Shiban Khaibri
We are increasingly aware of the havoc and the extreme lawlessness, stone pelting in Kashmir valley has been creating during the last few years as a motivated and planned strategy, at the behest of forces from across the border as also patronized by hate India and separatist elements to target security forces. How, those indulging in this detestable act were properly organized, trained, motivated and even remunerated on a daily basis, remained no secret and people came to know about the problem quite thoroughly. It had become a menace of inordinate proportions in respect of ding dong battles on the streets of Srinagar between the ones indulging in hurling stones and missiles and the security forces on a continuous basis and as a routine, the latter retaliating under severe provocation and circumstances. Various arrests were made during the previous coalition Government of the NC and the Congress and that contained the menace to some extent. What was the aim of this planned strategy of pelting stones hardly needs any emphasis.
The State Government, after proper review and considerations, recently came out with a massive plan to grant amnesty to as many as 634 offenders booked under the relevant sections of the RPC . A statement to this effect was recently made by the Chief Minister as a gesture of good will as also expecting dawning of “peace and order” in the valley, such a step was taken by the Government. It may be noted that the previous state government too had granted such amnesty to as many as 1811 people engaged in such unlawful activities. Agreed that the move of the Government cannot be seen but perhaps to ensure that good sense would prevail upon the errant people and they would live a peaceful life and contribute towards the development of the state. There are a few vital questions pertaining to this decision of the government and that being whether it was ensured that the released youth in 2011 were no longer found indulging in such nefarious activities after availing of the amnesty by the Government. Whether the parents of such young people could in any way, succeed in containing their sons from reengaging themselves in hurling stones and missiles on roads. Whether most of them were not the same ones taking part in such activities with increased intensity and now also displaying Pakistani and IS flags after every Friday congregations. Has the review committee constituted by the government gone deep into the merits, if any, of individual cases meriting amnesty as a gesture to send a message that for “buying peace”, the Government was going to the extreme extent? Have incidents of 2010 when stone pelting was at its worst and during which as many as 120 people died in this senseless violence, been considered in totality.
Only on 6th instant, even after learning about the move of the government, as many as 80 people were arrested in different parts of the valley such being the intensity of the menace and quite oblivious of the consequences thereof or thinking that getting amnesty from the government after some short time was perhaps their right , the problem appears to remain as it is. The problem on the contrary has assumed alarming proportions in the manner and design as also in “expansion” of the area of their strategy , the stone pelting has spread its tentacles to even attacking the army especially during their professional operations to fight attacking terrorists . It was sadly observed in Pampore recently when the country lost precious eight lives of our security forces and where two dozen of them were grievously wounded when they were ambushed after returning to their camps from their routine assignment. Looking to the increasing radicalization in the valley as also instigation and ever increasing support by Pakistan and its paid agents, hate India campaign is seen on the rise resulting in security forces, the army and even now the local Police made their targets.
That terrorists killed in operations are treated as so called martyrs and their funeral processions are phenomenal in proportion while at the same time virtual silence, if not celebrations, are resorted to when the security forces get martyred, is needed to be seen in the context of the decisions to offer reprieve or forgiveness to the members of the stone pelting brigade. It is strange that now for the last few years , as a routine on the festival like Eid, thousands of people for no reason or rhyme, resort to pelting stones and now regularly raise IS and Pakistani flags on the streets of the valley at many places in addition to raising provocative and anti national slogans. Not only this, at Pulwama Kashmir just outside the Eidgagh , extremists exhibited prominently the photos and banners of the killed terrorists. That even a solemn occasion like Eid was not spared to spread violence and disturbances, needs deep introspection by the separatist and anti India leadership in the valley who should account for its larger fallout . After all , where this all was going to take Kashmir and Kashmiris ?
Mirwaiz Omar Farooq , instead of openly criticizing violence even on festival like Eid, openly indulged in stereotyped politics of “New Delhi should talk to Pakistan and Kashmiris to resolve Kashmir tangle” and criticized the Police for using lathi charge on the rampaging crowds in parts of the valley . He even “certified ” the coalition government of PDP and BJP as “anti Islamic and anti Kashmiris and that the state government was directly interfering in the religious issues .” Maulvi Omar Farooq did not miss the opportunity to blame the state government in taking the directives, according to his conviction, from “Nagpur and New Delhi as it had plans to set up colonies for hounded out Kashmiri Pandits and ex servicemen.” Such statements speak about his biased intentions as also his untenable silence on condemning stone pelting and other forms of violence , in particular, raising of IS and Pakistani flags at various places in the valley by anti national and fundamentalist forces. And about Kashmir, seceding it from India and any endeavors towards that end, purely on religious basis for being a Muslim majority state, was next to impossible and those indulging in terror activities and getting full patronage from Pakistan should read the writing on the wall. Our country is a land of plural faiths, cultures, languages and its secular character is guaranteed by the constitution of India. Any attempt in alteration from any quarter within India and outside is unacceptable and is having the scope of severely affecting the whole of South Asian Region.
The more radicalization spreads across the valley , the more shall be instances of violence with telling effect. While the whole world is reeling under increasing terror vulnerability, at the same time it is an open secret that cloistered and myopically fanatic views about religion and misinterpreting religion had vast potentiality to mislead the youth to justify senseless killings. An appraisal by responsible religious leaders must see the extent of the terror tentacles across the globe. Mere silence on this burning issue was fraught with dangerous far reaching consequences. It is buttressed by the very recent happenings involving terror activities and those arrested by Police whether in Hyderabad or recently in Dhaka, have revealed about how hard core religious fundamentalism and hate speeches by evangelist Zakir Naik motivated them to this extent that they resorted to terror violence and mayhem. Those political and religious leaders in Kashmir dreaming to either ask for Aazadi and leave a liberal, democratic and unprecedentedly secular India or join Pakistan purely on religious grounds must note that nowhere in the world shall they get as much freedom, as much liberty, as much right to practice and propagate their faith as in India . The same holds good for hate monger Zakir Naik whose own cult of preaching, his TV Channels and even his entry are banned in most of the countries while he roams free and unfettered in India preaching hate, stage managing conversions, having no respect for other religions and being treated as a celebrity due to vote bank politics. It is shocking that Congress leader Digvijay Singh not only shares stage with him, hugs him repeatedly but calls this man as a “messenger of peace” and beseeches him very respectfully to visit each nook and corner of India “to spread his message of peace “. It is ironic that he praises and congratulates him and feels very much impressed by what he calls “Majmaa” or the huge assemblage of people to listen to his “message lectures”.
The granting of pardon to those involved in cases of stone pelting in Kashmir valley, therefore, enjoins upon them to ensure that any reentry into this “business” was a negation of the trust reposed in them by the Government of holding people to ransom with prospects of closing doors of such pardons in future. The choice is theirs.
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