By Jay Bhagwan
Army officer Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz’s killing has been avenged for the nth-time. Two of his killers are said to be among the 12 militants killed in south Kashmir on the April Fool’s Day. Three army soldiers and four civilians also died in the exchange of fire at three encounter sites in south Kashmir. J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti promptly asked for resumption of talks with Pakistan even as that exporter of terror railed against the “brutal crackdown” on terrorists and civilians in our once-green Valley.
The injured and dead civilians were caught in the crossfire and sustained bullet and pellet injuries as hundreds with a death wish converged at the encounter sites in Shopian and Anantnag districts to throw stones at the Army and help the terrorists kill and escape. Major Leetl Gogoi’s genius to tie up a Kashmiri youth to the bonnet of his jeep seems not to have impressed the “people” one little bit. Young Kashmiris are not beyond taking risks to “protect” militants/terrorists. One reason could be that the militants are from the same milieu and had crossed over into Pakistan Occupied Kashmir to join the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Thoiba terror outfits.
And politicians strike when the iron is hot. In the Kashmir Valley that means when fierce encounters with terrorists take place and there are martyrs on both sides. So, it is not a big surprise that Mehbooba Mufti has called for resumption of talks with preaching Pakistan. The civilian deaths are reason enough. Without waiting for a lull in the heat of battle, Mehbooba Mufti said the Modi Government should, like the good old Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government, shake hands with Pakistan. Mufti’s party – the ‘PDP’ of the BJP-PDP ruling combine – has been asking for talks with Pakistan from right since the Modi government at the Centre resolved not to engage with Pakistan unless that country puts an end to cross-border terrorism and dismantles the terror-infrastructure in POK.
Pakistan on its part, has not taken steps to create conditions conducive for holding talks. But that doesn’t matter for separatist-outfits like the Hurriyat Conference, and the PDP is more than willing to overlook Pakistan’s involvement in terror incidents in Jammu & Kashmir. The BJP has been taking flak for being the “partner of a pro-Pakistan party” but it doesn’t seem to care. The so-called “nationalist party” has refused to snap ties with the PDP and walk out of the alliance. The reason was made clear the other day: The BJP congratulated itself for completing three years in government in the state and this when the Congress and the National Conference had predicted that the PDP-BJP government “will not last three days.”
The Tripura victory and the so-called saffronisation of the northeast apart, 2018 has not been good for the BJP. Completion of three years of rule in J&K is reason to celebrate. But that doesn’t mean the BJP can bend to pressure from PDP. Even if that means strained ties. BJP Minister of State in the PMO Jitender Kumar rejected Mufti’s call, saying the decision to resume dialogue with Islamabad is solely that of the Central government, and that the PDP has no say in it.
The BJP and the PDP have an ‘Agenda of Alliance (AOA)’. The PDP says the AOA was drawn up on the assurance that talks will be held with Pakistan ASAP. The BJP denies giving any such assurance. If there is any truth to the PDP’s claim then the BJP, which swears by ‘Akhand Bharat’, has undermined its “nationalist” credentials. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on record (made from the ramparts of Red Fort) that his government will wrest POK back from Pakistan come what may. Now that boast is ranked as one among the many ‘feku’ brags of PM Modi. For Modi and Shah to give up power in J&K is unthinkable.
The fact of the matter is Indian security forces have suffered heavy casualties in the Valley ever since the PDP-BJP government took charge of the disturbed state. The so-called ‘resistance’ of the Kashmiris hasn’t gone down. Relentless stone-throwing in the Valley and soldiers getting beheaded at the LOC have been the order. The ‘surgical strike’ and demonetization haven’t put a stop to terror strikes and terror-funding. Army and CRPF camps have been prime targets of the terrorists.
The state government has gone to the extent of lodging an FIR against a serving army officer while giving amnesty to stone-throwers. All the while, apart from making feeble noises, the BJP has not once reviewed its partnership with the PDP. The BJP can only cite the distance between Srinagar and New Delhi to ward off PDP’s demands to hold talks with Pakistan. No wonder, Mehbooba Mufti never tires of making demands to talk to Pakistan. In the Valley there is very little to differentiate between the establishment and the enemy. (IPA Service)
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