India News Online » News Analysis » Indian Politics » 

Kashmir : PM proposes new blue-print

	February 27, 2006

The Prime Minister has called upon leaders from all sections and regions of Jammu and Kashmir to help build a new Jammu and Kashmir, symbolised by peace, prosperity and people’s power. Presiding over a round table conference on Kashmir in New Delhi on Feb. 25, Dr. Manmohan Singh said that the Government was willing to talk to anyone who eschewed violence. “We have initiated a political dialogue which goes outside the mainstream electoral system including from the All Party Hurriyat Conference”, he pointed out.



Dr Singh said without compromising on one’s ideals we can have a new chapter in Kashmir’s history in a spirit of mutual tolerance, understanding and accommodation.



“I am of course acutely aware that some of us do not think alike. The people of Leh and Kargil may have different ideas about the future from those living in Srinagar. Those in Kathua may think differently from residents of say Sopore. But that is the real strength of our democracy, which celebrates differences and does not smother them,” he said.



He promised good governance and comprehensive security to all citizens of the state so that the people of the state from Ladakh to Lakhanpur and from Kargil to Kathua feel secure in every sense of the word.



“I am sure we can realise the dreams of men, women and children of the state, ensure that all processes of governance are truly reflective of their concerns and create an environment in which all citizens can lead a life of dignity and self respect, free from fear of war, want and exploitation,” Dr Singh said.



Seeking partnerships to construct a ‘naya’ (new) Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, the Prime Minister said that those who did not participate in the round table meet will join once they see obvious merits in sharing ideas. He said, “We can reconcile our differences, if we are guided by this vision.



“I am also confident that others who are not here will eventually join us once they see the obvious merits in sharing ideas and working together.”



The Prime Minister made this veiled reference to the Hurriyat Conference and other separatist groups, who had spurned the offer of joining the round table conference.



Doing some plain speaking, Singh said, “Real empowerment, my friends, is not about slogans... We want the people of Jammu and Kashmir to be free from all fears about their future. It is only this sense of comprehensive security, within a framework of good governance that can really empower the people”.



The Prime Minister made it clear that people could feel “physically secure” only if violence and terrorism “ends permanently”. He stressed, “We have to ensure that those who have been displaced can return to their homes”. Emphasising that Jammu and Kashmir has been at the “top” of the government agenda, he said the economic revitalisation of the state has been a “priority area”.



Dr. Manmohan Singh termed as “unfortunate” incidents in the last few days in which innocent civilians have been casualties. “This was and is not the intention of the armed forces,” he said in an apparent reference to Handwara in North Kashmir, where the forces in a case of mistaken identity killed four youth.



“I was grieved by the incident and at the loss of innocent lives. I fully sympathise with the sentiments of the people who are hurt by this incident,” he said.



The Prime Minister said the Army has been asked to take “remedial measures” so that such incidents do not recur in future.



The round table, for the first time, brought political leaders and intellectuals of all the three regions of the state together.



During the meeting, nearly 60 representatives of political parties and intellectuals put forth their viewpoints on how to find a lasting peace in the state.



Founding member of JKLF Hashim Qureshi, who had hijacked an Indian Airlines aircraft to Lahore in 1971, was the only separatist face at the meeting.



Qureshi accused the Hurriyat Conference and JKLF of having double standards and said, “If they can talk to the Prime Minister privately, why do they shy away from an open dialogue.”



The meeting was attended by political leaders, including state Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, National Conference President Omar Abdullah, PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti, Union Minister Saifuddin Soz, Congress leader Karan Singh, state BJP chief Nirmal Singh, K Chawang (Ladakh), Agnishekar, MK Kaw and Ajay Charngu (Kashmiri pandit leaders).



The Prime Minister was assisted by Home Minister Shivraj Patil, National Security Advisor MK Narayanan, Home Secretary VK Duggal, Centre’s interlocutor on Kashmir NN Vohra and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister TKA Nair in the talks.



The process of declining the invitation was set rolling by firebrand pro-Pakistan Jamaat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani which was followed by JKLF Chief Yasin Malik and separatist leader Shabir Shah.



The Hurriyat Conference, while spurning the offer, termed the round table meet as against the ethos of triangular discussion which was being held by the conglomerate with India and Pakistan. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah did not attend the meeting as he dubbed the entire exercise a waste of time. Abdullah’s estranged brother-in-law and former Chief Minister GM Shah, who heads Awami National Conference, also stayed away from the talks.



Observers say that the United Jehad Council (UJC), a conglomerate of militant outfits based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was responsible for the separatist boycott of the round-table. The UJC is reported to have termed the round table a meaningless exercise and an attempt to fool world opinion on Kashmir.



Political and official circles have not missed the fact that the objection of the UJC - front for ISI’s extremist section - serves two purposes - one, derail the Indian initiative and warn separatists against violating its edict. Pakistan was not too happy with the round-table, for India had taken away the initiative from Islamabad.





Handhwara violence after killing of four boys in cross-fire



There were violent protests in the Kashmir Valley last week against the killing of four boys in an incident of firing in a village near Handhwara, in Kupwara district on Feb. 22. The police and the security forces said the incident took place when a search party of the Army was fired upon by the militants hiding in the village. A Defence spokesman in Srinagar said the Rashtriya Rifles had launched an operation to flush out hiding militants in the village. The militants opened fire on the troops while coming out of a house in which they were hiding. Four boys who were injured in the firing later succumbed to their injuries.



Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. Both factions of the Hurriyat Conference called a strike against alleged human rights violations in the valley. The protests turned violent at several places.



The Army has expressed regret over the killing of four civilians including children in the cordon and search operation. A senior Army officer at the Army Headquarters in New Delhi said, “It is a sad thing, and goes against our policy of keeping civilians out of harm’s way. We deeply regret what has happened.”



However, the Army said the militants, who launched an attack with grenade launchers, killed two of the civilians. Two soldiers were injured in the firing that occurred when the troops cordoned off a village in north Kashmir and were about to evacuate the villagers before taking on the militants holed up in a house. The firing by the militants led to an exchange of fire in which two more civilians were hit.