Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s had interaction with Prime Minister and Home Minister on the existing situation in Kashmir valley. The focal point of her brief talks with the PM appears to be the search for talks with stakeholders including the separatists. New Delhi never closed doors for talks. But the point is that talks can be held purposefully only in an atmosphere of peace. Separatists have to understand that they cannot coerce the Government into talks at their choosing. A democratically elected Government cannot afford to be at daggers drawn with its own people. It has to listen to them and find out a solution of their problems. But that can be done only when there is peaceful atmosphere for talks. The situation on ground in Kashmir is that the people have been misled to adopt hostile stance against the administration. Mobs gather believing they will dictate terms to the Government. No Government worth its salt accepts that. The important duty of an elected Government is to protect life and property of vast peace loving majority. For that purpose the Government will use muscle power if people are not prepared to listen to reason. Mobocracy cannot be allowed to hold the Government a hostage.
Several Kashmir experts have randomly talked about taking up the thread where Atal Bihari had left it. What was Vajpayee’s line and to what length had he carried the talks and what was his methodology? Those who talk of Vajpayee line should clarify what the line was. The world knows that Vajpayee travelled all the way to Lahore in a bus to seek a peaceful solution strained Indo-Pak relations. No Prime Minister anywhere in the world would take that bold initiative. But while Vajpayee was talking peace, Pakistan’s army Generals were mounting battalions of her troops and jihadi lashkars on Kargil ridges. Kashmir leaders should understand that Modi did try to revive the spirit of Vajpayee policy by inviting Pak PM to his oath taking ceremony. Then we had Pathankote, Gurdaspur, Udhampur and Uri attacks. It blasts the bottom of self-styled Vajpayee formula. There is nothing new in asserting that the PM is amenable to talk with the stakeholders in Kashmir.
The fact of the matter is that ground situation has deteriorated in the Valley after the five-month long unrest during summer 2016. Infiltration bids have increased, attacks by the terrorists in the mainland and particularly in three infested districts of South Kashmir on security personnel have become a recurring phenomenon. Civil administration is paralysed and political leadership has become more ambivalent and dismissive about the law and order imperatives in the Valley. In a sense civil disobedience is gradually shaping and taking the people in its grip in the valley. High powered meeting is to be held in Srinagar in which civilian, military and intelligence top brass will discuss security and law and order scenario in the Valley. This clearly shows that New Delhi is not going to talk to anybody unless the atmosphere is made conducive. Obviously, some hard decisions are to be taken keeping in mind the security scenario of the Indian State. Simustaneously, the Home Minister has also been engaging his administrative and Para-military top brass and he has assured State Government for providing all the necessary support to maintain peace in State.
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