Adil Lateef
SRINAGAR, July 17: All India Congress Committee (AICC) today called upon Centre to hold an all-party meeting on Kashmir crisis and sought immediate medical help to the violence affected people.
Addressing a press conference here after interacting with selected leaders of the party, AICC general secretary, Ambika Soni, said her party believes that first thing that should have been done was to call an all party meeting in “which we deliberate to end the unnecessary and unfortunate violence and to restore the peace but that has not been done till now…. we want peace and calm should prevail”.
Soni blamed PDP-BJP alliance for the current spell of violence in Kashmir. “… Now we have our thinking and I personally think and I want to put it across that this happens when you fight elections on ideologies which are totally opposite to each other and then immediately, you come together to be in the Government then the people do resist…,” she said.
The AICC general secretary said that the people of the Valley have “not accepted” PDP-BJP coalition and the anger against these parties was simmering since over one year. “They fought elections against each other. It is quite obvious that people’s anger gets flared up and they think they are being befooled,” she said, and added that people have not accepted a party (BJP) against whom they have stood for decades.
“This anger simmers and one spark explodes it all and you have to go to the real anger. I feel the real anger is that the people have not accepted this coalition,” Soni said.
Asserting that Congress doesn’t want to politicize the ongoing violence and killings in Kashmir, the AICC general secretary demanded an all party meeting, medical aid to injured persons and use of non-lethal weapons against the protesters.
“Our day long interaction with Congress leaders from districts and blocks across the Valley has made us formulate three demands: first, we don’t want to politicize the violence which is there at the moment in the Valley. We want with all sincerity that each of one of us should contribute… in reducing the violence and bringing relief to all those who are affected”, said Soni.
She said:”That means we have asked for an all party meeting where then the issues can be discussed as whether enquiries are to be held, what would and how much time frame with the results… the issues which you are raising, our representatives in the party will raise those issues. We will have whatever has been taken up in time bound frame. So, our first demand is an all party meeting to immediately to reach out to the people.
The second thing, said Soni, is that “we want immediate medical help for all those who are still suffering in their homes and are unable to get to the hospitals”. “Even the planes which brought extra troops could have carried injured people back to other cities of the country where there are hospitals. So we want immediate medical help for all those who have been injured so that they can again resume their lives,” she said.
The AICC general secretary said that small kids have been blinded due to pellets fired by security forces and demanded that those weapons should be used that doesn’t have lasting effects. “There has been public demonstration of force… and the third thing is that we have also asked for what are the other means that can be used for quelling disturbances,” she said.
Soni said that there is shortage of medicines in hospitals and demanded air-lifting of critically injured persons. “Our people said there are no medicines, adequate space and doctors. Wasn’t it obligation of Government to air-lift these patients to Chandigarh, Amritsar and Delhi to send a message that the treatment of innocent victims of violence is our preference. It can be done even today even though this is late but ‘better late than never’. We will also make efforts,” she said.
The AICC general secretary said the situation in Kashmir is “very critical” and lashed out at Centre for not taking any step to normalize the situation. “The curfew is on from past seven to 10 days, people don’t understand who will own the responsibility (of the situation) and who will take us forward”, she said.
“I am surprised that 10 days have passed except we saw on TV once Prime Minister holding a meeting on Kashmir but neither we saw the face of Chief Minister nor any other recognizable face from the Valley and post meeting what steps they have decided to take are yet to come in the public knowledge,” Soni said.
Speaking to journalists, former Minister for External Affairs, Salman Khursheed accused Central Government of not hearing to anyone over any issue and stressed on dialogue with all stakeholders in Kashmir. “It is extremely disappointing to see the situation after hearing from people. The Centre has not taken any step to reach out to these children even as 10 days have passed”, he said.
“The incumbent Government in Centre has a style of not talking to anyone. Time and again they face difficulties in Parliament because of this but they don’t talk. The issues of foreign policy, which also come up here, with America, China or our neighbouring countries, they never tried to talk to us and gain from our experience and they want show to the word that we can do,” he said.
Khursheed said “unfortunately the same style has been adopted in Kashmir”. “There is a need to talk to thousands of people in Kashmir and there is a need to talk to every movement. There is a need to talk to us (former Government) as we have experience. And, there is a need to talk to children, youth and everyone”, he added.
“But as of now there has been no hint of being ready for dialogue from Government. And, if there is any dialogue, the absentia dialogue, that is done through media but we have been told that newspapers have also been banned. The presses have been sealed and people have been picked up so that they can’t work and newspapers don’t get published in coming days. I believe it is very wrong in democracy and it is self-problematic,” he said.
Condemning the media gag, Salman said if there was any particular media house that was causing problem, the action should have been taken separately “but brushing whole media with a single brush is extremely wrong.”
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