Men, Matters & Memories
M L Kotru
The latest terrorist strike on the outskirts of Srinagar city , causing the death of five CRPF men and two terrorists have expectedly revived , only more stridently, the customary “tu, tu, mein, mein” between New Delhi and Islamabad, pushing to the sidelines the once-famed TV serial capturing with some humour , the day to day verbal workouts between mother-in -law and her daughter-in-law.
Only that the horror enacted on the playing field of a Srinagar school, fortunately closed for the day , when the terrorists dressed as cricketers appeared to lob hand-grenades and open fire on the CRPF group preparing for the day, falling into a formation, unarmed and unaware till then that the freshly arrived “cricketers” but death-dealing terrorists.
Fortunately for children assembled for the asli game , they escaped with a few minor injuries, thanks mainly to the fact that not all the grenades hurled recklessly by the intruders burst on hitting the ground. Five CRPF men were dead before the sentries around the CRPF encampment could retaliate , killing the two intruders , a couple fleeing into the populated surroundings and eventually caught
One would perhaps be tempted to argue that the strike was overdue in Srinagar ; the State summer capital has virtually been terror free for over three years although the situation looked pregnant with violent possibilities ; the separatists for one , have for the past weeks, calling for bandhs and strikes, inevitably accompanied by stonepelting by protestors . The clashes and government enforced curfews have become routine. All in the name of protests against the hanging in Delhi’s Tihar jail of Afzal Guru, one of the men allegedly involved in the raid on Indian Parliament
The onset of spring which normally sees the stirrings of the Valley’s tourism industry have woken up to the rude shock of en masse cancellations of all March and early April tourist bookings . that hardly matters when the terrorists across the LoC have decided on ‘action’.
And l’affaire Guru have provided just the kind of the beginning that they obviously were waiting for. On both sides of the LoC, mind you.
For, the next rude awakening came when the Pakistan National Assembly, perhaps meeting for the last time before elections become due to be held in the next few weeks, passed a resolution condemning the hanging of Afzal Guru and demanding that the slain Kashmiri’s body be returned to his family in Srinagar .
This, obviously , was too thick a morsel to swallow for New Delhi which lost no time in condemning Pakistani attempts to interfere in the internal matters of the Indian State; the Indian Parliament promptly passed a unanimous rejoinder reminding Pakistan of an earlier resolution passed by the Indian parliament proclaiming that the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India .
The upshot , the painfully rebuilt confidence building measures including sports and cultural exchanges have come to a halt , with the Indian electronic media , at least a section of them led by the Mumbai based “Times Now” promising fire and brimstone. ( I often wonder who has authorized the Times anchor Arnab Goswami to always speak as the spokesman of the “people of India”) . The Indian government obviously is left with no option other than adopting the hardline . The Opposition has been tearing into it for the fiasco in Italy- not just the VVIP helicopter deal, but the more cheeky refusal by Rome to return the two Marines who were allowed to go home to cast their ballot on a personal bond filed in the Supreme Court by Rome’s ambassador that the marines would return; Italy has since refused to return them.
There is the other more embarrassing one about tiny Maldives cocking a snook at New Delhi by arresting former President Nasheed soon after he opted out of shelter in the Indian Embassy at Male , with a clear assurance that he would be free to contest the upcoming Presidential election . It follows as a consequence perhaps that to silence it’s opposition critics, the Manmohan government appears tougher in it’s dealings with Pakistan
Pakistan’s politicians have their own compulsions to be seen turning their back on the numerous assurances they have held out to this country in recent years. The concerted efforts by Islamabad and the political leadership to revive Kashmir as a core issue awaiting resolution , is to be viewed in the context of the poll process underway in that country. Even if that means going back on solemn bilateral agreements between New Delhi and Islamabad to resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful, bilateral dialogue . It has been in this spirit that the two countries have agreed to several confidence -building measures such as resumption of bilateral trade , particularly across the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir , easier exchanges of visits between members of divided families, a slight bending of Visa regulations, etc
The terrorist attack in Srinagar and what followed it within the State and without , revives an issue which has once threatened to mar the various regions of the former princely state . Hindsight tells that the former Pakistani military leader perhaps understood the regional nuances better than most others.
Jammu, the Valley and Ladakh have different perceptions not only about the State’s future, but often the kind that hardly reflects commonality of interest among them. Take the aftermath of Guru’s execution, the reaction of the separatists in the Vally to it and last week’s terror attack in the summer capital . The Muslim majority valley by and large supported post Guru developments and showing marginal interest in the terror attack.
The mainstream parties, the National Conference of the Abdullah family and the People’s Democratic Party were critical of the terror attack without being overly concerned about the death of the five CRPF jawans. The PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti did express her sympathy to the families of the slain jawans but the Chief Minister had to be virtually prodded to see off the bodies before they were flown out of Srinagar
The reaction in predominantly Hindu Jammu were markedly different . The winter capital and it’s pro-BJP cadres , with the National Panthers Party thrown in for good measure , were seen in a politically loaded mood of anger , with the ruling National Conference- Congress alliance the butt of the attack . Many were the provocative slogans raised and indeed the tone set by some of the road side speakers were far from well-intentioned.
They spewed political venom , which unfortunate it may be, should not come as a surprise to any observer of State politics. Indeed the demographic division of the State – the creation of many new districts a few years ago only adding to the divide – seems to be emerging as the next reality of the situation in the State.
I remember having mentioned in these columns the serious initiative taken during Nawaz Sharif’s Prime Ministership of Pakistan to ensure that a demographic change becomes effective in regions closer to the LoC ; that was around the time that pressure began to build on Hindus living in distant areas to move away, towards Jammu , paving the way as it were, for Muslim majority districts. General Musharaff who appeared on the scene much later must have had this development in mind when he came with his five-point formula for resolution of the problem . It had many in built tiers and could to my mind even today form a basis for a mutually acceptable solution.
Follow our WhatsApp channel