SYED ALI SAFVI
SRINAGAR, Dec 31: The year 2010 will be remembered for a host of reasons. From umpteen protest calendars to killing of 112 innocent civilians in police and CRPF action; from internal bickering in Congress to verbal spats between National Conference (NC) and Congress leaders; from the separatist-sponsored 'Chalo' calls to Ahad Jan throwing a shoe at chief minster; the year 2010 can be best summed up as the year of sensation, bloodbath, and lots of political drama.
Let's recall here some of the events that hogged the headlines for the most part of this year.
Tufail Mattoo's killing and its aftermath:
On June 11, 2010 a 17-year-old boy Tufail Ahmad Matoo of Saidakadal died after he was hit by a teargas shell fired by police at Ghani stadium in Rajouri Kadal. Tufail, a class 12 student, was coming back from his tuition. His killing sparked off a wave of violent protests across the length and breadth of the valley. Thousands of people took to streets and demanded stern action against Tufail's killers. The protestors were showered with tear gas canisters and rubber bullets.
In the wake of violent protests and clashes between protestors and forces, the government functioning remained only for namesake. In the absence of functioning government institutions and regulations, the valley was virtually turned into killing field where police and paramilitary CRPF men were calling the shots on the battered streets of Kashmir.
Even after daily killings of civilians, the protests didn't die down and continued till September.
When situation in the valley continued to worsen with more civilian killings in police and CRPF firing, most of the ministers shifted their base either to Jammu or New Delhi. Even the media-savvy chief minister, Omar Abdullah, could hardly be seen on television or newspapers. Moreover, when the entire valley was reeling under an unprecedented political unrest, he was holidaying with his family in Gulmarg, besides occasionally traveling to New Delhi.
A horrific killing spree - starting from the killing of Tufail Mattoo to the killings of four civilians at Palhalan on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad Highway on September 13 - saw 112 civilians being mercilessly killed in police and CRPF action. Not to talk about hundreds of those civilians who were seriously injured in police firing.
It was only in late September that things started to change a bit in favour of the coalition government, headed by the beleaguered chief minister, Omar Abdullah.
Army conducts flag march:
As Kashmir continued to boil, the struggling chief minister decided to called in the Army. On July 7, six years after Army was withdrawn from Srinagar, Army conducted flag marches through curfew-bound Srinagar in a bid to restore law and order. New Delhi also sent Home Secretary GK Pillai to review the situation in the valley.
Omar's decision for reinforcement to restore order in the grief-stricken valley of Kashmir was castigated by mainstream leaders, separatists, human rights activists, and political analysts, asserting that such a move would add more fuel to a raging fire in the valley.
Pertinently, about 2000 central paramilitary troops were deployed in the valley. As many as 32 companies, which comprises over 3000 personnel, were deployed in 10 most sensitive districts of the valley to strangulate the voice of dissent.
'Quit Jammu and Kashmir campaign':
Sixty four years after the founder of National Conference (NC), Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, had given the call of "Quit Kashmir" against Maharaja Hari Singh, on June 24 Syed Ali Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference called for "Quit Jammu Kashmir" campaign, and raised the pitch of separatist rhetoric.
Senior Hurriyat Conference (G) leader, Masrat Alam, announced in a press conference that the amalgam had decided to launch the campaign against the "growing atrocities of Indian troops" in the state.
"Go India Go Back will be the slogan during the entire campaign," he had said.
As part of the 'Quit Jammu and Kashmir campaign', the Hurriyat (G) started to give protest calendars, which were keenly followed by the people so much so that they were even hanged on the walls of almost every house in the valley.
The slogan 'Go India go back' was written on almost every street and wall, in Kashmir.
All-party parliamentary delegation visits Kashmir:
A 40-member strong all-party parliamentary delegation, led by Home Minister P. Chidambaram, visited Kashmir on September 20 on a two-day visit to assess the ground situation in the conflict-ridden valley of Kashmir.
Although the major separatist leaders - Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Yasin Malik - had decided against meeting the delegation, some members of the delegation dropped at their door steps.
PDP patron, Mufti Sayeed and PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti, were the only ones who stayed away from the delegation.
Earlier, chief minister, Omar Abdullah, had convened an all-party meeting to find a way out of the deepening political crisis in the valley. The state's principal opposition, PDP, preferred to stay away from the meeting even after Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, personally urging the PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti, to attend the meeting.
The year end saw more delegations from New Delhi comprising politicians, members of civil society, visiting the valley to pave way for a sustained process for restoring peace and dialogue in the state.
