“Return to mainstream for dignified livelihood”

Yet another clarion but passionate call from the UTGovernment to militants to shun violence and extremism and return to mainstream has been promised in return with Government jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha while appealing to misguided youth to choose instead a dignified livelihood as the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the youth, wanted to tread the path of progress and development. Are not the youth generally speaking, interested only in furthering their academic pursuits, build up their career and most of them having been found cracking prestigious career building examinations? The other part of the issue could be weighed in terms of drawing a Balance Sheet of what had been gained by an ordinary citizen from more than three decades long spell of violence and bloodshed and pointedly analysing, what was going to be achieved if violence and militancy was carried forward for more years except death and destruction? None benefitted except the forces from across the border inimical to the path of progress, development and peace of Jammu and Kashmir. It is also a fact that nothing got stalled especially the process of development and building infrastructure, functioning of offices, educational institutions, the commerce and allied activities on account of terrorist activities and the associated violence.
In other words, only a minuscule number of misguided youth are getting entrapped bythe extremist, disruptive and militant ideology spread, sponsored and supported from across the border and it is this “few misguided” number, the Lieutenant Governor was appealing to, at an important occasion of 151st Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi who his life throughout, preached non -violence and compassion. There could have not been a better occasion for such appeal by the Lieutenant Governor to the “few” misguided youth. It should, however, not be taken any lightly that intermittently Government, associated agencies , top authorities of security forces and army making repeated appeals to misguided youth to shun violence and return to live a fear free and honourable life in that every step towards their rehabilitation would be taken by the administration. Reiterating that confirmed stand, the Lt. Governor promised them about readiness of the Government to ”help them with jobs” and other self employment opportunities besides empowering youth and Panchayati Raj Institutions. Since he was speaking in connection with launching the third phase of “Back to Village ” programme in district Shopian, he made a special mention of Panchayati Raj. It was, as such, for these young people to positively respond to such offers based on compassion and consideration from the Government.
It was no overstatement of any sort that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are basically peace loving people committed to living a dignified life. Spiritually and culturally, rich as this part of the country has remained for centuries together, have been abhorring even any idea of violence as means to achieve any object and it was in the fitness of things such principles were upheld in truer spirits. Since the Government is committed to making Jammu and Kashmir a role model of development and prosperity, any impediment in this endeavour must be removed, be it militancy or associated violence or even for that matter any type of unresponsive administration in solving peoples’ problems. It was imperative that people participated in the process of development especially in the context of bringing about drastic changes in our villages which the Lt. Governor termed as ”lifeline of India”.

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