Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, CPI(M) MLA, J&K: ‘Serious dialogue need of the hour’
It is not only because of the lack of economic packages and employment schemes that the situation has turned volatile and so grim in Kashmir. In the people’s perception, the deep-rooted political uncertainty should be the focal point which must be addressed in order to alleviate their alienation. There is a sense of denial of justice, which should be the concern for all shades of political opinion in the country. No economic package or employment schemes can do wonders in the absence of a serious, meaningful political initiative in Kashmir.
High Court of Jammu & Kashmir upholds Sanjay Tickoo's petition for protection of religious places and castigates communal versions of nationalism
Excerpts from an interview with Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, the CPI(M) MLA in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly
Does the anger in Jammu and Kashmir following the hanging of Afzal Guru have to do with that incident alone or does it point to larger issues as well, considering that life was returning to normal in the State?
I think the execution of Afzal Guru has considerably added to the anger and sense of alienation already existing in the minds of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. At a time when there was a dire need to maximise measures to reduce the trust deficit between the State and the rest of the country, the episode could produce results to the contrary. The act has unfortunately scratched the scars of the 2010 summer unrest, which were gradually healing.
Has the execution heightened the sense of alienation among the Kashmiri youth? Could the government have eased the situation by handing over the body to his family for the last rites or informing the family about the execution? Given the situation in Kashmir, do you think the government should have handled the situation with sensitivity?
The entire process of execution of Guru was not only indecent, it has also left bare the mindset that could not hold the basic decency of a democratic set-up and the legal requirements in dealing with an issue full of serious political ramifications for Jammu and Kashmir. The family was not informed well in time before the execution of their family head. The gist is that the sensitivities of Jammu and Kashmir have not been taken into consideration while finalising the execution of Guru.
Do you think the firing episode could have been avoided? Three persons, including two teenagers, have reportedly died. Is there a fear of things slipping back into the state they were in if some gesture is not made by the Central and State governments?
First of all, let me express my condolences for the loss of life in these firing incidents at different places in Kashmir. As the situation was precarious, I think the loss of life could have been avoided with utmost restraint from the security forces. It was obvious that there would be heightened anger and outburst of sentiments following this episode, so the police and other security forces should have been directed to follow the standard operating procedures, which were not followed at some places as was reported by the local press. I apprehend that the execution may encourage tendencies not supportive to the peace process, which was cultivated with huge efforts and investment. Any further casualty will not only provide impetus but also have a ripple effect, and the situation can turn into a major law and order problem.
You mentioned that the people are reeling under severe shortages of food and other essential items such as baby food and fuel, including LPG, because of the present situation. Do people expect relief from the Centre or from the State government?
There are reports about non-availability of medicines in hospitals, especially in the rural areas, and of food items, fuel and LPG. The State government must take steps to ensure that people who were injured at different places in Kashmir receive proper treatment. It must also ensure the availability of medicines and other necessary items in hospitals across the Valley. The State government should rush its teams across Kashmir to ensure the proper availability of ration and other essential commodities to people.
The Centre seems to believe that an economic package for Kashmir in the form of jobs under some government scheme may help alleviate the volatile situation. What, in your view, do Kashmiris need right now, and how can the State or Central governments help in this?
It is not only because of the lack of economic packages and employment schemes that the situation has turned volatile and so grim in Kashmir. In the people’s perception, the deep-rooted political uncertainty should be the focal point which must be addressed in order to alleviate their alienation. There is a sense of denial of justice, which should be the concern for all shades of political opinion in the country. No economic package or employment schemes can do wonders in the absence of a serious, meaningful political initiative in Kashmir.
Do you see any shift in the Central government's attitude towards Kashmir or does it continue to be business as usual in the hope that things will settle down? There is an opinion that an all-party meeting should be convened on the issue, given the volatile situation. Is there a likelihood of this spilling out of Kashmir?
I don’t think there is any significant change in the policies of the Central government vis-a-vis Kashmir. With regard to an all-party meeting about defusing the situation, what happened to the recommendations of the all-party parliamentary delegation that visited Kashmir after the 2010 summer unrest? Has the Government of India implemented any of the recommendations? So, I think the time has come for the Government of India to take meaningful measures and focus on the situation in Kashmir. There is need for concrete confidence-building measures that can pave the way for a serious and meaningful dialogue with all shades of opinion in the State...
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Let a killing not shroud the truth
Now that the Indian nation’s conscience has been amply satisfied by hanging Afzal Guru, it is time for all those who disagreed with the hanging or the manner in which it was carried out, or the controversial trial that led to it, that answers to all the questions connected to the parliament attack case be sought. The man, who may have had most of the answers, if the courts ever bothered to listen to him, may be no more. But those questions do not go away. If those questions remained unanswered because a bloodthirsty national conscience wanted to make sure the ‘prime accused’ in the plotting of the parliament attack was taken out ‘unfairly’, that impediment is now gone. No one should be afraid anymore to seek and find answers to all the questions the conscientious have been asking of the judiciary in particular and the state in general. Afzal Guru’s letters that he wrote from inside Tihar after being condemned to death almost unheard contain significant clues about how the parliament attack conspiracy could have links deep inside the security establishment in Kashmir. There should be nothing preventing the government to order a probe into the conduct of officers in the Special Task Force and police who were in close contact with Guru and according to his letters had asked him for a “small job” of helping one of the killed attackers buy a car in Delhi – the same car that was used in the attack on the parliament.
The government should order a probe into the conduct of officers in the Special Task Force and police who were in close contact with Guru, and according to his letters had asked him for a “small job” of helping the attackers of parliament buy a car in Delhi
A lawmaker’s demand for such a probe has so far been met with deafening silence from the main political groups as well as those responsible for upholding the rule of law. Nothing should prevent the state establishment to investigate the officers Guru named in his letters. A denial of such a probe would in real terms mean a willful relegation of the oath the men and women who constitute governments take while swearing by the constitution. The government of Jammu and Kashmir should be more than interested in not just seeking a new investigation into the parliament attack case in the light of Guru’s letters, but should itself initiate it without further delay. Because it is here that it has had, and may continue to have, the most profound effect as the chief minister himself said in the wake of executing Guru. Otherwise, it would be a legitimate conclusion that the Indian state in Kashmir (and elsewhere too) puts politics of deliberate obfuscation above the law.
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