SYED ALI SAFVI
SRINAGAR, July 26: The “preparations” by the state government to release some of the detained separatist leaders and the recent demand of ruling National Conference (NC) for setting free political detenues have failed to impress separatist camp, and opposition.
The leaders in the separatist camp feel that government is not doing any favour to these detained leaders with the release as their arrest was unjustified and political victimization.
Even the opposition parties within the mainstream camp describe as ridiculous the demand by NC working committee to release the separatist. “Instead of making a demand , the ruling parties should have set them free without wasting any time,”said the opposition leaders.
Taking a dig at NC, both factions of Hurriyat Conference castigated the party and accused it of “using the mischievous tactics to further its political agenda”.
Terming the NC’s plea as “ironic”, Hurriyat Conference (M) said that innocent civilians were arrested on the instruction of the NC lead government.
Senior leader of state’s principle opposition, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said that it was an irony of things.
“I wonder whom they (NC leaders) are asking,” he said. “Either they (political detenues) do not have been arrested by them or they don’t know they have arrested people whom they should not have arrested.”
Pertinently, the crucial working committee meeting, which lasted for seven hours, of the ruling NC had demanded release of political detenues and also reiterated its demand for restoration of complete internal autonomy to the state.
Assailing the NC leadership, Hurriyat Conference (G) said that they had always used harmful tactics to achieve political mileage.
“Lakhs of Kashmiris have not sacrificed their lives for restoration of internal autonomy,” said acting general secretary of Hurriyat Conference (G), Masarat Alam in a statement issued to the press. “We ask United Nations Organisation (UNO) why India has given the liberty to strangulate the voices of dissent in the state,” he added.
Terming Track II diplomacy a “devil’s tactic”, he said that New Delhi was trying to “prolong its occupation” of Kashmir by employing such tactics.
Meanwhile, expressing discontent, mainstream political parties have accused the state government of failing to implement resolutions passed during all-party meeting here on July 12.
Talking to Kashmir Times, former minister and MLA Khansahib, Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen, said that government’s “callous approach” vis-à-vis implementation of the resolutions had added to the woes of people.
“Leave all resolutions aside, government has even failed to constitute an independent commission to probe the civilian killings.
Significantly, the all-party meet, convened by the chief minister, Omar Abdullah, to find a way out of the deepening political crisis in the valley, had decided to send an all-party delegation to meet Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, for initiating a political process in Kashmir. Moreover, the parties had also stressed the need for taking separatists on board by resuming the internal and external dialogue, besides calling for an independent inquiry into the killings of the civilians. The inquiry proposal was opposed by BJP delegation, but after much hue and cry, the state government had finally given its nod to the proposal.
PDP and JK National Panthers Party (JKNPP) had skipped the meeting. The PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti had termed the meeting as "futile exercise" and had even rejected an appeal by the prime minister and the chief minister to attend the meeting.
Yaseen said that there were also talks of carrying the peace process forward, but nothing was being done on ground.
“This goes to show that the government is not serious. If it (govt) continues with its callous approach I am afraid situation is going to get bad to worse,” he said.
He also criticized the government’s decision to impose Public Safety Act (PSA) on youth, stating that it could prove “counterproductive”.
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