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Kashmir : All eyes on change of Chief Minister

	October 10, 2005

While the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohd. Sayeed are reported to have conveyed to the party rank and file that the Congress is going to take over the Chief-Ministership next month, reports are still going around of the PDP wanting the Mufti to continue as Chief Minister, at least for another one year. Under the power-sharing deal between the Congress and the PDP, the Mufti has to make way for a Congress nominee for the Chief-Ministership at the beginning of November. Mufti Sayeed called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday, October 4, and made a detailed presentation on the state of affairs in Jammu and Kashmir under his stewardship.



While talking to newspersons after meeting the Prime Minister, the Mufti was evasive on the question whether he was demitting office next month. But to a question if his exit would in any way affect the peace process between India and Pakistan, Sayeed said, “whatever peace has been achieved in the state is because of the Common Minimum Programme of coalition partners.”



Asked about what were the other issues discussed with the Prime Minister, Sayeed said, “We discussed the peace process between India and Pakistan and the ongoing talks between the Centre and separatists in the state.”



Observers feel Sayeed is too seasoned a player to be defiant and hence he was using subtle methods to convince the Congress leadership to continue the arrangement that was working well. His supporters argue that political gains to individual parties were irrelevant in the face of larger national interest in regard to Kashmir. They say Sayeed had got a positive profile and had handled the State without any major mistake.



Ahead of Sayeed’s meeting with the Prime Minister, his daughter and MP, Mehbooba Mufti met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and is understood to have requested for continuation of her father as Chief Minister.



Mufti’s likely replacement, Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, is keeping a diplomatic silence, but his increased interest in the state indicates that he is readying himself for the top job.



The PDP is putting forth the “change in situation” and Mufti’s role to create conducive atmosphere for a peace process with separatists and Indo-Pak thaw” as their logic against change of guard. Sources reveal that a group of “influential political leaders and think-tanks” in New Delhi have already started convincing the Congress-led UPA to allow Mufti to continue.



The PCC, however, is adamant that the rotation should happen as per the agreement. The state Congress thinks that if Mufti is allowed to continue, it will dishearten the cadre and destroy the party, especially in Jammu where the BJP will take advantage of the disenchantment.



For the J & K Congress, Azad is the consensus choice. The PDP too is anticipating Azad as a major contender and has raised the fear of a “Jammu candidate” because he belongs to Doda. The aim is to generate a reaction in the Valley by creating an imaginary regional division between the Valley and the Muslim-dominated Doda. Though Doda falls in Jammu province, its Muslim population has close linguistic and cultural proximity with the Valley.



There are three more contenders for the Chief Minister’s post - former Bihar Governor Shafi Qureshi, PCC chief and Rural Development Minister Pirzada Mohd. Sayeed and Saifuddin Soz.





National Conference willing to support Congress



Another dimension to the matter has been added by National Conference leader and former Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah’s offer to share power with the Congress if it snaps ties with the PDP. Reacting to queries about a series of meetings between National Conference president Omar Abdullah and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, Dr. Abdullah told reporters in Jammu on Wednesday, October 5, that, “if the Congress so desires, I am ready to share power in the state with them.” Political observers say, Dr. Abdullah’s comments may cause worry in the PDP as he gave enough hints that the National Conference leadership is keen to forge an alliance with the Congress in the event of the latter snapping ties with the PDP.





No compromise with terror, PM



In the meantime, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that there is no question of any compromise with terror anywhere, be it Jammu and Kashmir or any other part of the country. Addressing a conference of Directors General of Police and Heads of Central Police organisations in New Delhi on Thursday, October 6, he proposed establishment of a police mission to give the police a new outlook, a new sense of purpose, and a new vision.



Acknowledging that police and security forces faced multi-dimensional challenges in different regions of the country, including Jammu and Kashmir, the North East and in a large swathe of the hinterland which was affected by the problem of Left wing extremism, Dr. Singh said several noteworthy steps by way of conflict resolution have been taken with regard to Jammu and Kashmir and the North East. “Notwithstanding these peace initiatives, the police and security machinery of the country cannot afford to lower their guard. No group or organisation can be allowed to take the law or the land in their own hands and indulge in violence,” he told the top police and intelligence officials of the country.



Army chief talks of decline in terrorist activities



The Army Chief, Gen. J.J. Singh, has said that there has been a perceptible decline in terrorist activities and infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir and the north east. Speaking to newspersons in Jaipur on October 7, he said the neighbouring countries are still carrying on with their attempts at infiltration, but the Indian Army, better equipped than ever before for fighting terrorism, has been making their efforts ineffective. Describing the efforts to improve relations between India and Pakistan as a step in the right direction, Gen. Singh expressed the hope that the confidence-building measures would bring positive results.





India debunks Pakistani report on J & K status



India has cleared doubts about any future status of Jammu and Kashmir, reaffirming that it was an integral part of India. The Ministry of External Affairs was responding to an interview by Pakistan Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, who said different options were being considered by India and Pakistan about the future of Kashmir.



MEA spokesman Navtej Sarna said, “There have been no discussions with Pakistan on changing the status of Jammu and Kashmir in any form.” Faisal said that under the joint control formula, Pakistan and India would jointly control J & K. He said that according to the second option being discussed, the Kashmiri nation would enjoy all financial, local government budget and other powers of a provincial government, while defence, currency and foreign affairs would be the joint responsibility of Pakistan and India. The third option is the devolution system. Under this arrangement, he added, the local government system is likely to be expanded in such a way that the Kashmiri people could get right to self-determination type powers.