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Kashmir: Another False Start?
by Zafarul-Islam Khan
NEW DELHI, April 9 (IslamOnline) - Almost a year after the government of India invited the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) to talks, and four months after the so-called "ceasefire", New Delhi has named deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, K.C. Pant, a former minister under Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, as the Indian interlocutor who will talk to all Kashmiri groups within India.
As with earlier "talk" offers, the APHC has not received any formal invitation so far.
Pant seems to be acceptable to the various Kashmiri groups who reportedly vetoed two earlier choices: B.G. Verghese, who secured eternal infamy for himself by giving clean chit to uniformed criminals in the Konanposhpura mass rape case of February 1991, and the outgoing defense minister, George Fernandes, whose revolutionary postures stand exposed after the tehelka.com exposé.
It is not known when, and if, Pant will start his mission in earnest. His appointment, on the eve of Jaswant Singh's Washington visit, maybe yet another attempt to ward off mounting international pressure on New Delhi to sort out the Kashmir tangle which has soured Indo-Pak relations all these years since Independence, and may lead to yet another war between the twin countries.
The much-touted "ceasefire" has not led to any tangible change on the ground in the Valley and other areas of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). Military and Kashmiri operations continue unabated, and the major sufferer is still the ordinary man.
From January 1st to April 6th a total of 701 people have lost their lives in J&K. Out of these, 270 were civilians, 294 were fighters and 137 were Indian security personnel.
Official and non-official estimates of the total lives lost in Kashmir since the uprising began in 1988 vary from 20,000 to 80,000, in addition to huge losses to property and economy.
It is not clear where the supposed negotiations, if they ever take place, will lead. Authorities still look at the Kashmiri uprising as a law and order problem which, they think, may be tackled by use of excessive force.
India still refuses to talk to Pakistan, which has gone out of its way to rein in outfits operating on its territory.
Indian policy in Kashmir may be described as mostly rudderless in political terms. A military response is sought to solve a fundamentally civilian and human rights issue. Even outgoing and current Indian army chiefs have aired doubts about the efficacy of this approach. It is time New Delhi formulated a clear-cut policy that would satisfy the majority of the people in the state of J&K.
No place for Muslims
A related recent development has clearly demonstrated why the majority in J&K are alienated. Discrimination against Muslims, documented and undocumented, is a fact of life in J&K as in other parts of the country.
Top bureaucratic and security posts are almost reserved for non-Muslims even in this Muslim majority area. J&K Muslims have long complained that there is a concerted effort to change the state's demography by settling non-Muslims in various parts of the state in violation of the provisions of the state's constitution.
Until recently, "pandits" (Kashmiri Hindus) monopolized bureaucratic posts in the state. This changed only after their emigration en masse from the Valley under debatable conditions. It is alleged that they were persuaded by Jagmohan, the then governor, of Turkmangate fame, to move out for a few weeks while he tackled "militancy" by means considered ineffective, like firing on civilian marchers and funeral processions.
These perceptions received a stimulus early this month when the Indian army in Kashmir published notices that "Muslims and tradesmen" need not apply for new low-rank posts. After an outcry, a further notice was issued which said the army was not bound to be "secular" in its recruitment policy.
According to Asian Age (April 6) this arrogance was realized at some level and the second notice was hurriedly withdrawn from the offices of newspapers. Such tactics, however, embellished and eloquently defended, will not help winning Kashmiris' hearts and minds.
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