Appointment of interlocutors:
Woken up to the ground realities and deteriorating law and order in the valley, New Delhi appointed three interlocutors on October 13, for helping restart dialogue process in strife-torn state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Immediately after the appointment of interlocutors, New Delhi received a major set back as separatist leaders out right rejected the decision and termed it as a "futile exercise". Even some mainstream parties, including BJP, CPI-M, JKNPP, NC, sounded skeptical of non-political team of interlocutors.
After concluding their first visit to Kashmir on October 27, the panel of interlocutors called for immediate and unconditional release of all incarcerated separatist leaders and youths arrested for stone pelting and also hinted at the scope of amending the Indian constitution to resolve over six-decade old Kashmir imbroglio.
Ever since their appointment, the interlocutors have visited the valley twice and are yet to take separatists on board.
Frictions in NC-Cong coalition:
The year 2010 saw a series of verbal spats between senior Congress and NC leaders.
It all started when NC president and union minister, Farooq Abdullah, targeted bete-noire PDP for attacking NC and not Congress over the issue of Indus Water Treaty (IWT).
"Why does not Mufti Mohammad Sayeed or PDP point fingers towards Congress. It was PDP leadership which backed Nehru ji to sign the treaty while Sheikh Sahib was put behind the bars," Farooq had said during Gram Sabha rally on Mar 13, 2010.
Farooq's statement had not gone down well with Congress leaders, who were annoyed with senior Abdullah's "unacceptable" statement.
If Farooq's statement was not enough to upset the NC-Congress bonhomie, soon his brother and MLA Hazratbal, Dr Mustafa Kamal, and NC MP, Mehboob Beg, jumped on the band wagon, only to make the matters worse.
Miffed over NC leadership's assault on Congress, senior Congress leader and former minister, Abdul Gani Vakil, known for his PDP bashing, said the NC statements were unacceptable and against the spirit with which UPA chairperson and Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, had handed over the reins of power in Jammu and Kashmir to chief minister, Omar Abdullah.
Besides frictions in NC-Congress coalition, the year also witnessed internal bickering within Congress camp. Although the JKPCC tried its best to brush aside the internal bickering among rival groups in the party, but the animosity brewing in the party ranks manifested itself in several forms on several occasions.
Union minister for health, Ghulam Nabi Azad, during a four-day visit to the state, preferred to maintain silence on the issue.
Pertinently, union minister and Congress general secretary, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and JKPCC chief, Saif-ud-Din Soz had come face to face at Royal Spring Golf Course in April, but they did not even greet each other or exchange a single word.
The bitterness among rival groups in the party got augmented after Soz decided to welcome elder son of commander of government-backed gunmen and one time legislator, Kuka Parray, into the party fold.
Azad's loyalists, notably Abdul Gani Vakil, publicly castigated Soz through out the year. Vakil remained at loggerheads with Soz on different issues.
Sonia cancels Kashmir visit:
The UPA chairperson was scheduled to arrive in Kashmir on May 29 to lay foundation stone of the colony at Rakh Arath Bemina, however, she cancelled her visit and reportedly expressed displeasure over the state government's decision to rehabilitate Dal dwellers at Rakh Arath Bemina.
After Kashmir Times (KT) exposed the state government's blunder to build a colony for Dal dwellers on a wetland on May 24, Sonia sent the then minister of state in the Prime Minister's office and Congress in-charge for J&K, Prithviraj Chavan, on May 25 to undertake a spot inspection of the colony at Rakh Arath.
According to JKPCC insiders, Chavan had expressed discontent over the government decision to rehabilitate Dal dwellers at Rakh Arath, where almost all the plots inundated with flood water. After flying back to New Delhi, Chavan briefed Sonia about the situation, and she decided against laying foundation stone of the colony.
However, she kept her date with the people of Jammu where she inaugurated a tribal centre.
Pertinently, experts believe that Rakh Arath project would prove a disaster. They are of the opinion that construction of concrete structures is not technically viable at Rath Arath, covering thousands of kanals of wet land. However, without paying heed to the expert opinions, the government went ahead with the project.
Padma Shri Moma Kanna:
Former militant and notorious Ikhwani, Ghulam Mohammad Mir alias Moma Kana, 60, of central Kashmir's Budgam district was awarded Padma Shri by Government of India in January, triggering a controversy between PDP and NC over the recommendation of his name for the coveted award.
While the chief minister, Omar Abdullah, rejected to have recommended Kana's name, his father and NC president, Farooq Abdullah, admitted that he had recommended the former militant's name.
Mir defended his nomination, asserting that he had helped in "apprehending or neutralising around 5,000 militants in Kashmir".
"My were brother and nephew were killed in cold blood. My son was shot at. I have suffered a lot for the country," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment