IndoCarib
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Prashant Bhushan will neither learn anything nor forget anything. When Anna Hazare's Lokpal movement had gathered steam in 2011, he had asked for a plebiscite in J&K to determine if the people of that state wanted to continue to be part of the Indian Union. His Gandhian mentor promptly pulled him up as did the entire political establishment. His latest statement calling for a referendum in the Valley to decide on deployment of the army has met a similar fate. In a rare display of unanimity, all parties, including his own AAP, rapped the activist-turned-politician hard on his knuckles.
This forced him to issue a clarification but one that has only added to the confusion. While stating that he had never doubted J&K's status as an integral unit of India, he also added that he wanted people to be consulted in case the army was used for reasons other than defending borders and preventing infiltration. This latter bit is pure mumbo-jumbo. The job of the armed forces is to guard the frontiers and also provide security to people who bear the brunt of Pakistan-backed terrorist activities in the Valley. No other reasons come into play.
Terror threats cannot be countered if security issues are turned into a game of political football or a popularity contest. These include relevance of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and the Disturbed Areas Act. In this regard, mainstream parties in the Valley also have to demonstrate more circumspection than they have done so far. Meanwhile, the army too should redouble its efforts to seek people's cooperation to combat terrorism and extremism.
The army has done this with admirable success in border areas and indeed even in other parts of J&K thanks to its many social and cultural schemes. But more needs to be done, particularly to counter allegations of human rights abuses. The positive response to its recent move to court martial six soldiers charged with staging a fake encounter should serve as an eye-opener. This is all the more significant given the latest rift in the separatists' ranks. Several constituents of the Hurriyat Conference have revolted against Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and his moderate allies allegedly for betraying the 'true aspirations' of Kashmiri people. The tide is clearly turning against separatists. People like Prashant Bhushan, whose party aspires to play a national role, shouldn't be allowed to stem it.
AAP leader's latest faux pas on Kashmir smacks of conceit, ignorance and worse - The Times of India
This forced him to issue a clarification but one that has only added to the confusion. While stating that he had never doubted J&K's status as an integral unit of India, he also added that he wanted people to be consulted in case the army was used for reasons other than defending borders and preventing infiltration. This latter bit is pure mumbo-jumbo. The job of the armed forces is to guard the frontiers and also provide security to people who bear the brunt of Pakistan-backed terrorist activities in the Valley. No other reasons come into play.
Terror threats cannot be countered if security issues are turned into a game of political football or a popularity contest. These include relevance of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and the Disturbed Areas Act. In this regard, mainstream parties in the Valley also have to demonstrate more circumspection than they have done so far. Meanwhile, the army too should redouble its efforts to seek people's cooperation to combat terrorism and extremism.
The army has done this with admirable success in border areas and indeed even in other parts of J&K thanks to its many social and cultural schemes. But more needs to be done, particularly to counter allegations of human rights abuses. The positive response to its recent move to court martial six soldiers charged with staging a fake encounter should serve as an eye-opener. This is all the more significant given the latest rift in the separatists' ranks. Several constituents of the Hurriyat Conference have revolted against Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and his moderate allies allegedly for betraying the 'true aspirations' of Kashmiri people. The tide is clearly turning against separatists. People like Prashant Bhushan, whose party aspires to play a national role, shouldn't be allowed to stem it.
AAP leader's latest faux pas on Kashmir smacks of conceit, ignorance and worse - The Times of India
