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Kashmir : PM says no troop cut : Congress-PDP rift widens |
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With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh making it clear that there can be no immediate reduction of troops in Jammu and Kashmir, the rift between the Congress and the PDP, the two main constituents of the ruling coalition in the state, continues to widen.
In a letter to former Chief Minister and PDP patron, Mufti Mohd. Sayeed, the Prime Minister said that the time is not conducive for the withdrawal of troops from Jammu and Kashmir as intelligence inputs suggest, terrorists might strike in case such an action was taken. Dr. Manmohan Singh said that gradual pull out of troops can be undertaken, once the situation stabilises. The Prime Minister’s letter came in response to Mufti Sayeed’s March 5 communication asking for quashing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and vacation of civilian properties by security forces apart from withdrawal of troops from the state.
Sources said in the two and a half pages letter, the Prime Minister had told the Mufti the decision would be reviewed after the tourist season in summer in case the situation further stabilized.
Dr. Manmohan Singh said, the demand for the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act could be considered simultaneously with gradual pullout of troops from the valley.
Regarding the third demand of the PDP for the vacation of orchards, agriculture land and public properties under the occupation of the security forces, Dr Manmohan Singh said Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has sent a report that the process of vacating such properties has already been initiated in the state. The process would be followed vigorously, the Prime Minister said in the letter.
The Prime Minister reportedly appreciated the previous regime of the Mufti and the present government of Azad for taking effective steps to improve the militancy related situation in the state. The security scenario has improved considerably due to the steps taken by the coalition government in the state.
Sources said the Prime Minister, while appreciating the concern of the Mufti, has said he himself did not relish presence of troops in civilian areas, but this was necessary in J&K to protect innocent people from becoming the target of terrorists.
The PDP has not reacted officially to the Prime Minister’s letter, but sources say that the Mufti is likely to convene a meeting of senior leaders of the party to deliberate over the issue. Some PDP leaders felt that the Prime Minister’s reply was very positive, but some others in the party did not like the way the party’s demand for troop cut had been rejected.
In a related development, Cabinet Ministers of the PDP attended a meeting of the state cabinet convened on March 13 to review the situation arising out of the unprecedented snowfall, rain and landslides in the state. Earlier, PDP Ministers had boycotted two cabinet meetings convened by the Chief Minister.
There are reports that the Congress high command has given a clear indication to State Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad that the party is ready to walk the extra mile to keep the coalition with the PDP intact. Congress sources believe that even if the PDP pulls out of the alliance, the latter will not vote against it. Among the options available to the Congress is running a minority government.t However, both party president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are reportedly of the view that the PDP should not be pushed into a corner. “J & K is a very special case. At a time when the Prime Minister is trying to reach out even to the Hurriyat, how can we afford to alienate an ally,” said a senior party leader. The Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi have reportedly been working on tackling the rift for the last fortnight. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti had met Sonia Gandhi, the Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister in this connection.
A high level meeting of the Congress late on March 10 reportedly resolved to continue the alliance with the PDP and sort out irritants. The meeting attended by party president Sonia Gandhi, Dr. Manmohan Singh and state Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad reviewed the political situation in the state, especially the tension between the two coalition partners.
It felt the alliance “must be made to work,’’ said the participants. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee joined them later.
The tensions, the meeting noted, manifested in the PDP’s demand for withdrawal of the Army in the State and aggravated by Azad’s “needless’’ counsel to those making this demand to first forego security given to them.
According to the participants, two basic points were made.
One, that the ruling coalition was the best political option for the State but the desire for continuing the alliance should not be viewed as weakness.
The second was that a tie-up with the National Conference would not work. The possibility of a tie-up between these two parties is understood to have fuelled the PDP’s suspicions about the survivability of the coalition. Though a section of the State Congress is open to the idea of exploring a tie-up with the National Conference, the meeting took note of the 1987 experience that proved disastrous for the State.
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