Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Mar 6: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) today staged walk-out in the Lower House over the killing of a youth in Baramulla town after participating in the discussion on Adjournment Motion during which former Deputy Chief Minister and senior leader of the party, Muzaffar Hussain Baig submitted his resignation with the condition that the same should be accepted only after the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah resigns in view of his helplessness in taking action against the Army jawan involved in the killing. However, the Minister for Rural Development and senior National Conference leader, Ali Mohammad Sagar accused the PDP of being most irresponsible Opposition in the history of the State with only one point agenda of targeting the Sheikh Abdullah family.
When the House assembled this morning, all the PDP MLAs started protesting for the discussion on the Adjournment Motion moved by the party on the killing of youth in Army firing in Baramulla town. In response to their demand, Speaker Mubarak Gul said, “I have no intentions to reject the Adjournment Motion. Nobody is happy over the death of a student in the firing. All what I want is that discussion should be held in such a manner that a signal goes to every quarter from this House that we are not going to tolerate such incidents and for that I need to have discussion with Treasury Benches also”.
However, agitating PDP MLAs were not ready to relent and stressed that discussion should be held by suspending all other business of the House. Their demand was conceded by the Chair.
Initiating the discussion, senior PDP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Baig said, “it is very unfortunate that Chief Minister, who is also the leader of this House, has expressed helplessness in tackling incidents like the one that took place at Baramulla yesterday. If the leader of the House says that he is helpless it means entire House is helpless…if we are helpless then what is the relevance of this House”, adding “how would we face the people, who have elected us when we are helpless to provide them justice?”
Stating that Governments cannot be run by simply expressing helplessness, Mr Baig said, “it is unfortunate that Chief Minister is unaware of Standing Operating Procedure (SOP) whereby it has been clearly defined as to how the armed forces have to work in the civilian areas with or without Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA)”, adding “Deputy Commissioner Baramulla has told me that Army was not on law and order duty and this indicates that SOP was not followed by the Army personnel”.
“Moreover, there are provisions whereby strict action has been proposed against those not adhering to the SOP while working in the civilian areas. In such a situation how Chief Minister can express helplessness in taking action against guilty Army jawan”, Mr Baig said, adding “moreover, Chief Minister is head of the Unified Command and he can seek explanation from anybody in the armed forces”.
The former Deputy Chief Minister further said, “if the Chief Minister is so helpless then why can’t he resign”, adding “the Chief Minister should not fear that if he steps down we will try to come on treasury benches”. Before concluding his speech, Mr Baig handed over his resignation letter to the Speaker while stating “I am ready to resign if Chief Minister is ready to quit the chair by considering his inner conscious as was reflected yesterday”.
Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, while expressing concern over the killing of youth in Baramulla, said, “due to the mistake of one jawan you cannot criticize the entire Army, which is here on our request and to safeguard us”, adding “those criticizing the Army must keep in mind that Army has played major role in normalizing situation in the State”.
He lambasted those trying to politicize the issue for vote bank.
National Panthers Party MLA, Harshdev Singh, while participating in the discussion, said, “no doubt innocent killing of anybody is intolerable but putting entire Army in the dock over one incident is not justified at all”, adding Army has its own act and law and the culprit can be punished accordingly.
Stating that there was no parallel to the Army’s role in fighting militancy, he said, “it is the Army that normalized situation in the State and maintained law and order and still fighting proxy war against Pakistan”, adding “it is Army that provided assistance to the people and raised temporary infrastructure during 2005 earthquake in the State after civil administration failed to handle the situation”.
The National Panthers Party leader also asked legislators to withdraw their security and see how safe they were in the State. “The discussion will bring no results as decision on revocation of Armed Forces Special Power Act has to be taken by the Centre and not this House”, he said while opposing revocation of AFSPA from the State. Harshdev Singh also termed killing of the two IRP jawans as human right violations and demanded job and relief to their families.
Speaking on Adjournment Motion, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said that National Conference was facilitating murder of the Kashmiris to strength its hold on power by projecting itself in New Delhi as the only party that can hold Jammu and Kashmir for the country. “They are shedding blood of innocents to promote a chaos and instability in the State to take benefit from it. Such policies of the National Conference are fuelling alienation among common masses”, she added.
Taking a dig at National Conference for raking up the issue of Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA), she said that except giving statements this Government, during the last more than four years, has done nothing to revoke this draconian law.
