorist strike on the Parliament House on December 13 last year.
These incidents, according to security experts, are part of the Pakistani agenda to undo the gains the political and democratic process had achieved during the recently concluded Assembly election. Agencies across the border had been unnerved by the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s commitment to give a healing touch to the people in the state.
With each day the several steps taken by the government, especially those connected with providing jobs to the victims of militancy and relief in the power shedding, had become initial steps for removing people’s attention. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed attracted large crowds at public rallies and the line of callers at his residence or at his office started lengthening with each passing day.
Even the separatists in the state kept their fingers crossed and were trying to find ways for keeping their shops open. One official agency said, while referring to an intercepted message, that leaders of militant outfits, especially Lashkar-e-Toiba, had received fresh instructions to kick up violence. They have been told to strike against political leaders, especially those belonging to the ruling coalition, so that the government’s healing touch initiatives received a setback.
Though there was no massive people’s response to the protest rallies held in various parts of the valley against the court judgement sentencing three Kashmiris to death, the demonstrators clashed with the police and the paramilitary forces which resulted in the public anger against the government. The court verdict was exploited by the pro-Pak forces to sustain the level of peoples’ alienation.
Though the PDP circles are dismayed over the way a party legislator Mr Abdul Aziz Mir was killed by a militant at Pampore yesterday, they are not ready to consider it as a countdown for other PDP legislators and leaders.
According to these circles, even within one month of the coalition government the people have realised the difference between good and bad governance. They say that had not the people favourably responded to the poll manifesto of the PDP the party headed by the Mufti would not have secured 16 seats in the Kashmir valley.
A ministerial colleague of the Chief Minister said that the actual trend as far as the role of militants is concerned and the people’s support to the insurgents would be available after at least six months because by then the government may have covered much ground as far as healing touch is concerned.
He felt pained over the way the pro-Pak forces responded to the healing touch programme of the Mufti-attacking soft targets.
It is openly believed that the Pakistan-trained militants do not want the Mufti led government to settle down because of its people-friendly policies could isolate the rebels. Intelligence agencies do foresee a set-up in militancy related violence but are categorical in saying that the level of violence would be much lower than witnessed during the National Conference rule.
However, Chairman All Party Hurriyat Conference Prof Abdul Gani Bhat said “if one expects change in the security scenario with the change in the government one is mistaken. He said peace and normalcy are linked with the settlement of the Kashmir issue and unless this issue is addressed through dialogue you will find the state like a dog in a deep well”.
Another separatist leader said people were at one time, disenchanted with the six-year-long Central rule, between 1990 and 1996, but installation of a duly elected government did not result in the end of militancy. He said “in fact the suicide attacks were witnessed during the elected government,” indicating that neither the election nor the change of guard in the civil secretariat or Raj Bhavan would alter the security scenario.
People feel convinced that the key to the end of the ongoing turmoil was in the hands of Islamabad. Either diplomatic pressure or militancy measures were needed to force Islamabad to keep its hand off Kashmir.
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