Launching scathing attack on Omar Abdullah Government for its failure to give justice to 120 Kashmiri youth who were brutally killed in the year 2010, Mehbooba said that AFSPA was not applicable in the incidents related to the killing of 120 innocent youth. “Your Government has failed to take action against those who were responsible for killing such a large number of innocent youth in the year 2010”, she said and regretted that instead of bringing the culprits to book the State Government was trying to project deceased as culprits”.
Ridiculing claims of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that he was pursuing revocation of AFSPA, she said “on the one hand you are talking about revocation of AFSPA while on the other hand you have deployed Army in every nook and corner of Kashmir Valley”, adding “you are in power only because security forces are protecting your Government”.
The PDP president said, “space of the main stream parties is shrinking as killing of innocent people was going unabated and common masses have lost faith on us. You said that you are helpless. If you, as Chief Minister, are helpless, where the people of State will go for justice?” she asked.
CPM MLA, Mohd Yousaf Tarigami, while seeking revocation of AFSPA said, “let the Government bring a resolution in this House so that a message is sent to the Parliament that we need Army but not AFSPA”, adding “Government of India has stated in the Parliament that level of infiltration has come down in Jammu and Kashmir as such there should be proportionate change in the special powers given to the armed forces”.
National Conference MLAs Abdul Gani Malik and Rashpal Singh said, “we are too pained over the incident and want stern action against the guilty but such issues should not be politicized”, adding “AFSPA has to be lifted to prevent its misuse and instead of taking mileage out of such unfortunate incidents we must try to defuse the situation and work for ensuring that such happenings don’t take place in future”.
About the helplessness expressed by the Chief Minister, they said, “Omar Abdullah had only expressed deepest regret over the incident and has not surrendered. Chief Minister is determined to check such incidents in future”.
Stating that criticizing security forces has become fashion, BJP MLA Ashok Khajuria said, “I want to know why not even single word has been spoken in the case of beheading of two soldiers on LoC in Poonch”, adding “Indian Army is one of the disciplined force in the world and cursing Army as a whole due to the mistake of one jawan is not justified”.
Daring the politicians criticizing the Army to leave security, Mr Khajuria said, “we too want action against those involved in the killing of youth but instead of politicizing the issue we must find a solution to ensure that such incidents don’t recur”, adding “you talk of Pathribal incident but what about the Kashmiri Pandits, who were forced to leave the Valley and those who even lost their lives”.
Congress MLA and former Minister Mohd Sharief Niaz and Jammu State Morcha MLA Ashwani Sharma also regretted politicization of the youth’s killing and lashed out at those criticizing the Army.
Ashwani Kumar advocated identifying the elements who instigate youth to create law and order situation for their personal gains, which leads to such incidents.
“It is unfortunate that neither Government nor anybody else has sympathy towards the families of those youth who lost their lives during Amarnath land row”, Ashwani Sharma said.
Independent MLA Engineer Rashid also demanded revocation of AFSPA and asked both the National Conference and PDP to collectively pressurize the Union Government in this regard.
As soon as the Minister for Rural Development, Ali Mohd Sagar stood to make reply on behalf of the Chief Minister, the PDP members stood up and remarked, “when Chief Minister has himself said that he is helpless then what reply the Minister will make on his behalf”. Later, all the PDP MLAs staged walkout amidst “Sharam Karo Sharam Karo…Aap Logon Ko Sharam Honi Chahiye. Aap Besharam Log Ho” by the National Conference members.
“A positive message was going from the House but from the behavior of the PDP it seems that this party is only interested in politicizing the issue”, Mr Sagar said, adding “to cover their grey areas they are creating ruckus and not listening to the Government’s reply”.
Stating that AFSPA was imposed when Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was the Union Home Minister, the Minister said, “within four days Mufti Sayeed got 350 people killed. They want to play politics on everything. Their one point agenda and mission is to target the Sheikh Abdullah family”, adding “during their long speeches the PDP MLAs didn’t utter even single word of sympathy towards the family of youth killed in Baramulla. As stated by the Chief Minister, PDP only wants to play politics on the blood of innocents”.
He said that Government will get justice to the bereaved family and culprits responsible for the incident would be brought to book. “Government has announced ex-gratia relief of Rs 5 lakh for the family of the deceased”, Mr Sagar said.
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